CFB Week 13 Recap: The day of the SEC underdog

I really like what David Ubben wrote about this weekend of college football: "In the four-team Playoff era, today would have barely registered in the national title race. Instead, it reshaped it completely." Let's talk about it all!

#2 Ohio State proved why it’s still the big dog in the Big Ten, taking down #5 Indiana in dominant fashion. The Hoosiers made plenty of plays early, forcing several red zone turnovers to keep the game close, but a mishandled punt right before halftime gave the Buckeyes a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The final score of 38-15 won’t make things look good for an Indiana team many are saying doesn’t deserve a CFP spot over an SEC team, but the SEC definitely helped out the Hoosiers Saturday. More on that below.

#3 Texas beat hapless Kentucky to set up an absolutely massive showdown with #15 Texas A&M next weekend. The winner of that game will go on to face #10 Georgia in the SEC title game for a guaranteed spot in the CFP. The Dawgs beat up on UMass to clinch a spot in the SEC CCG for the 4th consecutive season.

#4 Penn State racked up their 10th win of 2024 in the most dramatic way possible. They trailed unranked Minnesota for much of the afternoon, with special teams issues leading to a double digit deficit. But the Nittany Lions didn’t fold, holding the Golden Gophers to two second half field goals while slowly but surely taking the lead late. It’s Penn State’s 3rd straight 10-win season, and puts them in prime position to host a first round CFP game.

#6 Notre Dame is also a 10-win team, throttling previously undefeated #19 Army 49-14 at Yankee Stadium. The Fighting Irish nearly doubled the Black Knights’ total yardage despite holding the ball for 20 minutes less, and the win keeps Notre Dame on track to host a CFP game at Notre Dame Stadium.

#7 Alabama had an inside track to play in the SEC championship game if they won out, while Oklahoma had the worst offense in the SEC and was staring down a bowl-less season for the first time since 1998. Shockingly, the roles were reversed in Norman, with the Sooners dominating the Crimson Tide to the tune of a 24-3 win. The Tide were held without a touchdown for the first time since 2011, with the Sooners defense intercepting Jalen Milroe three times. Milroe was dreadful all night, and Alabama was thoroughly outcoached all evening by a Brent Venables staff that’s been awful in in-game situations during his entire time at Oklahoma. Can a three-loss Alabama team still make the CFP? I’d say no, but chaos elsewhere in the CFB world could make it possible…

#8 Miami was exempt from that chaos, whooping Wake Forest to stay on track for an ACC title game appearance. If the Canes win next week over Syracuse, they’ll head for their first championship game since 2017.

#9 Ole Miss was not exempt from the chaos, playing a listless brand of football at the Swamp to lose to Florida 24-17. Rebels QB Jaxson Dart played his worst with the game on the line, throwing interceptions on their final two possessions to seal bowl-eligibility for the Gators. I’m mighty impressed with how Florida has recovered since their disastrous start to the season, and equally unimpressed with Ole Miss’ failure to take advantage of a clear path to the CFP.

#1 Oregon watched from home this weekend as they prepare for a home game against Washington. The Ducks cliched a spot in the Big Ten championship game after beating Wisconsin last week, although nobody realized it until Tuesday.

#12 SMU continues to impress, clinching a spot in the ACC championship game in their first season in the conference with a 33-7 win over Virginia. The Mustangs do things well on all sides of the ball, and will take on either #8 Miami or #17 Clemson next week. Plus, with all the SEC losses this week, could the ACC sneak a second team into the CFP? I’d rather a Miami team that lost the title game in the CFP over a 3-loss Alabama who’s looked dreadful against most SEC competition.

Big 12 chaos: #21 Arizona State took down #14 BYU to tie the Cougs atop the Big 12’s standings. The Sun Devils were picked to finish last in their new conference, and if they win next week, they’ll play for the Big 12 title and a guaranteed spot in the CFP. This would’ve been good news for #16 Colorado if they hadn’t fumbled the bag against Kansas. The Buffs now have two conference losses as well, and coupled with Iowa State’s win over Utah, that means we’ve got a 4-way tie atop the Big 12 standings. Who said the SEC was the only conference with an absolute mess at the top? 8 teams are still contention for a spot in the Big 12 title game, with Baylor, Texas Tech, West Virginia and Kansas State still having a shot depending on next week’s results.

In a thrilling edition of Illinutgers, #25 Illinois hit a 40-yard touchdown pass with 4 seconds left to edge Rutgers. This came after Rutgers HC Greg Schiano iced the Illini kicker, who missed badly, convincing Bret Bielema to go for the touchdown instead. It was another loss to a ranked team for the Scarlet Knights, who haven’t beaten a ranked team since 2009!

Yes, the Pac-12 is still technically a conference this season, and its champion is Oregon State. They knocked off Washington State, the conference’s only other member, to win the conference “title”. It’s their first conference title since 2000, and their first outright conference championship since 1956!

USC and Nebraska both clinched bowl eligibility yesterday with victories over UCLA and Wisconsin, respectively. It’s the Huskers’ first bowl since 2016, and the Trojans get a chance to salvage a lousy first season in the Big Ten with a bowl game.

Remember when Virginia Tech was a dark horse ACC title contender? Now they’re 5-6 and need to beat rival Virginia next week to become bowl eligible.

#15 Texas A&M will play for a chance at a conference title next weekend, but it isn’t thanks to their performance against Auburn. The Aggies fell in 43-41 in 4OT to a team that had only beaten Kentucky in conference play. Texas A&M dialed up a good 2-point play in the fourth overtime to extend the game, but the receiver just dropped the ball, setting off madness at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Oklahoma State played a barn burner against Texas Tech, but it was their barn that burned all the way to the ground in a 56-48 loss. One more loss to Colorado next weekend will complete a winless season in conference play for the Pokes.

Kent State is the only winless team in the country, and their best shot at a win was against Akron on Tuesday. They lost 38-17. Only Buffalo stands in the way of a winless season for the Golden Flashes.

Oklahoma fans hadn’t stormed the field at The Palace on the Prairie since 2000, so when the opportunity came they ran on the field a tad too early, as in 28 seconds too early. Living up to the Sooner name!

Did you know Kentucky’s trip to Austin for their game against Texas was the furthest west the team had ever traveled for a football game?

Air Force won Saturday without a single passing yard. Long live service academy football.

A Marshall player decided to fight a cameraman after the team’s 42-35 win over Old Dominion for some reason.

During #12 Boise State’s close win over Wyoming, the Broncos ran a fake punt that resulted in… a regular punt???

1. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State RB: The star running back crossed the 2000 yard plateau as his march towards college football’s prestigious trophy continues.

2. Travis Hunter, Colorado DB/WR: Another game, another Travis Hunter ridiculous statline: 125 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns and 7 total tackles on defense. But will the team’s loss hurt his campaign?

3. Cam Ward, Miami QB: Ward got back on track, torching Wake Forest for 280 yards and 3 total touchdowns. He set the single-season Miami passing yard record with 3774, passing Bernie Kosar in the Canes record books.

4. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon QB: The Ducks star was on bye this week, but next week he has the chance to hand Oregon HC Dan Lanning his first ever win over rival Washington.