The final week before the first College Football Playoff rankings delivered plenty of drama with Clemson, Michigan, Washington, Louisville and Ohio State each pulling out close wins while Nick Saban and his top-ranked Crimson Tide certainly enjoyed watching everything play out on their bye week.
Here is a look at the biggest winners from Week 9 of the college football season.
Clemson Tigers
The Tigers survived an absolute thriller in Tallahassee with a 37-34 win over Florida State that could very well propel them to the College Football Playoff. Clemson isn’t there yet, but wins over Louisville and FSU have them in the driver seat in the ACC. Quarterback Deshaun Watson threw for 378 passing yards and two touchdowns, including a 34-yard score to Jordan Leggett on the game-winning drive with just over two minutes left in regulation. Clemson’s win was its fifth of the season by a one-score margin but they have certainly faced some tough competition and managed to stay alive. The Tigers have home dates with Syracuse, Pittsburgh and South Carolina left on their schedule as well as a trip to Wake Forest. That slate should be very manageable for a team that might not have peaked just yet as Clemson appears primed to return to the College Football Playoff after a big win in Week 9.
Michigan Wolverines
Michigan improved to 8-0 with a 32-23 win at Michigan State on Saturday and scratched another marker on their chase for an undefeated season. Senior running back De’Veon Smith rushed for just 38 yards but scored two touchdowns while Wilson Speight threw for 244 yards as the Wolverines gained a measure of redemption over the rival that shocked them in a last second victory last season. For as satisfying as the win was for Jim Harbaugh and his players, the focus will remain on the future with four regular season games to go. Michigan will play home games against Maryland and Indiana with road dates against Iowa and Ohio State to close out the year. The anticipation continues to build for their season finale against the Buckeyes as that game could have massive implications in the Big Ten.
Florida Gators
The Gators improved to 6-1 with a 24-10 win over Georgia on Saturday as their defense really stepped up again with another dominant performance. Florida held the Bulldogs to 164 total yards and only eight first downs as Nick Chubb was held to 20 yards on nine carries while Jacob Eason had more incompletions than completions with only one pass that went for more than 15 yards. The Gators still have a tough schedule ahead that features back-to-back road games at LSU and at Florida State to close out the season but their defense has them in contention to finish with 10 wins and right now nobody is overlooking Florida as arguably the most dangerous college football team in the SEC East.
Penn State Nittany Lions
The Nittany Lions followed up their biggest upset of the season with a lopsided 62-24 win at Purdue to improve to 6-2 on the season. A lot of people were concerned that Penn State could possibly fall asleep in this matchup – especially since they were coming off a such a big win. However, that never transpired as they pounded Purdue into the ground.
Penn State’s offense delivered its best performance of the year to date with running back Saquon Barkley rushing for 207 yards and three touchdowns in total while quarterback Trace McSorley threw for 228 yards and three scores. Barkley is quickly flying up draft boards as a lot of NFL scouts are starting to take a closer look at him.
The Nittany Lions believe they can reach 10 wins and with road games at Rutgers and Indiana as well as home games against Iowa and Michigan State that goal is very realistic. Remember that Michigan State is in the middle of a rebuild while Iowa is also having a down year, so a sweep of their final four games is possible.
Penn State looks like a legitimate top-10 team and all eyes will be on Beaver Stadium for another college football showdown against Iowa this weekend.
