College Football Top 25 Review

SI Staff | Nov 27, 2012

College Football Top 25 Review /

College Football Top 25 Review

The Fighting Irish are BCS title game bound. Notre Dame completed an improbable undefeated regular season by surviving USC in Los Angeles to lock up a spot in Miami on Jan. 7. Everett Golson didn't throw a touchdown pass, but the Irish relied on the stout defense that's helped them all year, stopping the Trojans four consecutive times from the one-yard line as the seconds ticked away. Notre Dame has not won a title in 24 years.

Alabama is headed to the SEC championship game. The Tide shut out the Tigers in the Iron Bowl to keep their BCS title hopes intact. AJ McCarron threw for 216 yards and four touchdowns, and running back Eddie Lacy (pictured) racked up 131 rushing yards and two scores. The 'Bama defense was also stifling. The Tide allowed a mere 163 total yards and forced three turnovers.

Georgia could be one victory away from playing for a national title. Though the Bulldogs still need to win in the SEC championship game, they stayed in BCS contention by routing Georgia Tech on Saturday, a contest they controlled from the opening kick. Freshman back Todd Gurley (pictured) scored just 1:03 into the game and finished with 97 yards and two touchdowns, and counterpart Keith Marshall racked up 66 yards and two scores. Quarterback Aaron Murray was accurate and efficient, going 14-of-17 for 215 passing yards and two touchdowns.

For the first time since winning the national championship after the 2002 season, Ohio State is perfect. The Buckeyes capped an undefeated campaign by outlasting Michigan in a back-and-forth affair in Columbus. The Wolverines put a scare in the Ohio State crowd after long touchdowns by Roy Roundtree and Denard Robinson, but the Buckeye stars stepped up in response. Braxton Miller went 14-of-18 for 189 yards and a touchdown, and Carlos Hyde ran for 123 yards and a score. Wideout Corey Brown (pictured) made a 14-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter.

Oregon certainly didn't show any hangover effects from last week's loss against Stanford. The Ducks dominated the Civil War from start to finish, a game in which Marcus Mariota threw for 140 yards and a touchdown. Still, Oregon's ground game stole the show. Kenjon Barner ran for 198 yards and two scores, De'Anthony Thomas (pictured) scampered for 122 yards and three touchdowns and Mariota rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown.

Florida State carried a 20-13 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Gators exited Tallahassee with a win. Florida rattled off 24 unanswered points in an 11-minute span, a rally fueled by a 37-yard run by Mike Gillislee and a 32-yard dash by Matt Jones (pictured). Will Muschamp's defense also played a pivotal role in the Gators' success. It forced three turnovers, three of which came on EJ Manuel interceptions.

Jarvis Landry (pictured) helped LSU keep a possible BCS bowl berth within reach.Landry made a spectacular, one-handed touchdown grab and the Tigers held on for a 20-13 win over Arkansas on Friday. Zach Mettenberger passed for 217 yards and hooked up with Landry for the play of the day with 1:12 left in the first half to put LSU up 10-0. The Tigers (10-2, 6-2 in the SEC) reached the double-digit win plateau for the sixth time in eight seasons under coach Les Miles.

The Aggies may not be BCS bound, but Johnny Manziel (pictured) put himself in strong Heisman position with a five-touchdown day. The redshirt freshman threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 67 yards and two more scores. A&M finished the regular season 10-2 overall and 6-2 in SEC play; Missouri will not make a bowl after finishing 5-7 overall and 2-6 in its first season of SEC play.

Ready for a rematch? By beating UCLA in Week 13, Stanford clinched the Pac-12 North to set up a conference title game matchup with ... UCLA. Stepfan Taylor (pictured) rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns, while Kevin Hogan passed for 160 yards and a score. Stanford has produced three consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time in program history.

South Carolina wrapped a 10-2 season by winning its fourth straight over in-state rival Clemson. Backup quarterback Dylan Thompson (pictured) had a big day for the Gamecocks, throwing three touchdowns in relief of the injured Connor Shaw. Steve Spurrier won his 65th game to become the winningest coach in program history.

In a contest full of momentum swings, Oklahoma captured this year's Bedlam game in dramatic fashion. Oklahoma State took a late 48-45 lead after standout performances from Joseph Randle (113 rushing yards, four touchdowns) and Josh Stewart (150 receiving yards, one score), but the Sooners forced overtime on Blake Bell's four-yard run with four seconds left. Brennan Clay (pictured) scored the game-winner on an 18-yard dash, and Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones finished 46-of-71 with 500 passing yards.

Making his long-awaited return from a knee injury, Nebraska running back Rex Burkhead (pictured) scored the go-ahead touchdown in the Huskers victory over Iowa on Friday. Burkhead finished 69 rushing yards and a score, and Nebraska clinched the Legends Division title to earn a berth in the Big Ten championship game.

TCU may have finally arrived in the Big 12. In a Thanksgiving night showcase, the Horned Frogs topped Texas to earn their biggest win to date in their new league. Matthew Tucker (pictured) rushed for 57 yards and two touchdowns, Jared Oberkrom kicked two field goals and TCU's defense generated four turnovers -- three coming from Texas quarterback David Ash in the first half.

After starting 9-0, Louisville has now lost two consecutive games. The Huskies took down the Cardinals behind a strong performance from running back Lyle McCombs, who recorded 29 carries for 133 yards in UConn's upset win. But things didn't come easy. After Nick Williams (pictured) scored from three yards out to give the Huskies a 10-point lead in the second quarter, Louisville mounted a comeback, eventually tying the game when Teddy Bridgewater connected with DeVante Parker from six yards out with 21 seconds left. UConn won in triple overtime on a 30-yard Chad Christen field goal.

This time, Pittsburgh was able to finish off what it started. After allowing Notre Dame to climb back from an early deficit during the first weekend in November, the Panthers closed out their upset victory over Rutgers on Saturday, a game in which Ray Graham (pictured) rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown and Tino Sunseri passed for 227 yards and two scores. Pitt will play for bowl eligibility on Dec. 1 at South Florida.

Kent State senior linebacker C.J. Malauulu (pictured) returned an interception 33 yards to the end zone -- 12 seconds after a Trayion Durham touchdown -- and the surging Golden Flashes completed a perfect season in the MAC with their 10th straight win, over Ohio, on Friday. Kent State will play Northern Illinois in the MAC title game next weekend.

Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch passed for 168 yards and ran for 107 yards, and Akeem Daniels (pictured) scored a career-best four touchdowns as the Huskies took down Eastern Michigan on a cold, snowy Friday. Lynch has now rushed for at least 100 yards in 10 consecutive games, an NCAA record for quarterbacks.

One week after upsetting Louisiana Tech in overtime, Utah State finished 6-0 in the WAC by steamrolling Idaho on Saturday. Chuckie Keeton passed for 133 yards and two touchdowns, Kerwynn Williams (pictured) rushed for 110 yards and a score and the Aggies defense shut down the Vandals. Utah State produced four Idaho turnovers, including Will Davis' 59-yard pick-six in the second quarter.

Hugh Freeze's first regular season as Ole Miss coach couldn't have wrapped much better. The Rebels won the Egg Bowl for the first time since 2008, finishing 6-6 overall and 3-5 in the SEC in the process. Quarterback Bo Wallace (pictured) had a big day for Ole Miss, passing for 294 yards and five touchdowns.

Published Nov 27, 2012

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