College Football RealFuture #2 (2024 - ) and Purdue

[palmer006]

Final CFP
1 - Georgia Bulldogs (12-1) W3 | SEC Champ | Georgia took home the #1 seed with their win
2 - Iowa State Cyclones (13-0) W13 | XII Champ | A perfect season had Agree entering the tourney as the Heisman frontrunner and fans dreaming of a title
3 - Alabama Crimson Tide (10-2) L1 | AtL | Bama's loss to Auburn didn't cost them a bye thanks to the Tigers' loss in the SEC title game
4 1 LSU Tigers (10-2) L1 | AtL | Losses by Purdue and Auburn helped LSU to a bye
5 2 Texas Longhorns (10-2) W3 | AtL | Texas slid up two spots to the coveted #5 seed for a home game vs Kent State
6 2 Maryland Terrapins (10-2) W5 | AtL | The Terps were thankful to not have made the B1G in floating all the way up to the 6-seed
7 2 Washington Huskies (10-2) W6 | AtL |
8 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (10-3) W2 | B1G Champ | The Bucks only slid up 3 spots to a home playoff game for their dominant win over Purdue
9 1 Florida State Seminoles (10-2) L1 | AtL | FSU rued the Buckeyes big win as it cost them a home playoff game
10 7 Duke Blue Devils (11-2) W1 | ACC Champ | Duke's big win rocketed them all the way to the 10-seed
11 -7 Auburn Tigers (10-3) L1 | Last Team In | The comitte punished the Power 2 champ losers more than expected and Auburn went from a bye to a road game against Maryland
12 -6 Purdue Boilermakers (10-3) L1 | First Team Out | Purdue's exclusion was shocking though older fans are pleased with a Rose Bowl bid against traditional opponent, AZ
13 -1 Indiana Hoosiers (9-3) L1 | | Sugar Bowl vs #23 Oklahoma
14 1 Northwestern Wildcats (9-3) W2 | | Orange Bowl vs Texas A&M (8-4)
15 1 Baylor Bears (10-2) W2 | | Peach Bowl vs #22 Michigan
16 4 Kent State Golden Flashes (12-1) W10 | MAC Champ |
17 1 USC Trojans (8-4) W1 | | Cotton Bowl vs Florida (7-5) - A team without a coach prepared to challenge the Gators
18 -5 Southern Methodist Mustangs (11-2) L1 | | Fiesta Bowl vs Kentucky (6-6)
19 - Pittsburgh Panthers (10-2) W2 | | Gator Bowl vs Missouri (6-6)
20 3 Army Black Knights (11-2) W9 | | Texas Bowl vs Kansas (6-6)
21 -7 Arizona Wildcats (10-3) L1 | | Rose Bowl vs #12 Purdue, not a bad consolation prize
22 -1 Michigan Wolverines (8-4) L1 | | Peach Bowl vs #15 Baylor
23 -1 Oklahoma Sooners (8-4) W3 | | Sugar Bowl vs #13 Indiana
24 NR Georgia State Panthers (12-1) W2 | | Independence Bowl vs Cincinatti (6-6) after losing to rival Georgia Southern denied them a playoff bid
25 -1 Colorado Buffaloes (8-4) W2 | | Alamo Bowl vs UCLA (7-5)

Heisman Finalists (announced on traditional award Saturday, announcement after season)
Rtd QB Travis Agee, Iowa State | Agee's leading his team to a perfect season has him back in frotrunner status
Rtd QB Ray Martino, Texas (Sr) | Ahead all season it still comes down to the playoff for Martino
NR QB Floyd Hyatt, Ohio State | Hyatt's dominant performance leaped him over Khaleb Roman and Babin and into the finalists position and the chance to win the award in the CFP
Rtd QB Gunderson, Georgia |

In top 5 last week, not invited to New York
QB Khaleb Roman, Indiana | Out of the playoff, Roman won't win the award and won't be invited to New York
QB Babin, Auburn |

1st Round
[10]Duke (11-2) { 17 } @ { 30 } [7]Washington (10-2)
Duke answered Washington blow for blow, affording the ACC well in Seattle before two 4th quarter picks by Curran sealed the win for the Huskies
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[16]Kent State (12-1) { 17 } @ { 41 } [5]Texas (10-2)

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[11]Auburn (10-3) { 17 } @ { 29 } [6]Maryland (10-2)
College Park was rocking for Maryland's first ever CFP appearance and home game (it was also Auburn's first appearance0. The long climb under Licsley ended in an uneven but winning performance in a mistake filled game. Former Heisman candidate Babin was an ugly 14-35-86 but Porter rushed for 105 yards and Auburn hung in
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[9]Florida State (10-2) { 10 } @ { 21 } [8]Ohio State (10-3)
The nightcap in Columbus saw OSU's Hyatt perofrm perfectly at every turn against FSU's dominant defense in a 25-29-257-0 performance
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2nd Round
[7]Washington (11-2) { 20 } @ { 30 } [2]Iowa State (13-0)
Just like in their run 4 years earlier in '24, ISU caught a favorable home matchup in the second round against a mortal Washington team. A KR-TD by Stephen Whitcomb, who also caught a TD pass, started a comeback for ISU to lead 21-17 after trailing 17-7 at half. A bomb form Agee to George Bedford midway through the 4th helped ice it as ISU made a Final Four under its new coach to match '24 under Campbell
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[6]Maryland (11-2) { 17 } @ { 21 } [3]Alabama (10-2)
Maryland proved themselves in their first CFP season with two first half scoring drives and leading Bama until Midway through the 4th when Bama held on in a tense game to open second round Saturday
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[5]Texas (11-2) { 30 } @ { 33 } [4]LSU (10-2)
LSU needed every bit of the home field advantage to stymie Texas, with Bruce Bowie leading the game winning drive that Texas answered but missed a chip shot to fall short of the national title yet again leading to some consternation about Sark's playoff record
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[8]Ohio State (11-3) { 14 } @ { 31 } [1]Georgia (12-1)
Only the fact that both schools had won titles in the past 5 years could overtake the LSU-Texas rematch as the spotlight game. Georgia humbled Ohio State and Hyatt's recent hot streak.
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Final Four
[3]Alabama (11-2) { 26 } @ { 24 } [2]Iowa State (14-0)
Agee could hardly move the ball as Bama played run oriented and squeezed out a big win in a game similar to ISU's 24 loss to LSU
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[4]LSU (11-2) { 10 } @ { 23 } [1]Georgia (13-1)
Georgia's Gunderson played mistake free football and Georgia took advantage of two early LSU turnovers for a 14-0 lead they would never relinquish, putting Kirby on the brink of his first title in 5 years
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Champ Game
[3]Alabama (12-2) { 9 } @ { 13 } [1]Georgia (14-1)
It was a winding road to pit Bama-Georgia against each other for all the marbles after they missed each other in the SEC-CG and regular season. It was an old school defensive game but after Bama tok a 9-6 lead Laverne Gunderson sealed the Heisman trophy with a 51 yard strike to Marion English for the national championship
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Awards
Heisman:
1 - Laverne Gunderson, QB, UGA | *Winner* | Despite a difficult game against Bama Gunderson's shaking off a defender and rifling a backfoot strike to Marion English for the title couldn't be denied
2 - Ray Martino, QB, Texas, Jr | | Martino became the third Heisman winner to finish runner-up in another addition, with Tim Tebow the most recent
3 - Floyd Hyatt, QB, Ohio State, Jr | | Hyatt couldn't move the ball against OSU but did well to rally and get invited after missing an invite in '26
4 - Travis Agee, QB, Iowa State | | Agree's struggles against an SEC defense in the playoff relegated him to 4th

