There has been a general sense around the College Football Playoff conversation that TCU is lucky to be there and that one loss will knock the Horned Frogs out. But that shouldn’t be the case.
No doubt, TCU has needed a number of second-half comebacks to win, none more notable than the fire drill game-winning field goal to beat Baylor on Saturday. But this goes back further. Last week, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith dismissed the Frogs and said they hadn’t played anyone and that “competition matters.” He read off the schedule and said it isn’t deserving of a top-four ranking, even if undefeated.
It got a lot of reaction, because that’s the point, after all. But Smith was not alone. Paul Finebaum, in the same segment, agreed and downplayed the quality of the Big 12.
What Smith, Finebaum and others missed is that the Big 12 is the deepest conference in the country. Eight of 10 teams are bowl-eligible. There are no pushovers, and the nine conference games are more than the SEC or ACC. Among the CFP top four, TCU has the strongest strength of schedule in multiple ratings, including ESPN’s FPI and Sagarin. The Horned Frogs are No. 1 in ESPN’s strength of record, which evaluates the chances the average top-25 team would have that same record against the same schedule.
An undefeated TCU will make the CFP. We know that. The conversation we should be having is whether or not a one-loss TCU should get in.
All of that said, the place where you can ding the Frogs is they lack a true marquee win. Georgia beat Oregon and Tennessee. Ohio State and Michigan beat Penn State. Every team TCU has defeated has at least three losses. That’s in part due to the depth of the conference. But if you want to prove you can beat a top-tier team, TCU hasn’t done that and won’t have a chance to. (Michigan and Ohio State will try to prove it against each other.) That ultimately could be what keeps TCU out if it doesn’t win the next two games.
But what you can’t say is that TCU hasn’t played anyone. You can’t say it hasn’t deserved these victories. After a weekend in which Georgia, Ohio State and Michigan all struggled against far inferior opponents, maybe pulling out a late November comeback at Baylor proved the Horned Frogs do belong.
Here is this week’s edition of The Athletic 131.
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There is no change in the top four, and the moment of truth is here. After Michigan escaped Illinois, I thought I would finally put Ohio State ahead. Then the Buckeyes had to escape against Maryland. Every argument you can make about these two teams has its points. Ohio State has a better second win (Notre Dame), while Michigan didn’t play anyone in nonconference. Michigan flattened Penn State, while Ohio State needed a fourth-quarter comeback. Ohio State’s struggles in certain conditions make me think this could be a replay of last year, when Michigan’s toughness in the trenches won out. But now Wolverines running back Blake Corum may be hurt, and quarterback J.J. McCarthy has not been very good. I’m not sure if Michigan can win a big game with his arm.
I still lean toward Michigan slightly, but now it will finally be settled on the field and we can move on to arguing if the loser should be in the CFP.
Michigan held onto an undefeated record before the Ohio State game. (Rick Osentoski / USA Today)
USC finally got a marquee win, beating UCLA 48-45, which moves the Trojans ahead of LSU. The Tigers do have wins against Alabama and Ole Miss and the schedule is tougher. But USC doesn’t have a lopsided loss, and the Oregon State win on the road is valuable. Either way, both of these teams still control their destiny for the CFP, I believe.
Clemson jumps up to No. 7 due to Tennessee’s lopsided loss to South Carolina. The loss to Notre Dame still holds Clemson down, but the Florida State win has gotten better with time.
Tennessee’s 63-38 loss to South Carolina makes the Vols a very difficult team to place. They’re out of the CFP race, but wins against LSU and Alabama keep them from dropping further. The only other change is Washington moving into the top 10 after Utah’s loss to Oregon.
11-25
Penn State is an odd team to judge as well. The 9-2 Nittany Lions have seven blowout wins, but they’re against relatively weak competition. None of the wins stand out. They got manhandled at Michigan but played Ohio State tough. Oregon stays ahead of Penn State because it has two marquee wins against Utah and UCLA. Notre Dame continues to inch up and up, and Clemson’s move back up makes that Irish win even better. The Irish also moved ahead of Florida State because of the Clemson results between them.
The Group of 5’s New Year’s Six spot is still likely to go to the American Athletic Conference champ, but it’s about time Coastal Carolina, UTSA and Troy are recognized for the seasons they’re having as well.
26-50
Illinois stays put after the narrow loss at Michigan because of the effort and because of other results around the country. UCF drops out of the top 25 after a loss to Navy but remains ahead of Cincinnati because of the head-to-head. That could change when Cincinnati and Tulane meet this week. Iowa is back, controlling its destiny in the Big Ten West after beating Minnesota. Kirk Ferentz keeps doing just enough.
South Carolina is another tough team to place. The blowout win against Tennessee is one of the most impressive of the season, but the Gamecocks also got trounced by Florida last week and lost to Arkansas earlier in the season. The Razorbacks stay behind Liberty because of the head-to-head loss.
Oklahoma moves ahead of Oklahoma State after Saturday’s 28-13 Bedlam win. Boise State’s win at Wyoming clinched the Mountain West’s Mountain division and home field in the league championship game. The Broncos are 6-1 since a 2-2 start, when they fired their offensive coordinator and QB Hank Bachmeier entered the transfer portal. They’ve figured things out, but losses to UTEP and BYU still keep them behind other Group of 5 teams.
51-75
Wisconsin sneaked into bowl eligibility for the 21st consecutive season with a 15-14 comeback win against Nebraska. It hasn’t been pretty, but it looks like Jim Leonhard will probably get the full-time job. Houston demolished East Carolina 42-3 and continues to be one of the most inconsistent teams in the country. James Madison is 7-3 in its first FBS season, but it is not eligible for the postseason as a transitioning FCS team. However, the Dukes can still win a share of the Sun Belt East if they beat Coastal Carolina this week.
Iowa State lost 14-10 to Texas Tech and will miss a bowl game. The Cyclones are 3-11 in one-possession games over the past two seasons. SMU has allowed 145 points over the past three games, including 59 in Thursday’s loss to Tulane. Wyoming’s narrow loss to Boise State doesn’t drop the Cowboys far. Appalachian State and Georgia Southern will play for bowl eligibility in their rivalry game next week, as App State is not yet eligible because it has two FCS wins. Texas A&M got past UMass in another uninspiring performance. How about Vanderbilt? The Commodores have defeated Kentucky and Florida in consecutive weeks.
Fresno State turned around its season in a big way and clinched the Mountain West’s West division with a 41-14 win against Nevada, its sixth consecutive win. San Diego State has won five of six (the loss coming to Fresno State) and quarterback Jalen Mayden has given that offense a boost for the first time in a long time.
76-100
Miami had nine yards at halftime against Clemson and lost 40-10. The Canes must beat Pitt to get to a bowl game. Georgia Tech beat North Carolina 21-17, and Brent Key is 4-3 as interim head coach with two Top 25 wins. Ohio’s bounce-back continued with a 32-18 win against Ball State, and the Bobcats are one win away from winning the MAC East, but the status of injured quarterback Kurtis Rourke is key.
Cal beat rival Stanford 27-20. UConn lost to Army 34-17 and must wait and hope for a bowl selection. FAU lost 49-21 to Middle Tennessee with bowl eligibility on the line and must beat WKU next week. Rice (at North Texas) and UTEP (at UTSA) also need upsets next week to get to bowl games and perhaps save their coaches’ jobs. Indiana beat Michigan State 39-31 in double overtime despite being heavily outgained and completing just two passes. Virginia Tech ended its long losing streak with a 23-22 win at Liberty. UNLV began the season 4-1 but has lost six consecutive games after a 31-25 loss at Hawaii, ending its bowl hopes.
101-131
Bowling Green got bowl-eligible with a last-second touchdown at Toledo in the snow in a wild finish. The Falcons are still in the mix for the MAC East title if they can beat Ohio. Buffalo’s game against Akron was snowed out and could impact that MAC East tiebreaker. Navy beat UCF and Army beat UConn, and both did so without completing a pass. Neither academy will have a bowl game or the Commander-In-Chief’s trophy to compete for (because Army has two FCS wins and Air Force clinched the CIC), but that rivalry game is always special. The middle of the MAC continues to have a lot of parity. UMass fought valiantly against Texas A&M and covered the spread in a 20-3 loss, but it’s not enough to move out of the bottom spot.
And now, 23 Final Thoughts from a Saturday that began at 11 a.m. Dallas time in front of 90,000 at the Cotton Bowl and ended at 11:30 p.m. Palo Alto time in front of a few thousand half-awake fans at Stanford Stadium who unwittingly (and unfortunately for them) saw the most incredible ending of the whole darn day.
1. CBS has apparently hired a psychic to run its programming department. Two years in a row, they’ve used their one prime-time pick of the season to air an Alabama-Texas A&M matchup. Both years, the Tide were massive favorites. Both years, it came down to the final play. The Aggies won on a walk-off field goal in 2021. The Tide survived on an A&M incompletion in 2022.
And now, those CBS suits are about to be big winners again. Next week, they get the biggest Alabama-Tennessee game since Nick Saban was still coaching the Dolphins.
2. Fans under the age of around 25 might not even realize that the Tide and Vols are traditional rivals, mainly because Saban’s program has won the past 15 meetings and generally fought in a different weight class than the long-dormant Vols. But lo and behold, these two will meet in Knoxville next week both with undefeated records and top-8 rankings, and for once, Alabama may be the more vulnerable team.
Especially if Heisman winner Bryce Young can’t play.
3. Alabama’s 24-20 escape against ostensibly overmatched A&M (3-3, 1-2 SEC) was a weird, weird game.
I’m coming off my best week of the season at 8-3 against the spread. Keep that in the back of your head as you read some of this week’s sometimes crazy-sounding picks.
Last week: 8-3 against the spread
Season: 23-21 against the spread
(All point spreads come from BetMGM, click here for live odds, all kickoff times Eastern.)
No. 15 Washington (-2.5) at UCLA, Friday, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
While both teams are 4-0, Washington has done it against slightly better competition. And the Michael Penix Jr.-led Huskies have been dominant against everyone. Conversely, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and the Bruins were fortunate to survive South Alabama. Taking a Friday night road team is risky, but UCLA’s defense could be overmatched.
Washington 38, UCLA 34Pick: Washington -2.5
No. 4 Michigan (-10.5) at Iowa, Noon (Fox)
Kinnick Stadium is known as the place where top 5 teams go to die, including Jim Harbaugh’s undefeated 2016 team that lost on a last-second field goal. But none of those previous Iowa teams had the nation’s 128th-ranked offense.
A year ago at this time, Washington was 1-2 with losses to FCS Montana and Michigan in which the Huskies scored 17 combined points. On Saturday, the Huskies scored 39 points in a dominant win against a Michigan State team that was ranked No. 11 in the AP poll. And the game wasn’t nearly as close as the 39-28 final score. Washington had 503 total yards and averaged 9.9 yards per pass. With the win to move to 3-0, the Huskies have moved into the top 25 in this week’s edition of The Athletic 131.
Washington’s fall off a cliff under former head coach Jimmy Lake en route to a 4-8 record last season was stunning because it happened so quickly. This was a program that won 32 games from 2016 to 2018 under Chris Petersen. Recruiting had gone relatively well, and it’s one of the best-resourced programs in the West. But the offense had become anemic.
Enter Kalen DeBoer and Michael Penix Jr. DeBoer has won basically everywhere he’s been. He’s 82-9 as a head coach, including a 67-3 stretch at NAIA Sioux Falls from 2005 to 2009. He helped turn around Indiana and Fresno State as the offensive coordinator, then went back to Fresno State and produced a 9-3 record in his second season as head coach.
