Kid made a stupid choice to contact a cop who arrested him. There are countless guys in NFL who have done worse. Kid will play again. He’s an elite DB , Alabama’s best, and probably wouldn’t go lower than a 2nd round pick in NFL draft. He’s got a year of eligibility left who needs him more? As a Colorado fan I’d love for Deion to give him a chance.

State has to be on one of the unluckiest runs in College Football right now.

2016 - AD Scott Stricklin (State alum) leaves for Florida
2017 - Mullen gets hired away by former AD to Florida
2018 - State hires Joe Moorhead - an “Offensive Guru” OC from Penn State
2019 - Moorhead fired for underperformance with below average offenses and a lot of wasted talent on defense
2020 - State hires Mike Leach
2021 - honestly a pretty fun season but lost to Memphis on a horrible officiating call on a punt return. NIL begins in college sports, but State had an AD that sat on his hands and fell behind quickly
2022 - AD John Cohen (former State baseball player and coach) leaves for Auburn. Mike Leach Tragically passes away a few days after the egg bowl, just before signing day.
2023 - State (without an AD) promotes DC Zach Arnett to Head Coach at an attempt to keep continuity from the Leach era. Fired after 10 games for underperformance, poor offensive staff hirings, and honestly because he was in over his head
2024 - State hires Jeff Lebby. Goes 2-10 in first season with a home loss to Toledo
2025 - underwhelming season after a decent start. A few games with blown chances to win late in the 4th quarter (Texas, Tennessee, Florida)
2026 - after a super hot start, national hype, and Heisman level QB play, Kamario gets hurt and State rolls out a redshirt freshman walkon QB in relief. Fanbase starts to question Lebby and his decision making.

Just a brutal 10 year stretch. It’s Hail State forever, but I bet this team has already knocked a few years off my life. Family.

Box Score provided by ESPN

Box Score provided by ESPN

Please keep trash talk civil, and report any comments that violate our rules.

LET'S TALK FOOTBALL!

ABC… you decided to put the higher ranked match up the same as ND Miami? For two teams that normally play during the day?

College football has always recognized LSU and Bama as a night time matchup. I don’t understand the logic here.

Edit: AFTER MUCH DELIBERATION, I have determined that ABC valued the LSU vs Bama matchup more than Georgia vs Ole Miss. hence them giving the primetime slot to the two teams who won’t have to compete with Miami vs Notre dame. If you are in the comments below and feel the need to comment “I sAiD tHaT!”…. I can’t read. So jokes on you.

CFP this CFP that. No one cares. The real meaning of college football is the Big Ten West Championship Belt.

2014 Wisconsin win and create it.

2015 Iowa over Wisconsin Oct 3

2016 Northwestern over Iowa Oct 1

2016 Wisconsin over Northwestern Nov 5

2017 Wisconsin holds serve

2018 Northwestern over Wisconsin Oct 27

2019 Wisconsin over Northwestern Sep 28

2019 Illinois over Wisconsin Oct 19

2019 Iowa over Illinois Nov 23

2020 Purdue over Iowa Oct 24

2020 Northwestern over Purdue Nov 14

2021 Nebraska over Northwestern Oct 2

2021 Minnesota over Nebraska Oct 16

2021 Illinois over Minnesota Nov 6

2021 Iowa over Illinois Nov 20

2022 Illinois over Iowa Oct 8

2022 Purdue over Illinois Nov 12

2023 Wisconsin over Purdue Sep 22

2023 Iowa over Wisconsin Oct 14

2023 Minnesota over Iowa Oct 21

2023 Illinois over Minnesota Nov 4

2023 Iowa over Illinois Nov 18

2024 Iowa holds serve

2025 Iowa holds serve

2026 Minnesota over Iowa Oct 24

Current Holders: **Minnesota Golden Gophers**

Next bought Minnesota vs Northwestern Nov 21

Thank you again. 136 of you filled out a ballot this week. Same frozen 50-team field, ninth edition. Last week's edition.

The Dirty Sodas went down to Florida. BYU held our No. 1 for one week. Then the Bounce House shook for two overtimes, and UCF won 39-31. That is the third week in a row an AP top-two team lost to an unranked opponent. BYU fell from 1st to 7th and out of Tier 1.

Will Stein's Wildcats are third. Two weeks ago, Stein went for two to end a second overtime game in a row, and voters moved Kentucky from 21st to 8th. A 34-17 win over Vanderbilt later, the Wildcats are 3rd here.

