College football winners, losers in Week 11: Colorado continues quiet success, Miami falls behind in ACC race

Every week more and more contenders for the national championship fall. On Saturday, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Miami became the last to take the field in Week 11, while No. 15 LSU was de facto eliminated from the College Football Playoff after losing heavily to No. 11 Alabama. In every week of the season, an underdog has now won by more than 10 points.

The losses have upset nearly all of the major conference championship races. Miami falls to No. 2 in the ACC, with SMU holding sole possession of first place. Iowa State’s shocking loss to Kansas means Colorado is suddenly on track to reach AT&T Stadium in the Big 12. Only three teams now have a loss in the SEC race – Tennessee, Texas A&M and Texas.

But despite all the movement, many teams took care of business. No. 16 Ole Miss saved its College Football Playoff dreams by beating Georgia. No. 6 Penn State returned to form against Washington. No. 24 Missouri just survived against Oklahoma.

Here are the biggest winners and losers from week 11.

Winner: Alabama

No one needed good news more than Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, who was aware of the pressure to replace Nick Saban with two losses before November. Going on the road and knocking off No. 15 LSU 42-13 was a thrilling moment that may have saved the season. Leaning on his legs, quarterback Jalen Milroe rushed for 185 yards and four touchdowns on just 12 rushing attempts.

The win is Alabama’s second against a top-15 opponent and third overall, although No. 24 Missouri could fall out of the CFP rankings. More importantly, the Tide is coming off two losses down the stretch. Games against Oklahoma and Auburn won’t be easy, but Alabama will be the favorite. If the deal works out, Alabama will move into the College Football Playoff with a chance 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 its 20th season. The Cowboys were completely embarrassed, 38-13, by TCU after losing 24-0 at halftime. Oklahoma State will miss a bowl game and finish with a losing season for the first time since 2005, Gundy’s first season. OSU posted seven losses in conference play for just the fourth time in program history, following 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 still on the schedule, there’s even less to lose.

Winner: South Carolina

Few teams have pushed Vanderbilt this season, but South Carolina used one of its best performances of the season to hand the Commodores their worst loss of the year, a 28-7 decision. South Carolina held Vanderbilt to just 274 yards and star quarterback Diego Pavia to just one touchdown. USC quarterback LaNorris Sellers and running back Raheim Sanders each reached the end zone twice.

The win secured bowl eligibility and snapped a three-game winning streak, an impressive moment for Shane Beamer and his staff in the highly competitive SEC. It also sets the stage for a final phase full of possibilities. The Gamecocks should move into the CFP rankings after the win and still have games against No. 24 Missouri and No. 23 Clemson. South Carolina can finish the year on a hot streak if this trend continues.

Loser: Florida State

The Seminoles’ season has been a comedy of errors, but Week 11 lent an air of finality to the disaster. With a ninth loss, Florida State officially recorded the most losses of any preseason top-10 team in the history of the AP Top 25 Poll.

The game itself was another disaster. Notre Dame defeated FSU 52-3, by far the largest 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 against a walk-on Notre Dame defensive back.

Granted, the Seminoles still have two games left. FSU should mercifully get a second win against FCS Charleston Southern before losing to Florida, so a 2-10 finish would be the most likely scenario. But regardless of what happens from here on out, Florida State will live in infamy in 2024.

Rebels coach Lane Kiffin has long been criticized for losing big games, but Saturday was a cathartic moment. After coming up short twice this season, Ole Miss finally posted its best performance of the year 28-10 loss to No. 3 Georgia. The Rebels defense got five sacks against Carson Beck and a tied Jaxson Dart was still able to lead Ole Miss to 397 yards.

The surprising win is a major turnaround for Ole Miss’ season. Suddenly, despite two losses, the Rebels have a serious path to the College Football Playoff. A defeat would have officially ended their chances. It doesn’t hurt that after defeating Vanderbilt, South Carolina should have a shot at making the ballot. Ole Miss defeated the Gamecocks 27-3.

Loser: Miami

The Hurricanes played with fire for weeks, and in the end it burned them down against a physical Georgia Tech team. The Yellow Jackets simply harassed Miami, rushing for 271 yards and holding them to just 3.7 yards per carry despite losing top running back Justice Haynes to 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 also teams with a single loss in conference play, and the Tigers’ strong schedule puts them ahead of the game to overtake Miami and play for an ACC title. Miami should still be in the top 12 on Tuesday, but their spot could be perilous with several teams fighting their way up the rankings.

Winner: Colorado

Once the loudest team in college football, the Buffaloes may be the quietest College Football Playoff contender in the sport. Colorado moved to 7-2 and was then in sole possession of the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 outlasted Texas Tech 41-27 in an important away win. With the win, Colorado is now expected to advance to the Big 12 Championship Game against BYU.

The Buffaloes are quietly one of the season’s biggest success stories, having relied on a passing combination of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter and a wildly underrated defense. Colorado ranks in the top 25 nationally in sacks and has brought down Texas Tech’s Behren Morton six times. CU will be the favorite in its three remaining games.

After a miserable start to the season, UCLA is quietly owning a three-game winning streak against quality opponents. The Bruins beat Rutgers and Nebraska on the road in the last two weeks and capped the game with a surprising 20-17 score against Iowa behind two second-quarter touchdown passes from quarterback Ethan Garbers. UCLA held Iowa to just 17 points and 265 yards after the Hawkeyes averaged 35.5 points in their last four games.

UCLA started the season on a five-game losing streak against power conference competition, but the win over Iowa suddenly means their season is still alive. The Bruins still have one game left against Fresno State and just need to win one more against Washington or USC to reach a bowl game. Reaching this point, even after a tumultuous offseason, is a rousing achievement for coach DeShaun Foster in his first season. Honor goes to him.

Needless to say, Florida wasn’t hoping for the start of the new-look Billy Napier era with a 49-17 loss to Texas. Granted, the Gators started walk-on quarterback Aidan Warner after DJ Lagway was sidelined with a hamstring injury, but Texas managed 350 yards in the first half and averaged 8.8 yards per play on the day.

And really, the end result doesn’t quite reflect the level of dominance. Texas led 42-0 midway through the third quarter before pulling out virtually everyone. Florida made the decision to bring Napier back knowing that there could be some frustrating performances ahead given a brutal graduation schedule, but Week 11 showed plenty of reasons why Florida fans weren’t exactly thrilled about keeping Napier.

Yes, No. 25 Army beat North Texas 14-3 in Denton to go 9-0, but that’s secondary. The real reason the Black Knights are winners is because they put together one of the craziest offenses in college football history. On its second drive of the third quarter, Army gained 94 yards on nearly 21 plays 14 minutes (13:54 to be exact). The drive lasted more than 28 minutes in real time and ended with Army remaining undefeated and delivering an explosive offense. The longest drive of all time 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 another stop or two.