ReportWire

Tag: Ohio State Buckeyes

  • The Athletic 133: 11-0 Washington deserves more respect

    The Athletic 133: 11-0 Washington deserves more respect

    [ad_1]

    It’s time to put some respect back on Washington’s name.

    The Huskies are undefeated and have the best win in the country, based on these rankings, but they have continually sat outside the top four of the College Football Playoff selection committee’s in-season rankings. That needs to change this week. After pulling out a 22-20 win against Oregon State on a rainy night in Corvallis, Washington has the most impressive resume in the country. The Huskies move up to No. 2 in this week’s Athletic 133.

    Washington has wins over Oregon, Arizona, Utah, Oregon State and USC. Nobody can match that many good victories. Yes, the Huskies needed a pick six and a questionable penalty to escape Arizona State and played Stanford close, but no team blows everyone out every single week.

    Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. struggled at times against the Beaver defense, completing 13 of 28 passes, but he was responsible for all three touchdowns in a difficult environment, and he came up with a clutch third-down completion to Rome Odunze to seal a game which Washington entered as a betting underdog.

    Georgia continues to look like the best team in the country and is getting better every week, but everyone else looks beatable, including Washington. Perhaps Oregon will be favored if the Ducks and Huskies meet again in the Pac-12 championship game, but that’s for another time. Right now, Washington deserves to not only be in the top four but higher than fourth.

    Here is this week’s Athletic 133.

    1-10

    Other than Washington moving up, the only change in the top 10 is Missouri moving in after beating Florida to move to 9-2.

    We’ve never seen a season in the CFP era with five 11-0 Power 5 teams. In theory, the situation could work itself out easily, with Georgia, Washington, Florida State and the Michigan/Ohio State winner making the top four. But the devastating leg injury to Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis could upend that possibility and create some difficult CFP conversations about the ‘Noles. They’ll play Louisville in the ACC championship game, which could be a top-10 matchup.

    11-25

    Penn State’s wins over Iowa and West Virginia have looked better as the season has played out, and the Nittany Lions move up to No. 12, behind Ole Miss because of the Rebels’ wins against LSU and Tulane. Oklahoma drops to No. 14 after escaping BYU. Oregon State drops to No. 16 after its loss, falling just behind Arizona, which demolished Utah 42-18 and beat the Beavers in October. James Madison’s undefeated run is over, but the Dukes don’t fall out of the top 25 because it was an overtime loss and JMU still has a good win against Troy. JMU’s full bowl eligibility waiver was denied, so No. 20 Tulane is in the leading position for the New Year’s Six spot, but the Green Wave play UTSA this week before a potential AAC championship game where they could see No. 26 SMU, which just won at Memphis.

    Toledo is 10-1 and also in that NY6 mix after a late win against Bowling Green; the Rockets also move into the top 25. Iowa landing at No. 16 in last week’s CFP rankings was surprising, especially because it was unranked in the AP Poll. They’re No. 24 here this week. The Hawkeyes don’t have a victory over a team with more than six wins and were blown out by Penn State. Their defense is elite, but Iowa has escaped several .500 Big Ten West teams in recent weeks. They’re ahead of Toledo because the Rockets lost to Illinois in Week 1 and Iowa beat the Illini.

    26-50

    Rank Team Record Prev

    26

    9-2

    31

    27

    7-4

    16

    28

    7-4

    25

    29

    9-2

    29

    30

    7-4

    38

    31

    8-3

    20

    32

    9-2

    36

    33

    7-4

    28

    34

    7-4

    46

    35

    7-5

    33

    36

    8-3

    43

    37

    9-3

    60

    38

    6-5

    37

    39

    7-4

    39

    40

    6-5

    32

    41

    9-2

    44

    42

    7-4

    47

    43

    8-3

    55

    44

    7-4

    61

    45

    6-5

    48

    46

    6-5

    40

    47

    8-3

    42

    48

    8-3

    35

    49

    8-3

    45

    50

    6-5

    41

    Clemson climbs to No. 30 after beating North Carolina. UNLV is up to No. 32 after coming back to beat Air Force. UCLA’s comfortable win over USC moves the Bruins up to No. 34 and USC down to No. 35. I continue to have no idea why Tennessee, No. 33 here, is ranked in the polls.

    Miami’s one-score loss to Louisville sees the Hurricanes only slide to No. 38 and stay ahead of Texas A&M due to their head-to-head result. Duke continues to slide, now down to No. 40 after a loss to Virginia. Wyoming bounces back up to No. 43, aided by its early-season win against Texas Tech, which beat UCF to get to bowl eligibility.

    New Mexico State’s 31-10 win at Auburn to move to 9-3 sees the Aggies jump up to No. 37. The Fightin’ Jerry Kills have won seven consecutive games, overcoming early losses to UMass and Hawaii that make them a bizarre team to place.

    51-75

    Kentucky and Florida fall out of the top 50 after losses to South Carolina and Missouri, respectively. Georgia Tech is up to No. 54 after beating Syracuse to become bowl-eligible. Maryland only slides two spots to No. 55 after playing Michigan close. Appalachian State’s overtime win at James Madison sees the Mountaineers move up to No. 62.

    Wisconsin got back on track with an overtime win against Nebraska to move up to No. 66. Twelve teams in this group of 25 need a win this weekend to get to a bowl game.

    76-100

    In the Week 3 edition of these rankings, Colorado was No. 14 and Arkansas State was dead last at No. 133. Now, they’re next to each other. Colorado has lost six of seven, including a 56-14 pounding at the hands of Washington State on Friday night, to fall to No. 77. Arkansas State dropped 77 points on Texas State to get bowl-eligible and move up to No. 78.

    No. 83 Virginia and No. 84 Michigan State won’t be going to a bowl game, but they picked up conference wins over the weekend. Georgia Southern’s loss to Old Dominion and Georgia State’s loss to LSU see the Sun Belt rivals drop to No. 85 and 86, respectively. It’s been an odd season for No. 89 Army, which has wins against UTSA, Air Force and Coastal Carolina but losses to UMass and Louisiana-Monroe. The Black Knights are the toughest team to rank and only have Navy left.

    101-133

    Navy’s bounceback season continues, now 5-5 and up to No. 107 after beating East Carolina. New Mexico beat Fresno State and moves up to No. 111. Sam Houston continues to battle, leading Western Kentucky in the fourth quarter before losing. The Bearkats move up to No. 127 as a result. Kent State lost 34-3 to Ball State and remains at No. 133 as the only one-win team in FBS.

    The Athletic 133 Rankings series is part of a partnership with AllState.

    The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

    (Photo: Tom Hauck / Getty Images)

    [ad_2]

    The New York Times

    Source link

  • The Athletic 133: Five 10-0 Power 5 teams, three weeks to sort them

    The Athletic 133: Five 10-0 Power 5 teams, three weeks to sort them

    [ad_1]

    We’re finally in the stretch run. The biggest games have arrived, and the shakeup at the top is underway.

    Michigan finally played a notable team, taking care of Penn State in Happy Valley. Georgia crushed a top-10 Ole Miss team. Washington held on against Utah and Oregon handled USC. They all have more big games to come in the next two weeks before conference championships.

    After all of that, there is a change at the top here. Georgia is back to No. 1 in this week’s Athletic 133.

    The two-time defending national champs have rounded into form, beating up on Kentucky, Florida, Missouri and Ole Miss in their last five games. This past week was a reminder that Georgia at its best again looks like the best team in the country. Oh, and Brock Bowers, one of the nation’s best pass-catchers, is back. With consecutive wins over top-15 teams, the Bulldogs move back in front of Ohio State.

    Still, a CFP spot is not yet guaranteed. Georgia finishes with Tennessee and Georgia Tech, then has the SEC championship game against an Alabama team that has also very much figured things out.

    We have five 10-0 Power 5 teams for the first time since the College Football Playoff began, and none of them have an easy path to the top four. Buckle up.

    Here is this week’s edition of The Athletic 133.

    1-10

    As I promised all season, Michigan has slid into the top three after beating Penn State, the Wolverines’ first opponent of note. The victory was very similar to Ohio State’s win over PSU, both in how the game played out with its lack of offensive fireworks, but also in the way the Wolverines and Buckeyes spent most of the game in control. The Buckeyes stay ahead of Michigan by virtue of their win at Notre Dame, but these teams look very even right now. Their meeting in Ann Arbor in two weeks should be another classic.

    Among the one-loss teams, Oregon, Texas and Alabama all have a case to be the best. Alabama has the most quality wins. Texas beat Alabama. Oregon manhandled Utah, beat USC and has the best loss, coming at Washington when the Ducks were two yards away from victory. Oregon ultimately stays atop the group for now after notching a second notable win. The Ducks have No. 10 Oregon State in two weeks. While all the attention is on the 10-0 teams, all three of these teams very much have a path to the CFP. Does Louisville? It’s hard to say. The 9-1 Cardinals had to rally to beat Virginia and lack notable wins, but a potential ACC championship game win against Florida State might make things interesting.

    GO DEEPER

    Behind the AP Top 25 ballot: There’s still hope for compelling rankings drama

    11-25

    Ole Miss continues to prove itself as a good team that is nowhere near the top teams in the country with the nature of its losses to Georgia and Alabama, and the Rebels drop to No. 11. Oklahoma is a tough team to grade. The Sooners lost consecutive games to Kansas and Oklahoma State but also have one of the best wins in the country (Texas), and their win over SMU (now 8-2) continues to look better. Penn State drops back to No. 15 after the loss to Michigan, and the Nittany Lions’ offensive struggles resulted in the firing of offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich on Sunday.

