Category: College Football

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel throws down field against Maryland during the third quarter at Autzen Stadium Nov. 9, 2024.

When Dillon Gabriel transferred to Oregon from Oklahoma for the 2024 season, he brought with him impeccable credentials and a history of success.

He also had big shoes to fill with departing senior and Heisman Trophy finalist Bo Nix posting the greatest statistical season in program history in 2023.

The southpaw from Hawaii was undaunted by the challenge.

In his one-and-done career as a Duck, Gabriel was the steady and productive arm behind Oregon’s undefeated regular season – its first as a member of the Big Ten – and its win in the conference championship game.

Gabriel’s 3,857 yards passing are the third-most single-season total in Oregon history. His 72.9% completion percentage is the second-best single-season mark by a Duck. He finished with 30 passing touchdowns and seven rushing scores and also started his 63rd collegiate game at quarterback to break the FBS record previously held by Nix.

When his college career came to an end in Pasadena on Jan. 1, Gabriel finished with an FBS record 189 career touchdowns and an FBS record-tying 155 career passing touchdowns. Gabriel’s 18,722 career passing yards and 19,931 total yards are both No. 2 all-time behind former Houston star Case Keenum.

But where does Gabriel’s cameo career at Oregon rank him among the Ducks’ all-time great quarterbacks? Let’s take a look at some of the best to ever do it in an Oregon uniform.

The Heisman Trophy finalists

Marcus Mariota hurdles OSU safety Justin Strong on a run during Oregon’s 47-19 victory over the Beavers in 2014. Mariota went on to win the Heisman Trophy.

Marcus Mariota

Ten years after his playing career with the Ducks ended, Mariota remains the standard bearer for all Oregon quarterbacks. The 2014…

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The 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship is set as (8) Ohio State and (7) Notre Dame will face off for the sport’s most illustrious prize. This will be Notre Dame’s first shot at a national championship since 2012, while the Buckeyes are back in the national title game for the second time under coach Ryan Day. 

Ohio State has left a path of destruction in its wake en route to the CFP National Championship. The Buckeyes won their first two playoff games against Tennessee and top-seeded Oregon by a combined score of 83-38. They outscored their opponents 35-0 in the first quarter of those first two rounds. 

Then, in the Cotton Bowl against Texas, Ohio State got taken to the brink before some late-game heroics from defensive lineman Jack Sawyer, who strip-sacked Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers and returned the ensuing fumbled 83 yards for a touchdown and sealed a 28-14 win.

Notre Dame’s efforts have been equally impressive. The Fighting Irish beat Indiana in the first round and Georgia in the Sugar Bowl by an average of 11.5 points. Their Orange Bowl showdown against Penn State did come down to the wire, but a timely interception from cornerback Christian Gray and a decisive 41-yard field goal from kicker Mitch Jeter sealed a 27-24 victory for Marcus Freeman’s side. 

Where to watch Ohio State vs. Notre Dame 

Date: Monday, Jan. 20 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta, Georgia
TV: ESPN | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)

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Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos offensive lineman Justin Mayers (66) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The 2025 Hula Bowl was held Saturday in Orlando and a pair of Colorado football players were named standout performers by CBS Sports.

According to CBS Sports’ Emory Hunt, defensive tackle Chidozie Nwankwo and offensive guard Justin Mayers both turned heads at the annual college football all-star game. Scouts from all 32 NFL teams, all nine CFL teams and eight UFL teams were in attendance at FBC Mortgage Stadium, per Hunt.

This past season, Nwankwo recorded 32 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, five TFLs and one forced fumble in 11 games played. The former Houston defensive tackle declared for the 2025 NFL draft earlier this month.

Mayers, a former UTEP transfer, started in five games at left guard and one at right guard during the regular season.

Four other Colorado players participated in the Hula Bowl: punter Mark Vassett, defensive end BJ Green II, defensive tackle Shane Cokes and linebacker LaVonta Bentley.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Justin Mayers, Chidozie Nwankwo turn heads at Hula Bowl

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The inaugural 12-team field is down to two and the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship game is set for Monday, Jan. 20 between the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 7 Notre Dame. Ohio State breezed past Tennessee and Oregon in the CFP bracket before grinding out a 28-14 win over Texas in the semifinals thanks in large part to defensive end Jack Sawyer’s late 83-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Notre Dame has leaned on its steady defense and some timely plays on offense to get past Indiana, Georgia and Penn State to advance to the national title game. 

Kickoff from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The Buckeyes are 9.5-point favorites in the latest Ohio State vs. Notre Dame odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 46.5. Before making any Notre Dame vs. Ohio State picks, check out the college football predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks. It went 43-36 on top-rated college football picks in the 2024 season, and was a profitable 27-16 combined on money-line and over/under picks. It also called seven of the eight outright winners in the College Football Playoff bracket thus far. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen impressive returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Ohio State vs. Notre Dame. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football betting lines and trends for Notre Dame vs. Ohio State:

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame spread: Ohio State -9.5
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame over/under: 46.5 points …..

