Category: College Football

Oregon squared off against defensive coordinator Jim Knowles twice last season when he was at Ohio State with mixed results.

Now Knowles is at Penn State after bolting the Buckeyes for a three-year contract worth more than $9 million.

Ducks coach Dan Lanning sees a lot of similarities between the 2024 Buckeyes and the third-ranked Nittany Lions, who meet Oregon Saturday night at 7:30 (TV-NBC) at Beaver Stadium.

“I’ve seen a lot of scheme variation, which he (Knowles) had at Ohio State,” Lanning said Monday night, “but it’s a lot of the similar scheme they carried at Ohio State.

“He always has a new wrinkle. Every week you see something new that you haven’t necessarily seen on film, that he’s able to pull from and that he thinks defends you well. That’s always going to present a good challenge.”

The Ducks rolled up 496 yards in a 32-31 victory over Ohio State last September, when Knowles was with the Buckeyes. The script flipped three months later in the Rose Bowl, where Ohio State held Oregon to 276 yards in a 41-21 rout in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal.

With Knowles guiding the defense, Penn State has held Nevada, Florida International and Villanova to 17 points, including 14 that came in the final seconds in two games. The Lions’ first-team defense has not allowed a touchdown.

“I’ve said it before, but defensively they’re as multiple and disruptive as anybody we’ll play,” Lanning said. “They have great edge play and good play in the back end as well.”

Lanning has a superb 39-6 record in his fourth season at Oregon after serving as Georgia’s defensive coordinator from 2019-22.

He guided the Ducks to an 11-0 regular season last year and a 45-37 victory over Penn State in the Big Ten championship game before the loss to Ohio State. He’s very familiar with the…

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Washington State offensive lineman Sone Falealo was shot early Sunday morning following the Apple Cup loss to rival Washington, a university spokeswoman said in a statement to The Spokesman-Review Monday. Pullman police identified the suspect as 20-year-old Jakori Buchanan, a University of Washington student, according to court documents obtained by The Spokesman-Review. Authorities said they secured an arrest warrant for Buchanan Monday afternoon and plan to charge him with first- and fourth-degree assault.

Falealo, an Alaska native who transferred from Idaho this offseason, was at a party with two teammates, Jaylin Caldwell and Xavier Thorpe. The three offensive linemen were reportedly asked to act as security for the gathering, according to court records.

Court documents indicate the altercation began when Buchanan allegedly assaulted a woman at the party, striking her in the chest after she attempted to defend herself. The three Washington State football players intervened, and Falealo was shot during the confrontation. He told police he “didn’t remember much after that” and was taken to Pullman Regional Hospital, where he underwent surgery to remove the bullet, according to KREM-TV in Spokane. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Thorpe told officers he saw Buchanan and his companions leave in a dark sedan, which police later identified as a gray 2025 Hyundai Sonata. The vehicle was a rental located at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Buchanan’s attorney, Ronnie Rae, said in a statement that the shooting was in self-defense and that Buchanan was trying…

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So many questions abound after Clemson’s latest loss to the Syracuse Orangemen Saturday, including the future of head coach Dabo Swinney, who some should consider retirement after this season, including Paul Finebaum.

“My advice to Dabo, and I know he doesn’t like taking advice from people like me, is to get out of there,” Finebaum said on “The Matt Barrie Show” Sunday. “Be quiet. quit talking because he has no credibility now with his fanbase. They’ve heard the whines before. He’s become a meme.”

Finebaum added, “For a really good coach … he’s become somewhat of a laughingstock, every time he opens his mouth, and it’s time for him to do one of two things: it’s either consider another school, and I think he’s hirable if he quits talking, or just get away from football and be a TV guy. … I think it’s over at Clemson. Let’s quit trying to sugarcoat it, Matt. Sometimes it’s very difficult to get it back when you’ve lost it.”

Even some of Swinney’s ex-players are questioning the team’s effort on Saturday, wondering if they had given up. 

Former defensive end Xavier Thomas, who played at Clemson from 2018-23, posted on X: “At this point, it’s not even an upset anymore.”

