This Saturday was full of action – an exciting mix of dominant performances, dramatic finishes, and key upsets as the battle for conference titles and postseason positioning rapidly approaches its climax. Here are our top picks for the teams that surprised and those that struggled this week.

🏈 The Surprises: The Teams Nobody Saw Coming!

Andy: The Wisconsin Badgers pulled off a major upset, beating No. 12 Washington 13-10 in a frigid, snowy defensive slugfest. As 10.5-point underdogs and riding a six-game losing streak, the Badgers secured their first win against a ranked opponent since 2021 and their first ever win against the Huskies. In a truly vintage performance, their leading passer was punter Sean West (a 24-yard fake punt toss), as the offense relied on ball control and rushing yards, winning despite a meager 48 total passing yards.

Leesl: The California Golden Bears headed to Louisville as 18.5-point underdogs. They had no big wins and losses in 3 of their prior 4 games. In this game, they kept it close, including leading in the 4^th quarter and went on to win in OT. Their defense down six starters since the beginning of the season, played a truly golden game and really slowed down the high-powered Louisville offense. Big win to get them bowl eligible with 2 games to go. Oski wow wow!

Andy: A little storm rolled into Fort Worth Saturday, and it looks like TCU got caught in the eye of the Cyclone! Iowa State snapped a 4-game losing streak and found themselves bowl eligible. They scored first to go up 6-0. Then TCU scored the next 17 to lead by 11 with 13 minutes to go. The Cyclones made a dramatic, gutsy comeback win, sealed by a game-changing 70-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter that reminded TCU that when the Cyclones come to town, take shelter!

🏈 The Setbacks: Playoff Hopes Dwindle for Contenders!

Leesl: The undefeated BYU Cougars went out to the high plains for a little West Texas hospitality and instead got a good ol’ fashioned Red Raider whuppin’ in a 29-7 loss. The blowout snapped BYU’s 10-game winning streak. Their offense looked utterly ineffective against a strong Red Raider defense, turning the ball over three times and being limited to just 67 rushing yards (2.5 yards per carry). This loss casts serious doubt on their playoff resume and makes their path extremely narrow.

Andy: Another undefeated team, the Virginia Cavaliers lost in conference play at home against Wake Forest 16-9. The loss snapped their 7-game winning streak and their perfect record in ACC play. They turned the ball over 3 times, could not convert on 3rd down. When QB, Chandler Morris, was hurt in the 2^nd quarter and did not return, it really hurt their offense.  When your offense is not playing well, you need the other 2 phases of the game to step up for you.  Unfortunately, the special teams gave up an 88-yard punt return, which was the difference in the game.  Their path to the playoffs now relies on winning their two tough remaining games and Morris’ availability for future games.

Leesl: I know I picked California Golden Bears as my surprise, but I cannot ignore the collapse by the Louisville Cardinals at home in overtime. Favored by 18.5 points Louisville’s defense, previously ranked highly, gave up a career-high 323 passing yards to Cal’s freshman QB, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele The loss was a significant blow to a team which had been ranked No. 14 in the AP poll and No. 15 in the CFP rankings. Louie the Cardinal was so upset, there were cardinal red feathers everywhere!

🏈 A Final Statement!

Week 11 delivered chaos, cementing the fact that a messy CFP field is rapidly approaching. While undefeated powerhouses like Ohio State and Texas A&M clinched crucial wins to maintain their strong positions, contenders like No. 2 Indiana and No. 9 Oregon narrowly survived dramatic upset scares, proving that no top team is truly safe in November. Nationally, major upsets, including the stunning loss by BYU and the defeats of ranked Virginia and Louisville, have completely upended the ACC race. Expect significant movement in the upcoming CFP rankings as teams jockey for position, setting the stage for an explosive, high-stakes Week 12.

Andy and Leesl are signing off. Keep those eyes on the CFP rankings—it’s going to be a wild week!