College football scores, rankings, highlights in Week 11: No. 16 Vanderbilt escapes ACC contenders fall

Several College Football Playoff contenders survived serious upset scares on what was expected to be a fairly quiet Week 11

Week 11 of the 2025 college football season is in the books. While No. 8 Texas Tech, No. 18 Miami and No. 6 Ole Miss cruised to key wins, several others survived upset scares to stay alive in the College Football Playoff race.

The biggest drama came in Happy Valley, where Penn State nearly pulled off a massive upset of No. 2 Indiana. The Nittany Lions trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half before rallying to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter. But the Hoosiers improved to 10-0 after quarterback Fernando Mendoza led a late drive capped by a spectacular touchdown catch from Omar Cooper Jr. to seal a 27-24 win.

No. 9 Oregon also needed late-game heroics, escaping with an 18-16 win over No. 20 Iowa on a 39-yard field goal by Atticus Sappington with three seconds remaining.

In Nashville, No. 16 Vanderbilt needed overtime to get past Auburn. The Commodores scored a touchdown on their first possession and stopped the Tigers' response to secure a 45-38 win, improving to 8-2 with games against Kentucky and Tennessee still ahead.

Things got even wilder in the ACC. Cal upset No. 15 Louisville 29-26 in overtime, while Wake Forest held on to beat No. 14 Virginia 16-9 at home. The conference remains wide open heading into the final weeks of the regular season, with more chaos likely to come.

College football scores, schedule: Week 11

No. 2 Indiana 27, Penn State 24 -- Recap
No. 5 Georgia 41, Mississippi State 21 -- Recap
No. 8 Texas Tech 29, No. 7 BYU 7 -- Recap, takeaways
No. 1 Ohio State 34, Purdue 10 -- Recap
No. 9 Oregon 18, No. 20 Iowa 16 -- Recap, takeaways
No. 3 Texas A&M 38, No. 22 Missouri 17 -- Recap
No. 18 Miami 38, Syracuse 10 -- Recap
Wake Forest 16, No. 14 Virginia 9 -- Recap
No. 4 Alabama 20, LSU 9 -- Recap, takeaways
No. 10 Notre Dame 49, Navy 10 -- Recap

Check these out ...

• TT25T: Texas A&M makes strong case for No. 1 behind impressive win
• ACC in trouble: Conference's playoff outlook dims amid upset losses 
• Bowl projections: Texas Tech jumps into CFP bracket behind big win
• Winners and losers: It's different for Texas A&M this year (really)
• Curt Cignetti: Indiana 'refused to lose' amid improbable comeback 
• Fernando Mendoza's Heisman moment: Indiana QB stamps case with game-winning heroics
• Indiana survives: Hoosiers thwart Penn State upset thanks to thrilling late-game TD catch  
• Dakorien Moore injury: Oregon star WR misses game vs. Iowa

[Nov 8, 2025 at 10:53 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

FINAL: Cal 29, No. 15 Louisville 26 (OT)

We have another upset in the ACC. Cal elected to go for it on fourth-and-goal instead of playing for a second overtime, and the risky decision paid off. Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele connected with Jacob De Jesus for a walk-off touchdown. The ACC is going to be wide open heading into the final weeks of the regular season after Louisville and Virginia were both on the wrong side of upset losses late into the Week 11 slate.

Sagapolutele finished 30 of 47 for 323 yards and two touchdowns in the improbable win.

[Nov 8, 2025 at 10:26 pm ET · Cody Nagel]

Final: Wake Forest 16, No. 14 Virginia 9

The ACC race got a whole lot more complicated with No. 14 Virginia -- the last unbeaten in conference play -- falling to Wake Forest, 16-9, in Charlottesville on Saturday night. The upset ends a seven-game win streak for the Cavaliers and pulls them into a crowded pack of five other ACC teams with one conference loss (pending the final outcome of Louisville's matchup with California).

Virginia's offense sputtered after losing quarterback Chandler Morris in the first half to a late hit that forced him out of the game. Backup Daniel Kaelin took over and kept the Cavaliers within striking distance, but Virginia couldn't finish drives late as Wake Forest's defense held twice on its own side of the field in the closing minutes.

Virginia is at Duke next Saturday.

This pretty much sums up the mood for the Hoos.