Thomas continued, “Not once would I ever & have ever spoken down on Dabo. But, the Standard will always be the Standard, & it’s not being upheld.”

This almost sounds like what Alabama went through after their loss to Florida State. Many ex-players calling out coaches and current players for their lack of effort and wondering if they were upholding the standard set by former head coach Nick Saban.

Although the landscape of college football has changed, Dabo Swinney has not, and it’s starting to catch up with him in a big way. 

 

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In late July, I had the chance to interview Indiana wide receiver Elijah Surratt during Big Ten Media Days on the Cover 3 Podcast. I asked him a question that was gnawing at my own brain, and until that point, I hadn’t heard anybody else publicly consider.

As Surratt sat next to me, I asked him if he wondered why, while everybody else was looking for “the next Indiana,” nobody seemed willing to accept the idea that Indiana was “the next Indiana.” Why was everybody so sure the Hoosiers were a one-year wonder?

I would hope far more people are considering the possibility after Saturday night.

Surratt scored two touchdowns as the Hoosiers whooped No. 9 Illinois 63-10, and in the process, let the college football world know they don’t plan to go anywhere. Sure, you can mock their nonconference scheduling habits, and you can question how they’ll handle a schedule that’s more difficult this season than last year’s (on paper, anyway), but you can’t question Saturday’s result. Though I’m sure they’ll try anyway.

It reminds me of what we saw last season. 

Indiana started the 2024 season 6-0 with conference wins over UCLA, Maryland and Northwestern, but nobody was taking them seriously yet. They were falling victim to the defense mechanism the College Football Hivemind has any time a team nobody expected to be good starts doing things that suggest they’re a good football team.

“Oh, you beat that team by four touchdowns? Well that’s only because they suck. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Then Nebraska came to town in mid-October. The Huskers were 5-1 themselves, and while they weren’t ranked, they were seen as Indiana’s first real test. Indiana spanked them 56-7, but while they moved up to No. 13 in the polls the next day, they still weren’t taken…

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Week 4 of the 2025 college football season is in the books.

Here’s how every college football team in the state of Oklahoma fared.

More: OU football denies Auburn upset bid with record nine sacks of Jackson Arnold | 5 takeaways

NCAA Division I

Oklahoma

No. 12-ranked Oklahoma (4-0) earned a 24-17 home win over No. 25 Auburn. The Sooners were led by redshirt junior quarterback John Mateer, who completed 24 of his 36 passes for 271 yards and one touchdown. He also ran the ball 10 times for 29 yards and one touchdown. Next up is a bye week.

Oklahoma State

OSU (1-2) suffered a 19-12 home loss to Tulsa. The Cowboys’ top performer was redshirt senior safety Parker Robertson, who racked up 15 tackles (1.5 tackles for loss), two broken-up passes and one forced fumble. Next up is a home game against Baylor at 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2).

Tulsa

Tulsa (2-2) pulled off a 19-12 upset against OSU in Stillwater. The Golden Hurricane was led by redshirt senior running back Dominic Richardson, who logged 31 carries for 146 yards against his former team. This marked Tulsa’s first win over OSU since 1998. Next up is a home game against Tulane at 3 p.m. Saturday (ESPNU).

More: Oklahoma State football suffers first home loss vs Tulsa since 1951 | 5 takeaways

NCAA Division II

Central Oklahoma

No. 15 Central Oklahoma (2-1) earned a 34-28 home win over Washburn. The Bronchos were led by redshirt freshman quarterback Clayton Creasey, who completed 22 of his 32 passes for 296 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran the ball eight times for 46 yards. Next up is a road game against Northwest Missouri at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

OU football grades vs Auburn: How we assessed John Mateer, Jackson Arnold in SEC opener

East Central

East Central (2-1) fell short in a 17-13 home loss to Southern Nazarene. The Tigers’ top performer was junior linebacker…

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The 2025 college football season kicks off Week 4 with four live games on CBS Sports Network, offering a Saturday packed with high-stakes action. The day begins with high-scoring North Texas looking to push the pace against Army in a key American Conference battle.

