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Rivalry week, the setup games for the remainder of the conference title contests, and "Stayin' Alive", with deference to the Bee Gees, for the Final Four. Plus, Turkey and gravy with mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, hot rolls, pumpkin pie and whatever else pleases your palate.
Let's dive in to some of the things to look forward to this week in college football this week.
Oregon is expected to get another crack at Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game a week from Friday. But the Ducks must first pass this test against their instate rival.
Realignment is about to rob college fans of the Civil War, so this is the last meeting for the foreseeable future between Oregon and Oregon State. And the Beavers would love nothing more than to end the Ducks’ conference and College Football Playoff hopes in Eugene. OSU has won two of the last three meetings but has not won at Autzen Stadium since 2007. Plus, the Beavers must bounce back quickly after suffering an emotional two-point loss to U-Dub last Saturday. Behind QB Bo Nix, Oregon is one of the nation’s hottest teams, winners of five straight since dropping a heartbreaker to the Huskies in Seattle on Oct. 14.
For the second straight year, Ohio State and Michigan meet as unbeatens in the game of the regular season. It does not get much bigger or better than this in college football.
The balance of power has shifted toward Ann Arbor in this historic rivalry, with the Wolverines winning the last two matchups and the last two Big Ten titles. However, there’s still something to prove for a program with just one statement win all season, on the road at Penn State. Plus, the Michigan passing game has failed to produce a touchdown in the last three games, a huge concern with the Buckeyes coming to town. Ohio State is the only FBS team allowing less than four yards per play and its 9.3 points per game yielded ranks second nationally to only Michigan. Buckeye WR Marvin Harrison Jr. gets his best chance yet to show why he belongs as a Maxwell Award finalist.
It’s the 88th Iron Bowl, one of the most electric and important rivalries in college football.
Alabama has already won the SEC West and has locked in a spot in the SEC Championship Game. However, a win at Jordan-Hare and in Atlanta over Georgia next Saturday would likely send the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff. It’s been an impressive in-season resurgence for a program that looked destined for relative mediocrity after falling at home to Texas in Week 2. Bama rise back into the national championship has been fueled by dual-threat QB Jalen Milroe and another solid D. For all intents and purposes, this Saturday is Auburn’s national championship, especially after bowing to New Mexico State in Week 12. The Tigers had been playing better in November but regressed suddenly last Saturday. First-year head coach Hugh Freeze is one of only three coaches who’ve beaten Nick Saban more than once.
The Seminoles won a game last Saturday and lost its important player. Can the program keep forging ahead with this best season in a decade?
It's been a memorable year in Tallahassee. However, Florida State will play its next three games without QB Jordan Travis who suffered a serious leg injury in the win over North Alabama.
Travis on Tuesday said, "Although the injury ... marks the end of my Seminole playing career, the great memories created here at FSU will never fade."
The offense is now in the hands of longtime backup Tate Rodemaker whose first start will be in the Swamp in a rivalry game. While he knows the system and has a great supporting cast, he’s never had to endure the pressure of leading a team with ACC and national championship aspirations. Florida will have all kinds of motivation Saturday night, from ruining the Noles’ magical season to securing bowl-eligibility. Florida has lost four in a row and head coach Billy Napier is in danger of beginning his Gator career with back-to-back losing seasons.
The Maxwell Football Club honors the nation’s best offensive player with the Maxwell Award. Here’s a look at last week’s standout offensive players.
Everyone wondered in the offseason what life in Athens would be like without Stetson Bennett behind center. Sure, there are still titles left to be won, but Beck has been every bit as productive as his predecessor, if not better. No. 15 has been a revelation in his starting debut, raising the level of his play with each passing week. This past weekend in a tough road environment, Knoxville to face rival Tennessee, Beck completed 24-of-30 passes for 298 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers in a 38-10 rout.
Head coach Tony Elliott has momentum in Year 2, and a young quarterback he can build an offense around in Year 3. Since starting 0-5, Virginia is 3-3 with just one loss by more than seven points. The program has found something with Colandrea, a first-year player from St. Petersburg, Fla. The rookie was on point against one of the ACC’s stingiest pass defenses, becoming the first QB to throw three TD passes versus Duke this season. Colandrea went 21-of-30 for 278 yards while earning Pro Football Focus’ third highest passing grade among Week 12 quarterbacks.
