College football Week 13 winners, losers, overreactions: Playoff continues transition into a new era

Throughout the primary seven years of the College Football Playoff’s existence, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma have been answerable for 20 of 28 accessible appearances and 6 of the seven nationwide championships. As the common season involves a shut in Week 13, it is extremely possible that none of these 4 stalwarts shall be represented as contenders within the 2022 College Football Playoff discipline. 

Instead, welcome new cash to the desk: Georgia and Michigan. The No. 3 Wolverines shocked rival Ohio State on its dwelling discipline due to a breakout efficiency from quarterback J.J. McCarthy and now will be part of the brief record of consecutive playoff contributors. The Bulldogs, in the meantime, are the reigning nationwide champions and must be overwhelming favorites to repeat. 

College football has at all times been cyclical, however we’re witnessing the game cycle in actual time. Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State nonetheless rank amongst championship contenders, however the stranglehold has been loosened as new applications have a possibility to crash the oligarchy for the primary time in years. Lincoln Riley’s USC and Sonny Dykes’ TCU are applications with an instantaneous probability. Brian Kelly’s LSU, Josh Heupel’s Tennessee and Dan Lanning’s Oregon are applications that could possibly be making their circumstances sooner reasonably than later. 

Granted, it is technically doable for Ohio State or Alabama to sneak their means into the sector. A second loss for USC within the Pac-12 title recreation might trigger chaos within the No. 4 spot. Regardless, the new era is clearly upon us. 

Here are extra winners, losers and overreactions from the Week 13 motion in faculty football. 

Winners

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh: Most of the eye has shifted to Ohio State’s collapse over the previous two years, however Michigan’s rise is not possible to disregard. The Wolverines had not crushed Ohio State since 2011 earlier than Harbaugh and his staff shocked the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor, Michigan, final season. Michigan had not crushed Ohio State in consecutive seasons since 2000. Now that is over. Harbaugh was saddled with almost not possible expectations for a Michigan program that has not put collectively constant Big Ten dominance in 20 years, however after six seasons, Harbaugh has advanced and reworked this program into one that’s prepared for the nationwide stage. 

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders took a probability by hiring former highschool coach Joey McGuire, however the determination has rapidly paid dividends. Texas Tech shocked Oklahoma 51-48 in extra time to beat the Sooners and Texas Longhorns in the identical season for the primary time in program historical past. The Red Raiders had not crushed Oklahoma since 2011 and misplaced the final three video games by a mixed 104 factors. Texas Tech quarterback Tyler Shough threw for 436 yards and two touchdowns within the win, whereas operating again SaRodorick Thompson added two dashing scores. Oklahoma completed with 672 yards of offense, but it surely wasn’t sufficient to outlive the Lubbock, Texas, ambiance. The Sooners completed 6-6 within the first 12 months of the Brent Venables era. 

Tulane: The Green Wave got here into the season picked seventh within the preseason AAC ballot after lacking a bowl recreation. After beating two-time defending AAC champion No. 24 Cincinnati within the first ranked victory for Tulane since 1984, the Green Wave are set to host the AAC Championship Game and play for simply their second convention crown since 1949. Running again Tyjae Spears was large with 181 yards dashing and two scores within the slender 27-24 victory, and now Tulane will host UCF with a journey to the Cotton Bowl on the road. This has a probability to finish as some of the profitable seasons in program historical past. 

Losers

LSU: No. 5 LSU was proper on the sting of the College Football Playoff heading into a straightforward matchup in opposition to last-place Texas A&M. Unfortunately for the the Tigers, the Aggies had different plans. Texas A&M lastly put collectively a 30-point efficiency in opposition to FBS competitors with a 38-23 shellacking of LSU handy the Tigers their third lack of the season. Texas A&M operating again Devon Achane bruised LSU to the tune of 215 yards and two touchdowns to offer the Aggies a little little bit of hope getting into a bitter offseason. LSU ought to nonetheless wind up with the SEC’s Sugar Bowl slot, however a brutal one-point loss to Florida State within the opener and this efficiency will stick in first-year coach Brian Kelly’s thoughts for a whole offseason. 

Memphis: The Tigers have been lately some of the dominant applications on the Group of Five stage with three division titles and two convention championships since 2014. But three years into the Ryan Silverfield era, Memphis is careening within the fallacious path. After a 30-11 document within the closing three years of the Mike Norvell era, Silverfield sits at 20-14, together with back-to-back 6-6 seasons following a disappointing loss to SMU. The two-year stretch is the worst at Memphis since 2013. The struggles couldn’t come at a worse time as this system prepares to enter a new era of the AAC after getting overlooked of Big 12 enlargement. There has maybe by no means been a extra essential offseason for Memphis athletics underneath athletic director Laird Veatch. 

Overreactions

This is Caleb Williams’ sport: When Ohio State vs. Michigan ended with C.J. Stroud struggling and Blake Corum injured, the Heisman race was formally up within the air. Luckily for voters, USC quarterback Caleb Williams was completely pleased to make a few of his miraculous performs and take middle stage. 

Williams accomplished 18 of twenty-two passes for 232 yards, rushed for 35 yards and posted 4 touchdowns in a decisive 38-27 win over No. 15 Notre Dame. That does not even come near describing the magic Williams confirmed with numerous spotlight performs in a extremely environment friendly efficiency in opposition to the protection that shut down Clemson. 

Remember, the Heisman Trophy is a narrative award, and there is not a higher narrative in faculty football than Williams transferring to a 4-8 USC staff and taking them to the door of the College Football Playoff in his first season. 

CFP is a four-team race: There are 4 groups separating themselves from the remainder of faculty football: No. 1 Georgia, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 TCU and No. 6 USC. Michigan stole No. 2 Ohio State’s lunch cash for the second straight season, this time on the Buckeyes’ dwelling discipline. Georgia overcame a sluggish begin to shoot previous Georgia Tech. TCU obliterated Iowa State 62-14 to just about quadruple the Cyclones’ earlier worst loss. 

On the opposite aspect, No. 5 LSU was shellacked by a last-place Texas A&M squad. No. 8 Clemson and No. 9 Oregon hit the grime in opposition to lesser opponents, whereas No. 7 Alabama’s greatest win would possibly fall out of the rankings after No. 20 Ole Miss misplaced to Mississippi State on Thursday evening. 

TCU and USC have troublesome matchups forward in opposition to aggressive opponents in convention championship video games. Georgia has a manageable LSU squad, whereas Michigan has a lackluster Purdue staff on the opposite aspect. Regardless, these are the 4 most deserving groups in America. Anyone aside from these 4 getting in on Nov. 4 could be a great disappointment.