Action continues in the afternoon as Ball State visits UConn, with both teams chasing their first FBS win of the season. The Huskies have dropped back-to-back games in overtime and will look to turn the tide at home.

Bet North Texas vs. Army and Saturday college football at BetMGM Sportsbook, where new users get up to $1,500 in bonus bets back if their first football wager doesn’t win. Click here:

The quadrupleheader carries into the evening with a Mountain West showdown between Boise State and Air Force in Colorado Springs. The Falcons aim to avoid another 0-2 start in conference play following a loss at Utah State in Week 2. Then, California and freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele look to start 4-0 for the first time since 2019 when they visit San Diego State in the nightcap.

CBS Sports Network will have coverage of every game, with viewing info, betting lines and storylines to follow once Week 4 begins.

All times Eastern | Odds via SportsLine consensus

Cal vs. San Diego State

Date: Saturday, Sept. 20 | Time: 10:30 p.m.
Location: Snapdragon Stadium — San Diego, California
TV: CBS Sports Network [Channel finder] 
Live stream: CBSSports.com | Mobile: CBS Sports App (Free)
Spread: California -12.5 | Will the Golden Bears cover? Check out SportsLine’s Week 4 projections here

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Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy was blunt after a 19–12 loss to Tulsa, a defeat that snapped the Cowboys’ stranglehold on their in-state rival and left the longtime leader facing pointed questions about his future.

“Third and fourth down conversions weren’t good for us,” Gundy said. “I thought they did a a great job early in the game with some of the concepts that we haven’t executed on defense and really through the first quarter out coached us.”

But the spotlight quickly shifted from X’s and O’s to his job security. “Fans are upset. They’re all wondering if you should be the head coach even tomorrow morning. What would be your message?” one reporter asked.

Final: Tulsa 19, Oklahoma State 12

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 20, 2025

“Those aren’t decisions that I make,” Gundy replied. “My decision is to do exactly what I mentioned earlier and get these guys and keep moving forward and go on down the road and that’s what we do.”

Pressed further, Gundy acknowledged the unusual nature of the moment. “Well, it’s different obviously. You know, in 21 years it’s a different position that I’ve been in. But, um, as I say every week, you know, my job is to evaluate the overall program, players, the systems, and then be able to put it down and think about it. What do we need to do to improve? And then I have to make a decision on where we’re at based on what we have. And that’s what I do.”

Despite the setback, he pointed to progress with a young roster. “We’re still playing with a young quarterback that in my opinion in four or five weeks will be considerably different than he is now just through experience.”

And he reserved his closing words for the fans. “The crowd was awesome tonight. They really were. The stadium was full…

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Syracuse coach Fran Brown doesn’t sugarcoat the chaos of college football’s transfer portal — and he isn’t shy about letting it get personal. On a recent appearance on the “I AM ATHLETE” podcast, Brown issued a blunt warning to those trying to poach his players: cross certain lines and he’s coming for you himself.

“I don’t even care,” Brown said. “Dudes be trying to push up on my wife. She’s bad. She don’t even got to tell me. … It’s just the game, it’s what they do. For me, I don’t care, but don’t let me find out and then I see you. Cause I ain’t no b—-.”

After Brown’s first season at Syracuse in 2024, the program lost 24 players to the transfer portal, including four that started at least six games last season. One high-profile departure was wide receiver Trebor Peña, who requested an NIL deal reportedly worth $2 million that Brown refused. Pena eventually transferred to Penn State.

That departure in particular showed just how messy the transfer portal can get.

“If they came and they did it illegally and I find out, I’m not gonna go tell on you,” Brown said. “But I’m gonna come at you like ‘What’s up?’ I’m gonna see you. There’s a couple of dudes I called and they tried [to say] ‘Hey, lose my line’. Like man, shut up.”

Brown framed the issue as more than just losing talent but rather one of respect and accountability within the program, especially when outside programs try to exploit players for their own gain.

“They don’t live by [principles] because they’re doing whatever it takes to impress somebody else,” Brown said of other coaches. “They’ll even bite their own people back out just to go impress somebody else, just to move up one spot. Not knowing at some point I could be the guy calling the shot where you could have been at,…

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