Spartans, Deacons are put in their place
Big Ten put its best foot forward while ACC saw its faint playoff hopes disappear
The superpowers asserted themselvesSaturday over the upstarts.
In a season that has been dotted with upsets and surprises, the most talentedteams are rising to the top.
No. 7-ranked Michigan State and No. 13 Wake Forest have been good stories, but against No. 5 Ohio State and Clemson, they were outclassed.
In Columbus, Ohio, the day’s marquee matchup was over for all intents and purposes after about a quarter. The Buckeyes were up, 490, at halftime behind a near-perfect performance by C.J. Stroud, who called it a day in the third quarter with 432 yards passing and a school-record six touchdown passes.
If there is an offense in the country that might have a chance to do more than just dent No. 1 Georgia’s ferocious defense, it mightbe the Buckeyes’.
“We have a high ceiling, and we’re still striving toward greatness,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said.
Next up for the Buckeyes and their star-studded offense is a trip to No. 8 Michigan, which looked ready against Maryland to try to break an eight-game losing streak inThe Game.
That Oregon loss in September is a distant memory for Ohio State, which is victory away from a fifth consecutive Big Ten Conference title game appearance. The Buckeyeshave won the previous four.
In Death Valley, Clemson put together its best offensive performance of the season and slammed the door on the slightest glimmer of hope Wake Forest (9-2) and the Atlantic Coast Conference had to put a team in the College Football Playoff.
The Tigers (8-3) are too far gone to make the playoff for a seventh consecutive season, but suddenly there is hope to extend their streak of six ACC titles in a row. If Wake Forect loses next week at Boston College and North Carolina State loses to North Carolina, Clemson is back in the conference title game fora rematch against No. 20 Pitt.
Michigan State has had a remarkable turnaround in year two under coach Mel Tucker, who is reportedly weighing a massive contract extension from the school because it believes he can build a program that can truly threaten Ohio State.
Michigan State learned Saturday it still has a long wayto go.
Even if Wake were to stumble next week, this has been the Demon Deacons’ best season in more than a decade, clueing everyone in on the job coach Dave Clawson has done at the smallest Power Five school in the country.
Still, Wake’s experienced roster and creative offense was no match for Clemson’s dudes, led by freshman runningback Will Shipley.
The Tigers were the first team this season to hold the Demon Deacons under 35 points and extended their winning streak over Wake to 13. After a 2-2 start, Clemson has a path to a New Year’sSix bowl.
“They’ve rallied and they battled” coach Dabo Swinney told reporters. “The foundation of our program haswon the day for us.”
A foundation built on four straight top-10 recruiting classes.
In the Big 12, No. 12 Oklahoma has spent much of the season searching for its top form, but after bouncing back from last week’s loss behind five-star freshman Caleb Williams, the Sooners will head into Bedlam against No. 9 Oklahoma State positioned for a fifth straight conference title game appearance. OU has won each of the previous four.
In the SEC, No. 2 Alabama locked up its side of the conference against
Arkansas, booking a spot in what figures to be a titanic championship game against Georgia.
If Stroud isn’t the leader in what has felt like a wideopen Heisman race, it’s probably the Tide’s Bryce Young. Alabama’s star firstyear starter passed for a school-record 561 yards and five touchdowns against No. 21Arkansas.
Before the season there was a feeling of inevitability at the top of college football with four super teams (Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma) dominating their conferences and Georgia trying to enter that conversation.
As Thanksgiving approaches, a season that seemed to be trending towardchaos is on the verge of falling into place largely as expected.
Bored Bearcats?
Maybe Cincinnati was justbored?
The Bearcats caught a lot of flak over the last month for failing to hammer four straight second-division American Athletic Conferenceopponents.
Facing what was supposed to be one of the toughest tests on their schedule, the Bearcats unloaded on SMU. Cincinnati’s most complete game of the season clinched a spot in the AAC title game against No. 17 Houston and should help bolster its playoff hopes.
The schedule maker did UC no favors next week. The Bearcats play on the road on a short week, meeting East Carolinaon Black Friday.
Around the country
The rapid descent of Florida and coach Dan Mullen continued with an overtime loss at Missouri. The Gators will limp into a rivalry game against Florida State at 5-6. “The Florida football programis going to be here for a long time. It’s not about one game,” Mullen told reporters. At 2-6, Florida has its fewest SEC wins since 1986. ... Notre Dame reached double-digit victories for a fifth straight season, an Irish record. You need to win a national title as a coach to get a statue at Notre Dame. Brian Kelly might never do that, but he has established a standard in South Bend that seemed to be unreachable for more than a decade before he arrived. ... On the way to putting up 62 points on rival USC, UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for signing an autograph for a fan after one of the six touchdowns heaccounted for.