Marvel Cinematic Universe Scenes to Describe 2022-23 College Football Bowl Games

 

College Football bowl season is upon us! 82 teams will play in 41 bowl games to end the 2022-23 college football season.

College Football Playoffs and New Year's Six - Avengers: Endgame

You may consider these 6 games the "Endgame" for college football's best.

"This is the fight of our lives. We are going to win. Whatever it takes." - Captain America to the Avengers, before time traveling AND Kirby Smart, Ryan Day, Jim Harbaugh and Sonny Dykes, before their respective teams take the field.

Peach Bowl - Georgia vs Ohio State

After losing 45-23 at home to Michigan, Ohio State fans had a wide range of emotions. From "fire Ryan Day" to "skip the Rose Bowl" fans weren't happy as many were sulking and depressed following a second straight loss to their rival.

By the middle of Avengers: Endgame, Thor was sulky and depressed, following the loss of several family members and friends, plus his entire planet of Asgard. But when he went back in time, he ran into his mother, who previously was killed. This gave him a new burst of energy and a renewed purpose. Before departing, he stuck his hand out for Mjolnir, proving he is still worthy!

That's how Ohio State must have felt when they woke up the Saturday morning after USC's loss in the PAC-12 title game, giving new life and new hope to Buckeyes nation. After sulking around for a week, they stuck their hand out and received the CFP bid (which is kind of the same as Mjolnir).

“It's not about how much we lost. It's about how much we have left.” - Tony Stark, 'Avengers: Endgame'

Georgia lost 15 players from last year's championship team to the NFL Draft. No one would have been surprised if there was a "small" drop off (like 1 loss?). But 2022 Georgia did something that 2021 Georgia did not - win the SEC Championship and go undefeated.

Fiesta Bowl - Michigan vs TCU

Michigan was in the CFP last year and got blown out by Georgia, 34-11. They must have been thinking like Bruce Banner at the beginning of Endgame, when the heroes were debating going after Thanos - “how do we know it's going to end any differently than it did before?”

"Before you didn't have me." is what Captain Marvel said in response. I'd imagine this is what Michigan QB JJ McCarthy tells the team in the locker room. McCarthy won the QB battle over Cade McNamara, who started last year's Playoff game (and season). McCarthy threw for 20 TDs (ran for 4 more) and only 3 INTs.

"I don't judge people by their worst mistakes" - Natasha Romanoff to Clint Barton, before Natasha's death, which result in the soul stone for Clint. This is what the CFP committee told TCU after the Frogs remained at #3 following an overtime loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 title game. That was TCU's worst mistake, their one loss, and the committee didn't judge them too harshly for it, keeping them in the field of four after going unbeaten in the regular season (including an earlier win over K-State). Speaking of...

Sugar Bowl - Alabama vs Kansas State

"I don't even know who you are" - Thanos, Avengers: Endgame
Thanos and Wanda are fighting and Wanda complains about Thanos taking everything from her, to which Thanos responds with this great quote.

This felt like a perfect analogy to me. Alabama and Nick Saban often playing the role of the villainous Thanos. Thanos claims he doesn't know who Wanda is, well, does anyone know who Kansas State is?

Seriously, how much K-State football did casual fans watch in 2022? How many people know about dynamic RB Deuce Vaughn. Wildcats are not a program known for it's lengthy football history or for being in the spotlight, so it's fair to wonder "who they are".

Orange Bowl - Clemson vs Tennessee

"You took everything from me" - Wanda, Avengers: Endgame

Same scene as the Sugar Bowl listed above with a different purpose. Wanda claims Thanos took everything from her and in this case, South Carolina took everything from both of these teams. In back-to-back weeks, the Gamecocks destroyed the CFP hopes of both of these teams. First, they beat Tennessee 63-38, and then ended Clemson's historic 40-game home winning streak, beating them for the first time since 2013.

Rose Bowl - Penn State vs Utah

"Part of the journey is the end."

This is the last ever traditional Rose Bowl. Well, kind of. It's not on New Year's Day because of the Sunday tradition in Pasadena and presence of the NFL. But if we ever get Big Ten vs PAC-12 again, it will be because of CFP bracket.

For Penn State, this is the end of the road for Sean Clifford, who holds many records and honors after being a four-year starter at Penn State. PSU is 31-14 with Clifford as the starter.

For Utah, it's a long road to get here. Utah transitioned from the Mountain West to PAC-12 in 2011 and won the PAC-12 for the first time in 2021, reaching the Rose Bowl for the first time. Back again for the second year in a row, with a veteran-heavy team, this feels like a last hurrah of sorts, and a last chance to get over the hump and capture, arguably, the school's biggest win ever.

Cotton Bowl - USC vs Tulane

“I used To have nothing. And then I got this - this job, this family and I was better because of it. Even though they’re gone, I’m still trying to be better.” - Natasha

USC and Tulane both used to have nothing, but then they got these coaches, and they were better because of it.

Before Lincoln Riley came along, USC last won the PAC-12 in 2017 (excluding 2020 COVID season), which is also their last NY6 bowl game (lost Cotton Bowl). Their last bowl win is 2016 and this is their first bowl appearance since 2019 Holiday Bowl. Before Riley, USC mostly stunk.

Before Willie Fritz came along, Tulane had won 7 or more games TWICE in their entire history and haven't played in a major bowl game since 1940 Sugar Bowl and won their first conference championship since 1939.

More from Avengers: Endgame (Non-NY6 Bowls)

Return from the Snap

3 bowl games were cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic and again in 2021, due to an outbreak on one of the teams. These four games "return from the snap", to be played for the first time since 2019.

Holiday Bowl - Oregon vs UNC

Holiday Bowl first originated in 1978, making it one of the oldest games. However, the 2021 game between NC State and UCLA was cancelled due to COVID outbreak and 2020 was cancelled due to pandemic.

Military Bowl - Duke vs UCF

UNC beat Temple 55-13 in the last Military Bowl in 2019. ECU and Boston College game was cancelled in 2021 and 2020, there simply weren't enough teams willing to play bowl games due to COVID.

This feels like a return from snap for Duke football, who won 8 games in 2022, for the first time since 2015. It's their first bowl game since 2018.

For UCF, this is their first non-NY6 bowl game outside the state of Florida since 2010 (Liberty Bowl).

Hawaii Bowl - Middle Tennessee State vs San Diego State

Last year's Memphis vs Hawaii game was cancelled, which stinks but also meant Memphis had a fun stress-free trip to Hawaii. This year's game is the first since 2017 to not feature Hawaii.

Time Travel - Endgame and Doctor Strange

Duke's Mayo Bowl - NC State vs Maryland

In another universe, this is an ACC conference game, as opposed to an ACC vs Big Ten game. These schools played almost every year from 1946-2013 and are dead even at 33-33 all-time (plus 4 ties). It's their first game since ACC conference play in 2013.

Music City Bowl - Iowa vs Kentucky

It feels like these two teams are trapped in a time loop like Doctor Strange and Dormammu. Kentucky beat Iowa last season, 20-17, in the Citrus Bowl. This year's game has the lowest point total for gambling purposes (31.5 over/under).

Myrtle Beach Bowl - UConn vs Marshall

Congrats to UConn, who is bowling for the first time since 2015, where they also faced Marshall in the St Petersburg Bowl.

Alamo Bowl - Washington vs Texas

Time travel back to 2009-2013, when Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian compiled a 34-29 overall record as coach of the Huskies. Sarkisian is 0-1 all-time vs Washington (as head coach of USC in 2015, Trojans lost 17-12).

Camellia Bowl - Buffalo vs Georgia Southern

Georgia Southern QB Kyle Vantrease threw for 3,901 yards, 25 TDs, and 15 INTs. He previously spent 5 years with Buffalo, appearing in games each year from 2017-2021.

More Doctor Strange

Cheez-It Bowl - Oklahoma vs Florida State

"Just because someone stumbles and loses their way, doesn't mean they are lost forever" - Professor X about Doctor Strange in Multiverse of Madness

Oklahoma has been the most dominant team in the Big 12 for many years. However, they finished just 6-6 in 2022, taking a big stumble in the first year post Lincoln Riley. Entering the SEC in 2024, are they lost forever? Or can they re-find their way?

Florida State had a fairly successful 9-3 season, but has been in a rut, having stumbled for a long time. This is only their second bowl game since 2018. During head coach Mike Norvell's first two seasons, FSU won a combined 8 games. 2022's 9 wins are their most since winning 10 in 2016.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl - Eastern Michigan vs San Jose State

"But I can lose. Again and again and again and again forever. That makes you my prisoner." - Doctor Strange to Dormammu in the first Doctor Strange movie.

Eastern Michigan hasn't won a bowl game since 1987, that's the second longest drought among teams that have won a bowl game (UTEP last win in 1967).

"As you can see, I am NOT dead!" - T'Challa in Black Panther.

This famous quote is relevant for Kansas, UConn, and New Mexico State. All 3 programs, at one point or another over the past decade, have been proclaimed "dead" by both CFB media and their own fans.

Liberty Bowl - Kansas vs Arkansas

Kansas hasn't been to a bowl game since 2009. Between 2010-2021, Kansas won 21 games total. Since 2018, they won 7 total games, with 3 different head coaches.

In year two under Lance Leipold, Kansas went 6-6. They started 5-0 and hosted ESPN's College Gameday,

Myrtle Beach Bowl - UCONN vs Marshall

In 2010, UConn won the Big East and went to the Fiesta Bowl. Since than, they have not finished over .500 (6-6 entering this game). Since 2018, they have won 4 total games. 10 total wins since their last bowl appearance in 2015 (from 2016-2021).