For Wake Forest, it is bowl eligible for the first time in three seasons under first-year coach Jake Dickert.

[Nov 8, 2025 at 9:34 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

EARLY 3Q: No. 10 Notre Dame 28, Navy 10

Notre Dame star running back Jeremiyah Love just scored one of the most ridiculous touchdown runs you will ever see. When it looked like Love was going to be dropped for a loss, he was able to get back up on his feet and score a 49-yard touchdown. Love has 11 carries for 92 yards and two touchdowns on the night.

Love now has 38 career touchdowns with Notre Dame, which is tied for the third-most in program history. With that touchdown run, Love moved into a tie with former star wide receiver Michael Floyd.

[Nov 8, 2025 at 8:36 pm ET · Carter Bahns]

Chandler Morris walked into the Virginia locker room after taking a hard, late hit in the No. 12 Cavaliers' matchup with Wake Forest. He will not return to the game. Backup signal-caller Daniel Kaelin entered in relief and will attempt to keep the Cavaliers afloat as they seek their ninth win of the year.

Morris ran for a 6-yard gain midway through the second quarter and slid to the turf, and a pair of Wake Forest defenders collapsed on him and hit him as he gave himself up. Officials flagged Demon Deacons defender Travon West for an unnecessary roughness penalty. Morris stayed down on the field momentarily but was able to walk to the sideline under his own power. Virginia staffers guided him into the locker room for evaluation.

[Nov 8, 2025 at 8:04 pm ET · Will Backus]

Final (OT): No. 16 Vanderbilt 45, Auburn 38 

Vanderbilt survived an overtime upset scare and kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive Saturday evening with a crucial win against an Auburn team in its first game under interim coach D.J. Durkin. The Commodores actually had a chance to put the game away in regulation when they moved the ball into Auburn territory late in the fourth quarter. 

But, instead of opting for a makeable field goal on fourth down from Auburn's 25-yard line, coach Clark Lea dialed up a designed run for quarterback Diego Pavia. Pavia didn't make it, but it didn't matter in the end. 

Vanderbilt's scrappy signal caller came back and delivered a decisive four-yard touchdown pass to Cole Spence in the first possession of overtime. 

Vanderbilt's defense took care of business during its frame. Auburn was forced into a fourth-and-7 at the 12-yard line and quarterback Ashton Daniels' desperation pass missed a triple-covered Cam Coleman. 

Pavia, as has often been the case at Vanderbilt, had a phenomenal game. He completed 25 of his 33 pass attempts for 377 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for a team-high 112 yards with another score. 

[Nov 8, 2025 at 7:56 pm ET · Carter Bahns]

FINAL: Wisconsin 13, No. 23 Washington 10

Wisconsin snapped its six-game losing streak and defeated a Big Ten opponent for the first time since Oct. 19, 2024 with a win in a defensive battle against Washington. The elements -- including a frigid rain-snow mix -- were a significant factor in the upset and undoubtedly aided the Badgers defense in containing a typically potent Washington attack to just 10 points.

Luke Fickell earned a cathartic win the same week Wisconsin announced that he will return as coach for the 2026 season. And he did it with three different quarterbacks who combined to complete just five passes for 24 yards. Wisconsin's leading passer was actually punter Sean West, who had a 24-yard completion on a fake punt.

The loss is a critical blow to Washington's College Football Playoff hopes. The Huskies, on paper, had a clear path to the postseason with what looked like three sure wins and a high-stakes clash with rival Oregon. But they did not take care of business against the first of those seemingly overmatched opponents and, in turn, saw their CFP chances greatly diminished if not altogether eliminated.

[Nov 8, 2025 at 7:22 pm ET · Will Backus]

Late 4Q: No. 16 Vanderbilt 38, Auburn 38 

Have yourself a night, Cam Coleman. Apparently all it took was firing Hugh Freeze to fully unlock one of the nation's top talents at the wide receiver position. He's almost singlehandedly willing his team to a potential upset win Saturday night, as Auburn is taking Vanderbilt to the limit. 

Coleman just tied the game with a pair of absurd catches. The first came on first-and-10 from Vanderbilt's 23-yard line when quarterback Ashton Daniels lofted a deep pass to Coleman, who had Vanderbilt defensive back Martel Hight draped all over him. Coleman somehow batted and then secured the pass with a single hand while falling to the ground, staying in bounds in the end zone to score a touchdown. 

