On a day that saw three top-10 teams lose, No. 9 USC weathered a lackluster defensive outing for a 41-35 win over Cal to avoid becoming another high-profile victim of the Week 10 slate. The victory keeps the Trojans in the Pac-12 championship picture and in the mix for College Football Playoff contention with three games remaining in the regular season.
Cal struck first with a quick touchdown drive on its first possession, but USC scored the game's next 27 points and appeared to have taken a commanding lead before the Bears got back in it; Cal drew to within a touchdown with nine minutes remaining after a successful onside kick and subsequent score. The Trojans gave up 406 yards passing to Cal quarterback Jack Plummer but answered with another strong performance from Caleb Williams. The Oklahoma transfer threw for 360 yards yards and four touchdowns. His performance was particularly impressive since it came with key receivers Mario Williams and Jordan Addison out due to injury.
The Trojans weren't the only top-10 team forced to sweat out a close home win over an unranked foe in Week 10. No. 7 TCU trailed Texas Tech entering the fourth quarter before finishing strong for a 34-24 win to remain unbeaten. Running back Kendre Miller turned in another big performance for the Horned Frogs with 158 yards rushing and a touchdown on 21 carries. With the win and Saturday's losses by No. 1 Tennessee and No. 4 Clemson, TCU is one of just four remaining unbeaten teams.
No. 2 Ohio State 21, Northwestern 7 -- Takeaways: Buckeyes overcome sloppy play, weather
No. 7 TCU 34, Texas Tech 24 -- Recap
Florida 41, Texas A&M 24 -- Aggies lose five straight for first time since 1980
No. 17 North Carolina 31, Virginia 28 -- Recap
Baylor 38, Oklahoma 35 -- Recap
No. 3 Georgia 27, No. 1 Tennessee 13 -- Takeaways: Dawgs suffocate Vols offense
No. 8 Oregon 49, Colorado 10 -- Recap
Michigan State 23, No. 16 Illinois 15 -- Recap
No. 15 Penn State 45, Indiana 14 -- Recap
Kansas 37, No. 18 Oklahoma State 16 -- Recap
No. 10 LSU 32, No. 6 Alabama 31 -- Takeaways: Tigers stun Tide in overtime
No. 24 Texas 24, No. 13 Kansas State 27 -- Recap
Notre Dame 35, No. 4 Clemson 14 -- Takeaways: Irish defense stifles Tigers
No. 5 Michigan 42, Rutgers 17 -- Recap
Florida State 45, Miami 3 -- Recap
No. 9 USC 41, Cal 35 -- Recap
No. 12 UCLA 50, Arizona State 36 -- Recap
Check out the entire Week 10 scoreboard
Cal has scored 13 unanswered and is within a touchdown. The Bears scored, recovered an onside kick and then promptly marched down the field and scored again. Cal is approaching 400 yards of total offense in this game. USC blocked the PAT, which was huge, but this one is still far from over.
UCLA has scored 21 unanswered points entering the half. The last drive before the half was a 16-play, 90 yarder that took 5:48 off the clock. DTR has two passing touchdowns and another on the ground. Both LA teams taking care of business so far in late night action.
USC's defense hasn't been great today, but the Trojans came up with a huge stop on fourth-and-2. The Bears were on the USC 18-yard line and opted to go for it. Then, an interception helped USC take a 20-7 into the break. Caleb Williams is 17 of 28 for 203 yards and one touchdown. Travis Dye has 39 yards on seven carries. Cal gets the football to start the third quarter.
Brian Kelly rolled the dice in overtime, and it paid off. After Jayden Daniels rushed for a touchdown to pull the Tigers within one point, Kelly chose to go for the two-point conversion. Daniels rewarded his aggressiveness by finding Mason Taylor for the conversion and the win. Despite another heroic effort from Bryce Young, the Crimson Tide have suffered two straight heartbreaking losses on the road. LSU now controls its own destiny in the SEC West, and Alabama is in serious jeopardy of being left out of the College Football Playoff.
Utah quarterback Cameron Rising only threw the ball 25 times for 151 yards and a touchdown, but he didn't have to do much. That's because the Utes ran all over the Wildcats. They finished the game with 306 yards rushing as a team, and they put this game out of reach early in the fourth quarter. Utah has now won three straight in Pac-12 play.
