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B/R's 2025 College Football Winners and Losers from Week 14
Week 14 provided one final chance.
For many contenders, it was a last opportunity to secure a spot in a conference championship game. For others, it was a final touch on a College Football Playoff résumé. And for more, it was a chance to secure bowl eligibility.
The holiday week provided some early action with a strong slate on Friday, and a little late-night drama shook up the SEC and CFP.
Saturday began with Ohio State exorcising some rivalry demons and Miami blasting Pitt, then Oregon and Oklahoma followed with clutch, tight wins. Alabama did the same in prime time.
And we still, as Saturday formally turned to Sunday, don't know where Lane Kiffin will be coaching in 2026.
This piece was updated on Saturday night.
Winner: Indiana's Emphatic Finish
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Did we expect anything else? No, of course not.
Indiana headed to West Lafayette as a massive favorite over rival Purdue, which has been one of the Big Ten's worst teams for two years. Purdue hasn't won a conference game during this stretch.
Nevertheless, nothing is ever given. Indiana essentially faced a must-win to secure a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Mission accomplished.
Behind yet another huge offensive day, IU cruised to a 56-3 win. Heisman Trophy front-runner Fernando Mendoza accounted for three touchdowns, and the Hoosiers improved to 12-0 after outgaining Purdue 548-282.
Indiana now has a chance to claim its first Big Ten crown since 1967.
Loser: Texas A&M's Flop
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Texas A&M is not suddenly in danger of missing the College Football Playoff because of one disappointing 27-17 setback at Texas.
But this is a bad result for A&M's postseason dreams.
Losing to UT means the Aggies won't be headed to the SEC Championship Game. They no longer have a chance at landing a first-round Playoff bye. Their chance at winning a trophy—any trophy—has greatly diminished.
The lone bright side is Texas A&M remains in line to host the CFP thanks to fully capitalizing on its favorable SEC slate. It's not the Aggies' job to apologize for winning the games put in front of them.
But the final one, when it mattered most, ended with A&M imploding in the second half and falling painfully shy of playing for a conference crown.
Winner: Ole Miss, on Friday
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The rumors? We'll talk about them. We must!
On the field specifically, however, the Rebels took care of business. They overcame an early lull to dispatch rival Mississippi State 38-19 as Trinidad Chambliss threw for 359 yards and four touchdowns.
The victory pushed Ole Miss to 11-1, all but officially locking up the team's place in the College Football Playoff.
Finally, the Rebs avoided the dreaded near-miss—something that happened in 2021 and 2023 prior to CFP expansion and in 2024 after it.
Ole Miss, without a doubt, will be headed to the Playoff. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same about Lane Kiffin.
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Loser: Michigan's Streak
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Because the conference slate featured so few strong teams, this was a perfect year for Michigan to break in a young core.
That inexperience, however, was exposed once again.
Only three of Michigan's opponents are ranked right now. In those matchups, the Wolverines scored 13, 13 and nine points—the last of which happened on Saturday in a 27-9 loss to top-ranked Ohio State, which finally snapped its four-game losing skid in the bitter rivalry.
Bryce Underwood, a true freshman QB, looks like a future star. But the lack of a dynamic passing game crushed U-M in all three losses.
Michigan's moral victory—at least we beat Ohio State again—is gone.
Winner: Miami's Dominant Day
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Led by superstar true freshman Malachi Toney and a physical defense, Miami put together a wildly impressive 38-7 victory at No. 22 Pitt.
And the 'Canes hope the selection committee was paying attention.
Toney caught 13 passes for 126 yards, rushed for 30 more and totaled two touchdowns in the blowout win. The defense gave up just 229 yards, notched six tackles for loss and pushed Miami to 10-2 for the season.
As of publish time, the Hurricanes are waiting on later results to see if they'll make the ACC title game. The better question, though, is whether Miami did enough to convince the committee to put greater value on its head-to-head win over Notre Dame and have the 'Canes leapfrog a few teams in the CFP Top 25.
It might happen. It might not. Either way, Miami left a tremendous final impression for its at-large candidacy.
Loser: Vanderbilt's History
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Long the laughingstock of the SEC, the 2025 Vanderbilt team has shattered the (deserved) image of the program.
Sure, the Commodores popped onto the radar with a 7-6 record and an upset over No. 1 Alabama last year. They still finished 3-5 in SEC action, a 12th straight season with a losing conference record. Since the 1960 campaign, Vandy has finished above .500 against SEC opponents just twice.
Make it three, baby. And throw in the first-ever 10-win season.
