Rock Chalk, Jayhawk! | Maize's Kansas Dynasty

[Maize08]

NCAA Football Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Nov 13, 2021
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Florida Gators	10	0	1504
2	2	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	11	0	1421
3	3	Iowa Hawkeyes	11	0	1398
4	5	Georgia Southern Eagles	9	0	1249
5	6	Michigan Wolverines	10	1	1041
6	7	Georgia Bulldogs	8	2	983
7	10	Washington Huskies	7	3	979
8	8	Auburn Tigers	9	1	953
9	9	Rutgers Scarlet Knights	8	2	950
10	4	Oregon State Beavers	9	1	884
11	11	Army Black Knights	9	1	841
12	13	Oklahoma Sooners	7	2	774
13	14	USC Trojans	7	3	718
14	15	Virginia Tech Hokies	8	2	700
15	18	Boise State Broncos	9	1	601
16	20	UCLA Bruins	9	2	527
17	23	Penn State Nittany Lions	6	4	512
18	12	Ohio State Buckeyes	7	3	483
19	17	Baylor Bears	7	2	441
20	22	Texas A&M Aggies	6	4	434
21	25	Alabama Crimson Tide	7	3	341
22	NR	Navy Midshipmen	7	2	323
23	NR	TCU Horned Frogs	7	2	281
24	16	Michigan State Spartans	6	4	265
25	NR	Texas Longhorns	6	3	242

Heisman Watch

NAME	POS	SCHOOL	CHANGE
Harold Joiner	RB	Auburn
Phil Jurkovec	QB	Notre Dame
Iverson Clement	RB	Florida
Andrew Cunningham	RB	Georgia Southern
Donnell Diego	RB	Army

[Maize08]

Game Ten: Saturday, November 19
Memorial Stadium | Lawrence, KS

Rivals Trade Early Blows, Wildcats Run Away in 2nd Half

TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Kansas State Wildcats (6-4)	0	21	10	14	--	45
Kansas Jayhawks (4-6)	21	0	10	3	--	34

Stat of the Game: 3rd Downs: Kansas St. - 9/12 (75%) | Kansas - 5/12 (42%)
Player of the Game: John Holcombe, QB - 15/26, 214 yards, 4 TD, 69 rushing yards
______________________________________
1st Quarter
KU: 18 yard run by K. Thomas (XP Good) - 12:40
KU: 5 yard pass from J. Sears to P. Washington (XP Good) - 7:17
KU: 3 yard pass from J. Sears to M. Fairchild (XP Good) - 2:28
-
2nd Quarter
KSU: 6 yard run by P. Walker (XP Good) - 11:42
KSU: 6 yard pass from J. Holcombe to C. Taylor (XP Good) - 7:31
KSU: 17 yard pass from J. Holcombe to L. Weber (XP Good) - 2:12
-
3rd Quarter
KSU: 1 yard run by P. Walker (XP Good) - 9:39
KU: 37 yard Field Goal by T. Loop - 7:02
KSU: 39 yard Field Goal by J. Thornburg - 3:26
KU: 3 yard pass from J. Sears to M. Fairchild (XP Good) - 1:04
-
4th Quarter
KSU: 7 yard pass from J. Holcombe to C. Taylor (XP Good) - 8:11
KU: 41 yard Field Goal by T. Loop - 4:59
KSU: 7 yard pass from J. Holcombe to L. Weber (XP Good) - 1:03
_______________________
Passing Stats
Jack Sears, QB - 19/31, 266 yards, 3 TD
John Holcombe, QB - 15/26, 214 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT, 69 rushing yards
Rushing Stats
Pat Walker, RB - 17 carries, 113 yards, 2 TD
Ky Thomas, RB - 13 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD
J.T. Berg, RB - 5 carries, 47 yards
Receiving Stats
Mason Fairchild, TE - 9 receptions, 119 yards, 2 TD
Landry Weber, WR - 7 receptions, 106 yards, 2 TD
Khatib Lyles, WR - 5 receptions, 117 yards
Spencer Misko, TE - 4 receptions, 66 yards
Chabastin Taylor, WR - 4 receptions, 42 yards, 2 TD
Parker Washington, WR - 3 receptions, 12 yards, 1 TD
Kicking Stats
Tyler Loop, K - 2/2, Long of 41, 4/4 on XP
Jared Thornburg, K - 1/1, Long of 39, 6/6 on XP
Defensive Stats
Corione Harris, CB - 2 solo tackles (10 total), 1 for loss, 1 INT
Ryan Malbrough, DB - 6 solo tackles (8 total)
Jay Dineen, OLB - 4 solo tackles (8 total)
Jeff Williams, MLB - 3 solo tackles (8 total), 1 for loss
Jacob Jenkins, DE - 1 solo tackles (7 total), 2 for loss, .5 sack
Christian Scott, CB - 2 solo tackles (6 total)
Kenny Bastida, MLB - 2 solo tackles (4 total)
Kenean Caldwell, DT - 2 solo tackles (3 total), 2 for loss, 1 sack
Wyatt Hubert, DE - 1 solo tackle (3 total), 2 for loss, .5 sack
_______________________________
Injury Report
Christian Duffie, LG - Kansas State - Broken ribs - 7 weeks
Kaitori Leveston, RT - Kansas State - Strained shoulder - 2 weeks
E.J. Thomas, CB - Kansas State - Broken hand - 2 weeks*
Hayden Pauls, OC - Kansas - Torn ACL - Season
* - Injury occurred during game
_______________________________

