College football preview: Tennessee-Georgia, Big 12 CFP scenarios ahead of Week 12
Week 12 is here as we take a look at an SEC matchup that has College Football Playoff implications, learn about three of the nation’s top passers who all played under the same coach and see what’s going on in the Big 12.
No. 7 Tennessee will visit Sanford Stadium as it takes on conference opponent No. 12 Georgia on Saturday night. With so much at stake, what can each team improve on ahead of this SEC showdown?
The Big 12 has six teams in the hunt for a spot in the conference title game. With the final CFP rankings coming out in less than a month, what scenario looks most realistic for the conference in terms of how many of its teams could make the 12-team field?
Our college football experts preview big games and storylines ahead of the Week 12 slate.
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Tennessee-Georgia | The coach behind three top QB passers
What’s going on in the Big 12 | Quotes of the Week
What has each team done well in conference play? What improvements can be made?
It has been a historic (and dominant) season for Tennessee’s defense, which has yet to give up more than 19 points in any of its nine games. Against SEC competition, the Volunteers lead the conference in scoring defense, giving up 16.7 points per game, and also lead the way in third-down defense and red zone defense. In other words, they’ve given up very little of anything on defense and are buoyed by a line that’s both talented and deep. Tennessee plays a ton of players up front and has been especially good at forcing key turnovers. In 23 trips inside its own 20-yard line, the Vols have forced six turnovers.
The reality is that Tennessee has played to its defense for much of this season out of necessity. The offense has lacked consistency and struggled to generate explosive plays, particularly in the passing game. It’s not all on redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava, either. Iamaleava has thrown only five touchdown passes in six SEC games, and the Vols are tied for 10th with an average of 7.5 yards per completion. Iamaleava, who sustained a head injury in a win over Mississippi State last week, has been the victim of poor pass protection at times, and his receivers have dropped some costly passes. Iamaleava has also been shaky when it comes to overthrowing receivers and occasionally holding onto the ball too long.
The bright spot on offense for Tennessee has been running back Dylan Sampson, who has a school-record 20 rushing touchdowns. He has been a constant for the Vols on offense and has an SEC-leading 772 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in conference play. As good as he has been, the Vols are probably going to need more from their passing game to win in Athens. — Chris Low
The Bulldogs didn’t do much of anything well in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, which was the first time in a long time that Kirby Smart’s team was manhandled on the lines of scrimmage.
The good news for Georgia: It’s heading home to Sanford Stadium for the first time in more than a month. Georgia hasn’t dropped back-to-back games in the regular season since 2016, Smart’s first season, and it has bounced back after each of its past eight losses. The Bulldogs have won seven of their past eight games against the Volunteers.
For all of quarterback Carson Beck‘s turnovers, Georgia’s problems on offense probably start up front. The offensive line hasn’t done a good job of protecting him, and the Bulldogs’ lack of a potent running game has prevented them from effectively utilizing play-action passes. Their banged-up offensive line is going to face another formidable defensive front Saturday. Georgia has 27 dropped passes, fourth most in the FBS, according to TruMedia, so its receivers need to become more reliable as well. — Mark Schlabach
The coach behind three of college football’s top passers
Miami‘s Cam Ward, Washington State‘s John Mateer and North Texas‘ Chandler Morris are three of the top five quarterbacks in total offense this season in FBS. All three have the same head coach to thank for where they are today.
North Texas coach Eric Morris coached Ward at Incarnate Word and Washington State, recruited Mateer to the Cougars and signed Morris out of the transfer portal this offseason. All three hailed from Texas and are putting up big numbers this season. Morris, a Mike Leach disciple, knows what he’s looking for when it comes to QBs.
For each one, the journey was different. Ward was a zero-star recruit out of West Columbia, Texas, played in a wing-T offense and had no scholarship offers. But he showed up to Incarnate Word’s camp in 2019 and impressed with his quick release and accuracy. Morris saw appealing traits, too, in Ward’s multisport talents.
