We have only three weeks left in the 2025 College Football regular season. Last week, a potential national champion escaped a shock defeat. This week, we had a similar scenario, and the playoff picture has been shaken up.
Let’s look back at Week 12.
The Aggies Second Half Comeback
The number three-ranked Texas A&M Aggies are one of the three remaining undefeated teams left in college football this season. Ohio State and Indiana are the other two. This week, the Aggies faced on paper an easy game against the three-win South Carolina Gamecocks, who have struggled to live up to the expectations placed on them after their good season last year. Can the Aggies keep their undefeated season alive and put one foot into the SEC Championship game?
The Gamecocks had the first possession of the game and were able to get the first points from it. Led by quarterback LaNorris Sellers, the offense made its way down to the Aggies’ 18-yard line. The drive stalled here, but kicker William Joyce was able to make a 36-yard field goal to give them the early lead. This did not last long, and in response, Aggies kicker Randy Bond also made a field goal, this time from 40 yards out to level the scores.
South Carolina was able to immediately strike back and retake the lead through a 50-yard touchdown pass from Sellers to Vandrevius Jacobs. A&M tried to respond to this score, but Bond’s field goal on their following drive was missed.
Then, the Aggies made a massive mistake. As the first quarter came to an end, the Aggies fumbled the ball, which the Gamecocks recovered and returned to the endzone for the touchdown. This gave them a surprise 14-point lead after the first quarter.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis lead was extended on their next drive through a 41-yard field goal from Joyce. A few drives later, Sellers threw an interception, but the Aggies were unable to do anything with the ball and missed the field goal to convert the mistake into some points. The same could not be said when Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed threw an interception deep in the Gamecocks’ red zone. On the very next play of the game, Sellers found Nyck Harbor with a short pass, which became an 80-yard touchdown pass to increase South Carolina’s lead.
Things would get better soon after, as Reed threw another interception, and Joyce was able to convert this into another field goal.
This meant that at halftime, the Gamecocks had a 30-3 lead over the Aggies.
Texas A&M needed to have a flawless second half if they were going to launch a comeback to keep their undefeated season alive. This began on the first drive of the second half. Reed was able to move his offense down to the Gamecocks’ 27-yard line. Here, Reed found Izaiah Williams for the touchdown pass.
On the next drive, the endzone was found again, this time Reed paired up with Ashton Bethel-Roman for a 39-yard touchdown pass. The points kept coming for the Aggies in the third quarter, as on their following drive, Reed found Nate Boerkircher for a 14-yard touchdown pass.
Embed from Getty ImagesThen, with 10 minutes left to play, the Aggies were able to take the lead. Running back EJ Smith found the endzone from four yards out to give A&M a one-point lead.
As for the Gamecocks, they completely collapsed in the second half. All of the offense they had in the first half had disappeared, and the team did not score a single point in the second half.
This meant that the number three-ranked Texas A&M Aggies had defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 31-30.
After a terrible first half from the Aggies, they needed to come back in the second half. They were able to do this and shut down what had troubled them in the first half to record an iconic comeback win. This keeps their undefeated season alive, and they remain in contention for the SEC Championship game and potentially being the top-ranked side in the nation come the playoffs (other things have to happen to allow this). With the win, they improve to 10-0 (7-0 SEC) for the season, while the Gamecocks fall to 3-7 (1-7 SEC).
Next week, the Aggies face non-conference Samford (a great preparation for the Longhorns in two weeks), while the Gamecocks face Coastal Carolina.
Chaos in the SEC
After their opening week defeat to Florida State, the number four-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide has been one of the strongest teams in College Football. This week, they hoped to remain undefeated in the SEC by defeating the number 11-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. After their defeat to Texas at Red River a few weeks ago, the Sooners have been able to recover to get themselves into CFP contention again. Who would win this game?
The Sooners took the lead on their first drive of the game. Starting from the Crimson Tides’ 30-yard line (thanks to a strong punt return), the offense led by quarterback John Mateer was able to get itself down to the seven-yard line. The drive stalled here, and kicker Tate Sandell was able to make the 25-yard field goal attempt.
A few drives later, Alabama made a massive mistake. Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson brought the offense down to the Sooners’ 23-yard line. Here, his pass was intercepted by the Sooners, who would return the ball to the endzone for a pick-6 touchdown.
Embed from Getty ImagesLuckily for Bama, they would find the right endzone on their next drive with Daniel Hill scoring a one-yard rushing touchdown. But the mistakes would keep coming for the Crimson Tide. After forcing Oklahoma to punt on their next drive, they fumbled the ball on the recovery, which the Sooners scooped up. This put them in a good position to extend their lead, and that is what they did. Mateer found the endzone from 20 yards out to score the rushing touchdown.
Alabama would immediately respond to keep itself in the game with Simpson finding Josh Cuevas for a 25-yard touchdown pass. On the stroke of halftime, the Crimson Tide had the chance to level the scores, but the field goal attempt from Conor Talty was blocked.
This meant that at halftime, the Sooners had a 17-14 lead over the Crimson Tide.
The Sooners had the first possession of the second half and were able to extend their lead via a 52-yard field goal from Sandell. Bama would immediately respond to this score with a one-yard rushing touchdown from Hill. This gave them a one-point lead, their first of the game.
They held this lead for most of the third quarter. But, as the quarter was coming to an end, the Crimson Tide made a mistake. Simpson was sacked and fumbled the ball on the edge of the Bama’ redzone. The ball was recovered by the Sooners’ defense, putting them in a good position to retake the lead. While the Mateer drive did not find the endzone, Sandell was able to find the uprights from 24 yards out to give the Sooners a two-point lead.
Embed from Getty ImagesBama needed to find something on offense in the final quarter to get the win. Unfortunately, they were unable to get past the Sooners’ defense.