Next Game: vs. Iowa State (4-6)

[Maize08]

Kansas Stats - 2021
Passing	C/ATT	PCT	YDS	YDS/G	TD	INT	SACK	RAT
Jack Sears	198/345	57%	2656	265.6	21	11	28	135.8
Eli Stowers	2/4	50%	16	8.0	0	1	0	33.6
Rushing	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	20+	TD	YDS/G	FUM
Ky Thomas	149	758	5.0	67	2	15	75.8	1
Cole Mueller	69	362	5.2	12	0	2	36.2	1
Jack Sears	98	276	2.8	15	0	1	27.6	1
Receiving	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	DROPS	YDS/G	YAC
Khatib Lyles	63	1025	16.2	7	75	6	102.5	404
Mason Fairchild	42	493	11.7	4	44	0	49.3	226
Parker Washington	39	517	13.2	7	50	3	51.7	177
Zaraivion Armendarez	20	227	11.3	2	45	0	22.7	107
Jax Dineen	13	131	10.0	0	28	0	13.1	48
Ky Thomas	9	108	12.0	0	30	1	10.8	63
Chris Hightower	9	104	11.5	1	22	2	11.5	23
Blocking					PCAKE		SACK
Knox Boyd					16		5
Earl Bostick Jr.					16		5
Joseph Gilbertson					13		5
Ryan Lutz					10		1
Kyrin Miskell					9		8
Andrej Karic					3		2
	Tackles			Sacks		Turnovers
Defense	SOLO	AST	TOT	SACK	TFL	FF/FR	INT	TD
Jay Dineen	41	41	82	7.5	16	0/0	1	0
Ryan Malbrough	37	39	76	1.0	2	1/1	4	0
Corione Harris	22	30	52	1.0	4	1/2	3	0
Nate Matlack	19	26	45	5.5	12	0/0	0	0
Christian Njoku	16	24	40	3.0	7	0/0	0	0
Kenny Bastida	19	19	38	0.5	4	0/0	1	1
Jayden Russell	15	21	36	1.0	2	1/0	1	0
Spencer Roe	16	14	30	5.0	11	0/0	0	0
Robert Topps III	12	11	23	0.0	1	0/0	1	0
Kendall Wilkerson	10	11	21	0.5	2	0/0	0	0
Frank Wilson IV	8	9	17	0.0	0	1/0	0	0
Corey Williams	9	6	15	0.0	0	0/0	2	0
Juwan Mitchell	5	8	13	0.5	2	0/0	0	0
Rashad Muhammad	3	8	11	0.5	1	0/0	0	0
Darryll Gardner	6	5	11	0.0	0	0/0	0	0
Kenean Caldwell	6	4	10	1.0	0	0/0	0	0
	Kickoffs					Punts
Returning	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD	RET	AVG	TD
Jevyon Ducker	39	818	20.9	50	0	0	0.0	0
Frank Wilson IV	15	291	19.4	25	0	21	5.0	12
	Field Goals				Extra Points
Kicking	FGM	FGA	PCT	LONG	XPM	XPA	PCT	PTS
Tyler Loop	8	12	66%	44	40	40	100%	64
Punting	PUNTS	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	BP	IN20	TB
Josh Reynolds	47	1916	62	40.7	34.4	0	12	5

