2022 College Football Insider Week 11

Quote of the week

“

Before the game started if you had asked me, ‘Hey, I’m going to give you one play, and if you’re successful on that one play, you beat Alabama,’ I’m taking that 100 times out of 100.”

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TEAM TO WATCH: OREGON

With Alabama and Clemson both losing last week, the path clears a bit for Oregon to move into the CFP Semifinals if it wins out. The lone Pac 12 team undefeated in league play, Oregon finishes against teams with a combined 20-7 overall record that have all spent time in the rankings: Washington, Utah and Oregon State. If the Ducks win all three games, they dramatically improve their case for a playoff spot.

Oregon has scored 40 points or more in eight straight games, and quarterback Bo Nix’s 13 rushing touchdowns is closing in on Marcus Mariota’s program record (15). Nix runs the nation’s second-best offense in yards per game, sandwiched between top-ranked Tennessee and Georgia at three. Oregon’s fate is on full display the next three weeks.

The Ducks host Washington this Saturday at 5:00 p.m. MST on FOX.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Kansas

With a stunning 37-16 victory over then-No. 18 Oklahoma State, the Jayhawks notched their first ranked win since 2010 and became bowl eligible for the first time in 14 years – snapping the longest active bowl drought among Power Five schools.

Running back Devin Neal, a Lawrence native, had a career game behind backup quarterback Jason Bean. He carried 32 times for 224 yards and caught six passes for 110 yards, becoming the first Jayhawk in history to record 200+ rushing yards and 100+ receiving yards in a game. Defensively, the Jayhawks forced three interceptions and one fumble.

Saturday was the first time the Jayhawks have bested the Cowboys in 15 years. Their two most recent wins have come against teams that beat them by a combined margin of 114-10 last season. Kansas will look to build on this momentum as it prepares for Texas Tech in Lubbock at 5:00 p.m. MST on ESPN+.

LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly on his successful decision to attempt a two-point conversion down 31-30 against Alabama in OT

game of the week

#4 TCU AT #18 TEXAS

This should be the toughest remaining matchup for each of these in-state rivals – and it will have College Football Playoff implications for TCU. For Texas, a chance to return to the Big 12 Championship becomes stronger with a home win.

TCU must find a way to slow down Texas’ star RB Bijan Robinson, who absolutely punished K-State last week with 209 yards on the ground. The strong Texas defense will have to limit the explosive plays TCU has become known for behind quarterback Max Duggan.

We’ll find out which Lone Star State school comes out on top starting at 5:30 p.m. MST on Saturday on ABC. COLLEGE

GUARANTEED

ESPN Bonagura – Wisconsin vs. Oklahoma

ESPN Schlabach – Ohio State vs. TCU

The Athletic – Michigan vs. Oregon

College Football News – Ohio State vs. Oregon

USA Today – Ohio State vs. Oregon

CBS – Ohio State vs. TCU Action Network – Ohio State vs. UCLA

ESPN Schlabach – Iowa vs. Kansas

College Football News – Purdue vs. Oklahoma

USA Today – Iowa vs. Kansas

CBS – Iowa vs. Oklahoma Action Network – Purdue vs. Kansas State

Despite a tough 35-32 loss to Miami, the Chicago Bears’ offense is starting to fall into place around Justin Fields. Fields has steadily improved over the last several weeks, in part thanks to necessary offensive adjustments built to complement his style of play—especially when it comes to unlocking his rushing potential. That improvement elevated Sunday, as the 2019 Fiesta Bowl alum (Ohio State) set personal and league records. Most notably was his passing of Michael Vick to break the NFL’s single-game rushing record by a QB after recording a whopping 178 yards on the ground, including a 61-yard touchdown run.

Fields also posted the highest QBR (95.4) and most touchdowns (four) of his NFL career and flexed his athleticism by escaping pressure and breaking tackles. The Bears will host NFC North rival Detroit next Sunday at 11 a.m. MST.

Big NEWS!

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl features Bowl Season’s only Big Ten vs. Big 12 matchup. As we eagerly await the Dec. 27 kickoff, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports, and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news for week 11:

Big Ten Big 12

• The Big Ten has four teams in the CFP Top 25 heading into week 11: No.2 Ohio State, No.3 Michigan, No.14 Penn State and No. 21 Illinois.

• Two of the four FBS teams that remain undefeated are from the Big Ten: Michigan and Ohio State.

• Michigan, Ohio State, Maryland, Minnesota, Penn State and Illinois are all bowl eligible. Iowa, Wisconsin and Purdue are one win away from bowl eligibility.

