Don't look now, but the Big Ten isn't the only Power Five conference that promises to have a fantastic finish. The Pac-12 would like to have a word.
The Apple Cup between Washington and Washington State still has huge implications while Colorado -- yes, Colorado -- can wrap up the Pac-12 South with a win over Utah in Week 13. Little was decided in the playoff race this week except for a few teams -- Louisville and West Virginia chief among them -- gracefully removing themselves from the conversation.
Oh, yeah, and Texas. Oh no, Texas.
With so much action going on around the country, we here at CBS Sports want to get you caught up on all the noteworthy things that went down -- both the good and not so good. What were the highlights from Week 12? What were the moments some programs want to forget? We hash out the best and worst below.
Winner -- Colorado (or, why this isn't a feel-good story anymore): Colorado's sudden rise back to the top of college football has been one of the feel-good stories of the season. A doormat for the past decade, the once-proud program finally turned a corner under coach Mike MacIntyre. At first, the Buffs made good on that turnaround by achieving bowl eligibility. But then they kept winning, and a 38-24 victory over red-hot Washington State -- by far the game of the day -- completely changed the narrative. This is no longer just a nice story; Colorado is a legitimate team with a real chance to win the Pac-12 South, maybe more.
Loser -- The Charlie Strong era at Texas: Full disclosure: I like Strong and I haven't met a reporter or fan who doesn't. I also think Strong is a good coach. He transformed Louisville from a flaming RV of a program to one that churned out NFL-caliber talent and won a lot of games. He has the respect of guys like Steve Spurrier, Urban Meyer and Lou Holtz. Those things count for something. But Strong can't lose to Kansas 24-21 in overtime in Year 3 ... and he especially can't do that by blowing a fourth-quarter lead and having his team turn the ball over six times. Exactly when Texas opts to pull the cord on Strong is less important if only because it's inevitable now that it will. Given that Strong was never a recipient of the boosters' full support, it's probably best the two sides part ways.
Winner -- Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey: It's been a minute since McCaffrey has been talked about, but he hasn't had the Heisman Trophy-like year he was expected to have and Stanford experienced a bit of a drop-off. That's nothing Cal's run defense can't fix, though! The dynamic playmaker rushed for a career-high 284 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-31 win over the Golden Bears. It's probably too late to earn him a trip to New York for the Heisman ceremony, but it was good to see McCaffrey do his thing again.
Winner -- Florida: The Gators won their second straight SEC East title with a starting lineup made of duct tape, some wire and a flimsy piece of cheap gauze. They go to Atlanta -- likely to get torn apart by a much better, deeper and healthier Alabama -- because they beat LSU 16-10 on a goal-line stand. It was not pretty; in fact, it was the opposite. The win counted all the same, though. And the Gators did all of this in the face of heavy criticism for refusing to play the previously-scheduled game against the Tigers on Oct. 8 because of reasons they felt were justified related to Hurricane Matthew. Others /looks directly at LSU/ didn't agree and tensions boiled over into a pre-game scuffle. Through all the drama, one side was going to come out look good and the other not so good. Florida happened to come out on the good side.
As for LSU? "They got what they deserved," Gators coach Jim McElwain said.
Loser -- LSU: Buried, but not totally lost in everything else that happened Saturday was LSU's decision to allow star running back Leonard Fournette to suit up against the Gators. Reports before the game indicated Fournette, who has been nursing a nagging ankle injury all season, was not expected to play. But he suited up anyway in what appeared to be a change-of-heart after the pre-game confrontation in which he shoved a Gators assistant. He rushed for 40 yards on 12 carries, didn't score and wasn't given the ball when the Tigers needed one yard to win the game. And now he's worse off with LSU vying for a mid-tier bowl bid.
Loser -- Ohio State: How can a team win and still lose? Ohio State is in a tough spot. It got a hard-earned 17-16 win over Michigan State with the final score reflecting a failed two-point conversion. However, it doesn't control its divisional destiny. A win over Michigan in Week 13 means nothing in the conference title hunt if Penn State beats Michigan State. Would the College Football Playoff Selection Committee still give the Buckeyes a spot as a non-conference champion? We might have a couple of weeks to debate the possibility, though it would seem Ohio State has a shot.
Winner -- Oregon wide receiver Darren Carrington: If you haven't seen Carrington's spectacular game-winning catch against Utah, you can change that by viewing the video below. Carrington's catch didn't just win the game, it might have won the season for the beleaguered Ducks. There hasn't been much to cheer about and coach Mark Helfrich's job status has been a point of uncertainty. However, there's promise at quarterback with freshman Justin Herbert, and Carrington's touchdown grab, which capped off an impressive drive, shows there's still heart on this team. Another win and Oregon can go into 2017 with some confidence that the program isn't in shambles like it's been projected.
Loser -- Texas Tech: This was shaping up to be a rough year in Lubbock, but did anyone expect a 66-10 loss to Iowa State? That's a low point for coach Kliff Kingsbury, maybe the low point. Quietly, the Cyclones have steadily improved under first-year coach Matt Campbell, but they never had the win to show for it. That's changed and the Red Raiders have an embarrassing box score to show for it. It's the third time this year Tech has given up at least 60 points, a bowl game is out of the picture and a season-ending game against Baylor is for pride only.