Thanks to a 45-24 triumph at Tennessee, Vandy has made school history. Diego Pavia—a likely Heisman Trophy finalist—accounted for 403 yards and two touchdowns, while Sedrick Alexander rushed for 115 yards and three scores.
Yeah, there's no SEC title or trip to the CFP on the horizon.
But for a place like Vanderbilt, this is a potential program-changing type of season. What a fantastic year for the Commodores.
Winner: Oregon, Oklahoma Finding a Way
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It wasn't always beautiful for Oregon at rival Washington. At (many) times, it was downright ugly for Oklahoma at home against LSU.
However, the only thing that matters right now is the result. Oregon's defense came up with a clutch red-zone interception and ceded 283 yards in a 26-14 win, and OU withstood three John Mateer giveaways behind a defense that yielded 198 yards and made a game-sealing fourth-down stand in a 17-13 escape.
Next stop, the Playoff.
Based on current seeding, both No. 6 Oregon and No. 8 OU are slated to host a first-round CFP game. (It's possible OU falls behind Notre Dame, but I would not consider that a likely scenario.)
Oregon has an opportunity to atone for last season's CFP flop, while OU officially has moved past the nightmare that was a 6-7 season in 2024.
Loser: Florida State's Bowl Whiff
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For those in Tallahassee, Week 1 probably feels like a decade ago.
The overpowering rout of Alabama seemed to indicate Florida State had rebuilt on the fly. Truly, it's absurd in hindsight to remember just how much FSU physically dominated Bama in that 31-17 triumph.
Fast-forward to the finale, and the 'Noles are a completely different team—in just about the worst way imaginable.
Saturday's loss to Florida, a 40-21 mistake-filled drubbing, sent FSU into the offseason. With a win, the Seminoles would've at least made a bowl. Instead, they finished the year at 5-7 and missed the postseason for a second time in a row.
The school has already announced Mike Norvell will return in 2026. Entering the season, there will not be a hotter seat in the nation.
Winner: American Title Set
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The simplest directive is also the most refreshing: Win.
Heading into Week 14, there was a three-way deadlock atop the American. Tulane, North Texas and Navy each entered with a 6-1 record, but tiebreakers gave Tulane and UNT that coveted win-and-in path.
Both of the programs took advantage of their opportunity, one made easier by being substantial favorites in their final matchups.
North Texas put a Friday night smackdown on Temple, winning 52-25 with its prolific offense. Drew Mestemaker threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns, while Caleb Gaskins rushed for 186 yards and four scores.
Then on Saturday, Tulane followed suit and blanked Charlotte 27-0. Tulane gave up a meager 143 yards and clinched its date (at home) against UNT.
In all likelihood, the winner of that matchup will be headed to the CFP.
Loser: Auburn's Upset Bid
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What makes it so heart-wrenching, I imagine for Auburn fans, is just how torturously close the Tigers were to stunning Alabama in the Iron Bowl.
There was a touchdown called back for a holding. An offside on 4th-and-3. Ty Simpson's wild scramble to convert a 3rd-and-7 and later a 4th-and-1. The interception just outside the red zone, the touchdown ceded on 4th-and-goal and, finally, the fumble at the 20-yard line in the closing minutes.
My word, Auburn had chances. So, so many.
Sometimes, though, the reminder of why a team is 5-6 becomes painfully clear—and why the other is presumably CFP-bound.
Auburn, like FSU, is shifting into offseason mode. Next season, however, AU will be under the direction of a new coach.
Winner: Duke's Miracle Tiebreaker
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You might want to bookmark this moment. There's a very legitimate possibility the ACC changes its tiebreakers in future years.
Because of SMU's stunning loss to Cal—coached by interim Nick Rolovich—the ACC ended the regular season with 7-1 Virginia and five 6-2 teams in Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, Pitt and SMU.
The short version: Duke emerged from the tiebreaker.
The long version: It happened, quite simply, because the Blue Devils lost to Georgia Tech and Virginia, giving them the highest opponent conference win percentage among tied teams. (To explain, just in case: Duke's eight ACC opponents had a higher combined win percentage than the other four in the tiebreaker.)
As a result, 7-5 Duke—not 10-2 Miami, 9-3 Georgia Tech, 9-3 SMU or 8-4 Pitt, all ranked in the CFP Top 25 this week—is headed to Charlotte despite beating exactly zero of those programs.
Look, fantastic news for the Blue Devils! They walloped Wake Forest on Saturday and received the necessary help from Miami and Cal to sneak into the ACC Championship Game. Again, no apologies needed here!
But, to be blunt, this is a chaotic disaster for the ACC.
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