College Football Polls

There was little movement in the latest Associated Press poll after several strong performances from the top teams in college football. 

Three different battles between ranked opponents highlighted the weekend's action, but favorites Alabama, Notre Dame and Iowa State each survived tough tests. On the other hand, Northwestern and Oregon suffered their first losses of the season to likely ruin their title hopes going forward.

It leaves even fewer elite teams at the top of the rankings as voters tried to determine the best in the sport ahead of Week 14.

     

AP Poll

1. Alabama

2. Notre Dame

3. Ohio State

4. Clemson

5. Texas A&M

6. Florida

7. Cincinnati

8. BYU

9. Miami (Florida)

10. Indiana

11. Georgia

12. Iowa State

13. Oklahoma

14. Coastal Carolina

15. Marshall

16. Northwestern

17. USC

18. Wisconsin

19. Oklahoma State

20. UL Lafayette

21. Oregon

22. Tulsa

23. Washington

24. Iowa

25. Liberty

      

The biggest news out of the Big Ten was the cancellation of Saturday's scheduled game between Ohio State and Illinois. If another Buckeyes game is canceled, they will be ineligible to participate in the Big Ten title game.

Another significant update in the conference came when Northwestern was upset by Michigan State. The Wildcats were undefeated entering Saturday but struggled offensively with 1.7 yards per rush and 5.0 yards per pass. It led to a 29-20 loss that dropped the team from No. 11 to No. 16 in the latest poll.

Oregon was involved in the other big upset of the week, as Oregon State handed its rival a 41-38 loss.

Jermar Jefferson was the star in this one, rushing for 226 yards and two touchdowns, including an 82-yard score.

Oregon State’s Jermar Jefferson had 226 rushing yards last night.

Most Oregon has allowed since Ezekiel Elliott’s 246 in the 2014 championship. pic.twitter.com/vrXHHK0sP2

— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 28, 2020

It was enough to drop Oregon to No. 21 in the rankings and likely end any hope of reaching the playoff.

Other top teams lived up to expectations, including No. 1 Alabama in its 42-13 win over Auburn. Mac Jones had 302 passing yards and five more touchdowns to continue his Heisman Trophy campaign.

This is basically a perfect throw from Mac Jones. pic.twitter.com/dFwTItyzZq

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 28, 2020

Trevor Lawrence was back on the field for Clemson for the first time in over a month but didn't lose a step in the 52-17 dismantling of Pittsburgh.

Trevor Lawrence had his groove going in his return! 🏈#ALLIN | @ClemsonFB @Trevorlawrencee pic.twitter.com/9FITWk8EOo

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) November 29, 2020

The Tigers led 31-0 in the first quarter before coasting to an easy win.

Notre Dame also remained at No. 2 in the polls thanks to a 31-17 win over North Carolina. The game was tied 17-17 at halftime, but the Fighting Irish defense was dominant after intermission, while Ian Book did enough to lead his team to victory.

SEC schools Texas A&M, Florida and Georgia all continued to roll as well and will hope to finish the year strong.

The top of the college football landscape looks increasingly stable after another week of strong performances by the nation's best teams. 

Alabama remains the nation's top-ranked team after a blowout win over rival Auburn, with No. 2 Notre Dame also picking up an impressive win at North Carolina. Clemson, Ohio State and Florida round out the Top Five.

Here is a look at how the remainder of the Amway Coaches Poll played out.

1. Alabama

2. Notre Dame

3. Clemson

4. Ohio State

5. Florida

6. Texas A&M

7. Cincinnati

8. BYU

9. Miami

10. Georgia

11. Indiana

12. Iowa State

13. Oklahoma

14. Coastal Carolina

15. Marshall

16. USC

17. Northwestern

18. Oklahoma State

19. Wisconsin

20. Oregon

21. UL Lafayette

22. Tulsa

23. Washington

24. Iowa

25. Liberty

The most notable results included the Pac-12 and Big Ten all but certainly losing their playoff spoiler chances. The Pac-12, already fighting an uphill battle because of its shortened schedule, lost its only legitimate playoff contender in Oregon. The Ducks allowed 532 total yards and 22 fourth-quarter points in a 41-38 loss to rival Oregon State.

