College football is unpredictable and delightful, which is why we live for what happens on Saturdays. And Week 11 certainly delivered, from a thriller in Happy Valley to even more chaos in ACC country.

Each Sunday, I’ll publish my biggest takeaways from the college football weekend. I’ll highlight the most interesting storylines, track College Football Playoff contenders and specifically shout out individual and team performances that deserve the spotlight.

1. Fernando Mendoza had his Heisman moment.

The final Indiana drive started with a sack. So, it technically started from the Hoosiers’ own 13-yard line. Second and 17, with a perfect season on the line, and Mendoza went to work. He methodically drove Indiana down the field, with four first down conversions on four passes of 12 yards or more. We all know what happened next because it’s the play of the year; on third and goal from the 7 and under pressure, Mendoza found Omar Cooper Jr. in the end zone, and Cooper somehow got his toe down to secure the score. It was the toe tap that saved an undefeated season. It didn’t matter that Penn State had gone on a 17-0 run to take its first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter. It didn’t matter that seven of those points came after a terrible Mendoza interception. All that mattered was Mendoza delivering the ball exactly where it needed to be when it mattered most, and he did just that even without one of his favorite targets, Elijah Sarratt, who missed Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury.

Indiana was short-handed and facing the biggest test of its season against a team that had immense talent (without the wins to prove it, admittedly). And it passed with flying colors, led by its high-flying quarterback. Mendoza is now the Heisman Trophy favorite, and it’s deservedly so.

Omar Cooper Jr. just pulled off one of the greatest game-winning touchdown catches you’ll ever see.

Absolutely incredible way to save Indiana’s undefeated season.pic.twitter.com/Bq5kEIjAt6

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) November 8, 2025

2. The ACC is messier than ever.

This. League. Every time I think I’ve seen it all, another favorite loses. At this point, I might as well just write “ACC Champion” into my projected CFP bracket each week … because I’ve got to sub teams in and out multiple times every Saturday. This time it was No. 14 Virginia who picked up a tough loss, a 16-9 defeat to Wake Forest in a game that saw starting quarterback Chandler Morris get knocked out of the game due to injury. Not a half hour later, No. 15 Louisville fell to Cal in overtime. So, we’re back to Georgia Tech being the highest-ranked ACC team. And Miami is back to having a shot at both the ACC championship game and the Playoff. There are now five ACC teams with one conference loss. #CoastalChaos lives on!

At this point, the ACC should thank its lucky stars that it has a CFP automatic qualifier spot, because it doesn’t seem likely its top team would land in the top 12 on its own as an at-large. (Well, it’s essentially an AQ spot. I suppose there’s a scenario where the American champion and JMU or San Diego State are both ranked ahead of the highest-ranked ACC team? But let’s not go down that road just yet … maybe Pitt will save the day! Who knows?!)

3. The Big 12’s chances to get two teams into the CFP just took a big hit.

It’s all because of the blowout. If BYU had been in the game at all, I think we’d all feel differently. But Texas Tech dominated the Cougars from the jump and polished ‘em off, 29-7, in what was billed as the biggest game of the weekend. The Red Raiders didn’t even play their ‘A’ game and still won comfortably, which is also an indictment of BYU.

The Big 12’s best shot to get two in? I think it’s Texas Tech and BYU winning out and setting up a rematch in the Big 12 title game, and BYU getting its revenge. That should get both the Red Raiders and Cougars in. The second-best shot is a little more complicated. It’s a Texas Tech-BYU rematch in the Big 12 title game with the Red Raiders winning. Utah would also then need to win out and have a shot as an at-large (without picking up a loss in the conference championship game, because it didn’t play in it) as long as the Utes’ head-to-head loss to BYU didn’t box ‘em out. Which, at that point, I don’t think it would. The selection committee has already told us that they like the Utes, ranking them No. 13 in its initial Top 25, ahead of the top-ranked ACC team (Virginia).

Texas Tech ‘well-positioned’ for CFP

Joshua Perry and Nicole Auerbach react to Texas Tech’s dominant win over BYU, breaking down the College Football Playoff picture in the Big 12 after the result.

4. The Big Ten is looking like a three-bid league.

It was a tough weekend for the Big Ten’s two-loss College Football Playoff contenders. Washington lost to Wisconsin — a team that had lost 11 consecutive games to Power 4 teams — in one of the more shocking results of the Big Ten season so far. And Iowa lost to Oregon in excruciating fashion on a field goal in the final seconds. Both of those losses resulted in third losses for both Washington and Iowa, which effectively eliminates them from Playoff contention. Now, we know Ohio State and Indiana are as close to CFP locks as teams can be. Oregon will definitely be the field if it wins out … but that resume is a bit shakier than most people realize. That’s why the Ducks were ranked lower in the CFP rankings last week than they were in the AP poll. I do think Oregon would be in the field at 10-2, but if the Ducks lose to USC and beat Washington, there’s just not a ton of meat on the bone. Their best win would be over … Iowa? A team that could finish the season unranked. If I’m Oregon, I’d just win out and not leave that up to the selection committee.

If the Ducks win out, that would include a win over USC — which would then hand the Trojans a third loss and knock them out of CFP contention. So, let’s pencil Oregon in as the league’s third team. The only way the Big Ten gets a fourth team into the 12-team field is if Michigan wins out and beats Ohio State in the regular-season finale. A 10-2 Michigan team with a win over Ohio State and two good losses would almost assuredly make the CFP. But, to me, that’s the only real path for the conference to get more than three in.

Oregon survives in ‘gritty’ win vs. Iowa

Nicole Auerbach and Joshua Perry discuss Oregon surviving against Iowa at Kinnick Stadium in a game with College Football Playoff implications.

5. Wisconsin just had the best three-day stretch of the Luke Fickell era.

I know that some Badger fans would disagree with that, because not everyone wanted Fickell to come back next season. But! That decision has now been made. Athletic director Chris McIntosh announced on Thursday that Fickell would return for Year 4, a decision that he telegraphed all season with his comments in support of Fickell despite all the losses piling up. Wisconsin is going to put more resources into the roster (via NIL money) to try to turn things around instead of paying $25 million to oust Fickell … and then spend a lot more money trying to hire a coach in what could be the craziest and most expensive coaching carousels in college football history.

Two days after Wisconsin opted to keep Fickell, the Badgers beat a top-25 team for the first time in Fickell’s tenure. It snapped an 11-game losing streak to Power 4 teams, and fans rushed the field when the clock hit zero. It was a joyous, cathartic moment for a program that hasn’t had a lot to celebrate lately.

Fickell, Becker lead top showings of Week 11

Joshua Perry and Nicole Auerbach give out their “helmet stickers” for Week 11, praising Wisconsin’s win over Washington and Charlie Becker’s heroics for Indiana.