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Rivalry week has come and gone, but not without a handful of nail-biting matchups in college football’s prime week. Thanksgiving night’s Egg Bowl looked more like a Big Ten West matchup, with Ole Miss prevailing. Iowa knocked Nebraska out of bowl eligibility on Friday, while Texas, Penn State, and Oregon all took care of business at night.
Saturday’s slate opened with Michigan’s big home win, a Kentucky upset victory over Louisville, and an LSU stat-stuffing win. Alabama edged out Auburn with a huge fourth down conversion, Oklahoma State scraped by BYU, and Northwestern survived Illinois. Washington won the Apple Cup on a game-winning field goal, Florida State escaped the Swamp with no Jordan Travis, and Georgia handled Georgia Tech.
Clemson outmanned South Carolina, Iowa State gunned past Kansas State in a snowy game, North Carolina fell to the Wolfpack, and California beat down UCLA for bowl eligibility. The last regular season of college football as we know it has come to a close as we look ahead to championship week.
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Stock Up
Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Oregon’s Bo Nix has had a sensational season as he sits in the midst of the Heisman race and one game away from a College Football Playoff berth. Nix has grown immensely since we first saw him on a football field as a freshman at Auburn in 2019. He finished this season with 37 touchdowns and two interceptions, passing for a career-high 3,906 yards as he quarterbacked an efficient Ducks offense.
Nix’s final regular season game was a big 31-7 win over Oregon State in the final Civil War game prior to Oregon’s departure to the Big Ten in 2024. Nix completed 33-of-40 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns, adding 31 rushing yards and another score on the ground. It is very likely that we see Nix in New York this season.
Michigan Wolverines
No Jim Harbaugh, no problem for the Wolverines. Michigan, amidst an elaborate cheating scandal, beat Ohio State 30-24 for a third straight season to advance to the Big Ten championship. The Wolverines looked sound all over, controlling the ball on offense and forcing game-changing turnovers on defense.
Only the Iowa Hawkeyes stand in Michigan’s way of reaching a third straight CFP. The question: can they actually win? The Wolverines have not won a bowl game since the Citrus Bowl in 2015.
Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
There’s a new Heisman favorite in town -- LSU’s Jayden Daniels. Daniels has stuffed stat sheets with unreal numbers both through the air and on the ground this season and will deservedly be in New York despite missing the SEC championship and suffering three regular-season losses.
In his latest game, a 42-30 win over Texas A&M, Daniels completed 16-of-24 passes for 235 yards and four touchdowns while adding 120 rushing yards. The senior quarterback has not only lit up college football scoreboards but has also played himself into the first-round conversation for April’s NFL Draft. Keep an eye on Daniels throughout the draft process, as he could be the latest dual-threat quarterback to take the league by storm.
Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
Early in the season, Alabama faced a quarterback dilemma. Jalen Milroe won the job going into the season but was benched early in favor of Tyler Buchner for a few games. Milroe eventually was inserted back into the starting lineup, and Nick Saban never looked back.
Now, Milroe is cemented in Crimson Tide history after delivering one of the most clutch plays ever in the Iron Bowl. With under a minute left in the game trailing 24-20, Milroe converted a 4th-and-31 on a connection with receiver Isaiah Bond in the corner of the end zone to win the game and keep Alabama’s playoff hopes alive. He completed 16-of-24 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 107 yards on 18 carries in the win.
Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State trailed BYU 24-6 at halftime, seeing their Big 12 title game aspirations flash before their eyes. Then Ollie Gordon happened. The sophomore sensation running back carried the ball 34 times for 166 yards and five touchdowns, scoring three second-half touchdowns and two overtime touchdowns to secure the win and a Big 12 championship berth for the Cowboys.
Gordon is simply a difference-maker. He has flown under the radar as Oklahoma State has not played in too many national-level games, but all eyes will be on him next Saturday against Texas. Gordon’s 1,580 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns cannot go unnoticed.
Stock Down
Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
Another week, another Drake Maye stock hit. North Carolina fell 39-20 to North Carolina State during rivalry week, and Maye had another inconsistent game. The future first-rounder completed 22-of-38 passes for 254 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was electric on the ground with 106 rushing yards and a score, but it was not enough to overcome his inconsistencies through the air.
Maye has been in the conversation with Caleb Williams to be drafted first overall, but both have had shaky moments throughout the season.
Dante Moore, QB & Chip Kelly, UCLA
UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers got hurt early against California, thrusting freshman Dante Moore into action. The Bruins ended up falling 33-7. Moore completed 23-of-38 passes for 266 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
As UCLA gears up to head to the Big Ten in 2024, head coach Chip Kelly and former five-star prospect Dante Moore may not be making the move with them. Rumors have flown around regarding Kelly’s future with the program, and Moore’s decision to go to UCLA reportedly had a lot to do with Kelly. UCLA’s offseason will be a fascinating one to monitor.
Kyle McCord, QB, Ohio State
Ohio State simply got outplayed on Saturday, but quarterback Kyle McCord made a few poor throws that could have altered the outcome of the game.
McCord completed 18-of-30 passes for 271 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss to Michigan. While he won the quarterback competition over freshman Devin Brown this past offseason, McCord has to be feeling the pressure. Ohio State has gone from Dwayne Haskins to Justin Fields to C.J. Stroud at quarterback. The expectations are through the roof, and there is talent in the room behind the junior as well as an accessible transfer portal.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Rutgers started the season 6-2 but faltered once the schedule got real. They lost their final four games (Ohio State, Iowa, Penn State, and Maryland) with a scoring differential of 126-46. Despite the late-season woes, the Scarlet Knights are still going bowling. Greg Schiano has this program headed in the right direction despite the four-game snap back to reality.
NCAA's Rules
James Madison (11-1) and Jacksonville State (8-4) are bowl-bound. The NCAA prohibits teams under two years removed from an FCS-to-FBS transition from participating in postseason games but with not enough bowl-eligible teams to fill all of the slots, the Dukes and the Gamecocks will both be headed to bowl games this season. Minnesota (5-7) will additionally be playing in a bowl game.
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