Michigan finally beats Ohio State. Texas crashes. Reliving craziest moments of 2021 football season.
With the regular season in the books and the College Football Playoff national semifinals just days away, Paste BN Sports takes a week-by-week look at how the Football Bowl Subdivision got to the final days of the 2021 season. Rankings are from the Paste BN Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
Week 1 (Aug. 28-Sept. 6): Georgia makes a statement
In the marquee matchup of the opening weekend, No. 5 Georgia scores the game's only touchdown on a pick-six and holds No. 2 Clemson scoreless until the fourth quarter in a 10-3 win that sets the tone for both teams. No. 1 Alabama gets started with a 44-13 win against No. 16 Miami (Fla.), as new starting quarterback Bryce Young goes for 344 yards and four touchdowns. No. 13 LSU loses at UCLA to begin the countdown to coach Ed Orgeron’s eventual dismissal. The Steve Sarkisian era at No. 19 Texas begins with a 38-18 win against No. 23 Louisiana. That will end up as the high point of the Longhorns’ season and the only loss on the year for the eventual Sun Belt champions.
Week 2 (Sept. 7-13): Oregon up, Helton out in the Pac-12
No. 11 Oregon wins 35-28 at No. 3 Ohio State, locking down the most impressive victory of the non-conference season and giving the Ducks and the Pac-12 a leg up in the early playoff race. OSU quarterback C.J. Stroud goes for 484 yards in the loss to provide a glimpse into what will be a very strong first year as the starter. No. 15 Texas comes thudding back to reality after losing 40-21 at Arkansas, which runs for 333 yards in a show of SEC strength. No. 14 Southern California loses 42-28 to Stanford, and the school has seen enough: Clay Helton is fired shortly after and replaced by interim coach Donte Williams.
Week 3 (Sept. 14-20): Group of Five flexes over Power Five
No. 1 Alabama struggles with No. 9 Florida but stops a two-point conversion with just over three minutes left to secure a 31-29 win. That the Gators hung tight the Crimson Tide gives the impression the SEC East is up for grabs. (That would end up not being the case.) No. 3 Oklahoma struggles again, this time against Nebraska, but gets 249 yards of total offense and two scores from quarterback Spencer Rattler to win 23-16. It’s a good weekend for the Group of Five, with wins for No. 9 Cincinnati (Indiana), No. 22 Brigham Young (Arizona State), Fresno State (UCLA) and Western Michigan (Pittsburgh).
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Week 4 (Sept. 21-27): Arkansas continues SEC rise
Quarterback Devin Leary throws for four touchdowns, the defense allows only 214 yards and North Carolina State beats No. 7 Clemson 27-21 in double overtime to hand the Tigers two losses before the end of September. No. 18 Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson fought through a leg injury and had 262 yards of total offense as the Razorbacks beat No. 5 Texas A&M to move to 4-0 for the first time since 2003. Trailing 20-13 with under four minutes left, No. 21 Michigan State scores a touchdown on a punt return to force overtime against Nebraska and goes on to win 23-20 despite not gaining a single first down in the second half.
Week 5 (Sept. 28-Oct. 4): Cincinnati wins at Notre Dame
The No. 11 Razorbacks were rolling — and then they met No. 2 Georgia. The Bulldogs barely allowed Arkansas to cross midfield and won 37-0 despite getting only 72 yards from quarterback Stetson Bennett III, now ensconced as the team’s starter. No. 3 Oregon tossed away any goodwill after that win in Columbus by falling in overtime to Stanford, in what ended up being one of the most inexplicable losses of the regular season. And in perhaps the most impactful results of the year, No. 8 Cincinnati beat No. 7 Notre Dame 24-13 for a second win in a row against Power Five competition. Quarterback Desmond Ridder threw for 297 yards and put the game away with a 6-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Week 6 (Oct. 5-11): Texas A&M upsets top-ranked Alabama
Losers of two straight and sputtering on offense after starting quarterback Haynes King’s season-ending injury, unranked Texas A&M rebounds to knock off No. 1 Alabama 41-38. Backup quarterback Zach Calzada goes for 285 yards and three scores as the Aggies win on a last-second field goal. Over in the Big Ten, No. 3 Iowa makes four interceptions and beats No. 4 Penn State 23-20 despite barely gaining 300 yards of offense, in what will be a season-long theme for the eventual Big Ten West champions. No. 5 Oklahoma wins the highest-scoring game in Red River Rivalry history, as backup quarterback Caleb Williams replaces a struggling Spencer Rattler and keys a 55-48 win.