UConn went 6-6 in veteran head coach Jim Mora Jr's first season as head coach, including notable wins against Fresno State, Liberty and Boston College.

Quick Lane Bowl - New Mexico State vs Bowling Green

This is only the third bowl game in New Mexico State history after- the Aggies finished 6-6. It's their fifth 6-win season since 1986.

Since their last bowl appearance in 2016, New Mexico State has won 8 games total. In each of the last 4 seasons, they won 2, 1, 2, 3 games, respectively.

More Black Panther

Sun Bowl - UCLA vs Pitt

After being defeated by T'Challah, Erik Killmonger says "The sun will never set on the Wakandan empire."

Killmonger's purpose as the villain in the movie is to release the weapons and technology that Wakanda possesses to share with the rest of the world.

Both of these teams possess very valuable weapons at running back.

For Pitt, Israel Abanikanda ran for 1,431 yards (9th best in country) and 20 TDs (first in country)

For UCLA, Zach Charbonnet ran for 1,359 yards (15th best in country) and 14 TDs (15th best in country)

Guardians of the Galaxy

Hawaii Bowl - San Diego State vs Middle Tennessee State

Christmas Special - Drax and Mantis go to Earth looking for Kevin Bacon as a Christmas gift for Peter Quill

"That's the greatest Christmas gift I could ever get." - Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. That's what Star Lord, Peter Quill, said to Mantis after finding out they have the same father. Mantis and Drax spent most of this show searching for the perfect Christmas gift for Peter. They brought back Kevin Bacon.

San Diego State and Middle Tennessee State play on Christmas Eve and both enter this game 7-5. The perfect Christmas gift for either team would be an 8th win. MTSU last won 8 games in 2018. SDSU won 12 last season.

There is clear symmetry here, thought we can debate if you'd rather have 8 wins or Kevin Bacon as the greatest Christmas gift.

Bahamas Bowl - Miami Ohio vs UAB

This game is being played in another Galaxy. This and the Hawaii bowl are the only 2 games not being played on continental US land. And technically, Bahamas is the only game not played in the US at all. 

Both of these teams are basically from another galaxy too, as neither is front and center within their own states. Miami Ohio is probably the 8th or 9th most recognizable school in Ohio while UAB shares a state with Alabama and Auburn.

Captain America Bowl Games

Pinstripe Bowl - Minnesota vs Syracuse

Steve Rogers is from New York, where this bowl game is played. At the end of the First Avenger movie, he wakes up listening to an old Yankees game from 1941.

In 1941, Minnesota football went 8-0, finishing #1 in AP poll, claiming a National title that year.

Syracuse, New York's college football team, went 5-2-1 in 1941

"You are not worthy" - Thor in Avengers: Age of Ultron

A look at 4 teams who, metaphorically, were unable to lift the hammer and have been deemed not worthy of bigger games and bigger spotlights.

Citrus Bowl - Purdue vs LSU

Historically, the Citrus Bowl is a nice game with a New Year's Day (or January 2nd) time slot. But both of these teams are deemed "not worthy" of a bigger game after losing their Conference Championships.

Purdue could have beaten Michigan to earn their first Rose Bowl appearance since 2000 and LSU could have beaten Georgia to secure a spot in the Sugar Bowl, returning to the NY6 for the first time since their 2019 Championship season. However, Purdue lost to Michigan in the B1G Championship and LSU lost to Georgia.

Frisco Bowl - Boise State vs North Texas

The Frisco Bowl is the other game featuring conference championship game runner ups. Boise State went 8-0 in Mountain West Conference play, only to lose at home to Fresno State in the Championship. North Texas lost to UTSA and then fired their head coach, Seth Littrell, deeming him unworthy too.

Captain America Bowl Games

Pinstripe Bowl - Minnesota vs Syracuse

Steve Rogers is from New York, where this bowl game is played. At the end of the First Avenger movie, he wakes up listening to an old Yankees game from 1941.

In 1941, Minnesota football went 8-0, finishing #1 in AP poll, claiming a National title that year.

Syracuse, New York's college football team, went 5-2-1 in 1941

Armed Forces - Baylor vs Air Force

“Natasha Romanoff: First rule of going on the run is: “Don’t run. Walk.”
Steve Rogers: [in a pair of loose shoes] If I run in these shoes they’re going to fall off.” Captain America: The Winter Soldier

“Peggy Carter: Did you have something against running away?
Steve Rogers: You start running, they’ll never let you stop. You stand up, push back. Can’t say no forever, right?” Captain America: The First Avenger

Air Force is ranked #1 in rushing offense and Baylor is 44th in rush defense.

Independence - Houston vs Louisiana

“Iron Man: Shit!
Captain America: Language!” Avengers: Age of Ultron

Houston had NY6 expectations coming into 2022. They went 12-2 in 2021 and returned many key players. Instead, they fell apart early and end their last AAC season 7-5, playing in a pre-Christmas bowl game in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Louisiana won the Sun Belt in 2021 under Billy Napier, who left for Florida and the Cajuns fell to 6-6, after 3 consecutive 10+ win seasons.

First Responder - Memphis vs Utah State

“Sam Wilson: You must miss the good old days, huh?
Steve Rogers: Well, things aren’t so bad. Food’s a lot better; we used to boil everything. No polio is good. Internet, so helpful. I’ve been reading that a lot trying to catch up.” Captain America: The Winter Soldier

This is the 4th edition of the "First Responder" bowl branding but the bowl game itself has existed since 2011 (did not realize this until I did the research).

Memphis had a strong run from 2017-2019, which is their most recent "glory days". They played in the Liberty Bowl (vs Iowa State), Birmingham Bowl (vs Wake Forest), and Cotton Bowl (vs Penn State). Now, they find themselves in a middle-tier bowl against a 6-6 Mountain West team coming off a second straight 6-6 season.

Utah State won the MWC last season, finishing 11-3. Following that up with a 6-6 season is certainly far off from the "glory days" that Sam referenced.

New Orleans Bowl - South Alabama vs Western Kentucky

Sam Wilson, who is from New Orleans, is the new Captain America.

In 2023, Conference-USA will look a LOT different. Gone are FAU, UTSA, UAB, Rice, North Texas, and Charlotte. Can Western Kentucky emerge as the new leader of C-USA? It's possible, among a group that will include Middle Tennessee State, Louisiana Tech, Liberty.

What is South Alabama's connection to Captain America? The schools initials are USA (University of South Alabama).

"Hey, let's do get help" - Thor to Loki in Thor Ragnorak

Guaranteed Rate Bowl - Wisconsin vs Oklahoma State

Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz has entered the transfer portal and will not play in this game, leaving Chase Wolf, an unproven backup with 31 career pass attempts (6 in 2022) to step in and start.

Oklahoma needs to get help, in a lot of ways. Cowboys started the year 5-0 and were ranked as high as #7, but lost 5 of 7 and 2 straight to end the regular season.

Las Vegas Bowl - Florida vs Oregon State

Remember when Florida QB Anthony Richardson was a Heisman front runner after a week 1 upset over Utah? Good times. Richardson has opted out of the Vegas Bowl, which means Gators need to "get help" as they turn to unproven backup Jack Miller III, formerly of Ohio State.

Other MCU References and Bowl Games

Gator Bowl - South Carolina vs Notre Dame

Thanos Bowl

As mentioned earlier, South Carolina beat Tennessee and Clemson in back-to-back weeks, preventing both from making the CFP. What a way to end the season if they could win a third straight against a prestigious, historically dominant school in Notre Dame.

Meanwhile, everyone hates a good villain right? Notre Dame is one of the most despised college football programs around the country. There is no middle ground. You either cheer for them or boo them.

New Mexico Bowl - SMU vs BYU

Thor was banished to New Mexico after disobeying his father's (Odin) orders.

BYU beat then-#9 Baylor week 2, before losing to Oregon. They were 4-1 and ranked 16th heading into a game against Notre Dame, which they lost 28-20. Before that loss, there was a thought that BYU could be a NY6 bowl game. But they also lost to East Carolina and Arkansas (both at home) and Liberty, making them unworthy of going anywhere other than New Mexico.

SMU lost to the top 3 teams in the AAC - Cincinnati, UCF, Tulane, meaning like BYU, they were also unworthy.

LendingTree Bowl - Southern Mississippi vs Rice

“If you try to escape, or play any sort of games with me, I will taze you and watch ‘Supernanny’ while you drool into the carpet.” – Agent Coulson, Iron Man 2

I love all bowl games equally. I swear. But this is a game featuring a 5-7 Rice team vs a 6-6 Southern Miss team that lost 3 of it's last 4.

Fenway Bowl - Cincinnati vs Louisville

Hulk Smash

Fenway Park is best known for the big green monster wall in left field. The Avengers have a big green monster, known as the Hulk.

Cincinnati vs Louisville have played 53 times and they play for a rivalry trophy known as the Keg of Nails. That Keg represents being tough as nails, strong as the Hulk.

"He's a friend from work!" - Thor to Hulk in Thor Ragnorak

Cincinnati hired away Scott Sattefield from Louisville, to be their new head coach. Satterfield will have no involvement in the bowl game, but is still a familiar face to Louisville players.

These programs are also familiar with each other having played together in the Big East and Conference USA.

