It was a Saturday of attrition.
Clemson, Texas A&M, Auburn and Nebraska either lost their quarterbacks during the game or were without them at kickoff.
Never mind the actual results. The Aggies failed to live up to their billing, which came courtesy of the College Football Playoff's Debating Dozen. Congrats guys and girl, Texas A&M was more overhyped than the entire Blake Shelton catalog.
It looks like Deshaun Watson's shoulder injury isn't too serious. Sean White's injury sure did clear up in a hurry when Auburn found itself in a tussle with Vanderbilt. Thoughts and prayers to Nebraska's Tommy Armstrong Jr., who looks like he will be OK.
Elsewhere, Florida was a dud. LSU's effort against Alabama was pointless.
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We mention attrition because there are only a handful teams that can get to the CFP with only four weeks left in the season. We gave you an original list of 18 back in August. That list is down to nine, which can be found in the Power Rankings below.
Biggest Movers
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| Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -- | 8-2 | |
I said it early on. Bama's defense could win games by itself. That just about happened in Death Valley. The 13th shutout by Bama's D since 2011 doomed LSU to also-ran status in the SEC West. The 10-0 win marked the fewest points in a Crimson Tide win since 2005. Can still afford a November loss and win the SEC.
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| 2 | -- | 8-2 | |
Shutout shout out to defensive coordinator Brent Venables. Clemson posted its third shutout in the last 18 games, 54-0 over Syracuse. Watson bruised his shoulder but it's November. Everybody's bruised. Tigers on their way to a second consecutive CFP berth having won 25 straight regular-season games.
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| 3 | -- | 6-5 | |
John Ross had the catch and run of the day. Washington made the selection committee look silly by leaving it out of the top four with a solid 66-27 win at Cal. Best team on the West Coast no matter who wins the Pac-12.
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| 4 | -- | 5-5 | |
What did D.J. Durkin do to Jim Harbaugh? Harbs showed no mercy in laying 59 on his former defensive coordinator (now Maryland's first-year head coach). Michigan sports the nation's largest point differential (336 points). That's more points than 119 teams have scored. The Wolverines look like the best Big Ten team. Still have to prove it against Ohio State.
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| 5 | -- | 6-4 | |
For some reason, the Cardinals are really upset they weren't in the CFP top four last week. Bobby Petrino suggests he should have left starters in and hung 80 on Florida State to make a statement. We'll see if 52 this week against Boston College is enough.
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| 6 | -- | 9-1 | |
Urban Meyer saw some things he hadn't. Namely, the Buckeyes extending a defense in a surprisingly easy win over Nebraska. Someone please remind me while I got excited about this game. Unless there's another hiccup with the magnitude of Penn State, the Buckeyes should get to the Michigan game with the Big Ten East at stake.
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| 7 | 2 | 4-6 | |
The most improved team in the country looks like it is on a collision course with the best team in the country (see: No. 1). No program has righted itself better than Gus Malzahn's group. Kind of weird that Sean White didn't start because of an "injury" but every ounce of him was needed against Vanderbilt. As a two-loss SEC champion, the Tigers could still find their way to the CFP.
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| 8 | 1 | 5-5 | |
All kinds of possibilities for the Badgers. They control their destiny in the Big Ten West. A possible rematch with Ohio State looms. There isn't much Wisconsin can't look forward to down the stretch. The includes playing in the CFP. Imagine an upset of undefeated Michigan in Big Ten title game.
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| 9 | 2 | 5-5 | |
All Joe Mixon had to do was not tear up a ticket in front of a parking attendant. Especially with his past. Mixon's absence against Iowa State opened the door for Abdul Adams and fullback Dimitri Flowers (combined 176 rushing yards) in a 10-point win. Baylor next as Oklahoma is the hottest team in the Big 12.
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| 10 | -- | 5-6 | |
"Be the diamonds in the rough I know you are." That's how P.J. Fleck inspired the Broncos before a 52-20 beatdown of Ball State. The coach then pulled out a big-ass diamond as a visual aide. We're going to assume it was a fake. The Broncos aren't.