Other Awards:
Nagurski, Lomardi | DE Darren Christopher, Georgia, Fr
Walker | RB Duane Flynn, Air Force, r-Sr
O'Brien | QB Rufus Massey, Maryland, Jr
Unitas | QB Edward Maier, SMU, r-Sr
Biletnikoff | WR Samuel Riley, SMU, r-Sr
Moore | T Leslie Crump, Ball State, Sr
Butkus | LB Maria Varner, SMU, r-Sr
Thope | CB Ronald Forsythe, So (transfer from Purdue)
Georgia's Christian Toney and Gerald Victor sweep Groza and Guy awards

[palmer006]

2028 Purdue Football

Recruiting: Purdue flips 5-star QB Thomas Phifer from Chicago, also lands No.3 national recurit CB Tim Benavidez with Walters firmly establishing Purdue as B1G new Clemson
Camp: True freshman Thomas Phifer beats out Etheridge and Charles Bentley both 1-year starters for QB job
Date | Time | TV | Record | Rank | Cnf Rk | Opp Cnf | Opponent | Result

9/2 | 3:30p | BTN | 1-0 | #5 | N/A | N/A | DAVIDSON | W 70-7
Lance Klinger has two picks as Purdue rolls on
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9/9 | 8p | FS1 | 2-0 | #5 | N/A | N/A | @Arizona (1-0) | W 17-3
Despite a strong team and exciting rookie QB, Purdue faced a challenge in the desert against a team that bested them the year prior. Boggs rushed for 122 yards after an early TD from Phifer as Purdue played bully ball
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9/16 | 12p | Fox | 2-1 | #4 | N/A | N/A | #14 NOTRE DAME (3-0) | L 13-19 (OT)
Purdue was higher ranked than ND for just the second time since 1968 in a game that many saw as Jeff Lebby's chance to get ND back on the map. And it was for ND as QB Walker was 30-48-228-2. Fifer struggled in liitd work
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9/23 | 12p | Pea | 3-1,1-0 | #17 | N/A | N/A | RUTGERS (3-0) | W 34-13
Pfifer continued to struggle and would be benched ahead of the next game but the Boilers rolled on the ground and dominated Mike Gundy's well disciplined team
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9/30 | 7:30p | NBC | 4-1,2-0 | #11 | 1t | 1t | @#7 USC (3-0,1-0) | W 9-0
Purdue was back near the top 10 and hoping bringing Paul Ethredge back at QB would help them overcome SC. Ethrridge was good enough on the ground to convert Purdue's one scoring chance and the defense played an epic game
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10/7 | 3:30p | CBS | 5-1,3-0 | #8 | 1t | 6t | #22 UCLA (4-1,1-1) | W 23-11
The programs had a great game the previous year and prepared to square off again with lots of conference pride on the line. Ethredge continued to pay off the scheme change with 135 yards rushing including a 54 yard backbreaker with 2:30 to play to ice the game. UCLA didn't score until a bomb midway through the 4th as the D continued its dominance
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10/14 | 7:30p | NBC | 6-1,4-0 | #9 | 1t | 15 | #7 MARYLAND (6-0,3-0) | W 38-16
A year after a dominant Purdue win but one in which Purdue was snubbed from the CFP after a B1G title game loss and Maryland got in, the two teams showed down again. The winner would be assured of having an edge in the B1G race as well. Stud Lance Klinger's pick-6 just before half put the Boilers up 21-6, and Etherdige polished it off with his best pass performance yet as Purdue looked sharp
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10/21 | 7:30p | BTN | 6-2,4-1 | #6 | 1t | 16t | @Nebraska (3-3,0-3) | L 17-27
Rhule's team was off to a rough start but could turn things around with a night win over Purdue. Two late scores from Nebraska's Latimer dethroned Purdue. Rhule received a contract extension after the game as Nebraska sought to be more patient with him
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11/4 7:30p | BTN | 6-3,4-2 | #10 | 2t | 7t | @#20 Minnesota (6-2,3-2) | L 10-34
Purdue had to sit at home and think about things after the Nebraska loss. An early KR-TD from Jason Alvarado helped the Gophers stay on top of Purdue
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11/11 | 3:30P | FS1 | 7-3,5-2 | #13 | 5t | 17t | OREGON (4-5,1-5) | W 31-14
Purdue was still in the hunt as it welcomed a now downtrodden Ducks program. It was RB Boggs day on senior day with a great game
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11/18 | 12p | Pea | 8-3,6-2 | #12 | 3t | 9t | @Illinois (5-5,3-4) | W 16-13 (OT)
A dangerous Illini team now awaited the Boilermakers as they sought to win out and get to the CFP. It was a tough gritty game that came down to a botched snap and missed field goal by Illinois
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11/25 | 3:30p | CBS | 9-3,7-2 | #11 | 2t | 10t | @Indiana (6-5,3-5) | W 52-20
Purdue had wriggled their way into B1G contention and CFP contention. Ethredge passed for 250 yards as Purdue pulled away towards halftime and didn't look back, Ethredge socring two TDs on the ground and Purdue overcoming Roman and Cross for a big, hopefully playoff inducing win
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12/2 | 8p | Fox | 10-3,8-2 | #8 | 2t | 1 | "B1G Championship
Indianapolis
#3 Michigan (11-1,8-1)" | W 31-24
Boiler fans were afraid of the matchup and just sure they'd be jilted in the rankings yet again. Paul Ethridge continued his maturation in leading a potential game winning drive then answeing Michigan's bomb with a game tying field goal drive. In OT Boggs ran in the TD. Michigan faced 4th-and-3 from the Purdue 7 but it was batted away and Purdue celebrated a B1G title with the final standings in chaogs
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12/16 | 8p | ESPN | 11-3,8-2 | #3 | 1 | 1 | "College Football Playoff
#14 VIRGINIA TECH (13-1)" | W 59-21
The Boilermakers got a Christmas day Friday night game against the Hokies, who upset Michigan. Many saw it as the ACC's best chance in the history of the 12-team tourney to make the Final Four. VT's poor run defense was their undoing as Ethridge hit play action, scored two long runs and the Boilermakers rolled in a memorable win for the ages on a Friday night.
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12/23 | 3:30p | ESPN | 12-3,8-2 | #3 | 1 | N/A | "College Football Playoff
'@#2 Notre Dame (13-0)" | W 26-20
It was a rematch no one saw coming as Notre Dame proved they were for real after their OT win in West Lafayette by running the table and then dominating Texas. A new rivalry between the two was truly born despite a completely rough day for QB Paul Ethridge throwing the footblal. ND and QB Walker got going with two early TD drives before Purdue scored a field goal then took advantage of a turnover. ND scored a field goal, got a Purdue fumble, and another field goal to look in control up 20-10 at half. The Boiler defense, challenged at half by their coach, shut out Notre Dame in the second half. LB Chris Cantwell had a sack and 13 tackels. Notre Dame turned thee ball over 4 times, 3 of which Purdue converted into field goals from solid K Samuel Domingo. Down 20-16 early in the 4th, Benjamin Smith's winding 72 yard PR-TD, Purdue's first special teams score of the seaosn, became the greatest game in Purdue history as 3 Purdue backs fran for at least 80 yards and they ground out the next drive to a 26-20 lead midway through the 4th. ND was roced to punt, then Purdue punted, but ND struggled mightily to move the ball before fumbling a completed pass as Purdue took home the stunning win in South Bent
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1/3 | 8p | ESPN | | #3 1 | 1 | "College Football Playoff
National Championship Game
{Atlanta}
#1 Alabama (15-0)" | L 21-28
It was a road game for Purdue in the heart of the south as a two touchdown underdog against Bama. The BOilers competed. Paul Ethredge ran it in to put Boiler hopes up from 7 yards out and with Bama's Packard injured Purdue forced Robinson to go short and shut down the run with Bama taking advantage of a Purdue fumble to tie the score at half. Purdue kept pressing and Ethrdige hit Dustin Manley out of the backfield for a 35 yard TD late in the third to retake the lead. Bama answered with backup QB Robinson driving his team down for a score to tie at 14. After a trade of punts Ethridge and Purdue drove down for a Benjain Smith plunge. Bama drove down for Robinson hitting Damien Ragsdale to tie. After a Purdue punt, Lionel Robinson became a Bama legend, overcoming Ryan Walters' defense with a long drive hitting Timothy Buck for the game winning score. For Purdue it was the greatest season in school history. For Bama it was 2 titles in 3 years, a perfect season, and a national title for coach Tavares Robinson in year 2 at the helm.

