Winners and Losers from Week 14 of College Football
Like rivalry games? How about not being able to predict how any game is going to go? Then Week 14 was for you.
Rivalry week was filled with a lot of close calls, a few upsets and a side of chaos. From Marshall's stunning first loss of the season to Georgia Tech's wild win over Georgia, there's a lot to discuss. Mississippi State's loss sends Alabama to the SEC championship, and the Tide won a shootout against Auburn.
Which teams and players came out of Week 14 as winners? Which ones didn't? The answers are in the following slides.
Winner: Missouri
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It's been a bizarre year in the SEC East, but Missouri's back-to-back division titles have made for an impressive run. With their 21-14 win over Arkansas on Friday, the Tigers became just the fifth SEC school (the others being Florida, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama) to record consecutive divisional championships.
Furthermore, Mizzou is 14-2 in the past two years in the SEC. That's no easy task, regardless of the division or conference.
Not enough is being made of what head coach Gary Pinkel, in his 14th year with Mizzou, has done transitioning the program from the Big 12 to the SEC. In the Big 12, the Tigers won with offense; in the SEC, Missouri has become a defensive force with excellent edge-rushers.
Yes, Missouri lost at home to Indiana earlier in the year. Of all the losses for 10-win teams out there, that is easily the worst. But the Tigers took care of business in conference play and have a chance to turn the playoff picture on its head.
Loser: UCLA
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UCLA controlled its Pac-12 South destiny, appeared to have finally turned a corner after a sluggish start to the season and was a potential playoff bracket-buster.
So, naturally, the Bruins coughed up a 31-10 loss to Stanford on Friday. The game puts UCLA at another good-not-great 9-3 record and sends Arizona to the Pac-12 Championship against Oregon.
It is, unfortunately, the same story but different year for UCLA. Jim Mora's team has arguably the best quarterback (Brett Hundley) and most productive defender (linebacker Eric Kendricks) to come through the program in years, yet it wasn't able to get the job done in a wide-open division.
Furthermore, losses to Oregon and Stanford this year means UCLA still hasn't defeated either team since 2008. In all, UCLA is 0-12 against the Cardinal and Ducks in that span and has lost each game by an average of 20.3 points.
Winner: Clemson
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Not since taking over as Clemson's head coach full time at the end of 2008 has Dabo Swinney defeated in-state rival South Carolina. Suffice to say, Swinney and the Tigers exorcised some demons on Saturday in a 35-17 win over the Gamecocks.
It's not just that Clemson got the win, it's that the Tigers won convincingly. Freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson, who apparently played with a torn ACL, according to Swinney (via Larry Williams of TigerIllustrated.com), had 269 yards passing and four total touchdowns. It's been a disappointing season for Clemson on some levels, and Watson's health/availability has played a role in that.
When he's in the game, though, this looks like a different team.
But the real story was Clemson's excellent defensive line. The Tigers held South Carolina to just 63 yards rushing and was in quarterback Dylan Thompson's face all day.
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Loser: Ohio State
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Ohio State beat Michigan 42-28 and secured a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game. However, that seems almost like an afterthought to the ankle injury sustained by Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett in the fourth quarter.
Rolled up on while attempting a tough inside run, Barrett was carted off the field in a cast. Reserve quarterback Cardale Jones finished the game, and according to head coach Urban Meyer (via Bleacher Report's Ben Axelrod), Barrett will "for sure" miss the Big Ten title. Later, Ohio State announced that Barrett is out for the year with a fractured ankle, also per Axelrod.
For a moment, let's not worry about what this means for Ohio State's playoff implications. Frankly, they're not as important as Barrett's health and are not as important as what Barrett has meant to the Buckeyes.
A redshirt freshman, Barrett was asked to carry an offense with a new-look offensive line after it was announced that starter Braxton Miller would miss the entire season with a shoulder injury. Following a bad loss to Virginia Tech in Week 2, Barrett and the Buckeyes offense have grown together. Along the way, Barrett has tallied 45 total touchdowns, a single-season record at Ohio State.
He's done nothing but surpass expectations. His injury, no matter how serious, is a bummer.
Winner: Weird Football and Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate
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Rivalry week can bring out the weird in college football. Georgia-Georgia Tech certainly set the tone for bizarro football in the early-game slot. In the immortal words of Dan Wolken of USA Today: "This is the weirdest game of the year."
However weird it was, Georgia Tech will be happy to come away with a 30-24 win in overtime. Here's a shortened list of all the absurdity that transpired:
Five turnovers, three of which came inside the 1-yard line. Two of those were lost by Georgia, and one was lost by Georgia Tech, which was returned 99 yards for a touchdown.
Additionally, Yellow Jackets quarterback Justin Thomas had a costly fumble with under three minutes remaining on a pump fake. That led to a Malcolm Mitchell go-ahead touchdown with 18 seconds left. However, Georgia Tech kicker Harrison Butker hit a 53-yard field goal to send the game into overtime.