Beavers running back Jermar Jefferson rushed for 226 yards and two scores to lead Oregon State, which entered the weekend 1-2 and as heavy underdogs.

"We got to finish the game. We didn't finish it. We always tell our players, we take all these things together, the losses. We got to coach it better, we got to play it better, together. Had a chance to close out, a couple of chances to close out and we didn't. Credit to them as well. They deserve it," Oregon coach Marc Cristobal told reporters.

The Big Ten's playoff chances will come down to Ohio State finishing its regular season undefeated after Northwestern's 29-20 loss to Michigan State. The Wildcats entered this week ranked eighth in the initial CFP rankings, their best mark in school history. Unfortunately, they came out flat, allowing Michigan State to score the game's first 17 points and turning the ball over four times.

Ohio State was idle this weekend after the Buckeyes' game against Illinois was canceled because of COVID-19. The Buckeyes have already canceled two of their scheduled eight games, which could put them at some level of jeopardy of missing the playoffs—even if they finish undefeated. 

Under Big Ten rules, a team must play six regular-season games to qualify for the conference championship game. There are some unlikely scenarios that would allow the Buckeyes to sneak in with five games played, but those would require mass cancellations over the final two weeks of the regular season.

The top teams in college football continue to separate themselves from the pack as seen in the latest Associated Press poll. 

Ohio State survived a battle of Top 10 teams, while Alabama cruised to its seventh straight victory. Cincinnati and BYU also continued to shine as the non-Power Five teams try to earn spots in the College Football Playoff.

Here is the latest Top 25 heading into Week 13:

       

AP Poll

1. Alabama

2. Notre Dame

3. Ohio State

4. Clemson

5. Texas A&M

6. Florida

7. Cincinnati

8. BYU

9. Oregon

10. Miami (Florida)

11. Northwestern

12. Indiana

13. Georgia

14. Oklahoma

15. Iowa State

16. Coastal Carolina

17. Marshall

18. Wisconsin

19. USC

20. Texas

21. Oklahoma State

22. Auburn

23. UL Lafayette

24. Tulsa

25. North Carolina

      

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to play a significant role in the 2020 season, with top teams like Texas A&M and Clemson inactive this week because of outbreaks.

Clemson's game against Florida State was postponed at the last minute Saturday after "both teams' medical personnel were unable to mutually agree on moving forward with the game."

The Tigers are coming off a loss to Notre Dame and are still looking for opportunities to prove they are among the best teams in the country.

Alabama did just that, routing Kentucky 63-3. DeVonta Smith was the star in that one with nine catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns, keeping his dream of a Heisman Trophy alive after an outstanding start to the season.

It was enough to keep the Crimson Tide at No. 1 in the rankings.

Ohio State stayed at No. 3 in the polls after a tough win against Indiana, which proved it was worthy of its Top 10 ranking. Michael Penix Jr. totaled 491 passing yards and five touchdowns for the Hoosiers, connecting with Ty Fryfogle for three scores:

FRYFOGLE CANNOT BE STOPPED 😱

He has seven catches for 223 yards and 3 TDs

(via @CFBONFOX)⁰pic.twitter.com/0cx9RGP1Kd

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 21, 2020

Justin Fields was still able to keep the Buckeyes undefeated with three total touchdowns (with three INTs) in the 42-35 win:

Justin Fields took flight to help No. 3 Ohio State hold off No. 9 Indiana, 42-35 🔥

(@DosEquis) https://t.co/J3rquBYGNh

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 21, 2020

Indiana fell to No. 12 in the latest ranking.

Fellow Big Ten team Wisconsin also dropped out of the Top 10, falling to No. 18 after a 17-7 loss to Northwestern.

Graham Mertz threw three interceptions as the Badgers were unable to score in the second half. Meanwhile, Northwestern had just 24 rushing yards on 23 attempts but still escaped with a hard-fought win, improving to 5-0 and No. 11 in the AP poll.

