College football week 12 is in the books. After every week fans can take away things from what happened on the field. Here are 5 things learned from college football week 13.
The Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving always seems to have a certain quirkiness to it. This year the game was surrounded by coaching rumors, but it still proved to have some craziness. Mississippi State was about to score to seal the game in the fourth quarter when Will Rogers had trouble handling the ball as he tried to run it into the end zone. With the rain coming down, Ole Miss recovered the football down eight, deep in their own territory. They drove down the field, scored a touchdown, but then failed to get a two-point conversion and lost the game.
While the coaching rumors made the feel of the game a little different, the same chaos happened. There are going to be a lot of changes to the college football world with conference realignment and an expanded playoff, but these two teams need to keep playing on Thanksgiving where the game can be featured and not buried behind other rivalries on the last Saturday of the regular season.
Michigan was able to go into Columbus and win The Game against Ohio State. They pulled away in the second half and didn’t look back. The reason they won the game was their ability to hit on big plays in the first half and their ability to run the ball in the second half. With the win, Michigan is likely heading to the College Football Playoff.
The coaching was the most obvious discrepancy in this game. Ohio State had more talent based on recruiting rankings and most composite rankings out there. Michigan had a great gameplan and made adjustments during the game. Ohio State was doing toss plays on first down with 35 yards to go and screen passes on key 3rd downs with three yards to go, all while having C.J. Stroud, who was in contention for the Heisman before the game. Michigan outcoached Ohio State and deserved the win.
With the week’s results, Georgia has locked up a spot in the College Football Playoff. They took care of their own business by beating Georgia Tech. On top of that, Clemson lost to South Carolina and Ohio State lost to Michigan.
Georgia is one of three undefeated teams on the season, joining TCU and Michigan. A loss to LSU in the SEC Championship Game likely won’t be enough to drop them behind a one-loss team in contention. The other teams might be in danger, but Georgia has been near the top of the rankings all season long.
It was a wild ride in the Big Ten West this season. Heading into the final week of the regular season, three teams were still alive for a chance to play in the Big Ten Championship Game. If Iowa defeated Nebraska, they would clinch. If they lost and Purdue won their game, they would qualify. In the event that both teams lost, Illinois would take the spot in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Iowa lost their game to Nebraska, which opened up the door for Purdue. The Boilermakers started slow, but were able to win on the road against Indiana. With the win, Purdue finishes the season at 8-4 and will have a chance to win the Big Ten Championship and play in a Rose Bowl.
TCU had a great season and finished undefeated. There was a lot of doubt surrounding the team after they didn’t have a great season last year. They came from behind a lot this season, but in week 13, they were dominant. This has set up a situation where if they win, they are in the College Football Playoff. If they lose, they still could make it in.
USC had one loss going into week 13, which came at the hands of Utah. They were not ranked favorably by the CFP Committee, but they have outlasted other teams in contention by finishing the season with one loss. Their win over Notre Dame has set up an opportunity for them to get in the CFP with a win. A loss will leave them on the outside looking in.
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