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Saturday rundown: Takeaways from Week 5's biggest games

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September was a solid month on the college football calendar, but the first Saturday of October has blessed fans everywhere with a packed schedule.

With four contests between ranked teams and numerous other major conference games, the slate is full of matchups that could have a significant impact on the rest of the season.

Here's one takeaway from each of Saturday's biggest contests.

Saban remains the master

Before Saturday's game against his former boss Nick Saban and Alabama, Lane Kiffin told the national television audience to "Get your popcorn ready" in anticipation of a high-scoring affair. The popcorn machine, much like Ole Miss' offense, never got plugged in as the Crimson Tide demolished their SEC foe 42-21. The win runs Saban's record against his former assistants to an astonishing 24-0, with 22 of those coming by more than 14 points.

Ole Miss entered the game leading the country in scoring at 52.7 points per contest, but Alabama's defense kept Heisman favorite Matt Corral under wraps. One of Saban's more successful tactics in this contest was keeping Kiffin's high-powered attack off the field, holding possession for a whopping 37:20 versus just 22:01 for Ole Miss. Saban won't have to wait long to attempt to run that record versus ex-assistants to 25-0, as the Crimson Tide head to Texas A&M to face Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies next week.

Oregon's collapse spells doom for the Pac-12

How shocking was No. 3 Oregon's loss to Stanford on Saturday? At one point in the dying minutes of the contest, the Ducks held a seven-point lead with the Cardinal facing second-and-19 at their own 4-yard line. Oregon sat with a win probability looking like this:

The Pac-12's previously lone undefeated outfit had three flags on the final drive and gave up a Stanford game-tying touchdown on an untimed down thanks to a pass interference penalty in the end zone as the clock expired. The Cardinal finished the job in overtime to seriously dent the Pac-12's chances of sending its first team to the CFP since 2016. Oregon's loss also came at a heavy price for the Ducks, as CJ Verdell was carted to the locker room with a leg injury.

Georgia is downright scary

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It's safe to say that nobody has looked better through five games of the season than Georgia. The second-ranked Bulldogs didn't just beat No. 8 Arkansas on Saturday, they physically dominated their previously undefeated opponent for the entire contest en route to a 37-0 shutout. Kirby Smart's outfit wasn't deterred by starting quarterback JT Daniels' absence, as the Bulldogs raced out to a 24-0 lead at the half and never looked back.

The Bulldogs have now played 20 total quarters of football this season and have allowed a touchdown in only two of them. Combined with last week's 62-0 victory over Vanderbilt, Georgia has now scored 99 straight points without allowing any from the opposition.

Perhaps the scariest thing about Georgia's performance Saturday is that it included almost no semblance of a passing attack. Stetson Bennett only needed to throw for 72 yards in the win as the Bulldogs ran for 273 on the ground. That rushing production, combined with the nation's best defense, is why Georgia might currently be the best bet in the country to make the national championship game.

Cincinnati takes huge step toward playoff

No Group of 5 school has ever made the College Football Playoff, but Cincinnati has a clear path toward changing that. The seventh-ranked Bearcats ended the nation's second-longest home winning streak at 26 games with a 24-13 victory at No. 9 Notre Dame on Saturday. Desmond Ridder once again showed he's one of the nation's top quarterbacks by piling up 324 total yards and three touchdowns. Add Ridder's strong play to an opportunistic Cincinnati defense that had two interceptions and it's easy to see why the Bearcats were slight favorites in this contest.

The victory marks Cincinnati's first-ever road win against a top-10 opponent after entering 0-23 in previous scenarios. The Bearcats have now registered major road victories at Indiana and Notre Dame in back-to-back games and have zero contests remaining against currently ranked teams. Four Group of 5 programs have gone undefeated and been left out of the playoffs, but none had a victory equal to Saturday's road win at Notre Dame on their resume.

Oklahoma schools remain perfect

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It hasn't always been pretty this season, but both No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 19 Oklahoma State roll toward the annual season-ending Bedlam rivalry game with perfect 5-0 records.

The Sooners finally knocked off nemesis Kansas State after falling in each of the last two seasons. Perhaps most encouraging for Oklahoma was the play of star quarterback Spencer Rattler. After hearing calls for backup Caleb Williams last week at home, Rattler delivered an impressive 22-for-25 passing performance, including 243 yards and two touchdowns. It was the type of showing Lincoln Riley will need next week in the Red River Rivalry against 4-1 Texas with the Longhorns fresh off a victory over TCU.

Oklahoma State overcame three interceptions from Spencer Sanders to escape with a 10-point home win over No. 21 Baylor. The Cowboys were once again carried by their running attack and defense to hold Baylor under 300 total yards in the victory. Sanders will need to get the nation's 87th-ranked passing attack in order during the bye week before facing Texas.

Michigan's defense makes statement

Don't look now, but Jim Harbaugh has Michigan off to a perfect 5-0 start and on the cusp of a top-10 ranking after Saturday's impressive win at Wisconsin. The Wolverines exacted some revenge after getting dominated by a combined score of 84-25 in this matchup the last two seasons. While the Badgers' offense was a disaster yet again, it's impossible to not walk away fully impressed by Mike Macdonald in his first season as the Wolverines' defensive coordinator.

Michigan entered play ranked fourth in the country in points allowed at just 11.6 points per game. A late, meaningless touchdown saw Wisconsin get past that number, but the Wolverines' defense showed it's ready to help deliver Harbaugh his first Big Ten East title in seven years with the program. The contest also represented two programs going in opposite directions, as Harbaugh won his first game as an underdog during his tenure at Michigan while Wisconsin has now lost eight straight contests to ranked opponents.

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