College football Week 9 produced several overreactions, with the Big Ten's decline relative to the SEC taking center stage. The Big Ten, which had won three consecutive national championships, now appears closer to the ACC and Big 12 than the SEC. The conference's top teams are deeply flawed or untested, while the SEC boasts the entire top five and nine of the ten toughest schedules according to ESPN's strength of schedule metric.
Big Ten Struggles
Ohio State lost to unranked USC without star quarterback Julian Sayin, who may miss the rest of the season. Indiana has not looked like a top-10 team, and UCLA's marquee win came against an Oregon team missing Dante Moore. The rest of the Big Ten includes a USC team blown out by Wisconsin and two-loss teams like Iowa and Northwestern. Collectively, the Big Ten is the most disappointing conference this season.
SEC Dominance
The SEC has seven viable playoff contenders and a stronger bottom half. Arkansas and Vanderbilt struggle, but Texas A&M, Mississippi State, and Auburn could beat Big Ten teams. Mississippi State already defeated Minnesota 38-13 earlier this year, and Minnesota has since beaten Iowa, Michigan, and Washington.
Jeremiah Smith's Heisman Chances
Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith caught his 40th career touchdown but slipped behind Miami quarterback Darian Mensah and receiver Malachi Toney in Heisman odds after the Buckeyes' loss. Backup quarterback Luke Fahey's struggles and a more conservative offense could limit Smith's opportunities for "wow" plays needed to win the award.
Big 12 Officiating Controversies
Big 12 officiating has drawn criticism for three consecutive weeks of errors involving BYU. FOX Sports analyst Robert Griffin III said officials are "making up rules as they go." Incidents include a botched review in BYU-Notre Dame, a controversial roughing-the-kicker penalty and incorrect 10-second runoff against UCF, and a reversed fumble call in BYU's win over Arizona State that rules analyst Mike Pereira called inexplicable. The Big 12 admitted the mistake after the game.
Notre Dame's Playoff Path
Notre Dame is 7-1 and ranked No. 5, but Syracuse's upset of SMU and Iowa's blowout of Wisconsin damaged the Fighting Irish's resume. They now have zero top-25 wins and only one remaining opportunity against No. 1 Miami. A loss could leave them 10-2 with no top-25 wins and a strength of schedule ranked No. 57, risking exclusion from the expanded 24-team playoff.
Philip Rivers to NC State?
Former NFL quarterback Philip Rivers is the leading candidate for the NC State head coaching job after Dave Doeren's firing. Multiple industry sources expect the hire. Rivers, a successful high school coach at St. Michael Catholic in Alabama, is a high-risk, high-reward choice. Success will depend on assembling a strong staff, including a general manager for NIL and a defensive coordinator like South Carolina's Clayton White, an NC State alum.
