In college football, the week before Thanksgiving has long been labeled “Cupcake Saturday”,
as many of the top teams have soft opponents leading into their respective rivalry games.
Many fans overlook this week on the calendar as they assume nothing important will happen. That was far from the case this past weekend as we had several matchups with playoff and conference implications on display.
The SEC in particular is known for dominating inferior competition the week before Thanksgiving., Tennessee apparently didn’t get the memo.
The Volunteers were a virtual lock to make the playoffs even with a loss to Georgia, so long as they didn’t slip up again.
That slip up came against South Carolina who pulled off the stunner behind a career day from Spencer Rattler.
The Vols playoff hopes are over as is Hendon Hooker’s season after suffering a torn ACL in the loss.
While the ending to this season was a major disappointment, that shouldn’t take away from the strides this program has made under second year head coach Josh Heupel.
If you were to tell Tennessee fans in August that they would be 9-2 and beat Alabama in the most memorable way possible, they would all consider 2022 a huge success.
Hendon Hooker will still end his season in New York and hear his name called during the first night of the NFL Draft next April.
Tennessee wasn’t the only top five team to have an off Saturday as each of the top four teams survived a scare in Week 12.
Michigan and Ohio State were caught looking ahead as they both narrowly escaped wins against Illinois and Maryland respectively to keep their undefeated seasons intact.
I’m not too worried with the lackluster showings they each had on Saturday, it’s hard to focus on the task at hand when you have your version of the Super Bowl next week.
“The Game”, headlines the best weekend in all of sports as all of the best rivalry games take place over a three-day stretch.
While Michigan and Ohio State always grabs the attention of fans, this year’s matchup in particular is must see TV.
It was one year ago that Michigan finally got over the hump with Jim Harbaugh and took down the Buckeyes in “the Big House”, en route to a Big Ten championship and a trip to the College Football Playoff.
The stakes are the same this year as the winner will in all likelihood win the Big Ten and have a spot in the playoff guaranteed.
For the loser, a playoff spot is possible however far from a sure thing. Michigan and Ohio State have had their resumes deflated by the weakness of the Big Ten this season, giving them little room for error.
Even though both teams are undefeated, this feels like a playoff game considering the loser will more likely than not be left out come selection Sunday.
There’s a lot of pressure on both teams with the stakes being so high, however there is extra pressure on Ohio State.
The Buckeyes are the superior program to Michigan on paper and are desperate to avenge last year’s defeat.
If Ohio State faltered again, that would mean the Big Ten’s premier program would fail to reach the conference championship and playoff for two consecutive seasons.
Nothing is more important to Ohio State fans than beating the team up north, not even winning a national title.
Ryan Day needs this win to establish himself among the elite coaches in the sport and, CJ Stroud needs this win to put the Heisman Trophy on ice.
As for the playoff race itself, seven teams still have a viable path to making it into the final four. The road for the top five teams in the latest CFP rankings is pretty straight forward: win out and you’re in.
As for USC and Clemson, it’s a bit more complicated.
The Trojans need to win out and have LSU lose to Georgia if they want to have a shot at cracking the top four. TCU losing a game wouldn’t hurt either.
The Tigers are hanging on by a thread after their blowout loss to Notre Dame, however they can still crash the playoff if things fall the right way.
Clemson would have to win out and have both USC and LSU slip up just to have an argument for the fourth spot. TCU losing would be beneficial as well.
Even if everything breaks right for Clemson, it’s not a guarantee the committee puts them in considering all their ranked wins early in the season have struggled since.
While some teams are gearing up for a playoff push or a run at their conference title, others are looking to turn things around with a new head coach.
The most notable of said programs is Auburn who is in the market for a head coach for the second time in three years.
Lane Kiffin appears to be the front runner for the Auburn job and could officially be named their next head coach within the next 48 hours.
Ole Miss ends their season on Thanksgiving evening in the Egg Bowl so Auburn fans may know who their next coach is by the time the Iron Bowl kicks off.
While Kiffin has denied the rumors in a way only he could (going back and forth with reporters on Twitter), all signs point to him heading to the plains in 2023.
There are a number of power five jobs that are either vacant or soon to be vacated after this weekend.
Next week will be chaotic for the sport with several coaches on the move and the transfer portal window opening.
Whether your team is contending for a national title or just hoping to make a bowl game, have a happy Thanksgiving weekend and enjoy the best weekend in all of sports.
Chris’s College Football Top 25 Rankings
1.Georgia Bulldogs(11-0) W vs Kentucky 16-6, last week-1
2.Ohio State Buckeyes(11-0) W vs Maryland 43-30, last week-2
3.Michigan Wolverines(11-0) W vs Illinois 19-17, last week-3
4.TCU Horned Frogs(11-0) W vs Baylor 29-28, last week-5
5.LSU Tigers(9-2) W vs UAB 41-10, last week-6
6.USC Trojans(10-1) W vs UCLA 48-45, last week-10
7.Alabama Crimson Tide(9-2) W vs Austin Peay 34-0, last week-7
8.Clemson Tigers(10-1) W vs Miami 40-10, last week-8
9.Tennessee Volunteers(9-2) L vs South Carolina 63-38, last week-4
10.Oregon Ducks(9-2) W vs Utah 20-17, last week-13
11.Penn State Nittany Lions(9-2) W vs Rutgers 55-10, last week-11
12.Washington Huskies(9-2) W vs Colorado 54-7, last week-14
13.Utah Utes(8-3) L vs Oregon 20-17, last week-9
14.Kansas State Wildcats(8-3) W vs West Virginia 48-31, last week-16
15.Florida State Seminoles(8-3) W vs Louisiana 49-17, last week-18
16.Notre Dame Fighting Irish(8-3) W vs Boston College 44-0, last week-20
17.UCLA Bruins(8-3) L vs USC 48-45, last week-17
18.North Carolina Tar Heels(9-2) L vs Georgia Tech 21-17, last week-12
19.Texas Longhorns(7-4) W vs Kansas 55-14, last week-24
20.Ole Miss Rebels(8-3) L vs Arkansas 42-27, last week-15
21.Tulane Green Wave(9-2) W vs SMU 59-24, last week-21
22.Cincinnati Bearcats(9-2) W vs Temple 23-3, last week-22
23.Oregon State Beavers(8-3) W vs Arizona State 31-7, last week-23
24.Coastal Carolina Chanticleers(9-1) Game Canceled, last week-25
25.Louisville Cardinals(7-4) W vs NC State 25-10, last week-unranked
Dropped out of rankings-UCF