There were only two upsets during Thanksgiving weekend, traditionally known as rivalry weekend. The two upsets pretty much fell under the radar on a national level.
Oregon fell to Oregon State, 41-38, in the game formerly known as The Civil War. Northwestern lost its first game of the season, 29-20, at Michigan State.
Oregon and Northwestern dropped sharply in this week's Newsweek top 20, but both remained in the rankings.
Alabama crushed Auburn, 42-13, in the Iron Bowl and Notre Dame held off a pesky North Carolina squad. Alabama and Notre Dame stay firm at No. 1 and 2, respectively.
Ohio State's game was canceled because of COVID-19 issues, and the Buckeyes hold firm at No. 3 regardless. Clemson got back on the field and crushed Pitt, 52-17. Texas A&M got a sloppy win over LSU and Florida cruised past Kentucky after a slow start.
Iowa State came from behind to beat Texas in Austin on Friday, and the Cyclones sit atop the Big 12 standings, and No. 9 in the Newsweek 20.
The biggest news of the week came from Vanderbilt, who played Sarah Fuller for one play Saturday against Missouri. Fuller executed the kickoff to start the second half, thus becoming the first woman from a Power 5 team to play in a game in college history.
And speaking of history, there was Buffalo's Jaret Patterson, who ran wild in a 70-41 win over Kent State. Patterson had 409 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 36 attempts. Buffalo improved to 4-0 on the season.
That said, here is the Newsweek Top 20 for Week 14
1 | Alabama | 8-0 | Sat. at LSU |
2 | Notre Dame | 9-0 | Sat. vs Syracuse |
3 | Ohio State | 4-0 | Sat. at Michigan State |
4 | Clemson | 8-1 | Sat. at Virginia Tech |
5 | Texas A&M | 6-1 | Sat. at Auburn |
6 | Florida | 7-1 | Sat. at Tennessee |
7 | Cincinnati | 8-0 | Dec. 12 at Tulsa |
8 | BYU | 9-0 | Dec. 12 vs San Diego State |
9 | Iowa State | 7-2 | Sat. vs West Virginia |
10 | Indiana | 5-1 | Sat. at #20 Wisconsin |
11 | Miami (Fla.) | 7-1 | Dec. 12 vs North Carolina |
12 | Georgia | 6-2 | Sat. vs Vanderbilt |
13 | Oklahoma | 6-2 | Sat. vs Baylor |
14 | Coastal Carolina | 9-0 | Sat. vs Liberty |
15 | USC | 3-0 | Fri. vs Washington State |
16 | Northwestern | 5-1 | Sat. at Minnesota |
17 | Marshall | 7-0 | Sat. vs Rice |
18 | Oklahoma State | 6-2 | Sat. at TCU |
19 | Oregon | 3-1 | Sat. at California |
20 | Wisconsin | 2-1 | Sat. vs #10 Indiana |
Dropped out: None
Heisman Frontrunners
Here are the Newsweek Heisman rankings after Week 13 of the season.
- Kyle Trask, QB, Florida
- Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
- Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
- Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
- Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
College Football Playoff Prediction
- Alabama
- Notre Dame
- Ohio State
- Clemson
Games to Watch This Week (Times ET)
All games subject to cancel or postpone, and games could change TV stations during the week
Friday, December 4
7:00 p.m. Louisiana at Appalachian State, ESPN2
9:30 p.m. Washington State at USC, FS1
9:30 p.m. Boise State at UNLV, CBSSN
Saturday, December 5
12:00 p.m. Ohio State at Michigan State, ABC
3:30 p.m. Indiana at Wisconsin
8:00 p.m. Alabama at LSU
Saturday Game Times TBA
Syracuse at Notre Dame
Clemson at Virginia Tech
Texas A&M at Auburn
Florida at Tennessee
Northwestern at Minnesota
Baylor at Oklahoma
West Virginia at Iowa State
Oregon at California
Texas at Kansas State
Liberty at Coastal Carolina
Oklahoma State at TCU
Tulsa at Navy
Fresno State at Nevada
Stanford at Washington
UCLA at Arizona State
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Scott McDonald is a Newsweek deputy night editor based in Cape Coral, Florida. His focus is assigning and writing stories ... Read more
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