Welcome to your Week 13 Headlines in Review, written by the Three Technique Team. This week, Michigan celebrates its third straight victory over Ryan Day and Ohio State, we have six playoff teams for four spots, and the coaching carousel is alive! Let us know what your top storyline was in the comments or by tagging us @ThreeTechPod, and be sure to check out the podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple!
Hail to the Victors! Michigan Makes It Three Straight Over Ryan Day, Buckeyes
The 30-24 win for the Wolverines was their third straight, representing the first time Michigan has enjoyed such a winning streak over Ohio State since 1995-1997. The six-point win highlighted the defensive improvements both teams have worked so hard to implement, especially Ohio State. The Buckeyes held J.J. McCarthy to just 148 yards and one touchdown through the air. The dangerous Michigan ground game recorded just 156 yards.
And still, the Wolverines felt like they were always in control. Blake Corum scored twice and Kyle McCord turned the ball over twice, including an early interception inside his own 20-yard line. Michigan looked like the better team, even without Jim Harbaugh stalking the sidelines.
For Michigan, it all but locks up a playoff berth. The Wolverines need to knock off Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game, but that hasn’t proven to be much of a challenge for the East champ over the last 15 years. Harbaugh is also eligible to come back and coach from the sidelines.
For Ohio State, it once again brings up an uncomfortable question…“Is Ryan Day the right man for the job?” Day is 39-3 in conference play, with all three losses coming to that school up north. With a 12-team playoff on deck, we would caution Buckeyes fans not to toss Day overboard yet.
The Final Four-Team Playoff Debate: Six Teams for Four Spots (Championship Week)
While it is likely that a lot will get ironed out during conference championship week, the Twitterverse…X-verse…social media world is ablaze with debate. Is Georgia the top team in the country? Does Alabama still have a shot with an SEC Championship? What do you do about Florida State? Is the Pac-12 champ guaranteed a spot? And what do you do about Texas?!
Someone is going to be angrier than a hornet’s nest on Sunday when they see that little “5” or “6” next to their team’s name.
We ran a poll over the weekend asking college football fans to weigh in on the question: “A week from now, which team is getting left OUT of the College Football Playoff?” You can see the final results by clicking below.
Here’s a quick breakdown of each team’s case to make it (assuming they win their conference championship).
3. Washington Huskies: Undefeated record for the first time since 1991. With a win over Oregon, they will have knocked off the Ducks twice in addition to wins over Arizona, USC, Utah, and Oregon State. A 13-0 Huskies team goes dancing. A 12-1 Huskies team deserves to, but would run out of spots.
4. Florida State Seminoles: I will die on this hill — a 13-0 Florida State team CANNOT be left out of the playoff. The Noles’ success this season is driven by quarterback Jordan Travis. There is no doubt. But to punish an undefeated Power Five conference champion for a freak injury would not only be unfair; it would be an indictment on the entire playoff system.
5. Oregon Ducks: Go time. One game to right the wrong and avenge the 36-33 loss on Washington soil earlier this year. Bo Nix could win the Heisman Trophy. Troy Franklin has racked up one of the best stat lines in the entire country. If the Ducks can beat Washington, they’re in. A second loss eliminates them and sends them to a New Year’s Six bowl. That NY6 bowl might feel like the ultimate participation trophy to the Ducks.
6. Texas Longhorns: In Week 2, the Longhorns marched into Tuscaloosa and beat Alabama by 10 points. That is an undeniable fact. What is also undeniable is the fact that Alabama was a MUCH different team in Week 2 than it is now. Still, you play the game that is in front of you and Texas did something that no one else managed to do — beat the Tide. Unfortunately for the Horns, a loss in the Red River Shootout Showdown and a much weaker conference schedule has held them back. Texas fans, this weekend you’re massive fans of all things Cardinals and Ducks. Open up two playoff slots and you don’t have to worry about what happens in the SEC Championship Game.
The Coaching Carousel Hits the Turbo Thanks to Texas A&M
Remember when the Tennessee Volunteers announced they were hiring Greg Schiano in 2017? Over the span of several days, the Vols fandom protested, rioted, and raised general chaos over the impending hire for their beloved program. Tennessee pivoted from Schiano to Jeremy Pruitt and his McDonald’s bags instead.
In a true “hold my beer” moment, Texas A&M raised the bar this year. We compiled a timeline of the chaos in the tweet below.
The true nugget here was that the Board of Regents, allegedly, had not signed off on the hiring of Mark Stoops. Whether Ross Bjork jumped the gun or not, we may never know. But the BoR certainly heard Aggies fans when they protested the reported hiring. After all, Stoops didn’t fix any of the shortcomings of Jimbo Fisher. While Stoops had certainly rebuilt Kentucky into a contender for the SEC East on an occasional basis, his record against top 10 teams (1-16) was hardly an upgrade. Throw in the fact that his offenses have a track record of struggling and he’s not someone who is known and loved by Texas High School coaches, and it was a head scratching hire.
Fast forward less than 24 hours and Texas A&M brought back Mike Elko after two tremendous years at Duke. Elko, a defensive-minded coach, was the Aggies’ defensive coordinator from 2018-2021. The Aggies fielded a top 10 defense under his command.
Elsewhere, Jonathan Smith was hired away from Oregon State by Michigan State, Mississippi State hired Jeff Lebby away from Oklahoma, Dana Dimel was let go at UTEP, Brady Hoke retired at San Diego State, and Dino Babers, Tom Allen, Dana Holgorsen, and Danny Gonzales were all given the boot by their respective programs. The carousel is truly one of the most interesting times in our sport.
About the author
I've spent the majority of the last decade cutting my teeth in college sports, covering athletics for three separate universities and spent 2021 as an Assistant Athletic Director. I graduated from Texas A&M in 2019 and got my Masters from Dallas Baptist University two years later. My favorite CFB memory will always be Texas A&M's dramatic 7OT win over LSU in 2018, my final game as a student. My passion is telling stories and helping fans get to know their favorite athletes on a personal level, whether that be through articles or a broadcast.
