10 takeaways from Week 9: Texas A&M is rising and Ohio State is struggling

College football is unpredictable and entertaining, which is why we live for what happens on Saturdays. Although we saw more losses than we're used to in Week 9, we learned a few things about some of the best teams in the country.

Every Sunday I post my biggest takeaways from college football weekend. I'll highlight the most interesting storylines, keep an eye on the College Football Playoff contenders, and particularly highlight individual and team performances that deserve the spotlight.

Here are my key takeaways from Week 9:

1. Oregon appears to be the No. 1 team in the country.

We've been wondering all season if there are any Great teams. The top spot in the AP Poll was something of a revolving door, with four different teams taking the top spot at various times in the first nine weeks. Texas and Georgia – both one-loss teams that I fully expect to make the College Football Playoff – are very good, but both have weaknesses. Ohio State has issues (which I'll discuss below). I've said before that in a storm-filled season, I'm not sure there's an elite team, someone head and shoulders above the rest. But…is it possible that Oregon is that team? The Ducks have taken care of business easily in the two weeks since beating the Buckeyes, with lopsided wins over Purdue and now Illinois. quarterback Dillon Gabriel looks like a Heisman Trophy hopeful, and the Ducks have established a productive passing attack to go along with a reliable running game and physical defense. The Oregon team, which had a shaky offensive game in its first two games (when it allowed seven sacks, more than all of last season combined), has reshuffled its personnel and plugged holes. In the last six games, Gabriel has only been sacked three times.

2. Texas A&M hired the right head coach.

Mike Elko is a ball coach. He's no-frills. And he was absolutely the right choice for Texas A&M coming out of the crisis Jimbo Fisher Epoch. Saturday night's comeback win against LSU was the type of game Fisher didn't win. Elko's team is mentally and physically strong. The Aggies trailed 17-7 midway through the third quarter Marcel Reed took over the game. (By the way, I think we finally got an answer to the question of who should be the starting quarterback in the future…) But my biggest takeaway here is that this is a program that's heading in the right direction. It's a program that focuses on football and gets better as the season goes on – and the Aggies could very well win by the season finale against Texas, which would then lead to one of the most meaningful matchups in the rivalry's history in a CFP (and SEC). Championship game?) place at stake.

3. Indiana is one of the best teams in the Big Ten — and perhaps the country.

The Hoosiers are 8-0 for just the second time in program history and have yet to play a single snap this season. They won every game by double digits. They didn't allow a single point in any first quarter. These are sentences that would sound extremely impressive for any team in any year if this were not the Indiana football team in its first year as head coach Curt Cignetti's tenure…it's pretty amazing. And the Hoosiers defeated Washington quite comfortably on Saturday despite missing their starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke with a hand injury. Indiana is too strong on both ends for the team to take a big step back. This team is well coached, well prepared and fundamentally very solid. It doesn't beat itself. It has remained focused despite the admiration from outside, and its path to the Big Ten championship remains relatively clear. I can't wait to see how the Hoosiers do against the Buckeyes in a few weeks. Could Indiana be the second-best team in the Big Ten?

4. Ohio State University's four-point win over Nebraska turned heads.

The Buckeyes were fortunate to come away from Saturday's game against Nebraska with a win. Honestly, they were saved late by Nebraska's play. (Screen Passed? Why?) Ohio State's overall performance was worrisome. The team didn't play with a sense of urgency, which is surprising since this was the Buckeyes' first game since their 1-point loss to Oregon and an idle week. Ohio State shouldn't have needed another wake-up call. I'm worried the Buckeyes are only going 1 out of 10 on third down. I'm concerned about the Buckeyes' running game, which only totaled 64 yards on Saturday. And I'm deeply concerned about Ohio State's offensive line – particularly at left tackle. Josh Simmons suffered a season-ending injury two weeks ago and his replacement, Zen Michalskiwent down late in the fourth quarter against Nebraska. Ryan Day I had to get creative to put the line together after Michalski's injury, and it's not clear what the O-line will look like going forward.

