FCS Football Week 11: No. 1 Tarleton State Stays Undefeated Amidst Massive Top-10 Upsets and Playoff Clinchers

Championship November lived up to its billing across the 2026 FCS football landscape on Saturday, November 14, as three top-six programs fell in fourth-quarter heartbreakers while No. 1 Tarleton State kept its perfect season intact and punched its postseason ticket.

Week 11 of the 2026 FCS football season delivered massive shakeups across the Top 25, highlighted by a stunner in Youngstown.

No. 1 Tarleton State Improves to 11-0, Clinches UAC Auto-Bid

Top-ranked Tarleton State (11-0, 6-0 United Athletic Conference) remained the lone undefeated team in the FCS, rolling past West Florida 31-17 at PenAir Field in Pensacola to secure at least a share of its second consecutive UAC championship and the conference’s automatic bid to the 2026 FCS Playoffs.

Quarterback Kaden Anderson threw for 259 yards and two first-quarter touchdowns—a 25-yard strike to Danny Joiner and a 50-yard bomb to Marquis Willis—while adding 62 rushing yards. Willis finished with seven receptions for 110 yards. On the ground, the Texans piled up 300 rushing yards behind Miequle Brock (11 carries, 113 yards) and Tylan Hines (16 carries, 108 yards), while running back James Paige punched in a pair of short second-quarter touchdown runs from three and two yards out to build a 28-10 halftime cushion. Defensively, Fredd Adams intercepted West Florida quarterback Ty’Ray Davis twice, and Lance Carson logged two sacks to seal the victory.

Three Top-Six Powerhouses Fall in Dramatic Week 11 Upsets

While Tarleton State handled business on the road, chaos erupted across the rest of the top 10:

https://t.co/Ll5jthLPkI

— Illinois State Football (@RedbirdFB) November 15, 2026

• No. 15 Illinois State 34, No. 3 Youngstown State 33: In a soggy, back-and-forth Missouri Valley Football Conference thriller at Stambaugh Stadium that featured three lead changes in the final 3:29, quarterback Beckham Pellant scrambled in for a 2-yard touchdown with just nine seconds remaining to lift Illinois State (8-3, 4-3 MVFC) past Youngstown State (8-3, 6-2 MVFC). Running back Seth Glatz powered the Redbirds with 176 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, while Victor Dawson added 62 rushing yards and a score. Youngstown State quarterback Beau Brungard—who rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns and threw a go-ahead 59-yard touchdown pass to Bryan Hunt with 2:13 left—saw his team’s late lead erased on Pellant’s 12-play, 73-yard game-winning march.
• No. 24 Abilene Christian 34, No. 6 Austin Peay 31: Abilene Christian (6-5, 5-1 UAC) overcame an 11-point halftime deficit at Fortera Stadium in Clarksville to earn its first Division I-era road victory over a top-10 opponent. Trailing 31-26 with 2:45 remaining after Austin Peay quarterback Chris Parson (355 passing yards, three touchdowns) hit Courtland Simmons for a 75-yard touchdown, Wildcats quarterback Tucker Parks converted a crucial fourth-and-3 QB draw that was upheld by video review before lofting a 40-yard pass to tight end Larry Benton III (six catches, 108 yards) down to the 4-yard line. Makenzie McGill II powered across the goal line from one yard out with 18 seconds left, and Parks found Benton III for the two-point conversion to stun the Governors (8-3, 4-2 UAC).
• No. 18 Weber State 25, No. 5 Northern Arizona 21: Inside the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Weber State (7-4, 6-2 Big Sky) snapped Northern Arizona’s five-game winning streak. Wildcats quarterback Nate Dahle threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns—connecting with Noah Kjar (nine receptions, 135 yards) from six yards out and Tate Kjar on a go-ahead 25-yard strike in the third quarter—while running back Spencer Ferguson rushed for 125 yards on 20 carries. Kicker David Dellenbach added field goals of 31 and 47 yards, and Da’Veon Ross returned a blocked field goal 60 yards as time expired in the first half. With Northern Arizona (8-3, 6-2 Big Sky) driving late behind quarterback Ty Pennington (300 passing yards, one touchdown), Weber State defender Porter Small deflected and intercepted Pennington’s final heave on the last play of the game.

Teams That Have Clinched an FCS Playoff Spot

With one week remaining before the 24-team bracket (11 automatic qualifiers and 13 at-large bids) is unveiled on Sunday, November 22, four conferences have already locked in their automatic qualifiers:

• Tarleton State (United Athletic Conference): Clinched the UAC’s automatic bid and at least a share of the conference title with its 31-17 win at West Florida.
• Harvard (Ivy League): Overcame a 24-17 halftime deficit to defeat Penn 38-24 behind three touchdown passes from Charlie Smith and 13 catches for 113 yards and two scores from Nathan Bailey, securing at least a share of the Ivy League crown and the league’s automatic playoff berth.
• No. 4 South Dakota State (9-2, 6-1 MVFC) officially clinched at least a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) championship
• Lehigh (Patriot League): Stopped Richmond on four straight plays from the 1-yard line to preserve a 21-14 road victory, locking up at least a share of the Patriot League title and the conference’s automatic qualifier.
• Monmouth (Coastal Athletic Association): Captured its first CAA championship in program history and the league’s automatic postseason bid following Campbell’s loss to Elon.