It takes quite a bit of arrogance to simply dub your rivalry “The Game,” but it’s truly staggering just how often the Thanksgiving weekend matchup between Michigan and Ohio State provides us with a classic football game that has massive implications on the national picture.
This year’s iteration was no different as a battle between unbeaten squads and top-three teams came down to the wire. It wasn’t the Wolverines blowout we’ve seen the past two seasons, but even Jim Harbaugh-less, they held on at home in a tight game to capture the Big Ten East crown and likely secure a College Football Playoff spot.
That was by far the most consequential result of Rivalry Week as the top group of teams mostly held on for wins, though some were a bit close for comfort.
As we turn our attention to a championship weekend with clear CFP stakes, here are the winners and losers from the final week of the regular season.
Winner: Michigan completes the hat trick, likely playoff bound
It’s easy to make fun of Michigan overcoming its manufactured adversity in the wake of the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal. I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again.
But regardless of whether Jim Harbaugh will take a lifeline to the NFL or the NCAA will swoop in to vacate whatever comes from this special campaign, it’s worth remembering that this Wolverines team went 12-0 with Harbaugh barred from the sidelines for half of those contests.
Even with a schedule that didn’t pose the slightest of challenges until November, that’s an impressive feat. The most impressive part was how Michigan capped it off, beating an Ohio State team that has developed its entire program identity around trying to beat the Wolverines.
Yet, despite two years of lessons learned and Harbaugh’s highly touted in-game management skills absent as offensive play-caller Sherrone Moore also shouldered head coaching duties, Michigan stands atop the Big Ten East once again. Barring a shocking loss to an Iowa team that is very flawed despite its 10-win resume, this team is going back to the playoff.
The only question now is if the Wolverines can get a different postseason result this time around.
Loser: Ryan Day loses the only one that matters. Again.
While Saturday’s game was much closer than the prior two losses, it was also probably the most frustrating. Because, at least for the most part, what Ohio State was trying to do worked.
The Buckeyes moved the ball successfully, outgaining the Wolverines, and that was the major question heading into this game. The defense, which Day and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles have tirelessly reworked this season after the embarrassments of the last two matchups, also held up.
But Day was outcoached by an acting coach in Moore, and his lack of aggressive decision-making has been heavily second-guessed. An early decision set the tenor for the game, as Ohio State faced a first-quarter fourth and one at its own 46-yard line.
Day opted to punt.
Michigan, meanwhile, was much more aggressive in fourth-down situations. It attempted three, converting on all of them, and that led to points that proved to be decisive in this game.
At the risk of sounding reductive, one decision-maker in this game coached to win it, and it wasn’t Day. And that’s a problem, given what this game meant not just for the Buckeyes program, but for him specifically.
Day finds himself in one of the strangest spots in the sport. He’s 56-7 overall, giving him a blind resume that nearly every other program in the country would trip over each other to acquire. But three of those seven losses have come in the game by which fans entirely judge the coach of the Buckeyes.
He completely changed the identity of the program this season explicitly to try to win this game. And even given an ideal game state, Day couldn’t get the job done.
A lot of that has to do with the quarterback situation. Kyle McCord is not C.J. Stroud, at least not yet, and he tossed a couple of costly interceptions in this one, including a pick that ultimately decided the game.
Day is undoubtedly one of the best offensive minds in the sport, at any level, and I don’t think moving on from him would be a wise decision at all. But at the same time, it’s hard for me to begrudge Ohio State fans who feel like this guy isn’t meeting the admittedly high standards this program sets for itself.
Winner: Chalk holds, despite a couple of close calls
Aside from the Ohio State-Michigan game, which we’ve had circled since before the season started, there weren’t a ton of particularly intriguing rivalry matchups.
That mostly held true, though we did have a few games that were far more competitive than expected. The biggest story came on the plains, where Auburn — fresh off a 21-point loss to New Mexico State — nearly knocked off Alabama in the Iron Bowl.
Auburn controlled the game near the end, but a muffed punt gave Alabama the ball with a chance to win, and on fourth and goal from the 31-yard line, Jalen Milroe found Isaiah Bond for an improbable touchdown that ultimately clinched the game.
Elsewhere in the SEC, Georgia also had to battle to survive in Atlanta, beating Georgia Tech by eight points. Florida looked like it was poised to ruin Florida State’s perfect season after a hot start, but FSU overcame offensive issues to win in the Swamp.
Among playoff contenders, there weren’t many other surprises. Though Washington had a tough time dispatching Washington State at home, Oregon had no such issues against its rival, taking down Oregon State 31-7 as arguably the hottest team in the nation looks for revenge next weekend.
Meanwhile, Texas absolutely blasted Texas Tech 57-7 in the final iteration of that rivalry for the foreseeable future. The Longhorns will draw Oklahoma State, narrowly avoiding a rematch against Oklahoma as the Cowboys had to come back to win in double overtime against BYU.
There’s still some room for chaos this weekend, but chalk mostly held through rivalry week, and the playoff implications of this weekend’s championship matchups are clear.
Loser: Louisville's dream season spoiled
While the teams at the top mostly emerged from the weekend unscathed, not all of them did.
One top-10 team suffered a defeat in Louisville as the Cardinals were upset 38-31 by rival Kentucky. They fall to 10-2 on the season, and their outside hopes of a CFP bid are now officially over.
