November brings us into the final month of the College Football regular season. Now, instead of using the AP Poll to rank teams, the College Football Playoff Committee does the rankings. After last week’s installment on this ever-changing rollercoaster of the season, this may be a hard task. This week’s action may make it even harder.
One Pass to Save the Season
The number two-ranked Indiana Hoosiers are now seen as a serious contender for the national championship, something that they would have only dreamed about a few years ago. They are still undefeated and could win their first conference title since 1967 (1945 if we do not count shared titles). This week, they faced the Penn State Nittany Lions, whom many said would be in contention with Indiana for the title before the season began. Things have gone terribly for the Nittany Lions, but could they get the upset win to heavily impact both their and the Hoosiers’ seasons?
The first four drives of the game ended in punts, with the first bit of action coming near the end of the first quarter. Starting from their 32-yard line, the Hoosiers’ offense, led by potential Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, was able to quickly get themselves into the Penn State red zone, mostly thanks to a 53-yard pass from the quarterback. Now at the 18-yard line, Mendoza found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to give Indiana the lead.
However, this lead did not last long. Despite Penn State struggling throughout the season and losing quarterback Drew Allar for the season due to injury, they still have key running back Nicolas Singleton. He was able to find the endzone for a two-yard rushing touchdown on the team’s next drive to tie the score. The parity was short-lived, though, as Hoosiers’ kicker Nico Radicic found the uprights from 28 yards to return the lead to Indiana.
Embed from Getty ImagesThings got better for the Hoosiers on the next drive. Kaytron Allen (the other star running back for Penn State) fumbled the ball on the edge of their red zone. The ball was scooped up by the Hoosiers’ defense, a few plays later, their lead was extended when Kaelon Black found the endzone for a one-yard rushing touchdown.
This meant that at halftime, the Hoosiers had a 17-7 lead over the Nittany Lions.
Penn State opened the second half in the worst possible way. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer threw an interception, which the Hoosiers were able to convert into more points on the resulting drive. Luckily for the Nittany Lions, it was only a field goal. Penn State would respond to this with a field goal of its own when Ryan Barker was successful on his 36-yard attempt.
It was the fourth quarter when the Nittany Lions woke up and brought themselves back into the game. Singleton would score a one-yard rushing touchdown with 11 minutes left to play to make it a three-point game. Then, Indiana would make a costly mistake when Mendoza’s pass was intercepted in his own territory. On the following drive, Grunkemeyer would find Singleton for a 19-yard touchdown pass to give the Nittany Lions a four-point lead with six minutes left to play.
The next two drives did not go anywhere, but nearly five minutes were taken off the clock. Indiana would have possession with under two minutes left on the clock, needing a touchdown to keep their undefeated season alive.
This drive began on the Hoosiers’ 20-yard line, but the team immediately fell back to their 13-yard line due to a sack on Mendoza. Then, the offense was able to make it down to the Nittany Lions’ 7-yard line. Here, Mendoza found Omar Cooper Jr deep in the endzone for what could be the game-winning play. The play was put under review, with the officials ruling it a touchdown, keeping the Hoosiers’ undefeated season alive.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe number two-ranked Indiana Hoosiers had defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-24.
This game went down to the wire and was decided by the officials on nearly the final play of the game. However, this time they appeared to make the right decision, and the Hoosiers remain undefeated and one of the best teams in college football. They improve to 10-0 (7-0 Big Ten) for the season, while the defeat means that Penn State’s season gets a little bit worse, as they fall to 3-6 (0-6 Big Ten) for the season.
Next week, the Hoosiers face the Wisconsin Badgers, while the Nittany Lions will hope to snap their six-game losing streak against the Michigan State Spartans.
BY-Losers
On paper, the game of the week was an easy choice. The number seven-ranked (and still undefeated) BYU Cougars faced the number eight-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders in a top-of-the-table clash in the Big 12. This could very much be a preview of the conference championship game and will likely have ramifications for the CFP hopes. Can the Cougars’ undefeated season hold?
The first few drives of this game did not go anywhere. It would be the Red Raiders who were able to get themselves onto the board first, thanks to a 47-yard field goal from Stone Harrington on a drive that could have very much led to more points.
Tech was able to extend its lead on its next drive. Led by quarterback Behren Morton, the Red Raiders made their way down the field from their eight-yard line to the Cougars’ nine-yard line. Here, Morton found Caleb Douglas for the touchdown pass.
Embed from Getty ImagesBYU tried to get itself onto the scoreboard on the next drive. This stalled on Texas Tech’s 33-yard line, setting up kicker Will Ferrin with a 51-yard field goal attempt. However, this attempt was unsuccessful. On the next drive, Texas Tech also attempted a field goal, with Harrington’s 27-yard attempt being successful, extending the lead.
This meant that at halftime, the Red Raiders had a 13-0 lead over the Cougars.
The second half began in a similar fashion to the first half, with both teams punting on their drives to open the half. Then, keeping with the similarities, Harrington kicked a 39-yard field goal to give Texas Tech a 16-point lead. BYU needed to do something on offense on their next drive to give them some hope. Unfortunately, this did not happen. Cougars’ quarterback Bear Bachmeier threw an interception. This mistake led to the Red Raiders extending their lead even more, again through a Harrington field goal.
