Rivalry Week, or at least the Saturday portion of it, lived up to its billing and then some. Ohio State–Michigan. Alabama–Auburn. Washington State–Washington. Heart-stoppers all.
Michigan managed to pull off its third straight win against the Buckeyes in a game that came down to the final minute. Alabama, down by four, got the touchdown it needed on a fourth-and-goal from the 31 with less than a minute left to crush Auburn’s spirit. Washington, elevated to the No. 4 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings this week, kicked a field goal as time ran out to beat Washington State.
Florida–Florida State provided its own drama, as the Seminoles trailed after three quarters and benefited from a late personal foul for a 24-15 win. Georgia Tech was within a touchdown of top-ranked Georgia with two minutes remaining, before the Bulldogs were able to run out the clock in a 31-23 victory.
And they all get to play again in their conference championship games. Here’s how those rivalry matchups, and the rest of the weekend slate, affected this week’s Power Rankings.
Two-time defending national champion Georgia completed an unbeaten regular season for the third straight year with a victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday in Atlanta. In doing so, the Dawgs won their 29th straight game, breaking the SEC record for consecutive victories. Alabama won 28 in a row from 1978 to 1980 and 1991 to 1993. Georgia (12-0, 8-0 in the SEC) will next face Alabama in the SEC title game in Atlanta. Kendall Milton rushed for a career-high 156 yards, and Georgia won for the 19th time in the past 22 meetings of the series. — Chris Low
Up next: vs. Alabama in SEC championship game, Saturday (4 p.m. ET, CBS)
The Wolverines beat Ohio State for a third time in a row and will now play for a third Big Ten championship in a row. Michigan was held to just 38 yards rushing in the first half against the Buckeyes, but was able to keep chipping away against its rival to ultimately come out on top in a 30-24 win. The Buckeyes had given up just three rushing touchdowns all season, but running back Blake Corum scored two touchdowns on the ground to help put Michigan on top. The Wolverines’ defense had two important interceptions that helped seal the win. The first came from corner Will Johnson on the Buckeyes’ third possession and resulted in an offensive touchdown, and the second came from Rod Moore to effectively end the game. Michigan will now try for a conference crown and another shot at the College…
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