Texas
Texas A&M invincible or in trouble? College football Week 12 overreactions
US LBM Coaches Poll: Georgia team to beat in SEC
USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg breaks down the latest US LBM Coaches Poll and has Georgia as the SEC’s top contender after Texas blowout.
The capacity of college football to put fans through just about every emotion imaginable, sometimes in the course of just one single contest, is what makes it so beautiful and yet so maddening at the same time. Don’t believe us? Just ask the followers of a certain program from the Lone Star State.
It is with that team’s almost unfathomable result from Week 12 where we will begin our latest installment of overreactions of the week. Indeed, since it was a complete tale of two halves in the true ‘best of times, worst of times’ sense, we’ll approach it from both extremes.
Texas A&M is in deep trouble/invincible.
Depending on one’s perspective, the Aggies’ disaster of a first half followed by a nearly perfect performance after intermission to stage their epic comeback against South Carolina is open to multiple interpretations. At one end of the spectrum, the team’s unblemished record is merely a product of a favorable schedule, and the bevy of mistakes in the first two quarters showed the flaws that will eventually prove to be the team’s undoing. On the other hand, the comeback demonstrated the kind of resolve championship teams must have to overcome adversity, finding ways to win even when not everything is working.
As is often the case with the subjects we take up here at Overreaction HQ, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Even before Week 12, the Aggies had endured their share of close calls, some of which were against opponents with sub-.500 records. It’s true the Aggies have yet to face another team in the upper quadrant of the SEC standings and won’t until the title game, but it might also be that their experience with delivering in clutch situations will serve them well later. In short, we shouldn’t anoint them as national title favorites, but neither should we count them out.
Notre Dame is a playoff lock
It would appear that the Fighting Irish’s dominant win at Pittsburgh was their last true hurdle en route to a 10-2 finish that, given their position in the first two sets of rankings from the CFP committee, should all but guarantee their inclusion in the field. But if they find themselves in a pool of other at-large candidates with identical records, there might be a complication.
If shifts in the standings over the next couple of weeks move Miami closer to Notre Dame’s position, that small matter of the Hurricanes’ head-to-head win against the Irish way back in Week 1 will be harder to dismiss. This presupposes, of course, that the ‘Canes are able to win out, which is certainly not a guarantee given the team’s sometimes inexplicable lapses. So yes, it looks good for the Irish, but they are not quite at the finish line.
A non-quarterback will win the Heisman
Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire made a point this weekend of spotlighting his standout linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, lining him up in the offensive backfield to get him a rushing touchdown. It was in fact the second score of the season for Rodriguez, who earlier recorded a touchdown on a 69-yard fumble recovery. He has also recorded a team-high 100 total tackles, including 9½ behind the line of scrimmage, and has snagged four interceptions. That’s a pretty strong case as the most impactful player for a top-10 team to earn consideration.
There are convincing arguments for other non-QBs as well, like Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love or Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith. To be sure, there are plenty of worthy passers this year, like Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin or Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia. Alabama’s Ty Simpson is still in the mix as well, though his rough outing in the Crimson Tide’s loss to Oklahoma damaged his case.
Recent history favors the signal callers, of course. Since 2000, there have only been five recipients of the sport’s most prestigious individual honor whose primary position was something other than quarterback. Voters do consider other positions. They did last year in fact. There isn’t a two-way player this year with Travis Hunter’s credentials, but sometimes enough electors think outside the QB box for someone else to bring home the statue.
The Big 12 race is over
Mathematically speaking, it’s still possible for the league to end in a six-way tie for first place at 7-2. That would be fun for fans of chaos and mayhem, but realistically the championship game will likely be a rematch between Texas Tech and Brigham Young. The full chaos scenario can only come to pass if the Cougars lose at Cincinnati this week – conceivable – and the Red Raiders drop their regular-season finale in two weeks at West Virginia – not out of the question but unlikely.
James Madison will make the College Football Playoff
JMU is ranked at No. 22 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, the highest position among non-power conference programs. We’re sorry to rain on your parade, Dukes’ fans, but the poll is not the same as the CFP committee rankings.
The American has considerably more depth than the Sun Belt, not to mention some actual positive results against the power leagues. Thus its champ is still going to have a stronger case than even a 12-1 winner of the SBC barring – here comes that word again – chaos. There is still time for that, of course, but we wouldn’t advise anyone to make travel plans just yet.
A Brazilian fitness influencer has died after getting into difficulty during the swimming portion of an ironman event in Texas.
Mara Flavia Souza Araujo was reported as a “lost swimmer” around 7.30am at the Ironman Texas in Lake Woodlands near Houston on Saturday. According to KPRC 2 News, safety crews could not immediately locate Araujo. The 38-year-old’s body was discovered around 90 minutes later in 10ft of water by divers. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department confirmed her identity in a statement to NBC on Monday.
“MCSO can confirm that Mara Flavia Souza Araujo, 38, of Brazil died while competing in the Ironman event in The Woodlands on Saturday,” the sheriff’s department told NBC News. “Preliminary investigations indicate she drowned during the swimming portion of the event.”
