SI’s Top 10: Oregon, Oklahoma State Among Teams Trying to Keep CFP Hopes Alive

Some Saturday matchups challenged realignment debates, while others helped keep College Football Playoff arguments alive for Oregon, Oklahoma State and others.

For college football fans not in love with the realignment developments of 2021 and ’22, this Saturday (and last) provide some cold-blooded vengeance. And a couple of conspiracy theories, too.

Oklahoma State went a long way toward evicting future SEC member Texas from contention for the Big 12 championship game, beating the Longhorns 41-34 and handing them their second league loss. As has been its custom under second-year coach Steve Sarkisian, Texas blew a double-digit lead. But one stat line obscured all other game events: 14 penalties on Texas, zero on Oklahoma State.

Per research, that’s just the second time this century one team has been penalized 14 or more times while the opponent was not flagged at all. It’s the first time this century that it has happened in a conference game.

Does the Big 12 have it in for Texas (and Oklahoma, which already has recused itself from the league race by starting 0-3)? Probably not, although the bad blood about those two jilting the league absolutely runs deep. If the fix were truly in, officials would have at least flagged Oklahoma State once for appearance’s sake. Covering the tracks, so to speak.

Jaden Nixon and Oklahoma State take on Kansas State next Saturday :: Brody Schmidt/Associated Press

Still, that disparity is jarring. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy unapologetically declared penalties the difference in the game. Sarkisian blamed his team, not the refs: “We’ve got to clean that up, we’ve got to clean up the self-inflicted wounds.” The Texas fans can stew over it and Oklahoma State fans can crow about all week if they want (and both sides will).

Meanwhile, in the Pac-12, Oregon was knocking eventual Big Ten member UCLA from the unbeaten ranks in a game that was far too lopsided to talk about officiating. But the week before, fellow Big Ten evacuee USC lost at Utah by a point in a game that largely turned on two borderline roughing-the-passer penalties on the Trojans.

USC coach Lincoln Riley repeatedly pointed out that his team did not lose the game because of those penalties. But he also told Sports Illustrated on Tuesday that the school sent the plays to the league office and indicated the flags shouldn’t have been thrown. “The conference has agreed, it was pretty much cut and dried, they were textbook clean hits on the quarterback.”

USC and UCLA remain in the Pac-12 championship hunt. But after the events of last Saturday and this one, Oregon and Utah might be the teams to beat. If the Big 12 has a second straight title game without Texas and Oklahoma, and the Pac-12 has one without USC and UCLA, there will be some strong realignment schadenfreude circulating in those two conferences.

Let’s get on to the Top Ten:

1. Tennessee (7-0)

Last game: Beat Tennessee-Martin, 65-24.
Next game: Hosts Kentucky (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET).

The Volunteers trucked an overmatched FCS opponent in a game that does not resonate, but the résumé still took on added luster when LSU thoroughly handled Mississippi. Tennessee blasted LSU in Baton Rouge two weeks ago, 40-13. With the Tigers now 6-2, it gives the Vols a second major win in addition to last week’s thriller against Alabama. Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt continued his blazing recent play against UT-Martin, racking up seven catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns. His totals for the past two games: 13 receptions, 381 yards and seven TDs. That’s 29.3 yards per catch. Tennessee hasn’t even gotten around to missing wideout Cedric Tillman, who missed his fourth straight game with an ankle injury.

2. Georgia (7-0)

Last game: Beat Vanderbilt, 55-0, on Oct. 15.
Next game: Florida in Jacksonville (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET).

The Bulldogs also enjoyed second-hand résumé enhancement Saturday, with Oregon continuing its dominance since being blown out by Georgia. That win already was the most impressive non-conference performance of the season, but now it’s even better after the Ducks smoked UCLA. The ‘Dogs had their traditional open date before the Cocktail Party rivalry game against the Gators. Coach Kirby Smart has beaten Florida four out of the past five meetings, which has been essential to winning the SEC East four of the past five years. This season, the primary opponent within the division resides in Knoxville, not Gainesville. Georgia’s defense is rounding back into stellar form after a couple of casual weeks against Kent State and Missouri. The two games since then: an average of five points and 203.5 yards allowed.

3. Michigan (7-0)

Last game: Beat Penn State, 41-17, on Oct. 15.
Next game: Hosts Michigan State (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET).

The Wolverines were off, but—continuing a theme—their résumé got a little boost from Penn State’s dominant win against Minnesota. The Nittany Lions are 6-1 with their only loss being a blowout to Michigan, which now locks in on a revenge game against rival Michigan State. Michigan’s only regular-season loss last season was a wild, 37-33 game in East Lansing, and Jim Harbaugh is a surprising 0-2 against Mel Tucker. Wolverines running back Blake Corum (901 rushing yards and a nation-leading 13 rushing touchdowns) could have a chance to further his Heisman Trophy argument against a Michigan State run defense that ranks 12th in the Big Ten in yards allowed per game.