[palmer006]

2028 National

Coaching Changes
Boston College | Lance Taylor (Miami,OH) |
Colorado | Derrick Rojas (OC) | Rojas moves into the chair to replace the departing Newberry as a succcessful stint at OC
Florida | Brian Newberry (Colorado) | Florida's second hire became Newberry, who kept the momentum going at Colorado after Prime stepped down for health reasons
Houston | Alex Grinch (DC Texas Tech) | Grinch rehabilitated his career with solid defenses at Tech and gets his first HC gig at Houston after Jeff Traylor built a consistent bowl team
Miami | Mike Shanahan (BC) | Mario Cristobal was fired at season's end after 6 years. Shanahan presided over several solid seasons and had name recognition at former ACC rival BC and got the nod as the best the U could now do
NC State | Billy Napier (Florida) | Napier's '24 season and subseuqnet '26 win over FSU helped him hang on with not much winning, and many at NC State groaned when he came on to replace 15-year coach Dave Doeren
Oklahoma State | Mike Elko (A&M) | Elko is a program builder, and even though his consistent top 25's and 0-for-4 CFP bids weren't enough for A&M it could keep him forever at OSU
Penn State | Jeff Traylor (Houston) | After Willie Fritz's untimely exit Traylor developed the Houston prgoram well and now took on Penn State after their first losing season in 20 years
Rutgers | Mike Gundy (OSU) | The experienced Gundy, stepping down midseason at his alma mater, unexpectedly came back to relieve the mutual decision retired Greg Schiano
Texas A&M | Dave Doeren (NC State) | Doeren never took the next step at NC State but did notch a CFP season and an 11-1 snub in the past several years at NC State in a hire that was widely panned
UCF | James Franklin (PSU) | Biff Poggi's 1-year tenure ended in disgrace and James Franklin hopes to rebuild his career in UCF's recruiting hotbed
USC | Garett Riley (Lincoln Riley) | Nothing could perhaps be more awkward than Texas OC Garrett Riley being named his borther's replacement
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Recruiting
Rank Team Commits 5* 4* 3* |
1 3 Ohio State Buckeyes 34 5 29 0 16 2 |
2 4 Penn State Nittany Lions 33 4 26 3 14 2 | Jeff Traylor's Texas connections and acument kept up PSU's momentum
3 5 Alabama Crimson Tide 30 3 26 1 20 2 |
4 6 Georgia Bulldogs 30 3 26 1 22 2 |
5 1 Texas Longhorns 28 2 25 1 12 2 |
6 7 Purdue Boilermakers 27 4 12 10 12 5 | Ryan Walters turned down A&M to stay at Purdue where he is beloved
7 NR UCLA Bruins 40 0 4 33 16 8 | Tony White has delivered the NIL-level class UCLA has craved in his first full recruiting year
8 22 Auburn Tigers 35 0 6 29 19 1 | The machine is finally running for a top 10 class in year 3 for Trent Bray
9 13 Oklahoma Sooners 37 0 3 34 16 3 |
10 10 Wisconsin Badgers 36 0 2 34 15 3 |
11 NR Florida Gators 34 0 3 31 18 0 | Brian Newberry brought over lots of recruits from Colorado
12 17 Nebraska Cornhuskers 30 1 5 21 12 2 |
13 8 Michigan Wolverines 28 2 3 23 15 0 |
14 16 Tennessee Volunteers 31 0 3 27 12 1 |
15 2 USC Trojans 29 1 2 26 13 0 | SC took a hit over the coaching transition but held over some recruits
16 NR Southern Methodist Mustangs 30 3 0 16 13 0 |
17 NR Florida State Seminoles 29 0 6 23 20 1 |
18 NR Iowa Hawkeyes 33 0 2 25 17 1 | Kirk Ferentz just keeps hanging around
19 NR Iowa State Cyclones 35 0 2 24 19 0 |
20 18 LSU Tigers 29 0 4 25 19 0 | Brian Kelly's time may be coming short despite continued playoff success
21 21 Washington Huskies 29 1 0 26 12 0 |
22 NR Maryland Terrapins 34 0 2 23 17 1 | Mike Locksley rode playoff success to recruiting success
23 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 29 0 2 27 13 2 | Jeff Lebby is under intense fire and its showing up in the recruiting
24 20 North Carolina Tar Heels 32 0 2 20 17 5 |
25 24 South Carolina Gamecocks 36 0 0 23 19 3 |
Dropped Out:
36 11 Northwestern |
29 12 Oregon |
37 14 Minnesota |
32 15 Miami | Mike Shanahan was unable to keep Cristobal's class together and hopes this is a one year blip
26 19 Clemson | Dabo is still at Clemson and early promise the past two seasons has fizzled as he posted his first class outside the top 25
31 23 Michigan State | Winning is slow coming under Jonathan Smith
33 25 Texas A&M | A&M's recruiting expetedly sunk even more under Doeren, even more of a developer than Elko
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Preseason
Texas is preseason #1 with an experienced team behind stark. Tennessee at 12 and Auburn at 13are expected to contend for a playoff spot. Despite recent recruiting woes, #17 Clemson and #21 Oregon are ranked. Notre Dame slides in at #25 with embattled coach Lebby