Croskey-Merritt is making the most of his lone season in the FBS, showing he belongs and grabbing the attention of NFL scouts. The Alabama State transfer peaked in Saturday’s upset of Fresno State in the Valley, easily the Lobos’ biggest win of the season. Croskey-Merritt skated through the Bulldog D for 204 yards and two scores on 21 carries, and now ranks third nationally in total touchdowns scored.
Daniels has been outspoken about chasing improvement each game. So far, so good. A week after accounting for 606 yards and splashing his name all over the FBS record book, the Tiger senior joined Joe Burrow as the only players in school history to account for eight touchdowns in a game. In a 56-14 blowout of visiting Georgia State, Daniels finished 25-of-30 for 413 yards with six passing touchdowns to go along with 96 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He also set the LSU record with seven games over 400 total yards in a season, passing Burrow who had six in 2019.
Gordon is back to form and ready to make a final push for the 2023 FBS rushing title. After his 100-yard streak ended at six games last week in Orlando, the sophomore got back on track against Houston in Week 11. Gordon erupted for five receptions, 164 yards rushing and three second-half touchdowns on 25 carries as the Cowboys won, 43-30, to remain in contention for the Big 12 Championship Game.
In his final appearance in San Antonio, Harris added an exclamation point to his brilliant Roadrunner career. The record-setting senior was at his multi-dimensional best in Friday night’s 49-21 victory over South Florida. Harris amassed 523 total yards, second-most by an FBS player this season, while accounting for six of UTSA’s seven touchdowns. The win kept the team undefeated in AAC play, while remaining a perfect 18-0 at home under fourth-year head coach Jeff Traylor.
It’s not as if Wake Forest didn’t know Hartman could do in the pocket. He was the record-smashing leader of the Demon Deacon offense for almost five seasons. Still, he gave his old team a blast from the past as Wake visited South Bend Saturday afternoon. Hartman shook off a rocky past month with one of his cleanest efforts with the Irish, hitting on 21-of-29 throws for 277 yards, four touchdowns and no picks. He had the sixth best passing grade for Week 12, according to Pro Football Focus.
With a Civil War visit from Oregon State and a Pac-12 Championship Game rematch with Washington still left, Nix could not be much hotter right now. During the Ducks’ current five-game winning streak, he’s accounted for 22 touchdowns and a single pick. And in this past weekend’s 49-13 win at Arizona State, he tied the Oregon single-game record with six touchdown passes – all in the first half. Nix wound up with more scoring strikes than incompletions in Tempe, going 24-of-29 for 404 yards.
The Maxwell Football Club honors the nation’s best defensive player with the Chuck Bednarik Award. Here’s a look at last week’s standout defenders.
It has been an unusually rough season for the Panthers. But they are still playing hard for head coach Pat Narduzzi down the stretch. On Senior Night last Thursday, a senior fittingly led the defense in an upset win over bowl-bound Boston College. Hayes was instrumental in limiting the Eagles to just 16 points and one offensive touchdown, making six tackles, three stops for loss, two sacks and two batted balls.
Wazzu crushed Colorado Friday night, 56-14, to snap a nasty six-game losing streak and remain alive for a bowl game. The Cougars dominated in all phases, but especially at the line of scrimmage. The bookend of Jackson and Ron Stone Jr. was unstoppable. The latter had two sacks and a forced fumble, while the former had 1.5 stops for loss and two scoop-and-score touchdowns, one from 40 yards and one from 74 yards.
Latu continued showing why he’s arguably the nation’s most disruptive edge rusher as UCLA handled USC, 38-20, in the annual battle for Los Angeles. The Bruins jumped out to an early lead and then held the high-scoring Trojans to just 10 second-half points. Latu had seven tackles and back-to-back red zone sacks of Caleb Williams in the third quarter. The senior from Sacramento finished with nine total pressures to lead all FBS defenders in Week 12.
