3 Teams That Shook Up the College Football Playoff Field

Haynes King #10 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets reacts after rushing in for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Miami Hurricanes at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on Nov. 9, 2024. Todd Kirkland /Getty Images

The second weekend of November brought upset Saturday with two top-10 teams falling in the College Football Playoff Poll, and another two teams made a big impact on the field.

1. Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech’s 28–23 upset of No. 4 Miami (9–1) on Saturday opens the door wide open in the Atlantic Coast Conference. First, newcomer and No. 13 SMU (8–1) ascended to the top of the league standings on a bye week. Second, No. 19 Clemson (7–2) inched ahead of Miami in the standings with a 24–14 win over Virginia Tech.

Miami only has Wake Forest and Syracuse left on the schedule but can nab the tiebreaker Clemson. While the Hurricanes and Tigers don’t play each other this season, the two both have Wake Forest (4–5), Virginia Tech (5–5), Louisville (6–3), and Florida State (1–9) on the schedule.

Clemson’s lone loss came against Louisville on Nov. 2, which means the Hurricanes can secure a spot for the ACC Championship Game by winning out. The Tigers, meanwhile, close out the schedule with No. 23 Pittsburgh (7–2), the Citadel (4–6), and South Carolina (6–3).

2. Ole Miss

Ole Miss (8–2), ranked No. 16, shook things up a little in the SEC with a 28–10 upset of No. 2 Georgia (7–2) on Saturday. The Bulldogs could easily miss out on the SEC Championship Game with the loss because No. 5 Texas (8–1), No. 7 Tennessee (8–1), and No. 15 Texas A&M (7–2) all have only fallen once in conference play. Texas only has one ranked team left in a Nov. 30 showdown with the Aggies, and Georgia lost the Longhorns earlier this season. The Aggies likewise have no ranked opponents until that finale.

Tennessee, however, faces Georgia on the road next Saturday in a must-win game for the Bulldogs. Georgia will need to win out and for Texas to fall to the Aggies to make the SEC title game.

Ole Miss would own a tiebreaker with the Bulldogs, but the Rebels would need the aforementioned SEC frontrunners to go on losing streaks for it to happen.

Alabama (7–2), ranked No. 11, likewise would need a massive amount of upsets to slip into the title game but also owns a tiebreaker over the Bulldogs from a Sept. 28 victory. The Tide, meanwhile, nixed No. 14 LSU’s chances with a 42–13 blowout win on Saturday.

Ninth-ranked BYU (9–0) narrowly stayed in the win column with a 22–21 win over Utah, but the Cougars are seeing a shift in the Big 12 Conference. Kansas (3–6) knocked off No. 17 Iowa State (7–2) in a  45–36 upset and the Cyclones fell from unbeaten to a pair of losses in an eight-day span.

3. Colorado

Meanwhile, the No. 21 Colorado Buffaloes (7–2) downed Texas Tech (6–4) in a 41–27 victory and moved right behind the Cougars in the standings with one conference loss. That’s a far cry from a Buffaloes squad that stumbled early with losses to Nebraska (5–4) and No. 19 Kansas State (7–2). Colorado has three teams with losing records left on the schedule.

Indiana and Dark Horse Teams That Could Make a Run

Eighth-ranked Indiana (10–0), meanwhile, continues to win and could see a move up in the rankings amid losses for Miami, Georgia. Either way, the Hoosiers potentially get a shot at No. 1 Oregon (10–0) in the Big Ten Conference championship game by winning out.

A couple of dark horses for the 12-team field could also emerge with continued winning. The No. 18 Army Black Knights improved to 9–0 with a 14–3 win over North Texas (5–4) on Saturday in American Athletic Conference action. Washington State (8–1), No. 20, also kept winning with a 49–28 victory over Utah State. However, the Cougars close out the regular season with two unranked opponents.

As for Army, the Black Knights get one shot to make a big statement to the playoff selection committee with a visit to No. 10 Notre Dame (8–1) next on Nov. 23. The Black Knights close out the season with previously-ranked Navy (7–2).