Penix was electric as Indiana’s quarterback when healthy, but he dealt with several injuries. He’s reunited with DeBoer in Seattle, and Washington football is fun again. Through three games, he’s completing 66 percent of his passes for 359.7 yards per game with 10 touchdowns and one interception.
Everyone wrote off the Pac-12 after Week 1, but we may need to reevaluate that. Washington is the biggest reason why.
Here is the latest edition of The Athletic 131.
The only change in this group is USC’s move up to No. 8 after a 45-17 win against Fresno State. The Trojans look like the best-case scenario under Lincoln Riley right now. The offense is electric. The defense has shown holes (81st in yards per play), but it’s fourth in the nation with 10 takeaways. The trip to Oregon State this week will be an interesting test.
Michigan is a dominant 3-0 but has played three of the worst teams in the country. A home game against Maryland this week will be the first time we can actually begin to evaluate the Wolverines.
The polls have come around to put Georgia at No. 1, and its Week 1 win against Oregon looks even better now after the Ducks’ dominant win against BYU.
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Penn State’s 41-12 win at Auburn has quickly changed the view on what is possible for this team. Auburn may not be a good team, but the Nittany Lions were able to run for 245 yards against a good front. The aforementioned 41-20 Oregon win at BYU suddenly makes the Pac-12 look much better now to go with USC, Washington and Utah, which beat San Diego State 35-7.
Texas, Wake Forest and Ole Miss also move into the top 25. The Longhorns avoided an Alabama hangover and pulled away from UTSA in the second half, Wake Forest held off Liberty and Ole Miss pounded Georgia Tech 42-0.
The polls have Utah ahead of Florida and Baylor ahead of BYU, and the coaches poll has Michigan State ahead of Washington. Why? I have no idea. In these rankings, when two teams are close, the head-to-head winner gets the advantage, especially three weeks into the season.
I saw a lot of comments about Minnesota’s ranking last week. It’s barely moved in the rankings because it’s played two of the worst teams in the country and an FCS team. It’s the same reasoning with Michigan and with Ole Miss. It’s not a negative and not a positive. Sometimes you get jumped if someone else has a more impressive win. Minnesota was No. 39 in my preseason ranking and still sits there now. Beat Michigan State, and it’ll most likely be in the top 25.
North Carolina’s win against Appalachian State continues to look better, and the Mountaineers’ Hail Mary win against Troy coupled with Texas A&M’s win against Miami was a boost as well. Maryland’s 34-27 win against SMU was a solid performance.
Kansas and Syracuse! KU is in the top 35 after a 3-0 start with road wins against West Virginia and Houston. Syracuse is 3-0 with wins against Louisville and Purdue. It’s not hard to see a 5-0 Orange start going into the NC State game. Tulane makes the biggest jump this week, from No. 110 into the top 50 after a win against Kansas State to move to 3-0. Notre Dame’s close escape from Cal coupled with Marshall’s loss to Bowling Green drops both teams. Arizona’s 31-28 win against North Dakota State was impressive as an underdog, and the Wildcats are officially a pretty good team.
Several teams slipped into this group with losses — Purdue, Texas Tech, Houston, UTSA and Auburn — but there’s not much movement otherwise. Indiana barely escaped Western Kentucky and Rutgers barely escaped Temple, but both are 3-0. Wyoming’s 17-14 win against Air Force moved the Cowboys to 3-1, with the loss to Illinois.
Vanderbilt’s comeback win at Northern Illinois to move to 3-1 is a real sign of progress for the program. Rice’s 33-21 win against Louisiana was one of the most surprising results of the weekend. Eastern Michigan won at Arizona State, becoming the first MAC school to win a regular-season game against the Pac-12. Northwestern has followed up its Ireland win against Nebraska with losses to Duke and FCS Southern Illinois at home.
South Alabama let a win at UCLA slip away with a field goal as time expired, and Troy let App State win on a Hail Mary. Tough losses. San Diego State is now 1-2 with two blowout losses to Pac-12 teams. Very quickly, this doesn’t look like the Aztecs of old.
(Top photo of Michael Penix and Kalen DeBoer: Joe Nicholson / USA Today)
The Big Ten is in the process of finalizing its media rights deals, with sources telling The Athletic the league hopes to make an official announcement by early next week. In a stunning development, ESPN has pulled out of negotiations, sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations confirmed to The Athletic.
In addition to Fox, which had locked up Big Ten rights months ago, the conference is likely to partner with both CBS and NBC. Such deals, if finalized, could result in the following Saturday slate: a noon ET game on Fox, a 3:30 p.m. ET game on CBS and prime time on NBC. Multiple sources involved in the negotiations have reiterated over the past month that the Big Ten has prioritized those windows throughout the process.
ESPN officially pulled out of Big Ten negotiations after saying no to the conference’s final offer of a seven-year deal worth $380 million per year, a source told The Athletic on Tuesday. Sports Business Journal first reported the developments.
ESPN’s rejection of the Big Ten’s offer was for only 13 of the Big Ten’s “B”/“C” package of games; ESPN had also looked at a prime-time package. Fox has already landed the league’s “A” package of games, which it will carry in the noon window.
ESPN’s exclusive 10-year deal with the SEC, starting in 2024-25, is believed to be in the $300 million range. That deal includes both 3:30 pm ET and prime-time windows for the conference’s premier games, which differs from what the network was in play for with the Big Ten. Clearly, the worldwide leader did not value the Big Ten’s secondary package at a higher price for fewer years than its SEC deal, especially with the network already obligated to the ACC as well.
The news is undoubtedly historic. ESPN has carried Big Ten football and basketball games for the last 40 years.
ESPN has mid-afternoon and primetime windows for its upcoming SEC deal, in addition to deals with the ACC and, perhaps, future deals with the Pac-12 (post-2024) and Big 12 (post-25).
Nonetheless, this fall will mark the 40th and final year of ESPN broadcasting Big Ten football.
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) August 9, 2022
The Big Ten is also likely to add some sort of streaming option, a source told The Athletic, though it is not yet clear how it will be structured and whether or not Amazon or Apple will be involved. Both companies have significantly increased their investment in live sports programming in the past year. Another streaming candidate under consideration is Peacock, which is already part of NBC’s offerings, a different source said. That would make sense if NBC lands a Big Ten package as it is now expected to do so.
CBS is expected to pay the Big Ten $350 million per year in its new deal, a source confirmed to The Athletic. NBC is also expected to pay around $350 million per year, according to multiple reports. Multiple outlets have reported that the Big Ten is seeking to eclipse $1 billion in rights fees per year in its new deal.
The Big Ten said in a statement Tuesday the “overall constructs of the new rights agreements have not been finalized.”
GO DEEPER
What we know about Big Ten rights negotiations
“The conference continues to have productive meetings with both linear and direct-to-consumer media partners,” the Big Ten said. “We are committed to delivering unparalleled resources and exposure opportunities for Big Ten Conference member institutions, athletic programs, student-athletes, coaches and fans. We are very thankful to the media companies who recognize the value of Big Ten programming and want to deliver it to our fans around the world in a forward-thinking manner.”
With ESPN no longer in the mix to broadcast Big Ten football, expect the network to get involved in either or both of the Pac-12 and Big 12 conferences, whose rights come up next. The Pac-12 already opened its exclusive negotiating window with ESPN early in the aftermath of USC and UCLA’s move to the Big Ten.
— Richard Deitsch and Matt Fortuna contributed reporting.
The matchups for the 2022 men’s and women’s Jimmy V Classic college basketball events were announced Thursday, highlighted by Duke on the men’s side and a pair of potential top-10 matchups on the women’s side.
The men’s doubleheader will take place Dec. 6 at Madison Square Garden, with Duke facing Iowa and Texas playing Illinois. The women’s games will be hosted on campus sites Dec. 4: UConn at Notre Dame and Virginia Tech at Tennessee.
The coming season marks the first time since 1980 that Duke will be coached by someone other than Mike Krzyzewski, with Jon Scheyer taking over that role. The Blue Devils bring in the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class and are ranked No. 5 in ESPN’s latest Way-Too-Early Top 25.
The Longhorns and the Fighting Illini also are ranked in the Way-Too-Early Top 25. Chris Beard and Texas bring back three starters from last season’s 22-win team, while also welcoming two five-star freshmen and elite transfer Tyrese Hunter from Iowa State. Illinois lost All-American Kofi Cockburn, but it landed impact transfers Terrence Shannon Jr. (Texas Tech) and Matthew Mayer (Baylor), as well as top-25 recruit Skyy Clark.
Both men’s games will air on ESPN.
On the women’s side, all four teams are ranked in the top 11 of ESPN’s most recent Way-Too-Early Top 25.
UConn is coming off a national championship game appearance and returns stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, while Notre Dame brings back most of its contributors and hit the portal for Texas transfer Lauren Ebo.
Virginia Tech should compete for an ACC championship with the return of conference Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley, and Tennessee loaded up in the transfer portal and is receiving preseason top-five hype.
UConn’s trip to Notre Dame will be broadcast on ABC, and Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee will air on ESPN2.
Named for legendary coach Jim Valvano, the Jimmy V Classic raises money and awareness for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. To date, ESPN has helped raise more than $155 million for the V Foundation. Last year set a record, with 2021’s V Week raising $13.35 million.
Iowa sophomore Keegan Murray will enter the 2022 NBA draft.
“I am forever grateful that Coach [Fran] McCaffery gave me the opportunity to live out my dream,” Murray told ESPN on Tuesday. “Iowa will always be my home and I’m forever grateful to be part of Hawkeye Nation.”
Murray, the No. 5 prospect in the ESPN 100, was named a consensus first-team All-American after averaging 23.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 32 minutes per game. He led Iowa to a Big Ten tournament championship, being named Most Outstanding Player after scoring a record 103 points in four games.
He is currently a finalist for some of the most prestigious postseason awards in college basketball, including the Wooden, Naismith and Lute Olson awards, all of which are presented annually to the top player in Division I men’s basketball.
Murray took a unique trajectory to emerging as a potential top-five pick this June. He graduated from Prairie High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with only one Division I scholarship offer from Western Illinois, prompting him to spend a post-graduate year at DME Academy in Florida, along with his twin brother, Kris.
“I went into my first year at Iowa trying to learn,” Keegan Murray said. “I had the national player of the year on our team in Luka Garza, and veterans coming back. My goal was to learn from them and establish what I can do to get minutes and benefit our team, which meant being a hustle guy and really solid defensively. I tried to fill that role as best I could.”
Murray came off the bench as a freshman and averaged 7.2 points in 18 minutes per game. He then exploded into arguably the best player in college basketball as a sophomore, ranking fourth in the country in scoring and first in player efficiency rating (PER).
“The big emphasis for me in the offseason was becoming a better all-around player physically,” Murray said. “I put on 15 pounds and was able to increase my vertical leap. I was [6-foot-8], 205 pounds coming into college. I grew to around 6-9, and between 220 to 225 pounds, which helped a lot.”
Murray started this season projected as a first-round pick, but quickly proved to be one of the best NBA prospects in all of college basketball, as a 6-9 forward with a modern skill set and outstanding versatility on both ends of the floor. He shot 40% on 3-pointers this season, finished second in the country in transition scoring thanks to his ability to push the ball aggressively off the defensive glass, and proved capable of punishing smaller players inside the post. Perhaps most interesting from an NBA standpoint is the way he defended all over the floor for Iowa, be it spearheading the top of the Hawkeyes’ full-court press, switching onto smaller players in pick-and-roll coverages, or putting a body on centers inside the paint.
