Wins by Michigan and Ohio State set up "The Game" to be another massive one while Florida State suffered a devastating blow with an injury to star quarterback Jordan Travis.
Here are the winners and losers from Week 12 of the college football season.
The Game: College Football Playoff No. 2 Ohio State (11-0, 8-0 in Big Ten) and No. 3 Michigan (8-0, 11-0 in Big Ten) won on Saturday, setting up another huge showdown between the fierce rivals next weekend. The Buckeyes didn't have any difficulty dispatching Minnesota (5-6, 3-5 in Big Ten) in a 37-3 rout. Meanwhile, the Wolverines had more difficulty putting away Maryland (6-5, 3-5 in Big Ten) in a 31-24 win. A loss by either would have taken all the excitement out of "The Game," but Ohio State and Michigan took care of business to ensure its 119th meeting is a must-watch. Daytona Daily News notes that this year's meeting marks the fifth time both teams have had a perfect record entering the game.
Florida State: Football isn't fair. Quarterback Jordan Travis, a potential Heisman finalist, suffered a brutal leg injury that, based on replay, appears serious enough to end his season. ESPN broadcaster Molly McGrath put his loss to the Seminoles succinctly on social media, touching on how much Travis, who holds the record for most touchdowns (97) and offensive yards (10,553) in program history, has given Florida State (11-0, 8-0 in ACC).
Heartbroken for Jordan Travis. Just two years ago he nearly gave up on football altogether, but stuck with it to bring his “dream school” Florida State back to dominance. He went from being booed on his own field to a Heisman contender. He epitomizes what we love about college…
— Molly McGrath (@MollyAMcGrath) November 19, 2023
The Seminoles responded admirably to his devastating injury, scoring 58 unanswered points against FCS North Alabama (3-8, 1-5 in UAC) after trailing 13-0 at the end of the first quarter. Still, Saturday night felt like a major loss in Tallahassee.
Washington: No team looked better than the Huskies through the first month of the season, which raised concern over their comparatively lackluster performances the past month. Did Washington peak too early? A 22-20 win in Corvallis over No. 11 Oregon State (8-3, 5-3 in Pac-12) doesn't erase all doubt about the Huskies' ability to run the table and earn a spot in the CFP. The win was their seventh consecutive by 10 points or fewer after they won their first four by at least 27 points. Still, the defense, which has been most troubling of late, came up big with the offense limited due to the rainy conditions. The unit forced three turnovers and held the Beavers to 3-of-12 on third down.
USC: USC (7-5, 5-4, in Pac-12) experienced plenty of lows in 2023, but its 38-20 loss to UCLA (7-4, 4-4 in Pac-12) might have been rock bottom. It trailed by as many as 25 points and finished with three rushing yards as a team, the lowest of the Lincoln Riley era. As ESPN analyst and former head coach Dan Mullen put it, UCLA head coach Chip Kelly is the wrong coach in Los Angeles on the hot seat.
Are we sure that they have the right coach on the hot seat in LA.
— Dan Mullen (@CoachDanMullen) November 18, 2023
The Trojans, a team that was a trendy preseason pick for the College Football Playoff, will be lucky to get invited to the Sun Bowl. Head coach Riley, reportedly hired for north of $100 million to return the Trojans to glory, posted the worst regular season record by a USC head coach given a full second season with the program since Paul Hackett (1999).
Louisville: The Cardinals clinched their ticket to the ACC title game with a 38-31 win over Miami (6-5, 2-5 in ACC). No. 10 Louisville (10-1, 7-1 in ACC), in Jeff Brohm's first season as head coach, was predicted to finish eighth in the ACC media preseason poll but will play Florida State in the ACC championship on Dec. 2 as it seeks its first outright conference championship since it won the Big East in 2006.
Heisman voters: Quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix continue to make the Heisman race impossible to call. Neither gave an inch on Saturday as each had impressive performances. Nix began the day with six first-half touchdowns and went 24-of-29 for 404 yards in a 49-13 win over Arizona State (3-8, 2-6 in Pac-12). Seeing what Nix did to his former team, Daniels one-upped the Ducks quarterback with eight total touchdowns in a 56-14 win over Georgia State (6-5, 3-4 in Sun Belt). He finished 25-of-30 for 413 yards while adding 96 yards on 10 carries. Good luck picking a winner this year, Heisman voters.
Northwestern: The Wildcats' remarkable season will continue with a bowl game in David Braun's first year as head coach after they won 23-15 over Purdue (3-8, 2-6 in Big Ten). Northwestern (6-5, 4-4 in Big Ten) went 1-11 last season and fired coach Pat Fitzgerald a month before the start of the season after a July 2023 report from The Daily Northwestern detailed hazing allegations under his watch. The program appeared poised for another ugly season, but Braun and his team had other plans and will be rewarded with a bowl game as a result.
Auburn: The Tigers celebrated becoming bowl-eligible a week ago with the lowest point of their season in a 31-10 loss to New Mexico State (9-3, 6-1 in C-USA).
New Mexico State gets $1.8 million check from Auburn & then delivers a 31-10 beatdown to the Tigers, who were 26-point favorites. Unreal job by Jerry Kill. Aggies will play for CUSA title in 2 weeks vs. Liberty
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 18, 2023
New Mexico State UPSETS Auburn 31-10 on the road
— On3 (@On3sports) November 18, 2023
The Tigers were a 25-point favorite heading into the gamehttps://t.co/bgQ2OPwGDM pic.twitter.com/YiowHoaV6z
If Auburn (6-5, 3-4 in SEC) thinks paying $1.8 million to lose as a 25-point favorite is bad, that could only be an appetizer for what's in store in the Iron Bowl against No. 8 Alabama (10-1, 7-0 in SEC) in Week 13.
Arizona: The Wildcats are one of the hottest teams in the country, winners of five straight. No. 17 Arizona (8-3, 6-2 in Pac-12) rolled to a 42-18 win over No. 22 Utah (7-4, 4-4 in Pac-12), securing its most wins in a season since it went 10-4 in 2014. Head coach Jedd Fisch will be a hot name in coaching searches after turning around the Wildcats, taking over a program that went 0-5 in 2020 and hadn't been to a bowl game since 2017.
James Madison: The Dukes' undefeated run ended with their 26-23 overtime home loss to Appalachian State (7-4, 5-2 in Sun Belt). In its second season as an FBS member, James Madison (10-1, 6-1 in Sun Belt) had its waiver request to become bowl-eligible denied by the NCAA earlier this week. The Mountaineers made the Dukes' week even more miserable.
Appalachian State pulls off the road upset in OT, scoring just before a fumble that would've saved JMU's undefeated season. pic.twitter.com/dhHyOUuFvG
— Ian Valentino (@NFLDraftStudy) November 18, 2023
Tennessee: The Vols got spanked for the second consecutive week during the CBS SEC game of the week, so you might be wondering how the heck they're a winner. But Tennessee didn't make it to this section for anything it did on the football field (although the first 11 seconds of Saturday's game must have felt nice). Instead, the Vols are a winner by association.
One of the greatest Rocky Top renditions of all time.@DollyParton pic.twitter.com/JA9uhZ1v4H
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) November 18, 2023
If something is good enough for Dolly Parton, it's a winner in our book. After another lackluster effort by Tennessee (7-4, 3-4 in SEC) in a 38-10 loss to No. 1 Georgia (11-0, 8-0 in SEC), Parton is the only thing worth remembering about this season on Rocky Top.
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