CFB Wrap-up: Takeaways from Week 11's biggest games

College Football Wrap-Up recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.

Portal King rules at Ole Miss

Two years after proclaiming himself the "Transfer King," it's probably a safe bet that Lane Kiffin and all of Ole Miss are now having a celebratory laugh.

The King could sit high on his throne Saturday, with a host of transfers shining as Ole Miss beat Georgia and posted the highest AP-ranked win at home in school history. How rare was the Rebels' triumph? It's the first loss for Kirby Smart to a team other than Alabama since 2020.

Kiffin's high-powered offenses usually get the attention in Oxford, but the veteran coach realized he needed to beef up the defense after losing by 30 points to Georgia last year. Enter ex-Florida pass-rusher Princely Umanmielen and former Texas A&M defensive tackle Walter Nolen.

Umanmielen was a beast up front all night, sacking Carson Beck twice and forcing a crucial fumble in the fourth quarter. Nolen's stats weren't as gaudy, but the former five-star recruit was a major factor in limiting Georgia to just 59 rushing yards.

Jaxson Dart came from USC two years ago to lead Ole Miss' offense. He battled back from an early ankle injury Saturday to throw for 199 yards and a score while adding 50 rushing yards. Juice Wells - who came from South Carolina earlier this year - registered the biggest highlight of the night with an acrobatic touchdown grab.

Kiffin's time at Ole Miss has featured plenty of wins, as well as explosive offenses and countless social media moments, but none had come against the SEC's top teams. That changed Saturday, throwing more chaos into an already wild race for the conference title.

Georgia's offense needs a reset

It was jarring enough that Georgia lost to a non-Alabama opponent for the first time since 2020, but the Bulldogs' inability to form any kind of productive offense should have the alarm bells firing in Athens.

With Saturday's 10-point performance in the books, Georgia still hasn't had a 100-yard rusher all season. Carson Beck has thrown 12 interceptions, and nine in his last four games, after entering the year as a Heisman favorite. He still remains an incredibly talented passer, but he's taking too many chances without security blankets Ladd McConkey and Brock Bowers.

Georgia scored all of its points on the two drives to start each half. It gained just 148 yards at an average of 3 per play in the other eight drives. The good news is the Bulldogs can still make a playoff push. The bad news? The nation's No. 2 defense, Tennessee, comes to Athens next week. If the offense doesn't drastically improve, we could see a 12-team playoff without Georgia.

Alabama unleashes Milroe on LSU

We largely associate Kalen DeBoer teams with a high-flying passing game due to his success with Michael Penix Jr. at Washington. However, DeBoer's three NAIA championship teams at Sioux Falls all saw the starting quarterback finish second on the team in rushing for the the season. He's excellent at leaning on the best talents of his best players. That was on full display Saturday night with Jalen Milroe against LSU in Death Valley.

DeBoer and Alabama's offensive coaching staff clearly decided they could run Milroe on LSU's defense, and that's exactly what they did to tremendous success. The standout quarterback finished with an incredible 185 yards and four touchdowns on 12 carries to help the Tide run away from the Tigers and post a statement 42-13 victory. LSU's only touchdown came in the dying seconds against Alabama's backups.

It's Brian Kelly's first loss in a night game at home since he took over the job and effectively ends his team's shot at a spot in the 12-team playoff. For DeBoer, he'll certainly quiet some of the noise in Tuscaloosa after the Tide lost two games in the opening three weeks of October. Alabama has now beat Missouri and LSU by a combined 76-13 margin in the two games following its second loss.

Miami finds out

There's a common phrase in today's society that - for professional purposes - we'll refer to as "mess around and find out." Miami messed around in its first nine games this season. The team found out in Saturday's loss against Georgia Tech.

The Hurricanes have been falling behind lesser conference opponents before roaring back late for dramatic wins. Saturday's contest marked the fourth time this season they'd trailed by double digits in the second half. It also was the first instance in which it was too much to overcome.

Miami's defense couldn't get off the field against Georgia Tech's rushing attack, allowing an outrageous 9-of-14 conversion rate on third down. That kept the ball out of Cam Ward's hands for far too long, with a 17-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that drained almost 11 minutes off the clock the crowning achievement for the Yellow Jackets' offense.

