NFL News Updates

Category: College Football

  • Mountain West, UTEP in talks for Miners to join conference as league nears replenishing full-time membership

    Mountain West, UTEP in talks for Miners to join conference as league nears replenishing full-time membership

    Getty Images

    The Mountain West Conference is in serious discussions with UTEP about joining the league as the parties near a potential deal in the latest round of conference realignment on the West Coast, sources familiar with the talks confirmed to CBS Sports.

    The development Monday comes on the heels of the Mountain West reportedly pursuing Northern Illinois and Toledo as football-only members. The MWC is also in the exploratory phase with Texas State, which would be a full-time member in the conference should discussions become serious, sources told CBS Sports. ESPN first reported that talks were underway between UTEP and the MWC on Monday.

    Should UTEP be extended an invitation and opts to leave Conference USA, the MWC would have eight members with seven holding full-time status (Hawai’i is a football-only member). The NCAA requires eight full members for a league to be recognized as an FBS conference.

    UTEP would owe about $2 million to Conference USA in an exit fee. The El Paso, Texas, television market is viewed as a plus for the MWC and a decision is expected soon.

    UTEP has long looked to the Mountain West as a potential home well before the latest round of realignment began earlier this month with the Pac-12 snagging five members away from the current MWC lineup. UTEP joined Conference USA in 2005 after spending the previous 38 years in the WAC. The Miners were left out of the MWC at the time and joined C-USA.

    The UTEP program won a championship in the WAC in 2000 and last advanced to a bowl game in 2021, when it lost to Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl. UTEP is 0-4…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Gators stand steady in The Athletic’s Week 5 college football re-rank

    Gators stand steady in The Athletic’s Week 5 college football re-rank

    Sep 21, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Florida Gators players sing after a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images

    Florida football had a bye last weekend, giving the Gators a chance to group after the first third of their 2024 schedule was complete. However, there was plenty of other action around the country on the collegiate gridiron that shook things up a bit in the polls and rankings.

    The nation’s top 10 saw two upsets in the form of a 41-34 Alabama Crimson Tide win over the Georgia Bulldogs, as well as a 20-17 victory for the Kentucky Wildcats over the Ole Miss Rebels. That sent a shock not only in the national standings but also in the battle for the Southeastern Conference crown.

    Florida’s re-rank after Week 4

    After the dust settled from the weekend, Chris Vaninni put together his weekly re-rank for The Athletic but did not feel compelled to change the Gators’ position, putting them at No. 66 for the second straight week.

    The Athletic’s Week 4 Top 10 re-rank

    Alabama takes over the top spot after its signature win, with the erstwhile No. 1 team, the Texas Longhorns, falling to No. 2. Georgia remains in the top five despite the loss at No. 3, while the Tennessee Volunteers and Ohio State Buckeyes wrap up the top five, respectively.

    The Oregon Ducks, Penn State Nittany Lions, Miami Hurricanes, Missouri Tigers and Michigan Wolverines round out the top 10, respectively.

    Up next for the Gators

    Florida hosts the UCF Knights on Saturday, Oct. 5 for a Week 6 tangle between two Sunshine State rivals, with kickoff slated for 7:45 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

    Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Purdue fires Graham Harrell as offensive coordinator four games into 2024 season following third straight loss

    Purdue fires Graham Harrell as offensive coordinator four games into 2024 season following third straight loss

    USATSI

    Purdue fired offensive coordinator Graham Harrell on the heels of a 1-3 start to the 2024 season, the university announced Sunday. The Boilermakers lost 28-10 at home against Nebraska in Week 5. 

    “Decisions like this are never easy,” Purdue coach Ryan Walters said in a statement. “After evaluating our start to the season, I felt that it was best for our team to make a change now. We are appreciative of Graham’s contributions to our program and wish him the best going forward.” 

    Purdue went nearly four quarters without scoring against the Cornhuskers before quarterback Hudson Card completed a 15-yard touchdown pass with just over four minutes left in the game. Card logged his third straight game with fewer than 200 yards passing, and the Boilermakers rushed for only 50 yards while averaging just 1.6 yards per carry. 

    That was the second time this season that Purdue failed to reach 100 yards rushing as a team. In three straight games against FBS opponents, following a 49-0 win against FCS Indiana State in the season opener, the Boilermakers averaged 12.7 points per game. They currently rank 15th in the Big Ten in total offense (322 yards per game) and scoring offense (21.8 points per game). 