[Maize08]

Game Eleven: Saturday, November 26, 2021
Memorial Stadium | Lawrence, KS

Purdy Pushes ISU to Early Lead, Defense Closes Out KU

TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Iowa State Cyclones (5-6)	14	0	3	11	--	28
Kansas Jayhawks (4-7)	7	7	0	0	--	14

Stat of the Game: Total Offense: Iowa State - 368 yards | Kansas - 243 yards
Player of the Game: Cordarrius Bailey, OLB - 7 total tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 TD
______________________________________
1st Quarter
ISU: 2 yard pass from B. Purdy to T. Milton (XP Good) - 12:13
KU: 8 yard pass from J. Sears to P. Washington (XP Good) - 7:03
ISU: 5 yard pass from B. Purdy to S. Shaw Jr. (XP Good) - :36
-
2nd Quarter
KU: 2 yard run by K. Thomas (XP Good) - 1:09
-
3rd Quarter
ISU: 22 yard Field Goal by N. Ralph - 2:17
-
4th Quarter
ISU: 40 yard Field Goal by N. Ralph - 11:56
ISU: 37 yard interception return by C. Bailey (2-Pt. Conv. Good) - 2:50
_______________________
Passing Stats
Brock Purdy, QB - 22/39, 229 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Keilon Brown, QB - 4/16, 41 yards, 2 INT
Eli Stowers, QB - 4/9, 65 yards
Jack Sears, QB - 3/6, 24 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Stats
Jirehl Brock, RB - 20 carries, 99 yards, 3 receptions, 38 yards
Cole Mueller, RB - 10 carries, 49 yards
Ky Thomas, RB - 9 carries, 36 yards, 1 TD, 1 reception, 23 yards
Receiving Stats
Tarique Milton, WR - 4 receptions, 46 yards, 1 TD
Charlie Kolar, TE - 4 receptions, 30 yards
Sean Shaw Jr., WR - 4 receptions, 25 yards, 1 TD
Joseph Scates, WR - 3 receptions, 45 yards
Parker Washington, WR - 3 receptions, 29 yards, 1 TD
Chris Hightower, WR - 3 receptions, 23 yards
Mason Fairchild, TE - 2 receptions, 39 yards
Kicking Stats
Nathan Ralph, K - 2/2, Long fo 40, 2/2 on XP
Tyler Loop, K - 2/2 on XP
Defensive Stats
Ryan Malbrough, DB - 4 solo tackles (11 total), 1 for loss
Kenny Bastida, MLB - 5 solo tackles (10 total), 4 for loss, 2 sacks
Cordarrius Bailey, OLB - 3 solo tackles (7 total), 2 for loss, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 TD
Gerry Vaughn, OLB - 7 total tackles
Mike Rose, MLB - 2 solo tackles (6 total)
Nate Matlack, DE - 2 solo tackles (5 total)
Spencer Roe, DT - 2 solo tackles (4 total), 1 for loss, 1 sack
Corey Suttle, DE - 1 solo tackle (4 total), 1 for loss, 1 sack
Keontae Jones, SS - 1 solo tackles, 1 INT
Donovan Johnson, FS - 1 solo tackles, 1 INT
_______________________________
Injury Report
Will McDonald, DE - Iowa State - Foot fracture - 8 weeks
Derrick Miller, CB - Iowa State - Broken ribs - Doubtful
Johnnie Lang, RB - Iowa State - High ankle sprain - Probable
Hayden Pauls, OC - Kansas - Torn ACL - Season
Earl Bostick Jr., RT - Kansas - Dislocated shoulder - 6 weeks*
* - Injury occurred during game
_______________________________

