This college football season was inconceivable.
Appalachian State upset Michigan. Notre Dame won only three games. A sophomore won the Heisman Trophy for the first time. And Missouri played Kansas with the No. 1 ranking in the nation at stake.
The Tigers prevailed, claiming the top spot in the polls for the first time since 1960. Chase Daniel showed up in sports fans’ mailboxes, gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated. Fans started to plan trips to New Orleans for the national title game. But Oklahoma forced everyone to cancel their reservations, dominating the Tigers in the Big 12 Conference Championship.
Such a story would have seemed absurd in August, like Nebraska giving up 76 points to Kansas.
But it did happen, and here’s how …