Alabama quiets doubters, while Oklahoma sinks deeper
There’s good news and there’s bad news for No. 11 Alabama.
After last week’s loss to LSU put a crippling dent in any chance of returning to the College Football Playoff, Alabama bounced back to beat Ole Miss 30-24 and avoid the sort of result that would’ve raised serious alarm bells over the Crimson Tide’s precipitous drop out of the top tier of the Southeastern Conference.
You could’ve seen the headlines from hours away: Is Alabama done? Is the dynasty over? Where do the Crimson Tide go from here? Is this it for Nick Saban?
Instead, the Tide can fend off those concerns for at least one more week and basically book a ticket into one of the
New Year’s Six bowls.
In the face of more of the same from Alabama’s predictably mediocre offensive line, Bryce Young completed 63.6% of his throws for 209 yards and three touchdowns.
Unfortunately, Alabama’s win hands the SEC West to LSU, which pulled off an ugly win at Arkansas and will represent the division in the conference championship game by virtue of head-to-head tiebreakers against the Tide and Rebels. Since kicking off the dynasty under Saban in 2008, the Tide have won the West in every season but five, most recently finishing second behind LSU in 2019.
While the two losses in hand and a second-place finish in the division will essentially eliminate the Tide from playoff contention – they’re technically still alive, but it’s hard to see a pathway – topping the Rebels helps Alabama stay in the mix for the New Year’s Six and out of the
spotlight that would’ve been cast on the program after a third defeat.
That puts the Tide atop the list of biggest winners and losers.
Winners TCU
TCU had climbed to No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll last week by relying on a beautifully balanced offense capable of digging out of almost any deficit, including a 16-point hole against Oklahoma State and an 18point gap against Kansas State. You can defense to the Horned Frogs’ formula. Despite entering the weekend ranked 75th nationally in yards given up per play, TCU held Texas to 199 yards and a third-down conversion in a 17-10 win that may represent the biggest hurdle to an unbeaten season and playoff berth.
Tennessee
Oregon’s loss to Washington is huge news for one-loss Tennessee, which needed this roadblock removed to feel extremely confident about reaching the top four of the playoff rankings after No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan meet this month. Facing Missouri, the Volunteers allowed the Tigers to draw within a possession at 28-24 in the third quarter before stepping on the gas in the 66-24 win.
Clemson
It’s going to take work and help for Clemson to crawl into the top four of the playoff rankings after the Week 10 loss to Notre Dame. The Tigers took a good first step with a 31-16 win against redhot Louisville, snapping the Cardinals’ four-game winning streak. Down 17-7 at halftime, Louisville was unable to close the gap without quarterback Malik Cunningham, who suffered a shoulder injury on the final play of the second quarter and didn’t return. After getting benched against Syracuse and held in check by the Fighting Irish, DJ Uiagalelei threw for 185 yards and had two touchdowns, one on the ground. With the win, Clemson avoided losing back-to-back games in the regular season for the first time since 2011.
Central Florida
The Knights are the team to beat for the automatic Group of Five bid to the New Year’s Six after topping Tulane 3831 and moving into a tie for first in the American. With games against Navy and South Florida to end the month, UCF is very likely bound for the conference championship game. A win there would send the Knights back to the New Year’s Six for the third time in six years.
Kansas State
For the second time in under a month, Kansas State rebounded from a painful loss with a must-have Big 12 win that strengthens the Wildcats’ chances of reaching the conference championship game. After last week’s 34-27 loss to Texas, KSU drew big performances from running back Deuce Vaughn and backup quarterback Will Howard and beat Baylor 31-3 to move into second place in the conference standings. With starter Adrian Martinez again dealing with an injury, Howard stepped back into the lineup and threw three TDs, likely earning himself the nod for the rest of the season.
Purdue
It’s been a frustrating season for Purdue, which dropped September games by a combined seven points – Penn State (35-31) and Syracuse (32-29) – and then rolled off four wins in a row, only to take a big step back with losses to Iowa and Wisconsin. But the Boilermakers are back atop the Big Ten West and in position to land in the conference title game after topping Illinois 31-24 behind three TDs from quarterback Aidan O’Connell. Now 4-3 in league play, Purdue closes November with games against Indiana and Northwestern.
Florida State
This is shaping up to be a breakthrough season for the Seminoles, who won eight games in Mike Norvell’s first two seasons but could win nine in the regular season alone after putting the clamps on Syracuse in a 38-3 win. One of the nation’s top units just two years after hitting rock bottom during a historically bad 2020 season, the defense held the slumping Orange to 160 yards of offense at a measly 3.3 yards per play. On offense, quarterback Jordan Travis stayed hot with 21 completions in 23 throws and five touchdowns.
Losers Oregon
Oregon won’t reach the playoff and may not even play in the Pac-12 championship game after a 37-34 loss to Washington, which started slow before taking off with an absolutely bonkers second half. The third quarter alone featured a combined five touchdowns in five possessions; the fourth quarter began with Washington quarterback Michael Penix throwing an interception at the goal line, which the Ducks turned into a 20play drive lasting more than 10 minutes and a 34-27 lead. But the Huskies would respond. Penix delivered a 62-yard TD pass to tie the score, Oregon failed to convert a short fourth-down attempt at its own 34-yard line and UW kicked the winning field goal with 52 seconds left.
Oklahoma
Brent Venables’ tough start continued with a 23-20 loss to West Virginia, dropping Oklahoma to 5-5 and in legitimate danger of missing the postseason with games against Oklahoma State and Texas Tech to close the regular season. The Sooners’ laundry list of issues included yet another atrocious showing from the run defense, which gave up at least 200 yards for the fifth time this season, and critical penalties that allowed West Virginia to extend drives and rally from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Kentucky
This is all you need to know: Kentucky became the first SEC team to lose to Vanderbilt in more than three years. Ahead 21-17 with five minutes on the clock after a long touchdown run by Chris Rodriguez, the Wildcats allowed the Commodores to convert two fourth downs as part of an 80-yard march and notch the game-winning score with 32 seconds left. Once a borderline SEC contender, Kentucky lost a close one to Mississippi in early October and never recovered, losing four of six in league play and plummeting into a middling bowl appearance.
Virginia
We have a new contender for the worst start by a team in FBS history. Virginia received to open an ACC matchup against Pittsburgh, with the Panthers looking to earn bowl eligibility and the Cavaliers aiming to build some momentum amid a disappointing season under new coach Tony Elliott. On the game’s first play following a touchback, Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong’s pass toward the Pittsburgh sideline was intercepted by M.J. Devonshire, who ran it back 29 yards to make it 7-0 after five seconds. After another touchback, Armstrong was picked off by Marquis Williams, who returned the interception 39 yards to make it 14-0 after two plays and 16 seconds.