Category: College Football

Unbeaten and situated inside the top 10, Indiana and Oregon square off Saturday afternoon at Autzen Stadium with Big Ten title and College Football Playoff implications very much in play. The No. 3 Ducks carry the nation’s longest home winning streak into the matchup with the seventh-ranked Hoosiers, whose explosive offense promises to deliver fireworks in Eugene.

Michigan heads to Los Angeles for a battle with USC, a signature win opportunity for Lincoln Riley coming out of an open date. USC’s expecting a raucous environment inside the Coliseum, to which Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore said this week “it’s sold out because Michigan’s coming.”

We’re picking winners and against the spread plays for those two games and several others across a loaded docket on Saturday.

Last week’s results: Brad Crawford (9-1 straight, 4-6 ATS); Chris Hummer (9-1, 7-3 ATS). Not a good week for yours truly while Hummer cashed several tickets with a great card. Alabama’s backdoor cover on fourth down was disheartening for Vanderbilt bettors and taking Michigan to cover against Wisconsin was a whiff over this way. It’s time to bounce back in Week 7.

Season results: Crawford (45-15 straight, 34-26 ATS); Hummer (45-15; 27-33).

For clarity, these lines were taken from FanDuel Sportsbook on Oct. 5. New users at FanDuel Sportsbook get $300 in bonus bets with a winning $5 wager.

Hummer (Pitt +9.5): If freshman QB Mason Heintschel is going to play like he did in his debut (359 yards, 4 TDs) that line is great value for Pittsburgh. Though, few secondaries Pitt will see this season are as bad as Boston College’s. But I do think Pitt has the pieces on defense to at least limit Florida State’s run game. The Panthers have one of the better run defenses in the…

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Many of Utah’s high school football teams love putting the ball in the air, at least according to the national statistics. In fact, according to rivals, six of the top nine individual passing yardage leaders in the country are from Utah.

It’s important to note that most teams in Utah have already played eight games, which is more than some other places. Still, these numbers are impressive.

The national passing yards leader is Tadon Bessinger, from Davis High, with 3,036 yards. He also has 37 touchdowns against just two interceptions.

Bessinger is committed to Boise State. 247 Sports has him listed as a 3-star player and the 24th rated quarterback in the 2026 class.

Not far behind are Payson’s Trevyn Wall (third nationally at 2,645 yards), Mountain Ridge’s Jaxon Hunt (fourth at 2,583), Skyline’s Xavier Cocci (sixth, 2,377), Sky View’s Jack Clark (eighth, 2,363 yards) and West Field’s Easton Eilertson (ninth, 2,358).

The other three players in the top nine are Lehman Catholic, Ohio’s Turner Lachey (second, 2,795), Hun, New Jersey’s Lukas Prock (fifth, 2,454) and West Jefferson, Ohio’s Austin Buescher (seventh, 2,377).

Any way you slice it, six of the top nine passers from one state is impressive. Well done, Utah.

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North Carolina has suspended cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins amid allegations that the program awarded impermissible benefits to players, according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman. Among the alleged extra benefits were sideline passes given to a player’s family members in violation of NCAA rules. Hawkins’ suspension is the latest bit of turmoil inside the UNC program, which has been much maligned throughout a 2-3 start to the Bill Belichick era.

Hawkins joined the Tar Heels staff ahead of the season by way of Washington, where he worked as a defensive analyst under UNC defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, Bill’s son. He is in his first season as a position coach after holding recruiting positions and analyst roles at Washington, Arizona, Colorado and USC.

The North Carolina defense is off to a rough start, particularly through the air. The Tar Heels are allowing 246.2 passing yards per game, which gives UNC the No. 102 pass defense in the country. In three games against opponents from power conferences, North Carolina has been outscored 120-33.

Documentary centered around North Carolina football and Bill Belichick reportedly axed

Jordan Dajani

North Carolina under scrutiny on…

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Penn State football coach James Franklin and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles have discussed the lack of depth at linebacker from the start of training camp.