Arizona keeps climbing. The Wildcats came off a bye and beat Iowa State 39-3. They are 6-1, and their only loss came at BYU in Week 2. Arizona beat Cincinnati 34-7 in October, and the Bearcats just beat Texas Tech. Can 15th ranked Arizona travel to Lubbock and beat Texas Tech too?

The smallest crown of the season. Two weeks ago, Georgia held more than half the index and broke the chart. Miami leads this week with 753.0, about 15% of the index, and Ohio State is only 13.2 points behind.

Risers

Sliders

Next week: Miami at North Carolina, Ohio State at USC, Utah at Cincinnati and Georgia-Florida in Atlanta all could shape up how we poll next week.

Full 50, tiers, bootstrap intervals, the AP comparison and the full write-up (Certainty, Certainly Not): https://getmaxdiff.com/results/2026-week-08-resume-poll/

Hello r/CFB! Welcome to the 2026 Big XII Uniform Tracker in Week 8! Wooooo mama did we have some stellar games AND looks this week! In case you are unfamiliar with how my tracker works, I catalog every Big 12 team’s uniform combination week-to-week, and also look at the opposition’s threads. I provide a few of my thoughts on the game, the uniforms, and a brief history of the game/rivalry with some fun facts. Let’s get into it! Also, feel free to skip my analysis and thoughts for the galleries at the bottom of the post. Let's see how our teams fared, what they wore, and discuss how they looked as well! 

I’m u/matte_purple, and let's 3,2,1 go!

University of Cincinnati Bearcats vs Texas Tech University Red Raiders (UC Wins, 37-24)

UC: Red/Red/Red (Link)

TTU: White/White/White (Link)

Homecoming in the Queen City! And TALK ABOUT MAGICAL! Cincinnati had a very happy 1st half, generating a 24-6 lead from 3 consecutive TD drives and several great plays from QB French (3 TD passes and a 22 yd QB draw), RB Cole Tabb (a 51-yd rush up the gut and 86 yds on 8 carries), and Safety MJ Cannon (an INT with 30 seconds left in the half to set up a score) after a FG heavy 1st quarter for both teams. The second quarter gave Cincy even more points;  JC French finished with a career best 4 TD passes, Cole Tabb finished with a total of 173 yds (also a career best) and another deadly 58 yd rush in the 4th. Cincy continued to pile on to 8th ranked Tech, who just seemed hobbled for much of the game. TTU suffered 3 turnovers and 1-3 4th down attempts. Several career stats for Cincinnati, a great defense, and Tech’s flustered offense led to another huge win in the Big 12!

A red-out for the Bearcats! Cincinnati has worn this suit before, once a year in the ‘22, ‘24, and ‘25 seasons. They have one win in that time span, the 2024 game vs ASU. Adding this dub, we get a 2-2 record on the tracker! I really enjoy the refreshed helmet coat, which corrects the red to a shade more in line with the updated suits. The Cincy wordmark is also great, and it has appeared 6 times since its release last year. I’m still dubious of Cincinnati’s all red combo. Maybe it’s just my outsiders opinion talking, but I really enjoy when red is used as an accent piece rather than a focal point for the Bearcats. But in spite of my opinions, I think we can all agree these are LEAGUES better than their red out look in the previous template. A marquee win for this combo! They welcome ranked Utah next!

I think Tech has a really cohesive set when the three main pieces match, in red/blackouts, and especially in whiteouts. But Tech decided to try something new, and it’s a detail that gives me pause. Don’t get me wrong, I love this helmet on its own! It’s the first time Tech has worn a non-beveled and RED Double T on a whiteout since 2019 vs Oklahoma. The inverted colors of this Double T stand out more, but also sacrifices the cohesiveness I really like. Compare it to Week 2’s look. I see the desire to emphasize the Double T, I really do! But the previous whiteout might have been a better contrast to Cincy’s all white look. Regardless, I think the whiteout was a good choice, and it now has a record of 5-3 on the tracker, and 4-2 since their Adidas uniform refresh.

West Virginia University Mountaineers at TCU Horned Frogs (WVU Wins, 24-20)

TCU: Purple/Black/Purple (Link)

WVU: White/White/White (Link)

Two very different QBs, and an exciting game in Fort Worth! The electric West Virginia QB Michael Hawkins, Jr. continues to hold his position as the QB with the most rushing TDs in the FBS, and TCU’s QB Jaden Craig appeared to find a good passing rhythm, generating 372 passing yds. But the real treat was WVU’s defense. The Horned Frogs had 484 total yds and 38 minutes of possession, lapping WVU’s possession time and 265 yds handily, but also had an interception and two fumbles (one forced with less than 30 seconds left to give the Mountaineers the win). WVU’s defense looked very competent with two 4th quarter stops, and TCU couldn’t finish drives when it mattered. A great win for WVU to get even closer to bowl eligibility, the Mountaineers have a bye next. TCU faces a struggling Kansas next to get back on track.

