I hope you weren’t expecting a plethora of upsets in college football on Saturday, though we are staring down the barrel of a monster weekend that will have major CFP implications in the Big 12, ACC, SEC and even at-large teams like Miami. 

I don’t know if anyone was under the impression Pittsburgh would stroll into Atlanta after the loss to Notre Dame and beat Georgia Tech 42-28. But, we’ve all come to accept the fact that the ACC is a beautiful mess right now in terms of the race towards a conference title game. 

Heading into the final weekend, we have a 3-way tie at the top. SMU, Virginia and Pitt all have just one conference loss, while Miami is still hoping for an at-large spot, even though they won’t make the ACC title game. 

If Virginia beats Virginia Tech, and SMU defeats Cal, it will be those two teams in the ACC championship. But, if one loses, Pitt would have a way to play in Charlotte. Ready?

In what was deemed the ‘game of the day’ based on rankings, Oregon ended any hope of USC making the college football playoff, beating the Trojans 42-27, which might just open a window for Lincoln Riley to have his name floated for a few openings. I’m only half-kidding in terms of Riley having his name attached to potential openings. 

Nick Saban Blames NCAA Calendar, Not Lane Kiffin, For Ole Miss Mess

I can also honestly say I didn’t expect Missouri to only score six points against Oklahoma, which ended with the Sooners keeping the CFP train still rolling down the tracks, while Eli Drinkwitz will also have some time to keep telling folks he’s not interested in any other jobs that are also open. 

There were plenty of teams that collected checks on Saturday to take a beating, with most of the money coming from the SEC. The conference essentially funded the athletic budget for six different programs this weekend, without much of a scare in any of those games. 

Heck, Auburn might have found a way to beat Alabama next week, or at least Duece Knight gives them some of that much-needed ‘hope’. 

Vanderbilt Have A CFP Argument? Utah Survives, BYU Wins

I know some of you are a little tired of hearing about whether Utah deserves a playoff opportunity, and I can’t say I blame you, just going off their schedule. But, thanks to a magnificent collapse by Kansas State, the Utes are still in the conversation. 

IF you rushed for over 470 yards on the road, I would imagine you’d win the game, right? No, and Kansas State is now the perfect example of just blowing an opportunity. Leading 47-37 with just over three minutes remaining, the Cats’ could not finish the job, losing 51-47. 

Lane Kiffin And Ole Miss AD Continue This Circus Past Egg Bowl, With Future Still Uncertain At LSU Or Florida

But, maybe the most impressive performance of the day belonged to Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, who accounted for over 500 yards of total offense, with five touchdowns. Yes, and as much as you want to either laugh or argue, Vanderbilt deserves to be in the postseason conversation. 

Two things had to happen for the Dores. One, beat Kentucky. Two, have Tennessee defeat Florida in Gainesville. Things went according to plan, which now leads to a Top-20 showdown next week in Knoxville, which could propel Vandy into the CFP if a few things transpire in front of them. 

Needing a win to keep its CFP hopes alive, BYU defeated Cincinnati on Saturday night, also with a Big 12 title still in play. If everything plays out next weekend, it will be Texas Tech facing the Cougars in the conference championship. 

BYU will play UCF next weekend, while Texas Tech will travel to West Virginia. If they both handle business, it would be interesting to see what happens if BYU were to win the conference title game. I don’t imagine Texas Tech would drop out, but a Red Raiders win could potentially eliminate the Cougars from CFP contention. 

Safe to say a lot of eyes will be on the Big 12 and ACC over the next two weeks. And yes, Utah is still lurking with only two conference losses. 

Dan Lanning Takes Shot At SEC ‘Payday’ Saturday

Not only did Oregon end any type of playoff hopes for USC on Saturday, but Ducks coach Dan Lanning also decided to take aim at the SEC. 

I didn’t have this one on my bingo card, but Lanning is a pistol occasionally, so his words about playing a tough game certainly came at an interesting time as they fight for a CFP berth. 

“We just played a really good team and we beat them. A lot of times we play really good teams that become unranked all of a sudden and that’s not our fault,” Lanning said. “Maybe it is our fault, but all we’re worried about is playing the teams we play and doing the job we need to do. We did that job today, and I think that the proof is in the pudding. We played a good team, and we beat them.”

USC Trojans Lose To USC Trojans (AKA Themselves), As Oregon Cements Place In College Football Playoff

Ok, Dan. I think the Oregon coach is really trying to capitalize on the CFP committee mentioning that the win over Penn State was impressive because of the atmosphere in Happy Valley. And, he wasn’t done. 

“All we can do next week is try and do the same thing. This conference is a really good conference. It’s competitive. We didn’t play Chattanooga State today, like some other places. We competed, so with that being said, it’s tough playing nine conference games. It’s tough playing in this league, and we got to take advantage of playing a good team today and attacking that.”

Well, dang. I don’t know why Chattanooga State needed to catch a stray, whatever school that is. At least he didn’t mention the ‘Mocs’ by name. 

Next Weekend Will Be Cinematic, With High CFP Stakes

I hope you enjoyed the ‘down’ weekend slate of games, if your team won. 

Now, we head into the final slate of games of the regular season, with conference title game hopes at stake, along with plenty of spots in the college football playoff. 

Oh, and Lane Kiffin is supposedly coming to some sort of resolution next Saturday, which will assuredly upset at least two groups of fans. 

Black Friday GamesNo. 6 Ole Miss @ Mississippi State (Egg BowlNo. 4 Georgia @ Georgia Tech (Mercedes Benx Stadium)No. 3 Texas A&M @ No. 17 Texas (Texas wins, are they in CFP?)Saturday’s Potential For ChaosNo. 1 Ohio State @ No. 18 MichiganNo. 14 Vanderbilt @ No. 20 TennesseeNo. 10 Alabama @ AuburnVirginia Tech @ No. 19 Virginia (ACC Race)SMU @ California (ACC Race)No. 7 Oregon @ WashingtonNo. 13 Miami @ Pittsburgh (ACC Race)LSU @ No. 8 Oklahoma

Those are just a few games that involve ranked teams that have the potential to cause some absolute madness before we get the final rankings before title weekend. 

So, buckle up. If your team is right on the outside looking in for the college football playoff, the possibility of a few upsets is particularly high. The way in which this season has unfolded, I would expect pure chaos. 

It’s the only fitting way to end this 2025 regular season.Â