They’ve bemoaned that some of the younger linebackers behind Amare Campbell, Tony Rojas and Dominic DeLuca haven’t stepped up.

The Nittany Lions’ depth now is even thinner with Rojas out for a significant period of time with an injury he suffered last week in practice.

“Whenever you lose one of your better players at a position where we were already lacking depth, that’s going to create some challenges,” Franklin said Monday during his weekly press conference. “That’s going to be a point of attention all week long with our coaching staff and the players.”

Campbell, a transfer from North Carolina, played every defensive snap in Penn State’s shocking 42-37 loss to previously winless UCLA at the Rose Bowl and made 10 tackles, including 2.5 in the backfield.

DeLuca played every snap but one when he had to leave the field after being shaken up. He finished with 12 tackles, including one in the backfield, and had a quarterback hurry, but he also missed a few tackles.

“If we want to play better, we’ve got to be on the same page,” DeLuca said Saturday. “We’ve all got to do our jobs at a high level.”

Cam Smith, a freshman from St. Joseph’s Prep, replaced DeLuca for one snap. He and redshirt Anthony Speca are expected to receive more work this week at practice.

“We’re going to have to play those guys and develop them,” Franklin said. “Cam is part of that discussion. Speca is part of that discussion. We’re going to have to rotate those guys in there.”

UCLA ran for 269 yards against Penn State, which has allowed 149.4 rushing yards per game (77th nationally). On several scrambles, quarterback Nico Iamaleava had plenty of…

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US LBM Coaches Poll: Penn State and Texas plummet

USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg breaks down the latest US LBM Coaches poll and where Penn State and Texas land after brutal loses.

Sports Pulse

Texas and Penn State auditioned for the starring roles in college football’s flop fest.Don’t forget about Clemson in flop fest, but at least Tigers beat North Carolina.Bill Belichick’s buyout, you ask? More than $20 million.

Texas and Penn State auditioned in Week 6 for the starring roles in college football’s fraud fest.

No more can we say UCLA is the worst Power Four team, not after its stunning takedown of Penn State. Who’s here for the Nico Iamaleava redemption story? Texas coach Steve Sarkisian needs to evaluate his starting quarterback situation after another bad showing from Arch Manning.

Oh, the drama!

No. 1 Ohio State avoids drama, at least. The most intrigue in a Buckeyes game is whether the opponent will cross the goal line.

Here are some questions left on my mind after an eventful Week 6:

Which team is college football’s biggest flop?

∎ Top flop: Clemson. When Clemson’s shining moment is a decisive win against hapless North Carolina, that’s a sign of how bad it got for the Tigers in September. Billed as a national championship contender in August, Clemson faceplanted in three losses that now have it earmarked for an also-ran bowl. Preseason rank: No. 6. Current rank: Unranked.

∎ Runner-up: Texas. It’s not just that Arch Manning was grossly overhyped. This whole team got blown out of proportion in the preseason. Manning’s a bust, but he’s also received little support. The offensive line is flimsy, the run game is insufficient and the defense isn’t nearly as fierce as its billing. Preseason rank: No. 1. Current rank: No. 19.

∎ Third: Penn State. Those thinking in August that James Franklin would produce a…

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Week 6 in college football was headlined by a historic upset, as the previously winless UCLA Bruins defeated James Franklin’s Penn State Nittany Lions, 42-37. According to CBS Sports Research, it was just the fifth time an 0-4 or worse team defeated an AP top-10 team, and the first since 1985. UCLA entered this matchup having not held a lead in any game this season, but the Bruins scored the first 10 points of the game on Saturday. 

Penn State fell from No. 7 to out of the top 25 completely, but the Nittany Lions were hardly the only team to be embarrassed this past Saturday. Arch Manning struggled in his first SEC road action, as his No. 9 Texas Longhorns were upset by the unranked Florida Gators, 29-21. The Longhorns are no longer ranked. Consider that preseason No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Penn State and No. 4 Clemson are a combined 8-7 this season with one win vs. Power 4 competition.

