College Football: Week 11 Review

Five Headlines of Week 11

1. Boom Goes the Sooners- #4 Oklahoma's perfect season ends at the hands of #18 Baylor, 27-14, with neither Sooners QB playing particularly well and opening up the competition in the Big 12.
2. Ole Miss Earns it in Primetime- Matt Corral leads #12 Ole Miss to a big conference win over #11 Texas A&M to keep their SEC West hopes alive for now.
3. Michigan Survives Happy Valley- #9 Michigan scores late and holds on to beat #23 Penn State after a huge game from Michigan QB Cade McNamara. 
4. Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood- Mississippi State QB Will Rogers throws for six touchdowns as the Bulldogs complete the comeback to shock #16 Auburn, 43-34.
5. Wake Forest Holds Steady- #13 Wake Forest beats #21 NC State in a shootout, 45-42, to stay perfect in the ACC and set up a showdown with Clemson next week. 

College Gameday's Game of the Week- # 12 Ole Miss 29, #11 Texas A&M (Oxford, MS)

This week's marquee matchup was between two teams still theoretically in the hunt in the SEC West to play Georgia in the SEC Championship. While the road wasn't going to be easy, Texas A&M seemed to have the best route, especially if Alabama were to fall in one of their last games. It was a battle of two quarterbacks who were a little banged up. While it was a tale of two halves, the Rebels dominated this game in all aspects. Matt Corral didn't light it up the way he usually does, but he did just enough to outplay Zach Calzada to get the Rebels a huge win. Ole Miss led 15-0 at halftime, getting a touchdown, two field goals, and a safety in the first 30 minutes before Texas A&M decided to put up some offense in the third quarter to make it a 15-10 game heading into the fourth quarter. Though they got within two with a field goal early in the fourth, Snoop Conner ran for a touchdown, and then the defense returned a Calzada interception to the house to take a 29-13 lead to ice the game. A garbage-time touchdown made it look closer than it was, but this game was pretty much all Ole Miss. While an Ole Miss almost guarantees a Georgia-Alabama clash in the SEC Championship, it leaves the door cracked, though Ole Miss would still need Alabama to lose its next two games and Auburn to lose next week to South Carolina while winning out in the process. It's convoluted, but still mathematically possible.

My Game of the Week- Kansas 57, Texas 56 (Austin, TX)

Did I think I was going to be writing about Kansas beating Texas when I woke up this morning? No, I did not. Am I doing it because I find it hilarious even though it probably wasn't the best game of the day? Yes, without a doubt. This game provides me the ability to give a history lesson on the history of the Kansas-Texas matchup. Coming into last night's game, Kansas was 2-16 all-time with their last win being in 2016. Before that 2016 win, the only other time they'd beaten them was in 1938. The Jayhawks had only won seven conference games in the last 12 years coming into this season. What makes this game even crazier is that Kansas led by as many as 21 points midway through the third quarter before blowing their lead and allowing a touchdown with 22 seconds left to tie it. Credit needs to be given to Texas QB Casey Robinson for his seven touchdown game (six passing, one rushing), but Kansas QB Jalon Daniels threw for three and ran for another, while Devin Neal ran for 143 yards and three touchdowns of his own. It didn't even come down to which defense could get a stop because both offenses scored in overtime. The difference in the game was a two-point conversion attempt from Kansas that succeeded after the pass was caught by Jared Casey, who'd never taken an offensive snap while at Kansas. I'd be amazed if Texas fans don't want Steve Sarkisian's head on a platter after losing to Texas at home. This win now gives the Jayhawks three wins all-time against Texas coming by a combined five points and their first win in Austin. I'm still trying to decide if this is Kansas' peak or the lowest moment in Texas football history. 

Teams of the Week

1. Kansas- It's a historic moment for the Kansas program, getting their first win on the road against a Texas team that, while underperforming, was still expected to wipe the floor with the Jayhawks.
2. #18 Baylor- Ending an undefeated season has to be fun, but even more fun when it helps your positioning in the Big 12 Conference Championship race. 
3. Mississippi State- The Egg Bowl in two weeks will still have some intrigue as Will Rogers balled out against Auburn to earn a comeback win on the road. 
4. #12 Ole Miss- It was a win for everyone as Ole Miss wins a huge conference game and Matt Corral still hangs around in the Heisman debate with a decent performance. 
5. #13 Wake Forest- The ACC Atlantic is now Wake Forest's to lose with only one win needed in their last two to clinch the division and Clemson being the next team up for the Demon Deacons. 

Most Disappointing Teams of the Week

1. #4 Oklahoma- Neither Caleb Williams nor Spencer Rattler was effective which is a recipe for disaster as Oklahoma likely falls out of playoff contention, even with this being their first loss. 
2. Texas- This is an embarrassing loss for Texas, as they drop their fifth straight game after a red-hot 4-1 start to their season. 
3. #22 Coastal Carolina- While Grayson McCall didn't play in this game, it was the defense that hurt the Chanticleers, allowing 42 points in a loss to Georgia State. 
4. #16 Auburn- The Tigers had a stranglehold on this game, leading 28-3 at one point, but the defense couldn't hold the lead and the offense was limited in the second half. 
5. #11 Texas A&M- There's no denying the Rebels are a great team, but the offense never stood a chance and Zach Calzada folded under pressure. 

My Top 25 Going into Week 12 (Not the Official AP Top 25 of College Football Playoff Rankings)

1. Georgia (10-0, W 41-17 Tennessee)
2. Cincinnati (10-0, W 45-29 South Florida)
3. Alabama (9-1, W 59-3 New Mexico State)
4. Ohio State (9-1, W 59-31 #19 Purdue)
5. Oregon (9-1, W 38-24 Washington State)
6. Michigan (9-1, W 21-17 #23 Penn State)
7. Notre Dame (9-1, W 28-3 Virginia)
8. Oklahoma State (9-1, W 63-17 TCU)
9. Michigan State (9-1, W 41-20 Maryland)
10. Ole Miss (8-2, W 29-19 #11 Texas A&M)
11. Wake Forest (9-1, W 45-42 #21 NC State)
12. Oklahoma (9-1, L 27-14 #18 Baylor)
13. BYU (8-2, BYE)
14. UTSA (10-0, W 27-17 Southern Miss)
15. Houston (9-1, W 37-8 Temple)
16. Wisconsin (7-3, W 35-7 Northwestern)
17. Baylor (8-2, W 27-14 #4 Oklahoma)
18. Iowa (8-2, W 27-22 Minnesota)
19. Texas A&M (7-3, L 29-19 #12 Ole Miss)
20. Pittsburgh (8-2, W 30-23 (OT) North Carolina)
21. Appalachian State (8-2, W 31-7 South Alabama)
22. Louisiana (9-1, W 35-21 Troy)
23. San Diego State (9-1, W 23-21 Nevada)
24. Arkansas (7-3, W 16-13 (OT) LSU)
25. NC State (7-3, L 45-42 #13 Wake Forest)

Week 12 Games to Watch

1. #7 Michigan State v. #5 Ohio State
2. SMU v. #3 Cincinnati
3. #13 Wake Forest v. Clemson
4. #21 Arkansas v. #2 Alabama
5. #11 Baylor v. Kansas State