The ACC’s College Football Playoff hopes took a major hit after No. 7 Georgia Tech and No. 9 Miami lost.
The American Conference race is heating up, with six teams tied at the top with one loss each.
Controversial officiating calls marred the ACC’s weekend, including a disputed pass interference call in the Duke-Clemson game.

The ACC was able to get two teams in the College Football Playoff last season. In an instant, it’s looking like it won’t be able to get multiple bids again.

While it was fun for the sport, Saturday, Nov. 1 couldn’t have been any worse for the Atlantic Coast with its two top 10 teams – No. 7 Georgia Tech and No. 9 Miami – losing. Even worse, they lost to teams with at least three losses. Already piling on to the disappointing seasons from Clemson and Florida State.

It couldn’t have come at a worse time with the first batch of College Football Playoff rankings coming out in two days. Not only will the ACC not have any teams in the top 10, but it won’t be surprising if none are in the top 12. 

It’s a horrible start to November for a league that already has an uphill battle against the SEC and Big Ten. Now the best hope is if Virginia can keep on winning, and somehow make a case if it just loses in the ACC title game.

Desperate times are happening in the ACC, and that’s why it leads the best and worst things from Week 10 in college football.

Best: American race

While one conference feels gloomy about getting one team, another will gladly take it.

The American Conference is becoming the best conference race in college football. It’s looking like this conference could be the one to produce the Group of Five representative; it’s becoming wild to see who will get it.

The latest installment came with North Texas knocking off undefeated Navy. It came two days after UTSA surprisingly beat down Tulane, and a week after No. 25 Memphis stunned South Florida. 

Now look at the standings and there are six teams at the top with one loss. A scary situation for the contenders since a conference title is needed to get in the playoff field. All the while, other teams like San Diego State and James Madison watch on, hoping they cannibalize each other enough to work their way in. 

It’s gearing up for an exciting race between Navy, Memphis, North Texas, Tulane, South Florida and East Carolina, as the Group of Five playoff bid will rest on this sprint to the finish.

Worst: ACC referees

Not only was it a bad week for the conference, but for its officials too.

One instance came in Duke vs. Clemson, when the Tigers were about the cap off a win when a pass interference was called on defensive back Avieon Terrell. However, it looked like Duke receiver Que’Sean Brown was taking down the Clemson defender. A few plays later, the Blue Devils scored a touchdown and got the two-point conversion for the win.

Then there was the odd field goal for SMU against Miami. It looked like Sam Keltner’s kick in the fourth quarter was good when it went over the goal post, but the officials ruled it no good. It was a confusing call that nearly cost the Mustangs just like Clemson, but SMU overcame it by beating the Hurricanes in overtime.

Best: SMU rips apart goal post

Speaking of SMU’s win, the fans sure had fun beating a top 10 opponent at home. Not only did they rush the field, but they ripped up the goal post where that controversial call happened.

Not take down. Rip it, literally.

The post was left in pieces, carried out of the stadium and eventual made its way to a fountain.

It was certainly a party in Dallas, and even better, the university president is going to pay for it all.

Worst: Blackouts

Tennessee and Nebraska decided to wear all black uniforms on Saturday, bringing much hype to the big night games they were hosting. It’s a popular thing to do for marque night games − but the Volunteers and Cornhuskers might be thinking these over.

Both teams lost, with Oklahoma going into Neyland Stadium and getting a huge win, and USC leaving Nebraska with a statement victory. It may have brought a great atmosphere to the stadium, but too bad it couldn’t lead to the most important thing: a win.

Best: Three safeties

Down in the FCS level, William & Mary scored six points in a very unusual way.

The special teams unit blocked three punts against Albany that resulted in three safeties. Not often you see that in a game, as it was the fourth time an FCS team has recorded at least three safeties in a game. It certainly propelled William & Mary to a 37-7 win.

Worst: Hugh Freeze

We may have found our next coach that’s going to be out of a job soon. Auburn experienced a brutal loss at home, falling to Kentucky 10-3 after it was unable to score a touchdown against one of the worst defenses in the game.

With the Tigers now 4-5 and in serious dangerous of missing out on a bowl game yet again, the fans let it be known they are ready to move on from Hugh Freeze.

