Winners and losers from Week 12 of the college football season

The Seminoles responded admirably to his devastating injury, scoring 58 unanswered points against FCS North Alabama (3-8, 1-5 in UAC) after trailing 13-0 at the end of the first quarter. Still, Saturday night felt like a major loss in Tallahassee.

WINNER

Washington: No team looked better than the Huskies through the first month of the season, which raised concern over their comparatively lackluster performances the past month. Did Washington peak too early? A 22-20 win in Corvallis over No. 11 Oregon State (8-3, 5-3 in Pac-12) doesn't erase all doubt about the Huskies' ability to run the table and earn a spot in the CFP. The win was their seventh consecutive by 10 points or fewer after they won their first four by at least 27 points. Still, the defense, which has been most troubling of late, came up big with the offense limited due to the rainy conditions. The unit forced three turnovers and held the Beavers to 3-of-12 on third down.

LOSER

USC: USC (7-5, 5-4, in Pac-12) experienced plenty of lows in 2023, but its 38-20 loss to UCLA (7-4, 4-4 in Pac-12) might have been rock bottom. It trailed by as many as 25 points and finished with three rushing yards as a team, the lowest of the Lincoln Riley era. As ESPN analyst and former head coach Dan Mullen put it, UCLA head coach Chip Kelly is the wrong coach in Los Angeles on the hot seat.

The Trojans, a team that was a trendy preseason pick for the College Football Playoff, will be lucky to get invited to the Sun Bowl. Head coach Riley, reportedly hired for north of $100 million to return the Trojans to glory, posted the worst regular season record by a USC head coach given a full second season with the program since Paul Hackett (1999).

WINNER

Louisville: The Cardinals clinched their ticket to the ACC title game with a 38-31 win over Miami (6-5, 2-5 in ACC). No. 10 Louisville (10-1, 7-1 in ACC), in Jeff Brohm's first season as head coach, was predicted to finish eighth in the ACC media preseason poll but will play Florida State in the ACC championship on Dec. 2 as it seeks its first outright conference championship since it won the Big East in 2006. 

LOSER

Heisman voters: Quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix continue to make the Heisman race impossible to call. Neither gave an inch on Saturday as each had impressive performances. Nix began the day with six first-half touchdowns and went 24-of-29 for 404 yards in a 49-13 win over Arizona State (3-8, 2-6 in Pac-12). Seeing what Nix did to his former team, Daniels one-upped the Ducks quarterback with eight total touchdowns in a 56-14 win over Georgia State (6-5, 3-4 in Sun Belt). He finished 25-of-30 for 413 yards while adding 96 yards on 10 carries. Good luck picking a winner this year, Heisman voters.

WINNER

Northwestern: The Wildcats' remarkable season will continue with a bowl game in David Braun's first year as head coach after they won 23-15 over Purdue (3-8, 2-6 in Big Ten). Northwestern (6-5, 4-4 in Big Ten) went 1-11 last season and fired coach Pat Fitzgerald a month before the start of the season after a July 2023 report from The Daily Northwestern detailed hazing allegations under his watch. The program appeared poised for another ugly season, but Braun and his team had other plans and will be rewarded with a bowl game as a result.

LOSER

Auburn: The Tigers celebrated becoming bowl-eligible a week ago with the lowest point of their season in a 31-10 loss to New Mexico State (9-3, 6-1 in C-USA).

If Auburn (6-5, 3-4 in SEC) thinks paying $1.8 million to lose as a 25-point favorite is bad, that could only be an appetizer for what's in store in the Iron Bowl against No. 8 Alabama (10-1, 7-0 in SEC) in Week 13.

WINNER

Arizona: The Wildcats are one of the hottest teams in the country, winners of five straight. No. 17 Arizona (8-3, 6-2 in Pac-12) rolled to a 42-18 win over No. 22 Utah (7-4, 4-4 in Pac-12), securing its most wins in a season since it went 10-4 in 2014. Head coach Jedd Fisch will be a hot name in coaching searches after turning around the Wildcats, taking over a program that went 0-5 in 2020 and hadn't been to a bowl game since 2017. 

LOSER

James Madison: The Dukes' undefeated run ended with their 26-23 overtime home loss to Appalachian State (7-4, 5-2 in Sun Belt). In its second season as an FBS member, James Madison (10-1, 6-1 in Sun Belt) had its waiver request to become bowl-eligible denied by the NCAA earlier this week. The Mountaineers made the Dukes' week even more miserable.

WINNER

Tennessee: The Vols got spanked for the second consecutive week during the CBS SEC game of the week, so you might be wondering how the heck they're a winner. But Tennessee didn't make it to this section for anything it did on the football field (although the first 11 seconds of Saturday's game must have felt nice). Instead, the Vols are a winner by association.

If something is good enough for Dolly Parton, it's a winner in our book. After another lackluster effort by Tennessee (7-4, 3-4 in SEC) in a 38-10 loss to No. 1 Georgia (11-0, 8-0 in SEC), Parton is the only thing worth remembering about this season on Rocky Top.