Category: College Football

The latest DraftKings promo code offers new users $300 in bonus bets and three free months of NBA League Pass, making Tuesday’s sports schedule a prime opportunity to take advantage of such a sweet deal. Two matchups are set to unfold in college football with Miami (OH) vs. Ohio and Akron vs. UMass both kicking off at 7 p.m. ET. SportsLine’s advanced computer model is projecting a defensive battle in the in-state rivalry between Ohio and Miami (OH), including Under 49.5 points as one of its best bets at DraftKings Sportsbook. The model also has a Tuesday best bet on the other MAC contest, backing UMass to cover as 10-point underdogs against Akron on CBS Sports Network.

With a six-game NBA slate, the model’s favorite NBA play in backing the 76ers at -105 odds to defeat the Bulls on the road in its Tuesday best bets at DraftKings Sportsbook. Joel Embiid isn’t on the injury report, so he should be a full go for Tuesday in this matchup of 5-1 teams. Claim the latest DraftKings promo code, where new users get $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins, plus 3 months of NBA League Pass free: 

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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. The model enters Week 3 of the 2025-26 NBA season on a sizzling 26-13 roll on top-rated NBA spread picks dating back to last season. Anyone following its college football betting picks and NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

Tuesday best bets at DraftKings Sportsbook

Massachusetts (+10) vs. Akron (-105)Ohio vs. Miami (OH): Under 49.5 total points (-105)76ers…..

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Penn State’s offense has struggled to stretch the field vertically this season, and the downfield passing game has only become more futile after Drew Allar’s season-ending injury. In the last two games against Iowa and Ohio State, the Nittany Lions only completed one pass over 20 yards. Backup quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer is averaging just 4.25 yards per completion.

The Nittany Lion passing game over the past two weeks has mostly been limited to screens and short passing concepts. While the strategy helps keep plays simple for a young quarterback like Grunkemeyer, it also makes the plays predictable for opposing defenses. Interim head coach Terry Smith said he’s talking with the offensive staff about moving the ball more vertically, rather than horizontally.

“We have to develop the play-action, we have to develop the intermediate game, which is that 12- to 18-yard range, and just take more shots there,” Smith said during Monday’s press conference. “And then obviously you got to take selective five, six, seven shots vertically down the field. I have to get it fixed. We will throw the ball down the field this week.”

Smith made similar remarks last week leading into the Ohio State game, stating that he told offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, “we don’t want to throw the ball so much horizontally, but we want to throw it vertically.”

Penn State’s passing offense has been criticized for several seasons now. It started with a call for the Nittany Lions to get more talented wide receivers via the transfer portal, which they did by adding Kyron Hudson, Trebor Peña and Devonte Ross. Those players have shown flashes, but they haven’t been a consistent solution. Now, the focus has shifted more toward the play-calling and specific personnel usage.

One player who’s shown potential this season is true freshman Koby Howard, who…

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Enhanced email blasts and social media spreaders have started at Ohio State for this college football season’s Heisman Trophy race. The top-ranked and unbeaten Buckeyes are campaigning for two potential finalists in the conversation — quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith — and are trying to become the eighth team since 2000 to send multiple players to New York for the ceremony.

Troy Smith became Ohio State’s sixth Heisman winner in 2006 and is the last Buckeyes player to earn the prestigious honor despite producing a couple of finalists and national championships since.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook’s updated odds entering Week 11, Sayin, a redshirt freshman, is the frontrunner with his teammate a few players behind him.

Locked in a legitimate competition with redshirt sophomore Lincoln Kienholz during spring camp and the early portion of fall practice, Sayin was Day’s pick to lead based on a year-long evaluation that went well beyond arm strength and accuracy.

Sayin needed to be a dependable facilitator given Ohio State’s weaponry, like Smith, and be able to move around the pocket given the Buckeyes’ changes along the offensive line. His numbers have impressed through eight starts — 2,188 yards passing and 23 touchdowns — and Sayin’s become even more lethal as the season has progressed.

