The Ballad of Tud: How a fiddle-playing North Dakota native is ready to take over the draft
EVERY SO OFTEN, North Dakota State offensive tackle Cody Mauch will hear from Kendrick Lenzen, his childhood friend and former grade school teammate, via FaceTime.
“He’ll be like, ‘Hey, give me a smile,'” Mauch said. “It’s like he’s admiring his work.”
Lenzen is responsible for what might become the most recognizable gap-tooth grin in the NFL since Michael Strahan. Mauch hasn’t had his two front teeth since colliding with Lenzen while chasing a loose ball in a middle school basketball game. After several dental stopgaps, Mauch decided that he wouldn’t repair his teeth until he finished playing football.
He could be waiting a while to fix that smile.
Mauch (pronounced “Mouck”) enters the NFL draft later this month as one of the top offensive tackles on the board and Todd McShay’s No. 52 overall prospect. ESPN’s Matt Miller lists Mauch as his No. 5 tackle and there’s a chance the North Dakota State standout hears his name called on the draft’s first night in Kansas City, Missouri.
“I can say I knocked out an NFL player’s teeth,” Lenzen said.
Mauch’s path to the doorstep of the NFL stands out, given where his journey began and what he looked like when he left home. He grew up in Hankinson, North Dakota, a town of 922 in the southeast corner of the state, where he played nine-man football and graduated in a class of 18. Mauch arrived at North Dakota State as a 220-pound walk-on tight end and left 82 pounds heavier as an All-America tackle.
The physical transformation makes the 6-foot-5, 302-pound Mauch hard to miss, especially with his long red hair and missing teeth. His personality matches the look. At NDSU, he became known for creative first-down celebrations, having in-game conversations with opposing linemen and playing the air fiddle (and even a real one) after FCS semifinal victories.
“His nickname is ‘Tud,'” said North Dakota State defensive lineman Jake Kava, Mauch’s friend and housemate. “When you think of a guy with the nickname Tud, that’s Cody. No front teeth, big smile, long, flowing red hair.”
Beneath the friendly exterior is a talent who can play all five offensive line spots and has an intriguing combination of skills and power. He just approaches football with a smile.
MAUCH WALKED ON at North Dakota State after receiving mostly Division II offers out of Hankinson High School, where he played tight end, quarterback and defensive end in the nine-man game. When Bison offensive lineman Nash Jensen first saw Mauch, he thought: “Who’s this scrawny little redhead?”
During a practice in the spring of 2018, North Dakota State coach Chris Klieman called over Jim Kramer, the team’s longtime strength coach. Klieman gestured toward Mauch, who had redshirted the previous season and was working with the tight ends.
“That kid’s going to be a big kid,” Klieman told Kramer.
But Klieman, who is now the head coach at defending Big 12 champion Kansas State, saw Mauch at a new position, where he could ultimately reach a much higher level.
“He was the first person who ever told me I might have a shot at the NFL,” Mauch recalled. “That was before I really even started playing offensive line. I’m like, ‘Man, this guy’s crazy. How’s he know?'”
North Dakota State doesn’t treat its players as finished products. Kramer works with a nutritionist to take measurements and predicts the mass that players can add without compromising their effectiveness. Linebackers become defensive ends, tight ends become tackles and so on. The approach has helped NDSU become the nation’s premier FCS program, winning nine national titles since 2011 and playing for another in January. Since 2014, North Dakota State has had 10 players drafted, including two first-round quarterbacks (Trey Lance and Carson Wentz) and four offensive linemen.
At first, Kramer didn’t fully buy Klieman’s vision for Mauch.
“I don’t know if I saw that he was going to be a 300-pounder,” Kramer said. “But Coach Klieman saw it. Then Cody started working.”
Mauch spent the next months in the weight room and dining halls or other eateries in and around campus. NDSU has an all-you-can-eat program for freshmen and “Cody took full advantage,” said Matt Entz, who replaced Klieman as coach in December 2018.
Kramer outlined a more aggressive in-season training plan for Mauch, since he wasn’t on the depth chart. Mauch also spent much of his free offseason time eating and lifting.
“It made such a difference,” said Joe Mauch, Cody’s father. “Small-town kid, we don’t really have too much of a weight program. At school, the weight room is in a corner on the stage. Not a lot, aside from a squat rack and a bench press.”