Week 7 (Oct. 12-18): LSU makes a decision on Orgeron
Now up to No. 2 in the Coaches Poll, Iowa falls 24-7 to Purdue. Wide receiver David Bell makes 11 grabs for 240 yards, giving him 37 catches for 558 yards and five scores in three career games against the Hawkeyes. No. 1 Georgia's latest test against a ranked opponent goes as expected, as the Bulldogs beat No. 11 Kentucky 30-13. Baylor tops No. 20 Brigham Young 38-24 to start a second-half surge that culminates in a Big 12 championship. LSU upsets No. 17 Florida 49-42, but that's not enough to save Ed Orgeron's job. LSU and the coach behind the juggernaut that claimed the 2019 national championship agree to part ways at the end of the regular season.
Week 8 (Oct. 19-25): Wake Forest, Pittsburgh take control of ACC
Running back Breece Hall's 4-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gives Iowa State a 24-21 win against No. 9 Oklahoma State and drops the Cowboys from the ranks of the unbeaten. Illinois and No. 8 Penn State play the longest game in FBS history: nine overtimes eventually settled on two-point conversions, and the Illini pull out the 20-18 upset. No. 15 Wake Forest scores 10 touchdowns in just over 17 minutes of possession and races past Army 70-56 to reach 7-0 for the first time since 1944. No. 23 Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett goes for 302 yards as the Panthers beat No. 24 Clemson 27-17, officially signaling the end of the Tigers' reign atop the ACC.
Week 9 (Oct. 26-Nov. 1): Big Ten takes over the spotlight
The Big Ten dominates headlines with three crucial games pitting playoff contenders. No. 5 Ohio State struggles to convert in the red zone but is able to pull out a 33-24 win against No. 17 Penn State, the Buckeyes' sixth straight victory. Wisconsin beats No. 10 Iowa 27-7 as the two teams combine for 25 first downs and 426 yards of offense. No. 7 Michigan State's magical season under coach Mel Tucker continues with a 37-33 win against No. 6 Michigan, as the Spartans reverse a 16-point hole in the third quarter behind 197 rushing yards and five scores from star running back Kenneth Walker III. The debut playoff rankings are released: No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Michigan State and No. 4 Oregon lead the way.
Week 10 (Nov. 2-8): Cincinnati keeps winning without style points
One week after longtime coach Gary Patterson's surprising resignation, TCU gets 461 yards from quarterback Chandler Morris and beats No. 13 Baylor 30-28. In the end, this loss dooms the Bears' playoff hopes. No. 2 Cincinnati struggles against an American opponent for the third game in a row, beating Tulsa 28-20 despite giving up nearly 300 yards on the ground. For the second time this season, Purdue knocks off an unbeaten Big Ten contender: Boilermakers 40, No. 6 Michigan State 29. No. 3 Alabama is pushed by LSU but escapes with a 20-14 win.
Week 11 (Nov. 9-15): Baylor harasses Oklahoma in Big 12 win
After spending the first two months flirting with disaster, No. 4 Oklahoma is harassed by Baylor's defense and loses 27-14. Caleb Williams' out-of-left-field Heisman Trophy push comes to an end as the true freshman goes for just 142 yards with two interceptions. Lurking on the fringes of the playoff chase, No. 7 Notre Dame shows off a rapidly improving defense and suffocates Virginia to win 28-3. No. 5 Ohio State scores touchdowns on its first five possessions and Stroud goes for five scores as the Buckeyes trounce Purdue 59-31. And in one of the memorable games of the year, Kansas converts a two-point conversion in overtime to walk-on fullback Jared Casey and beats Texas 57-56. That's the Longhorns' fifth loss in a row, but the losing streak isn't done yet.
