Welcome to Glass Slipper! 16 of 32 for 150 yards, with one touchdown and two picks. JJ McCarthy strikes again; please enjoy the show.

- Jacob Rhee

Here are my 10 biggest takeaways from Week 12 of the college football season.

1. Next man up.

Justice Haynes was producing like the best running back in the country. He goes down with a season-ending injury, and you could make the argument that his understudy is playing even better. In Michigan’s last four games, Jordan Marshall has logged 623 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns.

I’ll begrudgingly give Tony Alford some flowers here; the infamous traitor has clearly done a great job with this room.

2. Floodlights.

There is not a single quarterback that I trust more than Marcel Reed in a big spot. When Texas A&M finds itself in dire straits, No. 10 is always there.

The Aggies went to the break down 27(!!), and were being labeled as frauds on social media. Reed proceeds to complete 16 of his 20 second-half attempts for 298 yards and three touchdowns, giving the 108,000 folks in attendance a lifelong memory.

Johnny Manziel left College Station with a 5-5 record in one-score contests. Marcel is 6-2. If you told me that my life depended on the outcome of a football game, I know which A&M signal-caller I’d want taking the snaps.

3. Pat’s unfiltered idiocy.

Pitt students camped out in anticipation of College GameDay. The best NFL defender of all time flew in to get his jersey retired. A fan base that hadn’t witnessed a top-10 victory in almost eight years was ready for war.

The literal head coach of the program decided to tell the world that he didn’t care. The kids on the roster adopted his casual mindset, and Notre Dame had that thing in the bag after eight minutes.

Look, Pitt was going to lose anyway. It’s just an unbelievably embarrassing episode from Pat Narduzzi, who has delivered exactly one great season in over a decade at the helm. That school deserves better.

4. Start your engines.

The complaints about the current playoff format are about to reach a deafening volume. Why, you might ask? Well, the North Texas Mean Green could very well be two wins away from a berth.

Their offense actually feels kind of real. Drew Mestemaker - albeit against soft competition - has the numbers to match anyone. In addition, no non-QB has tallied more total touchdowns than true freshman running back Caleb Hawkins. Unfortunately, the other side of the ball is… a problem. I can’t seriously envision this group going on the road, and pushing the eventual No. 5 seed to the limit in Round 1.

If you didn’t enjoy the 2024 Boise State inclusion, prepare yourself for what’s coming in a few weeks. Just a fair warning.

5. Final chapter.

Iowa’s fourth loss comes in excruciating fashion at the Coliseum, and this feels like the appropriate time to have a big-picture conversation. It’s Year 27 for Kirk Ferentz. Zero outright conference titles. One BCS bowl victory. Zero CFP appearances. I remain in utter disbelief that the university dedicated a statue to a man infatuated with being pretty good.

Enough is enough, Iowa. Empty the funds for some young offensive mind, retain Phil Parker, and make a genuine attempt to compete with the powerhouses.

6. Brent’s big day.

Oklahoma continues to mystify me. The most impressive victory of the season officially belongs to the Sooners, and I still don’t have any sort of feel for how good they actually are.

They average a measly 3.8 yards per carry, have not really been able to throw the ball since John Mateer’s surgery, and laid a giant egg in the Red River Rivalry. Yet… these guys have an outside shot at securing a bye. None of that quite computes in my head.

7. Runaway.

Give the Joe Moore Award to Utah’s offensive line immediately. We don’t need two more weeks to be sure. The Utes are nothing short of brilliant up front; it’s a superpower that will make them extremely dangerous in a single-elimination setting.

Devon Dampier completed exactly six passes against Baylor, and Kyle Whittingham’s crew managed to score 55. I don’t want my Buckeyes to see this team, at any point.

8. Old times.

Uh-oh. That looked a lot like the dynastic version of Georgia.

If Glenn Schumann’s defense is going to be that sharp, the Dawgs are the favorites. Bar none. They were flying around early, then rose up another level when superstar linebacker CJ Allen got hurt. That’s the resilience and accountability that made those 2021 and 2022 squads so special.

Watch out, folks. Georgia is rounding into championship form at the perfect moment.

9. My updated Heisman ladder.

1) Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech LB

2) Fernando Mendoza, Indiana QB

3) Julian Sayin, Ohio State QB

4) Cashius Howell, Texas A&M EDGE

5) Ty Simpson, Alabama QB

6) CJ Allen, Georgia LB

7) Haynes King, Georgia Tech QB

8) Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame RB

9) Makai Lemon, USC WR

10) Drew Mestemaker, North Texas QB

10. Time to peek ahead.

All eyes are on Eugene, where USC is about to put its playoff dreams on the line against Oregon. Let’s go.

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“Magic” by One Direction. We’re all going to push through this week.