Good morning, and welcome back to CFB Roundup from CFB Home – the first daily newsletter that’s all college football, all the time with no bias, no slant, and no fluff.

YESTERDAY’S RESULTS:

TODAY’S SCHEDULE:

Betting Information as of time of writing

#7 Georgia Comes Back to Survive Against Georgia Tech in a Near-Record 8 Overtimes

This game had everything a fan of college football could ask for: intrigue, drama, a comeback, controversial officiating decisions, overtime, playoff implications, rivalry, passion, explosive plays, physical plays, etc.

Ultimately, Georgia walked away victorious at home against Georgia Tech 44-42 in a game that took 8 overtimes and nearly 5 hours to decide.

Georgia Tech opened up taking a 17-0 lead before Georgia battled back to cut the lead to 20-13. Georgia Tech did a great job slowing the game down in the early portion of the 2nd half, which included a drive of over 10 minutes. However, after extending the lead to 2 touchdowns with less than 6 minutes remaining – and getting to a win probability of nearly 99%, Georgia mounted a pair of scoring drives to knot the game up at 27.

Georgia Tech had one more chance to get into field goal range late and got to roughly midfield, but the Georgia defense held strong and forced a 4th down conversion with just a couple seconds remaining.

It should also be noted that the final Georgia scoring drive may have never happened if not for LB Dan Jackson forcing a fumble on Haynes King, recovered by Chaz Chambliss, to set up the short field for the Dawgs.

In overtime, Georgia scored first, with Georgia Tech matching. Then, Haynes King scored and Georgia returned the favor, with both teams missing the 2-point conversion in double OT. In 3rd and 4th OT, neither team could score, but both teams converted in the 5th OT. In the 6th and 7th OT, again, neither team could score. It wasn’t until the 8th OT when GT did not score but Nate Frazier punched it in for the Bulldogs for the walk-off win.

Georgia Tech finished with nearly 600 yards of offense, as Georgia only put up 405 yards. Georgia Tech also had a higher yards per play at 6.7, while Georgia’s yards per play was down at 5.13. But, by the end it was about who could convert from 3 yards out, and Georgia Tech simply did not look comfortable. By the end, both teams looked like every play – hell, even every movement made by a player – looked like it hurt. But in the war of attrition, Georgia stood tall.

Haynes King had a great game, finishing with a game-high 303 passing yards and 110 yards rushing. King finished with 2 passing touchdowns and 3 rushing touchdowns.

RB Jamal Haynes also ran the ball well for the Yellow Jackets, finishing with 13/91.

Eric Singleton Jr. led all receivers in this game with a statline of 8/86/1, with Chase Lane (4/58), Jackson Hawes (4/46), and Malik Rutherford (4/43) all making key plays at some point in this one.

For the Bulldogs, Carson Beck finished 28/43 for 297 yards and 5 touchdowns. And it should be noted, Beck was pristine, especially down the stretch when the margin for error was essentially nil.

RB Nate Frazier finished with 11/50/1 rushing, but this statline does not do him justice for the impact he had in and around the goal line, especially late when it mattered most.

10 Bulldogs caught multiple passes, with Cash Jones (4/53/1) and Dominic Lovett (5/47/2) leading the way. London Humphreys (3/21/1) and Oscar Delp (2/15/1) also caught touchdown passes.

#14 Ole Miss Beats Mississippi State 26-14 in the Egg Bowl

After the 1st quarter, #14 Ole Miss actually trailed to Mississippi State, but the Rebels took a 17-14 lead after an 89-yard rush from Ulysses Bentley IV, and the Rebels never looked back, keeping Mississippi State off the scoreboard for the entirety of the final 3 quarters.

The biggest differentiator in this game has to be the difference in rushing, as Mississippi State ran the ball nearly half the time, but for only 1.3 yards per carry, while Ole Miss ran the ball roughly 67% of the time and ran for an even 4.98 yards per carry.

The leading rushers in this one for Ole Miss were Ulysses Bentley IV (20/136/1) and Jaxson Dart (13/77). Dart also went 14/24 for 143 yards and a passing touchdown through the air. The passing touchdown went to TE Caden Prieskorn who finished 4/53/1 while Jordan Watkins (5/39) and Cayden Lee (3/27) were the only other Rebels to catch multiple passes.

For Mississippi State, QB Michael Van Buren Jr. was up and down, finishing 17/32 for 280 yards, a passing touchdown, a rushing touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Van Buren’s most popular targets were Kevin Coleman (6/118/1) and Kelly Akharaiyi (3/54).

