‘Mythical figure,’ one-of-a-kind gamer: Stories from Phil Kessel’s former teammates
Phil Kessel is set to play in his 990th consecutive game Tuesday night (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), meaning the Vegas Golden Knights winger will pass retired defenseman Keith Yandle to become the NHL’s all-time iron man.
It’s the latest, and perhaps greatest, moment in a career that’s been equal parts eclectic and electric, historic and hysterical, with enough surreal milestones to make the 35-year-old hockey’s answer to Forrest Gump.
He was the player picked last in a 2011 NHL All-Star Game fantasy draft, and the one called out by President Barack Obama as “a Stanley Cup champion” at a White House celebration.
He was the player who overcame testicular cancer as a rookie, played on two U.S. Olympic teams and used his wicked shot to score close to 400 goals in the NHL.
He’s also the player whose attitude was questioned, whose conditioning was maligned and who once was accused by a Toronto columnist of visiting a hot dog vendor every afternoon — a story debunked by fans who have passionately defended Kessel against such critics.
He’s Phil Kessel: an enigma to some and a legend to others.
In an effort to better understand “Phil the Thrill” and how he became the NHL’s iron man, we spoke with individuals connected to all five of his stops on the NHL: with the Boston Bruins (2006-09), Toronto Maple Leafs (2009-2015), Pittsburgh Penguins (2015-19, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups), Arizona Coyotes (2019-22) and the Golden Knights this season.
Kessel in Boston: ‘He’s always been a popular teammate’
Shane Hnidy was a defenseman for the Boston Bruins for a season and half, during Kessel’s second and third NHL seasons. Hnidy is now a television analyst with the Vegas Golden Knights, where he reunited with Kessel this season.
If you had told me when I first met Phil that he would set the NHL’s iron man record, I would have called you absolutely crazy. I would have said you are out of your mind. I would have taken whatever odds were on it at the time.
You still kind of shake your head. To play that many games in a row is near impossible. So all the respect in the world for what he’s been able to do.
As a young player in Boston, Phil was talented. Extremely talented. You could see at that young age that he had that ability. I think he’s a super-intelligent player that gets underrated for his hockey IQ. That speaks to his game streak: You can’t play that long, be that successful and not put yourself in vulnerable situations if you don’t have a high hockey IQ.
No, he’s not the guy diving in front of shots. No one is going to claim he’s a defensive specialist, but there are a lot of elite players that fall into that category. But he’s also a guy who’s not afraid to go into the corners. You don’t put up the points that he does without going to certain areas of the ice where there are battles.
What guys like him and Keith Yandle have been able to do is staggering to me. Even if you purposely tried to stay away from injuries, there’s a good chance that over 500 games you’d get one. You have to play through some stuff. I almost lost an eye once — in practice. Freaky things happen all the time.
It was exciting to have him in Boston at that moment. The city embraced us. The team was starting to turn the corner, with guys like Phil and Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron and Milan Lucic. The 2008-09 team just missed the Presidents’ Trophy and then lost in the second round to Carolina. Phil and I have talked about that being one of those teams where it felt like we could win the Stanley Cup but didn’t.
In his rookie year, he had testicular cancer and kept it quiet. When it got into the media, he was upset about it because he’s just a private guy. He was always that quiet guy. That was hard on him. I wasn’t there for it, but the guys said he handled it with his humor. He barely missed any time.
I’m going to try to phrase this the right way: But at times, early on, he frustrated us veterans. Myself, Zdeno Chara, Glen Murray … we’d talk about trying to get a rise out of him. I remember in the 2008 playoffs, we needed him to come. We tried to get him rah-rah’d up, and he wouldn’t. We tried to find different ways to get a reaction out of him, and we couldn’t. It’s not his personality.
But he still scored some big goals. Then he scored 36 of them the next season. We finally figured, “OK, he’s got his own motivation.” You try to find ways. You try to set examples. But later in my career I realized that for certain guys, if it works for you, it works for you.
We had a couple of them like that. Tim Thomas was another. Now, he was a different dude. And he certainly didn’t abide by today’s standards of nutrition. But he stopped the puck and worked hard, and that’s all you wanted. Because Phil was able to perform, to do what was needed of him, it was like, “Well, OK, whatever.” But I will say that here in Vegas, he’s in some of the best shape I’ve ever seen him in. He’s motivated. He felt lost in Arizona.
I think sometimes he’s misunderstood as aloof, but he does care. He wants to win. You’ve seen that in his career. He hasn’t changed. There’s this mystery about him, as this laid-back guy. And he is one. But it’s all about in the room. He’s always been a popular teammate. There are guys in today’s game that pay too much attention to the noise, and he doesn’t. He just wants to score goals and get points. You could see that as a young guy.
I was surprised when Boston traded him. He was a talented guy for them.
Kessel in Toronto: ‘He’s unapologetically himself’
James van Riemsdyk, a Philadelphia Flyers winger, followed in Kessel’s footsteps with the U.S. national team development program and was his teammate on the Toronto Maple Leafs 2012-15.
