Category: College Football

COLUMBIA, Mo. — After his teammates waved goodbye to Missouri’s student section, Reuben Owens climbed onto the bench for a better look at the mass exodus pouring out of Faurot Field.

He spotted a chirping, mic’d-up Mizzou student and pointed toward the nearest exit.

“Go home!” Owens barked twice before hopping back down.

“Bro,” the student shot back, “I want to watch you play!”

Too late, buddy. Owens’ day was already done.

No. 3 Texas A&M (9-0, 6-0 SEC) had just slammed the door on No. 22 Mizzou (6-3, 2-3) with Owens’ second touchdown run late in the game. The 38-17 score may look routine on paper, but the moment was anything but for an A&M program that has cratered in November over the years, leading to easy fodder for rivals to chew and spit back in their face.

Saturday marked A&M’s first SEC road win in November since 2020, snapping a seven-game skid. It was also their third straight road victory in league play this season and their second consecutive blowout of a ranked opponent.

One win doesn’t define a season, but a 9-0 start — the program’s first since the storybook 1992 run — carries weight. It quiets the noise. It shifts the conversation. It forces people to stop invoking November ghosts.

“Is this our weekly ‘last year’ question?” Elko deadpanned Saturday. “I don’t know about the past. I know that’s four road games this team has gone on the road and won. We’re 4-0 this year on the road. We’ve only got one left, so we’ll finish this year with a winning record, if my math is right. I’m just proud of how these guys went out and did that.”

Texas A&M missed on the 1992 national championship by a whisker. 
CBS Sports Research
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Clemson’s defense, often under fire this season, delivered one of its better halves of football against Florida State, limiting the Seminoles to a single touchdown and heading into the break with an 18-7 advantage. While the Tigers benefited from a few lucky bounces, they made enough key plays to stay in command through the opening two quarters.

Garrett Riley’s offense came out sharper than usual, setting the tone early with a long, methodical scoring drive that covered 75 yards in 13 plays. Cade Klubnik capped it off with a short touchdown run, followed by a successful two-point conversion from Clay Swinney. For a group that hasn’t consistently opened games with rhythm, it was a strong start. But that early flow quickly disappeared, as the offense sputtered on three straight possessions. A strange trick play backfired badly, leading to a sack, and Klubnik later missed a clear opportunity to hit Antonio Williams on third down. Those missteps kept Florida State within reach when the Tigers could have built a bigger lead.

Clemson’s defense wasn’t perfect but found itself saved by some Seminole mistakes. A busted coverage left tight end Randy Pittman uncovered on fourth down, yet he dropped what should’ve been an easy catch. Clemson turned that gift into points just moments later when Klubnik executed a flea-flicker to Williams for a 34-yard touchdown. Another breakdown nearly cost them again when Squirrel White slipped behind the secondary, but Florida State’s quarterback overthrew him by a wide margin. Two near-touchdowns for the Seminoles turned into nothing.

On the ground, Adam Randall and Gideon Davidson gave Clemson just enough production to keep the defense honest, combining for nearly 60 yards against one of the ACC’s better run-stopping units. More importantly, the Tigers dominated possession,…

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The second-ranked Indiana Hoosiers will look to keep the Penn State Nittany Lions winless in Big Ten play when they meet on Saturday. Indiana is coming off a 55-10 win over Maryland, while Penn State dropped a 38-14 decision at Ohio State. The Hoosiers (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten), who lead the conference, are 3-0 on the road this season. The Nittany Lions (3-5, 0-5 Big Ten), who have lost five in a row, are 3-2 on their home field this year. Indiana senior wide receiver Elijah Sarratt’s (hamstring) is considered day-to-day, according to coach Curt Cignetti, so his status is uncertain.

Kickoff from Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa., is at noon ET. The Hoosiers are 14.5-point favorites in the latest Indiana vs. Penn State odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 49.5, down a point from the opener. Before making any Indiana vs. Penn State picks, check out the college football predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model. 

New users can target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $300 in bonus bets if your bet wins + 3 months of NBA League Pass:

The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks. Anybody following its college football betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Indiana vs. Penn State. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the FBS college football odds and trends for Penn State vs. Indiana:

Indiana vs. Penn State spread

Indiana -14.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook

Indiana vs. Penn State …

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There have only been a couple of games for the Oregon Ducks this year that carried real intrigue as far as the overall outcome goes. In Week 5 against the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Ducks were underdogs on the road in Happy Valley, and they managed to get a win in double overtime. Two weeks later, against the Indiana Hoosiers, Oregon entered as a favorite, but lost its home-winning streak to the now No. 2-ranked team in the nation.

Now, they go on the road against the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes in Kinnick Stadium, and there is some speculation as to whether or not they can win this game. With two great defenses going up against each other, and one bad offense against another offense that is deserving of some questions, this will be one of the best games of the weekend.

So who is going to come out on top? That is a matter of opinion, at this point. The Ducks are favored by 5 1/2 points according to FanDuel Sportsbook, but they are one of the most popular upset picks in the nation this weekend, according to college football experts.

