College football's Week 11 didn't feature quite as many fireworks as previous weeks. Instead, it turned into a prove-it Saturday for the College Football Playoff contenders.
No. 1 Georgia cemented itself as the best team in the nation with an obliteration of Missouri, while No. 13 Wake Forest proved they belonged in the mix. No. 11 Kentucky lost a heartbreaker to Florida to likely end their chances, while No. 14 Houston pushed itself into purgatory.
In the night slate, No. 2 Utah will try to end a streak of five straight. No. 6 Texas also tries to hold off No. 21 LSU and cement a slot in the College Football Playoff. Here are the biggest winners and losers of Week 11.
Winner: Georgia
The Dawgs are back in business after a sensational performance against No. 22 Missouri. The Bulldogs ground the Tigers into a fine powder, taking a 31-0 lead barely halfway through the second quarter. The 48-21 win -- led by three touchdowns from running back Nate Frazier -- only continued a stretch of impressive play from Georgia.
Over a period of just under 10 quarters, Georgia outscored opponents 100-15. All three of those games were against teams ranked at the time, headlined by a 42-7 win over No. 10 Ole Miss. Georgia looks like championship Georgia again.
Loser: Kentucky
Kentucky coach Will Stein launched himself to the top of national coach of the year boards midseason after leading the Wildcats to an incredible 7-1 start and a No. 6 CFP Ranking. Unfortunately, despite a worthy effort, the season is quickly crashing to the ground.
The Wildcats lost a heartbreaker, 21-14, to a struggling Florida team. Kentucky allowed a 14-play touchdown drive in the fourth quarter and threw four straight incompletions with a chance to go and win the game. Now, Kentucky's playoff hopes are virtually dead, opening the door for numerous other contenders to get in the mix.
Winner: Wake Forest
The Demon Deacons haven't gotten much respect during their run to 9-1, and poor SMU was the target of their wrath. Wake Forest absolutely obliterated the Mustangs 49-7, taking a 42-0 lead in the first half.
Wake Forest has dominated teams in every phase of the game, both outpassing and outrushing opponents over the past six games. Quarterback Gio Lopez has been especially good, throwing for 19 touchdowns to only one interception. The Demon Deacons don't beat themselves, and those successes add up.
Loser: USC
The Trojans' win over Ohio State sure looks like a major indictment of the Buckeyes because outside of that game, USC has been horrible. USC lost 27-13 against No. 9 Indiana as the Hoosiers made a quarterback change. In his first start as the guy, Grant Wilson threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns against a lackluster USC defense.
Outside of Ohio State, USC lost by a combined 28 points against their two ranked opponents. Their other Big Ten wins are by a combined 19 points. The Trojans are wildly underperforming, and Indiana helped show their cracks.
Winner: RB Aidan Flora, Iowa State
It's time to have a conversation about Aidan Flora. The Iowa State running back was an afterthought in the program under Matt Campbell. Instead, he just might be the best running back in America.
Flora exploded for 216 yards and three touchdowns, his third straight game of at least 180 yards and a touchdown. With the performance, Flora is now up to 1,335 yards, which could lead the nation depending on how the night ends. Iowa State is now in position to make a bowl game with one win in the final two, and Flora is the primary reason why.
Loser: Wisconsin
All of the good vibes around Luke Fickell are officially gone after the Badgers lost an embarrassing matchup, 24-21, against interim-coached Maryland. The Terrapins were without starting quarterback Malik Washington and had not beaten consecutive Big Ten teams since 2023, but the Badgers completely collapsed.
Wisconsin allowed 10 unanswered points in the last 2:11 to blow a fourth-quarter lead, marking their second loss in three games. The Badgers will be favored against Purdue and Minnesota to end the year, but would a 7-5 campaign really be good enough, given all the investment in the program?
Winner: Georgia Tech coach Brent Key
Georgia Tech's season is a lost cause, but the Yellow Jackets found a little bit of hope. The team outplayed Clemson in a 20-6 victory, the first win over the Tigers since Dabo Swinney's first season in 2008.
Jackets coach Brent Key made a few aggressive moves earlier this week, firing defensive coordinator Jason Semore and three other assistants. The unit played its best game of the season, holding Clemson to only six points and 86 yards rushing, with Vinnie Sunseri calling the plays.
