Perfect days for the Pac-12 and Big 12 hinged on the game between the flagship universities of the two biggest states in the nation, and Cal’s Darius White deflected a Texas extra point for a 45-44 win.
The Pac-12’s 10-0 tied them with SEC for No. 2 in the rankings, while the Big 12 moved atop the conference rankings by winning their other six games, including Texas Tech’s shocker over Arkansas from the struggling SEC.
UCLA rallied to top BYU. The ACC nudged past the Big Ten for 4th by winning three of five head-to-head games on the scoreboard below.
We grade each team on their performance from A to F (“I” indicates and intra-conference game that does not affect the conference ranking). The bottom of each table shows the conference’s record and if that was more or fewer wins than projected. The conference grade is based on the margin of victory defeat overall all the games (square roots are used to make points in close games much more important than rolling up points in blowout wins.)
ACC improves to +8, ranked 4th.
The ACC was on its way to three romps of the Big Ten until Miami blew a 23-point lead against Nebraska and needed overtime. Corn Elder intercepted a Nebraska pass in overtime and Michael Badgley barely scraped a game-winning field goal inside the right post for a 36-33 win.
| Team | Conf | Final | Score | Grade | Pred | Win% | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | ACC +6 | 0 | 14 | I | -7 | 36% | Florida St |
| Clemson | ACC +6 | 20 | 17 | I | 7 | 64% | Louisville |
| Duke | ACC +6 | 10 | 19 | F | 0 | 50% | Northwestern |
| Florida St | ACC +6 | 14 | 0 | I | 7 | 64% | Boston College |
| Georgia Tech | ACC +6 | 22 | 30 | C+ | 2 | 53% | Notre Dame |
| Louisville | ACC +6 | 17 | 20 | I | -7 | 36% | Clemson |
| Miami FL | ACC +6 | 36 | 33 | A | -4 | 40% | Nebraska |
| NC State | ACC +6 | 38 | 14 | C+ | 10 | 76% | Old Dominion |
| North Carolina | ACC +6 | 48 | 14 | A+ | 0 | 50% | Illinois |
| Pittsburgh | ACC +6 | 24 | 27 | B | -9 | 34% | Iowa |
| Syracuse | ACC +6 | 30 | 27 | C | 2 | 55% | C Michigan |
| Virginia | ACC +6 | 35 | 29 | D | 25 | 95% | William & Mary |
| Virginia Tech | ACC +6 | 51 | 24 | A | 4 | 60% | Purdue |
| Wake Forest | ACC +6 | 17 | 14 | C | 4 | 60% | Army |
| 9-5, +1.3 wins | Now +7 | C+ | 7.73 |
American Athletic stays at +0, ranked 6th best conference.
Memphis’ claim as the top non-Power 5 team was back by Paxton Lynch’s two bombs and Jake Elliot’s three field goals to win at a Bowling Green team that stunned Maryland the week before. UConn wasted a great defensive performance to fall just short, 6-9, against 24-point favorite Missouri, and SMU and Tulsa played tough into the second half against top-level teams.
| Team | Conf | Final | Score | Grade | Pred | Win% | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | Amer +0 | 37 | 33 | D | 17 | 85% | Miami OH |
| Connecticut | Amer +0 | 6 | 9 | B | -24 | 5% | Missouri |
| East Carolina | Amer +0 | 21 | 45 | I | -2 | 47% | Navy |
| Houston | Amer +0 | C | 0 | 0% | Idle | ||
| Memphis | Amer +0 | 44 | 41 | C- | 12 | 79% | Bowling Green |
| Navy | Amer +0 | 45 | 21 | I | 2 | 53% | East Carolina |
| SMU | Amer +0 | 37 | 56 | C+ | -34 | 1% | TCU |
| South Florida | Amer +0 | 17 | 35 | C | -12 | 21% | Maryland |
| Temple | Amer +0 | 25 | 23 | D | 16 | 84% | Massachusetts |
| Tulane | Amer +0 | 38 | 7 | C+ | 19 | 86% | Maine |
| Tulsa | Amer +0 | 38 | 54 | B | -25 | 4% | Oklahoma |
| UCF | Amer +0 | 15 | 16 | F | 32 | 97% | Furman |
| 6-5, +0.4 wins | Still +0 | C | 5.62 |
Big 12 improves to +11, passes SEC as No. 1 conference.
