THE LOOKBACK

The 8 things to know before Week 12

1) LET’S START UP THE DAN LANNING RUMOR MILL AGAIN! Every once in a while, we get college-coaches-to-the-NFL chatter, and Dan Lanning is the latest target. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN recently reported that Lanning’s name has been gaining traction in NFL circles.

That’s right… a little bit of Dan Campbell in him, which we see as a massive compliment. That said, we don’t see it happening anytime soon. Lanning seems comfortable in Eugene and it’s a somewhat open secret that his true dream job would be with the Kansas City Chiefs, who shouldn’t be compelled to change anything right now.

2) QUESTIONABLE NICO. Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava left last week’s game against Mississippi State as a “precautionary measure” according to coach Josh Heupel, but was reportedly in concussion protocol as late as Wednesday of this week. Will he play on Saturday against Georgia? Chris “The Bear” Fallica went on local radio in Georgia and said no…

However, there seems to be some disagreement on the matter.

Nico’s status is a very big deal, as this game could be an elimination game for both SEC title hopes and College Football Playoff qualification.

3) ONLY THE COURTS CAN STOP DIEGO PAVIA! Well, it was worth a shot. Vandy’s Diego Pavia tried suing the NCAA to get more years of eligibility, arguing that the current redshirt rules around junior college athletes violate antitrust laws. The whole ordeal led to this gratuitously funny graphic from our friends over at On3:

On Tuesday, a federal judge denied Pavia’s request for a temporary restraining order that would’ve allowed him to play next season. Though the book isn’t completely closed on the possibility, it seems like a longshot we’ll see Pavia around next season. We know that Hugh Freeze is relieved.

4) FEISTY KIRBY SMART! Here’s a new one: Georgia safety Jake Pope was caught on camera celebrating with friends and family after the Dawgs got rolled by Ole Miss last weekend and fans stormed the field. Video below:

Kirby Smart was just as puzzled as the rest of us, but happened to have a microphone in front of him on Monday, calling Pope an “idiot,” before taking it all back later in the week.

5) THE LSU TIGER FEUD CONTINUES! As described last week in this space, there was a live tiger on the field for last week’s game between LSU and Alabama, despite objections from university officials which were seemingly overruled by the governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry. Notably, the tiger was not Mike the Tiger, LSU’s beloved mascot, but rather a big cat named “Omar Bradley” that was transported in from Florida. You can’t make this stuff up.

By now, you’re away that LSU got drilled 42-13 in a game that was clearly jinxed by the presence of a knockoff tiger. Still, Governor Landry is out here taking shots:

Shots fired. Meanwhile, the tiger controversy has fully broken contain and Carole Baskin of Tiger King fame is jumping in the fray. Sigh.

6) FRAN BROWN DOES NOT SHOWER AFTER LOSSES. Syracuse lost to Boston College this past Saturday in a very close game, 37-31. The Orange have lost two of their last three, and coach Fran Brown apparently takes the losses harder than most. To the point where he’s foregoing postgame showers.

There is a joke in here about how badly Syracuse’s defense has stunk this season that just feels a little too easy. We’re not gonna make that joke, because we are big fans of the Fran-inmal.

7) DJ LAGWAY IS BACK. DJ Lagway went down with a scary hamstring injury two weeks ago against Georgia. Had Lagway stayed healthy, there’s a case to be made that the Gators could’ve knocked off the Dawgs. The young quarterback was not available in last week’s 49-17 loss at Texas, but is set to return this week at home against LSU, which comes just in the nick of time. The Gators need two wins against LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State to get back to a bowl game.

8) ALL ABOARD THE COCKABOOSE! As we’ve detailed many times in this space, college football is flush with very weird traditions, most of which came about by accident or via someone’s good-idea-at-the-time. Today’s video explainer is all about the Cockaboose at South Carolina:

@solidverbal

This is the story of the Cockaboose at South Carolina

🔥 WIN FREE PIES IN WEEK 12🔥

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• Clemson vs Pitt

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The game locks at 11:59 AM ET on Saturday!

ON THIS DAY IN 1975…

THE LOOKAHEAD

Our Week 12 Locks are…

Your full Week 12 Preview Pod is live!

In our latest episode, we limber up our backs in time for a Week 12 that features a number of teams playing consequential road games, as Clemson travels to Pitt, Tennessee goes down to Georgia, and Oregon takes on Wisconsin in Madison. Plus, Colorado hosts Utah and Kansas State takes on Arizona in matchups that have huge Big 12 implications, Nebraska and USC square off in an inevitable one-score affair, BYU looks to prove the doubters wrong, and more. And, a quick look at the latest College Football Playoff rankings, the key games in each time slot, and our weekly look at the Patriot League.

▶️ Listen on Apple Podcasts

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▶️ Watch on YouTube

Also, don’t forget that a new episode of our video series, Big Ten Breakfast, is out now and takes a… creative look at which Big Ten teams are going bowling.