Every week, more national championship contenders keep dropping. On Saturday, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Miami were the latest to hit the dirt in Week 11, while No. 15 LSU was de facto eliminated from the College Football Playoff after losing big against No. 11 Alabama. An underdog of more than 10 points has now won every week of the season.
The losses have shaken up nearly all of the major conference championship races. Miami drops to No. 2 in the ACC with SMU holding sole possession of first place. Iowa State’s shocking loss to Kansas means Colorado suddenly sits on the inside track of reaching AT&T Stadium in the Big 12. The SEC race now has only three teams remaining with one loss — Tennessee, Texas A&M and Texas.
But for all the movement, plenty of teams took care of business. No. 16 Ole Miss saved its College Football Playoff dreams by beating Georgia. No. 6 Penn State came back to form against Washington. No. 24 Missouri just survived against Oklahoma.
Here now are the biggest winners and losers of Week 11.
Winner: Alabama
No one needed some good news more than Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, who began to fully realize the pressure of replacing Nick Saban with two losses before November. Going on the road and obliterating No. 15 LSU 42-13 was a thrilling moment that just may have saved the season. Quarterback Jalen Milroe leaned on his legs and finished with 185 yards and four touchdowns on only 12 rushing attempts.
The win for Alabama is the second against a top-15 opponent and third ranked win overall, though No. 24 Missouri could fall out of the CFP Rankings. More importantly, it holds the Tide at two losses heading into the home stretch. Games against Oklahoma and Auburn won’t be easy, but Alabama will be favored. If it takes care of business, Alabama will walk into the College Football Playoff with a shot to win the national championship.
Loser: Oklahoma State
Mike Gundy has led one of the greatest periods of success of any active college football coach, but Oklahoma State is reaching new lows in his 20th season. The Cowboys got thoroughly embarrassed 38-13 against TCU after going down 24-0 at the half. Oklahoma State will miss a bowl game and finish with a losing season for the first time since 2005, which was Gundy’s first season. OSU reached seven losses in conference play for only the fourth time in program history, joining 1993, 2000 and 2005. Gundy will have to do some soul searching this offseason to recover from easily the worst season of the 21st century. With Texas Tech and No. 20 Colorado left on the schedule, there is still lower to fall.
Winner: South Carolina
Few teams have pushed Vanderbilt around this season, but South Carolina used one of its most complete performances of the season to hand the Commodores its worst loss of the year, a 28-7 decision. South Carolina held Vanderbilt to only 274 yards and limited star quarterback Diego Pavia to only one touchdown. USC quarterback LaNorris Sellers and running back Raheim Sanders each reached the end zone twice.
The win clinched bowl eligibility and resulted in a three-game winning streak, an impressive moment for Shane Beamer and his staff in the rough-and-tumble SEC. It also sets up a closing stretch filled with opportunity. The Gamecocks should enter the CFP Rankings after the win and have games remaining against No. 24 Missouri and No. 23 Clemson. South Carolina can close the year on a blazing hot streak if this play keeps up.
Loser: Florida State
The Seminoles’ season has been a comedy of errors, but Week 11 provided an air of finality to the disaster. With a ninth loss, Florida State officially clinched the most losses by any preseason top 10 team in the history of the AP Top 25 poll.
The game itself was also another disaster. Notre Dame obliterated FSU to the tune of 52-3, easily the biggest margin of victory in the short history of this rivalry. The Seminoles gave up 200 yards on both the ground and through the air along with a late pick-six to a Notre Dame walk-on defensive back.
Granted, the Seminoles have two games remaining. FSU should mercifully pick up a second win against FCS Charleston Southern before losing to Florida, making a 2-10 finish the most likely scenario. But regardless of what happens from here, 2024 Florida State will live in infamy.
Rebels coach Lane Kiffin has long been criticized for losing big games, but Saturday was a cathartic moment. After falling short twice this season, Ole Miss finally put together its best performance of the year in a 28-10 thrashing of No. 3 Georgia. The Rebels’ defense got five sacks on Carson Beck and a hobbled Jaxson Dart was still able to lead Ole Miss to 397 yards.
The upset victory is a huge swing for Ole Miss’ season. Suddenly, the Rebels have a serious path to the College Football Playoff despite two losses. A loss would have officially ended their chances. It can’t hurt that South Carolina should have a chance to enter the poll after beating Vanderbilt; Ole Miss crushed the Gamecocks 27-3.
Loser: Miami
The Hurricanes have been playing with fire for weeks, and it finally burned them against a physical Georgia Tech team. The Yellow Jackets simply bullied Miami, rushing for 271 yards and holding them to only 3.7 yards per carry despite losing top running back Justice Haynes to an injury. Miami quarterback Cameron Ward was his normal, sensational self, but 348 yards and three touchdowns weren’t enough.
Miami’s loss suddenly pushes them back into the field of the ACC Championship Game race. Clemson and Pittsburgh are fellow one-loss teams in conference play and the Tigers have the inside track past Miami to play for an ACC title because of strength of schedule. Miami should still be in the top 12 on Tuesday, but their spot could be perilous right as multiple teams fight their way up the rankings.
Winner: Colorado
Once the loudest team in college football, the Buffaloes might be the quietest College Football Playoff contender in the sport. Colorado moved to 7-2 and sole possession of No. 2 in the Big 12 after outlasting Texas Tech 41-27 in a key road victory. After the win, Colorado is now projected to reach the Big 12 Championship Game against BYU.
The Buffaloes are quietly one of the greatest success stories of the season after leaning on a passing combo of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter and a wildly underrated defensive front. Colorado ranks top 25 nationally in sacks and dragged down Texas Tech’s Behren Morton six times. CU will be favored in its three remaining games.
After a miserable start to the season, UCLA is quietly the owner of a three-game winning streak against quality opponents. The Bruins beat Rutgers and Nebraska on the road in the past two weeks and capped it off with a 20-17 shocker against Iowa behind a pair of second quarter touchdown passes by quarterback Ethan Garbers. UCLA held Iowa to only 17 points and 265 yards after the Hawkeyes averaged 35.5 points over their previous four games.
UCLA entered the season with a five-game losing streak against power conference competition, but beating Iowa suddenly means their season is alive. The Bruins have a game left against Fresno State and must steal only one against either Washington or USC to make a bowl game. Even getting to this point after a tumultuous offseason is a rousing success for coach DeShaun Foster in his first season. Credit to him.
Needless to say, a 49-17 loss to Texas was not how Florida hoped to start the revamped Billy Napier era. Granted, the Gators started walk-on quarterback Aidan Warner after DJ Lagway was ruled out with a hamstring injury, but Texas cleared 350 yards in the first half and averaged 8.8 yards per play on the day.
And really, the final score doesn’t quite embody the level of dominance. Texas led 42-0 halfway through the third quarter before pulling essentially every contributor. Florida made the decision to bring Napier back knowing that there could be some frustrating performances ahead against a brutal closing schedule, but Week 11 showed many of the reasons why Florida fans weren’t exactly thrilled that Napier was retained.
Yes, No. 25 Army held on to beat North Texas 14-3 in Denton and move to 9-0, but that’s secondary. The real reason the Black Knights are winners is because they put together one of the most deranged drives in college football history. On their second drive of the third quarter, Army went an absurd 21 plays in 94 yards over the course of nearly 14 minutes (13:54 to be exact). The drive took more than 28 minutes of real time and ended with Army staying undefeated and bottling up an explosive offense. The longest drive on record was a 26-play drive that lasted 14:26 by Navy in the 2004 Emerald Bowl against New Mexico. If only North Texas could have gotten one or two more stops.