5. Notre Dame has more than made up for its loss earlier in the season.

I said this right after the Fighting Irish's loss in Week 2, and I'll say it again. The 12-team College Football Playoff is not designed to eliminate a Notre Dame team with a single loss, regardless of the loss. And now, as we sit here six games away from this upset, it's easy to explain it one way. The Fighting Irish are now a completely different team than the one that famously lost to Northern Illinois in Week 2. They defeated previously unbeaten Navy 51-14 on Saturday (thanks in large part to six forced turnovers). . Notre Dame has always had an elite defense that has held up despite injuries. But this team can run the ball better now than it did earlier in the season, averaging 235 rushing yards per game during the six-game winning streak and 22 total rushing touchdowns. And the biggest difference between Notre Dame at the start of the season and now is the passing game.

• First two games: 0 passing TDs, 2 INTs, 5.1 yards per attempt
• Last six games: 10 passing TDs, 1 INT, 7.6 yards per attempt

I don't think we should be too surprised that the passing game looks better now with the quarterback Riley Leonard had time in this offense. He transitioned in and then missed the entire spring ball. Leonard and this team needed time, and now that they've had it, they've improved. The CFP selection committee should see a team that has gotten better and give them credit for it.

6. Vandy is a tough guy.

At this point in the season, I would hope that everyone is aware that the “Dores” are not minions. This is a solid football team led by a dynamic quarterback capable of keeping up with almost anyone in the Southeastern Conference. Texas was the latest team to learn that lesson on Saturday, as Vanderbilt had an onside kick removed from a very interesting playoff game in Nashville. The Dores still have games left against LSU and Tennessee, a few more opportunities to ruin someone else's season and influence the SEC race.

7. SMU-Pitt is suddenly a HUGE game next weekend.

It took overtime, but the Mustangs defeated Duke despite a minus-6 turnover mark in Saturday night's game. SMU is now 7-1 and hosts undefeated Pitt next weekend in a game that has massive implications for the ACC title. I don't think anyone had that on their bingo card at the start of the season. But here two of the league's top rivals are facing each other. Pitt comes into the match with a dominant win over Syracuse, in which the Panthers defeated the Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord five times. If you're not taking these teams seriously as ACC contenders, you're not paying close enough attention.

8. Boise State knows the inside scoop on GFP.

The Broncos defeated UNLV in the Group of 5 game of the year, meaning Boise State should have a clear path to the playoffs if it wins the Mountain West in December. The Broncos don't have an elite defense, but they have a good quarterback and one of the best players in the country at running back Ashton Jeantya Heisman hopeful. The only blemish on their resume is a three-point loss to the No. 1 team in the country, which is hardly a blemish. They already have a high ranking and will continue to maintain it, which is the most important thing for the eventual debate between the Group of 5 champions. The highest-ranked G5 champion will automatically receive a spot in the 12-team CFP.

9. Is the Big 12 race as open as we thought it would be? Or are we headed to an eventual title game between BYU and Iowa State?

We've said all season that anyone can win and anyone can lose in the Big 12. These teams are more concentrated than any other league, making it nearly impossible to pick winners on a weekly basis. Colorado is definitely better than last year. Kansas State is coming off a tough win against rival Kansas. So you could get into the Big 12 race (or play spoiler). But that could come down to 8-0 BYU (fresh off a win over UCF) and 7-0 Iowa State (which dropped this weekend). They don't play each other in the regular season – and it feels like the two are on a collision course to meet in the title game. Wouldn't that be appropriate? A league that seemingly anyone could win and that is decided by two teams that are undefeated in league play? Stranger things have happened.

10. The unbalanced schedules and tiebreakers will be a problem for these mega conferences.

We have a 16-team SEC, a 16-team Big 12, a 17-team ACC and an 18-team Big Ten. And that means no league plays a true round-robin tournament anymore, meaning they've all used complicated scheduling matrices to try to balance conference schedules competitively. However, there is no perfect way to accomplish this, and several leagues might have three (or four) deserving teams for their conference championship game, but the tiebreak rules arbitrarily select the two entrants. We'll also have situations like Miami, where the Canes will likely get to the ACC title game without facing the next three best teams in the league. I'm not sure we're prepared for how chaotic this is all going to get.