In case you were too stuffed up from Thursday’s Thanksgiving turkey that you missed this weekend’s college football games, let’s catch you up. College football is starting to near its end, but the action is still electric. Last week was the much anticipated rivalry week.
One of the biggest rivalries in college football is between Michigan and Ohio State, who faced off Saturday afternoon in an epic battle referred to as “The Game.” Earlier this season, Michigan was all over the news for allegations regarding sign stealing. As a result, the Big Ten suspended head coach Jim Harbaugh for the team’s remaining regular season games, including the match-up against OSU. Sherrone Moore stepped in as interim coach. Saturday’s game was the most watched Michigan-Ohio State game in 17 years, with 19.07 million viewers. The last time Fox had this many viewers was the Wolverine-Buckeye game in 2006 (21.04 million viewers). Despite the absence of Harbaugh from the sidelines, the Wolverines managed to secure an impressive 30-24 win and move up to No. 2 in College Football Playoff rankings, and continue to protect their undefeated season. The Buckeyes dropped to No. 6 as a result and are one win away from their third consecutive College Football Playoff appearance. While Michigan was led by third-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who has never lost to OSU, OSU Head Coach Ryan Day continues to be winless against Michigan.
Another iconic matchup that aired last weekend was the Iron Bowl, Alabama vs. Auburn. Yet another iconic rivalry in college football, the two teams battled in a dramatic Saturday night showdown. In the final minutes of the game, it seemed as though Auburn was going to run away with it, but Tiger fans were quickly disappointed. With 32 seconds left on the clock, Auburn led 24-20. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe threw a successful 31-yard pass that found Isaiah Bond in the back of the endzone. Alabama is not new to last-second victories. In 2013, Alabama grabbed a last-minute victory against Auburn with a short field goal and a long run. The Crimson Tide is now ranked No. 8 as they improved their record to 11-1.
A final noteworthy game from last week, despite not being a rivalry, was Iowa vs. Nebraska. The game ended with a score of 13-10, the lowest-scoring game in over a century. Iowa will face the unstoppable Michigan Wolverines next. Iowa’s line for total points is 0.5 this season and the Hawkeyes are projected to not score at all against the Wolverines.
Tune into college football this weekend for Championship Week to watch the best teams in each conference battle it out for number one and a chance at the College Football Playoffs.