The unranked Fighting Irish beat the formerly undefeated Tigers by 21 points, and the game didn't even feel that close. The Notre Dame defense shut out Clemson for the first three quarters, and by then, the game was out of reach. At one point, D.J. Uigalelei was benched for Cade Klubnik, who threw an interception on his first pass attempt. The Fighting Irish simply smothered the Tigers for four quarters. After debuting in the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings, Clemson's playoff hopes just took a massive blow.
The Longhorns held a 31-10 lead at halftime and held on for dear life the rest of the way. Kansas State even had the ball in Texas territory with under a minute to go, but Adrian Martinez fumbled to seal the win for the Longhorns. It was probably too close for comfort, but Texas got a big conference win to become bowl eligible with three games left to play.
The Tigers defense has kept Alabama's potent offense out of the end zone through three quarters in Death Valley. LSU running back Josh Williams punched it in from two yards out midway through the third to give the Tigers a five-point lead, and, surprisingly, it's going to be hard for Alabama to get out of that hole. The offensive line is getting destroyed by LSU's front seven, and quarterback Bryce Young hasn't been sharp all night.
The Tigers are in trouble in South Bend heading to the fourth quarter and can't get any offense going. Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is 13 of 18, but only has 78 passing yards in what has been one of the most anemic performances of the year. Cade Klubnik came in for Uiagalelei with 1:20 to play in the third quarter, but threw an interception on his first pass of the game on the Clemson 14-yard line in what could be the play that puts the game away.
The good news for those tuning into this game is that the offenses finally started to get rolling in the second quarter after combining for three points in the first. Sam Hartman was able to shake off an early interception and find his rhythm. Unfortunately for the Demon Deacons, MJ Morris was able to make some big plays for the Wolfpack. So far, neither side has been able to take control of the momentum in this game.
The Hurricanes are simply getting out-classed by their in-state rival. Florida State has controlled every second of this game, and the box score backs that up. The Seminoles have a 304-76 edge in total yards, and the Hurricanes have looked helpless on defense. Miami has even turned to freshman Jacurri Brown at quarterback, but so far, nothing has worked for Mario Cristobal's team.
In a favorable matchup, the Utes are up three scores heading to the locker room. Utah has dominated on the ground to the tune of 153 yards and four touchdowns, but Arizona has played better than the score indicates. The Wildcats have been able to move the football on several drives, but a fumble and turnover on down prevented them from getting points on the board.
After all that weirdness, Kansas State gets back into the end zone for the first time since 8:41 in the first quarter. Quarterback Adrian Martinez took the ball and pushed in for a tight 1-yard touchdown run to cut into the big lead with 8:37 remaining in the third quarter. Kansas State didn't rush, but now has a much more manageable 14-point deficit.
No, that is not a typo. The Mustangs and Cougars have combined for 91 points in the first half. SMU scored a touchdown every time it touched the football, and neither team punted. The only three drives in which Houston didn't find the end zone resulted in an interception by quarterback Clayton Tune or the end of the half. With 777 yards of total offense between these two teams already, the second half sets up for more fireworks.
Rutgers only has one rushing yards, but it hasn't mattered against fifth-ranked Michigan. It blocked a punt for a touchdown in the first quarter to tie it up at seven. Gavin Wimsatt hit Sean Ryan with just under two minutes to play in the second quarter to put the Scarlet Knights up against Michigan at the break. JJ McCarthy is 8 of 14 for 88 yards in what has been a lackluster performance devoid of big plays.
Neither offense has been able to get any traction in what has been a defensive battle to this point. After a disastrous performance against Louisville last week, Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman has already thrown an interception. The Wolfpack have just 24 yards of offense so far, but they hold the lead. Will they be able to grind out another conference win without Devin Leary?
The Fighting Irish got a punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter to get the scoring started, and quarterback Drew Pyne rushed it in from five yards out with under one minute to play to push it to 14-0 at the break. The offenses in this one have been missing in action. Pyne is 4 of 10 for 41 yards through the air, and Clemson's DJ Uiagalelei is 9 of 12 for 41 yards. It's one thing to play close to the vest, but this game is ultra-conservative on both sides.