Auburn then had to go for two to tie the game. The Tigers went back to Coleman, who made another one-handed snag -- making it look very casual in the process -- to complete the conversion. Coleman is up to a game-high 143 yards on 10 catches with one touchdown. 

[Nov 8, 2025 at 7:19 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

FINAL: UConn 37, Duke 34

Duke fell to 5-4 on the season with a 37-34 loss to UConn on the road on Saturday night, as the Blue Devils learned the hard way you don't just walk into Rentschler Field against Jim Mora Jr.'s boys. 

The Huskies put up 467 yards of offense on Manny Diaz's defense, with Joe Fagnano carving up the Duke secondary for 311 yards and three touchdowns in the win. It was a back-and-forth affair in Storrs from the jump, but as has been the case all season for the Blue Devils, they made too many mistakes that gave UConn enough opportunities to snatch the victory. 

Darian Mensah threw for 222 yards and three touchdowns of his own, but threw a pair of interceptions and got strip-sacked to end the game with Duke trying to drive for a tying field goal or a winning touchdown in the final minute. 

Those three turnovers were the difference in the game, and UConn improves to 7-3 on the season and picks up a big win against an ACC foe, making up for their heartbreaking OT loss to Syracuse earlier this season. 

For Duke, it's another loss where it was undone by self-inflicted wounds and a leaky defense. But by losing in non-conference again the Blue Devils remain alive for the ACC title game despite a 5-4 record. That's because three of their losses are to Illinois, Tulane and UConn, with their lone ACC blemish coming against Georgia Tech. 

Next week will determine Duke's fate in the conference title race, as it hosts the only undefeated team in conference play this season in No. 12 Virginia (pending the Hoos' game against Wake Forest tonight). 

[Nov 8, 2025 at 7:18 pm ET · Sam Cooper]

Two Big 12 games came down to the wire on Saturday afternoon with Arizona knocking off Kansas with a touchdown run in the final minute and Iowa State upsetting TCU on the road thanks to a long punt return touchdown. 

We'll start in Tucson where Arizona trailed Kansas for much of the game. Arizona would tie the score at 17-17 in the third but Kansas went back in front 20-17 and held onto that lead for nearly the entire fourth quarter. That changed when Quincy Craig broke through the line for a 24-yard touchdown with 39 seconds to go. 

It proved to be the game-winning score for Arizona, who improved to 6-3. Kansas, meanwhile, is now 5-5 and has lost four of its last six. 

Iowa State also needed a comeback to win. The Cyclones trailed TCU 17-6 early in the fourth but scored twice in the span of 1:40 to flip that deficit into a 20-17 advantage. Aiden Flora's 79-yard house call put the Cyclones ahead for good, breaking a four-game losing streak after a 5-0 start. 

[Nov 8, 2025 at 7:12 pm ET · Brad Crawford]

FINAL: No. 3 Texas A&M 38, No. 22 Missouri 17

Texas A&M cruised after intermission and broke open a competitive game in the third quarter on KC Concepcion's 48-yard touchdown on a tunnel screen to move to 9-0 for the first time in nearly 35 years. Rueben Owens rushed for two scores in the fourth quarter, Marcel Reed tossed two touchdowns to stay in the Heisman race and the Aggies held the Tigers to 284 total yards.

[Nov 8, 2025 at 7:01 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

FINAL: No. 9 Oregon 18, No. 20 Iowa 16

Much like we saw from Indiana earlier on Saturday in Happy Valley, No. 9 Oregon escaped a near disaster on the road in Iowa City with a late scoring drive to get an 18-16 win over the feisty Hawkeyes and remain in the College Football Playoff picture. 

The Ducks led for most of the game, but could never truly pull away on a rainy, soggy afternoon in Iowa City. Fitting of a throwback Big Ten battle, the Ducks scored the first points of the game on a safety after Iowa botched the snap on its second punt of the game. 

Iowa would hang around all evening, but those two points ended up being the difference in the end. The Hawkeyes took the lead late thanks to a stunning 93-yard touchdown drive led by quarterback Mark Gronowski. Gronowski hit a huge third down completion on an extended play to his tight end to move the Hawkeyes out to midfield, and punctuated the drive with a touchdown run on fourth-and-goal. 

