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:

Michigan Upsets #2 Ohio State 13-10 in The Game

For the fourth time in a row, Michigan has beat Ohio State in The Game.

This time it was #2 Ohio State losing as 20.5-point favorites that ESPN gave the Buckeyes greater than a 92% chance to win. And in The Game, Michigan threw for fewer than 4 yards per pass attempt, but considering Ohio State finished with 4.27 yards per play, Michigan’s 4.12 yards per play was not far behind.

For all the preseason talk about the cost and talent of Ohio State’s roster, The Game was once again decided by physicality at the line of scrimmage and taking advantage of opportunities as they came up. And Michigan did that narrowly better than Ohio State did.

Michigan was led on the ground by Kalel Mullings (32/116/1) while Ohio State’s leading rushers were Quinshon Judkins (12/46) and TreVeyon Henderson (10/21).

Michigan’s leading receiver only had 18 receiving yards, while 4 Buckeyes had more than that. And yet, when it mattered most, Ohio State finished with 10 yards on its final 3 drives combined.

It should be worth noting that Ohio State missed two field goals (both from 38-yards or closer), threw a pair of interceptions — one of which was an interception in the red zone, and punted from the Michigan 38 once. So the opportunities definitely were there.

With the loss, aside from the pressure Ryan Day is inevitably going to feel from the Ohio State administration and boosters, #2 Ohio State is now out of the Big Ten Conference title race as Penn State will get a shot at Oregon. It also takes out of Ohio State’s hands whatever comes next in the playoff rankings. It will be interesting to see how the Committee treats Ohio State relative to a couple other teams like 1-loss Indiana, who it just beat, and SMU, as well as its 2-loss peers like Tennessee, Miami, and Georgia.

#3 Texas Defense Stifles #20 Texas A&M 17-7 in Return of the Lone Star Showdown

The story of #3 Texas’ 17-7 win over #20 Texas A&M is undoubtedly the defense. Both defenses played well, but Texas’ defense absolutely dominated at the line of scrimmage and bottled up the Aggies, not allowing a single point defensively.

Texas A&M’s lone score came in the 3rd quarter when DB Will Lee III returned a Quinn Ewers interception 93 yards.

Texas A&M had chances to score, sure, including on the opening drive when the Aggies went 65 yards but failed to convert a short 4th down in the red zone. Towards the end of the first half, the Aggies once again did not convert on a short 4th down in Texas territory. And then once more in the second half, Texas A&M got to the goal line and could not convert from the 1 before a turnover on downs.

Texas also had its issues, though, including allowing a blocked punt, missing a 48-yard field goal before half, opening the second half with a punt from Aggie territory, throwing the aforementioned pick-six, following the pick-six drive with a fumble on 2nd and goal for another lengthy drive to yield no points.

All told, the 3-drive stretch for the Longhorns that went touchdown, touchdown, field goal in the middle to the end of the first half is what was the difference. Even though Texas went scoreless in the 2nd half, its ability to run the ball and keep the clock (and chains) moving were key to holding off the Aggies as winning the line of scrimmage required Texas A&M to be more consistent on offense than they were capable of being.

Texas finished with over 200 yards more than Texas A&M (6.15-4.35 per play), and also converted at a much higher rate than the Aggies, finishing 8/16 on conversion downs to A&M’s 4/14.

For the Aggies, QB Marcel Reed did what he could, finishing 16/23 for 146 yards with an interception and a fumble lost. He also led the Aggies with 60 rushing yards, with the next closest rusher being Amari Daniels with 13/21.

For the Longhorns, Quinn Ewers was solid, finishing 17/28 with 218, a touchdown, and an interception. QB Arch Manning also provided a spark for Texas when he scored the first touchdown on a 15-yard run in a special package for the athletic Manning. Tre Wisner was the bellcow back for the Horns, going for 186 yards on 33 carries, a steady force for the offense that really broke down the Aggies chances, especially late.

Matthew Golden (3/73) and Gunnar Helm (6/56) led the receiving efforts in this game, though Jaydon Blue also found the end zone for the other Horns touchdown on a 7-yard reception, his only of the game.

For Texas, this means it will get a chance to avenge its only loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship, while Texas A&M falls to 8-4 overall and 5-3 in the conference. Texas currently sits as 2.5 point favorites over Georgia early.

Syracuse Upsets #6 Miami 42-38, Clemson Headed to ACC Championship

For seemingly the first time in ACC play and possibly all season, Miami got out to a quick lead, going up 21-0 early.

But then Syracuse responded with 3 touchdowns to tie it up, taking a 35-28 lead after a 56-yard scoop-and-score from Devin Grant on a fumble from Xavier Restrepo.

