At the risk of being too corny, college football gave us a lot to be thankful for this weekend.

Thank you, Michigan and Ohio State, for playing the game of the year.

Thank you, Pitt and Syracuse, for showing football and basketball scores could be the same.

Thank you, Arizona, for running the dang ball -- again and again and again.

With so much action going on around the country, we here at CBS Sports want to get you caught up on all the noteworthy things that went down -- both the good and not so good. What were the highlights from Week 12? What were the moments some programs want to forget? We hash out the best and worst below.

Winner -- Ohio State halfback Curtis Samuel: We can talk for ages about Ohio State's controversial fourth-down call in a 30-27 double-overtime victory against Michigan and whether it was actually a first down. But the directly preceding and succeeding plays were important, too, and they both involved Samuel. In fact, had it not been for Samuel's field-reversing run on third-and-9 to put the Buckeyes within a yard, coach Urban Meyer might not have decided to go for it. Then, of course, there's Samuel's ensuing touchdown run to win the game. That's a player making big-time plays in big-time moments.

Loser -- Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh: Harbaugh went absolutely bonkers during Michigan's loss to Ohio State on an offsides call. Naturally, coming up on the wrong side of a controversial fourth-down call totally smoothed things over for the second-year coach. Harbaugh doubled down on the officiating after the game, saying he was "bitterly disappointed" in it. "I thought there were some outrageous calls, including the one that [should have] ended the game," he said. Harbaugh has a right to be upset, but his comments are likely going to get him a hefty fine and public reprimand.

Winner -- Ohio State defensive back Malik Hooker: Good thing Ohio State has a defense that can create points directly off turnovers, because its offense had a hard time generating points against Michigan. Hooker's second-quarter pick-six was his third on the season and his sixth interception overall. The third pick-six is a new single-season record for the Buckeyes.

Loser -- Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson: Chances are that Jackson is still going to win the Heisman Trophy. There simply isn't a clear-cut No. 2 who has a great chance of making up a ton of ground in a week. Still, Jackson made the Heisman debate at least mildly interesting by committing four turnovers in a 41-38 loss to Kentucky. Not all were his fault, but he definitely didn't have his best game. And let's just say striking the Heisman pose in the same game a costly fumble (even if his wrist appeared down) led to a losing field goal is a bit ironic.

Winner -- Penn State: We know now the Big Ten Championship Game will be Penn State and Wisconsin. We don't know yet what that means for the conference's playoff hopes, and we might not have a great idea for another week. This is an unlikely pairing in the Big Ten's biggest game, but Penn State making it out of the East Division is by far the bigger story. If you were to place your bettin' money before the season on James Franklin's team emerging on top from a division featuring Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh and Mark Dantonio, then there are some debts I would like you to help me pay off.

Loser -- Texas coach Charlie Strong: Strong was fired on Saturday after three underwhelming seasons. It's hard to say it was the wrong call. For as bad as the situation was that Strong inherited, three years is enough to turn a corner. That never happened as Strong went 16-21. Strong is well liked by media and fans alike, and beloved by his players. There were a lot of people who wanted him to succeed at the highest level of the game. He didn't get it done and Texas moved quickly to hire Tom Herman away from Houston, a target boosters probably had their eyes on for a while. But the old adage is true: Firing the guy is easy; getting a suitable replacement is more challenging. For Texas' sake, it better hope it guessed right with Herman.

Winner -- Navy's incredible offensive efficiency: I'm not going to pretend Navy's 75-31 flattening of SMU was some unprecedented accomplishment in offensive strategy. The Mustangs, while improved under coach Chad Morris, aren't the textbook definition of a stout defense (or anything resembling a book). But ... well ... just look at this drive chart. Except for running the clock out in the game, the Midshipmen scored on every single drive:

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Look at this drive chart.


