1:22 AM
The 2021 season has been unique. The preseason top 25 looks like Swiss cheese and expectations are not always realistic. It has been enjoyable.
The information was given until Week 12's games kicked off.
A quick rundown of what we knew entering Saturday's festivities.
Georgia is doing well.
Texas isn't good.
Dan Mullen lost a fiddle battle with the devil, and now Florida will be in the depths of hell for the rest of time.
All those assumptions were reinforced again in Week 12.
We knew little about the rest of the college football landscape after 11 weeks of action. We yelled about committee rankings and debated the merits of head-to-head wins, but we didn't really know much else.
Saturday mattered because of that. Saturday was the day that provided some answers, drew a road map to the playoffs, and separated the true contender from the pretenders. Saturday was a show.
The powers of the Big Ten were shown on Saturday. After Ohio State hung 49 on Michigan State in the first half, Mel Tucker wondered if his reported $95 million contract extension offer was still on the table. After a home loss to Oregon, a defensive shake-up and close calls with the likes of Nebraska and Penn State, it was fair to wonder if all the pieces were in place for the team to compete with Georgia.
Wonder is over.
Ohio State crushed Michigan State to show they are legit.
The guy who shows up to the pool hall with his own cue, pulls it from a leather case embroidered with a name like "Slim" or "Fats" was the same guy that Ohio State was. Everyone in the building stopped and said, "Oh, this is going to be good" after it took the field. C.J. Stroud made a strong case for the trophy. Michigan State looked foolish because of Ohio State's receivers. The defense shut down Kenneth Walker III and the game was over in the second quarter. Ohio State is real. Michigan State wasn't.
Most people assumed that Alabama's path to the College Football Playoff was straightforward. The Razorbacks were narrowly escaped by the Tide thanks to another performance from Young. The Tide's resume includes a loss to Texas A&M, a win against Florida, a win against LSU, and a win against Arkansas. The thought of a first playoff without Alabama or Clemson is now realistic.
Saturday showed us that Oregon's loss to Stanford three weeks later was more indicative of the team's ability than its shock win over Ohio State. The game never felt close. The committee's opinion of Ohio State is more important than the head-to-head win of Oregon, unless it can somehow hurt Cincinnati. The Thanksgiving holiday is a stress-free one for the Pac-12. It's an annual tradition with mom's cranberry sauce and the Detroit Lions.
The Irish ran for over 200 yards for the third time in four games as they routed Georgia Tech 55-0 on Saturday. Notre Dame is going to retire to the locker room at the same time as a golfer with an early tee time, waiting to see if the leaders will bogey a few holes and open up an unexpected path to a trophy.
Saturday showed us that there is still a great team in the conference, and that it is still the team that is known as Clemson. The defense and young backs of Will and Kobe were the reason for the victory. If Wake and NC State fall in Week 13, the Atlantic Division will be represented by Clemson in the championship game. Lincoln Riley is a lucky man, as Oklahoma won its sixth one-possession game of the year, and Scott Frost is atoning for something truly horrible in a past life, as Nebraska lost its seventh one-possession game of the year.
Show-Me Saturday might have finally answered the most debated question of the season: Will Cincinnati crash the playoffs?
The Bearcats haven't shown us much recently. They hoped the win at Notre Dame would define their season, but they've only added lackluster wins against Navy and other teams. The committee, the fans and the critics all asked for more. Cincinnati defeated SMU 48-14 on Saturday behind four touchdown from Ridder. If Cincinnati wins out, the path is clear. Alabama is likely to lose again. Either Ohio State or Michigan will. Same goes for Oklahoma or Oklahoma State. The committee is running out of alternatives and Cincinnati has given the people reason to stop looking.
Saturday was different than the rest of the season. Saturday was calm. There were no world-changing upsets, not even another win by Kansas, and the Jayhawks made it interesting. Not one team that was favored to win failed to do so. A Saturday that instills confidence and makes us believers is like a framed diploma on an office wall, an Oprah's Book Club stamp or a good mustache. Sam was able to convince us that Rutgers was a playoff team. Powerful mustache.
The roller coaster has been worth the ride. There's some joy in knowing we've survived the loops and recovered from the drops as we approach the finish line. A little certainty in a topsy-turvy world is a good thing.