    James Madison remains the top-ranked Group of 5 team, up to No. 17 after beating UConn 44-6. The Dukes have wins against Troy (8-2), Virginia, South Alabama and Marshall. Tulane is the top-ranked G5 team eligible for the New Year’s Six, but the Green Wave have had to hang on in four consecutive one-score wins against lesser opponents and stay at No. 21. Tulane is battling injuries, but it keeps the door open for Liberty, which is now 10-0 and up to No. 22 after beating Old Dominion 38-10.

    Arizona moves up to No. 19 after beating Colorado on a last-second field goal, and North Carolina moves into the top 25 again after beating Duke in overtime. Oklahoma State and Kansas fall after losses to UCF and Texas Tech, respectively, but remain in the top 25 for now on the strength of their wins.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Snyder: James Franklin needs to look in mirror before making next OC hire

    26-50

    Rank Team Record Prev

    26

    7-3

    32

    27

    8-2

    33

    28

    7-3

    23

    29

    8-2

    34

    30

    9-1

    45

    31

    8-2

    35

    32

    6-4

    31

    33

    7-4

    27

    34

    6-4

    30

    35

    8-2

    24

    36

    8-2

    48

    37

    6-4

    37

    38

    6-4

    38

    39

    6-4

    39

    40

    6-4

    41

    41

    6-4

    47

    42

    8-2

    43

    43

    7-3

    51

    44

    8-2

    50

    45

    8-2

    28

    46

    6-4

    36

    47

    6-4

    40

    48

    5-5

    53

    49

    5-5

    42

    50

    7-3

    64

    Iowa is back near the top 25 after a 22-0 win against Rutgers to move to 8-2. Troy, Toledo and SMU continue to move up after wins, and Toledo has won nine consecutive games. Tennessee falls out of the top 25 after a 36-7 loss to Missouri, and next up is Georgia.

    Fresno State tumbles down to No. 35 after a stunning 42-18 loss to San Jose State. UNLV moves up to No. 36 after beating Wyoming, which beat Fresno State, but the Bulldogs have a win over UNLV. Miami lost 27-20 to Florida State but remains at No. 37 thanks to its wins against Clemson and Texas A&M. Auburn’s 48-10 win against Arkansas moves the Tigers up to No. 41. Air Force drops down to No. 45 after a second consecutive loss, this one against Hawaii. UCLA falls to No. 46 after losing 17-7 to Arizona State. Coastal Carolina has won five consecutive games and moves up to No. 50 after beating Texas State.

    51-75

    Virginia Tech jumps to No. 52 after a 48-22 win against Boston College. Rutgers remains ahead at No. 51 thanks to its head-to-head win against the Hokies. Illinois’ overtime win against Indiana sees the Illini climb back up to No. 62. New Mexico State is 8-3 with six consecutive wins, clinching a spot in the CUSA championship game and moving up to No. 60.

    No. 63 Colorado has lost six of seven. No. 64 TCU has lost five of six. No. 67 Washington State has lost six consecutive games, and No. 70 Wisconsin has lost four of five, including consecutive losses to Indiana and Northwestern.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Boise State head coach job profile, key factors for next hire

    76-100

    Georgia State has tumbled down to No. 77 after three consecutive lopsided losses to Georgia Southern, James Madison and Appalachian State. The Mountaineers have won three consecutive games to move up to No. 76. Marshall beat Georgia Southern to end a five-game losing streak and move up to No. 79.

    A shorthanded Arizona State beat UCLA and moved up to No. 83. Purdue beat Minnesota 49-30 to move up to No. 89, Cincinnati moved up to No. 90 after beating Houston, and San Jose State jumped up to No. 94 after beating Fresno State. Virginia is 2-8 but continues to play close games to the end, most recently against Louisville, so the Cavaliers remain at No. 98.

    101-133

    Sam Houston is on a winning streak! The Bearkats got their first win as an FBS team last week and got their first FBS win against an FBS team this weekend by beating Louisiana Tech. As a result, they get out of the No. 133 spot and jump up to No. 128. Navy’s 31-6 win against UAB sees the Midshipmen move up to No. 108 and the Blazers drop behind them. Vanderbilt is the lowest-ranked Power 5 team at No. 111, losing to South Carolina 47-6.

    (Photo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)

    [ad_2]

    The New York Times

    Source link

  • Michigan: Purdue, Ohio State, Rutgers decoded, shared signs: Sources

    Michigan: Purdue, Ohio State, Rutgers decoded, shared signs: Sources

    [ad_1]

    Reported by Austin Meek, Bruce Feldman and Nicole Auerbach

    Michigan has informed the Big Ten and the NCAA that staff members at Ohio State, Rutgers and Purdue shared information about the Wolverines’ signals before the 2022 Big Ten Championship Game, a university source confirmed to The Athletic.

    The disclosure comes after The Athletic and other media outlets obtained documents matching Michigan’s signals with specific plays. The documents list signals like “elbow slap” and “throat slash” with plays like outside zone and play-action passes.

    Michigan first became aware of the documents after beating Purdue 43-22 in last year’s Big Ten Championship Game, the university source said, and has used them to argue that other schools were conspiring to steal and share the Wolverines’ signals. Michigan is facing potential discipline from the Big Ten over its own sign-stealing and scouting scandal.

    GO DEEPER

    Michigan should be punished, say 94% of CFB coaches in our poll. What else did it reveal?

    The person who sent the documents to Michigan worked for Purdue last season and told the Wolverines that the information came from Rutgers and Ohio State, the university source said. The person who sent the documents, who was granted anonymity to avoid potential repercussions in the profession, told The Athletic on Monday that sharing signals among friends at other programs was quite common.


    Courtesy of a university source to The Athletic.

    He said it took him 10-12 hours per week to decode opponents’ signs off of TV copy and other film. He said he wanted to share the information to support those on Jim Harbaugh’s staff he had previously worked with and had an affinity for, believing the two sheets of information showed how pervasive the act of sign-stealing was and how other teams would have had similar intel to whatever former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions, the center of the NCAA investigation, had on Michigan’s opponents. The Wolverines have been singled out by their peers in the Big Ten in league-wide conversations over the past couple of weeks, as first-year commissioner Tony Petitti weighs whether to punish Michigan before the conclusion of the NCAA investigation. The person who sent the documents to Michigan is not currently working in college football.

    A staffer at another Big Ten school who spends time decoding opponents’ signals said the existence of such documents isn’t incriminating, noting the difference between legal sign-stealing and the elaborate in-person scouting ring Michigan is accused of operating.

    “We didn’t do anything wrong,” the Big Ten staffer said. “Zero. They took it to another level. And they can’t hide it. They’re trying to divert it but they can’t hide it.”

    The ongoing scandal will force Petitti to decide how deeply to wade into the shadowy world of sign-stealing. The league delivered formal notice of potential disciplinary action to Michigan on Saturday based on alleged violations of the league’s sportsmanship policy. A decision about penalties, including a possible suspension for head coach Jim Harbaugh, could come as early as Wednesday.

    Michigan is arguing that Big Ten schools violated the sportsmanship policy by colluding to share information about the Wolverines’ signals. The league’s policy gives the commissioner latitude to determine whether an institution violated core principles of sportsmanship, including “integrity of the competition, civility toward all, and respect, particularly toward opponents and officials.”

    It’s not clear that such information-sharing would constitute a violation of the Big Ten’s sportsmanship policy, but it raises questions about the ethical gray areas involved in sign-stealing.

    Officials at Ohio State did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Spokespeople at Rutgers and Purdue declined to comment.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Big Ten coaches frustrated with league’s handling of Michigan: Sources

    Trading information about other teams’ signals is common practice, three current and one former Big Ten staffers said. Like Stalions, the staffers involved in decoding signals are often young and ambitious, eager to acquire information that can help them move up the ranks. For some, it’s the best way to add value as a relative nobody who isn’t allowed to coach during the game. It’s typical for those staffers to communicate with friends on other staffs and assist each other in preparing for games, a former Big Ten staffer said.

    If one team has an interest in the outcome of a particular game, a staff member might contact a counterpart at a different school to trade information, the former Big Ten staffer said. Through that underground system of information sharing, the former staffer said, it’s possible that some of the schools calling for penalties against Michigan benefited from information gathered by Stalions.

    Michigan has argued that the sharing of documents containing the Wolverines’ signals was a coordinated effort by other schools. The staffer involved in decoding Michigan’s signals didn’t see the spreadsheets as evidence of anything nefarious.

    “This is not like the Astros,” he said. “This was all obtained legitimately. We’ve been really good at it (stealing signals), getting stuff off of TV copy. People didn’t go to sites (to obtain intel). We did it legally, like stealing it from the third base coach.”

    The person who sent the documents to Michigan also believed all of the information in them was obtained legally.

    Big Ten schools have come forward with evidence that Stalions purchased tickets in his own name for games involving Michigan’s future opponents, and at least one says it has security footage of an individual in those seats recording the team’s signals on a smartphone. Central Michigan has said it is now collaborating with the NCAA to investigate whether Stalions was present on the CMU sideline in coaching attire for a game against Michigan State earlier this season.

    The staffer involved in decoding the Wolverines signals said he doesn’t buy that the way Stalions and Michigan allegedly gathered their intel actually gave them much of an advantage over the way other teams usually do it. Or that they actually needed this.

    “Michigan didn’t have to do it to win,” he said. “That’s the f—ed up thing. It’s still about blocking and tackling. That’s why they didn’t have to do it. They’re really talented. They are better than Penn State, and they are better than Ohio State. They can legitimately win it all.”