Winner -- East Carolina wide receiver Zay Jones: The senior passed a former Pirates wideout, Justin Hardy, to break the FBS record for all-time career catches in a loss to Navy. Hardy ended the day with 12 receptions, putting him with 392 catches for his career. It's been a disappointing season for the Pirates, but they now have a comfortable spot in the record books with two top-tier pass-catchers.
Loser -- Tennessee and the reality of another disappointing season: Coach Butch Jones can spin this any way he wants. This was a disappointing season given the expectations. Yes, the Vols sustained a rash of injuries that would test any depth chart's structural integrity. Yes, playing the October from Hell with games against Texas A&M and Alabama stunk. But with this roster that talented and a bad SEC East, there was no reason why Tennessee should not have won the division. Yet, with its own patchwork team, Florida managed to do it, and the Vols' 63-37 win over Missouri hardly seems like a good consolation prize.
Winner -- Florida State running back Dalvin Cook: There were a lot of records broken today, but Cook surpassing Warrick Dunn for FSU's all-time career rushing yardage is special. Cook needed 18 yards to bypass the Seminole great and did so easily with 225 yards in a 45-14 win over Syracuse. The junior now has 4,166 yards for his career and counting.
Loser -- What to do about Oklahoma State? Oklahoma State's loss to Central Michigan happened. It's in the record books and everything. It shouldn't have happened since the game officials and replay officials botched the untimed down that gave CMU the chance at a successful Hail Mary-lateral, but it happened all the same. Now that Oklahoma State sits at 9-2 thanks to a big win over TCU and on the verge of a possible Big 12 title, that results rings louder than ever. What does the playoff committee do? So far, there have been no signs the Cowboys have a shot at the final four. But if things get weird elsewhere, it at least opens up a conversation that should include this team.
Winner -- South Carolina State running back Joe Thomas Sr.: The 55-year-old -- yes, 55 -- made college football Division I history by becoming the oldest player to see the field. Thomas made that history on senior day (save your jokes, please) with a three-yard rush (he finished with four rushes for -1 yard). Thomas is the father of Green Bay Packers linebacker Joe Thomas Jr., who also went to South Carolina State.
Loser -- Flop of the Week, Part I (Louisville): It was a long shot, but Louisville still had playoff hopes entering Week 12. No more. A 36-10 blowout loss to Houston coupled with Clemson's win over Wake Forest seals the Cardinals' postseason fate. All is not lost, however. Lamar Jackson remains a frontrunner for the Heisman and 10 (or even 11) wins is still in the cards (no pun intended). But how different things could have looked for Louisville if this week had gone another way.
Winner -- Wyoming: Coach Craig Bohl has done a remarkable job of turning Wyoming not only into a respectable program, but an actual threat within the Mountain West. The Cowboys picked up a signature win over San Diego State, the ending of which featured compelling drama with a tipped touchdown pass and a failed two-point conversion by the Aztecs. If Wyoming (8-3) beats New Mexico next, it will go to the conference championship game. Yes, over Boise State.
Loser -- Flop of the Week, Part II (West Virginia): Scratch the Mountaineers off the longshot playoff list, too. Hosting Oklahoma was paraded as West Virginia's biggest game since joining the Big 12. And what did the 'Eers do? Oh, nothing, just got blasted 56-28 in a game that was over by the first quarter. This has been an overachieving season in Morgantown, no doubt. Get two more victories and West Virginia will have its first 10-win season since coach Dana Holgorsen's first year in 2011. As for its ability to compete with the Big 12's best, though? West Virginia, save for Justin Crawford's 331-yard effort, fell short in a big way.
Winner -- Clemson: Clemson quietly wrapped up the ACC Atlantic by handling Wake Forest 35-13 -- presumably without the help of the Demon Deacons' game plan conveniently lying around. After the stunning loss to Pitt the week before, the Tigers could use a Saturday away from the spotlight. Assuming Clemson wins its next two games -- against South Carolina and a TBD opponent in the ACC Championship Game -- it will be in the playoff easily, and the Pitt loss will be but a minor hiccup.
Loser -- #RankTroy: Last week, I implored top-25 voters to include Troy in their ballots because the Trojans were 8-1 and the lone loss was by six points to Clemson. I should have guessed Troy would get beat 35-3 by Arkansas State thanks to a hefty helping of five turnovers. Never mind. Don't listen to us.
Winner -- Kansas' proper celebratin': Way back at the beginning of the season, I had some fun at Kansas' expense when some Jayhawk fans tried to rush the field and were promptly told to return to their seats. The good news is Kansas fans have learned how to properly celebrate a huge win. They successfully tore down a goal post and carried it off the field. That's called evolving, folks.
Loser -- Notre Dame's 'just end it already' campaign: It will likely get lost in all the games and upsets, but Notre Dame officially all but officially lost out on bowl eligibility with a 34-31 loss to Virginia Tech. But it's not just that; the Irish blew what was a 24-7 lead and allowed 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. If you're going go out, that's a hell of a way to do it.