Kansas
Kansas pulls off the upset, plus projecting the Playoff rankings
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This week in another Pac-12 After Dark thriller, Arizona upset No. 11 Oregon State 27-24 to claim back-to-back ranked wins (last week at Washington State) for the first time since 2014.
But that was just one of the upsets in college football on Saturday …
Oklahoma Falls
Kansas delivers big upset
No. 6 Oklahoma’s perfect record didn’t survive a trip to Kansas (neither did one of the goalposts). The Sooners lost 38-33 as Kansas earned its first home win against an AP top-10 team since 1984!! (also against OU).
This one jumped onto the upset radar early as Kansas grabbed a 14-0 lead. Oklahoma answered with three straight TDs before Kansas crept back. The teams combined for five failed two-point conversions in the third and fourth quarters. Kansas running back Devin Neal scored the game-winning touchdown with 55 seconds remaining. The Sooners gained 52 yards on their final drive but couldn’t get the game-winner.
What this means by the numbers:
- Prior to Saturday, Kansas was 0-99-1 against AP top-10 opponents when trailing entering the fourth quarter, per Elias Sports.
The result snapped Oklahoma’s 18-game winning streak vs. Kansas that spanned 26 years. It was the Sooners’ longest active streak against any opponent in the AP Poll era, per ESPN. - Fans who stuck around through a one-hour lightning delay in the second quarter stormed the field after the win. “I got caught in a whole bunch of students,” coach Lance Leipold said. “I hope nobody gives me a breathalyzer just off of the fumes out there.” Max Olson has more from the postgame scene.
David Ubben and Sam Khan reacted to the stunner on the Until Saturday podcast.
Scores Around The Country
Oregon rolls, Georgia owns Cocktail Party
- Florida State beat Wake Forest 41-16 in another dominant outing. The Seminoles (8-0) averaged 7.7 yards per play and outgained Wake Forest 508-210. QB Jordan Travis boosted his NFL Draft stock with a 22-for-35 passing performance for 359 yards and three TDs.
- Oregon rolled past Utah 35-6. If the Ducks (7-1) had not lost to Washington this month, we probably would be talking about their national championship potential a whole lot more, our Chris Vannini says. QB Bo Nix threw for 248 yards with two touchdowns through the air and one on the ground.
- Drew Allar came up with the big play Penn State (7-1) has been waiting for to beat Indiana 33-24. The QB’s clutch moment came after he threw his first career interception, which led to the Hoosiers’ game-tying field goal with three minutes left. On the Nittany Lions’ next drive, Allar connected with KeAndre Lambert-Smith for the 57-yard go-ahead TD.
- Georgia looked just fine without star TE Brock Bowers in a 43-20 rout of rival Florida. This is the first time since the 1940s that Georgia (8-0) has beaten Florida three times in a row by at least 20 points. That kind of dominance is the new normal for this rivalry under Kirby Smart, our Jeff Schultz writes.
- Ohio State (8-0) topped Wisconsin 24-10 despite a strong defensive showing by the Badgers. Ohio State QB Kyle McCord threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Marvin Harrison Jr. had another huge day with six receptions for 123 yards and two TDs while TreVeyon Henderson returned to the lineup to add a spark to the offense (24 carries, 162 yards, one TD).
- Tennessee held off Kentucky 33-27 in Lexington. Kentucky QB Devin Leary kept the Wildcats close with a 28-for-39 passing performance for 372 yards, two TDs and no INTs. But Kentucky was held to 72 rushing yards while Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright had 11 carries for 120 yards.
- USC escaped with a 50-49 win against Cal, but the problems remain for the Trojans. USC’s defense allowed 527 yards, including 235 on the ground. The Golden Bears led 43-29 in the fourth quarter before three straight TDs by the Trojans. Cal’s two-point attempt to take the lead with less than one minute left failed.
Playoff Picture
With Oklahoma’s loss, the Big 12’s chances to send a team to the College Football Playoff look unlikely (at least for now). OU and Texas (which won without Quinn Ewers on Saturday) are the top contenders, but both have one loss. The CFP committee will release its first set of rankings on Tuesday. Here are my picks for the top four:
1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Florida State
4. Michigan
Strength of schedule is a big point of discussion for the committee. Before Georgia’s win against Florida, I probably would have put it at No. 2. But the 23-point win without their best player has left little doubt that the Dawgs have the strongest team.
Ohio State has the best resume with ranked wins against Notre Dame and Penn State, but Georgia gets the edge with the stronger offense. Florida State has the playmakers in Travis and Keon Coleman and has ranked wins against LSU and Duke, so the Seminoles are No. 3.
Michigan has some marquee matchups in November, but for now, the Wolverines are relying on their consistency.
College Football Beefs (C.F.B.)
Narduzzi’s postgame, Doeren vs. Smith
We had two C.F.B. cases emerge on Saturday.
- Several Pitt players responded to a post on X (Twitter) that quoted coach Patt Narduzzi from his postgame news conference after the Panthers lost 58-7 to Notre Dame. The original post included a fragment of Narduzzi’s comments, and the full quote was shared later: “I’ll go back, as a football coach, you lose a lot of good players from a year ago, and you think as a coach you’re going to replace them, and obviously we haven’t. Again, it starts with me. I didn’t do a good enough job coaching today. Put it on me, and we’ve got to make plays.” Narduzzi later made his own post saying he was “100% responsible” for the loss.
- After beating Clemson 24-17, NC State coach Dave Doeren took a shot at former NFL star Steve Smith in his postgame interview. “Tell Steve Smith in the studio this ain’t a basketball school,” Doeren said. “He can kiss my a–.” On ESPN’s “College GameDay,” Smith picked Clemson to win and said “NC State, unfortunately, they’re waiting for basketball to start.”
Quick Snaps
Stewart Mandel’s Final Thoughts take a look at the drama Kansas provided before the first CFP rankings.
Nicole Auerbach’s top 10: Oregon can’t jump Washington because of the head-to-head result.
We thought this season was the prime example of parity in college football. But don’t be surprised if two-time reigning national champion Georgia spoils that party.
From Chris Kamrani: Bo Nix has reinvented himself. The Heisman Trophy and a national title could be the result.