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Week 11 action began with a big game in Happy Valley where Michigan defeated Penn State. And after victories by Alabama in Lexington and Missouri in Columbia, the duel of the SEC championship games is certain: Georgia vs. Alabama.
Follow the results and schedule for the entire CFP Top 25 below, and check back throughout the day for analysis of Week 11’s biggest storylines from our writers across the country.
No. 1 Ohio State 38, Michigan State 3
No. 2 Georgia 52, No. 9 Ole Miss 17
No. 3 Michigan 24, No. 10 Penn State 15
No. 4 Florida State 27, Miami 20
No. 5 Washington 35, No. 18 Utah 28
No. 6 Oregon vs. USC, 10:30 p.m., Fox
No. 7 Texas 29, TCU 26
No. 8 Alabama 49, Kentucky 21
No. 11 Louisville 31, Virginia 24
No. 12 Oregon State 62, Stanford 17
No. 14 Missouri 36, No. 13 Tennessee 7
UCF 45, No. 15 Oklahoma State 3
Texas Tech 16, No. 16 Kansas 13
No. 17 Oklahoma 59, West Virginia 20
No. 19 LSU 52, Florida 35
No. 21 Arizona 34, Colorado 31
No. 22 Iowa 22, Rutgers 0
No. 23 Tulane 24, Tulsa 22
No. 24 North Carolina 47, Duke 45 (2OT)
No. 25 Kansas State 59, Baylor 25
Washington plays with fire again and escapes unscathed
For the fourth week in a row, No. 5 Washington was anything but comfortable as an undefeated player. But once again, the Huskies found a way to remain flawless. They are now 10-0 after another exciting win, a 35-28 victory over No. 18 Utah in Seattle. Great teams find different ways to win. After being harassed by Utah’s offense in the first half and giving up 28 points, the Husky defense came out on top in the second half, holding the Utes scoreless and under 100 yards of total offense in the final two quarters.
A quick look at the box score will tell you that Michael Penix Jr. had another outstanding day in the air, throwing for 332 yards and two touchdowns. The stats are always there, but Utah’s stingy defense made life difficult for Washington’s star quarterback. The most important thing for the last undefeated Pac-12 team will be the second-half performance of the UW defense, which faces its toughest test of the year next week when the Huskies take on No. 12 Oregon State.
Quick note: Utah’s quest for a three-peat as Pac-12 champions ended on a soggy day in Seattle. Despite being without so many star players for either all or most of the season, the Utes went down swinging and even blocked a Washington field goal to give themselves one last chance to keep those hopes alive. But Washington has put out the fire and remains in the driver’s seat. —Christopher Kamrani
What to make of Texas?
November is the time to differentiate College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six teams from the rest of the pack, and Texas simply doesn’t pass the eye test as a national title contender. Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns went out of their way to remind us that their road win against Alabama is the most impressive performance anyone has ever put on this year, but it’s impossible to square this game with some of the sleepy performances of the last month bring to. Houston was neck-and-neck with Texas, Kansas State was on the verge of a second loss and TCU fended off that second-half offense to return to a game in which the Longhorns held a 20-point lead after three quarters led. Which Texas is the real one?
I’ll bring up my favorite quote from Bill Parcells: You are what you constantly capture on tape. Texas can’t finish in the second half and its offense puts excessive pressure on its defense to maintain control. The rationale last week was that starting quarterback Quinn Ewers would smooth things over when he returned from a shoulder injury that left Maalik Murphy in control of the offense for more than two games. But tonight it was more of the same, although Ewers connected with Adonai Mitchell on a third-and-12, allowing Texas to run out the clock.
