College football winners and losers: Are teams like LSU, Ole Miss and Ohio State now out of the playoff race?

Saturday showed exactly why there was no need to overreact to the first set of College Football Playoff rankings.

Week 10 brought us six matchups between teams in the top 20 of the initial rankings. And when you throw in Ohio State's upset loss at home to Oregon, seven teams with legitimate playoff hopes lost this weekend.

And of those seven, only No. 1 Miami can consider its playoff hopes still relatively safe.

The other six teams that didn't win all suffered either their second or third defeats. It's highly likely that a 9-3 team or two will make the final 12-team playoff at the end of the season. But for the four contenders that just suffered their third loss, their wiggle room is gone with three weeks to go in the regular season. Don't be surprised if just one or two of the teams listed below end up having a chance to play for the national title.

Games remaining: at No. 2 Georgia, vs. No. 6 Kentucky, vs. Oklahoma

Saturday's result: Lost 34-20 to No. 7 Texas

We'll start with a team that we think has the smallest chance of getting to the playoff of any of the top-20 teams who lost on Saturday.

The Tigers were almost certainly a playoff team at 10-2 and can still make the playoff at 9-3. But the odds of Missouri heading to Georgia and beating the Bulldogs are very slim, especially after the way the Tigers failed to capitalize in that loss to Texas. Yes, a lot of close replays went against Mizzou. But the Tigers also missed two field goals and had a grand total of 16 yards on their four drives after Texas tied the game at 20-20.

Games remaining : vs. No. 7 Texas, at No. 13 Tennessee, at Arkansas

Saturday's result: Lost 31-13 to No. 5 Alabama

Do you trust these Tigers to win their remaining three games? A win over Alabama would have allowed LSU to likely be in the playoff with a split of the games against UT-abbreviated teams and a win over Arkansas. Now, LSU needs to beat both Texas and Tennessee. Those wins could be enough to get LSU into the playoff at 9-3.

But if those games are losses? LSU is staring at a 7-5 campaign. And that's hardly what anyone had in mind after the school and the state lured Lane Kiffin to Baton Rouge.

Games remaining: vs. Northwestern, at Nebraska, vs. Michigan

Saturday's result: Lost 41-28 to No. 23 Oregon

Ohio State will be favored to win each of its next three games. But Ohio State is going to need a ton of help to make the playoff at 9-3. While the three-loss SEC teams in the vicinity of Ohio State have ranked opponents remaining on their schedules, the Buckeyes don't. The best case for Ohio State is that it wins out and teams like Ole Miss, LSU and Missouri lose a fourth game and others falter too. But that may be asking too much. For the first time in the 12-team playoff era, Ohio State looks like it'll be on the outside looking in.

Games remaining: at Oklahoma, vs. Wofford, vs. Mississippi State

How far are the Rebels going to drop on Tuesday? It'd be a lot easier to feel confident about Ole Miss' playoff chances if what unfolded at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium wasn't a butt-kicking. Instead, the Rebels got absolutely blown out by No. 2 Georgia and could end up falling outside the top 15.

And if that happens, Ole Miss is staring at the same question Ohio State is. What's the path back into the playoff without any games against ranked teams remaining? Ole Miss' playoff case could get even weaker if LSU loses to both Texas and Tennessee. Rebels fans, prepare to root for LSU to win at least one of those games. The strength of that head-to-head win may prove paramount.

Games remaining: vs. Baylor, at Kansas, vs. Cincinnati

Saturday's result: Lost 28-20 to No. 3 Utah

The Cougars did a great job of bouncing back from Utah's opening salvos and taking the lead in the first half. But ultimately, four turnovers were hard to overcome as the No. 3 Utes won the Holy War to stay undefeated.

BYU's win over Notre Dame got a huge boost thanks to the Irish's victory over Miami. And the host of three-loss teams below the Cougars in the playoffs rankings are a boon as well. The worst-case scenario for BYU as it stands right now is that Texas Tech beats Utah in the Big 12 title game and the CFP committee fills the field without a third Big 12 team.

Games remaining: vs. No. 24 Florida, at No. 18 Missouri, vs. Louisville

The Wildcats made a living winning games on the margins through the first nine weeks of the season. That all came crashing down against Tennessee. Kentucky turned the ball over three times and failed to score a touchdown against a Tennessee team that should move into the top 10 on Tuesday.

Kentucky is probably still in good shape for the playoff at 10-2. But can it get in at 9-3? We're not so sure. LSU is the Wildcats' signature win and it came by a point in overtime.

Here are the rest of this week's winners and losers.

Florida Atlantic: The Owls threw a wrench into the American title game race on Thursday night with a 60-29 drubbing of UTSA. WR Easton Messer continued his tear with seven catches for 85 yards and three scores, and the Owls rushed for 339 yards on just 49 attempts. UTSA entered Week 10 undefeated in conference play and a favorite to make the title game. Now, the Roadrunners could face a must-win against North Texas on Nov. 14.

