And so we’ve reached the end of the regular season for Division 1A college football (lower division playoffs are already underway). It feels like just a few weeks ago I was driving over the High Sierras for the Zero Week game at the University of Nevada, Reno. As I mentioned last week, I planted my ample arse on the couch for most of Saturday, soaking in countless rivalry games and sending silly memes to my inner circle.
Around the Country
On Friday, after Colorado dominated Oklahoma State, the Big 12 had four teams vying for a spot in the conference championship. Determining each team’s path took something resembling an Albert Einstein formula. With ASU crushing Arizona early on Saturday, the Sun Devils secured the first slot in the Big 12 title game. Iowa State took care of business with a win over Kansas State, but they needed BYU to beat Houston to secure their place. Fortunately for the Cyclones, that happened. The Big 12 Championship is set: Arizona versus Iowa State next Saturday in Dallas.
In the Big Ten, Ohio State entered as a 23-point favorite over hated rival Michigan. The Wolverines, who had won the previous three matchups, seemingly owned Ryan Day and the Buckeyes. This was supposed to be Ohio State’s revenge game, right? Not so fast. The Wolverines found their groove at the right time and stunned the Buckeyes in the Horseshoe with a gritty 13-10 win. The most fight Ohio State showed came after the game—in a post-game brawl. The loss not only embarrassed Ohio State but also eliminated them from the Big Ten Championship. Penn State will now face Oregon next Saturday night for the title.
In the SEC, the scenario was simple: Georgia had already secured its spot and awaited the winner of Texas vs. Texas A&M. This was the first meeting between these two storied rivals in 13 years, ever since A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC. Texas physically dominated the Aggies, winning 17-7. The Longhorns will now face the Bulldogs next Saturday afternoon in Atlanta. And let’s not forget Georgia’s own battle—a marathon eight-overtime thriller on Friday night against Georgia Tech in the game known as “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.”
In the ACC, SMU had already locked up a spot in the conference final and awaited either Clemson or Miami next Saturday in Charlotte, NC. Clemson, playing a non-conference rivalry game against South Carolina in the Palmetto Bowl, lost 17-14, but the outcome didn’t affect their path to Charlotte. Miami, however, needed only to beat Syracuse to secure their place—and didn’t. So, the ACC title game will feature SMU against Clemson.
Notre Dame traveled to Los Angeles and defeated USC 49-35, putting the finishing touches on a remarkable regular season following an early loss to NIU. The Fighting Irish will host a first-round College Football Playoff game on December 21.
In Group of Five action, Boise State secured home-blue field advantage for the Mountain West title game and will host UNLV next Friday night. Boise’s Ashton Jeanty ran for over 230 yards again, capping off one of the best seasons ever by a running back. Meanwhile, Army narrowly defeated UTSA to claim home-field advantage against Tulane in the American Athletic Conference championship, also set for Friday. Both Boise and Army remain in contention for the College Football Playoffs as the non-Power Five entrant.
Bieber Award
This week's dishonor goes to a large swath of college football teams for bad behavior during and after several rivalry games. Most of us have seen the aftermath of the Michigan-Ohio State game, where a brawl ended with police pepper-spraying players. The police officers who resorted to pepper spray share in this award, as their actions seemed excessive. The chaos began with Michigan attempting to plant their flag on Ohio State's midfield logo, sparking tensions.
But that wasn’t the only ugly incident. Nationwide, there were seven additional post-game brawls, several coach-versus-coach altercations, and plenty of individual antics. A player from Colorado celebrated a touchdown by mimicking a dog taking a leak. A Kentucky player left the field during the game to go order some food from a concession stand. Meanwhile, even the Arizona and Arizona State mascots got into a legitimate fistfight!
What’s going on? Are we seeing the long-term effects of Dr. Fauci’s 8th booster shot? A full moon? Spiked breakfast cereals? Or are TikTok and Instagram fueling a need for outrageous antics to maintain notoriety? Whatever the reason, the sheer amount of poor sportsmanship earns this week’s collective Bieber Award.
Ginger Award
Although this feat occurred last week, it didn’t reach the DFT press corps in time. The Ginger Award goes to Cal Berkeley equipment manager Trevor Skogerboe for his heroic and athletic actions. After Cal’s victory over Stanford in The Big Game, an on-field celebration erupted. Amid the chaos, an overzealous fan attempted to steal a Cal helmet and run off. Skogerboe, channeling his inner cheetah, sprinted after the thief and delivered a picture-perfect Jack Lambert-style tackle.
The video of this legendary moment went viral. During Cal’s weekly film session, head coach Justin Wilcox praised Skogerboe for his speed and tackling ability. Along with his newfound fame, Skogerboe takes home this week’s Ginger Award for his remarkable feat.
Next Week
I’ll make the trek to UC Davis as the Aggies host the Illinois State Redbirds in the second round of the FCS playoffs. Not sure who’s coming with me, as it seems all my rowdy friends have settled down.