When the 2018 season kicked off, NDSU listed Cody at 269 pounds, a 35-pound increase from his 2017 weight. By the fall of 2019, he was up to 290 pounds. Mauch also didn’t stop growing vertically, measuring 6-foot-5 at the combine, an inch taller than when he arrived in Fargo.
“He’s a kid with big hips, big hands, big features,” Entz said. “We knew that at some point, he was going to gain some weight. I don’t know if anyone really knew what he was going to be, or that he was going to turn out to be potentially a Day 1, Day 2 type of draft pick.”
Mauch began playing the ogre position, an extra offensive lineman who occasionally wears a tight end’s number. In 2019, he suited up as both No. 70 (offensive line) and No. 88 (tight end), catching a 2-point conversion in an FCS playoff semifinal win.
By the COVID-delayed spring season of 2021, his positional path became clear. North Dakota State initially moved all-conference tackle Cordell Volson from right tackle to left, while placing Mauch on the right side. After two games, the two switched. Volson earned first-team All-America honors that season and in the fall, before becoming a fourth-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals. Mauch remained the team’s starter at left tackle.
“He’s such a hardworking kid,” said Jensen, who started multiple seasons next to Mauch at left guard. “Just to see his progression from being a tight end/defensive end to an All-American, top NFL prospect [for] offensive line, is absolutely crazy.
“I couldn’t be more proud.”
Mauch occasionally gets Facebook or Snapchat memories that show what he looked like when he arrived at North Dakota State. The before-and-after graphic of his measurables appeared on TV during the 2023 FCS playoffs and at pre-draft events like the Senior Bowl.
“It’s like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe that’s the way I looked,'” Mauch said. “It makes you happy for the way things have gone and how different life is now.”
WHEN STACEY MAUCH saw her son walk in the door, she started to cry.
Cody was back home from Fargo, where he had visited the E.R. and a dentist, following the collision with Lenzen in the basketball game. His front teeth couldn’t be salvaged, and his lips and face had swelled like a balloon.
Stacey didn’t want to see Cody in pain. As a schoolteacher in Hankinson, she also worried about the impact of such a noticeable facial injury for a seventh-grader.
“You just want your kids to grow up confident and happy,” Stacey Mauch said. “‘Get your teeth fixed, you’ll be confident and be ready to smile and take on the world.’ But this guy doesn’t need teeth to do that. He’s shown that over and over, the way he flashes the smile and the confidence he has.”
Since Cody’s mouth was still growing, the plan called for him to wait for implants. He went through several sets of braces to widen his mouth and used a retainer and a “flipper” with false teeth. But the retainers kept breaking. After several years, Mauch stopped wearing anything.
“I’m sure my mom and dad were probably a little upset, just because of how much money they paid in braces and all the different dentist appointments, all the broken retainers,” he said. “But everyone who knows me knows that no teeth kind of fits my personality. I’m an easygoing, goofy guy. I don’t really care how I look.”
Cody is the second of eight children, spanning ages 25 to 7, and comes from a large family that goes back generations around Hankinson.
As a boy, he spent summer days at the family crops farm alongside Joe. Tasks ranged from maintenance on tractors and other equipment to clearing fields. When Cody got his driver’s license, he began driving a truck.
“You learn the way to work,” Joe said. “Our kids have been working on a farm since they were 8 years old.”
Hankinson’s school had about 300 students in one building, kindergarten through 12th grade, and only offered a handful of sports. Mauch competed in everything: football, basketball, baseball and track, earning all-region honors in both basketball and track, while setting school records for touchdown receptions and sacks.
His older brother, Carter, was a multisport standout, and his younger siblings also competed.
“Whatever was going on for sports in the world, that’s what was going on in our front yard, too,” Stacey Mauch said. “If it was football season, they would mow a football field out there. If it was baseball season, they would mow a baseball field.”
Cody knew everyone around town, and he and his friends found ways to entertain themselves. Once they began driving, they started to do “Main-ers.”
“Just rip it up and down Main Street,” said Cody, who started with a 2000 Grand Am before buying one of his dad’s F-150 trucks. “There’s no stop lights or anything, so it takes you probably 45 seconds to get from one side of town to the other.”
Cody recently looked at a picture of his kindergarten class and realized almost everyone had graduated high school together. In November, Hankinson honored Cody with a celebration at the school.
