College football winners and losers: Assessing the conference title races with 3 weeks to go
Week 11 did not deliver the chaos—unless you were in the ACC. While No. 8 BYU, No. 20 Iowa, and No. 22 Missouri suffered losses, only No. 14 Virginia, No. 15 Louisville, and No. 23 Washington were upset over the weekend. Despite the lack of major upsets outside the ACC, the week provided some clarity in the conference title races with three weeks remaining in the regular season.
Here’s a look at how the power conference races stand, along with a bonus look at the American Conference—likely to produce the top-ranked Group of Five team in the College Football Playoff rankings.
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### ACC
**The Contenders:**
– Virginia (5-1)
– Georgia Tech (5-1)
– Pitt (5-1)
– SMU (5-1)
– Duke (4-1)
– Louisville (4-2)
**Biggest Game:** Pitt at Georgia Tech (Nov. 22)
The ACC, currently fourth among the power conferences, has had an ugly season. However, it should sort itself out better than most other conferences despite two upsets shaking up the standings on Saturday.
Virginia plays at Duke in Week 12, and Louisville visits SMU in Week 13 after their game against Clemson. Georgia Tech is the favorite, playing at home against Pitt following a trip to Boston College, which is 0-6 in ACC play and 1-9 overall.
Virginia’s luck in one-score games ran out at home against Wake Forest, snapping a seven-game win streak with a 16-9 loss. QB Chandler Morris missed the second half due to injury.
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### American Conference
**The Contenders:**
– Navy (5-1)
– South Florida (4-1)
– Tulane (4-1)
– North Texas (4-1)
– East Carolina (4-1)
– Memphis (4-2)
**Biggest Game:** South Florida at Navy (Nov. 15)
The American Conference remains wide open after Tulane’s win at Memphis and USF’s win over UTSA on Thursday. Don’t count out North Texas, who have upcoming games at UAB, at Rice, and against Temple. The Mean Green should be favorites in all three matchups.
Note that Navy’s game vs. Army on Dec. 13 will not count toward playoff or conference title game considerations. Navy also visits Memphis after hosting South Florida.
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### Big 12
**The Contenders:**
– Texas Tech (6-1)
– BYU (5-1)
– Cincinnati (5-1)
– Houston (5-2)
– Utah (4-2)
– Arizona State (4-2)
**Biggest Game:** BYU at Cincinnati (Nov. 22)
Texas Tech is the clear frontrunner after a convincing win over BYU on Saturday, ending the Cougars’ undefeated run. Though Houston, Utah, and Arizona State—the only team to beat the Red Raiders so far—are still in the hunt, Tech’s likely Big 12 title game opponent will be the winner of BYU’s trip to Cincinnati.
Texas Tech and Cincinnati don’t face each other this season. Tech’s remaining schedule includes West Virginia and UCF, who combine for a 3-10 Big 12 record.
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### Big Ten
**The Contenders:**
– Indiana (7-0)
– Ohio State (6-0)
– USC (5-1)
– Oregon (5-1)
– Michigan (5-1)
**Biggest Game:** Ohio State at Michigan (Nov. 29)
The Big Ten title race has looked straightforward for weeks, with Ohio State and Indiana on a collision course. Indiana’s comeback win over Penn State keeps the door open for others, though.
Indiana hosts Wisconsin and Purdue to close the season; these teams combine for a 1-12 Big Ten record.
USC and Oregon face off Nov. 22, guaranteeing one will finish with at least two conference losses, which likely won’t affect Ohio State or Indiana if those teams avoid slip-ups.
If Michigan beats Northwestern and Maryland, its game against Ohio State will decide a spot in the conference title game.
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### SEC
**The Contenders:**
– Texas A&M (6-0)
– Alabama (6-0)
– Georgia (6-1)
– Ole Miss (5-1)
– Texas (4-1)
**Biggest Game:** Texas at Georgia (Nov. 15)
Texas’ visit to Georgia could be irrelevant for the SEC title if Texas A&M and Alabama both finish undefeated. However, if the Aggies stumble against South Carolina or Texas, or Alabama slips against Oklahoma or Auburn, the winner of Texas vs. Georgia could find itself in the conference title game.
Texas A&M improved to 9-0 with an easy win over Missouri. The Aggies host South Carolina in Week 12, Alabama hosts Oklahoma, and Texas visits Georgia thereafter. Next week will offer a clearer picture of the SEC race.
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### Winners
**James Madison:**
Don’t count out the Dukes in the College Football Playoff race. JMU is now 8-1 overall and 6-0 in the Sun Belt after a 35-23 win at Marshall. Alonza Barnett III threw three touchdowns, continuing a streak of at least two touchdowns in each of the last four games.
JMU still has games against Appalachian State, Washington State, and Coastal Carolina, plus a potential Sun Belt title game. While their schedule strength lags behind other Group of Five teams, a 12-1 season could put them in playoff contention if the American Conference contenders keep beating each other.
**Tulane:**
The Green Wave won 38-32 at Memphis on Friday night. Tulane led 38-17 entering the fourth quarter, and Memphis’ late comeback fell short.
QB Jake Retzlaff was 16-of-23 for 332 yards and three touchdowns. Tulane held Memphis’ run game to just 67 yards on 29 attempts and sit at 4-1 in American play, emerging as favorites for the conference title game.
**UConn:**
The Huskies now have more wins against ACC opponents (3) than Florida State (2) since the start of 2024. UConn beat Duke 37-34 to improve to 7-3 overall.
Joe Fagnano passed for 311 yards and three touchdowns, while Duke’s QB Darian Mensah threw three turnovers. Remaining games against Air Force and FAU make a 10-win season and bowl victory within reach for UConn, which has scored at least 34 points in five straight games.
**Missouri State:**
The Bears are bowl-eligible in their first FBS season after a 21-17 win over Conference USA power Liberty. Jacob Clark’s 13-yard touchdown pass with 27 seconds left secured the victory.
Missouri State is 6-3 overall and 4-1 in Conference USA, with a real shot at the conference title game. Undefeated Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State remain obstacles, with Missouri State visiting Kennesaw State on Nov. 22.
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### Losers
**Florida:**
It was a rough night for the Gators in Lexington. Kentucky scored the final 35 points to win 38-7. Florida committed four first-half turnovers, and QB DJ Lagway was benched for freshman Tramell Jones Jr. after three interceptions.
The loss drops Florida to 3-6 as they face uphill battles against Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Florida State. Bowl eligibility looks unlikely under interim coach Billy Gonzales.
**Colorado:**
The Buffaloes will miss the bowl season again after falling to 3-7 with a 29-22 loss at West Virginia. They are 1-6 in Big 12 play and could finish 1-8 with games against Arizona State and Kansas State left.
Freshman QB Julian Lewis, making his first career start, threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns but was sacked seven times. He is the third Colorado QB to start this season.
**Maryland:**
After a promising 4-0 start, Maryland has lost five straight games, including a 35-20 loss at Rutgers. Rutgers RB Antwan Raymond rushed for 240 yards, and QB Athan Kaliakmanis threw four touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Maryland amassed 305 rushing yards but couldn’t capitalize. QB Malik Washington had 164 yards on eight carries thanks to a 73-yard run; the team averaged 10.5 yards per carry but still lost.
Maryland needs at least two wins in upcoming games against Illinois, Michigan, and Michigan State to reach a bowl game.
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Stay tuned as the final weeks of the college football regular season promise more drama and defining moments in every conference race.
https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/breaking-news/article/college-football-winners-and-losers-assessing-the-conference-title-races-with-3-weeks-to-go-040612462.html
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