Next week, we'll settle in for the Iron Bowl and Bedlam, for Michigan and Ohio State, and with any luck, we'll wonder why we felt so sure we had it figured out just a few days before.
The other university.
Let's do a little test.
A team is 9-1 It is 4-1 against bowl-eligible teams. It has a win over a ranked team. It was defeated by a top-15 team at home. The last game is against the team ranked fourth.
Team B is 9-1 It is 4-1 against bowl-eligible teams. It has a win over a ranked team. It was defeated by a top-15 team on the road. Its last game is against the team ranked fifth.
Which one do you like better?
It is a trick question. After watching Ohio State destroy Michigan State on Saturday, there's little doubt about their ceiling.
Team B, Oklahoma State, is the focus of this exercise. The Cowboys aren't getting a lot of attention from the national media, the committee or anyone else outside of Oklahoma, but their resume doesn't look very different than the Ohio State's.
Oklahoma State is doing it mostly with defense, as it did again Saturday in a 23-0 win over Texas Tech.
The Cowboys have held every opponent to less than 400 yards. Through their first 11 games, seven other teams have done that. Georgia is this year's one. Three others made the playoffs. The others were ranked in the top five after 11 games.
It's not as sexy as Ohio State's passing attack, but it has been very dominant.
The Atlantic is calm.
How is this for a topsy-turvy 2021. The Coastal Division, which had seven different champion in seven years from 2013 through 2019, is all set for a week to play.
Pitt survived a marathon against Virginia, 48-38, to get to the title game for the second year in a row. It's great to see a city that considers french fries a condiment have success in football.
The Atlantic Division is on the other hand? This season is chaotic at that location. Since 2009, the Atlantic has represented the conference in the championship game. At least for the school.
The door is open for three teams to win the Atlantic after the Tigers' win over Wake Forest. Wake can seal the deal with a win against Boston College. NC State would be in the driver's seat if there was a loss. The NC State Wolfpack would need to beat the North Carolina Tar Heels. If NC State and Wake lose, we're back to where we started, with a seventh straight conference championship in sight.
If the Irish are willing to join the league full time, the slot will be given to Notre Dame. Everyone is happy that Notre Dame gets a chance to bolster its playoff resume. Wake and NC State are not included.
The future of Texas is being questioned.
Texas lost. Again. It's the first time in 56 years that the Longhorns have lost six in a row. It's an astoundingly dire moment for Texas, which leads us to a question we've been wanting to ask head coach Steve Sarkisian as he looks ahead to an uncertain future.
Two years ago, one of my friends and I were facing a huge problem that we couldn't solve. It was not important that "Con Air" is a good movie. He said, "You know, at this point, we need to stop and ask ourselves, what would an ordinary person do in this situation?" I don't know how you can be special. How do you become an average person? I think Jeff Fisher was ordinary. You're not Jeff Fisher. I don't know what it would cost to get him to Texas. I don't think so.
I realized that all the coaches who could be standing at that podium right now are wearing those shoes. You are that extra ordinary person. You have a team that is very good. "Juggernaut" is French for "monkey owners". That's not the only opinion I have. This is a fact. I don't think anyone could disagree with this. Put your hands down. That was rhetorical.
Can you tell me how the best of times, and then the arrival of the new player, can be described in the first chapter of the Sarkisian era story? You might not know. He doesn't. I want to steal from Mike Tyson.
A meat-lovers win.
In a 35-21 win over Texas State on Saturday, the quarterback threw for 319 yards and ran for 53 more while throwing five touchdown passes.
It wasn't a great day for the Chanticleers.
The thrill of the win on the field was quickly overshadowed by an unmerciful beatdown in the locker room, as Joey Chestnut ran the table in a locker-room pizza-eating contest that might honestly be the most disgusting thing we've seen on a college football Saturday.
Play.
Joey Chestnut is challenged by multiple Coastal Carolina football players in a pizza eating contest.
Ate Em Up with Joeyjaws.
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November 20, 2021.
A Sun Belt title and a few good mullets don't mean much against a true champion. Chants, better luck next time.
Yale is the first gentleman in club life.