Araujo was an experienced triathlete and had completed at least nine ironman events since 2018. She had more than 60,000 followers on Instagram and had posted about the importance of making the most out of life in the days before her death.
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“Enjoy this ride on the bullet train that is life,” she wrote in Portuguese. “And even with the speed of the machine blurring the landscape, look out the window – for at any moment, the train will drop you off at the eternal station.”
Organizers of the race expressed their condolences on Saturday.
“We send our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the athlete and will offer them our support as they go through this very difficult time,” race organizers said in a statement on Saturday. “Our gratitude goes out to the first responders for their assistance.”
A glamorous triathlete who drowned during an Ironman competition in Texas shared a photo from a swimming pool during a final training session just two days before the tragic race.
Brazilian influencer Mara Flávia, 38, shared the shot of her on the edge of a pool on Thursday — two days before she vanished during an open-water swim in The Woodlands Saturday morning.
“Just another day at work,” Flávia, 38, wrote in Portuguese alongside the pic of her wearing a matching pink swimming costume and cap.
The influencer, who had more than 60,000 followers online, chose the Robin S track “Show Me Love” for her post with the hashtags “triathlon,” “swimming” and “triathlete.”
Flávia vanished during an open-water swim in The Woodlands Saturday morning – the first of three grueling trials that competitors face during the 140-mile race.
Fire crews were told about a “lost swimmer” at around 7:30 a.m., one hour into the pro-female swim, KPRC reported.
Rescuers battled challenging visibility conditions before Flávia’s body was pulled from the water just after 9:30 a.m.
Montgomery County Sheriffs confirmed that the victim “drowned while participating in the swim portion of the event,” according to a statement. The office said its Major Crimes unit will continue the investigation “per normal protocols.”
Shawn McDonald, a volunteer, recounted the commotion before the swimmer’s body was recovered.
The dad, who volunteered with his daughter Mila, 12, said a group of younger volunteers in a kayak raised a flag and blew their whistles, “yelling for help.”
“I heard them say she went under,” he wrote on Facebook.
“I had Mila hand me the paddle and I started calling out to the athletes around us to stop so I could cross. I made my way over in about 30 seconds.
“When I got there and asked what happened, they all said the same thing: She went under. Right here. Right below us. The panic and fear on their faces won’t leave me for a long time.”
The volunteer recalled how one man had a “thousand-yard stare” on his face – before diving into the water in a desperate bid to find Flávia.
“I dove in immediately and began searching. After about a minute underwater, I felt her body with my foot. I surfaced, took what seemed like the deepest breath I have ever taken and went back down. She was gone.”
Boats with sonar combed the area – and McDonald was told to leave the water before the body was recovered.
“The victim was found in about 10 feet of water on the bottom of the lake,” Buck said. “The dive team accessed the victim, brought her up about 9:37 and then brought her over to the shore where she was pronounced DOS [deceased on scene],” Palmer Buck, the Woodlands fire chief, said.
It’s not known what caused the triathlete to go under the water.
Journalism grad Flávia previously worked in radio and television before pursuing a sporting career at age 28.
She previously twice won the Brazilian Grand Prix, and finished third in the Brasilia triathlon event.
Lady Vols basketball is looking to add more pieces to its 2026-27 roster with high-level experience. After completing her junior season at Texas A&M, Fatmata Janneh has emerged as a Tennessee target for her final year of eligibility. According to her Instagram story on Sunday night, she is in Knoxville.
With the Aggies a year ago, the 6-foot-2 forward averaged 11.4 points per game on 43.3% shooting from the field. She also showed off an ability to hit from range, posting 1.1 makes per game on 33% shooting from three.
Perhaps Janneh’s biggest strength is her rebounding, though. She ripped down 9.7 boards per contest, good for the fifth-most in the SEC. This featured 2.6 rebounds on the offensive end per outing.
Janneh also averaged 1.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.4 blocks per game. She appeared in 27 games, starting in each.
More From RTI: How Watching The NCAA Tournament Drew Terrence Hill Jr. To Tennessee Basketball
Janneh started her career with a pair of seasons at St. Peter’s. As a sophomore, she averaged a double-double, posting 18.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. This made her a sought-after transfer in the portal before landing at Texas A&M as the nation’s leading defensive rebounder. As a freshman, she averaged 11.0 points and 8.0 rebounds.
The forward is from London, England, attending Barking Abbey Sixth Form for her prep ball. She would be the second player from England to join the Tennessee roster if she committed. UT also added the commitment of incoming freshman and former Boston College signee Irene Oboavwoduo this offseason.
So far, Caldwell and the Lady Vols have landed five transfers in this portal cycle. This features Liberty guard Avery Mills, Northern Arizona guard Naomi White, Stanford forward Harper Peterson and Georgia forward Zhen Craft and guard Rylie Theuerkauf.
Tennessee will also roster a pair of incoming freshmen. Four-star recruit and top-50 prospect Gabby Minus is staying true to her signing despite the roster overhaul and assistant coaching changes, along with the addition of Oboavwoduo.
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