Week 12 (Nov. 16-22): A perfect Saturday for Ohio State
Stroud takes what seems like a rock-solid lead for the Heisman by completing 32 of 35 attempts for 432 yards and six touchdowns in the No. 4 Buckeyes' 56-7 rout of No. 8 Michigan State. In more good news for OSU, No. 5 Oregon loses 38-7 to No. 25 Utah, essentially eliminating the Ducks and the entire Pac-12 from the playoff race. In just its second game against an opponent with a winning record since facing Notre Dame, No. 3 Cincinnati racks up style points and rolls past SMU 48-14. Clemson's offense finally awakens to the tune of 543 yards and sparks a 48-27 win against No 12 Wake Forest, which falls to 9-2. Florida loses 24-23 in overtime to Missouri, dropping coach Mullen to 2-9 in his last 11 games against Power Five competition. The axe falls: Mullen is fired, adding Florida to the growing list of blueblood programs on the hiring line.
Week 13 (Nov. 23-29): Michigan finally beats Ohio State
Rivalry weekend is defined by the biggest rivalry of all: No. 3 Ohio State at No. 6 Michigan. The Wolverines' offense bullies the Buckeyes into submission with 297 rushing yards, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson has three sacks and Michigan wins 42-27, snapping a decade-long losing streak in the series and handing coach Jim Harbaugh the signature win of his tenure. No. 2 Alabama is on the ropes against Auburn before Bryce Young keys a touchdown drive with under a minute left to force overtime, and the Crimson Tide win 23-20 in four extra frames. Quarterback Spencer Sanders tops 300 yards in total offense and score twice as No. 7 Oklahoma State wins Bedlam 37-33, handing No. 9 Oklahoma a second loss and snapping the Sooners' run of Big 12 championships at six.
Week 14 (Nov. 30-Dec. 6): Alabama tops Georgia to take SEC
Conference championship games settle the playoff debate. No. 2 Alabama’s offense erases No. 1 Georgia’s aura of invincibility in a 41-24 win, locking down half of the semifinal field for the SEC. No. 3 Michigan stays hot with a 42-3 win against No. 12 Iowa for the program’s first Big Ten crown since 2004. No. 4 Cincinnati crosses the finish line unbeaten and atop the American by topping No. 16 Houston 35-20, breaking open a close game with three quick scores to open the second half. No. 5 Oklahoma State can't seal the deal against No. 9 Baylor, losing 21-16 as a last-ditch dive for the game-winning score falls just inches short of the end zone. For the second time in three weeks, No. 10 Oregon is pushed around by No. 17 Utah. The Heisman finalists are announced: Bryce Young, Kenny Pickett, Aidan Hutchinson and C.J. Stroud.
Week 15 (Dec. 7-Dec. 13): Playoff field is set
The playoff field is set. The final rankings: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Cincinnati. The Crimson Tide open as roughly two-touchdown favorites in the Cotton Bowl against the Bearcats, the first Group of Five team to reach the semifinals. The Wolverines and Bulldogs are matched in the Orange Bowl. Navy beats Army 17-13, reclaiming some momentum in the series after the Black Knights had won four of the previous five meetings. Young wins the Heisman in a runaway, becoming the fourth Alabama player to win the Heisman but the first quarterback. Hutchinson finishes a distant second, followed by Pickett in third place and Stroud in fourth.
Postseason (Dec. 17-Dec. 27): COVID-19 impacts early bowl slate
A wild cycle of coaching moves comes to an end with 28 teams making changes. Among the biggest names changing spots: Lincoln Riley to USC, Louisiana coach Billy Napier to Florida, Brian Kelly to LSU, Mario Cristobal to Miami (Fla.) and Brent Venables to Oklahoma. The non-New Year's Six bowl slate gets underway with a run of good wins for the Mountain West: Utah State beats Oregon State, Fresno State beats UTEP and San Diego State tops No. 25 Texas-San Antonio. It doesn't take long for the omicron variant of the coronavirus to wreak havoc on the bowl slate, leading to the cancellation of three games (Hawaii, Fenway, Military) and causing at least one team to drop out of three others (Gator, Sun, Arizona). The playoff releases a detailed plan for how to deal with the possibility that the New Year's Six, semifinals and championship game may be impacted by additional outbreaks.