That left Dante Moore with just over a minute to lead Oregon into field goal range, and despite struggling to throw the ball all game in difficult conditions, he came up with his best throw of the night with an absolute dime to get the Ducks deep into Iowa territory. 

Atticus Sappington would eventually drill a 39-yard field goal with four seconds left on the clock to seal a victory and keep the Ducks alive in the Big Ten (needing help) and CFP chases. 

[Nov 8, 2025 at 6:52 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Navy star quarterback Blake Horvath will miss today's game against Notre Dame due to an upper-body injury, ESPN reported. Navy will start Braxton Woodson, who has just one career start under his belt. During his career, Woodson has rushed for 556 yards and seven touchdowns. In his one start against East Carolina last season, he completed 12 of 19 attempts for 165 yards and a touchdown and also ran 15 times for 125 yards and two more scores.

[Nov 8, 2025 at 6:21 pm ET · Brad Crawford]

4Q: No. 3 Texas A&M 24, No. 22 Missouri 7

The Aggies successfully faked a punt leading to a field goal and got on the board courtesy of KC Concepcion's 48-yard catch-and-run from Marcel Reed in the third quarter to push its lead to multiple scores on the road. The Aggies are hoping to improve to 9-0 on the season, one of three remaining unbeatens in the Power conference ranks. Reed has two touchdown passes in the contest and Texas A&M has limited Missouri to just 31 yards through the air.

[Nov 8, 2025 at 5:30 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Halftime: Auburn 20, No. 16 Vanderbilt 10

After spending the first nine games of the season stuck in the mud, the Auburn offense has suddenly come alive after the Tigers fired Hugh Freeze this week. Interim coach DJ Durkin clarified the play-calling situation and it seems the Tigers have a renewed energy and focus on that side of the ball as they lead 20-10 at the half in Nashville over No. 16 Vanderbilt. 

All season Auburn has played terrific defense and gotten almost nothing from its offense in support, but Ashton Daniels and company have unlocked something in the first half playing with much more tempo and urgency. Daniels has 177 yards passing and one touchdown through the air, along with 49 yards and a touchdown on the ground. 

We'll find out in the second half in Vanderbilt can make some needed adjustments to the sudden tempo and changes we've seen from Auburn in its first game since Freeze was fired. For now, the Tigers look shockingly good on the offensive end and the defense has held up its end of the bargain with the exception of one quick-strike touchdown drive late in the half from Vandy that kept the Commodores within range of a comeback. 

Vanderbilt is looking to avoid a second consecutive loss this season. The Commodores were always going to have a challenge dealing with a stout Auburn defense, but now they have to shift some attention to what Auburn's doing offensively if they're going to pull out a comeback win to stay in the rankings next week. 

[Nov 8, 2025 at 5:15 pm ET · Will Backus]

Halftime: UConn 20, Duke 14 

There's a stunner brewing in Storrs, Connecticut. UConn leads Duke by six after one half of play in what's emerging as an intriguing non-conference game. As the score may suggest, not much went right for Duke in the first half. 

Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah only had five incompletions over the first 30 minutes of play. The bad news for his team is that two of those missed passes resulted in interceptions for UConn. The Huskies turned those two interceptions into two made field goals and six points. 

Duke also had three possessions that started in the second quarter -- those possessions lasted a total of eight plays and amassed eight combined yards. UConn, meanwhile, had a 12-play touchdown drive that took 6:21 off the clock. 

Duke is 4-1 in ACC play coming off a thrilling win over Clemson and has a big conference home game against No. 14 Virginia -- the ACC's first-place team -- coming next weekend. Did the Blue Devils get caught looking ahead?

[Nov 8, 2025 at 5:15 pm ET · Brad Crawford]

Halftime: No. 3 Texas A&M 14, Missouri 0

The SEC's lone remaining unbeaten this season leads by two possessions at halftime on the road thanks to Marcel Reed's 4-yard touchdown pass to Ashton Bethel-Roman in the first quarter and a late fumble recovery from Dalton Brooks leading to a score. 

Missouri true freshman Matt Zollers, who's making his first start at quarterback following last month's ankle injury to Beau Pribula, hasn't found a rhythm and is 3-of-10 for 31 yards and a lost fumble against a feisty defensive line for the Aggies. The Tigers have struggled to get the passing game going and the SEC's leading rusher, Ahmad Hardy, has 44 yards on three carries at intermission.

