Category: College Football

Nov 20, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Alabama head coach Nate Oats is upset wtih an officials call in the CM Newton Classic at Legacy Arena. Alabama defeated Illinois 100-87. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News

Despite an impressive victory over a ranked Big Ten school last Wednesday, Nate Oats’ Alabama basketball team fell in this week’s USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll.

Alabama (4-1 overall) fell two spots to No. 9 after beating previously 20th-ranked Illinois, 100-87, in the C.M. Newton Classic at Legacy Arena in Birmingham. Grant Nelson scored 23 points to lead the Tide past the Illini. Auburn transfer Aden Holloway poured in 18.

Rick Barnes’ Tennessee Volunteers (6-0) and Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats (5-0) both jumped Alabama in the top 10, as did Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars (3-1), who play the Crimson Tide in this week’s Players Era Festival out in Las Vegas Tuesday.

Tipoff for Alabama vs. Houston is 7 p.m. CT Tuesday. The game will be televised on TBS. The Players Era Festival is a first of its kind — a glorified cash scramble by participating schools for various NIL war funds ($9 million total, according to various reports).

ESPN’s Matchup Predictor currently gives Houston a 71.9 percent chance of beating Alabama.

The top five of the new Coaches Poll remained the same. Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks (5-0) stayed at No. 1 with two-time defending national champion UConn at No. 2. Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers were No. 3. Gonzaga (No. 4) and Iowa State (No. 5) rounded out the top five.

Tennessee rose to No. 6 with Houston at No. 7 and Kentucky at No. 8. Alabama ranked one spot ahead of the Duke Blue Devils and freshman sensation Cooper Flagg.

Full USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll

Rank

Team

Record

Points

1

Kansas

5-0

767 (25)

2

UConn

4-0

717 (2)

3

Auburn

4-0

707 (3)

4

Gonzaga

5-0

689 (1)

5

Iowa…

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The ballooning of conference membership, coupled with divisionless standings, has added substantial complexity to tiebreaker scenarios for conference championship game races across college football. But nowhere has it been more apparent than in the Big 12. 

Nine teams are still alive to reach the Big 12 Championship Game with one week left in the regular season: Arizona State, Iowa State, BYU, Colorado, Baylor, Kansas State, TCU, Texas Tech and West Virginia. There are more than 250 different “scenarios” that could play out in an eight-way tie, per the Big 12 office. 

Arizona State, Iowa State, BYU and Colorado all enter Week 14 with 6-2 records in conference play. If they all win, the most likely scenario is Arizona State vs. Iowa State in Arlington. Meanwhile, Deion Sanders’ Colorado no longer controls its own title game destiny after suffering a second loss in conference play to Kansas. 

Per CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd: 

The simplest way to put this is to say that two teams that end up with two losses (at 7-2) are in the Big 12 Championship Game. From there it gets complicated. In a four-way tie where all the top four teams win, most likely Arizona State plays Iowa State. That is a tiebreaker broken by common opponents. However, the Big 12 office said “there are scenarios” where the Sun Devils and Cyclones can win and not make the championship game. That would involve common opponents of other teams.

In a way three-way tie featuring Colorado, Iowa State and Arizona State, a Texas Tech win against West Virginia puts Colorado in. In that scenario it would be Colorado against either Iowa State or Arizona State. Again, common opponents’ records would be determined to separate the Cyclones from the Sun Devils.

Three-team tie scenarios:…

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – DECEMBER 02: The Georgia Bulldogs preapres for play against the Alabama Crimson Tide defense during the third quarter in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 02, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The Georgia Bulldogs will play the winner of the Texas Longhorns at Texas A&M Aggies game in the SEC championship. Georgia is in the SEC championship for a fourth consecutive season.

Georgia made the SEC championship after Alabama lost to Oklahoma, Ole Miss lost to Florida, and Auburn upset Texas A&M. Georgia’s SEC schedule is finished. UGA beat UMass 59-21 in Week 13 while the rest of college football had one of the most chaotic weekends of the year. The Bulldogs are 9-2 overall and 6-2 in SEC play.

The 2024 SEC championship game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, at 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 7. Last season, Georgia lost to Alabama 27-24 in the SEC championship.

