Chaos reigned Saturday in the top 25, with four members of the top 10 going down. The College Football Playoff chances in the Pac 12 took a big hit, and the Big 12 race got even more confusing.
Baylor falls from the ranks of the unbeaten
The Bears had never lost at their new home stadium, but Oklahoma changed that with a 44-34 win in Waco. In the past two weeks, the Big 12's leading CFP contenders—Baylor and TCU—have each suffered losses, and the Horned Frogs got more bad news Saturday when star quarterback Trevone Boykin injured his ankle. TCU had to scrambled to survive an upset bid from cellar dweller Kansas, and Oklahoma State—now the conference's only unbeaten team—needed a furious rally to beat Iowa State on the road. The marquee road win at Baylor sent the Sooners skyrocketing to No. 7 in this week's poll ahead of their annual Bedlam rivalry game with the now-No. 4 Cowboys. Baylor fell to No. 10 following its first loss of the year.
#Pac12AfterDark strikes again
After an unusual loss at Northwestern to open the season, Stanford had ripped off eight straight wins, giving many the thought that the Cardinal could sneak into the Playoff if they ran the table the rest of the way. Those hopes were dashed Saturday night in Palo Alto when Oregon stopped the Cardinal's would-be game-tying two-point conversion attempt, hanging on for a 38-36 win. Stanford dropped to No. 15 with the loss and the Ducks—who struggled through some injuries in the early part of the year—re-entered the poll at No. 23. Elsewhere out west, Washington State scored a touchdown with three seconds left to beat then-No. 19 UCLA at the Rose Bowl, vaulting the Cougars into the poll at No. 24 and kicking the Bruins out. Arizona also stunned then-No. 10 Utah in double-overtime, dropping the Utes eight spots to No. 18
Tar Heels continue to garner national attention
North Carolina throttled Duke last weekend in Chapel Hill, and the Tar Heels gave Miami a similarly hostile welcome to Chapel Hill Saturday. Quarterback Marquise Williams rushed for more than 100 yards and added three scores on the ground, and Elijah Hood plowed ahead for more than 100 rushing yards as well, leading North Carolina to a 59-21 win against the Hurricanes. With the win, the Tar Heels—now ranked No. 12 in the country—are one win away from a Coastal Division championship and a date with No. 1 Clemson in Charlotte for the ACC Championship game Dec. 5. North Carolina's only loss of the year came in its season-opener in Charlotte against South Carolina.
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