Tulsa: It might be an understatement to call Tulsa's win over Tulane a dominant one. The Golden Hurricane went to New Orleans and scored the first 46 points in a 60-10 rout. QB Baylor Hayes was 26-of-33 passing for 338 yards and four touchdowns. Three of them went to Oran Singleton Jr., who had 13 catches for 177 yards and three scores. Four different Tulsa players scored rushing touchdowns, too.

The win puts Tulsa at 5-4 overall and a win away from the school's first bowl game since 2021. And it also forced Tulane athletic director David Harris to issue a statement after the game.

"Today's performance by our football program was unacceptable, and far below the standard that we have come to expect in recent years," Harris said. "I understand the frustration and disappointment that our supporters feel. I am embarrassed by what transpired on the field in front of our student-athletes' families, alumni, fans and the entire Tulane community. While any loss is difficult to accept, today's defeat was particularly alarming given the point differential. Our play was not representative of the work, discipline and sacrifice made by those who established the standard we expect from Tulane Football."

Duke: The Blue Devils absolutely have to be ranked on Tuesday night. Duke moved to 7-2 with a 41-3 win over NC State that included a 109-yard kick-6 by safety Andrew Pellicciotta late in the first half. Star RB Nate Sheppard continued his run through the ACC with 217 yards and three scores on just 18 carries. The Duke defense held NC State to 217 yards on 63 plays as the Wolfpack had just 12 first downs to Duke's 26.

Baylor: The Bears are in the midst of the interim coach bounce and are officially heading to a bowl game. Baylor improved to 6-3 overall with a 42-31 home win over Iowa State as QB DJ Lagway had three total touchdowns. The school fired Dave Aranda after a loss to Kansas and has now won two straight since Joe Klanderman took over as the team's interim for the rest of the season. Those might end up being key wins, too. Baylor plays BYU, Texas Tech and Houston to end the season.

Florida State: That interim coach bounce also applies to Florida State. The Seminoles won their first road game since their undefeated 2023 regular season in a 31-24 win at Boston College. The game was FSU's first since firing Mike Norvell after Week 9 and the first victory for interim coach Rick Stockstill since the penultimate weekend of the 2023 season when he was the coach at Middle Tennessee. Amari Thomas had 19 carries for 98 yards and two scores and the defense came up with two interceptions.

Michigan: Things are getting worse in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines lost 15-6 at home to Michigan State on Saturday night. The Spartans entered the game winless in the Big Ten.

The Wolverines had just 192 yards of offense on 52 plays as QB Tommy Carr threw two interceptions. Michigan was in real danger of getting shut out at home for the first time since 1967 — also a loss to Michigan State — before scoring a touchdown with 1:35 to go.

The loss drops Michigan to 5-4 overall ahead of games against No. 23 Oregon, No. 8 UCLA and No. 12 Ohio State. There's a very real chance Michigan could end the season at 5-7.

Nebraska: All the promise that Nebraska's 5-0 start brought Husker fans has quickly disappeared. Nebraska dropped to 5-4 overall with a 24-13 loss at Illinois on Friday night. Nebraska has scored 17 or fewer points in all four of those losses, and coach Matt Rhule fired offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen on Saturday.

How much will the offensive coordinator change matter? This is Rhule's fourth season at Nebraska and the Huskers have gone 7-6 in each of the previous two seasons. In 2024, Nebraska lost four straight after starting the season 5-1. A season ago, Nebraska lost three straight at the end of the season and five of its final seven games after starting 5-1. If you're sensing a pattern, you're not alone.

TCU: The Horned Frogs dropped to 4-5 with an incredibly brutal loss to Arizona late Friday night as they allowed the Wildcats to score twice inside the final two minutes for a 29-28 win. TCU went up eight with 6:35 to go and Arizona had the chance to tie the game with a 2-point conversion after scoring with 1:45 remaining.

That conversion failed. Arizona then tried a pooch kick on the kickoff and, well, TCU failed to recover it.

Four plays later, Michael Salgado-Medina buried a 37-yard field goal for the game-winning points.

Kansas State: Collin Klein's first season in charge of the Wildcats is in the middle of a slide. Kansas State lost its third straight game and fell to 1-5 in the Big 12 with a 66-28 home loss to Oklahoma State. The Cowboys scored seven touchdowns in the first half despite two turnovers by Drew Mestemaker. That's how badly things went for K-State.

Mestemaker ended up throwing for four scores, rushing for one and catching another. Kansas State QBs Blake Barnett and Dillon Duff combined to throw three interceptions, as the Wildcats have struggled in starting QB Avery Johnson's absence.

Kansas: It was not a great day in the Sunflower State. A familiar script unfolded for Kansas fans. The Jayhawks turned a 26-14 deficit into a 32-26 lead over UCF with 1:06 to go with a Dylan Edwards touchdown. But like has happened so often in recent years, the Jayhawks couldn't hold the lead. UCF went 73 yards in 10 plays as Caden Piening made a 6-yard TD catch with a second to go for a 33-32 win.

It's the first road win for the Knights since the 2024 season and puts UCF just a win away from a bowl game. Kansas, meanwhile, is tied at the bottom of the Big 12 with its in-state rival — and loses the head-to-head tiebreaker — as it needs to win out to get to 6-6.