Category: College Football

Nick Saban is widely regarded as the greatest college football coach of all-time as he’s led an Alabama dynasty that has lasted the last 15 years.  He’s not the best coach in college football according to Urban Meyer however.

Nor is Kirby Smart, leader of the Georgia Bulldogs and winner of the last two national championships.

Nor is Dabo Swinney, who has won a pair of titles while falling on a bit more difficult of times of late.

So who does the three-time national championship winning head coach Urban Meyer see as the best head coach in college football?

The man that replaced him at Utah, Kyle Whittingham.

Urban Meyer believes Kyle Whittingham is the best coach in college football:

“I’ve said many times Kyle Whittingham’s one of the best coaches in college football. Now he’s the best. He’s the best coach in college football.”

More: https://t.co/Y5R31dqe2e pic.twitter.com/hUNFn88WuI

— On3 (@On3sports) October 25, 2023

Whittingham and Utah, like Notre Dame won their last time out which both happened to come against USC.

I don’t know if Whittingham is the best but he has the Utes vying for yet another Pac-12 championship and seemingly gets as much out of his team annually as any coach in the nation.

Story originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire

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The FIU Panthers look to record their second straight conference win when they host the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in a Conference USA showdown on Wednesday. FIU (4-4, 1-4) lost eight consecutive conference games dating back to last season before defeating Sam Houston 33-27 in double overtime last week. Jacksonville State (6-2, 4-1) went 5-0 during conference play while in the Atlantic Sun last year and won its first three Conference USA matchups before losing to Liberty on Oct. 10. The Gamecocks rebounded last week with a 20-17 triumph over Western Kentucky.

Kickoff at Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network. The Gamecocks are 8.5-point favorites in the latest Jacksonville State vs. FIU odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 47. Before making any FIU vs. Jacksonville State 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 Jacksonville State vs. FIU and just revealed its picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine to see the model’s CFB picks. Here are several college football odds and trends for FIU vs. Jacksonville State: 

Jacksonville State vs. FIU spread: Gamecocks -8.5Jacksonville State vs. FIU over/under: 47 pointsJacksonville State vs. FIU money line: Gamecocks -340, Panthers +265JSU: The Gamecocks are 5-2-1 against the spread in their first season in FBSFIU: The Panthers are…..

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It looks as if the Oregon Ducks are being included in one of the biggest stories in the college football world relating to the Michigan Wolverines and an apparent sign-stealing scandal that has unfolded over the last week.

The notorious University of Michigan staff member who has been at the center of the controversy over the last week, Connor Stalions, reportedly had intentions of scouting the Oregon Ducks a year ago, hoping to give a competitive edge to the Wolverines in a potential College Football Playoff scenario.

According to Mercury News reporter Jon Wilner, and later confirmed by The Oregonian’s James Crepea, Stalions purchased tickets to the Oregon home game between the Ducks and Washington Huskies in 2022. At the time, Oregon was ranked No. 6 in the nation and had a clear path forward to a spot in the Playoff.

Both Wilner and Crepea report that the purchased seats were behind the visitor’s bench inside Autzen Stadium, with a clear look at the Oregon sideline.

The Big Ten announced last week that Michigan is under NCAA investigation for the alleged sign-stealing operation. Stalions, the staffer who was reported at the center of this operation, has been suspended indefinitely.

ESPN has confirmed that Stalions purchased tickets to more than 35 games at 17 stadiums around the country. He has been reportedly seen in videos sitting in the stands of multiple games, videotaping the opposing sideline in hopes of picking up signals for future opponents, which is against NCAA rules.

In-game sign stealing is not prohibited under NCAA rules but rather is believed to be widely practiced and tolerated in the sport. However, the use of electronics to record the signals of opposing teams and in-person advance scouting at opponents’ stadiums is prohibited.

In a statement last week, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh denied…

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USATSI

Maryland co-offensive coordinator and associate head coach Kevin Sumlin was arrested in Florida over the weekend for driving under the influence, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. The Terrapins were on a bye week at the time of the arrest, which occurred around 1 a.m. on Saturday in Tampa. There was no crash or damage to property in the incident.

Sumlin pleaded not guilty and waived arraignment. He faces a charge that carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail. According to the report, Sumlin refused a breathalyzer test, which could result in a suspended license for a year. 

“Maryland Athletics is aware of the incident this past weekend involving football coach Kevin Sumlin,” the university said in a statement. “As this is an ongoing investigation, we will have no further comment.”

Maryland hired Sumlin as its co-offensive coordinator early this year, and his presence has been felt on an offensive staff that’s led the Terps to a top-four position among Big Ten teams in points per game. Though a defensive standout at Purdue, Sumlin cut his teeth as an offensive assistant before landing the Houston job. And he most notably coached Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M in 2012. Sumlin was fired following  the 2017 season and amassed a 51-26 record. He later coached at Arizona from 2018 to 2020. 

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The Nebraska Cornhuskers have offered a class of 2025 edge rusher out of Indiana. Uchenyo Ojata is a 6-5, 210-pound defensive lineman out of Carmel High School.

Nebraska is the most recent offer that Ojata has received. He also holds scholarships from Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), and Toledo.