A handful of analysts have dived into this contest and forecast what’s to come either straight up or against the spread. Here’s what we’ve found so far from the top guys:

Joel Klatt

Pick: Oregon 17, Iowa 13

“So Iowa +6.5. What do we do with that? After everything that I just said, Well, you know what? You take the points. I think Oregon wins the game. Oregon is going to find a way to win the game, with its sheer grit and determination. With their head coach, Dan Laning, and their quarterback, Dante More, they win it 17-13, but I’m taking the six and a half with Iowa.”

Kirk Herbstreit

Pick: Iowa

“Oregon loses Saturday. We all love Dan Lanning, we all love the Ducks and their potential, but there’s just something about certain teams at Iowa when you go into November.”

Josh Pate

Pick: Oregon -6.5

“Oregon…

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The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs have lost a starter on the defensive side of the ball, as CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reports defensive lineman Jordan Hall is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury suffered in the 24-20 victory against the Florida Gators. Hall went down in the first quarter of Saturday’s SEC showdown, and was eventually ruled out.

Hall has started in each of Georgia’s first eight games, and recorded 12 tackles and two tackles for loss. The Jacksonville native was a five-star recruit who came to Athens as a member of the No. 2-ranked 2023 class. In 24 collegiate games played, he’s recorded 26 tackles.

Georgia’s defense is allowing 309.4 total yards per game, which ranks No. 21 in the FBS and No. 2 in the SEC. This unit held the Gators to 2 of 11 on third downs without Hall, and just 281 yards of total offense.

Up next for the Bulldogs is Mississippi State in Starkville on Saturday, with a historic streak on the line. Georgia has won 46 straight games vs. unranked teams, which is the longest active streak in the FBS. With a win this week, the Bulldogs will tie the second-longest win streak vs. unranked teams in the FBS over the last 30 years. Georgia has won five straight, and 14 out of the last 15 vs. Mississippi State. 

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LSU will keep Verge Ausberry as the school’s athletic director. 

Just a day after newly-appointed LSU President Wade Rousse removed Ausberry’s interim tag, there was a report by the Louisiana Illuminator putting everything into question and appeared to backtrack.   

“I’ll remove the interim LSU reportedly not playing ‘word games’ while clarifying Verge Ausberry’s role and then we’ll assess the situation. I can’t make a very good decision on the job for eight hours,” Rousse said. However, another 12 hours later and there was more clarification from LSU.

“Verge Ausberry is THE athletic director at LSU. Period,” a source within the president’s office told LouisianaSports.net. “There is no intent or desire to play word games with this issue. Athletics needs a stable hand at the helm, and that is Verge Ausberry. Verge is fully empowered to find our next football coach and to run the athletic department.”

The next order of business of the docket for LSU is finding a new head coach, which Ausberry will lead the search to usher in a new era for the Tigers. 

LSU fired Brian Kelly in the middle of his fourth season in Baton Rouge. He went 34-14 and 19-10 in SEC play during his tenure. The final message from Kelly to LSU’s admin was leaked on Wednesday. 

“As we discussed in our meeting, I’m open to your desire to reach a settlement of what’s owed to me under the contract, although of course it would have to make sense financially,” Kelly wrote. “Despite your decision to let me go today, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to lead this program over the last four years and wish you all the best going forward.”

The 64-year-old coach remains on LSU’s payroll through the end of 2025, collecting monthly payments of roughly $740k from his $10.1 million annual salary. LSU looks to reduce the buyout amount from the 10-year, $95 million…

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This week, the Iowa Hawkeyes have a game that many only dream about. This is what college football is all about. The Hawkeyes get the opportunity to host the Oregon Ducks inside Kinnick Stadium, with a chance to pull off the upset and send a seismic shockwave to the college football world.

With this game comes immeasurable excitement and buzz. The fans will be loud, and there will be an extra level of electricity coursing through the air.

Kirk Ferentz knows that the Iowa Hawkeyes will embrace the moment. He discussed the excitement for the chance to host a game of this magnitude.

“Yeah, it’s really special and rare. That will never get old. At least I don’t think it will. If it does, that’s probably when it’s time to pack it up.

“Any time you get a chance to go against a premier team, which these guys are, it’s a great measuring stick. You realize a lot of things can go wrong. Coaches have a better ability of doing that than hopefully the players.

“When it’s all said and done, yeah, it’s great to have an opportunity to play. I coached at Maine, coached at Worcester Academy, and those are all special too, but this is really a great environment in Kinnick any time there’s a marquee matchup, if you will, and we have had a few of them over the last couple of decades. It’s always special.

“There’s one thing for sure. I know Oregon is going to be ready, and I know they’re good. I know our crowd is going to be ready, and the thing we have to focus on is making sure we’re ready to go, because it’s going to take every bit of our best performance to have a chance to win this game,” Kirk Ferentz said about the buzz and excitement this game brings.

Iowa, which has always been an incredibly hostile place to play, will be looking to pull off its eighth top-10 win inside Kinnick Stadium since the turn of the century.

That chance comes at…

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