Week 10 of the college football season delivered a full slate of marquee matchups across the country, and when the dust settled, the College Football Playoff picture looked considerably different, at least until next Saturday's games arrive.
According to ESPN Research, the six losses by teams ranked inside the top 15 of the CFP rankings tied the most in the playoff era, which dates to 2014, matching the total from Nov. 12, 2016. The drama began Friday night with Arizona's 29-28 thriller over TCU and continued Saturday with Utah's back-and-forth Holy War rivalry win over BYU, a result that lifted the Utes to No. 2 in the latest AP poll. Texas and Alabama also made statements with wins over Missouri and LSU, respectively, while Oregon rallied for a comeback win at Ohio State.
The headline result came in South Bend, where Notre Dame knocked off No. 1 Miami 31-24 to revive its national title hopes. Quarterback CJ Carr threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns, and safety Luke Talich came up with a key interception before breaking up a potential tying touchdown pass intended for tight end Elija Lofton. Miami coach Mario Cristobal argued afterward that Lofton should have been awarded a touchdown on a disputed end zone call that officials ruled incomplete and upheld on replay review.
Georgia climbed to the top of the power rankings after a 42-7 road rout of Ole Miss. The Bulldogs ran for 295 yards and led 35-0 through three quarters, while their defense sacked star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss four times and held him without a touchdown pass for the first time in 22 games. Georgia finishes the regular season with home and road SEC games against Missouri and South Carolina before facing Georgia Tech.
Utah moved up to No. 2 behind quarterback Devon Dampier, who scored with his arm and his legs and even caught a 29-yard pass against a BYU team that also entered ranked in the top 10. The Utah defense forced Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier into four interceptions, doubling his season total, in what amounted to an all-around statement for first-year head coach Morgan Scalley.
UCLA held steady at No. 3 despite losing starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava to a season-ending injury. Backup Ty Dieffenbach attempted only eight passes against Minnesota but turned them into 303 yards, including 75-yard touchdowns on back-to-back drives to seal the Bruins' ninth win under first-year coach Bob Chesney.
Alabama, coming off a bye week, rolled to an 18-point road win at LSU. Receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams returned to score a touchdown and spark a go-ahead score with a big punt return, while quarterback Keelon Russell threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Texas showed its depth in a 34-20 win at Missouri despite several key injuries, with Arch Manning leading the passing game and Graceson Littleton sealing it with a 44-yard fumble return late.
Elsewhere, Tennessee beat Kentucky 34-6 as tailback DeSean Bishop surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the second straight season, Texas Tech outlasted West Virginia 53-48 in a game that produced 1,220 yards of offense behind quarterback Thomas Castellanos' 362 passing yards and five touchdowns, and Houston held off Cincinnati 31-24. With Indiana idle ahead of a Saturday visit from No. 20 USC, the playoff race remains wide open heading into the season's final stretch.
If the past two months are any indication, the landscape could look entirely different again after next weekend's slate.
