OTHER TOP 25

No. 2 Cincinnati 31, Tulane 12: Desmond Ridder twice connected with tight end Josh Whyle for touchdowns, and visiting Cincinnati remained unbeaten. Jerome Ford rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown – his 14th this season – for Cincinnati (8-0, 4-0 American Athletic Conference), which briefly trailed in the second quarter and led by just two points at halftime. Ridder passed for 227 yards and three touchdowns to go with his 47 yards rushing, but also was sacked in the end zone for a safety and intercepted. Whyle caught four passes for 79 yards.

Houston 44, No. 19 SMU 37: Marcus Jones returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown with 17 seconds remaining to give host Houston a victory, extending the Cougars’ winning streak to seven games. After the Mustangs (7-1, 3-1 American Athletic) tied it at 37 on a 45-yard field goal by Blake Mazza with 30 seconds left, Jones took the kickoff a the goal line and broke several tackles before breaking loose for the Cougars (7-1, 4-1). Tanner Mordecai had one last chance to tie it in the final seconds, but his pass into the end zone was knocked down.

No. 11 Notre Dame 44. North Carolina 34: Kyren Williams raced 91 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter and host Notre Dame held off Sam Howell and upset-minded North Carolina in a game that had over 1,000 yards in offense. Williams ran for a career-high 199 yards on 22 carries to help the Fighting Irish improve to 7-1 with their third straight victory. The Irish won despite being outgained by the Tar Heels (4-4) in total yardage, 554-523. But the Irish outrushed the Tar Heels 293-223.