The game was well and truly out of reach for BYU coming into the fourth quarter, but Texas Tech only piled on more misery to begin the quarter when Cameron Dickey found the endzone for a one-yard rushing touchdown. The Cougars were able to get themselves onto the board through a six-yard touchdown pass from Bachmeier to Chase Roberts, but it would do nothing to the overall game.
Embed from Getty ImagesA further field goal from Harrington would cap off a convincing win for Texas Tech.
The number eight-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders had defeated the number seven-ranked BYU Cougars 29-7.
If this is a preview of the Big 12 Conference Championship game, then BYU has a lot to learn in the coming month. The defeat brings their undefeated season to an end, but they are still in contention for the CFP and conference title. But now, they have to directly fight off Texas Tech and a host of teams with two losses. With the win, Texas Tech improves to 9-1 (6-1 Big 12) for the season, while BYU falls to 8-1 (5-1 Big 12) for the season.
Next week, the Red Raiders face UCF, while the Cougars face TCU.
What Happened to the Other Ranked Teams?
#1 Ohio State @ Purdue
The number one-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes faced another easy game this week against the struggling Purdue Boilermakers. Another good performance from quarterback Julian Sayin, throwing for 303 yards and one touchdown, in the Buckeyes’ 34-10 win.
#3 Texas A&M @ #22 Missouri
The undefeated number three-ranked Texas A&M Aggies faced the number 22-ranked Missouri Tigers this week. This was a game where the Aggies led from the start and easily dominated their opponents. Marcel Reed threw for two touchdowns as Texas A&M kept its undefeated season alive with a 38-17 win.
LSU @ #4 Alabama
At the beginning of the season, the number four-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide playing the LSU Tigers could have been a game for the ages. In reality, the Tigers have struggled this season, while Bama has returned to its old successful form. This was on full display in this game, as Alabama was able to defeat the Tigers 20-9, to keep their hunt for the SEC championship game alive.
#5 Georgia @ Mississippi State
The number five-ranked Georgia Bulldogs faced the Mississippi State Bulldogs this week. Georgia QB Gunner Stockton threw for three touchdowns in their 41-21 win, keeping Georgia in the race for the SEC Championship game.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Citadel @ #6 Ole Miss
The number six-ranked Ole Miss Rebels faced non-conference (and non-FBS) opposition this week in the form of The Citadel Bulldogs. This game went very much as expected, with Ole Miss recording a 49-0 win.
#9 Oregon @ #20 Iowa
The number nine-ranked Oregon Ducks faced the number 20-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes this week in a game that went down to the wire. With two minutes left to play, Mark Gronowski found the endzone to give the Hawkeyes the lead. But a last-second field goal from Atticus Sappington gave the Ducks an 18-16 win over the Hawkeyes.
Navy @ #10 Notre Dame
In the first CFP Poll this week, the number 10-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish were ranked higher than both the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners. This has confused many, especially when you consider who each team has been defeated by. On the field, Notre Dame faced Navy, which had remained undefeated until last week. They now have two defeats, as the Fighting Irish cruised to a 49-10 win.
Wake Forest @ #14 Virginia
The number 14-ranked Virginia Cavaliers came into this week on track to potentially make a surprise appearance in the CFP. This week, they faced the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and their hopes of this happening took a massive blow. Wake Forest kept the Cavs out of the endzone as they recorded a 16-9 win.
California @ #15 Louisville
The number 15-ranked Louisville Cardinals faced the California Golden Bears this week. This game went to overtime, where a late touchdown from Jarson-Keawe Sagapolutele to Jacob De Jesus gave the Golden Bears a 29-26 win.
Embed from Getty ImagesAuburn @ #16 Vanderbilt
After their defeat to the Texas Longhorns last week, the number 16-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores faced the Auburn Tigers. This was another close game, where a late touchdown from Auburn sent the game to overtime. In this period, Diego Pavia found Cole Spence for the game-winning touchdown to give Vandy a 45-38 win over Auburn.
Syracuse @ #18 Miami
The number 18-ranked Miami Hurricanes have been struggling in the ACC, and this has taken them out of contention for the CFP. This week, they faced the Syracuse Orange. In a game where Miami quarterback Carson Beck crossed the 10,000 passing yards barrier, the Hurricanes recorded a 38-10 win over Syracuse to keep them as an outsider for the playoffs.
Northwestern @ #19 USC
The number 19-ranked USC Trojans faced the Northwestern Cougars this week, where a win would keep them in the race for the conference championship game (pending a loss from Ohio State and/or Indiana). Running back Makai Lemon had a strong performance, scoring two touchdowns in the Trojans’ 38-17 win.
#23 Washington @ Wisconsin
The number 23-ranked Washington Huskies faced the struggling Wisconsin Badgers this week, where an upset happened. With only 48 passing yards (Sean West, their punter, had the most passing yards), the Badgers were able to stop their losing streak and record a 13-10 win over the Huskies.
Embed from Getty ImagesThat was a look back at Week 11 of the 2025 College Football season. Next week, the slate is highlighted by the Texas Longhorns facing the Georgia Bulldogs and the Oklahoma Sooners facing the Alabama Crimson Tide.