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    • Ohio State, Iowa comes first
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    Ohio State, Iowa comes first

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    A key sequence in the fourth quarter sums up the state of play as No. 3 Penn State meets No. 4 Ohio State: close, but not quite.

    The Nittany Lions fell short against the Buckeyes for the eighth straight time in this series, losing 20-13 after failing to score in four plays right on the goal line with about five minutes left. For all the obvious improvements the offense has made under new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, sketchy play at this key position will likely undermine the Nittany Lions’ chances of playing for the Big Ten championship.

    Not all is lost. For weeks, Penn State has been seen as one of the safest bets to land in the College Football Playoff, albeit with an at-large bid. That remains very likely given the team’s lone loss and loose schedule for the remainder of November.

    But this was a must-have game for the program and one the Nittany Lions could easily have played, though that doesn’t lessen the sting of another loss to Ohio State.

    The Buckeyes needed a win in one of college football’s most hostile road environments to stay on track for a rematch with Oregon in early December. The Buckeyes recovered from some early mistakes by quarterback Will Howard to post one of the Bowl’s best regular-season wins. Subdivision.

    That fourth-quarter defensive stand comes a week after another key red zone stop in a close win against Nebraska. In retrospect, that 21-17 win appears to have been influenced by the Cornhuskers’ ranking between road trips to No. 1 Oregon and State College.

    What happened after forcing an incompletion from Drew Allar might be even more impressive. Backed in their own end zone, the Buckeyes ran out the clock by rushing for 59 yards in 10 plays to seal the victory. That’s a statement drive for both teams.

    When both sides of the ball work together – something that was lacking against the Ducks – you can see why Ohio State is arguably the best team in the Big Ten and a favorite for the national championship.

    And while the Buckeyes rise in the American LBM Coaches Poll, the Nittany Lions are left in a state of shame. Not because they lost; that’s nothing new for Penn State or coach James Franklin. This is also what happened with the match at stake: with a failed series of attacks on offense and a series of surrenders on defense.

    You’d shake your head if you hadn’t seen it before, over and over again. This key Big Ten matchup headlines Saturday’s biggest winners and losers:

    Winners

    The Big Ten

    Ohio State’s win is really good news for the Big Ten. Should PSU take care of business the rest of the way, the league is assured of at least three teams in the playoffs and perhaps four, should No. 13 Indiana continue to climb the rankings under new coach Curt Cignetti. While that calculation likely would have remained the same if the Buckeyes had lost — they would have had two road losses against two of the best teams in the country — Saturday’s result is the best possible outcome for the conference.

    Indiana

    The most surprising success story in the Power Four unlocked yet another achievement. After giving Michigan State a 10-0 lead, the Hoosiers rolled off 47 unanswered points to move to 9-0 for the first time in program history. After missing last weekend with a thumb injury, quarterback Kurtis Rourke completed 19 of 29 attempts for 263 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. To put this incredible start with Cignetti at the wheel into perspective, consider that Indiana was picked 17th, one spot down, in the Big Ten’s preseason media poll.

    Miami

    For the fourth time this season, No. 5 Miami flirted with disaster before pulling away to remain undefeated. This time, Duke rocked the Hurricanes on a 28-3 run, bridging the first and second halves to take a 28-17 lead with 10 minutes left in the third quarter. The response was impressive: Cam Ward threw three touchdowns and the Hurricanes scored five times in total and won 53-31. There is one aspect of this win that underlines some of the skepticism about Miami’s viability as a true national championship contender. But let’s give the Hurricanes some credit: Other contenders have fallen by the wayside or been dismissed as favorites as Miami continues to march toward the program’s most successful regular season in decades.

    SMU

    It was a big night for No. 20 SMU. First, the Mustangs vaulted No. 17 Pittsburgh in a 48-25 victory, knocking the Panthers from the ranks of the undefeated. After surviving against Duke last Saturday despite six turnovers, SMU made it easier with a 24-point second quarter to take a 31-3 lead into intermission. More good news came in the form of No. 8 Clemson’s loss at home to Louisville, leaving the Hurricanes and Mustangs as the only teams still perfect in ACC play. If it weren’t for Indiana, what coach Rhett Lashlee and the Mustangs do against all odds as new members of the Power Four would be the most incredible story of the season.

    Iowa

    If you are standing, sit down. If you have a drink, swallow it before continuing. Finished? Well, Iowa followed up last week’s 40-point explosion against Northwestern by racking up 329 rushing yards in a 42-10 blowout of Wisconsin. In the past three meetings in this rivalry, the Hawkeyes gained only 156, 146 and 237 yards. As anyone familiar with the program’s recent history would say: Wow. This offense has been extremely productive since the beginning of October, with a 35-7 loss to Ohio State. In addition to these past two wins, the Hawkeyes scored 40 points in a win against Washington on October 12. The program had not scored 40 or more points in a season three times since 2017.

