TWIF Notes 11/24/25
Welcome Back!
Wow! We had yet another exciting weekend, with a few upsets and a lot of near upsets. Unfortunately, we had another coach being let go. After a couple of weeks with no firings, Cal HC Justin Wilcox, who was in his 9th year at Berkeley, was terminated on Sunday. Oh well...
This year, I decided to keep up with which teams I watch on TV, with a goal of seeing every team. However, it appears I won't be able to do that. I am short 4 teams: San Diego State, Eastern Michigan, WKU, and Sam Houston. I might be able to see 3 of them, but I am certain of only one: EMU when they appear on ESPN2 on Tuesday evening. The only way I will be able to see WKU and SDSU is if they appear in their respective conference championship games (or bowl games), as the Aztecs are on CBSSN again, and WKU and SHS are both on ESPN+. This means that at best, I will only see 135 of the 136 teams in the FBS ranks, since the Bearkats will not be appearing in a bowl.
Anyway, let's get into this week's winners and losers!
Winners
Oklahoma- The Sooners throttled Missouri 17-6 to all but lock up a CFP bid. All they have to do is get past LSU this weekend.
Vanderbilt- The Commodores crushed Kentucky 45-17. This was a Wildcats team that came in on a roll, winning 3 straight, including 2 in the SEC (1 on the road). If Vandy can get a win this weekend at Tennessee in Neyland Stadium, they might be hard to ignore for the CFP, but there probably needs to be other results for that to come to fruition. A loss to the Vols will definitely eliminate them.
Penn State- The Nittany Lions now have a modest 2-game winning streak after pasting Nebraska 37-10 in Happy Valley, and are now just a win at Rutgers away from reaching a bowl game.
Oregon- The Ducks passed test #1 with a 42-27 victory over USC to set up test #2 at Washington this weekend. Win that one and the Quack Attack will sail into the CFP.
Michigan- The Wolverines crushed Maryland 45-20 to move within one win of perhaps crashing the CFP party. If they can defeat Ohio State for a 5th straight season, they just might muscle their way into the playoff.
Northwestern- The Wildcats survived Minnesota 38-35 to get their 6th win and secure a bowl. They had already surpassed last year's 4 wins, and with a win at Illinois and a victory in that bowl, could match 2023's 8-5 record.
SMU- The Mustangs flattened Louisville 38-6 to stay tied atop the ACC at 6-1. They now have a game at a Cal team that just fired their HC.
Wake Forest- The Demon Deacons destroyed Delaware 52-14 to reach 8 wins for the 1st time since 2022. They have a chance to reach double-digit wins for just the 3rd time in their history, but they'll need to win at Duke and in their bowl game. They were 11-3 just 4 years ago, in 2021 under HC Dave Clawson, and they were 11-3 in 2006 under Jim Grobe.
Utah- The Utes outlasted Kansas State to secure a 51-47 victory over Kansas State. Despite their 9-2 record (maybe 10-2 if they can win at Kansas this weekend), they will likely be on the outside of the CFP.
BYU- The Cougars moved one step closer to the Big 12 CG with a 26-14 win over Cincinnati, handing the Bearcats their 3rd consecutive loss after a 7-1 start.
UConn- The Huskies became the 2nd team to finish their season (Akron finished theirs last Tuesday), and with an exciting 48-45 win over FAU, finish with a record of 9-3. This is the 1st time winning 9 regular season games since 2007, and a bowl win would give them their most ever at the FBS level (10-3 in 1998 when they were Division I-AA). Interestingly, all 3 of their losses were in OT, and all were on the road, as they've won 8 consecutive home games, and 13 of their last 14 at home.
Tulane- The Green Wave decimated Temple 37-13 to all but secure their spot in the American Conference CG, and perhaps the CFP berth that comes with a win in that game.
North Texas- The Mean Green annihilated Rice 56-24, and with a win over Temple, would be in the American Conference Championship Game for the 1st time.
