From the Couch Sports

The Last Weekday MACtion of the Year

Western Michigan Clinches a Spot in the MAC Title Game

Western Michigan 31 Eastern Michigan 21

Western Michigan clinched their first MAC Title game appearance since 2016 and their second MAC title appearance sine 2000 with their win at Eastern Michigan. WMU QB Broc Lowry ran for two scores and the Broncos ran for a team total of 278 yards and 4 rushing scores. EMU QB Noah Kim’s 327 passing yards wasn’t enough, he threw 3 costly interceptions as the Broncos continued their conference dominance with a huge win to claim the Michigan MAC trophy for the 2025 season.

UMass finishes 2025 Winless

Bowling Green 45 UMass 14

UMass will be the only FBS team to go winless in 2025. It’s been an embarrassing year for the Minutemen, and Tuesday night’s game would be no different. They had a 28-14 halftime deficit and were held scoreless in the second half. Even a hopeless team like Bowling Green could beat them in the season finale.

No Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving Night?

Navy 28 Memphis 17

Traditionally we are treated with the annual SEC Egg Bowl Rivalry on Thanksgiving Night between Mississippi State and Ole Miss, but this year CFB fans got to watch an American Conference matchup instead. Memphis has had a great season under Ryan Silverfield but it wasn’t enough to stop the ground and pound option-attack of the Navy Midshipmen. Memphis looked strong in the first half but missed a field goal late in the 2nd quarter that would’ve given them a 20-14 halftime lead. Navy used it to their advantage and controlled the clock in the second half. QB Blake Horvath orchestrated two demoralizing touchdown drives in the second half, Memphis couldn’t get any offensive momentum when they needed it most. Navy clinched a share of the AAC regular season-title and finished the year 7-1 in conference. With a win against Army they’ll have two back-to-back 10-win season and if either Tulane or North Texas lose they’ll play for the American Conference Title game.

Black Friday CFB

The Egg Bowl

#7 Ole Miss 38 Mississippi State 19

There’s been so much drama around the fate of Lane Kiffin. Will he stay? Will he go? His “decision” is reported to come after this game. The icing on the cake of the off-field distractions happened the night before the game when Mississippi State fans broke into the Ole Miss locker room and stole jerseys belonging to QB Trinidad Chambliss. If there were any questions about the focus of his current Ole Miss team they were answered today. The game started off back and forth with both teams scoring on their first offensive possessions. Miss St started freshman QB Kamario Taylor for the first time in his career and he answered an Ole Miss opening drive TD with a 97-yard touchdown. That was pretty much the peak of Mississippi State’s day. Tensions flared late in the 2nd quarter when an on-field scuffle lead to a bench clearing brawl but Ole Miss kept the focus. Lane Kiffin ripped his in-state rivals during the half-time interview and the Rebels dominated the second half behind the arm of Trinidad Chambliss, who finished the day with 359 passing yards and 4 TD’s. Ole Miss won the Egg Bowl in Starkville in what might be Lane Kiffin’s final game as head coach for the Rebels.

Clean, Old Fashioned Hate

#4 Georgia 16 #23 Georgia Tech 9

The game was held at Mercedes Benz Stadium, the first neutral site game in the history of the series. Contrary to the 8OT thrilling shootout last year, this game was a defensive battle. Neither team gained 300 offensive yards. It was slow, gritty, and a little boring. Georgia Tech kicked field goals when they needed touchdowns and Georgia was able to keep the ball away from Tech QB Haynes King, who had one of his lowest yardage games of the year. Georgia has won 8 straight in the series and will play their next game in Mercedes Benz Stadium when they take on Alabama in the SEC Championship game.

Iowa dominates in Lincoln

Iowa 40 Nebraska 16

In recent games, we’ve seen this rivalry matchup end with some exciting finishes and tight margins of victory. The last few meetings have been low-scoring grind it out kind of games. At first, were were treated to an exciting first half. The two rivals going blow-for-blow in the first half. Nebraska forced an Iowa punt on the first possession of the second half, but fumbled the ball on the punt return, the ball bounced around and Nebraska recovered in their own end zone for a safety. It would be that kind of half for them. They were shut down entirely, Iowa capitalized on the lack of offense from the Cornhuskers and when they did sustain a drive in the 4th quarter, they fumbled again and Iowa was able to seal their fate. The one bright spot for Nebraska was a career-high 217 rushing yards from RB Emmett Johnson. Iowa QB Mark Gronowski ran for two scores giving him 15 rushing TD’s on the season, the most from an Iowa QB in a single season.

Turquoise Prevails!