He was always a mythical figure. When I was with the U.S. national development program, I came in the year after he left. He was with that 1987 [birth year] group that was legendary, not only with how many talented players they had but how many characters they had. My first world juniors I ever saw was in North Dakota. Phil was 16 or 17 years old, and he was just flying around, scoring goals.
The first time I met Phil was when his brother, Blake, brought a bunch of us to a Bruins afternoon game. After the game, we went to a Qdoba and Phil showed up eventually to join us. I guess he was on his entry-level contract and times were tough, but he picked up the tab.
He was in Toronto before I got there. He was just a complete character. He loves to stir the pot, making dry comments. It’s good to have someone that will speak his mind in the room in certain scenarios. Those dialogues are really healthy and good.
Phil’s the unintentionally funny guy. He’s not trying to be funny, but he ends up being hilarious. It got to the point where my close friends would text me once in a while, and instead of asking how I was doing, they’d say, “Give me the latest Phil story.”
He’s a super-competitive guy. We played poker on the plane all the time. I remember him being middle of the road. Athletes in general tend to be bad card players because of that competitiveness, instead of using your brain and math. But we had some fun times.
Ultimately with Phil — and I respect this about him — he’s unapologetically himself. He just did his thing and didn’t get too wrapped up in the outside noise that you get playing in Toronto. It wasn’t the fans. I think some of the stuff [about him] got covered [in the media] a little unfairly. Phil didn’t let it bother him enough to go back against certain people. I’m sure he was aware of the perceptions of him, but he was a super-productive player when he was there and his numbers spoke for themselves.
He loved playing in Toronto. Loved that white-hot spotlight.
My favorite Phil Kessel story is when he was playing in Pittsburgh. It was the first game after he was traded from Toronto. My line’s lining up against him on the opening draw. So just to f— with him a little bit, I chop him on top of the laces. Not too hard. Maybe like 50%. And he looks over at me, doesn’t smile, and he says, “James … don’t forget who made you a player in this league.”
No one calls me James, either. He’s the only guy that calls me James. It was priceless.
With this record, the biggest thing is that he’s a gamer. I have this quote from Phil burned in my head that I’ve been thinking about a lot as he’s come close to the record:
“I just love playin’ the games, eh?”
[Editor’s note: James van Riemsdyk does an impeccable Phil Kessel impression.]
I feel like that sums it up perfectly. He loves playing the game. He wouldn’t have played this long, or wouldn’t have been as successful, without that love.
Kessel in Pittsburgh: Cards in the Cup
Nick Bonino won two Stanley Cups with Kessel on the Pittsburgh Penguins, in 2015-16 and 2016-17, lining up next to him on the fabled HBK Line along with Carl Hagelin. He’s now a center for the San Jose Sharks.
We both were traded to Pittsburgh in summer 2015. His was the bigger trade, I think.
I was excited to meet him. You’d just hear things around the league about what kind of character he was. They had that [HBO 24/7] documentary when he was in Toronto, and there was stuff from that everyone was talking about. Like him going, “Good one, Randy” to [Toronto coach Randy] Carlyle.
There’s a reason everyone lights up when they talk about Phil Kessel. When he’s in the room, guys rip on him and he rips on them, which I think is important in a good teammate. He wasn’t closed off like he can be in interviews.
Unique. One of a kind. Great guy and a good friend.
My favorite story is probably the one with Pierre McGuire and the breath.
[Editor’s note: In 2016 during the Eastern Conference finals, NBC Sports announcer Pierre McGuire had a postgame interview in which he asked Kessel “how’s your breath?” McGuire meant to inquire about Kessel’s conditioning after the forward played over 19 minutes against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Instead, Kessel thought it was a question about his hygiene and responded “it’s not good, eh?”]
Phil came back into the room after that. He looked at us and just shook his head. He said, “Boys … you’re gonna get a kick out of this when it comes out.” Like, he knew what was going to happen. So the next day, he had a bunch of Tic Tacs and gum piled high in his stall.
The line with him, me and [Hagelin] … that was fun. The opportunity came about because Geno [Malkin] got hurt. It was one of those times in my career where it felt like everything we did was right and everything we shot went in, from Game 60 all the way through when we lifted the Cup.
Haggy was so fast and so smart and knew exactly where he needed to be. I just tried to get pucks to them and be responsible. I was so fortunate to play with Phil. He can shoot the puck like few can in this league. He’s just got such a flex on his stick that he can snap it off, and he can do it in motion, too. I hadn’t seen anyone come down the wing and shoot it in stride like he does. He’s fast. When he gets a step on you, that’s all he needs. And then he’s shooting before the goalie is set.
The popularity of our line was a whirlwind. Something I hadn’t experienced before. I imagine that’s what it’s like for Sid everywhere he goes, or these top guys. When you’re producing and doing well, the fanfare comes with it. Especially in a city like Pittsburgh, which is so sports-crazed.
I played cards with him. I wouldn’t play poker because he was so good at it. But we’d play a bunch of games on the plane. One thing I’ll never forget: playing cards with Phil out of the Stanley Cup on the way back from San Jose. We set it up in the middle of the aisle between us. That was our card table. We were throwing our cards inside the Stanley Cup.
