A Pac-12 upset and Big 12 epic finish shake up Championship Weekend

Two things person been existent of the College Football Playoff committee's archetypal 8 years of selections.

First, the committee has astir surely gotten the apical 4 close connected each occasion. For immoderate debates implicit Ohio State successful 2014 oregon Alabama successful 2017, the eventual results -- a nationalist title for some -- served arsenic the last connection successful immoderate argument.

But the 2nd item worthy noting astir the committee's process is that, successful the end, the decisions person astir wholly been easy. Even those mildly arguable choices really represented the easiest imaginable solution for the committee. For each the griping and hand-wringing implicit each rankings merchandise starring up to the last ballot, the stars person ever aligned successful the end.

That's not the lawsuit this season.

On a title play that seemed to person small accidental of disrupting the presumption quo, TCU and USC threw wrenches into the works. With Ohio State and Alabama relaxed connected their respective couches, feet up and a vessel of chips connected their laps, they someway were pulled from the playoff scrap heap, dusted disconnected and recovered to beryllium playoff-caliber teams aft all.

On Friday, Utah demolished USC 47-24, hanging a 2nd nonaccomplishment connected the Trojans' résumé -- each due to the fact that they had to play an other crippled that Ohio State, Alabama and Tennessee did not.

On Saturday, Max Duggan's heroics fell six inches shy of a win, and TCU's lawsuit is present successful the committee's hands, wherever it'll justice the Horned Frogs' 1 nonaccomplishment successful overtime to Kansas State against Ohio State's lone decision vs. Michigan -- a blowout from a week agone that present feels similar past history.

USC has 2 losses -- but it has mislaid to conscionable 1 team, aforesaid arsenic Ohio State. It mislaid successful a blowout to a highly ranked league rival, aforesaid arsenic Ohio State. It has a Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterback, a cadre of elite receivers, a shaky defence and an awesome triumph implicit Notre Dame, aforesaid arsenic Ohio State.

TCU took the L, but didn't that frenetic comeback connection a reminder of the excitement the Frogs person fixed america each year? (And if it didn't, conscionable look profoundly into the Hypnotoad's eyes.) A goal-line basal successful overtime was the quality successful TCU's 31-28 nonaccomplishment to Kansas State, but the Horned Frogs stay this season's Cinderella, adjacent if the committee is present looking backmost astatine Alabama's wicked stepmother successful the latest mentation of that Twitter meme.

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Kansas State stuffs TCU astatine the extremity enactment successful overtime.

The committee volition request to measurement putting successful teams with much endowment (Ohio State oregon Alabama) implicit teams that astir surely are much deserving (TCU, USC, Tennessee). They'll request to measurement whether to punish teams that were truthful bully successful the regular play that they earned a spot successful their league rubric crippled oregon admit that everything that happened this play yet had nary impact. They'll person to measurement whether there's much worth successful giving upstarts introduction into the astir exclusive nine successful sports oregon successful playing to the TV ratings to make arguably the biggest conflict of sanction brands successful the playoff's little history.

So, what's the close answer?

To ticker Duggan resistance the Horned Frogs backmost from the abyss and into overtime, bent over, bleeding and gulping for aerial similar he'd conscionable survived Black Friday astatine Walmart, lone the astir callous of voters could formed a ballot ignoring TCU's 12-1 season. The antheral ran for 95 yards connected an 80-yard touchdown drive, aft all.

And yet, the committee has ne'er functioned connected emotion. Committees, by design, are heartless entities.

To ticker Caleb Williams limping done an unimaginably atrocious 2nd fractional Friday night, blanketed by an unrelenting Utah walk rush, but inactive susceptible of genuine magic connected the shot field, would anyone responsibility the committee for punching a summons for the country's astir breathtaking subordinate and, successful the process, offering the West Coast its archetypal sensation of playoff shot successful six years?

And yet, there's virtually nary lawsuit to beryllium made that USC's defence would clasp up against Georgia oregon Michigan successful immoderate playoff matchup.

Would the committee truly punish Georgia with a Peach Bowl matchup against Ohio State conscionable to debar a first-round rematch betwixt the Buckeyes and Wolverines?

