College Football Week 13 Recap

Let's be honest right from the start: this wasn't a great college football week. There were only two match-ups where both teams were ranked and there were very few games that were really close. Still, it's my job to recap the week in college football, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Let's get started.

Notable Games:

We start with #19 USC going cross-town to take on #9 UCLA. If the Trojans won, they would remain atop the Pac-12 South, if the Bruins won, they would move up to the top spot. Unfortunately for the Trojans, the Bruins were in control for most of the game and ended up winning 38-20 and are second in the Pac-12 South.

The biggest upset of the week was by far Arkansas, who has won only one out of their last 18 SEC games, beating #8 Ole Miss. The Bulldogs were at one point considered favorites to make the playoffs, now they're 8-3 and ranked 19.

In the recap for last week, I said to watch the Notre Dame/Louisville game. Not to brag, but that was arguably the best game of the week. The #24 Cardinals jumped out to an early lead, but the Irish came back and made it goal. Unfortunately for ND, they missed a late field goal and lost 31-28. Louisville is now ranked 22. 

Besides UCLA/USC, the only game between ranked Pac-12 teams was between #15 Arizona and #17 Utah. Though Wildcats freshman QB Anu Solomon, went down with an injury, Arizona still picked up a 42-10 win. The Wildcats are now ranked 11 while the Utes fell to 25. They are the only team on the CFP with 4 losses. 

#23 Minnesota edged #25 Nebraska in one of the most exciting games of the week. The Golden Gophers are now 8-3 overall, 5-2 in conference play, and are second in the Big Ten West, behind only Wisconsin. Could we see Minnesota play for the Big Ten title? It's certainly a possibility.

Coming off their upset over Texas A&M, #20 Missouri traveled to Knoxville to keep their dreams of two straight SEC East titles in a row. The Vols did put up a fight, but Maty Mauk and the Tigers held on for a 29-21 fight. Mizzou is now 6-1 in conference play, while Georgia (second in the division) is 6-2. 

While Missouri is trying to secure a spot in the SEC Championship, Wisconsin is trying to secure their spot in the Big 10 Championship. The #16 Badgers narrowly beat unranked Iowa 26-24 and kept their lead atop the Big Ten West. Second behind them is Minnesota, which is 5-2 in conference play.

Notable Performances:

In my recap last week, I told you to watch the Alabama/Western Carolina game, as it looked like it would be a total blowout. It wasn't as big of a blowout as expected, but the Crimson Tide still won pretty handily. Leading the way was sophomore Derrick Henry, who rushed for two touchdowns and had one reception.

UCLA may have beaten USC, but Arizona State is still first in the Pac-12 South. This week, they handed Washington State their eighth loss of the season in a 52-31 showing. The reason they won: QB Taylor Kelly, who threw for 232 yards and four touchdowns to lead the #13 Sun Devils to victory.

I spotlighted Brandon Doughty of Western Kentucky last week for his great performance against Army. His performance this week though, may have been even better. Against UTSA, he threw for 346 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

Florida has been struggling this season, there's no doubt about it. They did however, become bow eligible this week by whooping Eastern Kentucky 52-3. The Gators were led by Jeff Driskel, who was 9 for 11 and threw three touchdowns and zero picks. He also rushed for eight yards and one score. 

Boise State jumped on to the rankings this week after destroying Wyoming 63-14. Junior Jay Ajayi, who has been producing well all season, had three touchdowns and 202 total yards for the #23 Broncos.

Heisman Watch:

I finally did it: I got rid of one spot on the Heisman watch. If I did put someone there (probably Cody Kessler), it would have felt forced. He doesn't have any chance of winning the Heisman or making it to New York. By the way, Kessler was #10 last week, but he falls off after the loss to UCLA. Let's get started. 

9. Bryce Petty, Baylor (Last Week: 9)- Petty didn't have a great week, but he did account for three scores against Oklahoma State. If he wants to get invited to New York, Baylor will have to make the playoffs. 

8. Amari Cooper, Alabama (Last Week: 6)- Cooper slips two spots after his performance against Western Carolina. He only had three catches for 46 yards before leaving with a bruised knee, The injury is not serious however, and he is good to go. 

7. Rakeem Cato, Marshall (Last Week: 9)- Well, it finally happened. Marshall is now ranked. The Thundering Herd is now ranked #24. Cato however, did not have a huge game against UAB. He only threw two touchdown passes and had one pick. 

6. Brett Hundley, UCLA (Last Week: 8)- Hundley moves up two spots after leading UCLA to a win over USC. He threw for four touchdowns and the Bruins are now ranked #8 and still have a shot at making the Pac-12 Championship game. 

5. Trevone Boykin, TCU (Last Week: 5)- Boykin and his Texas Christian University Horned Frogs were off this weekend, so Boykin stays put at #5. If he wants to move up, TCU will have to make the playoffs. 

4. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State (Last Week: 4)- After last week's slip, Prescott rights the ship after Mississippi State cruised to a 51-0 win over Vanderbilt. Prescott had four scores with 220 total yards for the Bulldogs. 

3. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State (Last Week: 3)- Barrett went 25 for 35, threw for 302 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for 78 yards in OSU's win over Indiana. At this rate, Barrett is going to be invited to New York. 

2. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin (Last Week: 2)- Gordon passed the 2,000 yard mark in Wisconsin's win over Iowa. Gordon is now the 17th person in FBS history to pass the 2,000 yard mark. He also had four catches for 64 yards. 

1. Marcus Mariota, Oregon (Last Week: 1)- At this point, Mariota is guaranteed to make it to New York. His performance this year has been nothing short of spectacular and his team is ranked second in the country.

Playoff Picture:

Alabama takes on Auburn in Week 14 in the Iron Bowl. This should be a great game with huge playoff implications on the line. If 'Bama wins, they are going to make the CFP for sure. If they lose, they're out, and Mississippi State could be in. However, if Missouri wins the SEC championship they could make the CFP. The SEC presence in the CFP is up for grabs.

Games to Watch Next Week:

Of course, we have to start with the Iron Bowl. Auburn and Alabama have one of the best rivalries in college football and their game last year was amazing. They should have another great game this year. And of course, there are playoff implications on the line.

The first game of the week for a ranked team  this week is #5 TCU visiting Texas. This could be a potential upset. Remember, Charlie Strong's squad gave UCLA all they could handle earlier this year.

Speaking of UCLA, they take on David Shaw, Kevin Hogan, Ty Montgomery, and the rest of the Stanford Cardinals. Stanford hasn't had a great year, but they still have a talented squad. Look for them to give the Bruins all they can handle.

One of the best games of the week could potentially be #16 Georgia Tech taking on their in-state rivals #9 Georgia. These two teams are still in the hunt for the playoffs, so the loser will be eliminated from the hunt.

The Pac-12 South is still up for grabs, and two of the teams still in the hunt are #13 Arizona State and #11 Arizona. If they still want to go to the playoffs, these teams HAVE to win this game and then beat Oregon for the Pac-12 title.

Thanks for reading.