Week 11 is the second of the 2016 season to include actual College Football Playoff rankings. Here are scores and quick notes on all the games that involved ranked teams.
College football rankings: How Week 11’s top 25 scores changed the Playoff picture
Below, quick notes, scores, and schedules on the ranked games from the entire weekend.
Photo by Tyler Smith/Getty Images
With only two games pit ranked teams, this didn’t seem likely to be the weekend that offered a whole lot of rankings ramifications. Whoops!
Three unbeatens fell, leaving us with just Alabama and mighty Western Michigan. And four other top-20 teams lost to unranked teams. Just when you least expected it, CHAOS WEEKEND finally struck the 2016 season, and not a moment too soon.
Let’s run through scores, really quickly.
Remember the things the committee says it cares about: wins over teams it ranks, wins over teams with .500 records, and otherwise, a bunch of vague stuff. We’ll get new Playoff rankings on Tuesday night, but for now, here’s the stuff to know.
No. 1 Alabama 51 (10-0), Mississippi State 3 (4-6)
No change. Did clinch the SEC West thanks to Auburn’s loss, though.
Pitt 43 (6-4), Clemson 42 (9-1)
Likely too late to change the Coastal race, but Louisville’s now a Wake Forest upset of Clemson away from the ACC Championship. The Tigers are still in the Playoff race, though; remember they also beat an eventually top-20 Auburn in non-conference. Pitt’s bowling.
Iowa 14 (6-4), No. 3 Michigan 13 (9-1)
No. 5 Ohio State 62 (9-1), Maryland 3 (5-5)
The Hawkeyes now have a slight shot to win the West again, but Michigan can still win the East by beating Ohio State. (The Big Ten’s tiebreakers actually got worse for OSU, due to UM losing.) Iowa’s bowling. Maryland remains .500 and still counts as a decent win for five different teams.
No. 20 USC 26 (7-3), No. 4 Washington 13 (9-1)
The Pac-12 South is starting to look all tiebreaker-y, with USC having beaten Colorado but lost to Utah. Washington State might end the weekend solely atop the North. The Pac-12’s Playoff chances are wobbly.
No. 6 Louisville 44 (9-1), Wake Forest 12 (6-4)
The Orange Bowl favorite and ACC Atlantic hopeful, if a little more madness strikes. This will count as a respectable win, per win-loss records. (Would you believe this was a 12-10 Wake lead entering the fourth?)
No. 7 Wisconsin 48 (8-2), Illinois 3 (3-7)
A New Year’s Six bowl is there for the taking, perhaps even the Rose. Likely a win over Minnesota from winning the West, if it takes even that much. This game doesn’t mean much, though.
Ole Miss 29 (5-5), No. 8 Texas A&M 28 (7-3)
Georgia 13 (6-4) No. 9 Auburn 7 (7-3)
The dream of every SEC team except Alabama finishing with at least three losses is still alive. What a weird thing to dream about. The race for the SEC’s Sugar Bowl spot is getting ugly. UGA’s going bowling.
No. 12 Colorado 49 (8-2), Arizona 24 (2-8)
Won’t count for anything, but the Buffs still win the Pac-12 if they win out.
No. 10 Penn State 45 (8-2), Indiana 31 (5-5)
With Rutgers and Michigan State still to go, a 10-win season is very likely. Winning the East still relies on tiebreakers. Beating Indiana should count as a decent win.
No. 11 Oklahoma 45 (8-2), Baylor 24 (6-3)
The Sooners still appear to be the Big 12’s Sugar Bowl favorite, adding a quality win. Still not buying them as a true Playoff contender, considering how many teams with fewer losses have clearer paths.
No. 13 Oklahoma State 45 (8-2), Texas Tech 44 (4-6)
Bedlam could decide the Big 12, for the second year in a row, with the Sugar Bowl possibly on the line. This win doesn’t add much, though.
Georgia Tech 30 (6-4), No. 14 Virginia Tech 20 (7-3)
The Jackets are going bowling, and the ACC Coastal race continues.
No. 15 Utah 49 (8-2), Arizona State 26 (5-5)
Could be wins over Oregon and Colorado away from the Pac-12 title game. This is a .500 win, for now, so it counts as decent.
No. 16 West Virginia 24 (8-1), Texas 20 (5-5)
The Big 12’s only one-loss (and, IMO, only Playoff-contending) team survives, adding a road win over a likely bowl team.
Duke 28 (4-6), No. 17 North Carolina 27 (7-3)
Could’ve given the ACC Coastal race to VT, but nope.
No. 18 Florida State 45 (7-3), Boston College 7 (4-6)
Basically nothing changes.
No. 19 Nebraska 24 (8-2), Minnesota 17 (7-3)
Just keep winning and hope Wisconsin loses, in order to keep Big Ten West title hopes alive. Counts as a good W.
No. 21 Western Michigan 37 (10-0), Kent State 21 (3-7)
WMU remains the easy favorite for the mid-major group’s New Year’s bowl autobid. It’s conceivable Boise State could overtake WMU, despite losing a game, but BSU needs Wyoming to lose at some point in order to even reach the Mountain West title game.
No. 22 Boise State 52 (9-1), Hawaii 16 (4-7)
MWC title game and NY6 bowl are within range, but can’t happen unless the Broncos win their conference. Wyoming losing to UNLV this Saturday helps, but the Cowboys would still win a tiebreaker at this point; per MWC rules, it’s based on division record.
No. 23 Washington State 56 (8-2), Cal 21 (4-6)
Hey, Wazzu leads the Pac-12 North now. The Apple Cup could still decide a division, eight years after the famous Crapple Cup. This game won’t change much.
No. 24 LSU 38 (6-3), No. 25 Arkansas 10 (6-4)
Here we have the least consequential Playoff-ranked game of the weekend and possibly the season. Boosts Wisconsin’s strength of schedule slightly, at least?
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