Pre-SeasonHeisman Watch
QB Ray Martino, Texas, SR | Martino is back with a hardship waiver in search of a second Heisman
QB Rodrick Packard, Alabama, SR | Packard needs to make a leap for the Heisman and for a first national title for Tavares Robbins
QB Bruce Bowie, LSU, JR |
QB Franklin Roberts, Army, SR |
QB Floyd Hyatt, Ohio State, SR |
CB Roy Denney, Purdue, SR |
QB Travis Agee, ISU, SR
RB Robert Burney, Alabama, SR |
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Week 0
Ole Miss { 41 } @ { 44 } [10]Texas A&M
Dave Doeren's team had to pass more than he's used to in his opener as A&M coach in coming from 38-23 behind at the end of the 3rd with John Quarles hitting the winning field goal
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Indiana State shocks Jeff Brohm's Louisville squad to open the coach's 6th season at the helm
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Week 1
Miami { 41 } @ { 27 } [13]Florida
The last game in the series for the forseeable future went to the U, with big passes happening all over the field and the U and Robert Holloman getting more of them in the Swamp
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JMU upsets Cincinnati
Wyoming upsets a struggling K-State program
New Mexico beats Texas Tech in another blow for the Big XII
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Week 2
[17]Wisconsin (1-0) { 27 } @ { 32 } [10]Auburn (1-0)
Fickell held onto his job and lost a chance to get an SEC pelt as their comeback came up short. Porter for Auburn ran for 141 yards
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[22]Iowa State (1-0) { 38 } @ { 33 } [13]Iowa (1-0)
Despite throwing 3 picks QB Dyson afforded himself well but Agee and ISU won again in the best rivalry in a long time
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[15]Florida State (1-0) { 17 } @ { 48 } Miami (1-0)
Miami's Concepion announced himself at QB with a dominant performance
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[12]Tennessee (1-0) { 27 } @ { 28 } [9]Michigan (1-0)
It turned into a great series as Michigan QB Garris outpaced TN QB Nall. Tennesee led 17-16 heading into the 4th. When Garris hit Hutchings on a 10 yard fade, the 2pc failed leaving UT up 24-22. After Nall's INT, Michigan took the lead on a field goal only for UT to answer and pedro Toth to win it with a 40 yarder
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[1]Alabama (2-0) { 32 } @ { 31 } [3]Ohio State (1-0)
Packard got himself a Heisman moment to sweep the two year series in a well-executed two minute drive to win it
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Miami (OH) stuns Cincinatti as Bearcats spiral
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Week 4
[22]UCLA (3-0) { 24 } @ { 34 } [7]Michigan (3-0)
It was year 2 for Tony White and UCLA hung around throughout but Scott Powell's 17 yard FR-TD early in the 4th put it out of reach
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[20]Maryland (3-0) { 17 } @ { 14 } [19]Michigan State (3-0)
Jonathan Smith hoped to get his program where Mike Locksley's broke through to last year - the CFP. A FG in the last minute helped Maryland move on in a tight one
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[13]Ohio State (2-1) { 24 } @ { 16 } [10]Washington (3-0)
OSU's Victor McKenna was quiet except for two bomb TDs to Charles Baker and Robert Aguilar, leading OSU back from behind in Seattle
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Indiana (3-0) { 31 } @ { 28 } [21]Oregon (3-0)
Flying under the radar after missing the CFP in '27, ND's Khaleb Roman kept IU in control in the second half with two deep TDs to favorite target Kirk Cross
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Minnesota (3-0) { 44 } @ { 14 } [4]Penn State (3-0)
A balanced offense led by QB Rinehart stunned the Gophers in the days most stunning result
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Week 5
[9]Miami (4-0) { 16 } @ { 23 } [4]Michigan (4-0)
Conception tried to bring a furious rivalry but Michigan seemed solid and ready to head back to the CFP
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[5]Auburn (3-0) { 21 } @ { 0 } [23]Missouri (3-0)
Meija had a tough day as Auburn and Trent Bray rolled
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[2]Texas (3-0) { 29 } vs { 23 } [8]Oklahoma (3-0)
Martino and Texas continued their dominance of the series
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Rutgers (3-1) { 28 } @ { 7 } [18]Minnesota (4-0)
Rutgers recovered nicely from the loss to Purdue with an all-around solid performance, bringing Gopher hopes back down to earth
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[19]Indiana (4-0) { 26 } @ { 48 } Washington (3-1)
Gilliam and the running game came to play as Washington's O was unstoppable at home avoiding a second straight tough home loss
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Week 6
[12]Penn State (4-1) { 40 } @ { 24 } [7]Ohio State (4-1)
PSU scored on a pick-6 and multiple long pass lays from QB Lachance to WR Andrew Leion in a stunning pounding of OSU in the horseshoe, leading 40-3 before putting in the backups
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[10]Texas A&M (5-0) { 36 } @ { 17 } [20]Oklahoma (3-1)
Dave Doeren has breathed new life into A&M as OU and coach Eric Morris need a CFP appearance this year or bust. A&M QB Sears was 22-27-318-4-0 and stunned the home OU crowd as they kept rolling
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[6]Auburn (4-0) { 43 } @ (2OT) { 40 } [2]Texas (4-0)
A field goal in OT was the crucial era as Auburn QB Glover wwas 33-41-4-1 outdueling Martino for a huge road win for Auburn
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[21]Washington (4-1) { 24 } @ { 26 } [18]USC (3-1)
SC held on late in an uneven performance from QB Sanchez
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[19]West Virginia (5-0) { 10 } @ { 13 } Cincinnati (3-2)
After two embarrassing losses Cincy embarrassed the rest of the Big XII knocking down fringe Heisman candidate Keaton and WVU in OT
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[4]Michigan (5-0) { 21 } @ { 27 } Rutgers (4-1)
Nowak rushed for 135 yards but Rutgers outlasted Michigan after taking a 20-0 lead as Gundy's toughness shined through
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Week 7
1 - Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0) | W5 |
2 1 Georgia Bulldogs (5-0) | W5 |
3 3 Auburn Tigers (5-0) | W5 | Auburn & A&M are the early season stories in the SEC
4 1 LSU Tigers (5-0) | W5 |
5 5 Texas A&M Aggies (6-0) | W6 |
6 5 Northwestern Wildcats (6-0) | W6 |
7 1 Purdue Boilermakers (5-1) | W4 |
8 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-0) | W6 | Year 3 is working for Lebby with a soft ACC schedule and a showdown with USC all that remains between them and the 10-2 season needed to make the CFP
9 4 Maryland Terrapins (6-0) | L1 |
10 2 Penn State Nittany Lions (5-1) | W2 |
11 5 South Carolina Gamecocks (5-0) | W5 |
12 2 Clemson Tigers (5-0) | W5 |
13 -11 Texas Longhorns (4-1) | L1 |
14 1 Iowa State Cyclones (6-0) | W6 | ISU is once again climbing the ranks and owning the Big XII
15 2 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (5-1) | W1 | The U could be back under Shanahan but is in its familiar swoon territory
16 -12 Michigan Wolverines (5-1) | L1 |
17 NR Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-1) | W2 |
18 - USC Trojans (4-1) | W1 |
19 NR Indiana Hoosiers (5-1) | W1 |
20 4 Florida State Seminoles (4-1) | W3 |
21 4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-1) | W1 |
22 -15 Ohio State Buckeyes (4-2) | L1 |
23 3 Virginia Tech Hokies (6-0) | W6 |
24 -1 Southern Methodist Mustangs (4-0) | W4 | SMU and NC State are emerging as the powers in the ACC
25 3 North Carolina State Wolfpack (6-0) | W6 |

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Mid-Season Heisman Watch
Rkd QB Ray Martino, Texas, SR | It's a wide field that will need to be narrowed to 5 in three weeks time this year with no one sticking out yet
Rkd QB Rodrick Packard, Alabama, SR |
Rkd QB Bruce Bowie, LSU, JR |
Rkd QB Franklin Roberts, Army, SR |
Rkd CB Lance Klinger, Purdue |
Rkd QB Travis Agee, ISU, SR |
Rkd RB Robert Burney, Alabama, SR |
NR RB Corey Bear, Northwestern |
NR WR Kirk Cross, Indiana |
NR RB Bryan Epstien, Notre Dame |
NR QB Concepcion, Miami |
NR QB Sears, A&M |
NR QB Glover, Auburn |

Dropped Out:
QB Floyd Hyatt, Ohio State, SR
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[11]South Carolina (5-0) { 21 } @ { 38 } [4]LSU (5-0)