Cure Bowl - Troy vs UTSA

In Iron Man 2, Tony Stark was dying due to palladium poisoning related to the incidents of the first movie. Later, he found a new element and was able to create a "cure" to save his life.

Troy won 5 games in each of the last 3 seasons, before hiring Jon Sumrall.

UTSA was a middle-to-bottom of the pack C-USA team, before Jeff Traylor showed up. He won 7 games in year 1 (2019), something UTSA had only done twice before, and won 11+ in back-to-back seasons.

Both Sumrall and Traylor are the "cure" to fix both programs, who are trending up.

General MCU Quotes

"Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?" - Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I personally love bowl games. I think there is meaning and significance to them, but not everyone agrees. Especially players. Many opt out, to begin draft prep or move on via transfer portal.

College Football Coaching Carousel – Alumni Style

 

College Athletic Directors are free to hire anyone they feel is qualified enough to run their football programs.

But what if that wasn’t the case? What if college ADs could ONLY hire qualified coaches who are an alum of the school?

In this hypothetical world, here is how the college football landscape would look.

Note – priority 1 is current college head coaches (over assistants or NFL coaches). Tried to use active coaches as best as I could. Current school coaches take precedence over hypothetical coaches.

ACC

School	New Coach	Current/previous jobs
Boston College	Brian Flores	Former Miami Dolphins head coach
Clemson	Tony Elliott	Current Virginia head coach and former Clemson OC
Duke	Bill Poggi	Current (new) Charlotte head coach
Georgia Tech	Brent Key*	Current Georgia Tech head coach
Florida State	Deion Sanders	Current Colorado head coach
Louisville	Jeff Brohm*	Current Louisville head coach
Miami	Mario Cristobol*	Current Miami head coach
NC State	Bill Cowher	Former Steelers head coach 1992-2006 and current CBS NFL analyst
North Carolina	Kevin Wilson	Current Tulsa head coach and former Indiana coach
Pittsburgh	Matt Campbell	Current Iowa State head coach
Syracuse	Randy Edsall	Former UConn head coach
Virginia	Derek Dooley	Former head coach at Tennessee
Virginia Tech	Shane Beamer	Current South Carolina head coach
Wake Forest	Josh Gattis	Current Maryland offensive coordinator

Notes:

• Clemson – current OC Tony Elliott
• Randy Edsall over Doug Marrone because Marrone previously coached Syracuse and opted to leave for NFL
• Current Titans HC Arthur Smith is a UNC alum
• Virginia Tech – current Bucs head coach Bruce Arians

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Big Ten

School	New Coach	Current/previous jobs
Illinois	N/A
Indiana	Rod Carey	Current Indiana OL coach and former Temple (and Northern Illinois) head coach
Iowa	Mark Stoops	Current Kentucky head coach
Maryland	Frank Reich	Current Carolina Panthers head coach
Michigan	Jim Harbaugh*	Current Michigan head coach
Michigan State	Pat Shurmur	Former NY Giants head coach
Minnesota	Marc Trestman	Former Chicago Bears, CFL and XFL head coach
Nebraska	Scott Frost	Former Nebraska coach
Northwestern	Pat Fitzgerald*	Current Northwestern coach
Ohio State	Luke Fickell	Former Cincinnati Bearcats head coach and former OSU Defensive Coordinator
Penn State	Matt Rhule	Current Nebraska head coach and former Baylor coach
Purdue	Kevin Sumlin	Former Arizona and Texas A&M head coach
Rutgers	Stephen Belichick	Current New England Patriots defensive assistant
Wisconsin	Mel Tucker	Current Michigan State head coach

Notes:

• Iowa – former Oklahoma HC Bob Stoops, current Illinois coach Bret Bielema, Nevada coach Jay Norvell
• Les Miles is also a Michigan man
• Michigan State – former Jets HC Adam Gase, Maryland OC Dan Enos
• Ohio State – Titans HC Mike Vrabel
• Wisconsin – Mich St HC Mel Tucker

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Big 12

School	New Coach	Current/previous jobs
Baylor	Blake Anderson	Current Utah State head coach (previously at Arkansas St)
BYU	Kalani Sitake*	Current BYU head coach
Cincinnati	Urban Meyer	Former Ohio State head coach
Iowa State	Chris Ash	Former Rutgers Head Coach
Kansas	Charlie Weis Jr	Current Ole Miss OC
Kansas State	Brent Venables	Current Oklahoma head coach
Houston	Clay Helton	Current Georgia Southern HC and former USC coach
Oklahoma	Josh Heupel	Current Tennessee head coach and former UCF coach
Oklahoma State	Mike Gundy*	Current Oklahoma State head coach since 2005
TCU	Dan Sharpe	Current TCU defensive coordinator
Texas	Major Applewhite	Former Houston Head Coach and current South Alabama OC
Texas Tech	Lincoln Riley	Current USC head coach
UCF	Tim Beck	Current Coastal Carolina head coach
West Virginia	Terry Bowden	Current Louisiana-Monroe head coach

Notes: Baylor – Buffalo coach Maurice Linguist, former NFL coach Mike Singletary Oklahoma alums – Josh Heupel’s 12-1 season with UCF in 2018 gives him the nod over current Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente Kansas State – former TCU coach Gary Patterson, Clemson DC Brent Venables Texas Tech alums – SMU coach Sonny Dykes, Baylor coach Dave Aranda, former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn, current AZ Cardinals and former Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury PAC-12

School	New Coach	Current/previous jobs
Arizona	Antonio Pierce	Current Arizona St LB Coach
Arizona State	Kenny Dillingham*	Current Arizona State head coach
California	Ron Rivera	Current Washington Commanders head coach
Colorado	Ryan Walters	Current Illinois head coach
Oregon	Justin Wilcox	Current Cal head coach
Oregon State	Jonathan Smith	Current Oregon State head coach
Stanford	David Shaw	Current Stanford head coach
UCLA	Karl Dorrell	Current Colorado head coach
USC	Jack Del Rio	Former Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders head coach
Utah	Gary Anderson	Former Utah State, Wisconsin, Oregon St head coach
Washington	Jim Mora Jr	Current UConn head coach
Washington St	N/A

Notes:

• UCLA – SJ St coach Brent Brennan
• Oregon State – Virginia coach Broncos Mendenhall

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SEC

School	New Coach	Current/previous jobs
Alabama	Dabo Swinney	Current Clemson head coach
Arkansas	Gus Malzahn	Current UCF head coach and former Auburn coach
Auburn	Tony Levine	Former Houston head coach
Florida	Jedd Fisch	Current Arizona head coach
Georgia	Kirby Smart*	Current Georgia head coach
Kentucky	Jon Sumrall	Current Troy head coach
LSU	N/A
Missouri	Jim Leavitt	Former USF head coach
Mississippi St	Joe Judge	Former NY Giants head coach
Ole Miss	Jay Hopson	Former Southern Miss head coach
South Carolina	Mark Dantonio	Former Michigan St head coach
Tennessee	Tee Martin	Current Tennessee offensive assistant
Texas A&M	Dan Campbell	Current Detroit Lions head coach
Vanderbilt	Clark Lea*	Current Vanderbilt head coach; previously Notre Dame defensive coordinator

Notes:

• Alabama – Duke head coach David Cutcliffe
• Arkansas – current FIU coach Butch Davis
• Florida – former Auburn coach Gene Chizik
• Texas A&M – former Broncos and Texans head coach Gary Kubiak and former Arkansas head coach Chad Morris
• Vanderbilt – former Texans head coach David Culley, current UNC coach Mack Brown

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AAC

School	New Coach	Current/previous jobs
Cincinnati	Urban Meyer	Former Ohio State and Florida head coach
East Carolina	Ruffin McNeil	Former ECU head coach and current Oklahoma defensive assistant
Houston	Clay Helton	Former USC head coach
Memphis	Keith Butler	Current Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator
Navy	Tom O’Brien	Former Boston College and NC St head coach
Temple	Todd Bowles	Current TB Bucs head coach
Tulane	N/A
Tulsa	GJ Kinne	Current Texas State head coach
UCF	Tim Beck	Current Coastal Carolina head coach
UConn	Kirk Ferentz	Current Iowa head coach
USF	N/A

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Independents

Army: Mike Sullivan (Most recently Denver Broncos QB Coach)

Notre Dame: Skip Holtz (Current Louisiana Tech head coach)

BYU: Kalani Sitake (Current BYU head coach since 2016).