In the biggest game of the weekend, Muhammad delivered arguably the best game of a four-year career that began in Stillwater. The Oklahoma State transfer stepped up in rain-soaked Corvallis as the Huskies survived No. 10 Oregon State, 22-20, despite playing without three key members of the secondary rotation. Muhammad was a key reason why the Beavers did not throw a TD pass or have a completion of more than 25 yards. He was in on three takeaways, a fumble recovery and two interceptions, and he broke up four of DJ Uiagalelei’s throws. Muhammad’s 90.4 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus ranked second among all Week 12 corners.
From wire to wire, defense has been the catalyst in Columbus as the Buckeyes enter the Michigan game without a loss. Ohio State has yet to allow more than 17 points in a game, capped by a 37-3 mauling of Minnesota this past Saturday. The Golden Gophers managed just 10 first downs and 159 total yards, with Sawyer collecting a team-high six tackles, 3.5 stops for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.
Now that he’s 100% again, Stutsman is back to performing like one of the game’s top linebackers. And that’s a welcome development for a Sooner program making a late season push for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game. Oklahoma withstood a challenge from BYU Saturday, escaping Provo with a 31-24 win. Stutsman, who sat out Bedlam earlier this month, spearheaded the D with 10 tackles, two stops for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.
The Bulldogs have fired their head coach and had two three-game losing streak. Still, there’s hope for a winning season and a bowl game, pending the outcome of this week’s Egg Bowl. The defense led the way in Saturday’s 41-20 defeat of Southern Miss as the post-Zach Arnett era began in Starkville. Watson, who is never far from the ball, was a tackling machine in the win. He set a career-high with 21 takedowns, including 1.5 for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.
One week after being named a Bednarik Award semifinalist, Wilson backed up the selection with another huge effort in an NC State win. The versatile veteran continued to roam all over the field as the Pack held off Virginia Tech, 35-28, to move to 8-3. Wilson, a bona fide three-down playmaker from the second level, notched a game-high 11 tackles, 3.5 stops for loss and a sack. It was his eighth double-digit tackle game of the year.
This season has 117 of the 133 FBS schools facing one FCS opponent, and Army playing two such games for a total of 118 FBS-FCS matchups.
Of the 16 FBS schools that do NOT play a FCS program, 7 are in the B1G (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Purdue, Wisconsin). 6 more are evenly split between the Big 12 (Houston, Oklahoma, Texas) and Pac-12 (Colorado, USC, Washington). The other three are Liberty (CUSA) , UTSA (American), and Virginia Tech (ACC).
All four of the remaining scheduled FBC-FCS games took place this week with FBS teams taking all of them in blowouts. Abilene Christian lost 38-10 at Texas A&M, Chattanooga was drubbed 66-10 at Alabama, North Alabama was a 58-13 victim at Florida State, and Sacred Heart lost 31-3 at UConn.
The FBS programs were 114-4 this year against the FCS schools. Over-all, the FBS is a collective 1,800-152 (.922) since we began tracking this in 2003.
Here are the FCS wins in 2023, so far:
September 9: Idaho 33, Nevada 6
September 9: Southern Illinois 14, Northern Illinois 12
September 9: Fordham 40, Buffalo 37
September 16: Sacramento State 30, Stanford 23
GEORGIA - 28 straight over-all, Won 25 straight home games, and 14 straight true road games.
Last: 38-10 win at Tennessee on Saturday, November 18.
Next: at Georgia Tech on Saturday, November 25
MICHIGAN - Won 23 straight conference games.
Last: 31-24 win at Maryland on Saturday, November 18.
Next: Hosts Ohio State on Saturday, November 25
VANDERBILT - Lost 9 straight over-all.
Last: 47-6 loss at South Carolina on Saturday, November 11.
Next: Visits Tennessee on Saturday, November 25.
STANFORD - Lost 8 straight home games.
Last: 27-15 home loss to Cal in "The Big Game" on Saturday, November 18.
Next: Hosts Notre Dame on Saturday, November 25
TEMPLE - Lost 14 straight true road games.
Last: 34-24 loss at UAB on Saturday, November 18.
Next: Hosts Memphis on Saturday, November 25
ULM - Lost 9 straight over-all, lost 9 straight conference games.
Last: 35-3 loss at Ole Miss on Saturday, November 18.
Next: Visits Louisiana on Saturday, November 25
Rich Cirminiello is the VP of College Awards at Maxwell Football Club. He can be followed on Twitter at @Rich Cirminiello