College football Bottom 10 – New Mexico State, UConn see hope is fleeting

[Editor’s note: The No. 1 Bottom 10 team beat Texas, while UConn and New Mexico State provided a few seconds of hope. Meanwhile, the Horns and Gators have to share the Coveted Fifth Spot.]

Inspirational thought of the week:

When we’re underneath the lights
My heart’s no longer broken
For a moment
Just for a moment

But is a moment enough?
Maybe

— “Just for a Moment,” Joshua Bassett and Olivia Rodrigo

Here at Bottom 10 Headquarters, located inside the vast library of leather-bound books where Dan Mullen studied to become so much smarter than the rest of us, we are still basking in the glow of perhaps the most momentous momentary moment in the annals of Bottom 10 history.

It was around 12:06 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, when all the Bottom 10 planets were suddenly aligned, creating a wormhole of such pull and power that not even college football’s haughtiest brand names could escape. Forget that those planets were actually foam balls from an old middle school science fair solar system project found in my garage. They had aligned and, for a moment, it was so glorious.

At Clemson, Bottom 10 No. 2-ranked UConn ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown, seizing a lead over the Tigers that lasted nearly the entire first quarter. Meanwhile, at Alabama, Bottom 10 No. 4-ranked New Mexico State booted a 50-field goal and held a 3-0 lead over the Crimson Tide for 44 seconds.

That’s right. For 44 seconds, two Bottom 10 squads led the two teams that have dominated the College Football Playoff era. For 44 seconds, one could look up into the skies over Death Valley and Tuscaloosa and, as if they were in “Thor: The Dark World,” see across every plane of the college football multiverse.

Then, as that 44th second ticked away and Alabama scored … and as Clemson scored less than three minutes later … it was over. The spark was gone. Hope was lost. Or so we thought. Then, like Yoda speaking to Obi-Wan from the post-death ether, a voice that sounded an awful lot like Big Jay…