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Top individual player performances last week include that of USC true freshman QB Kedon Slovis who carved up Cal by tossing four touchdowns in a second straight game while completing 29-of-35 passes for 406 yards. A few of the top games this week feature Pen State at Ohio State, Texas A&M at Georgia, Michigan at Indiana, and Texas at Baylor.
WR Chase Claypool, Notre Dame - Landmine averted. Notre Dame's toughest remaining hurdle to another 10-win season and a likely New Year's Six bowl invitation wasn't really a hurdle at all. Streaking Navy was no match for the Fighting Irish, which scored early and often in a 52-20 victory. QB Ian Book threw five touchdown passes, four to Claypool who tied a single-game school record set 14 years ago.
QB Max Duggan, TCU - In a game of major importance to both school's bowl hopes, TCU went into Lubbock and knocked off Texas Tech. A lot of credit goes to Duggan, who showed he's more than just a scrambler. Oh, Duggan rushed for 101 pre-sack yards and a score in the 33-31 win, but he also threw for 323 yards and two more scores on 25-of-42 passing.
QB Anthony Gordon, Washington State - Wazzu doesn't need extra motivation to go up top. But with Stanford missing its best cover corner, Paulson Adebo, Gordon was licking his chops before Saturday's matchup on the Palouse. He dissected the depleted Cardinal secondary for 520 yards and five TDs on 44-of-60 passing to help pull the 5-5 Cougars to without one win of achieving bowl-eligibility.
QB Jake Luton, Oregon State - The unlikely turnaround occurring in Corvallis continued with Saturday's 35-34 win over visiting Arizona State. The Beavers, who won three games combined the last two seasons, are now a win away from their first bowl game since 2013. Luton, who's only throw two picks all year, led the way again with four touchdowns and 288 yards on 26-of-35 passing.
QB Shea Patterson, Michigan - Michigan has had a Michigan State problem this decade... but not this pass weekend at the Big House. The Wolverines throttled their instate rival, 44-10, with Patterson delivering one of the best games of his career. He sent the Spartans to their fifth consecutive loss by completing 24-of-33 for 384 yards and four scoring strikes to four different receivers.
QB Kenny Pickett, Pitt - His arm. His legs. Pickett showed off the full array of his versatility Thursday night versus North Carolina. And by virtue of their 34-27 overtime victory, capped by a Pickett scoring run, the Panthers remain alive in the ACC Coastal race. The junior had his best overall game of the season, accounting for 412 yards, including 359 through the air, and three TDs.
QB John Rhys Plumlee, Ole Miss - Yeah, it came in a losing effort. And his passing skills need some fine-tuning. But this rookie sure fits nicely in a Rich Rodriquez offense that covets athletic quarterbacks. While Plumlee only threw for 123 yards Saturday night, he gashed top-ranked LSU's defense for 212 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries. It's going to be fun watching this Hattiesburg native develop in the coming years.
QB Kedon Slovis, USC - That wasn't just any secondary Slovis picked apart late Saturday night in Berkeley. It was one of the more talented defensive backfields in the country. The surging true freshman carved up Cal in a 41-17 road rout. Slovis threw four touchdown passes in a second straight game, completing 29-of-35 for 406 yards and grading as the fourth highest Week 12 quarterback, according to Pro Football Focus.
CB Travion Banks, Miami (OH) - The RedHawks moved another step closer to their first MAC East Division crown since 2010 with Wednesday's rout of Bowling Green. And Banks was the defensive MVP of the 44-3 victory. The wily senior helped limit the Falcons to just 90 passing yards, picking off two passes and earning one of Pro Football Focus' top coverage grades for Week 12.
S Julian Blackmon, Utah - Utah is gashing Pac-12 opponents in what appears to be a collision course with North Division champ Oregon next month. The Utes blitzed a hot UCLA squad, 49-3, behind the backfield of QB Tyler Huntley and RB Zack Moss and another suffocating defensive effort. Blackmon, one of the top-graded Week 12 safeties according to Pro Football Focus, posted a game-high 12 tackles, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and an interception.
