Week 12 // 2025 Week 12
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2025
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
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This is a player’s game. These guys fought with resiliency, they kept punching and they found a way to win. - Wake Forest Head Coach Jake Dickert on the team’s performance in a 16-9 upset over then-No. 14 Virginia
TEAM TO WATCH TEXAS tech
TEAM oF THE WEEK california
Texas Tech, playing in its first top-10 matchup since 2008, held previously undefeated BYU to a season-low 255 yards in a 29-7 victory over the Cougars. Quarterback Behren Morton passed for 216 yards, including a nine-yard touchdown to Caleb Douglas, while Cameron Dickey rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown.
California picked up its first win over a ranked opponent since 2020 with a 29-26 overtime victory at then-No. 14 Louisville. Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele went 30-for-47 for 323 yards – both career highs – and added a pair of touchdown passes.
Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, the FBS leader with seven forced fumbles, had an interception in the third quarter and recovered a backward pass late in the fourth. Kicker Stone Harrington booted a school-record five field goals, with two of those a result of Rodriguez’s takeaways. Texas Tech, who moved up two spots to No. 6 in this week’s CFP rankings, attempts to complete its first unbeaten home season since 2008 by hosting UCF at 1:30 p.m. PHX on Saturday on FOX.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2025
Wide receiver Jacob De Jesus’ final reception of the night won the Golden Bears the game and tied a single-game school record for most catches with 16. After Louisville scored with a field goal, De Jesus caught a 4th-and-3 touchdown pass during Cal’s first overtime possession for the win. The win made Cal bowl-eligible for the third season in a row. The Golden Bears have a bye this week before the 128th Big Game at Stanford on November 22.
Week 12
CFP week 12 rankings
GAMES to WATCH 10:00am
NOV
#24 USF espn2 AT NAVY
15
NOV
10:00aM
1:30pm
15 btn
NOV
5:30PM
#21 IOWA VS #17 USC
#10 TEXAS
15 abc AT #5 GEORGIA
For a full schedule of Week 12 games, click here. (All times in PHX)
2025 BOWL PREDICTIONS
Ohio State Indiana Texas A&M Alabama Georgia
6. Texas Tech 7. Ole Miss 8. Oregon 9. Notre Dame 10. Texas
For a full CFP Top 25 Rankings, click here.
#9 NOTRE DAME AT #22 PITTSBURGH
NOV
15 abc
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
GAME OF THE WEEK #11 OKLAHOMA AT #4 ALABAMA
No. 11 Oklahoma travels to Tuscaloosa for an SEC heavyweight matchup on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. PHX on ABC. The Sooners are coming off a bye after a 33-27 win at Tennessee, preparing to face their third ranked conference opponent in a row. Oklahoma’s defense brought the pressure against the Volunteers, recording four sacks and allowing just 63 rushing yards. Ball security will be key for the Alabama offense on Saturday, as the Sooners excel at forcing turnovers and capitalizing with scoring drives. One of the hottest teams in the country, Alabama has won eight games in a row and is tied with Texas A&M for the top spot in the SEC. Last week, the Crimson Tide held LSU out of the end zone for the first time since the 2012 national championship game and allowed just 13 first downs and 232 total yards. Quarterback Ty Simpson is riding a highlight-reel outing, completing 21-of-25 passes for nearly 300 yards and a touchdown.
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ESPN Bonagura – No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Ohio State
ESPN Bonagura – TCU vs. Northwestern
ESPN Schlabach-- No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 1 Ohio State
ESPN Schlabach – Baylor vs. Northwestern
College Football Network – No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 1 Ohio State
College Football Network – Kansas State vs. Minnesota
USA Today – Indiana vs. Alabama
CBS Sports – Iowa State vs. Minnesota
On3 – No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Ohio State
On3 – Iowa State vs. Northwestern
Week 12
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2025
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
CHRIS OLAVE
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave dazzled in the Saints’ 17-7 victory at division opponent Carolina on Sunday. Olave recorded more than 100 receiving yards, including a go-ahead 62-yard touchdown connection with fellow Fiesta Bowl alum Tyler Shough in the second quarter. It was the longest touchdown reception of Olave’s career. The outing was Olave’s first 100-yard game of the season, and he now leads the Saints’ offense this season in receptions (60), receiving yards (664) and total touchdowns (4). Olave holds Ohio State’s program record for most career receiving touchdowns at 35 and caught a 23-yard touchdown pass for the Buckeyes in the 2019 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl against Clemson. On just three receptions, Olave finished the Fiesta Bowl with 50 total yards.
notable performances
Antwan Raymond Rutgers
Jake Retzlaff Tulane
Sophomore running back Antwan Raymond tied a Rutgers program record with 41 carries for a careerhigh 240 yards and a touchdown in the Scarlet Knights’ 35-20 win over Maryland.
