Brett Hundley celebrates after a second half score against rival USC. (Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports)
Not much changed on a sleepy Saturday in college football, which was just an appetizer to Rivalry Week.
The top seven teams in the College Football Playoff selection committee’s ranking all won — some more easily than others — so there wasn’t much to talk about other than “game control.”
That was the phrase of the week in college football, an instant flash point among fans, as the committee tried to explain/rationalize how and why it ranked teams as it did. Yeah, we get it. “Game control” is basically another way of saying margin of victory, or a certain team “passes the eye test,” but, as always, the only control of the game that really matters is the one that happens when the clock turns from 0:01 of the fourth quarter to 0:00.
Teams are built to win in different ways. Florida State of 2013 left no meat on the bone as it devoured opponents. Florida State of 2014 toys with its food before leaving the table satisfied.
The Seminoles did it again Saturday, needing a 26-yard field goal from Roberto Aguayo to escape with a 20-17 win over visiting Boston College. That was FSU’s fifth game decided by a touchdown or less; the Seminoles didn’t have any of those last year until they rallied to beat Auburn in the national championship game.
“We’re undefeated,” said coach Jimbo Fisher. “We finish every game. Everybody else in the country has not finished at least one game. We’ve finished every one of them. Isn’t that the object? Isn’t that the object?”
We can’t deny that margin of victory has some predictive value, but winning the close ones, having the ability to mount comebacks, is a mighty valuable skill as well. If you want to mark down FSU for its strength of schedule, that’s fair, but leave off the demerits for its otherwise lack of “game control” — a sticky, subjective matter better left to sports talk radio.
Anyway, the top teams in the selection committee poll are dying for any kind of victory this week against old rivals.
No. 1 Alabama plays the mother of all Iron Bowl revenge games against Auburn. No. 2 Oregon is at Oregon State. No. 3 Florida State plays host to a Florida team with nothing to lose (having already lost its coach, Will Muschamp, after this game). No. 4 Mississippi State goes to Ole Miss in only the third Egg Bowl to feature ranked teams on both sides.
Elsewhere, No. 5 TCU is at a surging Texas team on Thanksgiving, and No. 6 Ohio State will try to avoid being a victim of a last gasp from visiting Michigan.
There are some mismatches here, but the only surprise would be if there are no surprises this week.
Five things we think we learned in week 13
1. Can’t count out UCLA. The Bruins stomped on rival USC and will be no worse than eighth in the new selection committee poll. Brett Hundley looks like Brett Hundley, the Bruins defensive front has finally come to play, and the Bruins are riding a five-game winning streak into their regular-season finale against Stanford. If that streak gets to seven, which would include a win over Oregon in the Pac-12 title game, UCLA would have a playoff case, especially if the committee values how a team is playing right now.
2. Jim Hackett has an easy decision to make. Hackett, Michigan’s new interim athletic director, will have to make a call on head coach Brady Hoke before a full-time AD is hired. Hackett was non-committal when he met with reporters Saturday … and then Michigan went out and lost at Maryland. Enough said?
3. Can’t count out Kansas State. The Big 12 debate is which team should be ranked higher — Baylor or TCU — but the Wildcats are the third wheel. Each of these teams is 6-1 in the conference, with K-State, coming off a win at West Virginia, finishing the regular-season against Kansas and at Baylor. The Wildcats will be rooting hard for Texas to beat the Horned Frogs on Thanksgiving.
4. This is the year of the running back. Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon’s FBS single-game rushing record lasted one week, broken by Oklahoma freshman Samaje Perine, who went for 427 yards against Kansas. Don’t feel too badly for Gordon, who reached 2,000 yards in a season faster than anyone in FBS history — on his 241st carry. That’s a record he’ll hold for more than a week.
5. Virginia Tech remains Ohio State’s anchor. The Buckeyes’ case for the College Football Playoff is undermined by that early home loss to Virginia Tech, which looks worse all the time. Tech dropped to 5-6 after losing to Wake Forest 6-3 in double overtime. It was the first scoreless regulation game since 2005. The 5-6 Hokies, who have been bowling for 21 consecutive years, need to beat Virginia to make it 22.
Five top Heisman candidates
1. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon. He just keeps rolling on, with 323 passing yards and 73 rushing yards against Colorado. He accounted for four touchdowns — three through the air — to set the Pac-12 season record with 42 total touchdowns.
2. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin. He has 2,109 rushing yards, with potentially three games to play — vs. Minnesota, Big Ten title game, bowl game. The FBS single-season record is 2,628 yards, held by Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders. This is doable.
3. Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State. The dual threat is back in the picture, not because the Bulldogs rebounded against overmatched Vanderbilt, but because he can further impress this week against Ole Miss, and, perhaps, in the SEC title game.
4. J.T Barrett, QB, Ohio State. He’s third nationally in passing efficiency (even with 10 interceptions) to go with his 771 rushing yards. Directing the Buckeyes to the Big Ten title certainly will get him to New York City.
5. Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana. His numbers are just a tick below Gordon’s — 241 carries, 1,906 yards, 15 touchdowns — and maybe it’s more impressive that, you know, he’s doing it at Indiana.
Five players to watch
1. Markus Golden, DE, Missouri. He’s healthy again, with four sacks in the past two weeks, and just in time as the SEC East is on the line Friday vs. Arkansas, which has defeated LSU and Ole Miss via shutout in each of the past two weeks. With a win, the Tigers advance to the conference title game for the second consecutive season; otherwise, Georgia wins the East.
2. Nick Wilson, RB, Arizona. He’s healthy again, too, rushing for a career-high 218 yards against a tough Utah defense and becoming the first freshman in school history to gain 1,000 yards in a season. He’ll be a prime focus Friday against Arizona State.
3. Jalin Marshall, WR/PR, Ohio State. The speedy redshirt freshman had a 54-yard punt return and three fourth-quarter receiving touchdowns in a difficult win over Indiana, playing the hero after nearly being the goat (two fumbles) a week earlier against Minnesota.
4. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech. The true freshman passed for 328 yards and four touchdowns, including one on a late game-winning drive to win at Iowa State. He’ll make his fourth start this Saturday at home against Baylor, able to influence the chase for the Big 12 and national titles.
5. Tyler Lockett, WR/RET, Kansas State. Was brilliant at West Virginia, with 10 catches for 196 yards and a 43-yard punt return for a score. That was his second punt return TD of the season, to go with four career kick return scores.
Five best week 14 games
1. Auburn at Alabama, Saturday, 7:45 ET (ESPN). The Tide has waited all year for a chance to pay back the Tigers for the Kick Six, but can Alabama stop QB Nick Marshall? Amazingly, this is the seventh consecutive Iron Bowl that has national championship implications for at least one of the teams.
2. Florida at Florida State, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). The Gators have the athletes on defense to keep it close. Sure, that’s how the ‘Noles like it this season, but you know what happens when you play with fire one too many times.
3. Arizona State at Arizona, Friday, 3:30 p.m. (FOX). There will be plenty of scoreboard watching as Stanford at UCLA kicks off at the same time. If Stanford pulls off the upset, the winner of the Territorial Cup wins the South. This is the first time since 1975 that each team enters the game with at least nine wins — and that was back when Arizona and ASU were in the WAC.
4. Mississippi State at Ole Miss, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (CBS). The Rebels have lost three of their past four games, and really miss their best offensive player, WR Laquon Treadwell. The ending to the season hasn’t gone as planned for Ole Miss, but not much would be better than spoiling the Bulldogs’ playoff plans.
5. TCU at Texas, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET, (FOX Sports 1). The Longhorns have won three in a row and are playing some mean defense for coach Charlie Strong. But it won’t be easy to resist TCU QB Trevone Boykin and the Frogs’ now-dynamic attack in a key Big 12 game.
Bonus: Minnesota at Wisconsin, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (Big Ten Network). Winner takes the Big Ten West and plays Ohio State in the league title game.
NFLDraftScout.com: Film Room Review
Analyst Rob Rang’s five prospect takeaways for this week. Players listed including position, school, year (Height, weight and current NFLDraftScout.com overall rating and by position).
1. OT Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame, rSo. (6-6, 318, #5 OT in 2017 class): As he has virtually all season, the left tackle stood out against an athletic Louisville defense, demonstrating the balance, strength and aggression that screams first-round pick.
2. RB D.J. Foster, Arizona State, Jr. (5-11, 205, #18 RB in 2016 class): Bottled up much of the day by Washington State, Foster showed off his big-play ability, zipping through the defense for a 17-yard touchdown in the first quarter and an 18-yard score in the fourth. He was often targeted as a receiver, as well, demonstrating the versatile skill set that has led scouts to compare him to the Patriots’ Shane Vereen.
3. WR Tyler Lockett, Kansas State, Sr. (5-11, 175, #89/#14): He wins with size, strength and hand-eye coordination, frequently beating defenders this season on jump-balls. He was the big winner in the Wildcats’ win at West Virginia, piling up 321 all-purpose yards as a receiver and returner.
4. DT Marcus Hardison, Arizona State, Sr. (6-4, 298, #299/#25 DT): Sent up the middle and on a variety of stunts, Hardison showed burst, agility (including a spin move) and strength to rip through blocks and pull down ballcarriers.
5. WR Vince Mayle, Washington State, rSr. (6-3, 219, #160/#22): He frequently beat Arizona State with slants and posts, using his broad shoulders to shield defenders from the ball. Mayle doesn’t possess elite speed but he accelerates fluidly, which helps him separate just enough on verticals. Mayle recently accepted an invitation to participate in the East-West Shrine Game.
