Four losses by unbeaten teams and three matchups between ranked schools caused some shakeups in the middle of the AP poll.
Both favorites prevail in two ACC nail-biters
When No. 3 Clemson entered Tallahassee, Fla., this weekend to face No. 12 Florida State, a close game was to be expected. The Seminoles were more talented than an ordinary two-loss team, as both losses came to ACC opponents who are ranked in the top-20—North Carolina and Louisville. But the Tigers escaped from Doak Campbell Stadium unscathed despite a great effort by head coach Jimbo Fisher's Seminoles.
Clemson jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, but Florida State stormed back to put the game well within reach, trailing just 17-14 at halftime. The Seminoles dominated the third quarter, pushing the score to 28-20 in their favor behind two long Dalvin Cook touchdown runs. Two fourth-quarter scoring drives for the Tigers put Clemson back in front 29-28 with just more than five minutes left to play.
On the ensuing Seminole drive, Cook rushed for his fourth touchdown of the game, giving his team a 34-29 lead. With 3:23 remaining, the ball was placed in the hands of Deshaun Watson, the Tigers' Heisman candidate quarterback, with their season on the line. Watson completed three passes on the drive, each to senior tight end Jordan Leggett, capped off by a 34-yard game-winning touchdown. Quarterback Deondre Francois and Florida State got the ball back with about two minutes to go, but three costly penalties and a ferocious Tiger defense killed the last-gasp drive. The Seminoles dropped to No. 19 in this week's rankings.
Unlike Clemson, Louisville was expected to handle Virginia quite easily. The Cavaliers entered the game with five losses, only one of which came by fewer than ten points. Louisville, on the other hand, has lost just one game—a last-minute defeat at the hands of then-No. 5 Clemson—and is led by quarterback Lamar Jackson. With that being said, head coach Bobby Petrino's Cardinals struggled to contain Virginia's offense. The Cavaliers took the lead toward the end of the first quarter and didn't give it back to Louisville until the fourth quarter.
With eight minutes left to play, the Cavaliers got the ball trailing 24-17. A long and methodical drive ended in a touchdown pass from quarterback Kurt Benkert to junior wide receiver Doni Dowling, and with fewer than two minutes remaining, Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall decided to go for a two-point conversion to take the lead. His decision worked to a tee, as Benkert successfully passed to senior running back Albert Reid, giving his team a 25-24 lead.
With 55 seconds remaining, Virginia's defense had Louisville on the brink, as the Cardinals faced a 4th-and-3 from midfield. But Jackson successfully converted on fourth down with a five-yard pass, and from there, he showed why he's been the favorite for the Heisman Trophy all season long. With just 13 seconds to go, Jackson hit sophomore wide receiver Jaylen Smith for a 29-yard touchdown pass. The Cardinals narrowly escaped an upset of massive proportions, one which could have simultaneously eliminated the Cardinals' playoff hopes along with Jackson's Heisman candidacy.
Wyoming crushes Boise State's hopes of an undefeated season
Boise State entered this game ranked No. 13 in the AP poll and standing undefeated at 7-0, but many attributed the Broncos' hot start to an easy schedule—after all, only two of their prior seven opponents have records above .500. A tough in-conference matchup at Wyoming's home stadium would, in many people's eyes, be the ultimate test to Boise State's pedigree. It failed the test.
Early on, the Broncos looked as though they were poised to prove their doubters wrong. They jumped out to an early 14-0 lead courtesy of two rushing touchdowns by talented junior running back Jeremy McNichols. Although they held onto the lead until there were fewer than six minutes left in the game, the margin grew smaller with time. With 6:42 left in the fourth quarter, Cowboy quarterback Josh Allen passed for a touchdown and two-point conversion to tie the game at 28. Boise State had its final chance to break the tie with about 1:30 remaining, as it started a drive deep in its own territory. On just the second play of the drive, quarterback Brett Rypien was sacked and fumbled the ball out of the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety. Wyoming had a 30-28 lead and the ball with just over a minute remaining. The game was over, and the Broncos were undefeated no longer.
Boise State was far and away the biggest fallers in this week's AP poll, dropping from No. 13 to No. 24. In arguably their greatest opportunity to prove their merit, the Broncos floundered.
Three more undefeated teams—Nebraska, West Virginia and Baylor—suffered their first losses of the season Saturday and dropped in the rankings. No. 4 Washington nearly joined that group, but escaped with a 31-24 win at then-No. 17 Utah.
Jabrill Peppers excels on both sides of the field as the Wolverines stay undefeated
When Michigan and Michigan State met a year ago, the Spartans were actually the higher-ranked team. They entered The Big House in Ann Arbor, Mich., with a 6-0 record, as the Wolverines were desperately vying for a signature victory on their home turf. With ten seconds left, Michigan was up two points, and as it lined up to punt, the game was considered to be all but over. From there, Wolverine punter Blake O'Neill botched the snap, fumbled it, and well, we know how the rest of this one goes.
A little more than a year later, as these two teams readied to meet again, the tables had turned. Jim Harbaugh's Michigan squad was 7-0, but Mark Dantonio's Spartans stood at a measly 2-5. Michigan State took an early 7-0 lead with a rushing touchdown on its first drive of the game, but after allowing the second-ranked Wolverines to tie the game up on the ensuing drive, it would never get the lead back.
Although Michigan had its fair share of contributors, superstar Jabrill Peppers stood out above the rest. Nicknamed the "Swiss Army Knife," Peppers starred on both offense and defense. He rushed five times for 24 yards and a touchdown, which came in the first quarter to start the scoring for the Wolverines. On the defensive side of the ball, the linebacker-cornerback hybrid totaled seven tackles and a sack. With one second left, Michigan State scored a touchdown to trim the margin to one possession. The Spartans elected to go for a two-point-conversion, and Peppers put the icing on the cake by recovering a fumble and taking it to the house.
Already a contender for the Heisman Trophy, this game should serve as a further boost to Peppers' dark-horse candidacy. Michigan remained at No. 2 in the AP poll, behind only Alabama, and has a fairly easy matchup this weekend at home against Maryland.
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