The Hodgepodge: Ohio State Put Together Its Most Complete Effort of the Season Against Purdue, Ole Miss Steamrolls Georgia, Miami Finally Goes Down

By Garrick Hodge on November 11, 2024 at 11:42 am
Ole Miss
Petre Thomas – Imagn Images
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Welcome to The Hodgepodge.

Unlike the Penn State game, I don’t necessarily have a novel of thoughts to record following the Buckeyes’ 45-0 thrashing of Purdue.

Nonetheless, I have a few anyway. No. 1, that was about as complete an effort as Ohio State has put together all year. The offense was efficient, the defense recorded its second shutout of the season and special teams even made an impact play and blocked a punt. There was no letdown following an emotional win, which Ryan Day must be pleased about.

On the other hand, No. 2: This Purdue team is dreadful. It may be the worst Big Ten team I’ve seen in recent memory, maybe even worse than those one-win Northwestern squads. If we’re being honest, this probably shouldn’t have been a shutout since Purdue’s kicker missed two field goals, one of them being a chip shot. But when you’re a massive road underdog and you decide to kick a field goal in the first quarter on 4th-and-goal at the three down 7-0, you reap what you sow. Ryan Walters is in only his second year at arguably the hardest job in the Big Ten, but I don’t know if you can afford to keep him if you’re the Boilermakers. 

No. 3, I wish we could fast forward this week to get to the Indiana game which will decide who opposes Oregon in the Big Ten championship game. Yep, don’t think I’ll ever get used to typing those words.

Ohio State spotlight of the week: Time for backups to shine

The Buckeyes now get to take a trip to Chicago and play Northwestern in an old baseball stadium, which probably makes for a fun spectator event but a potentially messy on-field product. Nonetheless, barring some crazy wind or weather like the Buckeyes had to contend with while playing Northwestern two years ago, OSU should take down the overmatched Wildcats relatively easily.

That means this could be another chance for the Buckeyes’ backups to secure meaningful reps. It also could be the last chance the Buckeyes will have to play their backups all year. There’s the crucial showdown with Indiana looming in two weeks, and even if OSU is up big over Michigan, I’m not positive the Buckeyes would take out their starters prematurely in The Game. 

So this week is a prime opportunity to get young players meaningful reps that could benefit them next year and beyond.

Ole Miss steamrolls Georgia

Sometimes when teams show you who they are, we should just believe them. Week after week, Georgia has turned the ball over at will, keeping inferior opponents alive against them yet more times than not finding a way to win. That survival streak ended on Saturday in Oxford, with Ole Miss humbling the Bulldogs 28-10 following a three-turnover day from Georgia. 

Bulldogs signal-caller Carson Beck was once again mediocre at best, completing 20 of 31 passes for 186 yards and an interception. No Georgia ball carrier surpassed 41 rushing yards on the day, either. 

But let's give the Rebels some flowers. Ole Miss’ front seven was relentless and overwhelmed an outmatched Georgia offensive line, securing five sacks on the day. Quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered an injury early in the contest but returned to throw for nearly 200 yards and rush for another 50 all without having his top receiver, Tre Harris. 

In general, Ole Miss seems to be a complete Jekyll and Hyde squad. In the Rebels' lowest moments, they can lose to Kentucky. At their ceiling, they can knock off any team in the country. They just might be the team nobody wants to play in the first round of the College Football Playoffs.

Making the CFP appears to be a near certainty for the Rebels, with only Florida and Mississippi State remaining on its schedule. It’s far less of a guarantee for Georgia, which will be fighting for its playoff life against Tennessee this week. It’s hard to fathom the preseason No. 1 team in America may miss the playoffs when it’s expanded to 12 teams, but that’s very much in play here.

Week 11 also had some other notable moments.

