Top Contenders Survive Scares as ACC Playoff Hopes Crash in Wild Week 11

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Week 11 action was a high-wire act for the nation’s top programs, defined by incredible last-second heroics, a definitive statement from the Big 12, and a total meltdown in the ACC. While the top three programs in the College Football Playoff (CFP) race—Ohio State, Indiana, and Texas A&M—avoided losses, two of them needed every second to do it, further tightening the battle for the four first-round byes in the expanded 12-team field.

Here is the recap of the most impactful games involving the Top 25:

The Big Ten Tightrope Walk

The two undefeated Big Ten heavyweights each stared disaster in the face but found ways to survive, likely setting up a monumental conference championship showdown.

Matchup	Score	Key Takeaway
No. 2 Indiana at Penn State	Hoosiers win, 27-24	Heisman Moment: Indiana needed an epic final drive to remain undefeated. Trailing late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Fernando Mendoza led the Hoosiers down the field, culminating in a spectacular, game-winning touchdown catch by Omar Cooper Jr. with seconds left. It was a clutch performance that validates Indiana’s No. 2 CFP ranking.
No. 9 Oregon at No. 20 Iowa	Ducks win, 18-16	The Great Escape: In a brutal, low-scoring affair at Kinnick Stadium, Oregon survived a massive upset bid. The Ducks ground out 261 rushing yards and won the game on a 39-yard field goal by Atticus Sappington with just three seconds remaining, knocking Iowa out of the Big Ten West race.
No. 1 Ohio State vs. Purdue	Buckeyes win, 34-10	Business as Usual: The top-ranked Buckeyes cruised to a dominant victory, as quarterback Julian Sayin and the nation’s top defense left no doubt, methodically dismantling the Boilermakers to move to 9-0.

SEC Contenders Lock Down Wins

The SEC’s one-loss elite proved their mettle by winning their tests, though not without drama in some corners.

Matchup	Score	Key Takeaway
No. 4 Alabama vs. LSU	Crimson Tide wins, 20-9	Defense Leads the Way: Alabama passed another major SEC test. It was a hard-fought defensive slugfest, with the Tide limiting the LSU offense and moving one step closer to an appearance in the SEC Championship Game.
No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 22 Missouri	Aggies win, 38-17	Major Statement: Coach Mike Elko’s squad dominated on the road, with the offense controlling the trenches and the defense suffocating Missouri. The convincing nature of this win could lead to A&M swapping places with Indiana for the No. 2 spot in the next CFP rankings.
No. 5 Georgia at Mississippi State	Bulldogs win, 41-21	Dominant Performance: Georgia handled a tricky road test with ease, with quarterback Gunner Stockton leading a balanced attack that put up over 500 yards of total offense, keeping them firmly in the one-loss SEC logjam.
No. 16 Vanderbilt vs. Auburn	Commodores win, 45-38 (OT)	Overtime Survival: Vanderbilt needed extra time to avoid an embarrassing home upset against the now-interim-coached Auburn Tigers. The win moves the Commodores to 8-2, keeping their unlikely bid for a high-seed at-large berth alive.

The Big 12’s Hierarchy Settles

The weekend’s most critical head-to-head matchup delivered a definitive answer for the Big 12 title race.

Matchup	Score	Key Takeaway
No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 7 BYU	Red Raiders win, 29-7	The Breakout Performance: Texas Tech, driven by its elite defense, completely shut down the previously undefeated BYU Cougars. The Red Raiders held BYU to just 67 rushing yards and controlled the game from start to finish. The blowout is a major resume boost for Texas Tech and severely damages BYU’s chance for a high CFP seed.

The ACC Catastrophe: Virginia and Louisville Crash

The biggest chaos of the weekend occurred in the ACC, where the conference’s last two top contenders were dealt devastating blows by unranked opponents, further clouding the league’s path to the CFP.

Matchup	Score	Key Takeaway
Cal vs. No. 15 Louisville	Golden Bears win, 29-26 (OT)	Walk-Off Upset: Cal sealed the upset with a dramatic fourth-and-goal overtime touchdown, knocking Louisville down in the rankings and severely damaging their chances to win the conference and claim the automatic bid.
Wake Forest vs. No. 14 Virginia	Demon Deacons win, 16-9	The Upset of the ACC: Virginia, the highest-ranked team in the ACC and the last unbeaten in conference play, was held to single digits in a stunning home loss, ending their seven-game win streak and leaving the ACC race wide open.

The two losses by Virginia and Louisville open the door for a team like Georgia Tech (who was ranked No. 17 last week and won handily) or Miami (who also won) to now emerge as the likely ACC representative in the expanded playoff field.

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee will release its second official rankings this Tuesday night, which will surely reflect the dramatic events of Week 11.