CFB Blitz: Arch derailing the Lane Train tops Week 11 takeaways

The weekly CFB Blitz is the spot to catch up on the most important developments from the day's action and examine their significance moving forward.

Jump to: Friday's games

Arch in the clutch ... again

College football has written some pretty phenomenal scripts so far this year, but nothing tops an Arch Manning legacy drive back in his home state of Louisiana to essentially oust Lane Kiffin from the CFP race in his first season at LSU. Once again, Manning was able to erase a dismal performance and rise to the occasion when the lights shone brightest to deliver a win. Prior to the game-winning drive, Manning had completed just 13-of-27 passes on the night for 120 yards and three interceptions. That's the type of performance that gets you benched, not the Sportscenter interview after the contest.

However, Manning has shown an innate ability to erase the first 55 minutes of action from our collective memory and deliver in the clutch. He did so against Ohio State earlier this year, and he did it again Saturday. The 12-play, 58-yard drive to win the contest with three seconds left featured seven Manning completions and two crucial runs to convert third downs. The final one was both a perfect ball, and an elite play-call by Steve Sarkisian in the biggest moment.

Manning and Sarkisian's ability to make adjustments has been essential to propel Texas to five straight wins against ranked opponents when trailing in the second half. You can also start printing the Texas CFP gear after the fifth top-25 win on the season all-but guaranteed its spot in the playoff.

Lane Train suffers full derailment

If the Ole Miss and Kentucky losses put the Lane Train teetering on the edge of the tracks, consider the back-to-back home defeats to Alabama and Texas a full derailment. There's no way to sugarcoat things in Baton Rouge: Kiffin has been a massive failure in Year 1 with LSU. The program sent Brian Kelly packing and ate a $54-million buyout with the team at 5-3 last year. They surely didn't think they'd be 6-4 after giving Kiffin $91 million over 7 years. You don't need to be an accountant to understand that's boatload of money to play some downright mediocre football.

Kiffin selected Sam Leavitt to be his quarterback from the portal. While he has plenty of moments of brilliance, there's just as many boneheaded plays that are borderline game wreckers. Leavitt was picked off three more times Saturday, with two coming in the end zone to take possible points off the board - points that would be needed later.

Kiffin promised an electric offense when he arrived in Baton Rouge, but the Tigers punted on the final four possessions of the game to see the 11-point second-half lead evaporate.

It might even get worse for Kiffin, as he now heads to Tennessee to face the seventh-ranked Volunteers and perhaps the nastiest defense in the country. There's also the history Kiffin has in Knoxville, where he was pelted with mustard bottles and golf balls when he returned there with Ole Miss.

Should LSU lose at Tennessee, Kiffin would be hit with a 5th conference loss and be guaranteed a losing record in SEC play. Not exactly how things were drawn up for Year 1 at his new home.

Big 12 After Dark delivers

Travel issues impacted games all over the country with Arizona and Utah kicking off at 10:30 p.m. ET as a result. If every late kickoff looked like the Big 12 contest, we'd be hoping for travel problems on a weekly basis. One of the best games of the season erupted in Tucson with seven lead changes and over 900 yards of total offense delighting those who stayed up to watch. The final four minutes of action alone were more than worth tired eyes on Sunday morning, with Arizona putting the No. 2 seed on the ropes with a touchdown at the 3:13 mark.

It didn't even take 60 seconds for Utah to respond, with Devon Dampier tossing a 70-yard touchdown to Creed Whittemore to restore the Utes' lead.

Utah's defense would then hold to secure the one-point win and keep the Utes as one of two unbeaten teams at the FBS level alongside UCLA. Dampier continued his strong season with another strong performance, going for over 300 yards of total offense and four touchdowns.

With elite quarterback play tough to find in today's college football, the veteran presence that Dampier gives is what makes Utah an extremely scary team to face in a CFP bracket - just ask Arizona.