Best: two-point conversion in the dark

Ever scored without lights? That’s what Northern Arizona did on Halloween night.

The Lumberjacks scored a touchdown to take a lead against Idaho in the fourth quarter, and went for two to make it a three-point game. However, in the middle of the play, the lights in the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome went out. It may have been hard to see, but somehow, NAU was able to convert it.

Because of the lights, the incredible play didn’t count. That didn’t matter, as Northern Arizona converted the attempt again. Unfortunately, the Lumberjacks couldn’t hold on and lost in overtime.

Worst: Ridiculous uniforms

We saw the extremes of uniforms in Week 10 with one that was too small and one that was too big.

For Oklahoma, kicker Tate Sandell was rocking some short shorts. It clearly upset Kirk Herbstreit, who believe it should be a penalty. That’s up for debate, and while Sandell may feel confident in it, it certainly is a … sight.

Then there was this atrocity for Arizona. When you have players with the same number on special teams, usually one puts on another one to avoid a penalty. The Wildcats did that, but the jersey looked like it came out of the trash for this guy.

Best: Jeremiah Smith

This of course has to end with one of the most electric players in the sport. Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith made a catch you have to see to believe against Penn State, a big play that helped the Buckeyes put away the Nittany Lions.

It was just another incredible moment for Smith, who had six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns on the day.

Deion Sanders took full responsibility for Colorado’s 52-17 loss to Arizona, asking reporters to direct criticism at him.
Colorado used four different quarterbacks during the game, including celebrated freshman Julian ‘JuJu’ Lewis.
The Buffaloes dropped to a 3-6 record following their second consecutive significant loss.

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders declined to make his players available for interviews with the media Saturday after the latest disaster for the Buffaloes.

Sanders also asked reporters to not “attack” his assistant coaches after suffering his worst loss at home in three seasons at Colorado, a 52-17 defeat against Arizona.

He asked for something else instead. It’s his fault, he said, so “come at me” with all the criticism. His team dropped to 3-6 with three games left in the regular season.

“No one will be available tonight,” Sanders said after the game. “It’s on me. Don’t attack the coordinators. Come at me. Don’t attack the players. Come at me. This is me. This has nothing to do with them. It has everything to do with me.”

Shedeur Sanders surprised his father before the game

This loss came just one week after Sanders suffered the worst defeat of his college coaching career, a 53-7 loss at Utah.

Saturday night’s defeat registered as his fourth-biggest loss at Colorado and included a cycle of four quarterbacks trying to replace last year’s starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s youngest son.

Shedeur Sanders, now with the Cleveland Browns, watched from the sideline after surprising his father with his appearance in Boulder while the Browns were off with a bye week. Shedeur also joined his father before the game for their old pregame walk on the field.

“I haven’t seen my son in a long time, so that was quite emotional for me,” Sanders said afterward.

What happened to Deion Sanders’ team this time?

Last week, Utah scored a touchdown against Colorado on the second play of the game. This week, Arizona scored on the third play of the game with a 57-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Noah Fifita to receiver Tre Spivey. The Wildcats scored on their first four possessions and led 38-7 at halftime.

By the time the half was over, Deion Sanders had benched senior quarterback Kaidon Salter. The Buffs also had committed nine of their 14 penalties before halftime.

By the time the game was over, Colorado had played four quarterbacks, including celebrated freshman quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis, who entered the game in the third quarter and promptly threw a 59-yard touchdown pass. But Lewis left the game with a hand injury with 1:03 left.

Why did Sanders turn to Lewis?

“Common sense,” Sanders said.

He lacked answers for other questions.

“How did tonight happen?” one reporter asked.

“I have no idea,” Sanders said. “If I knew, I wouldn’t have allowed it to happen. It’s on me. Straight up, on me.”

Deion Sanders later said, ‘I have the answer’

Colorado needs to win all of its remaining regular-season games to become eligible for a bowl game, starting Nov. 8 at West Virginia. It might turn to Lewis as quarterback now, if his hand isn’t seriously injured. But Lewis also might redshirt. He’s played in two games this season now. He can only play in two more without losing a year of college eligibility, according to NCAA rules.