This is the second repeat look of the season for WVU, and man is it a good one. I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t mind seeing this look a few times a year! It’s a wonderful shakeup to the classic home uniform. The shoulder and leg striping, the additional Flying WV on the shoulders, the collar and facemask, the big state logo, all of it adds a wonderful amount of blue and gold to what would be a more pedestrian suit otherwise. I love these helmets - not quite as much as the standard blue lids, but it's really close - and they look even better against TCU’s purple and black “heavy” look. This combo is now 3-2 on the tracker, with an undefeated 3-0 record since the uniform rebrand in 2024! 

TCU’s combo has now become the most common home look on the tracker! I can't say that I mind, because this particular color balance is very nice. The symmetry is awesome, the black and purple complement each other well, and the suit stands out as a collective rather than one specific detail. All that said, I would still like spikes, despite this being a nice look in the current template. Since 2022, it possesses a 4-2 record, with both losses coming this year. I should also mention I would rather have the Standalone Frog logo on these purple helmets (worn in 2023), as I think that the mascot adequately labels this unique school more than the monogram logo does. What do you think? Do you prefer the logo TCU wore this time or would you prefer something different? Good look and a tough loss for TCU.

University of Kansas Jayhawks vs Baylor University Bears (KU Wins, 25-24)

KU: White/Blue/Blue (Link)

BU: Green/White/Green (Link)

Both teams entered this game stunned after surprising losses to rivals. It clearly took a bit of time for each side to shake it off. Baylor intercepted KU on the first drive of the game, but was unable to capitalize. Both teams responded with TD drives after the initial stumbles, but the rest of the half proceeded without points and with more 4th down stops. The second half was a different story! Baylor found two quick scores after a pick six and 7-play TD drive in the 3rd, while KU struggled to a FG. The 4th quarter saw Kansas surge forward, delivering a stunning 9 point comeback, bringing the score to 21-19 at 2:40 left in the 4th. Baylor had an 87% chance to win - according to ESPN - after a 42 yds FG. 90 seconds later, KU executed several chunk plays to go up 25-24. The Jayhawks blocked Baylor’s FG with 18 seconds left to ice this tense game. It was KU’s first Big 12 win of the season, and Baylor was mad enough to fire HC Dave Aranda on Sunday morning. Just another crazy game in the Big 12!

Another decal joins the rotation for KU! This is the first ever true script helmet for the Jayhawks, I absolutely love the concept here. There’s a bit of a tale to go with it: this script wordmark has been featured on KU’s  soccer, baseball, track, tennis, softball, and basketball teams for years now. It has eluded football until now. With a game theme of “One Team” on homecoming, football finally made the choice to add it to the look in a meaningful way. I like it overall! I personally think that the logo would look better in blue, with a white-red outline, but the general idea and execution was great! The combo itself possesses a 3-2 record since 2022. I definitely would have preferred a White/Blue/White look, but that’s not necessarily a suit Kansas is known for, so I’ll let it slide on homecoming.  KU has finally broken their losing streak to Baylor! Do you like the script?

Baylor’s choice of away uniform could be classified as common, but it has a weird appearance history. It showed up 3 times in 2022 and then disappeared until their matchup against Auburn this year. Could it be that it just becomes a go-to away suit every 3 seasons? I guess so. It’s 1-5 on the tracker and 0-2 since the uniform refresh in 2024. It’s hard to go wrong with the symmetrical look, though its record and subsequent firing have turned it into a bit of an unlucky look this year. Baylor will face an elated UCF team on Friday, an awfully quick turnaround with an interim HC.

University of Central Florida Knights vs Brigham Young University Cougars (UCF Wins, 39-31)

UCF: Gold/Black/Black (Link)

BYU: Royal/White/White (Link)

ANOTHER MONSTER BIG 12 WIN! The highest ranked win in UCF school history, and it came against a #2 ranked BYU team who just upset #2 Notre Dame last week! I mean I am genuinely shocked. The Cougars entered the game averaging 224 rushing yds per game. The Knights kept BYU to 116 on a night where other unusual errors occurred: several personal fouls and losing the turnover margin. No other team has been able to rattle BYU like that. The Knights started backup QB Keyone Jenkins against BYU, and he was right on the money with 293 passing yds, two TDs and another score via the QB run. UCF delivered big time, capitalized on mistakes, and fought to the final whistle. BYU can still certainly make it to the Big 12 game, and UCF could win out if they play like they did on Saturday. What a game! 

