Tennessee, Indiana among top-25 teams on upset alert as Week 11 brings danger to CFP hopefuls

Could Saturday mark the end of the road for multiple College Football Playoff contenders? Nov 12, 2026 at 1:24 pm ET • 3 min read The second College Football Playoff rankings may have a short shelf life if Week 11 features several unexpected results among CFP contenders.Reigning national champion Indiana hosts USC in a game dripping with Big Ten title and CFP implications that should have the selection committee's attention, while elsewhere in the conference, unbeaten UCLA gets the slate started on Friday night against Illinois, which took out Oregon a few weeks ago. Then there's the SEC, where three teams in the playoff picture could do down this weekend. Another setback down the stretch for a team already trying to stabilize themselves with two losses could be fatal. With only a few weekends left to repair a résumé, here are five favorites we're nervous about backing this week. No. 9 Indiana Opponent: vs. No. 18 USC (+7.5)When you play with fire, you eventually get burned -- and that could happen to the Hoosiers this weekend against a feisty Trojans team. Coming off the win over Ohio State, this is the best USC has looked all season, and the chance to control their own destiny in the CFP is the reward here. Indiana has won back-to-back games since losing to the Buckeyes, and both were in overtime. If inconsistency continues for Indiana at quarterback, USC could win this outright in Bloomington because we know what the Trojans will get from their signal-caller Jayden Maiava and a young core coming into their own. USC vs. Indiana: Five things to watch as Trojans, Hoosiers fight for their CFP lives Robby Kalland No. 4 UCLAOpponent: vs. Illinois (+10.5)Staying inside the Big Ten, the Bruins are gunning for their 10th straight win this season under first-year coach Bob Chesney -- and very few are giving UCLA a shot nationally in the cluster of national title contenders. Was last week's blowout win at Minnesota in the second half not revealing enough? Are we not impressed by UCLA's defensive strengths? Illinois comes to the Rose Bowl on Friday night with a chance to post another big-time upset after catching Oregon on Oct. 24. The Fighting Illini have won four straight and would likely be ranked next week with a victory. No. 8 Tennessee Opponent: at Texas A&M (+2.5)Will Tennessee's road woes linger under Josh Heupel? Many of the impact losses during his tenure as coach have come away from Neyland Stadium, and that's the worry this weekend in College Station against a team fighting for its life. The Aggies are on the verge of missing bowl eligibility altogether despite starting the campaign inside the top 10 and, after last week's 17-9 loss at South Carolina, are trying to find their rhythm offensively. Knocking the Vols off their journey within the CFP at-large picture would be the best win of the season and put Tennessee on life support ahead of next week's showdown with LSU. That's part of the drama here too -- could the Vols get caught looking ahead? No. 11 KentuckyOpponent: vs. Florida (+3.5)It seems as if everyone has jumped off Kentucky's wagon and assumes the Wildcats will lose one of their final three games this season and miss out on the program's first CFP appearance. The analytics and various playoff projections suggest Kentucky's chances are fading following its 28-point no-show at Tennessee, but Will Stein will have his team's attention this weekend. Florida comes in feeling hurt after losing at home to Oklahoma, and the Gators find themselves in quarterback disarray, unsure how to move forward with Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. trading mistakes. Florida dominates the all-time series, but the Wildcats have won four of their last five meetings. They're hoping to make it six to stay in the discussion. No. 17 South CarolinaOpponent: at Arkansas (+7.5) This one's dangerous for the Gamecocks for three reasons -- what looms next week against top-ranked Georgia, the health of quarterback LaNorris Sellers and the fact Arkansas has improved down the stretch. All of those factors combine to form a worry spot for a team that's won four straight and has put itself in the CFP conversation, as Shane Beamer said they would at this point last fall amid a 4-8 finish. Sellers injured his ankle in last week's victory over Texas A&M and was noticeably limping in the final moments. His availability will depend on how much this offensive staff feels he's needed to beat the Razorbacks prior to what could be a season-defining matchup with Georgia. Lose Saturday night, however, and that opportunity at home looks quite different.