There were also two blocked field goals, a fake field goal, a blocked extra point and a partridge in a pear tree.
And it was all fun.
Loser: Marshall's Undefeated Season
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Regardless of how talented a team is or in what conference it plays, it's tough to go undefeated. Just ask Marshall, which saw its dreams of an unblemished season go down the drain in a thrilling 67-66 loss to Western Kentucky on Friday.
A defense giving up 67 points is never any way to win a game, but quarterback Rakeem Cato had four interceptions as well. The Hilltoppers, knowing it wasn't wise to extend the game any further, opted to go for two in the first overtime.
The loss not only crushes Marshall's undefeated season, but it also knocks the Thundering Herd out of the Group of Five's New Year's Eve/Day bowl slot. Compounding the issue was Colorado State's loss to Air Force. That basically leaves Boise State with the best chance to earn that Group of Five slot, and the Broncos have two losses.
Marshall's strength of schedule has been a concern all season, but the playoff selection committee finally put the Herd in its latest Top 25. Now, there's absolutely no chance of a major-bowl bid.
Winner: Nebraska Wide Receiver Kenny Bell
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Catching the game-winning touchdown...in overtime...in your final home game is a heck of a way to go out. That's exactly what Nebraska senior wide receiver Kenny Bell did in the Huskers' thrilling 37-34 win over Iowa.
Bell had three catches, two of which went for touchdowns, for 53 yards. The game-winning catch came in the corner of the end zone when Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. scrambled to his right looking for an open receiver. The ball appeared to wiggle after Bell stepped out of bounds, but officials determined he had possession for the score.
Bell is one of the best receivers to come through Nebraska, and his final game in Lincoln couldn't have been scripted any better. There's no doubt Bell and the rest of this team play hard for head coach Bo Pelini.
Loser: Notre Dame
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Losing the final four games of the season to finish 7-5 is not what Notre Dame had in in mind. Furthermore, Everett Golson's rocky season has come to an end—at least for one game.
Notre Dame's 49-14 loss to USC was hardly Golson's fault. USC quarterback Cody Kessler threw for 372 yards and six touchdowns. That's the first time Notre Dame has ever allowed six touchdown passes in a game, per Lindsey Thiry of the Los Angeles Times. That's on the defense.
However, Golson didn't do much to move Notre Dame's offense. By the time he was pulled in favor of Malik Zaire in the second quarter, he was 7-of-18 passing for 75 yards and an interception.
Golson has been all over the place this year. He's shown flashes of being able to throw the ball as well as anyone in the country. On the other hand, ball security has been a major issue. Now, he's turning it over and not moving the offense.
Head coach Brian Kelly was right to make a change. Whether that change is permanent going forward or not remains to be seen.
Winner: Kansas State Wide Receiver Tyler Lockett
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Kansas State's 51-13 win over Kansas was what you would call "taking care of business." Wildcats wide receiver Tyler Lockett's day was anything but ordinary, though.
Lockett had nine catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns. However, Lockett moved into first place all time at Kansas State with 218 career catches. What's more? The record of 217 career catches was previously set by his father, Kevin Lockett.
Lockett has quietly had another solid year. Though he wasn't named a Biletnikoff Award finalist for the nation's best receiver, you'd be hard-pressed to find many better than Lockett.
Loser: Florida State Quarterback Jameis Winston
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Florida State survives another close game. Go figure, right?
The Seminoles outlasted rival Florida 24-19 to stay undefeated for the second straight regular season, extending the win streak to 28 games.
However, Florida State won in spite of quarterback Jameis Winston, not because of him. The reigning Heisman winner has had some bad moments this year, but this was easily his worst college game. Winston went 12-of-24 passing for 125 yards. He had two touchdowns, both to tight end Nick O'Leary, but he had four interceptions.
Interceptions are a tricky stat in that they're not always the quarterback's fault even though it's that quarterback who will be credited with them. That said, Winston made some horrible throws and questionable decisions.
He put his defense in an awful position, too. All four of Winston's picks resulted in Florida starting its next offensive drives in plus territory. Florida State has had some close calls before, and Florida struggles on offense, but the fact that it won this game is incredible given the mistakes.
Winner: Wisconsin
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For the third time in four years, Wisconsin is heading to the Big Ten Championship Game. A 34-24 win over Minnesota will pit the Badgers against Ohio State in this year's conference title game.
Yes, Wisconsin running back and Heisman contender Melvin Gordon was excellent with a "modest" 29 carries for 151 yards and a score. However, Gordon wasn't the player of the game. Rather, Badgers wide receiver Alex Erickson was the difference-maker with five catches for 160 yards.
Wisconsin could get Ohio State at an interesting time. The Buckeyes haven't been as dominant in their final three games and will be without quarterback J.T. Barrett, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury.