BYU has had an interesting uniform year. This combo has been altered slightly to keep the intrigue up. And I like it! This is the first time BYU has opted for a white facemask on this combo. It’s a subtle change, but I’ve always felt the different colored facemask adds some nice contrast. Despite my joy at the facemask change, this combo still feels a little meh for me. I’ve never been a huge fan of these “lopsided” away suits (Color/White/White), despite the work BYU does to make them better (nice striping on the shoulders and pants that tries to tie the suit together). Regardless of how I feel, this combo selection is now 3-4, with this loss being the combo’s first since 2023. 

Originally, I was going to discuss how this homecoming suit felt a bit lackluster compared to previous iterations. No Knightmode suit, no throwback logo (like their 2024 game against BYU), no sublimated duck design in the helmet or unusual combo. But now that the dust has settled, I have found myself warming to the use of this more regular look. It’s the 2nd most worn combo on the tracker - all black takes the 1st spot - and it is a supremely recognizable UCF look. How fitting is it that UCF’s workhorse suit is worn in one of their biggest wins ever? As for some numbers, this combination is 6-3 on the tracker, and an undefeated 4-0 since UCF’s 2025 uniform refresh. I’m still looking for a bit of pizazz from UCF’s uniforms in the next few games. I believe we might get that, as Friday is the Knight’s Space Game. Can’t wait for more wins and uniform goodness from the Knights! 

Kansas State University Wildcats at Arizona State University Sun Devils (ASU Wins, 28-17)

K-State: Purple/White/Purple (Link)

ASU: Black/Black/Black (Link)

A historic battle of the backup QBs! K-State's Avery Johnson had started 32 straight games prior to today. A lingering injury from last week’s game ruled him out. Sun Devil QB Mikey Keene stepped in after Cutter Boley’s disappointing performance versus Texas Tech, but was injured at the close of the 2nd quarter. So everyone - for both teams - had to step up. For ASU, that was the revelatory freshman RB Cardae Mack, who finished the day with 159 yds on 26 carries and 4 TDs. K-State’s QB Jacob Knuth showed a lot of promise, totaling 194 yds, and two TDs, one passing and the other rushing, but in the end, it was Arizona State that found momentum and delivered in big moments. You could tell that it’s HC Collin Klein’s first year as head coach, as the Sun Devils rallied past some bad series to start the 3rd while KSU stayed mired through the second half. K-State’s first trip to Tempe since 1989 ended the same way, with a loss, and ASU gets a big morale boost before their game against BYU.

AAAAAAAAHHHHHH WTF!!!!!!! Okay, with that  out of the way, I am ECSTATIC at this alternate look for K-State. The sting of loss is there, too, but these look GREAT! This is an incredibly meaningful look for a variety of reasons. 1.) The last time K-State wore purple helmets was 1988, the season before Bill Snyder began his turnaround, introducing new silver and white uniforms (the ones seen ever since) and the Powercat. The ubiquitous K-State Powercat logo has never appeared on a purple helmet before, and white facemasks have not appeared since 1988. 2.) Purple pants were last worn in 2008, when Ron Prince was coach before Snyder returned. 3.) The first time the Powercat appeared in 1989, it was worn versus - you guessed it - Arizona State in Tempe. Reintroducing it here on a purple helmet feels particularly special. I am absolutely smitten with this look, and I love the way it contrasts against the Sun Devil black and gold. The striping is consistent between the helmet and pants, but not the jersey. This bothers me some, but not enough to affect my overall feelings about this suit. Additionally, this is the first time we’ve seen K-State’s lavender accents adopted by the football team (barely visible on the outline of the front and back helmet bumpers). Will we see more of the purple helmet moving forward? Will K-State wear all purple for the Oklahoma State game? The possibilities are endless! K-State's first alternate of the Collin Klein era is a doozy!

