College football fans were in for no real surprises heading into Week 12 of the 2024 season.
Oregon took a test from Big Ten Conference foe Wisconsin, while Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, Alabama and Notre Dame each took care of business.
The weekend upset came from Kansas as they held BYU to 13 points and won the game 17-13. It was the Cougars’ first loss of the season and added to the questions about how good they are in the considerably weaker Big 12 Conference.
Georgia also made a statement with its win over Tennessee. The Bulldogs were outside the College Football Playoff bracket when last week’s rankings were released. Georgia is likely to return to the field when the rankings are re-released.
Here are some other winners and losers of the week.
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The winners
Kansas wide receivers Quentin Skinner, left, and Trevor Wilson celebrate a fumble recovery during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Florida: Well, the Florida Gators have at least bought out head coach Billy Napier. But the Gators did solid work for SEC teams still fighting for a spot in the conference title game. Saturday night in “The Swamp” turned into a nightmare for LSU in a 27-16 loss, its third straight loss. The Gators defense sacked Tigers QB Garrett Nosmeyer seven times, making Brian Kelly’s offense look like a mess. In last week’s 49-17 win over Texas, it was DJ Lagway who returned at QB and led Florida to an upset win. Baton Rouge and Gainesville have bigger problems. But this weekend, it was the Gators who took advantage of the situation, ending any chance the Tigers had of making the College Football Playoff.
Kansas: For the second time in straight weeks, the Kansas Jayhawks threw a wrench in the conference title game picture, beating No. 6 BYU in the Big 12 and handing the Cougars their first loss of the season. Last week, Jalon Daniels led Kansas to a win over No. 17 Iowa State, and now he’s done it again by beating ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks for the first time in program history. Now Kansas needs to win its final two regular season games to make a bowl. But as we’ve seen over the past two weeks, the Jayhawks have no problem playing the role of “spoiler” in the conference.
Georgia: The 2024 season has been full of ups and downs for Georgia quarterback Carson Beck. But Saturday night against Tennessee, the senior quarterback delivered one of his best performances. Most importantly, he avoided turning the ball over. Beck finished the game with two touchdowns and helped the Bulldogs to a 31-17 win over the seventh-ranked Volunteers. The win was important for Georgia as a third loss of the season would have ended the team’s hopes of making the College Football Playoff. Georgia still has some noticeable areas where they need to improve if they want to make a deep run in the playoffs, assuming the committee will accommodate them. However, head coach Kirby Smart has a championship pedigree, which could give the Bulldogs a continued advantage.
Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter jokes with teammates as he waits to do a television interview with quarterback Shadvar Sanders after the NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. has been (AP Photo/David Zlobowski)
Colorado: Deion Sanders and company are on the brink of potentially qualifying for the expanded playoffs, and they’ll need more wins than Saturday’s against Utah to get there. With offensive explosions and games against Kansas and Oklahoma State coming up, Sanders’ team needs to be at least as good as they were Saturday to get there.
State of Ohio: Ohio State has the inside track to get back to the Big 10 Championship Game. Their biggest challengers will be a surprising underdog story in undefeated Indiana and their next two games against a historic rival in Michigan, which has fallen well below the level of beating Ohio State in the past three seasons. It’s all in front of the bookies.
The losers
Tennessee: The Vols entered Saturday night’s game against Georgia controlling their own destiny when it came to the playoffs. But after Georgia beat them 31-17, Tennessee will now have to rely on others to get them into the postseason. The biggest problem for this Josh Heupel football team is that the offense doesn’t seem to be what we’ve come to expect, and not scoring in the second half is clearly going to cause problems. It’s not like Georgia is the top-ranked team we’ve seen in years past, but Tennessee made Carson Beck look like a Heisman Trophy candidate with its defensive performance against the Bulldogs. It was just what the Vols needed, but after a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, Georgia went on a 31-7 run to end the game.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel yells at an official during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Georgia, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Athens. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
BYU: The Cougars have been playing with fire for the past month, and it finally came back to bite them Saturday night in Provo, Utah. BYU had 23 first downs to Kansas’ 13, but it still wasn’t enough, and now the Cougars are going to feel the heat from the playoff committee. Now, BYU travels to Arizona State next weekend, with the Sunny Devils beating Kansas State on Saturday. It could turn into a nightmare for the Cougars if they lose again next weekend. But with Colorado’s emergence, it’s been trending toward Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes, who earned the Big 12 automatic bid to the College Football Playoff, over the past few weeks. It keeps coming down, and I don’t trust the Cougars.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks already earned what might be their signature win of the season on Nov. 2 when they upset Texas A&M. But last week’s win over Missouri shows that South Carolina is a team that future opponents should worry about. The GameCox could make another jump in the rankings for the upcoming College Football Playoff. Although a berth in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta is unlikely, coach Shane Beamer appears to have the South Carolina football program headed in the right direction.
LSU: The Tigers surprisingly lost to the Gators in a devastating fourth-quarter demolition on Saturday. Losing in a rivalry game always hurts, but losing like LSU is embarrassing.
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Fox News Digital Sports college football winners and losers by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and OutKick.com staff.
