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The teams that earned spots in the first College Football Playoff bracket took their first tests since learning exactly what the selection committee thinks of the work they’ve done so far.
Some, like Utah and Texas, passed with flying colors. Others, like BYU, earned low marks but still have a few weeks to bring those grades up before the final exams.
Here’s a quick look at the teams’ Week 10 report cards:
Miami showed plenty of fight while losing in South Bend — but they also still lost in South Bend. Darian Mensah and the offense found a rhythm in the second half after struggling with Malachi Toney early on. The injuries on defense continue to hamper the Hurricanes, though. Luckily, playing in the ACC gives them leeway to still make the conference championship game and likely the playoff.
The Bulldogs didn't view the trip to play Ole Miss on the road as a top-10 matchup. Instead, they looked at this game as an opportunity for a shellacking. And shellack Georgia did, whether Gunner Stockton and the offense dominating or the defense embarrassing their budding rivals, Kirby Smart's team left no doubt who should be the No. 1 team in the second week of the CFP rankings.
The No. 3 Utes met the moment in their “Holy War” rivalry game with No. 9 BYU. Devon Dampier accounted for four touchdowns — two passing, two rushing — while emphatically announcing his Heisman Trophy candidacy. The Utes, who have the nation’s longest active winning streak, forced four turnovers and clinched it with an interception in the end zone in the final minute.
The reigning national champion and fourth-ranked Hoosiers were idle ahead of next week’s matchup against Southern Cal.
The fifth-ranked Crimson Tide turned it on down the stretch, scoring three touchdowns in the final 16 minutes to turn a 13-10 deficit into a convincing 18-point victory. Keelon Russell was magnificent, throwing three touchdown passes. It’s hard to ding a team that won in Death Valley but the defense did give up 457 total yards to the Tigers, with Sam Leavitt throwing for 380 yards.
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Kentucky had the opportunity to prove a lot of doubters wrong on Saturday in Knoxville. Instead, there are more questions about the Wildcats than before. Will Stein and Kenny Minchey were bottled up by the vaunted Tennessee defense in a rout, and now Kentucky is going to face real questions about their playoff viability. Luckily, they have two likely ranked matchups on the schedule still.
In a matchup of teams desperate to avoid their third loss, the No. 7 Longhorns traded punches with No. 18 Missouri. Arch Manning came through with his best road performance of his career, with his third touchdown pass putting Texas ahead to stay and earning a high grade.
Is is time to believe in the Bruins? Their visit to Minnesota had the feel of a trap game, taking a two-time-zone flight to face a tough Golden Gophers team playing its third straight top-15 opponent. After Minnesota tied it at 17 early in the fourth quarter, the tag-team of Ty Dieffenbach and Aiden Mizell connected for a pair of 75-yard touchdown passes to dodge the upset bid.
Credit to the Cougars, who fell behind by two scores before 10:30 a.m. local time before rallying to make the “Holy War” one of the most fun-to-watch games of the season. BYU led at halftime, but stumbled in the second half. The Cougars were shut out after halftime, and Bear Bachmeier threw three of his four interceptions after the break, including the game-ended in the end zone with 41 seconds left.
It couldn't have been a worse result for the Rebels. Not only did they get embarrassed by Georgia in Oxford — and giving Kirby Smart his first win in Vaught-Hemingway — in every phase of the game, but Ole Miss is now a three-loss team. Unfortunately, their schedule isn't near what the likes of Alabama, LSU, Georgia and Texas have had to endure, so their CFP chances might be done now.
The Fighting Irish lost to BYU in their only other matchup with a team ranked by the CFP committee. Being able to topple Miami, even in South Bend, simply has to go down as the highest possible grade. CJ Carr had his coming out party, and perhaps his Heisman moment, in the win, while the defense made the Hurricanes work for every single yard. And that performance could well lock Notre Dame into the playoff now.
The No. 25 Broncos, who began the day as the No. 12 seed as the highest-ranked Group of Six team in the rankings, went on the road to Colorado State. The Rams aren't a good team, but as Boise State played with backup quarterback Max Cutforth, putting up 60+ points feels like they deserve plenty of credit as a team asserting dominance through adversity.