College Football Week 11 Takeaways: Miami, Georgia Face CFP Reckoning

Colorado controls its destiny in the Big 12 race, while Indiana moves to 10–0 for the first time in school history.

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward dives against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide blew out the No. 14 LSU Tigers in Death Valley, 42–13, to solidify their College Football Playoff hopes and likely end LSU’s chances at making the field to play for a chance at a national title.

But there were plenty of other games of consequence in Week 11 across college football. Here are five takeaways from an absolutely loaded day across the sport.

1. No. 4 Miami finally gets caught playing with fire in road loss to Georgia Tech

Saturday marked the fourth time this season the No. 4 Miami Hurricanes have fallen behind to an opponent by at least two scores. In the previous three outings—at home against Virginia Tech, on the road against Cal and at home last Saturday against Duke—the Hurricanes offense led by star quarterback Cam Ward has been able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. 

But this Saturday was different on the road in Atlanta against a feisty Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets squad that often punches above its weight. The Yellow Jackets welcomed star quarterback Haynes King back into the lineup, and while he was still banged up and could not present much in the passing game, his efficiency in the running game made a significant difference for Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets ran for 271 yards as a team; threw two touchdowns in a limited passing game led by King and freshman quarterback Aaron Philo, who rotated in quite a bit; and forced a strip sack defensively of Ward to seal the 28–23 victory.

It was Georgia Tech’s first victory over an AP top-five opponent since 2009.

As for Miami, the defense remains a mixed bag, but the offense is elite. If the Hurricanes put it all together for a full 60 minutes, they’re a difficult team to beat. But on Saturday, the inconsistency finally caught up to them, and they’ll need to clean things up in order to win a conference title and compete in the College Football Playoff.

2. No. 17 Iowa State continues slide, while No. 20 Colorado controls destiny in Big 12 title race

Following their 7–0 start, the Iowa State Cyclones appeared to be the class of the Big 12. However, this conference entered the season as the one power conference that was the most wide open, and it has played out that way now that the Clones have dropped back-to-back contests.

First, it was a 23–22 loss at home to Texas Tech a week ago. On Saturday, it was an unconscionable 45–36 loss to the previously 2–6 Kansas Jayhawks that was not as competitive as the final score may indicate. The Cyclones trailed 31–13 at halftime, and fell behind 38–13 in the third quarter before scoring a couple of garbage time touchdowns in the fourth quarter to narrow the margin. Iowa State allowed 532 yards of offense—an unacceptable performance given the type of team Kansas has been this season.

With Iowa State now taking a bit of a back seat in the Big 12 title hunt, the intrigue surrounding No. 20 Colorado’s Year 2 turnaround under Deion Sanders continues to grow. The Buffaloes moved to 7–2 on the season with a 41–27 comeback victory at Texas Tech on Saturday. Shedeur Sanders threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, while Heisman Trophy hopeful Travis Hunter caught nine passes for 99 yards and a score.

At 5–1 in the Big 12, Colorado is in sole possession of second place in the league behind BYU and now controls its own destiny to reach the conference title game for a chance at a CFP berth. It's quite the turnaround for a program that went 4–8 in Year 1 under Sanders, which included six straight losses to end the 2023 campaign.

Sanders escapes pressure as the Buffaloes move to 7–2 this season. / Stephen Garcia/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

3. No. 3 Georgia faces questions about its status as a national title contender

The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs traveled to Oxford, Miss., to take on the No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels and will head home with more questions than answers following a 28–10 thrashing.

Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck continued his uneven play, completing 20-of-31 passes for 186 yards and a bad fourth-quarter interception as Georgia attempted a comeback. Beck’s play has left much to be desired of late for the now 7–2 Bulldogs, as the passing offense has certainly taken a step back the last two weeks. Beck threw three interceptions a week ago in the victory over Florida that was much closer than the final margin (14 points) indicated.

If Georgia wants to reach its potential as a true national title contender, Beck must play better in order to help the Bulldogs extend drives offensively. Right now, teams are loading the box to stop the rushing attack and putting Georgia in passing situations that Beck has not consistently delivered upon.

Georgia closes the season with a home tilt next week against another top-10 team in Tennessee, before hosting UMass and Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs’ CFP resume is being held afloat by its victory against then-No. 1 Texas on the road, so Georgia likely needs to win out to reach the CFP as an at-large participant, especially with its SEC title chances on life support.

4. Welcome back to the CFP conversation, Ole Miss

Ole Miss was left for dead once it lost 29–26 to then-No. 13 LSU in overtime on Oct. 12. After all, it was the Rebels’ second loss of the season, with the first coming at the hands of an underwhelming Kentucky Wildcats team. With Georgia still looming on the schedule, not many expected the Rebels to finish the season with two losses and a real chance at the playoff. 

Now? Ole Miss is squarely back in the discussion, with one of the best wins in the country. Win out, and you likely make the bracket, even if you don’t make it to the SEC title game. The Rebels travel to Florida in two weeks before finishing the season at home against Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl.

5. No. 8 Indiana proved again it’s here to stay in the CFP bracket

Entering Saturday, the No. 8 Indiana Hoosiers had defeated all nine of their opponents by 14 points or more, despite not having a victory over a top 25 opponent. The Hoosiers can only play against who is in front of them, and they’ve proven time and time again they’re one of the 12 best teams in the country.

But while Saturday’s 20–15 win over the Michigan Wolverines at home looked different than the nine others on the schedule to date, it provided even more proof and solidified Indiana’s status as a CFP team. Michigan’s elite defense provided problems for Indiana. The Hoosiers jumped out to an early lead, then had to grind possessions out on offense and defense to keep the Wolverines at arm’s length. Indiana held Michigan to 206 total yards and a 5-of-15 mark on third down.

“What are we, 10–0? Not bad,” first-year Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti quipped on the field after the game.

Not bad at all.

The Hoosiers are 10–0 for the first time in school history, and even if they fall short in two weeks on the road against Ohio State, a win-and-in scenario to the CFP should be in play in the final week of the regular season against Purdue.