College football winners and losers for Week 10: Florida is fun again and Georgia is done

Kyle Trask and the No. 8 Gators (4-1, 4-1 SEC) had little trouble acing their most significant regular season test, blistering No. 5 Georgia 44-28 to snap a three-game slide in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

Trask threw for 474 yards and four touchdowns on 30 of 43 passing, a pick-six the only notable blemish on the day. He helped Florida pile up 38 points before halftime shredding a Georgia defense that had already been exposed earlier this season at Alabama.

This is Florida as it’s supposed to be, and not as it was for much of the 2010s. When the Gators have contended for national titles, particularly in the Steve Spurrier Fun ‘n’ Gun era but also in Urban Meyer’s prime in Gainesville, they aired it out rather than rely on the traditional (though now anachronistic) SEC ground-and-pound model.

Florida didn’t win enough in the years between Meyer’s first retirement and Dan Mullen’s hire after the 2017 season, but it committed another sin almost as egregious. It was boring, and the Gators have never won big while being boring.

At the midpoint of the regular season, it’s clearly not an issue for Florida and Trask, who has thrown for 1,815 yards, 22 touchdowns and three interceptions through five games.

As for Georgia (4-2, 4-2 SEC), this was more of the same when it matters most. The margin was almost identical to last month’s 41-24 loss at Alabama and a bit better than last year’s 37-10 thumping at the hands of LSU in the SEC title game.

The Bulldogs’ defense wasn’t good enough to stop juggernauts (whether piloted by Joe Burrow, Mac Jones or Trask) in any of those games. But just as striking, Georgia completed less than half of its pass attempts and threw for more interceptions than touchdowns in all of those losses.

While Stetson Bennett IV wasn’t sharp, completing 5 of 16 for 78 yards, a touchdown and a pick, it’s difficult to pile on a former walk-on whose route from Athens to a junior college and back is worthy of respect. Besides, the two names repeatedly mentioned in the offseason as successors to Jake Fromm (a three-year starter who turned pro after last season) were Jamie Newman and JT Daniels.

Newman, a Wake Forest graduate transfer, opted out of the season. Daniels, a Southern California transfer coming off a knee injury, has yet to throw a pass for the Bulldogs.

Even if he does get a look in the back half of the season, it won’t be truly meaningful for Georgia. Kirby Smart’s team is effectively out of both the SEC and national title races. Two-loss teams aren’t great playoff candidates, and the Bulldogs would need Florida to lose twice in its last five games to have any shot at an SEC championship trip.

The Gators’ remaining conference schedule? A collection of sub-.500 foes: Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Tennessee and LSU. It’s a clear path for Trask and Florida to roll into a likely Dec. 19 showdown with No. 2 Alabama that would effectively double as a playoff quarterfinal.

Notre Dame. The No. 4 Fighting Irish gave depleted No. 1 Clemson their best shot and squeaked out a 47-40 victory over the Tigers in double overtime. Considering the Tigers (7-1, 6-1 ACC) hadn’t lost a regular season game since 2017, there’s no diminishing the accomplishment.

Now, Notre Dame (7-0, 6-0) needs to zip its way through its remaining regular season schedule (trips to Boston College, North Carolina and Wake Forest, as well as a home game against Syracuse) to solidify its playoff positioning. It’s possible the Irish will have to beat Clemson again next month to earn a semifinal invitation, but it’s still a better situation than having no remaining wiggle room.

Iowa State. The No. 17 Cyclones needed to erase a two-touchdown deficit in the second half against Baylor, but no matter. They rallied for a 38-31 victory over Baylor behind three Brock Purdy touchdown passes to take a half-game lead in the Big 12 standings.

But more than that, Iowa State (5-2 overall) is 5-1 in conference play for the first time ever. It didn’t happen in the Cyclones’ Big Seven days, or their time in the Big Eight, or for nearly a quarter-century in the Big 12. It’s something Iowa State can enjoy for a couple weeks, since it doesn’t play again until its Nov. 21 Farmageddon encounter with Kansas State.

Oregon. It took the Ducks some time to create separation on the scoreboard, but they ultimately turned back Stanford 35-14 in the opener for both teams. No. 12 Oregon had no trouble getting its offense going, averaging 7.5 yards a play. There’s some work to do on defense, though the Cardinals’ 0-for-4 showing on field goals kept this from being closer than it could have been.

Karl Dorrell. One of the unexpected hires of the offseason, Dorrell took over at Colorado. It was his first head coaching job since UCLA fired him in 2007, and with the reworked schedule, the Buffaloes opened their Dorrell era against … UCLA.

