We begin every rivalry week by throwing the records out the window, but this still felt like some delirious fiction.
Rivalry weeks are a lot like «Fast and Furious» movies. There’s often huge amounts of animosity among the stars. The plots make absolutely no sense. And most significantly, there are no bad ones, just varying amounts of bloodshed and pyrotechnics. The 2020 installment was essentially the «Tokyo Drift» of rivalry weeks — many big names not participating, a rather lackluster outing — but 2021 was something different. It was drama and heartbreak. It was heroism. It was the underdog finally achieving greatness. It was the villain coming back from the dead. It was Oscar bait. It had everything. And like all great rivalry weeks, the twists and turns of this one were entirely unexpected. In The Game, Jim Harbaugh finally peeled the monkey off his back, as Michigan ‘s defense held Ohio State to a season low in points and yardage, and the Wolverines’ ground game ran for miles. In the Iron Bowl, Auburn nearly pulled off the impossible, only to see Bryce Young claw his way down the field for a game-tying touchdown, then win in overtime. At Bedlam, it was absolute chaos — from defensive touchdowns to special teams disasters to two late stands by the Oklahoma State defense, who delivered the final stake through the heart of an Oklahoma team that had miraculously survived one nail-biter after another this season. We begin every rivalry week by throwing the records out the window, as was agreed upon in the Camp David accords of 1978, but this still felt like some delirious fiction. This season has had but one true certainty: The Georgia defense. The Bulldogs stomped on little brother Georgia Tech as expected, and they wrapped the regular season having allowed just eight offensive touchdowns. For some perspective, FBS defenses have allowed that many in a single game 30 times this year. But there was a ray of hope to stop Georgia’s Death Star. It was the Ohio State offense, behind C.J. Stroud and TreVeyon Henderson and a trio of ridiculously talented receivers. A week ago, the Buckeyes embarrassed Michigan State, and the narrative was set. It’s just that Harbaugh didn’t read that narrative. (He only listens to Nicholas Sparks books on tape.) A year ago, Michigan fans were ready to run Harbaugh out of town, a big-name coach who couldn’t win a big game. Now, the Wolverines have halted an eight-game losing streak to that team down south, and they’re but a single win over Iowa away from a berth in the College Football Playoff. They did it not with a big-play passing game or an up-tempo offense, but with an old-fashioned ground-and-pound attack that racked up 297 yards and six touchdowns on the ground against an overwhelmed Buckeyes defense. They did it on the strength of Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, the most ferocious pass rushing tandem in the country, who harassed Stroud throughout the game, racking up four sacks between them. They did it with a coach who thinks sunglasses and khakis are a fashion statement, chickens are nervous birds, and the sixth time’s the charm. The Wolverines were going to beat Ohio State «or die trying,» Harbaugh said this week, and both he and the Wolverines live to fight another day. Michigan is a nostalgic throwback in an era of stylized excitement — right down to singing «Mr. Brightside» when it was over. Singing Mr. Brightside from the Michigan Stadium field after beating Ohio State pic.twitter.com/RzrrS7cOoa Nick Saban made his own headlines this week, calling out his «self-absorbed» fans for dismissing so many close wins as something beneath the Tide’s expected brilliance. But after Young drove the Tide 97 yards on 12 plays and floated a pinpoint throw over Ja’Corey Brooks’ shoulder in the final minute of the Iron Bowl, no Alabama fans will be complaining. It was magic. That Auburn’s Tank Bigsby blew an opportunity to run down the clock on the Tigers’ final drive or that Bryan Harsin never considered going for two in the first overtime offers ample room for criticism on The Plains, but what’s true is Young’s place in Iron Bowl lore was predestined. Whether the latest close win was fodder for critics or actual ammunition for the committee remains to be seen, but for one brilliant Saturday afternoon, it didn’t matter. What to make of Bedlam? Oklahoma State scored on a 100-yard kick return, gave up a safety, allowed a scoop-and-score TD, missed a field goal, and scored after Oklahoma muffed a punt inside the 5. It’s rare Mike Gundy can wear a turtleneck under a sweater and that’s not even close to the ugliest part of an Oklahoma State game. And yet, it all somehow worked. The Sooners had beaten the Pokes 16 of the last 18, including six straight, but this year, things were different. The Oklahoma State defense has been a revelation all season, arguably the best unit in the country after the Dawgs’ D, and despite being left for dead a half-dozen times this season — including midway through the third quarter Saturday — Oklahoma State has a real shot at the playoff, too. When Collin Oliver, splayed on the ground, grabbed Caleb Williams ankles and ended the Sooners’ final comeback attempt, another domino fell. Through seven seasons, the College Football Playoff was defined by four teams: Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma. At least three won’t be in this year’s playoff, and Alabama is hanging on by the skin of its teeth. Who would’ve guessed? It’s fitting that this ridiculous season began with Clemson and Georgia slugging each other into oblivion in a game that didn’t include an offensive touchdown. It was a precursor for what this season has become — a year destined to be different, not defined by elite QBs or offensive fireworks or the same blue bloods who’ve owned the sport for the past decade. From Georgia to Oklahoma State, Michigan to Cincinnati, it’s been a year for the old-school, for the physically punishing ground games and the heavyweight defenses. It’s been ugly at times, but perhaps, as a mid-2000s alt-rock band once sang, that’s just been the price we pay when destiny is calling, and when we open our eyes, we’ll see a whole new college football world awaits. It’s been a wild year for fans storming the field, from Kansas fans partying after narrowly escaping an FCS opponent in Week 1 to UMass fans rushing onto the turf after beating winless UConn. But rivalry week is an altogether different animal, and so Washington State and Virginia Tech fans took it up a notch. On Friday, the Cougars scored a mammoth win over Washington in the Apple Cup — and out came the fans onto the field. Only, it was Washington’s field. The visitor field-storming immediately joined the pantheon of great moments of celebrating behind enemy lines, right up there with Baker Mayfield planting the flag at the Horseshoe or that time the kids at Valley kidnapped Screech before the big cheerleading competition at Bayside on «Saved by the Bell.» WASHINGTON STATE RUSHED WASHINGTON’S FIELD ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/AyJRzWGrqT Not to be outdone, Virginia Tech’s fans stormed the field at Scott Stadium after the Hokies toppled rival Virginia for the 17th time in 18 years, despite firing their coach two weeks ago. Afterward, Hokies fans raided Virginia’s fridge, trashed the living room and crashed on the couch. Don’t wake them up too early Sunday. It was a long night. Not every rivalry week game has playoff implications, but they all matter. Let’s check in on some of the biggest games that didn’t upend the committee’s rankings. The Land Grant trophy Amid heavy snow, Kenneth Walker III ran for 138 yards and a TD, Drew Beesley tormented Sean Clifford, and despite his hefty new contract, Mel Tucker apparently couldn’t afford a nice hat to keep warm during the game.
