NEW YORK — Needing to play a perfect game to score one of the biggest wins in modern program history, Army gained a season-low 233 yards, gave up rushing touchdown of 58 and 68 yards, had a punt blocked that resulted in another touchdown and lost the turnover margin.

Needless to say, it was Notre Dame’s night at Yankee Stadium.

The No. 6 Fighting Irish held the No. 17 Black Knights in check and inched closer to the College Football Playoff with a 49-14 win, the team’s ninth in a row after a stunning loss to Northern Illinois in September.

‘In every single phase, they outclassed us,’ said Army coach Jeff Monken. ‘They are such a good football team.’

Two of these victories have been lopsided results against Bowl Subdivision service academies. In October, Notre Dame beat then-unbeaten Navy 51-14.

This stretch has moved the Irish into enviable shape for the playoff as top contenders from the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 continue to fall off the map. Just on Saturday, No. 5 Indiana, No. 9 Mississippi, No. 15 Brigham Young and No. 18 Colorado suffered league losses that put each team’s playoff hopes in serious doubt or eliminate them outright.

‘We’ve improved,’ Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. ‘We had a lot to improve from that Northern Illinois performance. We have. Now you’re seeing a consistent football. And we’ve got to continue to be that.’

With style, a potent offense and a suffocating defense, Notre Dame looked like a team worthy of the playoff. Army had trailed for under six minutes of game time all season and entered Saturday on an FBS-best 13-game winning streak.

On the 100th anniversary of the Four Horsemen game against Army that helped make the program a national brand, the Irish leaned on quarterback Riley Leonard and running back Jeremiyah Love to establish dominance on the line of scrimmage.

UP AND DOWN: Winners and losers from Week 13 in college football

Leonard completed 10 of 13 attempts for 148 yards and two touchdowns with another 30 yards on the ground before being taken out in the third quarter with the Irish ahead 35-7. Love had 130 rushing yards and two scores, including that long touchdown run to open the second half, on 18.6 yards per carry. Love broke former Notre Dame running back Autry Denson’s school record with at least one score in 11 games in a row to start a season.

‘The running backs get all the credit,’ said Freeman. ‘The ball carrier gets the credit. But those things don’t happen without a really great offensive line, working together.’

Defensively, the Black Knights averaged a season-worst 3.6 yards per carry and tied their season low with 207 rushing yards. Army had three drives in the second half end in a turnover on downs.

‘Just being disciplined, that was the mindset all week,’ sophomore safety Adon Shuler said. ‘Just be disciplined, know your keys and play with just great effort.’

While a convincing result against a ranked opponent, the win underscores an unanswered question about these Fighting Irish: What does beating Army — and Navy, Louisville, Georgia Tech and other good-but-not-great opponents on this year’s schedule — really tell us about their chances in a playoff setting?

Notre Dame caps the regular season next Saturday at Southern California. The Irish have won five of six in the series but have dropped three of the past four in Los Angeles.

‘We’re just coming out very week trying to reach our full potential,’ Love said. ‘We won this week, next week is a new week. We’re going to try to win the next week as well.’

Georgia football’s path to get to the SEC championship game cleared up Saturday night, and the Bulldogs are headed to Atlanta.

The SEC confirmed late Saturday that the Bulldogs have clinched a spot in the Dec. 7 game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

A week after Georgia finished its SEC schedule, it got in the league’s title game when Oklahoma stunned Alabama, 24-3, and Auburn then upset Texas A&M, 43-41, in four overtimes.

Georgia will play the winner of this coming Saturday’s game between Texas and Texas A&M.

The Bulldogs (9-2, 6-2 SEC) beat Texas 30-15 on the road this season and did not play Texas A&M.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart was asked after a win over UMass Saturday if he knew what would have to happen to get in the SEC championship game.

“Yeah, I’m worried about Georgia Tech,” he said of Friday night’s game. “That’s all I’m thinking about. I could care less about anybody else in the world but my team and how we get ready in six days for Georgia Tech.’

This was never really about Indiana proving itself, never about reaching a specific bar or else.

The Hoosiers not embarrassing themselves in a 38-15 loss at Ohio State Saturday simply provided cover for the College Football Playoff.

Get used to the sound of it, people. Indiana is in the playoff. 

It was three weeks ago when the first CFP poll had the unbeaten Hoosiers in the top 10, and it has been every poll since. It will be next week, and the week after the Hoosiers beat the brakes off rival Purdue in the season final. 

And it will be in late December, when the Hoosiers may even host a playoff game in (likely) frigid Bloomington against (likely) an SEC team that hasn’t played in that weather in, I don’t know, ever.

The CFP selection committee dropped hints in the first three polls about what was important with Indiana, and we all ignored it. Just like we’ve ignored the makeup of the committee itself. 

When you have four former head coaches and six current athletic directors on the committee, there’s nothing more important than wins. No matter the schedule.   

