Joel Klatt
Senior College Football Analyst
Week 11 brought big changes to the College Football Playoff race.
Miami (Fla.)’s undefeated season ended with a loss to unranked Georgia Tech. BYU almost joined the Hurricanes, but defeated Utah by kicking the game-winning field goal at the buzzer. Georgia lost to Ole Miss in a rainy Oxford, and Alabama will likely put a dagger in LSU’s playoff hopes.
The last two of those results create an interesting situation for the SEC. Eight teams had two or fewer losses in conference play through the final three weeks of the regular season. At the end of the season, there could be an eight-way tie for first or a six-way tie for second.
It seems unlikely that two teams with only one loss in the regular season will face each other in the SEC Championship Game. It also seems more likely that there will be a handful of 10-2 teams in the SEC once the regular season ends. Then there would be a 10-2 team in the SEC that isn’t in the CFP.
This week’s top 10 teams are:
1. oregon (Last week: 1)
record: 10-0
Week 11 Results: Maryland lost, 39-18
Oregon has a well-balanced roster. They’re a really good team and they’re getting better every week. QB Dillon Gabriel also seems to be getting more comfortable. He holds the record for most touchdowns by a player in FBS history.
The Ducks are fast, long, and good at the line of scrimmage. Combine that with a talented veteran quarterback like Gabriel, and it’s no wonder why Oregon is the No. 1 team.
Oregon celebrated three more passing touchdowns from Dillon Gabriel in its win over Maryland. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)
2. ohio state (Last week: 2)
record: 8-1
Week 11 Results: Lost to Purdue 45-0
Ohio continues to show me that it is just as good as any other state in the country. In fact, I think Ohio State will be favored to beat Oregon if the two teams meet in Indianapolis for the Big Ten title.
The Buckeyes looked more versatile each week. QB Will Howard was efficient against Purdue and running back TreVeyon Henderson also played well. Of course, freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith had another standout performance on Saturday, when he made history by breaking Cris Carter’s record for most touchdown catches by an OSU freshman.
Purdue Boilermakers vs. #2 Ohio State Buckeyes
3. texas (Last week: 4)
record: 8-1
Week 11 Results: Lost to Florida (49-17)
I still think Texas is the best team in the SEC. I think they have the most balance on offense, they have an answer at quarterback if something happens to Quinn Ewers, and they have the best defense in the conference. He has yet to give up 300 yards in a game this season. Very good defense in Austin.
So does that mean Texas is completely safe and will beat Texas A&M in a few weeks? I’m not entirely sure. But Ewers’ performance on Saturday should be encouraging. He threw for 333 yards and five touchdowns against Florida.
4. indiana (Last week: 6)
record: 10-0
Week 11 Results: be defeated Michigan20-15
Indiana survived a win over Michigan, but it’s still a big win for the program. It doesn’t usually beat Michigan, so beating that brand was the hump Indiana needed to get over the spirit in the locker room moving forward. It was also a better version of Michigan than we’ve seen for most of the season. If you’re from Indiana, you might take that as good news. Perhaps Michigan didn’t handle the end game smoothly, but Indiana made the plays it needed to win.
Indiana’s resume isn’t great. However, IU still had an outstanding defense. The Hoosiers’ offense had rhythm and the defense made big plays in key moments of the game. I don’t feel like a disappointing performance is coming for Indiana, unlike BYU or Miami (Fla.) before it, but a big test awaits Indiana’s bye when they face Ohio State on Nov. 23.
Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke helped the Hoosiers do enough to stay undefeated and move to 10-0 with a 20-15 win over Michigan. (Photo Credit: James Black/Icon Sportswire, Getty Images)
5. Tennessee (Last week: 7)
record: 8-1
Week 11 Results: Mississippi State lost, 33-14
Tennessee went through an interesting situation this week. The Vols travel to Athens, Georgia to face the Bulldogs, who were held to 9.5 points in that game. You could argue that Georgia shouldn’t be such a huge favorite against Tennessee. Especially given how good the Volunteers’ defense has been this season, but injuries to QB Nico Iamaleava and other skill position players have made that game a little more uncertain for Tennessee. .
6. penn state (Last week: 8)
record: 8-1
Week 11 Results: They beat Washington 35-6.
Penn State survived until that moment in the annual White Out Game. The Nittany Lions finished the regular season with an 11-1 record and will likely miss out on a trip to the Big Ten Championship Game. Nonetheless, Penn State has taken care of the team all season long and will likely end up hosting a first-round game in the CFP as a result.
