Rivalry week is always special in college football. Few deliver like this one did, and the chaos arrived not a moment too soon. Next year the spite will still be there for many games, but the last Saturday of the regular season will look slightly different. Oregon and Washington will play each other, and the Apple Cup will move to the beginning of the season. It’s unclear if Oregon and Oregon State will continue to play. Texas will likely be playing Texas A&M, a welcome return after a long hiatus.
Michigan and Ohio State will be playing, but will it have the same stakes? Will either reach The Game undefeated? Michigan plays Washington and Oregon, while Ohio State gets Oregon out of the newcomers next year. Much of the reason why Ohio State and Michigan reached Saturday’s matchup unbeaten is because of who they didn’t play when comparing this year’s Big Ten to its next iteration. The game was another epic in their series. It decided a division championship, and likely a College Football Playoff berth. The losing side has still made the CFP in the past, and it stands to reason that might be the case again in the new 12-team world next winter. Does that cheapen next year’s version? Of course not. It’ll still be as spiteful—there just may be different build up to it, no more or less awesome.
But after The Game was over, Saturday delivered a 30-minute window of time where we remembered just how good things can get at the highest levels of college football hatred, with Alabama winning their game at the buzzer on a Jalen Milroe prayer and Washington winning the Apple Cup with a trick play to extend a drive that ended with a go-ahead field goal on the game’s final play. The Iron Bowl isn’t going anywhere either, but perhaps it will have different stakes too in the changing SEC. Rivalry week as we knew it is ending. Like the rest of the sport, it will evolve with the times. See you next Thanksgiving weekend.
John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports
SI top 10 (of the week)
1. Georgia
The Dawgs emerged on top, but they had to scrap and claw to get there with a pesky Georgia Tech team that would not go away. On to the SEC title game for them.
2. Michigan
There was a time when saying Michigan had three wins in a row against Ohio State would have seemed preposterous. The Buckeyes no longer own the Team Up North. While it wasn’t as dominant as last year, Michigan did just enough and stopped the Buckeyes with an interception to win the Big Ten East and another classic edition of The Game. No Harbaugh, no problem.
3. Oregon
The Ducks dispatched easily with their orange Beaver foes on Friday night, not falling for the trap. Oregon continues to play tremendous football as they continue the stretch run of the season.
4. Washington
The Huskies had a battle on their hands in the Apple Cup but rose above it to beat the Cougars on a field goal with the play call of the year candidate on a fourth down reverse that kept the game-winning drive and the Huskies’ Playoff hopes alive, and a rematch with the Ducks in Las Vegas awaits.
5. Florida State
The Noles came into this game with a backup quarterback against Florida’s backup quarterback and struggled mightily until the very end, when they proved they had enough to beat the arch-rival Gators.
6. Texas
Texas has struggled to finish the last couple weeks and, well, they didn’t struggle in this one against Texas Tech to the point that Arch Manning saw the field late in the game. Horns roll into the Big 12 title game with some wind at their back.
7. Alabama
The Tide survived on one of the wildest plays you will ever see. If you thought second-and-27 for the national title was wild, how about fourth-and-goal from the 31 to win the Iron Bowl? Jalen Milroe’s shot to the hearts of Auburn fans will go down in history.
8. Missouri
The Tigers end an emphatic season with a big win over Arkansas. Preseason, there were questions about Eli Drinkwitz’s job. No way that can be the case any more.
9. Arizona
The Wildcats were somehow a Washington loss away from playing for the Pac-12 championship. It’s a testament to what Jedd Fisch has built there in Year 2 at the helm in Tucson.
10. Tulane
Tulane is going to another conference championship game. It’s a statement that boggles the mind if you’ve paid attention to the broad course of college football history. Tulane has historically been a have-not, and head coach Willie Fritz has turned him squarely into a have on the Group of Five level.
Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard/USA TODAY NETWORK
SI Players of the week: Oregon QB Bo Nix; the Iowa defense
- Nix just keeps getting better week-in and week-out. Against Oregon State, the Ducks’ signal-caller was again deadly accurate, going 33-for-40 for 367 yards and two touchdowns. Nix’s 78.6% completion percentage is otherworldly for someone who throws the ball as deep as he does in games.
- We must spare a moment of recognition for what this Iowa defense has done. Since the end of September, no team has scored over 14 points on the Hawkeyes. It’s a remarkable feat of team defense that, no matter what the caliber of conference opponent is, deserves to be lauded.
Did you see that?
- Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler are all of us watching the end of the Iron Bowl:
so cool pic.twitter.com/O2xfbY9KM6
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) November 26, 2023
- Rivalry games are the best:
Rivalries are amazing!
— Bill Roth (@BillRoth2020) November 26, 2023
Coach Pry brought his team back on the field to take a picture following the 55-17 win over UVA.
Virginia turned the sprinklers on the Scott Stadium field.
Beautiful! pic.twitter.com/KzfgrBIsYB
- It’s important to maintain standards:
Happy to report we made it through another season of no grilling inside Southern Miss’ press box. pic.twitter.com/c442fkNeQP
— Andrew Abadie (@AndrewAbadie) November 25, 2023
- Referees can get a little chippy, too:
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) November 25, 2023
- The message from LSU is clear about about what award Jayden Daniels should win:
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) November 25, 2023
