By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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Reflecting back on all of the weekend action in the Southeastern Conference.

Another Saturday before Thanksgiving in the SEC is in the books. Its never the most exciting week in the conference season, but we did get a wild finish in Baton Rouge that decided a division title. Unfortunately, that was about it for the drama, as the other three SEC games all had margins of victory of at least 16 points, and the six non-conference games were generally non-competitive.

Before we turn our attention to Rivalry Week, lets review Week 12 with game recaps, national thoughts, and a new Top 10 and bowl projections.

Game Recaps

(25) Texas A&M 23, UTSA 10
Georgia 35, Louisiana-Lafayette 21
South Carolina 44, Western Carolina 31
Kentucky 49, Austin Peay 13
(1) Alabama 31, Chattanooga 3
(15) Auburn 55, Alabama A&M 0

What happened: Cupcake Saturday went as expected for the six SEC teams that stepped out of conference play. Texas A&M never was able to pull away from UTSA, but also was never in danger of defeat. Kentucky started slowly against winless Austin Peay, but injured quarterback Stephen Johnson came off the bench to spark an easy, come-from-behind win. Even the mighty Crimson Tide trailed Chattanooga 3-0 into the second quarter before Jalen Hurts found Calvin Ridley for a touchdown, and the defending champions never looked back.

What it means: The biggest winners were Kentucky and South Carolina, as the Wildcats and Gamecocks locked up bowl eligibility ahead of difficult games next Saturday. No significant injuries took place, which was the primary goal of this weekend. All six teams have rivalry games next weekend to close out the regular season.

(23) Florida 16, (16) LSU 10

What happened: The Gators defense stood tall with a goal-line stand to wrap up the SEC East title, stuffing Derrius Guice at the one-yard line on the games final play. Florida took a 10-7 lead on a miraculous 98-yard touchdown pass from Austin Appleby to Tyrie Cleveland in the third quarter, and two Eddy Piniero field goals in the final five minutes broke a 10-10 tie. LSU was abysmal in the red zone, registering just one touchdown and one field goal in five trips.

What it means: Somehow, the Gators are going back to the SEC Championship Game for the second straight year. Kudos to Jim McElwain for taking a battered team on the road for what was originally supposed to be a home game and stealing a victory. 6-4 LSU saw Sugar Bowl hopes go by the wayside and now will merely be playing for bowl positioning on Thanksgiving Night at Texas A&M. It also likely meant interim head coach Ed Orgeron will not be retained, as cCoach Od fell to 4-2 since taking over for Les Miles.

(19) Tennessee 63, Missouri 37

What happened: The first of two SEC games on the day to finish with 100 total points went the way of Tennessee, which provided plenty of excitement for the 100,000-plus fans in Neyland Stadium, who were crushed during the first quarter when Floridas win over LSU ended the Vols SEC East title hopes. Joshua Dobbs was brilliant in his final home game, finishing with 413 yards of total offense, three passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. Missouri ran for 420 yards, the second straight Tennessee opponent to crack the 400-yard mark on the ground, but it wasnt enough, as the Vols scored 35 of the final 45 points after Missouri closed to within 28-27 midway through the third quarter.

What it means: Despite Florida clinching the SEC East, Tennessee did keep hopes alive for a Sugar Bowl berth with another offensive explosion. The run defense remains a mess with so many injuries up the middle, which could be a problem next week at Vanderbilt. Missouri fell to 3-8 and will close out the season on Friday against Arkansas in Columbia. The offense continued its season-long progress, but the complete regression of the defense must be addressed in the offseason.

Arkansas 58, Mississippi State 42

What happened: Arkansas continued its on-again, off-again ways, bouncing back from a 38-10 defeat to LSU with a dominant road win in Starkville. Rawleigh Williams ran for 205 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half, while freshman Devwah Whaley added 112 yards and a score. The passing game was clicking as well, with Austin Allen completing 18 of 25 passes for 303 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Nick Fitzgerald was excellent in a losing effort, amassing 459 yards of total offense, matching Williams with four rushing touchdowns and throwing for two other scores.

What it means: Arkansas could be headed to a Florida bowl, likely the Outback, for the first time in 10 years if it can beat Missouri on Friday and finish 8-4. The inconsistent play from week to week is maddening, but this year appears to be yet another improvement from the previous year for Bret Bielema. Mississippi State will be home for the holidays, slumping to 4-7, but could also keep rival Ole Miss out of the postseason with an Egg Bowl win next Saturday in Oxford.