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Ohio State football is only a few hours away from taking on the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl for the right to move on to the College Football Playoff National Championship game and it appears we will not be receiving an availability report for the first time this season.

There is no requirement for teams to put out an availability report for the College Football Playoff, but up until this game the Buckeyes have been nice enough to provide that information freely. The Big Ten has a rule that every team must release an injury report at least two hours prior to kickoff, but the conference has chosen not to enforce those rules for the post-season.

Other than the notable injuries to the offensive line that occurred during the season, Ohio State has been blessed to be relatively healthy throughout this run. There is no reason to assume the status of the health of the roster has changed.

Buckeyes not releasing availability report ahead of Cotton Bowl semifinal

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Josh Keatley on X.

This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State football won’t release availability report against Texas

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Penn State reached the College Football Playoff for the first time, but big missteps in big moments led to a heartbreaking 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. Just like that, a promising season ends in the semifinals — one win away from a national championship appearance. 

Penn State (13-3) built a 10-0 lead, watched it evaporate and then traded jabs in a classic, back-and-forth fourth quarter that ultimately ended with Drew Allar throwing the game away with an interception. He entered the night with the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in Penn State history and had some NFL Draft analysts wondering if he should forgo another year in college, but he didn’t look the part of a big-game quarterback, let alone an NFL star.

Making matters more frustrating: the Nittany Lions couldn’t get much going offensively outside of tight end Tyler Warren, who is NFL Draft-bound after a 105-catch season, and running back Nick Singleton, another PSU star who could be headed to the pros. For Singleton and other members of a vaunted 2022 recruiting class that ranked No. 8 nationally, this season saw the fulfillment of expectations as the Nittany Lions made history in reaching the CFP and winning two games. But as the jewels of that class head off to the NFL, it’s relevant to note Franklin has not recruited nearly as well in the time since. Does that mean a regression is coming? 

It’s been the same ol’ story for the Nittany Lions over the last decade. They look like national contenders, only to fold in the biggest games of the season — and it’s not always for the same reasons or poor performances by certain players. Like water, the problems that plague Penn State can never be pinned down.

Penn State rushed for 204 yards and seemed…

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Jan. 9—The Vandal football program has changed quite a bit with new coaches, new players and even a scheduling change in the weeks since new coach Thomas Ford Jr. returned to Moscow as Idaho’s next football coach after former coach Jason Eck took the helm at New Mexico.

Here is a look at the coaches and players new to Moscow, those who chose to return and where some former Vandals are playing next in this January Vandal football notebook.

Idaho retains RB Eli Cummings, other key pieces

After a player-led campaign, Ford’s hiring convinced a number of players to withdraw from the NCAA transfer portal or not enter at all. Several players had entered the portal after Eck’s departure in early December.

Ford was a part of Eck’s staff as running backs coach and special teams coordinator from 2022-23. He coached running backs at Oregon State in 2024.

Ford said he met with the majority of the roster on Zoom shortly after his hiring in December. The meeting included many of the players who were in the transfer portal.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever been more happy in my life than that first five minutes of that Zoom,” Ford said. “Just seeing so many familiar faces, seeing so many guys that are just fired up about being Vandals — that was pretty special to me.”

In the weeks since that meeting, Idaho running back Eli Cummings has headlined a group of Vandals who had entered the portal but have since withdrawn.

Cummings posted the following to X on Dec. 31: “I have decided to withdraw from the transfer portal & Run It Back one more time wit my guy @CoachTFord!”

Cummings has spent four years in Moscow and welcomed the arrival of Eck and Ford with 965 combined yards in 2022 and 2024. He redshirted in 2023.

Offensive lineman Nate Azzopardi withdrew from the portal as well, he announced on Dec. 23.

“Officially withdrawn from the portal….

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Something has to give in the 2025 Orange Bowl on Thursday as No. 6 Penn State faces No. 7 Notre Dame. Not only is a spot in the CFP National Championship Game on the line, but these programs are deadlocked in all-time matchups. The series is tied 9-9-1, and this will be their first-ever meeting with both teams in the AP Top 10. Penn State (13-2) notched CFP wins over SMU and Boise State to get on the cusp of playing for a championship, while Notre Dame (13-1) secured playoff victories over Indiana and Georgia. Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter (arm) is expected to be a game-time decision. 

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Irish are 1.5-point favorites in the latest Penn State vs. Notre Dame odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 45. Before making any Notre Dame vs. Penn State picks or Orange Bowl 2025 predictions, make sure you check out what SportsLine college football expert Adam Silverstein has to say, given his mastery of picks in games involving Penn State.

CBS Sports’ managing editor, Silverstein is also one of SportsLine’s top football experts and he has been especially dialed on in on Penn State picks, going 16-2 (+1375) on his last 18 selections. Anyone following him at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns. 

Now, Silverstein has locked in on Penn State vs. Notre Dame and just revealed his coveted Orange Bowl picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the college football odds and betting lines for Notre Dame vs. PSU:

Penn State vs. Notre Dame spread: Notre Dame -1.5Penn State vs. Notre Dame over/under: 45.5 points Penn State…..

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