  • The ACC’s final unbeaten team finally went down on Saturday, with Miami falling to Georgia Tech 28-23. First Mario Cristobal loses to the Yellow Jackets in 2023 because he fails to take a knee, then Miami falls in 2024 as a top-five team in the country, capped off by a Cam Ward fumble on the Hurriances’ final possession. Things looked pretty bleak for the Hurricanes as far as playoff implications immediately following the loss, but Miami breathed a sigh of relief once Pittsburgh fell to Virginia, meaning it still controls its own destiny for an ACC championship game appearance. With the loss, though, we’re getting closer and closer to the ACC being a one-bid league. 
  • Note to self: LSU cannot stop mobile quarterbacks to save its life. Alabama made mincemeat out of the Tigers on Saturday, blowing out LSU 42-13 in Death Valley. Jalen Milroe went absolutely bananas, rushing for 185 yards and four touchdowns on the evening. The Tigers failed to muster much offensively either, and the game got out of hand quickly following a red zone turnover from quarterback Garrett Nussmeier on the first drive of the second half. Unless LSU gets all kinds of breaks and somehow finds itself in the SEC Championship Game because of tiebreaker rules, the Tigers are effectively eliminated from playoff contention. On the other hand, Alabama looks like it’s a near-lock to be in the postseason with only matchups against Mercer, Oklahoma and Auburn remaining.
  • Indiana officially secured its best season in program history, squeaking by Michigan 20-15 to clinch its first-ever 10-win season. No matter how this season ends for the Hoosiers, getting this far is a remarkable achievement that should be celebrated. But a couple of check engine signs came on during the second half, with the Hoosiers only managing to pick up a couple of first downs the entire half. If that’s the version of Indiana that comes into Columbus in two weeks, it won’t go well for the Hoosiers. I still firmly think Indiana is better than what it showed in the second half, though if it were this week I'd pick the Buckeyes to win without a second thought.

    Following the game, Curt Cignetti had a quick postgame interview with CBS. His answers were pretty satisfactory. 
  • Iowa State blew its second straight game against Kansas, and Colorado continued to pave the way for a remarkable story by handling Texas Tech on the road. The Buffs now control their own destiny in terms of making the Big 12 championship game, which means there’s a very real chance we’re getting Deion Sanders in the first College Football Playoff this year. 
  • BYU stayed undefeated by the skin of its teeth and erased a double-digit deficit against Utah. The Utes were so pissed athletic director Mark Harlan held a press conference following the game and got himself fined $40,000 by the Big 12 for criticizing officials!
  • The final 3:20 of the Mizzou vs. Oklahoma game was out of its damn mind. With just more than three minutes remaining, the Tigers led the Sooners 16-9. The final score was 30-23 Missouri, with each team scoring an offensive and defensive touchdown in the final 200 seconds of game action. Mizzou’s go-ahead score came on a scoop and score with less than a minute remaining in the contest. Wild stuff. 

And then there were four

We have four undefeated teams remaining more than two-thirds of the way through the season.

Big Ten: Oregon, Indiana
SEC: None
ACC: None
Big 12: BYU
Group of Five: Army

Week 11 had some fun moments

  • Jacksonville State tied Louisiana Tech on a Hail Mary as time expired. This sport always delivers, doesn’t it? Even wilder, Jacksonville State missed the game-winning PAT immediately after the crazy play, but eventually won in overtime. 
  • Louisiana Tech may have lost, but earlier in the game it somehow had a player secure a catch behind his back then run for a long touchdown. 
  • The Best Damn Band in the Land made it very clear how it feels about Michigan. 
  • It may have been in a losing effort, but Syracuse’s Oronde Gadsden II made a one-handed touchdown catch look easy.
  • Army engineered the most Army touchdown drive of all-time in its 14-3 win over North Texas: 21 plays, 94 yards, 13 minutes and 54 seconds of game clock chewed up.
  • Cade Klubnik has been very hit-or-miss for Clemson so far this year, but he was a magician on this play.
  • Nevada had a creative play call on 4th-and-1 to score a touchdown against Boise State.
  • Dan Lanning pulled out all the stops at Oregon and let his left tackle score on a two-point conversion.
  • Just how they drew it up, Tulane edition. 