Coaches Poll top 25: Alabama, Miami soar as Penn State, Texas tumble in Week 7 college football rankings

Brad Crawford

We also saw No. 14 Iowa State struggle out of the gates vs. Cincinnati, going down 17-0 in the first quarter. It was too big of a hole for the Cyclones to dig out of, as they fell, 38-30. Iowa State fell eight spots to No. 22. 

No. 10 Alabama and No. 16 Vanderbilt gave us a fun contest in Tuscaloosa. Diego Pavia couldn’t give the college football world an…

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Dabo Swinney reacts to Clemson football’s blowout win vs UNC

Clemson football dominated UNC to win 38-10 in Week 6. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney reacted to the win and more postgame.

There was no shortage of candidates for the Week 6 Flop 10 as two preseason Playoff teams went down, and folks are learning Super Bowl rings don’t mean squat on campus.

Here’s some of the lowlights from Week 6 of college football:

Bill Belichick

It opened with a trick play for a Clemson TD and the laughs just kept coming Saturday. Things aren’t going well for Chapel Bill. The Tar Heels trailed Clemson 28-3 at the end of the first quarter, and UNC students had seen enough, heading for the exits — probably to He’s Not Here (I’m wondering how many Heels fans wished that about Sir Hoodie). Clemson scored four touchdowns on its first 16 plays. Maybe hiring your son to run your defense wasn’t the best move… North Carolina lost 38-10 (it wasn’t that close) and is 0-3 vs. Power Four opponents, having been outscored 120-33. On to Cal? More like on to basketball season.

Week 6 winners and losers: Bill Belichick, Penn State bad; Alabama good

If you thought UNC’s first half was bad, Boston College said, “Hold my beer.” Maybe Bill O’Brien was trying to take some of the stink off his old Patriots boss. The Golden Eagles trailed 31-0 at the break to Pitt, who handed a true freshman QB his first career start. And just look at some of these first half stats:

Yards: Pitt, 331; BC: 69First downs: Pitt, 20; BC: 2Time of possession: Pitt, 21:12; BC: 8:48Rushing yards: BC had negative-9 yards on eight carries.

It finished 48-7. “We did a terrible job,” O’Brien said postgame. “… I did a bad job. Did not have the team ready to play. I take full responsibility for what happened on that field.”

The Eagles are 1-4 and are propping up the ACC standings at 0-3 in league play.

Penn…

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The 10th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide look to make it four in a row when they take on the 16th-ranked and unbeaten Vanderbilt Commodores in an SEC matchup on Saturday. Vanderbilt is coming off a 55-35 win over Utah State, while Alabama downed Georgia 24-21 last weekend. The Commodores (5-0, 1-0 SEC), who are 1-0 against top-25 opponents, are 2-0 on the road. The Crimson Tide (3-1, 1-0 SEC), who are 1-0 against ranked foes, are 2-0 on their home field.

Kickoff from Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., is at 3:30 p.m. ET. Alabama leads the all-time series 63-19-4, including wins in each of the last 11 home games against Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide are 12.5-point favorites in the latest Alabama vs. Vanderbilt odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 56.5 via SportsLine consensus. Before making any Vanderbilt vs. Alabama picks, check out what college football expert Tom Fornelli has to say. 

New users can also target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $200 in bonus bets instantly if your bet wins:

A CBS Sports writer since 2010, the entertaining Fornelli is perhaps best known for his college football expertise. Fornelli co-hosts the popular Cover 3 Podcast and appears regularly on CBS Sports HQ. You’ll get maximum access to Fornelli’s college football picks only on SportsLine. 

Fornelli’s dedication to analysis of all levels of college football has helped him go 17-8 (+820) on his last 25 picks in Alabama games. Anybody following its college football betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.

Now Fornelli has set his sights on Vanderbilt vs. Alabama and just locked in his picks and CFB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the FBS college football odds and trends…

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