CFB Wrap-up: Takeaways from Week 9's biggest games

College Football Wrap-Up recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.

Penn State uses Wisconsin lifeline

Make no mistake, Penn State was in trouble at the half in Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions trailed 10-7 and were without star quarterback Drew Allar for the rest of the game. The offense was forced to punt its first two series under Beau Pribula. All Wisconsin had to do was avoid a crippling error, and it would be in prime position to pull off a major upset that could shake up the Big Ten.

Welp, so much for that.

A shocking interception from Braedyn Locke right to a waiting Jaylen Reed gave Penn State the ball and the lead on a back-breaking pick-6. It completely flipped the game and sucked all the energy out of the crowd in Madison.

Pribula would settle in nicely after those two drives, leading the Nittany Lions to two more touchdowns on a blend of precision passing and electric runs. Wisconsin managed just a field goal the rest of the way and ended up falling by double digits.

With the win secured, the focus now turns to Allar's health ahead of next week's blockbuster with Ohio State. However, Pribula showed enough down the stretch that Penn State should feel positive about their chances versus the Buckeyes, regardless of who plays quarterback.

Elko rolls QB dice, comes up a winner

Mike Elko saw Texas A&M's chance early in the second half after being gifted the ball in excellent field position thanks to a Garrett Nussmeier interception, and the first-year head coach wasted no time in making a bold call: It was time for Marcel Reed. Starting quarterback Conner Weigman struggled mightily in the opening half and the first two series of the second. With the Aggies trailing 17-7 but on the Tigers' 8-yard line, Elko turned to Reed, who was standing in the end zone one play later.

It was the first of Reed's three rushing scores on the night as the Aggies turned a 10-point deficit into a rousing 15-point win following an incredible second-half showing. Aside from the end of the game, Reed was behind center for five drives, with four resulting in a touchdown and the other in a field goal. His play seemed to energize the defense, which forced three interceptions and two turnovers on downs in the second half.

Reed showed he should absolutely be the man at quarterback going forward. His dual-threat talent keeps the opposition guessing and unlocks the explosive run game. The victory means the Aggies are now the SEC's only undefeated team. It also means the season finale against Texas could serve as a play-in for the conference title matchup. That contest also doubles as the first battle between the two programs since Texas A&M's move to the SEC in 2012.

Rank Indiana above Ohio State

Curt Cignetti started his Indiana tenure by grabbing a microphone and spitting some absolute fire during a break at a Hoosiers basketball game in December.

"I've never taken a back seat to anybody, and I don't plan on starting now," Cignetti yelled to a roaring crowd. "Purdue sucks ... but so does Michigan and Ohio State."

If the first part got the crowd roaring, the second part sent it into a frenzy. And here's the wild part: He's not wrong, at least when comparing those teams to Indiana so far. Purdue and Michigan are a combined 5-9, while Ohio State - ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll - just finished off a narrow 21-17 win over a Nebraska team that the Hoosiers pounded 56-7 last week.

A comparison between Ohio State's and Indiana's home performances against the Cornhuskers offers a glimpse into how good the Hoosiers have been this year.

Nobody is going to argue that Indiana's roster is as talented as Ohio State's. One could also make the argument that if the two swapped schedules thus far, it would be the Hoosiers with one loss and the Buckeyes with the undefeated mark. However, Saturday's 14-point win over Washington with backup quarterback Tayven Jackson at the helm means Indiana is 8-0 for the first time since 1967, with all eight wins coming by at least two touchdowns. Indiana has scored at least 30 points in every contest this season - something Ohio State can no longer say after the Nebraska game.

Indiana now takes on the state of Michigan with a trip to East Lansing and a home date versus the Wolverines to start November. Then it's a bye week with the biggest contest of the year to follow: a road trip to face the Buckeyes on Nov. 23. It's then that Cignetti can prove whether Ohio State truly "sucks," but judging by how things have gone this year, don't be shocked if that's one of the games of the year in the Big Ten.

Where's the Buckeyes' run game?