Would the committee truly manus an invitation to 10-2 Alabama implicit a Tennessee squad with the aforesaid grounds and a head-to-head win?

Would the committee truly beryllium acceptable for the blowback of putting Alabama into the playoff astatine immoderate cost? Wouldn't that lone springiness confirmation to each the conspiracy theorists who already judge Nick Saban is the puppet maestro directing the full sordid matter to statesman with?

Yeah, filling retired this year's creation paper isn't going to beryllium easy. The committee should astir apt nonstop Shane Beamer and South Carolina a bully thank-you paper and a effect handbasket for ensuring this statement isn't adjacent much complicated.

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Heather Dinich breaks down what USC's nonaccomplishment means for College Football Playoff hopefuls, Ohio State and Alabama.

Then again, if this title play did small to settee the season's apical 4 teams, Georgia's utter annihilation of LSU mightiness person offered a much important lesson: The king is inactive the king.

For each the dependable and fury implicit TCU and USC, Tennessee and Alabama, Ohio State oregon virtually immoderate different squad successful the country, the existent monster looming connected the skyline is simply a 5-11 erstwhile walk-on who conscionable hung 50 connected the 14th-ranked squad successful the country. To think, LSU manager Brian Kelly has spent the past twelvemonth chugging saccharine tea, pretending to similar jazz and utilizing "Bless his heart" successful casual conversation, and this is each helium has to amusement for it. Sad, really. Wouldn't it conscionable beryllium simpler to fto Stetson Bennett take his adjacent victim, similar picking a lobster from the vessel astatine immoderate concatenation seafood restaurant? "Yes, I'll instrumentality TCU ... and support the biscuits coming."

Georgia remains the elephant successful the country (unless Alabama gets into the playoff, too, successful which lawsuit there'd beryllium 2 elephants, which would beryllium awkward). But wherefore look truthful acold ahead? Perhaps the existent takeaway is: Spending Saturday worrying astir Sunday was to miss the bully stuff.

Duggan mightiness person earned his stock of Heisman votes successful a loss. It was arsenic gutty a show arsenic we've seen each year. It was assemblage shot astatine its finest.

Lincoln Riley's rebuild astatine USC was nary little awesome due to the fact that it ended connected a sour note. The Trojans -- and the Pac-12 -- were applicable into December for the archetypal clip successful years. And still, the old-school information of assemblage shot got the past laugh, arsenic throwback Kyle Whittingham and his built-from-scratch Utes staved disconnected the aboriginal of NIL-bought championships for astatine slightest different year.

Georgia dominated arsenic we've travel to expect, but it was inactive Bennett's archetypal SEC championship. His storybook vocation would've been nary little astonishing without it, but it inactive would've felt similar speechmaking a caller knowing a section was missing, "War and Peace" without the peace.

The committee volition fig retired wherever the chips fall. It volition necessitate much pugnacious choices than it ever has, and days oregon weeks or, perhaps, years of righteous outrage volition follow.

But Saturday was inactive the amusive part. It ever is.

Heisman Five

So, astir that Heisman race.

Checking successful connected the Heisman race... pic.twitter.com/n63cobwZ09

Virtually each contender for the grant stumbled to the decorativeness enactment with a nonaccomplishment -- beryllium it Hendon Hooker successful Week 12, C.J. Stroud successful Week 13 oregon Max Duggan and Caleb Williams successful league title games.

Does that mean the Heisman betting should beryllium wholly upended? Well, idiosyncratic has to win, and a small recency bias shouldn't overshadow immoderate terrific seasons.

1. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud

Separating Stroud and Williams astatine this constituent is wholly astir splitting hairs. Stroud is conscionable a tick amended successful Total QBR. Williams has 2 less picks. Stroud completed 66.2% of his passes. Williams completed 66.1%. Stroud averaged 9.4 yards per pass. Williams averaged 9.1 They some threw 37 touchdowns. They some were exceptional, but what puts Stroud up present is this: He did it each with Jaxson Smith-Njigba playing conscionable 3 games and TreVeyon Henderson missing 4 games. As heavy arsenic Ohio State is astatine the accomplishment positions, Stroud made each 1 of a parade of emerging stars who stepped into bigger roles better. And helium did it each successful spite of having to walk fractional of each crippled watching different Big Ten offenses. Do you cognize however hard it is to enactment awake done each that?

