Rivalry week followed suit with the upsets and shocking results like how many of the other weeks of the college football season have gone. It started on Thanksgiving when Memphis upset Tulane to end their chances of making the playoff. The madness continued on Friday when it took Georgia having a second-half comeback and eight overtime to take down Georgia Tech and keep their playoff hopes alive.
The madness continued into Saturday when Michigan took down Ohio State to knock them out of the Big Ten championship game, and South Carolina went on the road and handed Clemson their third loss. Clemson’s day got better in the afternoon slate when Syracuse took down Miami to knock them out of the ACC title game. This now opens the door for a three-loss team to be competing for a national championship in College Football history. So here are my biggest rivalry week winners and losers in the rankings after this weekend’s results.
Loser: Miami
Miami just needed a win on Saturday to reach the ACC title game and most likely make the college football playoff. Syracuse had other plans for the Hurricanes, as the Orange won 42-38, led by 380 yards and three passing touchdowns by Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord. Despite Miami having a 21-14 halftime lead, the 3rd quarter was when the game flipped, as Syracuse outscored Miami 21-7, including a fumble recovery returned by a touchdown by Devin Grant. Cam Ward did play well for the Hurricanes despite the result, throwing for two touchdowns and 349 yards. Miami now finds themselves out of the playoff, as Clemson will be the second ACC team to make the playoff if they win the ACC championship game on Saturday.
Winner: Alabama
Alabama knocked off Auburn 28-14 to win their fifth straight Iron Bowl. Alabama was led by Jalen Milroe, who had 360 and three rushing touchdowns. Other notable players for the Crimson Tide were Jam Miller with 84 rushing yards, Justice Haynes, who rushed for the other Alabama touchdown, and Germie Bernard with 111 yards receiving. Alabama’s season is now in the committee’s hands as they have not qualified for the SEC championship game. With Miami losing it no longer seems like a guarantee that the ACC gets two teams in the field. Alabama is the leader of the pack when it comes to three-loss SEC teams, and finds themselves in the playoff currently due to their win over Georgia.
Loser: Ohio State
After looking like it was going to be a rematch between the top two teams in the country in the Big Ten title game, Michigan said not so fast my friend, taking down the Buckeyes for the fourth straight time, 13-10 in Columbus. Kicking played a big role in the result, as Ohio State kicker Jayden Fielding went 1/3 on field goal attempts, while Michigan kicker Dominic Zvada was 2/2, including the game-winner with 45 seconds to play. Michigan outgained Ohio State 173-77 in rushing yards, which played a big factor in the game.
While he did throw two interceptions, Will Howard threw for 175 yards and a touchdown to Jeremiah Smith, having many Buckeye fans wondering why they did not try to pass the ball more. Despite not playing in the Big Ten Championship game, the Buckeyes will still most likely find themselves in the playoff but will not have a bye and will most likely have to play Oregon or the SEC champion in the second round.
Winner: Iowa State
Iowa State took down Kansas State 29-21 to clinch their first ten-win season in program history. Rocco Bendt led the Cyclones offensively, contributing to every touchdown, passing for two and rushing for another. The Iowa State defense played a big role in the win, forcing two fumbles and a safety. With their and BYU’s victories, Iowa State now finds themselves in the Big 12 championship on Saturday against Arizona State, and with a win will qualify for the college football playoff.
Loser: Texas A&M
Despite three losses entering Saturday, Texas A&M controlled its destiny when making the college football playoff, as they needed a win against Texas to make the SEC championship game and would qualify for the playoff if they won that game. But the Aggies fell 17-7 in the Lone Star Showdown and ended that possibility. An interception returned for a touchdown by Will Lee III was the only score for Texas A&M in the game. The Aggies’ offense gained only 248 yards in the game and turned the ball over twice. Texas A&M was also 0-3 in fourth-down conversion attempts, which also cost them multiple scoring opportunities.
Winner: Notre Dame
Notre Dame knocked off USC 49-35 for their tenth-straight win to finish the regular season 11-1. The Fighting Irish rushing attack was dominant, rushing for 260 yards and three touchdowns. Jadrian Price rushed for 111 yards, Jeremiah Love rushed for 99 yards, and Riley Leonard had 50 yards to go, with each of them finding the endzone once. Leonard threw for the other two Notre Dame touchdowns, connecting with Mitchell Evans and Eli Raridon. Defensively, Notre Dame returned two interceptions for touchdowns, both 99+ yards on back-to-back possessions by Christian Gray and Xavier Watts. While Notre Dame cannot get a first-round bye in the playoff, they will be on bye conference championship weekend, and should finish in their highest possible spot, the fifth seed, despite their loss to NIU early in the year.