[Nov 8, 2025 at 5:10 pm ET · Carter Bahns]

Halftime: No. 18 Miami 14, Syracuse 0

It was a sleepy first half until Miami scored two touchdowns in 23 seconds. Those 14 points, all of which came in the final three minutes of the half, may be all the Hurricanes need against Syracuse with the way their defense is stymieing Orange quarterback Rickie Collins (6 for 15, 38 yards, INT).

The Hurricanes snapped a 27-minute scoreless start with a trick play touchdown. Wide receiver Malachi Toney operated a reverse and threw back across the field to quarterback Carson Beck for a 14-yard score. Three plays from scrimmage later, Keionte Scott picked off a Collins pass and returned it 38 yards for another touchdown.

Syracuse threatened to cut into the deficit in half just before the break but fumbled at the Miami 10-yard line to thwart its own effort. It was another win for the dominant Hurricane defense, which will attempt to keep the shutout intact over the final 30 minutes.

[Nov 8, 2025 at 4:01 pm ET · Will Backus]

Final: No. 8 Texas Tech 29, No. 7 BYU 7 

There's no question that 2025's Big 12 power resides in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech proved it's the cream of the conference crop with a dominant three-possession win against previously undefeated BYU Saturday afternoon. The Red Raiders were able to overwhelm the Cougars thanks in large part to a stifling defense. 

Texas Tech allowed BYU to cross midfield just twice in four quarters of play, including a relatively meaningless 80-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. BYU had a season-low 255 yards of total offense. Even with leading rusher LJ Martin back, BYU had 67 yards rushing as a team. 

Since Texas Tech took the run game away, BYU had to lean on the arm of freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier. The results were not desirable. Bachmeier averaged just 4.9 yards per attempt, tossed an interception and finished with fewer than 200 yards through the air. The Red Raiders also limited his effectiveness as a rusher which, at this point, is the best part of his game. 

While it was an impressive team effort for Texas Tech, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez had another star-making performance. 

He led both teams with 14 total tackles and had one tackle for loss, one interception and one fumble recovery. 

[Nov 8, 2025 at 3:57 pm ET · Brad Crawford]

FINAL: No. 5 Georgia 41, Mississippi State 21

Behind three touchdown passes from Gunner Stockton and Nate Frazier's 181 yards rushing, Georgia handled its business on the road to improve to 8-1 on the season. Kirby Smart's team still needs help in getting to the SEC Championship Game, but at worst, Georgia will host a first-round playoff game if the Bulldogs are able to win out against Texas, Charlotte and Georgia Tech. Georgia trailed 7-3 after the first quarter before a 21-point explosion before halftime and two touchdowns coming out of the break put it away.

[Nov 8, 2025 at 3:39 pm ET · Brad Crawford]

FINAL: No. 2 Indiana 27, Penn State 24

Omar Cooper's 7-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone from Fernando Mendoza with 36 seconds left pushed the Hoosiers to 10-0 on the season and marked the program's first win at Beaver Stadium all-time in thrilling fashion. The Nittany Lions had scored 17 unanswered after trailing 20-7 in the third quarter to take the lead before Indiana took over at its own 20-yard line with no timeouts and 1:51 left.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti was asked before the game about his team's winless all-time record on the road against the Nittany Lions and quickly answered, "this team's never played here" before moving on to any "concerns" about playing a hungry, winless team in conference play.

"The time to be concerned is over," Cignetti said. "It's time to attack and play."

The Hoosiers led 20-7 midway through the third quarter before Happy Valley came alive with 11:36 to play after the first of Nick Singleton's pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. Singleton's second TD of the fourth quarter on a 19-yard screen pass from Ethan Grunkemeyer came with 6:27 to play. 

But Penn State's defense could not hold on as Mendoza led an incredible drive to put the Hoosiers ahead and ultimately improve their record to 10-0. 