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Mandel’s Mailbag: Michigan mishaps, an SEC-free Playoff and once and future rivalries

    (Top photo: Bob Kupbens / Icon Sportswire via Getty)

    [ad_2]

    The New York Times

    Source link

  • Big Ten coaches frustrated with league’s handling of Michigan: Sources

    Big Ten coaches frustrated with league’s handling of Michigan: Sources

    [ad_1]

    For the past two weeks, coaches across college football have been riveted by the alleged Michigan sign-stealing scheme, but inside the Big Ten, the topic has been more than just a curiosity. On Wednesday’s Big Ten coaches video call with commissioner Tony Petitti, and after Jim Harbaugh left the call, that frustration was voiced loud and clear, according to conference coaches, who said they don’t feel like the new Big Ten commissioner is “motivated” to do anything about the Wolverines.

    “There is just a ton of frustration,” a Big Ten coach told The Athletic on Thursday morning. “Look at Jim Harbaugh’s record before this started. The guy was on the hot seat before 2021, and now he’s like the king of college football. … No doubt this all has had a profound effect.

    “This guy’s being investigated for three different things now between the (alleged) illegal signal stealing, the (alleged) illegal recruiting during COVID and that investigation into the offensive coordinator and alleged computer hacking. There are guys (on that call) who could lose jobs, and then there’s this guy over here (Harbaugh) who is gonna get a new, bigger contract now, and they won’t do anything about him.”

    Asked to describe the tone of the coaches’ sentiment expressed to Petitti, another Big Ten coach called it “angry” — particularly at the Big Ten’s lack of action, or even apparent interest in taking any.

    “Everybody’s upset,” that coach told The Athletic. “Why is nothing being done? We want to know, what else do you need to know to take action? We (the Big Ten head coaches) want something done now. I don’t think people understand the advantage that what they’re (allegedly) doing gives you. People think, ‘OK, now that everybody knows, we all can just move on.’ Like, ‘now, it’s fair.’ Well, no, it isn’t. Not at all. This changes the way you operate. A lot of teams have been doing things a certain way for years. Now, it’s forcing you to teach your players a whole new way to communicate just for them. People think that this is just advanced scouting. This was damn near espionage.”

    A third Big Ten head coach told The Athletic that this is “one of the most egregious breaches in the spirit of the game” he’s ever heard of.

    “They (Michigan) have been manipulating the game and cheating the game for two-and-a-half years. To know exactly what the other team is doing, Michigan might as well have been playing with 15 guys on the field,” he said. “What’s the message the Big Ten is sending now by doing nothing? Win now, pay later? We might as well just send people to (scout) their practices and their games. It doesn’t encourage anybody to follow the rules. It’s just telling them to do the opposite and say, f— it.”

    GO DEEPER

    Michigan should be punished, say 94% of CFB coaches in our poll. What else did it reveal?

    The NCAA is investigating Michigan’s football program amid allegations that the Wolverines used illegal in-person scouting and the recording of signals to steal signs this season. Ahead of the Michigan-Michigan State game on Oct. 21, the Big Ten approached MSU and said it was made aware of “credible evidence” regarding the sign-stealing allegations. The Big Ten said it would monitor the NCAA’s investigation into Michigan.

    “The Big Ten is so much more powerful than the NCAA,” that third Big Ten coach said. “Why are you just sitting back and doing nothing about this? The Big Ten can’t pound its chest for the last 30 years about how it does the right thing ethically (when other conferences like the SEC won’t) and then have this go on. If this were a team in the bottom half of the Big Ten, would this be handled in the same way?

    “When a running back gets hurt against Michigan because they knew exactly what play was coming, will that kid and his family have the ability to sue the Big Ten?”

    The NCAA investigation is ongoing, a process that typically moves slowly, which makes it difficult to imagine it will reach a resolution by the time the postseason begins. The Big Ten does have the ability to act under its sportsmanship policy, but that doesn’t mean that it would want to act quickly or decisively before the NCAA completes its entire investigation and allows Michigan a chance to respond to its findings.

    This is an unprecedented situation; whatever Petitti decides to do (or not do) will set a precedent. The Big Ten itself doesn’t have investigators, so it needs to rely upon the NCAA to do that part — and to determine who else was involved in the alleged scouting scheme. It’s not clear exactly what the coaches would want the league to do to punish Michigan; banning the team from competing in the Big Ten championship, for example, would harm players who had nothing to do with the sign-stealing apparatus.

    A source briefed on the coaches’ call said Big Ten coaches are concerned about whether Michigan “should represent the Big Ten.”

    “No matter what happens, if Michigan continues to move forward, the clouds will follow,” the source said. “They’re reading the tea leaves and wondering why the Big Ten hasn’t done anything yet. Every week and every day that goes by, people are like, ‘Something’s gotta give.’ It’s getting a little bit out of hand when you see him (allegedly) on the Central Michigan sideline. The playing field is not level right now. How can you have a team that you know has a competitive advantage over you still being allowed to play? That’s what the coaches are grappling with.”

    “It feels like (former commissioner) Kevin (Warren) taking over and then COVID,” the source continued. “Tony’s walking into this situation, and people are calling for the league to make a statement before they have all the facts.”

    Despite frustration from all corners of the conference, sources at four different Big Ten schools said they do not expect the conference to levy any sort of punishment against Michigan before the season ends.

    Earlier this week, Central Michigan said it is investigating whether suspended Michigan staffer Connor Stalions was on the CMU sideline during the Chippewas’ Sept. 1 game at Michigan State. Screenshots of a person who looks similar to Stalions began circulating online Monday night, and The Athletic obtained more photos of the person on the sideline Tuesday.

    Stalions, who was suspended with pay by Michigan on Oct. 20, is at the center of the NCAA’s investigation into the alleged scouting and sign-stealing scheme. Stalions bought tickets to games in at least seven Big Ten stadiums before those teams played the Wolverines over the past three seasons, including the 2023 season, sources told The Athletic last month. Purchasing the tickets is not a violation of NCAA rules, but using them to scout and record other teams would violate the rules, prohibiting in-person, on-campus scouting and the audio or video recording of signals.

    “They aren’t allegations. It happened,” Purdue coach Ryan Walters said Thursday night on his radio show ahead of Saturday’s game against the Wolverines. “There’s video evidence. There’s ticket purchases and sales you can track back. We know for a fact they were at a number of our games. We’ve had to teach our guys a new language.”

    On Monday, coach Jim Harbaugh met with reporters and said “the people that know us the most think the most of us” as Michigan faces the NCAA investigation. He has denied knowledge of the alleged scouting.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Ten thoughts on the Big Ten’s 2024 schedule

    Required reading

    (Photo: David Berding / Getty Images)

    [ad_2]

    The New York Times

    Source link

  • College basketball coaching tiers 2023: Dan Hurley moves into Tier 1, John Calipari falls

    College basketball coaching tiers 2023: Dan Hurley moves into Tier 1, John Calipari falls

    [ad_1]

    In a sport with 362 teams, one would have to be a dummy to attempt any contextualization of the hierarchy of the coaches who lead the game.

    Fortunately, we’re not one, but three, such dummies.

    This is Year 2 of The Athletic’s Men’s Basketball Coaching Tiers. (See last year’s here.) This exercise is meant to go beyond the subjectivity of a numeric coaching ranking or the inherent callousness of the dreaded annual Hot Seat list.

    Instead, we break down coaches into tiers, trying to find lines of demarcation among groups of coaches, then take those tiers to multiple authorities throughout college hoops, glean their opinions, tweak the tiers as necessary and share our findings with you.

    Is it a perfect method? No.

    Will you probably be angry about your favorite coach? Probably.

    But we’re trying.

    Criteria for inclusion span a few categories that, we think, encapsulate a picture of college basketball’s pecking order. Coaches rated here are required to fit the following qualifications:

    • All coaches from the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC.

    • Any coach from a non-“power” conference who has led his team to the NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons.

    • Any coach leading a program currently ranked in KenPom’s top 100 program rating.

    • Each must have coached a full season at the Division I level.

    • Each must be an active Division I coach.

    It must be said, there’s no science or unassailable consistency to our grading. As in, each tier doesn’t come with benchmark qualifications. A lot of this is based on feel, opinion, familiarity and some occasional admitted recency bias.

    Everything is debatable, and that’s partially the point.

    We reviewed these tiers with a former player-turned-analyst, an X’s and O’s guru, multiple former coaches, a high-profile grassroots director, a current university basketball administrator and a search firm head. All were granted anonymity in exchange for their candor. We took their opinions, used them to shape some of what you see here and will share with you some of their insight.

    There’s no exact definition of what makes a great coach — be it drawing up plays, in-game adjustments, scouting chops, recruiting, program leadership, player relations, etc. What matters most is arbitrary, hence our variant panel. Each agreed that the challenge of this task is the quantity, quality and variety of college basketball coaches. That, and, of course, the results.

    As one industry insider put it: “We are definitely in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world, which is what makes this so hard. Fan bases not only don’t have a lot of patience; they don’t have a real appreciation for what people have done in the past.”

    So, now that it’s clear that this is an impossible task, let’s get to these infallible, incontrovertible tiers.

    Tier 1

    Coach Team

    Tony Bennett

    Scott Drew

    Mark Few

    Dan Hurley

    Tom Izzo

    Rick Pitino

    Kelvin Sampson

    Bill Self

    There’s no debating these are the best coaches in college basketball. There’s also no guarantee such status is indefinite. The tough decision was made this year to drop a coach from a certain public land-grant research university in Lexington, Ky., from the top tier (we’ll get to him shortly), while a new name has risen into this rare air.

    Multiple respondents referred to either Bill Self or Rick Pitino as the best coach in the game or said the two are worthy of being in a tier all of their own. A grassroots coach we highly respect called them “probably two of the greatest five college coaches ever.”

    We considered a 1A and 1B tier distinction, placing Self and Pitino on their own. Maybe that’s warranted — these are the only active coaches with multiple national championships — but separating the two coaches with the most, um, “complicated,” resumes just didn’t sit well.

