Week 12 of the College Football season delivered in every way possible as it was far and away one of the best weekends of the season. In every window of the game, there was high drama between Texas A&M's wild comeback, Alabama Vs Oklahoma, and Lane Kiffin's Rebels being pushed to the brink by the school that's courting him in the Florida Gators.
Over the final few weeks of the season, we're going to see a ton of teams shuffle in and out of the Top 25, but the top half of the picture is truly the most important to follow. This weekend, we saw several playoff contenders fall, and new teams picked up big wins to change their fortunes in the Playoff race, which will shake the Top 25.
College Football Playoff Top 25 predictions
The Pitt Panthers entered Saturday with a great chance to improve their ranking, but it wouldn't have much of an impact on their playoff hopes, as their path is still by winning the ACC. Pitt was beaten handily, but the margin wasn't wide enough for the committee will completely drop them from the Top 25.
The Houston Cougars were a team that many thought could crack the Top 25 last weekend, but after all the ranked losses this weekend, they should join the group. The Cougars' two final games of the season come against TCU and Baylor, and if they can finish 10-2, they'll have a case to make the Playoff.
Louisville's hopes of making the College Football Playoff took a massive hit on Friday night, as they lost to Clemson. This was a game Louisville should've won, but 3 missed field goals and an absurd penalty late cost this team the game. The Cardinals will likely stick in the Top 25 with the 1 point loss, but their chances of making the Playoff are slim.
The race in the American is now between Navy and Tulane after USF and Memphis each suffered pivotal losses this weekend. Tulane is the best candidate for the Playoff in the American with one of their losses coming against Ole Miss, while they have an ACC win over Duke. The only path to the playoffs for this team is by winning the American, and they may end up needing James Madison to lose to make the field.
USF's loss takes one Group of 5 team out of the College Football Playoff race while giving the Sun Belt a chance to steal the bid everyone thought was locked up for the American. Saturday saw the Dukes throttle Appalachian State in an impressive 58-10 showing. As long as the Dukes keep winning and win the Sun Belt, it's going to be hard to deny this team the Group of 5 bid.
Even after suffering their 3rd loss of the season, Tennessee continues to climb up the rankings, thanks in a big part to how chaotic every team in front of them has been. This weekend, the Volunteers used a game against New Mexico State to work through any kinks they have before their final stretch. Josh Heupel and the fanbase will be disappointed to miss the CFP, but they can still finish 9-3, continuing to build momentum.
Virginia had a pivotal game in the ACC this weekend as two teams with 1 loss in ACC play met, with the Cavaliers knocking off Duke. Chandler Morris made it back from concussion protocol, and even with the two interceptions he threw, the offense was far better than the group we saw without him in the lineup. Tony Elliott's team needs to avoid getting upset by Virginia Tech next weekend, but a win sends them to the ACC Championship with a chance to make the Playoff.
The Texas Longhorns' playoff hopes were on the line on Saturday Night as they faced off against Kirby Smart and Georgia. The Longhorns' offense was never able to find a rhythm, and Smart's team pulled ahead late, outscoring Texas 21-0 in the 4th quarter. Texas has been disappointing this season, but beating Texas A&M to end the season could bring them back into the Playoff picture.
Once again, it wasn't pretty, but the Michigan Wolverines escaped with a walk-off win over Northwestern to stay alive in the College Football Playoff race. The Wolverines' offense struggled mightily, turning the ball over 5 times, which almost cost them the game. Sherrone Moore needs to find this team a rhythm on offense next week against Maryland before a potential win and in-game against Ohio State.
After falling behind 14-0, Lincoln Riley's team looked like a College Football Playoff worthy team going on a 26-7 run to win the game, getting it done on both sides of the ball. The offense is so difficult to stop with Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane, while this may be Riley's best defense at USC. Next weekend's game against Oregon will end up determining the fate of USC and Oregon, but this team certainly has the talent to get it done.
In the 4th quarter, Georgia Tech needed to battle back from down 11 against a Boston College team that's winless in ACC play. The offense turned it on, scoring 19 points in the 4th, including the game-winning field goal, while the defense finally slowed Boston College's offense. Next week brings a pivotal ACC clash against Pitt, and if Georgia Tech wins, it sets them up for another pivotal game against Georgia.
The Vanderbilt Commodores spent the weekend on the bye after they escaped Auburn with a win in overtime. Given all the chaos around the Country, Vanderbilt is very much still alive in the hunt for the College Football Playoff, but they'll need to beat Kentucky and Tennessee in order to stay in the conversation.