[Nov 8, 2025 at 3:32 pm ET · Brad Crawford]

4Q: No. 2 Indiana 27, Penn State 24

One of college football's last remaining unbeatens is trying to stay unblemished with an improbable 80-yard touchdown drive with no timeouts, capping the comeback on Omar Cooper's 8-yard touchdown reception with 36 seconds to play on third-and-goal. It was a Heisman moment for quarterback Fernando Mendoza, whose bevy of completions in the face of all-out blitzes from the Nittany Lions on Indiana's final possession flexed impressive poise. 

Indiana's thrilling final drive included a heroic 29-yard completion down the seam from Mendoza to Riley Nowakowski and a leaping 17-yard reception near the sideline by Charlie Becker that put the Hoosiers in position to win the game.

Cooper's leaping touchdown grab in the back of the end zone was upheld after review after he tapped his left toe in the end zone before falling out of bounds.

[Nov 8, 2025 at 3:25 pm ET · Cody Nagel]

Kinnick Stadium has been somewhat of a nightmare for top 10 teams, a place where rankings often melt under the roar of the crowd. This Saturday, No. 9 Oregonfaces a dangerous No. 20 Iowa (3:30 p.m. ET on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ Premium) in a matchup with College Football Playoff implications. But the Ducks don't necessarily fit the mold of previous top 10 teams that have stumbled in Iowa City, and they appear ready to turn one of college football's toughest environments into just another venue.

Oregon's road résumé under coach Dan Lanning reinforces that confidence. The Ducks own the longest active road win streak in the FBS at 10 games -- double the next-best streak (Ohio State, 5). And since Lanning took over prior to the 2022 season, Oregon is tied with the Buckeyes for the best road win percentage in the FBS at 15-2 (.882). It's also 12-4-1 (.750) ATS in those games, the top mark among Power Four programs over that span.

Put simply, the Ducks have repeatedly shown they can handle hostile environments, giving them a blueprint to silence the Kinnick crowd while putting pressure on Iowa's weaknesses.

Built for Kinnick: How Oregon's road dominance under Dan Lanning could silence Iowa's hostile environment

Cody Nagel

[Nov 8, 2025 at 3:02 pm ET · Brad Crawford]

4Q: Penn State 24, No. 2 Indiana 20

One of college football's biggest upsets of the season is brewing in the Big Ten as the Nittany Lions now lead the Hoosiers with 6:27 to play following Nick Singleton's 20-yard touchdown reception from Ethan Grunkemeyer. A win for Penn State would be its first of the campaign in Big Ten play and extend Indiana's all-time record at Beaver Stadium to 0-14. A loss by the Hoosiers would give several teams life in the conference championship race as well, including Iowa.

[Nov 8, 2025 at 2:52 pm ET · Brad Crawford]

4Q: No. 2 Indiana 20, Penn State 17

Nick Singleton's 1-yard touchdown burst with 11:36 left in the contest has pulled the Nittany Lions to within three points of the unbeaten and second-ranked Hoosiers. Indiana has never won at Beaver Stadium and entered the contest as a 14.5-point favorite. Penn State is winless in Big Ten play this season and is 0-2 under interim coach Terry Smith, who assumed the position following James Franklin's firing.

Singleton set up his own score with a 59-yard burst up the middle:

[Nov 8, 2025 at 2:17 pm ET · Brad Crawford]

Late scratch for Buckeyes' passing game weapon

The top-ranked and unbeaten Buckeyes are having no issues offensively at Purdue without one of their top playmakers after wideout Carnell Tate was held out for "precautionary reasons", per 247Sports. Tate, who has recorded 39 receptions this season for 711 yards and seven touchdowns as Ohio State's No. 2 behind Jeremiah Smith, was "tight" during warmups on the road before he was held out. Late in the second quarter, Ohio State leads, 14-3.

[Nov 8, 2025 at 1:46 pm ET · Robby Kalland]

Halftime: No. 5 Georgia 24, Mississippi State 7

Starkville has been an extremely difficult place to play all season for ranked teams, as Mississippi State has pushed top tier opponents to the edge on multiple occasions. Given No. 5 Georgia's habits of getting off to slow starts this season, it felt like Saturday could be a trap game for the Dawgs after a hard-fought win in the Cocktail Party. 

Mississippi State marched down the field for an early touchdown to go up 7-0 and it looked like Georgia was going to be in for a tough battle. However, the Bulldogs' defense settled in from there to get some key stops and Gunner Stockton and the Georgia offense got rolling, scoring touchdowns on their final three drives of the first half to take a 24-7 lead. 