The week was also big for programs outside the major conferences looking to prove they deserve playoff consideration.

Cincinnati improved to 8-0 with a 36-33 win over UCF, overcoming a fourth-quarter deficit in the team's closest game of the season. BYU moved to 9-0 with a 66-14 win over North Alabama, featuring four more touchdown passes for Zach Wilson.

"We want to have an opportunity to win a championship," Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell said after Saturday's game. "Every win gives us an opportunity to state our case."

The CFP committee will release its first rankings Tuesday, giving an early indication whether either Cincinnati or BYU has a real chance to compete for a title.

There will continue to be more drama in Week 13, including the Iron Bowl battle between Alabama and Auburn.

With six more games featuring Top 25 teams being postponed or canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the college football slate was once again limited this weekend. 

That said, there were a few games that helped shift the outlook of the nation.

Alabama remains unchallenged as the nation's top-ranked team, with Notre Dame, Ohio State, Clemson and Florida rounding out the Top Five. 

Here is a look at how the remainder of the Amway Top 25 played out.

1. Alabama

2. Notre Dame

3. Ohio State

4. Clemson

5. Florida

6. Texas A&M

7. Cincinnati

8. BYU

9. Miami

10. Georgia

11. Oregon

12. Indiana

13. Northwestern

14. Oklahoma

15. Iowa State

16. Marshall

17. Coastal Carolina

18. USC

19. Auburn

20. Wisconsin

21. Texas

22. Oklahoma State

23. North Carolina

24. UL Lafayette

25. Tulsa

The weekend's two biggest games were provided by the Big Ten, with Ohio State escaping a challenge from Indiana and Northwestern continuing its surprising ascent with a win over Wisconsin.

Ohio State overcame three Justin Fields interceptions and a torrid fourth-quarter comeback to earn a 42-35 win over Indiana. The Hoosiers were down 42-21 before scoring two quick touchdowns in the fourth only to have their final two drives falter as they looked to cap off the comeback.

Michael Penix Jr. threw for 491 yards and five touchdowns against an interception, but Indiana was undone by three lost fumbles.

"We've got to figure out a way to close out games," Ohio State coach Ryan Day told reporters. "This is kind of the second week now we let a team hang around a little bit, and we've got to get that fixed. But [there were] so many great things in this game. Indiana is a good team, they're a top-10 team, so this was not easy."

Northwestern took advantage of five Wisconsin turnovers, four of which were by quarterback Graham Mertz, on its way to a 17-7 victory over the Badgers. The Wildcats largely played the field-position game in an ugly slugfest, winning despite gaining only 263 yards of total offense. Peyton Ramsey threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns, both coming in the first half.

Northwestern came into the week motivated by ESPN college football analyst Joey Galloway, who called the team "a bunch of Rece Davises running around" before Saturday's game. 

"That really ticked our guys off," Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald told reporters. "We just use that as fuel in the engine. We have really good football players. We have a bunch of guys who are going to be potentially All-Big Ten, potentially All-American, potentially in the NFL. ... We have one bad year and it's like 19-whatever again."

Oklahoma was dominant in the week's other matchup of Top 25 opponents, rolling to a 41-13 win over rival Oklahoma State. The Sooners have rebounded with five straight wins since a disappointing 1-2 start. 

The only notable upset of the week was Liberty falling 15-14 to North Carolina State, leading to Flames falling out of the Top 25. 

A relatively quiet week of college football led to little movement in the latest Associated Press poll, setting up plenty of drama as the season nears its end. 

The biggest story of the week was the spread of COVID-19 leading to postponements in the SEC and canceled games in the Big Ten. It left teams like Alabama, Ohio State and Texas A&M inactive while Clemson already had a scheduled week off.

The teams that did play mostly lived up to expectations, with Notre Dame and Florida each winning by double digits.

Here is how Saturday's action shaped the latest Top 25 going into Week 12.

