The Big Ten Conference claimed the weekend’s top storylines as Oregon and Ohio State separated themselves from the pack with huge wins against their opponents.
The Dillon Gabriel-led Ducks topped Maryland, 39-18, while Ohio State shut out Purdue, 45-0. Both teams’ dominant displays inspired AP top-25 voters to put them at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. It’ll be interesting to see where they land in the next College Football Playoff rankings.
Indiana and BYU maintained their perfect records as well. The Hoosiers will also be looking to nab a higher ranking in the CFP while the Cougars are sure to still have a bye when the next projected bracket is revealed.
So, here we are with the final month of the regular season underway.
Don’t throw garbage on the field and don’t storm the field until the clock hits triple zeroes. Instead, read below for this week’s winners and losers of college football.
Winners
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe carries in the first half of an NCAA college football game against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Colorado: After beating Texas Tech on Saturday, Deion Sanders has his team 7-2 on the season and in control of their own destiny for the Big 12 title game. In the overall picture, this also means that the Buffaloes have a shot at the college football playoffs. The play of Travis Hunter has been amazing to watch, and he has secured a spot at the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Now, Colorado has three winnable games upcoming that should put them in the conference title game. This has been one of the best turnarounds in college football this season, and they aren’t done yet. This offense, led by Shedeur Sanders, has been playing fantastic, and the defense hasn’t backed down from a challenge. Here we go, the Buffs are in the driver’s seat
Alabama: So, you thought the Crimson Tide was dead after two losses this season? Well, think again. After a dominating performance over LSU on Saturday, thanks to a ferocious defense and quarterback Jalen Milroe, this team is ready for a run to the playoff. Now, the SEC tiebreaker scenarios will most likely keep them out of the title game, but that does not matter at this point. Kalen DeBoer has this team clicking, and with an offensive explosion like we saw against the Tigers, I feel bad for the remaining teams on their schedule. Alabama is back like they never went away.
Ole Miss: Ole Miss shut down No. 2-ranked Georgia to pick up the Rebels’ third straight win in front of a record-setting crowd of 68,125. Ole Miss recorded five sacks, nine tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and one interception to limit Georgia to 59 yards rushing. Quarterback Jaxson Dart went 13-of-22 for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the 28-10 win over the Bulldogs.
Indiana: The Curt Cignetti and Hoosiers are finally getting the respect they deserve. The team defeated Michigan 20-15 for their second win over Michigan since 1988. Indiana also has 10 wins for the first time in school history. A major matchup against Ohio State waits for them in Week 12.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti watches from the sideline as his team plays Michigan during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Bloomington, Ind., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Dillon Gabriel: Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel set the all-time FBS record for touchdown passes as he helped the Ducks to a win over Maryland. Gabriel has 179 career touchdowns, passing Case Keenum who set the mark at Houston. He had three touchdowns against the Terps.
Rutgers: Rutgers snapped a ruinous four-game losing streak to salvage their bowl game hopes and showed some resolve along the way while dealing with key injuries.
Losers
Miami: What are you doing, Hurricanes? For a majority of this season, the Miami defense has bent but never broke. Well, the dam finally burst on Saturday against Georgia Tech. Now the Hurricanes find themselves in a weird situation by not being able to afford another slipup, and that includes the conference title game, which would give them two losses, with an already weak schedule.
Georgia: What happened to quarterback Carson Beck and this Georgia offense? They are slivering away at the moment, coming off the loss to Ole Miss. This team looks a deer staring at headlights, and they have a bunch of things to fix before playing Tennessee this week. The turnovers are critical, and Kirby Smart had better figure out a solution to this offense, or they will play their way out of the postseason.
LSU head coach Brian Kelly watches from the sideline in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Alabama in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
LSU: The Tigers were simply outclassed on Saturday. Getting blown out hours after “College GameDay” is broadcast from their campus is embarrassing, and their CFP hopes are over. Better luck next season, gents.
Florida State: No team has fallen quite as hard as Florida State in recent memory, and each week fans learn just how a historically devastating turning point being left out of the playoff last year really was for the program.
Carson Beck’s draft stock: The top quarterbacks in this year’s expected draft class haven’t been jumping off the page in recent weeks of college football, but Beck’s stock continues to get hit as he threw yet another interception, making it four weeks in a row with one. Beck was just 20-of-31 with no touchdowns in the 28-10 loss to Ole Miss. Since starting the season with seven touchdowns to no interceptions, Beck has given up 12 picks to 10 touchdowns – a ratio NFL teams don’t want to see from a potential franchise guy.
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The Fox News Digital Sports college football winners and losers were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the OutKick.com staff.
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