Next Game: @ Baylor (8-3)

[Maize08]

NCAA Football Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Nov 27, 2021
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Florida Gators	12	0	1501
2	2	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	12	0	1495
3	4	Georgia Southern Eagles	11	0	1317
4	5	Michigan Wolverines	11	1	1163
5	6	Georgia Bulldogs	10	2	1102
6	3	Iowa Hawkeyes	11	1	993
7	11	UCLA Bruins	10	2	933
8	14	Texas A&M Aggies	8	4	831
9	8	Army Black Knights	9	2	737
10	17	Washington Huskies	8	4	729
11	18	Texas Longhorns	8	3	707
12	21	Nebraska Cornhuskers	9	3	691
13	9	Oklahoma Sooners	8	3	653
14	7	Rutgers Scarlet Knights	9	3	613
15	24	Oregon Ducks	8	4	584
16	25	Alabama Crimson Tide	8	4	540
17	13	Auburn Tigers	9	3	535
18	12	Ohio State Buckeyes	8	4	526
19	23	Louisville Cardinals	9	3	523
20	15	Oregon State Beavers	9	3	519
21	25	Navy Midshipmen	8	3	464
22	NR	TCU Horned Frogs	8	3	453
23	NR	Houston Cougars	10	2	439
24	NR	Air Force Falcons	9	3	420
25	10	Virginia Tech Hokies	9	3	406

Heisman Watch

NAME	POS	SCHOOL	CHANGE
Phil Jurkovec	QB	Notre Dame
Zamir White	RB	Georgia
Harold Joiner	RB	Auburn
Andrew Cunningham	RB	Georgia Southern
Artur Sitkowski	QB	Rutgers

[Maize08]

QB Injuries Before Finale Spotlight O-Line Troubles
All season, Kansas has dealt with a revolving door of starters on the offensive line. Injuries have played a major role and it started in the season opener when new starting center Hayden Pauls was injured for the season.

Pauls, a junior college transfer, was considered playing 'out of position,' having taken snaps before but mostly playing at tackle for most of his career before arriving in Lawrence. Fall camp attrition led to Pauls getting a chance to start at center, but it was short lived when he tore his ACL early against Coastal Carolina.

Since then, 12 players have taken snaps at offensive line. Only two players, true freshmen Knox Boyd and Kyrin Miskell, have started every game this season. They were announced as starters for the final game of the season against Baylor.

While the left side of the line has a bright future, the line took their lumps all season. Todd Monken and Luke Meadows were constantly having to remake the line, always looking for a combination that worked. Then, having to adjust when injuries or poor play occurred.

