2020 College Football Insider | Week 16

2020 - Week 16 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 16

Quote of the week “I knew if we just had one more opportunity that they would make something happen. That’s just who this team is.”

- USC Head Coach Clay Helton after defeating UCLA 43-38 with 16 seconds left on the clock

TEAMS TO WATCH:

conference champions Though other teams are playing as well, it’s championship weekend in college football. The weekend kicks off on Friday with Oregon at No. 13 USC for the Pac-12 Championship (and a possible PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl trip) and wraps up with No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 7 Florida for the SEC title on Saturday night in Atlanta.

College football fans will start Saturday morning with No. 14 Northwestern vs. No. 4 Ohio State in Indianapolis in the Big Ten Championship at 10 am MST. At the same time, No. 10 Oklahoma will take on No. 6 Iowa State in Arlington, Texas, as the Cyclones look to win their first Big 12 Championship.

Perhaps the biggest matchup of the weekend will come at 2 pm MST on ABC when No. 3 Clemson faces No. 2 Notre Dame for the ACC Championship. The last time these two teams matched up, Notre Dame came out on top, but the biggest difference is that Clemson will have its 2019 PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl Offensive Player of the Game quarterback Trevor Lawrence under center.

All of the championships will take us into Selection Sunday when the nation will find out who travels to Arizona for the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:

lsu

With 23 seconds remaining, LSU kicker Cade York shocked the college football world by hitting a 57-yard field goal to defeat then No. 6 Florida on a foggy night in the Swamp.

Neither team had a lead larger than seven throughout the night and when Florida kicker Evan McPherson kicked a 31-yard field goal with 2:51 left on the clock, it looked like overtime was coming. York gave the Tigers the late lead and left 23 seconds for Heisman Trophy candidate Kyle Trask and the Gators. Trask completed three straight passes to set up a 51-yard field goal attempt that was missed to give LSU the win.

Tigers’ quarterback Max Johnson out-dueled Trask in his first collegiate start. Johnson threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns and added 52 yards on the ground while Trask threw for 474 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Receiver Kayshon Boutte was Johnson’s favorite target, hauling in five receptions for 108 yards and a score.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 16

games of the week OREGON AT #13 USC 12.18 | 6 PM | FOX

#14 NORTHWESTERN VS #4 OHIO STATE 12.19 | 10 AM | FOX

#10 OKLAHOMA VS #6 IOWA STATE 12.19 | 10 AM | ABC

#3 CLEMSON VS #2 NOTRE DAME 12.19 | 2 PM | ABC

#1 ALABAMA VS #7 FLORIDA 12.19 | 6 PM | CBS For a full schedule of Week 16 games, click here. (All times in MST)

CFP Week 16 Rankings 1. ALABAMA

6. IOWA STATE

2. NOTRE DAME

7. FLORIDA

3. CLEMSON

8. GEORGIA

4. OHIO STATE

9. CINCINNATI

5. TEXAS A&M

10. MIAMI

For the full Rankings, click here.

WHERE IS COLLEGE GAMEDAY:

CHARLOTTE

College GameDay is headed to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the ACC Championship game between No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Clemson.

In the highest ranked matchup and conference championship of the weekend, Clemson looks to avenge its only loss of the season that came at the hands of Notre Dame. When the two teams last met, quarterback Trevor Lawrence was not on the field due to COVID-19.

Will this matchup have a different outcome?

GameDay has a different look this Fall, but fans are still able to participate online and send in their best GameDay Signs on Twitter by heading to collegegameday.com for a chance to rep their team.

College GameDay airs Saturday, December 19, at 7 am MST.

2020-21 Bowl PREDICTIONS: PLAYSTATION ® FIESTA BOWL

GUARANTEED RATE BOWL

ESPN Bonagura – Indiana vs. USC

ESPN Bonagura – Penn State vs. West Virginia

ESPN Schlabach – Indiana vs. USC

ESPN Schlabach – Rutgers vs. West Virginia

CBS – Indiana vs. USC

CBS – Wisconsin vs. TCU

Sporting News – Indiana vs. USC

Sporting News - Minnesota vs. West Virginia

USA Today – Coastal Carolina vs. USC

USA Today – Penn State vs. West Virginia

Stadium McMurphy – Indiana vs. USC

Stadium McMurphy – Wisconsin vs. West Virginia

The Athletic Mandel – Indiana vs. USC

The Athletic Mandel – Rutgers vs. Kansas State

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 16

GOLDEN HISTORY:

2007 – THE STATUE OF LIBERTY There are times in sports when you see something you don’t believe. That was the case on several occasions in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, making it one of the most memorable and improbable games in college football history. Boise State, showing plenty of heart and resilience, used a series of trick plays to upset Big 12 Conference champion Oklahoma, 43-42, in overtime in the first college football game ever played at State Farm Stadium.