     

AP Poll

1. Alabama

2. Notre Dame

3. Ohio State

4. Clemson

5. Texas A&M

6. Florida

7. Cincinnati

8. BYU

9. Indiana

10. Wisconsin

11. Oregon

12. Miami (Florida)

13. Georgia

14. Oklahoma State

15. Coastal Carolina

16. Marshall

17. Iowa State

18. Oklahoma

19. Northwestern

20. USC

21. Liberty

22. Texas

23. Auburn

24. UL Lafayette

25. Tulsa

    

The only ranked team to lose in Week 11 was SMU, which was No. 19 entering the week but blew a 24-7 halftime lead to Tulsa to suffer its second loss of the season. Tulsa ended up replacing its opponent in the rankings, checking in at No. 25.

Miami appeared set for a similar fate down 24-13 in the second half to Virginia Tech. The team bounced back with two touchdowns late, including a 36-yard pass from D'Eriq King to Mark Pope to put the team in front for good:

King delivers a strike to Pope! 👑🎯#ItsAllAboutTheU | @CanesFootball pic.twitter.com/q3W8OoZBYO

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) November 14, 2020

Notre Dame also had some trouble in the early going against Boston College, but the connection between Ian Book and Ben Skowronek was too good to stop:

Ben Skowronek has a career-high 3 TDs... in the first half. 👀#GoIrish | @NDFootball @BSkowronek10 pic.twitter.com/jGbDmCd4hJ

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) November 14, 2020

The Fighting Irish remain No. 2 in the country and are inching closer to a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Saturday also showed some outside teams that deserve playoff consideration after impressive wins.

Florida cruised to a 63-35 win behind six touchdown passes for Kyle Trask. The quarterback finished 23-of-29 for 356 yards while producing a near-perfect 97.6 QBR.

"I think I did a great job of executing and being efficient," Trask said after the game, via ESPN. "You strive for perfection, but it's really hard to get there."

The quarterback has thrown at least four touchdown passes in all six games this year, totaling 28 scores with only three interceptions on the season. He has clearly put himself in the Heisman Trophy conversation and has the Gators sitting at No. 6 in the latest poll.

Wisconsin also turned heads in just its second game of the season, handing Michigan a historic loss:

Michigan suffered its largest home loss since Nov. 23, 1935, a 38-0 loss to Ohio State.

They fall to 1-3 this season, its worst 4-game start to a season since 1967. The only season in school history with a worse 4-game start was 1928. pic.twitter.com/vabyq9pAht

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 15, 2020

The Badgers totaled 341 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns in the 49-11 win, helping the team move to No. 10 in the rankings.

Oregon took care of business in its second game of the year as well, earning a 43-29 victory over Washington State.

An unbalanced season creates some difficulty for voters, but teams know they must impress when given the opportunity.

There will be more chances next week as a battle between Ohio State and Indiana highlights the Week 12 slate.

With COVID-19 wiping out several scheduled games, the latest Amway Coaches Poll largely looks the same as the one from last week. 

Alabama remains the nation's top-ranked team, followed by Notre Dame, Ohio State, Clemson and Florida in an unchanged Top Five.

Here is a look at how the full rankings played out:

1. Alabama

2. Notre Dame

3. Ohio State

4. Clemson

5. Florida

6. Texas A&M

7. Cincinnati

8. BYU

9. Miami

10. Indiana 

11. Georgia

12. Wisconsin

13. Oregon

14. Oklahoma State

15. Marshall

16. Iowa State

17. Oklahoma

18. Coastal Carolina

19. USC

20. Northwestern

21. Auburn

22. Liberty

23. Texas

24. North Carolina

25. UL Lafayette 

Six games featuring Top 25 teams were postponed or canceled this week, including Alabama-LSU and Ohio State-Maryland. The SEC had more than half of its scheduled slate wiped out over the virus, with the conference scheduling makeup games Dec. 19.

Among the games that were played, the notable results were few and far between. Miami escaped with a 25-24 win over Virginia Tech despite being without 13 players, including three starters, because of COVID-19 restrictions. That was the only game featuring a Top 10 team that was decided by fewer than two scores.