Other options include Miss St coach Mike Leach, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian

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Mountain West

School	New Coach	Current/previous jobs
Air Force	Troy Calhoun*	Current Air Force head coach
Boise State	Andy Avalos*	Current Boise State head coach
Fresno State	Lane Kiffin	Current head coach at Ole Miss
Hawaii	Ken Niumatalolo	Former Navy head coach
New Mexico	Danny Gonzales*	Current New Mexico head coach
San Diego State	Herm Edwards	Former Arizona St head coach
San Jose State	Marcus Arroyo	Current UNLV head coach
UNLV	Shane Steichen	Current Indianapolis Colts head coach
Utah State	Matt Wells	Former Utah St and Texas Tech head coach
Wyoming	Chuck Pagano	Former Indianapolis Colts head coach

Notes:

• Boise St – former coach and current Auburn coach Bryan Harsin, current Minnesota OC Mike Sanford Jr, current Cowboys OC Kellen Moore
• Hawaii – Syracuse coach Dino Babers

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Conference USA

School	New Coach	Current/previous jobs
Marshall	Byron Leftwich	Former TB Bucs offensive coordinator
Middle Tennessee State	Walt Bell	Former UMass head coach
Rice	Jeremy Bates	Former NY Jets offensive coordinator
Southern Miss	Hugh Freeze	Current Auburn  head coach
Western Kentucky	Willie Taggart	Former FAU head coach

N/A: Florida International, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Old Dominion

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MAC

School	New Coach	Current/previous jobs
Akron	Charlie Frye	Current FAU OC
Ball State	Mike Neu*	Current Ball State head coach
Bowling Green	Dean Pees	Former Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator
Buffalo	Brent Pry	Current Virginia Tech head coach
Central Michigan	John Bonamego	Former Central Michigan head coach
Kent State	Nick Saban	GOAT
Miami Ohio	Sean McVay	Current LA Rams head coach
Northern Illinois	Thomas Hammock*	Current Northern Illinois coach
Toledo	Matt Eberflus	Current Chicago Bears head coach
Western Michigan	Tim Lester	Former WMU head coach

Notes:

• Ball St – SD St coach Brady Hoke
• Miami Ohio – Ravens coach John Harbaugh
• NIU – Minnesota coach PJ Fleck

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Sun Belt

Appalachian St: Shawn Clark*, Current Appalachian State head coach

Other options include Scott Satterfield (current Louisville and previous App St head coach) Paul Johnson (former Georgia Tech Head Coach) Steve Wilks, (long time NFL defensive assistant) Ron Prince (former Kansas St and current Howard head coach)

Louisiana-Lafayette: Michael Desormeaux*. Current Louisiana head coach 

 

College Football Week 2 – Conference Realignment

 

 

Alabama vs Texas

This is the marquee game of Week 2 and one of the top non-conference games for the entire 2022 season. Texas is 7-1-1 all-time vs Alabama, with Alabama’s lone win coming in their last meeting during the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, which the Tide won 37-21.

In 2022, this is a non-conference game between the SEC and Big 12, but beginning in 2024 (?) these teams will be playing in the same conference, as SEC rivals.

UCF vs Louisville

UCF has only been an FBS football team since 1996, and have been in 3 (soon 4) different conferences. In their first foray in conference play, UCF went 10-25 in three years in the MAC from 2002-2004. In 2005, they joined Conference USA as one of the teams tabbed to replace a group that left for the Big East. Among that group, was Louisville. They never overlapped in C-USA.

UCF played in C-USA from 2005-2012, before moving to the American Athletic Conference where they would soon replace, again, Louisville (among other teams).

2013 was a transition year, where UCF began AAC play and Louisville spent a lone year in the AAC (previously Big East) before their transition to the ACC.

UCF beat Louisville 38-35 in 2013 in the only ever conference matchup between these two schools.

UConn vs Syracuse

Better basketball game than football. UConn joined Big East football in 2004, after years of FCS/DII, where the two schools played until 2013. In 2022, this game features an Independent vs ACC.

Huskies have the all-time edge 6-5 (6-3 edge in Big East play).

Boston College vs Virginia Tech

Boston College and Virginia Tech each joined the Big East in 1991, after being Independent. In 2005, BC made the move to the ACC, one year after Virginia Tech went in 2004. This is an ACC conference game, that used to be a Big East conference game.

Hokies lead all-time series 19-11.

Houston vs Texas Tech

In 2023, Houston is expected to join the Big 12, where Texas Tech has played since 1996. Before ’96, Tech and Houston were conference rivals in the now-defunct Southwest Conference. From 1976-1995, both schools shared a conference, before Tech moved on to Big 12 and Houston moved on to Conference-USA and later AAC, before they finally join Tech in Big 12 soon.

Baylor vs BYU

Like Houston, BYU will be joining the Big 12 in 2023 and these two will likely become annual opponents.

This game takes place in Provo, Utah as a return game to a 38-24 Baylor win in 2021. BYU enters the game ranked #19. Previously, these two schools played a home-and-home series in 1983 and 1984, with the home team winning each one. Will that be the case here again?

Missouri vs Kansas State

This will be the first meeting between these schools since 2011. Missouri began playing in the SEC in 2012, after previously being in the Big 12 with K-State. Before the Big 12, the two schools also shared the Big Eight.

From 1914 through 2011, these teams played “almost” every year. Missouri holds an all-time series advantage, 60-32-5.

USC vs Stanford

This is the 101st meeting between “current” PAC-12 rivals. The first game was in 1905, but when will the next game be after USC leaves for the Big Ten in 2024?

Rumors suggest it may actually one day become a Big Ten conference game in the future? TBD…

2022 Cincinnati Bearcats Football Marvel Preview

 

In 2021, the Cincinnati Bearcats football team was loaded with superheroes, as they finished 13-1, with the only loss coming to the villainous Alabama Crimson Tide (consider Nick Saban college football’s Thanos) in the College Football Playoff.

What does the 2022 season have in store for the Bearcats? And what are the team’s weekly connections to the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

9/3 @ Arkansas – The Snap, Avengers: Infinity War

At the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos “won”. He filled his gauntlet with all 6 infinity stones and snapped his fingers, wiping away half of all living things.

When the Bearcats take the field on September 3rd, it might feel like Thanos snapped away half the team. Gone are Desmond Ridder, Sauce Gardner, Coby Bryant, Jerome Ford, Alec Pierce, Curtis Brooks and others who were major contributors to last year’s Playoffs team.

However, we learned in Avengers: Endgame, that the heroes left behind were still pretty capable and found a way to succeed. Maybe Cincinnati won’t be 13-0/CFP good in 2022, or maybe they will?

Tre Tucker, Wilson Huber, Ja’Von Hicks, Josh Whyle are among the return Bearcat Avengers, and will be joined by Ivan Pace Jr, Corey Kiner, Nick Mardner, among others.

9/10 vs Kennesaw St – Hulk Smash

With all due respect to Kennesaw State, who went 11-2 and reached the second round of the FCS Playoffs in 2021, this game should be a “Hulk Smash” game. Think about the way Hulk tossed Loki around at the end of the first Avengers movie or the way he pummeled Thor in Thor: Ragnarok, or you know, just about any non-Thanos opponent he faced.

9/17 vs Miami – Dormammu’s Time Loop, Doctor Strange

In the first Doctor Strange movie, Strange goes to fight Dormammu, and uses his powers to trap them both in a time loop. At one point, Strange says “We’ve been through this 1000 times”, as the same scene replays over and over again, eventually frustrating Dormammu as he realizes he has no chance to defeat Strange.

Sounds like the last 15 years of the Battle of the Victory Bell. Since 2006, every game has ended with the Bearcats ringing the bell. The overall series is tied at 59, with the Bearcats likely to finally break the tie in 2022.

With the Bearcats heading to the Big 12 in 2023, the future of this series may be in question?

9/24 vs Indiana – Mysterio’s Illusions, Spiderman: Far From Home

Hoosiers had a breakout year in 2020 and were ranked in the preseason top 25 at the start of 2021, with high expectations.

In Spiderman: Far From Home, Peter Parker fought Mysterio, who used the art of illusions to battle. Quentin Beck, aka, Mysterio, used drones to create illusions which helped give Mysterio a false sense of security and helped make him look like a hero, as opposed to a villain who was just trying to manipulate and fool everyone.

In 2020, Indiana may have used similar tactics, during the COVID year to go 6-1, including historic wins over Penn State and Michigan. The win over Penn State was just their second ever (in 26 chances) and the Michigan win was there first since 1988.

Apparently, it was all smoke and mirrors (or drones and illusions) as they crashed and burned to a 2-10 season in 2021.

When these teams met in week 3 of the 2021 season, Indiana led 14-0 with one of the program’s largest crowds ever. The stadium was on fire (quite literally it was 100 degrees that afternoon). That fire slowly went out, and the hot start felt like an illusion as Cincinnati outscored the Hoosiers 28-10 in the second half, on their way to a 38-24 victory.

10/1 @ Tulsa – Loki

Among his many nicknames, Loki is referred to as the God of Mischief and he has many powers. He can impersonate others, he can create an optical illusion that he is one place, when he is really another place. But mischief is the word I want to focus on.

Tulsa has been nothing but mischievous to Cincinnati in recent years. In 2020, the Bearcats won the AAC Championship in a game that came down to a last second field goal, despite being favored by 14+ points.

In 2021, again, the Bearcats were double-digit favorites and also hosted ESPN’s College Gameday. But once again, Tulsa came into Nippert Stadium with a mischievous attitude. Cincinnati’s defense got 8 consecutive stops inside the 5 yard line, preventing Tulsa from getting within a two point conversion of tying the game.

10/8 vs South Florida – Thor: Ragnorak

In the beginning of Thor: Ragnorak, after Thor and Loki reunite (for the third time?), they head to Earth to search for their father, Odin. In the process, Doctor Strange intervenes, as he has a list of all beings who may be dangerous to the planet, with Loki being one of them. As a result, he casts a spell that ends with Loki saying the following…

“I have been falling for 30 minutes.”

Kind of feels like USF football, huh?

Here are a couple of stats for you

• Jeff Scott is 3-18 overall and 1-14 in AAC play over the last two seasons
• Since starting 7-0 in 2018, the Bulls have LOST 26 out of 39 games played

It just feels like they have been falling for a while.

Another analogy to this movie, is that Thor, and Loki, are both stuck on this weird, random planet called Sakaar. In 2023, Cincinnati, along with UCF and Houston, will depart the AAC for Big 12. Without any big-time programs, the AAC may feel like Sakaar for USF – a random, weird conference that they are stuck in.