Patrick Mahomes hit 26 of 30 passes as Texas Tech shocked Arkansas to give the Big 12 and Texas another signature win over the SEC. The Red Raiders even used a half back touchdown pass, just as TCU did when blowing out Mississippi last year. Iowa State upset a Toledo team that beat Arkansas last week. The Big 12 missed perfect day by an extra point, as Texas fell 45-44 to Cal.
| Team | Conf | Final | Score | Grade | Pred | Win% | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor | Big 12 +10 | 0 | 0% | Idle | |||
| Iowa St | Big 12 +10 | 30 | 23 | A | -9 | 34% | Toledo |
| Kansas | Big 12 +10 | 0 | 0% | Idle | |||
| Kansas St | Big 12 +10 | 39 | 33 | D | 15 | 84% | Louisiana Tech |
| Oklahoma | Big 12 +10 | 52 | 38 | C- | 25 | 96% | Tulsa |
| Oklahoma St | Big 12 +10 | 69 | 14 | B+ | 19 | 88% | UT San Antonio |
| TCU | Big 12 +10 | 56 | 37 | C- | 34 | 99% | SMU |
| Texas | Big 12 +10 | 44 | 45 | D | 6 | 63% | California |
| Texas Tech | Big 12 +10 | 35 | 24 | A+ | -13 | 19% | Arkansas |
| West Virginia | Big 12 +10 | 0 | 0% | Idle | |||
| 6-1, +1.2 wins | Now +11 | B | 4.83 |
Big Ten drops to +7, 5th-ranked conference.
The Big Ten needed a sack by Minnesota freshman Julian Huff and interceptions by Ohio State’s Darron Lee and Eli Apple to survive upsets by Kent and Northern Illinois respectively.
| Team | Conf | Final | Score | Grade | Pred | Win% | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | Big Ten +9 | 14 | 48 | F | 0 | 50% | North Carolina |
| Indiana | Big Ten +9 | 38 | 35 | C+ | 0 | 50% | W Kentucky |
| Iowa | Big Ten +9 | 27 | 24 | C- | 9 | 66% | Pittsburgh |
| Maryland | Big Ten +9 | 35 | 17 | C | 12 | 79% | South Florida |
| Michigan | Big Ten +9 | 28 | 7 | C | 31 | 97% | UNLV |
| Michigan St | Big Ten +9 | 35 | 21 | C- | 32 | 97% | Air Force |
| Minnesota | Big Ten +9 | 10 | 7 | D- | 27 | 96% | Kent |
| Nebraska | Big Ten +9 | 33 | 36 | D | 4 | 60% | Miami FL |
| Northwestern | Big Ten +9 | 19 | 10 | B | 0 | 50% | Duke |
| Ohio St | Big Ten +9 | 20 | 13 | D | 29 | 96% | N Illinois |
| Penn St | Big Ten +9 | 28 | 3 | I | 4 | 60% | Rutgers |
| Purdue | Big Ten +9 | 24 | 51 | D | -4 | 40% | Virginia Tech |
| Rutgers | Big Ten +9 | 3 | 28 | i | -4 | 40% | Penn St |
| Wisconsin | Big Ten +9 | 28 | 3 | C | 35 | 99% | Troy |
| 10-4, +0.2 wins | Now +8 | D | 9.80 |
CUSA drops to -8, 8th-ranked conference.
Louisiana Tech’s Trent Taylor (12 receptions) tore up the Kansas State defense to force overtime to just miss a big upset. Southern Miss rode Jalen Richard’s 230 rushing yards to a big win over Texas State.
| Team | Conf | Final | Score | Grade | Pred | Win% | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | CUSA – 7 | 14 | 73 | i | -17 | 14% | MTSU |
| FL Atlantic | CUSA – 7 | 15 | 33 | D | -1 | 48% | Buffalo |
| Florida Intl | CUSA – 7 | 39 | 14 | C | 25 | 92% | NC Central |
| Louisiana Tech | CUSA – 7 | 33 | 39 | B | -15 | 16% | Kansas St |
| Marshall | CUSA – 7 | 45 | 7 | C | 45 | 100% | Norfolk St |
| MTSU | CUSA – 7 | 73 | 14 | i | 17 | 86% | Charlotte |
| North Texas | CUSA – 7 | 24 | 38 | i | -11 | 23% | Rice |
| Old Dominion | CUSA – 7 | 14 | 38 | C- | -10 | 24% | NC State |
| Rice | CUSA – 7 | 38 | 24 | i | 11 | 77% | North Texas |
| Southern Miss | CUSA – 7 | 56 | 50 | B+ | -2 | 47% | Texas St |
| UT San Antonio | CUSA – 7 | 14 | 69 | D | -19 | 12% | Oklahoma St |
| UTEP | CUSA – 7 | 50 | 47 | D | 13 | 81% | New Mexico St |
| W Kentucky | CUSA – 7 | 35 | 38 | C- | 0 | 50% | Indiana |
| 6-7, -0.7 wins | Now -8 | C- | 6.70 |
Independent Notre Dame hopes alive, BYU falls just short.
