Kansas

Kansas pulls off the upset, plus projecting the Playoff rankings

Published

1 year ago

October 29, 2023

Kansas pulls off the upset, plus projecting the Playoff rankings

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This week in another Pac-12 After Dark thriller, Arizona upset No. 11 Oregon State 27-24 to claim back-to-back ranked wins (last week at Washington State) for the first time since 2014.

But that was just one of the upsets in college football on Saturday …

Oklahoma Falls

Kansas delivers big upset

No. 6 Oklahoma’s perfect record didn’t survive a trip to Kansas (neither did one of the goalposts). The Sooners lost 38-33 as Kansas earned its first home win against an AP top-10 team since 1984!! (also against OU).

This one jumped onto the upset radar early as Kansas grabbed a 14-0 lead. Oklahoma answered with three straight TDs before Kansas crept back. The teams combined for five failed two-point conversions in the third and fourth quarters. Kansas running back Devin Neal scored the game-winning touchdown with 55 seconds remaining. The Sooners gained 52 yards on their final drive but couldn’t get the game-winner.

What this means by the numbers:

Prior to Saturday, Kansas was 0-99-1 against AP top-10 opponents when trailing entering the fourth quarter, per Elias Sports.
The result snapped Oklahoma’s 18-game winning streak vs. Kansas that spanned 26 years. It was the Sooners’ longest active streak against any opponent in the AP Poll era, per ESPN.
Fans who stuck around through a one-hour lightning delay in the second quarter stormed the field after the win. “I got caught in a whole bunch of students,” coach Lance Leipold said. “I hope nobody gives me a breathalyzer just off of the fumes out there.” Max Olson has more from the postgame scene.

David Ubben and Sam Khan reacted to the stunner on the Until Saturday podcast.

Scores Around The Country

Oregon rolls, Georgia owns Cocktail Party

Florida State beat Wake Forest 41-16 in another dominant outing. The Seminoles (8-0) averaged 7.7 yards per play and outgained Wake Forest 508-210. QB Jordan Travis boosted his NFL Draft stock with a 22-for-35 passing performance for 359 yards and three TDs.
Oregon rolled past Utah 35-6. If the Ducks (7-1) had not lost to Washington this month, we probably would be talking about their national championship potential a whole lot more, our Chris Vannini says. QB Bo Nix threw for 248 yards with two touchdowns through the air and one on the ground.
Drew Allar came up with the big play Penn State (7-1) has been waiting for to beat Indiana 33-24. The QB’s clutch moment came after he threw his first career interception, which led to the Hoosiers’ game-tying field goal with three minutes left. On the Nittany Lions’ next drive, Allar connected with KeAndre Lambert-Smith for the 57-yard go-ahead TD.
Georgia looked just fine without star TE Brock Bowers in a 43-20 rout of rival Florida. This is the first time since the 1940s that Georgia (8-0) has beaten Florida three times in a row by at least 20 points. That kind of dominance is the new normal for this rivalry under Kirby Smart, our Jeff Schultz writes.
Ohio State (8-0) topped Wisconsin 24-10 despite a strong defensive showing by the Badgers. Ohio State QB Kyle McCord threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Marvin Harrison Jr. had another huge day with six receptions for 123 yards and two TDs while TreVeyon Henderson returned to the lineup to add a spark to the offense (24 carries, 162 yards, one TD).
Tennessee held off Kentucky 33-27 in Lexington. Kentucky QB Devin Leary kept the Wildcats close with a 28-for-39 passing performance for 372 yards, two TDs and no INTs. But Kentucky was held to 72 rushing yards while Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright had 11 carries for 120 yards.
USC escaped with a 50-49 win against Cal, but the problems remain for the Trojans. USC’s defense allowed 527 yards, including 235 on the ground. The Golden Bears led 43-29 in the fourth quarter before three straight TDs by the Trojans. Cal’s two-point attempt to take the lead with less than one minute left failed.

Playoff Picture

With Oklahoma’s loss, the Big 12’s chances to send a team to the College Football Playoff look unlikely (at least for now). OU and Texas (which won without Quinn Ewers on Saturday) are the top contenders, but both have one loss. The CFP committee will release its first set of rankings on Tuesday. Here are my picks for the top four:

1. Georgia

2. Ohio State

3. Florida State

4. Michigan

Strength of schedule is a big point of discussion for the committee. Before Georgia’s win against Florida, I probably would have put it at No. 2. But the 23-point win without their best player has left little doubt that the Dawgs have the strongest team.