    Purdue did average 23.9 points per game in 2023 — Harrell’s first year calling plays — which was good for sixth in the Big Ten, but the Boilermakers only scored at least 20 points against three Big Ten opponents. Purdue also averaged just 211.2 yards passing per game last season, its lowest mark since 2014. 

    The 39-year-old Harrell, a decorated former quarterback at…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • UCF football falls into another huge hole but can’t climb out against Colorado Buffaloes

    UCF football falls into another huge hole but can’t climb out against Colorado Buffaloes

    ORLANDO — College football narratives shift on a week-to-week, perhaps even drive-by-drive, basis.

    For UCF, the heroics of its 35-34 comeback victory at TCU two weeks ago overshadowed a potentially troubling trend revealed for all to see in Saturday’s 48-21 shellacking at the hands of Colorado: The Knights are struggling to get a grip on Big 12 Conference games and are not built offensively to routinely rally from huge deficits.

    Gus Malzahn said as much in his postgame remarks after a contest the Knights never led and one they trailed by a margin of at least three scores for the majority of the second half.

    “We’re not the best catch-up team, I would say,” Malzahn said.

    And yet, for the second time in three weeks, the Knights found themselves in the position of climbing out of a cavernous hole. Four turnovers and three scoreless red-zone drives stunted any chance of the Knights avoiding the fate of falling in its Big 12 home opener for a second year in a row.

    The primary issue is pressuring upper-level passers. Aggression was the word repeatedly used to describe first-year defensive coordinator Ted Roof’s system, forcing quarterbacks to speed up their process and put the ball in harm’s way.

    UCF Knights football: Shaquem Griffin honored by Hall of Fame induction, eyeing movie project

    Sep 28, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) scores a touchdown against the UCF Knights during the first quarter at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images

    Saturday’s first defensive series, in that regard, was a success. Blitzing safety Braeden Marshall brought back-side pressure on a zone blitz as defensive end Malachi Lawrence dropped into coverage, and Shedeur Sanders threw late over the middle, resulting in an interception for linebacker Deshawn Pace at Colorado’s 29-yard…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Miami vs. Virginia Tech live stream, where to watch, TV channel, prediction, pick, spread, football game odds

    Miami vs. Virginia Tech live stream, where to watch, TV channel, prediction, pick, spread, football game odds

    Miami has been red hot to start the 2024 college football season, streaking to a 4-0 record for the second straight season and looking to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 2017 as the Hurricanes aim to remind everyone they’re gunning for the upper echelon of the sport once again. Standing in the way is old foe Virginia Tech in a Friday night spotlight game to kick off ACC play. 

    The Hurricanes have steadily climbed the rankings through the season’s opening month, starting the year at No. 19 in the AP Top 25 poll and rising to No. 7. Oddsmakers have Miami as the new favorite to win the conference and a popular pick to advance to the College Football Playoff. Now it’s up to Mario Cristobal’s group to capitalize on the opportunity for a breakthrough season, which would be much-needed for the head coach who carried a 12-13 record heading into Year 3 at his alma mater. 

    For Virginia Tech, the opportunity to play spoiler is also a chance to create a spark in a season that has not started as the Hokies had planned. Pegged by many as a dark horse in the ACC given their returning talent and a strong finish to 2023. They have already come up short in one-score losses to Vanderbilt and Rutgers in the team’s 2-2 start. For whatever disappointment might lingerm there is a clean slate in conference play. And a win against Miami could restart the optimism for a breakthrough year for Brent Pry in Blacksburg. 

    How to watch Miami vs. Virginia Tech live

    Date: Friday, Sept. 27 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
    Location: Hard Rock Stadium — Miami Gardens, Fla.
    TV: ESPN | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)

    Miami vs. Virginia Tech: Need to know

    Cam Ward is one of the stars of 2024: The ACC Preseason Player of the Year has absolutely lived up to expectations through…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Georgia-Alabama just means less? With playoff expansion, college football faces new outlook

    Georgia-Alabama just means less? With playoff expansion, college football faces new outlook

    No. 1 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama have met six times since 2018 but just once in the regular season, an Alabama win in 2020. The Crimson Tide would take home the national championship that season and Georgia the ensuing pair, with the Bulldogs’ only loss during that two-year span coming to, yes, Alabama.

