Georgia’s step forward, LSU’s collapse and other winners and losers from Week 12 of college football

Georgia linebacker Chris Cole (18) celebrates after recovering fumble late during the second half of a NCAA college football game against Tennessee in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024.

There are just two weeks left in the 2024 college football regular season, and it still feels like there are a wide range of potential outcomes with the College Football Playoff field.

The coming weeks will give us more clarity, but as things currently stand, several conference races are wide open, particularly in the SEC and Big 12. That’s in large part thanks to Georgia’s win over Tennessee, which set up an SEC race featuring six teams with two losses or fewer, and previously unbeaten BYU’s loss to Kansas on Saturday night.

Week 12 wasn’t the most loaded slate of games, but it gave us a few thrilling and surprising results. Here are the winners and losers.

Winner: Florida’s off-field momentum translates to on-field results

Nov 16, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2), offensive lineman Austin Barber (58) and teammates celebrate after they beat the LSU Tigers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Following a loss to Georgia in which the Gators led in the second quarter before an injury knocked star true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway out of the game, athletic director Scott Stricklin made the surprising announcement that coach Billy Napier, who many believed occupied the hottest seat in America, would return in 2025.

The statement raised some eyebrows given Florida’s on-field struggles during the Napier era as well as stalled recruiting momentum with a 2025 class that ranked outside the top 50. A blowout loss to Texas with a shorthanded roster in the immediate aftermath didn’t make the decision any more understandable.

But it did have one instant effect:…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/georgias-step-forward-lsus-collapse-232704848.html

Author : FTW Outdoors

Publish date : 2024-11-18 23:27:04

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