November 27, 2024
CFB InsiderRivalry Week is Finally Here
Lone Star Player of the Week Candidates
Kansas RB Devin Neal - Over the past three weeks, the Jayhawks beat three straight ranked teams, but this last one wouldn’t have taken place with one of the best individual offensive performances in college football this year. In the Jayhawks win over Colorado, Neal ran 37 times for 207 yards and three touchdowns; that makes seven in the last three games. Plus, he had 80 yards receiving on four catches, with one TD - a total of 287 yards and four TDs in Kansas 37-21 win over #23 Colorado.
Auburn WR Cam Coleman - The true freshman torched Texas A&M throughout the Tigers’ four overtime win on the Plains. He finished with seven catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Nearly every single catch was of the highlight variety as Coleman showed exactly why he was one of the most sought after pass catchers in the 2024 recruiting class.
Iowa State WR Jayden Higgins - The 31-28 win over Utah was buoyed by one of the most talented wide receivers in the Big 12. Higgins finished with nine catches for 155 yards and a touchdown and kept Iowa State’s Big 12 Championship game hopes alive, nearly single handedly.
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Rivalry Week is finally here and one of the greatest of all-time gets renewed for the first time in 13 years. Oh, yeah, and Texas and Texas A&M are playing for a spot in the SEC Championship game. It already had intrigue just because it’s the first time these hated rivals have met since 2011. Now, it’s the most important game in the SEC in week 14, and maybe the nation, with SEC Championship game stakes at hand.
With UT/A&M leading the way, this should be a wild and fantastic Rivalry Week after what was one of the wildest weeks of the year last week in week 13. We’ll look back at week 13, then look ahead to week 14, in addition to trying to figure out the potential Texas Bowl participants
Texas Bowl Team of the Week - Oklahoma - Anyone that said they saw the Sooners beating Alabama was just fooling themselves. Anyone that said they saw Oklahoma blowing out the Crimson Tide was lying to everyone. NO ONE saw the Sooners pulling off a 24-3 win over Alabama, but that’s exactly what head coach Brent Venables’ team did on Saturday night. QB Jackson Arnold and true freshman RB Xavier Robinson both ran for 100+ yards and Robinson had two TDs. LB Kip Lewis had another pick six and the Sooners got to bowl eligibility with their sixth win.
Texas Bowl Honorable mention Team of the Week - Florida - The Gators have gotten better and better in the 2024 season and that rise has coincided with the rise of true freshman D.J. Lagway. With Lagway under center, the Gators upset #9 Ole Miss 24-17 in the Swamp as the defense picked off Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart twice and took advantage of every break to grind out a win. Head coach Billy Napier got a vote of confidence two weeks ago and the Gators responded by beating LSU and Ole Miss in back-to-back weeks.
Texas Bowl Player of the Week - Kansas RB Devin Neal - Over the past three weeks, the Jayhawks beat three straight ranked teams, but this last one wouldn’t have taken place with one of the best individual offensive performances in college football this year. In the Jayhawks win over Colorado, Neal ran 37 times for 207 yards and three touchdowns; that makes seven in the last three games. Plus, he had 80 yards receiving on four catches, with one TD - a total of 287 yards and four TDs in Kansas 37-21 win over #23 Colorado.
Texas Bowl Honorable mention Player of the Week - Arizona State’s triplets - The Sun Devils continued their improbable run to a potential Big 12 Championship game/CFP opportunity. QB Sam Leavitt threw for 247 yards and a touchdown, while RB Cam Skattebo ran for 147 yards and three TD and WR Jordyn Tyson had another brilliant game, catching nine passes for 125 yards in a 28-23 win over #14 BYU. These three have been incredible throughout the entire season, but, in particular, the past two months. A win over Arizona in the finale will put Arizona State, somewhat improbably, in the Big 12 Championship game.
National Team of the Week - SMU - The Mustangs have gone from ACC newcomer to ACC powerhouse and that was evident in SMU’s blowout victory in Charlottesville over UVa. QB Kevin Jennings threw for 323 yards and a pair of TDs but the defense starred, holding UVa without points until the four minute mark of the fourth quarter. SMU locked up a spot in the ACC Championship game as a result as the Mustangs aim to win its conference title in two different conferences in two years.