“Before I came to Iowa I always played on the wing,” Murray said. “This was the first time I played the 4 and 5. We were small in the Big Ten. I’ll do whatever is needed to win because of my skill set. This year I needed to play the 5. I feel like in the NBA, I can play 2 to 5. I can adapt to any position I’m put in.
“I’m looking forward to showing NBA teams my versatility on both ends of the court. I’m a lot more athletic than people realize. I’m as competitive a player as you’re going to get. It doesn’t show from my facial expressions, but I love the game of basketball and competing every single night was a blessing for me. I’m not worried about what spot I get drafted. I want to be in the best situation possible and play for a team that values my game and understands what I can excel at.”
The NBA draft combine will be held May 16-22 in Chicago, and the draft will be June 23 in Brooklyn, New York.
Charlie Creme projects the women’s NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com.
The 68-team field has been cut to 32 in the 2022 women’s NCAA tournament. Each of the No. 1 seeds had an easy ride into the second round. The top four seeds in each region are still alive, but for teams such as the No. 3 seed LSU Tigers and the fourth-seeded Arizona Wildcats and Oklahoma Sooners, it wasn’t by much. That doesn’t mean everything is going by form. Six double-digit seeds have moved onto the second round. That’s as many as the last two NCAA tournaments combined.
This has been a resurgent year for the Big 12 and the league’s 6-0 record over the first two days has confirmed it. By contrast, the SEC, the highest-rated conference in the country all season, went 4-4. The Kentucky Wildcats and Ole Miss Lady Rebels were two SEC casualties to upsets.
All of this makes reseeding the women’s NCAA tournament not only a fun exercise, but almost a necessity. The Kansas Jayhawks were as impressive as any Big 12 team and are one team that earned an adjustment. The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles should never have been a No. 12 seed in the first place. The Belmont Bruins are now a first-round winner for the second year in a row. And the Creighton Bluejays’ offense made people take notice, too. Now we can fix those seeds.
Follow this link for a complete look at Sunday’s schedule and Monday’s games, which are all on the ESPN family of networks. Visit this link to check your Women’s Tournament Challenge bracket. Through the first 32 games, two brackets remain perfect.
No. 1 seeds
South Carolina Gamecocks Original Seed: No. 1 overall First round: Defeated No. 16 Howard 79-21
Playing South Carolina was a tough enough task for Howard. Having to play a Gamecocks team that had been stewing for 11 days about a loss in its last game made the mountain even taller. That’s at least part of the reason South Carolina put its arms around this game and squeezed. Howard had four points at halftime. Any focus the Gamecocks seemed to lack in the fourth quarter of their SEC tournament championship game loss to Kentucky was back. Granted, an SEC power against the MEAC champ isn’t the perfect litmus test for a title contender, but only allowing 21 points — the fewest in a women’s game in NCAA tournament history — over 40 minutes means South Carolina was locked in. That is enough of a takeaway for a team that plans to be playing two weekends from now.
Up next: vs. Miami (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, ABC)
Stanford Cardinal Original Seed: No. 1 First round: Defeated No. 16 Montana State 78-37
Fran Belibi dunked. The Cardinal pitched a shutout in the first quarter. Stanford could essentially name the score. It was exactly what a No. 1 seed is supposed to do to a No. 16: Never give them a chance. No one on Stanford’s roster had a huge game — Hannah Jump led the way with 15 points — and Haley Jones only shot 2-of-9 from the field, but in typical Stanford fashion it was dominance by teamwork (20 assists on 29 field goals) and execution. Twelve different Cardinal players scored and they had a 56-33 rebounding advantage. Cameron Brink led on the glass with 11 rebounds to go with 11 points. Pick a statistical category and Stanford made it lopsided. The Cardinal looked every bit as good as their 21-game winning streak suggests.
Up next: vs. Kansas (Sunday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN)
NC State Wolfpack Original Seed: No. 1 First round: Defeated No. 16 Longwood 96-68
Notorious slow starter NC State even needed some time to get going against No. 16 seed Longwood, leading by just four midway through the second quarter. Then a 17-0 run, highlighted by a pair of Diamond Johnson 3-pointers, put the Wolfpack in control. It was pretty much cruise control from that point for NC State, which has now reached the second round in four consecutive tournaments after going 10 years without an NCAA tournament victory.
Up next: vs. Kansas State (Monday, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Louisville Cardinals Original Seed: No. 1 First round: Defeated No. 16 Albany 83-51
After an ACC tournament quarterfinal loss, the Cardinals hadn’t played in two weeks. Rust? Not even a little. Louisville made shots early and often against the physically inferior Great Danes. Louisville shot 52.4% from the field and had 44 points in the paint, and coach Jeff Walz didn’t have to play anyone over 25 minutes. The Cardinals might be the most rested team in the tournament heading to the second round. The best sign of all might be that Hailey Van Lith continues to show that her struggles from the first half of the season are a thing of the past. She has averaged 17. 6 points per game in her last nine, including 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting against Albany.
Up next: vs. Gonzaga (Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 2 seeds
Baylor Bears Original Seed: No. 2 First round: Defeated No. 15 Hawai’i 89-49
For 20 minutes, Baylor couldn’t quite shake the Big West champion. Then came the third quarter. The defense went to another level and the Bears’ physical superiority took over. Baylor made 12 field goals, six of which were from point-blank range, en route to a 34-8 quarter and a 35-point lead. Hawai’i was 3-of-20 from the field in the third. NaLyssa Smith’s usual brilliance was on display with 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Jordan Lewis’ 7-for-8 shooting and 23 points was a good sign as coach Nicki Collen got her first NCAA tournament win.
Up next: vs. South Dakota (Sunday, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
play
1:55
UConn rolls through Mercer in the first round of the women’s NCAA tournament, 83-38.
UConn Huskies Original Seed: No. 2 First round: Defeated No. 15 Mercer 83-38
It was UConn basketball the way we usually see it against an inferior opponent: methodical and overpowering. The Huskies never let Mercer breathe, especially in the second half when the Bears scored only 15 points (and none in the third quarter). Much has been made of the return of Paige Bueckers (12 points, five assists) and getting the entire rotation of talented players back healthy, but defense is fueling the Huskies. Only one of UConn’s last nine opponents has scored over 50 points (51 by Marquette), and six didn’t hit 40. Mercer shot just 23.2% from the field and committed 18 turnovers. That’s why it’s just fine that Christyn Williams was the leading scorer for the Huskies with 13 points.
Up next: vs. UCF (Monday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Texas Longhorns Original Seed: No. 2 First round: Defeated No. 15 Fairfield 70-52
The Longhorns have one formula for success and it begins and ends with their defense. The Stags were game, even outscoring Texas in the second half, but 22 turnovers and a 10-rebound deficit on the boards were just too much to overcome. Those extra possessions helped the Longhorns overcome 43.1% shooting and 10 missed free throws. An 18-point, 10 rebound performance from freshman Aaliyah Moore was a huge boost. She didn’t have a double-double all season. Rori Harmon’s 11 assists were also key.
Up next: vs. Utah (Sunday, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Iowa Hawkeyes Original Seed: No. 2 First round: Defeated No. 15 Illinois State 98-58
Even a slow start couldn’t stop Iowa from scoring 98 points. The Hawkeyes simply relied on what they do best: put the ball in the basket at a high rate of efficiency. The national leader in field goal percentage made 60% of its shots. Iowa also made 21 of 22 free throws and is trying to be the first team since UConn in 2016 to lead the country in both categories for a season. Monika Czinano didn’t miss a shot (6-for-6 from the field and 6-for-6 from the line) and Caitlin Clark’s stat line of 27 points, 10 rebounds and 6 rebounds would be spectacular if she wasn’t making those kinds of games so routine.
Up next: vs. Creighton (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, ABC)
No. 3 seeds
Indiana Hoosiers Original Seed: No. 3 First round: Defeated No. 14 Charlotte 85-51
The sputtering that Indiana was experiencing at the end of the regular season seems a long time ago now. The Hoosiers lost three in a row and four of five before a run to the Big Ten tournament final seemed to get things back on track. It’s official now after the convincing and thorough domination of the 49ers on Saturday. Only one Hoosier failed to make at least half of her shots (Nicole Cardano-Hillary was 3-of-8) and they never let Charlotte believe for a moment this would be competitive. This also marked the ninth game that Mackenzie Holmes has been back after recovering from a knee injury. Her 19 points and eight rebounds is her best performance in that time.
Up next: vs. Princeton (Monday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Michigan Wolverines Original Seed: No. 3 First round: Defeated No. 14 American 74-39
Michigan’s defense had been uncharacteristically inconsistent toward the end of the season. Perhaps the long layoff is what the Wolverines needed. More than two weeks have passed since they lost in the Big Ten quarterfinals, and all that saved energy went into stifling the Eagles. The offense took a few minutes to get started as Michigan hosted NCAA tournament games for the first time, but the defense was ready to go from the outset. American scored 13 first-half points and the Eagles’ 39 for the game were the fewest the Wolverines had allowed this season. Naz Hillmon’s 24 points and 11 rebounds were her 15th double-double of the season.
Up next: vs. Villanova (Monday, 6 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
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LSU advances thanks to a late 3-pointer from Khayla Pointer.
LSU Tigers Original Seed: No. 3 First round: Defeated No. 14 Jackson State 83-77
Kim Mulkey might not sleep well Saturday. Her Tigers led by 17 and looked on their way to a routine first-round victory when Jackson State, which entered the NCAA tournament with a nation-best 21-game winning streak, transformed into a near giant killer. The Lady Tigers, who played confidently all day and never backed down to LSU, went on a 24-5 run to take the lead, and they were still on top with 2:44 left in the game. Sparked by two baskets by Khayla Pointer, LSU finished on a 10-3 run. Only then could the heavily favored Tigers take a deep breath. Pointer, who is the key to the Tigers’ tournament success, finished with 25 points.
Up next: vs. Ohio State (Monday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Iowa State Cyclones Original Seed: No. 3 First round: Defeated No. 14 UT Arlington 78-71
No top-four seed and none of the four Big 12 teams in action Friday had a tougher time than the Cyclones. Despite Ashley Joens’ 36 points and 15 rebounds, Iowa State needed a fourth-quarter rally and some key plays by Emily Ryan down the stretch to hold off UT Arlington. The Cyclones didn’t even play poorly; credit the Lady Mavs, who outperformed their seed. Starr Jacobs, the Sun Belt Player of the Year, who started her career at Houston before going the junior college route for two years, showed that she is a Power 5 talent with 19 points. Joens, Ryan and Lexi Donarski played all 40 minutes, which could be something to watch in what should be a physical game against Georgia.
Up next: vs. Georgia (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
No. 4 seeds
Maryland Terrapins Original Seed: No. 4 First round: Defeated No. 13 Delaware 102-71
It remains hard to believe that a Maryland team that led the nation in scoring a season ago and was sixth this year could have a three-game stretch in which it only averaged 59 points. Yet that’s what happened in the Terps’ final three games of the season. There had to be some concern from coach Brenda Frese, but the Maryland team she better recognizes returned Friday. All five starters scored in double figures and the Terps shot nearly 60%. Ashley Owusu, who had been bothered by injury and ineffectiveness for much of February, looked like her old self again with 24 points on an efficient 10-of-14 shooting, with six assists.
