The Conference Championships didn’t deliver much in the way of surprises, but there was some great football on show. Oklahoma and Iowa State kicked Saturday off with an excellent contest, whilst Alabama and Florida delivered the offensive fireworks we were all expecting. Here are the biggest winners and losers from Week 16.
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Winners
Alabama
This might not have been the most comfortable victory for the Crimson Tide, but they will be glad to have the win. Kyle Trask bolstered his Heisman credentials as the Gators racked up 46 points. It is proof of Alabama’s offensive quality that they were able to outscore Florida and get the win, taking them to 11-0 and their 28th SEC Championship.
Mac Jones was impressive once again and will find himself in the first round conversation come April. Najee Harris caused a tonne of problems too, going for 178 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries. Devonta Smith is my favourite candidate for the Heisman Trophy and put in another sensational performance, with 15 receptions for 183 yards and two touchdowns. The Crimson Tide will roll into the playoffs as the clear favourites.
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ran out 27-24 winners over Tulsa in a close contest, securing their first unbeaten season. They end the year as just one of five teams in the country to do so. Quarterback Desmond Ridder was instrumental in the win, with 269 passing yards and leading the team in rushing yards. Unfortunately it won’t be enough for them to enter playoff consideration.
That said, it will be exciting to see them in a New Year’s Six Bowl. This defense is one of the best in all of college football, with several names to keep an eye on in upcoming drafts. Luke Fickell stuck with this team despite options to move elsewhere last offseason. The team are now 31-5 through their last three seasons and it feels like a case of when, not if, he moves on to a Power Five school.
Oklahoma’s defense
Oklahoma have built their recent success on the back of a high-powered offense. It made a change this weekend then as their defense carried them to a win over Iowa State in the Big 12 Conference Championship. They forced three interceptions from Brock Purdy and generated three sacks and five tackles for loss.
This wasn’t always a pretty game to watch, but the Sooners will be happy with the result. The win now takes their run of consecutive conference championships to six. This became the longest run by any Power Five team since the Sooners won 12 between 1948-1959 – Clemson matched the feat later in the evening.
Kayvon Thibodeaux
Oregon were impressive in their win over USC and no-one more so than Thibodeaux. The sophomore edge rusher wreaked havoc from the get-go, ripping through the Trojans’ line and getting at Kedon Slovis. The Ducks ran out 31-24 winners and Thibodeaux was voted the game’s MVP. He finished the game with 12 total pressures, double his previous career best.
Thibodeaux also led the team with four defensive stops. He was particularly impressive against the Trojans’ left tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker. Coming into this game, Vera-Tucker had not allowed a single pressure in 248 pass-blocking snaps at left tackle and had given up just one sack in his career. Thibodeaux easily won the battle and Vera-Tucker ended the game with six pressures and two sacks conceded.
Losers
Notre Dame
It looked like the Fighting Irish’s place in the playoffs was secure, regardless of whether they won or lost this weekend. I don’t think anyone was expecting such a one-sided performance against Clemson though as they lost 34-10. Ian Book looked out of his depth and struggled under pressure. After a few encouraging drives to start the game, Notre Dame’s offense fell apart and five of their last six drives ended with punts.
Even on their touchdown drive they needed help from the Tigers defense in the form of two 15-yard penalties. If it weren’t for a defense that largely contained Trevor Lawrence and Clemson, this could have been even uglier. After that showing, the Irish don’t look like a lock for the playoffs and it will be interesting to see how much weight the committee put on this game.
Justin Fields
Ohio State managed to get the win over Northwestern but this wasn’t the dominant performance many were expecting. Whilst it might not prevent them from making the playoffs, the performance will have hurt Justin Fields more than most. He finished the game 12 of 27 for just 114 yards and two picks. This is the worst single game completion percentage and yardage numbers of his career.
To this point Fields has been widely regarded as the QB2 of the 2021 Draft class behind Trevor Lawrence. Whilst one poor performance doesn’t necessarily change that, it will raise some questions. Zach Wilson has been pressuring Fields for that No. 2 spot with his performances this season and this could swing it in his favour. If the Buckeyes make the playoffs Fields will be keen to prove this game was a one-off.
Buffalo
Everything had been going so well for Buffalo. They had made their first 5-0 start since 1980 and found themselves inside the AP’s Top 25. They entered the MAC championship game as 12.5 point favourites over Ball State, with a chance at their first unbeaten season since 1939. In the end they lost 38-28 in a game that will leave a sour taste at the end of a positive campaign.
The Bulls hadn’t trailed once this season but after giving up 28 points in the fourth quarter they had a mountain to climb. Ball State were excellent in shutting down an ever-reliable running game too, holding Jaret Patterson to just 47 yards on 18 carries. They had to lean on their passing game for the first time this season and it wasn’t enough, scoring just seven points in the second half.
Northwestern
In fairness to the Wildcats, nobody expected them to even compete in this game. They entered as 20.5 point underdogs to Ohio State but had their way in the first half. It may not have been the smoothest performance you’ll see, but they unsettled Justin Fields and had a 10-6 halftime lead. Their second half performance was the ultimate disappointment.
Their first drive after the half ended with a red zone interception. After a punt, they then missed a field goal, before throwing a pick, and fumbling in their own half. You can only give a team like Ohio State so many chances and they put up 16 unanswered points in the second half. Northwestern had a great season, but this game felt like it could have delivered so much more.