Sanders said afterward that the redshirt decision would be up to Lewis, who is only 18 years old. Lewis completed 9 of 17 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in front of 48,322 at Folsom Field.

As for how the rest of his team has performed recently, Sanders was asked how often in his athletic career he’s not “had the answer” for failure.

“I’m not gonna say I don’t have the answer,” Sanders said. “I have the answer. Yeah, I have the answer.”

He later explained, “I’m trying my best not to say what I want to say.”

Deion Sanders asked about confidence in himself

The last two games will lead to more questions about Sanders as coach after he agreed to a new contract in March that pays him at least $10 million annually. Without Shedeur and Travis Hunter, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, how good of a coach is he?

“What is the confidence level you have in yourself to do this job?” one reporter asked after the game.

“I never doubt me,” Sanders said. “I don’t doubt me. Let’s get that straight. I don’t doubt me. So let’s… next question. The confidence level of me for this job, I’m built for this. I don’t doubt me.”

Arizona’s win improved the Wildcats to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the Big 12 Conference. Making matters worse for Colorado, the Buffs’ top defensive player this year, safety Tawfiq Byard, was disqualified in the fourth quarter after being penalized for targeting. Because of that, he will not play in the first half of the next game at West Virginia.

Kickoff for that game is scheduled for noon ET on TNT.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

Pre-game warmups may have claimed another victim in Week 9.

Three weeks after the Indianapolis Colts scratched two players moments before their Week 6 game with injuries sustained in pre-game warmups, the Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping to avoid the same fate with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

During CBS’s preview of the Steelers’ clash with those same Colts on Nov. 2, the network showed footage of Rodgers flexing his right (throwing) hand. Former NFL quarterbacks and current CBS analysts Matt Ryan and Tony Romo speculated that Rodgers may have injured his hand taking snaps during pre-game warmups.

‘You sometimes take a snap from a backup center,’ Romo said. ‘The other center’s got to go get tape, or he’s got to go in and do something before a game. But he jams your finger – the backup center jams your finger a lot more than the starting one does.’

Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Rodgers did, indeed, appear to jam his finger taking a snap from starting center Zach Frazier.

The Steelers did not rule out Rodgers prior to the Week 9 game, and the quarterback took the field to begin the first quarter.

Aaron Rodgers injury update

Rodgers appeared to jam a finger on his right (throwing) hand during pre-game warmups on Nov. 2.

Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the injury seemed to occur when the veteran quarterback took a snap from Frazier, the Steelers’ starting center.

‘[Rodgers] slammed the ball down on the grass and massaged his fingers before taking the next snap from under center,’ Fittipaldo wrote on X.

CBS cameras showed Rodgers continuing to throw for the rest of the team’s warmups ahead of the Steelers’ Week 9 game against the Colts.

Pittsburgh has not announced a change in status for its starting quarterback as of five minutes before the 1 p.m. ET scheduled kickoff.

Steelers QB depth chart

Aaron Rodgers
Mason Rudolph
Will Howard (IR – hand)
Skylar Thompson (IR – hamstring)

Rudolph, a six-year veteran, is the only other healthy quarterback on the Steelers’ active roster in Week 9. If Rodgers is unable to go or needs to be pulled from the game with his hand injury, Rudolph would take over behind center.

The backup quarterback has appeared in two games with Pittsburgh this season in his second stint with the team that drafted him. He completed both of his two pass attempts for 12 yards in Week 2 and kneeled the ball three times in Week 6.

Howard, the rookie the Steelers drafted in the sixth-round this year, broke a bone in his pinky finger during training camp. Head coach Mike Tomlin said he believed Howard suffered the injury during a center-quarterback exchange. Howard returned to practice two weeks ago, opening his 21-day window to return from injured reserve.

Another high-profile coach is in the firing line, College Football Playoff hopefuls saw that ship sail and fans were blacked out from weekend’s biggest games.

There was plenty wrong in Week 10 of the college football season, here’s the worst of it with our Flop 10:

Hugh Freeze

He might be fired by the time you read this. It seems like we’ve lost a coach every Sunday for the past month, and Freeze’s number is next. Wasn’t this guy supposed to be an offensive genius? That ship sailed years ago. Auburn is a hard watch under Freeze, and he was booed off the Jordan-Hare field after the Tigers’ 10-3 loss to Kentucky on Saturday.

