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2017 Week 12 college football players to watch
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

2017 Week 12 college football players to watch

Week 11 went a long way to sorting out the College Football Playoff picture — or maybe it didn't.

No. 1 Georgia was demolished at Auburn. No. 3 Notre Dame looked overwhelmed at Miami. Washington, the lone Pac-12 team that really had a shot at a playoff berth, lost to Stanford. Meanwhile, Wisconsin stayed undefeated, Oklahoma toppled TCU ,while Ohio State and Penn State returned to their winning ways. So with two of the teams we were confident were in losing in a huge way, we have been thrown in a bit of chaos.

We know Clemson and Miami will meet for the ACC title, and if they can win out, that could be a de facto playoff game. So could an Oklahoma-TCU rematch in the Big 12 title game, unless West Virginia or Oklahoma State can ruin it. Auburn suddenly becomes a huge wild card in all this as the 8-2 Tigers have already beaten Georgia and will get Alabama on Thanksgiving weekend. 

This week's slate of game is more like a side dish to what looks to be an outstanding regular-season finale and the week of conference championship games. Still, Heisman hopes are alive, and there's a lot on the line for a host of schools.

Here are the players to watch in Week 12.

 
1 of 18

Dameon Baber, Nevada

Dameon Baber, Nevada
Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports

Last week against San Jose State, Baber became just the third player in FBS history to score three touchdowns on returns. He picked off a pass and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown, then he returned a blocked punt five yards for another TD before picking off another pass in the third quarter and returning it for a score. It was a great moment in an otherwise dismal season for the Wolf Pack. This week Nevada travels to San Diego State to face Rashaad Penny and the Aztecs.

 
2 of 18

A.J. Brown, Ole Miss

A.J. Brown, Ole Miss
Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Brown sure is good for some huge performances. Against Louisiana, he caught 14 passes for 185 yards and two TDs. It was his fourth games of at least 150 yards receiving and his second with double-digit receptions. He leads the SEC in receptions (62 to second-place Ryan Davis's 52) and receiving yards (1,015 yards bests second-place J'Mon Moore's 779). This week, the Rebels host Texas A&M in a huge game if Ole Miss wants to become bowl-eligible. At 5-5, the Rebels will need to beat either the Aggies or rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl if they want their season to continue.

 
3 of 18

Squally Canada, BYU

Squally Canada, BYU
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

BYU has had an unusually horrible season, but the Cougars have won two of their last three games, including last week's 31-21 win over UNLV. In that win, Canada went off, rushing for 213 yards and a TD. Coming into the game, he had ran for just 333 yards all season and hadn't rushed for 100 yards in any contest. Not only does he boast one of the most awesome names in college football, but he has one of the tougher stories you will hear from a college player. This week, the Cougars host fellow independent UMass in Provo.

 
4 of 18

Riley Ferguson, Memphis

Riley Ferguson, Memphis
Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Ferguson and the Memphis Tigers are flying under the radar. The Tigers have lost just once, a 40-13 defeat at undefeated UCF, and have beaten UCLA and Navy along the way to being ranked. Ferguson has been great this season, tossing for 2,881 yards and 27 TDs. Ever since an opening-week stinker against Louisiana Monroe, he's thrown for at least 279 yards in each game and has three outings where he's thrown for at least four TDs, including four against Tulsa last time out. With winnable games against SMU and ECU on the horizon, the Tigers are eyeing a rematch against UCF for the American championship. 

 
5 of 18

Jaquan Johnson, Miami

Jaquan Johnson, Miami
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

We all are well aware of Miami's Turnover Chain, especially after the Hurricanes' dismantling of Notre Dame last Saturday (which gave the always talkative rivalry the "Gold Chains over Gold Helmets" tagline). In the last month, Jaquan Johnson has worn the chain three times, picking off passes against Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame. Against the Irish, he also recorded eight tackles, including one for a loss. Miami is now big time again, and the swagger than defined the Canes in the 1980s, '90s and '00s is back. 

 
6 of 18

Kerryon Johnson, Auburn

Kerryon Johnson, Auburn
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

There aren't many backs who have been as hot as Johnson has been over the last seven games. In that time, he has rushed for 899 yards and 14 touchdowns and caught two TD passes. Last week against No. 1 Georgia, he went for 167 yards rushing and caught a 55-yard touchdown pass in the blowout win. With Alabama coming up next week, Johnson's play has put the Tigers in as a dark horse for a possible playoff berth. This week, the SEC goes into its cupcake section of the schedule as the Tigers host Louisiana-Monroe. 

 
7 of 18

Ronald Jones II, USC

Ronald Jones II, USC
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Jones II has been superb over the past three weeks. The junior running back ran for 142 yards and a TD against Colorado last week, which is actually his worst game in that three-game span. In that time, he's totaled 552 yards and six touchdowns — all wins. This week, he and the Trojans go up against rival UCLA at the Coliseum. The Bruins' run defense is the worst in the Pac-12, giving up on average over 300 yards per game. Sounds like we're in for another huge game from Jones II. 

 
8 of 18

Bryce Love, Stanford

Bryce Love, Stanford
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Remember Love? After sitting against Oregon State and a so-so game against Washington State, Love broke out against arguably the Pac-12's top team in Washington. He ran for 166 yards — his largest total since going for 300 against Arizona State in September — and rumbled for three touchdowns. If not for the last two weeks, Love may be leading the Heisman race. Still, he leads the nation in rushing and could sneak the Cardinal into the Pac-12 title game. Love and the Cardinal host Cal in the latest version of the Big Game.

