Week 10 shook up the college football picture in a hurry, and for four teams, surviving the weekend came with a real reward. In a week loaded with six ranked-vs-ranked matchups, just getting through unscathed mattered. For these programs, though, the results did more than help - they pushed them forward in a major way.
Notre Dame came out of the weekend as the clearest winner. The College Football Playoff Committee had already made its point in the first rankings: beat Miami, or be left out in January again.
The Fighting Irish answered with a season-saving, season-defining 31-24 win. CJ Carr was sharp all night, picking apart the Miami defense with precision and finding open receivers again and again.
When Miami tried to mount two potential game-winning drives, the Irish defense shut the door.
Georgia looked every bit like the team to beat. The Bulldogs didn’t just handle Ole Miss - they overwhelmed the Rebels in a complete beatdown on Saturday night.
Georgia controlled both lines of scrimmage from start to finish, and Gunner Stockton backed it up with a 5-TD performance that quieted plenty of the noise around him. Right now, no team looks better positioned for a conference title or a national championship run.
Alabama also made a loud statement. The Crimson Tide went into Death Valley and left with a 31-13 win over LSU, answering a week of criticism about their No. 5 spot in the first CFP rankings.
They backed it up on the field. Keelon Russell didn’t post his biggest numbers, but he delivered exactly what Alabama needed: a mistake-free performance in a road win that carried real weight.
Wake Forest’s rise came in a different way. The Demon Deacons’ 77-0 win over Merrimack wasn’t the reason they moved up.
What mattered was everything happening around them. The committee’s first rankings made it clear Wake Forest needed help to get into the 12-team CFP, and Saturday delivered that help.
Five teams ranked seven spots or fewer ahead of the Deacs lost, giving Wake Forest the kind of break it needed.
In Other News...
Georgia Just Put Serious Pressure On An SEC Playoff Contender
Ole Miss spent Saturday trying to protect its place in the SEC race, but Georgia left Oxford with a result that changed the conversation quickly. The Bulldogs rolled to a 42-7 win on the road, handing the Rebels a loss that not only knocked them to 6-3 overall but also sent a jolt through the playoff picture as the rankings shifted in the aftermath.
The fallout was immediate, with Ole Miss dropping to No. 19 in the AP Top 25 and No. 17 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, a slide that makes the path back to the College Football Playoff much tighter. The atmosphere around the game reflected the stakes too, as fans reacted to a lopsided afternoon that left the Rebels searching for answers and Georgia with a statement win that could echo well beyond one Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Smart Just Landed A Massive Georgia Recruiting Surprise
Georgia just pulled off one of the biggest recruiting swings of the cycle, landing five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews after he flipped from Texas A&M. The No. 2 overall recruit and top-ranked tackle had originally committed to the Aggies in May, then backed off that pledge before choosing the Bulldogs, giving Kirby Smart and his staff a major boost up front.
Smart made sure to celebrate the addition publicly on social media, a sign of how much this one matters for Georgia's future in the trenches. Matthews is expected to sign officially in early December, and until then the Bulldogs will keep working to make sure this surprise win turns into a finished deal. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Heads Into Missouri With One Troubling Injury Question
Georgias trip to Missouri comes with a familiar late-season concern: the health of a secondary that has had to keep adjusting on the fly. Cornerback Ellis Robinson has left the last two games early, first after a knee injury against Florida and then after a thigh or hip issue against Ole Miss, leaving Kirby Smart to sort through another week of uncertainty at a position where stability matters. Smart also addressed the status of wide receiver Craig Dandridge, running back Chauncey Bowens, tight end Elyiss Williams and safety Tyriq Green as the Bulldogs continue to manage a growing injury list.
There was at least one encouraging sign in the recent game, with wide receiver Isiah Canion back from injury, even if his workload was limited. Still, Robinsons availability looms as the biggest question heading into Missouri, especially with Georgia trying to keep its defense intact while navigating a stretch where depth is being tested across multiple spots. [Read more 🡒]