Not having been able to get a stop all day and down 42-35, Miami had a 4th and Goal from the 10 with 3:42, but kicked the field goal to cut the lead to 4. The Hurricanes did not see the ball again, as Syracuse ran the clock out with the remaining 3:42, aided by an offside on a 2nd and 4 right after the two-minute timeout. And after having a so-so day running the ball, too, Syracuse was able to find enough chunk plays running the ball to ice the game.

For the Canes, QB Cam Ward finished 25/36 for 349 yards and 2 touchdowns, with Xavier Restrepo (9/148/1), Jacolby George (6/121), and Elijah Arroyo (5/44/1) all playing their part on offense. RBs Damien Martinez (10/84/1) and Mark Fletcher Jr. (13/46/2) also had solid stretches for the offense.

However, for Syracuse, QB Kyle McCord did just a little bit more at more opportune times, as he finished 26/36 for 380 yards and 3 touchdowns, with one going to Trebor Pena (6/128/1) and two going to Jackson Meeks (7/110/2). Running the ball, RB LeQuint Allen finished with 82 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 22 carries, a somewhat inefficient day, but one where Allen made the plays needed of him when they mattered the most.

For the Hurricanes, this loss causes them to fall out of the ACC Championship race, a win they needed to get in over Clemson. Instead, Clemson will face SMU in Charlotte where the ACC likely becomes a one-bid league for the College Football Playoff.

For Syracuse, this brings the Orange to 9-3 in Fran Brown’s first season with the team, a solid result despite a confounding loss early to Stanford as the main thing which held the Orange back from being highly ranked.

#15 South Carolina Wins on the Road Against #12 Clemson 17-14 in Slugfest

One guy: LaNorris Sellers.

Sellers finished 13/21 for 164 yards passing, an interception, a fumble lost, and ran for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 carries. Sellers was the only Gamecock to find the end zone, and he did it at the most important moment late in the game on a 3rd and 16.

All of Nyck Harbor (3/51), Raheim Sanders (3/48), and Jared Brown (3/41) contributed in the passing game, and Sanders (18/60) and Oscar Adaway III (6/41) all ran the ball hard but it was Sellers’ show on offense.

For Clemson, the Tigers had a 14-7 and then 14-10 lead which it held on to as long as it could before LaNorris Sellers, who, with the benefit of hindsight, was inevitable.

Clemson QB Cade Klubnik (280/0/1) also found the end zone on the ground twice (10/62/2) but just could not quite match Sellers’ output. RB Phil Mafah finished with 66 yards but did lose a fumble as Clemson was driving.

WRs Antonio Williams (8/99), Bryant Wesco Jr. (5/67), and TJ Moore (6/65) all played well and had more receiving yards than any player on the other sideline.

For South Carolina, this is another win in a win streak that gives the Gamecocks’ a pretty solid argument as a 3-loss team to make the College Football Playoff as one of the last at-large teams. For Clemson, the loss does not hurt their odds as the ACC representative, but it does kill any outside chance at an at-large bid, as the Tigers are going to need to win to be in to the Playoff field. Clemson opened as close to a 3-point favorite over SMU, but that line has changed to favor SMU by 1 point as of the time of writing.

#18 Iowa State Gets 10th Win for First Time in Program History with 29-21 Win over #24 K-State

#18 Iowa State beat #24 Kansas State 29-21 at home to improve to 10-2 for Iowa State’s first 10-win season in program history.

The win also gave Iowa State an opportunity for its first conference championship since 1912 when it won a split of the MVIAA with a conference record of 2-0.

Iowa State’s defense finished strong after Kansas State scored a touchdown to make the score 24-21 in favor of Iowa State. The Cyclones scored a safety and then forced consecutive 4-and-outs to win the game.

Though Iowa State finished with 40 fewer yards on the game (364-324) and performed markedly worse on a per play basis (6.07-4.10), taking advantage of the only turnovers in the game by scoring touchdowns after each of Kansas State’s 2 fumbles and forcing a safety after they themselves had a turnover on downs near the goal line.

Kansas State QB Avery Johnson finished 12/28 passing with 220 yards and 3 touchdowns, 2 of which went to Jayce Brown (3/106/2) and one of which went to Garrett Oakley (4/78/1). Johnson also added 64 rushing yards on 13 carries, while DJ Giddens led all Wildcats with 72 rushing yards on 14 carries.

For Iowa State, QB Rocco Becht went 13/35 with 137 yards and 2 touchdowns, with each of those touchdowns going to Jayden Higgins (3/53/1) and Jaylin Noel (6/37/1). Becht also finished with 8/35/1 on the ground, while Abu Sama III (15/81) and Carson Hansen (13/58) led the rushing attack for the Cyclones.