Castellanos lights Texas Tech's fire

Nothing says college football like the projected No. 1 pick in the NFL draft that led the nation in passing last year getting handily outplayed at home by a 23-year-old who needed a court injunction to become eligible to play at his fourth school.

The Texas Tech renaissance under Thomas Castellanos continued Saturday with another scoreboard operator working nonstop in a 52-27 blowout of Oklahoma State. The Red Raiders are now averaging 46 points per game over the last three contests with Castellanos as the starter.

Castellanos isn't the most consistent quarterback, but he's an explosive play waiting to happen. When you play the porous defensive units of West Virginia and Oklahoma State, that's just about the best matchup possible for Texas Tech. The veteran completed just 12 passes, but did so for a whopping 263 yards through the air and four touchdowns. He now has over 700 total yards and nine passing touchdowns in his last two games.

Drew Mestemaker will likely end up having a long NFL career, but the Texas Tech defense gave him fits all night. The Red Raiders sacked him three times and forced two interceptions on the night. The performance looked a lot like the dominant defense we saw from Texas Tech last year, not what we have witnessed so far this season.

It's the type of showing that immediately makes you feel better about Texas Tech's CFP chances, with the Big 12 now looking very strong to have at least two teams in the field.

Sellers injury dooms South Carolina

Oregon and UCLA are the types of teams that can remain highly competitive if their backup quarterback is pressed into action. We learned Saturday that South Carolina is not. Despite Shane Beamer declaring LaNorris Sellers "available" for the contest at Arkansas, the star quarterback didn't see the field and the rest of the offense might as well have stayed on the sideline with him.

Cutter Woods started for Sellers and was picked off three times in the 34-6 loss. Add a South Carolina fumble and Arkansas scored 17 points off four turnovers for the day. It was clear fairly early that Woods wasn't going to be able to get the job done, but Beamer didn't feel like an injured Sellers gave them the best chance to win versus the Razorbacks.

"He was available tonight," Beamer said, according to Brad Crawford of 247 Sports. "He did everything in his power to be 100%. He got a little bit better each day but he just wasn't to the point where we felt like he gave us the best chance."

The loss will surely send South Carolina tumbling out of the CFP picture and leave the Gamecocks wondering what might have been if Sellers remained healthy.

Chaotic Florida ends Kentucky's CFP hopes

Kentucky at No. 6 was one of the biggest surprises in the first edition of the CFP rankings, and apparently it shocked the Wildcats as well because they've been nothing like a top-10 team since. Will Stein's team followed up a blowout loss to Tennessee with a home setback to Florida on Saturday, with Aaron Philo running wild to secure the victory for the Gators.

Florida's move back to Philo at quarterback after starting Tramell Jones last week paid off immediately, as he threw for 119 yards while adding 102 yards and a touchdown on the ground. That was more than enough offense for the Gators, who had arguably their best defensive showing of the season on the other side. The nation's 57th-ranked rushing defense held Kentucky to just 61 yards on the ground at a 2.3 clip per carry. That put the pressure on Kenny Minchey to beat them through the air, and he simply couldn't do it. Florida held the Wildcats to 106 yards of total offense in the second half.

Both teams in action Saturday are among the most chaotic in the SEC, capable of beating almost anybody while also losing to any team in the league. Florida is now 4-4 in conference play, but the Gators have three top-15 wins on their resume. Kentucky has dramatic wins over South Carolina, Oklahoma, and LSU, but the Wildcats have been blown out by Alabama and Tennessee, and they have now lost at home to Florida.

Stein's first season with the program has been a wild success, but this is simply not a playoff team in 2026.

Cignetti nails QB change

Indiana's program posted a total of 38 wins in the eight seasons before Curt Cignetti took the job. With Saturday's victory over USC, Cignetti is now an outrageous 36-3 in his third year with the Hoosiers.