New Mexico 23 San Diego State 17 2OT

In their newly introduced turquoise jerseys the New Mexico Lobos pulled off an exciting overtime win over Mountain West favorite San Diego State. The game was a bit of a defensive battle, especially in the 4th quarter. With the game tied at 17, neither team was able to get anything going for a potential game-winning score. Six combined punts on seven offensive possessions! Overtime began with a SDSU interception followed by a New Mexico fumble at the four yard-line. In double overtime, the Lobos scored on the first play and played strong defense (with some help from SDSU penalties) to clinch a 9-win regular season for the first time since 1997.

Texas Stuns Texas A&M in Austin

#16 Texas 27 #3 Texas A&M 17

It’s great to have this rivalry back. The crowd energy looked insane for the first meeting of these Lone Star State rivals in Austin since 2010. Texas is still fighting for a CFP opportunity, Texas A&M is 11-0 and one win away from their first ever trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship. Lots at stake. Deadlocked at 0-0 after the 1st quarter, Texas scored first with a field goal early in the 2nd quarter. A&M answered back and then took a 10-3 halftime lead with a late TD. Defensively both teams were playing great and Texas got the upper hand in the 3rd quarter by forcing two punts and adding 10 points of their own. The Longhorns held a tight 20-17 lead mid-way through the 4th quarter. A&M had just cut the Texas lead to 3 points, the Longhorns needed something big. They got what they needed. Arch Manning took a direct snap from the Aggies 35, he followed his blockers, made a man miss, and burst into the second level. He outran the defense and scampered into the end-zone. The crowd went NUTS! Down by 10, with plenty of time to go Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed threw a costly red-zone interception with 3:41 to go. Texas went three and out and Reed threw another interception, this one sealed it. The Aggies lost their first game of the year, a chance to play in the SEC title, and more importantly they lost to Texas. During the post-game interview, Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian emphasized his teams argument to make the CFP based on Top 25 wins and a strong strength of schedule.

Arizona wins The Duel in the Desert

#25 Arizona 23 #20 Arizona State 7

Arizona might be the quietest 8-3 team in the nation and after the win in tempe they’re the quietest 9-3 team in the nation. The Wildcats defense pretty much won them the game. They forced three interceptions and two fumbles. Their offense held the ball and played efficient enough. Arizona has won 3 of the last 4 games in the series.

Saturday Slate

Ohio State finally beats Michigan

#1 Ohio State 27 #15 Michigan 9

After four long years of Michigan winning The Game, Ohio State won and in a big way. Michigan held their own at home for the first quarter but it quickly went sour for the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. Ohio State scored from a 35-yard touchdown pass Julian Sayin threw to Jeremiah Smith. It seemed like Smith had lost control of the football as he crossed the goal-line. The booth reviewed it, the ruling on the field was upheld and all Michigan’s mojo was gone. They were dominated after that. They couldn’t run the ball, couldn’t throw the ball, and couldn’t maintain possession. Ohio State finishes the regular season a perfect 12-0 and will play Indiana in the Big 10 Championship.

Texas Tech, BYU set for a Rematch in the Big 12 Title Game

#5 Texas Tech 49 West Virginia 0

When Arizona State lost to Arizona on Friday, Texas Tech’s spot in the Big 12 Title was clinched. That didn’t stop the Red Raiders from absolutely dismantling the Mountaineers in Morgantown. All phases of the game were dominated by Tech. Their defense, which has been one of the elite defenses in CFB this year, held WVU to 180 yards of offense. Tech’s offense gained 572 yards, 310 from the arm of QB Behren Morton. Texas Tech are probably a lock for the CFP, I wouldn’t be surprised if they get a first-round bye if they win the Big 12.

#11 BYU 41 UCF 21

It got a little concerning in Orlando for the BYU Cougars. They needed a win to clinch their spot in the Big 12 Title and after trailing 14-0 early, the Cougars had to fight to get back in the game. In the 2nd quarter BYU went on a run scoring 17 unanswered for a 17-14 halftime lead. BYU started the 2nd half with a touchdown drive, a punt return touchdown, and another 3rd quarter that extended their lead by 17. For the game, BYU QB Bear Bachmeier threw for 289 and RB LJ Martin added three rushing touchdowns. They didn’t look back after the early deficit and clinched their spot in the Big 12 Title game with their 11-1 regular season.