Teams with multiple Heisman finalists since the turn of the century include 2020 Alabama with DeVonta Smith and Mac Jones, the 2019 Buckeyes with Chase Young and Justin Fields, 2016 Oklahoma with Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook, 2004 and 2005 USC with Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush, 2004 Oklahoma with Jason White and Adrian Peterson and 2002 Miami with Ken Dorsey and Willis McGahee.

Player

Odds

Statistics

Julian Sayin, Ohio…

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Heisman stakes. American Conference championship stakes. College Football Playoff stakes.

There was no shortage of stakes on the line Saturday morning when the Navy Midshipmen made the long trek to Denton, TX for the first time since a record-breaking 74-62 matchup 18 years ago. On this occasion, Navy entered with an unblemished record against one of the college football’s ultimate breakout teams — the North Texas Mean Green.

While Navy is renowned for its FBS-leading rushing attack, it was an individual ground performance from the North Texas side which stole the show in front of an electric DATCU Stadium crowd. True freshman tailback Caleb Hawkins generated a career-high 197 yards and all four Mean Green touchdowns to lead his team to a 31-17 victory, unseating Navy from its undefeated status.

“Probably the most complete game we’ve played since I’ve been the head coach here,” North Texas head coach Eric Morris said. “That was a team win. Everybody stepped up in huge ways down the stretch. For our guys we started fast, they were able to gain momentum, but the fourth quarter was as good of football as I’ve seen our team play.”

North Texas drew headlines last Friday when star redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Mestemaker fired for 608 yards and four touchdowns in a dominant road win over Charlotte. While Mestemaker still shined with a 19-of-24 showing and 234 yards, the Mean Green spearheaded their FBS-best scoring offense in a different manner vs. Navy — through a heavy dose of Hawkins.

“We pride ourselves in taking what the defense gives us,” Morris said on the offensive strategy shift. “We thought they’d try to pressure when we tempo’d, and we had some tempo runs that we liked that we were able to pop a gap there early. The offensive line was geared up. They practiced better than they…

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The college football polls will have one last update on Sunday before we officially shift into the College Football Playoff portion of the season with the selection committee offering its own top 25. That will begin this Tuesday, Nov. 4, and while the committee claims a process of independent thought, it’s hard to ignore the human element of those committee members knowing — and reacting to — the AP Top 25 poll. 

Often, the two sets of rankings will agree, particularly when it comes to the very best teams in the country. A consensus of 60+ AP poll voters are going to deliver a pretty sensible order, and usually the loss column is the ultimate sorter. But since the selection committee has less people and more discussion among the group, it’s easier for an outlier opinion to become the consensus. To that point, we’re looking not only to the new college football rankings wondering how the AP voters will react to the weekend’s results but also how the CFP committee might choose to over-rank or under-rank a team compared to the traditional polls. 

One of those teams that will be very interesting to track is Texas, which improved to 7-2 on the season with a 34-31 win against top-10 Vanderbilt. Paired with a win against Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, the Longhorns’ resume looks much better now and the losses are tougher to weigh since Ohio State is the No. 1 team in the country and Florida is unranked. We are projecting that Texas is going to take a notable jump up into the top 15, but there is about a nine-spot range of realistic outcomes from the CFP Selection Committee. 

Bowl projections: Texas returns to College Football Playoff contention, Miami’s hopes fading down stretch

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Julian Sayin passed for 316 yards and four touchdowns, Jeremiah Smith scored twice and top-ranked Ohio State pulled away in the second half to defeat Penn State 38-14 Saturday.

The Buckeyes (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) had a 17-14 lead at halftime, but took control in the second half, scoring on three of their first four possessions.

Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton both had rushing scores for Penn State (3-5, 0-5), which has dropped five straight and lost both games with interim coach Terry Smith at the helm. Smith took over after James Franklin was fired on Oct. 12.

