Down 30-3 at halftime to South Carolina, No. 3 Texas A&M remained undefeated, went to school and SEC history, kept pace with the conference title game and may have put quarterback Marcel Reed at the forefront of the Heisman Trophy race in returning to victory with a score of 31-30.
After slowly chipping away at the Gamecocks' lead, the Aggies took the lead for good on a 4-yard touchdown run by EJ Smith four minutes into the fourth quarter. By this point, the comeback was a foregone conclusion, with South Carolina melting away amid A&M's now typical second-half barrage.
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The 27-point comeback is the largest in school history. Since 2004, SEC teams have gone 0-286 when trailing by 27 points or more.
Texas A&M running back AJ Smith (22) celebrates with wide receiver Isiah Williams (0) after scoring in the fourth quarter against South Carolina at Kyle Field.
A win over the Gamecocks doesn't change the SEC championship math. That path still leads through the Black Friday rivalry against No. 10 Texas and will be influenced by the results of other conferences that will determine how many teams finish November with one league loss.
But by avoiding that pothole, the Aggies maintain a dual path to the 12-team tournament. By remaining one of three Bowl Subdivision teams still undefeated, A&M maintains wiggle room to potentially lose Longhorns and back in the SEC Championship and still earning an at-large spot.
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On an individual level, Reed's second half could leapfrog Indiana's No. 2 guard Fernando Mendoza for the lead in the race. Heisman Trophyfinally bringing some clarity to one of the most unresolved races in recent history.
After two interceptions and a fumble, the Gamecocks came back and scored in the first half, Reed bounced back by completing 16 of 20 throws for 298 yards and three scores in the final two quarters.
After a dominant six-quarter run that began in the second half against LSU and continued with a win over Missouri last week, a sluggish start against USC should be a wake-up call leading into the games that will decide where the Aggies end up in the final playoff rankings.
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But A&M joins No. 10 Oklahoma as one of the clear winners from Saturday's action, along with underdogs like No. 4. Alabama and South Florida:
Winners
Oklahoma
The Sooners converted 3 of 13 third down attempts, averaged 2.6 yards per carry, gained 212 yards of offense and still beat Alabama 23-21securing the biggest win of the Brent Venables era and likely rocketing into the top spot overall. The turnover margin was plus three, which was critical. With the offense stuck in neutral and unable to move bodies at the line of scrimmage, the Sooners defense came out strong time and time again, from a pick-six in the first quarter to a fumbled recovery that set up the go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter to a game-tying stop on fourth down near midfield with less than a minute to play. Overall, the disappointment is great news for the SEC, which could send at least five teams to the tournament.
Our Lady
No. 9 Fighting Irish completed their last real test of the regular season by beating No. 23 Pittsburgh 37-15, behind 147 yards and a score from Jeremiah Love, who essentially clinched All-America honors with two games left in November. This game ended early, with Notre Dame leading 21-3 at halftime and extending that lead to 28-3 on the first play of the third quarter. The team is now 8-2, ahead of Syracuse and Stanford, and only a surprise upset against superior opponents will prevent the Irish from making the playoffs.
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Southern California
Down 21-7 in the first half and struggling to move against IowaA physical defense, No. 18 USC scored 19 unanswered points and beat the Hawkeyes 26-21 to stay in the Big Ten and in the playoff conversation. Serving at home, Trojans next weekend he'll face No. 6 Oregon State still alive in the Big Ten race; A clean finish and another win for Michigan over Ohio State will give them the tiebreakers and earn a spot against Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium. The ability to handle the Hawkeyes highlights the growth USC has experienced after a very disappointing Big Ten debut last season.
Michigan
As time expired, Dominik Zwada kicked a 31-yard field goal and the No. 17 Wolverines beat Northwestern 24-22, barely keeping any chance of clinching the Big Ten crown and a playoff berth. Leading 21-9 early in the fourth quarter, Michigan turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions, including a pair of interceptions from Bryce Underwood, and then drove 50 yards in the final two minutes to escape with the road win. While a team that needs every second to beat the Wildcats may not have a chance to beat Ohio State and then Indiana to earn the automatic bid, the Wolverines are at least still in the tournament conversation and could end up being the third of four Big Ten teams in the field, upsetting the Buckeyes.
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Virginia
In the ACC, No. 19 Virginia bounced back from last week's tough loss to Wake Forest to beat Duke 34-17 and move one step closer to the conference championship game. One good reason for the rebound: After missing the game against the Demon Deacons with an injury, Chandler Morris was back under center for the Cavaliers and threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns. Coming off a rare major win in a year marked by significant adversity, Virginia takes next weekend off before facing rival Virginia Tech.
Losers
Alabama
Going forward, the big ramifications of the loss to OU will be seen in where Alabama falls in the playoff rankings and whether the Crimson Tide can ultimately earn a bye or even make the first round. An eight-game winning streak following a loss to Florida State in the opener, as Alabama is still in a very good position to make the tournament, potentially even as the top seed in the SEC. But after the Tide lost the game on careless turnovers, they'll have to avoid disaster in the Iron Bowl against Auburn to avoid missing out on the league championship game.
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South Florida
The 41-38 loss to Navy drops South Florida to sixth place in the American tournament and ends any realistic chance of making the playoffs, while clearing the way for the Midshipmen and East Carolina. This is extremely disappointing: USF came off a key win over Florida in September and was in position to enter the American Championship Game with one of the best offenses in the FBS. The blame lies with a defense that has collapsed in recent weeks, giving up 338 yards to Navy. The two big winners from that loss were Tulane, who now has a clear path to the championship, and Sun Belt leader No. 25 James Madison, who is benefiting from any turmoil in the American.
Bobby Petrino
Petrino has no chance of getting a full-time job as Sam Pittman's replacement after falling to 0-5 in the interim role in a 23-22 loss to LSU. That's great news for the Razorbacks – there are several strong candidates on the market, even if Rhett Lashlee appears poised to stay at SMU – but bad news for anyone hoping for a repeat of Petrino's previous performance in Fayetteville, which was a spectacular failure long before his memorable motorcycle ride.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College Football Week 12 Winners and Losers: Texas A&M, Top Alabama List
