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ESPN
Nov 10, 2024, 12:00 PM ET
What a week it was for college football: There were numerous upsets, along with some very exciting endings for a couple of teams in our top 25.
After No. 3 Georgia took an early lead in the first quarter, No. 16 Ole Miss tied it up halfway through the first and kept that lead for the next three quarters, sending the Bulldogs home with their second conference loss of the season.
The Missouri Tigers pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback victory over Oklahoma, as we welcome them back to our list, along with Louisville and Tulane.
How did Saturday’s action affect our Power Rankings?
Here’s the latest top 25 from our college football experts, who provide their insight on each team’s Week 11 performance.
No. 1 Oregon Ducks
Previous ranking: 1
With only two games standing between the Ducks and an undefeated regular season after a 39-18 win over Maryland on Saturday, it’s difficult to see them falling out of the top 10 (let alone 25) even if they lose to either Wisconsin or Washington. The way Oregon is playing right now, no team has been able to match its level. The offense continues to get stronger behind quarterback Dillon Gabriel, while the defense remains as stingy as ever.
For the eighth game in a row, the Ducks scored 30 points or more while holding their opponent to fewer than 20. As the season has progressed, Dan Lanning’s team has only become more confident in its brand of football, and the results speak for themselves. During a season in which top teams are prone to losing on any given Saturday, Oregon has proved to be the opposite. — Paolo Uggetti
No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes
Previous ranking: 3
Jeremiah Smith broke Cris Carter’s Ohio State true freshman receiving records, as the Buckeyes cruised to a 45-0 win over Purdue. Smith caught six passes for 87 yards and a touchdown, propelling him past Carter’s 1984 mark for receptions and touchdown catches. Smith, who broke Carter’s receiving yards record the previous week, now has 45 catches for 765 yards and nine touchdowns.
Emeka Egbuka caught a touchdown as well against the Boilermakers, as he and Smith became the first FBS receiving duo to each haul in eight touchdowns this season. After struggling offensively two weeks ago against Nebraska, the Buckeyes, behind their revamped offensive line, are rolling again at the right time. — Jake Trotter
No. 3 Texas Longhorns
Previous ranking: 5
The Longhorns have been stymied by a lack of explosive plays in recent weeks, but they found their groove against Florida. Quinn Ewers threw for 333 yards and five TDs in just over three quarters as the Longhorns blew out the Gators 49-17. Ewers became the third player in Texas history with five TDs and zero INTs while completing 70% of his throws in a game, joining Sam Ehlinger (2020 vs. UTEP) and James Brown (1994 vs. Baylor).
According to ESPN Research, Ewers entered Saturday averaging 5.4 air yards per attempt, ranking 122nd out of 123 FBS quarterbacks. But on Saturday, he averaged 8.7 air yards per throw, the most all season. A healthy Isaiah Bond returned after missing Texas’ win over Vanderbilt on Oct. 26 and made a difference: His 44-yard run on an end-around was the Longhorns’ longest in SEC play. He also caught three passes for 55 yards and a TD. — Dave Wilson
No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers
Previous ranking: 9
The health of quarterback Nico Iamaleava looms large for the Volunteers with Tennessee chasing its first-ever playoff berth. The Volunteers rolled past Mississippi State Saturday, behind a career-best 149 rushing yards from Dylan Sampson, but the focus stayed on Iamaleava in the 33-14 victory after the second-year passer exited with an upper-body injury in the second quarter and did not return after halftime.
