CFB Week 13 winners, losers: SEC in CFP trouble

It scored a touchdown three plays later for a 14-7 lead.

The Buckeyes extended their lead to 14, 21-7, on safety Caleb Downs' 79-yard punt return for a touchdown following the Hoosiers' next possession.

Without those plays, the final score might have been closer. SEC upsets may have boosted Indiana's playoff odds, but if it's snubbed of a playoff spot, Indiana's special teams will be why.

Winner: Notre Dame

The Irish dominated No. 19 Army, 49-14, their sixth in a row by three scores.

No. 6 Notre Dame (10-1) gained 273 rushing yards, led by running back Jeremiyah Love, who had seven carries, 130 yards and two touchdowns.

With a win next Saturday against USC, Notre Dame will be in line to host a first-round playoff game on either Dec. 20 or 21.

Loser: Georgia defense

Don't let the final score of Georgia's romp over UMass — 59-22 — hide the Bulldogs' massive defensive lapses against the two-win independent 

The Minutemen gained 226 rushing yards, and quarterback AJ Hairston threw a 75-yard touchdown to wide receiver Jakobie Keeney-James.

Earlier this season against No. 23 Missouri (8-3, 4-3 in SEC), UMass gained 95 yards on 31 carries (3.1 yards per attempt. It was stymied by Buffalo (7-4, 5-2 in MAC) in September, rushing for 72 yards on 37 attempts.

Georgia's inability to stop the Minutemen's stoppable attack doesn't bode well for its national title odds.

Winner: Gutsy Penn State fake punt

The Nittany Lions barely avoided becoming the fourth top-10 team to lose on Saturday with a 26-25 road win over Minnesota (6-5, 4-4 in Big Ten).

No. 4 Penn State (10-1, 7-1 in Big Ten) ran out the final 5:48 of the clock in part due to a risky fake punt call from head coach James Franklin at his own 34-yard line.

Tight end Luke Reynolds gained 32 yards on the fake, and Penn State converted two more fourth downs to seal the win.

Loser: Arizona State's end-of-game management

We can't blame Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham too much for botching the end of the Sun Devils' 28-23 win over No. 14 BYU (9-2, 6-2 in Big 12). After being picked to finish last in the conference before the season, he may not have expected to be in that position often.

But he made Arizona State's win much harder than it needed to be. The defense seemingly clinched the win with an interception with 1:04 remaining.

The Sun Devils had second-and-goal from BYU's 3-yard line with a five-point lead. A touchdown would have put the game out of reach, but Dillingham decided to have quarterback Sam Leavitt burn the block by taking losses of 26 and 10 yards. 

Leavitt heaved an incomplete pass out of bounds on fourth down, and after fans rushed the field, officials announced one second remained.

BYU's Hail Mary attempt fell short of the goal line, so all ended well for No. 21 Arizona State (9-2, 6-2 in Big 12). But Dillingham needs to get used to winning for Arizona State to shock the college football world and win the Big 12.

Winner: Nebraska

The drought is over. Nebraska (6-5, 3-5 in Big Ten) clinched its first bowl appearance since 2016 with a 44-25 win over Wisconsin (5-6, 3-5 in Big Ten).

Quarterback Dylan Raiola guaranteed a win earlier this week, saying, "We'll get the win next week and get us to a bowl." The five-star 2024 high school recruit kept his word, going 28-of-38 for 293 yards and one touchdown.

Loser: SEC

It just means more in the SEC, which could lead to less seats in the CFP than expected. Losses by No. 7 Alabama (8-3, 4-3 in SEC), No. 9 Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3 in SEC) and No. 15 Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2 in SEC) likely knocked three of the conference's contenders out of the playoff race, whittling its prospective candidates down to No. 3 Texas (10-1, 6-1 in SEC), No. 10 Georgia (9-2, 6-2 in SEC) and No. 11 Tennessee (9-2, 5-2 in SEC).

Alabama was stunned, 24-3, on the road against Oklahoma (6-5, 2-5 in SEC), while Ole Miss fell in a tight 24-17 road loss at Florida (6-5, 4-4 in SEC). Texas A&M lost the closest game, 43-41 in four overtimes to Auburn (5-6, 2-5 in SEC).

Chaos in other conferences could open the door for the losing squads to return to contention, but that seems unlikely. For a conference that looked like it could pick up the majority of the seven at-large bids after Tuesday's CFP ranking reveal, Saturday night brought SEC back down to Earth.

Winner: Jacksonville State

Gamecocks head coach Rich Rodriguez has Jacksonville State in the Conference USA championship game in just the program's second FBS season. 

Jacksonville State (8-3, 7-0 in CUSA) defeated Sam Houston (8-3, 5-2 in CUSA), also in its second FBS season, 21-11 to clinch the berth. 

Rodriguez led Jacksonville State to an FCS Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) championship in his first season (2022), and the former West Virginia head coach has quickly integrated his program into FBS.

Loser: Icing the kicker

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano's decision to ice Illinois kicker David Olano before his winning 58-yard field goal attempt backfired in the worst way in the Scarlet Knights' 38-31 loss.

Schiano's timeout was granted just as Olano missed the field goal try, allowing No. 25 Illinois a chance to rethink its decision. Head coach Bret Bielema elected to keep the offense on the field, and quarterback Luke Altmyer found wide receiver Pat Brant at the Rutgers 23-yard line and ran in for the winning touchdown with four seconds left.