    At the same time, that would be perfectly representative of our college basketball ecosystem, wouldn’t it?


    Bill Self is widely regarded as the best coach in the game. (Jay Biggerstaff / USA Today)

    It’s almost inarguable that Self has been the best coach at the highest level for some time. He’s widely regarded among fellow coaches as the best out of timeouts, dead balls and halftime. As one respondent who delves deep into Xs and Os and data analysis put it, Self is “the best combination of coaching and recruiting.”

    As for Pitino, yeah, it’s complicated, but there’s no questioning his place in the game. Does anyone expect anything other than immediate success at St. John’s? He just went 34-6 in league play during the last two years at Iona. Now he’s stacking talent in Queens. He wins everywhere.

    One former high-major coach suggested Izzo belongs in his own category on account of his 26 straight NCAA Tournament appearances. “Do you know how hard that is to do?” the coach said.

    Other names here should come as little surprise. Drew, Few, Sampson and Bennett are consistently among the best, most successful program leaders out there. Bennett’s staying power here, however, is starting to come into question.

    Since the COVID-19 cancellation of 2020, Virginia has won a pair of ACC championships but hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game and missed the dance entirely in 2022. That’s a tough stretch to swallow. Three of UVA’s last four NCAA Tournament appearances ended with first-round losses to UMBC, Ohio and Furman. The other resulted in a national title. It’s all hard to square.

    “I can’t believe I’m going to say this,” a player-turned-analyst said, “because he’s a really good coach, but I’m questioning Tony Bennett. … He’d be at the top of (Tier 2) for me.”

    Is that fair? This is one of the great difficulties in creating a caste system like this. Single-game NCAA Tournament results carry so much weight but are inherently fitful. As one high-major administrator said: “I really struggle judging people by any one result.”

    That brings us to Dan Hurley. Before March, the 50-year-old was 2-4 in NCAA Tournament games. He was most known for his last name and sideline hysterics. Then UConn beat Iona, Saint Mary’s, Arkansas, Gonzaga, Miami and San Diego State, and now, as far as this exercise goes, he’s among the best of the best.

    There was much discussion. The aforementioned administrator chalked this up as recency bias and countered, “Hasn’t John Calipari accomplished significantly more than Dan Hurley?” Yes, he has. Still, in the here and now, Calipari is treading water with one NCAA win in the last three years, while Hurley has built a sustainable rocket ship at UConn.

    “If Scott Drew’s there, if Kelvin Sampson’s there, if Mark Few is there,” said a former longtime high-major coach, “then Dan Hurley deserves to be there, too.”

    Should one title carry so much sway? Maybe not (where is Kevin Ollie, anyway?), but we’re buying this stock as a long-term name in a game looking to replace the likes of Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Roy Williams, Jay Wright, Bob Huggins, etc. If he doesn’t already, it won’t be long until Hurley fits the part.

    Tier 2

    Coach Team

    Rick Barnes

    Randy Bennett

    John Calipari

    Ed Cooley

    Mick Cronin

    Brian Dutcher

    Jim Larrañaga

    Greg McDermott

    Sean Miller

    Eric Musselman

    Nate Oats

    Matt Painter

    Bruce Pearl

    Shaka Smart

    Let’s get right at it: Calipari is the only coach with a national championship who is not in Tier 1. Go mad, Big Blue Nation. Reminiscent of this exercise a year ago, when we debated and dithered about Boeheim and Huggins, slotting Calipari proved tricky. He’s won and taken three schools to a Final Four — asterisks be damned. But none of that has happened in nine long years.

    Insiders argued both sides of the coin: that Kentucky has every available resource, but having every available resource makes it that much harder to realize outsized expectations; that Cal has been dogged for being a bad coach unfairly but sometimes schematically he’s not a great coach. One source called watching Kentucky last year “brutal,” while another argued, “he probably gets hated on too much.”

    The bottom line, as Cats fans know all too well, is there has been nearly a decade’s worth of disappointment — of stacked rosters moving on to the draft, but not moving on in the NCAA Tournament.

    “With the talent they have, it’s not good enough for Kentucky, and it’s not good enough for him,” an analyst said.

    The good news for Calipari: Nothing is forever, as the transiency of Tier 2 this year proves. Three coaches checked out, and six moved in — Shaka Smart, Greg McDermott, Nate Oats, Brian Dutcher, Jim Larrañaga and Randy Bennett.

    That the new entrants run from 46 (Smart) to 74 (Larrañaga) says pretty much everything about how this thing works. Adjusting to the evolution of the game, remaining relevant at various levels of programs and sustaining success are the secret sauce. Smart won at VCU and Texas, and now he has Marquette poised to challenge for a national title.

    McDermott, whom one analyst called “maybe the best offensive coach in the country,” steadily and consistently built has Creighton into a national program. He and Dutcher probably had their best squads in the COVID-19 canceled 2020 season, with the Bluejays winning the Big East and San Diego State sitting on a 30-2 record. Oats won at Buffalo and is now winning at Alabama, where fans only recently discovered the basketball arena. As for Bennett, he hasn’t had a losing season since his first year at Saint Mary’s. Were he not existing in the immense shadow of Gonzaga, who knows what his program could achieve?

    No one proves how to make success last better than Larrañaga. He has taken two non-traditional powers (George Mason and Miami) to the Final Four, while unabashedly embracing the sport’s new wave.

    “Talk about a guy in his 70s who changed his whole philosophy,” one grassroots coach said. “He didn’t hesitate jumping on the NIL.”

    A final note on the transiency of Tier 2: moving up and on is also a possibility, and if anyone is poised for the jump, it’s Matt Painter. Plenty of insiders thought he should be in Tier 1 already, citing his playcalling acumen and ability to identify and develop players who suit Purdue.

    “In the sense of longevity, consistency, reinvention, winning with lesser talent, development,’’ one former coach said. “Outside of that recency bias of the game last year, I just think he’s that good.”

    The catch, of course, is how to measure March success — or in this case, lack of success. If Calipari is held to that standard, Painter probably needs to be, too.

    “I love Paint, so my instinct is to say he’s among the best coaches in the game,” an administrative source said. “And he is, but this is probably the right spot for him. Results-wise, there are a lot of similarities between him and (Xavier’s) Sean Miller, and there have been some very average years in there.”

    Tier 3

    Coach Team

    Dana Altman

    Chris Beard

    John Becker

    Hubert Davis

    Darian DeVries

    Jamie Dixon

    Andy Enfield

    Greg Gard

    Dennis Gates

    Leonard Hamilton

    Chris Holtmann

    James Jones

    Matt Langel

    Tommy Lloyd

    Dusty May

    Fran McCaffery

    Grant McCasland

    Ritchie McKay

    Niko Medved

    TJ Otzelberger

    Steve Pikiell

    Mike Rhoades

    Bob Richey

    Jon Scheyer

    Jerome Tang

    Brad Underwood

    Kevin Willard

    Buzz Williams

    Mike Young

    Large group. A wide array of circumstances. A wide array of conclusions.

    Such as: What in the world do you do with Chris Beard?

    Career .701 win percentage, a national championship game appearance, assembled a Texas roster that won 29 games and lost in the Elite Eight last season.

    “He’s just too good,” an industry source said. “He’s got too many answers for too many things.”

    Beard also lost his dream job after an arrest following a domestic incident, after which Ole Miss threw him a lifeline.

    “He gets the most out of his players, wherever he is,” the analyst said. “But it’s fair to ask if the other stuff counts. If it’s strictly basketball, he’s Tier 2. With the other stuff, that matters because it affects doing your job.”

    And then there’s Hubert Davis. One season, it’s a run to the national championship game. The next, it’s one of the most disappointing seasons in recent men’s college basketball history. Add to that the concern that he has strayed too far from what made North Carolina great, at least according to those watching from afar.

    “There’s really not similarities to the old Carolina Way, with the way that they play,” an industry source said.

    Davis has five-star guard Elliot Cadeau on campus, plus a 2024 recruiting class currently featuring two national top-10 prospects.

    “He’s a tricky one,” the former coach said. “He has a lot to prove still. Can he run the type of program he’s been given? I think he can, but he hasn’t yet. Not consistently. And I’m not talking about getting to the Final Four. I’m talking about making the (NCAA) Tournament.”


    Year 3 will be an important one for Hubert Davis. (Grant Halverson / Getty Images)

    Some of these coaches — Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams and Maryland’s Kevin Willard, in particular — were deemed to be on the cusp of seasons that demand reassessment in a good way. Some of them — the Big Ten trio of Brad Underwood, Greg Gard and Chris Holtmann — could use a jolt of high-level success in March, at least according to the sources The Athletic spoke to for feedback. And there was some mystification regarding one coach in particular.

    “It’s amazing to me that nobody’s hired John Becker,” the grassroots coach said. “Just literally amazing.”

    Vermont’s coach has a .712 win percentage in 12 seasons and six straight regular-season conference titles. Becker is almost certainly at the point in his career where he would take on a challenge at a higher level. But that call has yet to come.

    “He’s done an incredible job,” the administrative source said. “The resources they have at Vermont relative to the rest of the league are good but still lacking at the same time. He really struggles to get (quality) games scheduled based on their region and their sustained success. But they just win over and over and over again.”