An undefeated season, everyone, is the Holy Grail.

I mean, unless you’re Army.

We should’ve seen this coming, the committee leaving crumbs all along the way to the reality of Indiana. It came to a head earlier this week, when College Football Playoff committee chairman and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel was asked about the importance of strength of schedule, and how it fit in the evaluation of teams. 

Manuel may as well have admitted it’s an eye test. 

“We watch games and we see how teams are playing, and so we asses their body of work,” Manuel said. “Watching teams, watching the games, carries the day for most of us.”

Translation: boy, the Hoosiers sure do look good!

Forget about Ohio State exposing Indiana as anything but worthy for two quarters in the one game that mattered most. Forget about the undeniable cakewalk — the 10 wins against 10 nobodies — to the one-shot, prove-it game. 

None of it matters. 

This is an Indiana beauty pageant, not an SEC demolition derby. 

While Indiana was lallygagging through a pitiful non-conference schedule and the dregs of the Big Ten, Ole Miss — which began the week as the hottest team in the SEC — was in a white-knuckle throw-down with a Florida team that struggled early in the season, then should’ve beaten both Tennessee and Georgia, and finally has put it all together in the month of November. 

Florida’s win over Ole Miss in Gainesville knocks the Rebels out of the playoff, and further cements Indiana’s path to it. See the problem? 

Then there’s Georgia, with three wins against teams 17th or higher ranked by the committee, and two losses against teams in the top nine, and like Ole Miss, was a long way from Indiana’s No. 5 ranking. 

But no matter how fortunate the path, Indiana won those games and won them convincingly by a whopping 30-point average. Just like they’ll do next week against pitiful Purdue, a week after what was certainly an ugly 23-point loss to Ohio State.

I’m not sure what was more absurd: that Indiana was ranked in the top five with that schedule, or that Penn State — with an equally embarrassing schedule — was ranked one spot ahead of the Hoosiers with one loss. 

I’m still trying to square this circle, this confounding idea that less losses is more in the eyes of the committee — unless it’s Penn State, which has one more loss. Because two losses, well, apparently that’s unforgivable. 

Never mind that Georgia has wins over No. 3 Texas (on the road by 15 points), No.11 Tennessee and No.17 Clemson. It’s those two losses, on the road to No. 7 Alabama and No. 9 Ole Miss that has the Dawgs five spots behind Indiana. 

All because Indiana ran through a schedule easier than New Year’s Eve on Bourbon Street.

Look, Indiana deserves praise for a remarkable turnaround season under first-year coach Curt Cignetti. The Hoosiers were lost under former coach Tom Allen, who couldn’t multiply a breakout season in 2020 and was eventually given a fat buyout. 

Cignetti took the core of his James Madison team from 2023 — which, ironically, won 10 consecutive games to begin last season before losing to Sun Belt heavyweight Appalachian State — and added a strong transfer portal class around them.

He then got Ohio transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke to play the best season of his six years in college football, and the next thing you know, Indiana is punching out easy wins and the CFP eye test was eye candy. 

That brought us to a rainy, chilly afternoon in Columbus where Indiana met reality. On the field, anyway. 

Because this thing is far from over. The playoff rankings will arrive on Tuesday, and Indiana will still be in the top 12, will still be projected to reach the field and may eventually find its way to host a first-round game. 

Ohio State’s easy win didn’t exclude Indiana from the party. It was the Hoosiers’ official golden ticket to what the committee decided weeks ago.  

Get used to it, people. The Hoosiers are in the CFP. 

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

Week 13 of the 2024 college football season has concluded with movement in the Heisman Trophy race.

Several quarterbacks are still among the group of top contenders for college football’s most prestigious award, but Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty are the current favorites — and are the only skill position players in the conversation in the BetMGM odds.

Cam Ward (Miami), Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) and Jalen Milroe (Alabama) lead the group of quarterbacks after some movement among the position group over the weekend.

Heisman favorites: Travis Hunter, Ashton Jeanty lead the way

The two skill position players remain at the top of what is usually a quarterback-favored award.

Hunter is the clear favorite as of Saturday night but Colorado did fall short in a 37-21 loss at Kansas. He had eight receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns for the Buffaloes. He also had seven total tackles and a pass breakup on defense. Hunter became the second player with 10 receiving touchdowns and multiple defensive interceptions in the same season since 1980, according to ESPN.

Jeanty reached the 2,000-rushing-yard milestone for the season on the road against Wyoming before leaving the game. There was some concern about the star running back’s status after he suffered an apparent left leg injury in the third quarter, but Jeanty did return to the game; the injury will be something to monitor.

Who else is near the top of the Heisman rankings?

Miami quarterback Cam Ward is third among the contenders but is first among the quarterbacks. Ward has spent some time as the favorite throughout the season.

