Close calls abound as top teams narrowly avoid upsets. See how Indiana, Oregon, and Vanderbilt defied expectations to remain in playoff contention.
The playoff picture almost cleared up for the No. 11 Texas Longhorns (7-2) on Saturday. Two teams currently in the College Football Playoff field barely made it out of the week with a win.
The teams in question were not the Georgia Bulldogs or Notre Dame Fighting Irish who got off to fast starts on Saturday. Instead, it was the No. 9 Oregon Ducks, No. 16 Vanderbilt Commodores and No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers who had suspenseful games.
Indiana had a close matchup earlier in the day. It faced the Penn State Nittany Lions. Prior to the season, the Nittany Lions were viewed as a national title contender. That was before the team fell prey to a string of losses that resulted in the firing of long-time head coach James Franklin.
Franklin didn't show up to the game on Saturday, but Penn State did. The Nittany Lions battled for four quarters holding a 24-20 lead with under 40 seconds left to play. Indiana then completed game-winning touchdown in the back of the end zone to give Indiana a 27-24 lead.
Oregon faced a similarly close game against the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes. Weather conditions played more of a role for Oregon than Indiana.
Oregon Ducks linebacker Jerry Mixon (54) singles first down for the Ducks after an Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Kaden Wetjen (21) fumble Nov. 8, 2025 during a Big Ten Football game at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesThe Ducks dealt with rain for much of their game against the Hawkeyes and it had an impact. Oregon found itself down 16-15 late in the second half before having to kick a game winning field goal. The Ducks converted to win the game 18-16. It was that kind of day if you were hoping for an upset.
The Vanderbilt Commodores, who Texas faced last week, had a letdown start against the Auburn Tigers. Auburn, like Penn State, fired its head coach Hugh Freeze prior Saturday's games. That didn't prevent the Tigers from showing up in a big way against Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt would ultimately win in overtime, but not without suspense prior. The Commodores took a 45-38 overtime win home to stay in the playoff picture.
What do Saturday's results mean for Texas? With less carnage among teams ranked high than the Longhorns, the margin for error decreases as does Texas' chances of making the playoff at 9-3.
All of that is moot if Texas does as it is capable of and wins out. The Longhorns take a four-game winning streak, complete with two Top 5 victories, out of the bye week and into a game against the Georgia Bulldogs. The 'Horns will look to get to 8-2 next Saturday.