2022 College Football Insider Week 13

Quote of the week

“We kicked our field goal that looked like chaos, but we practice it every Thursday. Exactly like that. [Griffin Kell] hit it right down the middle. That was a great kick and it looked like Thursday practice. “

- TCU Head Coach Sonny Dykes on Kell’s walk-off field goal with the clock running to beat Baylor 29-28.

TEAM TO WATCH: USC

No. 6 USC has spent this season on the fringe of the playoff conversation. Now that it is the sole one-loss Pac-12 team, and considering Tennessee’s loss to South Carolina, the path is more open than ever for USC to move into the playoff picture.

The Trojans took home a crucial win in a tough battle at then-No. 16 UCLA, and they have a golden opportunity to garner two more quality wins and further improve their case for the postseason before Selection Sunday. Their last regular season game comes at home this weekend against No. 15 Notre Dame, which has big wins over North Carolina, BYU, Syracuse and Clemson.

If the Trojans knock off the Irish and then take home the Pac-12 title, they have a strong case for a CFP semifinal berth in Head Coach Lincoln Riley’s first year at the helm.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: South Carolina

No. 5 Tennessee traveled to Columbia with its playoff hopes on the line, and South Carolina stunned the Vols—and all of college football—with a whopping 63-38 win.

South Carolina scored touchdowns on all five drives in the first half en route to recording 606 total yards of offense. Quarterback Spencer Rattler, a Pinnacle HS graduate, had a career-defining game as he threw for 438 yards and five TDs. His team’s 63 points are the most scored against an AP Top 5 team by an unranked opponent in the poll era, and it is the most points Tennessee has ever allowed to an SEC opponent.

With South Carolina pulling off the upset, the playoffs get a little closer for Clemson, LSU and USC. The Gamecocks will look to play spoiler once again as they head to Clemson’s Memorial Stadium for their last regular season game of the year.

games of the week

ARIZONA STATE AT ARIZONA

11.25 | 1:00 PM | FS1

SOUTH CAROLINA AT #8 CLEMSON

11.26 | 10:00 AM | ABC

#9 OREGON AT #21 OREGON STATE

11.26 | 1:30 PM | ABC

IOWA STATE AT #4 TCU

11.26 | 2:00 PM | FOX

#15 NOTRE DAME AT #6 USC

11.26 | 5:30 PM | ABC

For a full schedule of Week 13 games, click here . (All times in MST)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

SEMIFINAL AT THE VRBO FIESTA BOWL:

ESPN – Ohio State vs. TCU

The Athletic – Ohio State vs. TCU

College Football News – Ohio State vs. USC

USA Today – Ohio State vs. TCU

CBS – Ohio State vs. TCU Action Network – Ohio State vs. TCU

CFP WEEK 13 Rankings

For the full CFP Top 25 Rankings, click here .

game of the week

#3 MICHIGAN AT #2 OHIO STATE

Two Big Ten teams face off in one of college football’s most epic rivalries – and this game of the week could shape up to be the game of the year. The winner will likely clinch a College Football Playoff berth and earn a spot in the Big Ten championship. Assuming Georgia remains the number one overall team, the winner will also likely be taking a trip to the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.

The Caesars Sportsbook betting line opened with the home Buckeyes as 7-point favorites. We’ll see who takes home the win, beginning at 10:00 a.m. MST Saturday on FOX.

GUARANTEED RATE BOWL:

ESPN – Maryland vs. Texas Tech

The Athletic – Wisconsin vs. Baylor College Football News – Maryland vs. Texas Tech

USA Today – Maryland vs. Kansas

CBS – Maryland vs. Texas Tech Action Network – Wisconsin vs. Kansas

This Cincinnati Bengals wideout recorded season highs in yards and receptions in Sunday’s 37-30 win at Pittsburgh, notching nine catches for 148 of Joe Burrow’s 355 passing yards. With fellow Fiesta Bowl alum Ja’Marr Chase still missing time with a hip injury, Higgins could continue to have an increased impact in the games to come.

Higgins was the 33rd overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft and played in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl with Clemson. In his third NFL season, he leads Cincinnati in receiving yards with 712 on the year as the Bengals look to capture a second-straight playoff appearance. They are within one game of first place in the AFC North, trailing Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.

Higgins is in action next on November 27, at 11:00 a.m. MST, as the Bengals head to Tennessee to take on Derrick Henry and the AFC South-leading Titans.

Big NEWS!