For Iowa State, its win (and the rest of the outcomes in the Big 12 yesterday) resulted in Iowa State having a “win and you’re in” scenario with the College Football Playoff against #16 Arizona State. The early line favors the Sun Devils by 1.5 points.

#1 Oregon Finishes Season as Lone Unbeaten with 49-21 Win Over Washington

#1 Oregon and Dan Lanning beat Washington for the first time in the Lanning-era in Eugene when the Ducks beat the Huskies 49-21.

Early in the second quarter, Washington kicked a field goal to get the score to 7-6, but Oregon scored 3 unanswered touchdowns to take a 28-6 lead. After Washington scored to make it 28-14 before half, that was the closest it got, as Oregon scored 3 more unanswered touchdowns before Washington put up a final garbage time touchdown.

Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel finished with a modest 209 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16/23 passing.

Running the ball, 4 different Ducks scored touchdowns, as Jordan James (15/99/2), Noah Whittington (9/67/1), Da’Jaun Riggs (6/38/1), and Gabriel (3/20/1) all found the end zone.

For Washington, QB Demond Williams was 17/20 for 201 yards and a touchdown, but he was sacked 10 times, with multiple sacks coming from Oregon’s Matayo Uiagalelei (2), Teitum Tuioti (1.5), and Jordan Burch (2.5).

On the whole, Washington ran for just 43 yards (after accounting for sack yardage) and a touchdown on 37 carries. WR Giles Jackson led all Huskies with 6/69/1, but Jeremiah Hunter (4/64) and Denzel Boston (3/43) also played well.

With the win, Oregon remains the last unbeaten and will face Penn State in the Big Ten Championship in a game which it is favored by 3.5 points over the Nittany Lions.

#5 Notre Dame Goes to USC and Wins 49-35

#5 Notre Dame ended its season with a 49-35 win over USC as the Fighting Irish finished the regular season 11-1 and realistically a guarantee to make the College Football Playoff as one of the at-larges, as it cannot occupy one of the top 4 seeds.

The Notre Dame offense took a 35-21 lead late in the 3rd quarter, but USC did cut the lead to 7 about halfway through the 4th quarter. With USC having a chance to tie it up with about 4 minutes to go, Christian Gray took an interception back 99 yards to give the Irish a 2-touchdown lead. Xavier Watts took an interception back 100 yards on the next drive to take USC’s slim chance to none. USC would put up a quick garbage time touchdown with 13 seconds left to make it a 49-35 game.

USC’s Jayden Maiava finished 27/49 for 360 yards, 3 touchdowns, and those 2 pick-sixes. Of those 360 yards, Makai Lemon (9/133), Duce Robinson (3/63), Zachariah Branch (4/45), and Kyle Ford (3/41) were Maiava’s favorite targets, but only Ja’Kobi Lane (3/26/3) found the end zone in the passing game.

Maiava also finished with 2 rushing touchdowns as Quinten Joyner (10/83) and Bryan Jackson (6/71) picked up a majority of the Trojans’ rushing yards.

For the Fighting Irish, Riley Leonard was 17/22 for 155 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception. For the Irish, all 3 rushers finished with at least 50 yards and a touchdown: Jadarian Price (12/111/1), Jeremiyah Love (13/99/1), and Leonard (12/50/1). Leading the way for Irish receivers was Mitchell Evans (5/59/1), Love (3/38), and Kris Mitchell (2/25).

With the win, Notre Dame has to wait to see its fate, but it’s incredibly likely the Irish are no worse than the 5th or 6th seed, meaning they will host a playoff game in South Bend, Indiana for the first round. For USC, it’s a loss which sends the Trojans to 6-6 and hoping to salvage a winning season in what is likely an underwhelming bowl game which would otherwise have little to no stakes for USC.

#4 Penn State Scores 44 Unanswered Against Maryland to Win 44-7, Makes Big Ten Championship Thanks to Michigan

Penn State started tremendously sloppy, giving Maryland a short field on its first offensive play – a turnover – before allowing Maryland to score on one play.

Penn State would then proceed to score 44 unanswered points, including a touchdown as time expired which Mike Locksley took exception to. In James Franklin’s defense, at that point it was Penn State’s reserves playing, going as deep as the third or fourth string at some positions while Maryland kept playing its starters at many positions much later into the game.

For Penn State, QB Drew Allar finished 17/26 for 171 yards a passing touchdown, and a rushing touchdown. Leading the way on the ground for the Nittany Lions was Nicholas Singleton (13/87/2) and Kaytron Allen (13/34). Singleton also returned a kick for 66 yards. Receiving, TE Tyler Warren continued his excellent season and led all receivers in this one with 6/68/1.

