COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES OF THE WEEK – WEEK 12: Iowa-Minnesota, Oklahoma State-Oklahoma, and more

Last week’s slate of college football action saw top-25 upsets and high scoring action throughout the day.

Tulane couldn’t shake their losing streak against ranked opponents in their loss to UCF. Penn State was able to keep Maryland at bay. Washington upset Oregon on the road and climbed higher in the polls. Ole Miss couldn’t get it done at home against Alabama. Finally, in our game of the week, TCU proved they’re legit defeating the Longhorns in Austin.

This week, Iowa and Minnesota battle for a trophy unlike any other. Illinois and Michigan renew their rivalry as the Illini try and pull a fast one. We return to the Autzen Zoo for a top-15 matchup between the Utes and Ducks. Bedlam begins its final days in Oklahoma. It all leads to our game of the week between two schools looking to claim the title as Kings of Los Angeles. 

Welcome to Week 12 of the college football season. Here are the Dailymail.com picks for games to keep an eye on… 

Honorable Mentions

• UConn Huskies (6-5) @ Army Black Knights (3-6) (Saturday at Noon ET / CBS Sports Network / Michie Stadium, West Point, NY)   Yes, I’m talking about a 6-5 UConn team because this is a heartwarming story. In 2019, the UConn Huskies were the worst team in FBS football. In 2020, the UConn Huskies didn’t play at all during the season. In 2021, the UConn Huskies fired their head coach two games into the season and returned to being the worst team in FBS football. This year, under first year head coach Jim Mora, UConn became bowl eligible for the first time since 2015. However, because they’re independents, they’re fighting for an at-large bowl berth. If they win a seventh game, their case becomes stronger. They play their last game at the military academy to try and do just that.
• no. 5 Tennessee Volunteers (9-1) @ South Carolina Gamecocks (6-4) (Saturday at 7:00 ET / ESPN / Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC)   Tennessee is going to win this game, but with few hurdles left in their way, the Volunteers need to make sure they don’t stumble in case Georgia does. If you don’t feel like watching Game 4 or our Game of the Week, you can put this one on.
• ‘The Revivalry ‘ no. 4 TCU Horned Frogs (10-0) @ Baylor Bears (6-4) (Saturday @ Noon ET / FOX / McLane Stadium, Waco, TX)   Searches for why this game is called the ‘Revivalry’ don’t generate a lot of results. There are a few suggestions. 1) they were rivals, but hardly played until TCU joined the Big 12. 2) the ‘revival’ part of the name ‘Revivalry’ could be a nod to Christian revivalism as both schools are Christian affiliated. 3) As Baylor’s website suggests, the game ‘is marked by change and resilience having been revived and rebuilt throughout the centuries’ as both schools have moved campuses before. Whatever the reason, this is a great matchup and should be fun to watch early in the day.

Game 1: ‘The Battle for Floyd of Rosedale’  Iowa Hawkeyes (6-4) @ Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-3)

• Saturday @ 4:00 (FOX) /  Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN

Neither team is ranked, but there are two reasons this game is here: 1) the chaotic nature of the Big Ten West this year and 2) they give the winner a bronze pig.

Say hello to Floyd of Rosedale:

The trophy has a slightly dark past, centered around Minnesota poorly treating Iowa’s Ozzie Simmons – one of the few Black players in that time of college football – during a game in 1934 by bringing late hits and injuring him.

Ahead of the following year’s game, the Governor of Iowa threatened that the crowd would riot if the treatment was repeated in 1935 and Minnesota’s coach was flooded with threatening letters.

Minnesota’s Governor Floyd Olson tried to lighten the tension by betting a Minnesota prize hog against and Iowa prize hog. Iowa Governor Clyde Herring accepted, and when the Golden Gophers won (in a game without incident or mistreatment of Simmons), he collected a hog from Rosedale Farms. The pig was named Floyd after Olson and so he was known as ‘Floyd of Rosedale’.

The living Floyd of Rosedale died shortly after this incident, which led to Olson commissioning a sculptor to create a new trophy. What he created was the 98 pound (44 kg) trophy that remains to this day. 

As for the current day ramifications of this game, neither team is in control of the Big Ten West. In fact, the margin for top of the division is razor thin.

With just two games left in the regular season for each team, there is a four-way tie atop the Big Ten West between Purdue, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota.

If either of these teams hope to go to Indianapolis and the Big Ten Championship Game, a win here is necessary. 

Game 2: Illinois Fighting Illini (7-3) @ no. 3 Michigan Wolverines (10-0)

• Saturday @ 3:30 ET (FOX) / ‘The Big House’  Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI

For more on the Big Ten West, we turn to Illinois – a team that’s had an up and down year as injuries have piled up.

RB Chase Brown leads the country in rushing yards, but he went down and left the final minute of last week’s loss to Purdue with a leg injury. Head coach Bret Bielema says he could be good to go for the game, but without him, Illinois really won’t stand much of a chance.

Tommy DeVito has had a pretty good year as the starting QB for the Illini after transferring from Syracuse last season. He has a 70% completion percentage and is on track to break his career highs for passing yardage and passing touchdowns.

If only they weren’t running into an absolute Buzzsaw in Michigan.

Brown may be first in rushing yards, but Michigan RB Blake Corum is fourth in rushing yards and has the second most rushing TDs in the country with 17.

Where this game turns fun is defense. Michigan leads the nation in scoring defense and total defense. Illinois is third in scoring defense and second in total defense.

All signs point to this being a classic Big Ten game: smash mouth football featuring great defense and low scoring.