Harvard defeated Yale 34-31 in the Ivy League finale. The punt was blocked and the Crimson returned it for a score. It's even more rampant than last year.
The big play was for the Crimson. A blocked punt leads to a touchdown forLogan Bednar.
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You can watch live: https://t.co/PRE7TizPLf#GoCrimson
The Harvard football team will play on November 20, 2021.
Yale took a 31-27 lead midway through the fourth quarter. The 66-yard touchdown drive that Harvard had to engineer in the final minute of the game was the difference. I don't know why Harvard is showing up. It barely won.
A big win for the University of Connecticut.
Saturday was something special for the University of Connecticut, which doesn't get many wins in football.
Are you on the field? No. It was ugly as usual. The Huskies were defeated by the UCF 49-17.
It was an all-timer for the social media folks at the University of Connecticut.
The Civil ConFLiCT is the dumbest rivalry in sports, and UCF treated the trophy with an appropriate level of disrespect.
The rivalry between the two teams seemed to have ended after the American team left. The trophy was revived by the non conference game on Saturday.
pic.
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UCF Football is on November 20, 2021.
The internet sleuths realized this trophy wasn't right. It never looked right. It should have been an old bowling trophy with an empty can on top. Is there an imposter trophy for the game?
I can't believe a lie would be told in Central Florida.
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The football endurer from the University of Connecticut is on the NoEscalators.
It doesn't matter. The mic drop before the game is important.
Was it the same place where you won the National Championship trophy?
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The University of Connecticut football team will play on November 20, 2021.
In the metaverse, it's more important that you win Twitter than the actual games.
The cupcakes are ranked.
The SEC bake sale is held in the 12th week of the year. It doesn't make for good football, but it's at least a more reasonable use of $10 million a year than Mel Tucker's reported new contract offer.
We will do our best to provide necessary analysis of these games by ranking them by pastry, since football just means more in the SEC.
Kentucky defeated New Mexico State.
Tastykake butterscotch krumpets are similar to pastry.
New Mexico State is deserving of the G.O.A.T. of national brand pastries. New Mexico State also held a lead in both games, and they've been blown out in back-to-back weeks by SEC opponents. They went up by a combined score of 70-0 on the Tide and Kentucky. The Texas Longhorns would be a better addition to the league than the A's.
Mississippi State defeated Tennessee State.
Little Debbie Honey Buns are similar to pastries.
Who doesn't like a honey bun? It was sticky, sweet, and delicious. It's like a Mike Leach offense. We are working hard for these metaphors. Don't get carried away. Will Rogers has thrown for over 300 yards in nine straight games, and he did it again on Saturday. In the past 15 years, the only quarterbacks with longer streaks are Graham Harrell and Gardner Minshew, both of whom played for the same coach.
Georgia defeated Charleston Southern.
Swedish Fish is a pastry equivalent.
You say Swedish Fish aren't pastries? Jordan Davis likes fish. Do you want to tell him he can't have any? We didn't think so.
Texas A&M defeated Prairie View A&M.
Hostess Twinkies are a pastry equivalent.
We were offended that he only got 10 carries. We wanted the speedster to carry 60 times just to see what would happen, like people leave Twinkies out for decades just to see if they'll age. They don't. The little guy on the box is wearing cowboy gear.
Tennessee 60, South Alabama 14
Entenmann's twists are similar to the pastry equivalent.
Virginia Tech has had terrible QB play and has fired its coach. In a surprising twist, Hooker has blossomed into an exceptional passer at Tennessee, completing 17 of 20 passes for 273 yards and three total touchdown against the Jaguars on Saturday.
LSU 24, Louisiana-Monroe 14.
Beignets is a pastry equivalent.
Max Johnson had a good game. It could be Ed's final home win. Even if it wasn't dominant, a win is always good. Like a good beignet, you enjoy it, and then realize you still have powdered sugar all over your pants.
Missouri beats Florida in overtime.
Tastykake has peanut butter and chocolate.
If you want to eat them frozen, put them in the freezer for a few hours. So good. Revenge is best served cold. Dan Mullen was fined $25,000 and inciting a fight as Florida and Missouri headed to their locker rooms at halftime a year ago. Missouri avenged Florida's 41-17 win by beating the Gators in overtime on a two-point try. The perfect pastry topping was offered by Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz, who satirized Mullen's famous Darth Vader news conference, then went out and bull's-eyed womp rats in his T-16.
