Oregon, Ohio state top list

This Big Ten heavyweight bout went the distance.

In one of the marquee games of the regular season, Oregon kicked a 19-yard field goal with just under two minutes to go and beat Ohio State to make a case for No. 1 in next week's US LBM Coaches Poll.

On the final drive of the game, OSU drove into the Oregon red zone before a key offensive pass interference call spoiled any chance for a potential game-winning field goal attempt. Lined up at the Ducks' 38-yard line with six seconds left, the Buckeyes' final snap ended with quarterback Will Howard scrambling up the middle and making a stop as time expired.

It was a battle of quarterbacks, an elite offense, often incredible receiver play and enough defense for the Ducks to perhaps the most meaningful regular-season win in program history.

Howard was 28 of 35 for 326 yards and three touchdowns, one on the ground. Dillon Gabriel got off to one of the best starts of his career, hitting 23 of 34 throws for 341 yards and three scores of his own. The two teams combined for 963 yards of total offense.

The new-look Big Ten has a new leader. After spending most of the last few decades at or near the top of the Pac-12, the No. 3 Ducks are clearly built for life in the conference and a run at the national championship.

The two teams could meet again in the Big Ten championship game if not for the third time in the College Football Playoff. But the immediate takeaway from Saturday night's thriller is easy: these are two very elite teams that deserve to be counted among the very, very best in the Bowl Subdivision.

Beating OSU gives Oregon huge wiggle room in the playoffs. Even with a slump down the stretch, a two-loss team with that kind of win would have a very strong case for an at-large bid. Such a stumble seems very unlikely.

Although highly survivable, the loss was humbling for the Buckeyes. Oregon was the newcomer; The Buckeyes were the established Big Ten powerhouse. The results tell us something about the Big Ten pecking order and how the league has been strengthened by expansion additions this offseason. Ohio State's first loss in conference play against a team other than Michigan since losing to Purdue in 2018.

OSU and the Ducks guide Saturday's biggest winners and losers:

the winners

Texas

It wasn't the prettiest performance, especially in a rocky first quarter, but No. 1 Texas took care of business with a 34-3 victory over No. 16 Oklahoma in a rivalry game as the only undefeated team in the SEC. After missing two games due to injury, quarterback Quinn Years rushed for 199 yards and threw for a touchdown while the running game gained 177 yards on 30 carries. Red River's win featured another very good performance on defense from a unit that finished second nationally in yards per play over the weekend: Texas held the Sooners to 237 yards at 3.4 yards per play, with a good portion of that yardage already in hand.

Iowa

Iowa scored 40 points in a very nice win over Washington, and if you don't think that's a big deal, you might be unfamiliar with the Hawkeyes' recent history. Iowa hasn't scored 40 points against a Big Ten opponent since dropping 51 points at Maryland on Oct. 1, 2021. Last year's team scored a total of 131 points in 10 league games, including a shutout loss to Michigan for the Big Ten Championship. That makes them a threat against almost every opponent the rest of the way.

the buffalo

Buffalo is making some big noises under new coach Pete Lembo. A few weeks after upsetting Northern Illinois, the Bulls took down the MAC favorite with a 30-15 win over Toledo. Two factors are at the root of the upset: one, a plus-two edge in turnover margin, and two, a dominant performance on both sides of the line. Buffalo ran for 230 yards on 52 carries and held the Rockets to just 46 yards at 1.8 yards per rush. Lembo once worked wonders at Ball State and is doing the same with the Bulls.

Louisiana-Monroe

ULM has only made one bowl game in program history, losing the 2012 Independence Bowl, but may be able to start planning for a postseason trip after going 5-1 with a 38-21 win over Southern Mississippi. New coach Bryant Vincent has done an impressive job taking over a program with no recognizable track record of success and even a spotter in the recent past. ULM went 8-36 in the four years since his arrival, including a winless 2020 season that ranked among the worst seasons by a team in FBS history. Vincent was previously the interim coach at Alabama-Birmingham and was a contender for the permanent position going to Trent Dilfer. How will this decision turn out for the Blazers?

Vanderbilt

OK, so the Commodores are real. If there was any impression that Alabama's shocking upset last week was a one-off, a 20-13 win at Kentucky solidified Vanderbilt as a legitimate threat to six or more wins in the regular season. Diego Pavia was a little less flashy than the Crimson Tide but still excellent, completing 15 of 18 throws for 143 yards and two scores with another 53 yards on the ground. Defensively, the Commodores forced two turnovers, made two fourth-down stops and wrapped up the Wildcats' passing game to win back-to-back SEC games for the first time since November 2022.

defeated

Alabama

Sirens, alarms, flares, cuckoo clocks – they're all going off in unison in another eyebrow-raising result for Callen DeBoer and the No. 7 Crimson Tide. Hey, at least they won this time: Alabama made a late defensive stand and held off South Carolina to win 27-25. That's an improvement, of course, over last week's loss to Vanderbilt. But there are many signs of concern, including an offensive scheme that worked so well for DeBoer in Washington but hasn't translated well into physicality and style in the SEC. Defeating the Gamecocks keeps the Tide alive for the SEC Championship and a playoff berth, but it's becoming hard to see how they can manage the regular season without two or more more losses.

Mississippi

Leading 23-16 with just minutes left, No. 8 Mississippi gave up the game-tying touchdown at 10 to LSU with less than 30 seconds left and then lost 29-26 in overtime. It's a brutal result for two reasons: one, the Rebels outshot the Tigers and had a chance to take a bigger lead than 17-13 at halftime, and two, a second loss midway through the regular season basically serves as one. Eliminator for any realistic playoff hopes. That self-inflicted loss epitomized a frustrating possession in overtime that saw the Rebels commit multiple penalties before scoring a 57-yard field goal. LSU would answer with a touchdown pass on its first possession for the win. For all the hype and bluster surrounding his program, Lane Kiffin has yet to get Ole Miss over the hump and into a permanent spot in the SEC's upper crust.

Southern California

USC trailed No. 5 Penn State 20-6 and was on the ropes after a very effective first half but collapsed in the second half, forcing the Nittany Lions into overtime and eventually pulling out a 33-30 victory. Leading 30-23 with six minutes left, USC gave up a pair of fourth-down conversions to help PSU close with three minutes remaining. On the final drive of regulation, USC played for overtime instead of pushing the ball downfield for a chance at a potential game-winning field goal. After USC missed a field goal on the first possession of overtime, the Nittany Lions converted a 36-yard field goal to escape. For Penn State, the comeback win keeps some very strong playoff hopes alive and avoids a loss that had stakes surrounding November's matchup with No. 2 Ohio State.

North Carolina

These are not normal damages. These are bad, bad, bad losses, each seemingly worse than the last. And it's saying something that North Carolina's current four-game losing streak began with a 70-50 embarrassment at home against James Madison. And yes, the last one was worse. After tying Georgia Tech at 34-34 on a 26-yard field goal with 44 seconds left, the Tar Heels allowed Tech to scamper 68 yards on the second play of the ensuing drive to lose 41-34. . UNC is now 3-4 and winless in ACC play.

Oklahoma

There are too many flaws for this team to be in the top 25. The biggest problem with OU is an offense with no quarterback and no surrounding skill talent — the receiver corps has been decimated by injuries — and that looks like a year-long problem. At quarterback, Brent Venables and his staff floundered over former starter Jackson Arnold and didn't seem to know how to create anything positive behind Michael Hawkins Jr., a more limited passer. The Sooners still have to face the Rebels, No. 18 Missouri, the Crimson Tide and LSU, so getting to six wins might be easier said than done.

(This story was updated with new information.)