The Longhorns are loaded with talent at the skill positions and can make explosive plays with anyone. But if you want to be in the conversation with the big boys this season, you have to rule out teams like TCU. Texas is good, but they have the most mistakes of any team currently on a losing streak, and I think that lead is growing. – Diane Lee
Moore, Wolverines can do it
For Sherrone Moore, this was a flex. Michigan’s acting coach Saturday is also the offensive coordinator and architect of the Wolverines’ back-to-back Joe Moore Award-winning offensive lines. Moore, who was already leading the team this season due to a separate suspension from Jim Harbaugh, did the same thing Harbaugh probably would have done… he challenged James Franklin to a fistfight.
Franklin said OK, and like last season, Michigan had better strength at the point of attack and behind the quarterback in Donovan Edwards and Blake Corum. Penn State doesn’t have the depth to play like that against Ohio State or Michigan, no matter how often Franklin tells himself that. Relying on your (excellent) defense all game and then more or less abandoning it with a fourth try on your own side is pretty terrible. This has not been a good year for Penn State.
Michigan is a very good football team. It has been a very good football team for two years. Cheating is cheating. But Michigan often wins games like this, and anyone who understands how football works knows why. The emotions Moore showed live on air after the game say it all here. Three rushing touchdowns, 227 yards, 46 attempts against a tough defense that knew it was coming. Who the Wolverines are. Penn State also ran the ball well. But not good enough.
Michigan is one of the best football teams in the country, and there’s no point in arguing that. —Nick Baumgardner
Jalen Milroe and the Alabama Crimson Tide defeated Kentucky on Saturday to win the SEC West title. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Alabama lurks in the tall grass
This should be the Alabama they shouldn’t worry us about. No more Bryce Young. No more Will Anderson. No more Jahmyr Gibbs. Two new coordinators. This is the same team that lost at home to Texas and struggled to beat South Florida. SOUTH FLORIDA! Yet here we are, mid-November, the leaves are falling, and the Crimson Tide have won eight straight and secured the program’s 15th SEC West crown while advancing everyone in the College Football Playoff rankings lying in front of them, throws a menacing look into the rear window – including Georgia.
A week after Nick Saban’s team at LSU showed off everything, Bama went on the road and harassed a decent Kentucky team, taking a 21-0 lead in the first 10 minutes and a 49-21 rout. victory achieved. Quarterback Jalen Milroe, once benched and mistreated, scored a total of six touchdowns — three passing, three rushing — and spent much of the fourth quarter watching from the sideline, his hands comfortably tucked into his shoulder pads . Alabama outgained Kentucky 444 yards to 253 and held the Wildcats to 3 for 11 on third down.
With only a Chattanooga-flavored cupcake and a struggling Auburn left on the schedule, the Tide should cruise into the SEC championship game with 10 straight wins. Beating Georgia won’t (most likely) be easy. Navigating a playoff field that turns out to be top-heavy won’t work either. But we’ve seen Alabama do it before: The 2015 team lost at home to Ole Miss in Week 3, then won 12 in a row – seven against ranked opponents – to win the national title.
Regardless, the tide seems to be peaking at just the right time, and no one wants to be caught along the way. – Justin Williams
Duke Carolina always delivers
It takes a lot of heroes to pull off a double-overtime victory against a rival – and that’s exactly what North Carolina did against Duke, defeating the Blue Devils 47-45 to keep its slim hopes of an ACC Championship game alive receive. As always, it started with quarterback Drake Maye, who shined in the moments that mattered, rushing for 342 yards through the air and three total touchdowns, as well as a hard run and showing why he will be one of the top picks in next April’s NFL draft -Throw for the two-point conversion that made the difference in double overtime.
But the Tar Heels don’t win without running back Omarion Hampton (31 carries, 171 yards, touchdown), receiver Tez Walker (seven receptions, 162 yards) and especially kicker Noah Burnette, who went 6 for 6 on field goals, including a 43-yard one -Field goal as time expires to force overtime. That helped the Tar Heels continue to take points away from Mike Elko’s stingy defense to weather the storm once the Blue Devils found a rhythm on offense. – Adam Jahns
(Top photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)