College Football Week 13: Biggest Winners and Losers

Week 13 has arguably meant more to the 2011 college football season than any other week to date. Conference championship pairings have been decided in some tremendous races. The BCS bowl projections took a little clearer shape.

There was more at stake in a lot of these games than just the outcome of one contest. For many, bowl selections were on the line, conference titles were still within grasp and BCS aspirations were hanging in the balance.

Who came out ahead after their Week 13 performance? Who came out behind?

Let's look at the week's biggest winners and losers from college football's "Rivalry Week."

Winner: Wisconsin

Penn State had the better conference record. They were a game up on the Badgers and were the leader to go to the Big Ten Championship Game next week.

Only there's this tricky little thing called a tiebreaker. If Wisconsin could defeat Penn State, it would force a tie, and having won the head-to-head, it would be Wisconsin heading to Indianapolis rather than Penn State.

RB Montee Ball rumbled for 156 yards, averaged 6.2 yards per carry and picked up four touchdowns as his Badgers decimated Penn State to the tune of 45-7.

Wisconsin didn't just win a big game against a big division rival; they wrote their own ticket to a shot at the Rose Bowl.

Winning!

Loser: Penn State

As mentioned already, Penn State lost a shot at the Big Ten title when they were annihilated by Wisconsin 45-7. That has to sting as the Nittany Lions were in firm control of the Big Ten just a few weeks ago.

However, losses to Nebraska and Wisconsin—separated by a win over Ohio State—took them out of the conference title chase.

It likely also took them out of any contention at all for a BCS bowl.

It's been argued often this year that the Big Ten doesn't deserve a second BCS bowl bid. While the argument is understandable, it would also be a bit difficult to deny a 10-3 Big Ten team admission into a big bowl, even if they were to lose to Michigan State in the conference title game.

Falling to 9-3, Penn State won't be in the conference title game and won't have enough wins to convince anyone that they belong in one of the major bowl games this January.

Sure, they'll still get a January bowl and it will be a good one. However, they could have made a case for an even better bowl game had they not folded miserably against the Badgers.

Winner: Alabama

I'll be the first to say that I don't really want to see an LSU/Alabama rematch for the BCS Title. They may be the two most deserving teams, but I just don't want to see it.

However, Alabama likely stamped their ticket into the big game with their 42-14 win over Auburn.

Even if Georgia were to knock off LSU in the SEC title game, the Tigers would likely only fall to No. 2 in the BCS standings. That's been made abundantly clear.

However, the Crimson Tide are currently No. 2 in the nation with Arkansas sitting at No. 3. Given that the Razorbacks were throttled by LSU to the tune of 41-17 while the Tide only lost 9-6, there's little chance that Arkansas will leapfrog 'Bama for the title game.

It just won't happen.

There's an outside chance that Oklahoma State could gain enough ground with a win over Oklahoma next week to jump over both Arkansas and Alabama, but it's arguable whether or not they would.

That's virtually the only scenario that would see Alabama not make the BCS Championship Game.

With their huge win over Auburn, they pretty much cemented a shot at the national title.

Loser: Arkansas

The Razorbacks had a golden opportunity. Sitting at 10-1 overall, 6-1 in the SEC, and just a game behind LSU, Arkansas had an opportunity to send the entire BCS structure reeling.

What would happen if Arkansas knocked off the No. 1 team in the nation at the tail end of the season? Would they knock Alabama out of contention for a rematch in the BCS Championship game? Could they force LSU out as well?

We'll never know.

The Razorbacks kept it within 21-14 at the half of their game against the Tigers, but were ultimately throttled 41-17.

They lost a spot in the SEC title game and, even worse, they lost virtually any real hope of playing for the national title.

Winner: Oregon

Beating Oregon State wasn't that daunting of a prospect. Yes, they were an in-state rival and we all know how those things can be. The Beavers were also 3-8 coming into the game.

So, beating them 49-21 was only a surprise in that it was even that close. I wouldn't have been shocked if the score ended up 56-10 ... or worse.

Still, Oregon makes the big "winner" list this week because they locked up their place in the first-ever Pac-12 Championship Game.