Tulane’s offense had 35 points in the first half, powered by quarterback Jake Retzlaff’s 332 passing yards and three passing scores en route to a 38-32 victory over then-No. 22 Memphis. Retzlaff also ran for 43 yards and a touchdown.
Raymond’s 240 yards were the third-highest in an FBS game this year. Maryland made it a one-score game at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but Raymond put the game away for Rutgers with a five-yard touchdown, his 11th of the season. Raymond became the eighth player in Rate Bowl history to record at least three rushing touchdowns, and the first since 2017.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2025
With Tulane up by six and facing a third down inside the two-minute warning, Retzlaff ran for the first down to cement the Green Wave’s victory. Retzlaff became the first Tulane quarterback to account for four touchdowns in one half since 2012.
Week 12
BIG NEWS The Rate Bowl will once again feature Bowl Season’s only Big 12 vs. Big Ten matchup at a new time of 2:30 p.m.
on Friday, December 26. As we eagerly await kickoff in downtown Phoenix, we’re bringing you weekly game
highlights, player reports and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news for Week 12:
BIG TEN •
The Big Ten had six teams included in the College
•
•
Tuesday: No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Indiana,
most among all FBS conferences •
Through Week 11 of the season, nine Big 12 programs
No. 21 Iowa
are bowl eligible (including six for the Rate Bowl), with
10 Big Ten programs are bowl eligible (including
two more that are one win away •
BYU’s Bear Bachmeier, Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby
one win away
and Houston’s Conner Weigman give the Big 12 three
There are just three undefeated teams remaining in
different quarterbacks with at least six games with
the FBS, with two hailing from the Big Ten:
both a passing and rushing touchdown. All other FBS
Indiana (10-0) and Ohio State (9-0)
conferences combine for just one
Ohio State currently holds the nation’s longest win
•
All nine of Texas Tech’s wins have been by margins of
streak with 13 consecutive wins, the fourth 10-plus
22 points or more, becoming the first Big 12 school to
game winning streak for Head Coach Ryan Day
achieve the feat since 2009
Five Big Ten teams rank within the top 15 of the
•
BYU has recorded at least three defensive sacks in four
NCAA in total defense entering week 12.
different conference games this season, tied for the
Ohio State is the NCAA leader with 211.6 yards
second most in the FBS
per game, followed by Oregon (3rd, 239.3 yards
•
Ten different Big 12 teams have defeated an AP Top 25 opponent this season, which is tied for the
seven for the Rate Bowl) with Northwestern just
•
•
Football Playoff’s second rankings of the season on No. 8 Oregon, No. 17 USC, No. 18 Michigan and
•
BIG 12
•
Utah and Texas Tech lead all FBS teams with six or
per game), Iowa (4th, 250.2), Indiana (5th, 257.1)
more wins in margin of victory at 36.4 and 33.2 points
and Nebraska (13th, 295.7)
per game, respectively
The Big Ten paces the Power 4 conferences with
•
Houston is the only FBS team that is undefeated on the
five teams in the top-20 in scoring defense, four
road this season with a minimum of five games played
of the top-five teams in passing yards allowed per
away from home
game and three of the top-10 teams in third down conversion percentage
Week 12
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2025
news in the foundation Community spotlight VETERAN’S DAY: FIESTA BOWL MVP ROY MILLER TACKLES NEW MISSION SUPPORTING MILITARY YOUTH Roy Miller still remembers the moment his name was called as a Fiesta Bowl MVP.
FIESTA SPORTS FOUNDATION REFRESHES COMMUNITY RESOURCE ROOM AT BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF CENTRAL ARIZONA’S PRESCOTT CLUBHOUSE As part of Fiesta Sports Foundation’s mission to provide statewide economic impact and charitable resources, the Foundation partnered with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arizona (BGCCAZ) for a Community Resource Room refresh. Located in Prescott, BGCCAZ was the recipient of the Foundation’s first-ever community resource room in 2019. Due for a refresh, the Club received $20,000 worth of necessary technology, furniture and supplies to revitalize the existing space. The room serves over 100 local youth daily and allows BGCCAZ to strengthen community connections while supporting its activities and educational programming.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2025
A senior on a stacked 2008 Texas Longhorns team, Miller had just finished one of the highlight games in his career. He played four quarters of disruptive defense, including a key third-quarter sack en route to a 24-21 Texas win. “I played on a big team, with a lot of Pro Bowlers, a lot of guys that you know probably will be going to the Hall of Fame,” Miller said. “I knew that day I had to go out there and perform at my highest. To gain that recognition of being called a Fiesta Bowl MVP, it really just sends chills down my spine.” To read the full story, click on the image below.
Week 12
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2025