Saturday in Review: Week 13

Yellow Jackets rejoiced when the Tar Heels trampled the
Blue Devils last Thursday. Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports

There were no shake-ups at the top, but it was still a nice week of college football with quite a few games of notable consequence.

Let's begin with last Thursday's events. Kansas State survived their trip to Morgantown, maintaining their slim hopes of a conference championship. To earn that championship, the Wildcats still need to win out in the Big 12 (that means an unlikely win over Baylor) and hope Texas or Iowa State pulls the upset against TCU. The Mountaineers, and particularly quarterback Clint Trickett (who went out with an injury half-way through), committed too many errors to beat the Wildcats.

The Tar Heels stomped Duke, securing Georgia Tech a trip to Charlotte. Early errors doomed the Blue Devils, forcing them to play from behind for the entire game. North Carolina played well with the lead, not giving Duke any chance at a comeback. As a result, the Yellow Jackets will play Florida State for the ACC Championship.

Florida won its sixth game, becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2012. Eastern Kentucky didn't turn out to be much of a match for the Gators, as they were soundly defeated. The Colonels stacked the box on defense, hoping to stop the run by keying in on it. While this strategy did succeed in limiting Florida's rushing effectiveness, it also allowed the Gators to continually burn the Colonels on deep passes. The Colonel offense had no chance against the defense who opposed them.

The Big Ten West will now run through Madison, Wisconsin, as Minnesota upset Nebraska in Lincoln, eliminating the Huskers from the conference race. The Gopher's rushing offense overcame a 14-point halftime deficit, thanks in large part to superb defensive play and fortuitous Nebraska turnovers. The winner of Paul Bunyan's Axe (the Minnesota-Wisconsin rivalry) will now face Ohio State for the conference championship.

The single-game rushing record was broken for the second
time in seven days when Samaje Perine ran for 427 against
Kansas last Saturday. Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Coming of their big win over Nebraska, Wisconsin just scraped by Iowa. Another excellent performance by Melvin Gordon was crucial in the Badgers' narrow victory. Gordon has now surpassed 2,000 rushing yards this season, building a strong case for several major awards. But not everything went well for Gordon. His all-time rushing record for yards in a game was broken after just a week (after having stood for over a decade). It was Oklahoma's Samaje Perine who set the new mark. Against Kansas, Perine gained 427 yards on 34 carries (12.6 average); by comparison, Gordon earned 408 yards on only 25 carries (16.3 average). Like Gordon, Perine is certainly very thankful for the blockers on his offensive line, who opened huge running holes against the hapless Jayhawk defense. The Sooner halfback is only a freshman, so we football fans can only hope for many more great games from this incredible athlete.

Marshall looked more vulnerable than ever, barely beating UAB in Birmingham. The Thundering Herd will play the winner of the Louisiana Tech-Rice game (which will be played this Saturday) in the Conference USA championship game. In an incredible/terrible game, Wake Forrest downed Virginia Tech 6-3 in double overtime. The two teams combined for zero points after the end of sixty minutes; two field goals in extra time were good enough for the Demon Deacons to win. It is remarkable that this same squad of Hokies defeated an Ohio State team earlier this year that is now, by some, considered a playoff contender.

Two surprising upsets came around the same time Saturday. Arizona crushed Utah in Salt Lake City, despite an injury to their starting quarterback. Meanwhile, Arkansas was shutting out Ole Miss in Razorback Stadium. The Razorbacks became the seventh SEC West team to gain bowl eligibility (now common to all the division's schools). The Rebels, on the other hand, look lost without Laquon Treadwell.

It took 59 minutes and 57 seconds, but FSU finally put the
game out of reach for BC. Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame missed a field goal and Louisville upended the Irish in South Bend. Notre Dame has now lost three straight. Florida State, who almost lost to each of those teams, almost lost again, this time to Boston College. Again, the Seminoles found a way to slip by in the second half. A rainy day in Tallahassee, the weather provided a tangible advantage for the Eagles' rushing offense over FSU's pass-heavy attack. A field goal with only seconds left kept the game from going into overtime. Florida State has required a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter five times this season.