Rivalry Spotlight

Week 14 was Rivalry Week and here is a breakdown of some of the biggest rivalries:

#6 Oregon 26 Washington 14

Oregon was on upset watch in this old Pac-12 Rivalry game. Ohio State and Indiana both won so Oregon was officially out of the Big 10 Title game but at 10-1 Oregon still has a chance to play for the CFP, most likely a home first-round home game. For the Ducks, this game had a lot at-stake. It was a grind it out game. Oregon gained the upper hand in the 1st half going up 13-0 and then again when they went up 19-7 in the 3rd. A 4th quarter Washington TD cut the Oregon lead to 19-14. The Ducks would need to close out the game and just a few plays after the Washington TD, Dante Moore hit Malik Benson for 64 yards, that TD was the dagger. Oregon forced a turnover on downs and an interception to punch their ticket to the CFP.

#9 Notre Dame 49 Stanford 20

One more test for the Irish. One more chance to get back to the CFP. A win against Stanford would put them at 10-2 and it’ll be hard for the committee to keep them out. Up 14-0 in the second quarter, Freeman went into his bag of tricks in the 2nd quarter when he called a fake punt from his own 16-yard line. Up back Joshua Burnham took the snap and fired a quick pass to safety Luke Talich, who was lined up at the end of the line of scrimmage. ND caught Stanford off-guard and Talich ran untouched for the 84-yard score. It was pretty much over after that. They coasted to a huge win, their 6th win in the last 7 games of the series.

#10 Alabama 27 Auburn 20

The Iron Bowl, one of the greatest rivalry games in American sports. There’s been some absolute classics in this one through the years, and man Bama would need this one. A win in this one and they’d play Georgia in the SEC Title game to keep their CFP hopes alive. A massive game for the Tide. They got it done. Every time Auburn crawled back in the game, Bama had an answer. Auburn did a good job holding the Alabama offense but two massive 2nd half turnovers from the Tiger offense crushed their chances of getting ahead. Alabama sealed the game with a late forced fumble at their own 20. Alabama will play for a chance to win their 12th SEC Title next Saturday.

#14 Vanderbilt 45 #19 Tennessee 24

Much like the Oregon/Washington game, this one was a huge one for the Commodores. A lot at stake for one of the biggest Cinderella teams of the season. A loss for Vandy and they would no doubt be eliminated from the CFP, but a win and not only would Vandy have their first 10-win season in school history but they’d have a legitimate chance to play for a national title. Six wins in a row for Tennessee in the series, they could play the spoiler. Diego Pavia had something to say about that. He kept Vandy in the game in the first half, the game was tied 21-21 at the break. Long drives in the second half and efficient offense for the ‘Dores gave them the upper hand. They outscored the Vols 24-3 in the 2nd half behind 268 passing yards and 165 rushing yards from Pavia. Vandy RB Sedrick Alexander also ran for over 100 yards and 3 scores. Vandy has their first 10-win season in school history and will await their fate after the conference championship games.

#17 USC 29 UCLA 10

USC is not going to make the CFP, but they did beat UCLA for back to back seasons if that counts for anything. It was a slow start for the Trojans, who missed two field goals in the first half. They played like a team uninspired until a great drive 10 play 91-yard touchdown drive at the end of the 3rd quarter. Jordan Maiava and USC put up two consecutive touchdown drives to finish off the nightmare season for the Bruins. USC RB King Miller had a strong 124-yard rushing performance with two rushing touchdowns. USC finished the regular season at 9-3, their best finish since 2022.

#18 Virginia 27 Virginia Tech 7

Speaking of disappointing seasons, Virginia Tech finally gets to put this season behind them an enter the James Franklin era. The Hoos on the other hand clinched their first 10-win season since 1989 and get to represent the state of Virginia in the ACC title game. If they win against Duke, yes Duke, they will most likely make the CFP as the ACC Champ.

Florida 40 Florida State 21

Here we go! Finally some positivity in Gainesville! My Gators kept the Noles from going bowling with a huge win in The Swamp. The Gators and shoot even the Seminoles had awful seasons. The Gators highlight was a shocking win against Texas in October and FSU had that upset win against Alabama in Week 1, aside from that it was a season to forget for these two Florida rivals. The Gators regressed from last season but at least they’ll get to go into the offseason riding the high from beating FSU. Gator RB Jadan Baugh was insane on Saturday, rushing for a career-high 266 yards and 2 rushing TD’s. Credit to the Gator faithful for selling out The Swamp again, not many 4-8 teams can say they sold-out every single home games this year. Let’s see what happens next year as Florida heads into 2026 with newly HC Jon Sumerall and FSU will give Mike Norvell one more chance to right the ship.