10/22 @ SMU – Aldrich Killian, Iron Man 3

In the third Iron Man movie, the villain got hot. I mean VERY hot. Aldrich Killian was literally breathing fire and then turned into a human fire ball, along with his disciples.

SMU is a team that tends to get hot, and then fails towards the end. Look at the last 5 years.

• 2017 – Started 6-2, lost 4 of last 5 to finish 7-6
• 2018 – 5-5 through 10 games, lost last 2 to fail to reach bowl eligibility
• 2019 – Started 8-0, ranked #15 before first loss, went 2-3 after that, to finish 10-3
• 2020 – Started 5-0, ranked #16, lost to Cincinnati, won 2 more and lost last 2 to finish 7-3
• 2021 – Started 7-0, lost 4 of 5 (including Cincinnati), to finish 8-4

A game at UCF is the only thing theoretically standing in between SMU being 6-0 entering their home game vs Cincinnati this season. Still, even at 5-1, they have a chance to continue this trend of downward spiraling after the Bearcats game.

10/29 @ UCF – Iron Man escapes purgatory, Iron Man

During this movie, which helped set the stage for the MCU as a whole, Tony Stark found himself trapped in a cave after being kidnapped by terrorists. You could say, he was stuck in purgatory and had to find a way out.

UCF and Cincinnati have represented the Group of 5 in NY6 bowl games in 4 of the last 5 years. However, the AAC has felt like purgatory, has felt like being stuck in a cave.

Like Stark in the cave, these teams had to find a way to dig themselves out, which they managed to do as they will both (along with Houston and BYU) will officially join the Big 12 in 2023.

At the end of the movie, Stark addressed the media, claiming “I am Iron Man”. From there, his whole life changed. For Cincinnati and UCF, proclaiming “I am Big 12” will change everything for these programs. UCF missed out on the playoffs in 2017 and 2018, while going undefeated in back-to-back seasons, while Cincinnati managed to make it in 2021. Big 12 will offer both schools much greater access, as well as more exciting schedules throughout the year.

11/5 vs Navy  – Captain America: First Avenger

Captain America: First Avenger was based on the 1940s and World War II. The Naval Academy was a significant player in WW2, so associating the football program and this movie is a small jump.

This will be the final meeting between the two before Cincinnati departs the AAC for Big 12. While their first conference matchup was in 2017, their first ever game was in 1940, a year before WW2. Navy won that game 14-0. When the two met in that 2017 game, the score looked a lot better than it truly was. Navy won 42-32, and ran for 622 yards.

11/26 vs Tulane – Captain America Falcon

With Steve Rodgers out of the picture in the MCU, Sam Wilson is the new Captain America. Sam is from Louisiana, as we learned during the Falcon and Winter Soldier Disney+ Series. Tulane is also from Louisiana.

The connection here is starting in 2023, Cincy, UCF, Houston will all leave the AAC and there will be a void at the top. While recent history hasn’t been kind to Tulane, there is an opportunity for them to emerge as the new top team, the new Captain America, if you will.

Still to come – East Carolina, Temple

What if Thanos Snapped Away College Football Teams

 

There are 131 FBS college football teams. In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos snapped away half of all living things. From a college football standpoint, half seems excessive, so what if we snap away 15% of all FBS teams (20 total).

Notre Dame -Yes, we’re starting off with the big one. In Avengers: Infinity War, some big names were snapped away, such as Black Panther and Spiderman. So why Notre Dame? 0-8 in BCS/CFP games since 2000 and they refuse to join a conference. Plus, ND starting QBs have lost 24 consecutive NFL games.

Auburn – It’s pretty simple. Alabama rules the state, so what is Auburn’s purpose? But more importantly, Auburn used to employ current Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, who is a horrible politician, horrible football coach, and horrible person. For that reason, Auburn is out.

Louisville – Louisville, KY is known for two things – the Derby and Bourbon. While football is a fun hobby and distraction, Louisville is, and forever will be, a basketball school first. Focus on that and bourbon, while waiting for the first Saturday in May.

Georgia Tech – no reason to have two teams playing in Atlanta and I want to see the Georgia State program continue to grow in the Sun Belt.

Indiana – When you think of the Indiana Hoosiers, you immediately think of basketball, and that’s okay. Indiana is a basketball state! Hoosiers football can go. They haven’t won a bowl game since 1991 and since 2015, have gone 0-4 in DRAMATIC fashion each time.

• 2015 Pinstripe Bowl
• 2016 Foster Farms Bowl
• 2019 Gator Bowl
• 2020 – Outback Bowl

Plus, as you can see from the main image, they can’t even spell their name right…

California – There are 7 FBS teams in the state of California, and if you ask me, the one with the least brand recognition, is the one literally named after the state. USC, UCLA, Stanford, Fresno State, San Diego State, and San Jose State come to mind, before Cal does.

West Virginia – Without the Mountaineers, there would be a lot less drunk children.

Colorado – Folsom Field has been in existence since 1924 and was last renovated in 2003. Colorado State’s beautiful new Canvas Stadium opened in 2017, which is why the Rams stay and the Buffaloes go extinct.

USF – University of SOUTH Florida is located in Tampa, which isn’t really considered south, especially when you consider 4 of the 6 other Florida schools are below USF. They share a stadium with the Bucs and don’t really get a lot of support. They were ranked #2 at one point in 2007 and haven’t been good since.

UConn – 2010 was the culmination of the Huskies’ peak. It was their fourth straight bowl appearance, and as Big East champs they appeared in the Fiesta Bowl under the old BCS format. Since than, they have produced 10 consecutive losing seasons and have 4 total wins since 2018. They left the AAC after 2019 to go Independent, because their basketball program moved on to the Big East. Without a conference affiliation, Huskies have nowhere to go except 6-6 and generic bowl games every couple of years.

Eastern Michigan – Ypsi is famous for being home to the first Dominos Pizza. It will no longer be famous for being the home of the Eastern Michigan Eagles football team.

East Carolina – There’s a North Carolina and a South Carolina. There is no East Carolina.

Temple – Owls have such little support that they play in an empty NFL stadium every week. They used to be so bad, that they got kicked out of the Big East after the 2004 season.

UNLV – Sorry, but there are better and more important things to do in Las Vegas, than support a college football team, especially now with NFL and NHL pro teams in town.

Bowling Green – Western Kentucky plays in Bowling Green, Kentucky and Bowling Green plays in Bowling Green, Ohio. Why are there two teams playing in Bowling Green in two different states? Ohio has plenty of other teams.

Rice – Same deal as noted earlier. Houston doesn’t need two college programs, especially when they also have an NFL team (kind of) to support.

Liberty – Did you know the state of Virginia has 5 college football teams, and three of the cities end in “burg”. Liberty plays in Lynchburg, and has a racist President, which is enough of a reason to wipe them off the map.

Florida International – FIU is located in Miami. I know, Miami loves it’s football, but do they really need two college teams plus a pro team?

New Mexico State – Two winning seasons since 2000 and 1 bowl game appearance since 1960. Does the state of New Mexico seriously need two college football teams? (honestly, do they even need 1?)

UMass – Minutemen have been an FBS team since 2012, and have yet to produce a winning record, or even win more than 4 games in a season. They have an overall FBS record of 20-92. Gross.

50 Fun Facts About 2022 Cincinnati Bearcats and Their Opponents

 

Week 1 @ Arkansas (9/3)

• Cincinnati has gone 22-2 over the last two seasons (20 straight regular season wins).
• Both losses have come against the SEC (Georgia, Alabama) – 17-46-3 all-time vs SEC
• 11 straight week 1 wins (last loss Fresno State, 2010)
• Last SEC win – 2011 Liberty Bowl (12/31/11) – beat Vanderbilt 31-24. Kentucky in 1996 in the last regular season win vs SEC.
• First meeting between schools
• Cincinnati is 6-4 under Luke Fickell against Power 5 schools (6 wins – UCLA (2018, 2019), Virginia Tech (2018), Boston College (2019), Indiana (2021), Notre Dame (2021); 4 losses – Michigan (2017), Ohio State (2019), Georgia (2020), Alabama (2021)
• Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman was OT/TE Coach at Cincinnati in 1996. Those Bearcats went 6-5 and former NFL head coach Rex Ryan was Defensive Coordinator.

Week 2 vs Kennesaw State (9/10)

• First home game of 2022 – Cincinnati has won 27 consecutive games at Nippert Stadium
• First ever meeting between schools
• KSU Defense Coordinator Danny Verpaele played for South Florida from 2004-2008. In Cincy’s 2006 win over USF, Verpaule had 3 total tackles.

Week 3 vs Miami Ohio (9/17)

• All-time series is tied at 59-59-1
• Cincinnati has won 15 in a row, dating back to 2006. Remembering the year Miami last won
• Linebacker Ivan Pace Jr transferred from Miami to Cincinnati after the 2021 season. Pace was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and his 125 tackles led the MAC and were 10th in the country. Pace Jr is the younger brother of Cincy LB/S Deshawn Pace
• In 4 games since Luke Fickell took over (since 2017), Cincinnati has outscored Miami 31.5 – 11

Week 4 vs Indiana (9/24)

• Cincinnati trailed 14-0 in the second quarter during their 2021 meeting. They outscored Hoosiers 28-10 in the second half and ultimately won 38-24.
• Cincinnati recently received a commitment from 2023 DB Daeh McCullogh, who was previously committed to IU, and would have been the third highest ranked recruit in school history.
• Tre Tucker had his second career kick return TD during the third quarter of this game.
• Cincy defense forced 3 interceptions, 2 from players who return in 2022 – D. Pace and Arquon Bush. (Bryan Cook had the other INT).

