The University of Tulsa has fired football coach Kevin Wilson with one game remaining in the season.

Athletic director Justin Moore made the official announcement in a statement Sunday morning, one day after a 63-30 defeat at South Florida, the Golden Hurricane’s ninth loss by more than 30 points over the past two seasons.

‘With the rapidly evolving landscape of college athletics, we know the importance of positioning our football program and athletic department to thrive and excel in the upcoming years,’ Moore said. ‘Our standard will be to play in bowl games every season, compete for conference titles, and build a program that everyone connected to the Golden Hurricane will be proud of.’

In two seasons under Wilson, Tulsa went 7-16.

He previously posted a 26-47 record, including losses in two bowl games, over six seasons at Indiana from 2011 to 2016. Between head-coaching jobs, he was the offensive coordinator at Ohio State.

Wilson, 63, becomes the sixth AAC head coach to be fired this season.

Wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Ryan Switzer will take over on an interim basis as the Golden Hurricane host Florida Atlantic next Saturday to finish out the season.

(This story was updated to change a video).

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In a surprising move, the St. Louis Blues on Sunday fired Drew Bannister after less than a year as coach, replacing him with former Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery.

The announcement from Blues president and general manager Doug Armstrong comes with the team losing 13 of its first 22 games this year. Bannister had taken over for Stanley Cup-winning coach Craig Berube last season and had his interim tag removed at the end of the season.

Montgomery, a former assistant to Berube, has an overall regular-season record of 180-84-33 as a head coach with Boston and Dallas. He was just let go by the Bruins last week after they lost 12 of their first 20 games.

Montgomery, a former player who made his NHL debut with the Blues in 1993, signed a five-year contract to take over in St. Louis.

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The only result that would’ve immediately tossed No. 5 Indiana out of the College Football Playoff was a total blowout against No. 2 Ohio State. The type of loss that wouldn’t have done much to move the needle in either direction was a close one, maybe by a possession, in one of college football’s toughest road environments.

But this one falls in the middle: The Hoosiers started strong, taking a 7-0 lead into the second quarter, but were buried by the Buckeyes’ defense, special teams and offensive skill talent in a 38-15 final that properly represents the gap between these two teams.

Now we wait until Tuesday for the first glimpse of how the playoff selection committee will treat one-loss Indiana.

The committee can hand the Hoosiers a devastating drop by focusing on a weak strength of schedule that includes only one win against an opponent with a winning record. Facing a legitimate contender for the first time, the Hoosiers were unable to make a statement the committee couldn’t ignore.

Indiana gave up a season-worst 5.7 yards per play and cratered in the second half, allowing OSU to score on three of four possessions. Ohio State safety Caleb Downs returned a punt 79 yards for a score early in the third quarter to push the lead to 21-7, a monumental special teams failure that doomed the Hoosiers. An offense that came into Saturday ranked ninth nationally in yards per play and second in scoring managed just 151 yards – 75 of which came on a touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter with the score 31-7.

Taken alone, a loss to Ohio State was not going to be enough to automatically jettison Indiana from the at-large debate. It’s the nature of this loss that could give the committee the ammunition to drop the Hoosiers in favor of another contender from the SEC or ACC.

Indiana, OSU and Tennessee lead Saturday’s winners and losers:

Winners

Tennessee

It was pretty much a perfect day for the No. 11 Volunteers, beginning with a 56-0 rout of Texas-El Paso. The good news doesn’t stop there: Indiana’s loss is good for Tennessee and No. 9 Mississippi’s 24-17 loss to Florida is really, really great news in terms of opening up a lane for the playoff. If the SEC does land four teams in the bracket, the Volunteers are poised to join Texas, Alabama and Georgia if the quartet holds serve through the end of the month.

