This is what college football is all about. Rivalry week — when a team walks itself into a stadium composed of hallowed grounds to do battle with the most hated enemy of all, and this week was no different. 

Michigan cracks the Buckeyes for fourth straight year 

In the Midwest, no rivalry comes before “The Game.” The second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes welcomed the unranked Michigan Wolverines into Columbus in a game where OSU was heavily favored to beat “TTUN” to almost everyone outside of Ann Arbor. 

For the fourth time this decade, the Wolverines stunned Columbus and the CFB world when it beat Ohio State 13-10. In this year’s rendition of “The Game,” the Michigan defense completely overwhelmed Ohio State’s offense, picking off Buckeye quarterback Will Howard twice and completely shutting out OSU’s offensive unit in the second half.

What will the excuse be this time around for Buckeye head coach Ryan Day? He can’t blame Connor Stallions, shout at Lou Holtz and now has resorted to looking lackadaisical when his team goes down in flames. 

Bulldogs outlast Yellow Jackets in eight OT’s

Although this matchup is as old as time, the in-state rivalry between Georgia and Georgia Tech has gone a bit stale this decade, as Georgia has asserted itself as the de facto program of the 2020s. However, the Yellow Jackets already shocked Miami and looked to do the same to the Bulldogs. 

In an absolute shootout, GT pounced on UGA and led 17-0 at halftime. The Bulldogs, led by 297 passing yards and five touchdowns from quarterback Carson Beck, forced the Yellow Jackets into a whopping eight overtimes and won in comeback fashion 44-42.

With the win over its rival, the Georgia Bulldogs are now set to square off against the Texas Longhorns for the Southeastern Conference Championship. The Bulldogs and Longhorns have already come to the blows this season with Georgia coming out on top. 

Arizona State dominates Arizona and clinches Conf. Championship

The Sun Devils of Arizona State opened up the 2024 season at 5-2 and were viewed as a conference backdrop when compared to Big 12 teams such as BYU and Iowa State, who started off undefeated. After some huge wins, and help from other teams, ASU was set to head to the title game should it beat rival Arizona.

Simply put, the Sun Devils ran all over the Wildcats in an absolute blowout. Led by running backs Cam Skattebo and Kyson Brown, Arizona State ran for exactly 300 yards in a 49-7 win over Arizona. 

With the win over the Wildcats, the Sun Devils are now set to do battle with Iowa State for the Conference Championship. Should ASU win, the team would receive a first round bye in the College Football Playoffs.

Conference Championship Week

All FBS conferences are ready to determine who gets to call itself conference champion. With several teams already at one or two losses, the stakes have never been higher in an already dramatic weekend. 

Here are my predictions for the Power 4 this weekend: 

Big Ten: Oregon over Penn State. 

Big 12: Arizona State over Iowa State 

SEC: Texas over Georgia 

ACC: SMU over Clemson

Gage Wellman is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected] or @GageWellmanKSTV on X.