For three quarters, LSU was technically Alabama's equal on the scoreboard. One play was all it took for the Tigers to break through.
That play never came, though, and it never felt as though the Crimson Tide were really in danger. In the end, Nick Saban's team came away with a 10-0 victory that felt a little safer than it normally should be.
The march toward the College Football Playoff continues and Alabama leads the way. But the landscape did see some seismic shifts with Texas A&M's surprising loss to Mississippi State. Elsewhere, Ohio State looked normal again in a blowout of Nebraska and the Big 12 race got even more interesting.
With so much action happening around the country, we here at CBS Sports want to get you caught up on all the noteworthy things that happened -- both the good and not so good. What were the highlights from Week 10? What were the moments some programs want to forget? We hash out the best and worst below.
Winner -- Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts: Though he didn't have nearly his best game against LSU -- Hurts threw an early interception and made a few freshman mistakes -- he also had the 21-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run that broke the game open (or, as open as 7-0 can be). Hurts had his up-and-down moments like any freshman, but it's important to ride with a player like that through the bad times because, eventually, he'll have a play like that. Surprise: The dual-threat quarterback so good even coach Nick Saban couldn't not play him made key plays when it counted!
Loser -- The "improved" LSU: We heard an awful lot about how much LSU has improved since interim coach Ed Orgeron took over the team. The Tigers definitely stepped their game up, but by how much is the debatable part. Noting that the Florida game was postponed, LSU has played exactly one team with a winning record since firing Les Miles -- and that was Southern Miss. Going up against the No. 1 team in the country, LSU still showed plenty of offensive woes -- mustering just 125 yards -- in the loss. Granted, Alabama's defense is the stuff of legends, but shutting out a team for three quarters and giving up 10 points is typically enough to win just about every game.
Winner -- Ohio State halfback Curtis Samuel: Guess Ohio State found its offense, eh? The Buckeyes picked up all kinds of yards -- chunk yards, underneath yards, etc. -- in a 62-3 win over Nebraska. Leading the way was Samuel, who had 137 yards receiving and two touchdowns to go along with 41 yards on the ground. Samuel is an explosive utility weapon and can be a huge part of Ohio State's resurgence in November.
Loser -- Texas A&M (and faux mock CFP Rankings outrage): What was it that Aaron Rodgers once said? R-E-L-A-X? That's what many people should have been doing when Texas A&M clocked in at No. 4 -- one spot ahead of undefeated Washington -- in the CFP Selection Committee's first mock rankings last week. Then Texas A&M lost to Mississippi State 35-28. The moral of the story is that nothing is final in the first week of November. As for the Aggies, they fall down the SEC West standings to 4-2, putting them behind Auburn and Alabama by one and two games.
Winner -- Oklahoma fullback Dimitri Flowers: Oh yes, fullbacks deserve love, too. With the offense's top two running backs out vs. Iowa State -- Joe Mixon was suspended and Samaje Perine was out with a leg injury -- Flowers became the Sooners' primary rusher. And did he ever make the most of it with 115 yards. He also had three receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown. For context, Flowers had not rushed the ball all season before Thursday's game. That's called making up for lost time (and picking up the slack).
Loser -- Baylor: The off-field stuff is a whole separate subject. The sobering on-field results show the Bears have lost two straight games, the latest coming by 40 to rival TCU. One of the questions about Baylor was its ability to respond to adversity, especially with an interim coach, Jim Grobe, in command. For one game at least, we have our answer. Up next is a trip to Oklahoma and then games against Kansas State, Texas Tech and West Virginia. Starting 6-0 was never going to be the issue for the Bears; it was finishing with 10 wins or more. Did they have the depth? Did they have the chemistry? So far, the answer is "no."
Winner -- Texas running back D'Onta Foreman: Texas coach Charlie Strong might be saving his job one game at a time. It helps to have Foreman, who is the best running back the Longhorns have put on the field in the past decade. Granted, Foreman's 341 yards Saturday came against Texas Tech, which has an awful run defense, but it was Foreman's 10th consecutive game of at least 100 yards. That's the longest active streak in the FBS. That makes Texas' blatant refusal to give Foreman the ball during short-yardage situations on third and fourth down that much more inexplicable. It truly is one of life's great mysteries, like the Bermuda Triangle or something.
Loser -- Jim Harbaugh's poor hat: Harbaugh has zero chill. None. He could be winning by 100 and an unfavorable review would send him straight into orbit. That's a big part of why he's so successful: the obsession. Even the smallest details are never overlooked. Still, this poor ball cap probably had a family and everything, and Harbaugh sent it to the freaking moon out of anger when he was up comfortably against Maryland. R.I.P., hat. You have a place among the stars now.
Winner -- Navy suffocating Notre Dame: There's something about outstanding ball control that makes the heart flutter, and Navy holding on to the damn ball a full 16:28 on their final two possessions in a 28-27 win over Notre Dame was beautiful. The Midshipmen allowed the Irish to have just six offensive possessions, two in the second half. That's some fine game control, which we all know the playoff committee values.
