College Football 2023: Winners and Losers from Week 10
Dramatic slates are destined to come in November, but Week 10 has quickly solidified itself as one of the best Saturdays in the 2023 college football season.
Top-10 teams Texas and Ole Miss avoided upsets, and Clemson quieted its critics with a victory over Notre Dame. Oklahoma, however, exited the College Football Playoff race, as Oklahoma State earned a memorable victory in the historic Bedlam series.
And there was still plenty to come in the prime-time slate.
Alabama beat rival LSU, and Washington outlasted USC in a couple of high-scoring, prime-time showdowns.
Winner: Toledo Nears MAC Title Bid
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The long-awaited return of midweek #MACtion also featured Toledo picking up a valuable win.
And the Rockets wasted no time doing so.
Jacquez Stuart returned the opening kick 97 yards for a touchdown. The defense forced a three-and-out, and Peny Boone ripped off a 71-yard scamper on Toledo's second offensive snap. Ultimately, the Rockets soared past Buffalo 31-13.
Toledo is now 8-1 overall with a 5-0 mark in conference play, moving to the brink of another trip to the MAC Championship Game. Last season, the Rockets beat Ohio for the league title.
In all likelihood, either the AAC or Mountain West champion will represent the Group of Five in a New Year's Six bowl. But if Toledo keeps winning, it'll at least be in the conversation, too.
Loser: TCU's Bowl Hopes
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I don't know how you experienced TCU's remarkable run to the national championship game last season. Maybe you enjoyed every bit of it! On the other hand, perhaps you felt annoyed by the media darling-type coverage of the Horned Frogs.
If you lean toward the latter, hey, understood. But this season is exactly why 2022 was such a big deal.
TCU finished 5-7 in 2021 and fired longtime coach Gary Patterson. The program hadn't cracked seven wins since the 2017 campaign. Out of nowhere, the Horned Frogs ascended to a title contender in Sonny Dykes' first season and ended with a 13-2 record.
That was the definition of an outlier.
Unfortunately for the Horned Frogs, they've returned to their previous form in 2023. Thursday's 35-28 loss at Texas Tech dropped TCU to 4-5 with remaining games opposite Texas and Oklahoma.
Short of a massive upset, TCU will stumble from an appearance in the national championship to missing a bowl altogether.
Winner: Clemson Upends ND
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Clemson owes Tyler from Spartanburg a thank you, I think.
Who know if Dabo Swinney's midweek rant actually fueled much of anything on Saturday, but the Tigers upset No. 15 Notre Dame. Most notably, they did so relatively convincingly.
Clemson raced out to a 24-6 lead on the strength of a pair of first-half takeaways. Star linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. capped the early scoring with a pick-six, and Phil Mafah did the rest. In the absence of top back Will Shipley, Mafah rushed for 186 yards and two touchdowns.
Now, it wasn't without any drama. Ball-security issues stung Clemson once again as Mafah lost a late fumble. But the defense soon forced a turnover on downs, sealing a much-needed 31-23 win for Swinney's team.
While the Tigers are no longer an ACC contender this season, the sky officially isn't falling at Clemson, either.
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Loser: Ohio State's Debut at No. 1
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The important thing for Ohio State? Still a win.
When the next College Football Playoff rankings are released, though, the Buckeyes might no longer be atop the poll.
Ohio State navigated a sloppy day at Rutgers, managing a 35-16 victory that didn't look impressive. Were it not for a fortunate interception that Jordan Hancock returned for a 93-yard touchdown, the Buckeyes might've had to overcome a two-score deficit in the second half.
TreVeyon Henderson also turned a simple checkdown into a 65-yard reception. Otherwise, the passing game mustered only five yards per attempt on Kyle McCord's 25 throws.
Outstanding red-zone defense bailed out Ohio State, which improved to 9-0 but might lose its No. 1 ranking.
Winner: Texas, Ole Miss Survive
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Through nine editions of the College Football Playoff, no two-loss team has reached the four-team championship tournament. Texas and Ole Miss narrowly avoided joining that dreaded club on Saturday.
No. 7 Texas squandered a 20-point lead to Kansas State, which forced overtime and looked like it'd spring the upset. The defense held Texas to a field goal to begin the extra session, and a 19-yard completion on first down put K-State in prime scoring territory. But the Longhorns stopped a fourth-down try and held on for a nerve-wracking 33-30 win.