One major decision prior to kickoff reiterated just why Cignetti is such a prolific winner. Cignetti played coy throughout the week about who would be the starting quarterback, but come game time, it was seventh-year senior Grant Wilson making his first start since the 2024 season over Josh Hoover. It instantly paid off.

Wilson - who was in the same high school class topped by now fourth-year NFL QB Bryce Young - looked very comfortable throughout the contest, finishing with 305 yards passing and two touchdowns. Perhaps his best throw of the day was his last, with Charlie Becker supplying the dagger on a third-down conversion.

The committee docked Indiana five places Tuesday despite Cignetti's program sitting out last weekend on a bye. The justification was that every Big Ten team the Hoosiers had played this year lost, and there were zero ranked wins on the schedule for the defending champions.

Cignetti can now check that box and expect a jump Tuesday following Saturday's win. The Hoosiers seem destined for a Big Ten title showdown with UCLA - especially with a new offense unlocked thanks to Wilson.

More road woes for Riley at USC

Remember the vibes a few weeks ago when USC beat Ohio State in Los Angeles to give Lincoln Riley his biggest win with the Trojans? No? Neither do we. Those are officially a thing of the past after yet another road disappointment for USC under the embattled coach.

A second-half collapse away from home was once again the issue, with USC now outscored 31-3 after halftime in the last two road games at Wisconsin and Indiana.

The maddening thing for Riley and his team is that this one was there for the taking - if they didn't shoot themselves in the foot over and over again. USC dropped two interceptions, committed eight penalties for 81 yards, missed two field goals, and threw a pick on the 1-yard line as they approached a game-tying touchdown.

The result drops Riley to 1-8 on the road against ranked opponents during his time at USC. One reason to sound the alarm is that the latest two road losses both came after bye weeks for the program. Riley's offensive background would suggest that side of the football would be extra prepared; however, Wisconsin and Indiana held them to just two offensive touchdowns total.

One step forward, two steps back: the Riley experience at USC.

Oregon flying toward improbable CFP berth

It seems borderline impossible given where the program was just three weeks ago, but Oregon is flying toward an improbable playoff berth with the dominant 31-7 win over Michigan as the latest resume point. The Ducks have now rebounded from the surprising loss at Illinois with wins over Northwestern, at Ohio State, and the Wolverines by a combined score of 106-61.

Dylan Raiola looks like a new man since the firing of offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer; the effort against Michigan was his best of the season. The Wolverines hadn't allowed more than 21 points in a game this year, but Raiola torched them for 31 on his 341 passing yards and four touchdowns.

Oregon put up 7.3 yards per play Saturday, with both Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McLellan going over 100 yards receiving on the day. The Ducks hit Michigan with death by explosive play, putting up five plays of at least 36 yards on the day.

The Ducks finish the schedule at Michigan State and home against Washington. If the offense keeps cooking at the same level we've seen the past three weeks, it'd be a surprise to see them not finish with a 9-3 record. That should be enough to see Dan Lanning's program in the playoff - an astonishing outcome given how low they looked before Halloween.

Doesn't matter who plays QB for Michigan

Tommy Carr completed only 4 of his 12 passes against Oregon for 45 yards with a rating of 64.3 ... and he was somehow the more productive Michigan quarterback versus the Ducks.

Looking for anything that could spark the dismal offense, Kyle Whittingham played QB musical chairs, giving both Carr and Bryce Underwood snaps on the road. It didn't matter whatsoever. The duo combined to complete just 6 of 20 passing attempts for 71 yards.

The move to fire offensive coordinator Jason Beck did nothing to fix the offensive woes, and finally, the dominant defense couldn't answer the bell to keep things close. The 24-point loss is Michigan's fifth of the season and puts Whittingham in a position to make the wrong kind of history. If the Wolverines lose to UCLA and Ohio State to close the season, Whittingham will tie Rich Rodriguez for the most conference losses in one season in the history of the storied program, according to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press.