“He was such a good basketball player,” Morris said. “He was a bigger guy who could really handle the ball and move with ease. He had a twitch and quickness about him that was almost Mahomes-esque, where he’s not fast but you see him get out of the pocket and scramble and he’s nifty on his feet. He saw the floor great and shot the basketball great.
“It might be easier at an FCS school to take that risk, but it was something we were really confident in.”
Ward came in with extreme confidence, telling coaches he’d win the starting job over their returning all-conference player (and he did). He followed Morris to Pullman, Washington, out of loyalty to the coach who believed in him. Now he’s playing on a big stage, chasing a College Football Playoff bid and a Heisman Trophy with the No. 9 Hurricanes.
“It’s been fun to watch him flourish and get rewarded for being patient all these years,” Morris said.
When Morris left UIW to become Washington State’s offensive coordinator in 2022, he brought Ward but needed another QB. On his first recruiting trip in Texas, he stopped by to check out Mateer. The two-star recruit had a prolific senior season at Little Elm High School but was committed to Central Arkansas. Morris didn’t understand what FBS programs were missing and convinced Mateer to flip.
After two seasons behind Ward, Mateer has emerged as one of the top dual-threat QBs in college football with 2,332 passing yards, 805 rushing yards (excluding sacks) and 33 total TDs.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” Ward said. “He’s just so dang hard to tackle in the open field. Just a kid that loves ball and was under-recruited. The tide’s turned and he ends up being a big-time ballplayer.”
Chandler Morris was not an under-the-radar talent, but he’s having his best season yet at North Texas. He began his career at Oklahoma, won the starting job at TCU in 2022, sustained a knee injury in its season opener and then watched Max Duggan lead the Horned Frogs to the national title game.
Morris had a six-game stint as TCU’s starter last season before injuring the same knee. At UNT, he’s leading the nation’s No. 3 passing offense with 3,244 total yards and 30 TDs. Like Ward and Mateer, he processes information quickly, makes plays with his feet and throws outside the pocket with accuracy. If you ask Eric Morris, those traits are a must in today’s game. When paired with his version of Air Raid ball, you get big-time results.
“It’s been fun to see him get his swagger back,” Morris said.
Eric Morris points to Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels. The QBs thriving at the highest level are becoming unstoppable by creating plays out of the pocket. And so are his guys.
“Everybody obviously watches Cam and the magic he makes,” Morris said, “but I think all three of ’em can make plays when it’s not a perfect play call. There are a bunch of really good pure passers nowadays, but that’s what sets them all apart.” — Max Olson
What’s going on in the Big 12?
Two-thirds of the way through the Big 12 schedule, six teams are still in the hunt for a title-game appearance: BYU (6-0), Colorado (5-1), Arizona State, Iowa State, Kansas State and West Virginia, all of which are 4-2. There are too many variables to discuss all the scenarios, but the conference has a straightforward tiebreaker policy.
It’s possible to come up with scenarios in which the Big 12 could get two bids, one bid or shut out altogether.
For the Big 12 to get two bids, BYU probably would have to finish 12-0, then lose a close game in the championship to a two-loss team (Colorado, Iowa State or Kansas State). A 12-1 BYU team would get consideration, but it would become a question of how far it would fall and what else happens around the country.
The most likely scenario is the Big 12 will get one team in: whichever one wins the conference title game. If BYU wins out, it will have a bye, but if it slips up even once — or if another team wins the title — Boise State might be in position to get a first-round bye, assuming the Broncos win out.
The doomsday scenario in the Big 12 is if the conference champion has two or three losses and Army and Boise State win out. If that’s the case, there is a good possibility both of those schools would be ranked ahead of the Big 12 champion and the Big 12 would be left out. — Kyle Bonagura
Quotes of the Week
“They’re stubborn, man. They’re physical. He is an elite runner. The runs they run are sometimes nontraditional. They run some runs that other people don’t run because of the space in the box. He’s very patient. He hits small creases. He’s hard to tackle. How many touchdowns has he got in the SEC? Twenty-something? That’s crazy. In the SEC? The SEC is the hardest league in the world to run the ball in on because they’ve got the most size defensive lineman, and he continues to do it at a crazy pace to me.” — Kirby Smart on Volunteers tailback Dylan Sampson.