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[19]Indiana (5-1) { 41 } @ { 38 } [21]Minnesota (5-1)
Khaleb Roman and MN's Daniel Simmons had quite the duel but the Gophers fell just short yet again
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[23]Virginia Tech (6-0) { 24 } @ { 23 } [25]NC State (6-0)
VT has stuck with their coach for 7 years and a comeback win to win it on a 4th-and-goal from the 1 with :30 to go kept the good times rolling
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[18]USC (4-1) { 14 } @ { 29 } [6]Northwestern (6-0)
USC's Sanchez was shut down as NW's Bear and their outside zone concepts were doiminant
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[17]Rutgers (5-1) { 24 } @ { 34 } [10]Penn State (5-1)
PSU picked off Barret twice and got 3 deep TDs to WR Leon to bounce back with a win over Rutgers
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Week 8
[17]Florida State (5-1) { 27 } @ { 31 } [3]Auburn (6-0)
Glover and Auburn's dream season kept rolling as he played keep away from Beckman and FSU late in a huge home win
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[11]Texas (5-1) { 13 } @ { 37 } [2]Georgia (6-0)
Looking to notch another back-to-back title, Georgia was looking dominant again
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[16]Indiana (6-1) { 23 } @ { 36 } [18]Maryland (6-1)
MD's Salazar ran all over Indiana as they contained Roman enough for the home win
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[22]Rutgers (5-2) { 29 } @ { 17 } [10]Miami (6-1)
Miami stumbled at midseason every year of the Cristobal era and now Shanahan felt the bite as Rutgers took over the game in the 4th quarter
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[14]Michigan (6-1) { 40 } @ { 21 } [5]Northwestern (7-0)
QB Garris was near perfect as Michigan's win ensured all B1G teams now had a loss
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[12]Clemson (6-1) { 24 } @ { 27 } Oklahoma (3-3)
Dabo hasn't made the expanded playoff in 4 years and took a big step against in a last minue field goal loss at OU, who keeps thier feint hopes alive
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Week 9
[23]Clemson (6-1) { 16 } @ { 40 } [24]Florida State (5-2)

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[11]Ohio State (6-2) { 23 } @ { 28 } [13]Northwestern (7-1)
Hyatt looked good early but couldn't convert a TD on two key trips to the red zone late
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[16]SMU (6-0) { 17 } @ { 34 } [6]Notre Dame (8-0)
ND and SMU had the biggest game for both squads in some time with ND rolling after getting an early lead
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Oklahoma (4-3) { 21 } @ { 17 } [4]LSU (7-0)
QB Bohn played just well enough as OU and their solid defense under Morris got their second straight ranked win
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[1]Georgia (7-0) { 37 } @ { 44 } North Carolina (3-4)
In a second straight season with a dominant first half followed by an inexplicable loss, UNC QB Schell added himself to a long lineage passing his way to an OT Victory over Georgia in UNC's biggest SEC win
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Illinois (3-4) { 27 } @ { 7 } [17]Rutgers (6-2)
Bert's team always seems good for an upset or two, often on the road, and with new RB Carpenter grounding and pounding Rutgers was this year's victim
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Duke (4-4) { 20 } @ { 13 } [18]Virginia Tech (8-0)
Last year's ACC champ ruined the hopes of an at large bid this year as QB Curran led them back after struggling to move the ball all day
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Week 10
Initial CFP Rankings
1 Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0) | W8 | SEC co-L |
2 Auburn Tigers (8-0) | W8 | SEC co-L | Trent Bray's year 3 has been a breakthrough for Auburn
3 Texas A&M Aggies (9-0) | W9 | SEC co-L | Doreen has surprised everyone with his first year
4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-0) | W9 | | The Irish are finally in position to make their first ever expanded CFP and maybe even a bye if they can win out
5 Georgia Bulldogs (7-1) | L1 | SEC -1 | Another stunning loss has dropped Georgia outside the top bit
6 Penn State Nittany Lions (7-1) | W4 | B1G co-L |
7 Northwestern Wildcats (8-1) | W1 | B1G co-L |
8 Michigan Wolverines (7-1) | W2 | B1G co-L |
9 LSU Tigers (7-1) | L1 | SEC -1 |
10 Purdue Boilermakers (6-2) | L1 | B1G co-L |
11 Texas Longhorns (6-2) | W1 | |
12 Iowa State Cyclones (8-0) | W8 | XII co-L |
13 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (7-2) | W1 | |
14 Maryland Terrapins (7-1) | W1 | B1G co-L |
15 Florida State Seminoles (6-2) | W1 | SEC -1 |
16 South Carolina Gamecocks (7-1) | W2 | SEC -1 |
17 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-3) | L1 | |
18 Arizona Wildcats (7-1) | W6 | XII co-L |
19 Indiana Hoosiers (6-2) | L1 | |
20 Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-2) | W1 | |
21 Utah Utes (7-1) | W6 | XII co-L |
22 West Virginia Mountaineers (7-1) | W2 | |
23 Oklahoma Sooners (5-3) | W2 | | Two straight wins have brought Eric MOrris form left for dead to CFP hopeful
24 Clemson Tigers (6-2) | L2 | |
25 BYU Cougars (7-1) | W6 | XII co-L |
NR SMU (7-1) | L1 | ACC Ldr | SMU and VT's big losses have the ACC without a ranked team
NR Virginia Tech (8-1) | L1 | ACC -1 |
NR Stanford (5-3) | W3 | ACC -1 |
NR James Madison (7-1) | | | It's a wide gap between JMU and the rest of the G6 field
NR Louisiana Tech (7-1) | | | It's perhaps an even wider gap between Tech and the rest of G6s at this stage
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Heisman Ranking
1 Rkd QB Rodrick Packard, Alabama, SR | Packard has been phenomenal, pacing all QBs with 33 TDs
2 Rkd RB Corey Bear, Northwestern | Bear and NW's innovative run game are getting recognized this year
3 Rkd RB Bryan Epstien, Notre Dame | Epstein's clutch plays and ND's unbeaten run have him poised, but he's going to need to keep producing to stay on the list
4 Rkd QB Travis Agee, ISU, SR | Agee's numbers are just not as good as year's past but his team hasn't lost yet
5 Rkd QB Joan Sears, Texas A&M | Sears play and Doeren's elevated D have helped him to an unexpected spot on the list

Not Ranked from Midseason list
Rkd CB Lance Klinger, Purdue |
Rkd QB Bruce Bowie, LSU, JR |
NR QB Concepcion, Miami |
Rkd QB Franklin Roberts, Army, SR |
NR QB Glover, Auburn |
Rkd QB Ray Martino, Texas, SR |
Rkd RB Robert Burney, Alabama, SR |
NR WR Kirk Cross, Indiana |
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[16]South Carolina (7-1) { 10 } @ { 45 } [15]Florida State (6-2)
FSU kept the pace for the SEC-CG and CFP with a big time win led by QB Beckman and RB Hildreth
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[24]Clemson (6-2) { 17 } @ { 44 } [5]Georgia (7-1)