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel confirmed postgame that Iamaleava’s exit was a “cautionary measure,” telling reporters that he expects to have the former five-star passer back for the Volunteers’ Week 12 trip to Georgia next weekend. Sampson, the SEC’s leading rusher, helped Tennessee pull away from Mississippi State with his 33-yard, third-quarter score, and the junior running back was the key to the Volunteers’ 240-yard rushing effort, the program’s highest mark against an SEC opponent this fall. But Iamaleava’s status will remain the primary concern in Knoxville this week, particularly for an offense that has reached 30 points just once in SEC play. — Eli Lederman
No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers
Previous ranking: 6
The Hoosiers won their 10th game in a season for the first time in team history and improved to 10-0 overall after their first tight game of the season. The key is remaining in the College Football Playoff field until the very end. Indiana’s performance Nov. 23 at Ohio State ultimately will shape how many around the country will ultimately assess coach Curt Cignetti’s team. If the Hoosiers defend like they did Saturday against Michigan, allowing only one touchdown on a 34-yard drive and consistently stifling the run, they should hang with the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. If Indiana flat-lines on offense like it did in the second half against Michigan, when it produced only three points and 18 total yards, the Ohio State game likely will get ugly. Indiana needs to use its second open week to heal up and find the pass-run rhythm that helped the offense rise to No. 2 in scoring before Saturday’s struggles. — Adam Rittenberg
No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions
Previous ranking: 8
The Nittany Lions’ path to CFP selection involves doing what they’ve done for most of coach James Franklin’s tenure — win the games they’re supposed to.
After another big-game disappointment last week against Ohio State, Penn State responded by pounding Washington 35-6 before a Whiteout crowd Saturday at Beaver Stadium. A Lions offense that did not score a touchdown against Ohio State had five Saturday, including on each of its first four possessions.
Do-it-all tight end Tyler Warren had two rushing touchdowns while Kaytron Allen had 98 rushing yards and a score and freshman Corey Smith recorded a 78-yard run, as Penn State started to show its big-play prowess again. If a defense that played well enough against Ohio State and held Washington to 193 yards continues to shine, Penn State should be punching its CFP ticket. The Lions close the regular season with Purdue (road), Minnesota (road) and Maryland (home). — Rittenberg
No. 7 BYU Cougars
Previous ranking: 7
Twice late in the fourth quarter against rival Utah on Saturday, it appeared the Cougars suffered their first defeat of the season. But on both occasions, there was a lifeline, giving BYU a chance to put together a last-minute drive to win on a 44-yard field goal, 22-21. With the win, BYU inches closer to locking up a spot in the Big 12 championship game and remains on course for a College Football Playoff appearance. The performance against Utah wasn’t convincing, but the Cougars will take the win after trailing 21-10 at halftime. — Kyle Bonagura
No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide
Previous ranking: 13
The Crimson Tide have looked like a far more complete team in their past two games — big wins over Missouri (34-0) and LSU (42-13) and should be favored in their final three games against Mercer, Oklahoma and Auburn. Alabama will need to keep building off its recent improvements, starting with its defense. After giving up way too many explosive plays earlier in the year, Alabama has given up a total of 13 points in its past two games.
The longest completion Garrett Nussmeier had on Saturday night was for 28 yards. The Tide also continues to be aggressive in taking away the ball, with five interceptions in the past two games. Meanwhile, the running game has shown up in a big way in the past two wins, as the Tide have rushed for over 200 yards in each game. Jalen Milroe has been a key reason. — Andrea Adelson
No. 9 Miami Hurricanes
Previous ranking: 4
Miami’s defense had been a disaster waiting to happen for much of the season, and the dam finally broke against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets ran for 271 yards and converted 9 of 14 third-down tries, while chewing up clock in a 28-23 win. Cam Ward and Miami’s offense couldn’t stay on the field (3-of-10 on third down, 1-of-4 on fourth) and Ward fumbled away a chance at a come-from-behind win late. Where does this leave the Canes? Right about where they started. They’re still the favorite to win the ACC, still in line for a top-four seed in the playoff, and still with big questions about whether the defense can get enough stops to allow Ward to work his magic. — David Hale
No. 10 Ole Miss Rebels
Previous ranking: 14
The Rebels and Lane Kiffin were looking for their first “signature” win of the season and really of Kiffin’s tenure in Oxford. They got it thanks to a 28-10 beatdown Saturday of Georgia in a game that was never close. What was most impressive about the win for Ole Miss (8-2, 4-2) was the way it controlled the line of scrimmage and relentlessly pressured Georgia quarterback Carson Beck.