‘I wish I could ask for patience but that’s not really something that people want to give in this day and time, and I understand that,’ Freeze said postgame. ‘I just know we’re so dang close and if we had a few things go our way earlier in the year, I think we’re looking at a whole different deal. … I would love for their patience, but you’re probably not getting patience from them, because they want to see a better product on the field and so do I. I understand it.’

Georgia Tech

Ramblin’ Wrecked. The No. 7 Yellow Jackets’ CFP at-large hopes now hinge on the regular-season finale at Georgia. Lose that, and they have to win the ACC Championship game to make the playoff. By losing 48-36 to a meh NC State team, Georgia Tech has left itself with no margin for error.

YouTube TV, ESPN

By my count 23 games were unavailable to watch Saturday for folks with YouTube TV as the streaming service and Disney drag out its dispute. That included Georgia vs. Florida, Oklahoma vs. Tennessee and Vanderbilt vs. Texas.

YouTube TV claimed Disney threatened a blackout as a negotiation tactic and are now following through with the move. That meant no ESPN channels, ABC, SEC Network or ACC Network.

We don’t care whose fault it is. We just want to watch football. Fix it.

ACC officials

It wasn’t a banner day for refs in the ACC. First, they seemed to get a missed field goal call wrong against SMU. Thankfully, the Mustangs prevailed in OT over Miami, so it wasn’t decisive.

But a late call in the Duke-Clemson game certainly affected the outcome.

On 4th-and-10 with 49 seconds left, Duke QB Darian Mensah threw an incomplete pass. However, officials called defensive pass interference that extended the drive and allowed Duke to score a touchdown and a game-winning 2-point conversion.

‘It shouldn’t come down to that. We had plenty of opportunity to win the game, but that’s one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen in my entire coaching career. Ever,’ Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.

Houston

The Cougars were on the rise, came in ranked and were creeping into the playoff talk after their win over Arizona State last week… So subsequently they lost at home to West Virginia, who was previously winless in Big 12 games.

Tulane

Tulane coach Jon Summral suggested UTSA piping in crowd noise at The Alamodome as reason for the Roadrunners’ 21-0 record in regular-season conference home games under coach Jeff Traylor.

That gave Traylor plenty of ammunition, while the home fans had plenty of reason to make noise Thursday night.

‘A coach that said we basically cheated the last six years, which disrespects everything we’ve done the last six years, in my opinion,’ Traylor said.

The Green Wave were likely looking past the Roadrunners to next week’s AAC showdown with Memphis. Four turnovers doomed Tulane, which now is one of six teams in the AAC with one conference loss.

‘We need to feel the pain for this one for a little while,’ Summral said postgame. ‘This should hurt. It should sting. This should suck, and it does. Then we have to move forward. We’ve got a pulse (in the conference race), which means we’ve got a chance. We still have a lot to play for, and we still have a lot in front of us.’

Miami

All that talent, wasted — again.

Carson Beck, who was on this list a few weeks ago for throwing a teammate under the bus, seemed to cast blame at the coaching staff the Hurricanes’ OT loss at SMU. ‘They ran the same thing the whole time… I just execute the play that’s called.’

Full disclosure: His interception in OT (which was not the receiver’s fault this time) opened the door for the Mustangs’ upset.

South Dakota State

‘There’s no getting around it. South Dakota State’s 24-12 loss to Indiana State on Saturday was one of the worst losses in the Jackrabbits’ Division I era,’ wrote Matt Zimmer of Sioux Falls Live. ‘It is without a doubt the worst loss SDSU has suffered at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, where a crowd of 15,842 witnessed a devastating disaster.’

So what happened?

The FCS 5th-ranked Jackrabbits lost at home to an Indiana State team that had lost six in a row, hadn’t beaten SDSU in a decade and was a 32-point underdog. Woof.

Indiana football doubters

Seems like no matter what Indiana does, folks (ahem, Paul Finebaum) constantly find ways to diminish their results. While many elite teams are struggling to put opponents away, all Curt Cignetti’s team does is bludgeon them. On Saturday, IU won 55-10. A week after beating everyone’s darling, UCLA, 56-6. It’s hard for folks to comprehend, but IU is good — really good. So it’s OK to admit you’re wrong, Paul.

