Follow along as we recap an always chaotic rivalry week just one week away from conference championship weekend. Two top-10 teams dropped in No. 6 Miami and No. 2 Ohio State, and Georgia and Georgia Tech delivered an instant classic in their 8OT game on Friday night.
Michigan upsets No. 2 Ohio State in thrilling rivalry game
Michigan secured its fourth consecutive victory over No. 2 Ohio State in a tightly contested rivalry showdown, edging the Buckeyes, 13-10.
The Wolverines and Buckeyes were locked in a 10-10 tie at halftime after a crucial turning point in the second quarter. Michigan's defense intercepted a red zone pass, setting up Kalel Mullings’ 1-yard touchdown run. That pivotal score helped Michigan gain an early lead until Ohio State struck back.
Neither team could break the deadlock in the third quarter as both defenses dominated, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
Late in the fourth quarter, Michigan marched into the red zone but was held to a critical field goal, putting the Wolverines up 13-10 with under two minutes remaining.
Ohio State had one final chance to respond but fell short, sealing the upset.
The loss dropped the Buckeyes (10-2, 7-2) in the Big Ten standings, a significant blow to their conference championship aspirations.
Meanwhile, the Wolverines (7-5, 5-4) get to keep their streak alive in this historic rivalry.
Syracuse stuns No. 6 Miami, knocking the Canes out of the ACC title game
Unranked Syracuse has taken down the sixth-ranked Hurricanes 42-38.
The Orange, who have played football since the 19th century, completed the largest comeback in program history after trailing 21-0 early in the second quarter.
Syracuse stormed back, tying the game 21-21 early in the third quarter. The teams traded touchdowns on the next two possessions before the Orange defense made the play of the game.
Canes quarterback Cam Ward made a quick pass out wide to wideout Xavier Restrepo near midfield before Cuse cornerback Devin Grant stripped Miami's all-time receiving leader and returned the football 56 yards to the house.
Strip, scoop and score! 🎯
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball)
📺 ESPN
With under five minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Orange defense stepped up yet again, holding the Canes to a chip-shot field goal, maintaining the lead 42-38. Cuse quarterback Kyle McCord and company went on to ice the game with a few first downs, ending the game in victory formation.
McCord finished with 380 passing yards and three scores, while Ward threw for 350 and two touchdowns. Each team had a pair of receivers with 100-plus yards in a classic gunslinger matchup.
Miami (10-2, 6-2 ACC) is knocked out of the ACC title game with the loss, as SMU and Clemson will face off in Charlotte to crown the conference champion. The Canes' playoff hopes are now left in the hands of the College Football Playoff committee.
Syracuse (9-3, 5-3 ACC) could sneak into the CFP top 25 with this impressive win and will finish the season with nine or more wins for just the second time since they joined the ACC in 2013.
No. 3 Texas controls No. 15 Texas A&M, secures SEC championship berth
In their first year in the SEC, the Longhorns will compete for the conference title after taking down Texas A&M 17-7.
It was the first rendition of the Lone Star Showdown since 2011, and Texas controlled the entire game, out-gaining TAMU 458-248 on the night.
TAMU was unable to get anything going offensively, with the Aggie's only touchdown on a pick-six late in the third quarter. Mike Elko's squad was 0-3 on fourth down, including a pivotal call late in the fourth quarter. Texas A&M trailed 17-7 on fourth and goal on the one-yard line. Rather than taking the field goal to make it a one-score game, Elko opted to roll the dice, looking to take advantage of their field position. However, Texas' talented defensive line sniffed out the play, stuffing TAMU running back Amari Daniels on a run up the middle.
ETHAN BURKE WITH THE STOP ❌🛑
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball)
This stop sealed the game as the Longhorns were able to chew the clock down with their next two possessions.
Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner had a field day, rushing for 186 yards on 5.6 yards per carry. Longhorn quarterback Quinn Ewers finished with 218 yards, a touchdown and a pick. Backup Arch Manning scored the only other offensive touchdown in the game on a fourth-down scramble in the first half.
Steve Sarkisian's squad earned a berth in the SEC championship, where Texas (11-1, 7-1 SEC) will get a rematch with Georgia. The Bulldogs took down the Longhorns 30-15 in their last matchup in Austin in mid-October. The winner of this rematch is all but guaranteed to receive a bye in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.
Arizona State and Iowa State to meet in Big 12 championship as conference madness unravels
Heading into this weekend, the Big 12 announced nine teams remained in contention for the conference championship.
While some teams had a much greater chance than others, this number is still remarkable and illustrates how competitive the conference was in 2024.
Late Saturday night, the chaos finally settled. Arizona State and Iowa State are set to meet in Arlington, TX, next weekend to crown a Big 12 champion.