Vanderbilt 38, Ole Miss 17

What happened: A 10-0 Rebels lead was quickly erased, as the Vanderbilt offense produced its best performance of the year against an Ole Miss defense that is completely broken. Ralph Webb found the end zone three times despite not being 100 percent, and Kyle Shurmur was steady with a pair of touchdown passes and no turnovers. Freshman quarterback Shea Patterson missed on more than half of his 42 passes, also losing a fumble. He got little help from a running game that averaged just 3.3 yards per carry.

What it means: Vanderbilt improved to 5-6, and appears destined for a bowl game given the results elsewhere that all but ensured that a handful of five-win teams will go bowling. The Commodores have the second-highest APR among teams who could finish 5-7. They could get in own their own merit with a win next week against Tennessee, but likely will play a 13th game regardless. Ole Miss also stands at 5-6, needing an Egg Bowl win to reach the postseason. Regardless of the result, coaching changes are imminent for the Rebels, who have had the most stable staff in the SEC over the past few years.

Around The Nation

– Teams clinching division titles on Saturday: Clemson (ACC Atlantic), Florida (SEC East), Navy (AAC West)

– Colorado remained one of the best stories of the college football season, as the 9-2 Buffaloes disposed of No. 22 Washington State, 38-24. With a home win next Saturday night over Utah, Colorado will win the Pac-12 South after winning just five conference games in its first five seasons in the Pac-12.

– 55-year-old Joe Thomas Sr., father of Green Bay Packers linebacker Joe Thomas Jr., received four carries for South Carolina State in its 32-0 win over Savannah State on Saturday, becoming what is thought to be the oldest player in Division I history. Read more on Thomas remarkable story here.

– Louisvilles shocking blowout loss to Houston narrowed the Heisman Trophy race, but Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson is still the heavy favorite. A strong performance next week against Kentucky should be enough to sew up the award. Should he stumble again, look out for Oklahoma wide receiver DeDe Westbrook, who has exactly 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns over the last nine games.

– Multiple reports say Texas and Charlie Strong will part ways, likely prior to the Longhorns regular season finale on Friday afternoon against TCU. Strongs record in Austin stands at 16-20, a shocking mark after he led Louisville to a Sugar Bowl victory in 2012 and a 12-1 season in 2013 before leaving for more burnt orange pastures. Strong will land on his feet as either a head coach (Purdue? Cincinnati?) or as a defensive coordinator (Ole Miss? Notre Dame?), and Texas will likely hire Houstons Tom Herman. Strong is a great football coach and Texas is a great job, but those two things dont always mesh.

– Heres how UConns last 43 drives have ended: Halftime, Punt, Punt, Missed field goal, Punt, Punt, Turnover on Downs, Turnover on Downs, Turnover on Downs, Punt, Punt, Missed field goal, Field goal, Turnover on Downs, Punt, Fumble, Turnover on Downs, Punt, Punt, Interception, Interception, End of Game, Punt, Punt, Missed field goal, Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt, Turnover on Downs, Punt, Punt, Punt, Turnover on Downs, Interceptions, Punt, Punt, Interception, Punt, Fumble, Interception . . . Thats three points on its last 43 drives. Three points. Think changes are coming for the Huskies offense?

– The targeting rule has been criticized ever since it was implemented four seasons ago, usually for turning good, clean football hits into penalties and ejections. On Saturday in the Virginia Tech-Notre Dame game, the opposite occurred, as ACC officials missed and failed to review two clear blows to the head of Fighting Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer. That Notre Dame wasnt able to benefit from the penalty yardage in its 34-31 loss is secondary to the fact that the crew failed to properly care for player safety. If the rule isnt serving its primary purpose, then get rid of it entirely.

– An impressive win for Oklahoma on Saturday night in the West Virginia snow, as the Sooners stormed to a 35-0 lead en route to a 56-28 thrashing of the Mountaineers. Oklahoma has now won eight straight games after a 1-2 start and will play for its ninth Big 12 title under Bob Stoops in two weeks against Oklahoma State in the Bedlam game. Credit to Stoops, as his team appears poised to win ten games for the ninth time in 11 seasons.

– It may not be enough to save his job, but Oregons Mark Helfrich got a big road win on Saturday, as the Ducks stunned No. 14 Utah, 30-28, on a beautiful last-second touchdown catch by Darren Carrington. Would a fourth straight Civil War win (and Oregons ninth straight in the series) and a 5-7 finish be enough for Helfrich to survive? The Ducks havent fired a coach in 40 years. My gut says hes back in 2017.

– Donnel Pumphrey update: The San Diego State tailback ran for just 76 yards in Saturdays 34-33 loss to Wyoming, bringing his career total to 6,127 yards. He trails Wisconsins Ron Dayne for the NCAA career rushing lead by 270 yards. The Aztecs have two regular-season games left, a Mountain West Championship Game and a bowl game. With four games to play, Pumphrey will need to average 90 yards per game to break the record.

