Welcome to Survival Saturday.
Every season, there’s at the least one in all these, a day that makes the school soccer world’s collective coronary heart beat uncontrollably from brunch to dinner.
4 top-25 groups received in extra time. One other three ranked groups claimed wins by three factors or fewer. It began with Alabama’s (shaky) rebound from the Vanderbilt loss — a two-point win over South Carolina that wasn’t so pretty. It ended with Kansas State coughing up an enormous lead after which holding on for victory at Colorado.
In between, LSU, Penn State, Illinois and Tennessee all received in additional time. Our new No. 1, Oregon, took down Ohio State by a point. Pitt remained unbeaten with a two-point win over Cal.
There have been blowouts, too, after all. Texas bossed around Oklahoma to arrange a titanic conflict subsequent week in opposition to Georgia in Austin. Clemson pounded Wake Forest. And Notre Dame throttled Stanford.
Midway by means of the season, 11 groups stay undefeated. That record consists of Iowa State, Military, Navy and Indiana!
Many fan bases didn’t survive Saturday. Rutgers, after beginning 4-0, dropped a second straight sport. North Carolina and Mack Brown misplaced a fourth straight. Billy Napier and Florida managed to cough away an upset on the highway in Knoxville.
Did your group survive?
Let’s get to the Prime 10!
Contents
1. Oregon Geese
This week: beat Ohio State 32-31
Subsequent week: at Purdue (on Friday)
QB Dillon Gabriel, in his sixth faculty season and at his third college, re-introduced himself to the school soccer world if anybody had forgotten about him. He tore by means of Ohio State’s secondary, threw for 341 yards, tossed two touchdowns and ran for a 27-yard game-changer of a rating. It has put the Geese within the driver’s seat of the Large Ten title race and serves as one of the best victory of the season by any group to date, simply forward of Alabama’s win over Georgia and Georgia’s win over Clemson.
2. Penn State Nittany Lions
This week: beat USC 33-30 in extra time
Subsequent week: Bye
Who says you may’t take a bus an hour after which fly 5 hours throughout the nation and win an extra time sport? That’s what the Nittany Lions did — storming again from a 20-6 halftime deficit to ship a intestine punch to teach Lincoln Riley in his third 12 months (the Trojans are 3-3 and fairly a multitude). The thrill you hear is from the hype across the Nov. 2 sport in opposition to Ohio State at Glad Valley (the Buckeyes look prone, particularly defensively).
3. Texas Longhorns
This week: beat Oklahoma 34-3
Subsequent week: vs. Georgia
QB Quinn Ewers’ return began rusty however ended brilliantly. However it was the Longhorns’ protection that actually received this sport. The Sooners had a single drive of greater than 19 yards your complete sport and punted a whopping six instances. Steve Sarkisian has the Horns primed for the extremely billed house matchup in opposition to Georgia subsequent week.
4. Miami Hurricanes
This week: Bye
Subsequent week: at Louisville
After a pleasant, restful week off, Cam Ward and the Hurricanes take their present again on the highway with a sport at Louisville subsequent Saturday. A look on the second half of UM’s schedule reveals zero (for now) top-25 ranked groups. Collision course with Clemson within the ACC championship sport? Maybe.
5. Georgia Bulldogs
This week: beat Mississippi State 41-31
Subsequent week: at Texas
Kirby Good’s group has performed some surprisingly tight video games. One other got here Saturday in opposition to the worst group within the SEC. Bear in mind the one-point win over Kentucky and the loss to Alabama? The Bulldogs aren’t essentially their dominant selves. They’ll must be subsequent Saturday.
6. Ohio State Buckeyes
This week: misplaced to Oregon 32-31
Subsequent week: Bye
The Buckeyes slipped two spots however firmly stay in our Prime 10. In spite of everything, they went blow for blow on the highway with the Geese. However the protection wants work. Oregon picked on Ohio State’s secondary a lot of the night time, particularly cornerback Denzel Burke. They’ve obtained a bye week to determine issues out earlier than internet hosting Nebraska. Penn State, Michigan and unbeaten Indiana stay on the slate. May Ohio State truly miss the School Soccer Playoff?
7. Clemson Tigers
This week: beat Wake Forest 49-14
Subsequent week: vs. Virginia
Oh, look, one other Clemson blowout. Since their season-opening loss to Georgia, the Tigers have now received the following 5 video games by outscoring their opponents 243-96. That’s an indignant bunch. Clemson’s offense is buzzing. In opposition to Wake, that they had a 100-yard rusher, a 100-yard receiver and a 300-yard passer. QB Cade Klubnik hasn’t thrown a decide in 10 quarters and has tossed seven touchdowns over that stretch.
8. Iowa State Cyclones
This week: beat West Virginia 28-16
Subsequent week: vs. UCF
The Cyclones are 6-0 for simply the second time ever, they’ve obtained one of many nastiest defenses within the nation and have a remaining common season schedule that’ll embody only one ranked group (Kansas State). Ought to we be speaking about Matt Campbell’s group within the playoff? QB Rocco Becht is enjoying in addition to anybody, and ISU’s protection hasn’t allowed greater than 21 factors this season.
9. BYU Cougars
This week: beat Arizona 41-19
Subsequent week: vs. Oklahoma State
Of their second 12 months within the Large 12, the Cougars are atop the league and are 6-0 on the season with some fairly stable wins at SMU and over Kansas State. They keep away from the one different undefeated group within the Large 12 this season (Iowa State). Are we heading towards a BYU-Iowa State Large 12 title sport? Possibly!
10. Notre Dame Combating Irish
This week: beat Stanford 49-7
Subsequent week: at Georgia Tech
Issues are going as deliberate for the Irish (apart from that inexplicable house loss to Northern Illinois). God himself (a lighting delay within the second half) couldn’t cease the Irish from rolling over the Cardinal. Take a look at Notre Dame’s schedule and inform me the place the Irish lose one other sport. They’re on a path to an at-large berth.
