Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. Read his ballots here.
College football’s regular season wrapped up with a wild weekend of rivalries and playoff positioning. Defending national champion Ohio State finally got a win against archrival Michigan (blaming the blue pants worn by the Wolverines there), and Texas and Alabama posted huge victories, but the craziest shake-down involved the ACC.
Years ago, Washington Post writer Patrick Stevens spearheaded “Coastal Chaos” on what was then Twitter to figure out how all seven Coastal Division teams could finish 4-4 in the league and blow up the universe. There’s no more Coastal, but Cal’s 38-35 upset of No. 25 SMU created a five-way tie for second place.
Nothing says ACC like Cal-SMU, and nothing says ACC like it going to the fifth tiebreaker to determine that a Duke team with losses to UConn and Tulane will make the short trip to Charlotte for a potential spot in the College Football Playoff.
Navy (9-2, 7-1 American) put itself in a prime position with their Thanksgiving night 28-17 win at Memphis as the much-maligned Midshipmen defense (six straight games allowing 30+ points) pitched a shutout in the second half, holding the Tigers 68 yards after intermission. Scoreboard-watching was not as fun, as North Texas and Tulane won on Friday and Saturday, respectively, to secure the two spots in the American Conference championship game.
Midshipman Medals: Blake Horvath threw for 100 yards and a touchdown while running for 54 more and another score. Alex Tecza rushed for 103 yards and two TD’s. The defense held Memphis to 4-12 on third down, led by Luke Pirris who tallied two sacks among his seven tackles.
Midshipman Miscues: Seven penalties for 56 yards is not ideal, while the ground game averaged 3.3 yards per carry on the night.
Next: Dec. 13 against 6-5 Army in Baltimore at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.
No. 20 James Madison (11-1, 8-0 Sun Belt) in their game at Coastal Carolina saw the Chanticleers rally from a 20-point deficit to crawl within 20-10 at the half. The intermission entertainment involved Revolutionary War re-enactors firing muskets at midfield, and it was the Dukes who were firing on all cylinders in a second half where they scored every time they touched the ball before the game-ending kneel down of a 59-10 rout.
Duke Do’s: Alonza Barnett threw three touchdown passes while running for another score. Jobi Malary rushed for 154 yards and a TD while Wayne Knight (hello, Newman) gained 85 yards on the ground. KJ Flowe returned an interception for a score and the defense held the Chanticleers to 2-16 on third down.
Duke Don’ts: The pressure to match muskets at halftime will mount in Harrisonburg, I’m sure. Six penalties aren’t ideal, but in a 59-10 rout, what are we supposed to find?
Next: Friday at 7 p.m. against 8-4 Troy in the Sun Belt Conference championship game on ESPN.
No. 17 Virginia (10-2, 7-1 ACC) was battling for more than a spot in the ACC Championship Game as the Cavaliers were confronting two-plus decades of dominance by Virginia Tech (3-9, 2-6) in the series that included a slew of frustrating defeats. It looked as if those ghosts were back at Scott Stadium, but disaster was averted when the Hokies’ first two possessions ended with an interception at midfield and a missed field goal. The Virginia defense then held VT to 13 yards on their next twelve plays from scrimmage and led 14-0 at the half on their way to a 27-7 thumping for their first win in the series since 2019.
Cavalier Congrats: J’Mari Taylor rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown while also throwing a TD pass. Maddux Marcellus notched nine tackles, half a sack, and an interception to help hold the Hokies to 2-14 on third down. Will Bettridge made all five of his kicks (two field goals and three extra points).
Cavalier Concerns: Tough to find anything wrong in a 20-point win over an in-state conference foe, although they averaged just 5.1 yards per passing attempt and committed five penalties.
Next: Saturday night at 8 p.m. on ABC in the ACC championship game against 7-5 Duke.
Hokie Highlights: Noah Chambers tallied eight tackles to pace the defense while Nick Veltsistas averaged 46.3 yards per punt. Shamarius Peterkin’s 57-yard touchdown catch prevents the program’s first shutout since 1995.
Hokie Humblings: The offense failed to convert a third down after the end of the first quarter and finished with more punts (seven) than first downs (six) as Kyron Drones completed 4-16 passes with two interceptions. The defense faded late, coughing up 92 yards rushing in the fourth quarter.
Next: Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, against VMI.
Maryland (4-8, 1-8 Big Ten) rallied from 17 down at halftime to pull within three points of Michigan State at Ford Field in Detroit. But given a chance to take the lead, the Terrapins’ next three drives resulted in a three-and-out, missed field goal, and a sack on fourth down. The Spartans would throw a touchdown pass on a fourth down with under two minutes left in regulation to wrap up a 38-28 loss for the Terps, who tumbled from 4-0 and receiving votes after a first-ever win at Wisconsin to an eight-game losing streak and a 17th-place finish in the Big Ten.
Terrapin Triumphs: Freshman quarterback Malik Washington threw for 459 yards and three touchdowns, and his top two targets were Shaleak Knotts (eight catches for 139 yards and a score) and Jalil Farooq (10-110-2). Jamare Glasker made a fourth-quarter interception that gave the team hope.
Terrapin Troubles: The defense was unable to post a sack against a Spartans team that had allowed the most (37) in the Big Ten and surrendered 5.2 yards per rush. Special teams allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown. Penalties (eight for 75 yards) continue to be a problem as the team’s 72 on the season is the second most in the Big Ten.
Next: Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, against Hampton.
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