College football takeaways: Key storylines and efficiencies from Week 12
Nov 18, 2024, 07:30 AM ET What a week it remained in college football: 5 AP Top 25 teams lost to unranked challengers, and after No. 6 BYU’s defeat to Kansas and victories by Colorado and Arizona State, the Big 12 appears to be up for grabs.The Buffaloes and Sun Devils have proved football prognosticators wrong this season as Colorado is connected for the leading area in the Big 12 and Arizona State is a game behind. With both teams on a winning streak, what can they credit for their success?After a rough start to the season, Billy Napier and Florida have actually turned things around and the Gators are one win from bowl eligibility. With an upset win over No. 22 LSU, is it time to stop questioning Napier?Our college football experts break down crucial storylines and takeaways from Week 12. Losses may be as important as wins for CFP committee With six new committee members, a new committee chair and a brand-new College Football Playoff executive director, there are a great deal of new faces at selection central. Each group is various. Ranking the top 25 groups is a subjective system, and this year’s committee seems putting a focus on losses– perhaps more than in years past.Who teams lose to and how has constantly mattered, however it might be more of an aspect this year with several two-loss groups to arrange through. It’s likewise a huge reason Ohio State is No. 2 and Penn State is No. 4– close losses to highly ranked groups. It’s never ever a great time for a bad loss, however it might mean the distinction this year in between a first-round bye, a first-round home game– or a seat on the sofa.– Heather Dinich Competitions matter especially Texas has actually never ever viewed Arkansas on par with competing Oklahoma, but Arkansas lives to torment Texas. Three years ago, the
No. 15 Longhorns came to Fayetteville and were stomped 40-21. Joyous Arkansas fans stormed the field.But returning as conference competitors for the first time considering that the Razorbacks left the Southwest Conference in 1991 seemed to indicate something to No.
3 Texas, too, after a difficult 20-10 win over the 5-5 Razorbacks.” It was individual for sure,”senior edge rush Barryn Sorrell said.Quinn Ewers sealed the win by running for 3 backyards on fourth-and-2 with 2:14 left. Instead of trying to evade linebacker Larry Worth III, Ewers chose to bull his
way over him. “I simply attempted to put a little statement into it, that’s all,”Ewers said with a smile.”Just the history that these 2 programs have together, it’s going to be tough.”Texas signing up with the SEC reconnected old animosity matches with Texas A&M and Arkansas. The 74,929 who appeared Saturday– the 10th-largest crowd in Arkansas history
— threw their Horns Down at every chance. With an eight-game SEC schedule, there’s just one permanent competition guaranteed per school, and for the Longhorns, that will constantly be Oklahoma. Texas-Arkansas and Texas-Texas A&M might reoccur. When college football is ending up being more indistinguishable by the day, regional competitions ought to be a priority.– Dave Wilson Congrats to Colorado and Arizona State for showing us all wrong Colorado’s Travis Hunter commemorates after rushing for a goal in win over Utah. Dustin Bradford/Getty Images It’s most likely time to confess we were incorrect about Deion Sanders’Colorado and Kenny Dillingham’s Arizona State in 2024. OK, perhaps not everyone. However as both schools enhanced to 8-2 on Saturday, a preseason survey from CBS Sports resurfaced that ranked Sanders and Dillingham, respectively, as the 15th-and 16th-best coaches amongst the Big 12’s 16 football programs. And whether you had either coach/program that low in August, there can’t be a number of us who anticipated either school to be here in Week 12: level alongside Iowa State for second in the Big 12 standings and in line to play at least some sort of function in the College Football Playoff picture over the last weeks of the routine season.Colorado earned its fourth win in a row and Travis Hunter logged another entry to his Heisman Trophy résumé in a 49-24 win over Utah on Saturday, yet Sanders says the Buffaloes still” have not even played our finest game.” Meanwhile, Arizona State reached its highest win overall given that 2021 on Saturday night after storming to a 21-0 first-half lead and holding off No. 16 Kansas State after halftime in a 24-14 roadway win, sustained by the aerial connection between Sam Leavitt (275 passing lawns, three touchdowns) and Jordyn Tyson(12 catches, 176 yards, 2 goals). The successes at Colorado and Arizona State are a credit to the particular training tasks Sanders and Dillingham are performing. They’re likewise a credit to the concept that there remain various paths to winning in a seemingly homogenized age of college football dominated by NIL, the transfer website and the rest. Through 12 weeks, Colorado and Arizona State represent 2 of the sport’s terrific surprises this fall, and there are possibly no 2 individuals more acutely aware of the skeptics than the coaches leading this pair of outstanding turn-arounds in 2024.”We were a three-win team twice,” Dillingham stated Saturday night.”We were under NCAA sanctions. Many head coaches, to be completely honest, you get fired if you take a job under sanctions. You don’t make it through. You’re employed to be fired. That’s the nature of the monster. And right now we’re sitting here at 8-2 and could not be prouder.”– Eli Lederman South Carolina is clearly the nation’s finest three-loss team Shane Beamer’s group is not part of the logjam