Tulsa's 28-24 win over SMU and Army's surprising 38-12 blowout loss to Tulane were the only upsets of ranked teams this week.

Perhaps the most impressive overall victory came from Wisconsin, which went on the road and earned a 49-11 blowout win over Michigan that took Jim Harbaugh's seat from hot to scorching. The Wolverines trailed 28-0 at halftime, the largest halftime deficit ever at The Big House since the stadium opened in 1927.

Michigan has now lost three straight games since an impressive 49-24 win over Minnesota in its season opener.

"The thing that stands out the most is the coaching ... making sure that [the players] have an understanding of what to do and, therefore, they can go for it," Harbaugh told reporters. "Because there seems to be hesitation, there seems to be some confusion, some lack of communication on both sides of the ball, offensively and defensively, and getting things adjusted to, getting things fixed, just identifying how to improve in those areas are some of the first things that we're going to address."

Wisconsin moved up two slots to No. 12 with the victory. Northwestern's three-spot leap to No. 20 was the largest of any team this week. 

No. 24 North Carolina and No. 25 UL Lafayette moved into the Top 25.

Alabama returned to its familiar spot atop the Associated Press' Top 25 poll for Week 11 after No. 1 Clemson was upset by No. 4 Notre Dame on Saturday night. 

The Crimson Tide last held the top spot in the AP college football rankings in Week 9 of the 2019 season, which almost amounts to a drought for the country's most consistent title contender. They're followed by Notre Dame, Ohio State, Clemson and Texas A&M in the top five.

Clemson's loss to the Fighting Irish comes with an asterisk since superstar quarterback Trevor Lawrence missed the contest after a positive COVID-19 test. The Tigers may get a chance at revenge against Notre Dame in the ACC Championship Game, so their College Football Playoff hopes are still alive.

Here's a look at the complete Top 25 released Sunday:

1. Alabama (59 first-place votes)

2. Notre Dame (2)

3. Ohio State (1)

4. Clemson

5. Texas A&M

6. Florida

7. Cincinnati

8. BYU

9. Miami 

10. Indiana

11. Oregon

12. Georgia

13. Wisconsin

14. Oklahoma State

15. Coastal Carolina

16. Marshall

17. Iowa State

18. Oklahoma

19. SMU

20. USC

21. Texas

22. Liberty

23. Northwestern

24. Auburn

25. Louisiana-Lafayette

                    

Alabama, which was on its bye in Week 10, has been dominant so far in 2020. The Tide have posted a 6-0 record while outscoring opponents 283-132. They also picked up statement wins over No. 3 Georgia and No. 13 Texas A&M in October.

Bama head coach Nick Saban didn't enter the open week satisfied, however, saying the team could improve its "consistency in performance" before the stretch run of the regular season.

"If everybody can just improve 1 percent in a whole bunch of areas, it would make a tremendous impact on the whole team," Saban told reporters.

The Tide travel to Death Valley for a rivalry clash with LSU on Saturday.

Meanwhile, big winners other than Notre Dame in Week 10 included Florida, BYU and Indiana.

The Gators scored a 44-28 road upset over Georgia on the strength of 474 passing yards and four touchdowns by quarterback Kyle Trask. Florida has a favorable schedule the rest of the way, making it the favorite to finish atop the SEC East.

BYU continued to impress as it easily rolled past No. 21 Boise State, 51-17. The Cougars are 8-0 with a plus-251 point differential, and they'll be a sizable favorite in their final two games of the regular season against North Alabama and San Diego State.

The Hoosiers sent No. 23 Michigan into an even bigger tailspin with a 38-21 victory. IU, which upset No. 8 Penn State in its opener, is one of the nation's surprise teams so far, but road games against Ohio State and Wisconsin in the coming weeks will be the true tests.

Coastal Carolina (7-0), Marshall (6-0) and Liberty (7-0) are among the undefeated smaller programs that also deserve some recognition in a college football season unlike any other.

Looking ahead, Week 11 is short on elite head-to-head matchups, with the meeting between Alabama and LSU likely taking center stage because of the teams' long history.

Otherwise the focus will be on potential upsets that could shake up the College Football Playoff race.