Loser -- Kentucky's SEC East crown: I'll admit it proudly: I was (and am) here for an SEC Championship Game featuring Kentucky. However, the Wildcats blew a chance to take sole possession of first place in the SEC East Saturday against Georgia. Instead, Kentucky fell short 27-24. The loss puts the Cats at 4-3 in conference play. That's still good enough for No. 2, but they need help from Florida over the next few weeks -- which, if the Arkansas game was any indication, they might get.
Winner -- TCU running back Kyle Hicks: Hicks had not one, not two, not three, not four, but five rushing touchdowns and a career-high 192 yards in a 62-22 win over Baylor. Hicks has been a hidden gem among Big 12 running backs with three 100-yard performances in the past four games. As they say, give him the dang ball.
Loser -- Michigan State: There was a time not long ago when Michigan State was one of the premier teams. Oh wait, that was last year. Since winning the Big Ten and making the playoff, the Spartans are 2-7 and now bowl ineligible with a 31-27 loss to Illinois. The last time Michigan State had a losing streak this long was in 1982. Mark Dantonio is a heckuva coach who had some rebuilding to do, but no one predicted the free fall would be this unforgiving.
Winner -- Your weekly Lamar Jackson update: There's no use fluffing up Jackson's stat sheet with a bunch of words. Jackson accumulated seven touchdowns -- four passing and three rushing -- in an easy win over Boston College. That's the third time this season Jackson has totaled at least seven touchdowns in a game. Jackson has 45 touchdowns on the season; for your information, the FBS single-season record is 63. With three full regular-season games left plus the postseason, Jackson is on pace to break that record.
Loser -- Florida's offense: Florida's offensive struggles have been in full display for the past month, but the Gators hit a low point in a 31-10 loss to Arkansas. The Gators had zero offensive touchdowns for the second time in 11 games and just 241 yards. Florida has all kinds of injury problems, but the inability to run the ball well against quality opponents has been a real detriment. A mere 12 yards on 14 attempts against the Razorbacks is as bad as it gets.
Winner -- South Carolina running back Rico Dowdle: It's not often you catch a touchdown pass after it deflects off a defender, so here's to you, Dowdle. That's some excellent hand-eye coordination. It's also not a bad way to record your first collegiate touchdown reception. Oh, and by the way, South Carolina is one win away from bowl eligibility after beating Missouri 31-21.
Loser -- Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez: Arizona is more likely to get attention when it exceeds expectations rather than when it falls short of them. That's the hierarchy of college football interest for you. As a result, one of the under-reported stories of 2016 is that Arizona, in addition to its injury problems, absolutely stinks. Of all the beatdowns in Week 10, the 69-7 loss to Washington State was the worst. Why is this noteworthy? Rich Rodriguez is one of the better and more innovative coaches out there, and if you can believe it, this is his first losing season in five years. Rodriguez was a hot name last year in the coaching carousel, namely with places like Virginia Tech. What a difference a year makes.
Winner -- Wake Forest defensive back Jessie Bates III: Wake Forest is going bowling for the first time since 2011 thanks to a 27-20 win over Virginia. Essentially sealing the deal was Bates on this nifty pick-six. Demon Deacons coach David Clawson has done a nice job in three years at Wake and reaching bowl eligibility couldn't come a moment too soon; up next for the Deacs are Louisville and Clemson.
Loser -- Vanderbilt linebacker Zach Cunningham: Before Vanderbilt fans get angry, don't worry, Cunningham isn't bad. That's the problem. Cunningham is easily one of the top linebackers -- nay, defenders -- in college football. He's a tackling machine and a relentless player who can make individual plays like this ...
It's easy to get enamored with every player who has had one good game as a possible Heisman Trophy candidate, but if voters are seriously considering defensive players to make a trip to New York -- they probably aren't outside of Jabrill Peppers -- then Cunningham deserves consideration. He's as disruptive and responsible for his unit's success as any player out there. He just happens to play on a 4-5 team.
Winner -- Old Dominion: Sure, we have room for the Monarchs after they beat Marshall 38-14. That puts Old Dominion at 6-3, meaning the program is bowl eligible for the first time in history -- though this is not to be confused with its first season of six wins or more. The Monarchs program was revived in 2009 after a decades-long absence and finally takes that next step as a member of the FBS.
Undecided -- Texas Tech's 100-yard fumble return for a touchdown: In the spirit of election season, I'm pulling a rare audible and going swing state on Texas Tech's fumble return for a touchdown. Lubbock is a place of weird happenings, and it had been a minute since something truly Lubbock happened in a Big 12 game. Well, here it goes. Was it a fumble or a Texas touchdown? Either way, the referees missed Douglas Coleman stepping out of bounds ... probably because one of them was being blocked in the back. This play had literally everything I've ever wanted.
Winner -- Washington wide receiver John Ross: Yes, it was just Cal, but Ross' 208 yards and three touchdowns on just six receptions was one of the top receiving performances from Week 10. Ross is one of the deep threats that makes the Huskies' offense go. And, goodness, the man is unfair sometimes...