College football fans weren't faced with any major surprises in Week 12 of the 2024 season.
Oregon was tested by Big Ten Conference opponent Wisconsin, followed by Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, Alabama and Notre Dame.
The weekend upset came from Kansas, holding BYU to a 13-point lead and winning 17-13. This was the Cougars' first loss of the season, further raising questions about how good they are in a much weaker Big 12 Conference.
Georgia also made a statement with its win over Tennessee. The Bulldogs were on the outside of the College Football Playoff when last week's rankings were released. When the rankings are released again, Georgia will likely be in the running again.
Here are some more of this week's winners and losers.
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winner
Kansas wide receivers Quentin Skinner (left) and Trevor Wilson celebrate recovering a fumble during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024 in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
florida: Well, the Florida Gators are at least backing head coach Billy Napier. However, the Gators had a solid showing for an SEC team vying for a spot in the conference title game. Saturday night's “The Swamp” was a nightmare for LSU, resulting in a 27-16 loss, their third straight loss. The Gators defense sacked Tigers QB Garrett Nussmeier seven times, and Brian Kelly's offense continued to look disorganized. After last week's 49-17 curveball loss to Texas, DJ Lagway returned as QB and led Florida to an upset victory. Baton Rouge and Gainesville have big problems. But this weekend, it was the Gators who took advantage of the situation, ending the Tigers' chances of making the College Football Playoff.
Kansas: The Kansas Jayhawks defeated No. 6 BYU for the second straight week and suffered their first loss of the season to the Cougars, causing chaos within the Big 12 and putting a rift in the plans for the conference title game. Last week, it was Jaron Daniels who led Kansas to a win over No. 17 Iowa State, and now he's done it again, defeating a top-ranked opponent in back-to-back weeks for the first time in program history. Kansas needs to win its final two games of the regular season to advance to a bowl. But as we've seen over the past two weeks, the Jayhawks have no problem playing the role of “spoiler” in the conference.
georgia: The 2024 season was full of ups and downs for Georgia quarterback Carson Beck. But on Saturday night against Tennessee, the senior quarterback turned in one of his better performances. Most importantly, he avoided turning the ball over. Beck finished the game with two touchdowns, helping the Bulldogs to a 31-17 victory over seventh-ranked Volante. The win was crucial for Georgia, as a third loss of the season would have likely ended the team's hopes of making the College Football Playoff. Georgia still has some notable areas that it needs to improve on if it wants to make a deep run in the playoffs, assuming the committee grants them a spot. But head coach Kirby Smart has a championship pedigree, which could give the Bulldogs an advantage going forward.
Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter waits for a television interview with quarterback Shedur Sanders after an NCAA college football game against Utah on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024 in Boulder, Colorado. , joking with his teammates. (AP Photo/David Zarbowski)
colorado: Deion Sanders and company are on the brink of qualifying for the expansion playoffs, and will need more wins like the one they got against Utah on Saturday to get there. With an explosive offense and games against Kansas State and Oklahoma State coming up, Sanders' team will need to be at least as good as Saturday to get there.
ohio: Ohio State has an inside track to return to the Big Ten Championship Game. Their biggest challenges will be their next two games against a surprising underdog in undefeated Indiana and a historic rival in Michigan, which is well below the level of beating Ohio State the past three seasons. It's all right in front of the Buckeyes.
loser
tennessee: The Vols entered Saturday night's game against Georgia in control of their own destiny when it comes to the playoffs. However, Tennessee will have to rely on other teams to advance to the postseason after Georgia defeated them 31-17. One of the biggest problems for this Josh Heupel football team is that the offensive line is completely different than what we expected, and if we can't score in the second half, we're obviously going to have problems. Dew. Georgia isn't quite the top team we've seen in the past, but Tennessee made Carson Beck look like a Heisman Trophy candidate with his defensive performance against the Bulldogs. This was a game the Vols needed, but after taking a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, Georgia went on a 31-7 run to finish the game.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel yells at the referee during the first half of the NCAA college football game against Georgia on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Athens. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
BYU: Cougars have been playing with fire for the past month, but fire finally came back to bite them Saturday night in Provo, Utah. BYU had 23 first downs compared to Kansas' 13, but it wasn't enough and the Cougars will likely be under intense scrutiny from the playoff committee. Now, BYU has to travel to Arizona next weekend, and the Sun Devils will beat Kansas State on Saturday. This could be a nightmare scenario if the Cougars lose again next weekend. But with Colorado State's rise, the trend in recent weeks has been for Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes to earn the Big 12 automatic bid to the College Football Playoff. This is over, I don't trust cougars.
south carolina: The Shamcocks had already earned perhaps the season's signature win by defeating Texas A&M on Nov. 2. But last Saturday's win over Missouri State shows South Carolina is a team to worry about for future opponents. The Shamcocks could make another jump in the upcoming College Football Playoff rankings. Although a trip to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta remains unlikely, coach Shane Beamer appears to be heading South Carolina's football program in the right direction.
LSU: On Saturday, the Tigers lost to the Gators in a shocking fourth-quarter collapse. Losing a rivalry game always hurts, but losing like LSU did is also embarrassing.
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The Fox News Digital Sports college football winners and losers will be announced by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and OutKick.com Staff.