Arizona State has tried their hand at the blackout theme since 2011, and it’s been largely successful!  But the Sun Devils hadn’t worn a head-to-toe blackout look since 2018 before last season’s debut. Now they’ve worn the same blackout look in two straight years. Could it be the rebirth of the all-black uniform trend that spanned from 2011-2018? Could be! There’s a lot I like about these, specifically the satin finish on these black helmets that differs from pre-2025 black helmets. I do wish there was a bit of maroon, as the color goes pretty well with black, but the overall suit is intimidating and looks great. I would absolutely love to see Sparky on a black helmet some day! Though that seems like a pipe dream considering how difficult it was to place him on a white helmet for the first time last year. This suit is now 2-0 on the tracker, and black jerseys as a whole on the tracker are 3-1. Great look for Arizona State, but keep it to one wear a year. Otherwise it gets too much into “Black for Black’s Sake” for my taste.

Oklahoma State Cowboys vs University of Colorado Buffaloes (OSU Wins, 57-24)

OSU: White/Orange/White (Link)

CU: Gold/White/Black (Link)

A tale of two halves in America’s Greatest Homecoming! Colorado led 24 - 23 after a strong first half led by QB Isaac Wilson. The Utah transfer had thrown for 222 yds, 2 TDs, and rushed for another score to put a bit of doubt into Boone Pickens Stadium. The 2nd half saw the Cowboys turn on the nitro offense, while the Buffaloes floundered after their hot start. Wilson added two interceptions and two fumbles to his stats, and they arrived at the worst possible times. Colorado was held to 14 rushing yds after halftime, and the passing game almost completely collapsed. For as good as his first half was, Wilson’s second half was bad enough to make that not matter. OSU quarterback Drew Mestemaker finished for 386 passing yds and four touchdowns to four separate targets, and RB Caleb Hawkins gashed teams by land and by air once again, rushing for 120 yds on 19 carries and catching five passes for 72 yds. That offense is simply incredible. 34 points in two quarters is nothing to sneeze at, especially when they are unanswered. Colorado heads home to face a battered K-State team next, while the Pokes travel to Ames, Iowa next. 

The Cowboys have yet to miss uniform-wise this season. I mean come on! This look is fantastic! The combo is simple, with the white pants and helmet highlighting the bold orange that the university emphasizes on homecoming. This is the first appearance of the oversized Pete Head logo since 2018, and what’s crazier, it’s the first ever appearance of the same logo in a non-chrome variety! This year has featured the return of four less common (but well loved) logos so far: Full-Body Pete, Big Pete Head, Throwback Brand, and Script Pokes. Could we potentially see more top-tier logos in Oklahoma State’s next two home games? I would love to see Bucking Bronc or the sheriff badge logo again. Anyway, White/Orange/White is a well-worn look for OSU, notching a 5-1 record since 2022, the most appearances of any home suit in that same time span. I am extremely interested to see what the Cowboys wear in their Halloween night game at Iowa State.

Back to usual for Colorado! After last week’s gray/silver heavy combo I was looking forward to something a bit less experimental. This was a nice reset uniform wise. This is also the second gold helmet worn this year. That number is still historically low for the program, but it is nice to see that the lid is not an afterthought since it’s one appearance in 2025. As for the combo, this is essentially the same uniform worn against UCF in 2024, giving it a 1-1 record on the tracker. It was also a really great choice to contrast the combo chosen by OK-State. An underrated uniform matchup from Saturday, to be sure. 

University of Arizona Wildcats vs Iowa State University Cyclones (UA Wins, 39-3)

UA: White/Blue/White (Link)

ISU: Red/White/Red (Link)

With the win over Iowa State on Saturday, QB Noah Fifita has become the winningest QB in Arizona Football history. He threw for 308 yds and two TDs, WR Isaiah Mizell scored on a 71-yard missile on just the second play of the game, and scored the 2-pt conversion immediately after to set an aggressive pace. The Wildcats shot forward to a 25-3 lead that essentially sealed the game away. Iowa State was unable to score after a 1st quarter field goal from 40 yds out. The third quarter saw 7 straight punts back and forth, but by then the damage was already done, despite Iowa State still finding ways to keep things tense. Arizona found two more scores halfway through the 4th quarter to officially stretch the lead out of reach. The Wildcats appear to be on the rise, ranking wise, but Iowa State still has plenty of chances to get right on their remaining schedule. After all, this is Jimmy Roger’s first year in a big rebuild. 

The oft-worn combo for Arizona, but this time spiced up with the throwback A logo. Reintroduced last year against K-State, homecoming was a perfect time to bring it out. Especially on a big anniversary: the game lined up with Arizona’s “100 years of ‘Bear Down’” celebration. The combo is one of Arizona’s most popular, and it has notched a 7-1 record since 2022 counting this matchup.  I think the white helmets and white pants are a professional and classy look, although I am slightly peeved that the game theme was “Wear Red” and then the Wildcats didn’t wear red. Oh well, I’m very happy with the on field result!

