Cupcakes in November. ACC Championship scenarios that would give Pythagoras a headache. And more creative ways to lose.

Here’s the worst from Week 13 of the college football season with our Flop 10:

SEC football scheduling

I get it, the SEC is a gauntlet. But please stop with these November cupcakes. When everyone is racing toward the College Football Playoff, the SEC stops to catch its breath. Not saying don’t schedule cupcakes. Just don’t do it near Thanksgiving when the games should matter the most. Here’s a sampling of Saturday’s SEC results:

• Georgia 35, Charlotte 3
• Texas A&M 48, Samford 0
• Alabama 56, Eastern Illinois 0
• Auburn 62, Mercer 17
• South Carolina 51, Coastal Carolina 7

Louisville

The Cardinals flew too close to the sun after its upset of Miami, reaching No. 15 in the first CFP rankings. It’s been downhill since. There are three Ls in Louisville and that’s how many losses in a row for Jeff Brohm’s team. The Cards lost at home to Cal and Clemson before no-showing Saturday in a 38-6 loss at SMU.

Syracuse

I’ll admit the Notre Dame-Syracuse game wasn’t among the four games I had on my TV and three iPads. But when I switched to check in on the Irish, I had to double take: Notre Dame 42, Syracuse 0, 11 minutes left… IN THE SECOND QUARTER! Per Notre Dame media relations, it was the first time in Notre Dame’s 138-year history it scored 35 points in the first quarter. The record for any quarter was 47 vs. Rose Poly in a 102-0 win in 1914. This one ended 70-7.

Georgia Tech

It was win and you’re in the ACC Championship game for the Yellow Jackets on Saturday at home against a Pitt team coming off a Notre Dame thrashing. The Ramblin’ Wreck trailed 28-0 in the second quarter before GT gave the home fans hope with a 14-0 close to the first half. There was more hope before Braylan Lovelace intercepted Haynes King at the goal line and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. Pitt even survived Pat Narduzzi’s brain-fart fake punt in his own half up 14 points with 5 minutes left to give Jackets fans one last buzz. But finally, Pitt freshman Ja’Kyrian Turner popped for a 56-yard dagger TD to seal it. It seems no one wants to grab the ACC title.

East Carolina

Hey, ACC. The American says hold my beer. The Pirates were hoping to steal a CFP spot but shipwrecked in San Antonio. To be fair, UTSA is 25-0 at home under coach Jeff Traylor. Tulane stumbled in The Alamodome, too. ECU was one of the four American teams with one conference loss hoping the computers would pick it to play for the league title. Alas, the Pirates were marooned by the Roadrunners, 58-24.

Florida

I know this season is toast with the main talking point in Gainesville is where do they turn if Lane Kiffin picks LSU? But getting boat-raced in The Swamp by Tennessee, unacceptable. The Gators (3-8) showed some bite since firing Billy Napier in competitive losses to playoff-bound Georgia and Ole Miss. But this was just brutal, trailing 31-0 at halftime. I don’t care what the final score was. Neither should you. Just know it was Florida’s first home loss to Tennessee since 2003, and worst loss to the Vols since Steve Spurrier’s first season at Florida in 1990.

Florida State punt returns

FSU coach Mike Norvell called it ‘catastrophic.’ Back-to-back muffed punts turned into back-breaking turnovers in the Seminoles’ 21-11 loss at NC State on Friday.

With the Seminoles trailing 14-11 and 4:01 left to play a punt bounced off of K.J. Kirkland’s head as he tried to get out of the way, with NC State’s punter recovering it. After another stop, the next punt was muffed by Squirrel White muffed which the Wolfpack recovered a turned into a touchdown to go up 21-11.

If Florida beats FSU next week, it will mark the first time since 1978 the Gators and Seminoles both miss a bowl in the same season.

North Carolina bowl hopes

So much for ‘Beat Duke.’

