10 Biggest Winners In College Football: Week 12

Northwestern upset Notre Dame on their way to the Rose Bowl 20 years ago. Yesterday, the Wildcats pulled off another upset of the Fighting Irish, this time 43-40 in overtime. The Wildcats forced a fumble late to send the game to overtime and benefited from a Notre Dame missed field goal. This win also puts Pat Fitzgerald off the hot seat and in good position to reach a bowl game.

Georgia Tech claimed the top spot in the ACC Coastal after defeating Clemson 28-6. The Yellow Jackets easily dominated the Tigers without Deshaun Watson as his replacement, Cole Stoudt, threw three interceptions, two for touchdowns. Georgia Tech only needs a loss by Duke to clinch a berth in the ACC Championship Game.

After 17 tries, the Arkansas Razorbacks finally won an SEC game after shutting out LSU 17-0. The Hogs held the Tigers to just 123 yards of total offense and 36 yards on the ground. The offense was also efficient, gaining 264 yards, including 169 in the air. One more win against either Ole Miss or Missouri will give the Razorbacks a bowl berth.

Trailing 17-7 in the second quarter, the Arizona Wildcats almost saw their college football playoff hopes go up in smoke, but rallied to defeat Washington 27-26 on a last-second field goal. Rich Rod's defense gave up 504 yards, but shut out the Huskies in the fourth quarter. Arizona still needs help, however, as they need to win out and hope USC loses once to claim a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

With Todd Gurley now back on board, the Georgia Bulldogs decisively took down Auburn 34-7. There were no miracles in this game, as the Bulldogs dominated throughout. Outside of an opening drive touchdown, Georgia was dominant defensively, holding Auburn to 292 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers.

The Missouri Tigers are now on a five-game winning streak after defeating Texas A&M 34-27. The Tigers ran for 335 yards against the Aggies and remained a half game ahead of Georgia for the SEC East lead. Wins in the last two weeks against Tennessee and Arkansas will send Missouri to Atlanta for the second straight year.

The Wisconsin Badgers now control their destiny in the Big 12 West with a 59-24 thrashing of Nebraska. Melvin Gordon broke a single-game rushing record set by LaDainian Tomlinson with 408 yards on 25 carries, and the Badgers scored 59 unanswered points after trailing 17-3. With wins against Minnesota and Iowa in the next two weeks, the Badgers will face Ohio State for the Big Ten Championship.

With a 31-24 win over Minnesota in arctic conditions, the Buckeyes have now reeled off eight straight wins since a tough early-season loss to Virginia Tech. The Buckeyes have done just fine without Braxton Miller, as J.T. Barrett is on the short list for the Heisman talk. The Buckeyes also got help after several top teams lost yesterday, including Mississippi State and Arizona State, making their playoff chances more realistic.

Florida State needed another rally to remain unbeaten, but they got the job done against in-state rival Miami. The Seminoles trailed 23-10 at halftime, but responded to outscore Miami 20-3 in the second half. Florida State forced three turnovers, and with Mississippi State's loss, the Seminoles will be back in the top two when the College Football Playoff rankings are released on Tuesday.

Alabama firmly cemented their place in the Top-4 of the College Football Playoff after dethroning No. 1 Mississippi State 25-20. The Crimson Tide forced three interceptions off Heisman favorite Dak Prescott, while the offense gained 335 yards against one of the nation's top defenses. If Alabama wins out, they will be the No. 1 team in the country when the season ends.