Up next: vs. Florida Gulf Coast (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Tennessee Lady Volunteers Original Seed: No. 4 First round: Defeated No. 13 Buffalo 80-67
Tennessee played to its strengths, and it paid dividends. Buffalo could score right with the Lady Vols, but the Bulls couldn’t rebound with Tennessee. That was the difference. The Lady Vols, fourth in the country in rebounding rate, just kept pounding the glass. The 55-38 advantage Tennessee had on the boards led to a 21-6 difference in made free throws. Tamari Key and Alexus Dye each had 11 rebounds to go with a combined 34 points. The Lady Vols will hang on to their No. 4 seed despite still not having leading scorer Jordan Horston back, and continuing to have turnover problems with another 19 on Saturday. They rank 325th in the country in total turnovers.
Up next: vs. Belmont (Monday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
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Shaina Pellington goes left and puts up an assertive and-1 bucket
Arizona Wildcats Original Seed: No. 4 First round: Defeated No. 13 UNLV 72-67
The final score did not indicate the angst that was felt in Tucson. The Wildcats pulled away late in the fourth quarter, one of the few top-four seeds close to losing in the first round. UNLV, a sizeable underdog, led for much of the game and as late as eight minutes left. Shaina Pellington and her 30 points saved Arizona, playing in its first NCAA tournament home game. The Wildcats also welcomed back Cate Reese after she missed four games at the end of the season with a shoulder injury. Her 16 points were also crucial in disposing of a UNLV team that outshot and outrebounded Arizona.
Up next: vs. North Carolina (Monday, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Oklahoma Sooners Original Seed: No. 4 First round: Defeated No. 13 IUPUI 76-72
The Sooners’ biggest weakness all season has been interior defense, so IUPUI’s Macee Williams, a 65% shooter from the field and an 18.7 PPG scorer, posed a problem. Williams was solid, but Oklahoma largely kept her in check. Williams finished with 15 points, which fell short of the 21 points of Oklahoma’s own Madi Williams. She and Taylor Robertson once again led the Sooners, who are in the second round for the first time in five years. The Oklahoma-Notre Dame meeting in round two figures to be an entertaining, offensive shootout.
Up next: vs. Notre Dame (Monday, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
No. 5 seeds
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Original Seed: No. 5 First round: Defeated No. 12 UMass 89-78
A triple-double from Olivia Miles, 58.7% shooting and 38-22 advantage on the boards — and Notre Dame still couldn’t shake UMass until the closing minutes. That’s because the Minutewomen’s offense was almost as good at that of the Irish, especially with 31 points from Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Sam Breen. Miles had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for the second NCAA tournament triple-double in Notre Dame history (Skylar Diggins had the other, in 2012) and Dara Mabrey hit five shots from 3-point range for an Irish team that continues to rely on its offense.
Up next: vs. Oklahoma (Monday, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
North Carolina Tar Heels Original Seed: No. 5 First round: Defeated No. 12 Stephen F. Austin 79-66
North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart warned that SFA, with its up-tempo, pressing style, was going to be tough to play against. For three quarters, it looked like this could be another double-digit seed pulling an upset. Then came the fourth quarter. With Deja Kelly scoring nine of her 28 points in the final 10 minutes, North Carolina outscored the Ladyjacks 25-10 to get out of the first round for the first time since 2015. This was the second straight year SFA played right with an ACC team in the NCAA tournament. The Ladyjacks took Georgia Tech to overtime last March.
Up next: vs. Arizona (Monday, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Ohio State Buckeyes Original Seed: No. 6 First round: Defeated No. 11 Missouri State 63-56
With a late spurt, the Buckeyes survived Missouri State in a game in which they were out-rebounded 51-33 and made 5 of 20 3-pointers. A 23-6 run at the end of the first half, fueled by a relentless full-court press, and a 13-6 finish were the differences in a game that was otherwise well controlled by the Bears. If Missouri State had done a better job protecting the ball, it would be the first team to have participated in the First Four to win a second game. Ohio State turned 22 turnovers into 25 points. Jacy Sheldon’s five steals were a big part of that; she hit a handful of layups off those steals on her way to a game-high 25 points.
Up next: vs. LSU (Monday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Georgia Lady Bulldogs Original Seed: No. 6 First round: Defeated No. 11 Dayton 70-54
Dayton made 17 3-pointers in the First Four game against DePaul. Georgia only allowed the Flyers to shoot 6-of-18 from deep. The Lady Dogs’ defense was on another level. Georgia didn’t do anything special on offense, essentially playing right at its expected output. That was enough to control the game nearly from start to finish. Coach Joni Taylor turned to her veterans in key moments. Que Morrison and Jenna Staiti combined for 35 points and 16 rebounds as Georgia won an NCAA tournament game for the third time under Taylor. She has yet to get past the second round.
Up next: vs. Iowa State (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
No. 6 seeds
Utah Utes Original Seed: No. 7 First round: Defeated No. 10 Arkansas 92-69
The Utes won an NCAA tournament game for the first time since 2009 and did it in emphatic fashion. Given the quality of the opponent and magnitude of the moment, Utah had its most impressive and efficient offensive game of the season. The Razorbacks, who typically rely on their own shooting abilities, had no answer for the young Utes’ proficiency from deep. Sophomore Kennady McQueen and freshman Gianna Kneepkens combined to make 9 of 12 3-pointers, and Utah was never seriously challenged.
Up next: vs. Texas (Sunday, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN)
UCF Knights Original Seed: No. 7 First round: Defeated No. 10 Florida 69-52
It sounds strange to say, but Florida doesn’t see defense like the Knights’ in the SEC. The Gators only shot 30% from the field without injured Kiki Smith. Florida didn’t have its primary scorer and creator to penetrate a defense that allows a nation-lowest 47.5 points per game. And losing center Faith Dut late in the first half was too much to overcome. Throw in the offense of Brittney Smith, whose 26 points were a career high, and UCF had its first win over the Gators (it was 0-26 previously) and first NCAA tournament win in program history.
Up next: vs. UConn (Monday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Kansas Jayhawks Original Seed: No. 8 First round: Defeated No. 9 Georgia Tech 77-58
The Yellow Jackets ran out of gas. Kansas was there to take full advantage, handing Georgia Tech its worst loss of the season. Playing with a six- or seven-player rotation for most of the second half of the season, Georgia Tech ended the year losing five of its last seven. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks won their first NCAA tournament game since 2013, outscoring the Yellow Jackets 64-36 over the final three quarters. Just like they have been doing all year, the Jayhawks did it with defense and offensive balance. Georgia Tech shot 38.7% and four Kanas players scored in double figures, led by Holly Kersgieter’s 19 points.
Up next: vs. Stanford (Sunday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Miami Hurricanes Original Seed: No. 8 First round: Defeated No. 9 South Florida 78-66
If Kate Meier gets her Hurricanes to the NCAA tournament, she’s a good bet to play a second game. Miami is now 6-3 in first-round games under the 17-year head coach. The Hurricanes have multiple ways to win. Against USF, leading scorer Kelsey Marshall only got 10 field goal attempts and 12 points, but Miami’s bench contributed 29 points. In its ACC tournament run, all three of Miami’s wins included erasing second-half deficits. On Friday it was about a fast start. Miami took a 24-11 lead after 10 minutes and simply answered any South Florida spurt the rest of the game.
Up next: vs. South Carolina (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, ABC)
No. 7 seeds
Gonzaga Bulldogs Original Seed: No. 9 First round: Defeated No. 8 Nebraska 68-55
The Bulldogs have found the right time of year to be playing their best basketball. After being blown out twice by BYU this season, Gonzaga delivered a much better performance against the Cougars in the WCC tournament championship game to win the title. The Bulldogs went to yet another level against the Cornhuskers, who could never break through after Gonzaga scored the first six points of the second half. Kayleigh Truong scored 20 points, but more importantly controlled the game from her point guard spot.
Up next: vs. Louisville (Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles Original Seed: No. 12 First round: Defeated No. 5 Virginia Tech 84-81
A No. 7 seed is closer to where the Eagles should have been in the first place. Virginia Tech got a tough break from the committee having to play a team in the first round that was completely overqualified for a 12-seed. And the game played out that way. FGCU led the country in 3-point shooting and made 15 against the Hokies. The Eagles knew they had no answer for center Elizabeth Kitley, who went off for a career-high 42 points, but FCGU mitigated that disadvantage by only committing three turnovers. Each team played to its strengths and the Eagles were just a little bit better. It also helps to have an all-around talent like Kierstan Bell to turn to when the offense breaks down and that 3-pointer is unavailable. Bell, who finished with a team-high 22 points, turned a brilliant individual move into a layup that gave FGCU a 76-74 lead, one that the Eagles never relinquished.
Up next: vs. Maryland (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Creighton Bluejays Original Seed: No. 10 First round: Defeated No. 7 Colorado 84-74
Colorado has a top-30 rated defense, according to Her Hoops Stats. The Bluejays’ motion offense carved it up. The only time this season the Buffs allowed anything close to the 84 points Creighton put on the board was when Oregon scored 86, but it took double overtime for the Ducks to get there. That isn’t too surprising. Jim Flanery’s teams run offenses that create good shots, and he brings in players like Emma Ronsiek (14.8 PPG) and Lauren Jensen (43.7% on 3-pointers) who can make them. The Bluejays are fifth in the nation in points per 100 possessions. Iowa, their next opponent (and where Jensen began her career), leads the country in that category.
Up next: vs. Iowa (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, ABC)
South Dakota Coyotes Original Seed: No. 10 First round: Defeated No. 7 Ole Miss 75-61
South Dakota seniors Chloe Lamb, Hannah Sjerven and Liv Korngable decided to return for their extra year to take one more shot at the program’s first NCAA tournament win. Mission accomplished. The Coyotes led wire-to-wire, dicing up the Rebels’ defense to the tune of 55.8% shooting. Lamb and Sjerven each scored 20 points. A defense that was 10th in the country in points allowed per game was just as effective against an SEC opponent as it has been against the Summit League. Coach Dawn Plitzuweit’s strategy rendered Ole Miss star Shakira Austin a nonfactor. The 6-foot-5 Austin had just nine points on 3 of 16 shooting, despite her size advantage.
Up next: vs. Baylor (Sunday, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
No. 8 seeds
Kansas State Wildcats Original Seed: No. 9 First round: Defeated No. 8 Washington State 50-40
Kansas State star center Ayoka Lee had three touches in the first half and the Wildcats’ offense was stumbling with just 17 points. Adjustments were made. The ball found Lee far more in the second half. The offense never exploded, but Lee finished with 15 rebounds and 20 points, half of which came from the free throw line, as the Wildcats advanced for the first time since 2017. Neither team will put this one in their archives. Kansas State shot 26.7% from the field and was the more accurate of the two. Those struggles are why, despite all the upsets, Kansas State stays put as a No. 8 seed.
Up next: vs. NC State (Monday, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Princeton Tigers Original Seed: No. 11 First round: Defeated No. 6 Kentucky 69-62
With 10 straight wins, Kentucky came in hot. Princeton was hotter. The Tigers have won 18 in a row after beating the Wildcats. The seeds say upset, but Princeton was the better team for much of this game. Abby Meyers’ career-high 29 points was the most from an Ivy League player in the NCAA tournament since 2000. While the Tigers committed 19 turnovers, they ran their offense precisely at all the right times and never let the Wildcats within a single possession the entire fourth quarter. Rhyne Howard’s Kentucky career ends on just 4 of 14 shooting and 17 points.
