.png?w=1280)
B/R's 2025 College Football Winners and Losers from Week 13
The biggest winner in Week 13 may have been all the college football fans' significant others, who may have gotten their partners to take care of a few honey-do's from the list.
It wasn't exactly a great slate of college football. You can thank the SEC's cupcake-heavy schedule gearing up for rivalry week for the slim pickings.
Even so, we were treated to a handful of decent games and some stellar storylines.
From Oregon's win over USC in a "new" Big Ten rivalry between old Pac-12 foes that knocked the Trojans out of playoff contention to Oklahoma's massive home win against an upset-minded Missouri, there were some major Ws.
Utah's playoff bubble burst, while Vanderbilt's inflated. Georgia Tech choked away controlling its own destiny.
The ACC mostly held serve in a jam-packed, anybody's-guess-who-wins-it race, and the Group of Five favorites finally held serve.
Here's a look at the Week 13 winners and losers so far.
Winner: Oklahoma's Playoff Run
1 of 12
On a day when there weren't a lot of marquee matchups, Oklahoma knew it had to be on upset alert as it returned home to take on a No. 22-ranked Missouri team that got injured quarterback Beau Pribula back.
After back-to-back road wins at Tennessee and Alabama put the Sooners in prime position to make the playoffs, they came back to Norman to play a losable game, but coach Brent Venables had them ready.
OU's dominant defense remained so against the Tigers in a 17-6 win. Despite another sputtering performance by quarterback John Mateer, he did enough to win, hitting Isaiah Satenga III on an 87-yard scoring slant to post points, then finding JaVonnie Gibson on another touchdown pass on the next drive.
That's all the Sooners would need, thanks to a defense that, at one point as Mizzou tried to come back, didn't allow a third-down conversion on nine consecutive tries. Star Tigers running back Ahmad Hardy never got going, either, finishing with just 57 yards.
Despite being out-gained by a large margin in those two massive road wins against the Vols and Crimson Tide, Oklahoma found a way. They continued that formula, getting out-gained 301-276 but controlling the game from a defensive perspective.
They may not be the most impressive team on track for the playoffs, but if the Sooners close the year with a win over LSU next week, they're going. They may be in, regardless.
Loser: USC's Golden Opportunity
2 of 12
You've got to give USC coach Lincoln Riley credit: He's changed the face of the Trojans program in their second season in the Big Ten, and they look competitive in the rugged league.
But they had the chance to make a major splash in Eugene by beating the Oregon Ducks. Win, and USC is in the driver's seat for a playoff spot and knock their old Pac-12 rival down a few rungs in the process.
Instead, a Ducks team that was firmly in the final 12 entering the game stayed that way with a 42-27 win.
The game was much more competitive than it looks with it staying within a score for much of the contest, but though USC's defense is much-improved this year, it just couldn't stop the Ducks when it mattered. Every time they'd pull close, Oregon pulled away.
The Ducks intercepted Jayden Maiava twice, turning one of those into a touchdown drive, and Dante Moore won the quarterback battle, throwing for 257 yards. USC also allowed 179 rushing yards, led by Noah Whittington's 104.
Michigan whipped Maryland to stay firmly in the playoff picture alongside Ohio State and Indiana, but it's now going to be extremely difficult to keep out the Ducks. They may have solidified it Saturday, and the Trojans are still searching on how to take that next step.
Winner: Ohio State, Short-Handed
3 of 12
There was nothing flashy about the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes' 42-9 home win over Rutgers, but when you consider the response to a bit of adversity, style points don't matter.
Yes, coach Ryan Day's team was favored by 30 entering the game in a showdown that wasn't supposed to be competitive in the least. But the Buckeyes were dealt a blow when star pass-catchers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate were ruled out.
Championship teams find alternate routes to wins, though, and that's exactly what Ohio State did.
Running back Bo Jackson—no, not that one—has been undervalued much of the year, and you rarely hear about him, but he was exceptional once again keeping the Scarlet Knights at arm's length with 110 yards and two touchdowns.
With Smith and Tate watching, tight end Max Klare enjoyed a breakout game with seven catches for 105 yards and a score.
The old stalwarts for Day's bunch did their part, too. Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Julian Sayin didn't post gaudy numbers without his top weapons, but he was his same, ol' consistent self, completing 13-of-19 passes for 157 yards and a pair of scores.
The defense was dominant once again as well, as Ohio State posted a boring-but-beautiful win to remain unbeaten.
Loser: Georgia Tech's ACC Title Game Hopes
4 of 12
Georgia Tech became the latest team to dump its own destiny into the garbage disposal on Saturday night.
Controlling their own path to the ACC title game, the one-loss Yellow Jackets hosted a Pittsburgh team fresh off a lopsided loss to Notre Dame and promptly choked any advantage away with a 42-28 loss.
