Week 12 of the College Football season has come to an end, with upsets and near-upsets. With just two weeks left in the regular season, some teams have cemented their status as contenders, while other teams fell from that class this week. This has caused some major shakeups in the College Football Top 25 Power Rankings.
1. Ohio State
Ohio State remains one of the three undefeated teams in the nation. The Buckeyes dominated UCLA early in the game, building a 27-0 lead in the first half. It was enough that Ohio State was able to sit Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith in the second half, in an effort to get them rest from some nagging injuries. The Buckeyes would go on to a 48-10 victory. Ohio State will host Rutgers in Week 13 before a date with Michigan in the Big House to end the season.
2. Indiana
Indiana needed a comeback victory to defeat Penn State on the road in Week 11, but did not need that in Week 12. It was a tight first half against Wisconsin, leading just 10-7 at the end of the first half. Still, Indiana would dominate the second half, not allowing Wisconsin to score. They would go on to win the game 31-7. Indiana has an open week in Week 13, and then will face Purdue on the road the day after Thanksgiving. A win will secure a spot in the Big Ten Title Game.
3. Texas A&M
The Aggies are the last of the undefeated teams in the nation. They are coming off a huge win over South Carolina. The Gamecocks took a 17-3 lead in the first quarter and would extend that to 30-3 at the halftime break. Texas A&M came out of the halftime break liek a different team. They scored touchdowns on each of their first four drives, taking the 31-30 lead. The defense then would hold South Carolina scoreless, as Texas A&M completed the massive comeback. They will play Samford in Week 13 before visiting Texas to end the season.
4. Georgia
Georgia flexed their muscles this week. After giving up an early field goal, Georgia held a 14-3 lead over Texas going into the halftime break. They would give up a third-quarter touchdown and then dominate the fourth. The Bulldogs were up just four going into the fourth quarter, and scored three touchdowns in the final quarter of play. Georgia defeated Texas 35-10. Georgia has completed their SEC schedule and will face Charlotte this upcoming week before facing Georgia Tech to end the season.
5. Ole Miss
Ole Miss survived a scare in Week 12. They faced Florida in Week 12, and it was a high-scoring first half. After Ole Miss took a 10-0 lead, Florida took the lead in the second quarter. They would lead the game 24-20 at the end of the first half. Still, Ole Miss would come from behind late in the game, scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, while forcing an interception and two turnovers on downs to win the game 34-24. Ole Miss will have an open week in Week 13 before facing Mississippi State on the road to end the season.
6. Texas Tech
Texas Tech has moved to 10-1 on the season after destroying UCF. The Red Raiders took a 38-2 lead in the first half. That included linebacker Jacob Rodriguez picking off a pass, but also scoring a rushing touchdown on offense, adding to his Heisman hype. Texas Tech added ten more points in the third quarter, on the way to a 48-9 victory. Texas Tech gets a week off before facing West Virginia on the road in the final game of the season.
7. Oregon
Oregon has moved to 9-1 on the season. They hosted Minnesota hits past week, and, while they were missing players, the ground game was dominant. The Ducks ran in three touchdowns in the first half, on the way to a 28-6 lead. Oregon went on to win the game 42-13. Oregon still has a chance to make it to the Big Ten Title game, but it needs to win out. They will host USC in Week 13, the site of ESPN's College Game Day, before visiting Washington to end the season.
8. Oklahoma
Oklahoma took a major jump in the power rankings after the Sooners defeated Alabama. They opened up with a field goal before an Eli Bowen pick-six made it 10-0. They would lead 17-14 at the end of the first half. The Crimson Tide took a 21-20 lead in the third quarter, but early in the third quarter, Oklahoma took a 23-21 lead. Alabama could not make the comeback. Oklahoma had just 212 yards of offense, but still won the game 23-21. The Sooners face Missouri in Week 13 before finishing the season against LSU.
9. Notre Dame
Notre Dame continues their winning streak in Week 12. They faced Pitt on the road and opened up a nice lead. After a Jeremiyah Love 56-yard touchdown rush gave them the lead, a Tae Johnson pick-six made it 14-0 early. Everything went the way of the Fighting Irish. Even when they made a mistake, it worked out for Notre Dame. Pittsburgh picked off a pass for a touchdown in the third quarter and went for two. The two-point attempt was intercepted, leading to two points for Notre Dame. The Irish would win the game 37-15. They will host Syracuse in Week 13 before visiting Stanford to end the season.
10. Alabama
Alabama saw its winning streak end at the hands of Oklahoma. Ty Simpson had some major errors. While he threw for 326 yards, he also had an interception returned for a touchdown and lost a fumble in the game. Alabama is still in a prime spot to make the playoffs. They will face Eastern Illinois this week, before facing Auburn on the road in the last game of the season.
11. Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt is coming off an open week in Week 12. They are 8-2 on the season after an overtime victory over Auburn in their last game. Vanderbilt is likely on the outside looking in of the playoff picture currently, but they can get back in with just a little help. Still, they also need to win out. The Dores will host Kentucky in Week 12 before visiting Tennessee to end the season.
12. BYU
BYU has rebounded from its first loss of the season. Hosting TCU, BYU was dominant. They scored on all five of their possessions in the first half, leading 27-10 at the halftime break. They would also score on their first two drives of the second half, before finally punting for the first time in the fourth quarter. The Cougars took the 44-13 win. BYU visits Cincinnati in Week 13.
13. Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech pulled off a massive comeback, placing them close to going to the ACC Championship Game. The Yellow Jackets would be down 28-17 going into the fourth quarter. They scored 17 straight points, but Boston College took the lead with just 4:09 left in the game. Still, wth 11 seconds left in the game, Aidan Birr hit a field goal as Georgia Tech won the game 36-34. They face Pitt in Week 13, and a win sends them to the ACC Championship.
14. Utah
Utah has now won three straight and been dominant in the process. This time it was a 55-28 victory over Baylor. They still have an outside chance to make it to the Big 12 Championship game, but with their two losses being to BYU and Texas Tech, they would need a lot of help. Utah will host Kansas State in Week 13.
15. USC
A strong second half gave USC the victory over Iowa. The Trojans were down 14-0 early in the second quarter, and would trail 21-10 at the halftime break. The defense was solid in the second half and did not allow Iowa to score. Meanwhile, they added 16 points, winning the game 26-21. USC will hit the road in Week 13, facing Oregon.
16. Michigan
The Wolverines survived Week 12, facing Northwestern. Michigan built a solid lead, holding a 21-9 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Still, Northwestern scored two touchdowns to make it 22-21 late. As time expired in the game, Dominic Zvada hit a field goal to win the game 24-22. Michigan will visit Maryland in Week 13 before hosting Ohio State to end the season.
17. Texas
Texas likely saw its playoff hopes die this week, as it suffered its third loss of the year. The Texas offense never got going, being held to just 251 yards overall against Georgia. It was a tight game, but Georgia scored to open the fourth quarter, and then got an onside kick and scored again. Georgia won the game 25-20. Texas will face Arkansas in Week 13.
18. Virginia
Virginia has rebounded from their second loss in a big way. The Cavaliers were underdogs on the road against Duke, but dominated the game. UVA has a 31-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter. They did give Duke some hope, with a touchdown pass and then a pick-six to make it a two-score game. Still, Virginia would win the game 34-17. Virginia will be off this week before hosting Virginia Tech to end the season.
19. Miami
Miami is coming off another victory. They dominated North Carolina State. NC State did not score until 2:18 left in the game, finally scoring a touchdown on a ten-yard run from CJ Bailey. Still, it was much too little too late. Miami won the game 41-7. The Hurricanes visit Virginia Tech in Week 13.
20. James Madison
James Madison still has just one loss on the year. It was a loss in the second game of the year to Louisville on the road. Since then, they have won eight straight games. JMU is coming off a 58-10 victory over Appalachian State. James Madison hosts Washington State in Week 13 before visiting Coastal Carolina to end the season.
21. Tennessee
Tennessee is coming off an easy victory. They faced New Mexico State in Week 12, winning the game 42-9. Tennessee will visit Florida in Week 13 before ending the season with a game against Vanderbilt.
22. North Texas
If James Madison is not the top team from the Group of Five, it could be North Texas. The Mean Green are coming off a dominating win over UAB on the road, winning the game 53-24. They are now 9-1 on the season and 5-1 in conference play. With a win over Navy already this year, winning out could give them an American Conference Championship game berth. They will visit Rice in Week 13.
23. Tulane
Tulane moved to 8-2 on the year, with a 35-24 victory over FAU. It was a dominating performance by Jake Retzlaff, as he threw two touchdown passes. Tulane will visit Temple in Week 13 before finishing their season with a home game agaisnt Charlotte.
24. Missouri
Missouri slips into the end of the Power Rankings with a win over Mississippi State. Matt Zollers was not great, but he did throw for 112 yards and two touchdowns. They did not need him to be great, as Ahmas Hardy ran for 300 yards on 25 carries while scoring three times on the way to a 49-27 victory.
25. UConn
There are arguments for other teams in the last spot. While Houston got a win this week, it also had an embarrassing loss to West Virginia. Navy played well this week, but also got blown out by Notre Dame. San Diego State has been solid, but it also has a loss to Hawaii. UConn deserves some respect for what they have done as of late. They are coming off a 26-16 win over Air Force, snagging their eighth win of the year. They have now won seven of their last eight games and have not lost by more than seven points. UConn will finish the season this week, visiting FAU.
Just Missed: Houston, Navy, San Diego State