The big swing in the game came late in the second quarter when Mississippi State went for a fourth down in Georgia territory and had a drop result in a turnover on downs. Georgia then converted a fourth-and-3 after getting the Bulldogs to jump offsides and parlayed that into a touchdown three plays later on a screen to Zachariah Branch with just 11 seconds left. 

Stockton is 12-for-19 for 176 yards and two touchdowns through the air, as Georgia is getting whatever it wants in the passing game. Mississippi State will need to figure something out defensively to get more pressure on Stockton if it wants to make this a game in the second half. 

[Nov 8, 2025 at 1:37 pm ET · Will Backus]

Half: No. 2 Indiana 17, Penn State 7 

Penn State did well to hang around with Indiana for a majority of the first half, but it seems as if the Hoosiers are on the precipice of pulling away after a game-changing sequence late in the second quarter. The Nittany Lions got the ball back with just over two minutes left to play and a chance to at least tie the game entering halftime. Instead, on third-and-8 from Penn State's 24-yard line, Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer dumped a pass off to running back Kaytron Allen, who fumbled the ball as he was tackled to the ground. 

That gave Indiana an almost immediate red zone possession. The Hoosiers did not waste the opportunity. A defensive pass interference and then a nine-yard completion between quarterback Fernando Mendoza and wide receiver Charlie Becker gave Indiana the ball at the goal line, where running back Kaelon Black plowed ahead for a short touchdown. 

Penn State does get the ball to start the second half, so things haven't entirely unraveled yet, but momentum has swung firmly in Indiana's direction. Mendoza had a solid first half with 10 completions on 12 attempts for 102 yards and a rushing touchdown. 

[Nov 8, 2025 at 11:55 am ET · David Cobb]

Julian Sayin's 80.7% completion rate is impressive enough on its own. What makes it remarkable is how he's doing it. Ohio State's redshirt freshman quarterback isn't inflating his numbers with checkdowns and swing passes.

Sure, the Buckeyes' scheme features plenty of short throws. But where Sayin truly separates himself is in his deep-ball accuracy. He's 20 of 27 on passes traveling 20 or more air yards, according to TruMedia -- an absurd figure even by practice standards.

Most quarterbacks would struggle to hit that percentage throwing against air. Sayin is doing it against live defenses with a pass rush in his face. Between his season-long consistency and a standout performance last week against Penn State, Sayin has more than earned his spot atop this week's QB Power Rankings.

These rankings are not a Heisman forecast, draft projection or season-long outlook. They're a real-time evaluation of performance, factoring in competition, pressure and production. With that, here are this week's power rankings of college football's top 50 quarterbacks.

College Football QB Power Rankings: Ohio State's Julian Sayin surges, Arch Manning finally returns to top 50

David Cobb

[Nov 8, 2025 at 11:46 am ET · Jack Crosby]

No. 2 Indiana will look to stay undefeated on Saturday as it travels on the road to face Penn State in Happy Valley, but if the Hoosiers are to keep that record unblemished, it seems as if they'll be doing so without the services of star wide receiver Elijah Sarratt. Sarratt, who's caught 45 passes this season for a team-leading 10 touchdowns, left last week's win over Maryland with a hamstring injury. 

[Nov 8, 2025 at 11:30 am ET · John Talty]

The 2025-26 college football coaching cycle should be the busiest on record. On consecutive Sundays over the last month we've seen Penn State, Florida, LSU and Auburn fire their coaches, joining an ever-expanding list of 12 FBS jobs that have opened. We had never seen such activity before November. It does not figure to slow down: industry sources expect close to 40 FBS jobs to change hands this cycle once the dominoes begin to fall. 

Who is supposed to fill all these jobs? 

You'll see names like Nick Saban and Urban Meyer bandied about as possibilities online, maybe even linking them to a plane tracker or two. Those are romantic names for LSU (Saban) and Florida (Meyer), especially. But they do not seem realistic. That is OK -- there are close to 100 names to consider for the giant vacuum of jobs -- ranging from marquee names to FCS coaches who, sources say, may be ready for the jump. 

These are the coaches you need to know, split into tiers, as this wild carousel ride may just be getting started. 

Meet the candidates -- 88 of them: The only list you need for college football's wildest coaching carousel

Chris Hummer