Saturday encapsulated this unpredictable college football season in one memorable day.
Three of the country’s top seven teams won by three points or fewer in drama-filled finishes. The No. 1 team, Georgia, struggled to survive five-loss Kentucky. The No. 2 team, Ohio State, had its hands full with mediocre Maryland.
And then came the whopper: No. 5 Tennessee, still firmly entrenched in the playoff mix entering the day, had its doors blown off by South Carolina and Spencer Rattler, opening the playoff door for the likes of Clemson and the Michigan-Ohio State loser. If USC wins out, and it barely got past UCLA in a 48-45 slugfest, it seems likely the Trojans will give the Pac-12 its first playoff participant since Washington in 2017.
In a season full of unexpected results and massive upsets, this just may top the list. Rattler had thrown more interceptions (nine) than touchdown passes (eight) and was averaging 198 yards through the air. He was supposed to be a big star at Oklahoma last season before losing his job to Caleb Williams, then transferring to South Carolina.
Then, in one magical performance, he reminded everyone about that immense arm talent he has, ending Tennessee’s playoff hopes in a brilliant showing, a 438-yard, six-touchdown masterpiece.
Spencer Rattler and South Carolina stunned Tennessee on Saturday night.APIt was a stunning result. The 22-point underdog Gamecocks throttled the Volunteers, 63-38. They had given no indication such a seismic result was possible, having gotten flattened by also-ran Florida, 38-6, a week earlier. In South Carolina’s last home game, it fell to Missouri by double figures. A different team showed up at Williams-Brice Stadium against Tennessee. Rattler went out and led South Carolina to the most points by an unranked opponent against a top-five team ever with a career-best evening, guiding it to nine touchdowns in 11 drives. The 63 points were the most Tennessee has given up in an SEC game, allowing an absurd 606 yards of offense to South Carolina.
It was a remarkable day in what has been a season in which very little has gone as scripted. Alabama, everyone’s preseason favorite, was eliminated from winning the SEC West last weekend. Clemson was obliterated by rebuilding Notre Dame. There is no clear Heisman Trophy front-runner. The lone constant has been undefeated Georgia.
With two weeks left, there are only two givens when it comes to the playoff: Georgia and the winner of The Game between Michigan and Ohio State next Saturday. A two-bid Big Ten remains in play. LSU can become the first two-loss team to reach the playoff by knocking off Georgia in the SEC championship game. Clemson’s dream isn’t dead, although it needs at least either TCU or USC to lose.
Illinois coach Brett Bielema.APSouth Carolina’s stunning win created more uncertainty on an unforgettable day when Spencer Rattler somehow morphed into the LSU version of Joe Burrow.
Losing decisions
TCU and Michigan were both on the ropes, trailing deep into the fourth quarter, and their respective opponents, Baylor and Illinois, had the ball with the chance to ice the game. But rather than be aggressive and go for the win, those teams played not to lose — and naturally lost.
Baylor coach Dave Aranda and Illinois’ Bret Bielema tried to run the ball to eat up the clock when everyone watching knew that was coming. The result was three-and-outs, giving TCU and Michigan one more shot.
The heavy favorites both survived with last-second field goals, mostly because the opposing coaches went conservative when aggression could’ve been the difference. The players for Baylor and Illinois deserved better. Bielema had the audacity to blame the officials afterward when his play-calling hurt his team the most.
The Game arrives
It’s The Game. It’s Michigan and Ohio State. The Big Ten East and a spot in the playoff will be on the line. And, really, it’s hard to predict this showdown. Neither team is playing very well right now, both coming off less-than-impressive wins over underwhelming opponents.
Michigan may not have star running back Blake Corum, who injured his left knee in the narrow win over Illinois. Ohio State could be without top playmakers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Miyan Williams, and top running back TreVeyon Henderson didn’t look like himself on Saturday coming off a foot injury he may have aggravated. It all sets up an absolutely fascinating meeting in Columbus with so much on the line.
