Category: College Football

Nov. 10—MORGANTOWN — Last season, West Virginia defeated Oklahoma for the first time as a member of the Big 12. This season, the Mountaineers again have the chance to make history against the Sooners, although it will be the last chance they get for a very long time.

With last year’s 23-20 win coming in Morgantown, the Mountaineers have still never won a game in Norman, Okla. Saturday’s contest (7 p.m./FOX) in Oklahoma Memorial Stadium will be the final meeting between the pair before No. 17 OU leaves for the SEC in 2024, meaning the Mountaineers’ next trip to Norman is not guaranteed.

“This time we’re going on the road to play one of the top programs in the country, ” WVU coach Neal Brown said. “It’s on primetime TV again and it’s at one of the top venues to play in, so our guys will be fired up.”

The Mountaineers (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) were nearly victorious on their last trip to Norman, but a 30-yard field goal as time expired gave the Sooners (7-2, 4-2) a 16-13 win in 2021.

“We’ve just got a sour taste in our mouth from the last time we were there, ” Brown said. “Got beat on a walk-off field goal and felt like we were in control of the game with an opportunity to win it. We turn it over on downs and then they win it late. That’s really the motivation.”

Safety Aubrey Burks was little more than a special teams player in 2021 but has held on to that experience even as he has become WVU’s defensive leader this season.

“My freshman year going to Oklahoma was one of the best atmospheres I’ve been to, ” he said. “It’s a big week for us.”

Over 84, 000 people attended the game in 2021, considerably more than what can fit into Milan Puskar Stadium.

“It’s awesome, the energy’s really fun. I like playing on the road, but it’s not something that’s easy, ” tight end Kole Taylor said.

A former LSU Tiger, Taylor is no stranger to…

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USATSI

Virginia running back Perris Jones was stretchered off the field with an injury late in the third quarter of the Cavaliers’ 31-24 loss Thursday at No. 11 Louisville. Jones’ injury occurred after he caught a pass from Cavaliers quarterback Anthony Colandrea and took a big hit from a Cardinals defender. Jones fumbled on contact, but the ball was recovered by Virginia wide receiver Malik Washington, who ran 42 more yards for a go-ahead touchdown. 

Following the game, the school gave a positive update on Jones’ condition. The running back had regained movement in his extremities and remained in the hospital overnight on Thursday. 

Members of Louisville’s training staff were the first to reach Jones. Virtually every Virginia player crowded around their injured teammate as he was loaded onto the injury cart while strapped on a stretcher. 

Jones, a senior from Alexandria, Virginia, entered Thursday with 73 carries for 386 yards and two touchdowns on the season. He was credited with three carries for 7 yards and two catches for 23 yards against Louisville before exiting the contest. 

This is a developing story that CBS Sports will continue to monitor as more details become clear. 

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The Pac-12 Conference is still an open race. Undefeated Washington leads the way, with one-loss Oregon sitting right behind. Although the spread would indicate otherwise, Washington and Oregon both have tests this week that could push either off track.

Utah at Washington (-9.5, 50)

The Utes bounced back from a rout to Oregon with a 55-3 win over Arizona State, generating 352 yards of rushing offense at 7.2 yards per carry. Utah will need that same fire against the Huskies, who allowed 203 rushing yards in 52-42 win over USC. Washington may have the No. 1 passing offense, but defensively it ranks 79th in total EPA (expected points added) and 117th in EPA per play against the run.

It was a contributing factor in the Huskies’ 15-7 win over Arizona State on Oct. 21, allowing 4.7 yards per carry to the Sun Devils, who average 3.2 overall.

Ultimately, Washington finds itself in a bit of a sandwich spot, coming off a big conference win over the Trojans with Oregon State next week. The last three times the Beavers and Huskies played, the game was decided by one score. Utah is not a conference opponent to overlook, making this a brutal spot for Washington. Back Utah at +9.5.

