For more than three-quarters of Saturday night, it looked like the top four in the college football playoff chase would finally get a real shakeup, as Georgia trailed Mizzou for most of what should have been. A ho-hum. SEC East game.
Instead, the defending national champions escaped; they did escape, the Tigers now 2-3 with a win. It was the second straight Saturday that Georgia had battled an unranked opponent, as they beat Kent State 39-22 in Week 4.
They are still a team in the top four. However, their ability to work through the entire schedule as quickly as they dismantled Oregon in the season opener is now a question.
That's how it is to finish the season undefeated. While Georgia even caused a stir in their victory, five games with two ranked opponents this weekend directly impacted the CFP race.
What it means for Alabama: Until proven otherwise, the Tide remains the team to beat in the SEC West, even with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner sidelined with a sprained shoulder.
Alabama relied on its running game and got out of trouble as quickly as it did on Saturday, and it did so without Bryce Young. In the path. Against a brave opponent from the SEC West.
"He does not have a serious injury. We didn't think he could get back in the game today because I didn't think he had a lot of energy to shoot the ball. He has had this before, and in a few days, he starts." he responds pretty well.
Jahr Gibbs rushed for a career-high 206 yards, including 194 after Young left the game in the second quarter. Alabama continues to find different ways to win, including twice on the road against Power 5 opponents who were ranked at the time (Texas and Arkansas).
Those games, however, have also exposed some vulnerabilities. Saban pointed to mistakes in the kicking game and the defense's inability to make third-down stops in the third quarter but said the errors are all fixable.
Maybe next year? The Hogs have lost consecutive games against SEC West opponents.
No. 5 Clemson 30, No. 10 North Carolina State 20
What it means for Clemson
The Tigers are undoubtedly the ACC's best hope in a CFP semifinal and are firmly in the lead to win the ACC Atlantic Division.
With back-to-back wins against Wake Forest and NC State, Clemson defeated the two toughest teams in their division, but the Tigers must remain wary of their October 15 road trip to Florida State.
However, the Seminoles are already playing from behind in the division after losing at home to Wake Forest on Saturday. Clemson travels to Notre Dame on November 5 and remains a critical component of the Tigers' playoff resume.
If USC has the same record as Clemson, and they're both conference champions, who gets in if there's a debate over last place? The selection committee would undoubtedly see the Irish as a familiar opponent.
Clemson entered the game with a 43.5% chance of reaching the CFP, increasing to 49.6% with the win.
The Wolfpack needs Clemson to lose twice to get back into the Atlantic Division race, which doesn't seem likely. It's disappointing for coach Dave Doeren, as this team was rated the best in his tenure there.
2014 and inching closer to legitimizing their playoff hopes, but they need to play better against tougher competition. Ole Miss entered Saturday ranked 122nd in schedule strength, according to ESPN's FPI.
The win against Kentucky was the start of that resume's enhancement, as it was the Rebels' first win against a ranked opponent and second against a Power 5 opponent; the other was Georgia Tech.
Ole Miss should be undefeated heading into its October 22 game at LSU, and it will have to be because four of their next seven games are against SEC-ranked teams, including Texas A&M, Alabama, and Arkansas, in a three-way stretch.
Beating Kentucky in a crossover game was important because it gives Ole Miss some much-needed wiggle room, and a loss would have been devastating to any playoff hopes, but the Rebels still have a lot to prove.
With the win, the Rebels' chances of reaching the semifinals increased from 6% to 6.4%.
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