Three SEC Groups Battle for CFP Lives

We’ve entered the ultimate month of the common season, leaving the perfect groups within the nation only a handful of alternatives to solidify their College Football Playoff résumés. The potential pool for the sector of 12 is rising smaller each Saturday—and that group will shrink even additional in Week 10. 

Three SEC groups face potential elimination video games this weekend as three losses virtually definitely marks the loss of life knell for any at-large bid hopeful. LSU bowed out of the equation final week (and despatched Brian Kelly packing within the course of), however it’s Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee on the chopping block this Saturday. The Longhorns, presumably with out Arch Manning, welcome in streaking Vanderbilt, whereas the Sooners head to Rocky Top to play the Vols. For all three applications, wins are now not welcomed; they’re obligatory. 

Elsewhere, Miami and USC hope to remain afloat on the highway in two places that characteristic raucous residence crowds and boom-or-bust opponents. Plus, the Group of 5 races thickens as Tulane tries to cling to its new standing in pole place. 

Let’s take a better have a look at the eight greatest video games to observe to kick off November.

Saturday, midday ET, ABC

The clock almost struck midnight for the Longhorns final week after they wanted backup quarterback Matthew Caldwell to return in for an injured Manning and throw a landing move to outlive a constantly frisky Mississippi State crew in time beyond regulation. And Texas may want Caldwell to start out at residence towards the Top 10 Commodores with Manning nonetheless in concussion protocol. Vanderbilt is weak, having simply performed certainly one of its worst video games of the season in a slog of a house win towards Missouri. But the Dores did what good groups do and located a technique to come out on high with protection and an 80-yard landing run from Makhilyn Young. A win Saturday would full the SEC paradigm shift. Vanderbilt would take one step nearer to the CFP; Texas could be one step nearer to the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Saturday, midday ET, ESPN

Miami obtained the form of dominating victory it wanted after a loss to Louisville, smothering Stanford final week. The Cardinal had simply eight first downs and 144 yards of offense within the 42–7 loss. But the Canes should stay excellent now that they’re a step off the tempo within the ACC and this week presents one of many crew’s two hardest video games nonetheless on the schedule. Remember when SMU was within the CFP lower than a yr in the past? It positive feels so much longer than that—and the Mustangs simply misplaced their largest head-scratcher but, a 13–12 stunner on the highway at Wake Forest. SMU got here up with 5 takeaways and it nonetheless wasn’t sufficient as a dismal 2.8 yards per carry and 4 of 17 on third-down conversions left Rhett Lashlee’s crew ripe for an upset. The run sport simply hasn’t been there for the Mustangs—and QB Kevin Jennings specifically—which received’t get higher vs. Miami, a high 10 run protection. 

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

SEC eliminator sport No. 2 options the opposite member of the Red River Rivalry. Oklahoma simply couldn’t produce sufficient offense or maintain Trinidad Chambliss in examine to shut out Mississippi final Saturday, the outcome being that the Sooners at the moment are on the brink with journeys to Tennessee and Alabama subsequent on the schedule. In equity to the offense, it was Oklahoma’s worst defensive sport so far, permitting 431 yards and 34 factors to the Rebels—each season highs. The problem is, if the Sooners’ protection isn’t lights out, the offense doesn’t have sufficient firepower to maintain up. The excellent news for Oklahoma is that if there was ever a sport for John Mateer to take the unit to a brand new degree, it will be towards Tennessee. The Vols have allowed 30-plus factors 4 occasions this season and rank 112th within the nation in scoring protection (30.88 factors per sport), rating above solely Arkansas within the SEC. But if we’ve already seen the ceiling for Oklahoma’s offense and the protection can’t maintain on, that will be a wrap for the Sooners.