The Rebels are playing their best football and have won three straight games by double digits. They lost a tough overtime game to LSU last month and blew a home game to Kentucky in September, but the win over Georgia puts Ole Miss right back into the playoff race. The Rebels also get a week off before traveling to face Florida on Nov. 23, which should help them get star receiver Tre Harris III back from an injury. — Chris Low
No. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Previous ranking: 10
The Irish have not been tested since they played Louisville at the end of September, having beaten their past four opponents handily – including hapless Florida State 52-3 on Saturday night. Notre Dame has relied on a strong running game to power through to victories, but if there is one area where it has to improve to not only stay ranked but have a shot in the playoff is the passing game. Riley Leonard has not had to do much here – he actually leads the team in rushing – but in the only loss of the season to Northern Illinois, he struggled and threw two interceptions. On the season, he only has nine touchdown passes, and only twice in nine games has the longest completion of the game been more than 40 yards. — Adelson
No. 12 Boise State Broncos
Previous ranking: 11
It might be simple, but the Broncos’ strategy for success this season remains the same: give the ball to Ashton Jeanty and get out of the way. On Saturday against Nevada, Boise State found itself in a game where they needed more than the norm from Jeanty and he delivered. On 33 carries, Jeanty ran for 209 yards and added three more rushing touchdowns to his season tally (now at 23) on his way to leading No. 12 Boise to a 28-21 victory.
Every win counts for Boise, whose only loss is to Oregon at Autzen, as it tries not only to make the College Football Playoff, but perhaps secure a first-round bye. Getting the 12th spot in the first rankings bodes well for the perception of the Broncos as a team that nearly took down one of the remaining undefeated top teams in the country and belongs in the playoff. The margin of error is slim for a Group of 5 team and Boise can’t lose another game. But should the Broncos simply keep giving the ball to Jeanty, good things will ensue. — Uggetti
No. 13 Georgia Bulldogs
Previous ranking: 2
All of a sudden, Georgia has two SEC losses after Saturday’s 28-10 setback to Ole Miss on the road, and the Bulldogs (7-2, 5-2) have another tough game looming this coming weekend against Tennessee at home. SEC teams have beaten up on each other this season, so Georgia is still very much in the playoff picture, especially with the road win at Texas last month. What was so alarming about the loss to Ole Miss was the way Georgia was beaten up physically on the line of scrimmage. The Bulldogs couldn’t protect quarterback Carson Beck, who was sacked five times.
The other recurring issue is that Beck continues to turn the ball over. He has had multiple turnovers in five of his past six games. The Bulldogs don’t have the playmakers at the skill positions they’ve had on offense in recent seasons when they were in the midst of a 29-game winning streak. More of the pressure has been on Beck. Kirby Smart’s teams have almost always responded to adversity. Their backs are to the wall now. Another loss would likely kill their playoff chances. — Low
No. 14 SMU Mustangs
Previous ranking: 12
Staring down end-of-season matchups with Boston College, Virginia and Cal with their highest CFP ranking in program history, the Mustangs simply need to hold serve down the stretch.
SMU was off Saturday following its 48-25 rout of Pitt in Week 10. And given that the Mustangs’ lone loss came in September to unbeaten BYU, perhaps no program should have felt more snubbed by the committee’s initial playoff rankings than 8-1 SMU, which came in at No. 13 earlier this week, two spots behind two-loss Alabama.
But the Mustangs have figured out how to move the ball (446.1 yards per game) and they’re stopping the run as well as any team across the county this fall (90.0 opposing rushing yards per game). With the ACC’s eighth-toughest remaining schedule, SMU has a clear path to the ACC title game and playoff contention all the way to championship weekend if it can handle its business over the next three Saturdays. — Lederman
No. 15 Army Black Knights
Previous ranking: 17
Army extended its nation’s-best 13-game winning streak with a 14-3 defeat of North Texas in Denton on Saturday. After missing last week’s game with injury, Army quarterback Bryson Daily was sharp, rushing for 153 yards and two touchdowns, while the Black Knights’ defense held UNT to 283 total yards and two turnovers.