– We could see teams that start 6-0 and 0-6 both finish 6-6. Baylor dropped it fourth straight game on Saturday, a 42-21 loss to Kansas State, to move to 6-4. The Bears play Texas Tech in Arlington on Friday before finishing the regular season at West Virginia. Conversely, Miami (OH), which began 0-6, enters Tuesday nights finale against Ball State with a 5-6 record. Which would be more unlikely? Given we expected Baylor to tail off in the second half of the season with its depth issues resulting from its off-field issues, my vote goes to the RedHawks.

– Week 13 Clinching Scenarios

Already clinched: Clemson (ACC Atlantic), Florida (SEC East), Alabama (SEC West), Navy (AAC West), Louisiana Tech (Conference USA West), San Diego State (MWC West)

ACC Coastal

-Virginia Tech clinches division title with win vs. Virginia OR North Carolina loss vs. N.C. State (Friday)
-North Carolina clinches division title with win vs. N.C. State (Friday) AND Virginia Tech loss vs. Virginia

Big Ten East

-Michigan clinches division title with win at Ohio State
-Ohio State clinches division title with win vs. Michigan AND Penn State loss vs. Michigan State
-Penn State clinches division title with win vs. Michigan State AND Michigan loss at Ohio State

Big Ten West

-Wisconsin clinches division title with win vs. Minnesota OR Nebraska loss at Iowa (Friday)
-Nebraska clinches division title with win at Iowa (Friday) AND Wisconsin loss vs. Minnesota

Pac-12 North

-Washington State clinches division title with win vs. Washington (Friday)
-Washington clinches division title with win at Washington State (Friday)

Pac-12 South

-Colorado clinches division title with win vs. Utah
-USC clinches division title with Colorado loss vs. Utah

AAC East

-Temple clinches division title with win vs. East Carolina OR USF loss vs. UCF
-USF clinches division title with win vs. UCF AND Temple loss vs. East Carolina

Conference USA East

-Western Kentucky clinches division title with win at Marshall OR Old Dominion loss vs. FIU
-Old Dominion clinches division title with win vs. FIU AND Western Kentucky loss at Marshall

MAC East

-Ohio clinches division title with win vs. Akron (Tuesday) OR Miami (OH) loss vs. Ball State (Tuesday)
-Miami (OH) clinches division title with win vs. Ball State (Tuesday) AND Ohio loss vs. Akron (Tuesday)

MAC West

-Western Michigan clinches division title with win vs. Toledo (Friday)
-Toledo clinches division title with win at Western Michigan (Friday)

Mountain West Mountain

-Wyoming clinches division title with win at New Mexico OR Boise State loss at Air Force (Friday)
-Boise State clinches division title with win at Air Force (Friday) AND Wyoming loss at New Mexico

Sun Belt

-Arkansas State clinches conference title with win at Louisiana-Lafayette

– I am currently projecting 74-76 teams to finish with .500 or better records. That would leave four to six open bowl slots for sub-.500 teams. Hawaii, which plays 13 games, would take one if it defeats Massachusetts next week to finish 6-7. Duke has the highest APR in the FBS, so if the 4-7 Blue Devils win at Miami (FL), they would fill one slot. Vanderbilt (5-6), Army (6-5, but with two FCS wins), Boston College (5-6), North Texas (5-6), Texas (5-6) and Northern Illinois (4-7) also could sneak into the postseason at 5-7 due to success graduating players.

Top 10

1. Alabama

2. Ohio State

3. Clemson

4. Michigan

5. Wisconsin

6. Penn State

7. Oklahoma

8. Washington

9. Oklahoma State

10. Colorado

Bowl Projections

CFP Semifinals

Chick-fil-A: (1) Alabama vs. (4) Wisconsin
Fiesta: (2) Clemson vs. (3) Ohio State

New Years Six Bowls

Orange: Louisville vs. Penn State
Cotton: Boise State vs. USC
Rose: Michigan vs. Washington State
Sugar: Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M

SEC Bowls

Citrus: Tennessee vs. Florida State
Outback: Arkansas vs. Nebraska
TaxSlayer: Florida vs. Georgia Tech
Belk: LSU vs. North Carolina
Music City: Georgia vs. Minnesota
Texas: Auburn vs. TCU
Liberty: Ole Miss vs. Baylor
Birmingham: Kentucky vs. USF
Independence: South Carolina vs. Wake Forest
Military: Vanderbilt vs. Temple