Mississippi State — In the 2008 season finale, Ole Miss blanked Mississippi State, 45–0, in one of the most dominating performances you will ever see. The Bulldogs managed a total of 24 yards in what turned out to be the final game of the Sylvester Croom era. Just one year later, State, now coached by Dan Mullen, rolled up 412 yards of offense and scored a season-high (against an FBS foe) 41 points in a satisfying 14-point victory over the Rebs in Starkville. The Bulldogs, 5–7, will not be playing in a bowl game, but the season ended in fine fashion and will give this program a ton of momentum heading into the offseason.

Oklahoma — When your season has been a disappointment, there is nothing sweeter than a shutout victory over your hated in-state rival. Oklahoma, which limped into Bedlam with an unthinkable five losses, ripped Oklahoma State 27–0, ruining the Cowboys’ very realistic hopes of playing in a BCS bowl for the first time ever. The Sooner defense, which gave up 549 yards the previous week in a 41–13 loss at Texas Tech, limited the powerful Pokes to six first downs and 109 total yards. OU, at 7–5, appears headed to the Sun Bowl.

South Carolina — The Gamecocks, mired in yet another late-season swoon, played their finest game of the 2009 campaign, rolling past Clemson, 34–17 in Columbia. South Carolina, which had lost three straight and four of its previous five, outgained the ACC Atlantic Division champs 388 to 260 en route to their first win over the Tigers since 2006. USC tailback Kenny Miles rushed for a career-high 114 yards on 17 carries, outshining Clemson’s Heisman hopeful C.J. Spiller, who managed only 18 yards on nine rushing attempts.

Disappointments of the Week

North Carolina — The Tar Heels entered the final week of the season as one of the hottest teams in the nation, winners of four straight games, all in league play. And after jumping out to a 17–7 lead midway through the first quarter, Carolina appeared well on its way to its ninth win of the season. But NC State didn’t cooperate. The Pack, who had only one ACC win prior to the weekend, rallied for the improbable 28–27 win on the strength of a masterful performance from Russell Wilson. The sophomore quarterback completed 20-of-27 passes for 259 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions to lead the Pack to their third straight win over UNC.

Rice — The Owls showed some signs of life with a late-season, two-game winning streak over Tulane and UTEP, but David Bailiff’s club ended the 2009 season on a very troubling note. Rice made the short trip to Robertson Stadium to play crosstown rival Houston and found themselves down 24–0 at the end of one quarter and 59–0 at halftime. For Houston, it was a nice dose of revenge after Rice’s 56–42 victory over UH last season kept the Cougars out of the C-USA title game. For Rice, it was a painful reminder of how far it has fallen since winning 10 games last fall.

Ole Miss — A season that opened with tremendous promise ended with a sobering 41–27 loss to Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. Expected to contend with Alabama and LSU for the SEC West title, the Rebels were never able to recapture the swagger that carried them to six straight wins to conclude the 2008 season. Ole Miss’ longest winning streak of the ’09 season (against FBS foes) was two, which they managed two times. With an overall mark of 8–4 (4–4 SEC), Houston Nutt & Co. could be headed to the Outback Bowl.

Player of the Week

Colt McCoy, Texas — The senior quarterback was sensational in Texas’s 49–39 win over Texas A&M in College Station. Stating his case for the Heisman Trophy, McCoy threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns and added 175 yards and another score on the ground in one the finest games of his brilliant career.

Freshman of the Week

Wayshaun Ealey, Georgia — The true freshman rushed for a career high 183 yards on 20 carries to lead the Bulldogs to a 30–24 upset over Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Ealey, a top recruit who didn’t get a single carry in Georgia’s first four games, ended the season as the Dawgs’ leading rusher with 639 yards.

Under the Radar Wins

• Hawaii topped Navy 24–17 late Saturday night to win its fourth straight game. The Warriors need to beat Wisconsin next weekend to become bowl-eligible for the fourth straight season.

• Ohio will playing in the MAC title game after beating Temple, 35–17 Friday in Athens.

• UCF won at UAB 34–27 to pick up its eighth win of the season.

• Middle Tennessee continued to dominate its Sun Belt brethren, ripping UL-Monroe 38–19 for its sixth straight victory.

• Utah State ended Gary Andersen’s first season with an important 52–49 win over WAC rival Idaho.

Notes

• A strange, and very disappointing season, ended for Colorado State with a 17–16 loss at home to Wyoming. The Rams opened the season with a 3–0 mark, highlighted by a 23–17 win at Colorado and a 35-20 win over a very good Nevada team, but CSU did not win a game the rest of the way.

• Only three SEC teams ended the season with a winning record in league play — Alabama (8–0), Florida (8–0) and LSU (5–3).

• Alabama was held to 73 yards rushing in its win over Auburn. The Tide’s previous low was 134 yards vs. Arkansas in Week 4.

• One week after lighting up Oklahoma for 41 points, Texas Tech was held to 20 in a closer-than-expected seven-point win at Baylor.

• TCU won its 12 regular-season games by an average score of 40.7–12.4.

• Toby Gerhart’s 311 rushing attempts lead the nation by a wide margin. Virginia Tech’s Ryan Williams is next with 268.

• Virginia gave up an average of 6.3 points during its three-game winning streak in early October. In the Cavs’ other nine games, all losses, they gave up an average of 33.0 points.

• Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus ended his lone season of college football with 2,024 yards passing, 13 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

• Notre Dame averaged 28.7 points in its six losses.

• The two ACC division champs, Georgia Tech and Clemson, lost to SEC foes (Georgia and South Carolina) with a combined record of 7–9 in conference games.