WEEK 13: WINNERS & LOSERS
WINNERS
Central Florida: The 49- 42 rivalry win against South Florida booked the Knights’ spot in the American Athletic Conference title game, which ensures that Scott Frost will remain as head coach for at least one more week. Beyond that, UCF probably won’t keep Frost much longer. But with Miami’s loss and Alabama’s loss, the Knights join Wisconsin as one of just two unbeaten teams. Wisconsin: And then there are the Badgers, who shut out Minnesota 31- 0 to be the only Power Five team without a loss. While Ohio State will be favored in the matchup in the Big Ten Championship, it’s hard to overlook how the Badgers have simply taken care of business through the season. Oklahoma: After a brief pregame skirmish between the two teams, Oklahoma’s offense proved unstoppable in a 59- 31 win against West Virginia. While not surprising — the Mountaineers were without starting quarterback Will Grier — the win keeps the Sooners right in the thick of a top- four finish with TCU and the Big 12 championship yet to come. Northwestern: The Wildcats won their seventh game in a row. A loss in September to Duke removed the Wildcats from the national map, but think about how the season played out: NU won nine games, the most impressive coming against Michigan State, and lost to Duke, Wisconsin and Penn State.
LOSERS
Miami: It was almost predictable, even if it took a leap of faith to actually pick the Hurricanes to lose to Pittsburgh. But they didn’t just lose; they were dominated. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter: Miami is still in the Playoff with a win against Clemson. On the other hand, the team that didn’t show a pulse against the Panthers might not show up against the Tigers, either. Alabama: This one stings. The Kick Six loss was different — it was painful, but that last- second win for the Tigers seemed like a fluke. This year’s loss was defined by Alabama’s mental lapses and physical errors, capped by a second- half meltdown that raises questions about whether the Tide are overrated. Tennessee: Butch Jones is gone but the Volunteers are still hitting new lows, the latest a 42- 24 loss to Vanderbilt. The loss was Tennessee’s eighth of the year, the most in program history in a single season, and this year marks the program’s first winless finish in SEC play. It will get better because it can’t get any worse. Florida: For the last time in an awful season, Florida finds its place among the losers. The Gators limped into the offseason by losing 38- 22 at home to similarly inept Florida State, stymied by four turnovers and another woeful showing on offense.