His NFL draft plans aren’t firmly set, but Joe expects a party at the VFW or the American Legion in Hankinson, where family and friends will gather.
“I’m definitely going to pay a lot more attention to the draft this year,” Lenzen said. “I’m excited, kind of in disbelief. Cody’s put a lot of work in, but it’s a dream that a lot of people don’t get to have.”
DURING MAUCH’S FRESHMAN year at North Dakota State, Hank Jacobs, the team’s director of football operations, looked at the clean-cut walk-on and made a suggestion: Grow out the red hair.
Mauch wasn’t convinced, but he stopped going to the barber.
“I’m like, ‘Eh, I’ll just do it, why not?'” Mauch said. “I’ve been growing it out for probably four years now. Saved a lot of money on haircuts.”
The long red hair, a trait Mauch shares with two of his sisters, is part of his signature look. He added a red beard while at NDSU. There’s only one drawback.
“There was hair everywhere,” said Kava, who shared a house with Mauch. “I was the vacuum guy, so I had to clean it out and I was like, ‘Cody, could you please cut your hair, for my sake?’ It’s annoying to clean up, but it’s here to stay. It’s definitely part of the thing he has going.”
Mauch incorporated his locks into a first-down signal: the hair point. Other celebrations after NDSU moved the chains included a slide, a somersault and several that were rehearsed but too difficult to perform in games, like the Maucharena (his spin on the ’90s dance) and the conga line.
Naturally, Mauch named one celebration “A-gap power,” where he smiles after first downs. His missing teeth actually became a conversation topic during games with opposing players.
“The D-ends and D-tackles, they’re asking him, ‘Why don’t you have two front teeth?'” Jensen said. “As each play went along, the story got longer and longer. He probably changed it from time to time, just to mess with them.”
Mauch didn’t make the conversations all about himself. By his third year as a starter, he had built relationships with opposing linemen, and tried to get to know new ones.
“You’re kicking these guys’ butts and then talking to them about their uncle and farming,” Kava said. “I think we were playing [Northern Iowa] and he’s talking about egg science with their D-tackle. We’d get home and he would tell me, ‘We were talking about the new combine from John Deere.’
“I’m like, ‘Cody, you’re something else.'”
Not surprisingly, Mauch was in the middle of North Dakota State’s fiddle-playing tradition after FCS semifinal wins. Since the national title game is held annually in Frisco, Texas, North Dakota State plays the country song “If you’re gonna play in Texas [You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band]” in the Fargodome when it advances. Bison players will play air fiddle, but after a win over Incarnate Word in December, someone handed Mauch a real one.
Middle schoolers in nearby Moorhead, Minnesota, noticed Mauch’s fiddle form on TV and invited him to learn how to play correctly.
“Just a classroom of sixth- and seventh-graders making fun of me for not knowing how to hold it, not playing it right,” Mauch said. “That was cool to get humbled by those guys.”
For Mauch, the in-game displays made football fun, especially while playing on the line. He clicked instantly with the offensive linemen after switching over. Mauch loved that the group’s success hinged on being unified, but individual personalities could still stand out.
During pregame meals, the linemen would compile their Mount Rushmores — top fours — for a variety of topics: snacks, favorite foods, least favorite foods, favorite places in Fargo, and more. “The stupid stuff that was right in my wheelhouse,” Mauch said. Then, the Bison would usually proceed to mash their opponents. They ranked in the top 10 nationally in rushing throughout Mauch’s career.
Mauch’s philosophy impacted everyone around him, even his coaches.
“I didn’t think the football field was the place to have fun,” NDSU offensive line coach Dan Larson said. “But he has fun with it and it makes football enjoyable to him. We stopped worrying about whether he was doing first-down signals, or if a guy runs by and he gives a high-five, but [the opposing player] won’t do it, he gives himself a high-five.
“When I stopped worrying about those parts of it and just the snap and the finish, his level of football even went up. Because it’s who he is.”
ON NFL SUNDAYS in recent years, Mauch and his housemates would gather in their living room and watch games on four mounted TVs. Sometimes they’d even bring in a fifth screen.
Mauch used the time to unwind, but as he got older, his attention shifted.
“I’m sitting there, watching the left tackle, watching the center,” he said. “I was just putting myself in their shoes.”