Notre Dame

No. 6 Notre Dame took care of business on both sides of the ball in a 49-14 win against No. 17 Army and move one step closer to a playoff berth. Needing to play somewhere near a perfect game, the Black Knights failed to get things going on the ground, had a punt blocked and lost the turnover margin. The Fighting Irish gained 462 yards of offense and held Army to a season-low 233 yards, and have won nine in a row since a September loss to Northern Illinois. The Irish close things out next Saturday against Southern California, having won five of six in the rivalry.

SMU

Beating Virginia 33-14 locks No. 12 SMU into the ACC championship game regardless of what happens next week against California. There’s still plenty to play for, including the chance of earning an at-large bid with a loss to Miami or Clemson in the title game. But to lock in a trip to Charlotte as first-year members of the ACC and with zero preseason hype makes this one of the most surprising success stories in recent Power Four history and easily one of the most memorable years in program history. The Mustangs haven’t lost since turning the ball over three times in an 18-15 loss to No. 15 Brigham Young in early September.

Nebraska

The longest bowl drought in the Power Four is over: Nebraska topped Wisconsin 44-25 behind 198 yards of total offense from running back Emmett Johnson and will reach the postseason for the first time since 2016. Once 5-1, the Cornhuskers were unable to have the type of breakout season that seemed possible at the midway point. But to get into a bowl represents a huge step forward for the program and another notable achievement for coach Matt Rhule, who has taken over dire situations at Temple, Baylor and Nebraska and led all three programs into the postseason.

Florida

Upsetting Ole Miss validates Florida’s decision to bring back Billy Napier for another year and breathes some real life into a program that was on life support as recently as earlier this month. Facing off against maybe the toughest schedule in the country, the Gators will be back in bowl play with the chance to really develop some momentum heading into 2025. In freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, freshman running back Jadan Baugh, sophomore defensive back Bryce Thornton and others, Florida has a very nice core around which to build an SEC contender.

Florida State

For the first time since September, the Seminoles played and won a football game. That the 41-7 win came against Charleston Southern of the Championship Subdivision matters less than the bottom line: FSU took the field against an opponent, played a football game and won. The Seminoles gained 415 yards, remarkably cracking the 300-yard mark for the first time this season, while throwing multiple touchdowns without an interception, also for the first time.

Losers

Alabama

Move over, Indiana. Make room, Ole Miss. Here’s the most stunning score of Saturday: Oklahoma 24, No. 7 Alabama 3. Playing as more than two-touchdown favorites, the Crimson Tide were completely shut down by an opponent scuffling in a major way as new members of the SEC. Jalen Milroe was the poster child for these struggles, completing just 11 of 26 throws with three interceptions while gaining just 7 yards on 15 carries. While not productive through the air, the Sooners ran for 257 yards, led by a pair of 100-yard performances by quarterback Jackson Arnold (131 yards) and freshman back Xavier Robinson (107 yards, two touchdowns). Alabama was expected to stroll into the SEC championship game and the playoff with wins against Oklahoma and Auburn but will instead have a very hard time earning an at-large bid with three losses, none worse than Saturday night.

Mississippi

This loss to the Gators is a total disaster for Lane Kiffin and the Rebels with the playoff selection right around the corner. Ole Miss was set to land in the sweet spot for an at-large bid: good enough to finish in the top four of the SEC but not quite good enough to get into the SEC championship game, where a third loss might’ve been fatal. As it is, this defeat to the Gators erases the Rebels from the playoff picture and represents the worst setback of the Kiffin era.

Colorado

Kansas beat No. 18 Colorado 37-21 to snap the Buffaloes’ four-game winning streak and deliver a truckload of chaos to an already turbulent Big 12 title race. This is three wins in a row for the tough-luck Jayhawks, who have lost six games by a combined 30 points but can pull out a bowl bid by winning at Baylor next weekend. Kansas is the first team with a losing record to beat three ranked opponents in a row. But the biggest impact is on Colorado’s playoff hopes, which are still alive with one game left until the Big 12 title game but will require a little help next Saturday to secure a top-two finish. The loss itself also shows the Buffaloes’ weak spots: KU went for 331 yards on the ground on 5.8 yards per carry and never punted. Wildly underrated running back Devin Neal had 283 yards of offense and four scores.