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[8]Michigan (7-1) { 59 } @ { 31 } [19]Indiana (6-2)
Michigan's Harvey WR had 7-28-3TD as Michigan continued to look strong
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[13]Miami (7-2) { 10 } @ { 24 } [17]Ohio State (6-3)
Miami couldn't get over the hump having now lost 3 of 4 as the midseason swoon continues under thier new coach
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[9]LSU (7-1) { 37 } @ { 16 } [11]Texas (6-2)
LSU QB Bowie carved up UT's defense in a rough day in Austin
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UFC (5-3) { 34 } @ { 31 } [18]Arizona (7-1)
James Prescott's 36 yard TD run proved the last of the scoring as Callendar played great until a pick late helped UCF to the upset
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Michigan State (3-5) { 37 } @ { 34 } [6]Penn State (7-1)
The OT win relied on tons of turnovers and withstanding a late PSU rally as Jonathan Smith got a huge upset
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[1]Alabama (8-0) { 43 } @ { 6 } [9]Texas A&M (9-0)
The Doeren dream came to a rude end in front of gameday
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[25]BYU (7-1) { 42 } @ { 39 } [22]West Virginia (7-1)
BYU's OT win clarified the Big XII race as the Cougs will need some losses form others to get in. Longtime QB Olivares and WVU's longtime QB had an exciting shootout
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[23]Oklahoma (5-4) { 19 } @ { 38 } Virginia (4-4)
Eric Morris and OU fell prety to another rough loss
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Week 11
1 - Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0) W9 | SEC co-L | Anticipation for the rivalry is at a fever pitch
2 - Auburn Tigers (9-0) W9 | SEC co-L |
3 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-0) W10 | |
4 1 Georgia Bulldogs (8-1) W1 | SEC -1 |
5 4 LSU Tigers (8-1) W1 | SEC -1 |
6 1 Northwestern Wildcats (9-1) W2 | B1G co-L |
7 1 Michigan Wolverines (8-1) W3 | B1G co-L |
8 -5 Texas A&M Aggies (9-1) L1 | SEC -1 |
9 3 Iowa State Cyclones (9-0) W9 | XII co-L |
10 -4 Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2) L1 | B1G -1 | The B1G race remained 7 teams deep with just 3 games to play
11 3 Maryland Terrapins (8-1) W2 | B1G co-L |
12 3 Florida State Seminoles (7-2) W2 | SEC -1 |
13 -3 Purdue Boilermakers (6-3) L2 | B1G -1 | Despite a gritty loss at Minnesota Purdue outranked the Gophers and still held CFP hopes
14 6 Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-2) W2 | B1G -1 |
15 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (7-3) W1 | B1G -1 |
16 -5 Texas Longhorns (6-3) L1 | |
17 8 BYU Cougars (8-1) W7 | XII co-L | BYU controls its own destiny at 8-1
18 -2 South Carolina Gamecocks (7-2) L1 | |
19 -6 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (7-3) L1 | |
20 6 Southern Methodist Mustangs (7-1) W1 | ACC Ldr |
21 NR Virginia Tech Hokies (9-1) W1 | ACC -1 |
22 - West Virginia Mountaineers (7-2) L1 | |
23 5 James Madison Dukes (8-1) W6 | | The Dukes just keep winning, outpacing LA Tech for the G6 crown
24 -5 Indiana Hoosiers (6-3) L2 | |
25 NR Tennessee Volunteers (5-4) W3 | |
NR NR Stanford (6-3) | ACC -1 | Despite dropping two nonconference games with just 3 to play Stanford was still a CFP player
NR Utah (7-2) | XII -1 | The Utes and Zona both dropped out of the top 25 but were in the race
NR Arizona (7-2) | XII -1 | The Utes and Zona both dropped out of the top 25 but were in the race
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Heisman Ranking
1 - QB Rodrick Packard, Alabama, SR |
2 - RB Corey Bear, Northwestern |
3 - RB Bryan Epstien, Notre Dame |
4 - QB Travis Agee, ISU, SR |
5 NR QB Khaleb Roman, IU, SR |
Dropped Out:
QB Joan Sears, Texas A&M