It's a defensive slugfest in Baton Rouge between home-standing LSU and defending SEC champion Alabama. Tigers quarterback Jayden Daneils hit running back John Emery Jr. out of the backfield for a 30-yard touchdown in the second quarter for the game's only touchdown. LSU appeared to have recovered a fumble late in the quarter, but Alabama tight end Cameron Latu touched the ball while he was out of bounds to negate his fumble. Will Reichard kicked a 36-yard field goal as time expired to make it a one-point game. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is 12 of 24 for 170 yards and has tossed one interception in what has been a very sub-par performance from the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.
Adrian Martinez hit Deuce Vaughn for a 28-yard touchdown to tie the game with just under nine minutes left in the first quarter, and Texas took a stranglehold on this game after that. The Longhorns scored 24 of the next 27 points, and they take a massive lead into the locker room. It was a two-score game late in the half, but Martinez threw a critical interception with under two minutes left that set up another Texas touchdown.
The Seminoles got whatever they wanted against the Hurricanes' defense in the first quarter. Jordan Travis completed all four of his passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns, and Florida State totaled 88 yards rushing. Unless Miami can come up with some answers soon, this game could start to get ugly before halftime arrives.
No. 5 Michigan and unranked Rutgers are locked in a 7-7 tie in the first quarter, and it was the Rutgers special teams that has made the most noise so far. Max Melton blocked a punt and Timmy Ward recovered in the end zone for a touchdown to tie it up. The Wolverines came in as huge favorites, but it can't get sloppy in special teams.
Offenses have been missing in action in South Bend, but the Fighting Irish special teams unit did show up. Jordan Botelho blocked a Clemson punt and it was recovered Prince Kollie for the lone touchdown of the game in what is likely a must-win game if Clemson wants to stay in the College Football Playoff race.
We are scoreless through one quarter in Death Valley in a showdown between two SEC West rivals. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young was picked off in the end zone after an 8-play, 76-yard drive on the Crimson Tide's first possession of the game. Since then, the Tide only have four total yards and have punted twice. LSU's offense hasn't had much success either. It only has 55 yards and is only averaging 2.9 yards per play in what looks like an Alabama-LSU game from 2011 rather than 2022.
This game was a mismatch on paper, and that's how it played out on the field. Oregon was in full control of this game from the opening kickoff, and it hammered Colorado in Boulder. Ducks quarterback Bo Nix threw two touchdown passes, rushed for two more, and caught another one. He has propelled Oregon to eight straight wins, and now the team is right back in the College Football Playoff discussion if it can run the table the rest of the way.
Michigan State put up just 294 yards versus 441 for Illinois but escapes with a 23-15 upset victory anyway. The Spartans were 16-point underdogs on the road after the suspension of eight players, but they found a way. Much of it had to do with Illinois going 1 of 6 on fourth-down conversions. Narrative-changing win for Michigan State.
Things have gotten out of hand at Indiana, as the Nittany Lions surge ahead 45-7. Drew Allar is at QB now and has thrown for a couple of scores, including a 4-yard strike to Theo Johnson just now. Hoosiers just haven't been able to move the football at all. Impressive performance by Penn State after the letdown of a loss against Ohio State last week.
The Bears held on late against the Sooners to get just their second win all-time in Norman. Baylor and quarterback Blake Shapen didn't get much going through the air, but they didn't need to. The Bears carved up the Sooners on the ground for a total of 283 yards rushing. Craig Williams ran wild for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Baylor was able to keep itself in the Big 12 title conversation, and Oklahoma falls to 5-4 on the season and 2-4 in conference play.
Syracuse is on the verge of losing its third straight after a 6-0 start as the Orange struggle offensively against Pitt today. Carlos Del Rio-Wilson is 6 of 15 for 79 yards and Sean Tucker has just 20 yards rushing. Pitt is fortunate to be ahead as the Panthers have turned it over twice. But their defense has been so good that it hasn't mattered. Just seven first downs for Syracuse.
Baylor and Oklahoma are poised to play a thriller in the fourth quarter. The two teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter to set up a three-point game going into the final 15 minutes. When it begins, the Sooners will have the ball looking to tie or take the lead. If the Bears want to stay in the thick of the Big 12 title race, they need to pull out a win on the road.
Illinois is leading Illinois 251-162 in total yards through one half, but the Spartans are ahead on the scoreboard despite being without several players due to suspension. Illinois had a couple of turnovers on downs that stymied promising possessions. Payton Thorne is 12 of 17 through the air for Michigan State and has hit 7 different players.
