Ohio State again lost to Michigan, but the most impactful result happened in the Atlantic Coast Conference in another memorable college football weekend.
No. 6 Miami’s 42-38 loss to Syracuse opened the door for a three-loss Southeastern Conference team (Alabama, Ole Miss or South Carolina) to sneak into the College Football Playoff and threatens to make the ACC a one-bid league. No. 9 SMU (11-1) could be the only ACC team that makes the field if it beats No. 12 Clemson, which is coming off a loss to South Carolina, in next Saturday’s ACC Championship.
The two-loss Hurricanes are currently without a win over a team ranked in the CFP top 25 and have gotten a lot of benefit from the committee over how potent Cam Ward and the rest of the offense has been. Miami’s title odds plummeted from +2600 after last week’s win over Wake Forest to +35000 now, behind teams like Colorado, BYU and UNLV.
That dropped Miami out of our grades group — we only grade teams with national title odds of +4000 or better — but there was plenty of other action worth weighing in on. Below are how the title contenders fared in the final regular season week before conference championships.
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Grade: A | Title odds: +350
Poor Washington’s offensive line had no chance against Oregon’s stout defensive front as the Ducks manhandled the Huskies for 10 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in a dominant 49-21 victory. No. 1 Oregon completed the perfect 12-0 regular season and will now face Penn State in next week’s Big Ten Championship. Oregon running back Jordan James had 99 yards and 2 touchdowns to power the Ducks’ offense while the defense had Washington star Jonah Coleman to a season-low two yards on nine carries. In a year full of parity and weird results, Oregon continues to look like the best team in the country.
Grade: A- | Title odds: +420
Texas let Texas A&M linger around late into the game but a terrific defensive performance was the difference in a 17-7 win. The Longhorns had a tremendous goal line stand late in the fourth quarter, stuffing Amari Daniels on a 4th-and-goal from the one-yard line to all but end Texas A&M’s chances of coming back. Quinn Ewers again had some shaky moments, notably throwing a pick-six that gave the Aggies their only points of the game, but when Texas’ defense is playing like this, it can beat anyone. Quintrevion Wisner was fantastic, too, running the ball all over Mike Elko’s defense to the tune of 186 yards on 33 carries. Texas dominated this game minus a pick-six and a blocked punt that set A&M up deep in the Longhorns’ territory.
Grade: D | Title odds: +450
Georgia is very, very fortunate to come away with a win against Georgia Tech in an eight-overtime battle. The Bulldogs benefited from multiple questionable calls late, including recovering a fumble late in the fourth quarter that looked like targeting, to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Bulldogs have shown they can knock off a top-flight opponent like No. 3 Texas, but have looked almost apathetic in other wins. Georgia’s defense struggled to stop GT quarterback Haynes King on the ground (24 carries for 110 yards and 3 TDs) while generating little of value in its own run game. If that stays the same, Georgia will need a lot more from QB Carson Beck and his cast of receivers if the Bulldogs are to make a CFP run.
Ohio State
Grade: F | Title odds: +450
Ryan Day again doesn’t look capable of leading Ohio State to a national championship. That much was clear in Saturday’s pathetic 13-10 loss to 7-5 Michigan to mark the fourth consecutive loss to the Wolverines. Ohio State overloaded its roster this offseason, adding expensive and proven players like Alabama defensive back Caleb Downs and Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins, in a direct reaction to Michigan winning it all last season. And yet despite being a 21-point favorite over Michigan, Ohio State won’t even make the Big Ten title game because Day and the Buckeyes blew it yet again. Will Howard threw two interceptions, the run game managed an anemic 77 total yards and the defense got bullied late for the Wolverines to kick a game-winning field goal. Ohio State will still make the playoff, but the head coach is holding the talent back right now.
Grade: A- | Title odds: +1000
Penn State had a disastrous start, fumbling the ball on its first offensive play and then giving up a touchdown on Maryland’s first. But it settled in from there for a convincing 44-7 win over the Terrapins. Penn State held Maryland to only 10 rushing yards in the first half – the Terps managed only 72 total – and harassed QB MJ Morris into three interceptions. A week after struggling in a win over Minnesota, Penn State did what it was supposed to in a blowout over an overmatched opponent. Nicolas Singleton rallied well with two touchdowns after his early fumble.
Grade: B- | Title odds: +1000
With USC driving to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, Christian Gray delivered the play of the game, a 99-yard interception return for touchdown that extinguished the Trojans’ comeback efforts. Notre Dame added a 100-yard interception return for touchdown on USC’s next offensive drive for a 49-35 win to all but clinch a playoff spot. Notre Dame’s defense had its hands full as USC attacked Gray throughout the game and had 360 passing yards but the Fighting Irish stepped up when it mattered late. Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard led the way with two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. Notre Dame looked a little shaky against the Trojans but should benefit from a likely home playoff game.
Grade: B | Title odds: +1600
Tennessee looked very shaky early as Vanderbilt raced out to a 14-0 lead only five minutes into the game, capitalizing on a kickoff return touchdown and then a touchdown off a short field following a Dylan Sampson fumble on the Vols’ 19-yard line. Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava was ready for the moment, though, scoring three second-quarter touchdowns to give the Volunteers a halftime lead they would never relinquish. Tennessee’s slow starts have gotten it in trouble before and could rear their head again at the wrong time, but the Vols held off a solid Vanderbilt team and booked a (likely) trip to the College Football Playoff. The defense deserves credit, too, for how it buckled down after the early 14-0 deficit.
Alabama
Grade: C+ | Title odds: +2300
Alabama lost the turnover battle 4-1, three of which came from Jalen Milroe, but still beat Auburn, 28-14, to give Kalen DeBoer his first Iron Bowl win. Milroe’s three turnovers (2 fumbles, 1 INT) contrasted with his three rushing touchdowns perfectly encapsulated the recent Alabama QB rollercoaster experience. The defense did a terrific job limiting Auburn’s run game to only 98 yards but still let the Tigers hang around longer than they should have. The Crimson Tide looked dead a week ago after a loss to Oklahoma, but Syracuse knocking off No. 6 Miami has opened the door for Alabama to sneak into the last playoff spot.
SMU
Grade: A | Title odds: +3100
SMU completed a perfect 8-0 first season in the ACC with an easy 38-6 win over Cal. Kevin Jennings threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns, Brashard Smith had 134 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns and the Mustangs held the Bears to only 254 total yards. SMU gets No. 13 Clemson in the ACC Championship next Saturday and a win over the Tigers will not only guarantee a playoff spot but should lead to a first-round bye. Rhett Lashlee deserves serious Coach of the Year consideration for the amazing job he’s done with his 11-1 SMU team.
Grade: A+ | Title odds: +4000
A week after losing its biggest test of the season against Ohio State, Indiana responded nicely in a 66-0 throttling of hapless Purdue. Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke threw for 349 yards and a whopping six touchdowns and the Hoosiers added another 233 yards and three touchdowns through the rushing game. Most impressively, Indiana allowed the Boilermakers only 67 total offensive yards, a mere 13 of which came on the ground. It was the biggest win over a FBS opponent in Indiana history and conversely the worst loss in Purdue history.
MORE: College football’s winners and losers of rivalry weekend
