Author: nfltalk

What a game. No. 4 Texas A&M (7-0, 4-0 SEC) escaped Fayetteville with a 45-42 win over Arkansas (2-5, 0-3 SEC) in one of the craziest games of the weekend, as the Aggie defense surrendered over 500 yards and all head coach Mike Elko could say after the game that this was a bad day for his defense to play poorly.

However, Texas A&M’s offense had another breakout game, scoring on every drive outside of two, and after leading by just one point going into halftime. In contrast, Arkansas had all the momentum, and the Aggies came out determined with their fourth touchdown, highlighted by a massive run from starting quarterback Marcel Reed. Again, these games happen, but focusing on the good aspects of the win is what matters moving forward.

Texas A&M produced 497 yards, including Marcel Reed’s 280 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Rueben Owens finished with 69 yards and two touchdowns, leading a group that ran for 217 yards, collectively averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Two of Reed’s best throws went to sophomore wide receiver Ashton Bethel-Roman, who led the group with 83 yards and his first touchdown of the season.

Defensively, the Aggies failed to contain quarterback Taylen Green, who is by far one of the hardest quarterbacks to tackle, resulting in the senior running for 85 yards and two of his five touchdowns on the night. Next week, Texas A&M will face a 5-2 LSU team and QB Garrett Nussmeier, who is not a running threat and is playing behind a shaky offensive line.

Before facing the Tigers in Baton Rouge, here are five key takeaways from Texas A&M’s 45-42 win over Arkansas in Week 8.

Texas A&M’s defense had a no-good, awful day

Well, that was not ideal. Outside of several early third-down stops in the first half, Texas A&M’s defense, which allowed 527 yards, including 268 rushing yards, was abysmal in the…

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The No. 13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-2) are set to host the No. 20 USC Trojans (5-1) on Saturday in one of college football’s most bitter rivalries. The Irish dropped their first two games of the season, but have won four straight since. Notre Dame notched a 36-7 blowout win over N.C. State in its last outing. The Trojans’ lone loss came on the road against Illinois on Sept. 27. USC was dominant in its most recent game, blowing out Michigan 31-13 on Oct. 11. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 52-37-5. Both teams are 3-3 against the spread this season.

Kickoff from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The Irish are 10.5-point favorites in the latest Notre Dame vs. USC odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 59.5. Before making any USC vs. Notre Dame picks, make sure you check out what SportsLine college football expert Jimmie Kaylor has to say. 

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Kaylor is an NFL, college football and DFS expert for SportsLine, who has covered the NFL and college football for close to a decade as a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. His background as a former college football All-American and NFL player gives him a unique perspective when building his fantasy lineups and locking in his betting picks. He has his finger on the pulse of the college football landscape and has been cashing in big for the last two years. 

Kaylor has destroyed the sportsbooks in college football the last two seasons, posting a 252-179-7 record since Week 1 of the 2023 season. His 2024 college football futures picks included Travis Hunter winning the Heisman at 40-1 odds, bringing his net profit up…

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MORGANTOWN — The second half of the season starts this Saturday for West Virginia with another road game against UCF. WVU’s season hasn’t gone according to Rich Rodriguez’s plan so far, and it has lost the last three games, which were all against Big 12 opponents. 

It’s time to see if Rodriguez can turn this season around and create the momentum WVU athletic director Wren Baker said he was looking for in Rodriguez’s first season back in August.

Luckily, Rodriguez fared well off of a bye week with a 21-8 record over his four head coaching stops, and was recently 6-0 at Jacksonville State. 

UCF is one of the few remaining winnable games on WVU’s schedule. TCU is a hard out, Houston’s looked better, Arizona State has some big wins, and Texas Tech is solidifying itself as the top team in the Big 12. 

The Knights are in a similar situation to WVU. Scott Frost is back at UCF as the head coach after he couldn’t find success at his alma mater, Nebraska. Frost led the Golden Knights to a 19-7 record over two seasons, and the undefeated 2017 season, where the school claimed the 2017 National Championship. 

Like Rodriguez, Frost is hoping to pick up UCF where he left off the first time, after a 4-8 season in 2024. 

Frost’s squad has a slightly better record than the Mountaineers at 3-3, but has lost its last three games, all in conference. UCF won all three non-conference games, including a big win over North Carolina. 

UCF also had a quarterback question heading into the season, like WVU. Frost has used three separate quarterbacks, and most recently went with quarterback Cam Fancher, who had a close game against now-ranked No. 24 Cincinnati. He threw for 222 yards, rushed for over 100 yards and rushed for a score. 

Frost started the first couple of games…

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Penn State quarterback Drew Allar underwent successful surgery on Wednesday to address his broken left ankle, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Allar sustained the injury — the extent of which had not been divulged — last Saturday in the Nittany Lions’ 22-21 loss to Northwestern, and former coach James Franklin announced at the time that the fourth-year quarterback would miss the rest of the season.

Allar is reportedly on track to make a full recovery, and he could be cleared to return to workouts in the coming months.

The injury occurred in the closing minutes of Penn State’s third straight loss, one that led the program to fire Franklin in the highest-profile and most surprising coaching change of the 2025 college football season. Allar tucked the ball for a scramble with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter, and he fell awkwardly upon contact with two Northwestern defenders. He spent several minutes on the turf before trainers assisted him to the sideline and eventually carted him into the locker room.

The failure to develop QB Drew Allar sealed James Franklin’s fate at Penn State

Brian Dohn

Allar, a three-year starter who led Penn State to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season, finished the year as a 64.8% passer with 1,100 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He ran into trouble in the final weeks of his season with a…

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