Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. Read his ballots here.
It’s a shame that there isn’t a perfect natural rival for every school in college football. Because nothing beats a rivalry game to end the regular season.
Michigan’s 13-10 upset of No. 2 Ohio State means the Buckeyes won’t get their rematch with Oregon for the Big Ten championship (Penn State enters through the side door) while Coach Ryan Day shows the symptoms of “Cooperitis” (named after ex-OSU coach John Cooper who went 2-10-1 against “the school up north” during his tenure).
Of course, the skirmish when Michigan tried to plant their flag on the O at the center of the field will be what this one will be remembered for as well. Can’t we just get along?
Navy (8-3,6-2 AAC) trailed East Carolina 3-0 at the half after missing a field to at the end of the second quarter. But perhaps that drive sparked a strong second half, as they’d begin the third quarter with a 76-yard march covering 14 plays lasting almost eight minutes for their first touchdown of the day. The offense would score on four of their next five possessions to pull away from the Pirates 34-20 and get the team in the right mindset for their annual showdown with Army.
Midshipman Medals: Braxton Woodson filled in superbly for the injured Blake Horvath, rushing for 125 yards and two touchdowns while throwing for 125 and another score. The team tallied 293 yards on the ground (5.5 per carry). Rayuan Lane notched nine tackles to pace a defense that held ECU to 4-15 on third down.
Midshipman Miscues: The defense after handcuffing the Pirates all afternoon surrendered points three of the last four times ECU had the ball. The wheels were spinning early offensively as the team gained 39 yards on its first 22 plays from scrimmage, with a fumble setting up the Pirates’ only score of the first half.
Next: Saturday, Dec. 14 against No. 25 Army.
Maryland (4-8, 1-8 Big Ten) took a first quarter lead at No. 4 Penn State thanks to a 25-yard touchdown pass from M.J. Morris to Kaden Prather set up by a Tommy Akingbesote fumble recovery, but the offense would manage just six net yards on 19 plays over their next five possessions as the Nittany Lions would score four touchdowns in the first half to take a 31-7 lead into intermission, wrapping up with a 44-7 rout of the Terps.
Terrapin Triumphs: Daniel Wingate tallied 13 tackles while Ruben Hyppolite II posted 11 stops in his final game for the Terps. The defense held the Nittany Lions to 5-15 on third down. Roman Hemby rushed for 64 yards-his second highest total since September.
Terrapin Troubles: Minus an injured Billy Edwards Jr. the Big Ten’s most productive passing game was held to 122 yards on 26 passes and the offense converted just 2-12 third downs. Morris threw three interceptions while the offensive line allowed six sacks. The defense coughed up 219 yards on the ground while allowing touchdowns on four straight drives in the first half.
Next: Saturday Aug. 30, 2025 against Florida Atlantic at SECU Stadium.
Virginia Tech (6-6, 4-4 ACC) punched its postseason ticket as they had five previous times in the last 13 years, with a win on the final weekend of the regular season against Virginia (5-7, 3-5). Saturday night they began with a bang, reaching the end zone on their first possession while settling for a field goal the second time they had the ball. In the interim, UVa posted a three and out and was saddled with a double-digit deficit the rest of the night in a 37-17 Virginia Tech victory. One school bowls, while the other begins a long offseason.
Hokie Highlights: William “Pop” Watson III threw for 254 yards and a touchdown while running for 48 and another score. Bhayshul Tuten finished his senior season with a flourish, rushing for 124 yards and two TD’s. Antwaun Powell-Ryland notched three of the defense’s five sacks while John Love made all three of his field goal attempts.
Hokie Humblings: The defense did allow touchdowns on consecutive possessions in the second half. But in a 20-point thumping of an instate foe it’s tough to find blemishes. Even the overdone smoked turkey legs tasted good for the home team at Lane Stadium.
Next: 247sports said they’ll face Tulane in the Fenway Bowl.
Cavaliers Congrats: Tony Muskett getting the spot start for Anthony Colandrea rushed for both of UVa’s touchdowns. Kam Robinson posted a sack in his team-leading nine tackles. And Daniel Sparks averaged 52 yards per punt (his 57 punts this fall are second-most in the ACC).
Cavalier Concerns: Muskett completed just over 50% of his passes for under 10 yards per completion, while the team managed just 96 yards rushing on 3.0 per carry. The defense allowed 5.4 yards per rush and 12.1 yards per pass attempt. Two interceptions didn’t help their cause, with the first resulting in a Hokies field goal right before halftime and the other slamming the door on a fourth-quarter comeback.
Next: Saturday Aug. 30, 2025 against Coastal Carolina.
James Madison (8-4, 4-4 Sun Belt) while no longer in contention for the conference championship had a chance to determine who would be playing for the title and took a 17-0 halftime lead over East Division-leading Marshall. Unfortunately, like the 2024 season a strong start needs to be sustained, and the Thundering Herd scored 24 points after the break to force overtime, with JMU slipping 35-33 in double OT. A season that began with plenty of promise (the 70 points scored at North Carolina probably more of a reflection of the Tar Heels in turmoil than how good JMU was) ends with back-to-back losses where the defense coughed up 30+ points.
Duke Do’s: Senior Jobi Malary rushes for 106 yards and a touchdown (he entered the night with 151 on the season and 244 for his career) while the ground game gained 244 yards on the evening. Khairi Manns tallied 10 tackles while Eric O’Neill posted 2.5 sacks.
Duke Don’ts: Allowing a field goal on Marshall’s first second half possession after posting a shutout over the first thirty minutes got things going for the visitors. Alonza Barnett III’s two fumbles were recovered by his teammates, but his interception was returned for a touchdown that tied the game up at 17. Ryan Hanson averaged 34.5 yards on his four punts to give the Thundering Herd decent field position.
Next: 247sports said they’re playing in the Detroit Bowl against Toledo.
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