atop the SEC. The Gamecocks are not in the College Football Playoff mix, basically removed Oct. 12 when they could not hold a fourth-quarter lead at Alabama or tie ball game in the closing minute. However given that falling to 3-3 in Tuscaloosa, South Carolina has actually won 4 straight and continues to be one of the most regularly engaging teams on Saturdays.Editor’s Picks 2 Related After riding Kyle Kennard and the defense to wins over Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt, South Carolina needed the offense to last longer than Missouri, going 70 lawns in 47 seconds to score the winning touchdown with 15 seconds left. Redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers is blossoming into among the nation’s best young quarterbacks, as he set profession highs for passing backyards(353)and passing touchdowns (five )against Missouri. South Carolina has actually beat three straight AP-ranked challengers for the very first time in team history.”We’re on
the best track
,”Beamer said.”The young players we have in this program today, the quarterback, [edge] Dylan [Stewart] You discuss the recruits that are here this evening, the ones that are dedicated to us. The very best days of South Carolina football are best in front of us. “There will be some what-ifs for the Gamecocks, particularly in their losses to LSU and Alabama. However after a 5-7 season last fall, Beamer has recaptured his big-game magic and built a program that no opponent should wish to deal with right now.– Adam Rittenberg Resolute Billy Napier, Florida simply keep returning up After a rough start to the season, Billy Napier and the Gators turned their season around and are one game far from bowl eligibility. James Gilbert/Getty Images When it starts to go bad for a coach in the SEC, specifically one who’s in his 3rd season and has yet to manage a winning record, it’s usually like a two-ton truck cresting over an icy slope.There’s no stopping the slide.Even with the current and dreaded vote of self-confidence for Florida’s Billy Napier, there are
no warranties about his future. However no one would have forecasted he had any future at Florida two months earlier after an ugly home loss to Texas A&M, 2 weeks gotten rid of from a 41-17 beatdown by Miami at home. The speculation late that night was that Napier might be out as early as the next morning.But he had just enough support in key areas to hang on, and most significantly, the players in his locker room still thought in him. And here we are, with 2 weeks left in the regular season, and the Gators are one win away from bowl eligibility after taking down LSU 27-16 at home Saturday.
Another substantial chance waits for
this weekend when No. 11 Ole Miss visits the Swamp.The Gators(5-5)have actually been resilient, just like their coach, and responded from a 49-17 blowout loss at Texas to play one of their most complete games of the season in the house versus LSU. Merely making a championship game is barely the standard at Florida, however the way Napier has kept his group together, continued to develop young quarterback DJ Lagway and tackled his company with responsibility, humbleness and a peaceful self-confidence is evidence he deserves a fourth season to reveal he can get this program to that standard.It’s time to support Napier and quit questioning him. It’s clear the Gators have a gifted nucleus of more youthful players which those players have their coach’s back.– Chris Low Louisville … what are you doing?Stanford vs. Louisville was an inconsequential game that should have flown under the radar, no matter the result. And while the result– a Stanford win that ended a six-game losing streak– was a significant upset, it’s the way it took place that deserves some added attention. It might be the most unlikely method a team has lost a game all season. Let’s dive in.After routing 35-21 in the fourth quarter, Stanford scored goals with 6:37 left and 45 seconds left to cut the deficit to 35-34. At this point, I believed Stanford coach Troy Taylor, a coach who once went an entire high school season without punting, would choose the win with a
2-point conversion try. He did not. Connect score.On the ensuing kickoff, Louisville opted versus taking the ball at the 25-yard line and returned it to the 19. After a spike, a deep shot, a short pass and another deep shot all failed, Stanford occupied at its 45 with
4 seconds left. Overtime felt unavoidable. Wrong.Stanford finished a 1-yard pass only to be talented 15 backyards by an unsportsmanlike conduct charge by Louisville, giving the Cardinal an opportunity to win the game on a 57-yard field goal effort. Unlikely, still. So what does Louisville do? Jumps offside to make the kick simpler. And Stanford’s Emmet Kenney took advantage, making a 52-yard basket as time expired.An all-time collapse.– Kyle Bonagura Kennesaw State’s Bohannon reveals class on way out Last weekend, Kennesaw State fired coach Brian Bohannon, who helped build the program from scratch nine years back, then ushered it from the FCS into the FBS this season. That firing didn’t stop the former FCS Coach of the Year from supporting his players before its game Saturday versus Sam Houston.In a video published by a Kennesaw State football alum, Bohannon appeared to the team’s pregame walk to the stadium and provided the players hugs and high-fives as they strolled by.The Owls ultimately lost in overtime to be up to 1-9 but showed fight versus the Bearkats, who stay in contention for the Conference USA title.Despite being fired, Bohannon should be revered in Kennesaw for taking the Owls to the FCS playoffs four times, for elevating the program to the FBS– and for the way he happily exited.– Jake Trotter