The college football season has reached November, so it's the last opportunity for playoff contenders to impress the committee before the first rankings are released this Tuesday.
Here's a look at the biggest games of Week 10:
No. 4 Ohio State hands No. 3 Penn State its first loss
No. 4 Ohio State took down No. 3 Penn State, 20-13, behind a late fourth quarter goal line stand. It was the first time the Buckeyes beat a top-5 team on the road since 2006 and the 12th win against Penn State in the last 13 meetings.
After jumping out to a 10-0 lead in the matter of minutes highlighted by a pick six, Penn State's offense struggled to find much momentum for the rest of the game, scoring just three points after the first quarter. A lot of that had to do with the Buckeyes' defensive success in the red zone, intercepting Allar and forcing a turnover on downs.
Ohio State QB Will Howard, a Pennsylvania native, bounced back from the interception and fumble, finishing with 182 yards on 16 of 24 passes with two touchdowns and a game-clinching scramble. Ohio State improved to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten with the win.
Although the Nittany Lions (7-1, 4-1) suffered their first loss of the year, the team's College Football Playoffs hopes are still alive with zero AP Top 25 teams currently left to play.
The Buckeyes' road win helps their resume for the CFP and keeps them in Big Ten Championship Game contention. OSU faces No. 13 Indiana in a few weeks.
Full coverage: No. 4 Ohio State takes down No. 3 Penn State on the road
No. 5 Miami tops Duke behind second half comeback
Cam McCormick #84 of the Miami Hurricanes celebrates his touchdown with Cam Ward #1 against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on November 02, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
No. 5 Miami overcame a sluggish first half to defeat Duke, 53-31.
The Blue Devils (6-3, 2-3 ACC) took a 21-17 lead into halftime and even extended it to 28-17 in the third quarter. The Hurricanes (9-0, 5-0 ACC) appeared to be heading toward yet another close call, as was the case in earlier wins over Louisville, Virginia Tech and Cal.
But Miami came alive in the second half and outscored Duke 36-3 down the stretch.
Cam Ward provided another stellar outing, finishing with 400 yards and five touchdowns on 25 of 41 passing. Wideout Xavier Restrepo caught three of those touchdowns and finished with 146 yards on eight catches.
Thus far, Miami’s close calls have done little to sway poll voters away from the Canes. But the playoff committee could sing a different tune this Tuesday when examining a playoff resume that lacks games against fellow ACC frontrunners Clemson, Pittsburgh and SMU.
Vanderbilt becomes bowl eligible, beats Auburn
There’s big news out of Alabama again, but it’s probably not what you think.
Just a month after beating then-No. 1 Alabama, Vanderbilt is bowl eligible for the first time since 2018 with its 17-7 victory over Auburn. It’s the Commodores’ first win at Auburn in program history — and the first time Vandy beat Alabama and Auburn in the same year since 1955.
Quarterback Diego Pavia has been a huge leader for the Commodores (6-3, 3-2 SEC) this season, and Saturday was no different. He threw for 143 yards and two touchdowns. This was Pavia’s second-straight win at Jordan-Hare Stadium after he led New Mexico State to a 31-10 win over the Tigers in 2023 before transferring to Vanderbilt. Pavia has also beaten Auburn coach Hugh Freeze for the past three years in games involving 4 schools
Though Saturday’s scoreboard tilted toward Vanderbilt, Auburn (3-6, 1-5) outgained the Commodores in total offensive yards, 327 to 227. On top of that, Tigers QB Payton Thorn outpaced Pavia, completing 20 of 29 passes for 239 yards, but the Vanderbilt defensive line proved to be a brick wall, sacking Thorn three times and limiting the Auburn rushing attack to 88 yards.
Thorn’s interception with 1:41 left cemented the Commodores victory.
Vanderbilt is having a surprising season. Every loss has come within a four-point margin to then-No. 5 Texas, then-No. 7 Missouri and Georgia State. With a 6-3 record and a possible win against Week 11 opponent South Carolina, the Commodores are set up well to end the year with a winning record for the first time since 2013.