Ward completed 27 of 38 passes for 280 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 42-14 victory over Wake Forest.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe trail behind Ward by a large margin. Gabriel and the Ducks were on a bye week in Week 13; they are preparing for a rivalry game against Washington next Saturday.

Milroe is likely to see his stock plummet after throwing three interceptions in a 24-3 loss to Oklahoma. He finished the night completing 11 of 26 passes for 164 yards.

Contender’s stock drops

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke saw his Heisman campaign come to an end Saturday with the Hooisers’ 38-15 road loss to Ohio State. It was Indiana’s first loss after winning its first 10 games. Rourke completed just eight of his 18 pass attempts for 68 yards.

He went from +3000 on Friday night to +50000 on Saturday night.

Heisman Trophy odds list

Here are the odds from BetMGM as of Saturday night:

Officials called a (figurative) false start on Arizona State football fans at the end of Saturday’s upset victory over BYU.

In the No. 22 Sun Devils’ 28-23 victory over the No. 15 Cougars, ASU fans rushed the field to celebrate the win and the goalposts at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, came down (seemingly lowered by the school). Unfortunately, for everyone ready to celebrate, there was still 1 second left in the game at the time of the premature celebration. Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt’s pass landed incomplete with time still on the clock.

As the referees tried to regain order, the goalposts were placed back into their positions to prepare for the game’s final play. Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham got into a heated argument with the refs, as he also believed the game was over.

After a considerable delay, officials and security personnel — with the help of some players — were able to regain a handle on the situation and clear the field. BYU had 1 second left to run a Hail Mary play to try to win the game. This really upset the rowdy ASU crowd, which was already in celebration mode.

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff’s pass to Chase Roberts to the 1-yard line was ruled incomplete and the Sun Devils officially won the game.

With the victory over BYU combined with Colorado’s loss, Arizona State is now tied with the Cougars and Buffaloes at 6-2 in Big 12 play, heading into the regular season’s final week. The Big 12 championship game winner will automatically qualify for the 12-team College Football Playoff.

The Charlotte Hornets lost a close game to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, but LaMelo Ball’s name will still go in the history books.

Ball, 23, scored a career-high 50 points in the Hornet’s 125-119 loss to the Bucks at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. He went 17-of-38 from the field and 6-of-17 from beyond the arc in 40 minutes of play. Ball had 10 points at halftime, before dropping 40 in the second half. He finished the night with 10 assists, five rebounds and one steal.

Ball is the fifth player this season to score at least 50 points in a game, joining De’Aaron Fox (60, Nov. 15), Giannis Antetokounmpo (59, Nov. 13), Victor Wembanyama (50, Nov. 13) and Paolo Banchero (50, Oct. 28).

Ball is only the ninth player in NBA history to post a stat line of 50-plus points, five-plus rebounds, 10-plus assists and five-plus 3s in the same game, joining James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Donovan Mitchell and Kevin Porter Jr.

LaMelo Ball highlights

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All things Hornets: Latest Charlotte Hornets news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby scored his 600th career goal Saturday night in a 6-1 loss to the Utah Hockey Club, joining some elite company.

The Penguins captain became just the 21st player in NHL history to reach the 600-goal mark and the seventh player to score 600 goals with one team.

With Utah up 2-0, Crosby got Pittsburgh on the board on a two-man advantage. He one-timed an Erik Karlsson feed past Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka for his team-leading eighth of the season at 3:11 of the second period.

Teammates came off the bench to congratulate Crosby after the goal.

Every other NHL 600-goal scorer is in the Hall of Fame, except active players Alex Ovechkin, who’s chasing Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894, and Jaromir Jagr, who’s still playing in Europe. Jari Kurri is in 20th place with 601 goals.

‘It means a lot,’ he told Sportsnet Pittsburgh. ‘Obviously I’ve been here a long time. To be able to do it at home and have another memory with so many others (and) family here, it’s special, and I’m happy to see it go in.’

Dylan Guenther scored twice and added an assist for Utah.

Jack McBain, Mikhail Sergachev, Nick Bjugstad, and Alexander Kerfoot also scored for Utah, which ended a three-game losing streak.

Clayton Keller had three assists while Nick Schmaltz, Michael Carcone and Logan Cooley added two helpers each.

