College football winners, losers, overreacts in Week 13: The Middle Class Brings New Blood to the Playoff Race

In the first seven years of the College Soccer League, four teams won 17 of the 28 available slots: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma. After a week of frenzied competition, the sport is about to hit a playoff with none of the above.

For years, critics of the four teams’ performance have argued that expanding the field would be good for the game and attract more shows. Instead, football’s middle class decided to rise up and beat the shows that have dominated the sport since the playoff era began in 2014.

Oklahoma’s No. 10 position is overtaken by No. 7 Oklahoma State in it Bedlam first hole since 2014 and is only third since Mike Gundy took over the Cowboys in 2005. Not to be outdone, Ohio State No. 2 physical breakdown against number 5 Michigan for the first loss in The Game since 2011. No. 3 Alabama survived – just enough – against opponents Auburn, but it’s best to limp and prepare to step into the number 1 wood chipper Georgia.

Immediately, CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm Project No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Cincinnati and number 4 Oklahoma State is the likely playoff area. The Wolverines boast their most recent championship, the 1997 split national championship that ushered in the BCS. Georgia followed with the title in 1980. Oklahoma State claimed the undisclosed Sagarin ranked national championship (sorry, Pokes) in 1945, while Cincinnati had no title – or even a top finish. year – to declare.

The thing is, some fan base is about to become history happy. And when that happens, witnessing some fresh blood competing and winning at the highest level of the sport will only show why expanding the playoff playing field is indisputable. .

Few, if any, can expect teams to place 15th, 47th, and 54th in General talent sports 247 to beat the 3rd, 6th and 12th placed teams in championship-defining situations. When things went right, there were enough good players and coaches throughout the sport to create mayhem. And with Oklahoma, Ohio State and Clemson now set to flop, there will be more opportunities than ever for the middle class to show that on any given day, they can compete with the very best.

Here are more winners, losers, and overtrading from Week 13 of College football.

Winner

Michigan: Finally, Jim Harbaugh’s moment has come. After losing his first five games to Ohio State, his Wolverines posted their biggest win since his arrival in Ann Arbor. Michigan dashed for nearly 300 yards and made the Buckeyes look soft in one of the most athletic displays of the season. Suddenly it’s Ohio State have to answer existential questions about the national championship. In many ways, this is the team that was promised when Harbaugh took over the program in 2015. The Wolverines won with effective midfield play, tight defense and a strong running game that became much more. under attack coordinator Josh Gattis. There may not be a bigger winner in college football this season… assuming the Wolverines can come out on top Iowa next week and win their first Big Ten championship since 2004.

Ed Orgeron: Coach O had a pretty good life on Bayou. The first time he led LSU won the national championship with Heisman winner Joe Burrow in one of the greatest runs of all time. Then, after his touted assistants leave for another job, he earns a sizable golden parachute and is left with warm applause as he beats – who else? – LSU training target reported Jimbo Fisher and his number 15 Texas A&M 27-24 in his last game as head coach of the Tigers. Regardless of how it ended, Orgeron will be a Louisiana legend forever.

Oklahoma State: Like Michigan, Oklahoma State’s struggles against rivalries have defined the program over the past decade. The only two wins for the Cowboys came when they picked the best team in show history in 2011 and then in 2014. This time it was different. Oklahoma State failed to catch Oklahoma in a single-season absence; Playoff hopes came in for both shows as the Sooners ended their time in the Big 12. Dropping two points into the fourth quarter, Oklahoma State emerged as a physically and mentally stronger team, surpassing them. past the Sooners 14-0 and did not allow a single point of attack in the second half. If this is Bedlam’s last moment in Stillwater in years, Oklahoma State fans can rest assured.

Washington state: Few shows have faced the adversity that Cougars faced in the last year. Former head coach Nick Rolovich had a huge feud with the administration of a COVID-19 vaccine, and he was ultimately fired for statewide duty. Young assistant Jake Dickert was given the helm of the show mid-year. However, the Cougars have come back and won three of their last four Pac-12 games, including a 40-13 win over the opponent. Washington for their first Apple Cup win since 2012. For his efforts, Wazzu named Dickert full-time head coach.

