2025 College Football: Week 14 Takeaways
Welcome to rivalry week, where familiarity and contempt can breed unusual results. Poor UMass ended up being the only 0-12 team, while Ohio State and Indiana are the lone remaining unbeatens. We’ll talk through actual game flows here but more about implications. No draft nugget this week during crunch time (there will be plenty of time for that later)! As this was the last week of the regular season, many teams played their final games of 2025. Others are just getting started, with playoff positioning on the line. Below are my week 14 takeaways; conference championship games and the big CFP reveal are up next!
(16) Texas Hands (3) Texas A&M Their First and Only Loss of Season
I said that rivalry games can be odd, and we didn’t even need to wait until Saturday to witness proof of that fact. To reach their first SEC title game in program history, all TAMU needed to do was beat a Texas team that had struggled against top opponents. When we saw this game quickly show itself as a defensive contest, we knew that the Longhorns had a chance to stick around. That’s exactly what happened. The first quarter featured 5 punts and a missed FG by the Aggies. Texas A&M took a 10-3 halftime lead, but neither offense did much. Both defenses were exceptional, but Texas’ unit did what few others have done to TAMU.
Aggies QB Marcel Reed (20/32, 180 yards, 2 INTs; 12/71 rushing) looked uncomfortable, never finding a rhythm. TAMU had some success on the ground but couldn’t throw the football. Texas had limited success through the air as well unless they were throwing to TE Jack Endries (4/93). However, QB Arch Manning (14/29, 179 yards, TD; 7/53/1 rushing) found a groove in the second half, especially on the ground. RB Quintrevion Wisner really killed the Aggies, though Reed’s back-to-back INTs on TAMU’s final two drives really did them in. The 27-17 win for Texas actually felt pretty comfortable midway through the 4th quarter.
This is a devastating blow for Texas A&M. Currently third, they’re still CFP locks. What they lose out on is a shot at the SEC title game (their regular season is done, thus the “only loss” in the title) and a chance for a first-round bye. (4) Georgia now earns a spot in the championship game, which could be a blessing or a curse depending on how it turns out. For Texas, this is fascinating. They just took out #3, and they played (1) Ohio State better than anyone has all year (back in week 1). I don’t think they can make a leap into the CFP because the committee hates 3-loss teams. They certainly made their best argument though.
(1) Ohio State Exorcises Demons Against (15) Michigan in “The Game”
Despite winning a national championship last year, Ohio State had one thing it couldn’t shake off: the stench of losing to Michigan 4 years in a row. On rivalry week, this is one of the biggest feuds in the nation. Some in each fan base would forsake a national title just to beat their hated foe. With another year came another chance, and the Buckeyes didn’t waste it. It just took a bit for them to get going. Michigan actually had the better start. They sandwiched two FGs around an INT of OSU QB Julian Sayin. Ohio State only scored one FG in the first quarter because of some abysmal goal-line offense that kept them out of the end zone.
Field goals aren’t enough to beat the #1 team though. From that point on, OSU took firm control of The Big House. The Wolverines added just 1 FG the rest of the way, while OSU rattled off 24 points in a very methodical manner. Sayin (19/26, 233 yards, 3 TDs, INT) bounced back from his pick to play lights out. RB Bo Jackson (22/117; 4/49 receiving), who’s only a freshman, already looks like a future star tailback. The team’s stellar offensive line no doubt played a role in that, as they neutralized Michigan’s good defensive front. On a day when only WR Carnell Tate (5/82/1) had a big game as a pass catcher, OSU still scored plenty.
That’s because the Ohio State defense continued to be ridiculous. In beating Michigan 27-9, they finished the regular season without allowing more than 14 points to ANY opponent. OLB Arvell Reese didn’t stuff the stat sheet, but he flashed on almost every play. There’s a reason this man is rising to the top of most draft boards: he’s big, he’s fast, he’s instinctive, and he’s skilled. The rest of the unit performed just as well, holding freshman QB Bryce Underwood (8/18, 63 yards, INT) to a poor game. What’s next is no mystery: a date with (2) Indiana for the Big Ten title they didn’t win last season. This could be the game of the season.
(9) Notre Dame Clinches Playoff Spot as Controversial Independent
Let me be clear: at 10-2, Notre Dame has a very good case as one of the most-improved teams in the nation. They’re playing at an extremely high level, albeit against lackluster opponents. The one thing I can’t say is that they belong in the top 10. It’s a classic case of “it’s not if you lose but when you lose”. ND lost their first two games of the year against ranked Miami and Texas A&M teams. The games were close, and there’s no shame in losing to those particular opponents. Ask yourself this though: where would the Irish be ranked if we jumbled the order of their schedule without changing any result? I promise it wouldn’t be 9th.
Nobody benefits from special treatment more than Notre Dame. At the heart of their place of prestige is their status as one of just two remaining independents (UConn is the other). That always came with perks: greater choice in scheduling, a lucrative media deal with NBC, and a lack of allegiances to anyone. The CFP era has magnified their boon. It’s time to face a problematic fact: playing in a conference championship game is not a benefit to a top-ranked team. The reality is the opposite: it can be a detriment. A loss can cost a team a playoff bye that they might retain if they simply boycotted the game altogether.
