The ninth week of college shook up the polls and the first official college football playoff rankings.
Week nine started out with nine unbeaten teams and concluded with only five remaining.
Previously unbeaten No. 10 West Virginia fell short to Oklahoma State, 37-20.
This game left me disappointed because I know the Mountaineers can play better.
When West Virginia is hot, they’re unstoppable. But in games like this, when quarterback Skyler Cook throws two interceptions and the Mountaineers turn the ball over three times, they’re bound to lose and deserve a significant drop in the polls.
Baylor, the previously unbeaten and national powerhouse No. 8 seed fell one point shy to Texas, 34-35.
What impressed me was Texas’ ability to finish out the game.
With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Longhorns trailing by six, the team drove the length of the field and scored a touchdown to bring them within two and with less than a minute to go, kicked a field goal which sealed the deal.
The most disappointing loss was No. 13 Boise State having trouble against conference opponent, Wyoming.
The Broncos lost the game 30-28 on a safety with under a minute left.
I don’t think Boise State should have been ranked that high to start, being a Mountain West team. Being a top 25 undefeated team in college football is a big statement and it’s not just given to teams but earned. Boise State got pushed around all game and hasn’t proved to earn it.
They were pushed back into their own end zone and showed no fight against a fairly weak team like Wyoming.
The final unbeaten team to fall was No. 7 Nebraska, losing to No. 10 Wisconsin 23-17 in overtime.
This game didn’t fail to disappoint. I don’t think Nebraska has any room to be disappointed. They played a tough game against a great Wisconsin team and took them to overtime.
The Cornhuskers defense could have been better. They allowed Wisconsin’s senior running back Dare Ogunbowale, who rushed for 120 yards and the go ahead score in overtime.
If the Badgers defense played stronger, they would have won that game. The team’s defense has one week to improve before they go to Columbus, Ohio to face the Big 10 powerhouse, Ohio State Buckeyes.
Other notable games from the weekend included Clemson keeping their playoff hopes alive with a 37-34 win over No. 2 Florida State.
The Tigers defense had trouble stopping Florida State running back Dalvin Cook and lost their lead twice in the second half before a touchdown with two minutes left.
This game played a huge role in the ACC rankings.
Another game which played a huge role in the rankings was Louisville’s win over Virginia 32-25.
Lamar Jackson had his big “Heisman play” by throwing a 29 yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Brown with 13 seconds remaining in the game.
Jackson continues to prove his Heisman case and with the win, Louisville sits at second place in the ACC Atlantic division, one game behind Clemson.
The first official College football playoff rankings came out on Tuesday.
The biggest surprise came at the No. 4 spot, Texas A&M leaped Washington to slip into the last spot.
I believe that the reasoning behind this was because a 1-loss SEC team like Texas A&M is better than an undefeated Pac 12 team in Washington. The SEC is stronger.
I would like to see Louisville take the final spot come the playoff. Assuming that Alabama will win out, I look forward to seeing if Louisville’s fast paced offense can outrun Alabama’s stingy defense in a No. 1 vs No. 4 game.