Stanford had led the charge all season long, but Oregon took care of them in Week 11. All they had to do was win against Oregon State and it wouldn't matter what Stanford did against Notre Dame.

A loss however, would have left them at 7-2 in the conference and the Ducks would have watched their shot at a trip to the Rose Bowl slip through their fingers.

No worries. The outcome was never really in question and now the Ducks can look forward to taking on 6-5 UCLA for a trip to Pasadena.

Loser: Ohio State

Everything the Buckeyes were accustomed to went out the window weeks ago. Coming into "The Game" at 6-5, there was no chance at a Big Ten title, no shot at a BCS bowl game and a questionable chance at a January bowl.

With a win over Michigan, the Buckeyes could have made a strong statement for a good January bowl game (even at 7-5 it would have been possible). They also could have kept their seven-game winning streak against the Wolverines intact.

Instead, Ohio State was beaten by Michigan 40-34. The streak is over and there's no chance at all of a January bowl game.

Winner: Michigan

On the opposite side of "The Game" is Michigan. The Wolverines were looking to snap a long drought against the Buckeyes and make a strong case for a second Big Ten BCS bowl bid in the process.

Brady Hoke's crew didn't win decisively, but they took on a fired-up Buckeyes team that wanted that win every bit as much as they did and came away with a 40-34 victory.

It's still largely debatable whether or not the Big Ten will get a second BCS bowl game, but the Wolverines finish the regular season at 10-2, 2-1 against ranked opponents.

Given the huge following Michigan has, it might be tough for the BCS execs to deny the Wolverines an invitation to their bowl game.

Even if that doesn't come to fruition, Michigan locked down a spot in either the Capital One Bowl or the Outback Bowl. Both are decent January bowl games, and their record still exceeded last year's 7-5 mark by three wins.

That's better than most people predicted them to finish, and beating Ohio State just put the icing on the cake.

Loser: Georgia Tech

There was no hope for an ACC title match. Clemson and Virginia Tech took care of that.

However, when the Yellow Jackets took on their in-state rival Georgia, there was a chance to make a strong statement against a very tough Bulldogs defense and an SEC opponent. They could have gotten to nine wins, knocked off a very tough team and gone into bowl season on a very high note.

Losing 31-17 doesn't get any of that done.

It hurts the ACC (at least a little), sets the Jackets back a step in the rivalry and sends them into bowl season having lost four of their last six games. There have to be a lot of questions surrounding this team, seeing as they started the year 6-0.

Winner: Houston

The Cougars beat Tulsa 48-16 to finish their regular season 12-0. Check that ... they annihilated Tulsa 48-16 to finish their season at 12-0.

Say what you want about Houston and Conference USA. There's a very strong argument that could be made that their record is grossly overrated based on the conference they play in.

We've heard this all before. First it was the WAC and then it was the MWC. Even the Big East got in on that debate.

Now it's C-USA's turn to place the fans in upheaval and fuel incessant arguing over the quality of a team versus the quality of their conference.

Tulsa was 8-3 coming into the match and still ends the season with a respectable 8-4 record. That's something of a feather in Houston's cap, even if it doesn't prove that they belong in a BCS bowl game.

We'll see in January if they're really worthy of that.

Still, by going 12-0 they've won an opportunity to make their case on a very big stage and—like it or not—it's good for college football that they get that opportunity too.

Losers: Texas A&M

They didn't just lose to Texas 27-25, they lost any momentum they may have taken to their new home in the SEC and probably lost a bowl bid along the way.

The Aggies came into their showdown with the No. 25 team in the country with a record of 6-5, 4-4 in the Big 12. They had an opportunity to knock off a ranked opponent, secure a bowl berth and end the season with a winning conference record.

Will any bowl be all that excited to pick up a 6-6 team that saw opportunity after opportunity slip through their fingers this season? Maybe, but per bowl regulations, it'll be a much lesser bowl. Certainly, it won't be anything like Aggie fans had hoped for this year.

Worse, they've had multiple opportunities to showcase that they could compete in the rough SEC. Losing to a mediocre Texas team doesn't help their case.

Winner: Trent Richardson

Richardson is one of the chosen few that has more riding on every performance than wins or losses, bowl appearances or titles. He's one of the top names in the Heisman Trophy race, and this week he made a strong case that he should be holding the hardware at the end of the year.