USC at Oregon (-15, 75)

Oregon is getting a lot of respect and rightfully so. Since losing to Washington, the Ducks have outscored their last three opponents 136-49. On one hand, you have Bo Nix and Co. still in contention for the Pac-12 title and even possibly a shot as a CFP contender, while Caleb Williams and USC are out of the playoff race, Heisman race and likely the conference title game. How does USC respond?

The Trojans did fire defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, but it’s too little, too late. Oregon may be the most complete team in the country with Nix leading in completion percentage with the fourth-best passer rating and a balanced offense with RB…

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Lance Leipold has engineered an incredible turnaround in Kansas, leading what had been a dismal program to back-to-back bowl-eligible seasons including a 7-2 start to 2023. With that success, Leipold’s name has popped up in connection with high-profile job openings, including Nebraska and Wisconsin last year. Most recently a Michigan-based radio show speculated that Leipold had interviewed for the Michigan State job. Leipold shut down those rumors and reaffirmed his commitment to the Jayhawks program during his radio show Tuesday night.  

“This (radio show) is the only interview (I’ve done over the last 48 hours) and that’s the way it’s going to be,” Leipold said. “The one thing that happens this time of year, is there’s a lot of speculation and things that are happening that are not accurate. As I’ve said for a long time, (Kansas athletic director) Travis Goff and Chancellor Girod have treated Kelly and I extremely well and our family. It is our plan and our expectation that we want to be here and this is going to be the last job that we have.”

In a Tuesday interview with the Wichita Eagle, Goff also addressed speculation tying Leipold to open jobs. 

“I would be shocked if his name wasn’t bubbling up one way or the other in just about every opening,” Goff said. “That would indicate what are we doing in our industry if that’s not happening. So I’m excited for that and continuing to reiterate that we’ve got a great one. We’ve got a great one that’s excited about and committed to leading KU.”

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For the rest of the college football season, Yahoo Sports will highlight the leading candidates for the Heisman Trophy on a weekly basis. All odds are via BetMGM.

The season starts now for J.J. McCarthy and Michigan.

The Wolverines are 9-0 and No. 3 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, but the level of competition on the schedule to this point has been lackluster. Michigan hasn’t faced a single ranked team and its average margin of victory has been a remarkable 34 points per game.

Along the way, McCarthy has been excellent in his second season as Michigan’s starting quarterback and finds himself in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race. Other than a three-interception game back in September, McCarthy has been operating the Michigan offense at an extremely high level. While some of his statistics won’t wow you — his 2,134 passing yards ranks 39th in the nation — McCarthy has been incredibly efficient.

McCarthy, who is currently +600 to win the Heisman at BetMGM, has completed 75.7% of his passes (No. 3 nationally), is averaging 10.4 yards per attempt (tied No. 2 nationally) and has the second-best passer rating in the country (188.68). He also has a stellar 18-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) has been excellent this season, but the competition level is about to ramp up, starting with this weekend against No. 10 Penn State. (AP Photo/Al Goldis) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

But will McCarthy be able to operate at that level against better teams? Michigan’s entire season essentially comes down to this three-game stretch, starting with Saturday’s road game at No. 10 Penn State. Penn State’s only loss of the year came at Ohio State back on Oct. 21 and the Nittany Lions are hungry to get back in the CFP and Big Ten title hunts.

Penn State has one of the best defenses…

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James Madison has sent a letter to the NCAA Board of Directors requesting the organization allow the Dukes to be eligible for postseason competition. In the, letter obtained by multiple outlets, JMU points to its overall success in the Sun Belt and strong scholarship funding levels as extenuating circumstances. 

The Dukes have put together one of the greatest transitional runs in NCAA history, posting a 17-3 record in their first 20 games as an FBS member. JMU sits at 9-0 in 2023 and ranks No. 21 in the AP Top 25, the second-best ranking in the nation for a Group of Five team. But thanks to NCAA transition rules which make an FCS-to-FBS transitioning team ineligible for the postseason in their first two seasons, the Dukes are unable to play for a Sun Belt title or appear in the College Football Playoff Rankings. 