With Daily hobbled, Army has proven it can win without 100% explosiveness on offense, but the Black Knights’ season will come down to whether or not they can take down Notre Dame in two weeks. Win, and they could zoom past Boise State in the College Football Playoff rankings; lose, and they’ll likely fall just short. Pulling an upset will likely come down to whether Daily is sharp, as he was on Saturday night, or downright awesome, as he has been for most of 2024. — Connelly
No. 16 Colorado Buffaloes
Previous ranking: 19
After falling behind 13-0 in the first quarter to Texas Tech, Colorado roared back to win, 41-27, behind another big game from quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Sanders completed 30 of 43 passes for 291 yards with three touchdowns as the Buffaloes overcame a poor night running the ball (they rushed for 60 yards on 27 carries). Next week’s game against Utah should provide a good test for the offense as the two former Pac-12 schools meet in Boulder. With four two-loss teams behind CU in the Big 12 standings, it has no margin for error the rest of the way. — Bonagura
No. 17 Texas A&M Aggies
Previous ranking: 15
After their best (a 15-point win over LSU) and worst (a 24-point loss to South Carolina) performances of the season, Texas A&M regrouped with a bye in Week 11. At 14th in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Aggies are in solid shape as far as the playoff is concerned, but they’ll have to win out to make it, which will require defeating Texas in Week 14. The most important thing they needed to search for in their off week is explosiveness.
Opponents make more big plays than they do — 6.2% of their snaps have gained 20-plus yards (92nd in FBS), while 6.8% of opponents’ plays gain that much (78th) — and when that’s the case it forces you to dominate from the perspective of efficiency and turnovers. South Carolina pulled away with big plays, and it can’t happen again over the final three weeks. — Connelly
No. 18 Washington State Cougars
Previous ranking: 21
The Cougars’ 49-28 win against Utah State was never in jeopardy as they improved to 8-1, and with New Mexico, Oregon State and Wyoming remaining on the schedule, things are falling into place for their first 11-win regular season in school history. QB John Mateer had an efficient night against the Aggies, completing 18 of 24 passes for 179 yards and four touchdowns.
Wayshawn Parker led the Cougars with 149 yards rushing on 11 carries as the Cougs rushed 303 yards as a team on 45 attempts. Their strength of schedule will likely prevent the Cougars from being a serious contender for a playoff spot, but it has been an impressive season, either way, for the Cougars as they’ve navigated the collapse of the Pac-12. — Bonagura
No. 19 Clemson Tigers
Previous ranking: 20
At halftime against Virginia Tech, Clemson was scoreless and trailing by a touchdown thanks to yet another blocked kick. It might’ve been a recipe for disaster, but Cade Klubnik finally found a spark in the second half, finishing the game by throwing for 211 yards and three touchdowns.
Phil Mafah ran for 128 yards, too, and the defense — much maligned after a dismal performance against Louisville — put together its best game of the year, holding the Hokies to just 40 yards rushing in a 24-14 win. The Tigers are playing to an inside straight, but with Miami’s Week 11 loss, the door is still cracked open for Clemson to make a run at the ACC title game. — Hale
No. 20 South Carolina Gamecocks
Previous ranking: 24
South Carolina remained one of the hottest teams in college football with a 28-7 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Gamecocks’ defense completely shut down Diego Pavia and the Commodores’ offense, allowing just 274 total yards, while both quarterback LaNorris Sellers (17 yards per completion) and Raheim Sanders (8.4 yards per carry) provided more than enough big plays to cruise to an easy win.