Loser -- Arizona State's run defense: There's almost nothing in college football more satisfying than running the ball down your rival's throat when you're up big. That's what Arizona did in a 56-35 trouncing of Arizona State. The Wildcats attempted only eight passes while rushing for 515 yards. Three players eclipsed the century mark on the ground. That's awesome for Rich Rodriguez's team ... not so much for the Sun Devils, who are still searching for an identity now that coach Todd Graham has abandoned the boy band headset.

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Arizona ran for 515 yards against Arizona State.

Winner -- Kansas State coach Bill Snyder: It figured that Snyder was going to get his 200th career win at Kansas State against Kansas on Saturday. He did, beating the Jayhawks 34-19. There aren't many things left that can be said about Snyder that haven't already been said, but here it goes: We define great coaches using different metrics all the time. What makes Nick Saban a great coach at Alabama isn't the same as what makes Snyder a great coach at Kansas State. But we should be able to agree, with the resurrection he orchestrated in Manhattan -- twice -- with his excellent game management and planning, with his ability to get the most out of the players he has, Snyder is a great coach. His 200 wins are well-deserved.

Loser -- Tennessee: You knew when coach Butch Jones said Tennessee players were "champions of life" this past week that the season-ending game against Vanderbilt was going to go poorly, and it did. The Vols ended a disappointing season that fell short of expectations with a 45-34 loss to the Commodores. Vandy quarterback Kyle Shurmur passed for 416 yards while running back Ralph Webb eclipsed 100 yards. Tennessee finishes 8-4 with no SEC East title.

Winner -- Colorado and the completion of a miraculous turnaround: Mike MacIntyre had a huge rebuilding job when he took over the program four seasons ago. In his first three years, MacIntyre's Buffaloes won a total of 10 games and never finished above last in the Pac-12 South. Thanks to a 27-22 victory against Utah, Colorado has 10 wins this year and finished first place in the Pac-12 South. The Buffs will now face Washington in the Pac-12 title game, marking one of the most incredible turnarounds in recent college football history.

Loser -- Another Texas A&M slide: Another season, another slide in the second half of the season for A&M and coach Kevin Sumlin. The Aggies' 54-39 loss to LSU on Thanksgiving marked their fourth loss in the final six games, dropping A&M to 8-4 on the season and 4-4 in the SEC. A&M hasn't finished above .500 in SEC play since its first year in the conference when quarterback Johnny Manziel won the Heisman. Sumlin's job is likely safe because of a massive buyout, but the frustration has to be mounting after yet another letdown.

Winner -- Miami (FL) quarterback Brad Kaaya: The junior quarterback quietly became Miami's all-time leading passer during a 40-21 victory against Duke. Kaaya entered the day needing 276 yards to pass Ken Dorsey's 9,565 yards and become No. 1 all time. Kaaya threw for 396 yards and four touchdowns. Kaaya would need 341 yards to hit 10,000 for his career, which is doable with a bowl game left on the schedule.

Loser -- USC's quick-flash playoff chatter: It's tough to get down on USC too much after a 45-27 victory against Notre Dame. The Trojans have won eight straight and there's an argument that no team (not named Alabama) is playing better right now. As such, USC was beginning to receive some (ill-advised) playoff chatter, specifically during ESPN's playoff rankings show. It's fun fodder to debate the merits of the four "most deserving" teams vs. the four "best" teams, but the reality is the regular season is only 12-13 games long. That's too small of a sample size to ignore USC's three early losses. But now that Colorado has won the Pac-12 South, that should put to bed any lingering playoff storylines for the Trojans. It was never going to be a thing anyway.

Winner -- Miami (OH): The Redhawks made history this week when they became the first FBS team to finish the regular season 6-6 after starting 0-6. Miami got the much-needed 21-20 victory against Ball State to get bowl eligible. We've heard of midseason turnarounds before, but that's about as drastic as they come. Kudos to coach Chuck Martin and this coaching staff for getting the players to never stop believing.

Loser -- North Carolina: You've heard of 2-for-1 Black Friday deals, but North Carolina was on the wrong end of that exchange in a 28-21 loss to NC State. Not only did the Tar Heels lose out on a chance to win the ACC Coastal, it got the Wolfpack bowl eligible. That's a double whammy.

