After me hyping up the game for multiple weeks on this blog, it finally happened: Michigan State-Ohio State was everything that it was meant to be. Even though quarterback Connor Cook was injured and missed the whole game for Michigan State, the Spartans still rallied through and beat the Buckeyes in what was one great thriller. Besides that and Florida beating Florida Atlantic narrowly, it was another great week in college football before the last week of the season next week. Bring on the rivalries.
Week 13 Rankings
1. Clemson Tigers: A 33-13 win over Wake Forest, led by DeShaun Watson’s three touchdowns, was incredibly powerful for the Tigers. The Tigers had their seventh consecutive game of over 500 yards of offense to add to another great season of statistics. For now, it seems like the Tigers will just keep on rolling to the Playoff.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide: A game against Charleston Southern seemed like it would be a cakewalk, and that’s exactly what it was for the Tide. Cyrus Jones’ two punt returns for touchdowns and Jake Coker’s 155 yards of passing helped carry the Tide to a great victory. The Tide are once again back in control, and seem poised headed into the Iron Bowl.
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: A trip for the Irish to Fenway Park had its difficulties, but in the end the 19-16 win over Boston College was enough to keep them in Playoff contention. DeShone Kizer’s 320 yards of passing and two touchdowns were strong, but his three interceptions were not. Going forward, the five overall turnovers of this game will be taken advantage of by a good Stanford team next weekend. The Irish need to fine tune before the playoffs.
4. Iowa Hawkeyes: Who would’ve thought the Hawkeyes were in playoff primetime? Alas, they are. C.J. Beathard’s three touchdown passes and LeShun Daniels Jr.’s two running touchdowns helped fuel the Hawkeyes to a win over Purdue and a clinching of the Big 10 West. The Hawkeyes are now just two victories from a trip to the Playoff, and with the way they are playing now I would not be surprised if they did make it all the way.
5. Oklahoma Sooners: Steven Parker batting away a 2-point conversion helped point the Sooners to a critical 30-29 win over a competent and challenging TCU Horned Frogs team. Baker Mayfield, who is entering the Heisman race, went 9/10 for 127 yards and two touchdowns, and the Sooners are steadily rising up in the world. Maybe, they will find a way to eke into the playoffs.
6. Baylor Bears: Baylor is back in it. After suffering a loss to Oklahoma last week in the aftermath of quarterback Seth Russell’s injury, the Bears figured out a way to get back into the chase by toppling previously unbeaten Oklahoma State by a score of 45-35, and doing so on the road in Stillwater. Backup quarterback Jared Stidham got injured in the first half, so third-stringer Chris Johnson had to do the trick, but his two touchdown passes and rushing touchdown were more than enough to help carry this Bears team to a crucial, season-saving victory.
7. Michigan State Spartans: All hail the champions. The Spartans did what no team has for 23 games in beating the Ohio State Buckeyes. Although it was courtesy of Michael Geiger’s 41-yard field goal at the buzzer to win 17-14, the fact that a team was able to go into Columbus and emerge victorious is heroic. The Buckeyes needed a loss after the jumbling up all season of quarterbacks and controversies, and luckily for them this week provided them the sense of reality that not all walks off the field are victorious. Thank you, Michigan State, for reminding us that Urban Meyer is real.
8. Ohio State Buckeyes: That being said, it was only a last-second field goal. Ohio State is acting like this is a devastating loss for the ages, and rightfully so it does affect its chances significantly going forward, but at the same time they were very close. They should stay in these rankings conversations for strength of team factors, but emotionally they are out of there.
9. Florida Gators: What on earth was in the food in the locker rooms in Gainesville? I mean, the Gators did not play at all like they were supposed to and caused a ruckus against a Florida Atlantic team that should have gone down with ease. Jake McGee’s 13-yard touchdown catch in overtime to win 20-14 is nice, but the fact that the Gators had to rely on that is ridiculous. Where is the tenacity of the swamp? Something is up down there, and the Gators better figure it out before next week against a good Florida State team.
10. North Carolina Tar Heels: At least the football team did better than the basketball team this weekend. Frank Beamer’s last game as Virginia Tech’s head coach was spoiled by the Tar Heels in fashion of a 30-27 win in Blacksburg. Marquise Williams’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Quinshad Davis in overtime sealed the deal, and the Tar Heels keep an undefeated conference record. Very impressive for a squad that a few years ago was horrendous on the gridiron, so props to coach Larry Fedora for improving the program overall. Bring on NC State next week.
11. Oklahoma State Cowboys
12. Michigan Wolverines
13. Stanford Cardinal
14. Florida State Seminoles
15. Northwestern Wildcats
16. Oregon Ducks
17. Navy Midshipmen
18. TCU Horned Frogs
19. Washington State Cougars
20. Ole Miss Rebels
21. UCLA Bruins
22. Houston Cougars
23. Mississippi State Bulldogs
24. Temple Owls
25. Pittsburgh Panthers
Week 13 – Key Matchups
Ohio State v. Michigan
UCLA v. USC
Florida State v. Florida
Oklahoma State v. Oklahoma
Ole Miss v. Mississippi State
Notre Dame v. Stanford
Navy v. Houston
Rivalry Matchups
Texas Tech v. Texas, Washington State v. Washington, Oregon State v. Oregon, Baylor v. TCU, Iowa v. Nebraska, Clemson v. South Carolina, Ohio State v. Michigan, Alabama v. Auburn, NC State v. North Carolina, UCLA v. USC, Northwestern v. Illinois, Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State, Oklahoma v. Oklahoma State, Georgia v. Georgia Tech, Virginia v. Virginia Tech, Louisville v. Kentucky, Indiana v. Purdue, Colorado v. Utah, Wisconsin v. Minnesota, Kansas State v. Kansas, Vanderbilt v. Tennessee, Rutgers v. Maryland, Florida State v. Florida
Sources
ESPN
All images courtesy of Getty Images.