Colorado looked great for a half, building a 28-point lead, then just good enough the rest of the way to hold on 48-42. Most encouraging for Dorrell and the Buffaloes? Finishing with their most points against a Pac-12 opponent since 2016.

Indiana. Are the Hoosiers the second-best team in the Big Ten? Maybe. Are they the second-best team in the East Division? After defeats of Penn State and Michigan, it’s kind of hard to argue.

No. 13 Indiana (3-0) simply did as it pleased in a 38-21 drubbing of No. 23 Michigan. The Hoosiers held the Wolverines to 111 total yards in the first half and 13 rushing yards for the day. They never trailed; they reclaimed the lead the only time Michigan tied it in the first half and methodically marched 75 yards in 10 plays when the Wolverines closed within 10 in the third quarter.

Michael Penix Jr., who drew attention for his game-winning two-point conversion against Penn State two weeks ago, threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns against a struggling Michigan secondary that at times seemed invisible. That’s not a reason to play down Indiana’s win, and the Hoosiers should rightfully celebrate ending their 24-game losing streak against the Wolverines.

Southern California. The Trojans didn’t play particularly great most of the day against Arizona State. They still made the final three minutes count in a 28-27 defeat of Arizona State.

No. 20 Southern Cal used a touchdown/onside kick recovery/touchdown sequence in a 92-second span to seize the lead from the Sun Devils as the Pac-12 made its belated return. Kedon Slovis threw for 381 yards and two scores, including a 21-yard dart to Drake London on fourth-and-9 with 1:20 remaining.

Openers tend to be sloppy, and the Trojans’ was. Nonetheless, they figured it out in time to dispatch one of their biggest threats in the Pac-12 South and delayed the gloom-and-doom grumbling that usually accompanies Southern Cal’s first loss of the season.

Oklahoma State. Despite a less-than-fruitful first half, the Cowboys bounced back from their first loss of the season and avoided drifting back to the portion of the Big 12 pack that includes Oklahoma and Texas. Oklahoma State rallied from a 12-point deficit to upend Kansas State 20-18.

A vital moment came with 6:32 to go and the Wildcats driving while down 13-12. The Cowboys’ Jason Taylor II returned a fumble 85 yards for a touchdown to bump the margin to eight. Later, Oklahoma State got a stop when K-State quarterback Will Howard fumbled a two-point conversion, then sealed it on Tre Sterling’s interception with 1:38 to go.

The Cowboys (5-1, 4-1 Big 12) managed to go 2-1 in a tricky three-week stretch that included a victory over Iowa State and a loss to Texas. Now, they’ll get an open date to get ready for Bedlam and a trip to Big 12 titan Oklahoma.

Iowa. The Hawkeyes (1-2) are on the board after crushing Michigan State, 49-7, thanks in part to an interception return for a touchdown, a punt return for another score and running back Tyler Goodson’s 113-yard, two-touchdown day.

Outside of the 3 hour 20-minute running time, it was a very Iowa showing (the Hawkeyes have a way to wrapping up their routs in less than three hours) that also exposed Michigan State (1-2) as a mistake-prone bunch in the same way the Spartans’ opening loss to Rutgers did two weeks ago.

North Carolina. The Tar Heels’ yo-yo act continued with a 56-24 thrashing of Duke with the Victory Bell on the line. Javonte Williams ran for three touchdowns and scored another on a reception for North Carolina (5-2, 5-2 ACC), which was coming off a shootout loss at Virginia.

Seeing Mack Brown’s team when it is sharp (such as Saturday and when it smashed N.C. State) makes its inconsistency (such as last week and a loss last month at Florida State) all the more flummoxing. This is a most unpredictable year, and maybe the Tar Heels are the perfect avatar for a season where reliability is an even rarer trait than usual.

Brigham Young. It’s about time to reckon with just how to treat an undefeated Brigham Young team that keeps clobbering everyone on its path.

The No. 9 Cougars (8-0) demolished Boise State, 51-17, on Friday night, the Broncos’ most lopsided home loss since 1996. Tyler Allgeier ran for an 86-yard touchdown on the second snap of BYU’s first possession. Zach Wilson threw for 359 yards and a touchdown. BYU never trailed and led 45-3 at one point.

This was probably the best opponent on the Cougars’ piecemeal schedule, and they did to Boise State (2-1) what they’ve done to pretty much everyone else. Only two teams have come within 30 points of BYU; Texas-San Antonio dropped a 27-20 decision on Oct. 10, and Houston fell, 43-26, six days later.