Boise State

The lede from the Idaho Statesman summed it up: ‘Pick any Halloween adjective you’d like — ghastly, frightful, horrid — and it still probably can’t do justice to Boise State’s game Saturday afternoon against Fresno State.’

The Broncos had an outside shot at the playoff, having only lost to potential CFP teams Notre Dame and South Florida. That’s gone after a 30-7 to Fresno State at home Saturday. It’s worth noting starting QB Maddux Madsen left the game with injury, but Boise was a 17.5-point favorite.

“I want to talk to Bronco Nation: I truly apologize for the product that they watched today,” coach Spencer Danielson said postgame. “They saved their money, they find a way to come out and support our team, and what they watched today was not the standard.”

Keep up with the latest news and analysis from college football’s top two conferences: Check out our Big Ten Hub and our SEC Hub to get school-by-school coverage from across the USA TODAY Network.

The AFC’s top two rivals meet in a pivotal Week 9 showdown on Sunday, Nov. 2, as the Buffalo Bills (5-2) defend home turf against the Kansas City Chiefs (5-3).

Halloween may have come and gone, but the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes remain Josh Allen’s boogeyman. Kansas City again ended Buffalo’s Super Bowl hopes during the Allen era earlier this year when they snatched a 32-29 AFC championship game victory.

Now, the two teams could be on a playoff collision course yet again. The Chiefs are getting right after returning Rashee Rice from suspension and have put blowout wins on the board in each of their last three games.

While the headlines go to Mahomes, the credit might lean towards KC’s D. The Chiefs defense enters Week 9 as one of the best units in football, ranking second in points allowed and fourth in yards allowed.

The Bills turned in a 40-9 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 7, getting right themselves after a short two-game skid with losses to the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons. Now, they look to use their Week 8 bye to rest, rejuvenate and catapult them into more wins as the playoff push begins – and maybe they’ll find some trade deadline help along the way.

USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more form the Week 9 Bills-Chiefs matchup below. All times are Eastern.

Watch Bills vs. Chiefs with Fubo (free trial)

Where to watch Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills

TV channel: CBS

The Bills-Chiefs Week 9 matchup will air on CBS. Jim Nantz will be on the call alongside Tony Romo, with Tracy Wolfson providing reports from the sidelines.

What time is the Bills vs Chiefs game today?

Kickoff: 4:25 p.m. ET

The Bills-Chiefs game will get underway at 4:25 p.m. ET (3:25 p.m. CT) on Sunday afternoon.

Jim Kelly makes appearance on CBS pregame show

The Buffalo Bills legend and four-time AFC championship winner made an appearance at the CBS desk during the pregame to talk all things NFL ahead of the late-afternoon Bills-Chiefs clash.

Where are the Chiefs playing today?

The Chiefs travel to Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York to take on their AFC rivals.

Bills vs Chiefs live stream

Live stream:Fubo

For cord-cutters, Fubo carries NFL Network, as well as CBS, Fox, NBC and the ESPN family of networks, meaning you can catch NFL action all season with the streaming service.

Watch Bills vs. Chiefs with Fubo (free trial)

Bills vs Chiefs prediction

It’s hard to bet against the Chiefs right now. Patrick Mahomes is coming off a two interception game on ‘Monday Night Football,’ but the Chiefs were able to overcome it to win handily over the Commanders, 28-7. The Bills are coming off a statement win, but that was more thanks to a porous defense that allowed 216 yards to James Cook. Don’t expect that formula to be replicated on Sunday afternoon. Chiefs win a tight one.

Prediction: Chiefs 26, Bills 24

Bills vs Chiefs live betting odds, moneyline, O/U

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

For the first time in 17 years, ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ is headed to Lubbock, Texas.

The three-hour college football pregame show, featuring host Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban and Pat McAfee, will be on-site for the matchup between No. 13 Texas Tech and No. 10 BYU. Both teams should be in the top 10 after the polls are released on Sunday, Nov. 2.

‘GameDay’ last visited Lubbock on Nov. 1, 2008, when No. 5 Texas Tech knocked off No. 1 Texas 39-33 inside Jones AT&T Stadium. Graham Harrell connected with Michael Crabtree for a 28-yard touchdown with one second remaining.