Mauch’s appearance and personality project fun, but he takes football seriously. Entz never questioned Mauch’s commitment, noting that he approaches the grind of the game with some balance. Larson learned that as long as he smiled once in a while, he could challenge Mauch just like any other player.
Since Mauch is relatively new to playing offensive line, he had to build up his strength and technique. Kava remembered being able to bull-rush Mauch early in their careers before Mauch added “that tackle weight.” Larson worked on hand placement with Mauch but saw him thrive at playing with his hips low to keep defenders from getting past him in pass protection.
Mauch’s footwork and ability to move are his greatest assets. Larson thinks the right blocking scheme will make Mauch a “vertical monster,” where he can pull and run downfield. Mauch doesn’t have the longest arms, which measured 32 and three-eighths inches at the NFL combine, and might not project as a tackle for every team, but he can play all over the line, as he displayed during Senior Bowl week.
“He’s the only guy in this draft class who has proven he can play all five spots,” Senior Bowl executive director and former ESPN draft analyst Jim Nagy said. “Those guys are really hard to find. In the [Senior Bowl] game, he played left guard, center and right tackle, so he’s proven he can play on both sides, which is big, too.”
While scouting Mauch’s film, Nagy never flagged arm length as a potential drawback. Mauch held up well against better competition during Senior Bowl week, and players on the National team voted him as their top offensive lineman.
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Cody Mauch’s NFL draft profile
Check out the best highlights that contributed to a stellar college career for North Dakota State’s Cody Mauch.
Nagy said most teams he talked to before the event pegged Mauch as a second-round pick, but Mauch’s performance gave him “a legit chance” to go at the end of the first round.
“I would start him at left tackle, because that’s the premium position and prove to me that he can’t play there,” Nagy said. “If he can’t play there, then we’ll slide him into guard or center and there’ll be a Pro Bowl-level player inside.”
An AFC scout said Mauch likely projects as a Day 2 pick but added that all teams are starving for tackles.
“His passion and the emphasis he puts on playing the game jumped out,” the scout said of Mauch. “I wanted to keep watching this guy.”
Everyone will soon be watching Mauch in the NFL. Mauch appreciates his unlikely path to pro ball: small town, nine-man ball, three years as a walk-on at NDSU. He considers receiving a scholarship to be among the best moments of his life.
Another moment will come soon when his name is called in Kansas City at the draft. Mauch looks forward to entering a pro facility with his signature smile and becoming “a locker-room guy,” just like he was at NDSU.
Was something in the air in Week 12? We are now down to three undefeated FBS teams following No. 6 BYU’s loss to Kansas on Saturday night, and in total, five AP Top 25 teams lost to unranked opponents.
With BYU suffering its first loss of the season and now tied with Colorado in the Big 12 standings, what do the Cougars need to do in the last few weeks to reach the conference title game?
Georgia gained a much-needed win over Tennessee at home Saturday. The Bulldogs are well positioned to make a College Football Playoff appearance, but injuries have taken a toll on their roster depth. How can Georgia prepare for the playoff over the next few weeks, should it gain one of the 12 spots?
How did Saturday’s action affect our Power Rankings?
Here’s the latest top 25 from our college football experts, who provide their insight on each team following Week 12.
Previous ranking: 1
The 11-0 Ducks escaped Wisconsin with a 16-13 comeback victory in the fourth quarter. But again, Oregon couldn’t stifle the opposing team’s running game, as Badgers running back Tawee Walker kept the Ducks offense off the field with 97 yards on 20 carries. Oregon now ranks 71st nationally in EPA (expected points added) on run defense (minus-8.99), and 12th in the Big Ten. The league’s other playoff contenders — Ohio State, Indiana and Penn State — all rank in the top 11 nationally in EPA run defense. Oregon is sure to face prolific rushing attacks in the playoff. Getting key stops against the run — and getting its high-powered offense back on the field — will be paramount, if the Ducks are going to make a run to their first national championship. — Jake Trotter
Previous ranking: 2
The Buckeyes’ defense has responded very well from its loss to Oregon, holding its past four opponents to under 20 points and fewer than 275 yards per game. But the Buckeyes (9-1) will need to be a bit sharper on third down this coming week against Indiana, which entered Week 12 ranked 10th nationally in third-down conversions (49.1%). Northwestern converted five of its first 11 third-down chances against Ohio State on Saturday at Wrigley Field, and could have made the game more competitive if it had finished drives in Buckeyes territory.
