Our first of two games this Thanksgiving weekend
Baylor (6-5, 4-4) at No. 24 Texas 7-4, 5-3) kicks off our Texas Two-step of Week Thirteen on Friday at 11 am CT. This showdown marks the 650th game attended by Collegefootballfan.com. The result of this Big Twelve matchup presents implications for not only the Big 12 Championship game, but also possibly on the final CFP format to be announced on December 11. Baylor fell to overall No. 4 TCU last Saturday, 29-28, leading by eight in the final period. A three-yard TD run capping a 90-yard drive with 2:07 and a 40-yard field goal by Griffin Kell ended the Bears upset bid, 29-28. TCU remains at No. 4 in the latest CFP poll.
The Texas Longhorns avenged last season’s embarrassing loss, albeit to a vastly improved Kansas Jayhawk squad, 55-12. The Horns dominated on the running of All American RB Bijan Robinson who carried 25 times for career highs of 243 yards and four TDs. The two teams statistically play pretty even. Based on common, conference game results and playing at home, we give the edge to the Horns over the well-coached Bears under Dave Aranda in this one by a touchdown. If Texas wins and Kansas State loses to Kansas, Texas will face TCU for the Big XII title. The Longhorns fell to the Horned Frogs two weeks ago, 17-10.
Sunbelt West Saturday
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns (5-6, 3-4) at Texas State Bobcats (4-7, 2-5) caps our Week Thirteen Texas Two-step. Watching two teams that didn’t play up to anticipated expectations this year. Though Billy Napier left Louisiana after last year’s 13-1 season, the team seemed to have solid nucleus returning under former assistant Michael Desormeaux. The Cajuns didn’t compete as well as expected. They lost to struggling archrival ULM and suffered a big loss to Improving Florida State last week, 49-17. Though a sixth win here would make them bowl eligible, six Conference foes have already qualified and they could be on the outside looking in once the Sun Belt’s six contracts are fulfilled.
Texas State HC/OC Jake Spavital surely entered this season on the hot-seat with a 9-27 record coming back for his fifth season as the Bobcats’ mentor. Not sure if a win here will help him, but a loss certainly won’t. A mid-season shocker over Appy State, only the Bobcats’ second win over a team with winning record in five years, followed by three close in-conference losses might be consideration for improvement. Surely, this game result will mean much for Spavital and the Bobcats’ football futures.
Hungrier team wins
A late comeback win over Arkansas State last week combined with a flourish here would possibly be a positive to keep Spavital at San Marcos. This game will be tight. The Cajuns’ incentive to become bowl eligible against a team they’ve beaten the last four years will be the intangible deciding factor in this game. Never having gone to a bowl in five years will most likely play in Texas State’s decision to give Spavital another season of move on in a different direction. For Week Thirteen, the final full weekend of the college football regular season, the Cajuns will come out ragin’ in this one.
Time to put the “Yellow Hammer to Alabammer”
Tennessee gets clobbered by South Carolina, 63-38, in a dominant win by the Gamecocks, who haven’t beaten any team of note this season until now. Regretfully, Volunteer QB Hendon Hooker left the game with season-ending injury. However, this didn’t occur until a suddenly revitalized Gamecock offense led by Spencer Rattler had the game well in hand. Rightfully, Tennessee (9-2, 5-2) drops in the CFP poll from No. 5 to No. 10 eclipsing their hopes to make the CFP. No SEC Championship game for the Vols having lost two games to SEC foes No. 1 Georgia and South Carolina (7-4, 4-4). And Vanderbilt suddenly looks to become bowl eligible in Week Thirteen against the Vols! Who’d imagine?
The Vols drop. So, LSU, USC, Alabama, and Clemson all step up a notch. Alabama? Why? LSU (9-2) who earlier got drubbed by Tennessee, 40-13, beat 5-6 UAB. USC (10-1) defeated archrival UCLA in a cliff hanger, 48-45, to advance them into the PAC 12 championship. Clemson (10-1) derailed Miami (5-6), 41-10 (and they host South Carolina next). After that, Clemson plays UNC (9-2) for the ACC title. This next discussion within the CFP committed must’ve been intense – NOT! Alabama beat FCS Austin Peay (7-4), 34-0.
We speak from our first-hand experience this season
We watched Alabama murder Utah State earlier this season 55-0. Having seen Austin Peay play twice, surely Nick Saban took it easy on his little pal HC Scotty Walden at APSU. He tries to follow in Saban’s footsteps. Walden scheduled three non-conference FCS weaklings ala Saban. This inflated the Govs record to 7-3. We saw his Govs lose to FBS Western Kentucky (7-5) and win a good game over FCS Eastern Kentucky (7-4), 31-20. Saban made it look like he played a fairly good FCS team? He didn’t. Why else would Saban take it so easy on APSU? Blowing this team out could not and should not make a difference. “Here Scotty, take the money. I promise not to beat you as bad as I really can.”
Bama should have been surpassed for playing such a team that can’t beat any of the aforementioned losers of the teams beaten by LSU, USC, nor Clemson. The committee lets Alabama get away with this. Why? Seems like they are keeping Alabama, who lost to LSU and Tennessee already, in a position to move up as long as they don’t lose this week to Auburn. An Auburn upset will close this issue.