Since a frustrating 27-3 loss to Ole Miss in Week 6, South Carolina has been fantastic, nearly beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa and then winning three SEC games in a row by an average score of 36-12. To keep up this hot streak in upcoming games against Missouri and Clemson, the Gamecocks will have to keep making big plays on offense. The defense is disruptive and fun, but the offense is inconsistent and relatively inefficient. Keep showing signs of consistency, and they’ll have a shot at a 9-3 finish. — Connelly
No. 21 Louisville Cardinals
Previous ranking: NR
Louisville is coming off a bye week and its remaining schedule is setting up nicely for a strong finish to get to 9-3. A road trip out to face Stanford – yes, Cardinal vs. Cardinals – is up next followed by games against Pittsburgh and Kentucky, which are both struggling at the moment. It’s tough to see a path to the conference title game, barring an extreme amount of chaos in the league race. But this team has an opportunity to achieve another 10-win season and continue building momentum to become a serious ACC contender year after year. — Max Olson
No. 22 Kansas State Wildcats
Previous ranking: 23
The Wildcats had the week off, but have been focused on rekindling their rushing attack. In an upset loss at Houston in the rain, Kansas State could not get its ground game going against a solid defense, rushing for 89 yards, fewest this season. Junior DJ Giddens had just 50 yards in that game, averaged 2.9 yards per carry, and had a long of 10 yards, an all season low. In the season’s first six games, he had four 100-yard games, including topping 180 against Colorado and Oklahoma State. But in the two games before Houston, he rushed for 57 against West Virginia and 102 (with a 54-yard run) against Kansas. Arizona State up next, allows 3.6 yards per carry, so this will be another test for the Wildcats. — Wilson
No. 23 LSU Tigers
Previous ranking: 16
Brian Kelly repeatedly said after a 42-13 loss to Alabama that he has to do a better job getting his team ready to play, and that has to start on defense, where the Tigers have been unable to slow down running quarterbacks in their past two games – losses that have all but eliminated their playoff hopes. So making improvements defensively is where the Tigers have to start if they want to remain ranked in the Top 25 with games left against Florida, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.
What has to be particularly frustrating for Kelly is the fact he overhauled his defensive staff in the offseason in an effort to improve the defense. But the same issues keep cropping up for a unit that has struggled to shut teams down. Though Garrett Nussmeier has had a good season, LSU has been unable to run the ball consistently and his mistakes have piled up. The Tigers have six turnovers in their past two games. — Adelson
No. 24 Missouri Tigers
Previous ranking: NR
The Tigers maintained their spot in the top 25 through Zion Young‘s scoop and score with 17 seconds remaining Saturday night, one of four touchdowns in the final 3:18 of Missouri’s 30-23 win over Oklahoma. The narrow victory came without starting quarterback Brady Cook, and despite Drew Pyne‘s second-half heroics, it’s clear that the Tigers will need Cook back under center in order to close strong this fall ahead of a final stretch that features trips to South Carolina and Mississippi State before a home finale with Arkansas.
If Cook can get healthy — along with Nate Noel, Mookie Cooper and Cayden Green — Missouri should have the firepower it needs to secure back-to-back 10-win seasons for only the third time in program history. — Lederman
No. 25 Tulane Green Wave
Previous ranking: NR
Coach Jon Sumrall’s team isn’t generating as much attention as other Group of 5 CFP contenders, but none has been as consistently dominant since entering conference play as the Green Wave. After shellacking Temple52-6 on Saturday, Tulane has outscored its past seven opponents by a combined score of (312-119) during its win streak. Sumrall’s teams are known for defense and Tulane has really clamped down, allowing 10 points or fewer in three of its past five games.
To remain comfortably in the top 25 and on the fringes of CFP contention, Tulane simply must maintain its trajectory, as it prepares to face its two toughest AAC opponents in Navy (Nov. 16) and Memphis (Nov. 28). Makhi Hughes, who had 153 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Temple, is one of the nation’s most consistently productive running backs, and quarterback Darian Mensah continues to connect with Mario Williams and others. — Rittenberg