Sayin completed 20 of 23 passes and joined Geno Smith as the only Football Bowl Subdivision players since 1985 to have three games in a season with at least 300 yards passing, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a completion rate of at least 85%.

Smith accomplished the feat in 2012 at West Virginia.

Sayin had three completions of at least 40 yards, including a pair to Carnell Tate, who finished with five catches for 124 yards. Sayin connected with Tate on a go route for a 45-yard TD midway through the second quarter to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to 17-7.

Jeremiah Smith finished with six receptions for 123 yards. He put Ohio State on the board midway through the first quarter with a 14-yard catch on a slant pattern. The sophomore then extended the Buckeyes’ lead to 38-14 with a highlight-reel grab on an 11-yard touchdown with 9:43 remaining in the game.

Sayin’s pass appeared to be tipped, but Smith leapt and made a one-handed grab with his left hand while being surrounded by three Penn State defenders.

The Buckeyes got some breathing room on the opening drive of the second half. Tate had a 57-yard catch to the Penn State 4 on the second play of the possession and CJ Donaldson plowed in…

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Bill Belichick secured his first win against a Power Four opponent during North Carolina’s 27-10 victory over Syracuse on Friday. UNC entered this weekend 0-5 against Power Four competition and was coming off back-to-back devastating losses in ACC play against Cal and Virginia, where Belichick’s team had a chance to win the game in the final moments.

The highlight of Belichick’s tenure at UNC thus far — and a culmination of his team showing gradual improvement throughout the course of the season — was on display when the Tar Heels snapped their four-game losing skid against the Orange. It was also the first time UNC scored at least 21 points against a Power Four team this season.

North Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez finished 15 of 19 for 216 yards and two touchdowns. The Tar Heels trailed 10-6 at halftime before scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half to pull away for good. UNC racked up 425 yards of total offense and held Syracuse to just 147.

The Belichick era at UNC began with a blowout loss against TCU before the long-time New England Patriots coach secured his first win at the college level against Charlotte. UNC lost its last two games against Cal and Virginia by four points combined. Against Cal, UNC had a chance to take the lead in the final minutes before fumbling at the goal line. In the game against the Virginia, UNC was unable to convert on a 2-point conversion that would’ve given Belichick’s team a walk-off win.

Despite moving to 3-5 (1-3 ACC), North Carolina and Belichick still face an uphill climb to become bowl eligible. The Tar Heels face…

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The Oklahoma Sooners are going on the road this week to take on the Tennessee Volunteers in a game that holds big-time College Football Playoff implications for both teams. A win keeps both Oklahoma and Tennessee alive in the playoff race ahead of Tuesday’s initial rankings release. A loss for either team and they’re playing for bowl positioning the rest of the way.

Like last week, this week’s game against the Volunteers pits Oklahoma’s defense against one of the best offenses in the nation. It’s a tough matchup against their old quarterback and offensive coordinator, Josh Heupel. The Sooners’ defense has to have a rebound performance after struggling to slow down Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss last week.

Additionally, the Sooners need a complete performance from their offense. Tennessee’s defense can be scored on. Can Ben Arbuckle, John Mateer, and the offense take advantage of that reality? Are we in for a shootout on Saturday night? Here’s a look at this week’s Sooners Wire Staff Predictions.

Sooners Need Big Defensive Performance

Tennessee’s only two losses of the season have come against two of the best five or 10 teams in the country, and the Volunteers nearly won both, anyway. Oklahoma, while better than last year, doesn’t have the offensive oomph to keep up in a track meet. The Sooners’ best chance lies in their elite defense slowing down a top-five offense. On the road, that’s especially tough.

Tennessee 28, Oklahoma 20

Eric Bolin, Sooners Wire Contributor

Sooners Can Win

After struggling to overall contain Ole Miss’ offense last week, Oklahoma gets a statistically better one this week against Tennessee. Something tells me Brent Venables didn’t like being out-dueled by Lane Kiffin, and I think he’ll come out swinging against Josh Heupel. The Volunteers will score, but if the Sooners are better on third and…

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