College football will have consecutive national champions from outside the Sun Belt region for the first time in three decades if Ohio State beats Texas in a playoff semifinal this week.

Ohio State ’s Ryan Day, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian, Notre Dame ’s Marcus Freeman and Penn State ’s James Franklin are the final four. None has won a national championship as a head coach, making this season the third out of the last four in which the title will go to a head coach who has never won one.

After a breakout redshirt freshman season, quarterback Sam Leavitt will return with the Arizona State Sun Devils for another season. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound signal-caller led the Sun Devils to the Big 12 Championship and the No.