| COACH / PROGRAM | NATTYS | FINALS | CONF CROWNS | HEISMANS | CLAIM TO FAME |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander • Arizona State | 3 | 6 | 6 | 1 | five straight Big 12 crowns; two finals won 29-28; denied the 4th in Arlington |
| Emrey • Auburn | 3 | 5 | 5 | 0 | bourbon-fueled 35-0 revenge tour |
| Brogowicz • Michigan State | 2 | 4 | 7 | 2 | crowns in TWO conferences; #1 class ×6 straight; Okorafor's ringless Heisman |
| Avila • California | 2 | 4 | 6 | 5 | five Heismans before the first ring — then back-to-back, both 24-21 |
| Halvaks • Nebraska | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | the sandbag is always full |
"I was in the exact same condition I was last week when we beat Georgia." — Emrey, 2029. Fans now ship it by the crate. Three rings since.
Miguel Perez, MSU: 6 games, 162 snaps, TWO pancakes — national award. "Must be nice to be a Spartan." Brand gravity is undefeated.
The recruiting war's final form. Avila won a natty anyway — turns out he loves to "develop talent for the more fortunate," especially when it's his own.
Progress toward Halvaks's first title-game appearance (sandbagging at full capacity, black uniforms on standby):
— Brogowicz, hoarding a 5-star portal QB to ride the bench. ASU's counter-move arrived in 2034: flipping Antoine Sow AFTER signing day. Lawyers notified.
Two championships, same score, same loser. Emrey called perfect coverage on the Bober catch and it didn't matter. "Heavy is the head that wears the crown, Troy."
| STORYLINE | THE STAKES |
|---|---|
| The Keenum Chase | Okorafor (14,728 career yds) needs ~4,500 to break a 23-year-old record. He came back for it. |
| The Sow Affair | Signed with MSU. Flipped to ASU. Legal action "threatened." Sow isn't talking. |
| The Hunted Champ | Cal must defend the crown in a new conference — without Kilroy and Briscoe (NFL). |
| Nebraska, Fully Armed | 99-rated roster, the nation's #1 defense, zero excuses left. The sandbag must empty eventually. |