Week 12 of the 2013 college football season is officially in the books. While there weren’t any major shakeups as far as what we assumed the national championship picture would look like, we did have a team in the top-four that was getting the benefit of the doubt from a lot of people, that won’t be getting that anymore after getting beaten on the road.
We also had one of the more exciting finishes to a game this season, as the Auburn Tigers managed to keep their magical run alive when their offense made a little magic happen when time was running out.
After this and more, let’s take a look at what the rankings may look like when released later this afternoon:
Alabama Crimson Tide: It was sloppy throughout, but the Tide are still unblemished after surviving a scare against Mississippi State.Florida State Seminoles: Another week, another 59-3 rout for the ‘Noles, this time over Syracuse. Next up is Idaho. Please pray for them.Ohio State Buckeyes: They scored 60, but there were some kinks shown in that defense as they allowed Illinois to fight back. They’ll lose some human confidence because of that, but they’ll retain enough to remain at three for one more week.Baylor Bears: With Stanford going down, there’s no more controversy. The Bears are right up here with the top four after they took care of Texas Tech.Auburn Tigers: The run almost ended, but a hail mary at the end of the game kept this amazing run for Auburn going. They now have a week to prepare to potentially shock everyone in the Iron Bowl.Oregon Ducks: They didn’t look particularly dominant against Utah, but they still bounced back after last week’s disappointing loss.Clemson Tigers: Since being throttled by Florida State, this team has slowly found their stride again and remain in line to grab a BCS at-large berth, potentially.Missouri Tigers: Mizzou was off this week as they get set to make their final charge at the SEC East crown and a trip to Atlanta, beginning with Ole Miss.Texas A&M Aggies: Johnny Manziel and company were off this week as they get ready to take on LSU next Saturday.Stanford Cardinal: It was a close loss, but a loss nonetheless to USC. However, they’ll get to stay in the realm of the Top 10.South Carolina: They don’t always make it look pretty, and this week was no different with a slim 19-14 win over a struggling Florida team. Believe it or not, Steve Spurrier and crew are still alive in the SEC East.Oklahoma State Cowboys: After bringing Texas back down to Earth on Saturday, the Cowboys get ready for next Saturday’s showdown with the undefeated Baylor Bears.UCLA Bruins: After another great performance from two-way standout freshman Myles Jack, the Bruins will now face a huge Pac-12 South battle next week against Arizona State, which could decides who plays for the conference title.Michigan State Spartans: They had to pull away late, but they ultimately defeated Nebraska on the road and the eventual fight against Ohio State for the Big Ten title should be a lot of fun to watch.UCF Knights: Boy, these guys almost had the biggest slip up of the year as they needed some late-game heroics to take care of Temple. But, that trip to the BCS is still alive and well.Fresno State Bulldogs: It would have been nice if UCF slipped, because Fresno was off this week and needed that outcome to make the jump here.Wisconsin Badgers: It’s really tough to watch this team dominate week-in and week-out and keep them this low.Northern Illinois: Jordan Lynch and company took care of their business Wednesday against Ball State. They’re still unbeaten, but that BCS shot still doesn’t look like a guarantee.LSU Tigers: After getting it handed to them by Alabama, the Tigers had a bye as they get set to take on Johnny Football next week.Louisville Cardinals: They did play this week. They beat Houston. But, as I ask every week here, did you notice?Arizona State Sun Devils: They’re still alive in the South in the Pac-12 and they’ll get ready to stake that claim next week against UCLA.Oklahoma Sooners: They got off to a slow start, but handled Iowa State easily in the end.Duke Blue Devils: Duke beat Miami. In football. They’re going to more than likely play Florida State for the ACC Championship. None of this is a lie.Ole Miss Rebels: These guys, although on a bye this week, will make it in this week to the delight of many.USC Trojans: Just an unbelievable turnaround by Ed Orgeron, the rest of the coaching staff and those players. Coming from losing to Wazzu earlier in the year to beating the fourth-ranked team in the country speaks volumes.
