College Football Weekend: Michigan Masterly Motivated, SEC Title Set, Jayden Daniels' Heisman Bid ... Prime Time To Daytime, Jimbo Out?

Maybe the best thing to happen to Michigan now could be a suspension of interim coach Sherrone Moore the day before the Nov. 25 Ohio State game for cussing.

How galvanized, unionized and masterfully motivated would the Wolverines be then?

Michigan Motivated By Jim Harbaugh Suspension

There is no telling. Moore dropped tears and four-letter words moments after No. 3 Michigan beat No. 10 Penn State, 24-15, Saturday without head coach Jim Harbaugh. The Big Ten suspended Harbaugh on Friday for the game because of evidence gleaned by the league and the NCAA it said proved an organized, in-person scouting and sign-stealing scheme transpiring for years.

Michigan (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) responded by playing like one of the service academies from back in the day on Veterans Day Saturday. It resembled a Sherman tank as it ran over No. 10 Penn State, 24-15, on the road. Bo Schembechler would have been so proud.

Spirited Michigan Won For Suspended Coach Jim Harbaugh

The Wolverines played Old School efficient, averaging nearly five yards a rush, running 32 times in 32 plays in the second half, and committing no turnovers all game. They took a 24-9 lead late in the fourth quarter before a meaningless late TD by the Nittany Lions.

"This was a tournament game for us, a playoff game for us, so we knew we had to do whatever we needed to do to win," a more composed Moore said in the postgame press conference. "It's been a crazy 24 hours. But at the same time, our team was built for this. Our staff was built for this. We're all built for it."

Harbaugh hopes to receive a temporary restraining order from a judge in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Friday, so he can coach at Maryland (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten) on Saturday (Noon, FOX). Michigan failed to get a judge to hear its case on Friday or Saturday, forcing Harbaugh not to be in Penn State's Beaver Stadium for the game. He watched from the team hotel.

Michigan Could Still Get Its Suspended Coach Back

The Big Ten suspended Harbaugh for the three remaining regular season games. He can coach the team from Sundays through Fridays and in the postseason, according to the suspension. Michigan closes the regular season at home against No. 1 Ohio State (10-0, 7-0) on Nov. 25 (Noon, FOX).

Moore spoke to Harbaugh on his phone right after the game, Harbaugh played a jingle.

"He was a jolly good fellow," McCarthy said.

Harbaugh and team reunited on the plane home, then again at a Michigan-Minnesota hockey game in Ann Arbor Saturday night.

SEC Championship Game Set: Georgia-Alabama Matchup

No. 8 Alabama beat Kentucky, 49-21, Saturday to clinch the SEC West title in the last year of division play in the league. The SEC moves to 16 teams in 2024 with Oklahoma and Texas joining. Quarterback Jalen Milroe became the first Alabama quarterback to throw for three touchdowns and run for three.

Alabama (9-1, 7-0 SEC) will play No. 2 Georgia (10-0, 7-0) for the SEC title on Dec. 2 at 4 p.m. on CBS. The Tide closes the regular season with a home game against Chattanooga Saturday and at Auburn on Nov. 25.

Georgia, the back-to-back national champion in 2021 and '22, destroyed No. 9 Ole Miss on Saturday night, 52-17, to win the SEC East. Star tight end Brock Bowers returned for the Bulldogs after missing two games following surgery for a high ankle sprain. He caught three passes for 34 yards with an 8-yard touchdown.

Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin fell to 1-11 in his head coaching career against top five opponents at Tennessee, USC, Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss. He is 0-4 in such games as the Rebels' coach.

Georgia finishes at No. 13 Tennessee Saturday and at Georgia Tech on Nov. 25. No. 14 Missouri dismantled visiting Tennessee, 36-7, holding Volunteers' coach Josh Heupel to his lowest point total since 2021.

LSU's Jayden Daniels Turns In Heisman-Worthy Performance

If LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels somehow rises into contention for the Heisman Trophy, it will be because of what happened Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.

Jayden Daniels put on a show for LSU and may have improved his Heisman chances in the Tigers' victory over Florida. (Credit: Getty Images)

Daniels became the first player in Football Bowl Subdivision history to throw for 350 yards or more while rushing for 200 or more as the No. 19 Tigers beat unranked Florida, 52-35. He completed 17 of 26 passes for 372 yards and two touchdowns. He ran like Johnny Manziel, gaining 234 yards on 12 carries with touchdowns of 85 and 51 yards. The 85-yard TD was the longest by an LSU quarterback in history.

Manziel was the last SEC quarterback to throw for more than 200 and rush for more than 200 in a game at the Cotton Bowl in a 41-13 win over Oklahoma on Jan. 4, 2013.

Other Heisman Hopefuls Are On Better Teams Than LSU

Daniels, though, still has a long way to go to win the Heisman. Quarterback favorites like Washington's Michael Penix Jr., Oregon's Bo Nix, Michigan's J.J. McCarthy and Florida State's Jordan Travis, along with Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., are on national title contending teams with zero losses or one loss. LSU is 7-3 overall and 5-2.

LSU closes against Georgia State Saturday and at home against Texas A&M on Nov. 25. Aggies' coach Jimbo Fisher could be coaching for his job, and he may have a fighting chance.

Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher May Be Done

Texas A&M won 51-10 at Mississippi State to get bowl eligible at 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the SEC. The Aggies finished 5-7 last year. But it may be too little too late.

Reports surfaced Sunday that Fisher may be getting fired very soon.

Fisher had to go to his third team quarterback in sophomore Jaylen Henderson, who threw for 150 yards and rushed for 60.

No. 2 quarterback Max Johnson missed the game with a rib injury. Original starter Conner Weigman has been out since the fourth game of the season with a foot injury.

Fisher can go to 7-4 with a win over Abilene Christian on Saturday. If he is still there.

Whatever Happened To Prime Time?

Colorado and coach Deion Sanders were revolutionizing college football not long ago. Well, they lost their fourth straight and sixth of seven on Saturday, 34-31 at home to Arizona. The Buffaloes (4-6, 1-6 Pac-12) may be the Not Ready For Prime Time players. Will the Deion Show have to go to mornings?

But Colorado is still better than last year's team, which finished 1-11.

Deion Sanders (left) has lost six of his last seven games as Colorado's coach. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Prime Time needs to win one of his two remaining games to finish better than Colorado did in the Pac-12 last season. Colorado was 1-8 in the Pac-12 in 2022 under Karl Dorrell and Mike Sanford Jr. Dorrell was fired five games into the season.

Sanders ends the regular season at Washington State on Friday and at Utah on Nov. 25. He would have to win both to get bowl eligible.