Game 3: no. 10 Utah Utes (8-2) @ no. 12 Oregon Ducks (8-2)

• Saturday at 10:30pm ET (ESPN) / ‘The Autzen Zoo’  Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR

With the loss to Washington last week, Oregon’s hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff died. It was the first time they’d lost to the Huskies at home since 2016 and only the third time they lost to them in the current millennium.

They say it never rains at Autzen Stadium, but how else could it be explained why Oregon RB Noah Whittington slipped on what should have been a simple 4th and 1 run to ice the game with 1:26 remaining. After turning the ball over, and the game tied, Washington ran four plays, kicked a field goal, and held on to win 37-34.

As predicted, defense was thrown out the window this game. Both teams earned over 500 total yards of offense, with Oregon almost eclipsing 600. The Ducks had two running backs pass 100 yards of rushing, but just couldn’t stop Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. from tossing the ball for 408 yards.

They should have a tougher time getting yards like that against Utah, who lead the Pac-12 in total defense, scoring defense, and passing defense – while sitting third against the run.

Offensively, they’re not as efficient, but they still average more than 450 total yards per game. A majority of that goes through the air and the arm of QB Cameron Rising. Most of his yards find the hands of TE Dalton Kincaid – the tight end with the most receiving yards in the Pac-12.

The biggest battle of the night is Oregon’s suffocating offense against the defensive strength of the Utes. If the Ducks can do what they’ve done most of the year and bend the defense to their will, they’ll have this game won. If not, Utah will have no trouble against an Oregon team that’s mid-pack in the conference for scoring and total defense, but is dead last for pass defense.

Game 4: ‘The Bedlam Series’ no. 22 Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-3) @ Oklahoma Sooners (5-5)

• Saturday @ 7:30 (ABC) / ‘The Palace on the Prairie’ Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK

A rivalry should be appreciated and cultivated – preened for years to come.

Years ago, the Big 12 lost two of its cornerstone rivalries and two of the biggest games in college football. Kansas-Missouri and Texas-Texas A&M ended when both latter teams fled for the SEC.

Now, the Big 12 is facing that same reality again as Texas and Oklahoma leave for the SEC in the coming years. Earlier this season, the athletic directors at both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State confirmed their rivalry would end once the Sooners left the conference.

That means games like this will become non-existent. The hatred will remain, but will be put on ice. We are witnessing a ‘last Dinosaur’ situation of sorts.

Bedlam has had its series of amazing moments: from a tip drill interception, to a 62-52 game that defies scoring logic, to the punt return that familiarized the football world with the name Tyreek Hill.

It’s hard to see anything like that happening this year, considering just how poor Oklahoma has looked under first-year head coach Brent Venables. They’re staring at what could be their second three-game losing streak of the year in a season where they were demolished by Texas and lost to weaker Baylor and West Virginia teams.

However, this is Bedlam after all. It’s provided us with moments that defy logic and reasoning. It’s not to be missed, especially considering how we’re all going to be missing it when it leaves us soon.

Game of the Week: ‘The Battle of Los Angeles’ or ‘The Battle for the Victory Bell’  no. 7 USC Trojans (9-1) @ no. 16 UCLA Bruins (8-2)

• Saturday @ 8:00 ET (FOX) / Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA

The Pac-12 has one last hope to make the College Football Playoff. Unfortunately for them, it’s a team that’s leaving the conference and one that’s historically dominated the conversation around the Pac-12’s footballing success.

Pretty soon, if all goes to plan, this game will become a Big Ten rivalry, as opposed to its current status as one of the best matchups in the Pac-12. In the midst of this summer’s re-alignment nightmare, both USC and UCLA said they’d be leaving for the mostly-Midwestern conference.

Well, they may as well go out with a bang, right?

USC is truly the last chance for survival that the Pac-12 has to make the last four. They’ll need help in the form of losses by TCU and LSU in their respective conference championships, and even then, it may not be enough with Tennessee in the way.

The Trojans have looked dominant at times and weak at others. Sure, dominant wins over Colorado, Stanford, and Arizona State mean you’re a good team. But considering their loss to Utah and two close wins over Oregon State and Arizona, you wonder how good of a team they truly are.

It needs to be said that this team – with new head coach Lincoln Reilly – has not beaten a ranked opponent. They may have only played one ranked team this year, but they end their schedule with two top-25 battles.

On the other hand, UCLA has played three ranked opponents and came out on the other side with a 2-1 record. The only other loss on their record was a close contest against Arizona.  

Both teams have quarterbacks that love running the show. USC’s Caleb Williams is tied for the third most touchdown passes on the season with 31, but has thrown only two interceptions. That’s better than everyone else even with him or above him. 

UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson may not have as many yards or touchdowns, but he’s a dual threat option that will keep any smart defense on its toes.

While USC has the slight QB advantage, UCLA has a slight edge for their running backs and wide receivers. Bruins RB Zach Charbonnet has 1,145 yards and 13 TDs compared to USC’s Travis Dye, who has 884 yards and nine TDs. 

At wideout, Trojans receiver Jordan Addison has received nationwide acclaim and recognition with 587 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. But UCLA’s Jake Bobo has arguably had the better season with 651 yards and six touchdowns.

It’s hard to see which team has an edge here – especially considering their defenses are close. It could come down to which team is better conditioned and for that, the needle might point to UCLA just based on schedule alone. 

That being said, UCLA has won only six games in this rivalry since 2000. They last won last year, blowing USC out 62-33. 

All of this leads to saying this: who knows who’s gonna win? Better tune in to find out and see who gets to hold on to the Victory Bell – and if it’ll be painted in USC cardinal or UCLA blue.