It’s funny: I played with Andrew Cogliano, too, who had such a long consecutive games streak himself. I think every guy is different, but they both have a durability to them. Regardless of what was going on with Phil, you knew he was going to play. He wasn’t taking a maintenance day. He was playing. OK, maybe not so much in practice, but you know that in the games, he was going to be there.
He’s a gamer. He wanted to win, whatever he did. Whether it was cards or shooting hoops or playing hockey. You gotta have that drive if you want to play that many games in a row.
Kessel in Arizona: The veteran mentor
Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller was Kessel’s teammate during Phil’s three seasons with the Coyotes from 2019-20 to 2021-22 — including a game on March 8, 2022, when Kessel played one 30-second shift against the Detroit Red Wings to keep his streak alive before hopping on a charter flight arranged by the team for the birth of his daughter, Kapri Mary Kessel.
Phil was an unbelievable teammate, on and off the ice. Someone that I loved playing with. Probably one of the best guys that I’ve ever played with. I definitely miss him.
When I first met him, he was just a normal guy. Loved to play golf, so one of the first days that we were together, we went out and played. That’s when you can really get to know someone, on the golf course. And he was super-fun to golf with. It’s nice because it’s away from hockey and you’re just talking about life and things of that nature.
He also loves to chirp, and he can back it up. He’ll tell you he’s a bad golfer. But he’s very good. Really good putter. Good short game in general. His drives are good too, but if I was going to say one thing [is his best], I’d say putting. He’s got soft hands.
He’s a competitive guy, no matter if it’s hockey or golf or cards on the plane, he wants to win. And if he does, he’ll let everyone know about it.
It was awesome to have him on the Coyotes. He’s a guy that’s played in big games and played in Stanley Cup Finals and won Stanley Cups. So he knows what it’s like. It was nice to pick his brain on some of the teams he’s been on, why they won and things of that nature.
We all knew the situation [with his daughter’s birth]. It was pretty crazy and awesome for the team to do that. Everyone kind of had an idea, but no one knew exactly what was going to happen. You didn’t know when the baby was going to arrive. So he played one shift, got on a plane and he was back with us the next game. We all got him something for the kid.
Like with his streak, he wants to be a part of every game. He’s definitely had injuries throughout his career that he’s played through to get to that level. I hope he gets all the way there and holds that record for a long time.
It’s a long season. There are tough days. But every time you come to the rink and see Phil, he puts a smile on your face. Every day was something new. I miss the laughs and the jokes. I miss playing with him. He cheers you up.
Kessel in Vegas: How hockey is (and isn’t) like poker
Daniel Negreanu is a professional poker player who has won six World Series of Poker bracelets. He has played cards with Phil Kessel and now watches him as a fan of the Vegas Golden Knights.
The first time I met Phil was in Toronto at a mutual friend’s house. A couple of guys on the Leafs loved playing poker, and I met him at a game inside that friend’s house. Phil wanted to “test his skills.” Me being a big hockey fan, I thought that was cool.
I knew about him before that night. Toronto media is very in your business. They go above and beyond trying to get the inside scoop, and sometimes they completely make s— up — like the hot dog thing, which wasn’t even real. But I never experienced him as a person until then. And as I got to know him over the years, he’s probably my most famous friend.
He’s an easy-going guy. When you see him on camera doing interviews, he’s kind of uncomfortable. He doesn’t like it. That’s why during the World Series of Poker, whenever he was there, I would bring my vlog camera out and put him on it and drive him crazy. He’d try to hide.
Once you get to know him, it makes sense that he’s kind of streaky as a player. Mindset for him is incredibly important. When things are going badly, he sort of has a woe-is-me attitude. “Aw, man, puck isn’t going in, eh? Puck’s just not droppin’, eh?” But in hockey, just like in poker, he’s a competitor. He might not look like it, but he’s a competitor.
He was at the World Series of Poker with me when Toronto traded him. I asked him where he was headed, and he said “Pittsburgh.” I told him that you could think of worse places than playing with Crosby and Malkin. He said, “Yeah, not too bad, eh?”
I’m really hoping this works out for him in Vegas. It’s a good opportunity. But he wanted people to know that he didn’t come to Vegas to play poker. He’s here to play hockey and to take it very seriously.
He was in a horrible situation in Arizona. At the trade deadline, he and everybody in the world thought he was going somewhere, but they didn’t have anywhere to move him. Vegas was always in his sights, but they were up against the cap. But they needed a guy for the power play, and who else is a better fit than Phil Kessel, one of the best power-play guys in the NHL? So I was super-excited when he signed with the Knights. It was time to get another jersey with “Phil The Thrill” on the back.
When I first met him, I would have been surprised by him setting this record. But not as surprised as the average NHL fan.
When you play in Toronto, the media creates the narrative for you. So what’s the narrative on Phil Kessel? He’s fat. He likes to eat hot dogs. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t try. He doesn’t play defense. And he doesn’t even like hot dogs. The defense thing … maybe in the regular season, he’s not hitting. He’s maybe coasting in a 4-1 game.
But watch him in the playoffs. Watch him in those Pittsburgh runs and tell me who was backchecking and playing really hard. And if you ask guys around him, when he’s in the gym and under a squat rack, he’s strong as f—. He’s got a very strong lower body.