• Ohio State’s 21-7 victory against Northwestern on Saturday marked the program’s 70th consecutive game with at least 20 points, marking a new all-time FBS record. The Buckeyes have won 28 straight games against unranked teams, which is the longest active streak nationally. They improved to 43-4 in road games in the last 10 years, the best record nationally.

• Illinois running back Chase Brown leads the nation with 1,344 rushing yards this season, with 756 of those yards coming after contact. He also leads the nation in all-purpose yards (1,485) without having return duties. Brown recorded his 10th-straight 100-yard rushing game on Saturday against Michigan State.

• The Big 12 has three teams in the CFP Top 25 this week: No. 4 TCU, No. 18 Texas and No. 19 Kansas State.

• TCU is one of the four FBS teams that remain undefeated. TCU, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Baylor and Texas are bowl eligible. The Big 12’s 60% of teams being bowl eligible leads the nation. Oklahoma is one win away.

• Kansas running back Devin Neal was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after rushing a career-high 32 times for 224 yards and a touchdown. Neal added six receptions for 110 yards, making him the first Jayhawk in school history with 200+ rushing yards and 100+ receiving yards in the same game. He is also just the fifth Power Five RB to do so since 1996.

• Fifty percent of Big 12 teams average over 200 yards a game in both passing and rushing: Baylor (241.11 - 210.33), Kansas (228.67 - 207.0), K-State (201.22 - 218.11), Oklahoma (239.56 - 219.78) and TCU (289.0 - 219.67).

MORE THAN JUST A GAME

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: Dawn Rogers

Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors member Dawn Rogers has dedicated her career in collegiate athletics to cultivating a meaningful student athlete experience. She discovered this passion after deciding to pursue sports administration instead of becoming a veterinarian – the course of study she originally followed –which has led to milestone moments in her career.

Rogers was drawn to the Fiesta Bowl in 2017, when she noticed that athletes who played in the game were regarded with respect and given the best treatment by those in the Fiesta Bowl Organization.

“To be part of an organization that provides the very best opportunity for student-athletes to come and compete and provide hospitality for them, is something that I am really proud to be involved in,” Rogers said. “It’s a privilege and an honor to be involved in the Fiesta Bowl.”

Rogers graduated from Ithaca College, and then from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a master’s in sports management. She’s since played a role in significant organizations like the NCAA Final Four and the Fiesta Bowl.

In 2015, while working for Arizona State University, Rogers helped craft a bid for the 2017 NCAA Men’s Final Four to be held in Phoenix for the first time. The bid was successful, and Rogers became the CEO and Executive Director of the Phoenix Final Four Local Organizing Committee. A few years after planning and executing the Phoenix Final Four, Rogers then oversaw a program that won the tournament in 2021 when Baylor captured its first-ever national championship.

In her current position as Deputy Athletics Director at Baylor University, Rogers meets with student-athletes and encourages them to be honest about their mental health. She has seen school resources like mental health counseling change the lives of student-athletes and emphasizes her opportunity to help them grow as athletes and as people.

2008 FIESTA BOWL

This weekend in Morgantown will be the 10th time that Oklahoma and West Virginia tangle as Big 12 opponents.

The Sooners currently dominate the series in league play, winning nine straight, but fans would argue the Mountaineers have the most memorable non-conference win in a matchup that at the time seemed unlikely to happen.

West Virginia entered its final game of the 2007 season ranked No. 2 in the BCS standings. A win against Big East Conference rival Pitt would almost guarantee the Mountaineers a berth in the BCS National Championship Game. But the Panthers held the high-powered WVU offense to less than 200 yards and recovered five Mountaineers fumbles en route to a 13-9 upset win.

After the loss, West Virginia accepted a bid to the Fiesta Bowl to face Big 12 Champion Oklahoma. The Sooners finished the regular season 10-2 before downing Missouri in the conference championship game. It would be Oklahoma’s second straight Fiesta Bowl appearance, after the memorable one-point loss to Boise State the year prior.

Oklahoma was favored by more than a touchdown, but it was West Virginia that dominated from start to finish on all three phases. Oklahoma cut the lead to 6-3 with a second quarter field goal, but it was the closest the Sooners would get. West Virginia capped a decisive 48-28 upset victory when freshman Noel Devine raced 65 yards for his second touchdown of the day.

“It’s a great night to be a Mountaineer,” said WVU Interim Head Coach Bill Stewart. “I never had a Gatorade bath. It was special.”

The next morning, West Virginia rewarded Stewart by removing the interim tag and naming him Head Coach.