College football Week 11 delivered on the drama yet again, and the results will be far-reaching as we approach the College Football Playoff.
Here are some knee-jerk reactions from Saturday’s action:
Miami was finally stung after poking the hive
It was deja vu for Hurricanes fans as Georgia Tech topped No. 4 Miami 28-23 on Saturday. It was the second straight year the Yellow Jackets walked out victorious against a superior Miami team. The Miami defense finally cracked after playing several consecutive games from behind, and the nation’s No. 1 offense did not top 30 points for the first time this season. The Hurricanes are no longer securely in the College Football Playoff and it must now win the ACC outright to get there.
But that path is no given either, with No. 13 SMU topping the conference standings, followed by No. 23 Clemson and then Miami. There’s a lot of work to be done, and the pressure has been turned up a notch on the Hurricanes. No further mistakes can be tolerated lest Miami forfeits its incredible season to a non-playoff bowl game.
The Heisman finalists are now locked in
After Miami quarterback Cam Ward fell with a suboptimal performance, the Heisman race is solidly down to three candidates. Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel broke the all-time career touchdowns record with his 180th on Saturday. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is chasing down the great Barry Sanders’ 1988 single-season rushing record. And finally, Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter is putting on a display fans haven’t seen since the likes of Desmond Howard. These will be the three men vying for the final vote in New York City next month.
Georgia is on the wrong side of the CFP bubble, and it’ll stay there
Quarterback Carson Beck had yet another poor showing for the No. 3 Bulldogs on Saturday, and a 28-10 embarrassment by No. 16 Mississippi has Georgia past the point of no return. There is little to no path back to the SEC Championship Game, which is its lone route into the College Football Playoff.
That’s not to say the improbable can’t happen where the rest of the SEC implodes over the last three weeks, but that’s why it’s improbable. Expect Georgia to tumble in this week’s playoff rankings to an almost unrecoverable position.
Alabama is not going away in the SEC and CFP races
Remember when the No. 11 Crimson Tide were written off after losing to Vanderbilt and Tennessee? Well, reports of their demise may have been premature. Alabama will not be eliminated from either the SEC title race or the playoff hunt until the final bracket is announced in December.
Saturday’s 42-13 drubbing of No. 15 LSU eliminated another contender in the crowded SEC field, leaving Alabama a clear path to Atlanta and potentially the 12-team field.
The Big 12 will only have one team in the CFP
With No. 17 Iowa State’s second consecutive loss on Saturday, No. 9 BYU is the only team the Big 12 can confidently rely on to represent them in January. Even if it’s not the Cougars, whoever conquers them in the Big 12 title game will be the lone representative in the 12-team field.
Because of this, that leaves another berth potentially open for an SEC or Big Ten at-large team waiting in the wings.
Indiana should be locked into a CFP berth, no matter what
The No. 8 Hoosiers continue to lead the Big Ten at 10-0 and with just two weeks remaining, they’ve earned a spot as one of the best 12 teams in the country. Even if it loses to No. 2 Ohio State in Week 12 and misses the Big Ten title game on the tiebreaker, it will beat Purdue in their final week and be more than qualified.
If that means admitting four Big Ten teams into the field then so be it. No. 1 Oregon, Ohio State, Indiana and No. 6 Penn State are all playoff-worthy. The Hoosiers shouldn’t be punished for a good loss in a historic season for the program.