    Tier 4

    Coach Team

    Amir Abdur-Rahim

    Steve Alford

    Kenny Blakeney

    Tad Boyle

    Mike Boynton

    Bryce Drew

    Steve Forbes

    Joe Golding

    Anthony Grant

    Penny Hardaway

    Ray Harper

    Eric Henderson

    Shaheen Holloway

    Juwan Howard

    Chris Jans

    Robert Jones

    Pat Kelsey

    Andy Kennedy

    Eric Konkol

    Thad Matta

    Matt McMahon

    Wes Miller

    Porter Moser

    Ryan Odom

    Joe Pasternack

    Mark Pope

    Leon Rice

    Mark Schmidt

    Rob Senderoff

    Micah Shrewsberry

    Danny Sprinkle

    Jerry Stackhouse

    Damon Stoudamire

    Rodney Terry

    Mike Woodson

    Now it gets interesting. Or complicated. Here you have 35 coaches who could move up or down a tier and probably not draw too much pushback.

    Perfect examples — Porter Moser and Juwan Howard. It wasn’t long ago both were being hailed as rising stocks anyone would buy. Moser was mentioned for every opening in college basketball after vaulting Loyola Chicago to national prominence. Howard was mentioned for every NBA opening after making major waves at Michigan.

    Now? Moser is 34–33 in two years at Oklahoma, trying to find upward momentum in college basketball’s most brutal league. A 5-13 Big 12 mark in Year 2 of his six-year deal means a lot is riding on Year 3.

    As for Howard.

    “You had two lotto picks and Hunter Dickinson and couldn’t win? That’s a problem,” the analyst said of last year’s Michigan team. “I don’t think there’s been a lot of impressive X-and-O going on the last couple of years, and the end-of-game situations have been really poor.”

    Multiple respondents cited the oft-repeated line that Howard only won with John Beilein’s players. That’s not entirely accurate. Howard’s best team was a 2021 group that went 23-5 and reached the Elite Eight. Four of that team’s top six players (Franz Wagner, Dickinson, Mike Smith and Chaundee Brown) never played for Beilein. That said, things do need to turn around in Ann Arbor. Last season was bad, and judging by projections, this year could be worse.

    Moving up from Tier 5 are Jerry Stackhouse, Bryce Drew, Pat Kelsey, Ryan Odom, Joe Pasternack and Andy Kennedy. Micah Shrewsberry, meanwhile, after taking Penn State to the NCAA Tournament with a team built from spare portal parts, moves up two spots. No one in this entire exercise received as much universal praise as the new Notre Dame coach.

    “I was surprised Micah is not higher,” the grassroots coach said. “Micah, of anybody in Tier 4, could be in Tier 2 in the next year or two and Tier 1 for the next 15 years.”

    We received some pushback on Leon Rice. A few insiders noted that it’s absurd to produce his level of success at Boise State. One former coach said, “You could put Leon Rice in Tier 3, and nobody that follows basketball would doubt that.”

    Both Mike Boynton and Andy Enfield were highlighted as coaches who do good work that gets easily overlooked.

    It’s sort of forgotten now that Enfield did the impossible at Florida Gulf Coast and was considered a potential one-hit wonder when landing at USC. Did anyone envision him lasting 10 years there and winning at a .616 clip?

    And Boynton, at 41, remains a coach many are high on, despite some trying times at Oklahoma State, much of which was out of his control.

    “He’s had to handle an NCAA postseason ban that was wrongly administered,” a high-major administrator told us. “But his teams have been tough as nails. This is a guy I buy long-term. Every time I talk to him, I leave more impressed by him.”

    Tier 5

    Coach Team

    Tobin Anderson

    Jeff Boals

    Jeff Capel

    Speedy Claxton

    Chris Collins

    Johnny Dawkins

    Kim English

    Todd Golden

    Earl Grant

    John Groce

    Mitch Henderson

    Darrin Horn

    Martin Ingelsby

    Ben Jacobson

    Kevin Keatts

    Rob Lanier

    Shantay Legans

    Jeff Linder

    Steve Lutz

    Bob Marlin

    Paul Mills

    Chris Mooney

    Mike Morrell

    Scott Nagy

    Kyle Neptune

    Lamont Paris

    Richard Pitino

    Craig Smith

    Kyle Smith

    Preston Spradlin

    Drew Valentine

    Mike White

    It’s crowded in the middle, which makes sense, but there is a legitimate difference between how coaches got here. Some are on the rise like Kim English. After just two years at George Mason, he jumped directly to Providence — and straight to Tier 5.

    “I don’t know if it’s confidence or if it’s arrogance, but he is unafraid,” one industry source said. “And in that league, you gotta be that way. … I think he’s going to be toe-to-toe with those guys. I just respect him as a coach. There’s people that don’t like him, and I think that’s because he’s tough and there’s a confidence there. And there’s people that love him, and I think it’s because he’s tough, and there’s a confidence there. So is it confidence? Arrogance? Either way, it’s working.”

    People feel similarly about Tobin Anderson. From the outside, it might look like he’s simply catapulted himself off of one win — Fairleigh Dickinson’s epic 16-over-1 NCAA Tournament upset of Purdue — but people inside basketball point to his longevity outside of Division I. Anderson went 209-62 at St. Thomas Aquinas, reaching three Sweet 16s and one Elite Eight. Experts expect more of the same at Iona.

    “He has a unique style,’’ one analyst said. “Press all game, motion-centric offense. It’s a style shock when you play them.”

    Mitch Henderson earns similar praise at Princeton. The former Tigers player does not run Pete Carril’s fabled “Princeton offense” to a tee, but his variation works well.

    “I like Mitch Henderson a lot,” one insider said. “He’s got a very unique style of play, he’s got a very unique way about him. He probably doesn’t get enough credit because he really wants to be at Princeton.”


    This season should tell us whether Villanova’s Kyle Neptune is ready for the big time. (Kyle Ross / USA Today)

    Mixed in, however, with the coaches on the rise are the Tier 5 coaches who have now or have had Power 6 jobs and are either climbing the ladder for the first time or on their second round. Kyle Neptune fits the first group. The Villanova coach got the keys to the sport’s sweetest ride, but his team a year ago was beset by injuries to key players — Justin Moore and Cam Whitmore, namely — and earned something of a mulligan in Year 1. But now the Wildcats are healthy and have tapped into the transfer portal. The Villanova coach isn’t supposed to be in Tier 5.

    “They’re not going to give you a bunch of time to be good at Villanova,” one grassroots coach said simply.

    Then again, no one thought Pitt would give Jeff Capel much more time, either. Instead, athletic director Heather Lyke’s long-game plan paid off, as the Panthers doubled their win total and went back to the tourney last year. That moved Capel from Tier 6 to 5. He might not last long there.

    Sources don’t think Richard Pitino is long for New Mexico. In two seasons, he has turned the program into a 22-game winner, jumpstarting the Lobos and restarting his career.

    “He’s quietly done a really nice job,” one analyst said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up back at a high-major soon.”

    Perhaps the trickiest guy to figure out is Chris Collins. He jumped up a tier after taking Northwestern to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history. Sources laud his ability to do the darned near impossible in Evanston and his decision to surround himself with savvy coaches. More than one industry insider cited the addition of Chris Lowery to run the defense as a difference-maker for the Wildcats, who jumped from 73 to 22 in adjusted defense per KenPom with Lowery on the bench. But the question for Collins isn’t about what he has done, it’s about what more can he do.

    “You were right to move him up one, but I don’t think he’ll ever go higher than this in that job,” the administrative source said. “It’s so hard. Think about it. He’s gotten Northwestern to the NCAA Tournament more than the rest of the planet.”

    Tier 6

    Coach Team

    Griff Aldrich

    Brad Brownell

    Fred Hoiberg

    Bobby Hurley

    Johnny Jones

    Dustin Kerns

    Brad Korn

    Kevin Kruger

    Mark Madsen

    Tony Stubblefield

    Dedrique Taylor

    It’s a bit of a limbo level, with some of the coaches doing enough to avoid any true employment peril while also not exactly filling the fan base with rampant optimism.

    Bobby Hurley, for example, is 141-113 overall at Arizona State and just received a two-year contract extension through 2026 after leading the Sun Devils back to the NCAA Tournament.

    “That’s a really hard job,” the former coach said. “I don’t know why it is, but it is. Think of all the head coaches who have gone through there. Bill Frieder left Michigan because he thought that was going to be a good job. Herb Sendek went there. That to me is a very hard job.’’

    If there’s true upward mobility in the group, it manifests in Appalachian State’s Dustin Kerns. The 70-58 record in Boone maybe isn’t eye-catching … but how Kerns operates is, at least to a couple of sources The Athletic contacted.

    “It’s not exactly a great basketball job,” the grassroots coach said. “And he’s been to the NCAA Tournament, and he’s recruited well.”

    Said an industry source: “You could easily put him in Tier 5. Innovative system. Very good situationally. Makes players better. It’s guys like that, that are going to be hurt as it moves on down the line — the better he makes his players, the more they’re going to leave. But he’s one jump away from a higher league.”

    Tier 7

    Coach Team

    Dan Engelstadt

    Jerod Haase

    Mike Hopkins

    Ben Johnson

    Kenny Payne

    Wayne Tinkle

    “So these are the guys basically getting fired next year, right?” That’s how one industry insider categorized Tier 7, and well, yes. That’s where we are, with the coaches who desperately need to find some semblance of success to stay employed.

    The question here isn’t if it’s bad — that’s obvious. It’s why. In some cases — Jerrod Haase at Stanford, Wayne Tinkle at Oregon State — the jobs are not easy. Then again, it’s not going to get easier for Haase if he’s around when the Cardinal move to the ACC. Tinkle did make the bubble Elite Eight in 2021 — “It’s crazy how quickly perceptions and narratives can change,” one administrative source said. Then again, he followed that up with three- and 11-win seasons.

    Mike Hopkins and Kenny Payne have, on the other hand, been gifted strong programs with a history of success. Hopkins, the former longtime Boeheim assistant, started hot by winning Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors his first two seasons and winning the league regular-season title in his second season. That year, however, was the last the Huskies made it to the NCAA Tournament, a run of diminishing returns. Hopkins’ staunch commitment to his old boss’ defense seems to be part of the problem.

