It's Rivalry Week, the last week of the regular season, and all the top College Football Playoff contenders had a test to face.
The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes facing the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines was the headliner. The matchup had Big Ten title stakes as well as CFP implications. The game didn't feature many big plays, but Blake Corum, who ran for two touchdowns, and Michigan's stout defense did enough in the 30-24 win to beat the Buckeyes for the third consecutive year. Michigan's defense limited Ohio State to 107 yards rushing on 3.8 yards per carry. OSU QB Kyle McCord had 270 yards and two touchdowns but also two interceptions, including one that ended the Buckeyes' final drive. Michigan is now the first Big Ten team to ever win 30 straight regular season games.
Other contenders dealt with upset-minded, in-state rivals intent on spoiling runs to the playoff. With the No. 4 Washington Huskies off to the Big Ten next season, they got all they could from the Washington State Cougars in what could be the final Apple Cup for some time. Huskies QB Michael Penix Jr. had an up-and-down performance, throwing for just 204 yards, but he connected with Rome Odunze for two touchdowns in the 24-21 win. Odunze also had a key 23-yard run to convert a fourth down. The Pac-12's other top team, the No. 6 Oregon Ducks, crushed the Oregon State Beavers on Friday night, 31-7.
The Florida State Seminoles, No. 5 in the rankings and playing without injured quarterback Jordan Travis, rallied behind three rushing touchdowns from Trey Benson in a 24-15 win over the Florida Gators. In another SEC-ACC matchup, the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs ground out a win against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 31-23. Playing without tight end Brock Bowers, UGA cranked up the running game with Kendall Milton finishing with 156 yards and two scores.
Next week is championship weekend where Georgia gets the No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide; Michigan gets the No. 16 Iowa Hawkeyes and Oregon and Washington meet in Las Vegas in a rematch of one of the 2023 season's epic games.
Here's who ESPN's college football reporters are picking for the playoff:
Andrea Adelson: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Washington 4. Florida State
Blake Baumgartner: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Washington 4. Florida State
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Washington 4. Florida State
Bill Connelly: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Washington 4. Florida State
Heather Dinich: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Washington 4. Oregon
David Hale: 1. Michigan 2. Georgia 3. Washington 4. Florida State
Chris Low: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Washington 4. Florida State
Harry Lyles Jr.: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Washington 4. Florida State
Ryan McGee: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Washington 4. Oregon
Adam Rittenberg: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Washington 4. Florida State
Alex Scarborough: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Washington 4. Florida State
Mark Schlabach: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Oregon 4. Texas
Paolo Uggetti: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Washington 4. Oregon
Tom VanHaaren: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Washington 4. Florida State
Dave Wilson: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Washington 4. Florida State