    Separated by divisions throughout this span, the two heavyweights have still managed to cross paths in some of the biggest, high-stakes games of the era:

    The College Football Playoff national championship game for the 2017 season, an Alabama win in overtime.

    The 2018 SEC championship game, another Alabama win.

    The 2021 SEC championship game, again taken by the Crimson Tide.

    The 2022 national championship game, the lone Georgia win against Alabama under Kirby Smart.

    And last year’s SEC championship game, an Alabama win that sent the Tide into the playoff while eliminating the Bulldogs.

    For a number of reasons, this one feels different. For one, the series has a new head coach in Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, hired this offseason to replace Nick Saban.

    “You don’t have to pull anything as far as energy and enthusiasm out of them to get ready for our first SEC game against Georgia, you know,” DeBoer said.

    In terms of a national impact, the biggest change from this rivalry’s recent past is in the immediate fallout from Saturday night’s matchup in Tuscaloosa. To misquote the SEC, this one just means … less?

    Alabama linebacker Trezmen Marshall (17) tackles Georgia wide receiver Dominic Lovett (6) in the 2023 SEC championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

    The impact on the College Football Playoff

    The shift to the 12-team playoff format removes the winner-take-all mentality that has gripped this series since Smart ushered in a new era of Georgia dominance. While the winner will be in the driver’s seat for the playoff, the…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Ohio State vs Michigan State prediction, pick, spread, game odds, where to watch, TV channel, live stream

    Ohio State vs Michigan State prediction, pick, spread, game odds, where to watch, TV channel, live stream

    No. 3 Ohio State opens its Big Ten conference slate with a trip to East Lansing where it will face the Michigan State Spartans. It’s been an impressive start to the season for the Buckeyes, who cruised through their nonconference schedule and hardly broke a sweat in the process.

    Perhaps their first road game of the season against a 3-1 Michigan State team will provide a touch more resistance?

    Recent history suggests probably not! 

    Michigan State won three of the five meetings between these programs from 2011 to 2015, but it’s been all Buckeyes since. Not only has Ohio State won the last eight matchups, but it’s done so by an average of 30.4 points.

    What could work in Michigan State’s favor is that it has already faced Big Ten competition, picking up a 27-24 road win over Maryland in Week 2. The Spartans are coming off a 23-19 road loss last week to Boston College.

    Ohio State vs Michigan State: Need to know

    Ohio State outscored its nonconference opponents 157-20: I mentioned the Buckeyes barely broke a sweat in their nonconference slate, and if they did, it was only from sprinting long distances on their way to scoring touchdowns. Only Marshall managed to score a touchdown against the Buckeyes (and it scored two), but nobody was ever able to keep it close. It’s the first time since 1919 that…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Penn State quarterback Drew Allar is looking confident, decisive [opinion]

    Penn State quarterback Drew Allar is looking confident, decisive [opinion]

    Forget Drew Allar’s sparkling passing numbers in Penn State’s first three games and watch some video of him.

    He looks different than he did last season when he appeared tentative and restrained. He seems confident, relaxed and free.

    Brad Maendler, Allar’s quarterback trainer in Ohio, sees that, too, and smiles.

    “I’m so excited for him,” Maendler said Wednesday. “This is the player that I know. One of the key action verbs for me is decisiveness. I don’t care who they’re playing. There’s a decisiveness about his game that’s a really positive sign. He’s trusting what he sees and letting it rip.”

    That was often not the case with Allar last year, his first as the Nittany Lions’ starting quarterback. He didn’t take many chances. He didn’t throw the ball downfield. It looked like he tried not to make mistakes.

    He’s playing loose this season. He’s more patient and less hurried. He’s moving better in the pocket after dropping weight. He’s playing for an offensive coordinator, Andy Kotelnicki, who’s taking advantage of his strengths and making football fun again for him.

    “I’m definitely a lot more confident and comfortable,” Allar said. “I think that’s from going through last season as a first-time starter. You don’t really know what it’s like till you go through it. I learned a lot last year.

    “With Coach K coming in, I kind of turned the page and reset. I think I’ve done a good job of that so far.”

    Ninth-ranked Penn State (3-0) begins Big Ten play against No. 19 Illinois (1-0, 4-0) Saturday night at 7:30 (TV-NBC) at Beaver Stadium. Allar will face a defense that has already intercepted seven passes.

    It’s the first of a six-game stretch that will shape the Lions’ season. After Illinois, they play new conference members UCLA and USC, have off and then meet Wisconsin,…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More