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College football Week 12: 15 players to watch
Quinn Harris/Getty Images

College football Week 12: 15 players to watch

Week 11 was quite a weekend of college football. Not only did we get Alabama and LSU playing their "Game of the Century" at a high level, but the Minnesota Golden Gophers also showed us all they were legit with a win over previously unbeaten Penn State and Oklahoma barely slipped by Iowa State. Ohio State, Georgia and Clemson flexed their muscles, while Baylor remains undefeated.

Week 12 is a bit of a break from that epic Saturday, but there are some important games on tap. You still don't believe in Minnesota or Baylor? Well you may if they win their games this week. LSU and Alabama go on the road to (hopefully) avoid letdowns, while Clemson get its one real threat to its playoff push. What this weekend lacks in heft, it makes up for in depth.

Here are 15 players to watch in Week 12.

 
1 of 15

Rashod Bateman, Minnesota

Rashod Bateman, Minnesota
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

How big was Bateman during the Golden Gophers' 31-26 win over Penn State last Saturday? He caught seven passes for 203 yards and a touchdown, marking the third straight game he has found the end zone. That touchdown was a 66-yard strike, and he also had huge catches to set up three other Minnesota TDs. The win over the Nittany Lions legitimized the Gophers' undefeated mark, but with Iowa on tap this week followed by Wisconsin, Minnesota has a lot of work left to do. 

 
2 of 15

Ian Book, Notre Dame

Ian Book, Notre Dame
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Book has been fantastic this season. Last week against Duke, Book threw for 181 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another 139 yards. That comes off a 336-yard passing game and a late touchdown run to beat Virginia Tech. Quite a comeback after that stinker he put up in the loss to Michigan a few weeks back. That brings us to the Navy game this week, which should be a great battle between running quarterbacks.  

 
3 of 15

Charlie Brewer, Baylor

Charlie Brewer, Baylor
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Baylor has flown under the radar all season long and its dual-threat quarterback doesn't get the recognition he deserves. Brewer isn't a gunslinger nor does he fire off YouTube-worthy runs, but he is clutch and reliable enough to keep the Bears undefeated. The defense gets the love, but Brewer has had some impressive yardage games even though he hasn't been stacking up TD passes. Earlier in the season, in a two-game stretch against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, he threw 589 yards but just one touchdown in the two wins. Last week in the three-overtime win over TCU, he came up with big plays at the right time to just get it to overtime and kept it going until the Bears were finally triumphant.  Baylor's big shot comes this week against an Oklahoma defense that has been much maligned. Win that, and the Bears should lock in on a Big 12 championship game spot. 

 
4 of 15

Kennedy Brooks, Oklahoma

Kennedy Brooks, Oklahoma
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Jalen Hurts is great, but the Sooners need to have a steady run game to reach their ultimate goal. Brooks has been that guy at times this year, including his 132-yard effort against Iowa State last week. It was his finest game of the season and reminded everyone of the kind of threat he was as a freshman last year. He had a three-game stretch late last season where he ran for 518 yards and six touchdowns to close out the season. If faith has been restored in Brooks, look for him to be important if the Sooners want to get out of Baylor with their outside shot of a College Football Playoff berth intact. Baylor has one of the best run defenses in the nation. 

 
5 of 15

Joe Burrow, LSU

Joe Burrow, LSU
Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

There was a lot of hype regarding Burrow heading into the Alabama game. He's been great all year long, but can he be the LSU quarterback who can finally light up the Crimson Tide? Um...yes! Burrow was fantastic in that game, completing 31 of 39 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns in the win. It wasn't just the stats that should wow you — it was his command on the field. He made big plays when the Tigers needed them, and he took advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves. As Tua Tagovailoa was coming up with big plays, Burrow countered and now may be the front-runner for both the Heisman Trophy and the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. LSU travels to middling Ole Miss this weekend.

 
6 of 15

Jake Fromm, Georgia

Jake Fromm, Georgia
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Quite frankly, Fromm needs to be better if the Bulldogs plan on going into Auburn and beating the Tigers to stay in the College Football Playoff chase. Last week against Missouri, Fromm completed only 13 of 29 passes, though he did throw two touchdowns in the shutout win. He and the team were cruising right along until the South Carolina loss, and he hasn't looked the same since. What should place confidence in Dawgs fans is that he did look really good in the win over rival Florida a few weeks ago. This is a similar game, and Fromm seems to step up when the lights are at their brightest, which is necessary if his team is to have a shot at a national championship. 

 
7 of 15

Sandon McCoy, Army

Sandon McCoy, Army
Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

Army's triple-option was lethal in a 63-7 win over UMass last week. (Fourteen players had at least one rushing attempt in that game.) Sandon McCoy scored three touchdowns for the Black Knights. The junior from Kannapolis, North Carolina, has made the most of his opportunity this season as he's become the "featured back" — if there is one in a triple-option offense — and has scored all eight of his career touchdowns this year. Army hosts VMI on Saturday. 

