College football is just the gift that keeps on giving. We're already at the midpoint of the season - even past it for some teams - and there were plenty of intriguing games this weekend to go along with two top 10 matchups. Here is everything you need to know from the weekend:
#2 Ohio State rallies to beat #8 Wisconsin in OT
The Ohio State Buckeyes didn't look good early, but the #2 team in the country rallied with a strong second half performance to beat #8 Wisconsin, 30-23, in overtime on the road.
After trailing 10-0 in the first quarter and 16-6 at halftime, the Buckeyes began to take over in the fourth quarter. Quarterback J.T. Barrett scored on a one-yard touchdown run in the quarter, then gave Ohio State the lead with this eight-yard scamper at the start of the fourth:
Wisconsin was far from done, however, going down the field to score on the next drive to retake the lead. After a Buckeyes field goal, we went into overtime with the game tied, 23-23. On the first possession of overtime, Ohio State overcame two penalties as Barrett connected with Noah Brown for the seven-yard touchdown.
The Badgers got down to a 1st & Goal on the five yard line, but Ohio State's defense came up strong and kept them out of the end zone, preserving the victory with a sack:
Down goes Hornibrook. O-H.....I-O!!!!! https://t.co/dWohBmhHdv
— Jack McGuire (@BigDaddysCourt) October 16, 2016
The Buckeyes are now 20-0 in true road games under Urban Meyer.
Alabama shows why they're #1
The Alabama Crimson Tide have had plenty of big wins this season, but this might was the most impressive victory yet for Nick Saban's squad. Alabama rode a dominant defensive performance and got a big game from quarterback Jalen Hurts on their way to a 49-10 win on the road over Tennessee. It is the Tide's 10th straight wins over the Vols.
Bama took an early 14-0 lead after Ronnie Harrison picked off Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs and ran it back 58 yards for a touchdown.
That made this the 9th straight game in which Alabama has scored a non-offensive touchdown. Tennessee responded with a short touchdown run to cut the lead to 14-7, yet Hurts responded on the ensuing drive with a 45-yard TD run of his own.
Hurts added two more short rushing touchdowns in the second half, and the Tide added another non-offensive touchdown with Eddie Jackson's punt return to put this game away. Alabama's stellar defense held the Vols to just 163 total yards, while the Tide's offense finished with 438 rushing yards - the first time they had rushed for over 400 yards since 1992.
#3 Clemson survives scare at home against NC State
The Clemson Tigers got all they could handle from NC State, but the Tigers managed to hang on and won 24-17 in overtime.
A defensive battle, the first touchdown wasn't scored until there were 10 seconds remaining in the first half, when Clemson's Deshaun Watson hit Mike Williams for the 13-yard touchdown to take a 10-3 lead. The Tigers also got the ball to start the third quarter, but instead of extending the lead, NC State's Mike Stevens got the interception and ran it back for a touchdown.
Both sides traded short touchdown runs at the end of the third and start of the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 17-17. With Clemson unable to do anything, the Wolfpack were driving at the end of the fourth quarter with a chance to win the game, and kicker Kyle Bambard - who had missed a field goal and had another one blocked earlier in the game - missed the 33-yard attempt as time expired.
NC State needed this FG to beat #3 Clemson on the road...and they missed!! pic.twitter.com/oB5OIwiIip
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) October 16, 2016
Clemson got the ball to start overtime, and Watson promptly hit Artavis Scott for a 10-yard touchdown to put the Tigers ahead, 24-17. On the first play of NC State's possession, quarterback Ryan Finley's pass was intercepted by Marcus Edmond.
Marcus Edmond's interception in OT sealed the win for #Clemson! #CLEMvsNCST pic.twitter.com/eA4Z3ydp7a
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) October 15, 2016
ACC Coastal Division is a mess
The long-running joke about the ACC Coastal Division was that it was a division no one wanted to win. Routinely, the division champ (who often would have three losses in conference play) would have to be determined through a series of tiebreakers. Last year, that was not the case as North Carolina went undefeated in the ACC.
This year is a different story.
#16 Miami and #17 Virginia Tech were thought to be on a crash course in the division race (they play this coming Thursday), but that got all messed up today. UNC went on the road and beat Miami, 20-13, while Virginia Tech lost 31-17 on the road to Syracuse. Now, four teams are tied at the top of the division with one loss, and the Hurricanes are right behind them at 1-2. Will be another interesting year in the ACC.
Cruise control
While Miami and VT struggled, most other ranked teams picked up easy wins this weekend:
#7 Louisville 24, Duke 14 (Thursday)
#10 Nebraska 27, Indiana 22
#11 Baylor 49, Kansas 7
#14 Florida State 17, Wake Forest 6
#18 Florida 40, Missouri 14
#19 Oklahoma 38, Kansas State 17
#20 West Virginia 48, Texas Tech 17
#21 Utah 19, Oregon State 14
#24 Western Michigan 41, Akron 0
Next week
There are only three games next week between teams that are currently ranked:
#16 Miami at #17 Virginia Tech (Thursday)
#6 Texas A&M at #1 Alabama
#22 Arkansas at #23 Auburn