Moving the Chains: Takeaways from College Football 2024 – Conference Championships

Kicking off the season’s biggest weekend to date, Friday night’s action didn’t exactly start off with a bang. Rather, it came closer to landing with a thud.

In two games that offered about as much action and excitement as a Nicholas Sparks’ novel, #10 Boise State beat #20 UNLV 21 – 7 to win the Mountain West Conference, and #24 Army defeated Tulane, 35 – 14 to capture the American Athletic Conference. Next up for Boise State are the playoffs; next up for Army is Navy in the 125th renewal of their annual grudge match. (Incidentally, Navy leads the series 62 – 55; there have been 7 ties.)

There were, however, performances by a trio of players deserve recognition. Boise State’s Heisman candidate Ashton Jeanty carried the ball 32 times, piling up 207 yards and scoring a touchdown, while the Army cadet tandem of Kanye Udoh and Bryson Daily teamed up to rush for 284 yards and five TD’s (20 carries/158 yards/1 touchdown and 25/126/4, respectively). Worth mentioning: Daily is the Army quarterback, and he only threw two passes – completing both of them for 17 yards – in the entire game.

I’ll be honest. Prior to #16 Iowa State and #15 Arizona State playing for the conference championship this weekend, I watched very little of the Big-12 this season. I figured since Texas and Oklahoma were long gone for the (much) greener pastures of the SEC, then why bother? In fact, I’ve only seen Iowa State and Arizona State play one time each this year, and that wasn’t until Saturday – when they met in Arlington (Texas) for all the marbles.

It didn’t take long to remember why I don’t care much for Big-12 football: playing defense is an afterthought. To wit: only one punt by each team the entire game. There were, however, those three turnovers by the Iowa State offense in the third quarter that led to three quick Sun Devil touchdowns that turned the game around. Arizona State’s freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt completed 12 of 17 passes for 219 yards and three TD’s (as well as 7 carries for 33 yards and another score). The star of the game, however, was senior Sun Devil running back Cam Skattebo: 16 carries for 170 yards and two touchdowns (and 2 receptions for 38 yards and a TD). If NFL scouts aren’t salivating over this guy, they’re not doing their jobs. Final score: ASU – 45, ISU – 19. With the win, the Sun Devils are headed to the playoffs.

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to visit the campus of the University of Texas. I toured their athletic facility, specifically the Athletics Hall of Fame. I was informed they were in the process of adding an SEC wing. ‘How presumptive,’ I thought, considering they hadn’t so much as participated in SEC competition at that point. The joke’s on me, because in their first season as a member of the SEC, they were already competing in the conference championship game.

#2 Texas, taking on #5 Georgia in Atlanta, dominated the first half everywhere except the scoreboard, taking a slim 6 – 3 lead into the locker room. The Bulldogs were anemic on offense in the first half. They only gained 9 total yards in the first quarter, and just 69 yards and 3 first downs by halftime. Meanwhile, the Longhorns racked up 260 yards and held onto the ball for more than 20 minutes. Also of note: Georgia lost their starting quarterback, Carson Beck, to injury on the last play of the half.

Regardless, the Bulldogs turned the game around in the second half. Backup Georgia QB Gunner Stockton jumpstarted it by taking the opening kickoff and leading his team to the first touchdown of the game. Ultimately, Texas only had the ball for 8 minutes in the second half, and thanks to two missed field goals by the usually reliable Longhorn kicker, the game ended with the score tied at 16.

In overtime, Texas had the ball first and kicked a field goal. On Georgia’s first possession, Stockton ran for a first down inside the five yard line, but lost his helmet on the tackle and had to sit out a play. Enter injured Carson Beck, who took the snap and handed it off to running back Trevor Etienne for the game-winning touchdown. Final score: Georgia – 22, Texas – 19. Texas will now have a first-round playoff game, while the SEC champion Bulldogs will receive a bye that will give Beck some extra time to get healthy.

In the ACC, #17 Clemson led #8 SMU in Charlotte at halftime 24 – 7, only to see the lead evaporate with 18 seconds left in the game when the Mustangs tied the game at 31. However, in those remaining seconds, which can be best described as improbable – a 41-yard kickoff return, a 17-yard pass, and a 56-yard field goal – the Tigers pulled off an exciting 34 – 31 win to secure their spot in the playoffs. For Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, it was his ninth ACC championship. The Tiger’s junior quarterback Cade Klubnik had an outstanding performance in the win, completing 24 of 41 passes for 262 yards and four touchdowns. As for the playoffs, Clemson is in. As for SMU …

Finally, in the Big Ten, #1 Oregon finished the season as the only undefeated team in the country (13 – 0) with a 45 – 37 win over #3 Penn State. Just 20 minutes into the game, the Ducks jumped out to a 28 – 10 lead and the outcome appeared to be determined. But the Nittany Lions, led by quarterback Drew Allar (20 of 39, 226 yards, 3 TD’s) and the running back tandem of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton (a combined 229 yards and one TD), just wouldn’t quit. It wasn’t until a 4th quarter Oregon touchdown, which put them ahead by 15 points with 7:28 to play, that the game was all but over. A late Penn State score narrowed the final margin to eight. Oregon’s senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel had a standout performance in their win, completing 22 of 32 passes for 283 yards and 4 touchdowns. With SMU’s loss to Clemson, Oregon finished as the only team in the country without a loss in conference play.

In case you missed it, four teams in the four major conferences made it to their respective championship games in their rookie season: Arizona State (formerly of the Pac-12), Oregon (Pac-12), SMU (American), and Texas (Big-12).

Next week: a review of the 12 teams in the college football playoffs, and – as promised earlier – an alternative playoff format for the future.

Scott Ludwig lives, runs, and walks in Senoia.  His latest compilation of 101 columns, ‘Southern Accent’, complements ‘Southern Charm,’ ‘Southern Comfort,’ and ‘Southern Hospitality,’ his first three compilations.  Other books in his Southern Exposure series include ‘Finding the Words,’ ‘Portraits of the South,’ and ‘let me tell you a funny story.’  All of his books can be found on his author page on Amazon.