The Atlantic Coast Conference looks like it will get two teams in the College Football Playoff.
No. 11 Wake Forest notched one of the more surprising wins of the season Saturday, thumping SMU 49-7 in Dallas as a slight underdog. It ended the Mustangs’ 10-game winning streak at home and was the kind of lopsided outcome that should vault the Demon Deacons into the 12-team postseason bracket.
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Wake Forest (9-1, 6-1 ACC, No. 13 in the CFP) can solidify its grip on a playoff spot next week at Georgia Tech.
No. 5 Miami, meanwhile, bounced back from a 31-24 loss at the Fighting Irish by handling Duke at home and tying a school record with its 11th consecutive ACC victory.
The Hurricanes (9-1, 7-0 ACC, No. 7 CFP) can wrap up a spot in the Dec. 5 ACC title game if North Carolina beats Louisville later Saturday. If Louisville wins, Miami would need to win one of its final two games to clinch.
The ACC landed two teams in the 12-team playoff in the 2024-25 season, with SMU and Clemson securing the final two spots. Miami was the league’s lone representative last year and advanced to the national championship game before losing to unbeaten Indiana.
Keelon Russell threw for 217 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair to Lotzeir Brooks, and No. 7 Alabama beat Vanderbilt 21-6 in a game that did little to justify the Crimson Tide’s lofty CFP stock.
Alabama (8-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference, No. 3 CFP) led 7-3 at halftime but relied on a stingy defense to pull away in the second half and win its third consecutive game. Vanderbilt finished with 235 yards and had more penalties (14) than first downs (10).
Russell played despite a sprained left ankle and could get a week off next week since Alabama hosts lower-division Chattanooga.
“He’s a tough kid. He really didn’t take any snaps all week,” Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer said. “He’s got great heart, went out and made some big plays for us. I know our team loves what he brings to the table as a leader, and it showed today.”
College football got a jolt it didn't expect on the eve of a host of big games.
The Federal Aviation Administration grounded flights nationwide for several hours Friday, impacting thousands of flights and throwing travel plans into question for scores of college football teams.
Many schools — including No. 2 Utah, No. 8 Texas and No. 9 Tennessee — had to scramble to figure things out. The Utes' game at No. 22 Arizona was pushed back three hours to a 10:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff. Baylor's game at No. 12 BYU was also moved back by 3 1/2 hours, to a 7 p.m. EST start.
No. 19 Mississippi was unable to get out of Oxford, Mississippi, on time and ended up having its game at Oklahoma moved to Sunday at 1 p.m. EST — going head-to-head with early NFL action. The decision also drew the ire of Sooners athletic director Roger Denny.
“We were told that Ole Miss explored every avenue to travel to Norman and play on Saturday as planned. But, unlike every other team traveling for competition (Saturday), they were unable to find a solution,” Denny said in a message posted on X. "After multiple conversations with the league office, commissioner (Greg) Sankey informed us of his decision to move our game to Sunday, over our strong objection.
“After continued discussions, he further informed us that our failure to play on Sunday at the directed time would result in a forfeit.”
Denny said the decision “isn't fair to our athletes" or fans but "we've been given no other choice” after “the wrong outcome was reached."
Auburn and Purdue went old school and traveled by buses.
Unbeaten Utah can continue its run toward the Big 12 championship game with a late-night win at Arizona (7-2), which puts Noah Fifita up against Devon Dampier in a duel of star quarterbacks.
Texas (7-2) will try to extend its win streak to four games and go 5-0 against Top 25 opponents at No. 24 LSU (6-3), which still has faint playoff hopes.
No. 15 Southern California (7-2) will try to build some late-season momentum when it visits No. 6 Indiana (8-1).
Louisville (6-3) visits North Carolina (5-4), where Bill Belichick's team has played better and needs just one win for bowl eligibility.
The Cardinals have won four straight and are right in the thick of the race for a spot in the ACC championship game. They need some help, though, because second-place Wake Forest is ahead of them by a game in the standings and owns the head-to-head tiebreaker.
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