In week 11 of Season X, Mississippi State suffered its third loss of the season to the University of Alabama, 21-19. The Bulldogs, the best pass defending team in the SEC, took the Crimson Tide to the brink of defeat before surrendering a Santonio Beard touchdown in the final two minutes of the game. The Bulldogs now have two conference losses and are locked in a five-way tie for first place in the SEC West. The Bulldogs host the Tennessee Volunteers next week. In the ACC, Georgia Tech has moved up to 10th in the nation after handing Florida State its second loss of the season, 35-10. The Seminoles are now ranked 14th and well on their way to a second straight season finishing outside the top five, something that hadn’t happened in the previous 14 years.
In the Upset of the Week, the Oklahoma Sooners shocked the seventh-ranked Texas A&M Aggies 38-24 at Kyle Field. The Sooners, once thought to be national title contenders, have dropped three games this year, but remain 11 in the country. The Aggies have dropped to 13th.
In the Game of the Week, the Miami Hurricanes unseated top ranked Tennessee 21-9. Miami, despite its two losses has climbed back to No. 2, while Tennessee has dropped to seventh in the nation.
In week twelve of Season X, Mississippi State notched its greatest victory of the season, a 34-31 nail-biting win over 7th ranked Tennessee. The Volunteers were undefeated and in the driver’s seat for the National Championship two weeks ago, but last week’s loss to Miami and this week’s loss to the Bulldogs have left the Orange Nation stunned at their current ranking of 16th. This gives MSU a 7-3 record going into the final couple of games of the season against rivals Arkansas and Mississippi.
Despite Nebraska’s two losses, they continue to make a case for the National Championship after a 31-17 win this weekend over Big 12 rival Kansas State. The Huskers need a win over Colorado in the final game of the year to advance to the Big 12 Championship Game against either Texas or Texas A&M.
The Crimson Tide, ineligible for post-season play for the next two years, have spent the season playing spoiler to several contenders. Saturday they fell short in stopping the LSU Tigers, losing 33-10. The Tiger win makes the SEC West an even race with LSU and Auburn trailing MSU and Mississippi by only a game, while Alabama and Arkansas are only one game behind them.
In the Game of the Week, the Washington Huskies erased all doubt as the their validity as the top ranked team in the nation with a 57-30 beating of the Oregon Ducks, also a top 10 team. The Huskies are now the unanimous #1 team in both polls as well as the BCS.
Defensive MVP
Derrick Johnson–Texas
Daryl Smith–Georgia Tech
Dontarrious Thomas–Auburn
E.J. Henderson–Maryland
Jeremy Muyres–Georgia Tech
Coach of the Year
Rick Neuheisel–Washington
Dan Hawkins–Boise State
Chan Gailey–Georgia Tech
Gary Barnett–Colorado
Ron McBride–Utah
Heisman Trophy
Kliff Kingsbury–Texas Tech
Rex Grossman–Florida
Anton Paige–Texas Tech
John Tippins–Washington St.
Cedric Benson–Texas
Tune in Next week for MSU vs Arkansas, Florida State at North Carolina State, Oregon at Oregon State and in the Game of the Week, Washington at Washington State.