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College football Week 13: Rivalry games, much more at stake

Blake Corum and Michigan ran off with The Game last year, but this year's contest is at Ohio State, which should help the Buckeyes. AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File

Last Saturday night, Shane Beamer's South Carolina Gamecocks reminded us of something vital: We don't ever completely know what's about to happen.

Over the previous month, they had been held under 5 yards per play and 300 yards on three occasions and to 10 or fewer points twice. Well-touted transfer quarterback Spencer Rattler hadn't topped even 212 passing yards since Week 2.

Against Tennessee on Saturday, Rattler threw for 438 yards and six touchdowns. South Carolina scored touchdowns on nine of 10 possessions and cruised to a 63-38 win that upended the College Football Playoff race. There was no warning, no realistic way to know it was about to happen, but it happened.

Now comes Rivalry Week. We have nine conference title game bids and some of the sport's most celebrated rivalry trophies to hand out, and we have increasingly blurry CFP and Heisman races to figure out.

Here's everything you need to follow over Rivalry Week. Happy Thanksgiving. Let's get weird.