That day, former ‘GameDay’ analyst Lee Corso donned a Raider Red mask, predicting the upset win that would follow later in the day. The Nov. 8, 2025, visit will be the second-ever visit for ESPN’s college football pregame show to Lubbock.

Texas Tech picked up a 43-20 win over Kansas State on Nov. 1, to move to 8-1 on the season (5-1 in Big 12 play). Quarterback Behren Morton had 249 yards passing and two touchdowns in the victory.

Meanwhile, BYU is coming off a bye week. The Cougars are 8-0 and 5-0 in Big 12 play during the 2025 season, which includes a 41-27 win over Iowa State the last time they took the field on Oct. 25.

The winner from the Week 11 matchup will be in the driver’s seat to win the Big 12 regular season championship and potentially earn a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev was taken off the ice on a stretcher after a collision on Saturday.
The incident occurred during his first game back after recovering from a concussion.
Tanev was transported to a Philadelphia hospital for tests and was discharged on Sunday morning.

He was playing his first game since recovering from a concussion. He was checked in the third period by the Philadelphia Flyers’ Matvei Michkov, who received a two-minute minor for interference.

Tanev was face down on the ice and medical personnel called for a stretcher. He gave a thumbs up as he was wheeled off the ice.

‘It’s a tough feeling obviously,’ Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews told reporters after the game. ‘He’s such an integral part of the team and brings so much experience and anytime they’re bringing out a stretcher, it’s never a good feeling deep inside, so we’re all obviously thinking about him and praying for him and hoping for the best.’

Chris Tanev injury update

The Maple Leafs put out the following statement on Sunday morning:

‘The Maple Leafs announced today that defenseman Chris Tanev was evaluated overnight in Philadelphia for precautionary purposes, has been discharged this morning and will return home to Toronto.’

Tanev had missed four games with his previous injury, which occurred during a collision against the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 21.

He told reporters on Friday that the injury was a concussion and that he has had concussions before.

‘When you’re stunned and sort of confused, it’s not ideal,’ he said. ‘I felt really quite normal soon after (the latest), which was nice. You go through the protocols and the steps and whatever’s necessary to get back to play.’

Tanev had an assist on Jake McCabe’s goal before he was injured. The Maple Leafs won 5-2.

Tanev was the second NHL defenseman to leave the game on Saturday after a scary incident.

The San Jose Sharks’ Timothy Liljegren was hit by a deflected puck while sitting on the bench and needed assistance getting to the dressing room.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

The 2025 World Series was a story of faith.

Where to find it when things look bleak.

How to have it when the game’s on the line.

Why to trust in Luna, the 7-year-old Maltipoo.

As the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays battled into extra innings of Game 7, Luna lounged comfortably on her dog bed, as if she already knew how it would end. It turns out she did know. After all, Luna had predicted it would be the Dodgers in seven games (check the video) before the best-of-seven series even started.

This was no joke.

This was part of the USA TODAY Sports’ man vs. dog World Series predictions contest. And congratulations to the men, Bob Nightengale and Gabe Lacques, our esteemed baseball writers. They both picked the Dodgers to win the World Series, in six games.

It was Luna who picked with perfection. Dodgers in seven.

OK, so not quite perfection. Luna also picked winners for each game, and not with historical success. She was 3-4.

But ultimately, after pulling out a out a 5-4 victory in 11 innings in Game 7, the Dodgers reign supreme.

So does the dog.

No. 9 Miami’s overtime loss to SMU has significantly hurt their chances for an ACC championship and a College Football Playoff spot.
Despite having a talented roster, Miami has now lost control of the ACC to other contending teams.
Other key winners and losers from the weekend, including Oklahoma, Texas, and Clemson.

An overtime loss to SMU dashes No. 9 Miami’s quest for an ACC championship by dropping the Hurricanes behind six teams with one or fewer conference losses, including the two teams that beat them – the Mustangs and No. 17 Louisville.

Failing to even reach the conference championship game threatens to ruin Miami’s at-large College Football Playoff hopes, too, setting up the possibility of a comparison with two- or three-loss Big Ten and SEC contenders with deeper résumés against stronger schedules. It does have a non-conference win against Notre Dame, but that may be enough to save the day against candidates with stronger schedules.