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

The final time the Cornhuskers beat an opponent ranked within the AP Top 25? 2016. But there’s no time like the current! And recent off of an unsightly win over Northwestern to muddy the Big Ten standings, the Cornhuskers have an enormous alternative towards USC. The roadmap to a victory over the high-flying Trojans is tough to see, however Nebraska comes into the video games as solely a slight underdog. The USC offense stays essentially the most explosive within the nation, averaging an FBS-best 7.89 yards per play and 530 yards per sport. With talent gamers like Makai Lemon, Ja’Kobi Lane and King Miller (who’s crammed in seamlessly for injured star Waymond Jordan), the Huskers don’t have the protection to totally preserve the Trojans in examine. That means so much will fall on the shoulders of quarterback–working again tandem Dylan Raiola and Emmett Johnson, each of who bounced again from shoddy showings towards Minnesota to energy Nebraska previous Northwestern. The solely potential problem for achievement for the Nebraska offense can be defending Raiola, who’s already been sacked 26 occasions this season—one fewer time than he was in 13 begins in 2024.

Saturday, 10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

The Big 12 sport of the week options the convention front-runner, Cincinnati, towards the league’s most intriguing crew, Utah. The Utes don’t have a quarterback controversy on their palms, however backup Byrd Ficklin dazzled instead of an injured Devon Dampier in final week’s 53–7 rout of Colorado. The freshman racked up 291 yards of offense, together with 151 on the bottom, and three whole touchdowns en path to being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. On the opposite facet, Cincinnati can be with out lead working again Evan Pryor however nonetheless has Tawee Walker to man the backfield. Plus, dual-threat quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who’s tied with Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza for an FBS-leading 27 whole touchdowns, could also be one of the crucial underdiscussed quarterbacks within the nation. The Bearcats are within the driver’s seat to make the Big 12 championship, however within the league of chaos, count on the sudden.

Saturday, midday ET, ESPN2

Just like final season, Navy is plodding alongside and stacking up wins, and now finds itself undefeated previous the midway level within the season and with all the things to play for. The Midshipmen will get their likelihood to be examined with matchups towards three of the opposite high 4 groups within the American Conference and Notre Dame previous their annual sport with Army. Blake Horvath, who leads the crew in passing (1,063 yards, seven touchdowns) and dashing (814 yards, 6.8 yards per carry, 12 touchdowns), is again for his senior season along with his sights set on avenging final season’s second-half slide. That will start Saturday with a tough highway take a look at at North Texas. The Mean Green, whose solely loss got here in a 63–36 drubbing vs. South Florida, are literally favored by virtually a full landing. It’s the Navy protection that should be up for the duty towards North Texas freshman quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who threw for a conference-record 608 yards in final week’s shellacking of Charlotte. 

Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Count me as somebody who wrote off Memphis after a horrendous loss to UAB two weeks in the past. Then the Tigers stormed again from down 14 factors to shock South Florida and put themselves again into the convention title race. Ryan Silverfield’s program has all the things proper in entrance of it with matchups towards league leaders Navy and Tulane nonetheless on the docket, however to get there, it should get previous a highway journey to Rice. The Owls don’t have a lot to write down residence about, however junior working again Quinton Jackson had top-of-the-line single-game performances of the season within the convention final week, amassing 248 yards and 4 whole touchdowns on 24 touches. Rice very nicely may have him to copy that output if it hopes to tug off the upset.

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Last however definitely not least is a matchup that options maybe essentially the most closely mentioned G5 crew in latest weeks: Tulane. Head coach Jon Sumrall has performed his greatest to dismiss the coaching carousel rumors connecting him to one of many varied SEC vacancies as rat poison, whereas his crew tries to navigate a playoff push, however the noise is simply getting louder. That doesn’t bode nicely for a crew that’s already pushed its luck this season with one-score residence wins towards East Carolina and Army going right into a highway matchup with UTSA. The Roadrunners could also be beneath .500 however are often simply very popular and ridiculously chilly. (They scored 61 factors in three quarters towards Rice solely to permit 55 factors to North Texas the next week.) The technique to restrict Tulane appears to be to attempt to maintain the Green Wave’s numerous run sport in examine, significantly relating to cellular QB Jake Retzlaff. Army (141 yards, 4.9 yards per carry, one landing) and East Carolina (96 yards allowed, 3.8 YPC, zero TDs) had been largely profitable; Northwestern (269 yards allowed, 6.4 YPC), Duke (156 yards allowed, 4 touchdowns) and Tulsa (185 yards allowed, 4 touchdowns) weren’t.

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