Every week finds No. 7 TCU responding to a challenge during Big 12 play and inching one step closer to an absolutely out-of-left-field bid to the College Football Playoff.
That's been the case for more than a month for the Horned Frogs, who get pushed deep into the second half but always seem to respond with a key defensive stop and a barrage of points from one of the top offenses in the Bowl Subdivision.
On Saturday, TCU trailed Texas Tech 17-13 entering the fourth quarter but put together three scoring drives in under eight minutes to win 34-24 and move to 9-0 for the first time since 2010.
There's an aspect to this brilliant start under coach Sonny Dykes that seems untenable. TCU has trailed in the second half in four of six Big 12 wins, explaining in part why the Horned Frogs slotted in behind one-loss Alabama in the debut playoff rankings. Any single one of the three teams left in November — Texas, Baylor and Iowa State — seem capable of ending this unbeaten streak.
But asking whether TCU is good enough to reach the national semifinals misses the point. While conference races in the SEC and Big Ten will eventually be decided by head-to-head matchups between some of the best teams in the FBS, the Horned Frogs can punch a ticket to the playoff regardless of beauty points.
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As the only unbeaten team in the Big 12, TCU is basically a lock to reach the conference championship game and at least play for a spot in one of the New Year's Six bowls. There's the potential for much more given the Horned Frogs' ability to flip a switch in the fourth quarter and turn close games into double-digit wins.
This latest win puts TCU atop the list of Saturday's winners and losers:
Winners
Georgia
Two months after christening the regular season with a 46-point win against Oregon, the top-ranked Bulldogs made another huge statement by pushing around No. 3 Tennessee in a 27-13 win that essentially locks down the SEC East. Not nearly as close as even the score suggests, Georgia set the tone early with three touchdown drives and led 24-6 at halftime. Up front, the Bulldogs upset Tennessee's offensive tempo and held quarterback Hendon Hooker in check — becoming the first team this season to slow down what had been the most explosive and prolific group in the country. There's no longer any question over which team is the best in the FBS: Georgia is the undisputed No. 1 and the current favorites to repeat as national champions.
LSU
It was easy to write off No. 17 LSU last month after an ugly loss to Tennessee dropped the Tigers to 4-2 in Brian Kelly's first season. Three games later, LSU is atop the SEC West, surging into playoff contention and set to at least reach a New Year's Six bowl. What does it mean to beat No. 6 Alabama 32-31 in overtime? As an early tenure-defining win for Kelly, topping the Crimson Tide this soon could indicate a changing of the guard in the SEC power rankings. Now 7-2, LSU could rise as high as No. 8 in this week's USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll and will come in even higher in the playoff rankings.
TIGERS STUNNER:LSU shocks No. 6 Alabama after two-point conversion
Kansas
Kansas snapped a three-game losing streak and secured bowl eligibility for the first time since 2008 by beating No. 18 Oklahoma State 37-16 behind an eye-opening 351 rushing yards, the program's highest single-game total since 2018. Running back Devin Neal accounted for 224 of those yards and added another 110 receiving yards as the Jayhawks averaged 8.1 yards per play. Now 6-3, the Jayhawks are still technically alive in the Big 12 race but guaranteed of ending one of the longest bowl-less streaks in modern Power Five history.
BOWL BOUND:Kansas upends No. 18 Oklahoma State to secure sixth win
Texas
The Longhorns are in good position to reach the Big 12 championship game after beating No. 14 Kansas State 34-27 to move to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play. Locked down with a late fumble recovery that dashed the Wildcats' hopes of forcing overtime, the win puts Texas into a tie with Baylor for second place in the conference standings heading into next weekend's home game against TCU. After a rough go in his last time out against Oklahoma State, quarterback Quinn Ewers threw for 197 yards and two scores without an interception. But the star was running back Bijan Robinson, who went for 209 yards and outplayed Kansas State's Deuce Vaughn.
Liberty
No. 23 Liberty has a convoluted and pretty unlikely path to the New Year's Six as an Bowl Subdivision independent, since the access-bowl bid is saved for Group of Five conference champions. Given the state of things in the very top-heavy American, for example, where it seems unlikely that any team will finish with fewer than two losses, the Flames have a chance to factor into the New Year's Six debate after holding on to beat Arkansas 21-19 and move to 8-1 under coach Hugh Freeze. With games against Connecticut, Virginia Tech and New Mexico State to end November, the Flames should be 11-1 heading into the postseason — though they may go to a bowl without Freeze, one of the top names for the opening at Auburn.
