The regular season of college football has all too quickly come to an end, with some conference showdowns all that stands between the playoff committee and the college playoff. As the 2017 regular season is ushered out, the bowl season looms right around the corner and will be heavily influenced by some exciting battles for the Power-5 conferences.
But how did we get here? Here’s your weekend recap:
Gophers Recap
Rivalry weekend featured the longest matchup in the FBS between the Minnesota Golden Gophers against the Wisconsin Badgers. The Gophers were outclassed in the 31-0 loss to finish the season, failing to score in eight consecutive quarters to finish the season.
For the full recap, go here.
Quick Hits
Rivalry weekend featured some of the most heated clashes in college football and resulted in some matchups that went down to the wire, along with a few upsets to shake up the playoff landscape. The turnstile that is head coaching in college was also in full swing.
Auburn Wins The Iron Bowl.
After a tight game against Mississippi State, the Alabama Crimson Tide went on the road to face their in-state rivals, the Auburn Tigers. The injuries finally caught up to the Crimson Tide, as the Tigers repeatedly rode running back Kerryon Johnson to 104 yards and a score, while quarterback Jarrett Stidham added another 51 on the ground.
It was a one-score ballgame until late in the fourth quarter, with miscues in the form of three fumbles forced by bad snaps leading to the Tide’s undoing. Pressure on the Tide’s quarterback Jalen Hurts was also key, as the Tigers racked up a pair of sacks and nine hurries in the 26-14 victory to topple No. 1, again.
Miami’s Magic Runs Out.
The turnover chain was not enough this time for the Miami Hurricanes, as the Pittsburgh Panthers felled the Florida favorites. In this game too, the front of the Panthers was the difference and sacked Hurricanes quarterback Malik Rosier four times and recovered his lone fumble.
On their way to a 28-14 victory, the Panthers edged out the Hurricanes in total yards, 345-232. Quarterback Kenny Pickett the key player on offense for the Panthers, with 253 total yards and three scores lifting his squad past Miami.
Coaching Turnover.
The biggest change happened for UCLA, as the team brought in former NFL head coach Chip Kelly to lead the team after firing Jim Mora. Kelly was a championship contender and built Oregon into a powerhouse in the Pac-12. Now he is rejoining the conference after a three-year stint in the NFL.
Some other notable coaching moves: Kevin Sumlin and Texas A&M have parted ways, as have Mike Riley and Nebraska. Dan Mullen left his offensive coordinator position as Mississippi State to take the head coaching job at Florida. Tennessee is also looking for someone to fill their lead role after firing Butch Jones, but faced immense pressure when looking at Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano to fill the vacancy. Following massive protests and a huge outcry from everywhere in the state in opposition of Schiano, the school backed out of their deal with the coach.
Chain Gang
Every weekend, a player is awarded the chain for achieving the best turnover. This fumble from Western Kentucky’s punter is one for the books as this poor man tries to salvage a play after his mistake.
Heisman Highlight
Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor should be in the conversation, especially if the Badgers beat Ohio State in the Big Ten championship. In his 149-yard performance against Minnesota, he ripped off a 53-yard score. He has 1,806 yards and 13 scores headed into the conference title game.
Game Of The Week
The Michigan Wolverines hosted the Ohio State Buckeyes in the battle of one of college’s most fearsome rivalries. Both programs play smash mouth football, with last weekend’s game playing no exception. While the Wolverines led early, it was tied at 14-all going into the half thanks to the efforts of Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett, who dashed and tossed for scores.
Barrett left in the second half with a knee injury, but Ohio State did not skip a beat, with backup Dwayne Haskins sliding in and leading the Buckeyes on a scoring drive right away. Running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber combined 158 yards and two scores, which also helped keep the Buckeyes ahead for the 31-20 victory.
Play Of The Weekend
The UCF Knights failed to win a game last season — not one. Now the Knights have just won their 11th straight game to go unbeaten the very next season. It is the first time in NCAA history that a program has gone from winless to perfect in two seasons.
The UCF program made the turnaround while returning 51 players from last season. It took 21 points in the fourth quarter and a 95-yard kick return in the final 1:40 of the game from Mike Hughes to win and stay perfect.
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