Week 5 vs Tulsa (10/1)

• Cincinnati won 2021 regular season game (28-20) on a goal line stand in the final minute, in a game that included ESPN’s College Gameday on Cincinnati’s campus for the first time ever
• Rematch of 2020 AAC Championship Game, which Cincinnati won 27-24.
• All-time series even at 17-17-2
• Cincinnati is 4-1 in AAC play
• Lone AAC loss came in the 2016 finale. Cincinnati lost 40-37 in overtime, in what would be the final game of Tommy Tuberville’s coaching career.

Week 6 vs South Florida (10/8)

• Since both teams joined from C-USA in 2005, Cincy is 11-6 vs Bulls (12-7 all-time including 2 C-USA games in 2003 and 2004). This will be the final conference meeting between the schools.
• Cincinnati has won 4 in a row, after previously losing 3 in a row (2015-2017).
• During that losing streak, Cincinnati was outscored by an average of 47-16. (trailed 51-3 at halftime in 2015).

Week 8 @ SMU (10/22)

• Cincinnati leads all-time series 5-1
• Lost 31-28 in overtime in 2017, during Fickell’s first year. SMU completed a miraculous 3rd and 26 and later kicked game-winning field goal
• 2018 Cincinnati win was thanks to a James Wiggins pick six in overtime
• 2020 Cincinnati win was the emergence of Desmond Ridder. Cincinnati led 14-10 at the half, and then outscored SMU 28-3 in the second half. Ridder had a 91 yard touchdown run, one of 3 TD runs and 179 yards rushing total.
• 2021 Cincinnati win was also a route, 48-14 (it was 41-0 entering the 4th). Ridder threw 3 TDs, ran for 1 and even caught one.

Week 9 @ UCF (10/29)

• 4-3 all-time vs UCF, including 3 straight wins
• Won 36-33 in Orlando in 2020 – first road win in series for Cincinnati.
• Between 2016-2018, Cincinnati lost 3 straight and outscored 113-39 (average of 37-13)
• Cincinnati won the first ever meeting 52-7 in 2015
• Final AAC meeting, but not final conference meeting. Both teams joining Big 12 in 2023
• UCF is the reason Cincinnati made the CFP in 2021.

Week 10 vs Navy (11/5)

• 2-3 all-time vs Navy and 2-1 in AAC play
• The 1 loss came in 2017 in historic fashion as Navy won 42-32 and ran for 569 yards as a team
• Since that loss, Cincy has won the last two by an average of 34-10.

Week 11 vs East Carolina (11/11)

• Cincinnati is 12-13 all-time vs ECU and 7-1 in AAC play
• Despite the strong conference record, it has not always been easy. Bearcats won on a last second field in 2019 (on road) AND 2015 (at Paul Brown Stadium).
• Cincinnati has won 4 straight games, since a blow out road loss (48-20) in Fickell’s first season in 2017.

Week 12 @ Temple (11/19)

• Cincinnati is 9-13-1 all-time vs Temple
• Both teams are even at 4-4 in AAC play, though Cincinnati technically has an edge at 5-4, having won in 2012 when Temple joined the Big East, one year before the conference rebranded as the American Athletic Conference.
• After losing 4 in a row (2015-2018), Cincinnati won 15-13 in their final home game in 2019, to clinch their division and a spot in the conference championship game two weeks later. The difference in this game was a Coby Bryant interception return on a two point conversion.
• First-year Temple head coach Stan Drayton was RB Coach at Ohio State from 2012-14, while Luke Fickell was on staff as Defensive Coordinator. 2014 Buckeyes beat Bearcats 50-28.

Week 13 vs. Tulane (11/26)

• Cincinnati is 4-0 in AAC play vs Tulane, but just 7-11 all-time.
• Last loss vs Tulane was 2002.
• Last home loss? 1998. Cincinnati lost 52-34. That Bearcats team lost their first 9 games (finished 2-9 and 0-6 in C-USA play).

College Football Week 1 – Reunions and Rematches

 

College football is BACK! And week 1 is all about getting together with old friends and enemies.

Coaching Reunions

Week 1 features 7 games that involve some type of coaching reunion or storyline.

Notre Dame vs Ohio State

Marcus Freeman’s first regular season game as Notre Dame head coach will come against the school he spent 4 years playing linebacker for from 2004-2008. Freeman was a 5th round NFL Draft pick in 2009.

He played 39 games (all 13 a season) from 2006-2008. In 2007, Freeman was second on the team in tackles (109) behind only James Laurinaitis. In 2008, he was third on the team in sacks (3.5). In both 2007 and 2008, he was named All-Big Ten Second Team. Freeman had a very successful career at Ohio State.

Freeman worked as defensive coordinator at Cincinnati from 2017-2020, before moving on to Notre Dame. Ironically, he worked under Luke Fickell, who was the OSU DC while Freeman played there. He was ND defensive coordinator in 2021 and made his official coaching debut in the Fiesta Bowl, a 37-35 loss to Oklahoma State on New Year’s Day.

It’s a little ironic that Freeman’s first game at Notre Dame was the Fiesta Bowl, and that’s how he begins his full-time career. The last two times Ohio State and Notre Dame faced each other, the Buckeyes won the Fiesta Bowl – 44-28 in 2016 and 34-20 in 2006.

Georgia vs Oregon

Oregon’s first year head coach Dan Lanning coordinated the highly touted Georgia Bulldogs defense during their historic run to the 2022 National Championship victory. Now, Lanning’s first game as head coach of the Ducks comes against those Bulldogs.

He was part of Kirby Smart’s coaching staff from 2018-2021, serving as DC the last 3 years.

New Mexico State vs Minnesota

New Mexico State has very little football history, but they made a really exciting coaching hire this past off-season by bringing in veteran Jerry Kill. Kill will make his coaching debut against Minnesota, with whom he previously coached for and went 29-29 between 2011-2015, including an 0-3 bowl record.

New Mexico State would love to go 0-3 in bowl games, considering they have only been to 1 bowl game since 1960.

Old Dominion vs Virginia Tech

This is the “Penn State Coordinators Bowl”, between two coaches with a lot of familiarity with each other.

In 2019, Penn State finished 11-2 with a win in the Cotton Bowl. They were led by Offensive Coordinator Ricky Rahne, who enters his second season as Old Dominion head coach and their defensive coordinator was Brent Pry, who will be entering his first season as Virginia Tech head coach.

Rahne led ODU to the school’s first ever bowl game in 2021, and finished 6-7. Pry takes over a Hokies team that is used to success, but hasn’t won 10 games since 2016 and is coming off of back-to-back losing records for the first time since 1991-1992.

Georgia State vs South Carolina

Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliot has a shot at revenge.

In 2015, South Carolina finished 3-9 and Hall of Fame coach Steve Spurrier resigned after 6 games. He was replaced mid-season by co-OC/OL coach Shawn Elliott, who went 1-5 as interim head coach. Elliott stayed on with the Gamecocks in 2016, serving as OL coach, before being hired by Georgia State in 2017. He has compiled a 30-30 record in 5 seasons, reaching 4 bowl games (3-1 record).

Liberty vs Southern Miss

Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze has never coached at Southern Miss, but he did graduate from there in 1992.

Utah vs Florida

There is no direct connection between Utah coach Whittingham and new Florida head coach Billy Napier, but the cloud of Urban Meyer hovers over both schools.

Meyer went 22-2 in two seasons at Utah, going 12-0 and winning the Fiesta Bowl in 2004. He left after that season for Florida, where he went 65-15 and won 2 BCS National Championship Games.

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Backyard Brawl Reunions

For the first time since 2011, West Virginia and Pittsburgh will play each other in football. Let’s go!

Big East Reunion

This is a legendary rivalry, known as the Backyard Brawl, which dates back to 1895. Conference expansion/realignment ruined this, when both left the Big East – West Virginia for the Big 12 in 2013 and Pittsburgh for the ACC in 2012.

Pitt leads the all-time series 61-40-3. Mountaineers won the last 3 meetings and 5 of 7 overall.

USC QBs Reunite

This game is also a reunion of USC quarterbacks – JT Daniels and Kedon Slovis.

In 2019, JT Daniels, then a sophomore, entered the season at USC expecting to be the starting QB. He started the Trojans’ week 1 win against Fresno State, but left early with a knee injury. Kedon Slovis replaced him, and would start the next 12 games. Two years later, Slovis has transferred to Pittsburgh and Daniels, after a brief stop at Georgia, is now at West Virginia, where he reunites with offensive coordinator Graham Harrell, who coached both QBs at USC.

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Basketball Rematches

Colorado St vs Michigan

This isn’t that exciting of a football game, but it is a rematch of the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, where 11th seeded Michigan “upset” 6th seeded Colorado State, 75-63.

If there was an upset in this game, it would rank pretty high on the list of all-timers.

Illinois vs Indiana

Two schools who had a rough 2021 football season, but some success in 2022 basketball season. In the 2022 Big Ten Tournament, #9 Indiana upset #1 Illinois, a win that essentially secured their spot in the field of 68.

Temple vs Duke

Another not very exciting football game in 2022, but there is some football history, in addition to the basketball history. They met once in football back in 2018 when Duke won the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl 56-27.

