Did you witness the dramatic endings of games of national importance last week? No. 6 USC defeated No. 18 UCLA, 48-45. Both offenses rushed for yards, with Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams potting his ticket to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist with 503 yards and Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson with 384 total yards. However, as is usual with “DTR,” it’s a feast or a famine, and his four turnovers, including an interception in the final 90 seconds, finished off the Bruins.
Illinois gave No. 3 Michigan all it could take, leading 17-16 when the Wolverines completed a fourth down pass with less than a minute left. The Wolverines drove to the Illini 18-yard line and kicked a field goal to win it 19-17 with nine seconds remaining.
Finally, TCU did it again, rallying at Baylor by scoring nine points in the last 2:07 and winning by a 40-yard field goal in the final game! College football produces instant classics week after week.
The fallout from those three games and others rocked Knoxville fans and brought hope to LA, Clemson and even Tuscaloosa. With No. 10 Tennessee (9-2) embarrassing themselves in South Carolina (63-38 loss), the volunteers are unofficially eliminated from CFP consideration. The First Four have all won and remain unchanged — No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 TCU. However, Michigan plays Ohio State on Saturday. Depending on who loses and how they play, others remain in the hunt (USC, Clemson and, yes, Alabama). More on that later. It’s clear that No. 5-ranked LSU (9-2) controls their own destiny and defeating Texas A&M today and Georgia in the SEC championship will catapult the Tigers into the top 4 and become the first team to qualify with two losses in The GFP in history.
On the grid and off
◘Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin is said to be the top contender for the Auburn job. Why Auburn would want this polarizing character is beyond me. While Kiffin turned Ole Miss and deserves recognition, he has a long history of controversy when faced with adversity. The NFL Raiders fired him, he retired after a year in Tennessee, which caused an uproar on campus, was fired on the USC tarmac and kicked out (as offensive coordinator) just weeks before the national championship game in Alabama. Still, there’s no denying his offensive genius. However, the Auburn job will bring other high-profile candidates. But the government has shown signs of desperation, and desperate people are making impulsive decisions. As far as Kiffin staying in Mississippi for loyalty reasons, fuhgeddaboudit!
◘Is today’s Iron Bowl (Auburn-Alabama) the least engaging in a generation?
◘Think about it for a moment: Tennessee is under investigation by the NCAA because former head coach Jeremy Pruitt admitted to paying the mother of a volunteer player some money. There are 17 other allegations of violations. The reality now is that using Name, Image and Likeness, there are many ways around such a violation and it is just ridiculous to continue the investigation. In addition, this misconduct was likely repeated at numerous other universities across the country.
◘Seven Michigan State players have been accused of assaulting a Michigan player in the tunnel after their Oct. 29 game. The video says it all and there should be accountability for one’s actions. But the hard part here is how inconsistently our laws are being applied. Why wasn’t Golden State player Dremond Green accused of assaulting teammate Jordan Poole in October when video clearly showed that Green literally caught him off guard? As we said before, what are law enforcement doing, or does Green have special star status? The hypocrisy is overwhelming. What happened to everyone being treated equally before the law? Yes, exactly.
On the field
#3 Michigan (11-0) at #2 Ohio State (11-0)-7: As Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh describes the game, “It’s like two superheroes going at each other.” Really? After last year’s 42-27 win, he is now 5-1 against the Buckeyes. The biggest question for Michigan is whether running back Blake Corum, who was injured last week, will play. He’s elusive, strong, and the backbone of the team. They need him to control the ball and shorten play to limit Ohio State possession. Their quarterback, JJ McCarthy, needs to play flawless football. Without Corum they have no chance. They don’t stand a chance with him. OSU quarterback CJ Stroud will also be in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. He has NFL quality receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka to throw at. The Buckeyes are averaging more than 50 points per game while scoring just 17 points. I’ve been telling you all year that Ohio State’s most influential change would be new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Buckeye defense will make all the difference. These two teams last met unbeaten in 2006. I was there and I will be there too. This game was hard fought (a 42-39 OSU win) but this one will be a blowout. Roll horse chestnuts!
No. 13 Notre Dame (8-3)+6 at No. 5 USC (10-1): This premier intersectional rivalry in college football has been going on since 1926. The Irish have a chance to return to national prominence with a win. USC coach Lincoln Riley is an offensive genius who simply tries to outplay the opposition. However, the Trojans’ defense delivers more than 6 yards per play. Williams is special and Notre Dame need to contain him because the Irish lack the offensive talent to beat the Trojans. This is the biggest test of the year for Notre Dame since it opened in Ohio State. A win would be the most impressive thing of the season for sure. Quarterback Drew Pyne needs to be perfect and the Irishman needs to move the ball on the ground. Take the points because I think this Notre Dame team has turned the tide and will make it interesting in prime time.