    Vanderbilt

    By beating Auburn 17-7, Vanderbilt goes bowling for the first time since 2018 and increases the odds for the program’s first winning finish since 2013, the last of James Franklin’s three seasons with the Commodores. Driven by an influx of transfers from New Mexico State, namely quarterback Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt has already tripled last year’s win total with games against South Carolina, No. 16 LSU and No. 7 Tennessee to close out the regular season .

    Losers

    The state of Iowa

    Living on the edge finally caught up with No. 10 Iowa State. After escaping with a 38-35 win against Central Florida last Saturday, the Cyclones took the lead with two minutes left but couldn’t get a late defensive stop and lost 23-22 to Texas Tech. The loss leaves Iowa State unable to reach 8-0 for the first time in program history. With No. 12 Brigham Young undefeated and Colorado having suffered just one loss in conference play, the Cyclones must now take charge to secure a spot in the Big 12 championship game and the possibility of a guaranteed playoff berth.

    Clemson

    Here’s a stunner: Clemson had been on an absolute tear after losing to No. 2 Georgia in the season opener, but laid an egg at home against Louisville, losing 33-21 and ceding control of the ACC race to Miami and SMU. An offense that had scored at least 40 points in five of the past six fell to the Cardinals before a pair of late scores and looked similar to the offenses that sputtered during the program’s decline after Trevor Lawrence. There’s still time for Clemson to make the playoff by winning the ACC — SMU needs to lose at least once, though — but this was a confidence-boosting performance that could push the Tigers out of the overall picture.

    Texas A&M

    A week after beating LSU, No. 11 A&M came back to reality with a 44-20 loss at South Carolina. While not an eliminator in the SEC or playoff race, the loss shows how presumptuous it was to assume the Aggies would simply cruise into the season finale against No. 6 Texas with just one loss. In a reversal of the win against the Tigers, in this case the Gamecocks would pull away behind a physical running game that hammered the Aggies into submission in the fourth quarter. USC had a pair of 100-yard backs, led by Raheim Sanders’ 144 yards on 7.2 yards per carry, and did a good job of bottle-up A&M quarterback Marcel Reed.

    State of Kansas

    It was a bloody Saturday for two of the top contenders in the Big 12. Not long after ISU fell to Texas Tech, No. 15 Kansas State suffered an absolutely inexplicable 24-19 loss to a Houston team still in its early stages of reconstruction. behind first-year coach Willie Fritz. Although the Cougars have played better in conference play and Fritz has a reputation as one of the best builders in the country, this loss is detrimental to the Wildcats’ chances of reaching the Big 12 championship game. To do that, they would have to win, beating the Cyclones along the way to win the head-to-head tiebreaker, and have Colorado lose at least once to Texas Tech, Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State. The bigger cost is that this could be the reason that eliminates Kansas State from the overall contention.

    Arkansas

    No. 18 Mississippi’s emphatic 63-31 loss at Arkansas saw record performances from quarterback Jaxson Dart and wide receiver Jordan Watkins. Dart had a school record 515 yards and tied the school record with six touchdown passes. With star Tre Harris sidelined, Watkins set school records with 254 yards and five scores. After a difficult month plus comes the Rebels’ victory on Tuesday evening, which should play very well with the selection committee. But just as the win puts the Rebels back on track, the lopsided loss at home spells serious trouble for Arkansas and coach Sam Pittman. While the Razorbacks had won two of three to move into the top half of the SEC standings, they have now fallen three straight at home. This inability to take advantage of the friendly boundaries could put Arkansas at six wins, which might not be enough to save Pittman’s job.

    Virginia Tech

    This season did not go as planned for a team expected to challenge for the Top 25. Playing at Syracuse, Virginia Tech took a 21-3 lead midway through the third quarter, fell 24-21 in the fourth quarter and regained a lead of 24-21. With a lead of 31-24, the Dutch team was able to tie the game with 29 seconds left, before losing 38-31 in extra time. Tech lost despite rushing for 249 yards, the program’s biggest loss since losing 260 yards to the Orange in 2021.

    Memphis

    A 44-36 loss to an undermanned Texas-San Antonio team is a fatal blow to the Tigers’ already slim chances of representing the Group of Five in the playoffs. Now with two losses in American Athletic play, Memphis will need some major chaos at the top of the standings to earn a spot in the conference championship game. Considering Memphis started the year as the Group of Five favorite, not even playing for the AAC crown is a major letdown. Playing with a roster ravaged by injuries, including the loss of three starting offensive linemen, the Roadrunners compiled 408 yards of offense and took advantage of a plus-two advantage in turnovers.

    (New information has been added to this story.)

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