Loser

Nebraska: I don’t believe in jinxes or curses, but Cornhuskers, what have you done to anger the football gods? Nebraska ended one of the most unlucky seasons in college football history with a record ninth lost by one digit, a 28-21 decision against 16 Iowa. ‘The Huskers took a 21-6 lead with 5:54 left in the third inning, but left 22 points unanswered in time, including a two-yard run by the Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras to capture the game. Nebraska coach Scott Frost will return for one more season in 2022, but for his own sake, he’d better perform an exorcism on Memorial Stadium before that campaign even started.

UTSA: The good news is that UTSA is still organizing Western Kentucky in the Conference USA championship game. January 11 was an unprecedented moment for one of the nation’s youngest programs, and head coach Jeff Traylor has made a lifelong commitment to the program. The bad news is that Roadrunners took the emotional win first UAB with a staggering 45-23 defeat at North Texas that ended their perfect season and allowed Mean Green to claim good standing. UTSA may not end the season with a top 25 finish after the loss, and the odds of winning a starting spot on a losing-only Conference USA roster have been significantly reduced.

Wisconsin: Going into play week, Wisconsin’s season can be split into two parts: Allen pre-Braylon and Allen post-Braylon. But in the previous 23-13 loss Minnesota, Badgers number 14 proved that the second-half renaissance had more to do with competition than the introduction of a talented freshman running home alone. The Gophers held Wisconsin by just 62 yards on the charge and lost a total of 233 yards when the Badgers blew their chance to make the Big Ten Championship Game.

Need more college football in your life? Listen below and subscribe to the Cover 3 podcast, where we share all of the Week 13 action from Saturday.

Bryce Young is the new pioneer company of Heisman

With 90 seconds left and the ball at the 3-yard line against Auburn, the obituary is written about Alabama’s 2021 campaign. Then Young happened.

While facing immense pressure behind a struggling attack, the red shirt freshman completed four 83-yard passes in 71 seconds, including a 28-yard bomb to Ja’Corey Brooks to put the Iron Bowl into overtime. Young then threw another touchdown and a pair of two-point conversions into the final area to eventually outlast the Tigers in four extra time with a 24-22 victory.

Auburn isn’t a quality competitor – and the Crimson Tide is far from a solid national title contender – but that doesn’t matter. On a day where the main competitor CJ Stroud Losing his rival game to miss the Big Ten title game, Young’s heroes will bring him to the front of the Heisman race. Now, he just needs to do the same against Georgia’s No. 1 defence to win.

The ‘new’ Big 12 is being set up nicely

When Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby received a message that Texas and Oklahoma kicked off the conference for the SEC in July, there’s no way he could have known the future could be this bright next November.

On Saturday, Oklahoma’s six years of dominance came to an end. Elsewhere, the number 24 Houston cement its place in the top 25 and can play the spoils of 4 Cincinnati in next week’s AAC Championship Game. While the league would miss Oklahoma, the Big 12 instead added the Bearcats, an expected playoff participant, in its place. By contrast, Texas has missed just its fourth bad game since 1998 having suffered its worst losing streak since 1956 under first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian. Even in a off season, UCF won eight under first-year coach Gus Malzahn.

While Oklahoma and Texas are still the only Big 12 shows to have won multiple national championships, it’s the top quality of Big 12 football that suddenly takes a stronghold. With Baylor, Oklahoma State and Cincinnati at the risk of locking down their highly regarded coaches for long, the future on the field looks bright for the new league.

It’s true, the $100 million question – literally – is how do broadcasting networks see the Big 12 moving forward. There is no guarantee that the sport’s power brokers appreciate winning football (thanks to the Longhorns). Still, the league has many clear playoff contenders in the coming years that at least give the Big 12 a solid base.