It was another tremendous week of college football, and the theme of this week was elite teams avoiding upsets and fringe playoff contenders ending their chances at the playoffs. Indiana, Alabama, Oregon, and even Vanderbilt were playing to one-score games late into the fourth quarter of their matchups, but they all managed to pull it out in the end.
Indiana had the most impressive save of the weekend, where Fernando Mendoza was able to save the day with a game-winning drive, capped off by a potential catch of the year from Omar Cooper Jr.
I do want to put a pause on the crazy people calling this Mendoza’s Heisman moment. If it weren’t for Mendoza’s massive interception in the 4th quarter, he wouldn’t have needed to make the miracle comeback he did. It’s the least consistent Indiana’s offense has looked since a week 5 slug fest against a gritty Iowa team. Additionally, it is worth noting that Penn State now needs to win out to even qualify for a bowl game this year. One of the most insane falls from grace for a preseason title favorite.
Staying in the Big 10, it wasn’t pretty, but Oregon pulled off the road win at Kinnick Stadium, and that is always impressive. That being said, the question marks continue to grow for Oregon. Mendoza wasn’t able to get anything going through the air at Iowa either, but Dante Moore had a horrific performance in this one. I really don’t have a lot of faith in this Ducks offense against any competent defenses.
Heisman hopefuls Julian Sayin and Ty Simpson both pulled out wins and solid stat lines, to keep the race looking like a photo finish as the season comes to a close. Nobody in the country seems to be pulling away in this race, so it might come down to anyone pulling off a memorable “Heisman Moment” in the waning weeks of the season.
Texas A&M once again looks like the best team in the SEC. They’ve had one of the more forgiving schedules in the conference, but they continue to take care of business, which is what a national title contender should do. Marcel Reed continues to look more comfortable in big moments, and if he can continue to make big throws, I think they would easily be the favorites to win the SEC in Atlanta next month.
Also in the state of Texas, the Red Raiders had the biggest win of the weekend, and I’m buying a lot of stock in Texas Tech. They’re able to lean on their defense and limit total possessions each game by running the football so well. It’s a formula that I think can translate to the postseason. Texas Tech has the bad loss to Arizona State on its resume, but I think that game is more of an outlier. I genuinely believe they can hang with any of the best teams in the country, and they are not a team you want on your side of the bracket in the playoffs.
Lastly, here lies the hopes and prayers of two teams in the ACC making the playoffs. The odds of that occurring before this week were slim to none, but both Virginia and Louisville notching their second losses of the season can really kiss this goodbye. The ACC is not on the same level as the top three conferences in college football this season, and they should be ranked accordingly. However, I am keeping my eye on Pitt, as they have Notre Dame coming to town, and I think they can really shake up the college football season with an upset over the Irish in this one.