The Wolverines clearly made an error in luring Whittingham north to take over the program. While the buyout may sting, continuing to trot this product out onto the field on a weekly basis might be even more damaging for one of college football's biggest brands.

Georgia's masterclass on rebounding from loss

Kirby Smart doesn't need the extra income, but he could make a killing teaching masterclasses on how to rebound from a setback in life.

Georgia's loss to Auburn remains the most puzzling of the college football season, but the response by the Bulldogs since that defeat has been extraordinary. Smart's team continued its dominant run with a blowout win over Missouri, once again racing out to a massive lead and killing any hope of an upset by the opposition early. That's the script Georgia has followed in all three contests since its loss.

• Scored first 24 points versus Florida;
• Scored first 35 points versus Ole Miss;
• Scored first 31 points versus Missouri.

The simple math tells us that Georgia is putting up 30 points per game on average before the opposition scores. If there's one team in the country that doesn't need a 30-0 head start, it's the Bulldogs, but that's exactly what has happened.

There is no question Georgia deserves the No. 1 beside its name in the CFP rankings as there is clearly no other team in the country operating at this level.

Tennessee's defense is a cheat code

Tennessee threw for a total of only 114 yards, ran for just 3.2 yards per carry, put up just 33 punt-return yards, and ... won on the road by double digits?

There isn't a bigger cheat code in the sport than the Volunteers' defense. Jim Knowles once again looked like the best coordinator hire in the nation, putting Marcel Reed and the woeful Texas A&M offense in hell all day with some exceptional play-calling. The Aggies put up just 179 yards of total offense, converted only eight first downs, and failed to hit the 100-yard mark through the air. Reed completed 9-of-22 passes on the day, and Tennessee's defense posted two interceptions in the win.

Credit to Josh Heupel for knowing what his team is perhaps better than any other team in the country. The Vols boss knows they do not have a great passing attack and adapts his play-calling accordingly. That saw them run the ball an outrageous 53 times on the Aggies - numbers we usually only see from service academies. The efficiency was ugly at only 3.2 per carry, but the running attack allowed Tennessee to hold the ball for 42:11 of game time, nearly 25 minutes more than Texas A&M.

Committee has to 'Wake' up on Demon Deacons

If Wake Forest had the CFP committee's curiosity in last week's ranking, the Demon Deacons will have their full attention this coming week. A 49-7 blowout win on the road at SMU will undoubtedly do that.

Wake Forest entered play with a sparkling 8-1 record, but still found itself outside the 12-team CFP rankings at No. 13. That came despite 10 of the top 12 teams sporting records equal to or worse than Jake Dickert's program. Well, it's time to "Wake" up and notice what the Demon Deacons are doing.

• 42-0 lead at halftime over SMU;
• 145-0 combined score in 1st halves over last four games;
• 313-38 overall scoreline in last six games.

Wake Forest isn't just beating teams; it's knocking them off the planet with dominant performances on a weekly basis. The Mustangs were supposed to provide the toughest test for the Demon Deacons since a loss to Miami earlier this season, but nobody told SMU that. Dickert's team embarrassed the hosts in a dreadful showing.

The CFP deck is certainly stacked against you if you are not playing in the SEC or Big Ten - especially under the 12-team format. The only thing a team outside those two leagues can do to grab the committee's respect is to not just win, but do so in emphatic fashion. When you put up crooked scorelines on a weekly basis like Wake Forest, it's too much to be ignored.

Survive and advance for Alabama, Miami

The goal was clear for Alabama and Miami as heavy favorites Saturday: Survive and advance. Both schools weathered an early scare before pulling away late to strengthen their claim to at least hold their current CFP rankings, if not move up Tuesday.

The Crimson Tide pulled a bait-and-switch on the college football world, starting Keelon Russell at quarterback after it was reported that Austin Mack would get the nod due to Russell's injury. However, Russell looked good in warmups and led the team on the field. He showed no signs of injury with three touchdown passes in the victory, including this perfect toss to the corner of the end zone.