At least Bill Belichick will have plenty of time to support adult, competitive cheerleading this bowl season. The NFL’s 33rd team — now 4-7 — will be home for the holidays. Trailing 25-24 with 2:25 left, Duke executed a sweet fake field goal, then scored a TD on the next play to retain the Victory Bell, 32-25.

Kansas State

Kansas State led by 10 with 7 minutes to go, ran for nearly 500 yards… and still lost. The Wildcats had a 97.3% win probability before it was called for an illegal substitution penalty that nullified a key fourth-down stop with 4 minutes left. Utah went onto to win 52-47. A lot of people thought the Utes were over-ranked in last week’s CFP rankings. The committee has shown a liking for the Big 12 and maybe Utah won’t be docked for finding a way to win, much like Indiana (at Penn State) and Texas A&M (vs. South Carolina) weren’t for their respective escapes.

Michigan State

The Spartans were on their way to a surprise, first Big Ten win of the season. MSU led Iowa, 17-7 in the fourth quarter in Iowa City. And then it all went wrong. As Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press wrote: ‘In a year when everything seems to go wrong, Michigan State football’s latest loss unraveled in perhaps the worst way.’

MSU, riding an eight-game losing streak, is staring its first winless Big Ten season since 1958 if it doesn’t beat Maryland next week.

Keep up with the latest news and analysis from college football’s top two conferences: Check out our Big Ten Hub and our SEC Hub to get school-by-school coverage from across the USA TODAY Network.

This story was updated to change a video.

Mike Norvell will remain the Florida State football coach for the 2026 college football season, the school announced on Sunday, Nov. 23.

The Seminoles announced the decision to retain their head coach two days after a 21-11 road loss to North Carolina State that dropped them to 5-6 on the season. FSU has dropped 10 straight games away from Doak Campbell Stadium and has not won a road game since a win over in-state rival Florida on Nov. 25, 2023.

‘FSU Board of Trustees Chairman Peter Collins, Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford, and I are in complete agreement that changes are needed for our program to improve,’ FSU President Dr. Richard McCullough said in a news release.

‘Coach Norvell embraces our support in that process and agrees that success must be achieved. He continues to demonstrate an unwavering belief in this program’s future, and so do we. This decision reflects a unified commitment to competing in the rapidly evolving landscape of college football, while maintaining continuity within the program.’

Norvell led the Seminoles to a 13-1 record and the ACC championship in 2023, but FSU was denied a berth in the then-four-team College Football Playoff field following an injury to quarterback Jordan Travis.

Alabama targeted Norvell as a potential replacement for Nick Saban, following the legendary coach’s abrupt retirement. The Crimson Tide eventually hired Kalen DoBoer, with Norvell signing a massive extension with the Seminoles.

However, FSU went 2-10 in 2024 following an exodus of talent to the NFL. Following a rough 2024, Norvell’s decision to hire Gus Malzahn (offensive coordinator) and Tony White (defensive coordinator) looked to be a smart move, as the Seminoles opened the season with a win over No. 8 Alabama. However, after a 3-0 start, Florida State saw its season sink, starting with an upset loss at Virginia on the road.

‘Our responsibility is to do what gives Florida State the strongest competitive position – not just today, but for years to come,’ FSU athletics director Michael Alford said. ‘Florida State has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in its football program over the past few years with high expectations. Chairman Collins, President McCullough and I are aligned in partnering with Coach and improving our ability to compete for championships. Our mission is unwavering in putting Florida State football at the forefront of college athletics.’

However, the Seminoles believe Norvell can turn things around, as he did before the magical run in 2023.

‘In addition to addressing the reality that on-field results have been far from acceptable to the FSU standard, we also realize our responsibilities as stewards of program revenues and how to best allocate those dollars to compete at an elite level – something we will not compromise,’ said Collins. ‘Throughout the assessment, one goal will remain beyond all others – achieving sustained championship-level success. We will address performance deficiencies in the program. These deficiencies may include structural changes to the very large and complex program FSU football has become, and these areas are where we will focus and invest.’

