On a November weekend when the college football season was still deciding its shape, a last-second Texas win in Death Valley reshaped the playoff map, closing the door on LSU's hopes in Lane Kiffin's first year in Baton Rouge. Most of the top of the rankings held steady, as if the sport were pausing to see whether its favorites would stand. Georgia kept the top spot, Big Ten teams climbed, and a projected bracket began to take form, though every upset remains provisional until the next official release.
Week 11 Shakes Up the CFP Picture as Texas Edges LSU and Wake Forest Routs SMU
Week 11 finally provided the chaos
Mark
Texas over LSU by one point. Why does that single game carry so much weight?
Mimi
Because it was the one result that really rearranged things. Most of the top 12 held, so a last-second 22-21 finish in Death Valley stood out. It left LSU at 6-4 and ended Kiffin's playoff hopes in Year 1.
Mark
And Texas benefits directly?
Mimi
It moved up one spot to No. 5, which in the projected bracket means hosting Boise State in the first round.
Luke
Worth saying plainly: these are projected rankings from the paper, not the committee's. The official list comes Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.
Mark
Fair. What about Wake Forest?
Mimi
A 49-7 win over SMU moved them up two to No. 11 at 9-1. The source calls it the loudest statement of the day.
Luke
A big margin, yes, but that's one game. Whether the committee rewards it the same way is unknown.
Mark
Any games still unresolved?
Mimi
Utah at Arizona, Texas Tech at Oklahoma State, and Ole Miss at Oklahoma on Sunday. Utah's 9-0 record and No. 2 spot depend on that Arizona game.
Luke
Right, so the bracket is provisional until those finish.
Der Puls
- A one-point Texas victory over LSU in Death Valley left Baton Rouge's playoff hopes gasping, with LSU falling to 6-4.
- Kentucky's loss to Florida sent the Wildcats tumbling four spots, a stumble that rippled through the middle of the ranking.
- Wake Forest's 49-7 rout of SMU jumped it two places to No. 11, while Big Ten contenders Indiana, Iowa, Oregon and Ohio State pushed upward.
- The projected 12-team bracket is still shifting as weekend games finish, with the official CFP update arriving Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 9 p.m. ET.
On a November weekend when the college football season was still deciding its shape, a last-second Texas win in Death Valley reshaped the playoff map, closing the door on LSU's hopes in Lane Kiffin's first year in Baton Rouge. Most of the top of the rankings held steady, as if the sport were pausing to see whether its favorites would stand. Georgia kept the top spot, Big Ten teams climbed, and a projected bracket began to take form, though every upset remains provisional until the next official release.
The most consequential moment of the weekend came in Death Valley, where Texas beat LSU 22-21 on a last-second score. That result ended Lane Kiffin's playoff hopes in his first season in Baton Rouge. LSU fell to 6-4 and dropped three spots, while Texas, now 8-2, climbed to No. 5.
For much of the week, the top of the rankings had been remarkably steady. Georgia held No. 1 after a 48-21 win over Missouri, and Utah sat at No. 2 with its game at Arizona still to come. Kentucky was the clear casualty among the top teams, losing to Florida and sliding to No. 15.
The Big Ten had a strong day, with UCLA, Indiana, Iowa, Oregon and Ohio State all winning. Indiana rose to No. 8, Oregon and Iowa each climbed two spots, and Ohio State jumped four places to No. 16.
In the ACC, Miami rebounded with a 36-25 win over Duke and stayed at No. 7, while Wake Forest's 49-7 rout of SMU lifted it to No. 11. Elsewhere, Boise State's 46-41 win over Oregon State carried it five spots up to No. 19, and Louisiana Tech earned a debut at No. 25.
The projected bracket reflects these moves, with Boise State facing Texas, Wake Forest at Notre Dame, BYU at Miami, and Tennessee at Indiana. The rankings will keep moving as games finish, and the next official update arrives Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 9 p.m. ET.
The most consequential moment of the weekend came in Death Valley, where Texas beat LSU 22-21 on a last-second score. It was the result that did the most damage to the playoff map, ending Lane Kiffin's CFP hopes in his first year in Baton Rouge. LSU fell to 6-4 and dropped three spots in the projected rankings. Texas, now 8-2, climbed one place to No. 5.
Until then, Week 11 had been short on the chaos the playoff picture seemed to need. Most of the top 12 in the CFP rankings came through unscathed. The notable exception was Kentucky, which lost to Florida 21-14 and slid four spots to No. 15 at 7-3.
Georgia held the top position in the projected rankings with a 48-21 win over Missouri, a game that was never competitive. The Bulldogs are 9-1. Missouri, now 6-4, fell out of the Top 25 entirely, as did South Carolina, also 6-4, which lost to Arkansas. Alabama, 8-2, stayed at No. 3 after a 21-6 win over Vanderbilt that the source describes as ugly. Utah, at 9-0, sits at No. 2, but its game at Arizona was still to be played at the time of the update.
The Big Ten had a strong weekend. UCLA, Indiana, Iowa, Oregon and Ohio State all won. UCLA, 10-0, beat Illinois 22-14 on Friday and holds No. 4. Indiana beat USC 27-13 and rose one spot to No. 8 at 9-1, while USC fell three places to No. 21 at 7-3. Iowa beat Purdue 28-7 and rose two spots to No. 13. Oregon beat Michigan 31-7 and also rose two, to No. 14. Ohio State beat Northwestern 28-19 and jumped four spots to No. 16.
In the ACC, Miami recovered from its loss a week earlier by beating Duke 36-25. The Hurricanes, 9-1, stayed at No. 7. Wake Forest made the loudest statement of the day, beating SMU 49-7 to improve to 9-1 and climb two places to No. 11. Notre Dame beat Boston College 41-7 but slipped one spot to No. 6. Louisville beat North Carolina 16-14 and entered the rankings at No. 22.
Elsewhere, Tennessee beat Texas A&M 22-7 but fell one spot to No. 9. BYU beat Baylor 28-7 and held at No. 10. Boise State beat Oregon State 46-41 and rose five places to No. 19 at 9-1. Louisiana Tech beat Southern Miss 63-31 to enter at No. 25 at 8-2. Houston lost to Colorado 42-32 on Friday and dropped nine spots to No. 23. Texas Tech, 8-1, and Oklahoma State, 6-3, were still to meet that night, and Ole Miss was set to play at Oklahoma on Sunday.
The projected 12-team bracket reflects those moves. In the first round, No. 12 Boise State would travel to No. 5 Texas, No. 11 Wake Forest to No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 10 BYU to No. 7 Miami, and No. 9 Tennessee to No. 8 Indiana. The winners would face the top four seeds in the quarterfinals: Georgia, Utah, Alabama and UCLA, respectively.
The projections are updated as games finish, and the next official CFP rankings are due at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
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