Week 11 takeaways: Jimbo Fisher’s QB problem, Kalen DeBoer’s milestone,

Week 11 brought bigger news off the field than on it, as Texas A&M fired coach Jimbo Fisher on Sunday despite needing to pay a $76 million buyout. And obviously, the Michigan sign-stealing legend reached a head with the suspension of coach Jim Harbaugh before the Wolverines’ game with Penn State.On the field, a

set of unbeaten teams– Georgia and Washington– published impressive wins, while two more players attempted to require their method into the Heisman Trophy conversation.Our college football press reporters take a look at the fallout from all the action in this week’s takeaways.Jimbo Fisher, Florida State follow QBs in opposite instructions It

‘s not precisely breaking news to recommend a team is only as great as its quarterback, but Week 11 enhanced simply how important having an authentic star at the position really is.Where would LSU be this season without Jayden Daniels’heroics?How numerous big throws has Michael Penix Jr. made in leading Washington into playoff contention?Is there a more significant advancement this season

than Jalen Milroe’s transition from liability to foundation for Alabama?But if you wish to understand the real significance of elite QB play– and the typically fickle nature of the position– look no more than Florida State and its former head coach.The Seminoles are 10-0, returned from the edge of the abyss by a quarterback nobody thought in. Jordan Travis has done it all for FSU over the previous three years, and his development has nearly

perfectly mirrored Florida State’s go back to magnificence. Maria Lysaker/USA TODAY Sports Meanwhile, Jimbo Fisher was fired by Texas A&M on the heels of a 6-4 start

after his last, best hope at the QB position, Conner Weigman, went down with a season-ending injury in Week 3. In Week 11, Travis sustained Florida State’s 27-20 win over rival Miami for his 3rd straight success over the Hurricanes.In Week 11

, Fisher was forced to begin Jaylen Henderson against Mississippi State. It was Fisher’s fifth different beginning QB in the past 3 seasons.There was a time, not all that long ago, when Fisher was thought about the preeminent quarterback whisperer in college football. He turned JaMarcus Russell, Christian Ponder, EJ Manuel and Jameis Winston into first-round NFL draft picks. Then, suddenly, the magic was gone. Fisher saw one QB hire after another faced off-field concerns, transfer, flame out or never emerge. He left FSU with a black hole at the position– one aggravated by Willie Taggart’s failure to even sign a high school quarterback for 2 years– and headed to Texas A&M expecting to discover greener pastures.Instead, Fisher’s best years at A&M came with the QB he inherited, Kellen Mond, and none of his employees– Zach Calzada, Haynes King, James Foster, Eli Stowers– amounted to much of anything.Fisher’s fate was effectively sealed due to the fact that he might never discover a quarterback.Meanwhile, Florida State’s salvation came from a castoff from Louisville, a guy Taggart didn’t believe could play the position. Travis almost quit football altogether in 2021, only to be restored by Mike Norvell, Kenny Dillingham and McKenzie Milton, who all saw something he didn’t even see in himself.Fisher’s run of bad luck, bad assessment and bad advancement ended with his termination.Florida State’s good luck, bold vision and long-lasting investment may end with a playoff berth.It’s fantastic what the right QB can do to alter the fates of effective coaches and blue-blood programs.– David Hale Georgia is never the hunted, constantly the hunter Kirby Smart has done an amazing task of building Georgia’s program through recruiting, development of players and developing the sort of competition on the practice field that results in quality depth couple of teams can match.But after 2 straight championship games– really, after one

, for that matter– most teams and players get complacent.

It’s human nature to take pleasure in success by indulging in it rather than utilizing it to drive you harder.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated But the more the Bulldogs win, the hungrier they become.With their winning streak at 27 straight games, they can tie the

SEC record on Saturday with a victory at Tennessee. When Alabama won 28 in a row under the legendary Bear Bryant from 1978 to 1980, and certainly as the years have gone by, a great deal of people thought that record that might never ever be broken.