One of Ohio State's best moments in its loss to Oregon was TreVeyon Henderson ripping off a 53-yard run. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, seeing Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, and Will Howard running in open space has been rare in recent weeks. Taking away that 53-yard run, Ohio State's rushing attack has run the ball 63 times for just 174 total yards the past two games. Those measly 2.7 yards per run are well below how Chip Kelly's offense started the year, ripping off over 6 per carry.

Injuries to the Buckeyes' offensive line continue to be an issue, but every season presents health issues for every team. Ohio State desperately needs to get in the lab and fix the run game this week, with Penn State and the nation's 14th-ranked rushing defense next on the schedule.

Oregon makes AP voters look wise

The Associated Press rewarded Alabama for its Week 4 win over Georgia with the No. 1 ranking in the poll. The Crimson Tide promptly lost to Vanderbilt. Texas was then hit with the No. 1 ranking - a spot it held for just two weeks before losing at home to Georgia last weekend. Next up was Oregon, and it's probably safe to say the Ducks ain't goin' down like that.

Playing in their first game as the No. 1 team since 2012, the Ducks did exactly what a top squad should - beat the heck out of a ranked opponent in No. 22 Illinois. Oregon scored five touchdowns on its first six drives and held Illinois to just three points during that time. The result was a bloated 35-3 halftime edge to render the second half essentially meaningless in Eugene.

After its stirring win over Ohio State two weeks ago, Oregon has beaten Purdue and Illinois by a combined 73-9 margin. The offense will get the headlines, but it's the defense that's truly dominating on a weekly basis. The Ducks have held the last two opponents to a combined 254 yards passing with six sacks, 17 tackles for loss, three interceptions, and two forced fumbles.

Texas avoids the Vandy trap

The goalposts at Vanderbilt were starting to sweat. The possibility of another top-five upset loomed in Nashville after the Commodores grabbed an early touchdown. However, Texas did what Alabama couldn't do earlier this year - get off the field on third down and force turnovers - and ultimately avoided the loss.

Diego Pavia completed 16 of 20 passes with two touchdowns and zero interceptions in Vanderbilt's win over Alabama, but the Longhorns held him to less than 150 yards passing and just a 55% completion rate. Vanderbilt struggled all night on third downs, converting just three of 12 in the game. That allowed Texas to get off the field on multiple occasions and flip possession. Add in two interceptions, and it was impossible for Vanderbilt to get any rhythm going down the stretch.

Texas stayed firmly in the SEC race with the win, but it had to overcome a slow night offensively. Steve Sarkisian's offense barely topped 5 yards per play, well below its season average of 6.4. That will be something to address on the bye week before Texas hosts Florida on Nov. 9.

Relentless, perfect, BYU

Seven drives and six scores, and BYU is a perfect 8-0. The Cougars absolutely raced out of the gates in Orlando on Saturday with four touchdowns and two field goals on their opening seven drives to build a whopping 34-10 lead on the road against UCF. If you could award extra points for style, what would a fake field goal that featured two different snaps on the play receive?

The Cougars scoring on six of their first seven drives Saturday follows four straight scoring runs to end last week's win over Oklahoma State. Add that up, and you have points on 10 of 11 drives and a pretty simple explanation why BYU remains undefeated heading into a bye week.

Notre Dame slowly erasing NIU blemish

It turns out that Notre Dame's playoff chances didn't end after a shocking Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois. Slowly, the Fighting Irish are making their case for a spot in the 12-team postseason by handling their business while others drop games. The latest resume-builder came Saturday with a blowout of previously undefeated Navy.

The Midshipmen have been one of the stories of the early season and entered ranked second in the nation with a plus-12 turnover margin. The offense hadn't turned the ball since Week 1 - a period of 307 plays. That run ended in disastrous fashion, as Notre Dame's defense forced a six-pack of turnovers. That turned any chance of an upset into an absolute rout for the Fighting Irish.

The Luck of the Irish was in play for some of the day, as four of the six turnovers were certainly more Navy mistakes than Notre Dame forcing the issue. However, Marcus Freeman's program took full advantage and ran up the score as a result.

A bye week is next on the schedule for the Irish before back-to-back home games against unranked Florida State and Virginia. Wins in both those contests should make Notre Dame a top-10 team with only games against Army and USC left on the slate.