Category: College Football

The time is almost here for another highly anticipated season of Oregon Ducks football at Autzen Stadium. The roster looks drastically different this year, but with potentially more talent spread around the field, the expectations remain exorbitantly high. The Ducks will be led into battle by first-year starter Dante Moore as they look to build on the school’s most successful campaign in recent memory.

They’ll be taking on the Montana State Bobcats Saturday in what should be an exciting start to the season. Oregon will have many new faces on the field at once, so it’s fortunate they’ll be playing an opponent who isn’t quite on their level. You can’t make the College Football Playoff in Week One, but you can certainly eliminate yourself.

The Ducks have the decided advantage, favored by 27.5 points according to FanDuel Sportsbook, so they need to follow these three key strategies to ensure they keep the upper hand.

Hang onto the football

If you listen to a head coach at any level of football, the one thing that they always preach is the turnover battle. It’s always important to hoard possessions, and that practice is even more crucial when playing an inferior team. Turning the ball over is just about the only way the Ducks can lose this game, so Dan Lanning is sure to drill that into the team’s head before they take the field Saturday.

Get Dante Moore into a rhythm early

As we discussed earlier, Week 1 sets the tone for the entire season, but in Moore’s case, it sets the tone for his Oregon collegiate career. The game’s mental aspect is just as important as the physical portion, and there are many past examples of rocky starts to a quarterback’s career paving the way for unimpressive football journeys.

Lanning will need to get Moore in rhythm early with quick, short passes that get him feeling good and…

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USA Today recently published a top-25 ranking of college football’s top powerbrokers. Perhaps predictably given the Texas Longhorns brand power and recent strength on the actual gridiron, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte was ranked No. 17 on the list.

“[Del Conte] oversees a department that generated the most total operating revenue nationally in fiscal year 2024 at $331.9 million with $325 million in operating expenses. Helped spearhead Texas going to the SEC where it started league play in 2024. That move set off a round of conference realignment.”

Not to mention the fact that Del Conte hired current football head coach Steve Sarkisian.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT THE LONGHORNS

Dallas Morning News: The Arch Manning Era Is Here: After organic rise at Texas, QB is ready for what’s ahead

Dallas Morning News: Why No. 1 Texas’ season-opening showdown with No. 3 Ohio State could be historic

Dallas Morning News: Dak Prescott, Bijan Robinson pay tribute ahead of Lee Corso’s ‘College GameDay’ retirement

247Sports: Four Downs: Chris Del Conte moves away from tradition, Steve Sarkisian’s time is now and more

247Sports: Chip Shots: Can Texas shut down Ohio State All-American WR Jeremiah Smith again?

247Sports: College Football Insiders: Texas, Ohio State differ in internal D-line confidence

247Sports: What Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said about playing Texas

Inside Texas: The past and the future of Texas football’s red zone identity

Inside Texas: ‘I’m going to take it all in’: Steve Sarkisian speaks on the SEC coaches teleconference ahead of Ohio State

ICYMI IN BURNT ORANGE NATION

247Sports: 2027 WR Antayvious Ellis sets two fall visits

247Sports: The best TXHSFB matchups for Horns fans to see each in-state Texas commit

Inside Texas: Texas Longhorns Recruiting Intel: 2027 No. 1 TE sets Austin visit,…

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With Week 1 of the 2025 college football season fast approaching, the quarterback dominoes have mostly fallen. With Week 0 in the books and the first full weekend of competition days away, some coaches are still in decision-making mode when it comes to naming a starter. 

Some competitions are still ongoing when the actual games kick off as teams will use early season tune-up contests to see if one signal caller can pull ahead of the other in a live setting. But there are some prominent programs that have already announced who will be leading their offenses in 2025. 

Ohio State, Alabama and Tennessee are just some of the Power Four programs that have tabbed their starting quarterbacks already. The Buckeyes are trying to repeat as national champions, while Tennessee would like to build on its first College Football Playoff appearance in program history. 

Bryce Underwood named Michigan QB: Prized recruit is fourth true freshman to start for Wolverines in Week 1

David Cobb

Alabama, in an effort to bounce back from a somewhat lackluster first season under coach Kalen DeBoer, is turning to a veteran at quarterback. Even major Group of Six programs like Memphis have made a decision. 

There’s still some to be settled, but here’s a rundown of the quarterback battles that have been decided. 

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This year’s meter seeks to make up for last year’s poor bowl placement decision by the college football committee. The Orange looked poised to participate in the Pop-Tarts sweepstakes like we predicted, but the rug got pulled out from under them during the selection show. I still think about Fran Brown eating a victory toaster pastry from time to time, but we must move on.

Alas, there’s already some positive juju flowing with the Go Bowling Military Bowl O’Meter. Just over two weeks ago, NASCAR driver J.J. Yeley raced at Watkins Glen in a Syracuse football D.A.R.T. car. The sponsor of that event? Go Bowling. Coincidence? I think not.

Our meter will be ready to rock for Syracuse’s Week 1 clash against Tennessee on Saturday. Speaking of which, check out the updated tracker for 2025:

We’re not even in September, but the “experts” are already out in full force with their bowl predictions. Here’s where they stand:

Not much optimism to start. Bonagura has Duke in the Military Bowl, which could easily flip to SU if the Orange take care of business against the Blue Devils at home on Sept. 27.

A rematch of 2022? Our meter is setting the bar a little higher than that. However, I wouldn’t mind exacting some revenge on Goldy Gopher in the Bronx.

Well, we got the military involved, just not the way we planned. Let’s switch the game, keep the opponent and call it a deal.

Obviously a December 29th game in Alabama wouldn’t be the ideal vacation destination for Orange fans, but we can’t be too picky.