If so, no one would want to be the team that has to go to Happy Valley.
7. alabama (Last week: 9)
record: 7-2
Week 11 Results: LSU lost, 42-13
It was an impressive performance Saturday as Alabama advanced to Death Valley and beat LSU 42-13.
We knew going into the game that LSU couldn’t stop a mobile quarterback, and that’s exactly what happened Saturday. Jalen Milroe has had his Heisman campaign again, rushing for 185 yards and four touchdowns. Before Saturday I was pretty confident about leaving him out of the five-man roster. After that game, he definitely joined the conversation.
Oh, and Alabama is right in the hunt. Alabama’s scoring numbers looked lumpy in Kalen DeBoer’s first season, but Alabama did what it needed to do against LSU on Saturday. It wasn’t a close game at all. Alabama has outscored its opponents 76-13 since its loss to Tennessee. Clearly the Crimson Tide is doing something right. DeBoer is a very good football coach, and he is answering these questions as his team becomes more resilient.
Alabama beats LSU 42-13 in a landslide victory
8. ole miss (Last week: unranked)
record: 7-2
Week 11 Results: be defeated Georgia 28-10
I’ll admit it. I had a question about Ole Miss. When previewing the game against Georgia, I said, “When was the last time Ole Miss won a big game?” Well, I’m not waiting any longer. It was a huge win and Ole Miss dominated the entire game. The defensive line played really well and did what it needed to do offensively against Georgia’s solid defense, even in inclement weather.
Ole Miss finally got level as they handled Georgia, especially at the line of scrimmage. This team is a legitimate playoff contender. LSU’s loss would haunt them, as the Rebels led the entire game before losing in overtime. This team should be 9-1, and if this team wins, they’ll probably be in the CFP.
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart returned from an early injury to throw for 199 yards and a touchdown against Georgia. (Photo: Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire, Getty Images)
9. Georgia (Last week: 3)
record: 7-2
Week 11 Results: Lost to Ole Miss (28-10)
Georgia is not right. As good as Ole Miss was in Saturday’s game, there’s something clearly wrong with Georgia, at least offensively. The Bulldogs ranked 50th nationally in total offense. The decline over the last few years has been massive and they still have quarterbacks. This has been a top-five crime each of the last two years. It doesn’t even meet expectations for Georgia.
It was pretty shocking to see Georgia play at that level. When I saw this movie, one thing that immediately jumped out at me was that the only way Georgia scored a touchdown was with a short field. It was very similar to the Texas game where they couldn’t drive the length of the field. So Georgia has a really hard time maintaining momentum when playing against teams with defensive prowess. Part of that is because they can stay on the field on third downs as well.
Everyone will watch the QB carson beck And they say he doesn’t play well, but the movie says that’s not the case. He’s not playing great and could improve, but it’s not Beck’s fault for that. The problems with Georgia’s offense primarily lie with the offensive line. The reason the line’s play is so poor and problematic is because the unit has been able to get people in trouble and control the line of scrimmage over the last few years. They didn’t do that against Ole Miss.
There’s also a disconnect at the timing of Georgia’s offense. Wide receivers don’t get to where route structures should be. That doesn’t happen when Beck is ready to throw.
Is Georgia struggling after a 28-10 loss to Ole Miss?
Beck has 14 turnovers in his last six games, but are tipped ball picks like the one he threw Saturday his problem? No, that’s why Kirby Smart didn’t blame him. Ole Miss had 5.0 sacks and Georgia was unable to maintain its ground game. Georgia is in trouble. There’s nothing in the film to suggest they were prepared against Tennessee. Because that defense is so much better than Ole Miss’ defense. Thank goodness for Georgia that the game is being played at home while Tennessee is also dealing with some injuries.
10. Our Lady (Last week: unranked)
record: 8-1
Week 11 Results: 52-3 loss to Florida State
Notre Dame is back in the top 10 for the first time since the beginning of the season. The Fighting Irish have been on a good run lately, winning six of their last seven games by at least three points. Notre Dame’s defense and running game are very strong.
BYU dropped out of the top 10. I felt like I was playing with fire and that losses were about to occur. Some might argue that the loss should have happened against Utah on Saturday.
Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football analyst and podcast host.The Joel Klatt Show.“Follow him. @joelklatt and Subscribe to “The Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.
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