THE LOOKBACK

The 8 things to know before Week 13

1) THE BRYCE IS RIGHT. After a full season of quarterback turmoil in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Sherrone Moore went all-in and flipped No. 1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood from LSU. It’s an enormous get for the Wolverines. Underwood, a Michigan native, has drawn comparisons to Vince Young, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, and will be the presumed 2025 starter. Despite Underwood’s long-standing commitment to LSU and Brian Kelly, Michigan continued its pursuit, with rumors swirling of an NIL offer in the neighborhood of $12.5 million dollars, aided in part from Barstool founder Dave Portnoy.

It will be interesting to see if other top talent follows Underwood to Ann Arbor. It will also be fascinating to see how Sherrone Moore uses Underwood. His recent offenses have not been the most QB-friendly systems.

2) THERE IS ANOTHER FLIP TO REPORT! Deion Sanders has his next quarterback. As announced this week on the Pat McAfee Show, Julian Lewis flipped his commitment from USC and will join the Buffaloes next season. Lewis had previously been ranked as the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class, but reclassified to be eligible in 2025. He’s drawn comparisons to the version of Bryce Young we saw at Alabama.

It’s a huge win for Coach Prime who was facing obvious quarterback questions as his son, Shedeur, seems destined for the NFL Draft.

3) MACK IS BACK. Rumors were rampant that this would be Mack Brown’s last season with North Carolina, especially after the Tar Heels took it on the chin earlier this year against James Madison. Despite it all, Mack was telling recruits that his plan was to return, and according to On3, it looks like that will be the case.

UNC has rallied back from a rough stretch of losing four straight. Currently, the Tar Heels sit at 6-4 with two games left against Boston College and NC State, which could mean an 8-4 season.

4) SADLY, BIFF POGGI HAS BEEN FIRED. Poggi was known for his off-field antics, but his on-field performance was not ideal at 6-16. We will always remember him for his aversion to sleeves and perhaps the GREATEST GRAPHIC EVER SHOWN ON A COLLEGE FOOTBALL BROADCAST.

After being fired, he still showed up to the next practice to say goodbye to the team.

Poggi got the Charlotte job after being the associate head coach at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh. He is headed back to Michigan this weekend in hopes of helping the Wolverines reach bowl eligibility.

Biff Poggi is a football guy, through and through.

5) JOEY GALLOWAY SAID WHAT?! If you’ve followed any of the drama surrounding the College Football Playoff rankings, you’ll know that No. 5 Indiana is causing pundits to lose their minds. Enter ESPN’s Joey Galloway, who suggested that the Hoosiers bench their star quarterback, Kurtis Rourke, in this weekend’s game against Ohio State to guard against a potential injury in advance of a potential playoff appearance.

Look, we’ve all got a little PTSD after last year’s Florida State situation. Still, this is the biggest game in the history of Indiana football and Curt Cignetti is absolutely not the type of guy to ease off the gas. It’s also worth noting that Galloway is an Ohio State grad. U SCARED, JOEY?

6) MIKE ELKO’S FREUDIAN SLIP! Texas A&M is 8-2 with a real opportunity to make the College Football Playoff, but it won’t be easy. The Aggies face a massive trap game this weekend on the road at Auburn with a home game against rival Texas on deck in Week 14.

When asked about his team’s focus, Mike Elko had a bit of a slip-up that might not inspire confidence…

7) ARMY-NAVY UNIS! The Army-Navy game is an American institution. The game is in three weeks, and each year, the teams wear uniforms designed to honor something specific in their respective branch.

This year, Army is honoring the famous 101st Airborne Division…

Meanwhile, Navy is honoring Strike Fighter Squadron 103 (VFA-103), or “Jolly Rogers.” This was a Navy fighter unit established in 1952, which is still in operation.

8) IT’S STILL REAL TO ME, DAMN IT! Yes, Penn State enters this weekend’s game with Minnesota as a double-digit favorite. But there is some serious scar tissue associated with this game, dating back to the Gophers’ huge upset of the NIttany Lions back in 1999 (and again in 2019).

@solidverbal

It's been 25 years, but the scar tissue is REAL for Penn State fans

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

THE LOOKAHEAD

Our (Double) Week 13 Lock is…

Your full Week 13 Preview Pod is live!

We’re ready for an eventful final two weeks of the college football season. In this college football podcast episode, we wonder if Indiana can shock the world, whether Ole Miss or Florida has better vibes, whether the Big 12 will get any closer to figuring itself out, and if Army can plunge the entire College Football Playoff discussion into a state of chaos by beating Notre Dame. Plus, a look back at the controversies surrounding the latest CFP rankings, your locks for Week 13, a requisite look at the Patriot League and more.

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Also, don’t forget that a new episode of our video series, Big Ten Breakfast, is out now and pays tribute to the big game this weekend between Indiana and Ohio State.