College Football Week 13 Takeaways: Rambling Decked

With the College Football Playoff race heating up and rivalry week upon us, there’s very little time to waste this time of year.

Let’s get into Sports Illustrated’s Week 13 takeaways that provided clarity to conference title and College Football Playoff hopes, alike.

Georgia Tech entered Saturday with a clear path to clinching a spot in the ACC title game, with the winner in Charlotte punching a ticket to the College Football Playoff.

All the Yellow Jackets had to do was beat Pittsburgh at home under the lights in Bobby Dodd Stadium on Senior Night.

Unfortunately for the Rambling Wreck, they got Rambling Decked. Georgia Tech’s lackluster defense was once again a sieve, and a poor night for Haynes King under center for the Jackets didn’t help things either. Georgia Tech trailed 28–0 before getting off the mat before the intermission and cutting the lead in half.

But the true death knell came in the third quarter. With the Yellow Jackets trailing 28–14, King and the offense had the ball in the red zone as they tried to cut the Panthers lead to seven. King took the snap, looked to his left and made a poor decision under pressure on a ball that was picked off by Panthers linebacker Braylan Lovelace and returned 100 yards the other direction for a Pittsburgh touchdown.

The lead was stretched back out to 14, and while Georgia Tech would try to make things interesting again in the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh running back Ja’Kyrian Turner erased all doubt with a 56-yard touchdown run with 2:41 to play.

The Yellow Jackets need a miracle to get to Charlotte for the ACC title with the loss. Virginia and SMU now both control their own respective paths heading into the final weekend of the regular season. If Virginia beats Virginia Tech and SMU beats Cal, it’ll be the Cavaliers and Mustangs in the ACC title game. If one (or both) of those teams lose, the league is heading towards tiebreakers that could vault the winner of the Pitt–Miami game in Week 14 back into the mix for a title game spot.

Georgia Tech’s loss was the single most consequential result on a relatively quiet Saturday across the sport.

In the biggest game of the day, No. 7 Oregon handled No. 15 USC, 42–27, in Eugene, Ore. on Saturday afternoon. Ducks quarterback Dante Moore completed 22 of his 30 throws for 257 yards and two touchdowns, while the defense held USC to just 52 yards rushing and forced two turnovers in the victory.

Oregon solidified its status as a College Football Playoff, while USC once again let a golden opportunity of its own slip away.

The Ducks travel to Seattle to face Washington in Week 14 where they should be a sizable favorite.

Oklahoma picked up a seismic win last Saturday, knocking off No. 4 Alabama in Tuscaloosa to vault into the top 12 of the College Football Playoff rankings. Saturday could certainly have been ripe for a letdown heading back home to face No. 22 Missouri.

Instead, the Sooners defense held Tigers standout running back Ahmad Hardy to just 57 yards rushing on 17 carries, and spoiled the return of quarterback Beau Pribula by forcing him into two interceptions.

Couple the strong defensive performance with just enough offense from Sooners quarterback John Mateer, who threw for 173 and two scores and added another 60 yards on the ground in an ugly 17–6 win.

The Sooners, much like Oregon, are tasked with a “win and in” scenario as an at-large team for the College Football Playoff.

Oklahoma closes its season in Week 14 at home against LSU.

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love has seemed to make his way into this column frequently of late, thanks to the imprint he has left on the Fighting Irish in their quest to make the College Football Playoff.

The Irish smoked visiting Syracuse on Saturday, winning the game 70–7 in South Bend. Notre Dame sandwiched two interception returns for touchdowns around a blocked punt that was returned for a score, taking a 21–0 lead in the first quarter before its offense ever touched the field.

But once it did, it was the Love show. He carried the ball eight times for 171 yards and three touchdowns.

Love will be in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, and he knows it too. He capped off his three-touchdown day by striking a Heisman pose in the end zone before celebrating with his teammates.

Notre Dame finishes the regular season on the road at Stanford.

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