Michigan State Comeback Spoils Wolverine's Dream Season

Michigan seemingly had the game under control over their in state rival Spartans but Michigan State hung around long enough and the breaks started falling their way just in time to come away with a 37-33 victory over the stunned Michigan fans. The Spartan's remaining schedule is formidable with games at Purdue, home against Maryland, at Ohio State and home against Penn State, but winning all four plus a Big 10 Championship, would surely put Michigan State in the CFP.Around the Nation: The undefeated ranks are shrinking as two more unblemished teams bit the dust Saturday. The SMU Mustangs traveled to Houston and were beaten by a last minute 100 yard kickoff return for a 44-37 Cougar win. Out on the West Coast in a late game Saturday night Fresno State traveled to San Diego and and spoiled the Aztecs unbeaten season with a 30-20 win. Wake Forest kept rolling in the ACC with a 45-7 shellacking of Duke. The Demon Deacons stand at 8-0 with a tough road game at North Carolina looming this coming Saturday. Ohio State held off Penn State 33-24 and still look like the best team in the Big 10, although Michigan State is making things look very interesting. Oklahoma finally got untracked and put together their best win of the season at home against Texas Tech. The Sooners beat the Red Raiders 52-21 on the heels of a stellar performance by Caleb Williams who passed for 405 yards and 6 touchdowns. Spencer Rattler came into the game in the 4th quarter to a standing ovation by the much appreciative Sooner Nation. I wonder if Texas has Tom Hermann on speed dial? If the Longhorns can't compete in the Big 12 how can they possibly survive in the SEC? Baylor, now 7-1, took care of business with a 31-24 win. I don't believe anyone can beat Georgia. I'm beginning to wonder if anyone can even slow them down. The Bulldogs looked invincible in Jacksonville Saturday with a runaway 34-7 win over rival Florida. Auburn put together an amazing performance on the plains Saturday night, slowing down the Ole Miss offensive machine for a 31-20 win over the Rebels. War Eagle travels to College Station for a huge SEC match with Texas A&M this Saturday. Bo Nix looks very capable of leading the Tigers to an SEC West title. And don't look now but the mighty Sun Belt Conference boasts 3 teams in the Top 26 of the Billingsley Report this week. 7-1 Louisiana Lafayette moves to #15 followed by 6-2 Appalachian State at #23 and 7-1 Coastal Carolina at #26. No wonder teams are jumping ship from other conferences to join. The Sun Belt is on fire my friends! Look for week 11 projections to post Tuesday afternoon.

Ohio State Makes Playoff Statement With 56-7 Destruction of Michigan State

For weeks the Buckeyes have been playing like National Title contenders and this week they removed all doubts with a completely dominating win over the Spartans 56-7. Only arch rival Michigan stands in the way of a spot in the Big 10 Championship game and we won't have long to wait. The 10-1 Wolverines, 59-18 winners over Maryland Saturday, host the high flying Buckeyes this upcoming Saturday morning at Noon ET.  Around the Nation: Clemson's 48-27 win over Wake Forest significantly tightened the ACC race. The Tigers are battling North Carolina State for the Atlantic Division crown while Pittsburgh is on top of the Coastal Division. Rivalry weekend, my favorite weekend of the year, is upcoming which means Clemson will face South Carolina Saturday. The Gamecocks were 21-17 surprise winners over Auburn this week. Billingsley's All Time Scores are online again so check out all the great series records under the Historical Data link on the CFRC Home page. Cincinnati quieted a few doubters themselves by destroying SMU 48-14. The Bearcats travel to East Carolina for a tricky game before facing a very good Houston team in the AAC Championship. A lethargic Oklahoma offense got a much needed boost from the Sooner defense in a 28-21 win at home over Iowa State. Bedlam is on the horizon and Oklahoma State did their part to make it a huge game in Stillwater between two 10-1 teams. The Cowboys traveled to Lubbock and shut out Texas Tech 23-0. The Longhorn program is reeling with a 6th straight loss after falling to West Virginia 31-23. Texas returns home to face Kansas State in the season finale. UTSA moved to 11-0 on the season with an amazing 34-31 come from behind win at home over UAB. Notre Dame, the seemingly forgotten playoff contender, moved to 10-1 by blasting Georgia Tech 55-0. Oregon saw their playoff hopes dwindle with a 38-7 shellacking at the hands of Utah. Now the Ducks must recover and fight the civil war with arch rival Oregon State, 24-10 winner over Arizona State late Saturday night. UCLA scored the most points ever in their series with cross town rival USC. The Bruins put up a whopping 62 points against the Trojan's 33.  Louisiana-Lafayette completely dominated a very good Liberty team 42-14, moving to 10-1 on the season. The majority of the SEC took a break from conference play this weekend and blasted much lesser competition, but Alabama and Arkansas put on quite a show in Tuscaloosa with the Razorbacks throwing a scare into the Crimson Tide before falling 42-35. Missouri surprised Florida with a two point conversion to nip the Gators 24-23. Watch for Billingsley's Projections to be posted late Tuesday, and don't forget to check out the Billingsley Historical Data Section from the Home Page for a totally new and improved look at Billingsley's Encyclopedia! 