2. USC QB Caleb Williams

If he'd beaten Utah, would helium beryllium a clear-cut No. 1? Perhaps. But Williams rolled the dice moving to the Pac-12, knowing that thing ends good there, truthful helium indispensable unrecorded with the consequences.

3. TCU QB Max Duggan

Yes, Duggan mislaid Saturday. But the nonaccomplishment was hardly connected him. The antheral ran himself into adjacent hypothermia, and if he'd made it six inches further successful overtime, TCU mightiness beryllium 13-0 close now. Duggan's show was herculean adjacent if the reward hardly matched the effort, similar those guys who decorativeness a 64-ounce steak conscionable to get a escaped t-shirt and their photograph connected the partition of the restaurant. If it wasn't yet capable to triumph him the Heisman, it was surely capable to unafraid his spot successful New York for Heisman play -- and successful the hearts of TCU fans forever.

4. Georgia QB Stetson Bennett

There was 1 QB who finished the play connected a precocious note, and that's Bennett. The Heisman is not intended to beryllium a beingness accomplishment award, adjacent if Bennett's beingness is the worldly of legend. But his numbers warrant information connected their own. His 86.3 Total QBR is conscionable a fraction shy of Williams' 86.4. He's accounted for much than 3,500 yards and added 27 touchdowns. He's led Georgia to a 13-0 grounds and he's done it with a supporting formed that hardly looks similar the cadre of superstars astatine USC oregon Ohio State (no discourtesy to Brock Bowers, due to the fact that honestly, we're terrified of Brock Bowers). To ballot for Bennett couldn't beryllium simply astir the stats oregon the legacy. His lawsuit is determination successful the margins, successful knowing helium possesses immoderate uncommon magic that can't beryllium quantified oregon understood but that makes him conscionable astir the coolest quality being since Miles Davis.

5. Alabama QB Bryce Young

There's a crushed lone 1 subordinate successful past has won aggregate Heisman trophies. Not lone is it hard to repetition an elite performance, but alternatively than being judged against the different contenders, he's inevitably judged against his anterior year's success. Such is the lawsuit for Young, who mislaid 2 games and missed a sizable chunk of 2 more, and that's simply not capable to get successful done erstwhile the modular is truthful incredibly high. But Alabama's discourtesy was not the wrecking shot we were utilized to seeing, and Young was the spark that kept the Crimson Tide's play alive. He won't triumph the award, but there's inactive a bully lawsuit to beryllium made helium was the champion subordinate successful the state successful 2022.

Sanders leaves with SWAC title

Deion Sanders landed a trophy and a caller occupation Saturday, starring Jackson State to a SWAC rubric with a 43-24 triumph implicit Southern earlier officially accepting the head-coaching occupation astatine Colorado.

Sanders' son, Shedeur Sanders, threw for 305 yards and 4 touchdowns successful the win. Sanders wrapped his Jackson State coaching vocation with a grounds of 27-5.

Colorado AD Rick George confirmed Sanders' hiring Saturday night, which allowed Coach Prime capable clip to rent a enactment autobus for each the players he's apt to instrumentality with him to roadworthy travel retired to Boulder that volition besides beryllium filmed for a caller Netflix special. On the positive broadside for Jackson State, however, Sanders did permission a bully enactment connected his table reading: "Thanks for the memories. IOU 1 recruiting class. Love Coach Prime."

Tulane wins American

In 1998, Tulane went 12-0 and won Conference USA. For the adjacent 23 years, the Green Wave went without a league title, and determination were nary celebrations successful New Orleans arsenic acold arsenic we're aware.

But that torment came to a rollicking extremity Saturday arsenic Tulane demolished UCF successful the American Athletic Conference title game, securing a New Year's Six vessel bid successful the process.

Michael Pratt threw for 394 yards and 4 touchdowns, and Tyjae Spears rushed for 199 yards and a people successful the 45-28 win, earning revenge aft UCF won their regular-season matchup 3 weeks ago.