“JMU presents a unique set of factors in making this request for relief,” the letter reads. “No other school has gone above and beyond the transition requirements in all the ways we have. This request is specific, unique, and consistent with the principles of student-athlete welfare espoused by the NCAA.” 

James Madison previously applied for a waiver to shorten its FBS transition from two years to one after the Dukes went 8-3 in their first FBS season under coach Curt Cignetti. The waiver was ultimately denied. 

Said the NCAA in a statement to The Athletic: “The NCAA has received a waiver request from James Madison and the request will be considered by the appropriate membership committees in a timely manner.”

In their letter, the school’s administration points to amended requirements for FBS participation that include a higher minimum scholarship requirement and at least $6 million in annual spending. The Dukes have…

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Nov. 6—Penn State football coach James Franklin said Monday the Nittany Lions will continue rotating sophomores Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen at running back.

Allen leads Penn State in rushing with 573 yards on 119 carries, averaging 4.8 yards per curry and 63.7 per game. He ran 14 times for 91 yards last week in a 51-15 blowout win at Maryland.

Singleton, the former Gov. Mifflin standout, has run 121 times for 480 yards, seven touchdowns, 4.0 yards per carry and 53.3 per game. He carried eight times for a season-low 20 yards against the Terrapins.

Singleton and Allen have been mostly responsible for the Lions ranking third in the Big Ten in rushing with 173.2 yards per game.

“I think we did this last year and it was pretty successful,” Franklin said after being asked if he considered going with a lead back. “We’re doing it this year and it’s been pretty successful.

“We feel very comfortable with the model and the plan and how we’re using it.”

Singleton, the 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, had 12 runs of at least 21 yards last season, but his longest rush this season has been for 20 yards.

He has caught 19 passes for 148 yards and one touchdown and has returned 11 kickoffs for a 25.3 average. He’s fourth in the Big Ten in kickoff returns and fifth in all-purpose yards with 100.7 per game. His 51-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter immediately followed a Maryland touchdown that cut it to 31-15.

“The kickoff return was a big play in the game,” Franklin said, “not only from a field position standpoint. They had just scored and got a little bit of momentum. To be able to respond right away with that play was huge.”

Penn State used Singleton’s return to set up Allen’s 11-yard run that made it 38-15.

Jacobs makes cut: Penn State’s Curtis Jacobs was named Monday as one of the 12 semifinalists for the Butkus Award,…

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Week 11 of the 2023 college football season begins with three MACtion matchups. The final game of the evening pits the Ohio Bobcats against the Buffalo Bulls. Ohio is 6-3 overall and 3-2 in MAC play this season. Buffalo will host this matchup at UB Stadium, where the Bulls are 1-3 this season. The Bulls are also 3-6 overall, though Buffalo is 3-2 in MAC competition.

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET. For this game, SportsLine consensus lists the Bobcats as 7-point favorites, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 44 in the latest Ohio vs. Buffalo odds. Before making any Buffalo vs. Ohio picks, you need to see the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a stunning profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Ohio vs. Buffalo and just revealed its picks and MACtion predictions. You can visit SportsLine to see the model’s CFB picks. Here are several college football odds and trends for Buffalo vs. Ohio: 

Ohio vs. Buffalo spread: Ohio -7Ohio vs. Buffalo over/under: 44 pointsOhio vs. Buffalo money line: Ohio -277, Buffalo +224OH: The Bobcats are 4-5 against the spread this seasonBUFF: The Bulls are 5-4 against the spread this seasonOhio vs. Buffalo picks: See picks at SportsLineOhio vs. Buffalo live stream: fubo (try for free)

Why Ohio can cover

Ohio’s defense is off to an outstanding start in 2023. The Bobcats lead the MAC in allowing only 15.7 points per game this season, and Ohio also…

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