In poker, he likes to play a game called Pot Limit Omaha. That’s his favorite. And that game has a lot of luck involved, so you can go on these really big swings were you can win or lose a lot in one session.
With poker, you have to be a little even-keeled. But he’s very emotionally attached to swings. He’d say things like, “Bro, I had aces seven times in a row and the guy cracked, eh?” And I’m like, “We should focus on your game. Focus on the things you can control.” He gets caught up in that stuff occasionally.
One year, he was sitting down in a tournament for Pot Limit Omaha at the World Series of Poker. I happened to roll up and I was seated at his table, playing for a world championship. I know how he plays. He’s not a big bluffer. He’s not going to outplay me or anything like that … except on this one hand, when he went absolutely nuts on me and I didn’t see it coming. He completely outplayed me and bluffed me, and everyone started laughing.
I was like, “What the hell, Phil? Where did you get that from?”
It was a high-level play. I didn’t think he was capable of it. The joke was on me.
What happened in Week 13? We are now down to one undefeated FBS team following No. 5 Indiana‘s loss to No. 2 Ohio State and No. 19 Army’s loss to No. 6 Notre Dame. On top of that, four ranked teams fell to their unranked opponents on Saturday.
With No. 16 Colorado’s loss to Kansas and No. 14 BYU falling to No. 21 Arizona State, the Big 12 has a four-way tie at the top of the standings. What does each team have to do next week to reach the conference title game?
After their defense dominated the Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium, the Buckeyes have one more conference matchup left. What do they need to do to meet Oregon in the Big Ten title game?
How did Saturday’s action affect our Power Rankings?
Here’s the latest top 25 from our college football experts, who provide their insight on each team following Week 13.
Previous ranking: 1
Oregon’s second bye week of the year is as good a time as any to recognize not just how the Ducks have gotten to 11-0, but how far the offensive line specifically has come since the first few weeks of the season. In its first two games, Oregon’s offensive line gave up seven sacks. Over the past nine games, it has kept quarterback Dillon Gabriel upright, allowing only five sacks total. The improvement began in the Ducks’ third game against UCLA, when they shifted Iapani Laloulu to starting center. Lalolulu, a sophomore from Hawaii, has anchored the unit. Per Pro Football Focus, Laloulu has not allowed a sack in 270 pass blocking snaps.
The move and subsequent improvement has both limited the number of sacks and quarterback pressures, but beyond that, it has facilitated the Ducks’ running game. In the first two games of the season, they averaged fewer than 3 yards per carry. Since then, they have averaged over 5 and have 20 rushing touchdowns total. It has all added up to one of the most effective offenses in the country, an undefeated season so far and a potent recipe as Oregon heads toward a conference championship and playoff run. — Paolo Uggetti
Previous ranking: 2
The Buckeyes (10-1) have upped their blitz rate since their 32-31 loss to Oregon on Oct. 12. They didn’t get a single sack against Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who threw for 341 yards while averaging a whopping 9.6 yards per dropback. Since then, they have overwhelmed opposing quarterbacks. During Saturday’s resounding 38-15 win over Indiana, Ohio State sacked quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times. Off the blitz, linebacker Cody Simon especially wreaked havoc, finishing with 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble. With little time to throw, most notably in obvious passing situations, Rourke completed just 8 of his 18 attempts for 68 yards. If the Buckeyes take care of Michigan, they’ll get a rematch with Oregon in the Big Ten championship game. There, they’ll be sure to unleash the blitz in a way they didn’t in Eugene. — Jake Trotter
Previous ranking: 3
The Longhorns (10-1) have consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since 2008-09, accomplished in both the Big 12 and the SEC. But this team hasn’t been all flash. The Longhorns have been able to adapt to whatever form necessary to keep winning, aside from their loss to Georgia this year. On Saturday, Quintrevion Wisner had a career-high 158 yards rushing, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. But the biggest difference this season has been the pass defense. Last year, Texas allowed 254.4 yards per game through the air, and this year, they have cut that to just 143.5 per game, ranking No. 1 in the nation.
The pass rush has helped quite a bit. Against Kentucky, the Longhorns pressured Brock Vandagriff and Cutter Boley on 14 of their 31 dropbacks. The Longhorns have a big one next week, traveling to College Station to renew their rivalry with Texas A&M (whom they haven’t played since 2011), with a spot in the SEC championship game for the winner. — Dave Wilson
Previous ranking: 9
The Irish won their ninth straight game Saturday night with a 49-7 blowout of previously unbeaten Army at Yankee Stadium. Since that forgettable 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7, Notre Dame (10-1) has been better at a little bit of everything and looks to be a lock for the playoff if it can finish out the regular season with a win over USC. The Irish have improved across the board on defense after giving up nearly 400 yards to Northern Illinois, and they clamped down on Army’s running game.
