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Note: CollegeFootballPoll.com's Dave Congrove is a member of the Maxwell Football Club and a voter for the Maxwell and Bednarik Awards.
The Maxwell Football Club honors the nation's top offensive player with the Maxwell Award, and the best defensive player with the Chuck Bednarik Award. Among the top games and candidates on the "must-see list" this week are, of course Auburn at Alabama with the spotlight on the Crimson Tide's QB Mac Jones who is 4th in the country in passing yards per game (347), 2nd in completion percentage (77.1), and 3rd in QB rating (205.06).
Key Links, contributors to this article: Maxwell Football Club, ProFootballFocus.com
Iowa State (6-2) at Texas (5-2) - Friday, 12:00 p.m. ET (ABC) - Four Big 12 teams have two or fewer conference losses. Two of them face off in a key showdown Friday in Austin. Iowa State leads the league with just one loss, and can take a giant step closer to its first title game appearance with a win. The Cyclones, fresh off an end-to-end domination of Kansas State, are peaking. Texas is also playing well, last losing to Oklahoma on Oct. 10. However, the Longhorns haven’t played in 20 days, so they could be a little slow out of the gate, especially in defending RB Breece Hall and QB Brock Purdy.
Notre Dame (8-0) at North Carolina (6-2) - Friday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC) - This is Notre Dame’s toughest remaining test before a likely rematch with Clemson in the ACC Championship Game. And Carolina wants nothing more than to hand the Irish their first loss. Both teams can score, led by talented quarterbacks Ian Book and Sam Howell. But can the Tar Heels stop a quality opponent? They’ve yielded at least 44 points in three of the last six games, and Book has taken his game to a new level. Plus, Book is maximizing the talent around him, like RB Kyren Williams, WR Bennett Skowronek and TE Michael Mayer.
Auburn (5-2) at Alabama (7-0) - Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS) - It doesn’t get much bigger than the Iron Bowl, and this year is no different. Alabama is top-ranked, undefeated and looking to avenge last year’s 48-45 loss at Jordan-Hare Stadium. This is particularly true for QB Mac Jones, who played well but also threw two critical pick-sixes. Jones’ Crimson Tide haven’t been challenged much this fall, winning seven games by an average margin of 30 points. Auburn carries a three-game winning streak into the matchup, handling Tennessee last weekend. To keep pace with Bama, the Tigers will need a huge day from QB Bo Nix and rookie RB Tank Bigsby, who leads the team in rushing.
Oklahoma (6-2) at West Virginia (5-3) - Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC) - After an uncharacteristic 1-2 start, Oklahoma has found its stride, which might be enough to capture the Big 12 for a sixth straight year. Winners of five in a row, the Sooners are cranking out points with QB Spencer Rattler, RB Rhamondre Stevenson and rising star WR Marvin Mims. Plus, the defense has stepped up over the last month. Of course, Morgantown is never an easy trip. Upset-minded West Virginia has a veteran behind center, Jarret Doege, and the league’s best defense. The Stills brothers, Darius and Dante, are problems up front, SPEAR Tykee Smith is playing like an all-star and Arizona transfer Tony Fields has been a key addition at linebacker.
Maxwell Award (Top Offensive Player)
QB Dustin Crum, Kent State - One of the many great things about MACtion is the mid-week exposure it gives players like Crum, who might otherwise get lost in a full slate of games. With Crum directing traffic, Kent State has scored 131 points the last two weeks. And the senior was close to perfect last Tuesday, earning the third highest Pro Football Focus grade for a Week 12 quarterback. Crum completed 22-of-25, rushed for 104 yards and accounted for five scores in a rout of Bowling Green that moved the Golden Flashes to 3-0 for the first time since 1958.
QB JT Daniels, Georgia - Daniels did something Saturday night that no other QB has… toss four touchdown passes in his Georgia debut. And it left a lot of Dawg fans wondering what might have been had the USC transfer been healthy and available all season. In his first action in well over a year, Daniels looked poised, sharp and in complete control of the offense. He went 28-of-38 for 401 yards, those four TDs and no turnovers, while copping the top Week 12 passing grade from Pro Football Focus.
RB Jermar Jefferson, Oregon State - Three games. Three 100-yard efforts on the ground. And Jefferson is peaking with each passing week. The underrated junior carried the offense against Cal on a day when the attack had more hits than misses. Jefferson had just 18 touches, but produced 196 yards, including a 75-yard burst to open the scoring. His performance helped snap Oregon State’s four-game losing streak dating back to last year.
RB Jaret Patterson, Buffalo - For the second straight year, Patterson gashed the overmatched Bowling Green defense. And last Tuesday night, his between-the-tackles heroics landed him in the school record books. Patterson was at his elusive best at Doyt Perry Stadium, turning 31 carries into an all-time Buffalo record 301 yards and four touchdowns. The junior now leads the nation in rushing yards per game.
