Texas' Lone Star stomping and Ryan Day facing the music at Ohio State headline winners and losers from chaotic Rivalry Week
I didn't think anything would top the college football chaos that we saw in Week 13, but Rivalry Week truly gave it a run for its money.
The Friday night slate set the early tone, with Tulane's College Football Playoff hopes ending against Memphis and Georgia's almost suffering what could have been a fatal blow, as well, as it eked past Georgia Tech in an eight-overtime "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate" magnum opus.
Saturday provided more of the same with the headliner coming in Columbus as No. 2 Ohio State lost a brutal game to unranked Michigan, dropping its fourth in a row in the rivalry and raising serious questions about Ryan Day's future with the program. Elsewhere, Miami's lingering issues came back to bite it in a four-point loss to Syracuse that knocked it out of the ACC title game and, likely, the CFP picture.
As hard as it may be to believe, the regular season is already in the books, and the inaugural 12-team playoff field is starting to come into view with only a few spots still likely up for grabs. For the last time in 2024, here are the winners and losers from rivalry week before we turn our attention to what should be an electric conference championship weekend with playoff byes on the line.
Winner: South Carolina puts an exclamation point on a strong playoff case that likely won't be enough
For just the second time since 2013, South Carolina scored a win over archrival Clemson and Dabo Swinney, who has enjoyed great success in the Palmetto Bowl series since he got things rolling with the Tigers.
It capped off a 9-3 finish in what has been a shockingly impressive season for coach Shane Beamer, who entered the season on a fairly warm seat but ended it on an extremely high note with a six-game winning streak and three wins against ranked opponents.
The fuel behind what is one of the hottest teams in the nation at the moment is an elite defensive front led by five-star true freshman Dylan Stewart and Georgia Tech transfer Kyle Kennard. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers has progressed nicely throughout his redshirt freshman season, as well, and his electricity in the ground game led the Gamecocks to a victory as he scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown with his legs.
The run to end the season has made South Carolina an unlikely contender for the College Football Playoff, and it certainly has a strong case. Unfortunately, given the fact that the Gamecocks currently rank behind teams they lost to in Alabama and Ole Miss, it's unlikely they'll jump both after the Clemson win. That's what it will probably take for South Carolina to claim what will likely be the final at-large spot in the field.
Whether or not the Gamecocks find themselves in the 12-team field, it shouldn't take away from what has been an extremely promising season for the future of the program.
Loser: Ryan Day's waking nightmare at Ohio State
Ryan Day entered Rivalry Week with a 66-9 record that practically any program in the country would die for. The only problem was that a third of those losses have come against bitter enemy Michigan, and they've all come in the last three seasons.
But the Wolverines took a significant step back in 2024 with Jim Harbaugh leaving for the NFL as well as almost every major contributor from last year's national title team. An absolutely loaded Ohio State roster reportedly worth $20 million only slipped up once in the regular season in a close game on the road against unbeaten Oregon, and a 6-5 Wolverines team was all that stood between the Buckeyes and a rematch against the Ducks in Indianapolis next weekend. There was literally only one thing Day couldn't do.
Folks, I regret to inform you that Ryan Day did the thing.
The Buckeyes fell to the Wolverines 13-10 at home in a game in which it allowed just 235 yards and 13 first downs to a Michigan offense that isn't capable of moving the ball. But Ohio State's own offense was just as anemic.
Day tried to establish the run at all costs, and it proved to be to the team's detriment as it totaled just 77 yards on 26 carries. When the Buckeyes did go to the air with quarterback Will Howard, things were shaky, and he tossed a pair of interceptions. One of those picks came deep in Ohio State's own territory and set up Michigan's only touchdown of the day.
After struggling all game when not gifted the ball in the red zone, the Wolverines finally made it happen as the clock continued to wind down, and Ohio State fans could only watch in horror as they drove down the field to kick what would be the game-winning field goal.
It's hard to even put into words how disastrous an outcome this was for Day. Despite a 66-10 record, a pair of Big Ten titles and a trio of College Football Playoff appearances, the only stat that is going to matter to Buckeyes fans is his 1-4 record against the only school they care about beating.
I don't know if Day gets fired at Ohio State. Shy of winning a national championship — as the Buckeyes are still essentially a CFP lock — it's hard to discount the possibility. But at the very least, I can no longer begrudge Ohio State fans for their frustration.
The backlash was immediate, it was loud and it most certainly was not unwarranted.
Winner: Texas runs over Texas A&M in revived Lone Star Showdown
For the first time since Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC after the 2011 season, we got to see the Lone Star Showdown in all its glory. The matchup between Texas and the Aggies in College Station has been highly anticipated since the Longhorns announced their move to the SEC, and its significance only grew with it becoming a play-in game for the SEC championship.
A rocking crowd at Kyle Field of more than 109,000 brought the energy on Saturday night, but it was ultimately the visiting team that stole the show once the ball was kicked. It was far from a great game for Quinn Ewers, who continues to look a bit shaky, but it ultimately didn't matter as the Longhorns ran all over the Aggies' defense in this game.
With Tre Wisner leading the way with 33 carries for 186 yards, Texas totaled 243 yards on the ground against Texas A&M in a 17-7 win. The Aggies struggled to move the ball in this game with an inefficient rushing performance, and Marcel Reed was ineffective through the air while being mostly neutralized with his legs.
It was a dominant performance for a Texas defensive line that has really impressed this season after losing its top two players to the draft, and it's why the Longhorns are in a position to likely earn either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff with a win in Saturday's rematch against Georgia in Atlanta.