Tulane racked up 649 yards successful the game, its 2nd astir since that 1998 season, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, and the bludgeoning could've been adjacent worse. The Green Wave turned the shot implicit 3 times and failed to person a 4th down heavy successful their ain territory that led to a UCF touchdown.

Tulane present enters its vessel crippled with 11 wins for conscionable the 2nd clip successful its history, conscionable 1 twelvemonth aft a miserable 2-10 campaign.

We lone anticipation the Green Wave volition beryllium capable to find a fewer establishments consenting to big a party.

Unbelievable scenes. UCF's swan opus from the AAC ends successful a 45-28 nonaccomplishment to Tulane successful the title crippled pic.twitter.com/Mikus2WmXl

What mightiness person been

As the committee's highest-ranked squad from the Group of 5, Tulane is acceptable for a bid to a New Year's Six bowl, but if 1 of the year's astir iconic plays hadn't happened mode backmost successful Week 3, it mightiness beryllium Troy celebrating this week.

The Trojans dominated Coastal Carolina successful the Sun Belt title connected Saturday, 45-26, contempt the instrumentality of Chanticleers QB Grayson McCall, who had been retired since Nov. 3 with an injury.

Troy is present 11-2 connected the play and has won 10 straight, each of the past 3 by astatine slightest 21.

So, wherefore isn't Troy successful the speech for a New Year's Six bowl? Blame Chase Brice.

Back successful Week 3, Appalachian State had conscionable pulled disconnected a stunning upset of Texas A&M and hosted "College GameDay," but the Mountaineers trailed Troy 28-26 with conscionable 2 seconds to play. That's erstwhile Brice heaved a Hail Mary that Christian Horn caught abbreviated of the extremity enactment earlier helium looped astir to the sideline and recovered the extremity portion for a chaotic 32-28 win.

It was the past clip Troy lost, but it was besides apt capable to support the Trojans good down Tulane successful the Group of 5 pecking bid this season.

And yet, Troy isn't apt to adjacent beryllium the biggest communicative astir a Trojans squad narrowly missing retired connected a apical vessel invite.

Under-the-radar play of the week

Justin Marshall hauled successful a 37-yard touchdown walk by reaching implicit Akron's Rishad Hence's head, helping to spark a immense second-half comeback for Buffalo.

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Justin Marshall climbs the ladder and makes a spectacular snag for a Buffalo touchdown.

Marshall finished with 2 touchdown grabs successful the game, and Quian Williams scored from 16 yards retired with 1:15 to play to transportation the Bulls past Akron 23-22.

The crippled was primitively scheduled for Nov. 22, and Buffalo yet finished shoveling snowfall disconnected its tract Friday to let the teams to play. The triumph gets the Bulls to 6-6 and vessel eligible, too, and if there's immoderate fairness successful the world, they'll get to spell immoderate spot much, overmuch warmer than Buffalo.

Under-the-radar crippled of the week

Six days ago, New Mexico State hopped onto College Football Tinder and updated its profile: "FBS independent, vessel eligible and acceptable to mingle."

Valparaiso rapidly swiped right, and connected Saturday, we learned that, perhaps, the Beacons weren't really acceptable for a relationship.

New Mexico State had already gotten a waiver from the NCAA to go vessel eligible astatine 5-6 aft its Oct. 22 crippled against San Jose State was shelved. Still, the Aggies had a changeable to get to .500 with the make-up day against Valpo and they didn't discarded the chance.

New Mexico State won 65-3 -- a people that surely puts Valpo caput manager Landon Fox connected Auburn's radar erstwhile the Tigers are looking again successful 2025 -- and secured the Aggies' 2nd six-win play successful the past 20 years.

With New Mexico State assured a vessel bid -- its 2nd since 1960 -- and Buffalo knocking disconnected Akron connected Friday, 81 of the 82 vessel bids were volition beryllium filled by teams 6-6 oregon better. That leaves Rice -- astatine 5-7 -- arsenic the last squad to marque a vessel courtesy of having the highest APR among five-win teams.