Honorable Mention National Team of the Week - Notre Dame - The Irish hammered Army right out of the gate and never stopped. RB Jeremiyah Love had just seven carries but he averaged nearly 20 yards per carry and had two touchdowns as well in the 49-14 win over #19 Army. The Irish defense made Army work for every single yard and slowed the Army offense unlike at any point in the 2024 season. Notre Dame is playing as well as any team in the nation right now. USC is up next!
National Player of the Week - Illinois WR Pat Bryant - What an ending in Rutgers! With fourteen seconds remaining on fourth down and 13, Illinois QB Luke Altmyer hit his #13 Bryant for an improbable 40-yard TD to give Illinois its eighth win of the year. Bryant was tremendous, yet again, seven catches for 197 yards and one unreal TD. Bryant has been brilliant all year, but this was his best performance of a great season.
Honorable mention National Player of the Week - Cal QB Fernando Mendoza - The Cal gunslinger completed 25 of 36 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns in a comeback win over rival Stanford. He led a comeback from down 21-7, driving Cal 98 yards in 11 plays for the game winning TD. In fact, he threw two TD to Jonathan Brady in the last ten minutes to lead Cal to a win and bowl eligibility.
Quick Kudos
…to Kansas for not giving up on the season when the Jayhawks were getting blasted for underachieving through the first eight weeks of the season. Then, the Jayhawks beat Colorado, a third win over a ranked team in as many weeks.
…to Arizona State for staying on this miraculous run. Even though the Sun Devil faithful celebrated just a few seconds early, they had plenty to celebrate.
…to Auburn for beating Texas A&M in four overtimes.
…to Miami, FL’s defense for keeping Wake Forest off the board in the second half. FINALLY, it showed up before it was too late.
…to Penn State for hanging on for a one point win against Minnesota.
…to Ohio State for putting Indiana right back in its place, so to speak.
…to Kennesaw State for a second FBS win in the last five weeks.
Week 14’s Big games
#3 (10-1) Texas at #15 (8-3) Texas A&M - Yeah, this one is big, like REALLY BIG! It’s the first time that the two Texas rivals have met since 2011 and the winner earns a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game. It’s the hottest ticket in the nation and for good reason.
#18 (8-3) South Carolina at #17 (9-2) Clemson - This matchup didn’t look like much more than just a sexy rivalry game to end the season, but after the CFP rankings came out on Tuesday night, a playoff opportunity could be in play for the winner. South Carolina can’t play in the SEC Championship game, but a win could catapult them into the conversation for an at-large playoff bid. A Clemson win, a Miami loss and the Tigers would head into the ACC Championship game…with a strong win over a strong SEC squad.
Texas Bowl Potential teams
Big 12 candidates
(7-4) Baylor - Dave Aranda’s squad is one of the hottest teams in the nation and a trip to Houston would be super fun because…the Bears OFFENSE is lights out.
(7-4) Texas Tech - The Red Raiders were in the bowl just two years ago and it was entertaining as all get out.
(7-4) TCU - The Horned Frogs were supposed to be in the Texas Bowl in 2020, but COVID…so let’s bring them back four years later. Like TT and Baylor, the Horned Frogs can put up points in bunches.
SEC candidates
(7-4) LSU - Any time that the Texas Bowl can have a shot at LSU, the Texas Bowl will take LSU. An 8-4 LSU team might be pulled in a different direction though, so we’ll see what happens.
(6-5) Florida - The Gators got to bowl eligibility last week and have a true freshman star QB from just outside the Houston area. I’m intrigued.
(6-5) Arkansas - It was supposed to be Arkansas-TCU in 2020, so I’m all for bringing it back in 2024…without the COVID.
(6-5) Oklahoma - The Texas Bowl has never truly had a shot at the Sooners, but now in the SEC, Oklahoma might be a great fit, regardless of winning at LSU or not.