North Alabama, an FCS school set to visit Provo, Utah, on Nov. 21, isn’t a good bet to keep things close. And BYU then gets three weeks to prepare for San Diego State. And that’s that, barring some last-minute schedule intrigue. The Cougars are probably going to go 10-0. They are averaging 533.4 yards and 45.3 points while giving up 284.9 yards and 13.9 points.

That degree of control is hard to ignore. Chances are it won’t get BYU a playoff berth on account of strength of schedule, though it’s fun to wonder if beating Utah, Michigan State, Arizona State, Minnesota, Missouri and Stanford (which were all on the program’s original, pre-pandemic schedule) might have done the trick.

Even granting that, it won’t be easy to keep the Cougars out of the New Year’s Six structure if they can polish off a perfect regular season. And there’s little reason at this stage to think they won’t.

San Jose State. The Spartans knocked off San Diego State, 28-17, on Friday, improving to 3-0 for the first time since 1982. They even did so almost entirely without the services of starting quarterback Nick Starkel, who was injured on the fourth play of San Jose State’s first drive.

San Jose State hasn’t posted a winning season since 2012 (which coach Mike MacIntyre parlayed into the Colorado job) and hasn’t earned a bowl invitation since 2015. The Spartans were a combined 3-22 in current coach Brent Brennan’s first two seasons, but improved to 5-7 last year while splitting six one-possession games.

Now the Spartans are 3-0 in the Mountain West for the first time since entering the league in 2013 and join Nevada and Boise State as the only Mountain West teams without a conference loss this season.

Justin Fuente. Coaches get an outsized amount of credit and blame for outcomes most of the time, and at the Power Five level, it’s something they’re well-compensated for.

Sometimes, though, a coach completely warrants the credit or the blame, and Fuente fell into that category Saturday given his performance at the end of Virginia Tech’s game against No. 25 Liberty. The Flames lined up for a 59-yard field goal to break a tie, and the Hokies blocked it and returned it for a touchdown as time expired … only Fuente had just gotten in the ol’’ ice-the-kicker timeout before the snap.

Liberty Coach Hugh Freeze, having learned a lesson of his own, sent his offense back out for one play, an eight-yard pass. Then kicker Alex Barbir drilled a 51-yard field goal to clinch a 38-35 victory. Virginia Tech fell to 4-3, and that loss is squarely on the coach.

Michigan. Do the Wolverines (1-2) even want to be playing this season? At times in Saturday’s 38-21 loss at Indiana, it was fair to wonder. While the Hoosiers rightfully deserve praise for their latest win in their 3-0 start, Michigan was underwhelming throughout the first half on both sides of the ball.

There were four three-and-outs in six possessions to open the game, and six punts in seven first-half possessions. Defensively, there was a spate of penalties giving Indiana free plays and a complete inability to contain Penix Jr.’s passing for much of the day.

There was enough saber rattling in the last week about Jim Harbaugh in the wake of a sluggish loss to Michigan State, but now it’s time to ask a serious question. With Wisconsin, Penn State and Ohio State still to come, is it realistic to expect the Wolverines to finish much better than 3-5 in this abbreviated season?

Penn State finds itself in a situation that combines what Georgia and Michigan face. Like the Bulldogs, the measure of success in Happy Valley is now tied to conference titles and playoff pushes. Both of those are out the window. And like Michigan, it’s time to wonder just how interested the Nittany Lions are in the remainder of this abbreviated season. The first 35 minutes against the Terrapins were not encouraging on that front.

Tennessee. If it was late September, this would be an admonishment for losing to Arkansas. The Razorbacks have since proved themselves perfectly competent.

No, this is an admonishment for getting outgained 257-16 in the third quarter by anyone, which is what the Volunteers did while watching a 13-point lead turn into a 24-13 deficit. Tennessee dropped its fourth in a row to fall to 2-4, and no, the Vols are not back. Still.

Gary Andersen. As coaching career arcs go, there might not be a weirder one in the last decade than the now-former Utah State sideline boss. Andersen built the Aggies into a top-20 team earlier in the decade and bounced to Wisconsin after the 2012 season. So far, so good.

He lasted two seasons in Madison, going 19-7 and winning a Big Ten West title before leaving for Oregon State. He made it through 2½ seasons with the Beavers, quit with a 7-23 record in Corvallis, then got the Utah State job after the 2018 season. Just 16 games into the reunion, the Aggies cut the cord and fired Anderson on Saturday after three blowout losses to start the season.