College football has a new No. 1 team.

Alabama ascended to the top spot in the latest Amway Coaches Poll after Clemson's double-overtime loss to Notre Dame, with the Irish moving into the second spot. Ohio State, Clemson and Florida round out the Top Five. 

Here is how the entire Top 25 played out.

1. Alabama

2. Notre Dame

3. Ohio State

4. Clemson

5. Florida

6. Texas A&M

7. Cincinnati

8. BYU

9. Miami

10. Indiana

11. Georgia

12. Oregon

13. Oklahoma State

14. Wisconsin

15. Marshall

16. Iowa State

17. Coastal Carolina

18. Oklahoma

19. SMU

20. USC

21. Auburn

22. Liberty

23. Northwestern

24. Texas

25. Army

The Irish's 47-40 win over top-ranked Clemson was one of the strongest of Brian Kelly's tenure in South Bend, though it came with the asterisk of Trevor Lawrence being on the sidelines because of COVID-19. 

Ian Book accounted for 378 yards of offense (310 passing, 68 rushing), while Kyren Williams added 140 yards and three scores on the ground. Clemson's defense failed to match the efficiency of its offense, which got a 439-yard, two-touchdown effort from D.J. Uiagalelei in Lawrence's stead. Notre Dame was able to mitigate the run, holding Travis Etienne to 28 yards on 18 carries. 

Clemson also lost three fumbles, leading directly to 10 Notre Dame points.

"I will say this: I've been doing this a long time, and I know we made a lot of mistakes and have a lot to improve on, but I have never been more proud of a team," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney told reporters. "You can't ask for more. They fought with every ounce they had. Overcame a lot. Obviously got in a big hole. Back-to-back turnovers, scoop-and-score. We've had some really, really tough breaks with that as of late. Three games in a row where we’ve scored for them on offense. We have been able to overcome that, and tonight we weren't."

The week's other major head-to-head clash saw Florida turn in a dominant 44-28 win over Georgia. Kyle Trask threw for 474 yards and four touchdowns, while the Gators defense held Georgia quarterbacks Stetson Bennett and D'Wan Mathis to a ghastly 9-of-29 effort, throwing for 112 yards and three interceptions.

Florida outgained Georgia 571-277 overall.

"It was a big win for us," Florida coach Dan Mullen told reporters. "Anytime you have a Top 10 matchup, those are big games, so I don't know the hump. Hopefully, if we can find a way to continue to improve, we might get more Top 10 matchups as the year goes on, and we'll see how that goes."

The only other Top 25 matchup of the week saw Indiana continue its surprise start to the 2020 season, moving to 3-0 with a 38-21 win over Michigan. The Hoosiers moved up three spots to No. 10. 

The latest Associated Press poll featured more changes after several top teams faced significant adversity over the past week. 

Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia each survived tough matchups Saturday, while Oklahoma State and Michigan suffered their first losses of the 2020 season. Though those teams still have time to make up for the defeats, it helps narrow the focus of the College Football Playoff during the shortened season. 

Here is the latest Top 25 for college football heading into Week 10.

       

AP Poll

1. Clemson

2. Alabama

3. Ohio State

4. Notre Dame

5. Georgia

6. Cincinnati

7. Texas A&M

8. Florida

9. BYU

10. Wisconsin

11. Miami (FL)

12. Oregon

13. Indiana

14. Oklahoma State

15. Coastal Carolina

16. Marshall

17. Iowa State

18. SMU

19. Oklahoma

20. USC

21. Boise State

22. Texas

23. Michigan

24. Auburn

25. Liberty

        

The biggest story across college football was Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence testing positive for COVID-19, which caused him to miss Saturday's game against Boston College and will keep him out of next week's game against Notre Dame, per Andrea Adelson of ESPN.

The Tigers struggled without the Heisman Trophy candidate, trailing 28-13 at halftime Saturday.

Backup quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei turned it on in the second half, however, leading the team to a 34-28 come-from-behind win. The defense also didn't allow any points on all five Eagles second-half drives.