QB Michael Penix, Indiana - The Hoosiers fell short in Columbus, 42-35, but the team and its young quarterback earned a lot of respect in the process. Penix outplayed his Ohio State counterpart, Justin Fields, nearly rallying Indiana all the way back from a 28-point second-half deficit. With no help from the ground game, Penix set new career-highs with 491 yards and five touchdowns on 27-of-51 passing.
QB Brock Purdy, Iowa State - After arguably the most dominant effort by a Big 12 team in 2020, Iowa State is closing in on a spot in the league title game. The Cyclones won their third straight, blanking Kansas State, 45-0. Led by Mike Rose and Will McDonald, the D forced four turnovers, while Purdy was razor sharp. He rushed for 59 yards while completing 16-of-20 for 236 yards, three TDs and his first turnover-free game in over a month.
QB Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma - There have been detours this fall in Norman. But Oklahoma is once again looking like the favorite to win another Big 12 championship. The Sooners dominated rival Oklahoma State Saturday, 41-13, with Rattler looking more and more at ease in Lincoln Riley’s offensive system. He accounted for all five OU touchdowns, throwing for 301 yards and four scores on 17-of-24 passing.
QB Desmond Ridder, UCF- It was not easy, but Cincinnati’s perfect season remains intact. The Bearcats survived their first four-quarter fight of 2020, defeating UCF, 36-33, in Orlando. Ridder was the engineer of the victory, rallying his team back from an early 14-3 deficit. Versatile and balanced, the veteran quarterback accounted for 395 total yards, while rushing for two scores and passing for two more.
Bednarik Award (Top Defensive Player)
LB Nick Bolton, Missouri - It’s been an off year for Mizzou. But that hasn’t kept Bolton from continuing to perform at a very high level. The junior from Frisco, Tex. continues to impress scouts with his diagnostic skills and his open-field tackling. In Saturday’s 17-10 win at South Carolina, Bolton helped hold the Gamecocks to 283 total yards with 14 tackles and a couple of stops for loss.
DT C.J. Brewer, Coastal Carolina - In their toughest test of the season, the Chanticleers defeated defending Sun Belt champ Appalachian State to remain undefeated. Coastal Carolina won the line of scrimmage versus the talented Mountaineer O-line, with Jeffrey Gunter coming off the edge and Brewer from inside. The latter used his quickness and agile spins to collect a game-high 14 stops, including three for loss and 1.5 sacks.
LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa - Collins is one of the top linebackers in America, which a national audience got to see firsthand last Thursday. The Golden Hurricane remained undefeated in league play with a miraculous win over Tulane. Tulsa sent the game to OT on a 37-yard heave from third-string QB Davis Brin as time expired. And then won on a walk-off 96-yard pick-six from Collins, who also chipped in with a game-high 15 tackles.
LB Blake Gallagher, Northwestern - Wisconsin was being touted as a darkhorse playoff contender before Week 12… and then the Badgers ran into a brick wall in Evanston. The team that produced 94 points in its first two games managed just seven Saturday versus Northwestern. The Wildcats, led by Gallagher, LB Paddy Fisher and S Brandon Joseph, stifled the Badgers all day. Gallagher notched a team-high 14 tackles, including a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
LB Jake Hansen, Illinois - Illinois dominated Nebraska on both sides of the ball to move within a game of .500. The offense churned out 285 yards and four scores on the ground, while the D forced five turnovers in the 41-23 road win. The veteran Hansen had his hand in two takeaways, an interception and a fumble recovery, while also making seven tackles and 2.5 stops for minus yards.
SS Talanoa Hufanga, USC - Troy is finding ways to win games. And after getting to 3-0 with a key road win at Utah, the Trojans are in the Pac-12 South driver’s seat. USC pitched a second-half shutout Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium, pulling away for the victory. The third-rated Week 12 safety, according to Pro Football Focus, had 10 stops, a pass breakup and one of his team’s three interceptions.
LB Isaiah Moore, NC State - NC State did something no one else has in 2020… stop QB Malik Willis and beat Liberty, 15-14. The Pack shut down the Flames, who were averaging close to 40 points per game entering Week 12. Moore was the defensive star from the middle of the field. He had a game-high 13 stops, including two for loss, a half-sack and a third-quarter safety that would prove to be the difference in the outcome.
NG Dion Novil, North Texas - If you’ve yet to see Novil in action, which is likely the case, you’re missing one of the game’s most underrated interior linemen. The senior from Abilene, Tex. plays with uncommon get-off and explosion for a 6-4, 315-pounder. Novil tossed around Rice’s blockers in Saturday’s win, finishing with eight tackles, five stops for loss, a sack and a couple of forced fumbles, while earning Pro Football Focus’ top mark for a Week 12 defender.