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[1]Alabama (9-0) { 35 } @ { 24 } [5]LSU (8-1)
Packard's 5 TDs in a night game atmosphere helped solidify his hold on the Heisman
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[7]Michigan (8-1) { 27 } @ { 26 } [19]Miami (7-3)
A late TD run from John Nowak was yet another gritty win from Michigan. The turnover chain was up with a pick-6 from the Canes, who took a late lead as the Wolverines won it
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[6]Northwestern (9-1) { 13 } @ { 41 } [10]Penn State (7-2)
Jeff Traylor has lost an upset, Ohio State, but has come up big in big games. QB Lahance was efficient and NW couldn't move the ball despite RB Bear's brilliance
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[2]Auburn (9-0) { 23 } @ { 28 } [4]Georgia (8-1)
The rivalry was becoming heated again but it was Pepper running the ball to build a Georgia lead and UGA hanging on as Benjamin Glover would have needed one more possession to win between the hedges
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Iowa (3-6) { 31 } @ { 7 } [14]Minnesota (7-2)
The rivalry was a punishing blow for the Gophers who are now out of the playoff
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North Carolina (4-5) { 23 } @ { 20 } [18]South Carolina (7-2)
Stud QB Steven Schell continued his NFL-ready tour of the SEC with another ruined win just as he dropped Georgia in leading Carolina to a late score
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[11]Maryland (8-1) { 23 } @ { 28 } USC (5-4)
Sanchez's late clinching drive and big 4th quarter helped SC to a program building win for Garrett Riley
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UTSA upsets Army, preventing the Knights from making a CFP move
Florida's Brian Newberry's CFP hopes are completely extinguished in upset to Virginia
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Week 12
1 - Alabama Crimson Tide (10-0) W10 | SEC Ldr |
2 2 Georgia Bulldogs (9-1) W2 | SEC -1 |
3 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-0) W11 | |
4 -2 Auburn Tigers (9-1) L1 | SEC -1 |
5 2 Michigan Wolverines (9-1) W4 | B1G Ldr | With OSU finally dropping off stalwarts Michigan and PSU have re-arised in their place
6 4 Penn State Nittany Lions (8-2) W1 | B1G -1 |
7 -2 LSU Tigers (8-2) L1 | |
8 1 Iowa State Cyclones (10-0) W10 | XII co-Ldr |
9 -3 Northwestern Wildcats (9-2) L1 | B1G -1 |
10 -2 Texas A&M Aggies (9-1) L1 | SEC -1 | A&M is still in the conference race with all chasing Bama
11 1 Florida State Seminoles (8-2) W3 | SEC -1 |
12 1 Purdue Boilermakers (7-3) W1 | B1G -1 |
13 3 Texas Longhorns (7-3) W1 | |
14 -3 Maryland Terrapins (8-2) L1 | B1G -1 |
15 - Ohio State Buckeyes (7-3) W1 | B1G -1 |
16 1 BYU Cougars (9-1) W8 | XII co-Ldr |
17 3 Southern Methodist Mustangs (9-1) W2 | ACC Ldr |
18 NR USC Trojans (6-4) W2 | | Perhaps Riley and SC weren't so dead after all, surging into the ranks with a second big win
19 6 Tennessee Volunteers (6-4) W4 | |
20 1 Virginia Tech Hokies (10-1) W2 | ACC -1 |
21 -2 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (7-4) L2 | |
22 4 Arizona Wildcats (8-2) W1 | XII -1 |
23 - James Madison Dukes (9-1) W7 | Sun Belt ldr |
24 -10 Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-3) L1 | |
25 5 Utah Utes (8-2) W1 | XII -1 |
NR NR Stanford (7-3) | ACC -1 | The Cardinal just keep hanging in the race
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Heisman Ranking
1 - QB Rodrick Packard, Alabama, SR |
2 -2 RB Corey Bear, Northwestern | Bear still played well even in a loss, and so stayed in the conversation
3 - RB Bryan Epstien, Notre Dame |
4 - QB Travis Agee, ISU, SR |
5 NR QB Khaleb Roman, IU, SR |
Dropped Out:
QB Joan Sears, Texas A&M
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Marshall (5-5) { 32 } @ { 30 } [23]James Madison (9-1)
JMU's comeback fell just short as the G6 race opened wide
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[6]Penn State (8-2) { 13 } @ { 20 } UCLA (5-5)
Traylor's team is becoming known for big losses as Lahance melted down with two second half INTS
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[22]Arizona (8-2) { 30 } @ { 20 } [25]Utah (8-2)
The winner would retain a chance at the Big XII title game as AZ triumphed despite Utah's Controy's big day passing
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Week 13
1 - Alabama Crimson Tide (11-0) W11 | SEC Ldr |
2 - Georgia Bulldogs (10-1) W3 | SEC -1 |
3 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-0) W11 | |
4 - Auburn Tigers (10-1) W1 | SEC -1 |
5 - Michigan Wolverines (10-1) W5 | B1G Ldr |
6 2 Iowa State Cyclones (11-0) W11 | XII co-ldr | The Cyclones CFP and Big XII hopes are not yet salted away despite being unbeaten
7 - LSU Tigers (9-2) W1 | |
8 2 Texas A&M Aggies (10-1) W1 | SEC -1 |
9 - Northwestern Wildcats (9-2) L1 | B1G -1 | Northwestern's big loss to PSU didn't knock them out of the CFP or B1G positioning
10 1 Florida State Seminoles (9-2) W4 | SEC -1 |
11 1 Purdue Boilermakers (8-3) W2 | B1G -1 | The Boilermakers and Terps are just outside playoff territory at the moment
12 2 Maryland Terrapins (9-2) W1 | B1G -1 |
13 - Texas Longhorns (8-3) W2 | |
14 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (8-3) W2 | B1G -1 |
15 -9 Penn State Nittany Lions (8-3) L1 | |
16 - BYU Cougars (10-1) W9 | XII co-ldr |
17 - Southern Methodist Mustangs (9-1) W3 | ACC Ldr |
18 2 Virginia Tech Hokies (11-1) W3 | ACC -1 | Brent Pry's long rebuilding project has surfaced at last, and the Hokies are one win away from the ACC title game
19 3 Arizona Wildcats (9-2) W2 | XII -1 | After beating Utah Arizona can now get in if things fall their way
20 4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-3) W1 | |
21 -2 Tennessee Volunteers (7-4) W5 | |
22 NR Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-4) W2 | |
23 NR South Carolina Gamecocks (8-3) W1 | |
24 NR Clemson Tigers (7-4) W1 | |
25 NR Virginia Cavaliers (7-4) W3 | |
NR NR Stanford (8-3) | ACC -1 | Stanford is still hanging around, hoping to get into the title game
NR NR Temple (9-2) | | Temple was the next team up
NR NR James Madison (9-2) | | James Madison was still alive despite the loss
NR NR Hawaii (9-2) | | Hawaii was having another legendary season
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Heisman Ranking
1 - QB Rodrick Packard, Alabama, SR |
2 - RB Corey Bear, Northwestern |
3 - RB Bryan Epstien, Notre Dame |
4 - QB Travis Agee, ISU, SR |
5 NR QB Albert Stringer, SMU |
Dropped Out:
QB Khaleb Roman, IU, SR
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[19]Arizona (9-2) { 7 } @ { 29 } Arizona State (4-7)
In a classic rivalry upset, ASU's Ingram carried the rock 33 times for 150 yards, eliminating Arizona from any hope of a Big XII title
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Florida (5-6) { 30 } @ { 27 } [10]Florida State (9-2)
Frederick Wesley's 52 yard rocket TD to Eduardo Sun was the second big stunner, opening up a bid for Purdue or Maryland
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[2]Georgia (10-1) { 25 } @ { 35 } [7]LSU (9-2)
In another stunning loss for Georgia despite 100 yards rushing from Pepper, Bowie managed things all day ensuring LSU wouldn't receive a surprise playoff snub
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[15]Penn State (8-3) { 39 } @ { 0 } [12]Maryland (9-2)
After a crazy day both teams had a chance to get in, despite their earlier upsets PSU left their mark
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Illinois (5-6) { 38 } @ { 17 } [9]Northwestern (9-2)
Illinois created another potential slot in a disaster for David's Braun team as MacKay rushed for 133 yards and 3 TDs and QB Scales went out a winner
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[5]Michigan (10-1) { 16 } @ { 14 } [14]Ohio State (8-3)
Floyd Hyatt's final Buckeye game ended in a midfield interception that allowed a charmed season for Michigan to conintue
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[13]Texas (8-3) { 42 } @ { 9 } [8]Texas A&M (10-1)
A&M was prepared to finally deny Texas a 12-team CFP bid and get their own first one in the first year of the Dave Doeren ear. Unfortunately for A&M, the waters just got muddies in a humiliating loss at home with Martino carving them up
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Temple beats UAB 24-18 in competetive game
Fresno State gets to 9-3, beats Hawaii as both will rematch for MWC title
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Stanford (8-3) { 14 } @ { 27 } [14]SMU (10-1)
SMU needed to beat Stanford to avoid a 3-way tie for the conference title with WR Cormier the leader
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Conf Champ
1 - Alabama Crimson Tide (12-0) W12 | SECTG |
2 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-0) W12 | Atl-1 |
3 2 Michigan Wolverines (11-1) W6 | B1G TG |
4 -2 Georgia Bulldogs (10-2) L1 | SECTG,Atl-2 |
5 2 LSU Tigers (10-2) W2 | Atl-3 |
6 - Iowa State Cyclones (12-0) W12 | XII TG |
7 -3 Auburn Tigers (10-2) L1 | Atl-4 |
8 3 Purdue Boilermakers (9-3) W3 | B!G TG, Atl-5 |
9 -1 Texas A&M Aggies (10-2) L1 | Atl-6 |
10 3 Texas Longhorns (9-3) W3 | Atl-7 |
11 4 Penn State Nittany Lions (9-3) W1 | First Out | Penn State hoped for a repeat of jumping someone, probably Purdue but possibly ISU, to get into the dance
12 4 BYU Cougars (11-1) W10 | XII TG |
13 -4 Northwestern Wildcats (9-3) L2 | |
14 3 Southern Methodist Mustangs (11-1) W5 | ACC TG |
15 -1 Ohio State Buckeyes (8-4) L1 | |
16 -6 Florida State Seminoles (9-3) L1 | |
17 -5 Maryland Terrapins (9-3) L1 | |
18 3 Tennessee Volunteers (8-4) W6 | |
19 3 Nebraska Cornhuskers (8-4) W3 | |
20 -2 Virginia Tech Hokies (11-1) W3 | ACC TG |
21 -1 Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-4) L1 | |
22 NR Clemson Tigers (8-4) W2 | |
23 NR USC Trojans (7-5) W1 | |
24 -5 Arizona Wildcats (9-3) L1 | |
25 NR Temple Owls (10-2) W9 | Ame TG |
NR NR James Madison (9-2) | SB TG |
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Heisman Ranking
1 - QB Rodrick Packard, Alabama, SR |
2 - RB Corey Bear, Northwestern |
3 - RB Bryan Epstien, Notre Dame |
4 - QB Travis Agee, ISU, SR |
5 - QB Albert Stringer, SMU |
Dropped Out:
None
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South Alabama (8-4) { 21 } vs { 41 } James Madison (10-2)
Wilde rushed for 170 yards as JMU made a great audition should Temple stumble
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UTSA (8-4) { 13 } vs { 41 } [25]Temple (10-2)
Temple's blowout win left no doubt they'd be the G6 rep
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[20]Virginia Tech (11-1) { 13 } vs { 0 } [14]SMU (11-1)
VT shut down SMU and Albert Stringer and punched their first ticket to the CFP
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[12]BYU (11-1) { 44 } vs { 41 } [6]Iowa State (12-0)
It was the most high proifle Big XII title game since 4 years early in '24. Mark Olivares hit a streaking Willy Vaughn for 44 yard TD strike to answer Travis Agree and ISU and punch BYU's ticket, making Texas start to sweat to see if ISU would make the field for the Big XII's first ever two-entry season
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[4]Georgia (10-2) { 21 } vs { 55 } [1]Alabama (12-0)
Packard's 6 TDs have Tavares and co seeming unbeaten
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[8]Purdue (9-3) { 31 } vs { 24 } [3]Michigan (11-1)
Paul Ethredge of Purdue had to earn his job twice but came up big under the lights in Purdue's second straight B1G title appearance
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[palmer006]