Ole Miss improves to 9-3 and 5-3 in SEC play with its CFP chances somewhat alive as all the Rebels can do is sit and wait to see their fate. A South Carolina win over Clemson, an Iron Bowl victory for Auburn over Alabama, and a blow-out loss for SMU in the ACC Conference Championship is going to be Ole Miss’ best path forward.

Sam Houston Beats Liberty 20-18 in Game with Massive CUSA Championship Implications

Sam Houston was able to hold off the surging Liberty Flames 20-18 to improve to 6-2 in CUSA play and 9-3 overall, as Sam Houston has a chance at making the CUSA Championship if Jacksonville State were to beat Western Kentucky later today.

Sam Houston outgained Liberty 333-262 and out-converted Liberty 7/19-5/21 while also winning the turnover battle 2-1.

For the Flames, QB Kaidon Salter was only 12/35 for 83 yards, a touchdown, and 2 interceptions. He did add a rushing touchdown and 23 yards on the ground. Sam Houston QB Hunter Watson finished 19/33 for 202 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception while also adding 33 rushing yards.

At RB, Quinton Cooley (19/90) and Billy Lucas (9/59) led the way for the Flames. Sam Houston RB Jay Ducker led all RBs in this one with 24 carries for 96 yards.

Receiving, none of the Liberty receivers finished with more than 30 yards, but Reese Smith (3/26), Treon Sibley (2/22), and Elijah Canion (3/20/1) came the closest. For Sam Houston, Simeon Evans (6/83/2) and Noah Smith (7/56) led the way.

Even with all of this, though, Liberty had a chance after scoring a touchdown with 1:10 remaining to tie the game up. Unfortunately for the Flames, the 2-point try was unsuccessful and it never had another chance as the ensuing onside kick was unsuccessful.

Miami (OH) Seals Spot in MAC Title Over Bowling Green 28-12

Miami (OH) and Bowling Green came into this game with a tie of the conference lead thanks to only one loss in MAC play, with the winner guaranteeing itself a spot in the conference championship. Well, Miami beat Bowling Green 28-12 to guarantee its spot. And with Ohio winning its game, Bowling Green finds itself not playing in the conference championship as it and Buffalo finish with 2 losses in conference play.

The game slowed down in the middle after Miami took a 14-5 lead late in the 2nd quarter. The 3rd quarter yielded no points but did include 6 punts and an interception.

Bowling Green scored towards the beginning of the 4th quarter, but Miami responded with seemingly a dagger of a touchdown before Bowling Green proceeded to not pick up another first down in 3 possessions.

Miami finished 4/11 on conversion downs, but Bowling Green was only 3/16, which helps explain why Bowling Green had to punt the ball 8 times, though its punter only averaged 33.1 yards per punt on those attempts.

Miami QB Brett Gabbert finished 18/28 for 255 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, but was not sacked once. RB Keyon Mozee led all rushers by a wide margin with 18/106/1 on the ground. Through the air, only 3 RedHawks players caught passes: Javon Tracy (3/91/1), Reggie Virgil (6/82/1), and Cade McDonald (9/82/1).

For Bowling Green, TE Harold Fannin Jr. was closing in on the record for the most receiving yards in a season for a TE, but he did end up 10 yards short of tying the record as he only went for 8/47. Malcolm Johnson Jr. led the Falcons in receiving yards with a statline of 8/75. QB Connor Bazelak finished 26/41 for 201 yards and an interception.

#11 Boise State Runs Past Oregon State 34-18

Boise State once again leaned on Heisman candidate (but likely runner-up) Ashton Jeanty as the Broncos ran for 270 yards against Oregon State en route to a 34-18 victory.

Jeanty finished with 226 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries, but he did lose a fumble, while QB Maddux Madsen also ran for 37 yards and a touchdown. Madsen also was 17/33 passing for 195 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Madsen’s favorite targets were Cameron Camper (6/73), Matt Lauter (3/45), and Latrell Caples (4/33/1).

For Oregon State, QB Ben Gulbranson had a solid game statistically, finishing 21/37 passing for 226 yards and a touchdown. Running the ball, Oregon State was efficient, with leading rusher Anthony Hankerson finishing with 110 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries. Leading the way receiving in this game was Darrius Clemons, who finished 8/123/1, while Trent Walker (4/52) and Jermaine Terry II (3/37) were also solid contributors.

By the end, Boise State improved to 11-1 in a game in which it finished with 465 total yards and a conversion success rate of 10/18 while holding Oregon State to just 342 total yards and a conversion success rate of 4/18.

Oregon State does unfortunately miss out on a bowl game, finishing 5-7 after starting 4-2 before taking a step back and suffering a pair of one-possession losses to Nevada and UNLV.

