B/R Experts Week 11 College Football Rankings 2024

It was another week of major SEC matchups reshaping the college football landscape, with No. 16 Ole Miss upsetting No. 3 Georgia, while No. 11 Alabama cruised to a 42-13 victory over No. 15 LSU in what was essentially an elimination game in the playoff race.

However, the most surprising results came out of ACC play.

After tight-roping their way to multiple second-half comebacks earlier this year, Miami fell short in a 28-23 loss to Georgia Tech. The Hurricanes now slip behind SMU in the conference standings while joining Clemson and Pitt with one loss. The race for a spot in the ACC Championship Game is now wide-open, and there's a scenario where Miami could be on the outside looking in.

All of that meant plenty of shuffling for the Bleacher Report college football crew when it came to filling out this week's Top 25 ballot.

This week's panel included Adam Kramer, Joel Reuter and Brad Shepard. A first-place vote was worth 25 points, a second-place vote worth 24 points and so on.

B/R Top 25

1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Texas
4. Indiana
5. Penn State
6. BYU
7. Tennessee
8. Notre Dame
9. Alabama
10. Miami
11. Ole Miss
12. Georgia
13. Clemson
14. SMU
15. Texas A&M
16. Boise State
17. Army
18. Colorado
19. Washington State
20. Iowa State
21. Kansas State
22. Tulane
23. Missouri
24. LSU
25. South Carolina

Ole Miss suffered one of the first major upsets of the 2024 college football season when it lost 20-17 against Kentucky in their SEC opener back on Sept. 28.

They were also one of the first presumptive playoff contenders to suffer a second loss, falling 29-26 on the road against LSU in Week 7, and with that the Rebels became something of an afterthought in the playoff picture.

However, as the SEC continues to beat up on itself, the door has swung back open following a huge win over No. 3 Georgia on Saturday.

The Rebels had a bye week to regroup following their loss to LSU, and after falling behind 14-10 at halftime against Oklahoma in Week 9, they scored 16 unanswered points in the second half in what now looks like a potential turning point in the season.

That comeback win was followed by a 63-31 blowout win over Arkansas last weekend where quarterback Jaxson Dart piled up 515 yards and six touchdowns, thrusting himself back into the Heisman Trophy conversation in the process.

Now after Saturday's upset win over Georgia, the Rebels are trending up and poised to climb in this week's College Football Playoff rankings where they were slotted at No. 16 in the first reveal this past Tuesday.

After their second bye next weekend, Ole Miss wraps up the regular season against Florida and Mississippi State, so there is a relatively clear path to winning out. They would then need two of Texas, Tennessee or Texas A&M to lose a second game to have a shot at earning a spot in the SEC Championship Game, but Saturday's win has also given the Rebels a legitimate case for an at-large bid.

Stay tuned for more shuffling in what has become a far more open than expected SEC race.

There were eight undefeated FBS teams heading into Week 10.

That number shrunk to five when Penn State (vs. Ohio State), Iowa State (vs. Texas Tech) and Pittsburgh (vs. SMU) each picked up their first loss of the season last weekend.

The Nittany Lions reset nicely with a 35-6 blowout win over Washington on Saturday, but the Cyclones and Panthers continued their slide out of the national picture with their second straight loss.

The Cyclones climbed as high as No. 9 in the AP poll following a road win over West Virginia in Week 7, and they were No. 11 heading into last week's matchup against the Red Raiders, but that loss sent them tumbling to No. 17 in the first College Football Playoff rankings.

Now a second straight loss to an unranked opponent—this one in a 45-36 shootout against Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium—drops them out of a projected spot in the Big 12 championship game with BYU and Colorado now perched atop the conference standings.

Meanwhile, Pitt was one of the biggest surprises of the season during a 7-0 start on the heels of a 3-9 finish in 2023, and the Panthers peaked at No. 18 heading into a huge Week 10 matchup against SMU, but dropped to No. 23 after a 48-25 loss to the Mustangs.

They were still No. 18 in the first College Football Playoff reveal, ahead of Louisville (No. 22) and Clemson (No. 23), but now a second loss to a middling Virginia team arguably moves them behind both of those teams as well as Miami and SMU since the Panthers resume is lacking a marquee win

In two short weeks, Iowa State and Pitt have gone from forcing their way into the playoff conversation, to sitting on the doorstep of falling out of the Top 25 entirely.

The biggest game on the Week 12 slate got even bigger when Georgia lost on the road against Ole Miss on Saturday, as what was set to be a matchup of one-loss teams in the SEC against Tennessee now stands as a potential elimination game for the Bulldogs in the playoff race.

The Volunteers will have a chance to make a serious push up the national picture with a win.

Other SEC matchups to watch include Missouri on the road against a sneaky good South Carolina team that just beat Vanderbilt, and LSU traveling to Gainesville for a showdown with Florida.

The other showdown of ranked teams takes place in the ACC, with No. 23 Clemson taking on No. 18 Pittsburgh, and that game carries even more weight after Miami suffered its first loss of the year on Saturday. Everyone is now chasing SMU in the conference race, and the Mustangs will play host to Boston College in Week 12.

The top three teams in the Big Ten all have road games against unranked teams on Saturday, though Oregon has a tough draw against Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium. Ohio State (at Northwestern) and Penn State (at Purdue) should both be heavy favorites, but never overlook a road game in conference play.

The Big 12 picture continues to be a cloudy one, and after upsetting No. 17 Iowa State on Saturday, Kansas has a chance to play spoiler again against BYU. Meanwhile, Arizona State will also have a chance to make a late surge up the conference standings with a victory over Kansas State.

Rounding out our Week 12 rundown, the most intriguing Group of Five game is once again in the AAC, with Tulane taking on Navy in a matchup of teams waiting in the wings and hoping Boise State slips up.

See you all next Saturday!