Final CFP
1 - Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0) W13 | SEC | Finishing at least 2 games up on anyone but Notre Dame in the power 2, Tavares is widely expected to take home his first title in year 2, just like Saban
2 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-0) W12 | AtL1 | Thanks to their early win over Purdue the Irish are everyone's darling and widely expected to make the national title
3 5 Purdue Boilermakers (10-3) W4 | B1G | As almost a makeup call for being punished overly much for their B1G title loss hte year before, the Boilers rocket to the bye as the B1G Champ
4 1 LSU Tigers (10-2) W2 | AtL2 | LSU slides into a bye as expected
5 2 Auburn Tigers (10-2) L1 | AtL3 | Michigan and Georgia's loss is Auburn's gain, with the Tigers sliding into a home game against Temple
6 -3 Michigan Wolverines (11-2) L1 | AtL4 | The Wolverines loss to Purdue was tough, but they were still granted a top 6 seed and thus avoid the Power 2
7 5 BYU Cougars (12-1) W11 | XII | BYU gets the 7-seed
8 1 Texas A&M Aggies (10-2) L1 | AtL5 | A&M ended up sliding up to a home playoff game
9 -5 Georgia Bulldogs (10-3) L2 | AtL6 | Just as with Purdue, Georgia's punishment seems overly harsh, dropping from the bye all the way to a road playoff game
10 - Texas Longhorns (9-3) W3 | Last In | The Longhorns benefitted from championship Saturday's chaos
11 - Penn State Nittany Lions (9-3) W1 | First Out | Just too many upsets for Penn State this year (Rose vs #12 Iowa State)
12 -6 Iowa State Cyclones (12-1) L1 | Next Out | ISU fans were livid that their first loss dropped them so far. The program's first Rose Bowl is the consolation prize
13 - Northwestern Wildcats (9-3) L2 | | The upset to rival Illinois ends up costing the Wildcats (Sugar vs #16 Florida State)
14 6 Virginia Tech Hokies (12-1) W4 | ACC |
15 - Ohio State Buckeyes (8-4) L1 | | Cotton vs #23 Clemson
16 - Florida State Seminoles (9-3) L1 | | Sugar vs #13 Northwestern
17 - Maryland Terrapins (9-3) L1 | | Orange vs #19 Tennessee
18 -4 Southern Methodist Mustangs (11-2) L1 | | Fiesta vs South Carolina (8-4)
19 -1 Tennessee Volunteers (8-4) W6 | | Orange vs #17 Maryland
20 -1 Nebraska Cornhuskers (8-4) W3 | | Peach vs #25 Arizona
21 4 Temple Owls (11-2) W10 | American |
22 -1 Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-4) L1 | | Gator vs Virginia (7-5)
23 -1 Clemson Tigers (8-4) W2 | | Cotton vs #15 Ohio State
24 -1 USC Trojans (7-5) W1 | | Citrus vs Kentucky (7-5)
25 -1 Arizona Wildcats (9-3) L1 | | Peach vs #20 Nebraska
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Heisman Finalists
1 - QB Rodrick Packard, Alabama, SR | |
2 - RB Corey Bear, Northwestern | | Bear almost certainly won't win the award not being in the CFP
3 - RB Bryan Epstien, Notre Dame | | Epstein's stats have not popped of late meaning its possible Olivares or Packard could beat him out for the award even if Notre Dame wins the national championship
4 NR QB Mark Olivares, BYU, Sr | | Olivares had been toying with watchlists throughout the year but borke through on the na

Dropped Out:
QB Travis Agee, ISU, SR | Not making the CFP ended both these non power 2 player's hopes
QB Albert Stringer, SMU |
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First Round
[21]Temple (11-2) { 13 } @ { 40 } [5]Auburn (10-2)
Auburn got a proper warm up game in as the Plains was on fire and Reed rambled for 145 yards
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[14]Virginia Tech (12-1) { } @ { } [6]Michigan (11-2)
VT scored a huge upset in the Big House against a reeling Michigan team. A pick-6 and late field goal helped them get close, but QB Raymond Edwards piloted VT to the upset
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[10]Texas (9-3) { 45 } @ { 19 } [7]BYU (12-1)
In the spotlight in his 4th straight CFP, Texas QB Martino and WR Novak were in control throughout in Provo
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[9]Georgia (10-3) { 33 } @ { 14 } [8]Texas A&M (10-2)
The nightcap was in A&M's long-awaited 10th win under now popular coach Dave Doeren. The party was spoiled by Heisman returner Gunderson who shredded the defense for the favored Bulldogs
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Second Round
[5]Auburn (11-2) { 33 } @ { 38 } [4]LSU (10-2)
Baton Rouge wasn't as lively as normal but it was a thrilling game with Auburn leading 27-24 heading into the 4th, Auburn driving to go up 30-24, then Bowie making key throws before Enoch Burgess rolled in for the go-ahead plunge. Glover raced Auburn back down the field but they had to settle for a chip shot. On 2nd down Bowie hit Herbert Antione for a shocking 69 yard game winner
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[10]Texas (10-3) { 27 } @ { 51 } [2]Notre Dame (12-0)
It was a historic first CFP game in South Bend with Texas coming to town to face Lebby's unbeaten Irish. Martino just didn't have the supporting case this year, going down with several picks trying to do it all as ND raced to a 20-0 lead and proved to the nation they were legit
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[9]Georgia (11-3) { 30 } @ { 34 } [1]Alabama (13-0)
It was always going to be hard to beat Georgia a third time. WR Ragsdale caught 8 balls for 352 yards and 3 TDs in a ridiculous, unstoppable night. Last year's Heisman winner Laverne Gunderson hit Aueriolo Wheatlhy on a 42 yard TD to tie it early in the 4th, but Packard hit Damien Ragsdale for a third bomb TD shortly thereafter after which a field goal helpd put it out of reach
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Final Four
[4]LSU (11-2) { 10 } @ { 27 } [1]Alabama (14-0)
Packard now had the Heisman sealed up win or lose with a 19-26-314-2 day and Burney and Ragsdale played well, too. LSU hung around until the 4th but Bama had a stranglehold in Bryant-Denny
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1 - QB Rodrick Packard, Alabama, SR | *Winner* | Packard was injured in the title game but was the natural choice, edging out Bear in a closer than expected final vote
2 - RB Corey Bear, Northwestern | |
3 - RB Bryan Epstien, Notre Dame | |
4 - QB Mark Olivares, BYU, Sr | |
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Other Awards
Walker | RB Corey Bear, Northwestern
O'Brien, Unitas | Packard
Bilitnikoff | WR Damien Ragsdale, Alabama
Moore | T James Vasqu, Alabama
Lombardi | DT Aaron Brown, Arkansas
Butkus | LB Rob Davis, Louisiana Tech
Thorpe | CB Roy Denney, Purdue, SR
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[palmer006]

2024-28 National Champs Recap
2024 LSU Brian Kelly goes on a run in CFP's first 12-team year
2025 Ohio State Ryan Day recovers from early losses to get redeeming title
2026 Alabama Dominating Bama team sends Nick Saban off into the sunset
2027 Georgia Kirby Smart's team flys under the rader until a dominant playoff run
2028 Alabama Tavares Robinson wins a title in year 2 just like Saban as Alabama surivives many close calls, including the national title game, to go 16-0 and win the title