College Football Rankings: B/R's Top 25 After Week 12
Week 12 in college football was a pretty uneventful one, in terms of big drama or upsets. In the early slate of games, No. 3 Michigan took care of business on the road without Jim Harbaugh against Maryland, winning 31-24. No. 10 Louisville clinched its first-ever berth to the ACC Championship Game, holding off Miami on the road 38-31.
In the afternoon slate, there were also few surprises. No. 1 Georgia made a statement on the road against No. 18 Tennessee, winning 38-10. No. 6 Oregon had no problems at Arizona State, winning 42-0, and No. 2 Ohio State won at Minnesota 37-0.
In the evening set of games, we finally had a bit of drama. No. 5 Washington got past a tough No. 11 Oregon State team 22-20, No. 7 Texas moved to 10-1 with a 26-16 win on the road over Iowa State and No. 9 Missouri beat Florida 33-31.
Bleacher Report's college football expert panel consisting of David Kenyon, Adam Kramer, Morgan Moriarty and Brad Shepard ranked the Top 25 as so following Week 12:
1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Ohio State
4. Washington
5. Florida State
6. Oregon
7. Texas
8. Alabama
T-9. Louisville
T-9. Missouri
11. Ole Miss
12. Penn State
13. Oklahoma
14. Arizona
15. Oregon State
16. LSU
17. Tulane
18. Liberty
19. Notre Dame
T-20. Iowa
T-20. Oklahoma State
22. Kansas State
23. Toledo
24. James Madison
25. SMU
Who's Hot: Washington Gets Statement Victory on the Road over Oregon State
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Folks, the Washington Huskies are for real. Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies went on the road to play in a hostile, cold and rainy environment to play Oregon State. In a closely contested battle throughout, the Huskies moved to 11-0 on the season with a 22-20 victory over the Beavers.
Although Washington led 22-10 at halftime, Oregon State showed fight in the second half, scoring a touchdown and a field goal while keeping the Huskies out of the end zone entirely. On Oregon State's final possession of the night, the Beavers only managed to make it down to their own 47 yardline, as the Husky defense forced a D.J. Uiagalelei incompleton on 4th-and-5.
Credit to Oregon State's defense though, holding the Huskies to their second-lowest point total of the season. It was a much quieter night for Penix Jr., who finished with just 162 yards passing and two touchdowns with zero interceptions.
With the victory, the Huskies also officially punched their ticket to the Pac-12 title game. It looks like Washington will face Oregon in that one, but the Ducks have to play Oregon State next week.
Sure, this win wasn't the prettiest for Washington, but any road win at this point in the season matters. Next up for Washington's quest to finish 12-0 is rival Washington State, which comes to town on Saturday.
Who's Not: James Madison Loses in a Heartbreaker, and We Hate to See It
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Man, what a tough break for James Madison on Saturday. The hype surrounding the 10-0 Dukes ahead of their game against App State was real. In the morning, JMU hosted ESPN's 'College GameDay' for the first time since 2017 and drew the biggest crowd in the show's history with 26,000 strong.
But there was still a game to play against the Mountaineers, who entered this one riding a four-game win streak. App State came out swinging, and led 17-5 early in the fourth quarter. But the Dukes scored two touchdowns late while holding App State's offense to just a field goal to force overtime.
In OT, JMU managed to just come up with a field goal on its possession while App State quarterback Joey Aguilar threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Kaedin Robinson to end JMU's hopes for a dream, undefeated season.
It's obviously disappointing, especially on the heels of the NCAA denying JMU's waiver to play in a bowl game earlier this week. But the Dukes can still be proud of this season, even with the loss. Following an 8-3 season last year and at least a 10-win season this year, it's a massive jump in head coach Curt Cignetti's Year Two in the FBS. The future is certainly bright in Harrisonburg.
Fun Fact: Georgia's Unbeaten in SEC 3 Years in a Row, 1st Time Since 1992
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What Georgia has done the last three seasons is massively impressive. The Dawgs have won two national titles, and look like they have a great shot at reaching a third.
But with Georgia's statement 38-10 win over Tennessee on the road, the Dawgs also made SEC history. Georgia became the first team since 1992—when the conference split into divisions—to go unbeaten in SEC play for three straight seasons. The Dawgs also are now tied for the longest win streak in SEC play, alongside Alabama's record in the 1970s.
Although Tennessee took an early 7-0 lead on the first play from scrimmage on a 75-yard touchdown run from Jaylen Wright, the Dawgs responded quickly. Georgia scored 24 points and held the Vols to just a field goal to take a 24-10 lead at halftime. The Dawgs added 14 more unanswered points in the second half to win handily.
Dawgs QB Carson Beck had a masterful day, going 24-of-30 for 298 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions. Georgia also went an impressive nine-of-13 on third down.
Georgia will face rival Georgia Tech at home before a date in the SEC Championship game against Alabama. With as good as this Georgia team has looked in back-to-back weeks against Ole Miss and Tennessee, we'll see if this Alabama team can challenge Georgia in a way it hasn't been all season.
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Looking Ahead: Massive Rivalry Week Looms with Big CFP Implications
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The weekend after Thanksgiving in college football means one thing—rivalry week. This year, there are some key matchups across the weekend that have major playoff implications.
For starters on Friday, Texas will look to keep its playoff hopes alive with its home season finale against a Texas Tech team that's won its last three straight games. No. 6 Oregon also looks to keep its Pac-12 title game hopes alive with a game against Oregon State. The Beavers won 38-34 last season in Corvallis.
On Saturday, the headliner is undoubtedly No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Michigan in The Big House. The winner of this one will go to the Big Ten title game representing the Big Ten East, and will be in the driver's seat for the playoff. The loser could absolutely still have a shot to make it in, if some other one-loss contenders stumble during Championship Saturday.
Elsewhere, Alabama will look to win four straight over Auburn in the Iron Bowl, and Washington hosts Washington State in Seattle. The winner of both will play in the SEC and Pac-12 title games, respectively, with a win. Florida State plays Florida in Gainesville, in a game that looks newly more intriguing—the Gators look like they could potentially pull off an upset as the Noles unfortunately play this one without Jordan Travis at quarterback.
We should have ourselves a fun final week of the regular season as the 2023 season starts to wind down.
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