FSU closes out the 2025 regular season against rival Florida in Gainesville, Florida, on Saturday, Nov. 29. The Seminoles need a win to avoid missing a bowl game for the second straight year and the fourth time in six years under Norvell.

Mike Norvell buyout

If FSU had fired Norvell, it would have owed Norvell a little over $59 million in buyout money as of Sunday, Nov. 23, according to contract information obtained by the USA TODAY Network. His contract is set to run through Dec. 31, 2031.

Mike Norvell record at Florida State

In his six seasons under Norvell, Florida State has a 38-33 overall record and a 22-26 mark in ACC play. The Seminoles have finished with just two winning seasons during his tenure, which include a 13-1 record and an ACC championship in 2023.

‘This program has been built on belief, sacrifice, and putting the team first,’ Norvell said. ‘That set of values has always guided my actions, and those of our players. The driving motivation behind this is to make certain that we are doing everything properly to obtain and retain elite players, add critical pieces, and sustain long-term success. I love Florida State, and I am fully committed to this program, and our shared goals.’

Here’s a year-by-year breakdown of how FSU fared under Norvell:

• 2020: 3-6, 2-6 ACC
• 2021: 5-7, 4-4 ACC
• 2022: 10-3, 5-3 ACC
• 2023: 13-1, 8-0 ACC
• 2024: 2-10, 1-7 ACC
• 2025: 5-6, 2-6 ACC

This story was updated to change a video.

This late into the college football season, it can sometimes hard for teams to pick up quality wins for their College Football Playoff resumes and postseason pictures.

That wasn’t the case for No. 5 Oregon (No. 7 College Football Playoff) and Dan Lanning on Saturday, Nov. 22, as the Ducks earned their biggest win at home of the season with a 42-27 victory over No. 16 USC (No. 15 in CFP).

In the process of discussing his team’s win, Lanning may have taken a shot at teams from other conferences in his postgame news conference — specifically, their practice of scheduling non-conference games against Group of Five or FCS programs.

‘Played a good team. We beat them, right? All we can do next week is try to do the same thing, right? This conference is a really good conference. It’s competitive,’ Lanning said. ‘We didn’t play Chattanooga State today, right? Like some other places. We competed.

‘That being said, it’s tough playing nine conference games. It’s tough playing in this league. And we got to take advantage of playing a good team today and attacking that.’

To Lanning’s point, six of the 13 SEC teams in action in Week 13 played ‘buy games.’ No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 10 Alabama and Auburn picked up wins over FCS opponents in Samford, Eastern Illinois and Mercer, respectively.

No. 4 Georgia picked up a win over Charlotte, South Carolina defeated Coastal Carolina and LSU won a close game against Western Kentucky.

The SEC did feature four conference games on Nov. 22, with No. 8 Oklahoma beating No. 21 Missouri, No. 13 Vanderbilt beating Kentucky, No. 18 Texas beating Arkansas and No. 20 Tennessee beating Florida.

With its win over USC, Oregon kept itself in the mix for the Big Ten championship game. The Ducks not only need to beat Washington in Week 14, but also need Ohio State to lose to Michigan in ‘The Game.’ The Ducks are set to close out the season on Saturday, Nov. 29 against the Huskies in Seattle.

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• Colorado lost to Arizona State 42-17 after a critical fumble by a redshirt sophomore in the fourth quarter.
• Coach Deion Sanders took responsibility for the fumble, which led to an 88-yard touchdown run by Arizona State on the next play.
• The loss drops Colorado’s record to 3-8, and Sanders promised changes are already in progress for the team.

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders made a curious decision early in the fourth quarter Saturday night with his team down by only four points against Arizona State.

He called on a redshirt sophomore named Ronald Coleman, who had never carried the ball before in a college game.