New Mexico- The Lobos won 20-3 at Air Force, and at 8-3, have their most wins since they were 9-4 in 2016 under former HC Bob Davie. A win over San Diego State at home this weekend could put them in the MWC CG, and a win there would give them 10 wins for the 1st time since they were 10-1 in 1982 under HC Joe Morrison, and just their 2nd time ever. They even have a shot at getting 11 wins for the 1st time ever, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
James Madison- The Dukes downed Washington State 24-20 to claim a victory over a team that was in a Power 5 conference just 2 years ago. The Dukes have already clinched the Sun Belt East Division, and a win in the SBC CG could get them into the CFP.
FIU- The Panthers have won 3 straight after a 27-21 upset of Jax State, and that has given them 6 wins for the 1st time since they were 6-7 in 2019 under HC Butch Davis. If they can win this weekend at Sam Houston, then they would be guaranteed a winning record for the 1st time since they were 9-4 in 2018, also under HC Butch Davis.
Kennesaw State- The Owls are 8-3 and 1 win from playing for a conference crown in just their 2nd year at the FBS level, and only a year after finishing 2-10. They could possibly go from 10 losses to 10 wins in the span of just one year!
Losers
Florida- The Gators lost to Tennessee in Gainesville for the 1st time since 2003, dropping a 31-11 decision to the Vols. UF has been mostly uncompetitive since firing former HC Billy Napier at midseason, with 3 of their 4 losses by 10+ points.
Illinois- The Fighting Illini lost 27-10 to a Wisconsin team that had a miserable 3-7 record entering the contest. For a team that started the season with hopes of a CFP berth, the best Illinois can do is finish 8-4 and 5-4 in the Big Ten, but that will take a win over rival Northwestern.
Georgia Tech- The Yellow Jackets fell 42-28 to Pitt, as they have allowed 34 or more points to each of their last 3 opponents after allowing no more than 24 points to 7 of their previous 8 (Wake Forest scored 29 in OT). GT was a lock to make the ACC CG and the CFP before dropping 2 of their last 3 games, so now they have to beat UGA and rely on other teams for help.
FSU- The Seminoles dropped a 21-11 decision to NC State and now need to win at Florida to make a bowl. It has already been announce that HC Mike Norvell will return for the 2026 season.
North Carolina- The Tar Heels lost 32-25 to rival Duke, and that result will keep UNC out of a bowl for the 1st time since 2018, HC Larry Fedora's last year in Chapel Hill, when they were 2-9. With the win, the Blue Devils stay alive for an ACC CG spot.
Syracuse- The Orange... my goodness... a 70-7 loss to Notre Dame, when they were behind 21-0 before the Irish even took a single offensive snap...
California- The Golden Bears spit the bit against rival Stanford, losing 31-10, and promptly fired HC Justin Wilcox. To replace him as interim, Cal appointed offensive analyst Nick Rolovich, who was previously HC at Hawaii and Washington State.
Houston- The Cougars fell 17-14 to TCU as they've now lost 2 of their last 3 to drop out of the Big 12 race.
Army- The Black Knights dropped a 26-25 decision to a 4-7 Tulsa team that will be staying home for the holidays. At 5-5, Army must now win at UTSA this weekend to secure a bowl spot, as I'm not sure any bowls would wait to see if they get can get win #6 against Navy on December 13.
East Carolina- The Pirates crumbled under the pressure as they were stomped 58-24 by UTSA. If ECU had won, they would have been close to making it into the conference CG.
Southern Miss- The Golden Eagles had a clear path to the SBC CG, but have lost 2 in a row. They can still get there, but they will have to beat Troy this weekend.
Liberty- With a 34-28 loss to La Tech in OT, the Flames are guaranteed to finish with their fewest wins ever at the FBS level, since 2018, when they were 6-6 in their debut season.
Conference Races
Here is where the teams stand and what they need to do to make their conference championship game. I am not presenting every scenario- just the most likely path, and since every conference has its own tie breakers (TB).
SEC
Big Ten
ACC
Big 12
American
Mountain West
Sun Belt East
Sun Belt West
MAC
CUSA
That's it for this week! Come back tomorrow for my updated Power Rankings!
Until next time, may you and your loved ones be blessed!
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