Here are the list of starters on the offensive line (left-to-right) this season for Kansas:
Game 1: Boyd - Miskell - Pauls - Robinson - Bostick Jr.
Game 2: Boyd - Miskell - Gilbertson - Robinson - Bostick Jr.
Game 3 & 4: Boyd - Miskell - Gilbertson - Lutz - Bostick Jr.
Game 5: Boyd - Miskell - Gilbertson - Lutz - Karic
Game 6, 7 & 8: Boyd - Miskell - Jones - Gilbertson - Karic
Game 9: Boyd - Miskell - Gilbertson - Lutz - Newhouse
Game 10: Boyd - Miskell - Gilbertson - Lutz - Bostick Jr.
Game 11: Boyd - Miskell - Jones - Robinson - Bostick Jr.
Game 12: Boyd - Miskell - Gilbertson - Robinson - Newhouse

Joseph Gilbertson will move back to start at center this week, after Earl Bostick's injury against Iowa State. Gilbertson did not start on senior day, although he played a majority of the snaps in the second half, after Will Jones struggled with the pressure following Bostick's injury.

Last week didn't just see injuries on the offensive line, but also at Quarterback. Jack Sears has been praised by the coaching staff for playing amongst instability across the offense. New starters at the skill positions and a bandaged line haven't effected Sears much this season. It has limited the ceiling for the offense, but that could change next season.

Stars have emerged including running back Ky Thomas and receiver Khatib Lyles. Lyles is sixth in the Big XII in receptions and fourth in yards. His production has dipped recently, although that could be due to a less productive passing game.

As for Thomas, he has been a revelation. This week, he will have a chance to break the program's season rushing touchdown record of 17. He sits at 16, having a chance in his first year as a starter to set a new bar.

Head Coach Les Miles said that he expects some changes to the coaching staff this offseason. He did not comment on whether issues on the offense could be the catalyst for make those changes.

Next year, Kansas only loses three offensive players to graduation. Thus, expectations could be higher with an offense that is still breaking in a lot of young players.

[Maize08]

Game Twelve: Saturday, December 3, 2021
McLane Stadium | Waco, TX

Baylor Uses Jones' Big Day to Push Past Kansas

TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Kansas Jayhawks (4-8)	3	7	10	0	--	20
Baylor Bears (9-3)	10	7	7	17	--	41

Stat of the Game: Redzone Scoring: Kansas - 2/3 (1 TD) | 7/7 (5 TD)
Player of the Game: Qualan Jones, RB - 35 carries, 216 yards, 3 TD
______________________________________
1st Quarter
BU: 8 yard run by Q. Jones (XP Good) - 12:28
BU: 33 yard Field Goal by B. Armstrong - 8:23
KU: 50 yard Field Goal by T. Loop - 4:13
-
2nd Quarter
BU: 8 yard pass from G. Bohanon to C. Henle (XP Good) - 12:33
KU: 2 yard run by C. Mueller (XP Good) - 6:47
-
3rd Quarter
KU: 31 yard Field Goal by T. Loop - 10:37
KU: 20 yard interception return by C. Harris (XP Good) - 7:26
BU: 19 yard pass from G. Bohanon to Y. Terry (XP Good) - 3:20
-
4th Quarter
BU: 7 yard run by Q. Jones (XP Good) - 12:48
BU: 31 yard Field Goal by B. Armstrong - 4:55
BU: 14 yard run by Q. Jones (XP Good) - :46
_______________________
Passing Stats
Gerry Bohanon, QB - 18/34, 227 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Eli Stowers, QB - 9/23, 124 yards, 1 INT, 25 rushing yards
Jack Sears, QB - 3/5, 88 yards, 1 INT
Rushing Stats
Qualan Jones, RB - 35 carries, 216 yards, 3 TD
Ky Thomas, RB - 11 carries, 51 yards
Cole Mueller, RB - 8 carries, 43 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Stats
Yusuf Terry, WR - 6 receptions, 97 yards, 1 TD
Gavin Holmes, WR - 6 receptions, 66 yards
Khatib Lyles, WR - 4 receptions, 42 yards
Mason Fairchild, TE - 2 receptions, 49 yards
Christoph Henle, TE - 2 receptions, 21 yards, 1 TD
Kicking Stats
Brian Armstrong, K - 2/3, Long of 33, 5/5 on XP
Tyler Loop, K - 2/2, Long of 50, 2/2 on XP
Defensive Stats
Jay Dineen, OLB - 5 solo tackles (12 total), 2 for loss, .5 sack
Christian Njoku, DE - 5 solo tackles (10 total)
Nate Matlack, DE - 4 solo tackles (8 total), 2 for loss, .5 sack
Jalen Pitre, OLB - 1 solo tackle (7 total), 2 for loss, 1 sack, 2 INT
Chidi Ogbonnaya, DT - 1 solo tackle (5 total), 1 for loss, .5 sack
B.J. Thompson, DE - 3 solo tackles (4 total), 3 for loss, 1.5 sacks
Terrel Bernard, OLB - 1 solo tackle (4 total)
Corione Harris, CB - 1 solo tackle (3 total), 1 INT, 1 TD
_______________________________
Injury Report
John Horne, RB - Baylor - Broken fibula - 3 weeks
Ty Smith, C - Baylor - Foot stress fracture - Probable
Hayden Pauls, OC - Kansas - Torn ACL - Season
Earl Bostick Jr., RT - Kansas - Dislocated shoulder - 5 weeks
Jack Sears, QB - Kansas - Hip pointer - 3 weeks*
* - Injury occurred during game
_______________________________

