As we approach the end of the 2014 calendar year, we’re looking back at the top 50 stories in college football for the year. Today, we look at No. 40-36.

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No. 40 – Kentucky misses bowl game after 5-1 start

Mark Stoops and the Kentucky Wildcats were sitting pretty on October 12th. The Cats were 5-1 with wins over South Carolina and Vanderbilt. The only loss was a miracle win by the Florida Gators as a result of a controversial Jeff Driskel touchdown pass.

Despite the loss to Florida, Kentucky was 5-1 and looked like a winning season was in the bag even with a back loaded schedule.

Kentucky, however, would go on to lose the next six games.

While Head coach Mark Stoops received a contract extension mid-season, Kentucky’s collapse killed any memory of a promising start. Stoops and his squad will be watching football from home during the bowl season.

No. 39 – Oregon & Mariota Have Sights On Championship

For those of us who questioned whether Oregon’s dominance out west would end with Chip Kelly’s exit, Mark Helfrich and Marcus Mariota answered that question strongly in 2014 and showed the world that the Ducks are still a major contender in the pursuit of college football championships.

The Ducks ranked 3rd nationally in scoring offense (behind TCU & Baylor) with 46.3 points per game. QB Marcus Mariota is the consensus favorite to take home the Heisman Trophy this weekend and likely the top quarterback taken in the NFL Draft next year.

Oregon squares off against Florida State in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. The winner will play in the national championship game against either Alabama or Ohio State. In other words, Alabama vs. Oregon is rather likely. Get your popcorn ready.

No. 38 – UNC Athletes Apparently Don’t have to study

We promise this is the last NCAA violation topic to make the list.

The violations which occurred at the University of North Carolina were labeled “unprecedented” when news broke in October of this year. The following quote from Drake Group president Gerald Gurney who has researched academic fraud cases going back to the 1950s tells the story:

“I can assure you the depth and breadth and sheer numbers of affected athletes is in fact the largest and the most egregious case of academic fraud by far in NCAA history”

What happened? Well, apparently over 3,000 students took non-existent classes over the last 18 years.

While most fans tune out NCAA regulations and anything academic-related, the findings in October provided the media with yet another opportunity to criticize the NCAA and its inconsistent approach to governing collegiate athletics.

But enough about the NCAA, let’s talk about Michigan!

No. 37 – Michigan’s embarrassing season

Michigan fans knew they were in for a rough road when Michigan lost to Notre Dame 31-0 in early September, but they may not have been prepared for just how messy it would get.

Michigan would go 5-7 which inspired awesome websites like this, but the degree of embarrassment for the program extended much further in 2014.

Things began to unravel when Michigan QB Shane Morris took a massive hit (video below) against Minnesota in late September and stayed in the game despite concussion symptoms. The response which followed by head coach Brady Hoke and the Athletic Director was not done well to say the least. The story received national attention due to the sensitivity over head injuries in football today:

Prior to the Minnesota game, Michigan was also back-pedaling over a Coca-Cola related ticket promotion in which fans could get two tickets to the game for simply purchasing approximately $3 worth of Coca-Cola. Oops.

The Michigan Athletic Director resigned on October 31, 2014.

Brady Hoke was fired on December 2, 2014.

No. 36 – Philip Lutzenkirchen’s death, Mike Lutzenkirchen’s message

Former Auburn tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen was killed in a car crash on June 24, 2014. Lutzenkitchen is remembered as an incredible teammate and the all-time tight end touchdown leader in Auburn history.

Lutzenkirchen’s father, Mike Lutzenkirchen, attempted to make the best of the tragedy by speaking to young men around the country including the Georgia football team (Hutson Mason and Philip Lutzenkirchen were high school friends).

Mike Lutzenkirchen’s message is clear: Philip was a wonderful man, but made mistakes on his final day which cost him his life. Kudos to Mike Lutzenkirchen for spreading the important message.

Have a look at the video below aired by ESPN this year:

What’s Next?

As we continue counting down, we’ll take a look at rushing records, SEC haters in the media and Mizzou’s second consecutive SEC East title.