Winners and losers from Week 13 of the college football season

No. 8 Alabama (11-1, 8-0 in SEC) plays Georgia (12-0, 8-0 in SEC) in the conference championship game next Saturday and will likely qualify for the CFP for the eighth time with a win.

Loser

Auburn: The muffed punt. Fourth-and-forever. Saturday's Iron Bowl is going to sting Auburn the entire offseason. The Tigers played well enough to win but Keionte Scott's muffed punt with 4:48 remaining in the fourth quarter gave the Crimson Tide life. Then, on the pivotal fourth down, head coach Hugh Freeze called a timeout only to decide it was a good idea to rush just three defenders, giving Milroe an eternity to find Bond in the end zone for the winning score. Freeze's first Iron Bowl as Auburn head coach was nearly his signature win in Year 1; instead, it's his most deflating loss. 

Winner

Jayden Daniels: LSU (9-3, 6-2 in SEC) got another masterful performance by quarterback Daniels in the Tigers' 42-30 win over Texas A&M (7-5, 4-4 in SEC). The fifth-year quarterback has made an ironclad case for the Heisman Trophy. No matter what Oregon quarterback Bo Nix or Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. do in the Pac-12 championship, Daniels should win the award on Dec. 9. On Saturday, he accounted for 335 total yards and four touchdowns against an Aggies defense that allowed 286.5 yards per game entering Week 13, eighth fewest in the country.

Loser

Oregon State: The last 24 hours have been a nightmare for the Beavers. On Friday night, they lost 31-7 to in-state rival No. 6 Oregon (11-1, 8-1 in Pac-12) in the last game between the two teams as conference foes. Then, on Saturday morning, Michigan State announced it had hired OSU head coach Jonathan Smith to the same position in East Lansing. The Beavers' turnaround under Smith, particularly the past two seasons, has been one of the more remarkable in the sport. In the blink of an eye, No. 16 Oregon State (8-4, 5-4 in Pac-12) is back to square one.

Winner

Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II: The outstanding Cowboys running back made sure the Big 12's worst-case scenario didn't come to fruition, putting No. 20 Oklahoma State (9-3, 7-2 in Big 12) on his back by scoring five touchdowns in its 40-34 double overtime win against upset-minded BYU (5-7, 2-7 in Big 12). The Cougars entered as a 16.5-point underdog but led by 24-6 at the half before Gordon decided to run away with the game. He finished with 34 carries for 166 yards, giving him 1,580 rushing yards this season, the most in the country.

Loser

Nebraska: Did Matt Rhule have a non-refundable trip planned for December? That's the only reason we can think of for why Nebraska went from 5-3 and a near lock to reach its first bowl game since 2016 to 5-7, extending the longest bowl drought in FBS. The Cornhuskers lost inexplicably to No. 17 Iowa (10-2, 7-2 in Big Ten) in their finale. They intercepted a pass from Hawkeyes quarterback Deacon Hill with 31 seconds remaining and still lost in regulation, 13-10, after Chubba Purdy was intercepted two plays later. During its season-ending four-game losing streak, Nebraska lost each game by one score, including three by a field goal. Hopefully, Rhule will send a postcard.

Winner

Rome Odunze: The Washington wideout reminded everyone why he's in the conversation for best college football wide receiver in a 24-21 win in the Apple Cup against Washington State (5-7, 2-7 in Pac-12). Odunze had seven receptions, 120 yards and two touchdowns. He also gained 23 yards on a fourth-and-1 rush attempt from Washington's own 29-yard line late in the fourth quarter that helped set up the winning field goal as time expired.

Odunze finished the regular season with 73 catches, 1,326 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. He potentially has three more games to add to his remarkable season as No. 4 Washington (12-0, 8-0 in Pac-12) gears up for the Pac-12 championship and a CFP run.

Winner

Abu Sama III: Remember Sama's name. The Iowa State running back entered Week 13 with 56 carries, 334 yards and three touchdowns but exploded in the snowy conditions at No. 19 Kansas State (8-4, 6-3 in Big 12). The freshman running back finished with 15 carries and 276 yards, including three touchdown runs of at least 60 yards.

Iowa State (7-5, 6-3 in Big 12) held on for a 42-35 win with quarterback Rocco Becht ending his season on a high note, too. He was 8-of-12 for 230 yards (19.2 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns, setting the Cyclones up well in the backfield for 2024. 

Loser

Chaos: This year has been pretty tame regarding upsets compared to past seasons. Entering championship weekend, the ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC still have undefeated teams that could make the CFP committee's job easy on selection Sunday. That almost wasn't the case, as Washington and No. 5 Florida State (12-0, 8-0 in ACC) experienced scares. The Seminoles escaped The Swamp in Gainesville with a 24-15 win over Florida (5-7, 3-5 in SEC). Even No. 1 Georgia (12-0, 8-0 in SEC) fell into an early 7-0 hole against Georgia Tech (6-6, 5-3 in ACC) before walking away with a 31-23 win. Chaos lurked on Saturday, but order prevailed.

Winner

Southern: The Jaguars beat Grambling, 27-22, in the 50th annual Bayou Classic, with running back Kendric Rhymes leading the way with 18 carries, 103 yards, and two touchdowns. Southern (6-5, 5-3 in SWAC) won halftime, too, with the Human Jukebox Marching Band performing alongside former "American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino, who sang her 2007 single "When I See U" along with a cover of influential go-go band Rare Essence's "Overnight Scenario."