Brigham Young

Also in the Big 12, the Cougars’ 28-23 loss to No. 22 Arizona State guarantees this will be a one-bid league for the playoff. (This was already pretty certain, but now it’s official.) ASU tried to give this one away with some idiotic fourth-down failures, including one with under three minutes to go that gave the Cougars a chance for a walk-off win; they got to the ASU 39-yard line before quarterback Jake Retzlaff was intercepted. Even after that stop, the Sun Devils messed around and gave the ball back to BYU with a second left — after fans stormed the field — and Retzlaff’s desperation heave from midfield was caught just short of the goal line, triggering a second, more official fan storming. BYU has cratered in recent weeks, barely surviving against Utah and losing at home to Kansas, though they still can reach the Big 12 title game.

Pittsburgh

A very promising season has run off the rails and officially hit rock bottom with a 37-9 loss at Louisville. This makes four losses in a row for Pittsburgh after starting 7-0, albeit with some pretty fortunate breaks against Cincinnati, West Virginia and California. Against the Cardinals, the Panthers lost quarterback Eli Holstein to an apparent leg injury on the game’s second drive and essentially rolled over from there, falling behind 27-0 at halftime and failing to get on the board until deep into the third quarter.

(This story was updated to change a video).

Max Verstappen may not have won Formula 1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, but he has claimed something even more prestigious. On Sunday morning, Verstappen finished in fifth place in Las Vegas but won the 2024 Formula 1 championship after Lando Norris finished in sixth place. It is the Red Bull driver’s fourth consecutive world title.

Verstappen’s fourth Formula 1 championship comes with two races left in the 2024 season. Red Bull likely won’t claim the Constructors’ Championship, but a fourth consecutive Driver’s Championship is just as important. In 2023, Verstappen cruised to his third championship with 19 race wins, which is a monster number compared to his eight victories in 2024 to this point.

‘What a season. Four times. Thank you guys. Thank you to everyone,’ Verstappen said over the radio after being congratulated by team boss Christian Horner. ‘It was a little bit more difficult than last year but we pulled through and we gave it all.’

Norris was quick to recognise his rival’s achievement: ‘As much as it hurts a little bit, saying congrats doesn’t hurt,’ he said.

‘He drove an incredible season and when you have the quickest car he dominated and when he didn’t he was still there and always on my heels. He made my life tough, we made his tough at times I’m sure, but he drove a better season.’

Russell and Charles Leclerc had an amazing start, but it came down to the Mercedes teammates. Lewis Hamilton made a strong push in the final tire stint, but it wasn’t enough to claim the checkered flag.

Russell’s lead shrank from 10 seconds to just under five seconds, but Hamilton didn’t have enough time or tire life. Russell started on the pole and never faced a true challenge after Leclerc failed to make a pass in the opening stages of the event.

We were warned that continued College Football Playoff expansion would dilute and lessen the importance of the regular season.

Instead, the opposite seems to have occurred: With so many more teams fighting for so many more playoff bids, the final weeks of the regular season seem as heightened and tense as ever.

These increased stakes have brought along the chance that one wacky, wild and wonderful weekend would take a flamethrower to the playoff debate. And here we are.

Saturday saw multiple results that have erased and rewritten the postseason picture in three of the Power Four leagues. The only exception is the ACC, where SMU secured a spot in the conference championship game by beating Virginia and Miami stands one win away from the same after taking care of business against Wake Forest.

The SEC got a bit clearer, too, with Georgia becoming one of two teams heading to Atlanta after a series of upsets that reshaped the race. Already complicated even before the weekend, things are now about as clear as Alabama’s road back to the playoff map — you can see how things might work out, but only if you really squint.

