Week 9 was about clearing the field and leaving us with very few undefeated teams. Nebraska, Boise State, Baylor and West Virginia lost for the first time, while Michigan, Clemson and Washington chalked up impressive wins, giving us a much clearer picture of who is going to be in contention for the college football playoff spots in a month.

#2 Michigan (8-0, 5-0) 32  Michigan State (2-6, 0-5) 25: The Wolverines remain the only undefeated team in the Big Ten and end their woes against the Spartans with a dominant performance including a 20-point lead before easing up. De’Veon Smith stood out with two rushing touchdowns in the first half.

#3 Clemson (8-0, 5-0) 37  #12 Florida State (5-3, 2-3) 34: A huge game for Dalvin Cook with 4 rushing touchdowns wasn’t enough, as a Deshaun Watson touchdown pass to Jordan Leggett won the game with 2:06 to go, completing a wild fourth quarter, and puts Clemson in very little risk of losing the lead in the Atlantic division.

#4 Washington (8-0, 5-0) 31  #17 Utah (7-2, 4-2) 24: A win that might be the biggest one yet this season for the Huskies, while Colorado take over first in the South division. Myles Gaskin had a big day with 151 rushing yards and a touchdown, but the game was won on a punt return by Dante Pettis with 3:25 to go.

#5 Louisville (7-1, 5-1) 32  Virginia (2-6, 1-3) 25: Virginia led 17-7 until late in the third quarter, but Lamar Jackson came to life, throwing two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including the winning play with 13 seconds to go, connecting with Jaylen Smith for the 29-yard score.

Northwestern (4-4, 3-2) 20  #6 Ohio State (7-1, 4-1) 24: The Buckeyes continue to struggle, but made it through thanks to a fourth quarter touchdown run by Curtis Samuel. The defense really struggled, allowing Northwestern 401 yards.

#7 Nebraska (7-1, 4-1) 17  #11 Wisconsin (6-2, 3-2) 23: A massive game that ended with Nebraska losing for the first time this season, and making things interesting in the West, although it’s still theirs to lose. Dare Ogunbowale scored the game winning touchdown in overtime, rushing for 11 yards.

#8 Baylor (6-1, 3-1) 34  Texas (4-4, 2-3) 35: A game that keeps Charlie Strong in his coaching position, and ends Baylor’s undefeated season. D’Onta Foreman had a huge game with 250 yards and 2 touchdowns, but Texas won the game on Trent Domingue 39 yard field goal with 46 seconds to go, completing a fourth quarter comeback.

New Mexico State (2-6) 10  #9 Texas A&M (7-1) 52: Nothing much to write home about for the Aggies on either side, with Trevor Knight throwing a couple of touchdown passes, letting out a bit of frustration following the loss to Alabama.

#10 West Virginia (6-1, 3-1) 20  Oklahoma State (6-2, 4-1) 37: The Mountaineers defense myth ends, and so does their undefeated season. Mason Rudolph threw 3 touchdown passes and ran for another, in a win that helps Oklahoma more than anyone.

#13 Boise State (7-1, 3-1) 28  Wyoming (6-2, 4-0) 30: A stunning result as Wyoming don’t just hand the Broncos their first loss of the season, but also take over the MWC mountain division, tying the game with 6:42 to go off of a Josh Allen touchdown pass to Tanner Gentry, and winning with a team safety of all plays.

#14 Florida (6-1, 4-1) 24  Georgia (4-4, 2-4) 10: It’s hard to see anyone taking the SEC East from Florida now, taking over the game after a slow start with incredible defense, holding the Bulldogs to just 164 yards overall. They’ve won three in a row since losing to Tennessee.

#15 Auburn (6-2, 4-1) 40  Ole Miss (3-5, 1-4) 29: The Tigers carry on with their impressive season, with Sean White doing a good job to help out the running game: 307 overall rushing yards, including two touchdowns for Kerryon Johnson and 236 rushing yards for Kamryn Pettway.

Kansas (1-7, 0-5) 3  #16 Oklahoma (6-2, 5-0) 56: The Sooners had their way with the conference doormat, including four touchdown passes for Baker Mayfield and holding the Jayhawks to just 170 offensive yards.