The point of the matter?
If Auburn doesn’t pull the upset, every team ranked ahead of Alabama has two games left. Most are competitive. Each team has at least one determining a conference championship. Bama already has two losses. The close loss to Tennessee doesn’t look as formidable since the Gamecocks dominated the Vols like The Tide couldn’t. Again, UT beat up on LSU, too, 40-13. All these other teams can lose at least one game before the season is over. Bama just sits back and waits with their two losses. Just like a win over Austin Peay, Bama will gain ground based on other teams losing. Most only having one at that. Bad timing? Not right from what we see. We say, “War Eagle! “
Ivy settles on one true champion
As reported last week in Salvos, The Ivy League had the possibility of their ten-game season finishing in a four-way tie for first place. Instead, the final week determined a singular, deserving champion determined on the field. Both games, between the four finalists, did not settle until the final periods.
In their 138th meeting, Harvard (6-4, 4-3) led Yale at the start of the fourth, 14-13. Finishing a 75-yard drive, the Yale Bulldogs’ Jackson Hawes caught a five-yard TD pass from QB Nolan Groom. A two-point conversion failed. With 6:29 remaining, both teams punted twice. Harvard’s last possession ended with an INT by Yale LB Hamilton Moore, his second of the game. Yale (9-1, 6-1) went into a victory formation to seal the win.
Penn Quakers at Princeton Tigers
Princeton, a loser for the first time the week before against Yale, led archrival Penn, 19-7, at the end of three. The Penn Quakers ate up clock. They drove 66 yards culminating in Aidan Sayin’s two-yard TD pass to Julien Stokes to close the gap, 19-14. Princeton’s ensuing drive fizzled at the Penn 28. The Tigers gave the ball back on downs. From there with 5:15 left, Penn drove the length of the field. They converted on a fourth and two from their 36 and on a fourth and nine at Princeton’s 38 to stay alive. With five seconds left on fourth and goal at the Tiger five, Sayin connected with Trey Flowers for a TD pass to win it for the Quakers, 20-19.
With the Quaker win, Yale took sole possession of the Ivy League championship. Penn (8-2, 5-2) takes second in the Ivy ahead of Princeton with the same identical record. The Ivy Leaguers all go now to take final exams. The winner does not patriciate in the FCS playoffs. Playing ten straight weeks, the Ivy League settles on a football champion even before Week Thirteen of college football mania!
D3 disparities
Round one results of the D3 playoffs came in. Of 16 opening round games, seven games resulted in competitive scores. The other results showed the disparity among 239 teams in 28 different conferences across the country. Talent, competition, and focus vary at the D3 level. Nine other opening round games lost among teams with conference titles and one undefeated team. Many of these with only one loss, fell by an average of 45.3 points.
The D3 format does a good job of separating the wheat from the chaff as they say, but at least all get a chance to step into fray to give it their best shot. It beats getting voted out based on subjectivity or computer scores. Here are results of close battles fought in the first round:
Wartburg 14 – UW Lacrosse 6; Aurora 33 – UW Whitewater 28; Utica 17 – Susquehanna 10; Randolph Macon 35 – Cortland State 28; Springfield 17 Endicott (10-0) 14; Trinity, TX 14 – Hardin Simmons 7; Bethel 34 – Wheaton 32.
Second round games of interest in Week Thirteen: Randolph Macon (11-0) at Delaware Valley (11-0) ; 1-seed North Central (11-0) vs Carnegie Mellon (11-0): defending champ Mary Hardin-Baylor (9-1) at 1-see Trinity, TX.
Week Thirteen D-2 second round games of Interest
Four one-seeds waited in the wings for First round results. Here are the four Super Region matchups in Round Two vs. No. 1’s:
No. 4 Ashland (10-1) at Indiana U of Pennsylvania (9-1); No. 5 Wingate 10-2) at Benedict (11-0); No. 5 NW Missouri State (10-2) at Grand Valley (11-0); No. 4 Bemidji State (10-2) at Angelo State (11-0).
Other match-ups in the four respective super regions: No. 6 Slippery Rock (10-2) at No. 2 Shepherd (11-1); No. 3 West Florida (10-1) at No. 2 Delta State (11-1); No. 3 Pittsburg State (Kansas) at defending champ No. 2 Ferris State (10-1); No. 3 Minnesota State (10-2) a No. 2 Colorado School of Mines (10-2).
Our FCS Round Two game determined
The FCS starts Round one this weekend. Click here to view the parings. Collegefootballfan.com announces our Round Two game to be attended on December 3. Samford (10-1) winners of the Southern Conference located in Homewood, Alabama get a bye in Round one. The following week we will venture to Homewood to see them host the opening round winner between Idaho (7-4) and SE Louisiana (8-3). Looking forward to seeing a playoff game this season.
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Ed. by Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ‘em all! If you like our stories, read all our tales when we saw all 120 FBS teams (at the time of publication) play for the first time. Or, start thinking Christmas gifts for your favorite college football fans! We also encourage you and whoever you buy for to submit a review for us. Please click on the title or copy of the cover on our right sidebar to go to our Amazon page to buy and review. Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy Week Thirteen!