Clemson stayed at No. 1 overall, but the challenge will be keeping it up against No. 4 Notre Dame next week.

"The standard doesn't change," Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. "Nobody's going to feel sorry for us. We've all got to be ready. It will be the same situation. Now [Uiagalelei has] got some experience, not going to ask him to go out there and do anything other than just be yourself, manage the plan and make the plays that are there."

Notre Dame breezed through a 31-13 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday, while Alabama easily disposed of Mississippi State in a 41-0 blowout.

Ohio State had a tough matchup against Penn State but wasn't intimidated by the empty Beaver Stadium. Justin Fields totaled 318 passing yards and four touchdowns to help the Buckeyes stay ahead of the Nittany Lions with a 38-25 win.

Oklahoma State wasn't able to survive its difficult challenge against Texas and suffered a 41-34 loss in overtime. Spencer Sanders had 400 passing yards and four touchdowns for the Cowboys and also led a game-tying field-goal drive in the final minute of regulation. However, he couldn't match Texas in overtime:

Texas upsets No. 6 Oklahoma State in OT, 41-34 🔥

(via @CFBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/zCnWAid1jk

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 1, 2020

Though Oklahoma State was the last remaining undefeated team in the Big 12, the loss caused the Cowboys to drop from No. 6 to No. 14.

Michigan was also a big loser on the day while falling from No. 13 to No. 23 in the rankings. The Wolverines appeared to be a legit contender after a blowout win over Minnesota in the first game, but a home loss to rival Michigan State quieted the excitement.

Rocky Lombardi threw three passing touchdowns to lead the Spartans to the upset victory one week after losing to Rutgers.

It was also another strong week for multiple Group of Five teams, including Cincinnati and Coastal Carolina—along with independent BYU—each of which won by more than 30 on Saturday.

No. 9 BYU will face No. 21 Boise State on Friday in what could be one of the bigger games of Week 10 in addition to Clemson-Notre Dame and Florida-Georgia.

The top of the Amway Coaches Poll didn't see much change in Week 10.

Clemson remains the nation's top-ranked team after squeaking by Boston College without Trevor Lawrence, while Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Georgia round out an unchanged Top Five.  

It doesn't take long past the top five to see major changes.  

Here is a look at how the entire Top 25 played out:

1. Clemson

2. Alabama

3. Ohio State

4. Notre Dame

5. Georgia

6. Cincinnati

7. Texas A&M

8. Florida

9. BYU

10. Miami

11. Wisconsin

12. Oklahoma State

13. Indiana

14. Oregon

15. Marshall

16. Coastal Carolina

17. Iowa State

18. SMU

19. Oklahoma

20. USC

21. Auburn

22. Army

23. Boise State

24. North Carolina

25. Michigan

Oklahoma State's 41-34 loss to Texas, which dropped the Cowboys six spots to No. 12, was the most notable result of the week. The Cowboys turned the ball over five times, highlighted by four fumbles, to consistently give Texas short field position.

The Longhorns put up 41 points despite having just 287 total yard of offense.

"As I've said many times before, disciplined football, special teams and turnovers is what determine games until you get to the latter part of the season," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy told reporters. "We failed in those areas today."

North Carolina, Michigan and Kansas State also lost to unranked opponents.

The Tar Heels' hopes of competing against Clemson for an ACC championship all but ended with a frustrating 44-41 loss at Virginia. The Cavaliers, who had lost four straight games, compiled 418 total yards and held the ball for the final 2:51 to get their biggest win of the season.

Quarterback Brennan Armstrong totaled four touchdowns and 274 yards (208 passing, 66 rushing) in an impressive all-around performance.

North Carolina dropped 11 spots to No. 24. 

Michigan suffered a similar drop after its own 27-24 home loss to Michigan State, which a week earlier was blown out by Rutgers. Rocky Lombardi compiled 323 passing yards and three touchdowns for the Spartans.

Kansas State dropped out of the Top 25 after a blowout loss to West Virginia, while Penn State also exited the polls after moving to 0-2 with a loss against Ohio State.