Category: College Football

With Saturday’s narrow 24-21 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks, Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide move to 6-1 on the season and 4-0 in SEC play.

Despite getting the win, it’s hard to come away from that performance impressed with the Tide. Alabama had every opportunity in the world to balloon their lead, and they just didn’t get it done.

Nevertheless, a win is a win, and Alabama still has all their goals in front of them as they race towards the end of the 2023 regular season.

As the Bama faithful breathe a sigh of relief, let’s look at this week’s report card for the Crimson Tide.

Overall Grade: C+

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Alabama played well for the first 30 minutes, but in a 60-minute contest, that’s not good enough. This Alabama team has to learn to finish when they are ahead. As Coach Saban mentioned in the post-game, “There’s a difference between beating the other team and winning the game”.

Offensive Grade: C+

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

After putting up 21 points in the first half, the Alabama offense looked disinterested in the final 30 minutes putting up just three second-half points. The offensive line struggled to pass protect, Milroe was off target on some throws, receivers dropped passes, and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees abandoned the running game in the fourth quarter. The lack of consistency still haunts the Alabama offense.

Defensive Grade: B

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The Alabama defense played great for about three quarters then a drive by the Razorbacks that was aided by a pair of penalties on the Tide’s defense, had Alabama on its heels for the remainder of the contest. It’s hard to find too much fault in a defensive unit that allowed just 250 total yards, but like the Alabama offense, they didn’t finish the game well.

Special Teams: A

Mark J….

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Ohio State running back Chip Trayanum left the No. 3 Buckeyes’ 41-7 win against Purdue after taking a big hit in the first quarter on Saturday. Trayanum returned to the sideline at the beginning of the second quarter, though he was without his helmet and did not return. Trayanum caught a swing pass out of the backfield for a first down late in the first quarter but was walloped by three Purdue defenders. He was slow to get up and lost his balance while running off the field to the injury tent. 

The senior from Akron, Ohio, came into Saturday ranking second on the team with 45 carries for 207 yards and three touchdowns for the Buckeyes. He posted 37 all-purpose yards in the first quarter against Purdue. With Trayanum sidelined, running back Dallan Hayden and wide receiver Xavier Johnson both saw action taking carries. Ohio State also used backup quarterback Devin Brown as a rusher. 

Ohio State coach Ryan Day declined to reveal Trayanum’s injury in postgame media availability. 

The injury is a troubling sign for Ohio State’s running back room, which was already painfully thin coming into Saturday. Running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams were both ruled out of the game against Purdue with undisclosed injuries. Second-leading receiver Emeka Egbuka was also out, along with top defensive back Denzel Burke. 

Ohio State had publicly considered redshirting the sophomore Hayden, who had not recorded a stat since the opener against Indiana. Hayden led the team with 11 carries for 76 yards…

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Indiana native and three-star edge rusher Mariyon Dye has been offered by the USC Trojans.

According to 247Sports, Mariyon Dye is the 39th-ranked edge rusher in the country for the 2025 class and the 11th-best player in state of Indiana.

The 6 foot-5, 235-pound prospect also holds offers from Georgia, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisville, Tennessee, Missouri and Kansas.

In the 2023 high school season through four games, Dye has 29 tackles, 7.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks.

The three-star announced his scholarship offer from the University of Georgia via social media.

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Follow Fighting Irish Wire for more on Notre Dame as the Irish prepare to face USC.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado.

Follow Ducks Wire for coverage of Oregon football leading into the big game against Washington on October 14.

Prominent Pac-12 sports journalist thinks USC is likely to fire Alex Grinch before season’s end.

USC and Lincoln Riley need to have a plan in place if Alex Grinch coaches poorly and loses to Notre Dame.

Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator might actually be worse than Alex Grinch, a fascinating plot point heading into the October 14 renewal of Irish-Trojans.

Brent Venables is coaching Oklahoma far better this year than Lincoln Riley is coaching USC. It’s up to Riley to change that reality against Notre Dame and Utah.

Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire

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The No. 8 Oregon Ducks (5-0) will be out for revenge when they make the short trip to Seattle to take on the No. 7 Washington Huskies (5-0) on Saturday. Washington went into Autzen Stadium in 2022 and upset the heavily favored Ducks, winning 37-34. Both teams enter this matchup coming off bye weeks. The Ducks defeated Stanford 42-6, while the Huskies beat Arizona 31-24 in their respective last outings. This will be the 115th meeting between these bitter rivals, with Washington holding a 61–48–5 advantage in the all-time series.

Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium in Seattle. The Huskies are favored by 3 points in the latest Oregon vs. Washington odds, while the over/under is set at 67.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before making any Washington vs. Oregon picks or bets, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine football expert Jimmie Kaylor. 

Kaylor is a 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 been red-hot on his football picks for SportsLine in 2023, going 19-6 on his best bets up to this point in the season. Anyone who has followed his picks is way up.

Now, he has set his sights on Oregon vs. Washington and just locked in its picks and CFB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see Kaylor’s picks….

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Thursday’s college football matchup between the Houston Cougars and West Virginia Mountaineers ended in dramatic fashion.

With the Cougars trailing 39-35 with 3 seconds remaining in the game, Houston QB Donovan Smith scrambled out of the pocket and threw up a Hail Mary pass as time expired. The ball was tipped in the end zone by several defenders before Houston receiver Stephon Johnson came down with the game-winning, 49-yard touchdown pass as the crowd at TDECU Stadium exploded.

The Cougars’ 41-39 win over the Mountaineers marked Houston’s first conference victory of the season after joining the Big 12 this year. Johnson reminded everyone on the sidelines as he triumphantly yelled, “First Big 12 win… Let’s go.”

