TWIF Notes 11/2/26

 Welcome Back!

As we turn the calendar to November and enter the homestretch of the 2026 season, there is still an awful lot to be decided, from conference championships to CFP slots to bowl berths, as well as the futures of several coaches. This week, there are a bevy of games that will have implications, a sort of elimination weekend, if you will. 

Here are my thoughts from Week 9.

1. Georgia dominated Florida to win 27-8 as the Gators did all they could to help the Bulldogs, turning the ball over 4 times. The rest of the stats were fairly even, but the big news is that UF scored to extend their record to 480 straight contests without being shut out. That last happened on Oct 29, 1988 when the Gators lost to Auburn 16-0 at home. Prior to that, it was 44-0 to Georgia in 1982 (my freshman year), so it doesn't happen too often, as it's been almost 40 years.

2. Ole Miss has now won 15 home games in a row after blistering Auburn 45-15 in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, with their last loss to Kentucky back in 2024. That loss broke a 10-game home winning streak, meaning the Rebels have won 25 of their last 26 home games. 

3. South Carolina has completely turned their season around notching a 3rd consecutive win after a 3-game losing streak, this time over Oklahoma 42-25. If the Gamecocks win out, they would have a strong case for the CFP, even with 3 losses, as that would mean wins over Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Georgia, and Clemson.

4. Ohio State suffered their 2nd loss on the season when they kept settling for field goals in a 30-18 loss to USC on the road. It was obvious they missed QB Julian Sayin and his experience. The remaining stretch of games includes Oregon, Northwestern, and Michigan at home, and Nebraska on the road, teams with a combined 21-11 record, but only 10-10 in the Big Ten.

5. Indiana embodies the old saying that it's better to be lucky than good, but good teams create their own luck. Minnesota thought it had a win when they kicked a 60-yard FG with 19 seconds left, but the Hoosiers completed a long pass and then hit their own 60-yd FG as time expired to send it to OT whereupon IU prevailed 23-16. It was the 2nd straight OT win for the Hoosiers and is a devastating loss for the Golden Gophers.

6. Oregon revived their season with a 34-26 comeback win over Northwestern as both teams are among a group of 6 teams tied for 5th place in the Big Ten, a half game behind the Trojans in 4th. 

7. Michigan defeated Rutgers 28-21, allowing more than 20 points for the 1st time this season.

8. Penn State finally got a conference win, 31-17 over Purdue, to climb out of last place. The Nittany Lions have a manageable schedule the rest of the way. 

9. Washington has now won 2 in a row after besting Nebraska 17-10 as the Huskies are on the verge of bowl eligibility.

10. Iowa shut out Wisconsin 30-0 as they have outscored the Badgers 67-0 the last 2 years, and 109-10 over the last 3. The Hawkeyes don't score 30+ very often, but they seem to have Wisconsin's number, at least lately.

11. Miami survived North Carolina 38-35 and are now almost guaranteed to make the ACC CG as the 1st seed, as every team except one has at least 2 ACC losses, and Wake Forest, which is 5-1 in the conference, already has a loss to the Hurricanes, so Miami would need to lose 2 of their remaining 3 ACC games just to not be the #1 seed. One fly in the ointment could be Duke; the Blue Devils have 2 losses, but if they can beat the Canes, and Miami suffers another loss to either Va Tech or BC, then they would have the tiebreaker edge over the Hurricanes. However, Duke would also have to run the table, which includes games at NC State and WF, and a home game vs Clemson.

12. Although they lost to Syracuse 30-27 to fall to 6-2/4-2, SMU is still in charge of their own destiny, but they will need to win their remaining ACC games, which would inclde a victory over Wake Forest. But they also have a game at Notre Dame, so getting a CFP at-large spot looks unlikely.

13. Texas Tech, BYU, and Utah all won to stay on a collision course for the Big 12 CG. The Red Raiders don't play either of the other 2, but a BYU victory over Utah this weekend would leave the 3 tied in 1st place with one loss apiece. The Utes can get some separation with a win over the Cougars, leaving the 2nd spot open for tiebreakers.

14. Arizona State lost 27-20 at BYU to continue the pattern of one loss-one win that began at the beginning of the season. If that continues, it will mean wins over Colorado and Oklahoma State, and losses at UCF and Arizona, and a 6-6 season.

15. Several recently successful Big 12 teams came crashing to Earth as Arizona 34-26 to Texas Tech), UCF (41-9 to Baylor), Kansas State (27-24 in OT to Colorado for the Buffaloes' 1st Big 12 win in 10 tries), Cincinnati (49-25 to Utah), Kansas (22-16 to TCU), and Oklahoma State (51-49 to Iowa State in a throwback to old Big 12 offensive football) all fell to defeat. 

16. North Texas is now tied with UTSA (idle this past week) at the top of the American Conference after a 48-41 win over FAU. Memphis, a 49-22 winner over Army, is the only other team with less than 2 losses in the conference.

17. Boise State eked by Texas State 46-45 as the Broncos are in a familiar spot: all alone in 1st place after Oregon State's 38-22 loss to Fresno State.

18. New Mexico continues to lead the Mountain West after a 21-16 victory at San Jose State. It was the 2nd win in a row by the exact same score for the Lobos, and would have been a 3rd straight if Hawaii had just kicked 2 more FGs (or scored a TD and missed the XP). UNLV, 31-24 winners over NIU, trails 2nd place and idle Wyoming by a half game.

19. James Madison has now lost 2 games in a row for the 1st time since the end of the 2024 regular season, as Georgia Southern now leads the SBC East (who saw that coming?). In the West La Tech has a 2-game lead on everyone else after topping South Alabama 35-20, but still has to play 3 of the 5 teams tied for 2nd place. The Bulldogs just may be playing their way into the CFP conversation, but with uncompetitive losses at LSU and Baylor, that still seems unlikely.

20. Only 4 MAC teams played this past week, as midweek MACtion takes over November, beginning this week. So far the midweek games had been mostly manned by CUSA and SBC teams. WMU bested Bowling Green 23-10 and Sacramento State got their 1st FBS win as an FBS team with a 31-10 victory over Kent State in Gate City Bank Field in Sacramento. 

21. In CUSA, Liberty (49-10 over FIU) and Jax State (24-0 over NMSU) are each 4-0, 2 games ahead of all the other teams. The Flames and Gamecocks don't play each other in the regular season, so it's possible they could both be 8-0 heading into the championship game. Kennesaw State blasted MTSU 44-28 for their 1st FBS win of the season while Delaware has now won 2 straight by getting by WKU 35-21.

22. FSU has fired HC Mike Norvell, opting to pay his $50+ buyout rather than continue to flounder in mediocrity (at best). Rick Stockstill, formerly HC at Middle Tennessee (113-111 over 18 seasons), has been promoted from within the staff, to take over as interim HC. Stockstill is a former FSU QB and is in the FSU Athletics Hall of Fame. 

23. For the 2nd week in a row, only 112 of 138 teams played this past weekend. That's still just too many teams to list.

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!