Michigan beats Ohio State with style and brazenness, Gamecocks ice the ACC

The quality of Saturday's showdown betwixt No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan is that it was not simply a matchup of playoff contenders successful a heated rivalry game, but it was specified a stark opposition successful styles.

Ohio State is the sports car, each flash and velocity with much accomplishment presumption endowment than the mean Big Ten squad has successful a decade.

Michigan is simply a Jeep, a rugged instrumentality designed for brute force. The Wolverines triumph not by sprinting past opponents, but by moving implicit them.

And if that had been the publication that played retired Saturday -- and, for overmuch of the archetypal half, it was -- the Buckeyes mightiness beryllium headed to the Big Ten rubric game.

Instead, Jim Harbaugh's squad showed it's acold from a one-trick pony. On Saturday, Michigan was Meryl Streep, effortlessly slipping into a caller role, formed against type, and playing the portion perfectly.

In the end, of course, Michigan inactive ran the shot for 252 yards and inactive forced 2 Ohio State turnovers and held the Buckeyes to 5 of 17 connected 3rd and 4th down, but that was simply the denouement. Michigan won done the air, done style, pizzazz and an astir comical level of brazenness from Harbaugh that helium has seldom shown successful the people of his coaching career.

Blake Corum suited up, but helium touched the shot conscionable doubly successful the game. Instead, Michigan relied connected QB J.J. McCarthy to present the large plays.

Back successful September, Harbaugh gambled connected McCarthy arsenic his starter, benching the QB who took the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff successful 2021, Cade McNamara, successful favour of the much versatile sophomore. For overmuch of the season, the gamble paid minimal dividends, with McCarthy deferring to his tally crippled successful a bid of wholly formulaic wins against lesser opponents, similar a poker subordinate checking again and again waiting for conscionable the close manus to spell each in.

Saturday, McCarthy was dealt 1 ace aft another.

Entering the game, Michigan had conscionable 12 completions of 30 yards oregon much each year. Against Ohio State, McCarthy delivered 4 of them, including touchdown throws of 69, 75 and 45.

And if McCarthy's shredding of an overmatched Ohio State secondary wasn't enough, Michigan utilized its linebacker-turned-running backmost to propulsion a 15-yard leap walk connected 3rd down successful what was little a play telephone and much akin to slipping a whoopee cushion onto Ryan Day's spot conscionable arsenic helium sat down for Thanksgiving dinner. It was designed to embarrass arsenic overmuch arsenic to succeed. Such is the quality of a rivalry similar this one.

Perhaps arsenic shocking arsenic Michigan's relation reversal connected discourtesy was the mode Ohio State simply cashed successful its chips down the stretch. The Buckeyes mustered conscionable 3 points successful the 2nd half, turned the shot implicit twice, and watched arsenic Michigan's Donovan Edwards reeled disconnected touchdown runs of 75 and 85 yards connected consecutive drives. Had Ohio State kept the crippled close, fought to the end, took Michigan to the brink -- possibly there'd inactive beryllium a tenable lawsuit to enactment the Buckeyes into the College Football Playoff.

Instead, the epitaph connected their play volition read, "Lost by 22 astatine location to that teaX up north."

It's hard to cognize what this means successful the bigger representation for Michigan. Last year, the Wolverines made the playoff, but their destiny ever felt each but assured, a sacrificial lamb conscionable blessed to unrecorded agelong capable to get a escaped travel to South Beach earlier getting whipped by Georgia.

Saturday showed thing much to the 2022 incarnation though. While Day punted distant chances to adjacent the spread successful the 2nd half, Harbaugh seemed similar a hedge money manager connected a heater astatine a Vegas craps array -- each gas, nary brakes, tipping the waitress with $100 bills connected each caller solid of 2% beverage she brings. While Ohio State was incapable to maneuver the foothills successful its souped-up sports car, Michigan showed it tin sling it astir the field, past tally it down your throat. And portion the Buckeyes were knocked from their spot atop the database of contenders for Georgia's throne, Michigan whitethorn good person delivered a connection that reverberates good beyond Big Ten country. This squad is for real.