Michigan Blasts Buckeyes 42-27, Enter Playoff Picture

The highly inspired Wolverines finally got over the hump, putting together a stellar game plan that beat Ohio State for the first time since 2011 and the first win in the Jim Harbaugh era. The Buckeye loss eliminated Ohio State from the CFP and will likely elevate Michigan into the Top 4. The next edition of the CFP Rankings will be released Tuesday.  Around the Nation: The 10 conference championship games are now set, with Georgia/Alabama in Atlanta taking top billing. Oklahoma State, 37-33 Bedlam winners over Oklahoma will meet Baylor in a rematch in Arlington, while Pittsburgh will face Wake Forest for the ACC Title and Oregon will face Utah for the PAC 12 crown. In a bit of a surprise Michigan will face Iowa for the Big 10 Title. The Hawkeyes beat Nebraska 28-21 Friday and then saw Minnesota upset Wisconsin 23-13 Saturday giving Iowa the West Division Title. In the American, undefeated Cincinnati, 12-0, will face their greatest challenge of the season since Notre Dame against a very good 11-1 Houston team.  In Conference USA Texas-San Antonio will try to rebound after a stunning 45-23 loss at North Texas when they host Western Kentucky. The MAC will feature Kent State and Northern Illinois while in the MWC San Diego State will host Utah State. In the Sun Belt Appalachian State will travel to La. Lafayette.  Rivalry weekend saw very few surprises. Clemson clobbered South Carolina 30-0, North Carolina State nipped North Carolina 34-30, Purdue pounded Indiana 44-7, Oregon outlasted Oregon State 38-29, Ole Miss beat Mississippi State 31-21, Florida squeaked by Florida State 24-21 and in perhaps the best game of the day Auburn came oh so close but fell to Alabama 24-22 in 4 overtimes.  

Tennessee Stuns Alabama With Late Field Goal

In what is sure to become an instant classic in this long storied rivalry, the Volunteers stunned Alabama 52-49 on a field goal with 2 seconds left on the clock. After building a 28-10 lead over the Tide, Alabama stormed back to tie the game with 18 unanswered points. The two teams traded score for score until tied 49-49 late in the game. Alabama had a chance to win but missed a long field goal with 12 seconds left leaving the teams apparently headed to overtime. But Tennessee was not to be denied. The Volunteers quickly moved into field goal range and kicked the winning goal with 2 seconds remaining. It was a miraculous win on Rocky Top with Tennessee snapping a 15 game Alabama winning streak.  Around the Nation: Clemson travelled to Tallahassee and outlasted Florida State 34-28. Syracuse remained unbeaten at 6-0 after surprising North Carolina State 24-9. Michigan pounded Penn State 41-17 in the Big House while Ohio State was idle. TCU roared back from a 17 point deficit to beat Oklahoma State  in double overtime. The Horned Frogs are the only undefeated team in the Big 12, now standing at 6-0. The Trojans were not so lucky. USC fell at Utah 43-42 in a late Saturday night contest. The Utes seem nearly impossible to beat at home these days. Georgia and Ole Miss both moved to 7-0. The Bulldogs smothered Vandy 55-0 while the Rebels were holding off a pesky Auburn team 48-34. And finally, heavily favored Notre Dame lost 16-14 to Stanford. Projections will be posted Tuesday. 

Buckeyes Surge Past Nittany Lions 44-31

Ohio State rallied in the 4th quarter at Happy Valley Saturday to down Penn State in a crucial Big 10 match, vaulting Ohio State to #1 in this week's Billingsley Report. The Buckeyes and the Wolverines are on pace for an undefeated showdown in late November. Michigan beat a stubborn Michigan State team 29-7. Illinois took control of the Big 10 West division with a 26-9 win at Nebraska. The surprising Illini stand at 7-1 on the season. Notre Dame traveled to the carrier Dome and shocked Syracuse 41-24. The Irish take on Clemson next week. North Carolina came to life in the 4th quarter and defeated Pittsburgh 42-24. Central Florida hosted AAC league leader Cincinnati and nipped the Bearcats 25-21. TCU remained unbeaten at 8-0 with a tough road win at West Virginia 41-31. Kansas State demolished Oklahoma State 48-0 to take second place in the Big 12. Tennessee moved to 8-0 for the first time since winning the National Championship in 1998 with a 44-6 whipping of a solid Kentucky team. The Volunteers travel to Georgia for an SEC showdown Saturday, and Ole Miss rebounded from the loss to LSU by nipping Texas A&M in College Station 31-28. Projections will be posted Tuesday.  

