Michigan thrives as Ohio St. dives
Michigan pounded away at Ohio State until the Buckeyes crumbled.
For the second straight season, the rivalry game painted the Wolverines as the tougher, stronger, better coached and more consistent team and program – and if once could be pitched as a fluke, two blowouts in a row strongly suggests a trend has developed.
Ahead 31-23 midway through the fourth quarter, Michigan scored on a 75yard touchdown run by Donovan Edwards, who ran for a career-best 216 yards. After intercepting Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, the Wolverines added an 85-yard run by Edwards to win 45-23.
For Michigan, another win in this series and the high possibility of another conference championship and College Football Playoff berth means it's time to redraw the Big Ten power structure. Until proven otherwise, the Wolverines are the league's best.
For the first time in decades, the Buckeyes and everyone else in the Big Ten is chasing Michigan. Eight seasons into his tenure and just two years after facing a very uncertain future at his alma mater, Jim Harbaugh has delivered on the lofty expectations placed onto the program upon his arrival in 2015.
And for Ohio State, this loss opens up serious doubts about the program's place in the broader Bowl Subdivision. While the Wolverines spent most of this season under scrutiny for feasting on an unimpressive schedule, the Buckeyes escaped that spotlight and were celebrated as the team most capable of beating Georgia.
The final score matters for the Buckeyes, which might've pitched the playoff selection committee on making the semifinals with one competitive loss. The 22point defeat ends those postseason hopes and opens up a series of questions about the state of the program, the play of both lines and, maybe most of all, whether coach Ryan Day has what it takes to wrestle back control of this rivalry.
If not, pencil in more of the same from
the Buckeyes until Michigan says otherwise. With the victory, the Wolverines paint themselves as the top-ranked Bulldogs' biggest threat and top the list of winners and losers from rivalry weekend:
Winners
Southern California: The Trojans were not supposed to be this good, this soon – the thought that this team would be a win away from the playoff entering the Pac-12 championship game would've been laughed away in August, September and even early October.
What's behind this smashing debut for coach Lincoln Riley? Don't look much farther than Caleb Williams, who continued one of the top runs by a quarterback in Pac-12 history and probably locked down the Heisman Trophy with 267 yards total offense and four touchdowns as USC beat Notre Dame 38-27.
J.J. Mccarthy: Edwards delivered Michigan's knockout blow, but not until Mccarthy loosened up the Ohio State defense.
In the face of heavy criticism after a dreadful game last weekend against Illinois, the sophomore threw for 278 yards and three scores on 11.1 yards per attempt,
delivering multiple explosive plays and avoiding any costly turnovers as the Wolverines racked up 530 yards of offense.
TCU: After a regular season full of close calls and razor-thin wins, TCU was able to stretch out and relax in a 62-14 win against Iowa State that concludes a perfect run into the Big 12 championship game. How rare is a 48-point win?
That gap matches the combined margin of victory from the Horned Frogs' past seven wins.
South Carolina: Ranked among the middling also-rans of the SEC as recently as two weeks ago, South Carolina has spent the last seven days as the Bowl Subdivision's ultimate giant slayer. Last weekend, the Gamecocks poured 63 points on Tennessee to knock the Volunteers out of the playoff.
And against Clemson, they climbed out of a 14-0 disadvantage in the first quarter and three different nine-point deficits – at 16-7, 23-14 and 30-21 – to beat the Tigers 31-30 and earn the program's first win in this series since 2013.
Kansas State: Running away from Kansas for a 47-27 win in this unpredictably meaningful rivalry sends Kansas State to the Big 12 championship game for the first time since 2003 – there was no such game when the Wildcats won the Big 12 in 2012 – and essentially locks down a spot in the New Year's Six.
That's because the Wildcats will either beat TCU and earn the league's bid as the conference winner or lose to TCU and still land the league's automatic spot in the Sugar Bowl by virtue of the Horned Frogs reaching the playoff.
Losers
LSU: With a win against Texas A&M, the Tigers would've entered the SEC championship game with a clear road to the playoff: win against the Bulldogs, go to the semifinals.
But that equation changes after the 38-23 loss, which makes it difficult to see any realistic scenario where the committee can sell a three-loss team ahead of multiple one-loss or two-loss candidates from the Power Five.
Clemson: A bad day for Clemson doubles as a bad day for the ACC, which has been eliminated from playoff contention with the Tigers' second loss. What was on display against South Carolina has been lurking for most of this season, including ineffectiveness at wide receiver, unpredictability at quarterback and an unstoppable rash of turnovers.
Another three giveaways against the Gamecocks gave the Tigers 15 in the past five games, compared to just five in the year's first seven. Worse yet was the play on defense: Clemson gave up 414 yards of offense, 360 through the air to Spencer Rattler.
Oregon: Given the chance to get back on the playoff map against Oregon State, the Ducks blew a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost 38-34 in what ranks easily among the most painful losses in program history.
Miami (Fla.): The Hurricanes' season ended with a disaster worthy of Mario Cristobal's disastrous debut: Pittsburgh ran for 237 yards on 7.2 per carry, forced three turnovers and led 28-0 at halftime in a 42-16 romp.
That drops Miami to 5-7 and out of bowl play for reasons unrelated to NCAA probation for the first time since 2007.