Gamecocks crystal the ACC

There was a time, 2 full weeks ago, erstwhile the South Carolina discourtesy was a mess. This was a antithetic era, of course, backmost earlier our agelong nationalist nightmare waiting for Taylor Swift tickets and good earlier Matt Rhule could find Nebraska connected a map. Many radical had lone seen "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" twice. So overmuch has changed since then.

Back successful those acheronian days of mid-November, South Carolina was embarrassed by Florida 38-6 and its discourtesy was successful shambles.

But now, the Gamecocks person the hottest discourtesy successful the state and Spencer Rattler abruptly looks similar ... well, 2020 Spencer Rattler.

After throttling No. 5 Tennessee 63-38 past week, the Gamecocks enactment connected an encore show by toppling No. 8 Clemson for the archetypal clip since 2013, 31-30, and efficaciously ending the ACC's playoff hopes successful the process.

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South Carolina's peculiar teams retrieve the fumble to regain power successful last minutes.

Rattler was dazzling again, completing 25 of 39 passes for 360 yards and 2 touchdowns, portion adding a 3rd connected the ground.

Clemson's DJ Uiagalelei, connected the different hand, was a mess, completing 8 of 29 throws, arsenic the Tigers turned the shot implicit 3 times portion wasting a 14-0 lead.

Will Shipley ran for 132 yards connected the ground, but had conscionable 2 carries connected Clemson's last 4 drives.

Now, the ACC title crippled volition diagnostic 2 teams that some mislaid their rivalry games to adjacent retired the year, with North Carolina losing to NC State 30-27 Friday nighttime successful treble overtime.

South Carolina, connected the different hand, volition wrapper the regular play with a apt top-25 ranking and capable cache to warrant immoderate superior buzz heading into their vessel and beyond. The Gamecocks won 8 regular play games for the archetypal clip since 2017 and snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Tigers -- handing Dabo Swinney his archetypal location nonaccomplishment successful 41 games to boot.

Freeze ends cold

Liberty opened the twelvemonth 8-1, its lone nonaccomplishment coming connected a failed two-point effort against Wake Forest.

Since then, however, the wheels person travel off, and Hugh Freeze appears to inactive beryllium flying down the highway, rims sparking, bumper hanging off, en way to Auburn.

If the Freeze epoch astatine Liberty is over, determination mightiness beryllium a existent statement that this departure, pursuing a 49-14 nonaccomplishment to New Mexico State, is adjacent much embarrassing than the 1 astatine Ole Miss.

Freeze is successful talks to instrumentality the vacant head-coaching occupation astatine Auburn, which 3 weeks agone might've seemed a location tally prosecute for the Tigers.

Now? Well, hard to blasted Freeze for Saturday's result. New Mexico State had lone beaten 1 FBS squad by 35 oregon much successful the past 20 years, truthful intelligibly the Aggies were due.

Saturday's was the cherry connected apical of the embarrassment sundae Liberty has enjoyed the past 3 weeks. First came a nonaccomplishment to UConn, getting the Huskies vessel eligible for the archetypal clip since the Taft medication (Note: We didn't information cheque that, but it feels right). Then came a nonaccomplishment to a 2-8 Virginia Tech that hadn't won since mid-September. And now, an implicit demolition by New Mexico State.

Of course, there's a batch much that volition spell into Auburn's eventual determination than conscionable 3 mostly meaningless games. The important happening connected The Plains is to guarantee the Tigers get a manager who volition happily cod a $40 cardinal buyout successful 2025.

Big bets and atrocious beats

Clemson closed arsenic a 14.5-point favourite against South Carolina connected Saturday, which should've been a definite happening for the Tigers. Dabo Swinney was 62-1 consecutive up erstwhile favored by 2 touchdowns oregon more. Alas, the Gamecocks don't attraction astir history. They lone attraction astir melting faces and covering spreads. South Carolina won outright, a wealth enactment payout of +430.

One bettor dropped $753,535 connected a wealth enactment stake connected Ohio State astatine -315. That wasn't each that smart.

Largest reported Michigan-Ohio St game: $753,535 Buckeyes moneyline (-315). Bet was placed Friday successful New Jersey with @WynnBET. It would triumph $239,214.

Michigan's triumph volition marque for a batch of unsmooth Sunday mornings successful Ohio, and astatine slightest 1 successful Las Vegas.