Week 11 had some wacky things, too

  • Georgia Tech may have beaten Miami, but this running back is going to feel this hit in his nightmares for the rest of the year.
  • The famed Texas Tech tortillas are nothing new, but can’t say I’ve seen anything like Travis Hunter picking one up and sticking it down his pants right before a play before. 
  • Speaking of tortillas, apparently Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders signed a tortilla for someone after the game. 
  • I don’t know what’s going on with Gus Johnson and hope this was simply an unfortunate oversight or something, but the call for Jack Sawyer’s defensive touchdown against Purdue had all the juice of a botched chip shot at The Masters. 
  • That’s one way to secure a safety. 
  • Ole Miss fans got a bit ahead of themselves and stormed the field with 16 seconds left to play.
  • We said it earlier, but Jacksonville State had an emotional touchdown catch at the buzzer to tie the game, then the kicker missed the game-winning PAT. 
  • LSU officially displayed a live Tiger on its sidelines. 
  • The most gift-wrapped pick-six West Virginia will see in its life. 
  • Not exactly what you’d call stellar pocket presence at Michigan. 

Former Buckeye of the week 

Week 11 former Buckeye of the week: Reid Carrico, linebacker, West Virginia

We’ll show some love to the Ironton product this week. Carrico helped the Mountaineers take down Cincinnati 31-24 on Saturday, making three tackles in the victory. 

Past results

  • Week Zero former Buckeye of the week: Mason Arnold, LS, Florida State
  • Week One former Buckeye of the week: Evan Pryor, RB, Cincinnati
  • Week Two former Buckeye of the week: Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
  • Week Three former Buckeye of the week: Mookie Cooper, WR, Missouri
  • Week Four former Buckeye of the week: Julian Fleming, WR, Penn State
  • Week Five former Buckeye of the week: Noah Rogers, WR, North Carolina State
  • Week Six former Buckeye of the week: Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse
  • Week Seven former Buckeye of the week: Joe Royer, TE, Cincinnati
  • Week Eight former Buckeye of the week: Cameron Martinez, DB, Boston College
  • Week Nine former Buckeye of the week: Bryson Shaw, S, USC
  • Week 10 former Buckeye of the week: Enokk Vimahi, G, Washington

Games of the week

Not the world’s greatest slate on paper, but college football seems to deliver no matter what matchups are scheduled week in and week out. 

Week 11 record: 3-4

Overall record: 41-36

Appointment viewing

Tennessee at Georgia, 7:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC

Pick: Tennessee +10

Breakdown: I’ll only regret this pick if quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s injury is more severe than reported, but Tennessee says it expects Iamaleava to play against Georgia after missing the second half against Mississippi State with an injury. Anyway, I expect the Bulldogs to win this game with their season on the line, but their offense continues to turn the ball over at will and thus has no longer earned the benefit of the doubt, especially going against a defense like Tennessee’s. 

Clemson at Pittsburgh, noon Saturday on ESPN

Pick: Pittsburgh +10.5

Breakdown: Pittsburgh has crashed back down to earth in the past two games. Still, the Panthers are capable of covering a 10-point spread against Clemson. 

Kansas at BYU, 10:15 p.m. Saturday on ESPN

Pick: BYU -3.5

Breakdown: One week after beating Iowa State, Kansas is trying to play spoiler again in the Big 12, this time to undefeated BYU. If it were on the road, I might pick differently, but I’m rolling with the Cougars to continue their magic this season. 

Utah at Colorado, noon Saturday on FOX

Pick: Colorado -10

Breakdown: The Buffs are really in control of their own destiny in the Big 12. They might slip up somewhere within the next three games, but I don’t think it’s going to be to this Utah squad. 

Underrated games

LSU at Florida, 3:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC

Pick: LSU -4.5

Breakdown: How competitive this game is largely depends on the health of DJ Lagway, who apparently was questionable last week but ultimately sat out. LSU is effectively eliminated from the playoffs, but seems to be a safe bet to cover a four-point spread. 