Richardson has been something of a lone wolf among a pack of hyenas. After Oregon's LaMichael James missed time with a dislocated elbow and South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore tore an ACL, Richardson became the sole running back standing tall in a herd of quarterbacks.

Wisconsin's Montee Ball has inserted his name late in the season, but Richardson has been there from the start, and he hasn't relinquished anything along the way.

In Alabama's Iron Bowl matchup with Auburn, Richardson gained 203 yards on 27 carries, averaging a whopping 7.5 yards per carry. On the season, that pushes Trent over 1,500 yards and lifts his per-carry average over six yards.

That's spectacular for any running back, but toss into that mix that he's done most of this against some pretty stiff run defenses and it makes his numbers even more enticing.

He needed a big performance to ward off the likes of Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. It's no guarantee that he did enough to carry home the hardware, but he sure made a strong case.

Loser: Indiana

Poor Hoosiers. I wonder if Kevin Wilson is rethinking his decision to leave Oklahoma to take over this Indiana program?

In the final game of a pathetic 2011 season, the Hoosiers hosted Purdue for their last opportunity to grab a Big Ten win. The Boilermakers were 5-6 overall and 3-4 in the conference.

They were hardly the best the Big Ten had to offer.

Still, the Hoosiers dropped their ninth straight game to finish 0-8 in the Big Ten and 1-11 overall. Their sole win? They did beat South Carolina State 38-21 back on September 17.

Hey, at least basketball season started Hoosiers fans. Anyone out there? Hello?

Winner: Boise State

The Broncos are still in the Top 10 in the BCS standings, but they need to win everything convincingly to stay there. Let's not rehash the debate as to whether or not they deserve it. That argument will only end when they get into a BCS AQ conference, which will happen one day in the not-so-distant future.

However you see this team, they came up winners again this week. Confronted with a 7-3 Wyoming team, the Broncos turned up the heat once more and burned the Cowboys down 36-14.

It wasn't the prettiest BSU win, and it was nowhere near as important as a victory over TCU would have been. Still, it's a victory over a team with a winning record that will help their standing in the computers ever so slightly and should keep them in the Top 10 when the next BCS standings come out.

Loser: The ACC Conference

While there are some things to be excited with if you're an ACC fan, there's plenty to be upset about as well. Your conference just took another step back to the SEC. Congratulations.

For "Rivalry Week," the ACC saw four of its teams go head-to-head with SEC counterparts. Clemson took on South Carolina, Georgia Tech took on Georgia, Wake Forest had a go at Vanderbilt and Florida State paid a visit to Florida.

How did this mini-showdown with the SEC come out?

The ACC is walking away with a 1-3 record. Clemson took it on the chin, losing 34-13. Wake got dropped by Vandy 41-7, and Georgia Tech lost to Georgia 31-17.

Only Florida State is carrying ACC hopes well, beating the Gators 21-7.

Think these teams were outmatched from the start? Well, that may be true, but it didn't necessarily look that way on paper.

The Yellow Jackets came in with an 8-3 record to the Bulldogs' 9-2. Wake was 6-5 to Vandy's 5-6, and the Tigers and Gamecocks both boasted 9-2 records heading into their contest.

On paper, these were all very even matches.

However, this week demonstrated that top to bottom, the SEC brings more strength to the table than the ACC.

Winner: Virginia Tech

ACC vs. SEC woes aside, the Hokies are a reason for the ACC to be somewhat excited. Last year, Virginia Tech lost their first two games and then went on an 11-game winning streak.

This year, they had a midseason setback to Clemson, but have now gone on a seven-game winning streak, capping it off with a 38-0 shutout of in-state rival Virginia.

The Cavaliers came into this contest just one game back of the Hokies and had an opportunity to steal away a spot in the conference title game. The Hokies would have none of that nonsense though.

QB Logan Thomas threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as running back David Wilson ran for 153 yards and two more scores. The Hokie defense shut the Cavaliers down and secured their spot in the ACC title game, where they'll get a second shot at Clemson.

On the other hand, their hideous throwback uniforms deserve "loser" status ...