Miami was the state of Florida's most disappointing team last Saturday, as the Hurricanes fell 30-13 against Virginia. Miami relied to heavily on their passing game, giving only 15 carries to Duke Johnson. Now the Cavaliers have a chance to reach bowl eligibility; their only remaining obstacle is a questionable Virginia Tech team that has nonetheless had Virginia's number in recent years.

The Missouri Tigers and their defense are just one win away from Atlanta after besting Tennessee in Knoxville. Missouri only has to defeat Arkansas this Friday to play the West champions in two weeks. If the Hogs prevail, Georgia will be sent to Atlanta. Tennessee, on the other hand, has to beat Vanderbilt in their regular season finale to gain bowl eligibility.

The Bruins beat the Trojans more easily than many expected and now control their destiny in the Pac-12 South. If UCLA can beat Stanford this Friday in Pasadena, they will play Oregon for the conference championship. If the Cardinal pull the upset, the winner of the Arizona-Arizona State game (also Friday) will play the Ducks.

State of Florida:

• Florida (6-4) over Eastern Kentucky (9-3), 45-10 52-3
• UCF (7-3) over SMU (0-10), 45-10 53-7
• #1 Florida State (11-0) over Boston College (6-5), 31-20 20-17
• FIU (4-8) over North Texas (4-7), 31-24 17-14
• Memphis (8-3) over South Florida (4-7), 34-13 31-20
• Miami (6-5) over Virginia (5-6), 27-21 30-13
• Middle Tennessee (6-5) over Florida Atlantic (3-8), 35-17 35-34

Southeastern Conference:

• #9 Georgia (9-2) over Charleston Southern (8-4), 66-6 55-9
• South Carolina (6-5) over South Alabama (6-5), 45-17 37-12
• #8 Mississippi (8-3) over Arkansas (6-5), 17-14 30-0
• #2 Alabama (10-1) over Western Carolina (7-5), 52-0 48-14
• #16 Auburn (8-3) over Samford (7-4), 45-7 31-7
• Tennessee (5-6) over #19 Missouri (9-2), 38-31 29-21
• #4 Mississippi State (10-1) over Vanderbilt (3-8), 45-14 51-0
• Kentucky (5-6), BYE
• #20 LSU (7-4), BYE
• Texas A&M (7-4), BYE

Top 25:

• West Virginia (6-5) over #12 Kansas State (8-2), 35-34 26-20
• #25 Duke (8-3) over North Carolina (6-5), 27-24 45-20
• #21 Nebraska (8-3) over Minnesota (8-3), 34-31 28-24
• #10 Michigan State (9-2) over Rutgers (6-5), 45-17 45-3
• #18 Marshall (11-0) over UAB (5-6), 42-17 23-18
• #23 Oklahoma (8-3) over Kansas (3-8), 35-21 44-7
• #7 Ohio State (10-1) over Indiana (3-8), 52-14 42-27
• #13 Arizona State (9-2) over Washington State (3-8), 34-27 52-31
• #22 Colorado State (10-1) over New Mexico (3-8), 38-28 58-20
• #20 Utah (7-4) over #15 Arizona (9-2), 23-20 42-10
• #14 Wisconsin (9-2) over Iowa (7-4), 31-14 26-24
• #3 Oregon (10-1) over Colorado (2-9), 59-21 44-10
• #6 Baylor (9-1) over Oklahoma State (5-6), 55-14 49-28
• #11 UCLA (9-2) over #24 USC (7-4), 38-35 38-20
• #17 Georgia Tech (9-2), BYE
• #5 TCU (9-1), BYE

Week 13 Record: 20-8 (71%)

Season Record: 179-73 (71%)