More notably, there are two NCAA Tournament matchups between the schools. Duke beat Temple in the 1988 Final Four and won again in 1999 in the Elite 8, to advance to the Final Four.

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Hindsight NFL Draft Report: Revisiting 2016 Trades for Jared Goff and Carson Wentz

2016 NFL Draft was supposed see the Tennessee Titans pick first, followed by the Cleveland Browns picking second. Both teams traded down, allowing the LA Rams and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively, to trade up and grab their franchise quarterbacks.

But the NFL Draft is a complicated event. Rams/Titans and Eagles/Browns trades became bigger than just those respective teams and just a few players.

Those two trades ultimately turned into 17 trades, involving 16 teams and 49 players across five different drafts (2016-2021).

In it’s simplest form, here are the 17 trades that resulted in the Rams and Eagles moving up in 2016 to draft their QBs.

1. Rams/Titans
2. Eagles/Browns
3. Rams/Bears
4. Titans/Browns
5. Eagles/Vikings
6. Browns/Panthers
7. Browns/Raiders
8. Browns/Texans
9. Browns/Colts
10. Browns/Patriots
11. Vikings/Chiefs
12. Vikings/Redskins
13. Broncos/Titans
14. Bears/Patriots
15. Patriots/Lions
16. Vikings/Patriots
17. Patriots/Jets

In a more complicated layout, here are the details and the 49 players.

Los Angeles Rams

1. Rams acquired the #1 pick in the 2016 draft from the Titans, along with a fourth (#113) and sixth (#177). Rams traded #15, 43, 45, 76 and 2017 first and third round picks.

• 2017 #1 (via Titans) – Jared Goff
• 113 (via Titans) – Traded to Bears
• 177 (via Titans) – TE Temarrick Hemingway 

3. Rams traded 2016 pick #113 to Chicago for a fourth (#117) and sixth round pick (#206).

• 117 (via Bears) – WR/KR Pharoh Cooper
• 206 (via Bears) – WR Mike Thomas (not that Mike Thomas)

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Tennessee Titans

1. Titans traded the #1 pick in 2016 (plus a 2017 fifth round pick) for the following picks – #15, 43, 45, 76 and 2017 first (#5) and third (#100) round picks

• 2016 #15 (via Rams) – Traded to Browns
• 2016 #43 (via Rams) – DT Austin Johnson
• 2016 #43 (via Rams) – RB Derrick Henry
• 2016 #76 (via Rams) – Traded to Browns
• 2017 #5 (via Rams) – WR Corey Davis
• 2017 #100 (via Rams) – TE Jonnu Smith

4. After moving back to #15, Titans moved up in a trade with Cleveland Browns. They traded #15 and 76, both acquired from Rams to move up to #8.

• 2016 #8 (via Browns, Eagles, Dolphins) – OT Jack Conklin
• 2016 #176 (via Browns) – Traded to Broncos

13. Titans traded 2016 #176 and a sixth round pick in 2017 to the Broncos for 2016 #253

• 2016 #253 (via Broncos) – CB Kalen Reed

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Philadelphia Eagles

2. Eagles acquired the #2 pick in 2016 from Browns, along with a 2017 fifth round (#139) pick. Eagles traded #8, third (77), and fourth (100), plus 2017 first and second

• 2016 #2 (via Browns) – QB Carson Wentz
• 2017 #139 (via Browns) – Traded to Vikings, then Chiefs

5. Eagles traded #139 to the Vikings, along with #230 to move up to #132.

• 2017 #132 (via Vikings, Chiefs) – RB Donnell Pumphrey

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Cleveland Browns

2. Browns moved back from #2 (and traded a 2017 fifth rounder) in exchange for the following picks – #8, third (77), and fourth (100), plus 2017 first round and 2018 second round pick

• 2016 #8 (via Eagles) – Traded to Titans
• 2016 #77 (via Eagles, Browns) – Traded to Panthers
• 2016 #100 (via Eagles) – Traded to Raiders
• 2017 #12 (via Eagles) – Traded to Texans
• 2018 #64 via Eagles) – Traded to Colts

4. Browns traded #8 and a sixth (176) to the Titans for #15 and #76 and a 2017 second round pick

• 2016 #15 (via Titans, Eagles) – WR Corey Coleman
• 2016 #76 (via Titans, Rams) – OT Shon Coleman
• 2017 #52 (via Titans) – QB DeShone Kizer

6. Browns traded #77 (acquired from Eagles) along with a fifth round pick (141) to the Panthers for a third (#93), fourth (#129), and fifth (#168) round pick

• 2016 #93 (via Panthers) – QB Cody Kessler
• 2016 #129 (via Panthers) – S Derrick Kindred
• 2016 #168 (via Panthers) – OT Spencer Drago

7. Browns traded pick #100 (acquired from Eagles) to the Raiders for fourth (114) and fifth (154) round picks.

• 2016 #114 (via Raiders) – WR Ricardo Louis
• 2016 #154 (via Raiders) – WR Jordan Payton

8. Browns traded 2017 first round pick (#12 overall – acquired from Eagles) to the Texans, in exchange for first round picks in 2017 (#25) and 2018 (#4)

• 2017 #25 (via Texans) – S Jabril Peppers
• 2018 #4 (via Texans) – CB Denzel Ward

9. Browns traded 2018 second round pick (#64 overall – the final pick acquired from Eagles) to the Colts for a third (#67) and sixth (#178) round picks.

• 2018 #67 (via Colts) – DE Chad Thomas
• 2018 #178 (via Colts) – Traded to Patriots

10. Browns traded 2018 pick #178, and a fourth round pick (#114) to the Patriots for a fourth round pick (#105)

• 2018 #105 (via Patriots) – WR Antonio Callaway

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Chicago Bears

3. Bears acquired 2016 pick #113 from the Rams for a fourth (#117) and sixth round pick (#206).

• 2016 #113 (via Rams, Titans) – LB Nick Kwiatkoski 

14. Bears acquired 2019 #73 from Patriots and a sixth (#205) round pick for a third (#87), fifth (162), and a 2020 fourth round pick

• 2019 #73 (via Patriots) – RB David Montgomery
• 2019 #205 (via Patriots) – CB Duke Shelley

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Denver Broncos

13. Broncos traded 2016 #253 to the Titans for #176 and a sixth round pick in 2017

• 2016 #153 (via Titans) – FB Andy Janovich
• 2017 #203 (via Titans) – RB De’Angelo Henderson

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Minnesota Vikings

5. Eagles traded 2017 #139 to the Vikings, along with #230 to move up to #132.

• 2017 #139 (via Eagles) – Traded to Chiefs
• 2017 #230 (via Eagles) – Traded to Redskins

11. Vikings traded #139 (acquired from Eagles, via Browns) to the Chiefs for 2 fifth round picks (#170, #180)

• 2017 #170 (via Chiefs) – WR Rodney Adams
• 2017 #180 (via Chiefs) – OG Danny Isidora

12. Vikings traded a sixth (199) and #230 to Redskins for a sixth (201) and seventh (220) round pick

• 2017 #201 (via Redskins) – TE Bucky Hodges
• 2017 #220 (via Redskins) – DE Ifeadi Odenigbo 

16. Vikings acquired 2019 #162 and #239 from Patriots for a fifth round pick (#159)

• 2019 #162 (via Patriots) – LB Cameron Smith
• 2019 #239 (via Patriots) – WR Dillon Mitchell

Kansas City Chiefs

11. Chiefs acquired pick #139 from the Vikings (previously belonging to the Eagles and before them the Browns) in exchange for two fifth round picks

• 2017 #139 (via Vikings, Eagles, Browns) – WR Jehu Chesson

Washington Redskins

12. Redskins acquired 2017 #230 from Vikings, along with #199 and traded #201 and #220

• 2017 #199 (via Vikings) – C Chase Roullier 
• 2017 #230 (via Vikings) – S Josh Harvey-Clemons 

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Carolina Panthers

6. Panthers acquired 2016 picks #77 and 141 for third, fourth, and fifth round picks

• 2016 #77 (via Browns) – CB Daryl Worley
• 2016 #141 (via Browns) – CB Zach Sanchez

Oakland Raiders

7. Raiders acquired 2016 pick #100 from Browns for a fourth and fifth round pick.

• 2016 #100 (via Browns, Eagles) – QB Connor Cook

Houston Texans

8. Texans acquired 2017 #12 pick in exhange for their 2017 first (#25) and 2018 first (#4).

• 2017 #12 (via Browns) – QB Deshaun Watson

Indianapolis Colts

9. Colts acquired a second round pick (#64) from the Browns in 2018 in exchange for #67 and #178

• 2018 #64 (via Browns, Eagles) – DE Tyquan Lewis

New England Patriots

10. Patriots traded a 2018 fourth round pick to the Browns for #114 and #178

• 2018 #114 (via Browns) – Traded to Lions
• 2018 #178 (via Browns) – LB Christian Sam

15. Patriots traded #114 to the Lions for a third round pick in 2019

• 2019 #73 – Traded to Bears

14. Bears acquired 2019 #73 from Patriots and a sixth (#205) round pick for a third (#87), fifth (162), and a 2020 fourth round pick

• 2019 #87 (via Bears) – RB Damien Harris
• 2019 #162 (Via Bears) – Traded to Vikings
• 2020 #125 (via Bears) – Traded to Jets

16. Patriots acquired 2019 fifth round pick (#159) from Vikings for #162 and #239

• 2019 #159 (via Vikings) – DT Byron Cowart

17. Patriots acquired 2020 third round pick and a 2021 sixth round pick from Jets for a third round pick (#125)

• 2020 #125 (via Jets) – TE Dalton Keene

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Detroit Lions

15. Lions traded a third round pick in 2019 to acquired pick #114 in 2018

• 2018 #114 (via Patriots) – DT De’Shawn Hand

New York Jets

17. Jets acquired 2020 fourth round pick (#125) from Patriots for 2020 third round (#101) and a 2021 sixth round pick

• 2020 #125 (via Patriots) – QB James Morgan

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Summary

This trade is not over! The Patriots acquired a 2021 sixth round pick from the Jets.