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl features Bowl Season’s only Big Ten vs. Big 12 matchup. As we eagerly await the Dec. 27 kickoff, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports, and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news for week 13:

Big Ten Big 12

• The Big Ten has three teams in the CFP Top 15 heading into week 13: No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan and No. 11 Penn State.

• Two of the four FBS teams that remain undefeated are from the Big Ten: Michigan and Ohio State.

• Michigan, Ohio State, Maryland, Minnesota, Penn State, Iowa, Purdue, Wisconsin and Illinois are all bowl eligible – the largest bowl lineup in conference history. If Michigan State pulls off the upset over Penn State in its last game of the season, it will become bowl eligible as well.

• Illinois RB Chase Brown continues to lead the nation, with 1,582 rushing yards. Against a Michigan defense leading the nation in rushing defense (allowing 72.7 yards per game), Brown ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns. He joins JK Dobbins and Ezekiel Elliott as the only RBs to rush for over 140 yards at Michigan Stadium during Jim Harbaugh’s tenure.

• The Big 12 has three teams in the CFP Top 25 this week: No. 4 TCU, No. 12 Kansas State and No. 23 Texas.

• TCU is one of the four FBS teams that remain undefeated. TCU’s five wins over ranked opponents equal the combined total of the other three (Georgia 2, Ohio State 2, Michigan1).

• TCU, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Texas are bowl eligible. The Big 12 is the only conference in which 80% of teams are bowl eligible.

• TCU has clinched a spot in the Big 12 Championship. The second spot in the game will come down to the final weekend of games. Kansas State can clinch the spot with a win or a Texas loss. Texas can clinch with a win and a K-State loss as UT would hold the tiebreaker based on the head-to-head result.

• Texas RB Bijan Robinson, a Tucson native, rushed for a career-high 243 yards on 25 carries and a career-best four touchdowns in Texas’ 55-14 win over Kansas. He is the only player in the nation with more than 1,400 rushing yards and 300 receiving yards.

MORE THAN JUST A GAME

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: Dawn Rogers

Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors member Dawn Rogers has dedicated her career in collegiate athletics to cultivating a meaningful student athlete experience. She discovered this passion after deciding to pursue sports administration instead of becoming a veterinarian – the course of study she originally followed –which has led to milestone moments in her career.

Rogers was drawn to the Fiesta Bowl in 2017, when she noticed that athletes who played in the game were regarded with respect and given the best treatment by those in the Fiesta Bowl Organization.

“To be part of an organization that provides the very best opportunity for student-athletes to come and compete and provide hospitality for them, is something that I am really proud to be involved in,” Rogers said. “It’s a privilege and an honor to be involved in the Fiesta Bowl.”

Rogers graduated from Ithaca College, and then from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a master’s in sports management. She’s since played a role in significant organizations like the NCAA Final Four and the Fiesta Bowl.

In 2015, while working for Arizona State University, Rogers helped craft a bid for the 2017 NCAA Men’s Final Four to be held in Phoenix for the first time. The bid was successful, and Rogers became the CEO and Executive Director of the Phoenix Final Four Local Organizing Committee. A few years after planning and executing the Phoenix Final Four, Rogers then oversaw a program that won the tournament in 2021 when Baylor captured its first-ever national championship.

In her current position as Deputy Athletics Director at Baylor University, Rogers meets with student-athletes and encourages them to be honest about their mental health. She has seen school resources like mental health counseling change the lives of student-athletes and emphasizes her opportunity to help them grow as athletes and as people.

NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Last Tuesday, the Fiesta Bowl announced sports and entertainment industry leader Erik Moses as its new Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer.

Moses has more than 20 years of experience building successful ventures for sports and entertainment properties through the creation of innovative events, development of community-centric programming, and as a leader in elevating teams and organizations.

Moses comes to Scottsdale with a proven track record as an attorney, entrepreneur, economic development professional and chief executive. His professional experiences reflect the goals of the Fiesta Bowl Organization, delivering innovative and new experiences for college football fans and sports fans in general.

Moses played an integral part in creating, executing, and hosting the Military Bowl and AT&T Nations Football Classic.

While working in the Nation’s Capital, Moses delivered unprecedented corporate partnerships initiatives, helped establish a professional football team into one of the league’s top organizations in ticket sales, enabled unique gameday experiences and access, and created extensive social media engagement. During his most recent stint in Nashville, he revived and repositioned a dormant racetrack into a world-class venue to host NASCAR’s top series for the first time in nearly 40 years.

To read more about the Fiesta Bowl Organization’s new chief executive, click here