    “I’ve heard a couple coaches make fun of that zone they play,” one analyst said. “It’s just so hard to play 2-3 with the way 3-point shooting is in this day and age.”

    With a new athletic director in town, Hopkins certainly needs to get things right in a hurry.

    As does Payne. It may seem premature to turn on the flames under Payne’s seat. He’s only in his second season at Louisville and inherited a team that has been through a thing or two. Except …

    “I had one of their games, and I think it was the worst shootaround I’ve ever witnessed,” one analyst said. “It was shocking. Messing up the scouting report, guys running into each other, not knowing what they were doing on drills. It was a disaster.”

    The Cardinals lost by an average of 11.9 points per game, including by plus-20 six times and more than 30 twice. The entire season was an abject disaster.

    (Illustration: Sean Reilly / The Athletic; Photos of Greg McDermott, John Calipari and Rick Pitino: Justin Casterline, Porter Binks and Rob Carr / Getty Images)

    [ad_2]

    The New York Times

    Source link

  • The Athletic 133: Ohio State on the rise in Week 8 as Penn State, USC slide

    The Athletic 133: Ohio State on the rise in Week 8 as Penn State, USC slide

    [ad_1]

    Sign up for the Until Saturday newsletter | Jayna Bardahl and The Athletic’s college football staff deliver expert analysis on the biggest CFB stories five days per week. Get it sent to your inbox.


    Week 8 turned out to be Survival Saturday within much of the top 10.

    Washington escaped Arizona State, thanks to a picked-up flag and a late pick six. Oklahoma escaped UCF by stopping a late two-point conversion. Texas escaped Houston with a fourth down stop. Florida State came back to beat Duke, a game that turned when Duke quarterback Riley Leonard was injured again.

    As a result, there is a shakeup in this week’s Athletic 133 and a new No. 1: Ohio State. The Buckeyes beat Penn State 20-12, holding the Nittany Lions to a 1-for-16 performance on third down. That gives Ohio State two wins over current top-15 teams, enough to catapult the Buckeyes to No. 1 this week.

    Does this mean Ohio State will beat Michigan? I don’t know. The Wolverines have won the last two against Ohio State and have been a buzzsaw against weak competition this year. They look really, really good again. The escapes by other top-10 teams do help the case for Michigan, which hasn’t had such struggles. But as I get ahead of explaining each week, I can’t put a team whose current best win is Rutgers much higher yet. Once Michigan plays Penn State on Nov. 11, that’ll change. I actually have Michigan in my CFP predictions. But these rankings are not predictions. They’re an attempt to evaluate what you’ve done. Margin of victory matters, but who you’ve played weighs more.

    GO DEEPER

    Behind the AP Top 25 ballot: Weak Michigan schedule doesn’t mean it can’t be voted No. 1

    Here is this week’s Athletic 133.

    1-10

    Georgia remains at No. 2 while idle. Florida State moves up to No. 3 thanks to its win and Washington/Oklahoma scraping by. Michigan leaps Texas after the Longhorns barely got out of Houston. Oregon and Oregon State slide into the top 10. The Ducks beat Washington State 38-24, while Oregon State was idle. The Beavers gave Utah their only loss earlier in the season.

    11-25

    Rank Team Record Prev

    11

    6-1

    16

    12

    6-1

    8

    13

    6-1

    17

    14

    6-1

    13

    15

    6-2

    14

    16

    6-2

    19

    17

    7-1

    20

    18

    6-1

    10

    19

    5-2

    15

    20

    7-0

    21

    21

    6-1

    23

    22

    7-0

    24

    23

    5-2

    25

    24

    6-2

    18

    25

    5-2

    26

    Utah jumps to No. 11 after beating USC. Both Penn State and North Carolina fell out of the top 10 after losses. The Nittany Lions drop to No. 13 because they lack notable wins, but the Tar Heels fall to No. 18 after losing to a 1-5 Virginia team at home. Duke was in a battle with Florida State until quarterback Riley Leonard reinjured his right ankle, an unfortunate turn of events. The Blue Devils fall from No. 15 to No. 19. USC hangs on in the top 25 after yet another loss to Utah, and Kentucky slides into the top 25 while idle, on the strength of its earlier win against Florida.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Mandel’s Final Thoughts: Is the Big Ten’s ‘Big Three’ really just a ‘Big One’?

    26-50

    Iowa is the only team to drop out of the top 25, falling to No. 27. Yes, a fluky referee decision changed what would’ve been a game-winning play, but it was still an ugly affair against a struggling Minnesota team. Oklahoma State has figured things out with three consecutive wins against Kansas State, Kansas and West Virginia to jump up to No. 28. Tennessee sits at No. 29 after losing a halftime lead against Alabama. I remain surprised the Vols are ranked in the polls given their loss to Florida and their best win coming against Texas A&M.

    Miami’s overtime win against Clemson sees the Hurricanes rise to No. 30. The Tigers fall down to No. 37. TCU lost 41-3 to Kansas State, and BYU beat Texas Tech, but both the Horned Frogs and Cougars remain in their position because of TCU’s blowout of BYU just last week. Georgia State moves into the top 50 after getting to 6-1.

    51-75

    UNLV is 6-1 and bowl-eligible for the second time since 2000 after beating Colorado State to move up to No. 57. Boston College has won three consecutive games since an ugly start to the year and now sits at 4-3 overall and No. 58 in the rankings. UTSA is 3-0 since quarterback Frank Harris came back, beating FAU 36-10 to jump up to No. 60. Jacksonville State jumps up to No. 63 after beating Western Kentucky. Like James Madison, Jax State can only reach a bowl game if there aren’t enough 6-6 teams.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Saturday Superlatives: Another Utah-USC classic, upsets and scares galore

    76-100

    Not a ton of movement in this group. Old Dominion’s 28-21 win against Appalachian State moves the Monarchs up to No. 88. FAU was blown out by UTSA and USF beat UConn, but FAU remains ahead of USF after the Owls’ win over the Bulls last week. Northern Illinois has won three consecutive games to get up to No. 91. One week after Stanford beat Colorado, the Cardinal lost 42-7 to UCLA and drop back down to No. 95. Michigan State’s 49-0 loss to Michigan drops the Spartans down to No. 97.

    101-133

    Nevada ended its 16-game losing streak with a 6-0 win against San Diego State, so the Wolf Pack get out of the bottom spot. The new No. 133 is Sam Houston, which is 0-7. The Bearkats were 1:11 away from beating Jacksonville State, three yards away from beating Liberty and one fourth-and-18 stop away from beating FIU. Alas, they have yet to get their first FBS win. Elsewhere in this group, East Carolina drops to No. 126 after a 10-7 loss to Charlotte, and New Mexico State moved up to No. 108 with its third consecutive win.

    The Athletic 133 Rankings series is part of a partnership with AllState.

    The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

    (Photo: Ben Jackson / Getty Images)

    [ad_2]

    The New York Times

    Source link

  • Listen to the Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Matchup on October 21

    Listen to the Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Matchup on October 21

    [ad_1]

    The No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions are headed to Columbus, OH, to take on the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes on October 21 at 12:00pm ET.

    You can listen to every snap live from Ohio Stadium on the SiriusXM App and in car radios with your choice of the home or away feed.


    Stream the Ohio State Buckeyes broadcast (Ch. 82)

    Stream the Penn State Nittany Lions broadcast (Ch. 958)


    Home: Ohio State Buckeyes

    Leading Ohio State is QB Kyle McCord, who leads the Big Ten with a quarterback efficiency rating of 165.9 and an average of 275.2 passing yards per game.

    Tight end Cade Stover has been turning heads with 23 catches for 359 yards and three touchdowns this year. He’s ranked third in the nation among tight ends for receiving yards per game and fourth in receptions.

    Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has been setting the field ablaze with four 100-yard receiving games in 2023. He’s closing in on a career record, needing just three more to tie David Boston‘s mark from 1996-98.

    On the defensive side, Ohio State holds its own, ranking seventh nationally in total defense, allowing just 263.5 yards per game.

    Away: Penn State Nittany Lions

    In 2023, QB Drew Allar has thrown over 150 passes without a single interception. Allar’s completed 65.2% of his passes, accumulating 1,254 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also contributing three rushing scores.

    But the Nittany Lions don’t stop at their quarterback; they’ve got a running back trio of dynamic sophomores Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, along with redshirt senior Treyson Potts. Each of them has surpassed the 1,200 career rushing yards mark, a feat achieved by only seven FBS teams in the nation.

    Defensively, Penn State leads the nation in total defense, passing defense, passing efficiency defense, first downs allowed, and sacks per game.


    Ohio State Buckeyes Home Feed:

    SiriusXM channel 82 in your vehicle

    Channel 82 on the SiriusXM App

    Penn State Nittany Lions Away Feed:

    SiriusXM channel 196 in your vehicle

    Channel 958 on the SiriusXM App


    Want to listen to more games? Throughout the 2023 College Football season, SiriusXM listeners get access to dozens of game broadcasts each week involving teams from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC, and other conferences — plus Army, Navy, HBCU football and more. For more information about SiriusXM’s college football offerings, click here.


    [ad_2]

    Matthew Fanizza

    Source link

  • The Athletic 133: Why Washington has earned the No. 1 ranking at midseason

    The Athletic 133: Why Washington has earned the No. 1 ranking at midseason

    [ad_1]

    Sign up for the Until Saturday newsletter | Jayna Bardahl and The Athletic’s college football staff deliver expert analysis on the biggest CFB stories five days per week. Get it sent to your inbox.


    It’s rare that a monster game lives up to the hype. We’ve now had it happen two weeks in a row in college football, shaking up the rankings.