Play.
After the Gators' win in 2020, Dan Mullen dressed up as Darth Vader and Eliah Drinkwitz had a lightsaber.
The winner of next week's Florida and Florida State game will be bowl eligible and the loser will have their season over.
The winner of the Heisman was five.
We wanted to put two defensive players on top of the ballot for the Heisman. We left Week 12 with the obvious answer: There are two quarterbacks who cannot be ignored. With Saturday's games, the race for the Heisman got less interesting and our list of potential candidates went from a dozen or more to two of the best quarterbacks in the country.
1. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.
College football social media declared the race over as Alabama kicked off. The award was secured by Ohio State's quarterback. They forgot to tell Young. In a game when Alabama's defense couldn't get off the field and the ground game didn't have a run longer than 15 yards, Young put the Tide on his back and carried them past Arkansas. He's the favorite now, but the biggest test will be against Georgia in the SEC title game.
Play.
Alabama's single-game passing yards record was shattered by Bryce Young as he threw five touchdown and ran in one to power the Tide past Arkansas.
2. C.J. Stroud is the quarterback for Ohio State.
The story of the day would have been Stroud. Young's heroics against the Razorbacks overshadowed the shine of a ridiculous first half against Michigan State. The numbers were ridiculous. In the playoffs, there were only three examples of Big Ten quarterbacks who racked up as many pass yards and touchdown as Stroud did in the first half. He had six touchdown passes and three incompletions. Don't worry about his ranking. He will move up to the top spot if he approaches those numbers against Michigan.
3. Alabama LB Will Anderson Jr.
Anderson did not slip from the top spot on the ballot. In Alabama's narrow win over Arkansas, he racked up 11 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, a sack and two quarterback hurries. The Iron Bowl is always on when your quarterback almost single-handedly keeps your team's playoff hopes alive with five touchdown passes.
4. Georgia's Jordan Davis.
The final stamp on Anderson and Davis' ticket to New York should have been Week 12. Davis was excellent against Charleston Southern. In the game, the Buccaneers only managed 126 yards and punted 12 times. Davis' defense is unflappable. What was he supposed to do to impress the voters? Well, how about a touchdown run?
Touchdown. Jordan. The Georgia football team has a picture of datememe.
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The SEC Network will be on November 20, 2021.
5. Jordan Addison is a receiver for the Pitt.
It's a good bet that Kenny Pickett is deserving of the award, and that it will be the quarterback from Addison's team. This season has been a big part of Pickett's excellence because of his brilliance. On Saturday, he caught 14 passes for 202 yards and four touchdown, the last of which was a 62-yard touchdown reception that gave the Carolinas the Coastal Division title.
Pitt needs three more touchdown catches in its final three games to tie the all-time single-season record in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The play of the week was under the radar.
All big-guy scores are impressive. There are works of art. The big-guy-TD play was drawn up by the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. It was like the Sistine Chapel, theMona Lisa, or Weird Al's "Like a Surgeon"
Can we get some love for a lineman?
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The football team from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth will play on November 20, 2021.
On a third-and-5, Dante Aviles-Santos completes a pass to receiver MikeVincent for an easy first down. The "Money in the Bank" briefcase was given to Tyler Gmyr after he ran the ball into the end zone, and he was mobbed on the sideline.
The game of the week is under the radar.
The Army beat the University of Massachusetts on Saturday. Was this a big game you needed to watch? No. The greatest sideline interview in the history of televised football was missed if you ignored it.
Bill Murray is in the house for two sports.
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CBS Sports Network reported on November 20, 2021.
Where do we begin to appreciate the genius of Bill Murray? "Ghostbusters" is great and "Lost in Translation" is beautiful, but "What About Bob?" is anunderappreciated gem. This may be his best work.
He thinks the interview will make the reporter look like a Spanish actress, so he did it inside the practice kicking net. He stole some food from an Army player. He gives a speech that is similar to his Masters monologue in "Caddyshack" while explaining how to make a sake Bloody Mary. He has a pin that says "Beat everyone."
That's what UMass has going for them. Which is nice.
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