Mike Leach gets shutout for the first time ever, Clemson survives a scare, Ohio State rolls on GameDay, Texas shakes things up, and Michigan suffers their worst loss under Jim Harbaugh. These are the top stories from week 9 in college football.
Note: We are only including teams who have taken the field in 2020.
18 Stripes Top 20 Poll
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | NEXT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 6-0 | 41-0 Win vs. Miss State |
| 2 | Clemson | 7-0 | 34-28 Win at Boston College |
| 3 | Ohio State | 2-0 | 38-25 Win at Penn State |
| 4 | Notre Dame (+1) | 6-0 | 31-13 Win at Georgia Tech |
| 5 | Georgia (-1) | 4-1 | 14-3 Win at Kentucky |
| 6 | Cincinnati (+2) | 5-0 | 49-10 Win vs. Memphis |
| 7 | Wisconsin (-1) | 1-0 | BYE |
| 8 | Texas A&M (+2) | 4-1 | 42-31 Win vs. Arkansas |
| 9 | Florida (+2) | 3-1 | 41-17 Win vs. Missouri |
| 10 | BYU (+2) | 7-0 | BYE |
| 11 | Miami (+2) | 5-1 | BYE |
| 12 | Marshall (+4) | 5-0 | BYE |
| 13 | Indiana (+5) | 2-0 | 37-21 Win at Rutgers |
| 14 | Oklahoma State (-5) | 4-1 | 41-34 Loss vs. Texas |
| 15 | Oklahoma (+2) | 4-2 | 62-28 Win at Texas Tech |
| 16 | Coastal Carolina (+3) | 6-0 | 51-0 Win at Georgia State |
| 17 | SMU (+3) | 6-1 | 51-37 Win vs. Navy |
| 18 | Iowa State (NR) | 4-2 | 52-22 Win at Kansas |
| 19 | Boise State (NR) | 2-0 | 49-30 Win at Air Force |
| 20 | Texas (NR) | 4-2 | 41-34 Win at Oklahoma State |
OUT: Michigan, North Carolina, Kansas State
IN: Iowa State, Boise State, Texas
Week 8 Recap
Alabama didn’t wait long to put Mississippi State in their place. For the first time in his career, Mike Leach was shutout, and following their joyous opener win against LSU, the Bulldogs have scored just 30 points over a 4-game losing streak.
Clemson trailed for a good long while against Boston College as Phil Jurkovec looked to play spoiler to Notre Dame’s spoiler chances this weekend. It didn’t work in the end but it was close enough to make Clemson appear far more human.
Ohio State got off to a fast start in Happy Valley and was never truly threatened. Their week got much better when 24-point favorite Michigan lost to in-state rivals Michigan State.
Cincinnati pasted Memphis and now looks like they will be firmly in the playoff talk if this keeps up.
Is the current Cincinnati squad (9th SP+) better than Kelly’s 2009 team that finished 16th in SP+?
— € Murt (@EMMurtaugh) November 1, 2020
Both Oklahoma State and Kansas State lost, so there are no undefeated teams in league play within the Big 12 now. Iowa State currently leads the conference via tie-breakers.
Marshall, Indiana, and Coastal Carolina are having fun but this may be their last week in our Top 20.
***
AP Top 25: Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Cincinnati, Texas A&M, Florida, BYU, Wisconsin, Miami, Oregon, Indiana, Oklahoma State, Coastal Carolina, Marshall, Iowa State, SMU, Oklahoma, USC, Boise State, Texas, Michigan, Auburn, Liberty.
SP+ Top 25: Ohio State, Alabama, Wisconsin, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Penn State, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, BYU, North Carolina, Oregon, USC, Michigan, Washington, Iowa State, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Miami, UCF, Auburn, Utah, Indiana.
Week 10 Games to Watch
Note: The Pac-12 and MAC is back this week!
BYU (-3) at Boise State
We know so little about Boise so far and BYU has looked really good. Finally, a great non-Power 5 matchup outside of the AAC.
Michigan (-3) at Indiana
I mean, Michigan probably bounces back here. But, how sweet would it be to see them lose?
Liberty (+14.5) at Virginia Tech
Somehow, Virginia Tech is 20th in SP+ and Liberty is merely 48th overall. The Hokies have been so inconsistent that I would vote for a full upset.
Florida (+3) vs. Georgia [Jacksonville, FL]
Georgia’s offense will take center stage, can they keep up? Who wants to face Alabama in the SEC Title Game??
Purdue at Wisconsin (Cancelled)Â
Oklahoma State (-12.5) at Kansas State
There is probably going to be so many tie-breakers involved in the Big 12. This is a big game and would likely drop Kansas State out of the race should they lose.
Stanford (+10) at Oregon
Has anyone been paying attention to anything at Stanford since last November? Yeah, neither have any of the 4 Stanford fans. This could be a wild welcome for both teams!
BYU, Miami and Marshall be all:
I think this is gonna be a really fun Michigan season to watch.
Hopefully, this week was the last meaningful victory in Michigan
Dude. Too soon.
I think it is entirely possible that Michigan loses. Indiana has been able to score some points so far this year and Michigan’s defense looks very suspect. I could see it being a 31-27 win for Indiana and nothing would make me happier.
Michael Penix is not a very good QB, but if there is any D Coordinator who can turn an average QB into a great one, it’s Don Brown. I think Michigan probably wins this one easily, but a man can dream.
Agree, I think Michigan should win. But it’s also funny enough that a game for them vs Indiana is somewhat of a tossup, or at least conceivable that they could lose.
Shame about Wisconsin’s covid status, they’re scheduled to play UM next week. That would be a UM loss under normal circumstances. They still have Penn State and the dreaded Ohio State game still to go, which means at least 4 losses.
Speaking of Wisconsin, I’m surprised Eric didn’t dock them more given their shaky status. I get not penalizing them for events somewhat out of their control, but I’d say a case could be made they belong at about 13-14 right now until they get everything sorted out and back on the field. Not that it truly matters much in the big scheme of things, but that’s my take
They’re in a hell of a pickle with Harbaugh. They’re either going to have to give him a new multiyear deal and a raise, which he clearly doesn’t deserve, or let him go, and head off into the wilderness.
The local rumbling is that if they do indeed lose to Penn St. and Ohio St. and maybe Wisconsin (who knows if game will be played) and even this weekend to Indiana (please God let it happen) that they may allow Harbaugh to exit gracefully by taking an open NFL job and allow each side to save face (not that anyone really believes this, but no one outside of Michigan thinks that U of M is a top tier program either and yet Michigan fans cling to this belief).
To me, it’s obvious they should do exactly that and then run as far away from the Schembechler coaching tree as possible.
It’s hilarious to think of an NFL team hiring Harbaugh, a straight up above average college coach. They love them some retreads and nepotism.
Agreed. I don’t think that Penix is a great QB but SP+ has their offense ranked #35 in the country. That’s pretty good and much better than MSU (ranked #109) who just scored 27 points on Michigan this last week.
I would not bet on Indiana to win, but I will not be surprised at all. Just based on the local coverage (I live in Michigan) it doesn’t seem like the Skunkbears are in bounce back mode but who knows. That’s why you play the games.
Because UM losing would make ND fans happy. I solidly believe they win this game.