DE A.J. Epenesa, Iowa - On Saturday, Epenesa put on a show for NFL scouts in attendance, sent rival Minnesota to their first loss of 2019 and kept Floyd of Rosedale in Iowa City. With a combination of get-off and brute force, the future first-rounder had four tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble to earn Pro Football Focus' fourth highest mark for a Week 12 defensive end.
ILB Dorian Etheridge, Louisville - A year after going 2-10, the Cardinals are bowl-eligible. Good onya, Coach Satterfield. First-year coach Scott Satterfield picked up win No. 6, outlasting NC State in Raleigh behind four Micale Cunningham TD passes and a big night from Etheridge. The latter showcased his versatility by not only posting a game-high 11 tackles, but also picking off a pass and breaking up three others.
DE Jon Greenard, Florida - Mizzou had enough to worry about entering Week 12. The last thing it needed was trying to get contain Greenard. The Tigers failed to score a touchdown for a second straight game, managing just a pair of field goals and 256 total yards. Greenard had his way with the Missouri front, with five of his six tackles occurring behind the line, including two sacks of Kelly Bryant.
Nickelback Charles Oliver, Texas A&M - With trips to Georgia and LSU still left, the Aggies have a chance to play spoiler over the final two weekends. A&M has won four in a row, capped by an easy disposal of South Carolina Saturday night. Oliver was a key reason the Gamecocks scored just a pair of field goals, making three tackles, breaking up a whopping six passes and generally locking down Ryan Hilinski's young receivers.
DE Ronnie Perkins, Oklahoma - Unbeaten Baylor had a pass protection problem entering Week 12. Perkins repeatedly exploited it. The Sooners rallied back from a 25-point deficit in Waco, their largest comeback in school history, to remain in the playoff chase. Perkins had four stops for loss and three sacks to help pitch a second-half shutout and allow QB Jalen Hurts a chance to engineer the improbable 34-31 victory.
DE Quincy Roche, Temple - When Willie Fritz and his O-linemen have nightmares this week, No. 9 will no doubt be starring in them. No matter how many resources Tulane committed to slowing down Roche, he was unblockable. Roche almost single-handedly blew up the Green Wave offense at the Linc, making 12 tackles, six stops behind the line, three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Penn State (9-1) at Ohio State (10-0) - Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ET (FOX) - It's the game of the week in college football, with major implications in both the Big Ten and national title races. The winner in Columbus seizes control of the East Division and a likely date with either Wisconsin or Minnesota in Indianapolis Dec. 7. The Buckeyes are one of just two teams in the past 100 years to win their first 10 games by at least 24 points. But the Nittany Lions are hardly a pushover. And the last two between these schools, both won by OSU, were decided by just one point.
Texas A&M (7-3) at Georgia (9-1) - Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS) - Georgia is clicking, winners of four straight games to capture the SEC East while remaining in College Football Playoff contention. But Texas A&M has won four in a row, too, so something will have to give in Athens Saturday afternoon. Can Kellen Mond and the Aggies extend drives on the Dawgs D, because no one has this fall? Georgia is yielding just 10.5 points per game, ranking second in the FBS, and have given up only one rushing TD all year.
Michigan (8-2) at Indiana (7-3) - Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) - How well has Michigan been playing lately? Since halftime of the Oct. 19 Penn State loss, the Wolverines have outscored their opponents 141-38. The Shea Patterson-led offense is clicking with balance and the D has really tightened the screws since Happy Valley. However, Indiana is not to be taken lightly. The Hoosiers' only home loss this season was to undefeated Ohio State, and they almost shocked Penn State last Saturday before falling by a touchdown.
Texas (6-4) at Baylor (9-1) - Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (FS1) - Now that Baylor has suffered its first defeat, a crushing second-half collapse to Oklahoma, how will it respond this weekend? The Bears appeared headed to a 10-0 start and a huge rankings bump before OU rallied for its biggest comeback in school history. Texas, meanwhile, has its own issues after losing a heartbreaker to Iowa State in Ames. The Longhorns, pegged as a trendy Big 12 contender in the offseason, are trending south after winning 10 games and the Sugar Bowl in 2018.
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