Up next: vs. Indiana (Monday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Villanova Wildcats Original Seed: No. 11 First round: Defeated No. 6 BYU 61-57
Nothing about the Wildcats will wow you. They are just hard to play against. Whether it was under Harry Perretta for 42 years or Denise Dillon now, Villanova runs a disciplined offense, makes open shots and doesn’t make many mistakes. BYU became the latest casualty of that Saturday and was the first of two No. 6 seeds to fall. Maddy Siegrist (Big East) got the better of Shaylee Gonzales (WCC) in a matchup of conference players of the year with 25 points. The Wildcats’ defense also rose to the occasion and held Gonzales to just eight points on 3-of-14 shooting.
Up next: vs. Michigan (Monday, 6 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Belmont Bruins Original Seed: No. 12 First round: Defeated No. 5 Oregon 73-70, 2OT
The Bruins played Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Ole Miss and UCF this season. They also won a first-round game last March as a No. 12 seed. They were as prepared for the NCAA tournament as any mid-major could be, and it paid off once again. Last year Belmont took down Gonzaga. This time around might have been more impressive. The Ducks were coming off four straight trips to at least the Sweet 16. The Bruins survived despite having no answer for Nyara Sabally (31 points, 12 rebounds) and giving up 40 points in the paint. Twelve 3-pointers helped. Tuti Jones made all four of her shots from deep and finished with 22 points.
The 2021 college football season has just ended, with Georgia beating Alabama 33-18 in Monday night’s national title game, but it’s already time to look ahead to the 2022 season.
Not surprisingly, Nick Saban’s Alabama squad will start our 2022 Way-Too-Early college football top 25 as No. 1, leading three SEC teams in the top four.
Thanks to some industry-shaking coaching moves and an overflowing transfer portal, this has been a wild offseason that shows no signs of slowing down. As a result, these rankings will be updated several times throughout the offseason.
2021 record: 13-2 (7-1 SEC) Starters expected to return: 6 offense, 7 defense, 2 special teams Key starters expected to leave: OT Evan Neal, WR Jameson Williams, DE Phidarian Mathis, S Jordan Battle, CB Josh Jobe, RB Brian Robinson Jr., WR John Metchie III Key additions: CB Eli Ricks, OT Tyler Booker, DE Jeremiah Alexander, WR Shazz Preston, RB Emmanuel Henderson, RB Jahmyr Gibbs
Outlook: It probably wasn’t the strongest team of the Nick Saban era, given the Crimson Tide’s struggles on the offensive line and on defense at times this past season. Nonetheless, the Tide will be favored to win it all in 2022, with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young and much of the defense coming back. The Tide might dip into the transfer portal to help replace Williams’ and Metchie’s massive production. Ricks, an All-American at LSU in 2020, will help shore up the Tide’s secondary.
2021 record: 11-2 (8-1 Big Ten) Starters expected to return: 6 offense, 7 defense, 1 special teams Key starters expected to leave: WR Garrett Wilson, WR Chris Olave, G Thayer Munford, OT Nicholas Petit-Frere, DT Haskell Garrett, DE Tyreke Smith, CB Marcus Williamson, PK Noah Ruggles Key additions: ATH Alex Styles, OLB C.J. Hicks, DE Kenyatta Jackson Jr., OLB Gabe Powers, ATH Kaleb Brown, DT Caden Curry
Outlook: The Buckeyes just missed making the College Football Playoff for a third straight time under coach Ryan Day, with a humbling 42-27 loss at rival Michigan knocking them out of contention. Much of Ohio State’s problems in 2021 can be attributed to the defense. Day hired Jim Knowles, who revamped Oklahoma State’s defense the past two seasons, and Knowles will have his work cut out for him. With quarterback C.J. Stroud and running back TreVeyon Henderson coming back, the offense should again be explosive, even with Wilson and Olave turning pro. The receiver corps is in good hands with Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The 2022 season will be demanding, with a home opener against Notre Dame, Big Ten road games against Michigan State and Penn State and divisional crossover games versus Iowa and Wisconsin at home.
2021 record: 14-1 (8-0 SEC) Starters expected to return: 9 offense, 5 defense, 1 special teams Key starters expected to leave: DE Travon Walker, NT Jordan Davis, DT Devonte Wyatt, LB Nakobe Dean, LB Channing Tindall, CB Derion Kendrick, OT Jamaree Salyer, RB James Cook Key additions: S Tykee Smith, DB Malaki Starks, CB Jaheim Singletary, RB Branson Robinson, OLB Jalon Walker, CB Daylen Everette, QB Gunner Stockton
Outlook: The Bulldogs finally ended a 41-year national championship drought with a win over the Tide, and will enter the 2022 season as the SEC East favorites. Georgia will undergo a massive facelift on defense, starting at the top with coordinator Dan Lanning leaving to become Oregon’s new coach. Former Florida and South Carolina coach Will Muschamp and inside linebackers coach Glenn Schumann will work as co-coordinators in 2022. Georgia’s losses on defense will be extensive, and younger players such as Tramel Walthour, Jalen Carter and Nazir Stackhouse will have big shoes to fill on the D-line. Quarterback Stetson Bennett is eligible to return for another season; he will probably battle JT Daniels and Brock Vandagriff for the starting job next season. Georgia’s offense might have to do more heavy lifting in 2022.
2021 record: 8-4 (4-4 SEC) Starters expected to return: 5 offense, 5 defense, 1 special teams Key starters expected to leave: OT Kenyon Green, DT DeMarvin Leal, RB Isaiah Spiller, TE Jalen Wydermyer, DL Jayden Peevy, DB Leon O’Neal Jr., DE Tyree Johnson, LB Aaron Hansford, DE Micheal Clemons Key additions: QB Max Johnson, QB Conner Weigman, DT Walter Nolen, DT Gabe Brownlow-Dindy, WR Evan Stewart
Outlook: The Aggies took a step back in 2021, which wasn’t much of a surprise after they lost four starting offensive linemen and quarterback Haynes King broke his leg in the second game. Now, Texas A&M’s defense, its strength this past season, will have to be rebuilt. Defensive coordinator Mike Elko left to become Duke’s new coach; Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher hired Mississippi’s D.J. Durkin to replace Elko. The entire front four on defense — tackles Leal and Peevy and top pass-rushers Johnson and Clemons — are expected to leave. Leading tackler Hansford will have to be replaced, as well. If King is healthy, he’ll battle LSU transfer Max Johnson and incoming freshman Weigman, the No. 1 pocket passer in the ESPN 300, for the starting job next season.
2021 record: 12-2 (8-1 Big Ten) Starters expected to return: 6 offense, 5 defense, 0 special teams Key starters expected to leave: DE Aidan Hutchinson, OLB David Ojabo, RB Hassan Haskins, LB Josh Ross, SS Brad Hawkins, CB Vincent Gray, S Daxton Hill, C Andrew Vastardis, OT Andrew Stueber, DT Christopher Hinton Key additions: CB William Johnson, DE Derrick Moore, OT Tyler Morris, S Keon Sabb, WR Darrius Clemons
Outlook: It might have taken seven seasons, but Jim Harbaugh finally broke through what looked like a ceiling at his alma mater. The season ended with a flop, a 34-11 loss to Georgia in the Capital One Orange Bowl, but that won’t take away from a breakout campaign. The Wolverines defeated Ohio State for the first time in a decade, won the Big Ten for the first time since 2004 and reached the playoff for the first time. After there was mounting pressure to fire Harbaugh following the 2020 season, he shook up his coaching staff, and the changes paid off. First-year defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald did fantastic work, and he might have to do even more next season with Hutchinson and Ojabo turning pro. Identifying Haskins’ replacement and settling a quarterback battle between Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy will be priorities this spring.
2021 record: 11-2 Starters expected to return: 7 offense, 7 defense, 1 special teams Key starters expected to leave: S Kyle Hamilton, RB Kyren Williams, G Cain Madden, QB Jack Coan, NG Kurt Hinish, DE Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, LB Drew White Key additions: LB Jaylen Sneed, WR Tobias Merriweather, CB Jaden Mickey, DE Tyson Ford, ILB Niuafe Tuihalamaka, OT Aamil Wagner, S Brandon Joseph
Outlook: The start of the Marcus Freeman era didn’t go off as planned, as Notre Dame blew a 21-point lead in a 37-35 loss to Oklahoma State in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. The former defensive coordinator will grow into the position, but it’s hard to ignore his energy and desire to upgrade recruiting. The defense got a boost with junior end Isaiah Foskey deciding to return, along with fifth-year seniors Jayson Ademilola and Justin Ademilola. Joseph, an All-American at Northwestern in 2020, has had nine interceptions the past two seasons. Center Jarrett Patterson also hasn’t announced his future plans. With Coan departing, Drew Pyne and Tyler Buchner will battle for the quarterback job this spring. The offensive line should be better, especially after freshmen Joe Alt and Blake Fisher emerged as the starting tackles. The Irish will play road games against Ohio State, North Carolina, Syracuse and Southern California in 2022.
2021 record: 10-4 (8-1 Pac-12) Starters expected to return: 7 offense, 6 defense, 2 special teams Key starters expected to leave: LB Devin Lloyd, LB Nephi Sewell, DE Mika Tafua, WR Britain Covey, RB TJ Pledger, C Nick Ford, OT Bamidele Olaseni, S Vonte Davis Key additions: LB Mohamoud Diabate, QB Nathan Johnson, ATH Justius Lowe, LB Lander Barton, S Elijah Davis, LB Justin Medlock, WR Landon Morris, TE Logan Kendall
Outlook: The Utes’ inspiring season ended with a disappointing 48-45 loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Still, Kyle Whittingham and his team did amazing work following the tragic deaths of two players. The Utes should again be favored to win the Pac-12, even with star players such as Lloyd, Sewell and Covey departing for the NFL. Last week, the Utes added transfer Diabate, who was Florida’s second-leading tackler last season. Quarterback Cameron Rising will enter the offseason as the undisputed starter. The Utes open the 2022 season at Florida and also play San Diego State in a nonconference game.
2021 record: 9-3 (6-2 ACC) Starters expected to return: 8 offense, 10 defense, 1 special teams Key starters expected to leave: OT Ikem Ekwonu, RB Zonovan Knight, RB Ricky Person Jr., WR Emeka Emezie, DE Daniel Joseph Key additions: ATH Michael Allen, DT Brandon Cleveland, OLB Torren Wright, G Jacarrius Peak, QB M.J. Morris, P Shane McDonough
Outlook: The Wolfpack were disappointed about not having the chance to complete just their second 10-win season in 116 years when the Holiday Bowl was canceled because of COVID-19 issues for UCLA. But NC State will be in prime position to reach that milestone in 2022, and possibly win even more. Quarterback Devin Leary, who threw for 3,433 yards with 35 touchdowns, is returning. Ekwonu, a potential top-10 pick, will be difficult to replace, but the other four starting offensive linemen should return. With linebacker Payton Wilson, cornerback Derrek Pitts Jr. and safety Tanner Ingle already declaring their intentions to stay, the Wolfpack might bring back 14 of their top 15 tacklers. NC State’s nonconference schedule in 2022 (East Carolina, Charleston Southern, Texas Tech and UConn) is more than manageable.
2021 record: 12-2 (8-1 Big 12) Starters expected to return: 7 offense, 6 defense, 1 special teams Key starters expected to leave: RB Jaylen Warren, WR Tay Martin, G Josh Sills, LB Malcolm Rodriguez, LB Devin Harper, S Kolby Harvell-Peel Key additions: WR Talyn Shettron, QB Garrett Rangel, RB Braylin Presley, OT Tyrone Webber, LB Xavier Benson, RB C.J. Brown
Outlook: The Cowboys came within a few inches of winning the Big 12 title and possibly reaching the CFP, but instead settled for a 21-point comeback in their win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, which coach Mike Gundy called the biggest in the program’s history. With quarterback Spencer Sanders and most of the offense returning, the Pokes should be potent again in 2022. The defense will need a facelift — Knowles left for Ohio State and leading tacklers Rodriguez and Harper departed. Gundy isn’t sure whether he’ll promote from within or hire an outside candidate as defensive coordinator. The Pokes will play Big 12 road games at Baylor, TCU, Kansas State, Kansas and Oklahoma next season.