 
9 of 18

Alexander Mattison, Boise State

Alexander Mattison, Boise State
Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports

Last week in a shootout win over Colorado State, Mattison was a beast. The sophomore back ran for 242 yards and three TDs and caught another three passes for 44 yards. He's approaching 1,000 yards rushing for the season, which is amazing when you remember that he got off to a poor start. After rushing for just 166 yards total in his first four games, he's averaged over 125 per game in his last six. He's been a nice find for a Broncos team headed to the Mountain West title game for the first time since 2014. Boise State hosts Air Force Saturday night.

 
10 of 18

Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma

Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Mayfield's showing against TCU last week may have been the performance that nails down the Heisman Trophy. He's simply been great all year long. Mayfield has thrown for 3,559 yards and 31 TDs (with just five interceptions) this season and hasn't thrown for less than 280 yards in a game all year. With the Sooners visiting woeful Kansas this week, it is an opportunity for Mayfield to put up some more great numbers before he sits down for some rest.

 
11 of 18

McKenzie Milton, UCF

McKenzie Milton, UCF
Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

In case you haven't noticed, UCF is one of just four schools that remains undefeated. The Knights go to Temple this week before their season finale against rival South Florida, which could have a spot in the AAC Championship Game on the line. Milton has been fantastic for UCF this season, throwing for 2,720 yards, 22 touchdowns and just five picks. He has also run for a TD in four of the last five games. As of now, the Knights look like they have a legit shot at getting to a New Year's Day bowl game, their first since going to the Fiesta Bowl after the 2013 season.

 
12 of 18

Navy QBs

Navy QBs
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

This triumvirate of Midshipmen quarterbacks has been big all season long. Zach Abey has been the star most of the season, rushing for 1,202 yards and 13 TDs. His workload has him banged up, and Perry (736 yards, seven TDs rushing) has filled in nicely. Against SMU last week, Perry (pictured) ran for 282 yards and four touchdowns, but he was knocked out late with an ankle injury. In comes Lewis, who finished off the win over SMU and may start this week at Notre Dame. Navy rarely throws the ball (just 83 pass attempts all season for 888 yards and nine TDs), but Lewis may be the most prolific. In three games played this season, he is 9-of-18 for 166 yards and two scores.  

 
13 of 18

David Sills V, West Virginia

David Sills V, West Virginia
Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

The Mountaineers have a good chance to be in the Big 12 Championship Game — provided they can take care of Texas and Oklahoma. Tall task, but if there's any chance for it to happen, Sills V will be a big part of it. He leads FBS in receiving touchdowns by a wide margin, as his 18 TD receptions are seven more than anyone else. He's caught multiple touchdowns in seven of the 'Neers 10 games. West Virginia hosts Texas at high noon (EST) this Saturday.

 
14 of 18

Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic

Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

FAU is known nationally because of coach Lane Kiffin, but Singletary needs to be recognized as well for his stellar play. The sophomore running back leads the nation in rushing touchdowns, as his 22 scores are five more than anyone else. He's run for at least three TDs in three of Owls' last four games. Three weeks ago, he carried the ball 36 times in a win over Western Kentucky. Conference USA may not be on most people's radars, but the Owls' match up with rival FIU this week and are zeroing in an a conference title. 

 
15 of 18

Khalil Tate, Arizona

Khalil Tate, Arizona
Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

I'm going to keep on bringing Tate's name up. He's one of the most exciting players in all of college football this season but doesn't get the attention due to Arizona's football status and the late games of the Pac-12. If he was doing this in the SEC, ACC or Big Ten, he'd be a superstar. Tate is a running quarterback who has thrown only 105 passes all year but has piled up 1,293 yards rushing and 11 rushing TDs. He's posting an amazing 11.6 yards per carry and ran for 206 yards and two touchdowns against Oregon State last week. The Wildcats head to Oregon on Saturday. 

 
16 of 18

Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin

Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Seriously, when was the last time we had a 10-0 Big Ten team that was completely dismissed? That's Wisconsin, who is just one of four remaining unbeatens yet we still must debate whether the Badgers deserve to be in the College Football Playoff. We do know that freshman running back Jonathan Taylor is the real deal. He's third in the nation in rushing yards after running for 157 yards against a really good Iowa defense. He'll go against another good defense this week as the Badgers host Michigan. 

 
17 of 18

Mike Weber, Ohio State

Mike Weber, Ohio State
Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

The sophomore Weber may not be as well-known as some of the Buckeyes' other weapons, but he's been an important cog in their offense. He's third on the team in rushing and tied with J.T. Barrett in rushing touchdowns. Last week against Michigan State, Weber torched the Spartans for an 82-yard score and piled up 162 yards and two touchdowns. He may get more looks against Illinois this week as the Buckeyes stretch their legs against one of the Big Ten's weaker teams. 

 
18 of 18

John Wolford, Wake Forest

John Wolford, Wake Forest
Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Wolford had a monster game against Syracuse last week. The senior threw for 363 yards and three TDs, plus ran for 136 yards and three more scores. Yes, six touchdowns for Wolford, who has had a fantastic season and now has the Demon Deacons bowl-eligible. This week Wake Forest will host rival NC State and that stout defensive front led by Bradley Chubb

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