Late Friday night, perhaps even into the wee hours of Saturday morning, Mike Elko and Texas A&M finalized a new contract for the coach. And then, just a few hours later, his third-ranked Aggies fell into a 27-point hole at home against lowly South Carolina. Bad timing?
Well, Elko and Co. made sure that the announcement of his big new deal wasn’t completely spoiled. They mounted the biggest comeback in school history, storming back for a 31-30 win over South Carolina by scoring touchdowns on four consecutive drives in a span of 15 minutes of game time—a stretch in which QB Marcel Reed threw for more than 300 yards.
The remarkable effort pushed the Aggies to 10-0 and Elko to 18-5 in his second season at the school. Speaking of Elko, he’ll be making more than $11 million annually as part of the new six-year contract. More importantly, the contract secures his place in Aggieland during one of the craziest coaching cycles in history.
Plenty of schools took an interest in Elko, most notably Penn State, where the coach has a deep connection. He apparently declined the interest from the Nittany Lions and got himself a $3-4 million raise in the process.
Texas A&M’s victory made the SEC championship game race even murkier, especially after Oklahoma stunned Alabama in Tuscaloosa (goodbye, Tide, from our Top 10; and hello, Sooners!). The Aggies now control their own destiny: beat Texas in two weeks and you’re in.
As for everyone else, there could be a bunch of teams locked at one loss, including Alabama, Ole Miss, and Georgia. Tiebreaker time! Either way, we won’t know who will play in Atlanta until the final Saturday results are in.
What’s going on in the other conference races? Indiana and Ohio State are on a crash course for the Big Ten title. The same goes for Texas Tech in the Big 12. In the ACC, there’s a logjam of four one-loss teams.
Meanwhile, the non-power league playoff race got interesting on Saturday when Navy beat South Florida, opening the door for Tulane, North Texas, and JMU to squeak into the postseason tournament.
Speaking of the playoff, Michigan survived in Wrigley Field against Northwestern to keep its hopes alive, Notre Dame pummeled Pitt to stay in position for an at-large berth, and USC rallied against Iowa to move to 8-2.
Let’s get to the Top 10!
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### 1. Indiana Hoosiers
**This week:** beat Wisconsin 31-7
**Next week:** at Purdue
The Hoosiers turned a 10-7 halftime lead into a second-half blowout as QB Fernando Mendoza carved through the Badgers secondary for 299 yards on 22-of-24 passing. For the first time ever, Indiana is 11-0, and Curt Cignetti is now 22-2 at the school—a remarkable and historic run.
A bye week comes next before the annual rivalry clash with the in-state Boilermakers and then a titanic showdown with Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game.
**Best win:** 30-20 at Oregon
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### 2. Ohio State Buckeyes
**This week:** beat UCLA 48-10
**Next week:** vs. Rutgers
The backups got in pretty early in this one. Are the Buckeyes ever going to be challenged in a tight fourth-quarter game? Freshman RB Bo Jackson broke 100 yards again, and OSU jumped out to a 34-0 lead.
**Best wins:** 14-7 vs. Texas
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### 3. Texas A&M Aggies
**This week:** beat South Carolina 31-30
**Next week:** vs. Samford
You read plenty about the big comeback in our rankings intro above. But you can never write too much about the fact that a team climbed out of a 27-point hole. The A&M offense did plenty, but the Aggies’ defense did wonders. South Carolina had five second-half drives; three ended in punts, and two on failed fourth downs.
**Best win:** 41-40 at Notre Dame
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### 4. Georgia Bulldogs
**This week:** beat Texas 35-10
**Next week:** vs. Charlotte
QB Gunner Stockton threw four touchdowns, and the Bulldogs suffocated Texas to the tune of less than 30 yards rushing—an all-around stellar performance from Kirby Smart’s defense. Texas didn’t get into the end zone until late in the third quarter.
**Best win:** 43-35 vs. Ole Miss
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### 5. Ole Miss Rebels
**This week:** beat Florida 34-24
**Next week:** Off
Lane Kiffin and the Rebels had to sweat this one out against the 3-6 Gators. Good thing they had RB Kewan Lacy, who posted more than 200 yards on 30 carries as Ole Miss locked up a playoff spot ahead of the Egg Bowl.
**Best win:** 34-26 at Oklahoma
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### 6. Texas Tech Red Raiders
**This week:** beat UCF 48-9
**Next week:** Off
At one point, the Red Raiders led 38-2. Tech’s offseason investment is paying off (have you heard that one before?). But the Red Raiders go beyond just cash and talent. They are sound, well-coached, and have a direct path to Dallas for the Big 12 title game—a playoff ticket-punching event for coach Joey McGuire and company.
**Best win:** 34-10 at Utah
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### 7. Oregon Ducks
**This week:** beat Minnesota 42-13
**Next week:** vs. USC
The banged-up Ducks played without several of their top receivers, but it didn’t matter. QB Dante Moore threw just three incomplete passes against a Gophers defense that entered as one of the nation’s best. Oregon is two wins away from securing a playoff spot. Standing in the way is a home game against the Trojans and a road trip to Seattle.
**Best win:** 34-24 vs. USC
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### 8. Oklahoma Sooners
**This week:** beat Alabama 23-21
**Next week:** vs. Missouri
The Sooners had four sacks and turned three turnovers into 17 points to take down Alabama, handing coach Kalen DeBoer his first home loss in Tuscaloosa and his first defeat while wearing the vaunted “black hoodie of death.” OU, despite two losses, finds itself in prime position to get into the playoff as an at-large selection. Missouri and LSU await at home in Norman.
**Best win:** 24-13 vs. Michigan
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### 9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
**This week:** beat Pitt 37-15
**Next week:** vs. Syracuse
The Irish failed to live up to Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi’s expectations. He half-jokingly said the Irish could hang 100 on his team and it wouldn’t matter! Well, they didn’t get there, but they did more than enough to batter the Panthers. RB Jeremiyah Love ran for 147, including a 56-yard touchdown, and the Irish defense held Pitt to 219 total yards.
**Best win:** 34-24 vs. USC
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### 10. USC Trojans
**This week:** beat Iowa 26-21
**Next week:** at Oregon
A chilly and rainy day in Los Angeles seemed to favor the Hawkeyes and, for a while, it certainly did. The Trojans needed a second-half rally and 154 yards from WR Makai Lemon in the rain to overcome a two-touchdown first-half deficit and salvage any playoff hopes. Next up: the mighty Ducks in Eugene.
**Best win:** 31-13 vs. Michigan
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The college football landscape continues to shift as the regular season nears its end. With so many marquee matchups and potential tiebreakers on the horizon, fans can expect an electrifying finish to the season. Stay tuned!
https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/breaking-news/article/yahoo-top-10-mike-elko-texas-am-have-plenty-to-be-excited-about-after-massive-comeback-win-041252829.html