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT:

chase young

Former Ohio State Buckeye and 2020 No. 2 NFL Draft pick Chase Young found the endzone for his first NFL touchdown this weekend. The defensive end showed his speed when he scooped up a loose ball and ran it to the house as the Washington Football Team defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 23-15. In his rookie year, Young has 35 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

The game on Sunday was held in the same stadium that Young played in on December 28, 2019, during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl. Against Clemson, Young had two tackles and a quarterback hurry as Ohio State lost to the Tigers, 29-23, to end his collegiate career.

In one of the most dramatic finishes ever, the Broncos and Sooners combined for 22 points in the final 86 seconds of regulation to send the game to overtime.

Oklahoma took just one play in OT to take the lead, scoring on a 25-yard run by Adrian Peterson. The Broncos needed six plays, scoring on a halfback pass on fourth-down from Vinny Perretta to Derek Schouman.

First-year coach Chris Petersen decided to go for the victory. With three wide receivers lined up to the right, quarterback Jared Zabransky pumped that direction then handed the ball behind his back to tailback Ian Johnson, who raced untouched into the end zone. It was your typical playground Statue of Liberty play.

Moments after his game-winning touchdown run, Johnson asked his girlfriend, Broncos cheerleader Chrissy Popadics, to marry him on national television, adding to the craziness and excitement of the biggest win in Boise State history.

the teams are coming This Sunday, college football fans will find out who is coming to Arizona for the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl! The College Football Playoff Selection Show will air on December 20 at 10 am (MST) on ESPN. The College Football Playoff Committee will decide who will play in the College Football Playoff and reveal which teams will travel to a bowl game.

Bowl Season begins the previous day and runs through the CFP National Championship on January 11, 2021. Members from the Big 12 and Big Ten conferences will meet on December 26 at the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in downtown Phoenix, while two top-ranked teams will face off a week later on January 2 at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 16

MORE THAN JUST A GAME® CHARITY SPOTLIGHT:

“FIESTA BOWL PLAY” OPENS AT HANCE PARK Completion of the $8.6 million phase 1A of the Margaret T. Hance Park Revitalization Project was celebrated by the Hance Park Partner Coalition on Tuesday, December 15, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the “Fiesta Bowl PLAY at Hance Park.”

FIESTA BOWL ANNOUNCES ALL-DECADE TEAMS AS PART OF 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION The Fiesta Bowl’s storied history began in 1971 and is on the doorstep of the elite postseason college football game’s 50th game. As part of the 50th Anniversary celebration, the Fiesta Bowl is publishing a five-part series of All-Decade Teams.

The 20,000-square-foot PLAY is the centerpiece of this opening phase of the park’s renovation and was made possible thanks to a $2 million legacy gift from the Fiesta Bowl and supporting partners. The grand opening of PLAY comes in conjunction with the Fiesta Bowl’s 50th Anniversary, and its community efforts will live on through this one-of-a-kind play area for millions to enjoy for years to come.

The All-Decade team is one initiative that the Fiesta Bowl is undertaking to celebrate its 50th Anniversary. A commemorative logo includes the Bowl’s trademark sunburst and script, along with a large 50 and five “laces” on a football, to signify the five decades the Fiesta Bowl has been in existence. It will be widely seen as the 50-yard marker on the field during the 50th playing of the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl on January 2, 2021.

Four of the five all-decade teams have been released and feature players such as Tommie Frazier, Peerless Price, Ian Johnson, Danny White and more.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 16

J A N . 2, 2021 | 2:00 P M MST S TAT E FARM STAD IUM

D E C . 26, 2020 | 8:15 P M MST CHASE FIE LD

F I E S TA B O W L . O R G /FIESTABOWL

@FIESTA_BOWL

GUARANTEEDRATEBOWL

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER | 2020 | WEEK 16

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