Loser: Texas

Wait a minute. Didn't I already list Texas A&M as losers? And didn't Texas win this game?

Yes and yes.

However, Texas only won by two points. Yes, that's important, even if this was a rivalry game against a team they won't see again as conference mates (maybe ever).

Texas is currently the No. 25 team in the nation, according to the BCS. Do they deserve to be there?

In my opinion, no. They're an OK team, but at 6-4, did they deserve to be in the rankings when there were a slew of teams with much better records sitting below them? Were their wins so impressive and their losses so minimal that they can have a thoroughly mediocre record and still get in the standings?

Apparently the BCS thought so.

Against an Aggies team that came into the week with a 6-5 record (4-4 Big 12), the Longhorns needed to win big to make the statement that they belonged. You don't convince anyone with two-point victories over teams with average records.

Texas may have gotten the win, but they should be out of the standings after that weak performance.

Winner: Baylor

With the loss of QB Robert Griffin III in the Bears' showdown with Texas Tech, an argument could definitely be made that Baylor were losers this week. If he can't return, that's a huge loss. RG3 was a solid Heisman contender that could have challenged Andrew Luck and Trent Richardson for the hardware.

However, they're winners on two fronts this week.

First, they beat Texas Tech 66-45. The Red Raiders weren't a marquee opponent, coming in with a record of just 5-6. However, Baylor never surrendered the lead and held the upper hand to the tune of 52-35 at the end of the third quarter.

Second, they won even without Griffin. The score at the half (roughly when Griffin exited the game) was 31-28.

They could have folded without their Heisman-contending quarterback. Their offense could have grounded to a halt without their big playmaker taking the snaps.

But they didn't and it didn't.

Nick Florence came in and threw two more touchdowns while Terrance Ganaway rumbled for 246 yards on 42 carries (5.9 average) and scored two more touchdowns.

Baylor showed a lot of heart in carrying on and picking up their eighth win despite the loss of their heralded leader.

Loser: Rutgers

The Big East is struggling for respect in an environment that has seen them become the butt of many BCS jokes. The conference sorely needs some teams to step up and take charge in bringing them back to relevance.

Apparently, Rutgers doesn't want the job.

Coming into their matchup with Connecticut, the Scarlet Knights had a respectable 8-3 record that they could have extended to nine wins and could have staked their claim at a tie for the Big East title. Sure, they lost to Louisville already, but they could have at least made the chase interesting and would have had a better overall record.

Instead, they dropped to UConn 40-22. At the end of the third quarter, the Knights trailed 40-10. They put together enough fight in the final quarter to make the outcome a little more respectable, but only slightly.

Now they fall to 8-4, drop to 4-3 in the conference and are a full game behind Louisville.

Yuck ...

Winner: Andrew Luck

The Stanford Cardinal hurler has been at the forefront of the Heisman Trophy race for practically the entire season. He's kept on performing as Boise State's Kellen Moore dropped a step behind in the race. He's continued throwing as Trent Richardson saw his stock rise.

He played on while Robert Griffin III went down.

Saturday night, he had one more opportunity to impress the voters as he took on Notre Dame.

Luck completed 20-of-30 passes (66.7 percent) for 233 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. Is that enough to top what Richardson did this week? We'll see.

Tossing four touchdowns tends to grab voters' attention though, and leading his team to a 28-14 victory and a 11-1 record goes a long way as well.

This game capped off a tremendous season and left him with just one last hurrah on a brilliant career.

Loser: Notre Dame

For Notre Dame, which came into this contest ranked No. 22 by the BCS, getting into the Top 14 and selected for a BCS bowl was a long shot at best.

Still, knocking off the No. 6 team in the country would have been a pretty strong statement. As many fans as the Irish have, I could have almost seen the BCS finding a way to justify getting Notre Dame high enough in the rankings to make it happen.

Certainly, they would have jumped quite a distance in the polls. Eight places? Stranger things have happened.

It's all moot now, though.

Notre Dame lost 28-14 to the Stanford Cardinal and trailed 28-7 with less than a minute to go in the game. As long as their hopes may have been at getting into a BCS bowl, they're completely gone now.