The Oregon Ducks solidified themselves as the best team in the nation with a major victory over Michigan on Saturday.
The Ducks were rewarded with the unanimous No. 1 ranking in the latest Associated Press top 25 college football poll and Dillion Gabriel earned himself some Heisman Trophy talk with his performance. He had 294 passing yards and two total touchdowns.
It wasn’t so easy for the rest of the nation. Georgia had to do its darndest to fend off Florida, Ohio State outscored Penn State 6-3 in the second half to win their matchup, while Houston delivered a devastating upset against Kansas State.
With that said, here’s some of the winners and losers from the 10th week of the college football season.
Winners
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel scrambles out of the pocket against Michigan in the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Oregon: The Oregon Ducks showed the nation why they’re among the teams to beat this season. Dillon Gabriel is playing like a top quarterback, and they easily put Michigan away, 31-10. On Sunday, the Ducks were unanimously chosen as the No. 1 team in the AP top 25 poll.
Colorado: Despite not playing on Saturday, Deion Sanders and the Buffs now have a path to the college football playoff. Thanks to Iowa State and Kansas State both losing on Saturday, this now opens up a race for the Big 12 title game. After being written off after the Nebraska loss, Colorado needs to win out and have Iowa State drop one more game, and they will play for a Big 12 title. Crazy how college football works.
South Carolina: How about those Gamecocks? The biggest upset of the day goes to South Carolina knocking off Texas A&M just one week after the Aggies shined against LSU. Shane Beamer once again pulls off some November magic, and the SEC is now wide open with every team in the conference having at least one loss. A massive weekend for South Carolina.
Vanderbilt: Once again, Diego Pavia put a beating on a team from the state of Alabama. Vanderbilt is now bowl eligible, picking up their sixth win, this time against Auburn. This is the second time in a year that Diego Pavia has beaten Auburn, with last year coming against New Mexico State. A very big day for the Commodores!
Ryan Day: That might have been Ryan Day’s biggest win since joining the Buckeyes. His Buckeyes have lost three straight years to Michigan, but this year’s Wolverines are far from years past, and this was the victory Day needed. Maybe Michigan fans will laugh at OSU that won’t have to get through a stout Wolverines team to make some noise, but if you’re the Buckeyes, who cares?
Cam Ward: Miami quarterback Cam Ward delivered in a big way in the Hurricanes’ 53-31 win over Duke. The Hurricanes ended the game on a 36-3 second-half run to win, led by Ward’s 400 yards passing with four touchdowns. Miami improves to 9-0 on the season, and with the way Ward is playing, he is likely to hear his name called early in the NFL Draft.
Miami quarterback Cam Ward throws a pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Duke, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Iowa: Running back Kaleb Johnson is a serious All-America contender and a few more huge games away from sneaking into the Heisman conversation. Any NFL team that is interested in a potential star running back in the upcoming draft is surely paying close attention.
Jaxson Dart: Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart had a record-breaking performance in the Rebel’s blowout victory over Arkansas on Saturday. He threw four touchdown passes in the first half to give Ole Miss a 35-10 lead at halftime and finished up the game with 515 passing yards and six touchdowns to set the program’s single-game records for yards passing and passing touchdowns.
Indiana: The Hoosiers football team was able to overcome an early 10-0 deficit to ultimately defeat Michigan State in convincing fashion. Eight-ranked Indiana celebrated a 47-10 victory on Saturday and improved to 9-0 on the season. This is the first time in program history that the Hoosiers have recorded wins in all nine of the first games they played. Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke was efficient in his return from injury, finishing the day with 263 passing yards and four touchdowns. Indiana continues to exceed preseason expectations.
Losers
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney reacts in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Louisville, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Clemson: Talk about a hot mess. Clemson went into their game against Louisville with a clear path to the ACC title game, and that has now disappeared. An embarrassing performance on Saturday night, along with SMU thrashing Pittsburgh, puts the Tigers in deep trouble for the ACC title game, and I’m not even discussing the College Football Playoff. A horrible day for Dabo Swinney.
Georgia: Yes, the Bulldogs defeated Florida, but they also look like a hot mess on offense right now, especially quarterback Carson Beck, who finished the day with three interceptions. The Dawgs were holding on for dear life in the fourth quarter against the Gators’ third-string QB. I don’t know what Kirby Smart has to do with this offense right now, but he better figure it out quick with a trip to Ole Miss coming up this week. It was an awkward day for those Bulldogs, and Lane Kiffin is waiting to pounce.
James Franklin: Sure, this loss isn’t going to hurt Penn State’s chances of getting into the playoff – they have their cupcake schedule to thank for that one – but who could possibly have any sort of hope they would do anything in it? With Saturday’s loss, Franklin fell to 1-7 against top-10 teams at home, 6-10 against ranked teams at home, 1-9 against top-5 teams and 1-10 against Ohio State since he was hired at Penn State. What’s the definition of insanity?
Iowa State: The Cyclones entered their matchup with Texas Tech with a perfect 7-0 record and a top-10 ranking. Iowa State narrowly escape last week’s game against Central Florida to secure their seventh win of the season, but they were still considered the favorites this past Saturday against the Red Raiders. The 23-22 loss to Texas Tech was two-fold. It represented Iowa State’s first defeat of 2024, but it also tightened the race for a spot in December’s Big 12 championship game. BYU and the Deion Sanders-led Colorado Buffaloes have both dropped just one game in conference play and are legit contenders for the Big 12 title.
Penn State head coach James Franklin reacts during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Ohio State, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
Texas A&M: A single blowout loss seems to have all but shattered the Aggies’ SEC title hopes. They have a chance to continue their mission as one of the best stories of the season and contend for an expanded playoff spot. But if their recent loss is indicative of who they really are, fuggetaboutit.
Florida State: The 1-8 Seminoles are on a five-game slide after their latest loss to North Carolina over the weekend where they scored a season-low 11 points. Head coach Mike Norvell called the loss “disappointing” after Florida State’s offense managed just 201 offensive yards. UNC running back Omarion Hampton cruised past the Seminoles’ defense with four touchdown runs and a 49-yard touchdown reception in the 35-11 victory.
The Fox News Digital Sports college football winners and losers were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the OutKick.com staff.
