Penn State on the rise, Tua Tagovailoa's ankle injury: Top 10 college football storylines
From Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s injury to who's hot and who's not in the Big Ten, here are the top 10 things to know about college football.
Penn State is hot on Ohio State’s heels
The Nittany Lions held off a late charge by Michigan to knock off their second ranked opponent in as many weeks thanks, in part, to the play of quarterback Sean Clifford and receiver KJ Hamler (pictured). Penn State doesn’t play the Ohio State Buckeyes until Nov. 23, but that marquee matchup could settle the division and determine which team reaches the Big Ten title game.
Michigan can’t handle the big moments
Despite a second-half surge that fell just short against Penn State, Michigan couldn’t find a way to get the job done when it mattered. The Wolverines are 1-10 against top-10 teams under Jim Harbaugh and now find themselves out of contention for the Big Ten championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Wisconsin got caught looking ahead
Illinois was a heavy underdog, but that didn’t stop the Illini from pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the season and knocking off previously undefeated Wisconsin, which lost to Illinois one week before the Badgers face Ohio State. The defeat strikes a huge blow against the Big Ten, which saw its pool of College Football Playoff semifinal candidates thin with the loss. It leaves little wiggle room for the conference’s remaining playoff semifinal contenders.
Tua Tagovailoa’s injury could affect SEC race
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left in the second quarter of his team’s win over Tennessee with a high ankle sprain and didn’t return. Tide coach Nick Saban released a statement confirming Tagovailoa had minor surgery Sunday and will miss the upcoming Arkansas game but is expected back in the lineup soon. The big question is whether he will be ready to face surging LSU in two weeks.
Florida avoids letdown, setting up showdown with Georgia
The Gators may have been soaked, but they weren’t all wet after surviving South Carolina’s push for an upset in a rainstorm. Dan Mullen’s team bounced back after a disappointing loss to LSU to set up a monumental meeting with Georgia in two weeks for control of the SEC East. The winner will be still alive in the playoff semifinal mix.
Oregon, Utah keep rolling in the Pac-12
Oregon rallied from a halftime deficit to overtake Washington late as the Ducks appear the favorite in the Pac-12's North Division. Utah’s defense clamped down on Arizona State, leaving the Utes tied atop the South. If both survive and reach the Pac-12 title game, the winner could make a surprise case for a playoff semifinal spot.
Derek Mason makes case he is the right man to lead Vanderbilt
After a rough week during which his future at Vanderbilt was called into question, an impassioned Derek Mason said he’s the man to the lead the Commodores after his team upset Missouri 21-14 for its first SEC win of the season.
Clemson may be all right, but Trevor Lawrence still has room to improve
Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence overcame two early interceptions while leading Clemson to a 45-10 win over Louisville. Lawrence (pictured) has thrown an ACC-worst eight interceptions this season, and his passer rating of 147.4 is off from his record-setting performance last season.
The ACC Coastal is a beautiful mess
Few divisions in college football provide as much fodder for national ridicule as the ACC’s Coastal. Take this past weekend, for example, when Georgia Tech (pictured) knocked off Miami and Virginia Tech outlasted North Carolina in six overtimes, including college football’s first two-point conversion shootout. Virginia may be the favorite now, but who knows which team will reach the ACC title game.
Race for Group of 5 spot in New Year’s Six Access Bowl is wide open
Boise State’s loss to BYU knocked the Broncos out of the top spot for the coveted Access Bowl bid, opening the door for American Athletic Conference teams SMU and Cincinnati and Sun Belt team Appalachian State (pictured) to make their cases for the highest ranking when the selection committee releases its first round of playoff rankings on Nov. 5.