I couldn’t have planned this combo any better! Iowa State’s red - er, Cardinal - is simply the best choice against the blue! And any day with the Script Cyclone logo is a good one. I’ve always admired logos that could span the breadth of the lid, like the NFL Chargers, the Kent State Golden Flashes, ECU and Fresno States’ Script logos, really any slightly arched logo or script gets me hyped. This combo has a 2-7 record on the tracker, and has been worn in 3 straight losses. If I had to say something negative about the suits, I’d say the “IOWA STATE” fonting on the chest is a little bit avante garde for my tastes. I could see the block being a better choice, especially considering the numbers still have a bit of school specific flair to them. But that is definitely a nitpick. Good choice by the ISU equipment team.

University of Utah Utes vs University of Houston Cougars (Utah Wins, 21-13)

UTAH: Black/Black/Black (Link)

UH: White/White/Red (Link)

In a weekend filled with more ranked upsets and college football chaos, a win here was an absolute necessity for Morgan Scalley and the Utes. It was still anyone's game by the time halftime rolled around. Houston led 3-0 and added 7 via a long 15 play drive and a Makhi Hughes TD run. Utah clapped back with QB Devon Dampier’s 22-yd TD scamper, but the score was still 13-14 UH with 12 minutes left. What followed was a fight for possession to seal the game. Houston punted, then Utah gave it away with an INT, both teams punted AGAIN, and then Houston’s QB Conner Weigman was sacked and gave up a fumble. The fumble proved too costly and set Utah up for a quick 9-yd QB run for a score. The Coogs got as far as the Utah redzone but four straight incompletions gave the ball back to the Utes with 1:31 to go. Utah finished in victory formation and could breathe easy after a crazy Big 12 weekend. 

A repeat look for Houston, but it’s my favorite away combo of theirs so I can’t complain about it. This same look was worn in their Week 4 game against Georgia Southern. While their second try wasn’t a win (bringing the record since their 2025 reintroduction to 3-1 on the tracker), I do appreciate the changes made here, specifically the “HOUSTON” wordmark on the helmet. I know that the Coog faithful are maybe getting a bit tired of seeing this logo this season, but I personally really enjoy the look, ESPECIALLY on this combo. Am I in the minority? Let me know! 

What do we think of this blackout for Utah? It’s the latest that black - helmet, jersey, or pants - has appeared in a season on the tracker. Personally, I think the red facemask worn against K-State last year was a slightly better combo, but the small change seems negligible when paired against a team that also utilizes red and white. The rest of the suit is fantastic. The throwback numbers and striping continue to stun, and I really hope we see something similar to these when we hear word on the new Utah uniforms in 2027. With the win, the black throwback jerseys move to 3-3 since 2023, and the blackout combo as a whole gets to 4-1. Also interesting, the black helmet with the circle and feather has a better record than the same shell with the interlocking U decal on the tracker (0-1 from 2024, with the C&F black helmet at 3-2). Could the fates be gravitating us towards more circle and feather helmets?

2026 Season Uniform Galleries:

Arizona - ASU - Baylor - BYU - Cincinnati - Colorado - Houston - Iowa State - KU - K-State - 

OSU - TCU - Texas Tech - UCF - Utah - West Virginia

Well, that’s it! Week 8 is over. How about another huge week in the Big 12? What did you think about the uniforms from this go-around? Let me know in the comments! If you want more uniforms in your life, check my pinned profile posts, or use these links to get to the Big 12 Uniform Awards for 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. As always, thank you for your support, can’t wait to see you next week!

Please keep trash talk civil, and report any comments that violate our rules.

LET'S TALK FOOTBALL!

Every March, college basketball fans get to argue about Quad 1 wins. College football gets "quality wins" (or losses) which as far as I can tell means whatever the committee wants it to mean.

Quad W/L has been a beloved metric by CBB fans since it was introduced back in 2018. So, I wanted to adapt the same concept for CFB.

What's a quad?

Every game gets sorted into Quad 1 through 4 based on how good the opponent is and where you played them. It sorts each of your games into a difficulty tier list.