Coach Ryan Day noted the early third-down struggles and the defense’s improvement as the game went along, saying, “We settled down a little bit.” Ohio State will need its veteran defensive line to pressure Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who has been sacked only 10 times this season, and fluster a Hoosiers offensive line that struggled against Michigan. — Adam Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 3
The 9-1 Longhorns avoided a major pothole on their road to a showdown with Texas A&M that could have SEC championship game implications, fending off a pesky Arkansas team. Texas still couldn’t get its vertical passing game on track due to the Hogs’ three-safety approach on defense, and Texas players admitted it was frustrating. But in a road game against old rivals who anxiously awaited a chance to break Texas’ hearts the way the Longhorns had done to them for years, Steve Sarkisian’s team adjusted and was able to grind out the 20-10 win. The star was the defense, which was smothering all day, holding an offense that averaged 484 yards per game to just 231. Texas has Kentucky on Saturday before the Aggies on Nov. 30. — Dave Wilson
Previous ranking: 5
Areas of improvement are tough to find for an Indiana team that leads the nation in scoring margin (301) and is 10-0 for the first time. But the Hoosiers’ offensive struggles in the second half on Nov. 9 against Michigan sounded some alarm bells, especially since they will face an Ohio State team with a lot more talent this week. IU had only 17 net yards on 24 plays in the second half against the Wolverines, as reliable quarterback Kurtis Rourke threw an interception near the goal line and a banged-up offensive line showed cracks for the first time.
The second open week came at a good time, as Rourke is still recovering from surgery on the thumb on his throwing hand, while wide receiver Myles Price and others had a chance to rest up. Indiana’s line-of-scrimmage play has been overlooked with all the other highlights, but the Hoosiers must hold up there against Ohio State to have a chance in Columbus. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 6
Penn State thrashed Purdue 49-10, as expected. But if the Nittany Lions are going to make a playoff run, they’re going to need to be sharper in the red zone. Coming into the weekend, Penn State (9-1) ranked just 48th in red zone scoring percentage (87.2%). Missed opportunities in the red zone doomed the Nittany Lions in their Nov. 2 loss to Ohio State.
Twice, Penn State had first-and-goal at the Buckeyes’ 3-yard line, but both times it came up empty. Ohio State’s Davison Igbinosun wrestled the ball away for an interception just before halftime. Then, with a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, Penn State couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone. Had the Nittany Lions converted both of those opportunities, they’d still be undefeated. Penn State can’t afford to come up empty on deep drives if it wants to advance in the playoff. — Trotter
Previous ranking: 8
It wasn’t supposed to be close, and it wasn’t Saturday in Alabama’s 52-7 rout of outmanned FCS foe Mercer. It was a scrimmage of sorts for the Crimson Tide (8-2, 4-2) before diving into their final two games of the season and what would almost certainly be a berth in the SEC championship game if they can win out against Oklahoma on the road this coming weekend and then Auburn at home on Nov. 30.
Turnovers will be key for Alabama the rest of the way. The Crimson Tide hurt themselves with turnovers in their two losses, so taking care of the ball will be critical. Quarterback Jalen Milroe was done midway through the third quarter after piling up 229 total yards of total offense and accounting for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). He has also been better at limiting his turnovers. Alabama’s defense forced three turnovers in what was the Tide’s third straight dominant performance. Since the 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt on Oct. 5, Alabama has not given up more than 25 points in a game. — Chris Low
Previous ranking: 10
After what might end up being a season-defining win over Georgia, Ole Miss (8-2) enjoyed a bye in Week 12 in anticipation of a manageable but anxious home stretch. Lane Kiffin’s Rebels will wrap the season with a trip to Florida and an Egg Bowl visit from Mississippi State. They will be comfortably favored in both games, and at 11th in the CFP rankings, they’ll have a solid shot at ending up in the playoff if they win out. But it’s not a guarantee, and Florida, who just beat LSU on Saturday, is a pretty dangerous underdog at the moment. The Gators will test Ole Miss’ big-play prevention capabilities: On six of 43 snaps against LSU, Florida gained at least 20 yards. MSU can bite off chunk plays as well, and if Ole Miss is to win out, discipline in the back will be a must. — Bill Connelly
Previous ranking: 13
Now that the sky is no longer falling in Athens, Georgia, after the Bulldogs took down Tennessee 31-17 on Saturday night, they need to focus on trying to get healthy for the stretch run. Tailback Trevor Etienne missed the game with a rib injury, leaving freshmen Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens to carry the load against the Volunteers. Receiver Dillon Bell went down with an ankle injury; coach Kirby Smart didn’t know the severity of the injury. Georgia’s depleted receiver corps, which was missing suspended Colbie Young, was already razor thin in terms of depth.
