No. 2 Michigan remains undefeated with win over rival No. 6 Ohio State

The GIST: Week 13 was a rollercoaster as the CFP picture slowly emerged and the Pac-12’s swan song neared its end. RIP to the Conference of Champions, who’ll go out with a bang in next week’s title game.

No. 2 Michigan owns “The Game”: Thanks to their dominant defense, the Wolverines never trailed No. 6 Ohio State on Saturday as they won the regular season’s most consequential matchup 30–24 — their third straight dub in arguably the sport’s most heated rivalry.

• Next up for Michigan? The return of HC Jim Harbaugh just in time for the Big Ten Championship, featuring a less-than-intimidating opponent in No. 18 Iowa — plus, a nearly-assured CFP spot. As for Ohio State, they’re hoping for a miracle.

Other CFP contenders steal narrow wins: No. 1 Georgia and a Jordan Travis–less No. 4 Florida State both underwhelmed on Saturday but pulled away against intrastate rivals Georgia Tech and Florida, respectively. Meanwhile, Washington just avoided disaster thanks to Grady Gross’ aforementioned field goal. Phew.

No. 5 Oregon captures the Platypus: The Ducks took home the sport’s weirdest trophy on Friday — in what could be the rivalry’s final chapter — thanks to their crucial 31–7 win over No. 21 Oregon State. The dub guaranteed Oregon another shot at Washington in next weekend’s Pac-12 Championship and kept their CFP selection dreams alive.

• Adding salt to the Beavers’ wound, Oregon State HC Jonathan Smith announced post-game that he’s filling the HC vacancy at Michigan State. A longtime Oregonian bailing for the Big Ten? Sounds familiar…

Pandemonium at the Iron Bowl: Down by four points with 43 seconds left, on fourth down with 31 yards to go, No. 8 Alabama’s loss to Auburn seemed all but inevitable — until Bama quarterback (QB) Jalen Milroe called game with a jaw-dropping touchdown (TD) pass to steal Saturday’s 27–24 win. Talk about whiplash.

Cardinals crumble: No. 15 Louisville’s blown fourth quarter resulted in a 38–31 loss to Kentucky on Saturday, triggering a six-spot drop in yesterday’s poll. The Cards also lost the world’s thinnest chance at a CFP bid, but they could still ruin someone else’s season when they take on Florida State in next weekend’s ACC Championship.