-Notre Dame Head Coach Marcus Freeman on wide receiver Malachi Fields’ athleticism after a one-handed catch in the 37-15 win at Pittsburgh
TEAM TO WATCH TEAM oF THE WEEK
OKLAHOMA
With a second win in as many seasons over Alabama, Oklahoma came up with 17 points off three turnovers in the Sooners’ 23-21 upset at then-No. 4 Alabama. Eli Bowen returned an interception for 87 yards and a touchdown and Kip Lewis had two sacks as Oklahoma snapped the Crimson Tide’s 17-game home winning streak.
While the Sooners held Alabama to 57 yards over its last four drives, quarterback John Mateer led Oklahoma’s offense as he finished with 161 total yards, 138 passing and rushed for a touchdown.
Oklahoma, who moved up three spots to No. 8 in this week’s CFP rankings, hosts No. 22 Missouri at 10:00 a.m. PHX on Saturday on ABC.
ARIZONA
In an 30-24 upset on the road at then-No. 22 Cincinnati, quarterback Noah Fifita passed for 294 yards and his 68th career touchdown to become Arizona’s all-time leader in touchdown passes.
Cincinnati moved within three points after a touchdown with 6:38 left but the go-ahead 50-yard field goal by kicker Michael Salgado-Medina sealed the victory for the Wildcats. The Arizona defense held an opponent to fewer than 200 passing yards for the eighth time this season with 154 total for Cincinnati.
Arizona returns home for the final time this season to host Baylor on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. PHX on TNT
GAMES WATCH to
For a full schedule of Week 13 games, click here. (All times in PHX)
2025 BOWL PREDICTIONS
GAME OF THE WEEK
#15 USC AT #7 OREGON
No. 17 USC travels to Eugene for its first matchup against Oregon as Big Ten opponents, with Big Ten Championship Game implications on the line, on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. PHX on CBS.
The Trojans enter off a 26-21 win at home over Iowa where they scored 19 straight points after trailing by 11 at halftime. Makai Lemon made 10 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown, Jayden Maiava passed for 254 yards and Bryan Jackson rushed for two touchdowns. After holding Iowa scoreless in the second half, USC recorded its third straight second half where the Trojans held their opponents to three or fewer points.
Winners of four straight, Oregon is coming off a 42-13 win over Minnesota and is 24-2 in home games since Head Coach Dan Lanning took over in 2022. Quarterback Dante Moore had a highlight reel performance, setting an Oregon program record for completion percentage at 90.0 (27-for-30) for 306 yards and two touchdowns.
SEMIFINAL at Vrbo FIESTA BOWL
ESPN Bonagura – No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 1 Ohio State
ESPN Schlabach – No. 4 Georgia vs. No. 1 Ohio State
College Football News – No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 1 Ohio State
Pro Football Network – No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 1 Ohio State
On3 – No. 4 Georgia vs. No. 1 Ohio State
RATE BOWL
ESPN Bonagura – TCU vs. Northwestern
ESPN Schlabach – Baylor vs. Northwestern
College Football News – Kansas State vs. Minnesota
CBS Sports – Iowa State vs. Minnesota
On3 – Iowa State vs. Northwestern
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
BROCK PURDY
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy shined in his first game back after a toe turf injury in the 49ers’ 41-22 victory at division foe Arizona on Sunday. In the annual homecoming game for the Queen Creek native and Perry High School alum, Purdy finished 19-for-26 with 200 yards and three touchdowns in his first appearance since September 28.
Purdy is no stranger to State Farm Stadium, including in his college career when he was named the Fiesta Bowl Offensive Player of the Game in 2021 in Iowa State’s 34-17 win over Oregon in the 50th Anniversary of the Fiesta Bowl. He passed 20-of-29 for 156 yards and a touchdown, with 39 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.
notable performances
MARCEL REED TEXAS A&M
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed passed for a career-high 439 passing yards on 22 completions with three touchdowns against South Carolina as the Aggies 27-point come-from-behind victory is the largest deficit erased in program history, winning 31-30.
Of Reed’s 439 passing yards, 316 came in the second half to spark Texas A&M’s comeback win as he connected with nine different receivers. It was Reed’s first game surpassing 400 yards and he added 13 rushing yards to total 452 yards.