The Bulldogs (8-2) were forced to play only five offensive linemen the entire game because starting tackle Earnest Greene III is battling a shoulder injury. The starting unit of left tackle Monroe Freeling, left guard Dylan Fairchild, center Jared Wilson, right guard Tate Ratledge and right tackle Xavier Truss didn’t allow a sack and gave quarterback Carson Beck plenty of time to work. He completed 25 of 40 passes for 347 yards with three total touchdowns. Georgia had four scoring drives of 75 yards or more. With non-SEC games remaining against UMass and Georgia Tech at home, Georgia is well-positioned to make the CFP. — Mark Schlabach
Previous ranking: 11
The Irish (9-1) continued their dominance of the ACC, walloping Virginia 35-14 and finishing 5-0 against their part-time conference for the year. Since beginning a scheduling agreement with the ACC that guarantees five games against the conference each season in 2014, Notre Dame has finished without a regular-season loss six times and is 50-11 overall against the ACC. In the win over Virginia, Riley Leonard threw for three touchdowns, and Jeremiyah Love ran for two more. Notre Dame’s playoff hopes likely come down to next week’s game against undefeated Army. — David Hale
Previous ranking: 9
The 9-1 Hurricanes had an open date to prepare for their final two regular-season games, with an ACC championship game berth on the line. There is little doubt Miami spent that time focusing on its defense, and ways to ensure the breakdowns we have seen in recent weeks — especially in a loss to Georgia Tech — are fixed. While the Miami secondary had shown inconsistency throughout the season, what was particularly galling in the loss to the Yellow Jackets was a run defense that simply was out of position and unable to adjust — allowing 271 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Up next is Wake Forest and running back Demond Claiborne, one of the better rushers in the league. The matchup will provide a good test to see whether Miami has fixed one of its bigger issues. — Andrea Adelson
Previous ranking: 12
With BYU’s loss to the Kansas Jayhawks, Boise State (9-1) is inching closer toward the possibility of receiving a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. The Broncos got off to a slow start at San José State on Saturday, but after falling behind 14-0, they closed the game on a 42-7 run to win convincingly as Ashton Jeanty broke the single-season school rushing record. With 1,893 yards through 10 games, Jeanty is sure to be a Heisman Trophy finalist and could soon be within striking distance of Barry Sanders’ single-season FBS rushing record of 2,628 yards from 1988. — Kyle Bonagura
Previous ranking: 4
The Volunteers’ eighth straight loss to Georgia didn’t necessarily knock them out of the CFP, but they’re going to face an uphill battle to get back into the top 12 unless there are some upsets in the final two weeks of the regular season. Tennessee (8-2) had a great win over Alabama at home, but victories over struggling NC State and Oklahoma won’t do much to help its chances. Against the Bulldogs, the Volunteers couldn’t protect quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who returned after suffering a concussion last week, and couldn’t get enough pressure on Georgia quarterback Carson Beck.
Iamaleava was sacked five times. He completed 20 of 33 passes for 167 yards. The UT defense didn’t have a sack and had only two tackles for loss, allowing Beck to throw for 347 yards with two scores. Georgia went 8-for-14 on third down and 5-for-5 in the red zone. If the Vols beat UTEP and Vanderbilt in their final two games, they’ll be in the CFP discussion. They’ll probably be wondering if they’ve done enough. — Schlabach
Previous ranking: 14
Certainly, there is plenty to clean up after a 38-28 win over Boston College in which the Eagles took the Mustangs (9-1) down to the wire. BC was able to run the ball for 180 yards and three touchdowns and held the ball for nearly 11 more minutes than the Mustangs — not a huge surprise, given the Eagles clearly planned to slow down SMU and limit its possessions. But SMU’s defense made the plays it needed to in the end, sacking Grayson James on consecutive plays late in the game to help secure the win.