For the second time in three games, the Hurricanes couldn’t overcome a rash of turnovers from quarterback Carson Beck. He tossed four interceptions in the loss to Louisville and another pair in Saturday’s 26-20 defeat, the second coming at the SMU goal line in the first overtime. The senior’s nine interceptions are the most in the ACC.

Near the end of regulation, Miami defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot’s unnecessary-roughness penalty on a hit of SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings extended the Mustangs’ drive on fourth down and set up the game-tying field goal with 25 seconds remaining.

The thought going into the regular season — one supported by non-conference wins against No. 12 Notre Dame and South Florida — was that Miami was too talented to be undone by the predictable in-game mistakes that had so far defined coach Mario Cristobal’s tenure.

These two recent losses prove the opposite: While the Hurricanes may have the most talent in the ACC, they’ve ceded control of the conference to upstarts such as No. 7 Georgia Tech, No. 15 Virginia and Duke.

And the Mustangs, too. SMU dropped games in non-conference play to TCU and Baylor but still has just one league loss, putting the defending ACC regular-season champions in position to book a return trip to Charlotte in early December.

The Hurricanes, Texas and Clemson top Saturday’s biggest winners and losers:

Winners

Oklahoma

Nearly left for dead after last week’s loss to No. 8 Mississippi, the No. 18 Sooners’ playoff chances will skyrocket after a 33-27 win at No. 14 Tennessee. This is the second ranked win Oklahoma will have to offer the selection committee on Tuesday, joining one against No. 21 Michigan, and is one of the strongest road victories from any team in the Power Four. The Sooners ran for 192 yards, a season-high in SEC play, and had four sacks and eight tackles for loss in holding the Volunteers to just 1.8 yards per carry. While there’s more to prove — and more chances to do so against No. 4 Alabama and No. 20 Missouri — this is a statement win for OU.

Southern California

There was nothing pretty about Saturday night in Lincoln except the final score: USC 21, Nebraska 17. Jayden Maiava completed just 9 of 23 throws for 135 yards and an interception, with the Trojans’ ground game helping to deliver the win with 202 yards on 5.3 yards per carry. But the bigger factor was the USC defense, which couldn’t quite keep Emmett Johnson under wraps but delivered in a big way in the second half to fend off what would’ve been a backbreaking third loss. Games against Iowa and No. 6 Oregon will decide the Trojans’ postseason destination.

Texas

The No. 19 Longhorns are still very much alive in the playoff race after pulling out a 34-31 win against No. 11 Vanderbilt thanks to a career day from Arch Manning, who completed 25 of 33 attempts for 328 yards and three touchdowns without an interception after spending most of this week in concussion protocol. Leading 34-10 heading into the fourth quarter, Texas survived the Commodores’ 21-point surge to secure a key tiebreaker against a fellow at-large playoff contender and remain one of just five SEC teams with fewer than two league losses.

Ohio State

The theory that No. 1 Ohio State would find things a little more difficult against Penn State held true through two quarters, at least, after the Buckeyes committed a crucial giveaway deep in their own territory to help the Nittany Lions cut their deficit to 17-14 at halftime. But it was a rout from there: Ohio State scored touchdowns on three of four drives in the second half, not counting a clock-killing drive on the game’s final possession, to win 38-14 and take another step toward a perfect regular season. Julian Sayin deserves to be near the top of the Heisman Trophy list, coach Ryan Day said afterwards, and it’s hard to argue. Sayin completed 20 of 23 for 316 yards with four touchdowns, marking the fourth time this year he’s completed at least 85.2% of his attempts with three or more scores.

Mississippi State

Mississippi State rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter and beat Arkansas 38-35 for its first SEC win since beating the Razorbacks just over two years ago. Blake Shapen’s 18-yard touchdown with 38 seconds left gave the Bulldogs the lead and erased the pain of weeks of close-but-not-quite SEC losses to Tennessee (41-34), Florida (23-21) and Texas (45-38). A week ago, Mississippi State led the Longhorns by 17 points in the fourth quarter. The win doubles as the first in the SEC for second-year coach Jeff Lebby, who seemed in over his head last season but has done a good job quickly bringing the Bulldogs out of the bottom of the conference and is one win from a bowl game

New Mexico

Count the Lobos’ Jason Eck among the most successful first-year coaches in the Bowl Subdivision after New Mexico topped UNLV 40-35 on the road to lock in the program’s first bowl bid since 2016. With one more win — Colorado State, Air Force and San Diego State cap the regular season — Eck will become the first UNM coach to post a winning season in his debut since Marv Levy in 1958. (Yes, that Marv Levy.)