After falling behind by four touchdowns, the Yellow Jackets chipped away and were going in with 6 minutes left in the third quarter to make it a one-score game when Haynes King threw a 100-yard pick-six to Braylan Lovelace to deliver the kill shot for Pitt.
King entered having thrown just two interceptions all year, but equaled that in his final game at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets kept fighting, but the early deficit was too much. A Ja'Kyrian Turner touchdown scamper with less than 3 minutes to go after Tech again cut it to a touchdown finally ended it.
Georgia Tech went from controlling its own destiny for the ACC championship game to needing a bunch of help, and Pittsburgh now has a chance if it beats Miami next week.
Winner: Notre Dame Eye Test
5 of 12
Does anybody really want to play Notre Dame right now?
Say what you want about the two-loss Fighting Irish's schedule, but neither of their season-opening losses (Texas A&M or Miami) has aged poorly, and all they've done since this is look as impressive as anybody in the country.
Against a Syracuse team whose season has tumbled into oblivion, coach Marcus Freeman's team looked unstoppable in a 70-7 win.
They were up by 35 points before the Orange could even blink and basically put a cinder block on the gas afterward. This is a team on a mission, and Syracuse was simply in the way.
With teams across the country looking mediocre outside of the top three of Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M, the eye test matters, and Notre Dame looks like a top-five team in the nation now every time they step onto the field.
Redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr has been a revelation, they've got the top running back tandem in the nation, and a defense that let them down in the two close losses to start the season has been a strength ever since. They're showing every week how capable they are.
Loser: Those Expecting Another BYU Late-Season Stumble
6 of 12
Last year, BYU reeled off nine consecutive wins to start the season, but slipped up in back-to-back late losses to Kansas and Arizona State that kept them out of the Big 12 title game.
Sitting at 9-1 entering Saturday's dangerous road game against Cincinnati at Nippert Stadium, you know Cougars fans had to be worried about a not-this-again repeat.
But battle-tested BYU didn't budge. The Cougars didn't flinch when the Bearcats fought back late. Instead, they persevered, surviving with a 26-14 win. Now, all that stands between them and a Big 12 title game berth is a win over UCF next week.
Even if they lose, they could still get in with some help. But coach Kalani Sitake's team doesn't want to leave it to chance. At this point, don't bet on the Cougars losing.
They are playing with a chip on their shoulders, and even when they don't play perfect, they look like a quality team with a complete defense, exceptional running game and a growing freshman quarterback in Bear Bachmeier who can put the team on his massive shoulders.
LJ Martin did that against Cincinnati, piling up 266 all-purpose yards to will the Cougars to a huge win that keeps their College Football Playoff hopes strong. He broke free for the late, game-clinching touchdown, foot-stomping there's no late-season stumble this year.
Winner: Tennessee (Finally) in the Swamp
7 of 12
Tennessee simply doesn't beat Florida in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. At least, the Volunteers haven't consistently done it in a generation.
But not only did the Vols put that thought to rest Saturday night, they did so in dominant fashion, demoralizing the Gators 31-11. It was the Vols' first win in Gainesville in 22 years, dating back to Casey Clausen's back-to-back victories down there in 2001 and '03.
Like Clausen, Vols senior quarterback Joey Aguilar is a California native, and he was Cali cool in dissecting the hapless Gators. With one final completion to Ethan Davis, he kept his 35-game streak of at least 200 passing yards alive, too.
It was that kind of night for the Vols, who basically hit the snooze button all the way through the second half after taking a 31-0 lead into break that could have been worse.
When the offense was running actual plays in the first half, the Gators couldn't stop them. The Tennessee defense played perhaps its best game of the year, too.
It was a near-perfect win for a team that enjoyed just its third win in the Swamp in 44 years, and it sets up a huge game next week as the Vols try to spoil Vanderbilt's playoff hopes.
Loser: ACC's Postseason Upset Potential
8 of 12
Perhaps the worst thing about what's going on in the discombobulated ACC right now is the potential that the two teams with the steepest postseason trajectory could get left out of the playoff picture altogether.
Of course, Miami and SMU have nobody to blame but themselves, but they continued to show just how impressive they could be with wins on Saturday. Problem is, they don't control their own fate.
Pittsburgh does. If the Panthers beat Miami next week, they go to the title game. If the Hurricanes win, SMU can sneak in. Meanwhile, Virginia has a bye, but all the Cavaliers need to do is beat rival Virginia Tech next week and they're in, too.
SMU made it last year and has just one loss. The Mustangs surged past Louisville 38-6 on Saturday with the Cardinals having to play without quarterback Miller Moss and star running back tandem of Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown.
It was dominance from the start for SMU.
