Ten Takeaways: Ten things I'm thankful for after week 12

Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I figured I'd give you something a little bit different in this week's takeaways. Here are ten things I'm thankful for after week 12!

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1. Actually going to games

There's nothing I love more than sitting on my couch for 16 hours and watching games every fall Saturday, but there's still no substitute for feeling the energy of a game in person. I've already to been to Stanford and Cal this season, so you know I had to complete the Bay Area trifecta with a trip to San Jose State. I went to their game against Boise State and had an awesome time, even though their upset bid came up short.

I've been to three SJSU games now, and this one was by far my favorite because of the atmosphere. The crowd of 20,517 was a sellout - the largest since Fresno State in 2013 (23,574). You could feel the energy walking into CEFCU Stadium, which was fully on tilt after the Spartans took an early 14-0 lead. It was back-and-forth until Boise pulled away late in the fourth quarter, but the SJSU fans brought it all night. The people sitting next to us said it was their first home game since the 1999-00 season!

It was cool watching the individual performances, as well. Ashton Jeanty bolstered his Heisman candidacy (more on that in a second) with 159 yards rushing and three touchdowns, including a 36-yarder that ended up being the game-winner:

SJSU's Nick Nash continued his magical year by setting the school record for receptions in a single season (95), while also scoring his nation's-best 14th receiving TD:

Even when the home team loses, the gameday experience will be forever what sets college football apart from any other sport. Whether the building you're in holds 100,000 or 20,000 - there simply isn't anything else that compares to the feeling of being there.

2. A Heisman race that doesn't have quarterbacks at the front of it

Whether you think Travis Hunter or Ashton Jeanty should win the Heisman, we can all agree on one thing: This is the most entertaining race we've watched in quite some time. Sure, the field may lack the depth it usually has, but the star power of Hunter and Jeanty alone more than makes up for it, and either will be a more-than-deserving winner.

I won't try and hide my bias, either. I root for Colorado and I'm rolling with Hunter. You can move the goalposts all you want and talk about his snap count not mattering, or the horror of him finally giving up a single touchdown in coverage this season (GASP), but it doesn't change that he's the best player in the country, or that he's doing things we've never seen on a football field before. The snap count thing in particular is funny, because people spent all offseason talking about how he couldn't play full-time both ways again. Now that he's doing it at an even higher level than he was last year it's supposed to not matter? Give me a break.

All that's without even mentioning the team aspect that usually plays into the award. The talking point a month ago was Hunter couldn't win because Colorado would barely reach a bowl, let alone the playoff. Now that they're 8-2 and on the verge of possibly winning the conference and making the playoff - what's the excuse? Colorado was 1-11 two seasons ago. Now, led by Hunter (and Shedeur Sanders) they might complete one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history. (It already is, if we're being honest.) Anyway, an off-game for Travis Hunter is five catches for 55 yards, a rushing TD, and an interception:

I just need to see this catch one more time:

Meanwhile, Jeanty has the pride and tradition of not only Boise State and G5 football on his back, but running backs as a whole. In an age where the position is unfairly cast aside because people love their little quarterback storylines, Jeanty's physical style harkens back to a day when the workhorse running back was the backbone of college football. He may not be on pace to break Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record anymore, but he'll be the first player to break the 2,000-yard barrier since 2019. He also has the team success to go along with it, given that Boise is the clear favorite to win the Mountain West and lock up an auto-bid. Will I be bummed if he gets it over Hunter? Absolutely. But Jeanty is just as worthy and will have earned it if the votes go his way.

It's a battle between two players having legendary seasons, and that's all we can ask for in a Heisman race after what we've been subjected to for most of the last decade.

3. Bronco Mendenhall

College football is a better place when Bronco Mendenhall is in it. That's why it was such a bummer that he took the past two seasons off after engineering such a spectacular turnaround at Virginia from 2016-2021. The two year recharge was worth it, though, because he has New Mexico on the verge of bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016. Their 38-35, last-minute upset win over Washington State wasn't just their fifth win of the year, but their first W over a top-25 team since 2003:

The Lobos made a little bit of traction in Danny Gonzales' final season, but have kicked it up another notch in Mendenhall's debut. Army is the only offense in the country with more rushing yards, and I'm going to keep mentioning how awesome watching Devon Dampier and Eli Sanders carve up defenses is no matter how annoying it makes me sound. The races for the national title/playoff/Heisman are the things that draw us all to college football, but stories like Mendenhall leading a renaissance in Albuquerque are what makes us truly love it.