BYU, Texas Tech, James Madison Fall; Unbeatens Halve — SkimNews
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- BYU fell 39-31 in double overtime to UCF after a chaotic finish: UCF declined a go-ahead field goal with 1:42 left, a BYU personal foul turned a 61-yard attempt into a 46-yarder, BYU blocked it but kicker Will Stone's helmet came off, triggering a 10-second runoff, and the Knights stopped the Cougars on fourth-and-goal from the 4.
- College Football Playoff picture shifted sharply as the FBS unbeaten count fell from six to three after losses by BYU, Texas Tech to Cincinnati and James Madison to App State — results that again significantly reshaped the playoff race.
- Texas snapped its back-to-back losses with a 34-27 win over No. 7 Ole Miss, building a 24-3 first-half lead before a strip sack of Arch Manning tied the game; Ole Miss forced an onside kick but its last heave was intercepted, keeping Texas's dimming playoff hopes alive with five games left.
- Texas Tech lost 37-24 to Cincinnati after a 6-0 start and last season's No. 4 CFP ranking and quarterfinal berth, leaving little margin for error; because BYU and Utah are not on its schedule, the Big 12 championship game is the more manageable route back.
- James Madison had its seven-game win streak ended by App State, 34-31 in overtime on Thursday night; had the Dukes run the table, keeping them out in favor of another Group 6 team would have been difficult, and their loss leaves Boise State, Oregon State and New Mexico contending for the berth.
- Boise State pulled away from a fourth-quarter tie with Washington State to win 31-10, and with Oregon State at 5-2 under new coach JaMarcus Shepard and New Mexico beating North Dakota State 21-16, the Beavers and Beavers-adjacent Pac-12 options are the odds-on Group 6 favorites; Oregon State visits Boise State on Nov. 14.
- South Carolina upset No. 11 Tennessee 27-24 on a last-second field goal after LaNorris Sellers' late touchdown, days after Tennessee beat then-No. 6 Alabama — another entry in the season's run of post-victory letdowns.
Why it matters: For the College Football Playoff field, three of the six unbeaten FBS teams lost in a single week; Texas Tech's route back runs through a Big 12 title game with BYU and Utah off its schedule, while no Group 6 team controls the race before Oregon State visits Boise State on Nov. 14.
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