Next Game: Next Season

[Maize08]

ACC
The title game will feature Louisville (9-3) versus Virginia Tech (9-3) - two teams that did not meet during the regular season. The Cardinals won the Atlantic in impressive fashion; losing only two conference games to Clemson (7-5) and Boston College (6-6). Florida State (7-5), the preseason favorite in the Atlantic, stumbled out of the gates - losing to Virginia (5-7) and Va. Tech to start ACC play before rebounding late in the year. The Seminoles beat rival Miami (7-5), enough to keep the Canes from sneaking into the title game. Miami finished behind both the Hokies and Georgia tech (8-4) - the only three bowl eligible teams in the Coastal. Part of that was due to late season collapses by Virginia and North Carolina (5-7), who lost to rival N.C. State (7-5) in the season finale to miss on bowl eligibility.

American
The conference featured two of the strongest and strangest division races in the country. Both were five-team races that were decided on the last week of the regular season. Navy (9-3) lost to Houston (10-2) 48-42 in Double OT, but it was Navy’s only conference loss. Houston was upset by Tulsa (7-5) and UConn (5-7) early in the season, but won six straight after those losses. Memphis and Tulsa finished identical (7-5, 5-3), while Tulane (7-5), won their final three games after losing four of their first five conference games. SMU finished 0-12, now having gone 1-23 in the last two seasons.

The East ended in a four team tie, decided by divisional record and then the head-to-head record of the teams with similar divisional records. Thus, East Carolina (5-7) is the surprise champ, having beaten Cincinnati (7-5) in overtime last week to earn a spot. Along with the Bearcats and Pirates, USF (4-8) & UCF (7-5) also finished 4-4 in conference. The Pirates will become the first AAC team to play in the conference championship with a losing record. They also set another record: allowing a conference-worst 510 points this season.


Big XII
TCU (9-3) has dethroned Oklahoma (9-3), the Horned Frogs only lost to Texas (9-3) in conference play. Texas lost to both Oklahoma and Baylor (9-3), keeping the conference race close until the end. Kansas State (7-5) and West Virginia (6-6) took different paths to get bowl eligible: Kansas State won three of their final four games. WVU lost their last three, all to ranked opponents. Also lost earlier in season to Baylor, thus they lost to all teams ahead of them in the conference standings. Only six bowl-eligible Big XII teams; Iowa State (5-7) lost six of their first seven games before rallying to finish 4-1.

