Each Sunday during the season, ESPN.com will highlight four storylines that had an impact on the College Football Playoff race.
Florida State survived a furious upset bid by NC State, as Jameis Winston threw for 365 yards and four touchdowns to help FSU rally from 17 points down.
Kenny Hill rallied Texas A&M past the surging Razorbacks, throwing three touchdown passes during the fourth quarter and overtime before the Aggies made a game-ending defensive stop.
Brett Hundley threw for 355 yards on Thursday night as UCLA had 582 yards of total offense and scored the most points in the 55-year history of Sun Devil Stadium.
Three top-ranked teams were idle before big matchups, beginning with Thursday's showdown between No. 2 Oregon and 4-0 Arizona. On Saturday, No. 3 Alabama travels to Oxford to play No. 10 Ole Miss, while No. 4 Oklahoma visits 3-0 TCU.