The ultimate decider came down to No. 19 BYU vs. Houston, facing off early into the Dec. 1 morning on the East Coast. Because BYU knocked off Houston, the Cougars punched the ticket for Iowa State to meet Arizona State. Had BYU lost, Colorado would have had its shot at the title against the Sun Devils.
Arizona State made things easy, as the Sun Devils only needed a win over their rival Arizona to clinch a berth. And ASU made sure to make a statement as it earned its spot, knocking off the Wildcats 49-7 in the earlier window of Week 14.
Kansas was the problem child of the Big 12, entering Week 11 at 2-6, before knocking off three of the top four Big 12 teams in consecutive weeks — Iowa State, BYU and Colorado. The Jayhawks returned to the surface today, losing their season finale 45-17 to Baylor.
No. 15 South Carolina bolsters CFP resume with win over rival No. 12 Clemson
The Palmetto Bowl came down to the wire with both teams being within one score of each other the entire game.
Clemson led with 4:57 to play in the game when Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers led a 9-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to give South Carolina the lead with just 1:08 left to go when he broke for a 20-yard TD run on a critical third-and-16. Sellers finished the day 13 of 21 with 164 yards passing, but his legs were the difference with 16 carries for 166 yards and two touchdowns.
HIM.
— Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB)
On the next drive, with Clemson (9-3, 7-1 ACC) already in field goal range and the Gamecocks leading 17-14, South Carolina’s defense came up with the game-sealing pick off Cade Klubnik to earn the come-from-behind victory.
With the win, South Carolina (9-3, 5-3 SEC) likely will climb in the next College Football Playoff rankings and have put itself in a prime position to get an at-large bid.
No. 7 Georgia escapes Georgia Tech in 8OT, 44-42
Rivalry week kicked off with a bang as No. 7 Georgia and Georgia Tech went to eight overtimes in Athens, Georgia — one overtime away from matching the all-time record set in 2021 by Penn State and Illinois. The Bulldogs completed the comeback, securing the 44-42 win.
The Clean, Old Fashioned Hate rivalry game had been a lopsided matchup in its recent renditions, with Georgia outscoring the Yellow Jackets 248 to 72 in their last six meetings. However, Brent Key's squad made the quick drive up to Athens and jumped out to a 17-0 lead by halftime. Tech recorded 307 total yards to UGA's 137 in the first 30 minutes.
Kirby Smart's squad clawed back into the game, scoring three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to force the beginning of the second-longest overtime game in FBS history.
In the first two overtimes, the in-state rivals traded touchdowns, moving the score from 27-27 to 40-40 heading into 3OT. But then the defenses returned when the overtime pivoted to only two-point conversions, as each team failed to convert the two-point try in 3OT and 4OT.
Offense returned in 5OT, with each quarterback connecting with their receivers for the two-point try, pushing the score to 42-42 heading into 6OT. The sixth and seventh overtimes were the same story as the third and fourth, as the defenses once again stepped up, holding the score at 42-42 going into the eighth.
Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King failed to connect with Eric Singleton to open 8OT, giving the Bulldogs yet another chance to close out the game. And — finally — Georgia returned to the basics, sending true freshman running back Nate Frazier up the middle for the win.
One to remember.
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball)
Entering this game, Georgia (10-2, 6-2 SEC) had already punched its ticket to the SEC championship for a shot at a top-four seed in the College Football Playoff. But a loss in this game would have likely made the matchup in Atlanta a must-win to keep the Bulldogs in the CFP. The dramatic victory tonight should keep Georgia in the inaugural 12-team playoff regardless of the outcome of the SEC championship.
Georgia Tech (7-5, 5-3 ACC) was as close as a team could get to securing another upset. The Yellow Jackets knocked off then-top-10 Florida State to start the year and later Miami three weeks ago. Key's team had already earned bowl eligibility for the second straight year after missing a bowl the previous four.
Jeanty's elite day powers No. 11 Boise State past Oregon State
The Broncos took care of Oregon State behind another monster day from superstar running back Ashton Jeanty. The junior Heisman candidate was a workhorse, carrying the ball 37 times and rushing for a stellar 226 yards with a touchdown. Jeanty wraps up his regular season with 2,062 yards and 27 TDs to lead the entire FBS.
Boise State now waits to see who they will take on in next Friday night’s Mountain West title game. No. 22 UNLV clinches a date vs. Boise State with a win over Nevada on Saturday night. With a UNLV loss, Colorado State will battle the Broncos for Mountain West supremacy. Either potential championship matchup could have massive College Football Playoff implications with the Broncos currently projected in the 12-team field and receiving a first-round bye in the latest CFP projections.