The Black Knights came into the game leading the country in rushing (334.9 yards per game), but Bryson Daily could never get on track. The Irish haven’t played what you would call a killer schedule since the loss in Week 2 but have won every game but one by double digits. Running back Jeremiyah Love continues to be a key weapon for the Irish. He scored two more rushing touchdowns, including a 68-yarder, and has 14 on the season. — Chris Low
Previous ranking: 5
Tyler Warren had a touchdown catch in Penn State’s (10-1) season-opening win at West Virginia, but the tight end extraordinaire wasn’t the focal point of the Nittany Lions’ offense right away. He had 50 receiving yards or fewer in four of the team’s first five games before his record-setting performance Oct. 12 at USC, when he set career highs for receptions (17) and receiving yards (224). Since then, Warren has been the centerpiece of Penn State’s offense. He has seven or more receptions in four of Penn State’s past five games, while taking on a bigger role in the run game as well.
In Penn State’s 26-25 win over Minnesota on Saturday, Warren led the team with eight receptions for 102 yards, including an 11-yard reception on fourth-and-1 that allowed the Nittany Lions to run out the clock and keep their CFP hopes firmly intact. He continues to provide quarterback Drew Allar with a reliable option and offset PSU’s limitations at wide receiver. Warren and Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. are the top two candidates for the Mackey Award (given to the top tight end in the nation). — Adam Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 8
The Bulldogs (9-2) might have been a popular pick to reach the SEC championship game before the season, but their route in getting back to Atlanta has been far more difficult than it was the past few seasons. Injuries along the offensive line and at tailback resulted in a mediocre running game, putting more pressure on quarterback Carson Beck. He had 12 interceptions in a six-game stretch and played poorly in the first half of a loss at Alabama and another loss at Ole Miss. Beck has played efficiently and avoided big mistakes in Georgia’s past two victories over Tennessee and UMass.
After All-America guard Tate Ratledge returned, the offensive line has provided enough protection (one sack in the past two games), and the Bulldogs are running the ball again. Georgia’s tight ends have also stepped up, and freshman tailback Nate Frazier looks like a star. If Georgia beats Georgia Tech at home Friday night, it should be back in the CFP, regardless of what happens against the Texas-Texas A&M winner in the SEC championship game. — Mark Schlabach
Previous ranking: 10
Cam Ward has dazzled for the majority of the season, starting with the opener against Florida. But where Miami (10-1) has improved the most is building depth in its running back room, and that showed in a 42-14 win over Wake Forest. The Hurricanes added freshman Jordan Lyle to the mix with Damien Martinez and Mark Fletcher Jr. Lyle had seven carries for 115 yards and a score, while Martinez added 63 yards and Fletcher 55. Miami rushed for 228 yards and a whopping 7.1 yards per carry. Ward added 280 yards passing, showing the type of balance Miami wants but has not achieved consistently. Up next is a Syracuse team that has struggled to stop the run this season. A win clinches a spot for the Hurricanes in the ACC championship game. — Andrea Adelson
Previous ranking: 13
Kevin Jennings and the offense were dominant again, and SMU’s emphatic win at Virginia offered the latest statement that the Mustangs aren’t just ACC upstarts, but the genuine favorite in the conference and a legitimate playoff team. SMU (10-1) is one of just eight remaining undefeated or one-loss teams in the Power 4, and since Jennings took over as the starting QB, the Mustangs are 8-0 and averaging 41 points per game. — David Hale
Previous ranking: 12
While SEC (and CFP) rivals Ole Miss and Alabama were suffering upset losses, Tennessee benefited by simply handling its business against UTEP in a 56-0 win. Nico Iamaleava overcame a slow start — three punts in the first three drives — to complete 17 of 23 passes for 209 yards and four touchdowns, including Bru McCoy‘s first two touchdown catches of the season. Iamaleava was nearly perfect as the Volunteers unleashed a 28-0 second quarter to salt the game away. Tennessee’s offense hasn’t averaged over 5.8 yards per play in an SEC game all season but cruised along at 6.8 against the outmanned Miners, and after finding themselves on the outside looking in with this week’s CFP rankings, the Vols should be comfortably in the field of 12 when the rankings are updated Tuesday. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 4
Even though Indiana got routed by Ohio State 38-15 on Saturday, the Hoosiers have continued to impress with their red zone defense. In the first half at Ohio Stadium, Indiana allowed just one touchdown on three Ohio State possessions in the red zone. The Hoosiers stuffed Quinshon Judkins on fourth-and-1 from the Indiana 2-yard line.