Methodology & Rationale

• Opponent strength is determined using overall efficiency rankings. I pull these rankings from ESPN's website, but efficiency is not proprietary to them. It is a publicly known formula. Efficiency is the dominant metric used in CBB's NET ratings. Efficiency is a fantastic descriptive metric that has three primary advantages over other metrics

  • 1 - There are no preseason priors in efficiency. It is determined only on how teams have played this season.
  • 2 - It is not a predictive value. Efficiency on its' own says nothing about how well a team would theoretically matchup against another team. It only describes how well a team has played this year (opponent adjusted, of course).
  • 3 - Efficiency is not a resume ranking system. It doesn't explicitly matter who you beat and who you lost to. There is no argument about whose record or schedule is better. Again, it is only a measure of how well you have played.

• The cutoffs for each quad are adapted from CBB's definitions. However, instead of simply scaling them to the size of FBS, I determined ranges that would put the proportional # of games played in each quad in line with CBB's historical scheduling, comparing the past 5 years worth of scheduling data in each sport. I then made a small adjustment to account for the relative difficulty of playing on the road in each sport and rounded to nice whole numbers. This is a more accurate reflection of the schedule construction of CFB.

• QUAD WINS ARE NOT A RANKING SYSTEM. On their own, they are simply a tool fans can look at to compare how teams performed in each difficulty tier of game. It can be used as part of a discussion on "quality wins and losses". It is also based in math instead of using an arbitrary cutoff like "vs Top 25 teams". It provides much more granularity.

• Note: Efficiencies continue updating each week. Therefore, a game that was formerly Quad 1 could become Quad 2 later in the season if a team plays poorly, for example. Additionally, all FCS games are considered Quad 4 opportunities.

Definition of each quad as determined by your opponent's efficiency ranking

This week's AP Top 25 (games through Oct 25):

Sam Houston vs. Missouri State

When: Tuesday, October 27, 08:00 PM Eastern

Where: Plaster Sports Complex

Watch: ESPN2

Odds: Missouri State by 5.5 pts.

Total Points: 49.5

All-Time Series : Sam Houston vs. Missouri State

Sam Houston and Missouri State have met 2 times since 2004-09-11

These teams last met on 2006-09-23.

Series Wins: Sam Houston 1-0-1 Missouri State

Sam Houston has won the most recent meeting (2006) in this series

Last 2 Meetings

Through Week 8

What are your "Keys to the Game"?

Who do you think wins?

Do you think the favorite will cover the spread?

Which player(s) are you most interested to watch?

Let's talk football!

^{Matchup Preview Thread Generator powered by collegefootballdata.com}

^{Start a chat with /u/dupreesdiamond for any issues/suggestions regarding this resource}

in high school i was told as an athlete that it's solidly just division 4, but as time has gone on ive seen it described more as the low end is that but the high end can even compete with d2. so, im asking reddit, because yall def know better, and google isnt being helpful lol

if naia became a division of the ncaa, where would it be? is it equal to d3? better in general? lmk tysm :)

Delaware vs. Western Kentucky

When: Tuesday, October 27, 07:00 PM Eastern

Where: Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium

Watch: CBSSN

Odds: Western Kentucky by 1.5 pts.

Total Points: 56.5

All-Time Series : Delaware vs. Western Kentucky

Delaware and Western Kentucky have met 1 times since 2025-10-03

These teams last met on 2025-10-03.

Series Wins: Delaware 0-0-1 Western Kentucky

Western Kentucky has won the most recent meeting (2025) in this series

Last 1 Meetings

Through Week 8

What are your "Keys to the Game"?

Who do you think wins?

Do you think the favorite will cover the spread?

Which player(s) are you most interested to watch?

Let's talk football!

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Please forgive the clickbait title. For the impatient, that team is WPI, and it’s FAR from a done deal.

In Division 3 football, the sad truth is that New England teams are not generally regarded as the highest level of play. Teams in those conferences rarely make deep playoff runs, rarely break into the top 25, and this year, d3football.com ranks the best conference among them at 16th out of 28*.

In recent years, one notable exception to this trend has been Springfield. In 2022 they broke a 5-year streak where no New England team made it past the first round of the playoff. But, it was against a New England opponent. The real streak would break in 2024, again thanks to Springfield. That year, they advanced several rounds before losing to North Central, the eventual national champion.

Now, in 2026, they are currently on track to win the NEWMAC for the 6th year in a row. They’ve gone undefeated in conference for that entire time, and as of today the streak is alive this year as well. Springfield does have a non-conference loss, but it was against Wisconsin-Platteville, who is currently ranked #2 in the country in the latest top 25 poll. Springfield’s 14 points against them are the second-most out of UWP’s 7 opponents so far this year, and the first of only two times an opponent has put up double digits.