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How do you like this year’s Nunes Meter? What bowl game do you think Syracuse will end up in?

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Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola knows the comparisons are inevitable. Fans, media and young kids alike see Patrick Mahomes when they see him — the same hairstyle, the same athleticism, the same pregame flair. But Raiola insists it’s not about imitation, it’s about circumstance.

“Everybody be like, ‘Oh, he wants to be like him,’ and all this stuff,” Raiola said on CBS Sports Confidential Conversations. “It just so happens he played baseball, I played baseball. He plays quarterback, I play quarterback … I can’t get mad at God for making me look like him.”

Raiola has developed a personal relationship with the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and three-time Super Bowl champion, even visiting the locker room during last season’s AFC Championship celebration. Both share the same personal quarterback trainer Jeff Christensen.

That bond only adds to the intrigue as Raiola opens the 2025 season on Mahomes’ home turf. Nebraska kicks off against Cincinnati on Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

For Raiola, the Mahomes connection is less about mimicry and more about mentorship. He has compared it to the relationship Kobe Bryant once shared with Michael Jordan — an opportunity to absorb lessons from one of the best while still carving out his own identity.

“It ain’t cap. It’s real love,” Raiola said. “… [Mahomes] is cool, bro. He knows what it is.”

The sophomore quarterback’s network of mentors doesn’t stop there. Raiola, the godson of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, said he has also begun recently connecting with seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, who has defended Raiola amid the constant comparisons, said fans should recognize the difference between influence and…

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Wisconsin football class of 2026 quarterback commit Ryan Hopkins shone in Mater Dei’s 26-23 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday. 

In a nationally-televised matchup on ESPN, the future Badger flashed his offensive brilliance, completing 13 passes for 272 passing yards and three touchdowns. A bulk of his production arrived in the second quarter, a period during which Mater Dei scored 26 unanswered points to take a 26-3 edge before intermission.

Specifically, Hopkins completed eight of his 14 first-half tosses for 232 yards. All three of his touchdowns arrived in the second quarter as well.

The California product ignited Mater Dei’s surge with a 22-yard score to five-star wide receiver and future Ohio State Buckeye Chris Henry Jr., who showed out with four catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Hopkins would complete another deep ball, this time an 81-yard strike, to Henry for another score roughly five minutes later, ballooning his crew’s advantage to 17.

The four-star pass-thrower’s most impressive throw arrived with just 30 ticks to spare in the second frame. Hopkins fielded a snap in shotgun, stepped back and zipped a 62-yard ball over the middle of the field to Monarchs’ receiver Gavin Honore for the score.

While he didn’t produce at the same clip in the second half, Hopkins showcased why a bevy of programs have extended him collegiate offers. Hopkins committed to Wisconsin back in April over top contenders Missouri, Cal and Duke.

He remains the one quarterback committed to a class that currently ranks No. 61 in the nation and No. 16 in the Big Ten. 247Sports currently considers Hopkins as the No. 555 overall player in the class of 2026, the No. 31 quarterback and the No. 42 player from his home state. 

Hopkins did receive an offer from hometown program UCLA earlier this month, but he has yet to offer…

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In college football’s playoff era, only five programs have notched perfect seasons en route to a national championship with Michigan being the most recent in 2023. But now, the parity playoff expansion has brought to the sport — and the possibility of a team playing as many as 16 games on their way to the title game — the likelihood of an unblemished campaign is considerably low.

If it happens during the 2025 season, that team may go down as the new “best-ever.” 

Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook, here’s a look at the 10 teams with odds at +800 or better for going unbeaten during the regular season, along with the potential path for each:

Toughest games: vs. Oregon, at Ohio State

Expectations are other-worldly for Penn State this season, perhaps at their highest levels since the 1980s when Joe Paterno won both of the program’s national championships over a five-year stretch. James Franklin’s roster is the best he’s ever had in Happy Valley. He’s averaging 9.6 wins per season since the 2016 campaign with five top-10 finishes during that stretch. If Penn State snaps an eight-game losing skid to the Buckeyes, there’s a great chance the Nittany Lions get to Indianapolis without a loss.

Ohio State Buckeyes…

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Projecting the best records for the top college football conferences

USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg breaks down who he thinks will win the in each of the Power 4 conferences and the Group of Five.

Sports Seriously

Iowa State’s victory in Ireland might be the impetus for back-to-back seasons with double-digit wins in program history.In the debut of a shiny, new stadium, Kansas showed to be a Big 12 contender to watch.Stanford interim head coach Frank Reich made a crucial mistake in a loss to Hawaii.

Conference championships aren’t won or lost in Week 0. The games still count the same, though.

No. 21 Iowa State’s 24-21 win against No. 20 Kansas State in Ireland was the headliner of a five-game Week 0 slate that served as the amuse-bouche to the main course of the regular season, set to begin in earnest on Thursday.

There just aren’t enough data points to form any big-picture takeaway: Kansas State could be really good, which means Iowa State might be terrific; both teams could be pretty average; both teams might be pretty good, which seems like the most likely scenario.

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Thinking down the line, though, you can see how the Cyclones’ win ends up carrying serious weight as a tiebreaker in a Big 12 that once again looks anything but predictable. Honestly, the Wildcats didn’t have to go all the way to Dublin to lose Farmageddon – they’d been doing that just fine stateside for the past seven years.

That’s one reason why the season-opening loss feels familiar for Kansas State. A year ago, the Wildcats opened the year as the league’s co-favorites alongside Utah but dropped four games, three in November. While the Big 12 abolished the preseason poll after Arizona State’s worst-to-first finish in 2024, KSU was by consensus seen as one of the favorites for…

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