Rivalry Week is here!
And it brought the goods with it, as there were all kinds of fireworks displayed in what is always one of the best weeks of the regular season. The schedule was a bit wonkier than normal, as some of the best games were on Friday instead of Saturday, but the fact of the matter is that it lived up to its billing as one of the best weeks of the entire season.
With that said, let’s jump right in!
Texas solidified its CFP resume with a dominant home win
Talk about domination.
The Longhorns knew they needed a statement win in order to beef up their resume one final time before the Big 12 Championship Game against Oklahoma State. And boy, did they do just that with this 57-7 absolute thrashing of Texas Tech.
Honestly, this game was never even remotely close. Going in, I thought Texas Tech had a slight chance to make it a game throughout and even possibly pull off an upset, but by halftime, it was not to be.
Texas held the Red Raiders to a mere 198 total yards, and were practically on cruise control in the second half. In fact, that was all but confirmed when backup quarterback Arch Manning went into the game in the third quarter, drawing an elated reaction from the Longhorn faithful.
This game was officially over by about halfway through the third quarter, but Texas continued to pile on the points just for good measure, including a wild pick-six late in the third that helped the Longhorns break the 50-point mark. From there, one more touchdown was scored, and the game was over.
For Texas Tech, this is a brutal way to end a disappointing season, as the Red Raiders were expected to be a sleeper pick for the Big 12 title. Instead, they ended up going a mere .500 and will be placed in a middle-of-the-pack bowl game.
However, for Texas, this might have been exactly what was needed heading into the Big 12 Championship Game: a dominant performance over a massive rival to solidify their College Football Playoff resume. The title game obviously looms large, however, and Oklahoma State is a very good team. They’re ranked 20th in the country for a reason. It will be one of the Longhorns’ toughest tests yet.
Simply put, their College Football Playoff hopes rest entirely on this game.
Oregon is making its push for the playoff
Oregon is, in a way, in the same boat as Texas. Who knew? Anyway, the Ducks are coming off a dominant 31-7 win over rival Oregon State, and it was an excellent performance all the way around. Likely Heisman favorite Bo Nix had another fantastic game, throwing for 367 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a score, just for good measure. Star halfback Bucky Irving was surprisingly quiet, but with the way Nix was playing, he didn’t really need to do all that much.
The defense was great as well, as they effectively ended any hopes of a Beaver comeback when they picked off Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei early in the fourth quarter. Oregon more or less remained on cruise control for the remainder of the game. It was a relatively easy win, all things considered. Oregon was simply the better team.
However, one of the biggest games of the season, regardless of conference, is lined up next weekend: Oregon vs Washington. The Pac-12 title game. If Oregon wins, its path to the College Football Playoff becomes much more feasible. However, it will be much more difficult for a two-loss team to somehow make it in. In that scenario, the Ducks would need a lot of chaos to commence.
But hey, this is college football. When you watch this sport, you’re asking for just that.
The Game absolutely lived up to our lofty expectations
It did that and then some.
That was one of the greatest editions of The Game we have ever watched. For the third year in a row, Michigan emerged victorious, winning 30-24 and essentially clinching its spot in the College Football Playoff.
The Wolverines seemed to have complete control for much of the game, as they were up 10 points just after the start of the fourth quarter. However, Ohio State furiously rallied to cut the deficit to three. And after Michigan kicker James Turner nailed a 37-yard field goal, it set up Ohio State at its own 19-yard-line with a minute to go.
However, after a couple of good chunk plays from the Buckeyes that got them to the Wolverines’ 37 with just under 30 seconds to go, quarterback Kyle McCord threw an interception that Michigan defensive back Rod Moore dove to grab, ending the game and the Buckeyes’ CFP hopes.
First things first: this was one of the best college football games of the season. And to be frank, this was one of the best college football games I’ve seen in recent memory. And for Michigan, it not only essentially clinches a spot in the CFP, it also sets up a Big Ten title bout with Iowa. And taking into consideration how Iowa’s offense has looked for, like, the whole season…yeah. There is a chance it could get ugly.
On the other hand, this is a crushing loss for Ohio State (duh). It leaves them with an uncertain future, as Marvin Harrison Jr. will more than likely be leaving for the NFL after this year. They will absolutely make a New Year’s Six Bowl, but their College Football Playoff hopes have become just about nonexistent. That’s largely because it’s so ridiculously crowded at the top of the field this year. And it seems as if the Buckeyes will be the odd team out.
And all that makes for another bitterly disappointing end to a season in Columbus that had such high expectations.
Jaylen Daniels is going head-to-head with Bo Nix for the Heisman
“But Joe, you basically haven’t talked about Jayden Daniels and LSU all season!”
Well, what better time to change that than right now?