Winner -- Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes: Let's take a moment and soak in what might be Mahomes' last game at Texas Tech, a 54-35 victory against struggling Baylor in which Mahomes threw for 586 yards and six touchdowns. That was Mahomes' fourth 500-yard passing game this season. A more detailed box score shows the absurdly high level at which Mahomes played this year on a sub-.500 team. (And, probably, the absurdly bad defenses he played against.)

If that was Mahomes' last game, it's been a hell of a ride. Mahomes is an unreal talent who never had all the pieces around him to put together a special season. If he does return -- Tech is awaiting his draft grade -- there are some interesting players returning for Mahomes to possibly get that special season.

Loser -- Houston: What a damper of a weekend it was for the Cougars. First, they ended their season a sour note by losing to Memphis 48-44, capping off a wild year with victories against Oklahoma and Louisville and a third-place finish in the AAC West. Then, to add insult to the loss, Tom Herman was announced as Texas' new coach on Saturday. The silver lining for Houston is that is a good job capable of attracting a worthwhile coach, but considering what might have been, this was a tough 24 hours.

Winner -- Florida State: The Seminoles not only beat hated rival Florida 31-13, it got to keep its coach, Jimbo Fisher, too. Fisher was long connected to the LSU job, both before and after Les Miles was fired. LSU was reportedly willing to go all in with Fisher before backing out due to a massive contract request. The Tigers ended up hiring interim coach Ed Orgeron while Fisher stays at Florida State before he's inevitably connected to another job.

Loser -- BYU quarterback Taysom Hill: The oft-injured senior quarterback left BYU's 28-10 victory against Utah State with what looked like a hyperextended elbow. The exact diagnosis of the injury isn't clear yet, but it's a shame that Hill has sustained yet another setback. The senior saw previous seasons cut short with leg and foot injuries. When he's healthy, he's a fun and dominating quarterback. But rarely has he been able to stay that way.

Winner -- USC do-it-all man Adoree' Jackson: Jackson has been one of college football's most versatile weapons for the past few years, but he might have put together his most complete game against Notre Dame in a 45-27 victory. Jackson had a hat trick with a punt return for a touchdown, a kickoff return for a touchdown and a receiving score. There's no way he's winning the Heisman, but it might not be too late to get some end-of-year votes to send him to New York.

Loser -- Syracuse: If you thought Pitt's 76-61 win over Syracuse was a basketball score, you weren't alone. The two teams set a new FBS record for points scored in a game with 137. That's wild enough on its own, but consider the following: Syracuse's men's basketball team also lost 64-50 to South Carolina on Saturday, meaning 1) the football team outscored the basketball team and 2) that Syracuse scored 111 points in one day and went 0-2.

Winner -- Georgia Tech: We've glossed over the Bees for a majority of the season. And, hey, losing three in a row early on will buy you a one-way ticket out of most football conversations, national or regional. In an under-the-radar fashion, though, coach Paul Johnson has turned this thing around and won five of his last six games, including a 28-27 victory against Georgia on Saturday. That makes Georgia Tech an 8-4 team that nobody will want to face come bowl season.

Loser -- Oregon coach Mark Helfrich: Remember all of those good feelings Oregon had after beating Utah on a last-second touchdown? Well, Oregon's 34-24 loss to Oregon State -- which, by the way, is quietly improved under Gary Andersen -- about erases all of that. The Ducks drop to 4-8 and finish dead last in the Pac-12 North. A report from 247Sports this week indicated Helfrich was on the safer side heading into the Civil War. According to USA Today, however, that appears to have changed.

Winner -- Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen: It has been a tough season for Mississippi State and Mullen post-Dak Prescott. There have been some closes losses that, had a few things gone differently, could have turned out differently. However, Mississippi State did get a boost by beating Ole Miss 55-20 to finally prove the Rebels weren't even the best 5-7 team in their own state. Afterward, Mullen was in rare form talking about quarterback Nick Fitzgerald.