It also marked the first time Houston head coach Dana Holgorsen faced his former team after serving as West Virginia’s head coach from 2011 to 2018. Holgorsen took over at Houston in 2019.

West Virginia got a go-ahead, 50-yard touchdown pass from QB Garrett Greene to Hudson Clement on fourth down to go up 39-35 with just 12 seconds remaining in the game. But it wasn’t enough.

The Cougars improve to 3-3 on the season. Smith had 21 completions for 253 yards, four touchdowns and rushed for 34-yards and another score. Johnson led all Cougars receivers with four receptions for 96 yards.

The Mountaineers drop to 4-2. Greene finished the night with 20 completions for 391 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, in addition to 47 rushing yards and two more touchdowns on the ground.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Houston beats West Virginia on Hail Mary pass as time expires

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Coverage of the 2023 college football season continues with Week 7 on CBS Sports Network, and viewers are getting a feast with a season-high seven games airing this week from Tuesday through Saturday. The Mountain West takes the spotlight on Friday when Fresno State, fresh off its first loss of the season, visits Utah State. It’s the final appetizer before the main course arrives, with four games set for Saturday. 

CBS Sports Network’s Saturday slate starts at noon with a MAC matchup between Eastern Michigan and Kent State, followed by Army West Point hosting Troy in the afternoon. The Mountain West then returns as the focus for both night games. Air Force hosts surging Wyoming in the early evening before Hawaii hosts San Diego State in a late-night showdown. 

From Murfreesboro, Tennessee, all the way to Honolulu, Hawaii, CBS Sports Network will be with you every step of the way in Week 7. Key storylines and more for the network’s upcoming games are below.

All times Eastern | Odds via SportsLine consensus

Fresno State at Utah State

Date: Friday, Oct. 13 | Time: 8 p.m. 
Location: Maverik Stadium — Logan, Utah
TV: CBS Sports Network [Channel finder] 
Live stream: CBSSports.com | Mobile: CBS Sports App (Free)
Spread: Fresno State -6 | Will the Bulldogs cover? Check out SportsLine’s Week 7 projections here

Entering Week 6, Fresno State looked like the Group of Five team to beat after sitting 5-0 and at No. 24 in the AP rankings. That all changed with a loss at Wyoming, snapping what was the nation’s second-longest winning streak at 14 games. Now comes another road game for the Bulldogs, this time against a Utah State team that has now won back-to-back games after starting 1-3. This game features two of the top-20 passing attacks…

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Each year in February, the top football players from colleges across the country are invited to Mobile, Alabama, to compete in the Senior Bowl. Similar to the NFL’s Pro Bowl, the Senior Bowl is an exhibition game featuring two All-Star teams of the nation’s best draft-eligible college football players. Historically, the players selected for the Senior Bowl have had a high rate of success on NFL draft day and gone on to have fruitful careers.

While we’re still in October and a ways away from the 2024 Senior Bowl, predictions for this season’s class are beginning to unfold. Today, the Reese’s Senior Bowl tweeted the “Senior Bowl Midseason All-American Team.” The only Oregon Duck to make the team: Ajani Cornelius

Cornelius is a 2022 transfer from Rhode Island. After Bruce Feldman wrote a feature story on Cornelius for the Athletic, his story became known nationwide. One of the things that made Cornelius’ story resonate with people was his journey from being a no-star high school recruit to one of the most sought-after transfer targets last offseason.

There was a massive rush of schools trying to bring Cornelius in after last season, but on early signing day last December, he chose Oregon. So far, it seems the Ducks couldn’t be luckier to have to him.

Through five games as the team’s starting right tackle, Cornelius has played 304 snaps (the third most on the team). But what’s most impressive about the way Cornelius has played, is that he has yet to give up a QB pressure this season, despite facing 182 pressure opportunities.

When blocking for the run, Cornelius has been just as dominant. No matter who he faces off against, Cornelius has been able to consistently set the edge for the Oregon RBs — who love to bounce it outside.

Despite being selected to the midseason Senior Bowl All-America team,…

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CBS Sports Network’s coverage of the 2023 college football season continues in Week 7, and the lineup is loaded with a season-high seven games set to air this week. The slate kicked off with a Conference USA matchup between Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee. A second Conference USA clash follows on Wednesday, as New Mexico State and Sam Houston square off in a battle of conference newcomers.  

After a break from the action on Thursday, the Mountain West takes the spotlight on Friday when Fresno State, fresh off its first loss of the season, visits Utah State. It’s the final appetizer before the main course arrives, with four games set for Saturday. 

CBS Sports Network’s Saturday slate starts at noon with a MAC matchup between Eastern Michigan and Kent State, followed by Army West Point hosting Troy in the afternoon. The Mountain West then returns as the focus for both night games. Air Force hosts surging Wyoming in the early evening before Hawaii hosts San Diego State in a late-night showdown. 

From Murfreesboro, Tennessee, all the way to Honolulu, Hawaii, CBS Sports Network will be with you every step of the way in Week 7. Key storylines and more for the network’s upcoming games are below.

All times Eastern | Odds via SportsLine consensus

Sam Houston at New Mexico State

Date: Wednesday, Oct. 11 | Time: 9 p.m.
Location: Aggie Memorial Stadium– Las Cruces, New Mexico 
TV: CBS Sports Network [Channel finder] 
Live stream: CBSSports.com | Mobile: CBS Sports App (Free)
Spread: New Mexico State -4 | Will the Aggies cover? Check out SportsLine’s Week 7 projections here

Sam Houston remains winless (0-5) in its first season at the FBS level, but the Bearkats have come achingly close to a victory each of the past two weeks. After…

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