Big 12 Championship Game Clears Up Some with Colorado Winning vs. Oklahoma State

The Big 12 Championship picture was a mess, with several teams still mathematically being in contention going into the final week. And it still is.

However, now that Colorado beat Oklahoma State 52-0, things clear up a little bit, considering the most nuclear option was everyone having 3 losses in conference play which is no longer on the table.

According to Bill Bender of The Sporting News, here are the most likely outcomes for the Conference Championship:

Colorado is in if all (or 2) of Arizona State, Iowa State, and BYU lose.

Colorado is also in if Arizona State and Iowa State win, but BYU loses, Texas Tech beats West Virginia, Baylor beats Kansas State, and Cincinnati beats TCU. Like the headline says, this conference race has only cleared up some. Then, it would be Colorado and Iowa State.

Arizona State is in with a win and the remaining outcomes are a four-way tie or losses from Iowa State and BYU. If the above chaos happens with BYU losing but the remaining win, but swapping the Texas Tech and West Virginia results, it would be Arizona State vs. Iowa State.

Looking at FanDuel, the order of most likely to win the conference are Arizona State (+135, 42.55%), Iowa State (+260, 27.77%), BYU (+320, 23.81%), and Colorado (+550, 15.38%) with every other team at +12000 or worse (<1%).

Texas & Texas A&M Injury Reports

The return of the hotly contested Lone Star Showdown is finally here tonight at 7:30 PM (ET), with at least one big question – Quinn Ewers – for Texas and a couple notable names for Texas A&M on the injury reports.

For Texas, QB Quinn Ewers is listed as probable. Otherwise, DB Derek Williams Jr. and RBs CJ Baxter, Christian Clark, and Velton Gardner are all out, as they have all been for weeks. Those are the only names on the Longhorns’ injury report.

For Texas A&M, OL Chase Bisontis has been upgraded to probable. And then for the Aggies, DBs Will Lee III and Jaydon Hill are both questionable, which could hurt the defensive backfield. RB Rueben Owens is also listed as questionable after having missed all season from a severe injury suffered during Fall Camp, but his potential to play is notable for an offense that really leans on the rushing attack. QB Jaylen Henderson is the final questionable name. Finally, WR Cyrus Allen, DB Tyreek Chappell, RB Le’Veon Moss, and OL Mark Nabou Jr. are all listed as out for Texas A&M, as expected.

Iron Bowl Injury Updates

Auburn and Alabama square off at 3:30 PM (ET) in Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa for a game with high stakes, as Alabama clings to its playoff hopes and Auburn sits at 5-6 looking for a bowl game and the practices (and momentum) that comes with it.

Auburn TE Rivaldo Fairweather (pictured above) was listed as a game-time decision in an early injury report, but he is no longer on the injury report, evidently being cleared and good to play against Alabama.

For Alabama, LB Deontae Lawson is out after the season ending procedure he went through recently. DB Keon Sabb, WR Cole Adams, and LB Que Robinson are also all out.

For Auburn, OLB Jamonta Waller, DBs Tyler Scott and Champ Anthony, K Alex McPherson, and TE Brandon Frazier are all out.

But, there are no other names that are questionable, game-time decisions, or probable according to the injury reports for either team.

Michigan Injury Updates: Will Johnson and Colston Loveland Both Likely OUT

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that there is an “increasing pessimism” about TE Colston Loveland’s chances of playing against #2 Ohio State later today.

Loveland missed the second half of the last game and was limited in practice. Initially, Coach Sherrone Moore shared that he thought Loveland was trending in a good direction, but according to Thamel’s reporting, it sounds like it might not be trending in a good direction fast enough.

Cornerback Will Johnson is also expected to miss The Game, as well, with a toe injury. Johnson has been out since October with this nagging toe injury. A little over a month ago, Coach Moore shared that Johnson would play again this season, but it’s looking like he will not be playing the rest of the regular season from the initial injury. At 6-5, the next (and only final) chance for Johnson to play for Michigan will be in a bowl game, unless he finds a way to play against Ohio State today.

Alabama A&M’s Medrick Burnett Jr. Passes Away

Alabama A&M’s Medrick Burnett Jr. has passed away from injuries he sustained in a game last month. He was 20 years old.

Burnett Jr. was injured in a head-to-head collision in a game against Alabama State while on kickoff coverage. Burnett Jr. was stretchered off the field and then taken to the hospital where he remained for a month until his passing was made official yesterday.

Per his family, the collision caused brain bleeding and swelling which kept him in the ICU.

Rest in peace, Medrick Burnett Jr.