Given that Indiana running back Tevin Coleman rushed for more than 200 yards on Ohio State a couple of weeks ago, and that the Bucks have been more susceptible to the run, the Badgers have to feel good about their chances with Gordon on their side.
Wisconsin won't make the playoff, but it can play spoiler for Ohio State.
Loser: Florida
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The chances. Oh, the chances.
Florida came up just short against Florida State in head coach Will Muschamp's final game. But it's not like the Gators didn't have their opportunities.
Four of Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston's interceptions gave Florida starting field position in plus territory. However, a combination of 10 penalties for 105 yards and two missed field goals ended up being the difference.
Florida quarterback Treon Harris also had two interceptions of his own.
The Gators haven't played consistently this year, but the good news for them was that Florida State hadn't either. It wasn't necessarily going to take Florida's best game to beat the Seminoles. However, Florida had to make more of the chances it had.
Winner: Texas Tech Quarterback Patrick Mahomes
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No, Texas Tech didn’t pull the upset on Baylor, though the Red Raiders did rally from 25 points down in a 48-46 loss. A big reason for that surge was quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes set a Big 12 freshman record with 598 passing yards—a record previously held by Texas Tech quarterback Davis Webb—and six touchdowns in the loss. Mahomes was one two-point conversion away from adding to that total and potentially sending the game into overtime.
The loss ends a disappointing season for Texas Tech, which finishes 4-8. The Red Raiders have a ton of work to do on defense and head coach Kliff Kingsbury has to fix turnover and penalty issues this offseason.
Quarterback play doesn’t appear to be an issue, however.
Winner: Oregon Quarterback Marcus Mariota
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Ho hum, just another stellar week for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.
The presumed Heisman front-runner took care of business in an easy, 47-19, win over Oregon State with 406 total yards and six total touchdowns. In fact, Mariota got those six touchdowns on just 35 total touches—25 passing attempts and 10 rushes.
Mariota has made it look simple this season, almost boring. That's not easy to do. If anything, it speaks to how good he is.
That's also good news for his Heisman chances. Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon and Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper have stated their case for the award, but this one feels like Mariota's to lose.
Loser: Mississippi State's Playoff Hopes
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Just like that, Mississippi State's playoff hopes, either as a conference champion or not, are basically done.
The Bulldogs have been hanging on at No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings over the past two weeks. However, expect Mississippi State to slide out of the immediate conversation following a 31-17 loss to Ole Miss.
At the very least, the loss gives Alabama the SEC West title by way of, at minimum, a tiebreaker. Barring total chaos across the sport's landscape, the SEC's sole playoff hope probably rests on the Tide.
As Ralph Russo of The Associated Press tweets, Alabama would still absolutely be in the conversation even with two losses. However, it would depend on what is happening elsewhere.
In any case, the SEC's hopes for two teams in the playoff is, for the time being, kaput. At this point, the league should hope it gets one in the field.
Winner: Tennessee
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It feels like Tennessee has been close to turning a corner for a while now, but the results have never reflected that. In his second year as the Volunteers' head coach, though, Butch Jones is taking this program in the right direction.
A 24-17 win over Vanderbilt wasn't pretty, but it vaulted Tennessee to a 6-6 record, good enough to be bowl-eligible. It will be the first bowl game for Tennessee since the 2010 Music City Bowl against North Carolina.
"It rewards everyone for their resiliency, particularly our seniors," Jones said per The Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "This will be their first bowl game."
Tennessee is young but loaded with talent. In a couple of years, but perhaps as soon as next, the Vols will be back in a position to compete for an SEC East title.
Winner: Alabama Wide Receiver Amari Cooper
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Yeah, the Heisman is probably Marcus Mariota's to lose. Melvin Gordon may get a few No. 1 votes from the Midwest as well. Let's go ahead and punch Alabama receiver Amari Cooper's ticket to New York for the Heisman ceremony, though.
In terms of pure game-changers, there are few better at the college level than Cooper. In a 55-44 win over Auburn—the highest-scoring Iron Bowl in history—Cooper led all receivers with 13 catches for 224 yards and three touchdowns. The performance matched season highs in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns.
Cooper wasn't leading the country in receiving yards heading into Week 14, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a guy who is more explosive in the passing game.
Winner: Boise State Running Back Jay Ajayi
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Boise State running back Jay Ajayi continues to make his case as one of the more criminally underrated players in college football.
In a 50-19 win over Utah State, Ajayi rushed for a season-high 229 yards and five touchdowns. Those numbers stand by themselves, but are even more impressive when you consider that Utah State’s defense is no slouch. The Aggies ranked 10th nationally in rush defense, giving up just 3 yards per rush and 116.5 yards per game.
In fact, only New Mexico as a team rushed for more yards against Utah State this season (246) than Ajayi did.
More importantly, Boise State got a much-needed win to send the Broncos to the Mountain West championship game against Fresno State. With one more win, Boise State is likely headed to a major bowl slot on New Year’s Eve/Day.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