4. Ohio State (7-0)

Last game: Beat Iowa, 54-10.
Next game: At Penn State (Saturday, noon ET).

The Buckeyes’ search for a quality opponent continues, after an Iowa program in complete offensive disarray served up Saturday’s game on a platter with six turnovers. Spencer Petras threw a brutal interception on the first play of the game and, even though it took awhile, Ohio State was able to crack some holes in the Hawkeyes’ excellent defense. Iowa hadn’t given up a single play of 40 yards or longer this season, but C.J. Stroud and Julian Fleming hooked up for a 79-yard score as the game got out of hand in the second half. Jaxon Smith-Njigba returned from a hamstring injury for Ohio State, but he had just one catch for seven yards. The Buckeyes’ explosiveness with him being a non-factor this season illustrates the absurd depth of their receiving corps.

5. TCU (7-0)

Last game: Beat Kansas State, 38-28.
Next game: at West Virginia (Saturday, TBD).

The Horned Frogs have played four straight opponents that were ranked at the time and beaten them all—Oklahoma, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Kansas State. That’s a first in school history. The Comeback Toads rallied for the second week in a row, coming back from 18 down against K-State after erasing a 16-point deficit against the Cowboys. Quarterback Max Duggan threw it (280 yards, three touchdowns), receiver Quentin Johnson caught it (five for 74 yards and another long TD reception) and Kendre Miller ran it (153 yards and two scores). The TCU defense was aided by injuries to two Kansas State QBs during the game.

6. Alabama (7-1)

Last game: Beat Mississippi State, 30-6.
Next game: At LSU (Nov. 5).

If there is one person Alabama coach Nick Saban enjoys seeing on the schedule, it’s Mike Leach. Saban has owned Leach since he got to Mississippi State in 2020, beating him three times by a combined score of 120-15. Leach, the Air Raid maven, didn’t score a touchdown against Saban until the final play of his third game against him. So this was a get-well game for the Crimson Tide, which continued its streak of not losing consecutive regular-season games since Saban’s first year there, in 2007. In addition to recording a shutout one week after giving up 52 points, Alabama was only penalized only three times this week after a school-record 17 flags against Tennessee. The Tide will now have a two-week ramp-up for an LSU game that has regained some luster.

7. Clemson (8-0)

Last game: Beat Syracuse, 27-21.
Next game: At Notre Dame (Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m. ET).

The Tigers have had some heroic performances from backup quarterbacks in the Dabo Swinney Era, and heralded freshman Cade Klubnik just gave them another one. Klubnik came on in relief of turnover-prone D.J. Uiagalelei with Clemson trailing 21-10 and led three fourth-quarter scoring drives. Klubnik’s reserve play, the Tigers’ defensive line asserting itself and some inconsistent officiating decisions along the sideline were the stories of the second half. A late hit was flagged on the Orange to keep a Clemson drive alive, and one was not flagged that could have done the same for Syracuse. Swinney remained adamant after the game that Uiagalelei is his starter, but the hook may come more quickly in the future if D.J. struggles again.

8. Oregon (6-1)

Last game: Beat UCLA, 45-30.
Next game: At California (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET).

If ever a team would love to be able to toss one Bad Day At The Office result from its schedule, it’s the Ducks. After being obliterated by Georgia in its season-opener 49-3, Oregon has not only been undefeated but nearly unchallenged (there was a close scrape on the Palouse against Washington State). Bo Nix continues to flourish under offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, producing 334 yards total offense and five touchdowns. Oregon punished UCLA on the ground, rolling up 262 rushing yards and averaging 5.7 yards per carry. It’s hard to erase a 46-point loss from the College Football Playoff selection committee’s memory, but the Ducks are doing their best.

9. Oklahoma State (6-1)

Last game: Beat Texas, 41-34.
Next game: At Kansas State (Saturday, TBD).

The Big 12 drama continued in Stillwater, and not just with the penalties. The Cowboys outlasted and ultimately out-executed Texas. After leading most of the way at TCU and then losing, Oklahoma State flipped the script this week by trailing most of the way and then winning. The Pokes scored the last 17 points against the Longhorns, with quarterback Spencer Sanders outperforming counterpart Quinn Ewers during crunch time. Oklahoma State has a single road loss to an undefeated team in overtime along with six wins, but now must try to get healthy in a hurry, because there are no soft spots on the Big 12 schedule.

10. Wake Forest (6-1)

Last game: Beat Boston College, 43-15.
Next game: at Louisville (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET).

This spot could go to about four different teams. The Demon Deacons’ résumé consists of some middling wins and a quality loss to Clemson in overtime. (Wake might still be kicking itself for playing conservatively at the end of regulation of that game.) Quarterback Sam Hartman ran his season numbers to 25 touchdown passes and three interceptions against the Eagles, and the Wake defense held its third straight opponent to 21 or fewer points after giving up 51 against Clemson. Wake has some résumé-builders remaining—its final five opponents all currently have winning records.