D3 has a 40-team playoff. 29 conference champions get a slot, as do 11 at-large selections. Typically, New England teams do not earn at-large spots due to not being good enough. This year, however, two things have changed.

The first thing to have changed is that the NCAA now picks the at-large teams using a mathematical formula rather than using a panel. This formula, called NPI, is publicly known, and can therefore be tracked during the season. D3 basketball made the switch to NPI for tournament selection a few years ago, and now football has followed suit. This means, among other things, that if a New England team is good this year, their possible at-large selection will not be affected by the conventional understanding of what New England teams are typically like.

The second thing to have changed is that this year, a New England team might be good enough to get an at-large nod. That team is Merchant Marine, who is second in the NEWMAC behind, of course, Springfield. More importantly for this discussion, they are 23rd in NPI, which means by the skin of their teeth, they are poised to get a bid.

Coming into last week, the Mariners were undefeated. They had run the table in conference in dominant fashion, winning by an average margin of 31.75 points. Their non-conference schedule featured a 41-24 win over a strong Montclair State, whose only other loss this year is to undefeated, #10 Christopher Newport. d3football.com called Merchant Marine’s MSU victory the “signature win” for the entire NEWMAC.

This set the stage for a matchup with big playoff implications, when Merchant Marine hosted Springfield this past Saturday. Springfield won, 30-12.

So what about the bowl game?

There are not many bowl games in Division 3. By Wikipedia’s count, there are only 14 (not counting the Stagg Bowl, which is the playoff’s championship game). This makes sense, considering the large playoff field and relatively few teams per conference compared to what we see in Division 1. One of those bowl games is the Fusion Bowl.

For the 2016 season, 4 of the New England conferences got together to establish the New England Bowl series. The best two teams from those conferences that did not make the playoffs would play each other. The following year, it was expanded to two games, so the next best team in all four conferences would get to play. But in 2024, the series ended, because the ECFC dissolved and the CCC reorganized into the CNE. Starting in 2024, the Fusion Bowl took its place. It is a single game between the next-best teams in the CNE and the NEWMAC (sorry MASCAC).

This leaves the NEWMAC’s 3rd-place team, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, in a very strange spot. Springfield seems to be a likely conference winner. If Merchant Marine gets the at-large bid, which they are currently on track to do, and WPI holds onto their 3rd-place spot, then WPI will play in the Fusion Bowl.

The problem is, this coming weekend, WPI plays Merchant Marine. If WPI wins, then Merchant Marine’s odds of an at-large tournament bid drop dramatically. In that case, the Mariners would be the best NEWMAC team out of the tournament, and presumably, they would play in the Fusion Bowl instead of the Engineers.

Of course, with three weeks left in the season, anything can still happen. 4th-place MIT could make a run and take over the 3rd spot. Merchant Marine could drop both of their remaining games and fall out of contention entirely—after WPI, they play arch rival Coast Guard for the Secretaries Cup, and anything can happen in a rivalry game. And WPI’s opponents after MM (Salve Regina and MIT) are both decent teams that could win.

There is even a world where WPI beats the Mariners, both teams win out after that, and WPI still gets the Fusion Bowl invite. Both teams would be 6-1 in conference, and the Engineers would have the head-to-head win, even though the Mariners may have the edge in terms of non-conference record, opponent strength, the NCAA’s official tournament-selecting NPI, quality wins, and the ever-important eye test. The official announcement of the Fusion Bowl only states “The Fusion Bowl will feature the first available team from each league, pending NCAA automatic qualifiers and at-large selections,” with no further detail about tiebreakers.

In the end, most likely none of this will matter.
Merchant Marine is the heavy favorite over WPI, by either 14.5 (Massey) or 18.5 (VSS). The immortal wisdom of the internet also reminds us that Nothing Ever Happens. It just strikes me as incredibly strange that there is a world in which a team might be incentivized to lose in order to play in a postseason game.

Thanks for indulging this hypothetical scenario, if you read this far, and regardless of what happens on Saturday, I hope New England teams make deep runs in the playoffs this year.

*the NESCAC was not ranked because they do not play non-conference or postseason games. However, starting this year, the NESCAC winner will play in the tournament for the first time.

Happy Halloween, y'all! Veteran artist u/whereismymilkshake has done it again with the r/cfbball annual costumed Halloween poll comic. This is a cherished subreddit tradition where the poll team collaborates with one talented artist to come up with some awesome Halloween costumes for all the cfb poll teams.

Check it out here!