After all, it has actually represented more than 40 years. Alabama also won 28 in a row on the field from

1991 to 1993, however it later on had to forfeit eight wins and a tie in 1993 since of NCAA sanctions.Making the Bulldogs’ run much more excellent is that they’ve lost a ton of talent to the NFL over the past 2 years yet just keep steamrollering along. They’ve had an incredible 24 players chosen in the draft during the past 2 years, however the loss of such elite workers hasn’t equated on the field.Seeing tight end Brock Bowers return in a 52-17 rout of Ole Miss was especially exposing. Smart said a great deal of people had recommended Bowers to sit out the rest of the season, get back at healthier and get in the NFL draft. Bowers is one of the leading pro potential customers in college football, and he returned to action just 26 days after having surgical treatment on his ankle.Smart said Bowers was a lot more determined on returning the more people informed him he ought to sit out the remainder of the campaign, to”show them incorrect.”It’s the very same with this Georgia group. It’s never enough, and real or viewed, the Dawgs are always attempting to show people incorrect.– Chris Low Washington coach Kalen DeBoer strikes 100-win turning point Kalen DeBoer has actually just entered the national consciousness in, really, the previous year and a half. In his brief time in Seattle, the Huskies have gone 21-2, and they currently own the country’s second-longest winning streak at 17 games. This comes on the heels of an outstanding two-year stint as the coach at Fresno State(12-6 ), the very first season of which was soured by the pandemic.Not a bad start to a training career, right?

AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson Well, in fact, DeBoer has actually been winning

games– a lot of games– as a head coach going back to when Reggie Bush and Vince Young were still in school. His five-year run as the coach at NAIA Sioux Falls from 2005 to 2009 was one of the most dominant stretches in the sport’s history. The Cougars went 67-3 in the period with 4 national titles.Saturday’s win against Utah, the two-time defending Pac-12 champion, was DeBoer’s 100th as a head coach. The ten years he invested climbing up the coaching ladder seem absurdly long in hindsight, but there is no concern now that he is one of the very best coaches in the sport and, at 49, is placed to become one of the faces of college training.”He’s just a guy that everybody draws in to and everybody trusts since of the individual he is,”Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. said. “He’s the same guy every day, and he leads us effectively. He continues to make certain that he puts the individual over the player. He always makes sure that as an individual, we’re excellent– we’re great

in our daily lives and everybody has lives beyond football. “That kind of perspective can feel unusual in college football. When asked how gaining game No. 100 compares with No. 1, DeBoer stated he appreciates it a growing number of.” I believe recognizing that the moment that these guys are in today is what’s unique to me, which getting these wins

and the experiences that they’re going to have, the memories that they’re going to have that last permanently– the stories they’re going to have the ability to inform, “DeBoer said.”Hopefully, we’re far from being where this all ends, however I think I have gratitude for that and attempt to give them a dosage of that every as soon as in a while. But we’re attempting to keep the pedal to where we can recognize the real objectives that we have for this season.”

It doesn’t get easier. Washington will take a trip to No. 10 Oregon State on Saturday before ending the season with the Apple Cup against Washington State in Seattle.

Then a likely rematch with Oregon waits for in the Pac-12 title game, where a College Football Playoff area might be on the line.– Kyle Bonagura Michigan stays undeterred by drama, diversions The opinions about Michigan and the intensity of the alleged sign-stealing operation led by previous staff member Connor Stalions are both strong and comprehensive. Did the Big Ten exceed its authority and set a problematic precedent? Did commissioner Tony Petitti go far enough with his discipline for coach Jim Harbaugh? How much should the sign stealing eliminate from Michigan

‘s amazing turn-around because completion of the 2020 season? These questions and others have actually triggered greatly different and entrenched positions.Allstate Playoff Predictor How will Saturday’s leading games impact the College Football Playoff chase? What are the current odds for the top 4? The Allstate Playoff Predictor has the responses. Check back every week as the chances are upgraded following that week’s games. But some things aren’t really up for debate, consisting of the capability of Michigan’s players to reserve the drama and diversions that have actually overwhelmed the program, even long before anybody outside of Schembechler Hall understood the name Connor Stalions. I wrote about this in August, after visiting on school with Michigan players along with university president Santa Ono and athletic director Warde Manuel. We went over Harbaugh’s NFL flirtations, co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss

‘strange shooting, the quick return and departure of Shemy Schembechler and other things that could have sidetracked Michigan however didn’t. None of those events had more potential to effect Michigan on the field than what began Friday afternoon, when the Big

10 suspended Harbaugh while the group was en route to play at Penn State. When the Wolverines arrived at Beaver Stadium without Harbaugh, they didn’t know whether he would be permitted to be on the sideline. Sources with the group explained the players as”secured “and”pissed,” however how would they carry out? The Wolverines responded with a medical takedown of Penn State, leaning on their defense and run game without finishing a pass for the last 36-plus minutes(and just trying one, a play nullified by a PSU penalty). They didn’t control the line of scrimmage the way they did in 2015 against Penn State, but after back-to-back Wolverines goal drives in the season quarter, it never ever felt like the Nittany Lions would come back and win. Michigan did not commit a turnover and was punished just twice through the first three quarters. The game’s notable training errors originated from the Penn State sideline, not the one acting head coach Sherrone Moore patrolled. “We’ve been going through a lot lately,”Michigan running back Blake Corum stated,”however it’s only brought us closer together. I love my brothers. It was a good job today.”Michigan ought to find out Friday whether Harbaugh will miss its last two regular-season games( versus Maryland and Ohio State)or go back to the sideline on Saturday. But whatever happens off the field, the Wolverines likely won’t be fazed by it. Could they lose a game? Sure. But don’t anticipate it to be because they aren’t focused.– Adam Rittenberg play 0:36 Marvin Harrison Jr. strikes once again with his 2nd TD Marvin Harrison Jr. ratings another touchdown for Ohio State, providing the Buckeyes a 14-0 lead over Michigan State.There’s little doubt Marvin Harrison Jr. will remain in New York on Dec. 9, the night the 2023 Heisman Prize will be handed out. But the Ohio State pass receiver is making a compelling case that he need to be the very first Buckeye to win the

award since Troy Smith in 2006 and break the program’s tie with Notre Dame for the most Heisman winners (7). For the 2nd straight year, Harrison went off against Michigan State. A season after catching seven passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns at Spartan Arena, Harrison was even better Saturday night at Ohio Arena, registering 7 catches for 149 lawns and 2 goals plus

a 19-yard scoring run for excellent measure as the Buckeyes rolled 38-3. At the same time, Harrison tied David Boston’s program record for the most 100-yard receiving games at 13. Harrison enters the final two weeks of

the routine season, when Ohio State plays Minnesota and at Michigan, with 59 receptions for 1,063 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is the very first wideout in program history to have multiple 1,000-yard seasons after capturing 77 passes for 1,263 lawns and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore.Harrison is getting revved up at precisely the right time and will give Michael Penix Jr., Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix and any other competitor a great run at the prize as he looks to become the 2nd wide receiver in four years– following Alabama’s DeVonta Smith in 2020– to claim the world’s most popular bronze stiff-arm.– Blake Baumgartner Provide the former walk-on some love The Heisman Prize favorites– Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Penix, Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels– are certainly worthwhile of attention, but how about some love for Missouri running back Cody Schrader?The previous walk-on from Division II Truman State leads the SEC and ranks ninth in the FBS with 112.4 hurrying backyards per game. He has accumulated 1,124 rushing lawns with 11 goals and is balancing 5.7 backyards per carry.In Saturday’s 36-7 thrashing of No. 13 Tennessee, Schrader ran for 205 lawns with one touchdown and captured five passes for 116 yards. According to ESPN Stats & Details research study, he is the very first SEC player in the past 25 years with a minimum of 150 hurrying yards and 100 receiving lawns in the same game. He also is the first Missouri player to amount to more than 100 yards in both hurrying and receiving in the very same contest.”Definitely,”Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said when asked by reporters if Schrader should be among the contenders for the Heisman. “If you’re discussing the very best player in college football who’s done more