Entering Week 11 in 2014, Auburn was 7-1 and No. 3 in the College Football Playoff Rankings. With a loss to unranked Texas A&M at home, the Tigers were one of four top-10 teams to lose that week and are among a large group of top-10 teams who've lost in Week 11 during the playoff era.
Sixteen top-10 teams have lost in Week 11 in the playoff era — four in each season. Of those 16, five have lost to top-10 teams, but more teams — nine — have lost to unranked teams. At least one top-10 team has lost to an unranked team in Week 11 since 2014, including the bloodbath of 2016 that featured four top-10 losses to unranked teams. A year earlier, three top-10 teams lost to unranked foes in Week 11.
| Year | Team | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | No. 3 Auburn | vs. Texas A&M |
| 2014 | No. 7 Kansas State | at No. 6 TCU |
| 2014 | No. 8 Michigan State | vs. No. 14 Ohio State |
| 2014 | No. 10 Notre Dame | at No. 9 Arizona State |
| 2015 | No. 6 Baylor | vs. No. 12 Oklahoma |
| 2015 | No. 7 Stanford | vs. Oregon |
| 2015 | No. 9 LSU | vs. Arkansas |
| 2015 | No. 10 Utah | at Arizona |
| 2016 | No. 2 Clemson | vs. Pittsburgh |
| 2016 | No. 3 Michigan | at Iowa |
| 2016 | No. 9 Auburn | at Georgia |
| 2016 | No. 10 Texas A&M | vs. Ole Miss |
| 2017 | No. 1 Georgia | at No. 10 Auburn |
| 2017 | No. 3 Notre Dame | at No. 7 Miami (FL) |
| 2017 | No. 6 TCU | at No. 5 Oklahoma |
| 2017 | No. 9 Washington | at Stanford |
Will it happen again in 2018? Will four top-10 teams get upset?
All top-10 teams play on Saturday:
| Rank | Team | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | vs. No. 16 Mississippi State |
| 2 | Clemson | at No. 17 Boston College |
| 3 | Notre Dame | vs. Florida State |
| 4 | Michigan | at Rutgers |
| 5 | Georgia | vs. No. 24 Auburn |
| 6 | Oklahoma | vs. Oklahoma State |
| 7 | LSU | at Arkansas |
| 8 | Washington State | at Colorado |
| 9 | West Virginia | vs. TCU |
| 10 | Ohio State | at No. 18 Michigan State |
All 10 teams are favored, and, for what it's worth, as of Thursday, Ohio State (-3.5) is the least favored, followed by Washington State (-6), West Virginia (-11.5), LSU (-13.5) and Georgia (-14).
If the trend continues — basically, if we're forced to pick four upsets — let's take Boston College, Arkansas, Colorado and Michigan State to win. However, it's highly unlikely that four top-10 teams will lose in Week 11 for a fourth straight season.
Actual prediction: No top-10 teams will lose and all nine playoff-contending teams will remain alive entering Week 12.