Here’s a quick breakdown of where things currently stand heading into the final weekend of the regular season:

ACC

Miami scored the final 25 points against Wake Forest to win going away for the first time since flattening Florida State in late October. SMU had an even easier time against Virginia. Clemson is still alive to face the Mustangs if the Hurricanes lose next weekend at Syracuse. A win by Miami is far from sure thing given how the Orange have played this year under new coach Fran Brown.

UP AND DOWN: Winners and losers from Week 13 in college football

Big 12

Phew. Brigham Young came up one yard short in a 28-23 loss to Arizona State despite Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham’s willingness to gift wrap and hand the Cougars an early Christmas present: First, the Sun Devils failed to convert on fourth down near the BYU end zone when ahead 21-3, sparking the comeback; then they missed on another fourth down at the BYU 11-yard line with under three minutes when a field goal would’ve made it a touchdown game; and then after an interception, Arizona State failed to run out the clock and gave Jake Retzlaff one last throw into the end zone from midfield with a second left. The heave came up that one yard shy of a miracle win.

So that’s BYU. Colorado was taken down a peg by Kansas and running Devin Neal, who ran for 287 yards and four scores. Iowa State scored with 90 seconds left to get past Utah. It was quite the day for contenders.

Here’s where things stand with BYU, Colorado, Iowa State and Arizona State all tied for first place at 6-2 in conference play. BYU finishes with Houston, Colorado with Oklahoma State, Iowa State with Kansas State and Arizona State with rival Arizona.

If all four win this weekend, ASU and Iowa State would play for the championship, the league said on Saturday. If only BYU loses, Colorado and Arizona State would meet.

If only Colorado loses, it’ll be the Sun Devils and Cyclones because Iowa State would have a better conference opponent winning percentage than BYU. And in the case of just an Iowa State loss, ASU and would play BYU because the Cougars would edge past Colorado because of a better record in games against common conference opponents.

That all made sense, right?

Big Ten

It’s easier here. Oregon is already in the conference title game. Ohio State took a big step toward securing a rematch by beating Indiana 38-15. Now, all the Buckeyes need to do is beat Michigan.

In the case of a loss by the Buckeyes and wins next Saturday by Indiana (Purdue) and Penn State (Maryland), the Nittany Lions would likely face Oregon because of a higher conference opponent winning percentage.

SEC

Just so we’re caught up: Alabama lost 24-6 to Oklahoma, Mississippi lost 24-17 to Florida and Texas A&M lost 43-41 to Auburn in four overtimes.

In the at-large playoff picture, the big winner is Tennessee, which is back with two feet in the mix after shutting out Texas-El Paso. Blocked from playing for the SEC title, the Volunteers end the regular season against Vanderbilt.

Another huge winner is Georgia. Already in the clubhouse at 6-2 in league play with the Georgia Tech rivalry looming, the Bulldogs needed the Tide, Rebels and Aggies to lose in order to play for the SEC title — and they got just that.

Despite the loss, A&M can still meet Georgia by beating Texas. In that case, the Aggies would be finish the regular season in first place by having a better conference opponent win percentage than the Bulldogs, the Longhorns and the Volunteers. Texas is in with a win and would be the only team to end the year with fewer than two conference losses.

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders told his players after a damaging loss to Kansas on Saturday that they started liking the scent of their success too much and ended up ‘intoxicated’ from it.

The question now for the Buffaloes (8-3) is if they can sober up in time to win the Big 12 Conference championship. It’s still mathematically possible, but they no longer control their own destiny after a 37-21 loss at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

‘We started smelling ourselves a little bit,’ Sanders said in his postgame news conference. ‘That’s what I just told our team. We got intoxicated with the success. We got intoxicated with the multitude of articles and the assumption that we’re this and the assumption that we’re that. And we did not play CU football. Therefore, we got our butts kicked.’

The Buffs finish the regular season Friday at home against Oklahoma State. They entered the day just two wins away from getting a berth in the Big 12 championship game Dec. 7. But now they are in a four-way tie for first place in the Big 12 with BYU, Arizona State and Iowa State, each with a 6-2 record in league play.

Who will win the Big 12 tiebreakers?