Later, D’Angelo Ponds broke up a pass, which landed in the arms of Jailin Walker for an interception at the Hoosiers’ 11, thwarting another Ohio State scoring opportunity. Those plays kept Indiana in the game through halftime, even though its offense gained just 53 yards, the Hoosiers’ lowest first-half total in a decade. In Indiana’s previous game, it allowed Michigan to score just one touchdown on three red zone chances. The Hoosiers are now in the top half of the Big Ten in red zone defensive efficiency. — Trotter
Previous ranking: 11
For all of the attention Ashton Jeanty and Boise State’s offense gets, there isn’t much discussed about the Broncos’ defense. When the season began, there wasn’t much to praise on that side of the ball. Opponents scored over 30 points in three of the first five games, and Boise State allowed over 400 yards three times. Over the past five games, however, the unit has shown slight yet important improvements. No team has scored more than 24 points on the Broncos (10-1), and they’ve held teams under 350 yards three separate times. Spencer Danielson’s team has shown time and time again that it can win shootouts. All they need is for the defense to be serviceable and do enough to allow their offense to win games. In the back half of the season, the Broncos have done just that. — Uggetti
Previous ranking: 20
The Sun Devils (9-2) are one of the hottest teams in the country, and a trip to the Big 12 title game (and even the CFP) is now within reach following their dramatic 28-23 win over BYU. They’ve won four in a row ever since Sam Leavitt came back from his rib injury. We’re watching the redshirt freshman blossom into one of the best young QBs in the FBS on a weekly basis. Leavitt has the second-best QBR in the Big 12 over the past month (83.8) (behind only Shedeur Sanders) and is averaging 8.7 yards per attempt with a 10-1 TD-INT ratio. He’s taking care of the football and playing his best at the best possible time. — Max Olson
Previous ranking: 19
The Tigers picked a good week to play an FCS team. While chaos ruled the day around them, Clemson took care of business with a 51-14 win over The Citadel behind three touchdown passes by Cade Klubnik. The Tigers are now 9-2, marking their 14th straight season of nine wins or more. More importantly, the losses around them in the top 25 leave the door wide open for a playoff berth. A win next week against South Carolina would offer a signature victory over the SEC — home of the majority of the teams Clemson would be judged against. A Miami loss next week would also push the Tigers into the ACC title game, which could be either a blessing or a curse at this point. — Hale
Previous ranking: 6
It’s difficult to pull many positives after the Crimson Tide’s crushing stumble at Oklahoma in Week 13, but a once-vulnerable Alabama secondary that Georgia tore up for 439 passing yards on Sept. 28 has steadily improved over the course of the season. The Sooners’ success on the ground — and the overall state of their passing game — meant there wasn’t much work for the Crimson Tide defensive backs in Saturday’s 24-3 defeat.
While the secondary remains the weak link in Alabama’s defense, the unit anchored by Malachi Moore and Domani Jackson was strong enough to keep a lid on LSU’s passing attack on Nov. 9, and the Crimson Tide (8-3) entered the weekend ranked 18th among FBS defenses in pass defense (181.2 yards per game) after holding four of their past five opponents below 200 passing yards. — Eli Lederman
Previous ranking: 7
All Ole Miss had to do was beat Florida and Mississippi State, and Lane Kiffin’s Rebels would have likely secured their first College Football Playoff bid. Instead, they became the second straight ranked team to fall in the Swamp, suffering a 24-17 defeat. Jaxson Dart threw for 323 yards and two touchdowns, but he lost the plot late, throwing two bad interceptions; his 22-yard scoring strike to Cayden Lee with 9:05 left in the second quarter turned out to be the Rebels’ last touchdown of the day. Ole Miss (8-3) scored just three points in its last eight drives. There was enough chaos elsewhere that the Rebels’ playoff hopes aren’t completely dusted, but they’re going to need some more chaos over Rivalry Week to have a chance. — Bill Connelly
Previous ranking: 18
With the CFP bubble getting a lot weirder, and a couple of key conference mates joining the pile of three-loss teams on Saturday, South Carolina, 18th in the CFP rankings, got a breather with a 56-12 win over Wofford. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers overcame an early interception to go 23-for-27 for 307 yards and three touchdowns, and he added 53 rushing yards and another score. Dalevon Campbell caught five passes for 120 yards, and 12 different receivers caught at least one pass. The Gamecocks (8-3) gained 608 yards with 34 first downs, and while this was obviously an FCS opponent, the improvement of South Carolina’s offense has been a consistent storyline over the second half of the season. Even with the SEC’s Saturday upsets, they might not have a particularly realistic path toward the CFP, but their hopes aren’t completely dead yet, either. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 22
The Cyclones (9-2) didn’t crack 90 rushing yards in either of their first two games this fall and have emerged as an effective complement to the Big 12’s fifth-ranked passing attack. Sophomore rusher Carson Hansen upped his touchdown tally this fall to 11 with another pair of scores at Utah on Saturday, including his go-ahead, 3-yard touchdown with 1:31 remaining in a 31-28 road win that got dicey late for the Cyclones. Iowa State’s run game remains middle of the pack in the Big 12, but the Cyclones leaned on the program’s ground attack heavily in conference wins over Baylor (265 rushing yards) and UCF (256), and Hansen has emerged as a red zone weapon with seven of his 11 touchdowns coming from inside the 5-yard line. — Lederman
Previous ranking: 21
The Green Wave offensive line allowed eight sacks across a pair of September losses to Kansas State and Oklahoma. Since then, Tulane quarterbacks have been sacked just six times during the eight-game winning streak that vaulted the Green Wave (9-2) to No. 20 in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings coming off of an idle weekend. Tulane is buoyed by one of the Group of 5’s rising stars in freshman quarterback Darian Mensah and the AAC’s leading rusher in Makhi Hughes. And both are succeeding this fall with the help of an offensive line that enters the final weekend of the regular season ranked 25th in sacks allowed while powering the nation’s 10th-ranked rushing attack. — Lederman
Previous ranking: 14
The Cougars (9-2) played a dangerous game for weeks and their luck has caught up with them having now suffered back-to-back losses with a 28-23 loss at Arizona State on Saturday. The defeat leaves BYU as one of four two-loss teams in the Big 12 and it no longer controls its destiny, as it would not reach the title game if both ASU and Iowa State win next week. After falling behind 21-0 to ASU, the Cougars played much better, but their Hail Mary fell two yards shy of the end zone, which could be the difference between a second-tier bowl game and a College Football Playoff appearance. — Kyle Bonagura
Previous ranking: 15
The Aggies (8-3) lost a heartbreaker on the road at Auburn, with the first drop of Amari Daniels‘ season coming on the last play of the game, as the ball bounced off his hands in overtime in the end zone. It was improbable in many other ways: It marked Auburn’s first win in 15 tries against an AP-ranked team and the first overtime loss by the Aggies after winning seven straight.