“I never try to take a step back. I try to take a step up. I’m always putting my head out the window. I’m trying to see around the corner, not trying to see straight ahead. It’s normalcy for everybody to see what’s in front of them. I’m trying to see around the corner. That’s the relationship I have with the Lord, to help me see around the corner so I can help navigate these young men as well as the women that’s attached to our program to a better way and a better life. So I don’t get caught up in the ‘You go, boys!’ or the ‘You ain’t nothing.’ You know, if I would’ve listened to you guys earlier, I’ve gotta listen to you now. So I might as well just put some headphones on and block you out. Notice I don’t have a sponsor for headphones, but that would’ve been a good placement for a sponsor.” — Deion Sanders when asked if he takes time to step back and appreciate the magnitude of Colorado’s turnaround.
“I hope anyone who has ambitions about playing in the National Football League, let’s see what you’ve got against Clemson. Let’s see you play your best game here. If you weren’t focused for Virginia, which I can’t imagine you weren’t — and I’m not saying anybody was not focused — but if they didn’t get your focus, I imagine Clemson will get your focus when you put the tape on.” — Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi on whether playing Clemson gets the attention of his players.
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Alden Gonzalez
LOS ANGELES — Alex Vesia made his 58th appearance of the season in Sunday’s eighth inning, retired the two batters he faced, then walked into the dugout and delivered a message to Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
“If we’re up in the ninth,” Vesia recalled saying, “I want it.”
Vesia had been relied upon heavily in 2025, but a sweep against the San Diego Padres — the team that shockingly pulled ahead in the division earlier this week — was in play. The top of the lineup was due up, the bullpen was shorthanded, and so Vesia wanted the ball again. Roberts, who had already burned through all of his available high-leverage relievers, responded affirmatively.
“You got it,” he said.
Three pitches later, Mookie Betts delivered a tiebreaking home run, paving the way for Vesia to quickly retire the side and seal a 5-4, sweep-clinching victory at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers held a nine-game lead in the National League West as recently as July 3, then went 12-21 over a six-week stretch and approached this highly anticipated weekend series trailing the Padres by a game. The skid might end up being the best thing to happen to them.
“It was the first time we’d seen ourselves down,” Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages said in Spanish, his team now up two in the division and set to play the last-place Colorado Rockies over the next four days. “I think we told ourselves, ‘That’s not where we should be.’ That’s what helped push us forward.”
Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow combined to give up only three runs in 17 innings in their three starts against the Padres, but the contributions from some of those who had been struggling were just as important.
Teoscar Hernandez, who began this series with a .287 on-base percentage, homered in each of the first two games. Michael Conforto, with a batting average below .200 for most of his first year with the Dodgers, tallied three hits in eight at-bats over the weekend. Betts, navigating the worst offensive season of his career, drove in the winning run in the finale, ending an 0-for-8 stretch in this series. But it was the bullpen — one that blew two leads while the Dodgers suffered a sweep at Angel Stadium earlier this week and is down as many as six high-leverage relievers at the moment — that really shined.
Seven Dodgers relievers combined to give up three runs in 10 innings over the three games.
“It’s the dawg, right?” Vesia said. “We still have that. That doesn’t just go away. Every single one of us, we’re leaning on each other. And we know as a group how good we are. The last three games, it’s shown, and that’s from one guy picking up the next. We kind of call it passing the torch. You get kicked down in this game from time to time, right? We put our heads down and keep going.”
The Padres were swept in a series for the first time since May 20-22, against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Dodgers, who snuck past the Padres in last year’s NL Division Series while on their way to the championship, won three in a row for the first time since the beginning of July and moved to 8-2 against the Padres this season. The teams will stage their final matchup of the regular season next weekend at Petco Park in San Diego.