I did say that Bo Nix was the Heisman favorite. And I still believe that, because Nix’s Oregon Ducks have a better record than Jayden Daniels’ LSU Tigers. The best quarterbacks in the game lead their team to wins, and Nix has done that more consistently than Daniels.
However, Daniels has been an absolute dynamo, particularly in the last few weeks. And this domination of Texas A&M was no different. In this game, Daniels only completed 16 passes, but he made every yard of those 16 completions count, racking up 235 yards and four touchdowns. And he also blazed on the ground, running all over the Aggies’ defense to the tune of 120 yards.
His best throw of the game was arguably this dime to star wide receiver Malik Nabers to extend the Tigers’ lead in the third quarter, and it showed why Daniels is a leading contender for the Heisman Trophy. Beautiful spiral, ball placement, and an elite catch by Nabers. It was the whole nine yards, no pun intended.
LSU’s regular season ends with a 9-3 record, and a 6-2 mark in SEC play. Obviously, they aren’t going to make the College Football Playoff. They aren’t going to make the SEC title game. It’s relatively uncertain if they’re even going to make a New Year’s Six Bowl.
However, the Tigers had a great season, there is no argument on that front. And Daniels had easily the best season of his career and easily one of the best seasons in the entire country. And because of this, the race for the Heisman Trophy has become a two-man war between Daniels and Nix. And while I’m still running with Nix personally, like I said before, this is college football.
Anything can happen.
Washington did not look convincing heading into Pac-12 title game
Heading into their final game of the season, Washington had not looked particularly dominant as it had so often earlier in the season. They needed a statement win over a big rival as they began to prepare for the Pac-12 Championship Game.
They, uh, didn’t exactly get that.
First, let me give props: the Huskies got the win. Great teams find ways to win, regardless of the circumstances. And the Huskies are a great team with a Heisman Trophy contender under center. The fact that they got this win while not playing their best speaks to their status and resilience.
However, this is not ideal heading into a showdown with a red-hot Oregon team in the Pac-12 title game. The aforementioned Heisman contender at quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., barely completed over half his passes. He went 18-for-33 for 204 yards and two scores along with an interception. The connection between Penix Jr. and Rome Odunze was on point, but other than that, there wasn’t a lot on the receiving end.
Running back Dillon Johnson played well, and he made several massive plays on the ground to help lead Washington to the win. However, in a game that Washington needed to win convincingly, they didn't really win it convincingly. The game was tied for much of the second half, and it was only thanks to a walk-off field goal (that their quarterback couldn’t even lay eyes on) that the Huskies snuck out the win.
After this performance, I personally think that Oregon is going to win the Pac-12 title game. They have looked better, more consistent, and Bo Nix has usurped Penix Jr.’s position as Heisman favorite. It should be a great game, but Oregon has simply looked better than Washington in recent weeks, and that pushes them over the edge. My “bold” prediction is that Oregon beats Washington and muddies their CFP hopes.
And last but not least…
Georgia-Alabama will be an SEC Championship for the ages
Oh, the storylines.
For this game, they seem to be nearly infinite. Is Georgia consistently on the same level that they have been for the past two seasons? Is Alabama officially back after a dormant last couple of seasons? How will Jalen Milroe perform in what will be the biggest game in his career so far? And how will Carson Beck perform in what will be the biggest game in his career so far?
The Bulldogs are coming off a rather strange win over Georgia Tech, where they struggled somewhat before pulling away in the end. Beck was merely okay, throwing for 175 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. However, running back Kendall Milton took a lot of the pressure off Beck. He ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns, and simply had his way with the Yellow Jackets’ defense.
Alabama, on the other hand, is coming off a miraculous win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Jalen Milroe played well once again, throwing for two scores and running for over 100 yards. The Tide jumped out to a 10-7 lead, but Auburn fought right back and eventually took a 21-20 lead in the fourth quarter.
Then, the insanity officially started.
It didn’t start off in a particularly exciting way, as Auburn kicked a field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter, followed by three straight punts. That stretched the Tigers’ lead to 24-20, and Alabama needed something to go their way offensively.
And on their final drive, they got just that.
The Tide had first-and-goal on Auburn’s seven-yard line. On first down, Roydell Williams ran for a loss of a yard. On second-and-goal, Alabama lost 18 more yards, setting up a perilous situation on third-and-goal. They found themselves at Auburn’s 26. On third-and-goal, Milroe was flagged for an illegal forward pass, setting up a seemingly impossible situation on fourth-and-goal from Auburn’s 31-yard-line. However, on their last breath, Milroe hit Isaiah Bond for a ridiculous touchdown that gave the Tide the lead. And after an Auburn interception, the game was over.
Two of the best teams in the country face off in the SEC Championship. Georgia is coming off a game where some of the doubters are coming back. Alabama is coming off a miracle win over their biggest rival. What more could you ask for?
Elms' Essentials: Week 12
