Instant reaction to Week 5 developments …
1. An epic Saturday
The most anticipated Saturday of the season was better than the hype, with marquee games across all broadcast windows decided near the wire, at the wire or beyond the wire.
The drama actually began Friday night, with back-to-back-to-back thrillers: Virginia upset No. 8 Florida State in double overtime; Arizona State beat TCU with a field goal in the final minutes; and Houston edged Oregon State in overtime.
Then came a scintillating Saturday in which nine games involving ranked teams were decided by a touchdown or less, from the 9 a.m. kickoff (USC-Illinois) and through the 7:15 p.m. matchup (BYU-Colorado).
No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 LSU and No. 5 Georgia all lost.
No. 6 Oregon won in overtime. So did No. 15 Tennessee. And No. 16 Georgia Tech.
The two longest home winning streaks in the country (Georgia and Washington) were broken.
It will take days to unravel the connective tissue and sort through changes to the conference races and the College Football Playoff chase.
But the riveting action offered a heaping dose of clarity to one section of the larger puzzle, courtesy of the Big Ten’s western wing.
2. Oregon stands alone
Five weeks into their second season in the Big Ten, the West Coast foursome is exactly what we thought it was back in August, when the Hotline described the group as “Oregon and everyone else.”
(You can image how that conclusion was received in Seattle and Los Angeles.)
The Ducks proved they are good enough to repeat as Big Ten champions and contend for the national title with a 30-24 double-overtime victory at Penn State.
It was the most impressive performance of the Dan Lanning era: The Ducks controlled the game for three quarters, let a two-touchdown lead slip away, then made one big play after another in the two overtime sessions — all of it unfolding in one of the most intimidating, raucous environments in sports, a White Out game at Beaver Stadium.
Oregon’s defense answered the challenge, holding the Nittany Lions to 276 yards a mere 10 months after they blasted the Ducks for 523 in the Big Ten title game.
Sophomore quarterback Dante Moore was equally impressive, completing 29-of-39 passes for three touchdowns and never appearing rattled by the noise or Penn State’s defense.
The Ducks (5-0) have a favorable schedule ahead. They don’t play Ohio State or Michigan, they get USC and Indiana at home, and they have plenty of cushion. Oregon can afford two losses without jeopardizing a spot in the CFP, whether the Ducks win the conference or not.
3. L.A. gloom
The outlook isn’t nearly as bright for Washington, USC and UCLA.
We knew that about the Bruins (0-4), who lost at Northwestern on Saturday and (in case there was any doubt) solidified their status as the worst team in the conference.
Yes, worse than Purdue.
But it’s equally clear that USC (4-1) isn’t ready to seriously compete for a top-tier finish.
A few days after coach Lincoln Riley bemoaned the 9 a.m. kickoff at Illinois — an excuse, planted in advance? — the Trojans did what the Trojans do in a 34-32 loss.
They were beaten at the line of scrimmage, allowed more than 500 yards, failed to run the ball when they should have run the ball, blew another fourth-quarter lead and couldn’t close out a game in which the Illini cost themselves 14 points with two fumbles on the goal-line.
“We showed a lot of fight coming back to take the lead, but the reality is we squandered too many opportunities on both sides of the ball,” Riley said.
It was classic USC — at least, the Big Ten version of USC.
Put another way: The Trojans weren’t good enough to beat an opponent that lost by 53 points (to Indiana) a week earlier.
If Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State constitute the top tier of the conference — Penn State and Michigan might have claims to that territory, as well — the Trojans are clearly a level below.
4. Shut down in Seattle
Then again, the Trojans have company on the conference’s second tier.
Washington entered its showdown with Ohio State as a trendy pick to upset the defending national champions — just as the Huskies toppled the 2023 champs, Michigan, last October in Husky Stadium.
But those Wolverines won’t be confused with these Buckeyes, who were in command throughout the second half on Saturday afternoon as they powered to a 24-6 victory.
Washington (3-1) struggled to defend Ohio State’s short passing game and lost receiver Jeremiah Smith at exactly the wrong time, with the Buckeyes in the Red Zone late in the first half.
But Ohio State’s complete containment of UW’s high-powered offense was the most surprising development. The Huskies were 1-of-11 on third down, gained a paltry 234 yards and were inept in the Red Zone. Their offensive line struggled to protect Demond Williams Jr., and big-play receiver Denzel Boston had just three catches for just 26 yards.
“Some situational football that we’ve been good at, we struggled in this one,” UW coach Jedd Fisch said.
At no point did Ohio State look threatened or uncomfortable.
At no point did Washington have the upper hand.
And at no point did the ingredients needed for an upset present themselves across the three-hour affair.
Yes, the Buckeyes started slowly on offense, but that was intentional — a conservative game-plan that allowed inexperienced quarterback Julian Sayin to find his footing.
And yes, they benefited from an atrocious roughing-the-passer penalty on UW. Without that call, would the game have turned out differently? Not in our view.
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If the Buckeyes represent the standard in the Big Ten, the Huskies aren’t particularly close to being ready to contend, especially on the lines of scrimmage.
It was a mismatch.
5. Outclassed in Ames
Clarity came in the Big 12, as well: We can state definitively that Arizona isn’t ready to compete for the conference title.
The Wildcats appeared vastly improved as they sprinted to a 3-0 start in a critical season for coach Brent Brennan. But reality arrived Saturday evening in a 39-14 loss at Iowa State.
Arizona trailed by two touchdowns early in the second quarter and never recovered. The Wildcats weren’t good enough on the line of scrimmage or at the skill positions. They weren’t tough enough, efficient enough or resourceful enough.
And that’s okay, because the bar for Arizona this season isn’t the Big 12 title. It’s showing substantive year-over-year progress. It’s being competitive more often than not. It’s qualifying for a bowl berth.
Those goals remain entirely attainable despite the beat down in Ames.
The Wildcats have loads of winnable games remaining, but they can’t let one bad performance become a string of bad performances. What happened in Ames must stay in Ames.
That said, the Big 12 schedule offers a sterling opportunity to regain momentum: Oklahoma State visits Tucson next weekend with an interim coach and three-game losing streak.
The first Saturday in October is typically a tad early for must-win games. But that’s precisely the case for the Wildcats.
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