Winners and losers from Week 14 of the college football season

Winner

Texas: The Longhorns did all they could to impress the playoff committee in their 49-21 win over No. 18 Oklahoma State. Whether the committee honors the head-to-head 34-24 win over Bama in Week 2 remains to be seen. 

However, considering Texas has outscored its past two opponents 106-28, and the Tide needed a miracle against Auburn last Saturday to avoid their second loss of the season, it’s hard to argue that Bama is playing better football.

Loser

Brett Yormark: Those weren’t cheers for CFP committee chair Boo Corrigan when Big 12 commissioner Yormark awarded No. 7 Texas the conference championship trophy.

Longhorns fans made their feelings for the Big 12 commissioner known by showering Yormark with boos after Texas’ 49-21 win over No. 18 Oklahoma State. Earlier this year, Yormark took a shot at the program’s lack of Big 12 Championship game appearances in recent years, then threw his support behind Texas Tech in the two teams’ Week 13 game. 

He’ll have no problem cashing the check the conference gets because of Texas likely reaching the semifinals, but Saturday’s result stings after he talked a big game during the offseason.

Winner

Washington: The Huskies are 13-0 for the first time in program history after solidifying themselves as a top-four team on Friday night with a 34-31 win over No. 5 Oregon. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. outdueled Bo Nix, and running back Dillon Johnson had his way against the Ducks defense with 28 carries, 152 yards and two touchdowns. 

No. 3 Washington began the season playing at a championship level, was unimpressive for the majority of the second half of the year, but has turned back into a title contender at the right time.

Loser

Florida State: If the committee does the unprecedented and keeps an undefeated conference champion Seminoles out of the playoff, would anyone really blame it? Florida State’s defense is championship-worthy — remember, it held LSU to a season-low 24 points in the opener — but the offense without Jordan Travis is an eyesore. 

While other undefeateds (Michigan and Washington) have unimpeachable cases, No. 4 Florida State could justifiably be left out of the top four after a lackluster 16-6 win over No. 14 Louisville for the ACC title.

Winner

Liberty: The Flames won their first FBS conference title in program history on Friday in their first season as a Conference USA member when they outlasted New Mexico State, 49-35. Lynchburg should stay lit after SMU’s 26-14 win over No. 22 Tulane in the AAC championship game. 

That result leaves No. 24 Liberty as potentially the highest-ranked Group of Five program. Although the Mustangs arguably have a better resume — the Flames had the worst strength of schedule in the country entering Week 14 — Liberty must like its chances of reaching a New Year’s Six bowl.

Loser

College Football Playoff committee: We hope the committee members weren’t planning on getting any sleep tonight. Alabama made its job more difficult by beating Georgia, injecting chaos into a season with few surprises before this weekend. No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 Washington are obvious inclusions, but that’s where things get tricky. 

Did an undefeated Florida State do enough? If so, does Texas or Alabama get the last spot? Would the SEC really be left out of the playoff? Thankfully, we don’t have to answer those questions, just complain about what the committee decides.

Winner

The under in Iowa games: For the eighth time in a row, the under hit in an Iowa game. The Big Ten championship game’s combined point total for No. 2 Michigan’s 26-0 win over No. 16 Iowa was 35.5, which was never in doubt with the Hawkeyes offense operating as it had all season. 

Loser

Dr. Pepper: Championship Weekend is the most wonderful time of the year, when five lucky college students avoid crippling debt by throwing footballs into an inflatable can while five others are left with a lifetime to pay off theirs. 

It’s a nice gesture that Dr. Pepper awards $120K per contest, but for a company worth roughly $45B, it feels like a bad version of “The Hunger Games.”