Week 11 Takeaways: Bama Rolling, Texas Tech's Fearsome Front, and Fernando Mendoza's Moment

It’s the morning after in college football, and I’ve got you covered with my biggest takeaways from Week 11.

In case you missed any of our recent posts, you can find them here:

College Football’s Best Investment: Texas Tech’s massive transfer portal outlay looks like money well spent

Alabama’s 8-Game Win Streak: That Week 1 loss to Florida State seems very far away

Prospect Watch: Quick scouting notes on Texas Tech Edge David Bailey

Updated College Football Power Rankings: How many SEC teams will end up in the playoff?

Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. and Auburn’s Keldric Faulk are the edge rushers who have been getting most of the draft focus at the position. Texas Tech’s David Bailey has to be included in that conversation. His impact is undeniable — he leads the nation in sacks. His PRWR (pass rush win rate) is off the charts at a nation-leading 48 percent. His performance in Saturday’s 29-7 win over no. 7 and previously unbeaten BYU was no different. He brought pressure literally from the first play from scrimmage. Then, on the first third down of Texas Tech’s first defensive series, he batted down a pass — and he was just getting started. Bailey exhibits such discipline, speed, and motor both as a pass rusher and versus the run. It’s not a foregone conclusion that Bain is the Edge1 in the 2026 draft class. In fact, one scout I spoke to this week said Bailey is his Edge1. 

Pass rushers are the second-most valuable players in the NFL outside of quarterbacks and the good ones get paid. I don’t think any college player is doing it better than Bailey right now. Much has been made of the massive investment Texas Tech made in the transfer portal to upgrade its defensive line, paying a reported $7 million to bring in Bailey and others. It’s been money well spent. The Red Raiders are 9-1 and their defensive front is the strength of their team. I expect at least five players from that front seven to get selected in the next two drafts. It’s not just Bailey. 

Saturday’s win over Penn State was an absolute rollercoaster ride for Indiana and QB Fernando Mendoza. His stat line — 19-30 passing for 218 yards, two total touchdowns and an interception — doesn’t tell the full story of his performance. Mendoza has had games this season with much better numbers but I think I learned more about him today than in any game this season. When I scouted him over the summer, I noticed that he had way too many turnover-worthy throws. It was a little messy. He needed to work with someone who’d help him become more mechanically sound and give him more layups. Curt Cignetti has provided that for him. Mendoza’s become a much more refined passer and he’s proven he’s a winner at the highest level. Just look at Indiana’s game-winning drive. Mendoza took a sack on the first play for a 7-yard loss. But he didn’t panic and followed it up with a 22-yard completion. He finished the drive with five completions for 87 yards, finishing with a back-of-the-end-zone dime to Omar Cooper Jr. who made one of the catches of the season. And remember, Indiana was without its no. 2 receiver, Elijah Sarratt. Next man up: Sophomore Charlie Becker had seven catches — as many as he's had all season — for 118 yards in Sarratt’s absence.

Alabama abruptly arrived at a crossroads when Nick Saban retired. And while I loved the hire of Kalen DeBoer, his first season in 2024 didn’t feel like a DeBoer-coached team and the roster didn’t resemble the kind of Alabama team we’ve grown accustomed to. Things got off to the worst start possible with a Week 1 loss to Florida State. But the Tide have been building since then and QB Ty Simpson is the real deal. What’s stood out to me recently is how the defense is improving. Some of these young guys like Dijon Lee Jr. and Yhonzae Pierre are really coming on. 

Alabama controlled the game in Saturday’s 20-9 win over LSU. The Tide never felt like they were in danger even if the final scoreline was closer than it probably should have been. But it’s a good win any way you slice it. Simpson was 21-35 for 277 yards and a touchdown. That’s a solid double and another good performance for the first-year starter. I’ve been so impressed with Simpson this season. In terms of his mechanics — his awareness inside the pocket and his footwork — he’s as polished as Joe Burrow in 2019. He completed passes to nine different receivers against LSU. His decision-making makes it seem like he’s an elite-level offensive coordinator playing QB. He picks defenses apart by spreading the ball around and not targeting any one receiver. As for Alabama’s playmakers, I’ve shared my concerns about Ryan Williams’s drops, but I love Germie Bernard. He really stood out to me when I studied his tape in the preseason but I tried not to get ahead of myself. He’s always in the right place, has great contact balance and oozes NFL wide receiver. If there’s one concern for DeBoer’s offense, however, it’s that I still don’t think they have the run game they’d like or might need for a deep playoff run.

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