This meant that the number 11-ranked Oklahoma Sooners had defeated the number four-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 23-21.
This game is likely to have massive ramifications in both the SEC race and the CFP spots. This massively helps Texas A&M, which now has one foot in the championship game, and could have a few spots gap between the next SEC team in the CFP rankings. This win will help the Sooners get themselves into the playoffs, while Bama should make it, but expect a lower seed. Oklahoma now has an 8-2 (4-2 SEC) record, while the Crimson Tide falls to 8-2 (6-1 SEC) for the season.
Next week, Oklahoma faces Missouri, while Alabama plays Eastern Illinois
What Happened to the Other Ranked Teams?
UCLA @ #1 Ohio State
The number one-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes kept their undefeated season going with an easy win against the Nico Iamaleava-less UCLA Bruins. The Buckeyes won the game 48-10, and it now appears that only Indiana has a chance to stop them.
Wisconsin @ #2 Indiana
After last week’s last-minute heroics against Penn State, the number two-ranked Indiana Hoosiers faced the Wisconsin Badgers. This was a much easier game for the Hoosiers. Fernando Mendoza threw for four touchdowns in the Hoosiers’ 31-7 win to keep their undefeated season alive.
Embed from Getty Images#10 Texas @ #5 Georgia
In what could have very easily been a long review game, the number five Georgia Bulldogs faced the number 10-ranked Texas Longhorns. With the loss to Alabama, a win for either team would seriously help them in the race for the championship game in the SEC. Coming into the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs had a four-point lead, with the game still open. Then, the floodgates opened and the Bulldogs scored three touchdowns to record a 35-10 victory over the Longhorns. This win keeps the Bulldogs in contention for the SEC Championship game, and the loss all but eliminates Texas from making the CFP this season.
UCF @ #6 Texas Tech
The number six-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders faced the UCF Knights with the hopes of keeping their lead in the Big 12 conference. A dominant performance from the Red Raiders gave them a 48-9 win over the Knights.
Florida @ #7 Ole Miss
The number seven-ranked Ole Miss Rebels kept themselves in contention for the SEC Championship game with a win against the Florida Gators. Rebels running back Kewan Lacy scored three touchdowns and ran for 224 yards in their 34-24 victory over the Gators.
Minnesota @ #8 Oregon
The number eight-ranked Oregon Ducks kept themselves in a CFP spot with a win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers this week. Ducks QB Dante Moore threw two touchdowns for 306 yards in the 42-13 win.
#9 Notre Dame @ #22 Pittsburgh
The number nine-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish faced the number 22-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers this week, where a win would massively help their playoff hopes. Notre Dame QB CJ Carr threw for two touchdowns in their 37-15 win over the Panthers.
TCU @ #12 BYU
The number 12-ranked BYU Cougars kept the pressure on Texas Tech with a win over the TCU Horned Frogs. Cougars QB Bear Bachmeier threw for one touchdown and for 296 yards in their 44-13 win
#13 Utah @ Baylor
The number 13-ranked Utah Utes also kept the pressure on Tech and BYU with their win over the Baylor Bears. A dominant performance from the Utes gave them a 55-28 win.
NC State @ #15 Miami
The number 15-ranked Miami Hurricanes were able to get themselves back into the CFP conversation with a win over the NC State Wolfpack. Carson Beck had a good game, throwing for three touchdowns in their 41-7 win over the Wolfpack.
#16 Georgia Tech @ Boston College
Another team who were able to get itself back into the playoff picture this week was the number 16-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. They faced the struggling Boston College Eagles this week, and looked like they were on the receiving end of a massive upset. But a late field goal from Aidan Birr gave the Yellow Jackets a 36-34 win.
Embed from Getty Images#21 Iowa @ 17 USC
The number 17-ranked USC Trojans are one of several one-loss teams that could make the Big Ten Conference championship game if either Ohio State or Indiana loses a game in the coming weeks. USC kept themselves in this position with a 26-21 win over the number 21-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes.
#18 Michigan @ Northwestern
The number 18-ranked Michigan Wolverines made the trip to Wrigley Field in Chicago to face the Northwestern Wildcats. We were very close to having a massive upset, but a last-second field goal from Dominic Zvada gave the Wolverines a 24-22 win.
#19 Virginia @ Duke
Last week, the number 19-ranked Virginia Cavaliers were defeated by Wake Forest, which dented their CFP hopes. This week, they faced the Duke Blue Devils. The Cavs were able to record a 34-17 win, potentially putting themselves back into contention for the CFP.
Clemson @ #20 Louisville
Welcome back, the Clemson Tigers, to the weekly review. They were expected to be challengers for the national championship this year, but things have not gone to plan. This week, they visited the number 20-ranked Louisville Cardinals. A late touchdown from Clemson gave them a 20-19 win over Louisville, keeping their skid down the rankings going, and making the Tigers one win away from bowl eligibility.
Embed from Getty ImagesNew Mexico State @ #23 Tennessee
The number 23-ranked Tennessee Volunteers faced the New Mexico State Aggies this week. Volunteers QB Joey Aguilar threw for 204 yards and one touchdown in their 42-9 win.
#24 South Florida @ Navy
The Navy Midshipmen stopped their two-game losing streak this week against the number 24-ranked South Florida Bulls. Navy survived a late comeback from the Bulls to record a 41-38 win, which should get them ranked next week.
Arizona @ #25 Cincinnati
The number 25-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats faced the Arizona Wildcats this week. Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita recorded 294 yards and threw for one touchdown in their 30-24 win over ranked opposition.
That was a look back at Week 12 of the 2025 College Football season. Next week, numerous top SEC teams play non-conference opponents. Outside of this conference, Georgia Tech faces Pittsburgh, and USC plays Oregon.