Conference Title Landscape Becomes Clearer After Another Wild Week | Barrett Sallee

The first college football weekend of November has come and gone, and conference title landscapes have come into focus.

Well, sort of.

A couple of massive upsets and a statement game headlined what was a wild weekend in the greatest sport in the world.

Let’s breakdown what went down and what it means moving forward.

The SEC is a crapshoot

There isn’t a single person on the planet who knows who will play in the SEC Championship Game right now. Texas A&M went into the weekend as the only team with an unblemished conference record, but that disappeared in a wild night in Columbia, South Carolina, in the 44-20 loss to the homesteading Gamecocks.

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 02: Carson Beck #15 of the Georgia Bulldogs is sacked by Derek Wingo #15 of the Florida Gators during the first half of a game at EverBank Stadium on November 02, 2024 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Georgia? The one-loss Bulldogs survived a scare from Florida, as did one-loss Tennessee against Kentucky. Meanwhile, one-loss Texas and one-loss LSU sat back on their respective couches and watched the carnage.

Have I said “one-loss” too much? No, I haven’t. The SEC is just that bizarre. Toss in Alabama, Ole Miss and a host of other two-loss conference teams, and you have a disaster in the making. The SEC went division-less this season, so the tie breaking procedure is as long as an old-school encyclopedia.

Buckle up.

The ACC … not a crapshoot at all

At least, for now.

The general consensus before the season was that Miami would be one of the favorites for the ACC title. That has come to fruition, and was further confirmed on Saturday afternoon in the 53-21 win over Duke. Clemson is the obvious other front-runner … right? No. Not even a little bit after the Tigers’ 33-21 to Louisville.

Nov 2, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Louisville Cardinals running back Keyjuan Brown (22) scores against Clemson Tigers safety Khalil Barnes (7) during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

Of course, it’s SMU, like we all figured. The Mustangs absolutely annihilated Pitt 48-25 in a game that wasn’t even as “close” as the score indicates. The Mustangs, like the Hurricanes, have unblemished conference records. Plus, SMU now has the head-to-head tiebreaker over Pitt and a very forgiving schedule.

Can you imagine that scene? SMU, which willingly passed on most of its conference revenue distribution in order to join Stanford and Cal in ACC expansion, could not only be in the conference championship but represent the conference in the College Football Playoff.

Ryan Day deserves a ton of credit

Penn State coach James Franklin was heavily criticized for his lack of success in big games, and that continued on Saturday afternoon in the 20-13 loss to Ohio State. However, Day hadn’t fared well either. He came into the game with a 3-6 record in games against top-5 teams in the coaches poll, and was a “diet” version of Franklin.

STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA – NOVEMBER 02: TreVeyon Henderson #32 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs the ball during the second quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions  at Beaver Stadium on November 02, 2024 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

He silenced the critics with the help of quarterback Will Howard and a resurgent offensive line, which set up a wildly intriguing sprint to the finish in the race for the Big Ten Championship Game. Oregon and Indiana are sitting pretty, but the Buckeyes have a date with the Hoosiers later in the month and momentum in the locker room.