Georgia Tech's final rushing tally was an absurd 281 yards on 48 carries - a gaudy clip of 5.6 yards per rush. The Yellowjackets' two-quarterback system only totaled 99 passing yards but recorded two touchdowns on 11 completions. It was a display that harkened back to the program's old triple-option attack.

Miami's offense moved the ball with plenty of success throughout Saturday as Ward threw for 348 yards and three scores. However, the team's 4-of-14 conversion rate on third and fourth downs kept points off the board. Ward's Superman act has saved them on a such a regular basis that it's become expected - a very dangerous way to live in today's college football world.

The Hurricanes are still in the driver's seat for the ACC's automatic playoff berth, but they likely lost the fall-back option of an at-large bid should they lose in the conference title game. However, that seems far off with a defense that's allowed at least 28 points in five of its last six games.

Coach Prime wasn't wrong, he was just early

It turns out that Deion Sanders' comments after he won his Colorado debut last year weren't wrong; they were just early.

"We told you we coming. You thought we was joking, and guess what, we keep receipts," Sanders said after that first win.

Fast-forward 14 months, and Coach Prime has the Buffaloes holding their playoff destiny in their own hands with three weeks to play. The latest data point in the Colorado resume came with a road win at Texas Tech on Saturday. Add Iowa State's second straight loss, and a spot in the Big 12 title game is the Buffaloes' if they win out.

Shedeur Sanders threw for 291 yards and three scores, with Travis Hunter catching nine balls for 99 yards and a touchdown. But it's the defense that we need to highlight. The much-maligned unit has improved drastically in Sanders' second year, recording a whopping six sacks and ten tackles for loss against the Red Raiders.

Indiana: 'Not bad'

From the man who brought you "I win. Google me," and "Purdue sucks. But so does Michigan and Ohio State," comes the latest banger.

That's right, Curt Cignetti is now a perfect 10-0 in his first season with Indiana. To say that's a shocking start in Bloomington would be the understatement of the year. The Hoosiers have now won 10 games for the first time in their 126-year history.

The latest victim was the defending national champions, Michigan. It was the toughest test of the season thus far for Indiana. The Hoosiers only won by five points, the first time they didn't win by at least 14 points this season. However, Cignetti won't be too bothered by the score as the win keeps Indiana perfect heading into the bye week. Next is arguably the game of the year in the Big Ten: a trip to Ohio State with a likely spot in the conference title game on the line.

Ewers, Texas use Florida to get right

Quinn Ewers and Texas haven't exactly lit the world on fire in the month since he returned from injury. The Longhorns had suffered a 15-point loss at home to Georgia and narrowly beat Vanderbilt over their last two games. Ewers threw just five touchdowns to three interceptions in that time span, and the offense scored a total of only 42 points. Well, consider those issues fixed thanks to a struggling, injury-plagued Florida outfit.

Ewers lit up a beleaguered Gators secondary for 333 yards and five touchdowns in a brilliant performance. The final tally of 49-17 actually made the game closer than it looked as Texas benched a number of starters after grabbing a 42-0 lead.

The win keeps the Longhorns trucking toward an SEC title game berth, with a massive season finale at Texas A&M likely being a big deciding factor. They're also primed to move up in both the AP Poll and CFP rankings with Miami falling to Georgia Tech.

As for Florida, it's tough to take too much from the Gators' performance due to their current injury situation. However, this performance coming just a few days after athletic director Scott Stricklin gave Billy Napier a vote of confidence provided this incredibly timed screenshot from the broadcast.

The Gators need to win two of their three remaining games against LSU, Ole Miss, and at Florida State to be bowl eligible.

Florida State's historic fall

It's no longer noteworthy when Florida State loses in 2024, but the Seminoles falling off at a historic rate deserves some attention. The latest setback was a 52-3 beatdown by Notre Dame in a game that saw two FSU quarterbacks combine to complete just 10-of-26 passes for 88 total yards. That dropped the Seminoles to an astonishing 1-9 this year, just one season after they posted a 13-1 record.

For those about to ask - no, head coach Mike Norvell isn't going anywhere. Florida State inked Norvell to a new contract featuring a buyout of over $60 million following his success last year.