Mario Cristobal's team has bounced back nicely after their loss to SMU, picking up its second straight blowout win. Carson Beck played a clean game, which is key for Miami, throwing for 3 touchdowns without an interception. This team has more talent than anyone else in the ACC, and if they can win their final two regular season games, they'll have a great chance to earn an At-Large bid into the Playoff.
Utah isn't going to waste its shot at the Playoff with the committee keeping them in the race as they picked up a 55-28 win over Baylor. Utah truly has two great options at quarterback, as Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin each accounted for 2 touchdowns while Utah rushed for 380 yards and 5 touchdowns each. The Utes get to play Kansas State and Kansas to end the year, and if they handle business, they should have a great chance at making the playoff if upsets continue to ensue.
11. BYU Cougars
BYU currently leads TCU 17-0 in the second quarter, their ranking will be finalized following the game.
The Alabama Crimson Tide made far too many mistakes on Saturday, and it came back to cost them as a Ty Simpson pick 6, Ryan Williams' fumble, and Connor Talty missing a field goal before half was too much to overcome. The Crimson Tide has to clean up its issues on offense next weekend before the season finale against Auburn, which will decide Alabama's fate.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish went on the road against a Top 25 team and left with a massive win to bolster their resume. An early touchdown by Jeremiyah Love and a pick-six by the defense put Pittsburgh in a hole they could never climb out of. Marcus Freeman's team has completed the most difficult part of their push toward the College Football Playoff, and now they just need to knock off bad teams in Syracuse and Stanford to return to the Playoff.
If you looked at the box score, you'd think Alabama dominated the game, yet Oklahoma took advantage of Alabama's mistakes to win the game. The offense will need to be much better in the final two games to help Oklahoma get to the playoff, as they only picked up 212 yards. The Sooners' defense is only going to get tougher to play once R Mason Thomas is back from injury, making Missouri and LSU winnable games.
The Oregon Ducks made sure to win with style this weekend after needing a last-second field goal to beat Iowa as they cruised to a 42-13 win over Minnesota. Dante Moore was incredible without his two top wide receivers dicing the Golden Gophers. The Ducks' main objective has to be getting some of their key pieces back from injury, as these final two games against USC and Washington will be tricky.
Lane Kiffin's team found itself locked into a battle on Saturday Night as the Florida Gators threw their best punch. Lane Kiffin's game plan was to feed Kewan Lacy, and it worked as the veteran running back picked up 224 yards and 3 touchdowns. The defense stepped up in the second half, shutting out the Gators to make it nearly impossible for this team to miss the Playoff.
Texas Tech once again played like an elite team on Saturday, truly dominating a terrible UCF team to move to 10-1 on the season. The Red Raiders got whatever they wanted on offense, passing for 294 yards and rushing for 205 yards while even getting linebacker Jacob Rodriguez a rushing touchdown. The final game of the regular season comes against a West Virginia team that Texas Tech should dominate, setting this team up to make the Big 12 Championship and the College Football Playoff.
The Georgia Bulldogs found themselves in a battle with Texas before Kirby Smart showed everyone that he's a better coach than Steve Sarkisian. After Georgia capped off a 6-minute drive to take an 11-point lead at the start of the 4th quarter, Kirby Smart made the gutsy call to kick an onside kick, and recovered it, allowing his offense to salt this game away. Alabama's loss was key for Georgia, as it allows them to move into the Top 4 with a chance at a bye in the Playoff.
The Texas A&M Aggies looked like they were going to get stunned when they went to the locker room trailing by 27 to an abysmal South Carolina team. Mike Elko's group punched South Carolina in the mouth to start the second half, and the Gamecocks crumbled. Surviving this type of game is perfect for Mike Elko, as it should allow him to get his team focused the rest of the way.
The first half wasn't pretty for the Indiana Hoosiers as they looked a lot like the team we saw struggle against Penn State. In the second half. Curt Cignetti's team turned it on, picking up a 31-7 win over Wisconsin to move this team to 11-0, likely officially making them a Playoff team. This team has a Heisman front-runner in Fernando Mendoza, which is the factor that makes this team a serious contender compared to last season.
It was business as usual for the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday Night, as they cruised to a 48-10 win over UCLA. The Buckeyes leaned on their rushing attack with Julian Sayin banged up, and when you can pick up 222 yards rushing for 6.7 yards per carry, it makes a ton of sense. The Buckeyes' defense continues to suffocate its opponents as they won't be tested until the Big Ten Championship Game.