Clemson 28 South Carolina 14

Now I know this wasn’t exactly a headliner this year but in the state of South Carolina this game still meant a lot this year. Both teams have had a disappointing season, Clemson had a terrible start to the season after a high pre-season ranking, they had turned things around in recent weeks and came into the game 6-5. Same thing for South Carolina, they lost early in the season to Vanderbilt and just couldn’t get things going after that. They lost their chance to play for a bowl game when they blew their 28 point lead to Texas A&M and the rivalry against Clemson was their chance to end their bad season on a high note. The game was close early, LaNorris Sellers made some plays in the first half and maybe the rivalry would have an exciting finish like it did last year. Clemson’s defense was too strong in the second half, shutting out the Gamecocks and forcing three turnovers in the process. Clemson avenged last years loss and will play in a bowl game while South Carolina’s 2025 is over. Next year is a prove it year for both head coaches Dabo Swinney and Shane Beamer.

More Rivalries!

Louisville 41 Kentucky 0

Louisville had their chances to play for an ACC title, but blew it. At least they beat their in-state rival. Louisville finished the regular season at 8-4 while Kentucky finished at 5-7 and have said farewell to long-time coach Mark Stoops.

Missouri 31 Arkansas 17

Credit to Arkansas, they kept a lot of games close despite going 2-10 on the season. They’ll move on with Memphis HC Ryan Silverfield in 2026. Missouri started with promise, but finished the year at 8-4. Mizzou RB Ahmad Hardy had a fantastic season, rushing for 1,560 yards and 16 scores, it will be interesting to see what he does in the offseason, he still has eligibility left and is one of the nation’s top rushers.

Minnesota 17 Wisconsin 7

The Badgers were terrible this year, but they did pull off two crazy upsets over Illinois and Washington. They failed to do it again against the Gophers. Paul Bunyan’s Axe stays in Minnesota for the 4th time in 5 seasons.

Miami (Oh) 45 Ball State 24

Miami (Oh) clinched a spot in the MAC Title game with their win over Ball State. They will play Western Michigan in Detroit.

Duke 49 Wake Forest 32

Wake Forest actually had one of the more surprising turnarounds in CFB this season and I thought the might pull this one off. They struggled in the 4th quarter and fell to their rivals. Wake still finished 8-4 but more importantly Duke finished the season at 6-2 in the ACC and will play UVA in the ACC Title game.

NC State 42 UNC 19

The first season of Bill Belichick as UNC head coach ends with a wimper, NC State destroyed the Tar Heels in Raleigh. The Wolfpack finished 7-5, UNC just 4-8. Looking on the bright side though, Billy B did bring in a great recruiting class for 2026, but I wouldn’t be surprised if an NFL team gives him a call soon.

UNLV 42 Nevada 17

Dan Mullen and the UNLV Rebels went 10-2 in his first season in Vegas and will play for the MWC Title thanks to a magical computer system that settled the four-way tie at the top of the MWC.

Hawai’i 27 Wyoming 7

The last game of the day was a big win for Timmy Chang and the Rainbows. They finish the season 8-4, the best mark since Chang took over. Hawai’i kicker Kansei “Tokyo Toe” Matsuzawa kicked two 47 yards field goals in the second quarter and tied the FBS record for consecutive field goals made to open a season. He’s now made 26 straight field goals, which ties a Mountain West record.

Conference Championship Matchups

ACC

Duke (7-5) vs. #17 Virginia (10-2)

Saturday 12/6 8:00 PM ABC

AMERICAN

#24 North Texas (11-1) at #20 Tulane (10-2)

Friday 12/5 8:00 PM ABC

BIG 12

#11 BYU (11-1) vs. #4 Texas Tech (11-1)

Saturday 12/6 12:00 PM ABC

BIG 10

#2 Indiana (12-0) vs. #1 Ohio State (12-0)

Saturday 12/6 8:00 PM FOX

CONFERENCE USA

Kennesaw State (9-3) at Jax State (8-4)

Friday 12/5 7:00 PM CBSSN

MAC

Miami (Oh) (7-5) vs. Western Michigan (8-4)

Saturday 12/6 12:00 PM ESPN

MOUNTAIN WEST

UNLV (10-2) at Boise State (8-4)

Friday 12/5 8:00 PM FOX

SEC

#9 Alabama (10-2) vs. #3 Georgia (11-1)

Saturday 12/6 4:00 PM ABC

SUN BELT

Troy (8-4) at #25 James Madison (11-1)

Friday 12/5 7:00 PM ESPN

Weekly Leaders

Passing

Malik Washington, QB Maryland—- 459 passing yards against Michigan St.

Rushing

Evan Dickens, RB Liberty—- 267 passing yards against Kennesaw St.

Receiving

TK King, WR New Mexico St.—- 178 receiving yards against Middle Tennessee St.