Kaytron Allen Penn State
Kaytron Allen had a career day with 181 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Penn State’s 28-10 win at Michigan State as the Nittany Lions totaled 240 rushing yards in the victory. Allen now has 11 career 100-yard rushing games and seven games in his career with multiple rushing touchdowns.
In the 2024-25 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Allen led all players with 134 rushing yards on 17 rushes in the Nittany Lions’ 34-17 win over Boise State as Penn State improved to 8-0 in Fiesta Bowl games.
BIG NEWS
The Rate Bowl will once again feature Bowl Season’s only Big 12 vs. Big Ten matchup at a new time of 2:30 p.m. on Friday, December 26. As we eagerly await kickoff in downtown Phoenix, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news for Week 13:
BIG 12 BIG TEN
• The Big Ten had six teams included in the College Football Playoff’s third rankings of the season on Tuesday: No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Indiana, No. 7 Oregon, No. 15 USC, No. 18 Michigan and No. 21 Illinois
• 10 Big Ten programs are bowl eligible (including seven for the Rate Bowl) with two others just one win away
• There are three undefeated teams remaining in the FBS, with two hailing from the Big Ten: Indiana (11-0) and Ohio State (10-0).
• Indiana is 11-0 for the first time ever and the 11 victories ties for the most in program history, which occurred in 2024. The Hoosiers hold the nation’s longest home game winning streak at 15 games
• Ohio State currently holds the nation’s longest win streak with 14 consecutive wins, the fourth 10-plus game winning streak under Head Coach Ryan Day
• Five Big Ten teams rank in the top 15 of the NCAA in total defense. Ohio State is the NCAA leader at 212.6 yards per game, followed by Oregon (3rd, 235.4), Indiana (4th, 249.0), Iowa (6th, 261.2) and Nebraska (13th, 294.1)
• The Big 12 Conference has five teams in the top 25 of this week’s College Football Playoff rankings, including three in the top 12 with No. 5 Texas Tech, No. 11 BYU and No. 12 Utah, in addition to No. 23 Houston and No. 25 Arizona State
• Through Week 11 of the season, nine Big 12 programs are bowl eligible (including six for the Rate Bowl), with three more that are one win away
• 68.8% (11 of 16) Big 12 programs have defeated an AP Top 25 team this season, which is the highest percentage of any FBS conference
• Texas Tech has the nation’s leader in sacks and forced fumbles in linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (seven). Dating back to 2005, Rodriguez is the only FBS player to record at least five forced fumbles, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries in the same season
• Utah (35.3 points per game) and Texas Tech (33.3) are the only two FBS programs with at least seven wins and an average margin of victory of 32 points or more
• Arizona State is 5-1 in games decided by seven or fewer points this season and 10-1 in such games since the beginning of the 2024 season, the latter is tied for most in a two-year span in Big 12 history
news in the foundation
ARIZONA TEACHERS RECEIVE $1.5 MILLION THROUGH PALO VERDE FIESTA SPORTS FOUNDATION WISHES FOR TEACHERS DRAFT DAY PRESENTED BY SRP
The Palo Verde Fiesta Sports Foundation Wishes for Teachers program – Arizona’s largest direct support initiative for teachers – has awarded a record 540 teachers statewide with $2,500 classroom grants, marking the program’s milestone 10th anniversary and its largest singleyear investment in Arizona teachers to date with $1.5 million in total funding.
For the third consecutive year, the Wishes for Teachers program experienced its highest application submissions to date for the third consecutive year, drawing 5,324 applications from teachers, coaches and staff across 149 cities, 1,409 schools and 175 school districts.
Community spotlight
FIESTA SPORTS FOUNDATION AWARDS YUMA TEACHERS TO SUPPORT THEIR STUDENTS
A local high school social worker made a wish for her students, and Monday, the Palo Verde Fiesta Sports Foundation made it a reality.
The Wishes for Teachers program surprised Martha Remanar at Kofa High School with a $2,500 grant.
She plans to use the money to give her students even more support and resources as their school social worker.
Click the image below to hear from Martha and another Yuma recipient on the impact of Wishes for Teachers!