Air Force
After topping Navy earlier this season, the Falcons will officially take home the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the first time since 2016 and the fifth time overall under coach Troy Calhoun with a 13-7 win against Army. Winning this three-way series takes some sting out of what had been a somewhat disappointing first two months for a team pegged to factor into the Group of Five bid to the New Year's Six — the Falcons have lost three games by a combined 15 points to fall behind in the Mountain West. Overall, Air Force has won the service-academy rivalry 21 times, most coming during a dominant run under former coach Fisher DeBerry from 1990-2002.
Losers
Alabama
There's going to be no playoff berth. No SEC championship. Barring an epic collapse by LSU, no SEC West championship. At least two losses and maybe more, with No. 10 Mississippi and the Rebels' powerful running game looming next weekend. In the very best case, Alabama will land in a New Year's Six bowl. In the worst case, the Crimson Tide won't even finish in the top four in the SEC. Warning signs abounded even during Alabama's unbeaten start; those warning signs are now all-out alarm bells as the Tide cede control of the division to LSU in Kelly's first year. Kelly isn't Ed Orgeron or Gus Malzahn or Hugh Freeze, as good as those coaches are and have been — he may take the SEC West away from the Tide and never give it back.
Clemson
Losing 35-14 at Notre Dame doesn't end No. 5 Clemson's hopes of returning to the playoff after a one-year absence but it does make things very, very tenuous given the Tigers' middling resume relative to other contenders and the perception of the ACC. Had they stayed unbeaten, the Tigers could've overcome both factors and punched a ticket to playoff — already in the top four in the first rankings, the Tigers would've stayed there and even moved up given the unavoidable losses for multiple teams in the Big Ten and SEC. With one loss, the Tigers are now in position where they will need help almost across the board to get into the semifinals at 12-1. In the end, the damage stemming from this debacle might be even more profound than just one loss: Notre Dame was in so much control that it may be hard for selection committee members to view the Tigers as deserving of the top four.
BLOWN AWAY:Clemson stumbles at Notre Dame to damage playoff hopes
Tennessee
Losing to Georgia isn't fatal to Tennessee's playoff hopes, though the Volunteers will need to run the table in style and get some help to factor into the top four. However, there is a question of how the committee will view the loss considering the Bulldogs' wall-to-wall dominance. Will that outweigh Tennessee's overall resume of quality wins against ranked competition, led by Alabama? There's also the impact the loss has on Hooker, who was set to put a headlock on the Heisman Trophy with a strong showing. The Heisman race is more wide open after Hooker threw for 195 yards and an interception on just 5.9 yards per attempt.
UNCERTAIN FUTURE:Tennessee's playoff hopes take hit in loss to Georgia
Virginia Tech
The Hokies are finding new lows and taking the express elevator to the bottom of the Power Five. Ahead 20-10 late in the second quarter and 27-16 after three, Virginia Tech suffered an epic fourth quarter meltdown and lost 28-27 to Georgia Tech for a sixth loss in a row, the program's longest streak since 1987. In the final quarter alone, the Hokies committed multiple turnovers, including one deep inside Georgia Tech territory, and allowed the Yellow Jackets' offense to score twice behind freshman quarterback Zach Pyron, who was making his first career start. While the Hokies have been horrible since the opener under new coach Brent Pry, this specific loss represents the program's lowest point in decades.
Texas A&M
Every week is different for A&M, even if every Saturday ends the same way: in a loss. This time, the undermanned Aggies led Florida 24-20 at halftime by relying on running back Devon Achane, who accounted for 104 yards of total offense and all three touchdowns heading into the break. In the second half, Achane touched the ball just seven times for 17 total yards as A&M coughed up the lead and lost 41-24. Countless times this season, Jimbo Fisher has made decisions on offense — ranging from personnel matters to in-game play calling — that boggle the mind and severely damage the Aggies' chances. They're 3-6 and likely going to miss a bowl game, a stunning conclusion to a season when they started in the top 10.
Ohio State
The No. 2 Buckeyes can exhale after a 21-7 win against Northwestern that wasn't officially sealed until a short touchdown run by Miyan Williams with four minutes left. Favored by nearly 40 points against a bottom-rung conference opponent but hampered by wet and windy conditions, Ohio State's offense was sidelined by the Wildcats' ball-control game plan and effective pass defense. While the weather played a huge role, it's worth asking if this combination can be replicated by Michigan and others: Ohio State managed just 4.6 yards per play and an eye-opening 2.9 yards per pass, with C.J. Stroud hitting on just 10 of 26 attempts for a career-low 76 yards without a touchdown.
SLUGGISH VICTORY:No. 2 Ohio State manages ugly win against Northwestern
Nebraska
Now that Kansas has punched its ticket back into bowl play, there's only one Power Five team without at least one postseason appearance since 2017. Yeah, that's the hard-to-watch Cornhuskers, who gave up a 10-0 halftime lead and lost 20-13 to Minnesota to fall to 3-7 under interim coach Mickey Joseph.
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