2021 record: 11-2 (7-2 Big Ten) Starters expected to return: 5 offense, 9 defense, 1 special teams Key starters expected to leave: RB Kenneth Walker III, WR Jalen Nailor, C Matt Allen, OT Kevin Jarvis, DE Jacub Panasiuk, DE Drew Beesley, K Matt Coghlin Key additions: LB Aaron Brule, DE Khris Bogle, LB Jacoby Windmon, RB Jalen Berger, CB Caleb Coley, DT Alex VanSumeren, RB Dillon Tatum, WR Antonio Gates Jr.
Outlook: Mel Tucker is convinced he can build a national championship caliber program at Michigan State, and he took a big step toward credibility in his second season. The nine-win improvement from 2020 is the biggest in school history. The Spartans started 8-0 and were No. 3 in the initial CFP rankings before cooling off. They’ll undoubtedly miss Walker, who was the second-leading rusher in the FBS with 1,636 yards in 12 games. The Spartans added Berger, a transfer from Wisconsin, and might be looking for another running back to help. Three starting offensive linemen are expected to exit, along with Nailor, the team’s second-leading receiver. Much of the defense will return, but the Spartans need better pass-rushers, which is why they added Brule from Mississippi State and Windmon from UNLV.
2021 record: 10-3 (6-2 ACC) Starters expected to return: 11 offense, 6 defense, 1 special teams Key starters expected to leave: DE Xavier Thomas, LB James Skalski, CB Andrew Booth Jr., FS Nolan Turner, CB Mario Goodrich Key additions: QB Cade Klubnik, CB Jeadyn Lukus, WR Antonio Williams, OT Collin Sadler, WR Adam Randall, CB Toriano Pride
Outlook: Change is finally coming to Dabo Swinney’s dynasty, and the Tigers are undergoing a major overhaul on their coaching staff, after Brent Venables left for Oklahoma and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott was named Virginia’s new coach. Swinney stayed in house to replace them, promoting Wes Goodwin to defensive coordinator and Brandon Streeter to offensive playcaller. Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (nine) in his first full season as a starter, and he might be pushed by Klubnik, who is enrolling this month. The Tigers have to play better on the offensive line and need playmakers to emerge at receiver. Streeter might look to get running backs Will Shipley and Kobe Pace and tight ends more involved in the passing game. The defense will get a boost from the return of tackle Bryan Bresee, who missed much of 2021 with a torn ACL.
2021 record: 10-4 (7-2 Pac-12) Starters expected to return: 8 offense, 7 defense, 2 special teams Key starters expected to leave: DE Kayvon Thibodeaux, CB Mykael Wright, CB DJ James, QB Anthony Brown, WR Devon Williams, G George Moore, S Verone McKinley III Key additions: QB Bo Nix, LB Devon Jackson, ATH Jalil Tucker, DE Gracen Halton, S Trejon Williams, LB Harrison Taggart, DB Christian Gonzalez, DT Sam Taimani
Outlook: After former coach Mario Cristobal bolted to return to Miami, his alma mater, the Ducks are gambling on Lanning, a first-time head coach. Lanning inherits a defense that loses Thibodeaux, potentially the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, but brings back a lot of talent, including LB Noah Sewell, CB Dontae Manning and NT Popo Aumavae. Only three starters on offense are expected to leave, and Lanning is bringing in former Auburn starter Nix to compete for the starting quarterback job. Even with Lanning’s inexperience, there’s enough in place for the Ducks to win the Pac-12 North again. The Ducks open the season against Georgia in Atlanta and play BYU at home.
2021 record: 12-2 (8-0 AAC) Starters expected to return: 7 offense, 6 defense, 1 special teams Key starters expected to leave: G Keenan Murphy, C Kody Russey, OT Dennis Bardwell, CB/KR Marcus Jones, DT Logan Hall, DE David Anenih, LB Deontay Anderson, CB Damarion Williams, WR Jake Herslow Key additions: WR Matthew Golden, WR Brice Johnson, OL Demetrius Hunter, CB Moses Alexander, DE Nadame Tucker, DT Amipeleasi Lange
Outlook: After winning 12 games for only the third time in school history, the Cougars will again be among the AAC favorites in 2022, if not the favorite. There are plenty of pieces coming back on offense, including quarterback Clayton Tune, RB Alton McCaskill and receiver Nathaniel Dell. The offensive line needs to play better and Dell needs help on the perimeter. Houston’s “Third Ward” defense is what has fueled its resurgence under Dana Holgorsen, and the Cougars are fortunate coordinator Doug Belk is sticking around after drawing interest from a handful of Power 5 programs. Jones’ big-play capabilities on kick returns and in the secondary will be sorely missed.
2021 record: 11-3 (7-1 ACC) Starters expected to return: 8 offense, 7 defense, 2 special teams Key starters expected to leave: WR Jaquarii Roberson, RB Christian Beal-Smith, TE Brandon Chapman, DT Miles Fox, LB Luke Masterson, LB Traveon Redd, CB Ja’sir Taylor Key additions: DT Kobie Turner, WR Jaydn Girard, CB Zamari Stevenson, DE Eli Hall, WR Wesley Grimes, LB Tommy Bebie
Outlook: Dave Clawson continues to do amazing work at Wake Forest, leading the Demon Deacons to at least 10 wins for only the second time in the 114-year history of the program. Wake Forest won the Atlantic Division and played in its sixth consecutive bowl game. With quarterback Sam Hartman coming back, the Demon Deacons should be right back in the mix for an ACC title in 2022. Hartman will miss Roberson, who had 71 catches for 1,078 yards with eight touchdowns, but A.T. Perry is just as good. Beal-Smith, the team’s leading rusher, entered the transfer portal. As potent as Wake Forest has been on offense, its defense could be better. Clawson hired Purdue defensive coordinator Brad Lambert to replace Lyle Hemphill, who left for Duke.
2021 record: 10-4 (7-2 Big Ten) Starters expected to return: 8 offense, 7 defense, 1 special teams Key starters expected to leave: C Tyler Linderbaum, RB Tyler Goodson, G Kyler Schott, DE Zach VanValkenburg, FS Jack Koerner, CB Matt Hankins, S/LB Dane Belton Key additions: DE Aaron Graves, S Xavier Nwankpa, DE Caden Crawford, RB Kaleb Johnson, RB Jaziun Patterson, OT Jack Dotzler
Outlook: Kirk Ferentz’s football machine keeps chugging along, inch by inch, at a very Iowa-like speed. The Hawkeyes won 10 games for the second time in three seasons, but it’s impossible not to imagine what they might have done with a more-than-pedestrian offense. Iowa ranked 121st in the FBS in total offense (303.7 yards), 109th in passing (180.1 yards) and 99th in scoring (23.4 points). Quarterbacks Spencer Petras and Alex Padilla combined to complete 55% of their attempts with 12 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Goodson turned pro after running for 1,151 yards with six scores. The Hawkeyes need much more out of their passing game. Even with Hankins and VanValkenburg moving on, Iowa’s defense will again be stingy in 2022. Will its offense be better?
2021 record: 12-2 (7-2 Big 12) Starters expected to return: 3 offense, 4 defense, 2 special teams Key starters expected to leave: RB Abram Smith, CB Kalon Barnes, S Jalen Pitre, WR Tyquan Thornton, LB Terrel Bernard, S JT Woods, WR R.J. Sneed, CB Raleigh Texada, RB Trestan Ebner Key additions: WR Armani Winfield, TE Kaian Roberts-Day, G George Maile, S Devyn Bobby, OLB Jeremy Patton, RB Richard Reese
Outlook: The Bears completed a remarkable turnaround after going 2-7 in coach Dave Aranda’s first season. They set a school record with 12 victories, won a Big 12 title and defeated five ranked foes. With a 21-7 victory against Ole Miss in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, they won a New Year’s Day bowl game for the first time since 1957. Now, Aranda and his staff will carry a lot of momentum into 2022, with four starting offensive linemen electing to come back. Ebner and Smith will be big losses in the running game, and Gerry Bohanon and Blake Sharpen will duke it out for the starting quarterback job this spring. Help will also be needed on the perimeter, with Thornton and Sneed moving on. Aranda might once again look for replacements through the transfer portal.
2021 record: 11-2 (7-2 Big 12) Starters expected to return: 4 offense, 4 defense, 1 special teams Key starters expected to leave: DE Nik Bonitto, LB Brian Asamoah, DE Isaiah Thomas, DL Perrion Winfrey, S Delarrin Turner-Yell, S Pat Fields, WR Jadon Haselwood, RB Kennedy Brooks, G Marquis Hayes, OT Tyrese Robinson Key additions: QB Dillon Gabriel, G McKade Mettauer, TE Daniel Parker Jr., RB Gavin Sawchuk, ATH Gentry Williams, LB Kobie McKenzie, WR Nicholas Anderson, DL Jonah La’ulu
Outlook: The Sooners’ transition from former coach Lincoln Riley to Brent Venables might be a lot smoother if quarterback Caleb Williams sticks around. He has entered the transfer portal, although Williams said returning to OU remains an option. The Sooners weren’t taking a chance, however, and grabbed Gabriel, who threw for more than 8,000 yards with 70 touchdowns in three seasons at UCF. Freshman receiver Mario Williams also might transfer. Venables, who has never been a head coach, will have to address heavy losses on the line of scrimmage. Perhaps the team’s six best defenders are departing, along with the leading rusher and three of the top four receivers. The addition of Mettauer, who started 28 games at California, will help ease the losses in the interior offensive line.
2021 record: 10-3 Starters expected to return: 8 offense, 11 defense, 2 special teams Key starters expected to leave: RB Tyler Allgeier, WR Neil Pau’u, C James Empey Key additions: OT Kingsley Suamataia, WR Cody Hagen, WR Dominique McKenzie, DE Aisea Moa, DE Logan Fano, RB Christopher Brooks, FB Houston Heimuli
Outlook: The Cougars went 21-4 the past two seasons, which earned coach Kalani Sitake a new contract and hefty raise. This past season, BYU went 6-1 against Power 5 foes and 5-0 against the Pac-12. With BYU moving to the Big 12 in 2023, it has to get bigger, stronger and deeper on defense, which was a shortcoming in losses to Boise State, Baylor and UAB in the Independence Bowl. The good news is that every starter is expected back on defense in 2022, when injured players like linebacker Keenan Pili and cornerbacks Micah Harper and Keenan Ellis should be available. Replacing Allgeier, who ran for 1,606 yards and led FBS players with 23 rushing touchdowns, won’t be easy. The Cougars added Brooks, who led Cal in rushing last season, and Heimuli, a transfer from Stanford to help. Quarterback Jaren Hall and four starting offensive linemen are returning. BYU’s schedule next season includes home games against Baylor and Arkansas, road games at Oregon, Boise State and Stanford and a contest against Notre Dame in Las Vegas.