For Maryland, no receivers had more than 30 receiving yards, but RBs Roman Hemby (13/64) and Nolan Ray (9/51) did an alright job. QB MJ Morris finished 14/24 for 112 yards, a touchdown, and 3 interceptions.

The win (and Ohio State’s loss to Michigan) secured Penn State’s spot in the Big Ten Championship where, as mentioned, Penn State currently is a 3.5 point underdog to Oregon. For Maryland, it ends a disappointing season where the Terps started 3-0 in non-conference play, but finished 1-8 in the Big Ten, with the lone win being a 29-28 win over USC.

#13 Alabama Beats Auburn 28-14 to Secure Commanding Iron Bowl Victory

#13 Alabama beat rival Auburn to prevent the Tigers from getting to a bowl game and keeping the Tide’s playoff chances, however narrow, alive.

Alabama beat Auburn in the “Middle Eight” of the game with a touchdown towards the end of the first half and a touchdown to open the 3rd quarter. Auburn did put up a field goal, but that 14-3 margin in the middle of the game was nearly the entire margin of the final score.

Auburn’s lone touchdown came towards the end of the 3rd quarter as Cam Coleman found the end zone and made the score 28-14 after a Jarquez Hunter two-point conversion.

However, Auburn threw a pair of interceptions on its two remaining full drives, even though the Tide fumbled after Auburn cut it to two scores.

Perhaps the most surprising stat is that Alabama turned the ball over 4 times, which Auburn scored a grand total of 6 points off of. However, on Auburn’s two turnovers, Alabama may not have scored, but with 12 minutes to go, Alabama burned over 10 minutes combined following the turnovers, which might have been more valuable than points at that point in the game.

Auburn QB Payton Thorne finished 24/41 for 301 passing yards, 42 rushing yards, a touchdown, and an interception. The other interception was thrown by RB Jarquez Hunter, who was the only other Tigers rusher, who ran for 56 yards.

In the receiving game, the Tigers got solid work from KeAndre Lambert-Smith (8/116), Cam Coleman (7/78/1), and Rivaldo Fairweather (3/55).

For Alabama, Jalen Milroe was responsible for 3 turnovers, as he lost two fumbles and threw an interception. However, Milroe did throw for 256 yards and run for 104 more, as well as score 3 rushing touchdowns.

Jam Miller (28/84) was the next leading rusher, with Justice Haynes (7/20/1) contributing the other Tide touchdown. Germie Bernard (7/111) led all Tide receivers.

For Auburn, the loss means the Tigers finish 5-7 and miss a bowl in Hugh Freeze’s second season. For Alabama, it gives the Tide a plausible case to make the College Football Playoff based on their current #13 ranking, especially if Georgia beats Texas in the SEC Championship. With many speculating the SEC are likely to get 4 teams in, the Tide would make sense as the 4th behind Texas, Georgia, and Tennessee unless South Carolina jumps Alabama after beating Clemson.

#9 SMU Routs Cal 38-6 to Finish Perfect Conference Record in First Season in ACC

SMU jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead on Cal as the Mustangs defense played a great game for 60 minutes.

Offensively, there were some lulls for the Mustangs, as they did not score for the final 13 minutes of the first half until about 10 minutes to go in the 4th quarter – a scoring drought of 33 game minutes.

However, considering the 27 minutes where there was scoring yielded 38 points and the SMU defense made plays when it needed to get stops, that lull was not detrimental to SMU.

One thing that was detrimental to SMU were penalties – 17 penalties for 137 yards, to be exact.

For Cal, starting QB Fernando Mendoza was out with an illness, so Chandler Rogers started in his place. However, Rogers was hurt at one point, so third-string QB and former Ohio QB CJ Harris filled in. Between Rogers and Harris, the Cal QBs went 14/26 for 159 yards and a pick.

Jaydn Ott led Cal with just 37 rushing yards on 13 carries. In the receiving game, WR Nyziah Hunter led all receivers in the game with 5/85.

For SMU, QB Kevin Jennings was 20/30 for 225 yards and 2 touchdowns. Backup QB Preston Stone also got some playing time, throwing a 40-yard touchdown to Key’Shawn Smith.

RB/WR Brashard Smith led the Mustangs in both rushing and receiving once again, as Smith was 16/68/1 running the ball and 3/66/1 as a receiver. Matthew Hibner also caught a touchdown pass, putting up a statline of 5/48/1. SMU LB Kobe Wilson also had a solid day, putting up 7 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2.5 tackles for loss.

For the #9 Mustangs, which will likely move up a spot or two in the next set of polls, but it will all come down to the outcome of the ACC Championship Game against Clemson where the Tigers opened as slight favorites, but has now possibly flipped to making SMU more narrow favorites.