The Hurricanes flirted with defeat for most of the season. There are just so many dramatic flashbacks and magical events Camera Ward moments that exist in this universe. And perhaps Miami exhausted their allotment with wild finishes against Virginia Tech and Cal and their ability to overcome deficits against those teams, as well as Duke and Louisville. At some point the ‘Dogs’ porous defense was going to be a problem. It was against Georgia Tech on Saturday. Miami is now allowing 31.7 points and 372.5 yards per game in ACC play, and against the Yellow Jackets the ‘Canes defense allowed 271 rushing yards (5.6 yards per carry clip) as Georgia Tech controlled both the play and the clock. ) allowed. Miami has an incredible offense that can make up for poor defense, and that hasn’t been an issue so far as the Hurricanes play a very weak schedule. I’m not sure what this means for postseason football, but I suspect it bodes well for great things.

3. Georgia’s loss wasn’t exactly surprising either.

quarterback Carson Beck There was trouble for most of the season. The player, who made 11 interceptions in the five matches he played before Saturday, is a player prone to turnovers. Immediately following Georgia’s loss to Ole Miss, it became clear that the ‘Dawgs’ coaching staff did not trust Beck to throw the ball very far. There were lots of short passes and a lot more horizontal movement than vertical. Georgia’s 10-point outing was the fewest points scored in a game in history Kirby Smart age. This was also the first time in seven years that the ‘Dawgs’ offense totaled less than 250 yards in a game. Frankly, Ole Miss’ explosive offense hurt the defense, too. But offense was still a big problem, and that was predictable. I don’t know how or why Beck regressed so much this season, but it will limit the team’s ceiling.

4. BYU is a good football team. It might not be a great thing.

I was a BYU defender most of the week. I couldn’t believe how disrespectful the CFP selection committee was to the 8-0 Cougars, who not only didn’t lose but also had two top-20 wins on their resume. Still, BYU finished No. 9 in the initial CFP rankings, behind teams like Texas and Penn State that had no better wins than the Cougs. But then BYU went out and laid eggs in a big rivalry game late Saturday night. Trailing by 11 points just before halftime, the Cougs completely mismanaged the clock. Basically, everything BYU did was something it shouldn’t have done against a mediocre (4-4 overall, 1-4 in Big 12 play) team that has since retreated into its own shell. Cam Rising He was injured. I understand that rivalries bring out the best in teams – everyone says you have to throw records etc. — but BYU needed to prove that it wasn’t the unlucky, unbeatable team that some might be on the right side of. turnover chances and a few mediocre performances from competitors who often fail to deliver them. The Cougars have been unimpressive, and if they can’t win the Big 12 and earn the league’s automatic bid, that will be a big problem for the team.

5. Lane Kiffin finally got his signature win at Ole Miss.

Heading into Saturday, Kiffin’s Rebels were 0-4 against top-five opponents. All four of these losses were by at least 15 points. This was a glaring flaw for a coach who had achieved great success in his first four seasons at Oxford, Miss. And now Kiffin has won a big game, beating No. 3 seed Georgia 28-10 and Ole Miss has fallen behind. The question is which team is better on that field. Suddenly, the Rebels have a strong argument for a major CFP bid. They had one of the best wins in the country and two losses by a combined six points (the overtime loss to LSU came after Ole Miss literally never trailed in the game, which is still a crazy statistic). Ole Miss needs serious help to make the SEC title game, but I’d argue the Rebs are in better position for the CFP by not playing in this game. A 10-2 win over Georgia would certainly be enough to make the field come December 8th.

6. Alabama will advance to the Play-offs.

I know my analysis of Alabama has fluctuated wildly this season. From my perspective, Crimson Tide had its ups and downs! This team is inconsistent! Jalen Milroe He’s had some brutal games — cough, Tennessee, cough — but he’s also been spectacular, like in Saturday night’s win at LSU. Milroe mauled the Tigers on the ground, rushing for 185 yards and four scores on just 12 carries. He was on point from the start of the game, and in a hostile environment like Death Valley at night, a fast start was critical for Alabama. It was a very impressive performance in what was billed as a CFP playoff game, and now the Tide has a pretty smooth path the rest of the way. Alabama’s only remaining rivals are Mercer, Oklahoma and Auburn. Clearly, this particular Alabama team is capable of being a slouch. But I would be shocked if the Crimson Tide finishes the season 10-2 and doesn’t host a first-round CFP game.

7. The ACC race is still pretty straightforward.

Really! Even if Miami loses! So obviously SMU has the clearest path because it is still undefeated in ACC play. However, Miami’s loss to Georgia Tech forced the rest of the league into tiebreaker scenarios. Pitt’s loss to Virginia actually makes moving forward very simple. If SMU wins and then Miami and Clemson win, SMU will be in the championship game and both Miami and Clemson will have one loss each in ACC play. So the league would go to common rivals. And the Canes beat Louisville, and Louisville beat Clemson. Case closed. We would have an SMU-Miami ACC title game with the CFP automatic bid at stake.

8. Ashton Jeanty reminded everyone that he belongs in the Heisman Trophy mix.

Jeanty took a bit of a backseat in the Heisman speech, through no fault of his own. He played well and his team continues to win. That’s not the same attention he showed earlier in the year, and he’s no longer averaging a first down per offense. This is good! But lately most of the conversation has focused on: Dillon Gabriel (who leads the nation’s undefeated No. 1 team) and Camera Ward (maybe he is a real magician). Also a two-way star from Colorado Travis Hunter great and began openly campaigning for the award. These three players look very close to earning a trip to New York City. Jeanty should be too, although she’s a bit out of sight, out of mind. Jeanty had 34 carries for 209 yards and three touchdowns in Boise State’s win over Nevada. Highlights galore! This is very important when it comes to an award like this.

9. College football chaos remains unbeatable.

It’s the best sport in the world and it’s because of weekends like this. I love waking up on Saturdays because I’m never quite sure where the day will take me. Although I predict upsets and analyze matchups for a living, it’s hard to know exactly what to expect — especially in a season like this. The only team still undefeated in the preseason AP poll is Oregon (ranked No. 3 in that poll). The last time we saw these few undefeated teams in the preseason poll was in 2014, the first year of the four-team Playoff (and preseason No. 1 FSU remained undefeated until Week 11).

10. Yes, Dan Lanning. You’re 10-0 and we like that amused.