College football Week 12 viewing guide: CFP elimination games abound

Lamest time window: The slate during daylight hours appears modest, but a noticeable lull arrives in mid-afternoon. There’s only one matchup of ranked teams (Missouri-South Carolina) among the games that kick off between noon and 7 p.m., though others (Tulane-Navy, LSU-Florida) are worth monitoring.

Noon: Tulane’s visit to Navy (ESPN2) will have huge American Athletic Conference title implications. And yes, there’s still a solid chance we could get two Army-Navy games this year. No. 17 Clemson travels to Pitt (ESPN) with its ACC title game hopes still intact, and while we don’t believe in trap games, No. 3 Texas’ visit to Arkansas (ABC) seems worth watching. The Razorbacks are coming off a bye week.

3:30: No. 14 SMU must handle Boston College (ESPN) to maintain its perch atop the ACC standings. LSU-Florida (ABC) always seems wildly entertaining.

4:00: Nebraska — loser of three in a row — will take its fourth crack at earning its first bowl berth in eight years when it visits USC (Fox).

4:15: No. 24 Missouri’s trip to No. 23 South Carolina (SEC Network) shapes up as one of the league’s best games of the weekend, considering the 6-3 Gamecocks have defeated Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt over the last four Saturdays.

7:30: Sixth-ranked Tennessee’s visit to No. 11 Georgia (ABC) is a de facto College Football Playoff elimination game and the weekend’s marquee matchup. Georgia has owned this series lately, winning the last seven meetings by an average margin of 26.4 points.

Non-apology apology?

Though widely vilified for his public scalding of Big 12 game officials following last week’s BYU-Utah instant classic, former USF athletic director Mark Harlan isn’t backpedaling from his comments.

Harlan, now the Utes AD, told reporters the game “was absolutely stolen from us” in a 30-second rant following BYU’s 22-21 win. Presumably, he was referring to a fourth-down defensive holding call against Utah that extended the Cougars' game-winning drive. Equally bizarre, Utah’s bench was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct on the game’s last play, a Utah kickoff return featuring several laterals.

The flag was thrown against Harlan, who walked onto the field during the play. He was fined $40,000 by the Big 12 and given a public reprimand.

But his follow-up statement the day after the game conveyed no apology, only remorse for the setting in which he vented.

“Last night following our game against BYU, I made clear my feelings related to the game officiating,” he said, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. “However, I recognize that there are more appropriate times and avenues to express those concerns, and I accept the consequences of my decision.”

Local of the Week

Alfonso Franklin, Valdosta State

We delve into the Division II level this week, where Franklin — a 205-pound Boca Ciega alumnus — has helped propel the Blazers (9-0) to the No. 1 spot in the AFCA Coaches Poll. Franklin ran for 107 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries in last weekend’s 49-20 rout of Delta State. He enters Saturday’s regular season finale against West Florida averaging 8.8 yards per carry (58 attempts, 509 yards) with 10 TDs.

Audible of the week

“The ability is there. And I think so many times we say, ‘Man, talent, talent, talent.’ I think we misconstrue talent with ability. I think the talent is truly being able to maximize your ability and being able to play really, really efficient, being able to have your process absolutely right to be the best version of you so that you can execute on Saturday. We fell short on both sides of the ball, and that’s on me and me only.” — USF coach Alex Golesh, three days after his team’s 28-7 homecoming loss to Navy

By the numbers

8.5 million: Dollars it will cost FSU for the dismissal of three assistants (including the offensive and defensive coordinators), according to the Tallahassee Democrat. The figure factors in what the coaches were owed for the remainder of this season and the contract buyouts, subject to mitigation.

16: Consecutive American Athletic Conference regular season wins by Tulane, which plays at Navy on Saturday. The league record is 17, shared by UCF (2017-2019) and Cincinnati (2020-2022).

60: Total missed assignments (offense, defense, special teams) by USF in its loss to Navy, according to Golesh

169.7: Florida’s average rushing yards in its last three contests (Kentucky, Georgia, Texas)

271.6: Average yards per game allowed by Tennessee’s defense, which ranks fifth nationally

306.4: Average yards per game allowed by Georgia’s defense, which ranks 13th nationally

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