Losers

Georgia Tech

Losing 48-36 to North Carolina State opens up the possibility of No. 7 Georgia Tech’s nightmare scenario: losing once in ACC play, losing the regular-season finale to No. 6 Georgia and then losing in the ACC championship game to fall short of an at-large playoff appearance. After pulling off a few comebacks — Clemson and Wake Forest, most notably — to mount the program’s best start since 1966, the Yellow Jackets drew within a touchdown at 38-30 heading into the fourth quarter but couldn’t get stops against an N.C. State offense that racked up 583 yards and averaged 8.7 yards per play. The defensive letdown couldn’t even be salvaged by Haynes King, who might’ve helped his Heisman case despite the loss by throwing for 408 yards with another 103 yards on the ground.

Colorado

After he spent this past week sleeping in the office following a blowout loss to Utah, one wonders if or when Deion Sanders will ever go home again after Colorado trailed 38-7 at halftime and lost 52-17 to Arizona. Across these past two games, the Buffaloes have been outscored 81-7 in the first half. Sanders made a quarterback change just before halftime against the Wildcats, switching out starter Kaidon Salter for backup Ryan Staub and then freshman Julian Lewis, who quickly threw a 59-yard touchdown pass. As should’ve been expected, Colorado has taken a significant step back this season.

Hugh Freeze

The Hugh Freeze era could end as soon as Sunday after Auburn officially hit rock bottom with a 10-3 loss at home to Kentucky. The Tigers made a quarterback change and still couldn’t find the end zone: Ashton Daniels started in place of Jackson Arnold and completed 13 of 28 attempts for just 108 yards and an interception. Arnold entered the game late but couldn’t do any better. The offense has been abysmal throughout Freeze’s tenure, but that’s just one primary culprit for his eventual dismissal. A bigger issue has been his inability to put together a competent roster capable of playing with the best teams in the SEC. Or the worst, either, based on Saturday.

Clemson

Clemson was dropped from the at-large picture by the end of September, eliminated from ACC contention by the end of October and now, one day into November, is in danger of missing a bowl game for the first time since 2004 and posting a losing record in conference play for the first time since 1998. Things have deteriorated with incredible speed — nearly as quickly as the Tigers gave away four second-half leads in a 46-45 loss to Duke. Down by a touchdown and starting 94 yards from the end zone with 5:14 to play, the Blue Devils scored on a 3-yard run with 40 seconds left and then converted the two-point try to land the program’s first win in Death Valley since 1980. Now 3-5, Clemson needs to take three of four against Florida State, Louisville, Furman and South Carolina to reach bowl eligibility.

Vanderbilt

The loss to Texas now demands a perfect close to the regular season to book an at-large playoff berth. More specifically, the Commodores need No. 14 Tennessee to avoid another loss leading into the finale to give them the best chance at boosting their postseason résumé. Another fallout from Saturday is the damage done to Diego Pavia’s quest for the Heisman, even if the senior went toe-to-toe with Manning by throwing for 365 yards, running for a team-high 43 yards and accounting for four touchdowns.

Michigan State

Up 17-10 after a short touchdown run with just under two minutes to play, Michigan State sent the ensuing kickoff out of bounds to give Minnesota a short field, gave up the game-tying score with 29 seconds left and then lost 23-20 in overtime to drop a sixth consecutive game for the first time since 2016. The decision to replace quarterback Aidan Chiles with backup Allesio Milivojevic was a good one, as the redshirt freshman went for 311 yards and a score; this was just the Spartans’ fourth 300-yard passing game in the past four seasons. The loss casts significant doubt on coach Jonathan Smith’s chances of getting another year, especially with options such as former Notre Dame and LSU coach Brian Kelly potentially available.