2021 record: 13-1 (8-0 AAC) Starters expected to return: 7 offense, 2 defense, 2 special teams Key starters expected to leave: QB Desmond Ridder, CB Ahmad Gardner, CB Coby Bryant, DE Myjai Sanders, WR Alec Pierce, RB Jerome Ford, LB Joel Dublanko, LB Darrian Beavers, DT Curtis Brooks Key additions: DE Mario Eugenio, CB Oliver Bridges, DT Derrick Shepard, QB J.Q. Hardaway, QB Luther Richesson
Outlook: The Bearcats became the first team from a Group of 5 conference to reach the CFP, and now they’ll have to reload their roster and replace much of the firepower that got them there. The good news: Coach Luke Fickell stuck around to help them do it. There are expected to be especially heavy losses on defense, including star cornerbacks Gardner and Bryant, leading tackler Dublanko and top pass-rusher Brooks. Ridder, a two-time ACC Offensive Player of the Year, had a 44-6 record as a starter and won’t be easily replaced. Redshirt freshman Evan Prater, who was named Ohio’s Mr. Football in 2019, will be the favorite to take over in 2022. Cincinnati might take a step back next season, but it’ll still be a contender for an AAC title. The Bearcats play at Arkansas and host Indiana next season.
2021 record: 9-4 (4-4 SEC) Starters expected to return: 6 offense, 3 defense, 2 special teams Key starters expected to leave: WR Treylon Burks, OT Myron Cunningham, WR Tyson Morris, LB Grant Morgan, LB Hayden Henry, DE Tre Williams, CB Montaric Brown, DT John Ridgeway, S Joe Foucha, DB Greg Brooks Jr. Key additions: WR Jadon Haselwood, DE Landon Jackson, OT Andrew Chamblee, S Myles Rowser, OT E’Marion Harris, WR Isaiah Sategna
Outlook: It might have taken Sam Pittman decades to finally get a chance to be a head coach, but he’s making the most of it now. The Hogs went 9-4 in his second season, winning two more games than they had in the previous three years combined. They beat three ranked foes and nearly took down two more. There will be much work to do in the spring in rebuilding the front seven on defense. Star safety Jalen Catalon will be back from shoulder surgery, although three starting defensive backs are leaving, including Foucha and Brooks Jr., who unexpectedly entered the transfer portal. Three top receivers are departing, but the addition of Haselwood should give the passing game a boost. As if playing in the rugged SEC West wasn’t enough, the Hogs will play nonconference games against Cincinnati, BYU and Liberty in 2022.
2021 record: 10-3 (5-3 SEC) Key starters expected to return: 7 offense, 7 defense, 1 special teams Key starters expected to leave: OT Darian Kinnard, C Luke Fortner, WR Wan’Dale Robinson, DE Joshua Paschal, NG Marquan McCall, CB Cedric Dort Jr., FS Yusuf Corker Key additions: WR Tayvion Robinson, OT Kiyaunta Goodwin, DE Tyreese Fearbry, LB Keaten Wade, WR Dane Key, WR Barion Brown, G Tashawan Manning, DT Darrion Henry-Young, CB Zahquan Frazier
Outlook: The Wildcats narrowly missed out on possibly playing in a New Year’s Six bowl game, but they still won 10 games in a season for only the second time since 1977. (The first was 2018, also under coach Mark Stoops.) With tailback Chris Rodriguez Jr. opting to come back, the Wildcats could be very explosive on offense next season. Quarterback Will Levis, a Penn State transfer, should be even better with a full offseason. Both offensive tackles might turn pro. Defensively, there are a lot of questions about who is coming back with 10 senior starters on that side of the ball. If at least a handful decide to return, the Wildcats might push for 10 victories again.
2021 record: 4-8 (3-6 Pac-12) Starters expected to return: 6 offense, 6 defense, 2 special teams Key starters expected to leave: WR Drake London, LB Drake Jackson, LB Kana’i Mauga, CB Chris Steele, CB Isaac Taylor-Stuart, G Liam Jimmons, T Jalen McKenzie Key additions: WR Terrell Bynum, DT Tashawn Manning, CB Domani Jackson, RB Raleek Brown, S Zion Branch, CB Fabian Ross, DE Earl Barquet, OT Bobby Haskins
Outlook: Lincoln Riley inherited a top-five program from Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, but he’s taking on a mess at USC. The Trojans are coming off their worst season in 30 years and haven’t won more than eight games since 2017. On Monday, QB Jaxson Dart entered the transfer portal (former starter Kedon Slovis has already transferred to Pittsburgh), potentially opening the door for former Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams to rejoin Riley at USC. London caught 88 passes in just eight games and will be sorely missed. The right side of the offensive line will have to be replaced; Haskins started at left tackle at Virginia last season. New defensive coordinator Alex Grinch will have to rebuild the linebacker corps and secondary. Riley won’t work miracles in his first season, but there’s enough talent to make noise in the mediocre Pac-12.
2021 record: 10-3 (6-2 SEC) Starters expected to return: 4 offense, 6 defense, 1 special teams Key starters expected to leave: QB Matt Corral, RB Jerrion Ealy, WR Braylon Sanders, WR Dontario Drummond, C Orlando Umana, DE Sam Williams, LB Mark Robinson, SS Jake Springer, LB Chance Campbell Key additions: WR Jordan Watkins, S Ladarius Tennison, LB Jaron Willis, DT Zxavian Harris, CB Nick Cull, OT Bryson Hurst, LB Reginald Hughes, RB Zach Evans
Outlook: The Rebels took a gamble on Lane Kiffin, but it paid off when he guided them to their first 10-win regular season in school history. The season ended with a thud, after they lost Corral to an injury and lost to Baylor in the Sugar Bowl. Now, Kiffin will have to replace many of the difference-makers on offense, including Corral, leading rusher Ealy and top receivers Drummond and Sanders. Backup quarterback Luke Altmyer was shaky in the Sugar Bowl, but it was the first extensive action of his career. It wouldn’t be a surprise, however, if Kiffin adds a more experienced passer through the transfer portal. Robinson and top pass-rusher Williams are big losses on defense, but as many as six starters might be returning on that side of the ball.
2021 record: 9-4 (6-3 Big Ten) Starters expected to return: 6 offense, 4 defense, 2 special teams Key starters expected to leave: WR Kendric Pryor, WR Danny Davis III, TE Jake Ferguson, G Josh Seltzner, OT Logan Bruss, LB Leo Chenal, LB Jack Sanborn, S Scott Nelson, LB Noah Burks, CB Caesar Williams
Outlook: The Badgers recovered from a 1-3 start to produce a nine-win campaign, which ended with a 20-13 victory against Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl. To compete in the Big Ten West in 2022, they’re going to have to rebuild a defense that led the FBS in total defense (239.1 yards) and run defense (64.8 yards). Leading tacklers Chenal and Sanborn are moving on, along with four starters in the secondary. Quarterback Graham Mertz needs to play better, and he’ll have to do without his three top pass-catchers from 2021: Davis, Ferguson and Pryor. Two starters will have to be replaced up front on offense, along with offensive line coach Joe Rudolph, who left for Virginia Tech. The Badgers will play Michigan State, Purdue, Ohio State and Iowa on the road in 2022.
2021 record: 7-6 (3-5 SEC) Starters expected to return: 8 offense, 6 defense, 1 special teams Key starters expected to leave: RB ZaQuandre White, RB Kevin Harris, FS Jaylan Foster, LB Damani Staley, DE Kingsley Enagbare, DT Jabari Ellis, PK Parker White Key additions: QB Spencer Rattler, TE Austin Stogner, QB Tanner Bailey, CB Keenan Nelson Jr., QB Braden Davis, S Peyton Williams, LB Stone Blanton, S Kajuan Banks
Outlook: Shane Beamer’s first season as a head coach couldn’t have gone much better, given the Gamecocks’ lack of depth and problems at quarterback. Still, they scratched out seven victories, including wins over Florida, Auburn and a 38-21 rout of North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Beamer addressed his quarterback issues by bringing in former Oklahoma starter Rattler and signing three high school passers. Bailey was the No. 6 pocket passer and Davis was the No. 7 dual-threat quarterback, according to ESPN recruiting. Some key players will have to be replaced on defense, but linebacker Brad Johnson and safety R.J. Roderick will be returning for another season.
The first round of the College Football Playoff rankings dropped on Tuesday and the annual poll appeared to motivate teams across the country — just not the ones you think.
College Football’s Week 10 was filled with upsets, close calls and previously undefeated records crumbling as underdogs took over the sport Saturday.
Purdue shocked the college football landscape for the second time this season with a 40-29 victory against No. 3 Michigan State while No. 9 Wake Forest’s unbeaten run to start the season ended at 8-0 following a 58-55 loss at North Carolina.
Other top-10 teams were lucky to survive upset bids from rivals as Alabama escaped a LSU with nothing to lose, 20-14, and Cincinnati mustered two separate goal-line stands late in the game to hold on against Tulsa, 28-20, and remain undefeated.
Oregon also overcame a lackluster first half to beat rival Washington and keep its spot in the CFP rankings safe for now. Other rated teams weren’t so lucky. Mississippi State, Kentucky and Minnesota all lost to unranked opponents and the Power Rankings got arguably the biggest shuffle of the season this week.
With the results behind us and the next round of CFP rankings just a few days away, it’s the perfect time to check out this week’s Power Rankings.
Georgia quarterback JT Daniels finally returned to action, but not as the No. 1 Bulldogs’ starter. Former walk-on Stetson Bennett started for the fifth straight game, leading Georgia to a 43-6 rout of Missouri at home. Bennett completed 13 of 19 passes for 255 yards with two touchdowns. He improved to 9-2 as a starter, including a 6-0 mark this season. Daniels, who injured his lat muscle more than a month ago, saw action for the first time in five games. He threw for 82 yards with one touchdown and one interception on 7-for-11 passing. The Bulldogs piled up 505 yards of offense, including 377 passing. Sophomore receiver Jermaine Burton, who has been slowed by injuries this season, had a big day with three catches for 76 yards with one score.
“I think Missouri came into this game, and their game plan was to not let us run the ball,” Bennett said. “They were popping backers and had low safeties and were trying to stop our run game. When they do that, we have to be explosive to make them back up. If they do not, that is how we score points.” — Mark Schlabach
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The Bulldogs post 34 unanswered points in the 43-6 rout of Missouri to remain unbeaten.