Ohio State has the best resume with ranked wins against Notre Dame and Penn State, but Georgia gets the edge with the stronger offense. Florida State has the playmakers in Travis and Keon Coleman and has ranked wins against LSU and Duke, so the Seminoles are No. 3.

Michigan has some marquee matchups in November, but for now, the Wolverines are relying on their consistency.

College Football Beefs (C.F.B.)

Narduzzi’s postgame, Doeren vs. Smith

We had two C.F.B. cases emerge on Saturday.

Several Pitt players responded to a post on X (Twitter) that quoted coach Patt Narduzzi from his postgame news conference after the Panthers lost 58-7 to Notre Dame. The original post included a fragment of Narduzzi’s comments, and the full quote was shared later: “I’ll go back, as a football coach, you lose a lot of good players from a year ago, and you think as a coach you’re going to replace them, and obviously we haven’t. Again, it starts with me. I didn’t do a good enough job coaching today. Put it on me, and we’ve got to make plays.” Narduzzi later made his own post saying he was “100% responsible” for the loss.
After beating Clemson 24-17, NC State coach Dave Doeren took a shot at former NFL star Steve Smith in his postgame interview. “Tell Steve Smith in the studio this ain’t a basketball school,” Doeren said. “He can kiss my a–.” On ESPN’s “College GameDay,” Smith picked Clemson to win and said “NC State, unfortunately, they’re waiting for basketball to start.”

Quick Snaps

Stewart Mandel’s Final Thoughts take a look at the drama Kansas provided before the first CFP rankings.

Nicole Auerbach’s top 10: Oregon can’t jump Washington because of the head-to-head result.

We thought this season was the prime example of parity in college football. But don’t be surprised if two-time reigning national champion Georgia spoils that party.

From Chris Kamrani: Bo Nix has reinvented himself. The Heisman Trophy and a national title could be the result.

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Kansas

Tennessee still No. 1 as Kansas tumbles in USA TODAY Sports men’s college basketball poll

Published

5 hours ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

Tennessee still No. 1 as Kansas tumbles in USA TODAY Sports men’s college basketball poll

Tennessee now stands as the lone undefeated team in Division I men’s basketball. Unsurprisingly, the Volunteers will spend another week at No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

After handling Arkansas over the weekend, the Volunteers picked up 21 of 31 first-place votes this week to retain the top spot. Auburn once again checks in at No. 2, claiming the remaining 10 top votes. Iowa State holds at No. 3, with Duke also staying put at No. 4.

The shuffling begins at No. 5, where Alabama moves up a notch after handing new SEC member Oklahoma its first loss. Marquette jumps two places to No. 6. Kentucky climbs four spots to No. 7 after beating previously unscathed Florida in the game of the weekend on Saturday.

TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball poll

WEEKEND RECAP: SEC, Big Ten going different directions

The voters were kind to the Gators, who fall just three places to No. 8. Texas A&M is No. 9, and two-time defending champion Connecticut has worked its way back into the top 10.

The voters were not as kind to Kansas. The Jayhawks bounced back from a midweek loss to West Virginia by pounding Central Florida on the road but still drops five places to No. 12. Oklahoma and Oregon also slip out of the top 10, checking in at No. 16 and No. 17 respectively.

Illinois makes the biggest jump within the Top 25, gaining five positions to No. 15 after a successful trip to the Big Ten’s new Pacific Northwest enclave with defeat of Oregon and Washington.

West Virginia enters the rankings at No. 23 thanks to that victory against Kansas. No. 24 Michigan and No. 25 Utah State rejoin the poll. Cincinnati, Baylor and Maryland drop out this week.

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Kansas

WEATHER: Major highways still closed across east-central, northeast Kansas

Published

13 hours ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

WEATHER: Major highways still closed across east-central, northeast Kansas

If you’re planning to travel, this may not be your day.

State and federal highways in northeast, east-central and central Kansas remain closed after a powerful winter storm brought a combination of ice, snow and wind to the state over the weekend.

Kandrive.gov says the following highways are closed across the KVOE listening area:

*US Highway 50 west of Emporia
*US Highway 56
*US Highway 75 north of BETO Junction
*Kansas Highway 78
*Kansas Highway 99 north of Madison
*Kansas Highway 130
*Kansas Highway 150
*Kansas Highway 170
*Kansas Highway 177

Lyon County Emergency Management Director Jarrod Fell says the storm progression set us up for our current travel situation.

Cleared roads continue to drift shut outside the Emporia city limits. In town, Public Works has bladed the main arterials and residential collector, or more heavily-traveled, streets. Side streets don’t get plowed by the city, and they are blanketed by snow. Director Dean Grant says the city is using a special salt to combat the snow and ice.

