CHRIS KLIEMAN

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and linebacker Will Anderson Jr. are heading to the NFL, where both could contend for the top draft spot.

Bryce Young passed for 321 yards and five touchdowns, and No. 5 Alabama responded to an early two-score deficit with 35 straight points to defeat No. 11 Kansas State 45-20 in the Sugar Bowl.

Big 12 coaches feel the league is solidified for the long haul after the conference's swift action to expand.

Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman directs his team during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Texas in Manhattan, Kan., Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. The First Responders Bowl was the likely destination for the Wildcats, who beat then-No. Kansas State lost its last five games but was in line for a bowl game because it finished seventh in the Big 12. Its opponent, UTSA, switched to the First Responders Bowl — likely against Kansas State before its own outbreak. The Frisco Bowl is among a dozen bowl games that have been canceled.

___The Duke women’s basketball team has paused team activities due to two positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing within the program’s travel party. 4 North Carolina State as well as Tuesday’s game against UNC Wilmington. Instead, athletic director Greg McGarity says Georgia will seek another way to honor its seniors and the Bulldogs’ focus will switch to a bowl game. ___The Atlantic Coast Conference says the women’s basketball game scheduled for Sunday featuring Duke at North Carolina State has been postponed. The league says the postponement follows positive COVID-19 tests, subsequent quarantining and contact tracing within the Duke women’s program.

FILE - In this Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019 file photo, Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley talks with players during an NCAA college football game between Iowa State and Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. As usual, Riley is taking his time naming a starting quarterback. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

The Sooners are still considered the overwhelming favorite to win their sixth consecutive Big 12 crown overall because nobody has dethroned them with Riley there. Purdy last year set school records with 3,982 yards and 27 TDs passing, leading the Big 12 with 306.3 yards per game. Conference play begins Sept. 26, the start of an 11-week stretch for nine league games before the Big 12 title game Dec. 12 or Dec. 19, if an extra week is needed. Since this is only TCU's ninth season in the league, Patterson technically isn't the longest-tenured Big 12 coach. Former Oklahoma State quarterback Mike Gundy is in his 16th season as head coach for his alma mater.

Lynch ranks eighth nationally with his 12 1/2 sacks, which are a single-season Baylor record. RB_u-Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma St., 6-1, 207, So., Sherwood Park, Alberta. G_Josh Rivas, Kansas St., 6-6, 323, So., Hutchinson, Kansas. P_Devin Anctil, Kansas St., 6-1, 234, Sr., Lenexa, Kansas. Offensive player of the year — Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma St.