SMU heads to Virginia next to keep its undefeated league mark intact and move one step closer to an ACC championship game appearance. Kevin Jennings and Brashard Smith were spectacular once again, combining to score all four of the Mustangs’ touchdowns. — Adelson
Previous ranking: 7
Another late game-winning drive wasn’t in the cards for BYU, which dropped its first game of the season, 17-13 at home vs. Kansas. The Cougars (9-1) remain tied with Colorado atop the Big 12 standings at 6-1, but are in a position now where they will likely need to win at Arizona State (5-2) on Friday to reach the conference title game. Their 13 points against Kansas were the fewest they have scored in a game this season, as Jake Retzlaff completed 18 of 28 passes for 192 yards with a touchdown and an interception. — Bonagura
Previous ranking: 17
The Aggies (8-2) needed a get-right game after getting shut out in the second half of a 44-20 loss at South Carolina on Nov. 2 that snapped their seven-game winning streak. They worked out some kinks against New Mexico State, including allowing just 50 yards to the other Aggies in the first half. Marcel Reed further solidified his place as A&M’s starter with two passing touchdowns and a rush for another.
In the first game without leading rusher Le’Veon Moss, Amari Daniels had five carries for 84 yards, including a 71-yard touchdown, and A&M was able to empty the bench and even get the all-walk-on 12th Man kickoff team some time. The Aggies will have to lock in for a dangerous night game at Auburn on Saturday before returning home to defend Kyle Field against the Longhorns on Nov. 30. — Wilson
Previous ranking: 15
Army (9-0) watched Tulane clinch the other spot in the AAC championship on Saturday; the Green Wave and Black Knights will face off for the title on Dec. 7. But first comes maybe the biggest (non-Navy) Army game in decades Saturday, when the Black Knights head to Yankee Stadium to face Notre Dame in a game that could determine their CFP viability. With a win, they would almost certainly rise into the teens in the CFP rankings. To pull off the upset, though, the Black Knights might have to find their inner disruptor. They are great at the bend-but-don’t-break routine, forcing few negative plays but allowing no big plays and making stops in the red zone. But Notre Dame can run the ball (and finish in the red zone) with ruthless efficiency, and if Army can’t knock the Irish off-schedule, it might not make enough stops. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 16
The Buffaloes (8-2) are on a four-game winning streak and could legitimately win a Big 12 title in Deion Sanders’ second season. But a 49-24 rout of Utah on Saturday left their head coach wanting more from the rushing attack. Arkansas transfer Isaiah Augustave broke a 37-yard touchdown run against the Utes, but the Buffs’ backs combined for 32 yards on 11 carries over the rest of the game. “We can do some remarkable things if we have a more balanced offense,” Sanders said. Colorado has gained 1,017 yards on non-sack rushes this season, fewest among all Power 4 offenses. — Max Olson
Previous ranking: 20
The Gamecocks are one of those teams that nobody is lining up to play right now, and one of the things that will make them even more formidable the rest of the way will be holding on to leads. They’re finding different ways to win, growing up in key areas and smothering opposing offenses with a defensive line that’s right up there with any in college football. The Gamecocks (7-3, 5-3) rallied past Missouri in the final minute for a 34-30 win on Saturday, giving them their fourth straight victory and marking only the second time in the past 11 seasons they have finished with a winning SEC record.