Miami used a brilliant performance from quarterback Carson Beck (27-of-32 for 320 yards and four touchdowns) and Malachi Toney (12 catches, 146 yards and a touchdown) to hold off Virginia Tech 34-17 with new Hokies coach James Franklin watching.
The Hurricanes and Mustangs look like the two teams that could pose a playoff threat, but they still need help getting there.
Winner: Vanderbilt's Bubble Hopes
9 of 12
Perhaps the biggest winner of the College Football Playoff bubble on Saturday was Vanderbilt, which could wind up benefitting from Oregon beating USC.
It would have helped the Commodores a lot more had Kansas State completed the upset of Utah, but oh well.
The Commodores thumped an upset-minded Kentucky in Nashville 45-17, easily handling a Wildcats team that had been surging since inserting Cutter Boley at quarterback.
Of course, the catalyst was Diego Pavia, who played his best game in a star-studded two-year career with the 'Dores, manhandling a UK team that had no answers. Pavia finished 33-of-39 for 484 yards and five touchdowns, and he added 48 more rushing yards and a score.
A Vandy team was came into the game ranked 14th in the playoff rankings now heads to Knoxville to take on hated rival Tennessee. If they can beat the Vols, it's going to be extremely difficult keeping a two-loss SEC team out of the final 12.
Loser: Kansas State Spoiling Joe Jackson's Record Night
10 of 12
It's been a miserable season for a Kansas State team that was expected to be right in the thick of the Big 12 title race.
From a Week Zero loss in Dublin to Iowa State to just five wins throughout the year, things haven't gone as planned. Even so, the Wildcats had a supreme shot to turn the conference on end and knock Utah from the playoff chase in Salt Lake City.
Instead, they squandered a big lead and wound up somehow losing to the Utes 51-47 in a game where they had every shot of winning.
Joe Jackson set a school record with 293 rushing yards on a 12.2 average and scored three touchdowns. In the first half alone, he had 10 carries for 237 yards, and Utah had no answers.
But whatever coach Kyle Whittingham said at halftime worked. The Utes scored a pair of touchdowns to open the second half and take the lead, then after Kansas State regained the lead, Utah dug deep and looked like a playoff team.
Facing third-and-1 from their own 39-yard line trailing by three points with less than two minutes to go, Utah quarterback Devon Dampier broke free for a 59-yard run down to the 3-yard line to set up his own game-winning touchdown.
The nightmare season for the Wildcats continue.
Winner: Group of Five Frontrunners
11 of 12
That Group of Five College Football Playoff spot has looked more like a hot potato during the past few weeks than a position multiple teams covet.
South Florida and Memphis have taken turns choking during the first few weeks of the rankings. Now, with those two out of the picture, Tulane and James Madison have entered the chat (with North Texas on the fringe, too).
Both the Green Wave and the Dukes won on Saturday—though it was far from easy.
According to the ESPN playoff predictor, the Dukes have the best shot to make the playoffs even though Tulane is currently in the bracket. They hosted a Washington State team that has traveled across the country for games against Ole Miss and Virginia that resulted in narrow losses.
That happened again on Saturday as the Dukes somehow survived 24-20 to keep their hopes for the final 12 alive.
If they're going to get there, they'll need Tulane to lose, and that didn't happen on Saturday. They went to Philadelphia to play a much-improved Temple team with upsets on its mind, but the Green Wave took care of business with a 37-13 win.
Maybe these two teams want to be in it at the end. Those wins were huge this late in the season, but there's plenty of time for more twists and turns next week and in the conference championship games, as well.
Loser: Florida State's Not-So-Special Teams
12 of 12
Florida State's frustrating follow-up to last year's dumpster-fire season took another calamitous turn Friday night when the Seminoles bumbled away a chance to beat North Carolina State on the road.
There were multiple culprits, but FSU squandered a fair shot at a comeback because of special teams gaffes in a 21-11 loss to the Wolfpack to drop the Seminoles to 5-6, 2-6 in the ACC.
Trailing by three with 3:59 left, Florida State was set to receive a Wolfpack punt, but the ball hit K.J. Kirkland's helmet and kicked back several yards, and was recovered by North Carolina State punter Caden Noonkester.
Following a three-and-out, Squirrel White muffed another punt, and it was recovered by the Pack inside the 20-yard line. They converted that turnover into a fourth-down touchdown, as coach Mike Norvell's team found yet another way to lose.
To rub another ocean's-worth of salt in that gaping wound, the 'Noles tried to kick a 51-yard field goal very late to set up an onside kick, but Jake Weinberg missed his second field goal of the night to add any shot of a miracle comeback.
FSU has struggled much of the year, but Friday night was yet another new low.
.png?w=600 "Cardinals WR Recruiting Rodgers 👀")