    Last week, Oklahoma beat Texas with a touchdown in the final seconds. This week, Washington beat Oregon with a late fourth-down stop, a touchdown and a missed Ducks field goal as time expired. We knew Washington looked like world-beaters up to this point. The Huskies just hadn’t played anyone notable. Placed in one of the biggest games of the year, Washington and Michael Penix Jr. delivered. As a result of the 36-33 win, Washington takes the top spot in this week’s Athletic 133.

    Penix took control of the Heisman Trophy race with his performance and a seemingly never-ending supply of good wide receivers. The Huskies aren’t perfect, but they game-planned well with a banged-up offensive line, and the defense got the stops when they needed them, keeping Oregon to 0-for-3 on fourth downs.

    It’s a top-three win for any team this season, also up there with Texas beating Alabama on the road and Oklahoma beating Texas on a neutral site. That Oregon win, coupled with the strong play otherwise (including a win at Arizona that looks a lot better recently), moves Washington to No. 1 for now. But we’ve got a lot more top-10 matchups coming this year.

    Here is this week’s Athletic 133.

    1-10

    Other than Washington’s move up to No. 1, the only other changes in here include Michigan hopping past Penn State to No. 7 and North Carolina sliding into No. 10 after taking care of Miami. On the Michigan point, the Wolverines leap the Nittany Lions because their Rutgers win is now essentially equal to Penn State’s West Virginia win (though neither is very notable), and Michigan has been so dominant otherwise. As I say every week, Michigan looks extremely good. The Wolverines just don’t play anyone notable until Penn State on Nov. 11. If they win that game, they’ll rocket up near the very top, just like Washington did. As for the comparison to Georgia, the Bulldogs have a blowout top-30 win against Kentucky. Meanwhile, Ohio State and Penn State meet this coming weekend.

    GO DEEPER

    Auerbach’s Top 10: Washington takes No. 1, UNC enters the mix

    11-25

    Rank Team Record Prev

    11

    5-1

    9

    12

    6-1

    18

    13

    6-1

    13

    14

    6-2

    14

    15

    5-1

    15

    16

    5-1

    19

    17

    5-1

    20

    18

    6-1

    12

    19

    5-2

    21

    20

    6-1

    23

    21

    6-0

    35

    22

    6-1

    36

    23

    5-1

    33

    24

    6-0

    34

    25

    4-2

    16

    Oregon slips just out of the top 10 to No. 11. While the Ducks played well and nearly beat Washington on the road, they don’t have a notable win to justify a top-10 spot at the moment, unlike Texas. Oregon State sits just behind at No. 12 after a 36-24 win against UCLA. Louisville was the most difficult team to place this week. The Cardinals lost to Pitt 38-21 but remain at No. 13 because their lopsided win against Notre Dame last week looks much better after the Fighting Irish beat USC. I can’t yet justify putting a two-loss Notre Dame ahead of Louisville after what we just saw last week, so they remain in place for now. It’s always natural to move teams each week after a win or loss, but previous games matter, too.

    After a bunch of losses from the bottom of this group, a handful of Group of 5 teams slide into the top 25, including Air Force (No. 21), Tulane (No. 23) and James Madison (No. 24). The Falcons and Dukes are undefeated, while Tulane beat Memphis on the road. Iowa also jumps up to No. 22 after beating Wisconsin on the road to move to 6-1. Whatever you think of the offense and the injuries, the Hawkeyes keep winning.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Ubben: Iowa to the College Football Playoff? Avert your eyes — but it’s possible

    26-50

    Kentucky, Florida and Tennessee were also very difficult to place, just outside the top 25. They all have similar records, but Kentucky walloped Florida, which beat Tennessee. I wanted to put Florida and Tennessee in the top 25 after Kentucky lost to Missouri, but I can’t do it quite yet because of that Kentucky-Florida result.

    Arizona makes another big leap up to No. 30 after finally getting a breakthrough win, destroying Washington State 44-6 one week after taking USC to overtime and losing to Washington by just seven before that. Quarterback Noah Fifita (342 passing yards) has changed the trajectory for the Wildcats. Oklahoma State similarly makes a big jump to No. 36 thanks to a quarterback decision (Alan Bowman) that has fixed things, with consecutive wins against Kansas State last week and Kansas this week. The Jayhawks don’t fall behind the Cowboys, though, because starting quarterback Jalon Daniels didn’t play in Stillwater.

    Miami (No. 39) and Texas A&M (No. 40) continue to tumble after losses. Iowa State has won three of its last four games since a loss to Ohio, which stunningly lost to Northern Illinois this weekend. And Liberty finally played a somewhat notable opponent, handling 5-1 Jacksonville State to move up to No. 38. Troy is also back on track with a 19-0 shutout of Army, its fourth consecutive win.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    What we learned in CFB’s first half: Pac-12 peaking, UGA cruising, and who’s ‘back’?

    51-75

    Georgia State moves up to No. 51 after a 41-24 win against Marshall to get to 5-1 on the season. A lot of teams dropped out of the top 50 after losses, including Memphis (No. 54), NC State (No. 54), South Carolina (No. 55), Auburn (No. 56) and Texas Tech (No. 63). There were more drops from the likes of Arkansas (No. 62), Syracuse (No. 64) and Cal (No. 65) with losses. Texas State, meanwhile, escaped ULM to move to 5-2 overall and up to No. 68, while UNLV beat Nevada to get to 5-1 and move to No. 69.

    UTSA seems to have rounded into form with Frank Harris playing again, beating UAB convincingly to move to No. 71, and Virginia Tech has won two of its last three after beating Wake Forest 30-13 to move up to No. 72.

    76-100

    Houston (No. 78) beat West Virginia on a Hail Mary and Colorado State (No. 84) beat Boise State on a Hail Mary, but other previous results keep both teams from moving higher for now. Michigan State blew a 24-6 fourth-quarter lead against Rutgers and continues to fall apart, now down to No. 88 with Michigan coming to town next week.

    USF is a very difficult team to place. Since playing Alabama close and winning the next two games, the Bulls have lost to UAB and FAU convincingly in the last two weeks and have tumbled to No. 93. Army continues to struggle, getting shut out by Troy and dropping to No. 95. Central Michigan (No. 94) is a tough team to play, beating South Alabama but losing to Buffalo and holding on to beat Akron 17-10 this week.

    101-133

    No. 101 Northern Illinois has wins against Boston College and now Ohio to go with losses against FCS Southern Illinois and Tulsa. But over the last three weeks, the Huskies seem to have turned things around. Keep an eye on them. Sam Houston, still looking for its first win as an FBS program, fell behind quickly to New Mexico State and tumbles down to No. 132. But Nevada, with its 16th consecutive loss, this one to rival UNLV, remains No. 133.

    The Athletic 133 Rankings series is part of a partnership with AllState.

    The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

    (Photo: Jesse Beals / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

    [ad_2]

    The New York Times

    Source link

  • The Athletic 133: Who knocked Georgia off the top spot after Week 5?

    The Athletic 133: Who knocked Georgia off the top spot after Week 5?

    [ad_1]

    Sign up for the Until Saturday newsletter | Jayna Bardahl and The Athletic’s college football staff deliver expert analysis on the biggest CFB stories five days per week. Get it sent to your inbox.


    It’s been a while since we’ve had a season without a clear-cut No. 1 team this deep into the fall.

    Several teams can make a case, and there are still many big games to be played. But at this point, it’s time for a change. Texas is the new No. 1 in this week’s Athletic 133.

    There are two reasons for it. The first is Texas itself. The Longhorns went to Alabama and handled the Crimson Tide in what is the most impressive single win of the season. Texas also took care of business with blowouts of Baylor and Kansas in the last two weeks. Yes, Texas had a brief scare against Wyoming, but the other teams in the top four have each had a scare against an inferior team as well. The Longhorns have played like the best team in the country and have a marquee win. That’s good for No. 1.

    The second reason is Georgia. We’re almost halfway through the season, and these slow starts can’t be ignored anymore. The Bulldogs trailed South Carolina at halftime and needed a second-half comeback to beat an Auburn team that was pushed around by Texas A&M last week and barely escaped Cal. Georgia hasn’t lost, but the Dawgs don’t have a notable win, unlike Texas (Alabama), Ohio State (Notre Dame) and Florida State (LSU, Clemson). Sagarin ranks Georgia’s schedule strength at 130th nationally. It’s not that bad, but nothing Georgia has done this year is worth a No. 1 ranking at this point compared to other teams.

    Now, believing in Texas might be famous last words for one week. The Longhorns play Oklahoma in Dallas this Saturday. If they win, we might see everyone else come around and rank Texas at No. 1. But I’m making the move now. If the Longhorns lose, well, that’s what I get for thinking Texas has turned a corner. These rankings aren’t meant to be predictive. They’re based solely on what has been accomplished, and thus far, Texas deserves that spot.

    GO DEEPER

    Behind the AP Top 25 ballot: Why I moved Texas to No. 1 over Georgia

    Here is this week’s Athletic 133.

    1-10

    Outside of Texas and Georgia, the other notable move in this group is USC. The Trojans get jumped by Oregon on account of their results against common opponent Colorado, and by Notre Dame after the Irish rallied to beat Duke in the final seconds. USC now sits at No. 10.