The 2016 #8 pick was traded 3 times between 4 teams

• Initially owned by the Dolphins, they traded #8 to the Eagles for #13, CB Byron Maxwell, and LB Kiko Alonso
• Eagles traded #8 to the Browns, to move up to #2 to draft QB Carson Wentz Browns traded #8 to the Titans, who went from 1 to 15 to 8 (Browns went 2 to 8 to 15)
• Titans drafted OT Jack Conklin

Titans received two picks from the Browns (trade 4) – both players are now members of the Browns as of 2020 off-season – OT Jack Conklin and FB Andy Janovich.

Does that all make sense? Does your head hurt as much as mine did writing and researching this?

What to Know About Conference Tournaments – 2022

 

MIKEDROPSPORTS is excited for coverage of the 2022 NCAA Tournament and March Madness, also known as MIKEDROP MADNESS.

This article highlights some history and fun facts around each conference tournament, with a focus on of the top contenders.

ACC

Duke is the favorite entering the 2022 Tournament, and already have the most Championships among ACC teams with 21. Their most recent win was 2019 and they are 21-12 overall in championship games.

North Carolina has the second most championships (18) and NC State is third (10). No one else has more than 4.

That includes Georgia Tech, who won the 2021 Championship Game (for the 4th time in school history), by beating Florida State.

Notre Dame (2015) and Miami (2013) each have 1 Championship win.

Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Louisville, Boston College, Pittsburgh, Clemson are the six schools who have never won ACC Tournament Championship.

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Big 12

Half the teams in the Big 12 have never won the conference tournament, including 2021 National Champion Baylor (0-3), top ten Texas Tech (0-1), West Virginia (0-3), Kansas State (0-3).

The last team is TCU, who is the only team to never reach the Big 12 Championship Game.

Not only has Texas Tech never won the conference tournament, but among active Big 12 schools, they have the worst tournament win percentage (37% – 14-24 overall).

Kansas has 11 tournament championships (6 more than the second place team, Iowa State) and an overall win percentage of 80% (47-12 all-time in Big 12 tournament games). Overall, Kansas is 11-3 in Championship Games.

Texas won the 2021 Championship, the school’s first (previous 0-6).

Iowa State is an impressive 5-0 all-time in Championship Games.

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Big 10

Michigan State has won the most championships with 6 (6-1 all-time), with 4 of those coming since 2012.

Michigan has highest tournament win % (65% – 32-17)

Illinois won the 2021 Championship, their third all-time.

7 teams have never won the championship – Indiana, Rutgers, Maryland, Northwestern, Nebraska, Penn State, Minnesota

Purdue has just 1 championship (2009)

Wisconsin is 3-4 in the Championship Game, but haven’t won since 2015.

Northwestern has the worst overall win percentage (27% – 9-24)

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PAC-12

Oregon State surprisingly won the 2021 Championship, the first in school history. They were the first non Oregon/Arizona team to win since UCLA won in 2014.

With Oregon State’s 2021 win, only 4 teams have never won the Championship – Arizona State, Utah, California, Washington State.

Arizona (7) and Oregon (5) have the most PAC-12 Championships, and have combined to win over half of the total Championship Games (23 all-time).

Arizona has appeared in 11 (out of 23), while Oregon has appeared in 7.

UCLA has the third most wins (4)

USC is 1-4 all-time in Championship, last winning in 2009.

Washington State has the worst overall record (22% – 6-21).

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SEC

Kentucky has won 31 SEC Championship Games, including 6 of the last 11. Kentucky has not reached the Finals in the last two tournaments.

Alabama won the 2021 Championship, their first since 1991 and their 7th all-time (second most among SEC schools).

Missouri, South Carolina, and Texas A&M have never won the Championship.

LSU (1980) and Arkansas (2000) each have just 1 championship win.

Auburn recently won in 2019, their first win since 1985.

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Big East

Georgetown shockingly won the 2021 Championship, despite entering the tournament with a 9-12 record. It was their first win since 2007 and broke a tie with UConn to give them the most championships among active Big East teams with 8 overall.

Creighton (0-3) and Xavier (0-1) are win-less in championship games, while Marquette, Butler, and Depaul have never appeared.

Villanova has dominated the “new” Big East, winning 4 of 6 Championships since 2015 (overall, Villanova has won 5 total championships).

Providence has won 2 championships, with the last coming in 2014 (last appeared in 2018).

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AAC

Houston won the 2021 Championship, their first in AAC and first since 2010 (C-USA).

2016 is the last time Cincinnati did not reach the Championship Game (2-2 during their 4 year run).

SMU and Cincinnati are tied with the most championships (2 each). .

2013 is the last time Memphis won a conference tournament championship (C-USA).

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Mountain West

San Diego State won in 2021 and has the most Championships (6) and Finals appearances (13).

Colorado State (2003) and Wyoming (2015), who are among the favorites in 2022, have each won 1 Championship

Boise State is among the teams who have never won, nor appeared in the Championship. They are 5-9 overall in the tournament.

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WCC

Gonzaga has appeared has in 27 all-time Championship Games and is 19-8 in those games. Their 2021 win was their second straight and 8th in the last 9 years.

Saint Mary’s has the second most Championships (4-9 championship game record).

BYU is 0-4 in WCC Championship Games, after being 1-5 in MWC Championship Games.

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Atlantic 10

Davidson has 1 A-10 Championship (2018).

Among active A-10 teams, UMass (5) has the most championships.

St. Bonaventure won the 2021 Championship.

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America East

Vermont is tied with Northeastern for most Championships all-time (7) and last won in 2019. 

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America Sun

Liberty has won the last 3 Championships

Jacksonville and Jacksonville State have never won

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Big Sky

Montana leads the way with 11 Championships in 20 appearances

Montana State has won 2 (last in 1998)

Southern Utah has never won 

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Big South

Winthrop (13) has the most all-time championships and have won the last two. 

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Big West

Long Beach State, currently in first, has the most Championships among active schools (5), with the last win coming in 2012. 

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Colonial

Among active members, UNC-Wilmington has the most Finals appearances (10) and Championships (6). 

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Conference-USA

Among active teams, only 2 teams have more than 1 championship – Charlotte and Middle Tennessee each have 2.

North Texas won the 2021 Championship.

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Horizon

Cleveland State won their second championship in 2021.

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MAAC

Since 2016, Iona has won 5 of 6 Championships and are 13-6 all-time in Championship Games. 

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MEAC

2021 Champion Norfolk State, is the favorite to win again in 2022.

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MAC

Ohio is tied with Ball State for most Championship wins (7). Ohio won it in 2021.

Kent State has the second most (6), with their latest win coming in 2017.

Toledo has just 1 Tournament Championship, back in 1980.

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Missouri Valley

Loyola Chicago is new to the conference, but won the Tournament in 2018 and 2021.

Northern Iowa (5) is tied for most Championships among active schools (tied with Southern Illinois).

Missouri State won their one and only championship in 1992.

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Northeast

Bryant, among the favorites to win in 2022, reached the NEC Finals for the first time in 2021, losing to Mount Saint Mary’s.

Also among the favorites is Wagner, who won their only championship in 2003 (lost 4 times total – 3 since 2003)

Among active NEC teams, 3 are tied with 6 Championships – Long Island, Fairleigh Dickinson, Mount Saint Mary’s.

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Ohio Valley

Murray State, currently ranked in the top 20, has the most all-time OVC Championships with 17. Most recent title was 2019.

Despite winning the regular season 8 times since 2013, Belmont has just 3 Championships during that time.

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Patriot

Bucknell and Holy Cross are tied for most Championships (6).

Colgate has won 2 of the last 3 (2021, 2019) and has won 4 all-time

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Southern

Chattanooga enters the 2022 Tournament as the #1 seed, and has the most Championships of all-time (11). Their last one came in 2016.

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Southland

Nicholls St has won 2 Championships (1998, 1995)

In the last 7 Tournaments, Abilene Christian and Stephen F. Austin have combined for 6 Championships (2 ACU and $ SFA) but both teams are now members of the WAC.

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SWAC

Texas Southern and Southern U are tied with 9 Championships all-time. Texas Southern won in 2021.

Alcorn State is second with 7 Championships, and their last coming in 2002.

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Summit

South Dakota State and North Dakota State are tied with 5 Championships all-time. Before 2021, these two schools had combined to win 9 straight Tournament Championships.

Oral Roberts has the second most with 4.

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Sun Belt

Georgia State has won 3 Championships, all since 2015 (won 3 of last 6 Tournaments).

Appalachian State won their first Championship in 2021.

Texas State has never won Sun Belt Tournament.

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WAC

New Mexico State has the most Championships (9), with 8 coming in the last 11 Tournaments (since 2010). During their 9 NCAA Tournament appearances since 2007 as WAC Champions, they are 0-9.