Category: College Football

It wasn’t a pretty start to conference play for Oklahoma, which lost nine straight games in SEC play to bring in the new year. Though the team recovered to win eight of its next 10 games before suffering a close loss to SEC tournament champion Arkansas in the quarterfinals, that early skid proved to be detrimental.

The Sooners were one of the first four teams left out of the NCAA tournament field.

Advertisement

Regardless, with the NCAA No. 48 and KenPom No. 40 net rating, it’s hard to argue Oklahoma wouldn’t have been a tough out. Especially with all that late-season momentum and a senior scorer like Nijel Pack, who was averaging about 20 points over his last seven games. Below are the four biggest snubs from the tourney.

1. Oklahoma

Record: 19-15 (7-11 SEC)

Key Wins: at 15 Vanderbilt, vs. Georgia, vs. Missouri, at Texas, vs. Texas A&M

2. Cincinnati

Record: 18-15 (9-9 Big 12)

Key Wins: vs. 2 Iowa State, at 8 Kansas, vs. BYU, vs. UCF

3. San Diego St.

Record: 22-11 (14-6, Mountain West)

Advertisement

Key Wins: vs. Utah St, vs. New Mexico, vs. Nevada x2, vs. Oregon

4. Florida State

Record: 18-15 (10-8 ACC)

Key Wins: at Miami, at Clemson, vs. SMU, vs. Cal

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Oklahoma, San Diego State among biggest NCAA tournament snubs

..

[ad_2]

Read More

It’s hard to win on the road in college football, but there are a small number of stadiums that often provide frightening environments for the opposition every weekend, on top of having to thwart that team’s elite athletes.

Looking over college football’s 2026 schedules, there are 10 games in which home crowds should be fired up to impact the game in a calculated frenzy. Kickoff time certainly helps, and many of those aren’t available just yet, but the opponent provides much of the punch and intrigue for those in attendance.

Home-field advantage is real, and these programs will have it in 2026. Whether that results in a trip to the College Football Playoff will rely on execution — and wins.

College football returning production 2026: Returning starters for every FBS team

Cody Nagel

The only stipulation within this scariest environments ranking is that we’re not including the same venue twice, despite some of these teams playing several elite opponents at home this season.

10. Notre Dame Stadium (Miami at Notre Dame, Nov. 7)

One of the most important games in the College Football Playoff race next season, this could theoretically pit No. 1 vs. No. 2 in a battle of unbeatens, the much-anticipated rematch of last year’s opener. The Hurricanes hold bragging rights and kept the Fighting Irish out of the CFP with their victory in 2025. Notre Dame fans rarely…

..

[ad_2]

Read More

After landing the No. 1 class in the 2026 recruiting cycle, Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans are once again off to another hot start.

On Saturday they landed what could be a cornerstone piece to the 2027 class.

Advertisement

San Diego (CA) Cathedral Catholic five-star athlete Honor Fa’alave-Johnson announced his commitment to the Trojans choosing USC over LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon and Texas.

According to 247Sports, Fa’alave-Johnson ranks as the No. 22 player in the country, the No. 1 athlete and the No. 2 player out of California.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder earned MaxPreps Junior All-American honors as a two-way star for the Dons. On offense, he carried the ball 152 times for 1,532 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also hauled in 35 receptions for 564 yards and seven more touchdowns.

On defense, he added 40 tackles, three interceptions, and a forced fumble.

Advertisement

USC Trojans football recruiting continues to flourish

USC looks well on its way to another top 10 and potential top 5 class following Fa’alave-Johnson’s commitment.

He becomes USC’s fifth commitment so far this cycle and the third pledge that ranks as a top 75 prospect in the cycle. The others include Centennial (CA) four-star wide receiver Quentin Hale and IMG Academy (FL) four-star cornerback Aaryn Washington.

Riley and the Trojans are also hitting heavy on in-state recruits. Of the five pledges, four hail from the Golden State.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: USC football gets another recruiting win, lands Honor Fa’alave-Johnson

..

[ad_2]

Read More

Getty Images

In the latest odd twist of the modern college football era, Louisiana Tech finds itself on two separate 2026 conference schedules — and, if you look at the math, on course for an impossible 20‑game (!!) regular season. The Bulldogs appeared on the Conference USA slate released late Thursday night and then the Sun Belt Conference schedule that followed on Friday afternoon.

So how did this happen?

The answer lies in a legal tug-of-war over Louisiana Tech’s conference future. The Bulldogs announced in July 2025 that they intended to leave C-USA — where they’ve been a member since 2013 — and join the Sun Belt. The invitation from the Sun Belt said the move would occur “no later than July 1, 2027,” leaving open the possibility of an earlier transition. Louisiana Tech pushed for that, hoping to compete in the Sun Belt for the 2026 season.

C-USA disagreed. The league’s bylaws require at least 14 months’ notice before a school can leave. Without a negotiated settlement, C-USA maintained that Louisiana Tech remained a member for 2026.

On March 4, Louisiana Tech filed a lawsuit against C-USA seeking an injunction to allow the school to join the Sun Belt in 2026. The filing challenges the conference’s interpretation of its departure rules and the inclusion of Louisiana Tech on the 2026 C‑USA schedule while the dispute is ongoing. A judge declined to issue an immediate restraining order and set a hearing for March 19.

