Football Championship Week: Frogs Came So Close To Remaining Undefeated

Championship Week had a little bit of everything – a couple of blowouts by undefeated teams, another blowout in an irrelevant game in Charlotte, an upset out west, a history-making game in the Big Easy, and a gut-wrenching overtime battle in Arlington.

No. 1 Georgia and No.2 Michigan cruised to easy wins in their respective championship games. No. 9 Clemson had no problem in the ACC Championship, even though the result of that game didn’t matter in the CFP conversation. Tulane took care of business in the American championship, completing the biggest turnaround from 2-10 last year to 11-2 this year. Utah eliminated USC from the CFP conversation with a dominating win in the Pac-12 game. And then it was a heartbreaker in Arlington at the Big 12 Championship, with Kansas State winning in overtime.

Here is a look at the championship games:

Pac-12 Championship

#4 USC (11-2) vs. #11 Utah (10-3)

Utah wins 47-24

The weekend began in Las Vegas with the Pac-12 Championship. USC needed to win to keep them in the playoff hunt. They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Well, not after Friday night. What happened in Vegas at Allegiant Stadium had a far-reaching impact not only in Salt Lake City and Los Angeles but also in Fort Worth, Columbus, Tuscaloosa, and most importantly, in Grapevine, Texas, where the College Football committee was secluded watching the game. USC was up 17-3 to start the game before Utah tied it at 17-17 in the second quarter. The game would remain tight in the third quarter, but with just over ten minutes left, Utah scored the first of three 4th quarter touchdowns to put the game away. The loss moved USC out of the playoff talk and eventually opened the door for Ohio State.

Big 12 Championship

#3 TCU (12-1) vs. #10 Kansas State (10-3)

Kansas State wins 31-28 OT

TCU needed another second-half comeback to send the game to overtime. But the rally fell short as Kansas State kicked the game-winning field goal to knock off the unbeaten Horned Frogs. The Frogs had the ball first in the overtime and had the ball within inches of the goal line but failed to convert on both the third and fourth down attempts, allowing K-State to win it with simply a field goal.

For a complete recap, see our story by clicking here.

Click here for a public letter written to a hero – TCU quarterback Max Duggan.

SEC Championship

#1 Georgia (13-0) vs. #14 LSU (9-4)

Georgia wins 50-30

After LSU lost to Texas A&M last week, the implications of this game dropped. Georgia was going to the playoffs, whether they won or lost this game. LSU, with three losses, was no longer in the conversation. This game was all Dawgs, all game long. Georgia had a 35-10 lead at the half, the largest point differential at the half of any SEC Championship game. You knew things were crazy when Georgia successfully executed a 2-point play after their last touchdown to take them to 50 points.

ACC Championship

#9 Clemson (11-2) vs. #23 North Carolina (9-4)

Clemson wins 39-10

Again, here was another game in which the result was irrelevant to the postseason talk. After Clemson lost to South Carolina, giving them two losses, they were essentially done with the CFP. North Carolina actually scored first, early in the 1st quarter. Clemson scored their second touchdown with just under two minutes left in the 1st and never looked back. They were up 24-10 at the half and would score two more touchdowns in the third, including one with a 2-point conversion, to secure their lead and an invitation to the Orange Bowl.

Big Ten Championship

#2 Michigan (13-0) vs. Purdue (8-5)

Michigan wins 43-22

This one was closer than most anticipated for far longer than anyone thought. Michigan had a narrow 14-13 lead at the half but widened that gap very early in the 3rd quarter with two touchdowns in the first four minutes of the half. Purdue would come within nine points in the 4th before Michigan would get two more touchdowns.

American Athletic Championship

#18 Tulane (11-2) vs. #22 UCF (9-4)

Tulane wins 45-29

The winner of this game would get the Group of Five’s spot in an NY6 Bowl. As winners of the AAC’s regular season, Tulane got the opportunity to host the game. It would be their last time to play the Knights from UCF for a while, as this was the last game UCF would play as a conference member. UCF and three other teams are slated to join the Big 12 in July 2023. Tulane scored first and had a comfortable 17-point lead early in the 4th quarter. UCF would score two touchdowns, though, in under three minutes, to make the score 31-28 with ten minutes left in the game. Tulane answered the threat one minute later with a 60-yard touchdown pass. The Green Wave would add an insurance touchdown late in the 4th to secure their first-ever spot in an NY6 bowl game. They will meet USC in the Cotton Bowl.

Other Championship Games

Conference USA Championship

UTSA (11-2) beat North Texas (7-6) 48-27

Mid-American Championship

Toledo (8-5) beat Ohio (9-4) 17-7

Sun Belt Championship

Troy (11-2) beat Coastal Carolina (9-3) 45-26

Mountain West Championship

Fresno State (9-4) beat Boise State (9-4) 28-16

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