Virginia at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC

Pick: Notre Dame -23

Breakdown: Virginia did just take down Pittsburgh last week, so maybe they’re more scrappy than we give them credit for. Still, Notre Dame is on a torrid run of bulldozing mediocre opponents as of late, so we’re rolling with the Fighting Irish here. 

Nebraska at USC, 4 p.m. Saturday on FOX

Pick: Nebraska +9.5

Breakdown: Ah, Nebraska playing USC, AKA, which of these poor saps is going to have a chance to go to a bowl game? Lincoln Riley has benched his starting quarterback, while Dylan Raiola has had two weeks to get healthy after getting hurt against UCLA. It’s hard to predict anything with these teams with certainty, but I predict Nebraska can make this a one-score game. I never said anything about winning a one-score contest, though.

Hot seat tracker

We may be heading for a historically slow coaching carousel this winter. Perhaps it’s because schools are terrified to pay massive buyouts with costs growing in light of the House settlement with the NCAA.

Already fired

  • Mike Houston, East Carolina 
  • Will Hall, Southern Miss
  • Mike Bloomgren, Rice
  • Brian Bohannon, Kennesaw State

Seat is red hot

Nobody, I guess!

Seat is probably a little warm

  • Ryan Walters, Purdue: You guys all watched the same game I did. This team is awful and probably will finish with one win, which came against an FCS team. Being a Purdue fan must be all kinds of hell right now, with your rival reaching levels of success never thought possible and you are having one of the worst seasons ever in program history.
  • Mack Brown, North Carolina: North Carolina has won two games in a row and should clinch a bowl game appearance this week with a home game looming against Wake Forest. At this point, it’ll probably come down to whether Brown hangs it up and rides into the sunset rather than getting the boot from the athletic department.
  • Mike Locksley, Maryland: Maryland lost by three scores at Oregon to drop to 4-5 on the year. It needs to beat Rutgers and Iowa at home to secure bowl eligibility since I can’t imagine the Terps will beat Penn State on the road. If Locksley loses one or both of those games in the next two weeks and misses a bowl game, is Maryland going to bring him back?

Somehow trending toward safe

  • Dave Aranda, Baylor: As we said last week, Baylor is nearing bowl eligibility and thus will likely keep Aranda around for another season. 
  • Billy Napier, Florida: Florida put out a statement standing behind Napier following a couple of close losses, with the athletic department seemingly liking how things are trending in Gainesville. The Gators responded with a lackluster 49-17 loss to Texas on Saturday. Even if Florida is down to its third-string quarterback, that’s not exactly the performance you’re looking for. We’re operating under the assumption Napier will return in 2025, but maybe a few more blowout losses revoke that statement.

Not officially on the hot seat yet but raising some eyebrows and will have massive pressure in 2025

  • Brent Venables, Oklahoma
  • Lincoln Riley, USC
  • Hugh Freeze, Auburn
  • Sherrone Moore, Michigan
  • Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
  • Mike Norvell, Florida State

Hodgepodge Week 11 classifiers

Undefeated conference contenders: Oregon, Indiana, BYU

One-loss conference contenders: Ohio State, Texas, Tennessee, SMU, Penn State, Miami

Probably have to win out to have a chance to make the CFP: Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Colorado

Need help and to win out for CFP chance: Pittsburgh, Clemson, LSU, Kansas State, Iowa State 

Group of Five playoff contenders: Boise State, UNLV, Army, Louisiana, Tulane

Have clinched a bowl game but not going to the CFP: Illinois, Arizona State, Missouri, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Texas Tech, Iowa, Louisville, Duke, Minnesota, Georgia Tech, TCU, South Carolina

Fighting for a bowl game: Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia, Boston College, Cal, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Baylor, Utah, Rutgers, Washington, Maryland, Arkansas, Florida, UCLA

Once-proud programs that you’re not positive will even be bowl-eligible this year: Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan, USC, Michigan State, Oklahoma

No other way to say it, these teams stink: Northwestern, Kentucky, Auburn, Purdue, Houston, Mississippi State, Florida State, UCF, Arizona, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Stanford

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