Loser: Miami's playoff hopes likely come to an end
Mario Cristobal largely had the Year 3 he needed in Coral Gables after disappointing finishes to the first two campaigns of a tenure that was supposed to revitalize the moribund former power. But ultimately, despite a favorable schedule, the Hurricanes just played with fire one too many times.
The defense was supposed to be one of the best in the nation, particularly up front, but that hasn't materialized in 2024. Miami is no stranger to shootouts this season, and it has usually been able to pull away in those games. But against Syracuse and the nation's best passing offense, it wasn't so lucky as it fell 42-38 despite jumping out to an early 21-0 lead.
That game was a win-and-in for the ACC title game, and now sitting at 10-2 without the chance to clinch an automatic bid, things look pretty dire for Miami. We'll likely know if the Hurricanes have a shot based on where they stand in Tuesday's CFP rankings, but they're probably now on the outside looking in.
Also, would you believe me if I told you Cristobal made yet another costly game management decision in this contest?
With 3:42 to play inside the 10-yard line, Miami opted to kick a field goal to cut the lead to four instead of going for the touchdown. It gave the ball back to Syracuse and entrusted its defense — which had allowed 42 points — to get a stop.
Predictably, Cam Ward never got the ball again as the Orange got a couple of first downs and ran out the clock.
Quick Hitters - Winners
Memphis: Losses to Navy and UTSA ultimately kept the Tigers out of the CFP discussion, but back-to-back 10-win seasons are impressive for Ryan Silverfield, who not too long ago faced some pressure in this job.
Sam Houston: The Bearkats will miss out on the Conference USA championship thanks to Western Kentucky's win over Jacksonville State, but a 9-3 season (the best overall record in the league) in Sam Houston's second at the FBS level is wildly impressive, and it was capped off with a win over preseason favorite Liberty.
Michigan: Suddenly, a pretty rough season doesn't look all that bad. The Wolverines went 7-5 in a major rebuilding year and still managed to keep the streak against Ohio State going. You can live with that.
Duke: It wasn't always pretty, but Manny Diaz deserves props for quietly guiding the Blue Devils to a 9-3 season in Year 1.
Baylor: The Bears' red-hot streak to end the season continued, and they wrapped up an 8-4 season with a blowout win over an even hotter Kansas team. It's hard to believe Dave Aranda occupied one of the nation's hottest seats just a few weeks ago.
Syracuse: The win over Miami was the icing on the cake, but it's been a fantastic first season for Fran Brown in central New York, and the Orange came out of nowhere to win nine games this season.
Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers handed Jacksonville State its first conference loss of the season, and that set up a rematch next week for the Conference USA title.
Florida: The Gators navigated a brutal schedule and a litany of injuries to finish 7-5, winning by 20 in the finale at Florida State. Billy Napier is sticking around in 2025, and there's some real momentum surrounding the program for the first time in a while after ending the regular season with three straight victories, two of which came against ranked opponents.
Iowa State: There were quite a few Big 12 permutations heading into Saturday, but the Cyclones were essentially in with a win. They did just that as they took down Kansas State and will face Arizona State with a playoff bid on the line.
Virginia Tech: It's been a majorly disappointing season in Blacksburg overall, but the Hokies are at least going bowling after a blowout win over rival Virginia.
Quick Hitters - Losers
Kent State: Behold: the first 0-12 finish in the FBS since 2019. Times are tough at Kent.
Tulane: The Green Wave could have made things interesting for the CFP committee with a win, but instead, they'll have to settle for trying to win an AAC title against Army.
Oklahoma State: The worst season of the Mike Gundy era saw an 0-9 finish in Big 12 play for a team many picked to win the conference before the season, and it ended in fitting fashion with a 52-0 loss to Colorado.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets squandered a 17-0 halftime lead against Georgia, but they still had several opportunities to win the game during the dueling two-point conversion overtime periods. Unfortunately, as we learned in absolutely brutal fashion, Tech can't draw up a two-point play to save its life.
Clemson: The Tigers hilariously backed into the ACC title game despite Saturday's loss to South Carolina, and as a result, a playoff bid remains within reach. If Clemson can't make that happen, though, it's hard not to view this as a disappointing season for Dabo Swinney.
Kentucky: After a 4-8 season that ended with a blowout loss at home to rival Louisville, who Mark Stoops has had quite a bit of success against, it's hard not to feel like this marriage is really beginning to sour in Lexington.
Kansas: The Jayhawks pulled off three-straight ranked wins heading into the final week of the season, but with bowl eligibility on the line, they couldn't get it done against Baylor as their season comes to an end.
West Virginia: An embarrassing 52-15 loss to Texas Tech was all West Virginia administrators needed to see as coach Neal Brown was fired following the game.
Pittsburgh: After a surprising 7-0 start, the Panthers regressed to the mean in a major way down the stretch, losing five in a row to finish 7-5 after Saturday's loss to Boston College.
North Carolina: Amid its ugly divorce from longtime coach Mack Brown, who was in his second stint with the program, North Carolina couldn't end a three-game losing streak to NC State in Brown's final game.
Washington State: The Cougars were at one point at least nominally in the at-large discussion, but three-straight losses to end the season — most recently an ugly loss to Wyoming — promptly ended that discourse cycle.
Texas A&M: An 8-4 finish is hardly disappointing for Mike Elko in Year 1, but between the loss to Auburn and not looking particularly competitive in the highly anticipated game against Texas, it hasn't been an ideal close to the campaign.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Texas' Lone Star stomping and Ryan Day facing the music at Ohio State headline winners and losers from chaotic Rivalry Week