Nothing about Alabama’s 20-14 win over LSU on Saturday night was pretty. The offensive line was a mess of penalties and missed blocks. Quarterback Bryce Young was sacked four times, and the running game couldn’t get going as Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for only 18 yards on 12 carries. The defense gave up too many big plays early in the game, breathing life into a depleted rival. Rather than make quick work of a team it was favored to beat by four touchdowns, the Crimson Tide let the Tigers hang around until the very end, the win secured only after a Hail Mary came up short with no time remaining. — Alex Scarborough
The Bearcats aren’t racking up the style points, but they keep winning. They needed a pair of goal-line stands in the final minutes Saturday to hold off Tulsa for a 28-20 victory at home and remain unbeaten. Cincinnati jumped out to a 14-0 lead early and built what seemed to be a comfortable lead in the third quarter. But the Bearcats had trouble stopping the run (allowing 297 yards) and had to come up with huge stops at the end with their back to the goal line to win the game. — Chris Low
The No. 4 team in the country has had its fair share of close calls this season. But could they escape another close game and do it on a rainy night in Stok–ehh, Seattle? Washington clearly arrived on their home turf motivated to back up the strange verbal jousting that had gone on between head coach Jimmy Lake and Oregon over the last week. But whatever fuel Lake’s words provided was gone about halfway through Saturday’s game. After being held to three points for most of the first half, Oregon realized its winning recipe was to just run the ball over and over (329 total rushing yards) and away from any Pac-12 after dark shenanigans that could have derailed their season. The 26-16 final is nothing to write to the committee about, but being one of the first four teams in from the first week of the rankings, means all the Ducks have to do is keep winning. — Paolo Uggetti
Quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for 405 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-17 win over Nebraska, but it is safe to say the Buckeyes had a disjointed performance on offense — a continuing concern as the season moves down the stretch. Ohio State could not get its running game going until late in the game. TreVeyon Henderson was held to 92 yards on the day, and the Buckeyes settled for far too many field goals — four, in fact, which ended up being the difference in the game. Perhaps the brightest spot is the continued improvement on defense, which has made significant strides since the loss to Oregon. Nebraska had only 361 yards of total offense, and went 2-of-13 on third down. — Andrea Adelson
The Sooners had a bye week after coming in at No. 8 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. It’s a tough pill to swallow for a team that’s won 17 straight games, but the Sooners know this season is all that counts. OU was able to spend part of its week off watching its next opponent, Baylor, give up 461 passing yards and 70 rushing yards to first-time starter Chandler Morris and TCU. — Dave Wilson
The Spartans were 8-0 coming into the game against Purdue with hopes of making the College Football Playoff at the end of the season. After an emotional, hard-fought game against Michigan, the Spartans lost 40-29 to the Boilermakers. Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell threw for 536 yards, which was the fifth-most passing yards in a game in Big Ten History. Michigan State tried to come back late in the game, but O’Connell and Purdue’s offense could not be stopped. Running back Kenneth Walker III was held to 136 yards and one touchdown in the loss and Michigan State now has to pick up the pieces from this loss with a shot at still winning the conference. — Tom VanHaaren
The Irish were able to hold Navy to just 184 total yards in the 34-6 win. Navy had only 166 yards rushing while Notre Dame had 430 total yards, 269 coming from Jack Coan through the air. Kyren Williams was able to run two touchdowns in and help Notre Dame improve to 8-1 on the season with the lone loss coming to Cincinnati. Receiver Kevin Austin Jr. had 139 receiving yards and a touchdown in what ended up being a rout for the Irish. — Tom VanHaaren
Michigan bounced back after its loss to Michigan State with a 29-7 win over Indiana at home to get back on track before a tough finish to its schedule. Michigan’s defense was able to hold Indiana to just 195 total yards of offense and only one touchdown. Michigan running back Blake Corum was knocked out of the game with an apparent leg injury, but Hassan Haskins took the load and had 162 rushing yards on 25 carries (a career high) and one touchdown. Indiana was dealing with injuries across the board, but this was a needed win for Michigan as Penn State and Ohio State are both lurking in the next three weeks. — Tom VanHaaren
There were no offensive touchdowns, and the starting quarterbacks combined to complete only 50% of their passes. There were certainly elements of an all-defense battle in Texas A&M’s win over Auburn, but the superior team was never in question. The Aggies averaged 6.4 yards per play to Auburn’s 3.2, and Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane combined to rush 31 times for 210 yards. A&M outscored the Tigers 17-0 after halftime to cruise to a 20-3 win, and the only reason it was that close was that the Aggies had to settle for five field goal attempts. Quarterback Zach Calzada appeared to suffer a pretty bad shoulder injury in the third quarter but returned to finish the game. — Bill Connelly
Oklahoma State has been winning with defense all year, but the Cowboys painted a defensive masterpiece in Morgantown on Saturday. They sacked West Virginia quarterbacks eight times and allowed just 2.3 yards per play in a 24-3 victory. WVU didn’t top 100 total yards until midway through the fourth quarter, and when they did, OSU quickly picked off a pass. Cowboy quarterback Spencer Sanders threw two touchdowns to Tay Martin and completed 21 of 31 overall, and that was all the offense the Pokes needed. This team has embraced winning ugly, and it was all sorts of ugly in West Virginia. — Bill Connelly
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The Cowboys beat the Mountaineers to improve to 8-1, their best record through nine games since 2015.
Wake Forest was hoping to crack the top-four in the College Football Playoff rankings after debuting at No. 9 at 8-0. A loss this week to North Carolina derailed those efforts, though, as the Demon Deacons fell 58-55 to the Tar Heels. It was a back-and-forth game that had Wake up 31-24 at the half and saw multiple lead changes. Quarterback Sam Hartman had 398 yards and five touchdowns through the air and 78 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The 55 points wasn’t enough to overcome the North Carolina ground game that had 336 yards and six touchdowns, led by Ty Chandler, who had four of the six. Despite the one loss, Wake Forest still has N.C. State, Clemson and Boston College to finish out the season. — TomVanHaaren
It wasn’t as easy as it looked like it would be as they were rolling to a 24-0 halftime lead, but Lane Kiffin’s Rebels held Liberty at bay and cruised, 27-14. Quarterback Matt Corral played with an injured ankle and without regulars on the offensive line and receiving corps, but he completed 20 of 27 passes for 324 yards and a touchdown. Two early Jerrion Ealy touchdown runs — one from 70 yards out — gave the Rebels an early edge. While Malik Willis and the Liberty offense were eventually able to find some traction, three interceptions kept the game from getting too close. The Rebels prevailed over former head coach Hugh Freeze and his Flames. — Bill Connelly
By the end of the season, it’s very much within the realm of possibility that the highest-ranked team in Texas will reside in San Antonio. UTSA turned in another dominant showing with a 44-23 rout of UTEP to further its case for a top-25 spot after getting snubbed by the College Football Playoff selection committee in the initial rankings on Tuesday. Sincere McCormick ran for 169 yards on 21 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown on the second play from scrimmage. — Kyle Bonagura
A week after entering the rankings, Houston flirted with disaster, giving up two 100-yard kickoff returns for a touchdown to upset-minded USF. But the Cougars’ offense is humming along. They dispatched the Bulls behind Clayton Tune (21-of-26 for 385 yards and three TDs), two 100-yard rushers (Ta’Zhawn Henry had a 97-yard TD run and ended with 130 yards on 10 carries and Alton McCaskill added 125 on 22) and Nathaniel Dell caught eight passes for 164 yards and a TD. Sure, the defense is a concern, but 647 total yards will do the trick most days. — Dave Wilson
The Cougars got a nice bump from the playoff committee on Tuesday that put them in the top-15, and on Saturday they responded accordingly. Against 1-6 Idaho State, they didn’t hesitate to put the game away early. In just a quarter and a half, they scored touchdowns on their first five possessions and took a 35-0 lead. By the time the game wrapped with a 59-14 final score, BYU had amassed nearly 1,000 total yards on offense while the defense forced 10 punts, two turnovers and only allowed Idaho State to pick up one of 12 third-down opportunities. With a handful of teams losing ahead of them, a dominant win like this one is sure to keep bumping the Cougars up the rankings. — Paolo Uggetti
After doing some very Pitt things early on at Duke, the Panthers righted themselves and pulled away behind quarterback Kenny Pickett. The senior passed for 413 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first Pitt quarterback ever to record consecutive 3,000-yard passing seasons. Pickett also tied Alex Van Pelt’s team record with his 14th game of 300 pass yards or more. Pitt used a 23-point second quarter to take control and had 220 rush yards and three touchdowns against a hapless Duke defense. The Panthers have scored 50 points or more four times in the same season for the first time since 1905. They remain atop the ACC’s Coastal Division heading into their most important stretch of the season. — Adam Rittenberg
The Bears were hit hard by an emotional TCU team that was playing its first game in 21 years without Gary Patterson on the sideline. Baylor’s defense was shredded by first-time starter Chandler Morris, who had 531 yards of total offense despite his offense being down to just one scholarship running back. Another area of concern was the two interceptions thrown by Gerry Bohanon, meaning he’s thrown five picks in the past three games after none in the first six. Baylor has now lost six of its last seven to TCU. — Dave Wilson
Quarterback Devin Leary has been a difference maker in the Wolfpack’s 7-2 start. Against Florida State, Leary threw for 314 yards and four touchdown passes — the first NC State quarterback with 300 passing yards, and four passing touchdowns in consecutive games since Russell Wilson in 2009. The NC State defense, sound for the majority of the season, held the ACC’s No. 2 rushing offense to just 38 yards on the ground. This is the first time since 2002 that NC State has beaten Clemson and Florida State in the same season. That also happens to be the Wolfpack’s last 11-win season. — Andrea Adelson
It wasn’t pretty, but it was a conference win for Iowa. It featured all the standards of a Hawkeyes victory this season but with the caveat of backup quarterback Alex Padilla coming in and leading three scoring drives. Iowa led Northwestern 14-3 at the half and survived being outscored 9-3 over the final two quarters to leave Evansville with a 17-12 win behind a dominant defense and just enough points early on. Despite the victory, Iowa is still on the outside looking in in the Big Ten’s West Division after a couple crucial conference losses. — Shea Carlson
Even without star quarterback Grayson McCall, the Chanticleers won comfortably, 28-8, against struggling Georgia Southern. McCall was ruled out indefinitely prior to the game with what the school described as an “upper body injury.” His replacement, Bryce Carpenter, threw for just 85 yards, but they didn’t need much from the passing game as Carpenter (44 yards), Shermari Jones (96 yards) and Braydon Bennett (78 yards) were effective rushing the ball. The Chanticleers limited Georgia Southern to 233 yards of total offense and forced four turnovers. — Kyle Bonagura
The Badgers’ 1-3 start continues to fade farther into the distance as the Big Ten West Division title comes further into view. Wisconsin employed an increasingly familiar formula — suffocating defense and a run-driven offense — to easily put Rutgers away by halftime on the road. The Badgers continue to flip their turnover margin, recording three first-half takeaways, including a Caesar Williams interception return for a touchdown. Freshman Braelon Allen recorded another 100-yard rushing performance, and quarterback Graham Mertz had his best game of the season with 240 pass yards and three touchdowns. Other than a leg injury to running back Chez Mellusi, Wisconsin had a very good day in extending its win streak to five. — Adam Rittenberg
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Graham Mertz tosses three touchdown passes leading Wisconsin to the dominant win over Rutgers.
After two straight awesome performances, Auburn’s Bo Nix suffered through an awful afternoon in a 20-3 loss at Texas A&M. Against a stout Aggie secondary, Nix completed 20 of 41 passes for 153 yards, was intercepted, sacked four times, and had a fumble that was returned for the game’s only touchdown. Tank Bigsby managed only 69 yards on 15 carries, and after an early field goal drive, the Tigers finished just one more drive inside the Aggie 40. They were outscored 17-0 after halftime. The forgettable performance all but eliminates Auburn from SEC West contention. — Bill Connelly
The 52-7 final score accurately depicts the fact that Utah dominated Stanford, but it could have been much worse. Utah led 38-0 at halftime in one of the most dominant halves of football between any teams in college football this season. The Utes ran for 336 yards and outgained the Cardinal 440-28 in the first half. It was just the third time since 2004 a Power 5 team had been outgained by 400-plus yards in a half and the first time since 2013. Three Utes (Tavion Thomas, Micah Bernard and TJ Pledger) finished with over 100 yards rushing. — Kyle Bonagura
The Nittany Lions ended their three-game losing streak at Maryland, overcoming a slow start on offense to pull away in the second half. Penn State used a familiar formula of Sean Clifford’s passing, Jahan Dotson’s receiving and incredible red-zone defense. Clifford had 363 passing yards and three touchdowns, finding Dotson 11 times for 242 yards and three touchdowns. Neither team rushed the ball well, but Penn State converted 10 of 18 opportunities on third down. The Lions defense also stepped up, as cornerback Ji’Ayir Brown sealed the win with an 87-yard interception return for a touchdown with less than three minutes to play. — Adam Rittenberg