The Aggies found some rhythm in their passing game (Marcel Reed was 22-of-35 for 297 yards and a career-high three TDs, adding 66 rushing yards), but the Aggies’ defense imploded, giving up 43 points to a Tigers team that hadn’t scored more than 24 in SEC play this season. The loss is a blow to hopes the Aggies had of reaching the College Football Playoff, but Alabama’s loss means the Aggies can still reach the SEC championship game with a win over Texas next weekend, leaving the door cracked for them to play their way back in. — Wilson
Previous ranking: 24
The Rebels (9-2) can wrap up a 10-win regular season with a win against Nevada next week and would qualify for the Mountain West title game against Boise State in the process. If UNLV loses to Nevada and CSU wins, then it would go to a computer tiebreaker. Beyond the conference title, the Rebels are still in play for the playoff. If they win the Mountain West and finish ranked ahead of the AAC champion in the final CFP rankings, then the Broncos would be in. The early-season QB drama seems so long ago now as UNLV is on pace to finish with one of its best seasons in school history. — Bonagura
Previous ranking: 16
It was Army’s first loss of the season and a lopsided one, as Notre Dame outmanned the Black Knights 49-14 on Saturday in Yankee Stadium. Afterward, Army coach Jeff Monken said it would be unfair to judge his team on that one game and he was proud of the way his team had continued to progress in all areas. Army had one turnover against Notre Dame but has been terrific at taking care of the ball this season.
The defense couldn’t stop Notre Dame, but the goal-line stand in the first half was indicative of the way Army has fought on defense this season. The Black Knights (9-1) still have a lot to play for. They face UTSA on Saturday and then Tulane the following weekend in the AAC championship game and of course rival Navy in the finale. — Low
Previous ranking: 25
The offense started with a pair of three-and-outs, but a 28-7 run resulted in a comfortable 39-20 win for Missouri at Mississippi State. It was the Tigers’ first win over the Bulldogs in three tries since joining the SEC in 2012, and it moved them to 8-3 for the season. Brady Cook completed 15 of 20 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown, and after gaining under 300 yards for two straight games while Cook was battling injury, the offense followed up on last week’s 381-yard effort by gaining 472 against MSU. The difference? Big plays. Cook completed five passes of 28 yards or more, and to four different receivers. The Tigers are still out of the playoff picture, but they have a chance to finish 9-3 with a Battle Line Rivalry win over Arkansas on Saturday. — Connelly
Previous ranking: NR
Coach Bret Bielema’s teams always have been known for running the ball, but Illinois (8-3) showed other strengths for much of the season before returning to its roots down the stretch. The Illini ran for 182 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday’s 38-31 road win against Rutgers, marking their second straight game with three rushing scores and third in the past six contests. Other than the loss to Penn State, when Illinois finished with 34 net rushing yards, the Illini have averaged 158.3 rushing yards in their other seven Big Ten games. Quarterback Luke Altmyer and running backs Josh McCray and Aidan Laughery all found the end zone at Rutgers, as Illinois averaged 5.1 yards per carry. The Illini aren’t the elite run outfit that Bielema frequently had at Wisconsin, but they provide enough on the ground to balance out a passing attack led by wideout Pat Bryant, who had 197 receiving yards and the game-winning touchdown with four seconds to play. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 17
The Buffaloes’ defense showed so much progress under new defensive coordinator Robert Livingston throughout this season, but they had no answers for stopping Devin Neal and Kansas in their 37-21 loss in Kansas City. Colorado (8-3) had held every opponent on its schedule under 200 rushing yards — and gave up just 31 yards vs. Utah last week — until the resurgent Jayhawks burned them for 331 yards on 57 carries, with Neal surpassing 200 all by himself. Deion Sanders believes it was an uncharacteristic performance for his defense in every way. They can prove it was a fluke by slowing down Ollie Gordon II and the Oklahoma State Cowboys in their regular-season finale on Friday. — Olson
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Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff Writer
NORMAN, Okla. — Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer lamented his team’s “uncharacteristic” mistakes in the aftermath of a 24-3 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday night that dealt a significant blow to the Crimson Tide’s College Football Playoff hopes.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe threw three interceptions, and the Crimson Tide (8-3, 4-3 SEC) never shook off a slow start against an Oklahoma defense that held them to a season-low 70 rushing yards.