“I don’t think anyone in that clubhouse doubted our abilities and how good we can be,” Roberts said. “Honestly, it was just good to play a really good series start to finish. I think we respect those guys, I think they respect us, and now we’ve got to turn the page and move on.”
The Dodgers rode a strong start from Kershaw and a gritty bullpen effort to snatch a close win in Friday’s opener, then took advantage of an erratic Dylan Cease and an overly aggressive Padres running game to take an early five-run lead and cruise to another victory Saturday. On Sunday, the Dodgers pounced on Yu Darvish immediately, getting a three-run homer from Freddie Freeman and a solo home run from Pages to take a 4-0 lead after the first inning.
Darvish and the Padres’ bullpen kept the Dodgers scoreless over the next six innings, and the San Diego offense cut its team’s deficit to one. In the top of the eighth, the Padres manufactured the tying run on a hit by pitch, a double and a groundout. But Betts gave the Dodgers the lead again by turning on a 2-0 fastball from Robert Suarez and sending it 394 feet to left-center field.
Betts’ 2025 season has been a perplexing one. He has overcome perhaps the toughest challenge of his career by successfully transitioning to shortstop in his 30s, but for perhaps the first time in his life, he has also struggled to be an adequate hitter. Betts’ slash line stood at .240/.313/.369 at the start of August. At some point around then, he told himself to forget about the numbers. They were going to be wind up being terrible anyway, so he vowed to approach each at-bat with the mindset of simply helping his team any way he could.
It has been freeing.
“Every at-bat is the same at this point — just trying to do something productive,” Betts said. “It definitely helps to not carry burdens from previous at-bats.”
After Vesia took the ball again in the ninth, he got Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Arraez to pop out, then struck out Manny Machado, who went 1-for-12 in the series. The Padres were 14-3 entering their series against the Dodgers, then led in only one of 27 innings over the course of three games.
When they needed it most, the Dodgers displayed the type of dominance they hadn’t shown in a while.
“People who really know this team know that’s still in there,” said Pages, who made a big play of his own by throwing out Freddy Fermin trying to stretch out a double in the third inning. “We’re that type of team. Maybe we went through a rough stretch, but the season’s really long.”
BOSTON — Marlins right fielder Dane Myers felt like a fan at Fenway Park was heckling him beyond what was appropriate, verbal abuse that began before he hit a tying homer in the ninth inning to help Miami rally past the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
Myers said the heckling began in the eighth when the Red Sox led 3-2 and continued in the ninth after he homered and rookie Jakob Marsee followed with a two-run shot to put the Marlins on top.
“Maybe so,” he said when asked if the fan said something inappropriate. “I don’t really want to get into that. Probably drinking some beers out there, having a good time. It’s a baseball game. I won’t get into necessarily what I heard exactly. It’s part of the game. I think I need to be a pro and probably handle it just a little bit better.”
Myers said he yelled back at the fan in the ninth before security workers intervened. After the fan was removed, Miami wrapped up its 5-3 victory.
“I basically said: ‘Would you be saying this if you were on the field right in my face?'” Myers said. “That was basically the one guy that kind of got the whole section going.”
Myers credited security workers with handling the situation.
“Yeah, they probably had that happen before. They kind of were on it right away,” he said. “Kudos for them kind of stepping in. I wouldn’t ever go into the stands or do anything like that. Just kind of letting them know I’m a person, too. I’m a human, too, so I want some respect as well.”
When asked if the Red Sox approached him and asked what was said — with the possibility of banning the fan for a longer period — he said he wasn’t sure if he would provide details.
“It’s hard to tell. Like I said, they’re fans. They have the right to cheer and to jeer as well. I won’t necessarily … get into what was exactly said,” Myers said.
In the fourth inning, Myers went back on Wilyer Abreu‘s two-run homer and turned like he was going to make an over-the-shoulder grab, but when he crashed into the wall, the ball popped out of his glove and over the fence.
“I don’t know if that ball’s getting over or not, but to kind of have it in my glove then go over and cost two runs kind of hurt,” he said. “I got the chance to make up for it and glad I was able to.”
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