#18 Tennessee (5-3, 2-3) 21  South Carolina (4-4, 2-4) 24: A massive disappointing for Tennessee, who won’t win the SEC East and are once again left wondering what went wrong for them. Joshua Dobbs threw a couple of interceptions, while Jake Bentley did a good job, completing 75% of his throws, including two for a touchdown.

#22 Navy (5-2, 4-1) 45  South Florida (7-2, 4-1) 52: Quinton Flowers threw two touchdown passes and ran for a couple more, as the Bulls handed Navy their first conference loss of the season, in a matchup that could return when the conference title game comes around.

#24 Penn State (6-2, 4-1) 62  Purdue (3-5, 1-4) 24: The Boilermakers were in the game for a short while, but fell apart in the second half, getting outscored 45-7. Saquon Barkley ran for two touchdowns and 207 yards as the Nittany Lions won their fourth in a row.

#25 Virginia Tech (6-2, 4-1) 39  Pittsburgh (5-3, 2-2) 36: A surprising offensive effort from the Hokies, who lead the Coastal division. They had 556 offensive yards and forced two turnovers, scoring 18 of their points off of Joey Slye field goals.

ACC Standings

Team		W		L					W		L
Atlantic Division
No. 3 Clemson		5	–	0					8	–	0
No. 5 Louisville		5	–	1					7	–	1
Wake Forest		2	–	2					5	–	3
Syracuse		2	–	2					4	–	4
No. 12 Florida State		2	–	3					5	–	3
NC State		1	–	3					4	–	4
Boston College		1	–	4					4	–	4
Coastal Division
No. 25 Virginia Tech		4	–	1					6	–	2
No. 21 North Carolina		4	–	1					6	–	2
Pittsburgh		2	–	2					5	–	3
Georgia Tech		2	–	3					5	–	3
Miami		1	–	3					4	–	4
Virginia		1	–	3					2	–	6
Duke		0	–	4					3	–	5

Big Ten Standings

Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
#2 Michigan		5	–	0					8	–	0
#24 Penn State		4	–	1					6	–	2
#6 Ohio State		4	–	1					7	–	1
Indiana		2	–	3					4	–	4
Maryland		2	–	3					5	–	3
Michigan State		0	–	5					2	–	6
Rutgers		0	–	5					2	–	6
West Division
#7 Nebraska		4	–	1					7	–	1
Minnesota		3	–	2					6	–	2
#11 Wisconsin		3	–	2					6	–	2
Iowa		3	–	2					5	–	3
Northwestern		3	–	2					4	–	4
Purdue		1	–	4					3	–	5
Illinois		1	–	4					2	–	6

Big 12 Standings

Team		W		L					W		L
No. 16 Oklahoma		4	–	0					5	–	2
Oklahoma State		4	–	1					6	–	2
No. 8 Baylor		3	–	1					6	–	1
No. 10 West Virginia		3	–	1					6	–	1
Kansas State		3	–	2					5	–	3
Texas Tech		2	–	3					4	–	4
TCU		2	–	3					4	–	4
Texas		2	–	3					4	–	4
Kansas		0	–	4					1	–	6
Iowa State		0	–	5					1	–	7

Pac-12 Standings

Team		W		L					W		L
North Division
No. 4 Washington		5	–	0					8	–	0
Washington State		5	–	0					6	–	2
Stanford		3	–	3					5	–	3
California		2	–	3					4	–	4
Oregon		1	–	4					3	–	5
Oregon State		1	–	4					2	–	6
South Division
No. 23 Colorado		4	–	1					6	–	2
No. 17 Utah		4	–	2					7	–	2
USC		4	–	2					5	–	3
Arizona State		2	–	4					5	–	4
UCLA		1	–	4					3	–	5
Arizona		0	–	5					2	–	6

SEC Standings

Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 14 Florida		4	–	1					6	–	1
Kentucky		4	–	2					5	–	3
No. 18 Tennessee		2	–	3					5	–	3
Georgia		2	–	4					4	–	4
South Carolina		2	–	4					4	–	4
Vanderbilt		1	–	3					4	–	4
Missouri		0	–	4					2	–	6
West Division
No. 1 Alabama		5	–	0					8	–	0
No. 9 Texas A&M		4	–	1					7	–	1
No. 15 Auburn		4	–	1					6	–	2
No. 19 LSU		3	–	1					5	–	2
Arkansas		1	–	3					5	–	3
Mississippi State		1	–	3					3	–	5
Ole Miss		1	–	4					3	–	5

Image: Source