That leaves Louisiana Tech listed on both conference schedules for now. If you combine both conference schedules, it would create a 20-game regular season,…

..

[ad_2]

Read More

Fanduel has released its over/ under win total odds for the 2026 college football season, with Rutgers’ over under line being listed at 4.5, which means that the odds heavily favor the Scarlet Knights missing a bowl game for the second straight year. The golden number of wins for any Power Four team trying to reach a bowl game is 6, with Fanduel’s projection falling more than a game short of that.

Rutgers football schedule features some great challenges, but it also features some severe dips in competition. It is expected that the Knights will breeze through their non-conference slate against UMass, Boston College, and Howard, while struggling with their Big Ten slate, as per usual.

Advertisement

The biggest challenges of the 2026 Big Ten conference slate for Rutgers are more than likely going to be USC, Indiana, and Michigan. However, the Knights do have more winnable conference games next season against opponents such as Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Wisconsin. Rutgers will more than likely have to find a way to pull off three conference wins if they want to return to postseason play.

The Knights’ earlier games against Boston College and Maryland will likely be the most telling on the schedule, as they are the best early-season benchmarks given both teams’ results from last season and their status in power conferences. It’s hard to imagine Rutgers not being favored in both of these games, but how well they perform, especially at quarterback and on defense, will go a long way in revealing what the rest of the season might have in store for the team.

The Knights’ games against Michigan State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Nebraska will likely dictate how their season will go, as they will more than likely have to find at least two wins out of these four opponents to earn bowl eligibility. The…

..

[ad_2]

Read More

It’s the football offseason, so that means it’s time for months of proposals and anxieties about the future of college sports. 

The famed White House summit last week, with over 50 people from various backgrounds, convened to discuss the issues. And perhaps in the future, an Executive Order might follow that will, in the words of President Donald Trump, “solve all of the problems” in college sports. 

Louisville’s president, athletic director and chairman of the Board of Trustees released yet another white paper (that’s academic speak for fancy proposal) outlining why, as is the popular talking point, college sports are in a crisis and at an inflection point. The Louisville paper comes after a paper from the Big Ten and the SEC, authored jointly, in which they argued about the consolidation of media rights. The paper from the “Power 2” conferences is in direct response to lobbying by Texas Tech mega-booster Cody Campbell, who was all over your TVs last fall.

NCAA will continue tampering investigations despite Big Ten’s request for moratorium

Brad Crawford

This is all the territory of lawyers and lobbyists, where billable hours are the only thing that remains undefined, and the signaling is much more directed at Congress and state legislatures than it is to the regular fan, despite Campbell’s imploring you to call your member of Congress to save college sports….

..

[ad_2]

Read More

The FSU Seminoles are working on growing their 2027 recruiting class, which currently has five commitments. However, they are also working on their 2028 recruiting class and are now set to host one of the top players for a visit.

Jermaine Cobbins, a four-star cornerback from Springfield, Tennessee, will visit Tallahassee on April 2, according to Tom Loy of 247Sports. It will be his first visit, and it will give them a chance to make a move for a player coveted by teams across the country. He explained to Loy what stands out about the Seminoles in his recruitment.

Advertisement

“Florida State stands out because of its historic success and tradition of producing great players,” he said. “I like how the coaching staff focuses on speed, athleticism, and developing players into leaders on and off the field.”

Cobbins is ranked as the No. 36 overall player and No. 4 cornerback in the 247Sports composite. The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder is also the No. 1 player from Tennessee.

He had an excellent sophomore season at Springfield High School, where he played cornerback and wide receiver. He finished the season with 41 tackles, one interception, one pass breakup, and two forced fumbles on defense. He caught 41 passes for 852 yards and 10 touchdowns on offense.

Contact/Follow us @FSUWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of FSU news, notes, and opinions.

This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: FSU football’s history and tradition stand out to Jermaine Cobbins

..

[ad_2]

Read More

USC15[9] Jayden Maiava (QB), Waymond Jordan (RB), King Miller (RB), Tanook Hines (WR), Alani Noa (OL), Kilian O’Connor (OL), Elijah Paige (OL), Tobias Raymond (OL), Justin Tauanuu (OL)[6] Jide Abasiri (DL), Kameryn Crawford (LB), Braylan Shelby (LB), Desman Stephens II (LB), Christian Pierce (DB), Marcelles Williams (DB)

Georgia

14

[6] Gunner Stockton (QB), Nate Frazier (RB), Lawson Luckie (TE), Drew Bobo (OL), Dontrell Glover (OL), Earnest Greene III (OL)

[8] Jordan Hall (DL), Xzavier McLeod (DL), Gabe Harris Jr. (LB), Quintavius Johnson (LB), Raylen Wilson (LB), KJ Bolden (DB), Kyron Jones (DB), Ellis Robinson IV (DB)

Maryland

14

[6] Malik Washington (QB), DeJuan Williams (RB), Dorian Fleming (TE), Michael Hershey (OL), Rahtrel Perry (OL), Isaiah Wright (OL)

[8] Eyan Thomas (DL), Zahir Mathis (LB), Trey Reddick (LB), Sidney Stewart (LB), Daniel Wingate (LB), Jamare Glasker (DB), Dontay Joyner (DB), Lavain Scruggs (DB)

…..

[ad_2]

Read More