College football is unpredictable and delightful, which is why we live for what happens on Saturdays. And Week 11 absolutely delivered, with two top-five upsets that will surely shake up the College Football Playoff picture.
Each Sunday, I'll publish my biggest takeaways from the college football weekend. I'll highlight the most interesting storylines, track College Football Playoff contenders and specifically shout out individual and team performances that deserve the spotlight.
Colorado is now 7-2, fresh off a statement win over Texas Tech. The Buffs now have a clear path to the Big 12 championship game, which means they have a very real chance to make the CFP -- all in Deion Sanders' second season. That is an entirely accurate sentence, which is incredible for a program that went 4-8 just a year ago. So many of us (myself included) wrote Colorado off after its blowout loss to Nebraska in Week 2. But the Buffs responded. They responded to in-game adversity over and over again, too, from the Hail Mary required to beat Baylor and even in Saturday's game (which included overcoming an early 13-point deficit). It's time to give Coach Prime and these players his due. Colorado is a better team than it was a season ago. And it's not just because of the NFL-ready quarterback and the Heisman hopeful; they do a lot, but they don't do it alone.
2. Miami's first loss was a long time coming.
The Hurricanes have flirted with losing for most of the season. There are only so many dramatic comebacks and magical Cam Ward moments that exist in this universe. And perhaps Miami used up its allotment of them with its crazy finishes against Virginia Tech and Cal, and its ability to overcome deficits to those teams as well as Duke and Louisville. At some point, the 'Canes' porous defense was going to be a problem. Which it was on Saturday against Georgia Tech. Miami is now allowing 31.7 points and 372.5 yards per game in ACC play, and against the Yellow Jackets, the 'Canes defense allowed 271 rushing yards (at a 5.6 yards per carry clip) as Georgia Tech controlled both the game and the clock. Miami has an incredible offense that is capable of making up for a bad defense, and it hasn't been an issue until now because the Hurricanes have played such a weak schedule. I'm not sure what this means for postseason football, but I doubt it portends great things.
3. Georgia's loss wasn't terribly surprising, either.
Quarterback Carson Beck has been a problem for most of the season. He's turnover-prone, having tossed 11 interceptions in the five games he played prior to Saturday. It became clear pretty early on in Georgia's loss to Ole Miss that the 'Dawgs' coaching staff didn't trust Beck to throw the ball very far. There were a lot of short passes, a lot more horizontal movement than vertical. Georgia's 10-point output is tied for the fewest in a game in the Kirby Smart era. It was also the first time that the 'Dawgs offense had less than 250 total yards in a game in seven years. Obviously, the defense got gashed by the explosive Ole Miss offense as well. But the offense was also a huge problem yet again, and that's what was predictable. I don't know how or why Beck regressed so much this season, but it's going to limit the ceiling of this team.
4. BYU is a good football team. It might not be a great one.
I was a BYU defender for most of the week. I couldn't believe how much the CFP selection committee disrespected the 8-0 Cougars, who not only hadn't lost but had two top-20 wins on its resume. And yet BYU was ranked No. 9 in the first CFP rankings, behind teams like Texas and Penn State, neither of whom has better wins than the Cougs do. But then BYU went out and kind of laid an egg in a huge rivalry game late Saturday night. Down 11 points just before halftime, the Cougs then completely mismanaged the clock. Basically, everything BYU did was what it shouldn't have done against an otherwise mediocre (4-4 overall, 1-4 in Big 12 play) team that has been a shell of itself since Cam Rising got hurt. I understand that rivalries bring out the best in teams -- everyone famously says you have to throw out the records, etc. etc. -- but BYU needed to prove that it wasn't a fluky undefeated team who had been on the right side of some turnover luck and a few mediocre performances by opponents who don't typically deliver them. The Cougars were unimpressive, which is going to be a big problem for this team if it doesn't win the Big 12 and earn the league's auto-bid.
5. Lane Kiffin finally got his signature win at Ole Miss.
Entering Saturday, Kiffin's Rebels had been 0-4 against opponents ranked in the top five. All four of those losses were by at least 15 points. It'd been an obvious blemish for a coach who had otherwise had great success over his first four seasons in Oxford, Miss. And now Kiffin has won a big game, beating No. 3 Georgia, 28-10 -- and Ole Miss left no question about which team was the better one on that field. All of the sudden, the Rebels have a strong case for an at-large CFP bid. They've got one of the best wins in the country and two losses by a combined six points (with the overtime loss to LSU coming after Ole Miss literally never trailed in the game, which is still a wild stat). Ole Miss would need serious help to get to the SEC title game, but I'd argue that the Rebs are better positioned for the CFP by not playing in that game. A 10-2 record with a win over Georgia would all but assuredly be enough to make the field come Dec. 8.
6. Alabama is going to make the Playoff.
I know I've fluctuated wildly with my analysis of Alabama this season. In my defense, the Crimson Tide have had their ups and downs! This team has been inconsistent! Jalen Milroe has had some brutal games -- cough, Tennessee, cough -- but he's also been spectacular, like he was in Saturday night's win at LSU. Milroe gashed the Tigers on the ground, rushing for 185 yards and four scores on just 12 carries. He was on point right from the start of the game, and the fast start was critical for Alabama in an environment as hostile as Death Valley at night. It was a very impressive performance in what had been billed as a CFP elimination game, and now the Tide have a fairly smooth path the rest of the way. Alabama's only remaining opponents are Mercer, Oklahoma and Auburn. Obviously, this particular Alabama team is capable of a clunker. But I'd be shocked if the Crimson Tide doesn't finish the season 10-2 and in the mix to host a first-round CFP game.
7. The ACC race is still quite straightforward.
Really! Even though Miami lost! So, obviously, SMU has the clearest path because it's still unbeaten in ACC play. But Miami's loss to Georgia Tech does throw the rest of the league into tiebreaker scenarios. Pitt losing to Virginia is what actually makes it all very simple moving forward. If SMU wins out and then Miami and Clemson win out, SMU would be in the title game, and both Miami and Clemson would have one loss in ACC play. So, the league would go to common opponents. And the 'Canes beat Louisville, and Louisville beat Clemson. Case closed. We'd have a SMU-Miami ACC title game, with a CFP auto-bid on the line.
8. Ashton Jeanty reminded everyone that he belongs in the Heisman Trophy mix.
Jeanty has faded to the back-burner a bit in the Heisman conversation -- through no fault of his own. He's played well, and his team keeps winning. It's just not the same spotlight he had earlier in the year, and he's no longer averaging a first down per rush. Which is fine! But a lot of the conversation lately has centered on Dillon Gabriel (who is leading the unbeaten No. 1 team in the country) and Cam Ward (who is maybe a literal magician). Plus, Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter is awesome, and he's started to openly campaign for the award. Those three players seem close to locks to earn a trip to New York City. And so should Jeanty, even if he's a little bit out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Jeanty had 34 carries for 209 yards and three touchdowns in Boise State's win over Nevada. Highlights galore! Which is important when it comes to an award like this.
9. College football chaos remains undefeated.
This is the best sport on earth, and it's because of weekends like this one. I love waking up on Saturdays because I'm never entirely sure where the day will take me. Even though I predict upsets and analyze matchups for a living, it's hard to know exactly what to expect -- especially in a season like this. The only team ranked in the preseason AP poll that's still unbeaten is Oregon (which was ranked No. 3 in said poll). The last time we saw this few unbeaten teams from the preseason poll was 2014, the very first year of the four-team Playoff (and it was preseason No. 1 FSU that remained undefeated through Week 11).