Sanders liked what Coleman had shown him in practices. So he put him in the game and then saw him rip loose for a 14-yard gain on his first carry before he inexplicably dropped the ball without even being touched. Sanders blamed himself for the lost fumble, which proved to be the turning point in a 42-17 loss at home for Colorado.

“The gentleman who fumbled, that’s on me,” Sanders said afterward. “I put him in the game to try to have a change of pace. I figured he was gonna hit it, and he hit it. And he fumbled. It is what it is.”

Before the fumble, the Buffaloes trailed 21-17 with about 14 minutes left. They were driving inside the Arizona State 20-yard line.

After recovering the fumble, Arizona State throttled Colorado. Running back Raleek Brown exploded for an 88-yard touchdown run on the very next play. It was the first of three consecutive touchdown drives for Arizona State to close the game as Colorado dropped to 3-8 overall and 1-7 in the Big 12 Conference. It ended up being the first and only college rushing attempt for Coleman, who is listed on the roster as a receiver.

“I’m tired of singing the same old darn song to you,” Sanders told reporters afterward. “I really am.”

Deion Sanders promises changes again

Brown of Arizona State finished with 255 rushing yards and one touchdown on 22 carries, which atoned for his own fumble on the series right before Coleman’s fumble for Colorado. Arizona State finished with 580 total yards despite giving up four turnovers, including three fumbles. The problem for the Buffaloes was that they converted those four turnovers into just three points in front of 43,348 at Folsom Field.

“I’m gonna say it’s multiple things that we’ll need to change, and it will,” Sanders said. “Matter of fact, it’s already in progress.”

It was the second career start for Colorado freshman quarterback Julian Lewis, who completed 19 of 38 passes for 161 yards and one touchdown. He led his team to its first lead in six weeks in the first quarter – 7-3. But Colorado also was missing several injured players, including its starting offensive tackles and top defensive player, safety Tawfiq Byard, who left the game with a wrist injury in the second quarter.

“He wasn’t settled, never got settled,” Sanders said of Lewis. “We gotta do better.”

Deion Sanders bested by Kenny Dillingham

Sanders, 58, and Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham, 35, started their current jobs in 2023, both as new head coaches in major college football. But their records are now nearly the opposite after three seasons. Dillingham is 22-15, including winning the Big 12 championship last year. Sanders is 16-20.

Sanders was asked about that afterward.

“I’m not going to compare myself to any other person,” Sanders said to reporters. ‘I’ll let you guys do that.”

Their records are the opposite this year, too. Arizona State is 8-3 while Colorado is 3-8.

“I mean, it’s huge, getting to eight wins,” Dillingham said afterward.

Sanders said he’s happy for Dillingham, whom he considers a friend. To catch up with him next year, Sanders hopes to at least keep a core group of top players instead of losing them to the transfer portal in January. That starts with Lewis, the quarterback, who says he’s committed to the program at age 18.

“Oh yeah, I’m a Buff through and through,” Lewis said when asked if he’s committed to next year. “I’ve got my crib out here. All my guys are out here. I don’t got no reason to go.”

Will Julian Lewis redshirt this year?

He sounded less committed to playing in the season finale at Kansas State Nov. 29. If he plays in that game, it will be his fifth game this year, which would burn a redshirt year for him. If he doesn’t play in it, he’ll have four more seasons of eligibility left starting in 2026. If he does play in it, he’ll have only three. He previously said he wanted to play through the end of the season and not redshirt this season.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Lewis said when asked about redshirting Saturday night. “There’s a lot more into it than just me with the redshirt situation. But I really don’t have any information on that.”

Colorado has struggled since the departure of Sanders’ quarterback son, Shedeur, to the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. Shedeur Sanders is scheduled to make his first NFL start Nov. 23 in a game against the Las Vegas Raiders. The father said as recently as Nov. 20 that he didn’t know yet if he would attend the game in person in Las Vegas.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

This story was updated to change a video.