It depends on how those teams do next week. If all four teams win or if it’s a three-way tie for first with BYU, Colorado and Arizona State, Colorado would not make it. That’s because the key tiebreaker would be those teams’ record against common conference opponents.

The four first-place teams have four common Big 12 opponents: Kansas, Kansas State, Utah and Central Florida. Arizona State is 4-0 against those teams. BYU is 3-1. Colorado is 2-2. Iowa State is 2-1 and hosts Kansas State next week.

In the end, it might doom Colorado that it lost to both Kansas and Kansas State this season. Arizona State has beaten both and BYU is 1-1 against them. Iowa State lost to Kansas but could beat Kansas State to finish the regular season.

‘We controlled our own destiny,’ Sanders said. ‘And we fumbled it.’

But if Colorado wins next week and two of those other first-place teams don’t, the Buffs would get into the Big 12 title game. BYU finishes the regular season at home against Houston while Arizona State plays at Arizona.

What about Colorado’s playoff chances?

Colorado is 16th in the College Football Playoff rankings but will drop in the next rankings released Tuesday.

Even if the Buffs still get into the Big 12 title game and win it, this loss hurts their playoff standing because only the five highest-ranked conference champions get automatic playoff berths in the 12-team field. The other seven berths go to at-large teams based on their ranking.

A Big 12 champion with three losses might not rank higher than the champs of five other leagues – the American Athletic, Mountain West, Atlantic Coast, Big Ten and Southeastern Conferences. For example, No. 19 Army or No. 20 Tulane could win the AAC and outrank a Big 12 champ with three losses. League leaders from the four other leagues already outrank Big 12 rankings leaders BYU and Colorado.

How did Colorado lose against Kansas?

The Buffs fell into a 17-0 hole and didn’t recover. Kansas scored on each of its first seven possessions: four touchdowns from senior running back Devin Neal and three field goals from Tabor Allen.

‘They didn’t punt, man,’ Sanders said.

That’s true. The Jayhawks (5-6) never punted and now have beaten three ranked teams in a row, the first time in major college football history that a team with a losing records has done that.

Neal had 207 rushing yards and 80 receiving yards. Kansas also possessed the ball for 40:11, compared to 19:49 for Colorado.

‘We all genuinely messed up,’ Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders said. Shedeur finished 23-of-29 passing for 266 yards and three touchdowns, including two caught by Travis Hunter, the two-way star. Hunter had eight catches for 125 yards on offense and seven tackles with a pass breakup on defense.

‘I noticed that we’re slow out of the box,’ Shedeur Sanders said. ‘We’re finding different ways to get going fast.’

It’s not too late for that if they can find a solution. Even if they don’t land in the Big 12 title game or the playoff, the Buffs will play in a bowl game, possibly the Holiday or Alamo Bowls Dec. 27 or 28.

Deion Sanders is now 12-11 in two seasons after finishing 4-8 in his first season in Boulder. The Buffs were 1-11 the season before he arrived and hadn’t won this many games in a season since 2016, when they finished in the Alamo Bowl with a 10-4 record.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Colorado football quarterback Shedeur Sanders could be lucky that he was not ejected during the third quarter of Saturday’s game against Kansas.

The No. 18 Buffaloes signal-caller appeared to lose his cool and shove head official Kevin Mar following a potentially missed call after he was hit, forcing a three-and-out for Colorado as it trailed the Jayhawks. Sanders appeared to throw a one-handed shove at the official after getting up, but no penalty flag was thrown.

Mike Pereira, the rules analyst at FOX Sports, said Sanders was lucky he wasn’t ejected for his actions.

‘There’s no question that he does,’ Pereira said of Sanders pushing Mar. ‘I get why he’s upset because people are almost climbing over him after he was down. But, the officials can use their hands all they want to try and keep order. But you cannot come back as a player. You cannot come back and push an official.

‘In the chaos the officials don’t see it, but he’s lucky he wasn’t ejected from the game.’