It was a bit of a sleepy college football slate in Week 9, but there was still plenty of opportunity for teams in the College Football Playoff discussion to make a statement.
Lines are drawn just about every week in the SEC, and that was no different on Saturday. Alabama staged a late comeback to stave off an upset bid from South Carolina, Vanderbilt took down a shorthanded Missouri squad, and Ole Miss got out of a tough battle in the rain against Oklahoma. To cap off the night, Texas A&M exploded in the second half to eliminate LSU from the CFP discussion and stay unbeaten.
Despite all of that, the most interesting storyline coming out of Saturday may very well be the race at the top of the Big 12. BYU and Houston both picked up impressive road wins on Saturday while Texas Tech got its chance to beat up on Oklahoma State. Now, BYU and Cincinnati sit atop the league with Houston and Texas Tech a game behind, with meetings between the four teams still to come.
Which of those four made the CFP bracket in our Week 10 predictions? Let's dive into the full list.
1. Ohio State (7-0)
Nothing new to report for the Buckeyes, who were off in Week 9. Julian Sayin has quietly crept into the Heisman Trophy discussion and Ryan Day's program still boasts the best defense in the land. Indiana continues to impress in the Big Ten, but Ohio State is still the team to beat until further notice. Day and company return to action in Week 10 against Penn State.
2. Texas A&M (8-0)
Perhaps the most impressive performance of the weekend came from Texas A&M, who went into the vaunted Death Valley night environment and crushed LSU, scoring 28 points in the first 16 minutes of the second half to run away with a 49-25 win over LSU.
Marcel Reed is one of the Heisman Trophy frontrunners at this point and Texas A&M has a great running game and explosive receivers to complement him. The Aggies are also getting healthy defensively and looked very good on that side of the ball.
Texas A&M still has road tests against Missouri, who just lost its starting quarterback, and Texas, who continues to struggle with inferior competition. At this point, we have Mike Elko and company running the table through the SEC.
3. Indiana (8-0)
Indiana put a brutal end to the feel-good UCLA story on Saturday with a ruthless 56-6 destruction of the Bruins in Bloomington, and the remaining schedule for Curt Cignetti and company suggests more beatdowns may be on the horizon. Indiana should cruise to Indianapolis for the Big Ten title game at 12-0, but we're not ready to put the Hoosiers over Ohio State just yet.
Still, a loss in the conference title game shouldn't knock Indiana out of first-round bye territory if that's the only one it suffers. The next step in the journey comes in Week 10 on the road against Maryland.
4. Miami (6-1)
Miami struggled with Stanford in the first half on Saturday night, but the Hurricanes eventually came to their senses and ran away with a 42-7 win that ended up being comfortable in the end. Mario Cristobal and company have a road test against SMU coming before a fairly light end to the season.
Some help is still needed for Miami to get into the ACC title game after its stunning loss to Louisville in Week 8, but we expect that help will come in a chaotic conference. The Hurricanes should take advantage and grab the conference crown, and the No. 4 seed, as a result.
5. Alabama (7-1)
Alabama keeps finding ways to win, coming back from eight points down late against South Carolina to win 29-22 and stay tied atop the SEC. Still, the Tide looked a bit more vulnerable on offense that they had in past weeks and struggled to contain LaNorris Sellers at times in the win. Alabama should be able to get through the rest of the regular season unscathed, but those weaknesses could be a problem in a potential matchup against Texas A&M in Atlanta.
6. Georgia (6-1)
Georgia was off in Week 9, and it still needs help from either Texas A&M or Alabama to get back into the SEC title picture. Still, Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs have become the masters of finding ways to win. The Bulldogs will look to stay right in the thick of the race in Week 10 with a rivalry win against Florida.
7. Oregon (7-1)
It wasn't going to win any style points, but the Ducks managed the pouring rain in Eugene to get a 21-7 win over Wisconsin on Saturday. Dante Moore left the game with a nose injury, but Oregon still made it through.
Dan Lanning and company still have some tricky tests coming against USC and Washington during the end of the season, and a berth in the conference title game still feels extremely unlikely. Still, we have Oregon navigating the tough waters and getting to 11-1, which should be good enough for a playoff spot.
8. Ole Miss (7-1)
Ole Miss played with its food a little bit, but it was still able to take down Oklahoma 34-26 in a game that didn't have to be that close. Lane Kiffin and company continue to prove that their offense can move the ball on anybody, and it carved up a very good Sooners defense on Saturday.
The Rebels will need a lot of help to get into the SEC title game after losing to Georgia, but a very manageable closing schedule that features just one road game — the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State — should allow them to get to 11-1 with relative ease.
9. Texas Tech (7-1)
The Big 12 is in a fascinating place. Texas Tech and Houston sit with one loss — and the Red Raiders beat the Cougars this month — and BYU and Cincinnati are still unbeaten in league play.
Cincinnati and BYU play in Provo in Week 13, and the Bearcats have to play a road game at Utah in Week 10. BYU also goes to Lubbock to play Texas Tech in Week 11, and Houston has a few tricky games against TCU and Baylor left on the schedule.
All things considered, the Red Raiders still have the advantage due to their easier schedule and their perceived advantage at the line of scrimmage over the other three. Joey McGuire's group is still the pick out of the Big 12 for now.
10. Tennessee (6-2)
Tennessee has quietly moved things along nicely since losses to Georgia and Alabama earlier in the year, and it kept rolling with an impressive 56-34 win over Kentucky on Saturday in Lexington.
The Vols still have an elite offense and a competent defense that can make plays when needed. Josh Heupel and company host Oklahoma in Week 10, and a Week 14 clash with Vanderbilt at Neyland Stadium looms. For now, we have Tennessee getting in at 10-2.
11. Vanderbilt (7-1)
Vanderbilt kept its one-loss record in tact with a gritty win over Missouri on Saturday. The Commodores will be tested with a trip to Texas in Week 10, but for now we're giving them a win there.
The test will be against Tennessee to close the regular season, where the Commodores will have to go on the road in a rivalry game and try to cement their spot. However, even if they take a second loss in Knoxville, a two-loss Vandy squad should beat out Notre Dame and Georgia Tech for the final at-large spot on the merit of its quality wins.
12. Memphis (7-1)
Memphis kept its CFP hopes alive with a frantic comeback on Saturday from 14 points down to take down South Florida 34-31 in a classic, and now it should be in pole position to earn the Group of Five bid into the playoff.
Both Navy and Tulane are still unbeaten in a very crowded American, but Memphis hosts both in the coming weeks starting with a Friday night date with the Green Wave in Week 11. The Tigers are the pick for now after Saturday's impressive display of resilience.
Next Out: Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, BYU, Cincinnati
Quarterfinal predictions
Rose Bowl: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Ole Miss
Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Texas A&M vs. No. 7 Oregon
Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Indiana vs. No. 6 Georgia
Orange Bowl: No. 4 Miami vs. No. 5 Alabama
Semifinal predictions
Fiesta Bowl: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Alabama
Peach Bowl: No. 2 Texas A&M vs. No. 3 Indiana
National Championship prediction
No. 1 Ohio State over No. 2 Texas A&M