No. 10 Ole Miss, meanwhile, sealed a 38-35 victory over Texas A&M thanks to a blocked field goal as time expired. Zxavian Harris used every bit of his 6'7" frame to deflect the 47-yard attempt.
Fans in Austin and Oxford alike breathed sighs of relief.
At least for one more week, CFP dreams are alive at both Texas and—although some help is needed—Ole Miss.
Loser: Air Force's Perfect Season
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Well, didn't see that one coming!
Air Force enjoyed a perfect 8-0 start that included seven victories with double-digit margins. Not only that, just a single opponent had even scored more than 21 points against the Falcons.
Given that Army entered with a 2-6 record—and, more problematically, lost to one-win UMass last weekend—an upset felt improbable. Air Force was a 17-point favorite for the rivalry game.
One disastrous game later, Air Force exited the ranks of the unbeatens.
Army scored on its opening drive, then forced two turnovers on downs and recovered two fumbles on Air Force's first four possessions. Two more fumbles, two interceptions and a missed field goal punctuated a terribly mistake-filled afternoon for the Falcons.
On the bright side, Air Force is still perfect in Mountain West action. But the dreams of a NY6 bowl appearance took a serious hit.
Winner: Georgia Takes Down Mizzou
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It wasn't always pretty, but No. 2 Georgia avoided a season-altering letdown with a 30-21 win over 12th-ranked Missouri.
The teams entered the locker room in a 10-10 deadlock, and Missouri briefly took a 13-10 lead on Harrison Mevis' 42-yard field goal. Georgia immediately responded, though, and scored 17 points over its next three possessions while only giving up a touchdown and two-point conversion.
From there, UGA's defense took control.
In a six-point game, Missouri quarterback Brady Cook made a huge error and threw a pass directly to Georgia defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse. The mistake led to a field goal. On the next drive, Javon Bullard iced the Dawgs' 30-21 victory with an interception.
Between a win over the nation's No. 12 team and Ohio State's sluggish day at Rutgers, UGA has a strong case to sit atop the next CFP poll.
Loser: Oklahoma Falls in Bedlam
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Saturday marked the 118th edition of the Bedlam rivalry, which has been a lopsided one in Oklahoma's favor. Entering the day, the Sooners owned a 91-19-7 record against Oklahoma State.
Plus, since OU is heading to the SEC next season, the annual matchup is no more. The schools—much to the chagrin of many fans—have not worked out an agreement to play nonconference games in the future. There will be meetings in the future, but exactly when is unknown.
And the Sooners are leaving on a sour note.
Oklahoma's comeback effort ended with Drake Stoops—the son of legendary coach Bob Stoops—getting tackled short of the marker on a fourth down. Oklahoma State celebrated a 27-24 win in front of its hometown crowd and secured the series' final (for now) bragging rights.
Even worse for OU, the loss dented the 7-2 Sooners' hopes of a Big 12 title and basically eliminated them from the CFP race.
Winner: Alabama Knocks out LSU
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During an enjoyable back-and-forth game, Alabama nabbed a critical SEC West victory over rival LSU.
Jalen Milroe propelled the Crimson Tide to a 42-28 win, throwing for 219 yards and rushing for 155 with four touchdowns. LSU could not handle his mobility, and Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams each chipped in 50-plus yards and a score on the ground, too.
Beyond Milroe's performance, the most impressive part of the evening for Bama was the offense's 11-of-14 third-down conversion rate. LSU's short-handed defense had no answers for the Tide.
As a result, Alabama is back in a familiar spot.
While the Tide cannot afford a loss relative to the CFP conversation, they're only one victory away from clinching the division. That opportunity comes next week at Kentucky.
Loser: Defense in Los Angeles
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We basically knew it was coming. Still, yikes.
Personally, I enjoy the scoring! Both the Washington and USC offenses put on a show, combining for 1,087 yards and 94 points. The matchup provided yet another tremendous game on a day full of them.
USC's maligned defense is destined for more criticism, though. The unit surrendered 575 yards in the 52-42 loss, watching UW back Dillon Johnson scamper for 256 yards and four touchdowns.
Plus, it's fair to wonder about a Washington defense that has yielded 33-plus points in three of its past four games. This is a CFP-worthy squad, but the Huskies' high-powered offense is carrying a heavy load. Washington would benefit immensely from a more balanced group.
But, hey, fun game!
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