The only real snag is that the Gamecocks had a two-touchdown lead early and couldn’t hold on. That could come back to bite them down the road. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers, a redshirt freshman, is blossoming at just the right time. He passed for 353 yards and five touchdowns, with the final one being the game winner to Rocket Sanders on a 15-yard shovel pass. Two nonconference games remain for South Carolina: against Wofford at home this coming weekend and then at home vs. bitter in-state rival Clemson on Nov. 30. The Gamecocks are one of the more improved teams in the country from a year ago and a couple of close losses to LSU and Alabama away from being right in the middle of the playoff conversation. — Low
Previous ranking: 19
The Tigers are done with ACC play with two weeks to go in the regular season, going 7-1 (8-2 overall), and still have a slight chance to make it to the ACC championship game after an up-and-down 24-20 win over Pitt on Saturday. The easiest route would be for Miami to lose again. No matter what happens, Clemson suddenly has issues on its offensive line, which lost another player Saturday. The Tigers are down multiple starters, and it showed in a ragged effort against the Panthers in which they were unable to run the ball until Cade Klubnik‘s late touchdown; Klubnik was harassed for the majority of the game. The Citadel is up next, and then a huge matchup against rival South Carolina at home as the Tigers seek to notch another 10-win season. — Adelson
Previous ranking: NR
Kenny Dillingham and his coaching staff continues to pull off one of the best turnarounds in the country. The 8-2 Sun Devils notched another statement win on Saturday with a 24-14 road stunner over No. 16 Kansas State. Redshirt freshman QB Sam Leavitt is playing at a high level, Jordyn Tyson burned the Wildcats for 176 receiving yards and two scores on 12 catches and the Sun Devils’ defense didn’t allow a score until late in the third quarter. One area where they’ll need to improve if they hope to win out: the kicking game. Former USC and Ohio State transfer Parker Lewis has taken over the kicking duties and converted a 47-yard field goal against K-State. — Olson
Previous ranking: 25
It’s difficult to nitpick a Green Wave team that has won eight straight games by an average margin of 28.8 points and clinched a spot in the AAC title game with a 35-0 win over Navy on Saturday. However, if Tulane (9-2) wants to make the most of its outside shot at a playoff berth, it could use an uptick in the passing game. Freshman quarterback Darian Mensah delivered another efficient performance in Week 12 (10-of-14, 138 yards, two TDs), while Tulane’s 10th-ranked rushing attack totalled 220 yards. The Green Wave offense is rolling, but Mensah has eclipsed 14 completions just twice over the past eight games and 200 yards only three times during that stretch. The Tulane run game has carried Jon Sumrall’s program this fall, but it will need a passing attack when it meets Army — and the nation’s No. 3 run defense (82.6 yards per game) entering Week 12 — in the AAC championship game on Dec. 6. — Eli Lederman
Previous ranking: NR
The Cyclones (8-2) snapped a two-game skid Saturday with a 24-point second half powered by a pair of Rocco Becht touchdowns. But the biggest hitch in Iowa State’s slim Big 12 title game (and playoff) hopes remains a run defense that was gashed for 287 rushing yards in a 34-17 road win over Cincinnati on Saturday night. The injuries that have ravaged Iowa State’s defense in the back half of the season have shown up on the ground, where Jon Heacock’s unit has now given up 200-plus yards in five of the Cyclones’ past eight games. Can Iowa State improve against the run with a depleted and inexperienced defense in the coming weeks? Unclear. But it’s the area in which the Cyclones need to improve if they’re going to scrap back into the conference title race ahead of a visit to Utah and a home game vs. Kansas State to close the regular season. — Lederman
Previous ranking: 18
The Cougars escaped a number of close calls throughout the season, but their luck finally caught up with them in a poor road performance at New Mexico. Wazzu led 28-14 at halftime, only to collapse in a 38-35 loss, with New Mexico scoring the game-winning touchdown with 21 seconds to play. If the Cougars (8-2) win out, they can still tie their single-season school wins record (11), but there’s no sugarcoating this: It was a terrible loss to take this deep in the season. — Bonagura
Previous ranking: NR
There’s not much to nitpick about the 8-2 Rebels following their 41-20 win over San Diego State late Saturday night. UNLV was never in much danger in this one, pulling away with a 21-point second quarter and surpassing 250 yards both passing and rushing. The Rebels have a top-10 scoring offense in the FBS but haven’t been among the nation’s best in third-down efficiency, ranking 86th entering Saturday with a conversion rate of 38%. They boosted that percentage against the Aztecs by going 8-for-16, but coach Barry Odom knows it’s going to take excellent situational football to win the Mountain West. — Olson
Previous ranking: 24
For the first time since a loss to Kentucky in November 2022, Missouri lost a one-score game. The Tigers’ nine-game winning streak in such games came to an end at the hands of LaNorris Sellers, Raheim Sanders and the South Carolina offense. Mizzou got a gutty performance from quarterback Brady Cook, who started despite being listed as doubtful for much of the week because of a wrist injury; the senior threw for 237 yards and got 150 rushing yards from Nate Noel and a glorious late touchdown from Luther Burden III to give the Tigers the lead with 1:10 left. But the Gamecocks scored 55 seconds later, and Mizzou fell to 6-3. The biggest challenge for the rest of the season: remaining focused. Mizzou entered the season with playoff hopes, and those are out the window, but the Tigers will be favored in each of their last two games and could still finish 9-3. That’s never bad in Columbia. — Connelly
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