 
8 of 15

Malcolm Perry, Navy

Malcolm Perry, Navy
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Perry is that rare quarterback who isn't known for his passing. In eight games this year, he's attempted only 53 passes...and completed just 29 of those. In his last game, however, he went a robust 3-of-6 passing for...get this...165 yards! His three completions went for 33, 58 and 74 yards, with the latter going for a touchdown. Perry is known for his running, and he's become just the second player in the history of the Naval Academy to rush for 1,000 yards in three straight seasons. Navy steps out of AAC play to take on rival Notre Dame in what should be a fantastic game. 

 
9 of 15

Peyton Ramsey, Indiana

Peyton Ramsey, Indiana
Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

Has there been any surprise quite like Indiana? The Hoosiers are 7-2 this season and are ranked for the first time since 1994. They've been one of the best passing teams in the nation but will be missing their starting quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., and will be all in on Peyton Ramsey. Ramsey has filled in off and on during the season, including having a 351-yard game against Nebraska, so Indiana will feel comfortable moving forward. The Hoosiers have two huge games on deck: Penn State this week followed by Michigan. 

 
10 of 15

Kadin Remsberg, Air Force

Kadin Remsberg, Air Force
Russell Lansford-USA TODAY Sports

When we think of the service academies, we think of Army and Navy utilizing the option attacks to be effective, while Air Force is more of a passing offense. This year the Falcons are the second-best rushing team in the nation and have a stable of backs to work with. The leader of the group is Kadin Remsberg, who leads Air Force in rushing yards and is second in attempts and touchdowns. He didn't score in the win over Army two weeks ago but ran in two touchdowns in the previous games, against Utah State and Hawaii. Air Force faces rival Colorado State on Saturday with the Ram-Falcon Trophy on the line. 

 
11 of 15

Quincy Roche, Temple

Quincy Roche, Temple
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Roche was a problem in the Owls' 17-7 win over South Florida last week. He seemingly spent the entire game in the backfield, disrupting the Bulls offense and reining in 3.5 sacks. He's been a lot more active this week and finding his stride as the season has moved along. The junior had previously showed signs of his potential — a three-sack game against UMass as a freshman and blocking a couple of kicks — but now it seems to be coming together. Temple hosts Tulane on Saturday. 

 
12 of 15

DeVonta Smith, Alabama

DeVonta Smith, Alabama
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

While there are certainly people celebrating mighty Alabama losing to LSU, there is still a lot for the Tide to play for and an opportunity for them to get the last laugh. Yeah they lost, but what a game by Smith. He caught just seven passes, but they went for a lot of yardage (213) and two big touchdowns. Admit it: When he caught that 85-yard touchdown pass with just over a minute left in the game, you thought there was a real chance Alabama could pull that game out. They didn't, but Smith was magical. Alabama is angry and heads into Mississippi State ready to take it out on the Bulldogs. The last time the Crimson Tide faced a Mississippi school, Smith caught 11 passes for 274 yards and five TDs against Ole Miss. 

 
13 of 15

Sage Surratt, Wake Forest

Sage Surratt, Wake Forest
Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Surratt is second in the ACC with 66 receptions and leads the conference (and fifth nationally) in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Even in last week's surprising loss to Virginia Tech, two of his four catches were for TDs. Surratt didn't record a catch against the Clemson Tigers — Wake Forest's opponent this weekend — last year and is ready to make his mark in arguably the biggest game of his young career. The Demon Deacons are the biggest threat to the Tigers' pursuit of an undefeated season, and Surratt needs to have a special day like he's had in Wake's other big games this year.

 
14 of 15

Kedon Slovis, USC

Kedon Slovis, USC
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

There's a lot changes at USC (and more that could come), but Slovis seems like he will be a reliable force in Troy for a few years. He and the Trojans jumped all over Arizona State last week before hanging on to a 31-26 win. Slovis threw for 432 yards and four touchdowns in the win, which puts the freshman over 2,300 yards on the season. He's gaining more confidence, as 11 of his 20 TD passes have come in the last three weeks. USC heads up the coast to face Cal this week and try to stay in the race for a spot in the Pac-12 title game. 

 
15 of 15

Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin

Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Last week's performance looked like the Jonathan Taylor we've been used to. After getting stuffed by Ohio State's athletic defense, Taylor ran all over another great defense in Iowa. He rushed for 250 yards, most on the season, and gained over 8 yards per carry. While he didn't score a touchdown, his workload helped the Badgers gain an overwhelming advantage in time of possession and built up a 21-6 lead in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin has an outside shot at winning the Big Ten West but must win out to do so. Next up: at Nebraska on Saturday. 

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