Ojata told Husker Online (subscription required) that the Huskers will be recruiting him as a linebacker in their 3-3-5 scheme.

“Nebraska sees me at the Jack linebacker position. I like the defensive scheme a lot, especially with what I would be doing.”

Purdue and Indiana have also shown interest in the prospect. He even took a visit to Lincoln on Saturday for the Huskers victory over Northwestern.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

Story originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire

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While the AP Top 25 saw no changes in the top six spots, there are adjustments that reflect what voters learned about the best teams in the country on Saturday. Of note is that while Georgia maintained its spot at No. 1 while off in Week 8, Michigan continues to gain momentum in challenging for the top spot. The voting points margin is as slim as its been all season (1536 to 1504), with a few more first-place votes switching hands. But in the consensus, it’s still Georgia at No. 1, followed by Michigan, Ohio State, Florida State, Washington and Oklahoma at the top of the rankings. 

There is some shifting in the wake of Ohio State’s win against Penn State, which saw the Nittany Lions drop three spots to No. 10. That allowed for Texas and Oregon to each move up one spot, while Alabama jumped two spots to No. 9 following its strong second half performance in a rivalry win over Tennessee. 

North Carolina had one of the biggest drops in the poll this week, tumbling from No. 10 to No. 17 after a loss to unranked Virginia. USC nearly fell out of the top 25 after its loss to Utah, landing at No. 24. Duke and Tennessee each dropped after losses as well, but only four spots each — to No. 20 and No. 21, respectively — after losing on the road to higher-ranked conference foes. 

James Madison, now at 7-0 after a win against Marshall on Thursday night, cracked the top 25 for just the second time in school history. The Dukes made their AP poll debut in Oct. 2022 but lasted just one week in the rankings. They will put that new ranked status on the line next Saturday against ODU at home. JMU’s entry into the poll was made possible in part thanks to Iowa’s home loss to Minnesota, which bounced the Hawkeyes from the top 25. 

Here is a full look at…

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Moving the Niagara Cup had become a yearly task.

The trophy awarded annually to the winner of the Gannon University/Mercyhurst University football game has made the 3-mile trek between campuses each fall since 2011. That’s the last time either school won consecutive games against their crosstown rival.

Escorting the Niagara Cup down State Street won’t be necessary this year. Thanks to Fort LeBoeuf High School graduate Eric Scarpino’s last-second field goal, it will stay right where it’s at in the halls of Carneval Athletic Pavilion.

Scarpino’s 32-yard conversion with six seconds to play capped a 31-28 Gannon victory at Mercyhurst’s Saxon Stadium. It was far from last year’s 49-14 pasting of the Lakers, but in a rivalry like this?

Head coach Erik Raeburn and the Golden Knights will take it.

Answering the call

Raeburn made a crucial decision in the second quarter when Jayden Whitaker replaced Nate Mikell at quarterback.

Whitaker, a true freshman, capped his first collegiate drive with a five-yard rushing touchdown and followed it with a 10-yard TD pass to Ke’John Batiste. Whitaker stepped up again in the game’s final three minutes, using his legs to help move Gannon into Scarpino’s range.

“(Whitaker) has been doing great in practice,” Raeburn said. “It really wasn’t anything our starting quarterback did, it was more of the things Jayden showed in practice. We almost did it last week to try to get him in there, but we decided this week we were going to. I thought he played really well, particularly in his first college start.”

Trading touchdowns

Each time one offense scored, the other seemed to answer. The same was true with defensive stops.

Gannon led 21-14 at halftime, but two big plays by Mercyhurst — Adam Urena touchdown passes of 57 and 43 yards — kept the Lakers in it down the stretch….

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Who’s Playing

No. 25 UCLA Bruins @ Stanford Cardinal

Current Records: UCLA 4-2, Stanford 2-4

How To Watch

When: Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 2:30 a.m. ETWhere: Stanford Stadium — Stanford, CaliforniaTV: ESPNOnline streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)Follow: CBS Sports App

What to Know

Stanford will be in front of their home fans on Sunday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-field advantage. The Stanford Cardinal and the UCLA Bruins will face off in a Pac-12 battle at 2:30 a.m. ET at Stanford Stadium. UCLA took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Stanford, who comes in off a win.

Stanford’s four-game losing streak finally came to an end on Saturday. They had just enough and edged Colorado out 46-43. The victory was all the more spectacular given Stanford was down 29 points with 2:57 left in the second quarter.

Stanford relied on the efforts of Ashton Daniels, who threw for 396 yards and four touchdowns, and Elic Ayomanor, who picked up 294 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Ayomanor’s longest reception was for an incredible 97 yards. Bryce Farrell was in the mix too, providing Stanford with two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, UCLA couldn’t handle Oregon State on Sunday and fell 36-24.

The losing side was boosted by Carson Steele, who rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown.

Stanford’s win on Saturday bumped their record up to 2-4. As for UCLA, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-2.

Going forward, UCLA is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 17 points. They might be worth a quick bet since they’ve sitting on a three game streak of covering the spread when expected to win.

Stanford might still be hurting after the devastating 38-13…

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