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| 11 | 4 | 9-1 | |
How did this team lose to Pittsburgh? A five-game winning streak has James Franklin as the toast of State College. Just don't tell him that. The Nits scored on seven of 11 possessions against Iowa.
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| 12 | 8 | 4-6 | |
Bye. The Pac-12 South looks like it's coming down to Utah's Nov. 26 game at Colorado. I think we all foresaw that at the beginning of the season.
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| 13 | 3 | 8-2 | |
Buffs just keep piecing it together. Sefo Liufau threw his first two interceptions of the season to keep UCLA in it Thursday. CU had just enough to stay atop the Pac-12 South, 20-10.
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| 14 | 1 | 9-1 | |
A tougher-than-expected win over San Jose State keeps the Broncos on the heels of Western Michigan for the Group of Five's Cotton Bowl slot. Brett Rypien continues to be the Mountain West's most productive quarterback.
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| 15 | 7 | 8-2 | |
The Aggies seemed to be caught up reading their rave reviews in the CFP Rankings. They paid for it in not showing up against Mississippi State. Trevor Knight injured a shoulder. Myles Garrett injured a leg. Not a good thing for Kevin Sumlin's two best players.
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| 16 | 2 | 5-5 | |
Dana Hologorsen has emerged on LSU's radar. With good reason. The Mountaineers (7-1) have the Big 12's best overall record and its best defense. Consecutive games against Texas and Oklahoma loom. A CFP can still happen. All the Mountaineers need is to win out and have another Power Five champ with two losses. Let the conversation begin.
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| 17 | 7 | 8-2 | |
Only 12 teams are undefeated in conference play. The Cougars moved to 6-0 in the Pac-12 South with a 69-7 stomping of Arizona. Only Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes has thrown for more yards (8,539) than Luke Falk (7,798) the last two seasons.
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| 18 | 5 | 5-5 | |
Hokies are edging closer to the ACC Coastal title in Justin Fuente's first season. They have only Georgia Tech and Virginia (both at home) left in the ACC.
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| 19 | 2 | 3-7 | |
Late Saturday, the Aztecs became the first team to clinch a division/conference after Nevada lost to Wyoming. Donnel Pumphrey went for 112 yards, inching closer to what is believed to the first Group of Five to lead the NCAA in career rushing in 48 years.
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| 20 | 2 | 6-4 | |
If it wasn't for that 34-3 clunker against Virginia Tech, the Tar Heels would be sitting pretty in the Coastal. Meanwhile, there continues to be more buzz about Larry Fedora moving elsewhere.
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| 21 | NR | 3-7 | |
What a nutty ending at Kansas State. It wasn't Central Michigan nutty, but it was nutty enough. An interception in the end zone preserved a 43-37 win that kept the Cowboys alive in the Big 12.
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| 22 | 8 | 5-5 | |
How bad is the SEC East? It has one win over the West Division. That doesn't look like it's going to change anytime soon after the Gators' three-touchdown loss to Arkansas. What looked like a trip to Atlanta for the SEC title is now in definite danger with both Kentucky and Tennessee back in the race.
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| 23 | 11 | 5-5 | |
First thoughts should be with Tommy Armstrong, who was knocked out against Ohio State. Just glad he is safe and, no, it probably wouldn't have made a difference if he had played the entire game. Huskers still in the running in Big Ten West.
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| 24 | NR | 5-5 | |
Win No. 5 in a row comes over Oregon, which had dropped 110 points on the Trojans in the last two meetings. How satisfying was that? That's USC's first five-game winning streak since Ed Orgeron was interim coach in 2013.
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| 25 | -- | 2-8 | |
Cowboys may be more than just going Bohl-ing after hanging 52 on Utah State. Wyoming remains atop the Mountain West Mountain Division. (Yeah, I'm confused too.)
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