Meanwhile, the Sooners (6-5, 2-5) — relying on the legs of quarterback Jackson Arnold and freshman running back Xavier Robinson — gashed Alabama for 257 rushing yards on their way to sealing bowl eligibility for a 26th consecutive season.
The Crimson Tide have three losses for the first time since 2010.
Alabama began Week 13 in line to reach the SEC title game on Dec. 7 with wins over Oklahoma then Auburn during the final two weeks of the regular season. Instead, the Crimson Tide’s road stumble helped No. 10 Georgia clinch a spot in the conference championship and left Alabama’s path into the CFP on shaky ground. Even if the Tide beat the Tigers in the Iron Bowl next weekend, Alabama will need plenty of help in order to land a spot in the 12-team playoff field.
Following the program’s lowest-scoring performance since 2004, DeBoer focused on the Tide’s early errors in a game he said “got away” from them after halftime.
“We got to be better in all ways,” DeBoer said. “Some simple things, uncharacteristic things, happened early in the game where we didn’t get the momentum on our side. And really, it comes down to the end of the first half [with] them scoring a touchdown and the turnovers really kind of changing the momentum of the game there.”
It was a particularly rough night for Milroe. The junior went 11-for-26 for 164 yards passing and managed just 7 yards rushing on 15 attempts. Alabama trailed 10-3 early in the third quarter when Oklahoma cornerback Eli Bowen intercepted Milroe, setting up Robinson’s second touchdown run of the game four plays later. The Sooners’ lead grew to 24-3 on the ensuing possession after linebacker Kip Lewis jumped Milroe’s throw to tight end Robbie Ouzts and returned it 49 yards for a score.
Oklahoma’s 21-point advantage marked Alabama’s largest deficit against an unranked opponent since 2003. The Tide picked up only five first downs and 80 yards total after Milroe’s back-to-back picks. He became the first Alabama quarterback to throw three interceptions in a game since 2015 on Woodi Washington‘s game-sealing pick with 6:53 remaining in the contest.
While Milroe struggled, DeBoer saw wider problems in an offense that never recovered from a sloppy first half, which included punts on three of the Tide’s first four possessions.
“I think stepping back, it just felt like early in the game there were different things — drops, balls we lost in the lights — different, uncharacteristic things. Weird things that happened,” DeBoer said. “I thought [Milroe] was actually putting the ball where he needed to. We just needed to help him out a little bit.”
Sooners coach Brent Venables said Oklahoma was the more “physical football team,” and his offense proved it with 205 first-half rushing yards that marked the most Alabama has allowed in a half since 2007. The Tide continued to struggle against the Sooners’ rushing attack after halftime without linebacker Deontae Lawson. Alabama’s second-leading tackler was ruled out for the remainder of the game after exiting with a lower body injury in the second quarter.
DeBoer did not provide an update on Lawson’s status following the game.
“Anytime you lose a great player like Deontae, it’s going to affect you,” DeBoer said. “His leadership. He’s the guy who makes a lot of the calls on the field. Just seems like he’s always in control.”
The stunning defeat leaves the Tide’s postseason hopes in a precarious position entering the final week of the regular season. With those playoff aspirations no longer in Alabama’s control ahead of an Iron Bowl visit from the Tigers, its quarterback was focused on moving forward.
“It’s all about finish,” Milroe said late Saturday night. “We’ve got to finish. There’s so much left for the football season. We’ve got to get everyone together to have a like-mindedness and just keep on competing. Every opportunity that we have, we’ve just got to seize it.”
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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
A wild day in the SEC produced only one postseason guarantee: Georgia is headed back to the conference championship game for a fourth consecutive season.
The league confirmed Georgia’s spot in the Dec. 7 title game in Atlanta shortly after No. 15 Texas A&M‘s 43-41 loss at Auburn in four overtimes. The Aggies were one of three top-15 SEC teams to lose to unranked foes on the road Saturday, as No. 7 Alabama lost 24-3 at Oklahoma and No. 9 Ole Miss fell at Florida 24-17.
No. 10 Georgia will face the winner of next week’s game between No. 3 Texas and Texas A&M in College Station. The Longhorns and Aggies have not met since 2011, when they were both members of the Big 12. Texas beat visiting Kentucky 31-14 on Saturday, and the Horns remain the only one-loss team in the SEC.
Georgia, which has lost to both Alabama and Ole Miss on the road but owns wins against Texas and No. 11 Tennessee, beat UMass 59-21 on Saturday at Sanford Stadium.
The Crimson Tide entered the day needing to beat Oklahoma then Auburn and for No. 23 Missouri to win once in its final two league games in order to punch their ticket to Atlanta. (Missouri prevailed 39-20 at Mississippi State on Saturday.)
Georgia lost to Alabama in the 2023 SEC title game, costing the Bulldogs a spot in the final four-team College Football Playoff.
Asked about Georgia’s path to the SEC title game after the UMass game, Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said he was thinking solely about next week’s regular-season finale against visiting Georgia Tech.
Georgia won the SEC title game in 2017 and 2022, while falling in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
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