Georgia beat Texas 30-15 in Austin, Texas, back in October. Georgia has only played Texas A&M once since the Aggies joined the SEC. Georgia defeated Texas A&M 19-13 back in 2019.

“I’m worried about Georgia Tech,” said Kirby Smart on the SEC championship race after Georgia’s win over UMass. “That’s all I’m thinking about. I could care less about anybody else in the world but my team and how we get ready in six days for Georgia Tech.”

Many members of the media and Georgia fans were questioning if it would be worth it for Georgia to play in the SEC championship, but that doesn’t matter any more. UGA will play in Atlanta.

This article originally appeared on Bulldogs Wire: Georgia clinches SEC title berth, awaits opponent

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The No. 24 UNLV Rebels (8-2) and the San Jose State Spartans (6-4) are set to square off in a Mountain West battle on Friday night. The Rebels have won two straight games and four of their last five. In Week 12, UNLV blew out San Diego State, 41-20. As for San Jose State, the Spartans were defeated by Boise State, 42-21, in their last outing. Both the Rebels and Spartans are 5-5 against the spread this season. UNLV winning out with one loss from Colorado State would guarantee the Rebels a spot in the Mountain West title game. 

Kickoff from CEFCU Stadium in San Jose, Calif., is at 10 p.m. ET. The Rebels are 7.5-point favorites in the latest UNLV vs. San Jose State odds via SportsLine consensus, down a point from the opener, while the over/under for total points scored is 60. Before making any San Jose State vs. UNLV picks, you need to see the college football predictions and betting advice 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, and it is a strong 21-15 on all top-rated picks over the past eight weeks of this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen strong returns.

Now, the model has dialed in on UNLV vs. San Jose State and just revealed its coveted picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the college football betting lines and trends for UNLV vs. San Jose State:

UNLV vs. San Jose State spread: Rebels -7.5UNLV vs. San Jose State over/under: 60 points UNLV vs. San Jose State money line: Rebels -290, Spartans +233UNLV vs. San Jose State picks: See picks hereUNLV vs. San…..

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Nov 2, 2024; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin in the fourth quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mississippi won 63-31. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Auburn football has the nation’s No. 5 recruiting class heading into the final stages before the early signing period. However, a fellow SEC program is looking to stall the Tigers’ success by flipping two of their top commits.

EDGE Jared Smith and QB Deuce Knight rank No. 1 and No. 3 in Auburn’s 2025 recruiting rankings according to 247Sports, and Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin wants to change that. In recent weeks, he and his staff have worked to flip Smith and Knight from Auburn ahead of the early signing period, which begins Wednesday, Dec. 4.

Ole Miss’ efforts are beginning to pick up steam as two 247Sports insiders have submitted flip predictions in favor of the Rebels. Ole Miss insider David Johnson predicts that Smith will join Ole Miss’ signing class, while Mississippi State expert Rion Young has a crystal ball set for Ole Miss in favor of landing Knight.

Ole Miss and South Carolina are seen as Auburn’s biggest competitors for Smith’s signature. During a recent visit to Auburn, Smith told Auburn Undercover’s Christian Clemente that he is looking for a “home atmosphere” in a college and says he is not worried about Auburn’s 4-6 record.

“Man, don’t even worry about the record. I’m not worried about the record,” Smith said in a recent interview with Auburn Undercover. “You see the defense eating out there. I see how I can come in and compete. Just seeing dudes that came from this locker room (Kaleb Harris) themselves play, it’s a big impact.”

Recent flips by quarterbacks Julian Lewis (USC to Colorado) and Bryce Underwood (LSU to Michigan) have brought more attention to Knight, who is also…

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Five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, 247Sports’ No. 1 player in the Class of 2025, shocked the world Thursday when he flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan, 247Sports reports. The Belleville, Michigan native decided to remain in his home state rather than play for the Tigers next season.

Underwood becomes the first No. 1 recruit to commit to Michigan since defensive lineman Rashan Gary in 2016 and first five-star quarterback since J.J. McCarthy, who led the Wolverines to a national championship in 2023. He had offers from nearly every major school in the country. 

Young has drawn comparisons to Vince Young for his running style but is perhaps a more developed passer at this phase of his career. 

“Potential franchise signal caller with the ideal blend of size, arm talent and athleticism,” 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins wrote. “Exhibited no shortage of field command midway through senior season, which makes sense given resume: over 48 career starts and upwards of 165 touchdowns accounted for. Those numbers are amplified even more by the fact that he’s extremely young for the grade and won’t turn 20 years old until his third year of college.”

The addition is a game-changer for Michigan football and revitalizes the Sherrone Moore era. Underwood pushes the Wolverines to the No. 14 class in the nation with 19 commits, according to 247Sports. He joins No. 2 offensive tackle Andrew Babalola as five-star recruits in the class. Underwood will have a shot to compete for the starting quarterback job in 2025 and resurrect a passing offense that ranks No. 129 nationally. 

Underwood had been committed to LSU since…

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EAST STROUDSBURG — One and done.

That is the motto East Stroudsburg University football has adopted as it prepares for its Division II NCAA playoff opener against California University of Pennsylvania. Head coach Jimmy Terwilliger has emphasized that approach to his players, wanting them to focus only on the task at hand, and once it’s done, leave it where it is.

“It’s one-and-done plays, one-and-done drives, one-and-done quarters, and at the end, it’s a one-and-done game,” Terwilliger told the Pocono Record. “For us, it’s being able to play one play, one drive, one quarter and one game at a time. If we can focus on that and be able to put together fourth quarters of relentless pursuit, and dictate the atmosphere, I think we can be successful.”

The Warriors split the last two meetings with the Vulcans, losing 31-7 in 2022 before winning a 37-30 shootout in 2023. Saturday is for the tiebreaker, and they’ll have to contend with PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Year in quarterback Davis Black and a passing offense that’s second in the conference with 239.2 yards per game.

“Black is gonna be able to throw the ball and make plays. We want to limit explosive plays and create opportunities where we can keep the ball in front of us,” Terwilliger said.

East Stroudsburg packs its own offensive punch, leading the PSAC in scoring (34.2 points) and total yards (421) per game. But Terwilliger doesn’t expect another shootout; instead, he hopes his team can create explosive plays while limiting the opponent’s explosive plays.

East Stroudsburg University Football Head Coach Jimmy Terwilliger holds a practice before the NCAA Playoffs against California University on November 20, 2024

Defensively, the Warriors have to prepare for one of the better pass rushes in the country, as Cal recorded 28 sacks as a team, including nine from…

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The third edition of the College Football Playoff Rankings were released Tuesday night with undefeated Oregon holding at No. 1 in the initial year of the expanded 12-team field. Off to a dominant start this season with wins over Ohio State, Michigan, Illinois, and most recently, Wisconsin, the Ducks sit in the top spot seeking to make their second playoff appearance overall — first since the four-team field debuted after the 2014 season.

Seven of 10 teams ranked No. 1 in a season’s initial CFP Rankings ultimately reached the playoff in the four-team era with Mississippi State (2014), Tennessee (2022) and Ohio State (2023) being the exceptions. With eight more spots in the field this season, Oregon sits in a strong position at 11-0 as one of two remaining Power Four undefeated programs this season (Indiana).

Ohio State, Texas, Penn State and Indiana round out the rest of the top five — as they did last week. The most notable change came with Georgia reentering the projected 12-team playoff field coming off its dominant win over Tennessee last Saturday.

The top Group of Five program in Tuesday’s release is Boise State at No. 12. With the 12-team playoff model granting automatic bids to the five highest-ranked conference champions, the Broncos stand in pole position to earn that opportunity should they win their league. Other Group of Five teams in this week’s rankings are Army West Point (19), Tulane (20) and UNLV (24).

Let’s take a look at the entire CFP Rankings top 25 along with the projected bracket seedings for the first 12 teams. Check out analysis by bowls expert Jerry Palm below.

College Football Playoff Rankings, Nov. 19

Oregon (11-0) | Projected No. 1 seedOhio State (9-1) | Projected No. 5 seedTexas (9-1) | Projected No. 2…..

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