Young’s absence big deal for ’Bama

Alabama misses Bryce Young. With Bryce Young, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, on the bench with an injury, the Crimson Tide struggled to get their offense on track against Texas A&M. Alabama, which dropped two spots to No. 3 in the latest AP poll, turned the ball over four times. Backup QB Jalen Milroe had three of them — an interception and two fumbles that led to 15 points and nearly cost them the game. With No. 6 Tennessee next, Nick Saban’s team can’t afford to be without Young much longer.

Tennessee represents the biggest threat to Georgia in the SEC East.

The Volunteers quickly jumped to a 20-0 lead before cruising to a 40-13 road win over then-no. 25 LSU. Tennessee accounted for at least 500 yards of offense for the fourth time this season while limiting the Tigers to 355 total yards, including just 55 on the ground. It’s the third time that Josh Heupel’s unbeaten team has limited an opponent to less than 75 rushing yards.

Notre Dame appears to have turned things around.

Since starting the season with back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Marshall and looking lost on offense, Notre Dame has rolled off three straight wins. The latest was a 28-20 victory over then-no. 16 BYU on Saturday. The Fighting Irish have found their rhythm offensively under backup QB Drew Pyne and the defense has been solid, leading to the turnaround.

C.J. Stroud continues his dominance over Michigan State.

It’s a safe bet that Michigan State coach Mel Tucker hopes he doesn’t have to face C.J. Stroud anymore. The Ohio State quarterback has been unstoppable against the Spartans, passing for 361 yards and six touchdowns in a 49-20 road win as the Buckeyes improved to 6-0. In the last two games against MSU, Stroud has completed 53 of 61 (87%) passes for 793 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Israel Abanikanda carries the load for Pittsburgh.

After rushing for a season-low 31 yards in last week’s loss to Georgia Tech, Panthers running back Israel Abanikanda redeemed himself by setting a single-game school record with 320 yards and six TDS in a 45-29 win over Virginia Tech. The previous Pitt mark was set by Tony Dorsett, who rushed for 303 yards against Notre Dame in 1975.

It was a big weekend for interim coaches.

The interim tag for a coach usually makes you a proverbial seatwarmer, but that hasn’t been the case Mickey Joseph (Nebraska), Jim Leonhard (Wisconsin), Brent Key (Georgia Tech) and Shaun Aguano (Arizona State), who all won this weekend and improved to a combined 5-3 since taking over. Aguano even guided the Sun Devils to an upset win over then-no. 21 Washington.

Texas’ fortunes rest on Quinn Ewers’ healthy shoulders.

Ewers returned to action after missing more than a month with a shoulder injury suffered in Texas’ loss to Alabama on Sept. 10. The freshman passed for 289 yards with four touchdowns and an interception in helping the Longhorns snap a fourgame losing streak to rival Oklahoma with a 49-0 rout in Dallas. When healthy, Ewers provides Texas with a legitimate shot to win just about every game remaining on their schedule.

After the Red River loss, Oklahoma is at rock bottom.

After suffering its third straight Big 12 loss, Oklahoma finds itself in unfamiliar territory at the bottom of the conference standings. It’s not just that the Sooners are mired in a theeegame losing streak but it’s how they have lost those games: outscored 145-58 while allowing an average of 587 yards. Oklahoma hasn’t lost four games in a season since 2009 and hasn’t lost four straight since 1998.

TCU is a legitimate Big 12 contender.

If anyone had doubts whether TCU’S perfect start was nothing short of an aberration, look no further than Saturday’s impressive 38-31 win over then-no. 19 Kansas. The Horned Frogs, now ranked 13th, survived a tough road test against the Jayhawks. Quarterback Max Duggan scoring four touchdowns and the defense held off a late charge to improve to 5-0 with a pair of wins over ranked opponents.