NHL’s 600-goal scorers

1. Wayne Gretzky,  894 goals in 1,487 games

2. Alex Ovechkin, 868 goals in 1,444 games

3. Gordie Howe, 801 goals in 1,767 games

4. Jaromir Jagr, 766 goals in 1,733 games

5. Brett Hull, 741 goals in 1,269 games

6. Marcel Dionne, 731 in 1,348 games

7. Phil Esposito, 717 goals in 1,282 games

8. Mike Gartner, 708 goals in 1,432 games

9. Mark Messier, 694 goals in 1,756 games

10. Steve Yzerman, 692 goals in 1,514 games

11. Mario Lemieux, 690 goals in 915 games

12. Teemu Selanne, 684 goals in 1,451 games

13. Luc Robitaille, 668 goals in 1,431 games

14. Brendan Shanahan, 656 goals in 1,524 games

15. Dave Andreychuk, 640 goals in 1,639 games

16. Jarome Iginla, 625 goals in 1,554 games

17. Joe Sakic, 625 goals in 1,378 games

18. Bobby Hull, 610 goals in 1,063 games

19. Dino Ciccarelli, 608 goals in 1,232 games

20. Jari Kurri, 601 goals in 1,251 games

21. Sidney Crosby, 600 goals in 1,295 games

Anyone pushing for Mississippi to be in the College Football Playoff at this point is either on the payroll of the Southeastern Conference or wants to be at some point in the future. 

That’s the truth, as plain and simple as it can be after the Rebels choked away the best opportunity in the history of their program Saturday, losing 24-17 at Florida.

No SEC championship game. 

No playoff. 

No nothin’, other than a New Year’s trip to Orlando or some such place that will force everyone in the program to pretend they’re honored and happy to be there. 

And given the vaunted name, image and likeness payroll Lane Kiffin had to work with this year, it’s nothing less than a massive program-wide choke job. You want to play with the big boys after all these years? Fine, go ahead.

But you better take care of business. Instead, Ole Miss messed around and put together one of the most disappointing and confounding seasons they’ve ever had. 

With all the hype, all the talent, all the momentum behind Kiffin after they dominated Georgia two weeks ago, are you really going to tell me the Rebels couldn’t do better than 5-for-18 on third and fourth down against a Florida team left for dead weeks ago?

We can break down all the mistakes Ole Miss made in this game from Kiffin’s hard-headedness in handing the ball to defensive tackle JJ Pegues in short yardage to a missed 34-yard field goal to a muffed punt return that handed Florida three points to quarterback Jaxson Dart refusing to tighten his chin strap. There are a lot of things Kiffin will regret. 

But the bottom line is pretty straightforward. No team with losses to Florida, LSU and Kentucky should be within a mile of the playoff. And the worst part for Kiffin is that it was so avoidable. 

Yeah, the SEC is tough. So what? We’re in a new era here with the 12-team playoff. In a league like the SEC, you can survive losses, especially if you also have good wins. 

There has to be a limit, though. Three is just too many. 

Florida’s playing well toward the end of the season, but a real playoff team goes into Gainesville and handles a Florida team that just got its sixth win. 

LSU is a big brand name with lots of talent, but the Tigers are 6-4 and just not very good.

Kentucky almost certainly isn’t going to a bowl game. 

Had any of those three games gone the other way, it would have almost certainly put Ole Miss in the 12-team field. The Georgia win was that valuable, and beating South Carolina 27-3 is one of the more underrated great performances of the season given how good the Gamecocks have been otherwise. 

And at some point, there will be a three-loss team in the expanded playoff. Maybe even this year. 

But it shouldn’t be Ole Miss. It can’t be Ole Miss, not when those losses all occurred to average or worse opponents. 

You have to point the finger at Kiffin. Yes, he’s elevated the Rebels’ program significantly. But for years, his record in the really important games that define seasons has been questionable. After the Georgia win, that narrative was starting to turn. If Ole Miss had simply beaten Florida and Mississippi State, it would have all but locked up its spot. And Kiffin would have been arguably the most important figure in the modern history of Ole Miss football. 

Maybe he will be one day. But it’s not going to be this year. 

For Ole Miss to implode and miss the playoff with such a stacked roster, and when most of the hard work had been done, is a crushing disappointment. 

It’s also a gift to the likes of Indiana and Tennessee. The manner in which the Hoosiers were beaten 38-15 by Ohio State certainly frames their resurgence a bit differently. They didn’t look the part at all and will end the season without any standout wins. But assuming they beat 1-10 Purdue next week, there’s little chance the committee can drop them below Ole Miss. 

The Vols also stand to benefit from the developments in Gainesville. The first team out this week, according to the committee, they are in much better position heading into next Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt. 

SEC homers will undoubtedly argue that both the Vols and Rebels should be in. Already this week, commissioner Greg Sankey was on social media sharing some strength of schedule data as he begins his public lobbying effort to stack the bracket with SEC teams. 

And while the SEC is probably the best and deepest conference, you’d have to do a lot of mental gymnastics to conclude that the parity we’ve seen is evidence that it’s stacked with great teams. What’s closer to the truth is that the SEC has several pretty good, but deeply flawed teams, whose inconsistencies tend to show up on the road. 

The SEC will spend the next couple weeks claiming that the league’s depth means all of them should be in the playoff. The committee shouldn’t — and won’t — fall for it. Sorry, Ole Miss. But you’re out.