It’s hard to be too tough on Jeff Brohm’s team. In spite of the loss, it will be playing for an ACC title next week against a Florida State team that definitely doesn’t look quite the same without its leader in Jordan Travis.
That’s a massive opportunity that it didn’t look like this team would have in Year 1 after Brohm succeeded the mediocrity of the Scott Satterfield era.
There’s no doubt Brohm has done more with less when it comes to this year’s team, but its losses are a bit tough to explain, particularly a 17-point defeat at the hands of a Pittsburgh team that finished 3-9.
Now, Louisville has been upset by Mark Stoops once again, and it wasn’t even one of the better teams he’s had at Kentucky as the Wildcats reached the 7-5 mark with the win.
Brohm has still had the best Year 1 of any coach in the Power Five in 2023, but this loss will slightly temper what would otherwise be unqualified praise for the job he’s done at his alma mater.
Quick Hitters - Winners
Tulane: It hasn’t always been pretty, but Willie Fritz capped off another unbelievable season with the Green Wave with a convincing win over UTSA to get to 11-1 on the season. With a win in the American Championship against SMU, Tulane is likely returning to the New Year’s Six.
Kentucky: Not only did you ruin your in-state rival’s playoff hopes, but you’re also keeping the winningest coach in program history around after Stoops’ brief flirt with Texas A&M ended.
UCF: None of the new Big 12 additions had particularly encouraging seasons, but the Knights were easily the most impressive. They’re the only newcomer that’s bowling after beating Houston to reach six wins.
Clemson: The Tigers had ended the slide, but they really needed to avenge last season’s loss to South Carolina. They did that, and while 8-4 isn’t where this program expects to be, it doesn’t really look like a disaster for Dabo Swinney.
South Florida: Alex Golesh took over a program that hadn’t done much winning in recent years, but the Bulls are bowl eligible after one of the more impressive coaching jobs in the country in his first season.
Iowa State: Matt Campbell’s name has lost a lot of luster in the coaching market in recent years, but perhaps he’s gotten some of it back after finishing 7-5 in a year in which it looked like the floor could fall out after losing key players, including quarterback Hunter Dekkers, as a result of the betting inquiries.
Cal: It’s hard to know exactly what the future holds for this program in the ACC, but Justin Wilcox got this team to .500 in a very competitive Pac-12, and that alone should be cause for more optimism than was expected before this season.
Michigan State: It was an expectedly abysmal season for the Spartans on the field, and it culminated with a shutout loss to Penn State. However, they can quickly put the year behind them after finalizing the hire of Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith. It’s a home-run hire as Michigan State lands one of the best talent developers in the nation. It’s exactly what this program needs to stay competitive in the new Big Ten.
Quick Hitters - Losers
TCU: A dropoff was expected for the Horned Frogs after losing so much talent from last year’s team, but no one expected 5-7. This will be an important offseason of evaluations for Sonny Dykes.
Nebraska: The Cornhuskers had a chance to upset Iowa and reach a bowl berth for the first time since 2016. After intercepting Deacon Hill to take over at the Hawkeyes’ 25-yard line in the final minute of a tied game, a penalty knocked Nebraska out of field-goal range, and a subsequent interception allowed Iowa to win the game in regulation. It was a tough ending to an uninspiring Year 1 under Matt Rhule.
UTSA: Amid speculation of Jeff Traylor jumping ship for Texas A&M, the Roadrunners didn’t play very well in arguably the most important game in the program’s young history. On the bright side, Taylor is seemingly sticking around (at least for now) after the Aggies’ search went in a different direction.
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders were hoping to give the Longhorns a parting shot as they leave the Big 12, but they were embarrassed as they fell to 6-6 in what has been a pretty disappointing Year 2 for Joey McGuire.
Former Indiana coach Tom Allen: Allen was fired Sunday at a negotiated buyout following a 3-9 campaign in his eighth year at Indiana. The Hoosiers showed flashes earlier in his tenure, reaching the top 10 during the shortened 2020 season, but they’ve floundered since and will move on from Allen, who was 33-49 in Bloomington.
Former Houston coach Dana Holgorsen: Holgorsen met the same fate in a move that wasn’t particularly surprising. The Cougars went 4-8 in their first season in the Big 12 and will look for different leadership in their new era. Holgorsen was 31-28 at Houston, peaking at 12-2 in 2021.
North Carolina Tar Heels: After sputtering down the stretch, the Tar Heels finish at 8-4 with a 19-point road loss to rival NC State. It’s a shame this team couldn’t accomplish more with a legit NFL talent in Drake Maye, and it begs the question if Mack Brown’s time at North Carolina could be winding down.
Florida: After a 5-7 regression in Year 2, Napier will likely occupy one of the hottest seats in the country entering 2024. The Gators are a mess operationally, and they dropped five straight to end the season. The recruiting returns are promising, but that’s not going to matter if Napier’s team doesn’t take a significant leap next season.
UCLA: This is a tough team to figure out. After a convincing win over rival USC that may have saved Chip Kelly from the hot seat, he seemingly jeopardized that big-time with a blowout home loss to Cal to close out the season. It seems he’ll stick around for the move to the Big Ten, but he’s now turned in his first five-loss season since his second with the Bruins back in 2019.
Fresno State: The Bulldogs looked like an NY6 contender just a few weeks ago, but the train has since completely fallen off the tracks. They ended the year with three-straight losses, suffering a blowout against San Jose State followed by back-to-back losses to sub-.500 teams in New Mexico and San Diego State.
