B/R's 2026 College Football Winners and Losers from Week 10

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Thanks to a slate packed with Top 25 showdowns and rivalries, Week 10 commanded a lofty billing as a pivotal Saturday.

Utah kicked off the action with a massive win against BYU, and Arch Manning-led Texas snatched a key result at Missouri. During the afternoon window, however, Ohio State took a crushing loss at the hands of Oregon.

The action rolls along in the evening with top-ranked Miami playing at Notre Dame and a couple of impactful SEC tilts.

This piece will be updated throughout Saturday's action.

As expected, the Holy War—with BYU and Utah both ranked as top-10 teams for the first time in series history—provided some fireworks.

Utah roared out to a 14-0 edge but watched BYU score 20 straight points. Utah regained the lead and added a touchdown to move ahead 28-20, setting up a dramatic final quarter in which Utah's defense took the spotlight.

Bear Bachmeier engineered a 13-play, seven-minute drive inside Utah's five. But then, Trey Reynolds snagged an interception at the goal line to end the threat.

After the Utes couldn't quite run out the clock, a short punt gifted BYU a final opportunity. For a moment, it looked like the Cougars might actually pull off a stunner. In the waning seconds of regulation, Bachmeier rolled right and heaved a pass toward Kyler Kasper in the end zone. Utah's Nate Ritchie jumped in front at the last second for a game-sealing pick.

Utah was far from perfect defensively, but the unit made key plays at key moments. That's the mark of an excellent team.

The problem for Minnesota? Those few connections turned into a career-high 303 yards and three touchdowns for Ty Dieffenbach, who guided the Bruins to a 34-20 road win against the Golden Gophers.

Early on, Dieffenbach found Semaj Morgan for a 54-yard completion that set up UCLA's first touchdown. Late in the game, Dieffenbach hit a streaking Aidan Mizell for a pair of 75-yard scores.

Minnesota fought valiantly, tying the game in the fourth quarter and later trimming UCLA's lead to 24-20.

But those meltdowns on the back end cost Minnesota a shot at the upset.

Amid a season with such incredible highs and crushing lows, this one must've felt cathartic for Arch Manning.

Texas picked up a vital 34-20 win at 18th-ranked Missouri, notching a fourth victory over a Top 25 opponent this season. Manning completed 28-of-38 passes for 297 yards with three touchdowns and zero turnovers.

For a week, at least, the critics—of which I have been—will be quieter.

Yes, a favorable decision on a fumble-or-interception review certainly helped. Also, the road doesn't get easier with a trip to LSU looming. The tone around him and the Horns is liable to change by the week.

Manning, though, put together a strong afternoon to keep Texas solidly in the race for a College Football Playoff bid.

Five weeks ago, I thought the bells were sounding on Shane Beamer's tenure. Already on a burning hot seat, he'd just endured a crushing loss at the hands of Kentucky—after setbacks to Mississippi State and Alabama. Beamer and star defender Dylan Stewart had an argument on the sideline.

Fast-forward to today, and everything is right. South Carolina has ripped off four straight wins, including Saturday's 17-9 triumph over Texas A&M.

LaNorris Sellers punctuated the victory with a 41-yard scamper, hobbling the final few yards for a touchdown as the crowd erupted into a frenzy. He gritted through an ankle injury as the Gamecocks climbed to a now-shocking 6-3 record.

South Carolina, rather suddenly, isn't terribly far from affecting the CFP race.

Georgia still awaits in a couple of weeks, but the 21st-ranked Gamecocks must be taken seriously. What a difference a month has made.

Falling to Oregon isn't absolutely, unequivocally the final nail in the coffin for Ohio State. This season has been filled with chaos, and the Buckeyes still have quality wins against Iowa and Indiana on their résumé.

Fans began streaming out of the Horseshoe as OSU fell behind 38-14 early in the fourth quarter. The offense, understandably, struggled again without quarterback Julian Sayin, flailing in the middle stanzas of the 41-28 loss—one certain to crank up the noise surrounding Ryan Day's job security.

"To lose three games is unacceptable, and I own that," a disappointed Day told reporters after the setback.

The only way Ohio State sneaks back into the CFP conversation is winning out—plausible with Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan to finish— plus help.

And that's not a guarantee to be enough.

Alabama took a 10-3 advantage into the locker room, but LSU flipped the script in the third quarter with a field goal, defensive stop and touchdown.

You would be forgiven if you thought Bama, then trailing 13-10, was in deep trouble. Instead, though, the Crimson Tide dominated the last 17 minutes of the second half on their way to a pivotal 31-13 road win.

On the first snap after LSU jumped ahead, Keelon Russell's 57-yard completion to Rico Scott sparked the Tide. Russell soon connected with Josh Ford for a go-ahead score. Ryan Coleman-Williams' long punt return and Bama forcing a turnover on downs set up two more touchdown passes from Russell.

In a flash, a competitive clash morphed into a blowout.

Not only did the No. 5 Tide put a major dent in LSU's postseason upside, they further padded a résumé the CFP selection committee clearly values.