College football week 12 is in the books. After every week fans can take away things from what happened on the field. Here are five things learned from college football week 12.
One of the most improved teams in the country is Northwestern. The Wildcats went 3-9 last season and are now 5-0 sitting atop the Big Ten West after upsetting Wisconsin. Pat Fitzgerald has done a phenomenal job turning around this team in just one season.
Against Wisconsin, Northwestern’s defense allowed just seven points and forced five turnovers. Led by longtime starter Paddy Fisher who had 13 tackles, the Wildcats allow just 12.6 points per game. It looks like with Peyton Ramsey at quarterback, the Wildcats will be able to complete the season as the Big Ten West winner.
Ohio State got a big win over Indiana this week, which gives them their first solid victory on the season. They had a decent lead, but let Indiana come all the way back in the game and make it close. The Buckeyes ended up winning 42-35.
While they got the win, Ohio State did not play well. Their defense allowed quarterback Michael Penix and wide receiver Ty Fryfogle to make a lot of big plays and gave up too many points. Justin Fields didn’t make good decisions for Ohio State and threw three interceptions. If the Buckeyes want to win a National Championship, they have to clean up their mistakes.
Grayson McCall (Photo via dynastynerds.com)
Coastal Carolina doesn’t have the best schedule, but they have proven themselves this year. They have won a game against a power five team, albeit Kansas. The Chanticleers have a ranked win over Louisiana. This week, they beat the best team in the Sun Belt over the last several years, Appalachian State.
It was a close game, but Coastal defeated the Mountaineers 34-23. Most of the tough games are over for the Chanticleers after starting 8-0. They will have one last big game against Liberty, who has had a solid season themselves.
The Oklahoma Sooners have not had the season they were expecting. They have two losses already and have been breaking in a new quarterback. To make things a little better, they were able to defeat one of their rivals, Oklahoma State, this weekend.
The Sooners didn’t even let the Cowboys make the game close, as they won the game 41-13. Spencer Rattler had a big day with 301 passing yards and five total touchdowns. The defense is also improved under Alex Grinch. While it is too late to make the CFP this year, Oklahoma could be one of the frontrunners again next season.
The Pac-12 looks like the two favorite teams coming into the season will likely end up playing each other in the championship game. Oregon is 3-0 after narrowly defeating their former coach Chip Kelly and UCLA. They also have wins over Washington State and Stanford. While they have a tough game against Washington, Oregon should be favored out of the Pac-12 North.
In the Pac-12 South, USC has gone 3-0 as well. This week, they defeated Utah 33-17. Their other wins are over Arizona and Arizona State. There shouldn’t be anyone in the Pac-12 South who should beat the Trojans, but the anything can happen in college football.
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