Key takeaways from Week 9's biggest games

theScore breaks down the top storylines from Saturday's biggest college football games and what they might mean moving forward.

Michigan beat a top-10 team!

A Michigan team coached by Jim Harbaugh beat a top-10 opponent for the second time in 12 chances after downing No. 8 Notre Dame 45-14 on Saturday. Let that sink in for a moment.

Don Brown's defense was a force in difficult conditions, limiting Notre Dame to just 180 total yards of offense while holding Fighting Irish quarterback Ian Book to 8 of 25 passing for 73 yards.

The entirety of Michigan's dominant performance can be summarized in one clip from the fourth quarter:

It was an encouraging sign and certainly something Michigan can build off with three games to go before the end-of-season showdown with Ohio State.

No Tua, no problem for Alabama

Granted it's lowly Arkansas, but Alabama fans had to be encouraged by Mac Jones' performance in Tua Tagovailoa's absence on Saturday night. The backup quarterback looked strong versus the Razorbacks, tossing three touchdowns while throwing for 235 yards in a 48-7 blowout.

Although Tagovailoa was missing, the brilliant Crimson Tide receivers still wreaked havoc on the opposition. Jerry Jeudy led the way with seven catches for 103 yards and two scores; Najee Harris added two scores on the ground. The offense didn't miss a beat without its leader.

Now the Crimson Tide medical staff goes into overtime mode to try and get Tua back for the massive SEC showdown with LSU in two weeks. If the star pivot can't go, Bama faithful can at least feel some sort of comfort after watching Jones succeed Saturday.

Les Miles gets 1st Big 12 win in wild fashion

It wouldn't be a milestone win for Les Miles if it didn't end in wild fashion, right? A week after narrowly missing the upset in Texas, Kansas scored its first Big 12 victory under the new head coach with an absolutely incredible ending.

The first attempt at a game-winning field goal for the Jayhawks didn't go according to plan:

Gifted with a second opportunity, Liam Jones made no mistake from 32 yards to secure the win for Miles and Kansas.

LSU's defense sends a message

While most of the talk around LSU this year has been around the explosive Joe Burrow, the Tigers reminded everybody on Saturday that their defense is still an absolute force. Outside of a 70-yard run by DJ Williams, LSU held Auburn's offense to just 217 total yards in a 23-20 win in Baton Rouge.

The vaunted LSU secondary had its way with Bo Nix, holding the freshman quarterback to just 15 of 35 passing for a paltry 157 yards and one interception, while the line limited the Tigers' rushing attack to just 3.9 yards per carry.

Although the final scoreline shows just a three-point win, that figure is flattering for Auburn after it was almost doubled in total yardage. If the defense can give a repeat performance after the bye week versus Alabama, one has to like LSU's chances of knocking off Nick Saban's crew.

Penn State and ... Minnesota are Big Ten challengers?

Fresh off a home win over the Wolverines, Penn State completed the Michigan sweep by hammering the Spartans in East Lansing. The Nittany Lions entered the contest with the third-best defense in the country and stymied the Michigan State offense in a 28-7 win.

Sean Clifford had no problem with the Michigan State secondary, tossing three touchdowns in the opening half despite playing in adverse conditions. With the Nittany Lions defense in top form, Clifford's potent passing attack makes Penn State a real threat to challenge Ohio State for the Big Ten East crown.

The fact the Nittany Lions are undefeated doesn't come as much of a surprise, but Minnesota running the table to 8-0 for the first time since 1941 registers high on the shock meter. The Golden Gophers' offense is quietly one of the best in the Big Ten, crossing the 30-point threshold for the seventh straight contest. PJ Fleck's outfit ran wild Saturday in a 52-10 thrashing of Maryland, piling up a whopping 321 yards as a team on the ground.

So which one of these Big Ten programs are a bigger threat to the Buckeyes? Conveniently, that question can be answered in two weeks when the two schools meet in Minneapolis.

Texas' woes continue

A week after barely scraping past Kansas, Texas once again turned in a poor performance in a 37-27 road loss to TCU. Horned Frogs quarterback Max Duggan had only topped the 200-yard passing mark once this season but had his way with the Longhorns' 126th-ranked pass defense, throwing for 273 yards and two touchdowns.

The injury-ravaged defense continues to be the biggest issue facing Tom Herman's program, as Texas has now allowed 30 points or more in five straight games. However, this one wasn't just on the defensive unit, as Sam Ehlinger had one of the worst games of his Longhorns career after throwing a career-high four picks.

Texas has now lost five of the last six games against TCU, something that can't sit well with the faithful in Austin.

Maybe Oklahoma hasn't fixed its defense

Oklahoma entering play Saturday with the No. 1 scoring offense in the country wasn't a shock, as piling up points has been the Sooners' calling card since Lincoln Riley showed up in Norman. The biggest surprise with Oklahoma this year has been the appearance of a strong defense, something the team certainly didn't have with the nation's 101st-ranked defensive unit last year.

The Sooners headed to Kansas State with the 23rd-best defense in the nation but gave up 426 total yards in a shocking 48-41 upset loss. Wildcats quarterback Skylar Thompson was a machine in the red zone, scoring four times on the ground in the win. It's the first time this season that Alex Grinch's defense has allowed more than 30 points in a game after the Sooners gave up at least that number in five of their last six contests to end the 2018 campaign.

Oklahoma's passing attack operated at its usual efficiency with Jalen Hurts throwing for 395 yards. However, Hurts also accounted for 96 of the Sooners' 102 yards on the ground.

The loss doesn't eliminate Oklahoma from playoff consideration, but the Sooners will need help to qualify for the postseason for the third straight year.

Ohio State is great and Chase Young is a bad man

Ohio State has definitely looked the part of a No. 1 team this season, but Saturday's matchup against No. 13 Wisconsin represented the biggest test thus far for the Buckeyes. It's safe to say Ryan Day's outfit passed with flying colors.

Cold and wet conditions in Columbus made passing the ball difficult, but Ohio State responded with an incredible performance by J.K. Dobbins in a comfortable 38-7 win. The star running back shredded the stout Badgers defense for 163 yards and two touchdowns on the ground while also adding 58 yards receiving.

The scary thing for the rest of the country? Dobbins wasn't even the best Buckeye on the field Saturday, as star pass-rusher Chase Young once again was a beast for Ohio State. Young finished with four sacks, five tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles in a performance that will surely catch the attention of both NFL scouts and Heisman voters.

At this point, not only does Ohio State deserve a playoff spot, but the Buckeyes are firmly in the conversation for the No. 1 team in the country.

As for Wisconsin, last week's loss at Illinois doesn't seem quite as shocking after Saturday's showing. The Badgers have to turn things around quickly if they hope to grab a berth in the Big Ten title game, with matchups against Iowa, Nebraska, Purdue, and undefeated Minnesota left on the slate.