BYU lost hope of a playoff bid with a late UCLA touchdown, but Notre Dame dominated Georgia Tech most of the game to keep their’s alive. A week after losing their starting quarterback, the Irish relied on the ground game as CJ Prosise ran for 198 yards included the longest run in the history of Notre Dame Stadium (91 yards).
| Team | Conf | Final | Score | Grade | Pred | Win% | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army | ind +0 | 14 | 17 | C | -4 | 40% | Wake Forest |
| BYU | Ind +0 | 23 | 24 | B | -9 | 26% | UCLA |
| Notre Dame | Ind +0 | 30 | 22 | A | -2 | 47% | Georgia Tech |
Mid-American improves to -6, 7th-ranked conference.
Bowling Green, Kent, UMass and Northern Illinois just missed huge upsets to show the Mid-American is very solid.
| Team | Conf | Final | Score | Grade | Pred | Win% | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | Mid-Am -7 | 52 | 9 | C | 47 | 100% | Savannah St |
| Ball St | Mid-Am -7 | 28 | 17 | i | 7 | 64% | E Michigan |
| Bowling Green | Mid-Am -7 | 41 | 44 | C+ | -12 | 21% | Memphis |
| Buffalo | Mid-Am -7 | 33 | 15 | B | 1 | 52% | FL Atlantic |
| C Michigan | Mid-Am -7 | 27 | 30 | C | -2 | 45% | Syracuse |
| E Michigan | Mid-Am -7 | 17 | 28 | i | -7 | 36% | Ball St |
| Kent | Mid-Am -7 | 7 | 10 | B+ | -27 | 4% | Minnesota |
| Massachusetts | Mid-Am -7 | 23 | 25 | B | -16 | 16% | Temple |
| Miami OH | Mid-Am -7 | 33 | 37 | i | -17 | 15% | Cincinnati |
| N Illinois | Mid-Am -7 | 13 | 20 | B | -29 | 4% | Ohio St |
| Ohio | Mid-Am -7 | 35 | 14 | C+ | 11 | 71% | SE Louisiana |
| Toledo | Mid-Am -7 | 30 | 23 | C- | 9 | 66% | Iowa St |
| W Michigan | Mid-Am -7 | 52 | 20 | C | 36 | 98% | Murray St |
| 6-7, -0.1 wins | Now -6 | B | 5.92 |
Mountain West drops to -13, 9th-ranked conference.
The Mountain West followed a 1-11 week with a 2-10 week. The only losing team to look good was Air Force, which never threatened No. 4 ranked Michigan State but held them to 77 yards rushing and rode 72 yards rushing by Jacobi Owens to keep it close.
| Team | Conf | Final | Score | Grade | Pred | Win% | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | Mt West -11 | 21 | 35 | B | -32 | 3% | Michigan St |
| Boise St | Mt West -11 | 52 | 0 | B | 23 | 95% | Idaho St |
| Colorado St | Mt West -11 | 24 | 27 | C | -2 | 47% | Colorado |
| Fresno St | Mt West -11 | 24 | 45 | C | -19 | 10% | Utah |
| Hawaii | Mt West -11 | 47 | 17 | B | 17 | 89% | UC Davis |
| Nevada | Mt West -11 | 27 | 44 | C | -24 | 5% | Texas A&M |
| New Mexico | Mt West -11 | 10 | 34 | C | -31 | 3% | Arizona St |
| San Diego St | Mt West -11 | 27 | 34 | D | 6 | 63% | South Alabama |
| San Jose St | Mt West -11 | 21 | 35 | C | -15 | 19% | Oregon St |
| UNLV | Mt West -11 | 7 | 28 | C | -31 | 3% | Michigan |
| Utah St | Mt West -11 | 17 | 31 | C | -12 | 21% | Washington |
| Wyoming | Mt West -11 | 14 | 31 | C | -21 | 8% | Washington St |
| 2-10, -1.6 wins | Mt West -13 | C | 3.66 |
Pac-12 improves to +10, ties SEC for 2nd-ranked conference.
The Pac-12 pulled off three thrillers to win all 10 non-conference games—two more wins than expected—and catch the SEC in the rankings as the 2nd best conference. Cal’s Darius White blocked a Texas extra point for a 45-44 win and Colorado’s Tedric Thompson blocked a short field goal by Colorado State for a 27-24 win. Meanwhile UCLA rallied in their final drive against BYU, winning when Nate Starks ran for 31, 22 and then a 3-yard touchdown for a 24-23 win.