Big Ten
Indianapolis will host Iowa (11-1) versus Michigan (11-1) - with the winner hoping to stay alive in the national title race. Ohio State (8-4) misses a return to the conference title game, losing three straight games to end the year after an injury at Quarterback. Rutgers (9-3) and MSU (7-5), led by stingy defenses, provided upsets to their top conference foes. The Scarlet Knights gave Michigan their only loss of the season. Maryland (6-6) beat Penn State (7-5) to earn a shot at a bowl. Nebraska (9-3) beat Iowa in the season finale, keeping the Hawkeyes just short of a perfect regular season. The Cornhuskers had been upset earlier in the season by Purdue (6-6) and Wisconsin (6-6). In the rest of the West, Illinois (3-9) did not win a Big Ten game for the second straight season. Minnesota (7-5), on the other hand, rallied to get bowl eligible with a 6-3 conference record.

C-USA
Tight divisional battles left UAB (6-6) and Middle Tennessee State (8-4) on top. MTSU tied FIU (5-7) and FAU (7-5) in conference record, but had beaten both teams. Western Kentucky (6-6) upset MTSU, earning their sixth win. UAB held the best conference mark at 6-2. The Blazers started the season 0-5 before rallying to take the West back from Southern Miss (6-6). Rice (6-6) and North Texas (7-5) faded down the stretch, both beaten by Louisiana Tech (4-8) in late November.

MAC
Miami (9-3), a perfect 8-0 in conference, finished three games ahead of Akron (8-4) in the East. The Zips and Redhawks are the only bowl eligible teams in the East. There’s also only three in the West: Divisional champ Toledo (7-5), Western Michigan (6-6) and Eastern Michigan (6-6). EMU was the cardiac Eagles this season: All six wins were by 9 points or less, and they carry a negative-107 point differential.

Mountain West
Air Force (9-3) beat Boise State (9-3) to go undefeated in their division and win the Mountain. Wyoming (6-6) started 4-2, but finished 2-4 with a poor showing against Mountain teams. Fresno State (8-4) wins the West; losing to UNLV (7-5), but the Rebels were upset by San Jose State (3-9) to give the division to the Bulldogs. San Diego State (7-5) lost to both UNLV and SJSU in back-to-back weeks to also foil their shot at winning the West.

Pac-12
Oregon State (9-3) was likely the best story in college football this season. They surprised everyone, before losing the final three games of season. It was still good enough to win the North over Oregon (8-4) and Stanford (7-5). Washington (8-4) made a late push, winning six of their last seven games. Washington State (6-6) also got back to bowl eligibility (6-6), beating both Oregon schools in November. Cal. follows up their Cinderella year by going 3-9 and 2-7 in conference. UCLA (10-2) won the South; the Bruins’ only conference loss came to Arizona State (4-8). The Sun Devils finished the year 0-4 after upsetting UCLA. No one pushed UCLA for the division, although Utah (7-5) and USC (7-5) finished with winning records.

SEC
Atlanta will be home to the current #1 Florida (12-0) versus SEC West Champion Auburn (9-3). The Tigers lost three straight to end the season including to LSU (5-7). Alabama (8-4) rallied after a rough start to the season. The Tide featured the conference’s best defense, but struggled without a Tagovailoa to score points this year. Texas A&M (8-4) lost to Arkansas (6-6) and Ole Miss (5-7) to end any chance at the West title. Florida dominated all season, even handedly beating Georgia (10-2). Kentucky squeaked out a 6-6 season beating Vanderbilt (3-9) before a loss to Tennessee (4-8) to end the year.

Sun Belt
Georgia Southern (12-0) enjoyed a perfect season, now hoping they’ve done enough for a shot at a national title. They’ll likely need some help, but the Eagles paired the nation’s best rushing offense with a defense that allowed only 16 points per game. Appalachian State (6-6) gave them their best game this season, but App. State made it a habit of losing close games. Coastal Carolina (8-4) and South Alabama (9-3) enjoyed two of the best seasons in their program’s respective histories. Arkansas State (7-5) and UL-Monroe (6-6) also earned bowl eligibility, winning their final games of the regular season.