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The Week 13 college football roundup. The 5 things that matter, winners and losers, overrated and underrated, and what it all means.
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College Football Week 13 Roundup
CFN 1-130 Rankings | Bowl Projections
Early Week 14 Line Lookahead
Rankings: AP | USA Today Coaches | FWAA
– Playoff Rankings Projection
– Predicting every remaining game, conference race
– Big Ten Quick Thoughts
– Arizona State 31, Oregon 28: What It Means
Week 13 Roundup
The Really Big Thing | Most Overrated Thing
Most Underrated Thing | What It All Means
5. Winners & Losers From Week 12
Winner: FIU
Raise your hand if you saw this coming.
Former Miami head coach Butch Davis was having a disappointing season.
His Florida International team was destroyed 50-17 by a Middle Tennessee squad that lost to previously winless Rice. FIU followed it up with a tough 24-17 fight over an awful Old Dominion team, and got rolled by Florida Atlantic 37-7. At 5-5, and with Miami and at Marshall to close, the season appeared to be over, and then …
The biggest run in FIU history. #PawsUp 🐾 | #PantherPride pic.twitter.com/qDemREpcrb
— FIU Football (@FIUFootball) November 25, 2019
FIU 30, Miami 24.
The Golden Panthers were flagged 14 times, but they were +3 in turnover margin, survived 21 fourth quarter points by the Canes, and now … they’re going bowling.
Loser: San Jose State
The chance was there for this to be a wonderful breakthrough season for the Spartans. They started out 3-2 and stunned Army a few weeks later, but they lost five of their last six games. The regular season finale at home against Fresno State appeared to be set up as a big chance to get to six wins and bowl eligibility, but on Saturday … UNLV 38, San Jose State 35.
4-7 San Jose State suffered another losing season.
Winner: QB Kedon Slovis, USC
Is this good? In the last five games, four 400-yard passing games with four touchdown throws in each, a 515-yard day to beat arch-rival UCLA, and helping USC to win five of its last six games in a true freshman season? However, this might be a problem for …
Loser: Those who want Clay Helton gone
There will be certain departures to the next level and elsewhere, but there’s only one senior – Michael Pittman – among the 13 players who caught a pass for USC this season. The top five running backs are all juniors are younger, there’s just one senior on the O line, 12 of the top 13 tacklers are underclassmen, and Slovis is returning at quarterback.
If Clay Helton isn’t the USC head coach next season, the next guy is getting a loaded cupboard.
Winner: Ohio State’s defense
Just how good is the Buckeye D? In 2011, a national champion Alabama team allowed 184 yards per game. No one since then has gone through a season allowing fewer than 220 yards per game.
Ohio State is giving up just 217 yards per game, it’s No. 1 in scoring D, No. 1 in third down stops, and No. 1 in pass defense. Good luck, Michigan.
Loser: Defense in the Oregon State-Washington State game
Wazzu’s Anthony Gordon threw 70 times for 606 yard and six touchdowns … because he had to for an offense that turned it over five times. Oregon State scored 29 fourth quarter points, but biffed a 53-42 lead by giving up two long touchdown drives 2:10 in the 54-53 loss. In all, the two teams combined for 1,242 yards of offense.
Winner: RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin vs. Purdue
Is this good? 91 carries for 762 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 8.4 yards per carry? That what Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor has done in three years against Purdue – all wins.
After doing the most minimal amount of research and giving up, let’s just assume that it’s either the greatest three-game rushing total by anyone against one team, or else it’s really, really close.
Loser: FCS teams vs. the SEC
Look, the SEC plays its layup games against the FCS late in the year instead of the beginning like most teams do – yes, it’s a late-season break, but it’s also not the needed early tune-up the other programs enjoy. With that said …
Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State played, respectively, Western Carolina, Mercer, UT Martin, East Tennessee State, and Abilene Christian. The final combined score?
251-14 with an average score of 50.2 to 2.8.
The most competitive game was Mississippi State’s 45-7 win over ACU – it was 21-7 at halftime.
Winner: Hawaii
And with one missed field goal, Hawaii is now off to its first Mountain West title game to faee Boise State.
Wide right! With a 14-11 @HawaiiFootball win over San Diego State, the Rainbow Warriors are going to their first @MountainWest title game in program history! A new episode of @TheRolovichShow airs tonight at 10:35 p.m. on KGMB! pic.twitter.com/yqzGmcYTRT
— The Nick Rolovich Show (@TheRolovichShow) November 25, 2019
The Rainbow Warriors beat San Diego State 14-11, and now they get a chance to potentially go to Las Vegas. If they beat the Broncos, they go to the Las Vegas Bowl as the Mountain West champ, If they lose, Boise State might end up in the Cotton Bowl as the Group of Five’s New Year’s Six representative. Either way, it’s been a fabulous year for Nick Rolovich and the program that rose up and rocked as one of the best surprises of 2019.
Loser: Maryland
The Terps have been outscored by a total of 217-38 over the last four weeks of their six-game losing streak. It’s one thing to get blasted by Ohio State, Michigan, and Minnesota, but Nebraska? Four different Maryland players attempted a pass, completing 7-of-21 throws for 57 yards in the 54-7 loss.
Week 13 Roundup
The Really Big Thing | Most Overrated Thing
Most Underrated Thing | What It All Means