For so long one of the country’s losingest football programs, Indiana now refuses to lose. Surely, by now, you’ve caught Omar Cooper Jr.’s tip-toe touchdown catch that kept the Hoosiers undefeated with a nail-biting win in State College—perhaps one of the greatest clutch catches in college football history. Because of it, Indiana hangs on to the top spot in our Top 10 for another week.
There were other escapes on Saturday against teams coached by interims. Vanderbilt, facing Auburn and interim coach DJ Durkin, needed overtime to survive and keep its playoff hopes alive. The Commodores have a week off next before their playoff chances rest on beating Kentucky at home and Tennessee on the road.
A miraculous escape unfolded in Iowa City as well, where the Oregon Ducks secured a walk-off game-winning field goal. No anxiety was necessary in Lubbock, where Texas Tech continued its tear by knocking off previously unbeaten BYU.
In Columbia, Missouri, Texas A&M kept its nine-game season-opening win streak alive, joining the Hoosiers and Buckeyes as the only three unbeaten teams left in major college football.
In the non-power league playoff race, Tulane’s win at Memphis and South Florida’s commanding drubbing of UTSA keep those programs on track for the American championship.
Mayhem erupted in the ACC as the top two in the league standings, No. 15 Louisville and No. 14 Virginia, both lost games to Cal and Wake Forest, respectively. Also, don’t look now, but UConn, after a win over Duke, stands at 7-3. No, the Huskies aren’t in our Top 10, but plenty more are!
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### 1. Indiana Hoosiers
**This week:** Beat Penn State 27-24
**Next week:** vs. Wisconsin
As mentioned above, Omar Cooper Jr.’s toe-tap touchdown clinched a wild win in State College, leaving Indiana No. 1 in our Top 10. The Hoosiers also boast what is likely the best win in the country this year—the victory in Eugene last month. However, coach Curt Cignetti could do without the sloppy performance against a Penn State team led by an interim head coach.
**Best win:** 30-20 at Oregon
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### 2. Ohio State Buckeyes
**This week:** Beat Purdue 34-10
**Next week:** vs. UCLA
Julian Sayin continued his remarkable passing streak, completing 80.7 percent of his passes. The next-best quarterback has completed just 73 percent. Currently a top Heisman Trophy favorite, Sayin has only nine incompletions in his last two games combined on 56 attempts. Ohio State’s defense remains stout, not allowing any opponent to score more than 16 points this season.
**Best win:** 14-7 vs. Texas
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### 3. Texas A&M Aggies
**This week:** Beat Missouri 38-17
**Next week:** vs. South Carolina
Quarterback Marcel Reed threw for 221 yards, ran for 29, and scored twice to lead the Aggies to a 9-0 start with a dominant rout in Columbia. Mike Elko’s defense is impressive too—Missouri’s first seven possessions ended in four punts, two turnovers, and a short drive to end the first half. Texas A&M’s playoff path rests on a home game against South Carolina next week. Win that and you’re virtually in, at least as an at-large bid. Samford and a trip to Austin remain on the schedule.
**Best win:** 41-40 at Notre Dame
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### 4. Alabama Crimson Tide
**This week:** Beat LSU 20-9
**Next week:** vs. Oklahoma
If you were looking for pretty football, this wasn’t it. The Tide struggled on offense, averaging just 2.2 yards per carry, but their defense was solid enough to contain an LSU team with a battered quarterback and interim head coach. Things will get much tougher next Saturday when the Sooners visit Bryant-Denny Stadium—the same Sooners team that cost Alabama a playoff spot last year.
**Best win:** 24-21 at Georgia
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### 5. Georgia Bulldogs
**This week:** Beat Mississippi State 41-21
**Next week:** vs. Texas
Running back Nate Frazier ran for 181 yards—more than Mississippi State managed—as the Bulldogs delivered a sound beating amid the clanging cowbells in Starkville. Georgia continues its march toward a potential SEC championship game and a playoff berth. The showdown with Texas next week is followed by two non-conference matchups against Charlotte and Georgia Tech, both in Atlanta.
**Best win:** 43-35 vs. Ole Miss
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### 6. Ole Miss Rebels
**This week:** Beat The Citadel 49-0
**Next week:** vs. Florida
If you want to know how easy the day was for the Rebels, just watch the video of coach Lane Kiffin posing mid-game for a photo with a couple who got engaged on the field during the blowout of The Citadel, an FCS program from South Carolina. An intriguing meeting with Florida awaits, a program that might be eyeing the Rebels’ coach for its own future.
**Best win:** 34-26 at Oklahoma
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### 7. Texas Tech Red Raiders
**This week:** Beat BYU 29-7
**Next week:** vs. UCF
If you don’t believe Texas Tech’s offseason investment is paying dividends, you need to pay more attention. The Red Raiders’ defensive and offensive lines have become some of the best in the country, showing their strength by dominating a previously unbeaten BYU team. They out-toughed Kalani Sitake’s squad—a formidable feat.
**Best win:** 34-10 at Utah
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### 8. Oregon Ducks
**This week:** Beat Iowa 18-16
**Next week:** vs. Minnesota
In cold and rainy conditions, the Ducks managed to “out-Iowa” Iowa. The Hawkeyes turned the game into a defensive slugfest—the kind of game they like—but Oregon responded decisively. After Iowa’s 93-yard, nearly seven-minute go-ahead touchdown drive, Oregon mounted a 10-play, 54-yard march that culminated in a game-winning field goal in the final seconds.
**Best win:** 18-16 at Iowa
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### 9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
**This week:** Beat Navy 49-10
**Next week:** at Pitt
Quarterback CJ Carr threw three touchdowns as Notre Dame’s defense stifled Navy’s option offense, clinching the Irish’s seventh straight victory after an 0-2 start. The toughest remaining test comes next week against a hot Pittsburgh Panthers team, which comes off a bye week with five straight wins.
**Best win:** 34-24 vs. USC
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### 10. Texas Longhorns
**This week:** Off
**Next week:** at Georgia
The Longhorns have won four straight after a disappointing outing at Florida. These victories haven’t been dominant—they needed overtime against Kentucky and staged a massive comeback at Mississippi State—but perhaps quarterback Arch Manning has hit his stride. He has thrown for more than 320 yards and a combined six touchdowns over the last two games. Will the “New Arch” show up in Athens, with Texas’s playoff hopes on the line?
**Best win:** 23-6 vs. Oklahoma
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### Dropped from the Top 10:
BYU (previously No. 7), Louisville (previously No. 8)
https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/article/yahoo-top-10-indiana-makes-its-case-for-no-1-with-narrow-escape-and-theres-a-shake-up-at-the-bottom-050405495.html