Numerous schedule adjustments were reported through the weekend, and more are in place for Monday. Click here for KVOE’s Closings & Cancellations page.

Several injury crashes were reported in Lyon County, all within a 90-minute window Saturday:

*Just before noon, a wreck developed at Kansas Turnpike mile marker 118, or nine miles southwest of the Emporia tollgate. Emporia Fire Capt. Wade Schmidt says three passenger vehicles and two semis were in a ditch. Nobody was transported.
*As law enforcement and emergency crews finished that call, they were dispatched to KTA mile marker 119, or eight miles southwest of the Emporia gate. Three vehicles apparently collided. Nobody was transported.
*An Emporia woman was hurt in a crash at Roads 175 and X shortly after noon. Lyon County Deputy Tom Hardin says Fareda Gallager, age 64, had to be extricated from her vehicle before she was taken to Newman Regional Health with suspected serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Hardin says Gallagher lost control of her vehicle in slick conditions before it spun and rolled.
*Shortly before 1:30 pm, a crash involving eight vehicles transpired at Kansas Turnpike mile marker 145, or 18 miles northeast of the Emporia gate and two miles southwest of the Admire tollbooth. Schmidt says four semis, two passenger vehicles, a box truck and a KTA snowplow were involved. A driver in an unspecified semi was extricated and taken to Stormont-Vail Hospital in Topeka with suspected serious injuries.

Power outages started developing late Saturday night, and at one point over 2,300 Evergy customers were without power. That number is under 30 areawide, all currently in Greenwood or eastern Butler counties. Evergy District Services Manager Rolland Trahoon II conditions are still hampering restoration efforts.

If you have schedule adjustments to report, call KVOE at 620-342-1400, message the KVOE Bluestem Farm and Ranch text line at 620-342-5863 or email KVOE@KVOE.com.

Cold weather advisories continue areawide until 11 am with air temperatures struggling to get to 15 degrees and morning wind chills anywhere from -6 to -16.

If you have not signed up for KVOE social media alerts, go to Facebook@kvoenews, Instagram@kvoenews, YouTube@kvoenews and X@kvoeam1400.

*Click here for KVOE News’ prior news stories from the storm.
*Click here for KVOE’s YouTube channel, including updates from the KVOE News team.

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State issues ‘Emergency Alert,’ advises drivers to stay off roads due to winter weather

Published

20 hours ago

January 5, 2025

Press Room

State issues ‘Emergency Alert,’ advises drivers to stay off roads due to winter weather

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A statewide alert sent to smartphones across Kansas urges drivers to stay off of Kansas roads unless there’s an emergency. The alert follows numerous closures across the state, including in Harvey County where the sheriff’s office issued a travel alert, advising that all state highways in the county are closing “due to the impacts of the winter storm. In Harvey County, the state highway closures include Interstate I-135, U.S. 50, K-196 and K-15.

“These State-maintained roadways, and we do not have a timeline when they will reopen. We will share updates as they are made available to us,” the county explained.

On Sunday afternoon, the Kansas Department of Transportation advised that due to low visibility and impassable conditions, Interstate 70 was closed in both directions from the Missouri state line in Kansas City west to the Ellsworth County line and that eastbound I-70 was also closed from Hays to the Missouri state line.

Joining Harvey County, KDOT said that all highways were closed in Marshall, Nemaha, Brown, Doniphan, Riley, Pottawatomie, Johnson, Jackson, Atchison, Wabaunsee, Shawnee, Jefferson, Leavenworth, Lyon, Osage, Douglas, Wyandotte, Washington, Clay, Geary, Dickinson, Morris, Marion, Chase, McPherson, Saline, Ellsworth, Lincoln, Ottawa, Mitchell, Republic, Cloud and Jewell counties.

Representing central Kansas and some of the areas most heavily impacted by the ice and snow, including Salina, Kansas Highway Patrol Troop C shed light on what troopers are dealing with.

“Due to untreated roadways and hazardous conditions, some motorists may be stuck for extended periods of time,” KHP Trooper Ben Gardner posted on the troop’s Facebook page a little after 5 p.m. Sunday. “Emergency response is extremely difficult, and we ask for your patience as troopers work to assist those in need. Please avoid travel if possible to help keep everyone safe.”

The first winter storm of 2025 prompted numerous closures to schools, businesses and local government facilities across Kansas. You can keep up with the full list of closures and delays here: https://www.kwch.com/weather/closings/. While temperatures will be dangerously cold on Monday, conditions are expected to improve enough throughout the day for most if not everyone to open again on Tuesday.

You can catch updates on highway conditions across Kansas here: www.kandrive.gov.

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