No team does that though. Every school declares their reverence for a conference championship, and I believe that most are sincere. They’re taking on a risk though, and Notre Dame does not face such a threat. By winning against a poor Stanford team this week, the Irish locked up a playoff spot because they’re already in the top 10. They have no 13th game that could jeopardize their status. The new rule to not grant conference champions automatic byes also helps them. In fact, it seems tailored just for Notre Dame, as they could not earn a bye under the old system but can do so now. As an onlooker, it seems unfair.
I’m not here to argue that Notre Dame should be behind Miami because of their head-to-head result and otherwise comparable resumes. At least not right now. I and a growing number of analysts believe that should be the case. I’ll leave that as a teaser for my CFP picks next week. This is more of a reflection of their position in college football. The Fighting Irish are a consistently good team that gets to achieve great results because of the advantages built into the system. Yes, I am advocating for them to be forced to join a conference. Until they do, they’ll be on a different playing field than the rest of the country.
Lane Kiffin’s Defection to LSU Highlights Problem with NCAA Calendar
I know that Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin hasn’t technically announced his move to LSU, but it’s expected to become official within hours of this piece’s posting. First, let me state my opinion on that decision: I hate it. LSU’s only advantage is their superior resource pile for recruiting. That hasn’t exactly gotten the Tigers very far recently. Everything else is equal or favors Ole Miss. The school would match any contract offer, and the program is in a better place than LSU’s is. Kiffin’s daughter goes to school at Mississippi, and there’s far more stability: the Rebels didn’t fire the last two coaches to win national titles for them.
All that can be true without being the point. I’m writing about this because it highlights a far more damaging issue: the timing with which teams can poach coaches from other schools. The week started with North Texas coach Eric Morris taking the Oklahoma State job with his team potentially two wins (1 after this week) from the CFP. He is going to finish out the season, but it’s a major distraction. UConn’s Jim Mora followed suit, leaving for Colorado State. Even coordinators aren’t safe: Alabama co-OC JaMarcus Shephard is going to be Oregon State’s new head coach. None of this should be happening at all right now.
The college football calendar is completely messed up. High school’s recruiting period starts this Wednesday, before the season is done and we know who’s coaching where. The transfer window (just one now) falls in January, where kids on CFP teams will have to make an agonizing choice. Do they stay to try and win a title or do they move on, with a better situation waiting? Finally, coaches can seemingly be grabbed at any time. Even if a team is going to the CFP, their coach could be stolen by another school with more financial might. I don’t blame Kiffin, Morris, Mora, or Shephard. I also don’t blame athletes who transfer.
The problem here lies entirely with the NCAA. Kiffin and all other coaches should not have to even entertain this type of decision in November. Their focus should be on coaching their teams to maximize their potential. In the NFL, you cannot hire someone from another team until that team’s season is completely finished. To me, that’s not even far enough. ALL teams should be done so promising candidates aren’t punished for advancing in postseason play. That would ensure fairness from a timing standpoint. Schools with massive budgets would still likely get exactly who they want. They just don’t have to disrupt the entire ecosystem.
Weekly CFP Update and Analysis
We could’ve had total carnage in the rankings this week, but only a bit of it actually came to fruition. (1) Ohio State and (2) Indiana are CFP locks, but I wonder if the loser of the Big Ten title game will still get a bye. (3) Texas A&M lost their bye, much to the benefit of (5) Texas Tech. (4) Georgia will get a rematch against (10) Alabama for the SEC crown. Both scenarios there are fascinating. If Alabama wins, could you really drop Georgia below the bye line? Conversely, if Alabama loses, would the committee punish them for playing a 13th game and kick them out of the bracket entirely? I’m on record saying that’s unacceptable.
The 5th- through 9th-ranked teams all look safe, even though (8) Oklahoma barely hung on against LSU. (10) Alabama had a similarly close call against Auburn, but their fate depends on the SEC championship game anyway. (11) BYU is in a win-or-go-home situation. While I wouldn’t boot them from the playoff for a championship game loss, the committee probably would if they lose to TTU a second time. The only school below that who can win an at-large bid is (12) Miami. That would probably require losses by both Alabama and BYU though, as the Hurricanes would need to reach #10 to stay safe from the automatic bids.
Nobody ranked 13 and below can reach the CFP as an at-large squad. It’s too late to make a big enough charge without a 13th data point. Two lower-ranked teams are still in the mix though: (18) Virginia is in with an ACC title, while (24) Tulane is assured a spot with an AAC title. Should Tulane lose to 10-1 North Texas, who is inexplicably still unranked, I suspect the Mean Green would earn a berth because the committee favors the AAC among the non-Power 4 conferences. (21) SMU losing a nail-biter to California this week would REALLY make things interesting, as that result sent 7-5 Duke to the ACC championship game.
I wrote last week about the intrigue regarding Pittsburgh and SMU’s placement in the most recent rankings. I personally had all three Group of 6 teams ahead of them, but the committee strategically put BOTH ahead of Tulane and left James Madison and UNT unranked (wrongly). They badly want to limit the Group of 6 to one CFP spot, and this is their way of doing it. My question: what happens if Duke wins the ACC? There’s no a way a 5-loss ACC champion is better than an 11-1 Sun Belt winner or even a 10-2 Mountain West champ. This is the long-feared doomsday scenario: unless Miami leaps up, the ACC could in fact be shut out.