| Team | Conf | Final | Score | Grade | Pred | Win% | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Pac 12 +8 | W | B | 30 | 98% | Northern Arizona | |
| Arizona St | Pac 12 +8 | 34 | 10 | C | 31 | 97% | New Mexico |
| California | Pac 12 +8 | 45 | 44 | B | -6 | 37% | Texas |
| Colorado | Pac 12 +8 | 27 | 24 | C | 2 | 53% | Colorado St |
| Oregon | Pac 12 +8 | 61 | 28 | C- | 47 | 99% | Georgia St |
| Oregon St | Pac 12 +8 | 35 | 21 | C | 15 | 81% | San Jose St |
| Stanford | Pac 12 +8 | 41 | 31 | i | -3 | 43% | USC |
| UCLA | Pac 12 +8 | 24 | 23 | D | 9 | 74% | BYU |
| USC | Pac 12 +8 | 31 | 41 | i | 3 | 57% | Stanford |
| Utah | Pac 12 +8 | 45 | 24 | C+ | 19 | 90% | Fresno St |
| Washington | Pac 12 +8 | 31 | 17 | C | 12 | 79% | Utah St |
| Washington St | Pac 12 +8 | 31 | 14 | C | 21 | 92% | Wyoming |
| 11-1, +2.0 wins | Now +10 | B | 9.00 |
SEC drops to +10 to fall into tie with Pac-12 for 2nd-ranked conference.
In the only two relevant inter conference games, Texas Tech stunned Arkansas and UConn fell just short against Missouri to continue to SEC’s slide with few inter-conference games left until the final week of the season. Five SEC 24-point favorites won, but Missouri needed an interception by Anthony Sherrils’ on a terrible fake field goal by UConn to hold a 9-6 win. Texas Tech shocked 13-point favorite Arkansas 35-24, and all other SEC teams played conference foes. The SEC would have lost half of its 10 ranked teams in just two weeks if Missouri lost, and the disappointing two weeks may cost an SEC team a playoff bid.
| Team | Conf | Final | Score | Grade | Pred | Win% | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | SEC +12 | 37 | 43 | i | 11 | 78% | Mississippi |
| Arkansas | SEC +12 | 24 | 35 | F | 13 | 81% | Texas Tech |
| Auburn | SEC +12 | 21 | 45 | i | -3 | 42% | LSU |
| Florida | SEC +12 | 14 | 9 | i | 4 | 60% | Kentucky |
| Georgia | SEC +12 | 52 | 20 | i | 14 | 82% | South Carolina |
| Kentucky | SEC +12 | 9 | 14 | i | -4 | 40% | Florida |
| LSU | SEC +12 | 45 | 21 | i | 3 | 58% | Auburn |
| Mississippi | SEC +12 | 43 | 37 | i | -11 | 22% | Alabama |
| Mississippi St | SEC +12 | 62 | 13 | C | 36 | 100% | Northwestern LA |
| Missouri | SEC +12 | 9 | 6 | D | 24 | 95% | Connecticut |
| South Carolina | SEC +12 | 20 | 52 | i | -14 | 18% | Georgia |
| Tennessee | SEC +12 | 55 | 10 | C | 34 | 100% | W Carolina |
| Texas A&M | SEC +12 | 44 | 27 | C | 24 | 95% | Nevada |
| Vanderbilt | SEC +12 | 47 | 7 | C | 39 | 100% | Austin Peay |
| 9-5, -0.7 wins | SEC +10 | D | 9.71 |
Sun Belt improves to -14, still 10th-ranked conference of 10.
South Alabama traveled to San Diego to stun San Diego State. Aleem hit a 46-yard field goal to force overtime, Cody Clements capped a 270-yard passing day with a completion to the 2-yard line in overtime, and Xavier Johnson slammed it in the end zone to cap an 142-yard rushing day. The conference was strong with Arkansas State beating a very tough FCS opponent Missouri State 70-7 and New Mexico State nearly shocked UTEP.
| Team | Conf | Final | Score | Grade | Pred | Win% | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian St | SunB -15 | 0 | 0% | Idle | |||
| Arkansas St | SunB -15 | 70 | 7 | A | 10 | 79% | Missouri St |
| Ga Southern | SunB -15 | 48 | 13 | C+ | 20 | 91% | Citadel |
| Georgia St | SunB -15 | 28 | 61 | C+ | -47 | 1% | Oregon |
| Idaho | SunB -15 | 41 | 38 | C+ | 0 | 50% | Wofford |
| New Mexico St | SunB -15 | 47 | 50 | B+ | -13 | 19% | UTEP |
| South Alabama | SunB -15 | 34 | 27 | B | -6 | 37% | San Diego St |
| Texas St | SunB -15 | 50 | 56 | C | 2 | 53% | Southern Miss |
| Troy | SunB -15 | 3 | 28 | C | -35 | 1% | Wisconsin |
| ULL | SunB -15 | 0 | 0% | Idle | |||
| ULM | SunB -15 | 0 | 0% | Idle | |||
| 4-4, +0.7 wins | Now -14 | 3.31 |
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