What a time to be alive! The past few weeks have delivered several surprising football results, and with rivalry week wrapping up, many teams are already looking ahead to the playoffs and conference championships. On Friday, No. 6 Ole Miss traveled to Starkville, Miss., to face Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. The Bulldogs weren’t intimidated by the Rebels’ ranking and put up a strong fight, but Ole Miss’ defense held firm in a 38–19 victory.
In the next state over, the No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs hosted No. 23 Georgia Tech. Georgia led 13–3 at halftime after a low-scoring first half. After the break, the Bulldogs added one field goal while Georgia Tech kicked two of their own. Despite a hard-fought effort, the Yellow Jackets fell 16–9.
Farther north, the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers dominated Purdue, cruising to a 56–3 win — their sixth victory by 40 points or more this season.
One of the fiercest rivalries in CFB, the No. 3 undefeated Texas A&M Aggies traveled to Austin, Texas to face No. 16 Texas. Both teams stood at 3 points apiece entering the second half. As the game went on, Texas managed to squeeze their way ahead by 10 points to take a 27-17 lead. Two interceptions thrown in the last three minutes by Texas A&M sealed the game, and Texas secured one of the biggest upsets of the entire season. With this loss, Texas A&M lost their chance at playing in their first ever conference championship game. A sad day to be an Aggie.
On Saturday, the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes traveled to The Big House in Ann Arbor, Mich., to play the No. 16 Michigan Wolverines in what is only known as “The Game.” The Buckeyes held the Wolverines to only nine points the entire game, while cutting through the Michigan defense to score 27. This win for Ohio State brought their regular season record to 12-0 and sent them on their way to the Big Ten championship this upcoming week.
In the ACC, No. 12 Miami traveled to Pittsburgh to play the No. 22 Pittsburgh Panthers. Before the game, there were concerns that the warm-weather based Miami team would struggle in the Pennsylvania cold, but Miami left no doubt about who was the better team when they demolished the Panthers 38-7.
In the SEC, No. 14 Vanderbilt went on the road to play the No. 19 Tennessee Volunteers. After entering the second half tied 21-21, Vanderbilt outscored Tennessee 24-3 to end their season with a 10-2 record. Final score: Vanderbilt, 45, Tennessee, 24.
In South Carolina, the James Madison Dukes faced Coastal Carolina. JMU scored on all of their first four drives and held Coastal Carolina to zero points until almost halftime. JMU continued to score against the Chanticleers until finally ending the game, winning 59-10. With this victory, JMU moved their record to 11-1 and secured themselves a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Championship.
Back in Virginia, the No. 18 UVA Cavaliers hosted the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Cavaliers showed no mercy and scored 27 unanswered points near the end of the fourth quarter. Virginia Tech finally showed some signs of life by scoring a touchdown with two minutes left on the clock, but it was not enough to make the game even somewhat close. Final score: UVA, 27, Virginia Tech, 7.
Looking ahead, there’s plenty to be excited about as conference championship weekend approaches, with several matchups set to shape the College Football Playoff field. On Friday, Troy University visits Harrisonburg to face the No. 25 Dukes at 7 p.m. for the Sun Belt title. Saturday’s slate features No. 11 BYU vs. No. 4 Texas Tech at noon for the Big 12 Championship, No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 9 Alabama at 4 p.m. for the SEC, No. 17 Virginia vs. Duke at 8 p.m. for the ACC, and No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Indiana for the Big Ten crown. Each game carries major playoff implications. The four College Football Playoff teams will be announced Sunday, Dec. 7.
