Yahoo Top 10: Indiana and Oregon hang in rankings after narrow wins, but there's a shake-up at the bottom

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

For so long one of country’s losingest football program, Indiana now refuses to lose.

Surely, by now, you’ve caught Omar Cooper Jr.’s tip-toe of a touchdown catch to keep the Hoosiers undefeated in a win in State College — perhaps one of the greatest clutch catches in college football history.

And because of it, Indiana hangs on to the top spot in our Top 10 for another week.

There were other escapes on Saturday against teams coached by interims. Vanderbilt, against Auburn and interim coach DJ Durkin, needed overtime to survive and keep its playoff hopes alive. The Commodores are off next week before their playoff chances rest on beating Kentucky at home and Tennessee on the road.

There was a miraculous escape in Iowa City, too, where the Oregon Ducks needed a walk-off game-winning field goal. No anxiety was necessary in Lubbock, where Texas Tech continued its tear by knocking off previously unbeaten BYU.

In Columbia, Missouri, Texas A&M kept its nine-game season-opening win streak alive to join the Hoosiers and Buckeyes as the only three unbeaten teams left in major college football. In the non-power league playoff race, Tulane’s win at Memphis and South Florida’s drubbing of UTSA kept the two programs on track for the American championship.

In the ACC, mayhem erupted. The top two in the league standings, No. 15 Louisville and No. 14 Virginia, lost games to Cal and Wake Forest.

Also, don’t look now, but UConn, after a win over Duke, is 7-3.

No, the Huskies aren’t in our Top 10, but plenty more are!

This week: beat Penn State 27-24

Next week: vs. Wisconsin

As mentioned above, Cooper’s toe-tap touchdown thrust the Hoosiers to a wild win in State College and leaves them No. 1 in our Top 10. Indiana continues to hold what is likely the best win in the country this year — the victory in Eugene last month. But coach Curt Cignetti could do without the sloppy performance against a Penn State team with an interim head coach.

Best win: 30-20 at Oregon

This week: beat Purdue 34-10

Next week: vs. UCLA

Julian Sayin continued his remarkable streak passing. He’s completed 80.7 percent of his passes. The next best quarterback has completed 73 percent. One of the top Heisman Trophy favorites, Sayin has nine incompletions in his last two games combined on 56 attempts. And that Buckeyes defense? It hasn’t allowed any team this season to score more than 16 points.

Best wins: 14-7 vs. Texas

This week: beat Missouri 38-17

Next week: vs. South Carolina

QB Marcel Reed threw for 221 yards, ran for 29 and scored twice to lead the Aggies to 9-0 with a rout in Columbia. Mike Elko’s defense is the real deal, too. Missouri's first seven possessions ended in four punts, two turnovers and a 10-yard drive to end the first half. A&M’s path to the playoff rests on a home game against South Carolina next week. Win and you’re virtually in as, at least, an at-large. Samford and a trip to Austin are the final two games.

Best win: 41-40 at Notre Dame

This week: beat LSU 20-9

Next week: vs. Oklahoma

If you’re looking for pretty, this wasn’t it. The Tide limped around on offense (2.2 yards per carry!) but were good enough defensively to swallow a Tigers team with a beat-up quarterback and interim head coach. Things will get much tougher next Saturday when the Sooners visit Bryant-Denny Stadium. Yes, the same Sooners that cost Bama a playoff spot a year ago.

Best win: 24-21 at Georgia

This week: beat Mississippi State 41-21

Next week: vs. Texas

Georgia RB Nate Frazier ran for more yards (181) than Mississippi State in a sound beating amid the clanging cowbells in Starkville. The Bulldogs (the ones from Athens) continue their march toward a potential trip to the SEC championship game and a playoff berth. A showdown with Texas next week is followed by two non-conference matchups against Charlotte and Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

Best win: 43-35 vs. Ole Miss

This week: beat The Citadel 49-0

Next week: vs. Florida

If you want to know how easy the day was for the Rebels, just watch the video of coach Lane Kiffin posing for a mid-game photo with a couple who got engaged on the field during the waxing of The Citadel, an FCS program out of South Carolina. And now comes an intriguing meeting with the Gators, a program that might very much like to hire the Rebels’ coach.

Best win: 34-26 at Oklahoma

This week: beat BYU 29-7

Next week: vs. UCF

If you don’t believe that Tech’s offseason investment isn’t paying off, you need to pay more attention to the Red Raiders. Their defensive and offensive lines are some of the best in the country and they showed it by dominating a previously unbeaten Cougars team. They out-toughed Kalani Sitake’s squad and that’s difficult to do.

Best win: 34-10 at Utah

This week: beat Iowa 18-16

Next week: vs. Minnesota

The Ducks, in the cold and rain, managed to out-Iowa Iowa! The Hawkeyes turned the game into a nasty defensive slugfest — just the kind of game Iowa loves. But Oregon responded to Iowa’s 93-yard, near-7 minute long go-ahead touchdown drive with a 10-play, 54-yard march and a game-winning field goal in the final seconds.

Best win: 18-16 at Iowa

This week: beat Navy 49-10

Next week: at Pitt

QB CJ Carr tossed three touchdowns as the Irish’s defense stuffed Navy’s option offense to deliver Notre Dame a seventh straight victory after opening the season 0-2. The Irish’s toughest remaining test is next week in Pittsburgh against a hot Panthers team. Pitt, coming off a bye week, has won five straight.

Best win: 34-24 vs. USC

This week: Off

Next week: at Georgia

The Longhorns have won four straight after the dismal outing at Florida. They haven’t been dominant performances (they needed overtime against Kentucky and a massive comeback at Mississippi State), but perhaps QB Arch Manning has hit his stride. He’s thrown for more than 320 yards and a combined six touchdowns over the last two outings. Will the New Arch show up in Athens with UT’s playoff hopes on the line?

Best win: 23-6 vs. Oklahoma

Dropped: BYU (7), Louisville (8)

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos