Matt Hayes dives into four key storylines from the thrilling college football games on Saturday.

First down: Chaos in the SEC

With a string of close games and narrow defeats, it felt like a shift was due, right?

Welcome back, Sam Pittman, to the brighter side of football.

The Arkansas coach, who has faced heartbreak with several close losses in the past two years (including two this season), finally secured a significant victory on Saturday night, defeating No. 4 Tennessee, 19-14.

The win hinged on a crucial defensive play after Tennessee allowed Arkansas’ backup quarterback Malachi Singleton to score, which set the stage for the game-winning drive. This win marked a milestone for Pittman, being his first meaningful victory since the 2021 season.

Arkansas overcame challenges, including a dropped touchdown, a missed field goal, two unsuccessful fourth-down attempts, and scoring just 13 points in four trips to the red zone.

Remarkably, this was the first occurrence in SEC history where two top-five teams lost on the same day, as Vanderbilt also shocked No. 1 Alabama.

With Alabama, Tennessee, and No. 9 Missouri upset, only Texas remains unbeaten in the league, leading to a narrowing pool of top teams contending for College Football Playoff positions.

Now, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma each have one loss. They will face off against each other (and unbeaten Texas) over the coming months.

As we head deeper into October with eight teams sporting one loss, a pressing question arises: Can the SEC find a way to get a three-loss team into the CFP?

Second down: Texas A&M and motivation

Let’s revisit a classic source of motivation and how it’s revitalizing Texas A&M in the SEC race.

The benching.

Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman was sidelined for three weeks due to a shoulder injury, watching backup Marcel Reed shine and lead the team to three consecutive wins.

You can see where this is going, right?

Facing competition for his job from Reed, Weigman delivered a standout performance against Missouri, leading to a dominant SEC victory.

In a world of NIL deals and player transfers, you might wonder where the motivation lies; it’s still the bench.

Despite coach Mike Elko asserting that Weigman remained the starter if healthy, it was clear that the presence of Reed stirred a competitive fire in Weigman after a subpar performance in the season opener against Notre Dame.

As coach Eli Drinkwitz suggested that A&M might utilize Reed’s skills to become more challenging to defend, Weigman felt even more pressure to perform.

In response, Weigman played the best game of his injured career, completing 18 of 22 passes for 276 yards and rushing five times for 33 yards, leading to a 41-10 victory that keeps Texas A&M (5-1) undefeated in the SEC.

Weigman injured his shoulder in the season opener against Notre Dame but pushed through the next game. He then struggled while Reed emerged as a formidable starter.

Nevertheless, Weigman is regarded by NFL scouts as a potential first-round draft pick and showcased his talent by connecting on impressive deep throws against one of the top-ranked pass defenses.

“He exhibits real arm strength and delivers a beautiful ball,” noted an NFL scout speaking anonymously to safeguard his team’s drafting strategy. “But the keys are consistency, accuracy, and staying healthy. You can see the potential when he’s in optimal form and has time to throw.”

Especially when truly motivated.

Third down: The rise of SMU

They invested heavily to join the ACC, securing a spot at the power conference table with a $100 million offer to the hungry conference presidents.

Now, the SMU Mustangs appear to be strong contenders in the revamped ACC, thanks in large part to the breakout performance of redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Jennings.

Playing on a field made legendary by Lamar Jackson not long ago, Jennings resembled the former Heisman Trophy winner in a crucial 34-27 ACC victory.

He threw for 281 yards and rushed for 113 yards, and SMU has transformed into a formidable squad since Jennings took over as starter after a narrow loss to unbeaten BYU.

Since his insertion into the lineup, SMU has triumphed in three consecutive games, entering each remaining regular-season matchup as the favorite (against Stanford, Duke, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Virginia, California).

In the three games since taking the starting role, Jennings has completed 74% of his passes, accumulated 672 passing yards with five touchdowns, and rushed for 166 yards and a score without throwing an interception in victories against TCU, Florida State, and Louisville.

What’s more, SMU’s offensive dynamics have drastically shifted under Jennings’ leadership.

While SMU’s defense might not resemble a championship-caliber unit, the prowess of Jennings could be enough to navigate the Mustangs through the rest of the season. They convincingly beat their fierce rival TCU and the defending ACC champion FSU at home and maintained the lead in a challenging road game at Louisville.

Additionally, the Mustangs haven’t reached their full potential yet.

There’s been quite a journey for Jennings, but we aren’t quite at the finish line yet.

Fourth down: Intense matchup coming for Ohio State and Oregon

Throughout the first five weeks of the season, they’ve had a mix of easy wins and some sluggish performances.

Next week, we’ll have the chance to really evaluate what Ohio State and Oregon are made of.

On Saturday, the Buckeyes beat Iowa at home in a game that felt more like a slow slog than the expected 35-7 victory. Besides a handful of impressive moments from freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith—who is sure to be a challenge for defenders over the next three years—Ohio State still has to unlock its full potential, especially with new transfer quarterback Will Howard and running back Quinshon Judkins in the mix.

Everything changes next week when they head to Oregon, where like Ohio State, the Ducks are yet to find their rhythm with new transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel leading the team. However, Oregon’s offensive line has started to provide more consistent performances, leading to a more dynamic offense that poses a real threat.

Ohio State has largely faced weaker opponents, including three from the Group of Five and two Big Ten teams (Michigan State, Iowa) that are in the middle of rebuilding. In contrast, Oregon narrowly defeated Boise State—a strong Group of Five team—and also secured wins against struggling Big Ten teams like Michigan State and UCLA.

This matchup could mark the first of two or possibly three crucial games to determine which of these Big Ten powerhouses will advance to the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff.

This will be an exciting opportunity to see how the favorites from the Big Ten perform in a high-stakes environment.