Miami saw star running back Mark Fletcher hit the injured list early against Duke, joining a growing list that includes Malachi Toney. Fletcher's injury simply led to the Javian Mallory breakout game, as the backup rusher scored three touchdowns in the victory.

All Jeremiah, all the time

Arthur Smith has years of coaching at the NFL level and has forgotten more football than any of us combined currently know. However, any of us sitting on our couch playing Madden could have drawn up the game plan he rolled out to beat Northwestern on Saturday.

With Ohio State's offense reeling, Smith did what he should have done the last couple of weeks and spammed the heck out of Jeremiah Smith. The star wide receiver got an absurd 17 targets for Ohio State - 14 more than the next Buckeyes pass-catcher. He hauled in 11 of those passes for 117 yards and a touchdown in the 28-19 victory that stopped a two-game losing skid for the program.

It's clear that Luke Fahey is severely limited at quarterback for the Buckeyes, and he's simply not going to be much of a threat passing down the field. The answer to unlocking the offense despite that handicap was easy - look for Jeremiah early and often. Smith's 117 yards saw him pass the all-time Big Ten mark for a receiver to give him the solo record in the conference for catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.

Ohio State likely needs plenty of help to make the playoff, but it can do its part to impress the committee by simply giving it to Smith every other passing attempt in the meantime. Just like us Madden experts would do.

Friday's games

UCLA, the takeaway kings

If Bob Chesney is looking for a theme song for the 2026 season, he can turn to former UCLA student Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and fire up "Give it away." That's exactly what every team on the Bruins' 2026 schedule is doing when they face Chesney's defense.

Turnovers in football come with a high degree of luck and are often not repeatable, but we now have a 10-game sample size showing UCLA forces them at a ridiculous rate.

UCLA added three more turnovers to the list with three interceptions of Illinois' Katin Houser in a 22-14 win Friday. Oh, and one epic safety dance to put two more points on the board and grab another possession.

Chesney's defense has now forced a turnover in every single game this season, other than a 17-7 victory over Wisconsin, and has five games with at least three takeaways. The Bruins have now forced 30 turnovers this season to lead the nation.

Things weren't all rosy for UCLA on Friday, as quarterback Ty Dieffenbach left the game due to what looked like a significant shoulder injury. That put the offense down to its third-string quarterback with starter Nico Iamaleava already lost for the season. However, Dieffenbach emerged from the locker room and jogged to the sidelines to a wave of cheers from the crowd. He promptly led a touchdown drive capped with a perfect throw to Semaj Morgan to restore a double-digit lead for the Bruins.

UCLA now finishes the schedule at Michigan and home versus USC. The Big Ten title game - and CFP berth - seem like a virtual certainty at this point in Chesney's first season with the program. No wonder the school is rapidly moving toward an extension for the new coach.

Coach Prime gets signature win

Deion Sanders' tenure with Colorado started with a bang in 2023, as the Buffaloes upset then-national runner-up TCU to get things going. However, Coach Prime has largely struggled to make waves of any kind since then - especially after his son, Shedeur, and Travis Hunter left the school. That saw the team enter Friday's game against No. 14 Houston with only one Big 12 win in the last year.

It looked like the same old Colorado early, with the Cougars racing to a 20-7 lead. However, Prime's squad hit the middle eight (the first half's last four minutes and second half's first four minutes) hard with three touchdowns in that span to flip the game on its head. All told, it was a 28-0 run over 12 minutes of game action that turned a 20-7 deficit into a 35-20 lead.

The final result marked Colorado's first top-15 win since 2007 and injected some much-needed life into the Coach Prime era in Boulder.

While the victory was huge for morale in Colorado, it was a significantly more crushing loss for the Houston side. The Cougars entered with a real shot at a College Football Playoff berth but can wave goodbye to those prospects after the dismal showing.