Upsets Dot The Landscape of Rivalry Weekend

It all started with the 24-22 Mississippi State upset of Ole Miss Thursday night and rolled all the way thru a 38-34 Oregon State stunner over Oregon Saturday. Rivalry weekend was a wild ride. South Carolina absolutely stunned the nation, dropping a top 10 opponent for the second week in a row with a 31-30 win over arch rival Clemson. Shane Beamer certainly has the Gamecock program headed in the right direction. The same can be said for Mike Norvell and Florida State as the Seminoles nipped Florida 45-38 to finish the regular season 9-3. North Carolina State edged North Carolina 30-27. Michigan ran away from Ohio State 45-23 in the second half. Nebraska shocked Iowa 24-17 handing the Big 10 West Division crown to Purdue, 30-16 winner over Indiana. USC is inching closer to a spot in the CFP. The Trojans downed Notre Dame 38-27 and still have the PAC 12 Championship to impress the committee. Texas A&M saved their best performance of the year to spoil LSU's title hopes. The Aggies beat the Tigers 38-23. Next week is Championship Weekend and the Top 4 teams in the CFP will be announced along with the Bowl Game participants next Sunday. Projections will be posted Tuesday.  

Washington and Michigan Will Play For Championship

Houston's NRG Stadium will host the 2023 National Championship Game Monday January 8. Washington and Michigan both qualified for the final in dramatic fashion. In the Rose Bowl Michigan topped the Tide in overtime 27-20 and in the Sugar Bowl Washington held off a furious Texas rally to nip the Longhorns 37-31. Billingsley's projection for the title game will be posted tomorrow. 

Michigan Wallops Washington 34-13 to Win National Championship

The game never really seemed in doubt, although Washington had moments of momentum and kept the score within 7 points most of the game, the Michigan defense stole the show and the Wolverines walked away with a resounding 34-13 victory. The process of updating the Billingsley Encyclopedia will begin in the next few weeks and all of the files should be updated by early to mid March. 

2023 Michigan Ranks 5th All Time in Billingsley's Top 200.

The 2023 Final Reports have been updated in the Historical Data Section of Billingsley's College Football Encyclopedia. The Wolverine's 385.611 points landed Michigan as #5 on the Top 200 Teams of All-Time list. The updating of the All-Time Scores Section has begun and is scheduled to be completed in May. The question of whether or not the Billingsley Report will be published in 2024 is dependent on Billingsley's health which continues to decline. Stay tuned, a decision will be announced sometime in August. 

Michigan's Last Seconds TD Downs Trojans

The Wolverines jumped out to a 14-0 lead early making USC's Big 10 debut look like it may be a cakewalk, but the Trojans fought back, playing great defense, and took the lead in the 4th quarter after completely shutting down the Michigan offense. But with seconds left in the game the Wolverines bulldozed their way into the end zone on 4th and 2 to take the win 27-24. The 3-1 Michigan team, whose only loss lies at the hands of #1 Texas, leaped back into this week's Top 5 at #3.   Clemson remains on top of the ACC after destroying NC State 59-35. The Tigers only loss is to #2 Georgia. Miami (Fla.) is undefeated at 4-0 but suffers from a strength of schedule at #115. The Hurricane comes in at #27 this week. Navy surprised the high flying Memphis Tigers, the highest rated G5 team, 56-44. The slot for the G5 CFP bid seems wide open right now. Illinois is a surprising 4-0 after going on the road to Lincoln and snatching away a 31-24 win over the Cornhuskers. The Big 12 race is anybody's guess at this point, although Utah made an impression with their 22-19 win over Oklahoma State in Stillwater. BYU shocked league leader Kansas State 38-9 late Saturday night. The Cougars are now 4-0. Washington State remained undefeated with a 54-52 overtime win over San Jose State. The mighty Texas Longhorns remained #1 after a 51-3 thrashing of La. Monroe 51-3. What's going on with Vanderbilt? First they shocked Virginia Tech now they took Missouri into overtime before losing 30-27. Tennessee spoiled Oklahoma's SEC debut in Norman 25-15. The game was totally, and I mean totally dominated by the Vols but the Sooner defense kept Oklahoma in the game to the very end. Georgia and Alabama were both idle preparing for next Saturday's  epic showdown in Tuscaloosa. 

Michigan Makes It 4 In A Row Over Buckeyes

Rivalry Weekend never fails to surprise and the 2024 version had more than it's share. None bigger than 23 point underdog Michigan walking into the Horseshoe and coming away with a sloppy mistake ridden 13-10 defensive battle over arch rival Ohio State. It was the 4th consecutive Wolverine triumph. Woody Hayes must be turning over in his grave. Despite the great success of the regular season, Buckeye fans are rumbling about whether Ryan Day has what it takes to win a National Championship. Take heart Ohio State. You will still have your shot in the new 12 team CFP. All you did id get a week off.  The state of Texas waited 13 years for the renewal of Texas and Texas A&M. The Aggies are probably wishing it had been a little longer now. The Texas defense was simply overpowering coming away with a 17-7 win in College Station. By the way, I want to give a big shout out to my cousin Trey Williamson , a longtime supporter of my website and rankings and a HUGE Longhorn fan. You think he is happy today?  What a season it has been for South Carolina. The Gamecocks capped a 9-3 year with a 17-14 win over Clemson, who will still play SMU for the ACC title due to the stunning 42-38 upset of Syracuse over Miami Fla.). The Big 12 finally worked out the tie breakers. It's Iowa State and Arizona State in Arlington. It will be interesting to see how the CFP ranks the #10, 11 and 12 teams this week. So many worthy choices. The projections for the Conference Championship Games will post Tuesday.