    Florida State and Ohio State were both idle, while Oregon and Washington are both off this coming week before playing each other in Seattle on Oct. 14 in a massive game. Michigan finally dominated an opponent (Nebraska) from start to finish like it should, but again, the Wolverines are going to just float around in these rankings until they play a notable opponent (Penn State on Nov. 11) or the teams ahead of them drop games. It’s the same as Georgia. The Bulldogs just started higher. Both teams have played very easy schedules, making their rankings basically irrelevant for now. They have the talent to win the national championship. They just don’t have the resume yet.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    How good is Washington? After a sizzling start, the Huskies got tested Saturday

    11-25

    Maybe Alabama has figured some things out? The Crimson Tide have rebounded from the scare at USF with multi-score wins against Ole Miss and Mississippi State, and they move up to No. 11. Oklahoma continues to look dominant but hasn’t played anyone of note yet, so the Sooners sit behind North Carolina and Washington State. We’ll get a good read on Oklahoma against Texas this Saturday.

    Duke was one fourth-and-long stop away from beating Notre Dame, so the Blue Devils only fall one spot to No. 15. Oregon State rises ahead of Utah up to No. 17 after beating the shorthanded Utes on Friday night. Ole Miss dropped out of the top 25 after losing to Alabama, but the Rebels are back in at No. 20 after their wild 55-49 win against LSU, which falls to No. 24.

    Maryland and Kentucky, both 5-0, have moved into the top 25. The Wildcats sit slightly ahead at No. 21 thanks to the win against Florida this weekend. Texas A&M also slides in at No. 25. The Aggies may have figured things out since Max Johnson became quarterback, with consecutive wins against Auburn and Arkansas.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Auerbach’s Top 10: Week 5 leaves some contenders sweating more than others

    26-50

    Rank Team Record Prev

    26

    4-1

    22

    27

    3-1

    27

    28

    3-2

    21

    29

    4-1

    29

    30

    3-2

    30

    31

    5-0

    34

    32

    3-2

    24

    33

    3-1

    31

    34

    4-1

    32

    35

    5-0

    37

    36

    5-0

    46

    37

    5-0

    48

    38

    4-1

    41

    39

    4-1

    49

    40

    3-2

    25

    41

    4-1

    44

    42

    4-1

    47

    43

    4-1

    36

    44

    4-1

    52

    45

    4-0

    55

    46

    3-2

    45

    47

    3-2

    38

    48

    2-3

    39

    49

    3-2

    50

    50

    3-2

    40

    Kansas falls just out of the top 25 after its 26-point loss to Texas because it didn’t have quarterback Jalon Daniels. Florida only remains in the top 30 for now by virtue of its win against Tennessee. Louisville is 5-0 but still outside the top 25 due to a weak schedule and close calls against Georgia Tech and Indiana. A home game this Saturday against Notre Dame will give us a true read on the Cardinals. Colorado only falls to No. 32 after rallying to within seven of USC late. The Buffs have a lot of problems, but they can still score.

    Tulane remains the top Group of 5 team (No. 34) after a comeback win against UAB, but undefeated Fresno State, James Madison and Air Force are right on the heels of the Green Wave. Fresno State’s game against Wyoming this week is a big one that could boost the Bulldogs into the top 25.

    51-75

    Arkansas and Mississippi State fall out of the top 50 after lopsided losses to Texas A&M and Alabama, respectively. Troy got back on track with a dominant win against previously undefeated Georgia State and moves up to No. 54. One week after comfortably beating Wake Forest, Georgia Tech lost to Bowling Green, making the Yellow Jackets a difficult team to place. They are now down to No. 61.

    USF has beaten Rice and Navy since its narrow loss against Alabama, and the Bulls rise up to No. 65. Texas State is 4-1 and ninth nationally in scoring, and the Bobcats are up to No. 66. Michigan State allowed 26 points to Iowa but just one offensive touchdown, which is a pretty typical way to lose to Iowa these days. Purdue handled Illinois 44-19 in a stunning final score; the Boilermakers move up to No. 57 and Illinois falls to No. 72, remaining ahead of Toledo for now because of its head-to-head win. Miami (Ohio) and UNLV are both 4-1 and squeeze into the top 75 as teams to keep an eye on in their respective conferences.

    76-100

    Baylor scored 29 points in the final 19 minutes to come back and beat UCF 36-35 and move up to No. 79. The Bears remain behind UTSA for now due to their loss to common opponent Texas State. San Diego State has lost four in a row, including 49-10 to Air Force on Saturday, and continues to tumble down to No. 83. Virginia Tech got a much-needed 38-21 win against Pitt to jump up to No. 87.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Saturday Superlatives: Top Week 5 highlights, from Ole Miss-LSU to Caleb Williams

    101-133

    Bowling Green, which was blown out by Ohio a week ago, beat Georgia Tech 38-27 to jump up to No. 101. Stanford drops into this group at No. 102 after a 42-6 loss to Oregon. ULM remains at No. 103 after Appalachian State needed a 54-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Warhawks. Virginia is now the lowest-ranked Power 5 at No. 104 after losing to Boston College, which previously held the title.

    Arkansas State, which was No. 133 after Week 2, has won three games in a row and is up to No. 113 after beating UMass. Sam Houston nearly notched its first FBS win but allowed a late Jacksonville State touchdown drive and lost in overtime. Buffalo beat Akron for its first win to get out of the bottom spot, and the new No. 133 is Nevada, which is now on a 15-game losing streak.

    The Athletic 133 Rankings series is part of a partnership with AllState. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

    (Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

    [ad_2]

    The New York Times

    Source link

  • Women’s college basketball top 25: LSU, UConn, UCLA lead 2023-24 rankings

    Women’s college basketball top 25: LSU, UConn, UCLA lead 2023-24 rankings

    [ad_1]

    The 2022-23 women’s college basketball season ended on a high note as nearly 10 million viewers tuned in to watch LSU and Iowa — two teams on seemingly fate-driven runs — collide in the national championship. The Tigers took home their first title under Kim Mulkey and then turned the offseason into more wins by signing the top two players out of the transfer portal and welcomed the No. 1 high school recruiting class to Baton Rouge.

    But now, it’s a new season. Every team is 0-0. And though the Tigers remain the top team in our preseason projections, several other programs — some perennial powers, some new faces and some programs with chips on their shoulders — look like they could be holding the trophy in Cleveland in April.

    As squads rebuilt, reloaded and re-tooled this offseason, The Athletic took notice (and took lots of notes). With teams across the country kicking off practices this week, it’s the perfect time to debut our preseason top 25.

    Loading

    Try changing or resetting your filters to see more.

    LSU has an abundance of offensive talent, starting with the 2023 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Angel Reese. Nobody works harder in the paint than Reese, who relentlessly attacks the offensive glass and has a superior second jump that keeps her in every play. The Tigers’ offensive rebound percentage of 45.3 last season was due in large part to Reese rebounding one-fifth of the Tigers’ misses. Reese is also a great rebounder on the other end of the floor and showed the ability to grab-and-go on occasion, giving LSU another way to score in transition.

    In addition to Reese, Flau’jae Johnson is guaranteed to get into the paint on drives. Aneesah Morrow scored efficiently at the rim and in the midrange to the tune of 25.7 points per game last year. Hailey Van Lith is another big-game player who averaged 21.1 points during last season’s conference and NCAA tournaments and can consistently get her shot in isolation. Add in super freshman Mikaylah Williams and Kateri Poole’s 38 percent shooting from 3-point range, and there are plenty of sources of scoring on this roster.

    The graduations of two veterans could create some holes. Ladazhia Williams was LSU’s best rim protector, and the Tigers’ only true center now is freshman Aalyah Del Rosario, who will need some time to adjust to the speed of the college game. LSU also relied heavily on Alexis Morris to organize the offense, and none of their perimeter stars are true point guards. One will have to shift her game to run the show – likely Van Lith, since that’s the role she’ll have to play at the next level – but it isn’t certain they’ll adapt as well as Morris.

    Nevertheless, there’s too much talent on this roster to count out the Tigers, even if they take time to grow into themselves like last season. They should be favorites to once again cut down the nets.

    • +Star power
    • +Championship experience
    • +Paint scoring
    • +Offensive rebounding
    • +Depth
    • Rim protection
    • Point guard play

    Is this the season when all of the injuries and adversity that hit Storrs over the past two years finally makes sense? As if it was building to something? Think of it this way: The silver lining of injuries to stars — like Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd — is that it forces other players to step up, and step up the Huskies did. Nika Mühl has made a name for herself in a vaunted history of UConn point guards, Aaliyah Edwards expanded her role and has become a top player heading into her senior season, Caroline Ducharme played like a former top-10 recruit who wasn’t just complementary to other top-10 recruits. And if all of those players can come together for the Huskies this season, the end of UConn’s historic Final Four streak could feel like a distant memory if this team is hanging a banner in Gampel Pavilion.

    But then comes in the cloud that has hung over UConn the past two years: Can the Huskies stay healthy? Because every time this group seemed as if it were finding momentum, there was an injury. Can that be avoided this season? And specifically, can it be avoided when it comes to Bueckers and Fudd. Even without those two, this is one of the most talented rosters in the country. But it needs those two to be healthy (or heck, even one of them) if the Huskies are going to make a run to the national title.

    Edwards, the reigning Big East’s Most Improved Player, will anchor the paint alongside Griffin, but Geno Auriemma will need to fill out depth behind them. Ayanna Patterson and Amari DeBerry got limited minutes last season, and freshman Qadence Samuels got some run with the starting group in Europe when Ducharme was out with injury, but the Huskies will want to be able to run with a deeper rotation in the paint.

    • +Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers together
    • +Backcourt play
    • +Talent
    • Remaining healthy
    • Experienced post depth

    Aubrey Griffin

    Guard / Forward

    UCLA returns eight players from a rotation that went nine deep last season, headlined by fifth-year guard Charisma Osborne and sophomore Kiki Rice. Between Osborne and Rice, the Bruins have an abundance of shot creation and one of the stouter defensive backcourts in the country. Both guards need to expand their shooting range for UCLA to hit a higher offensive ceiling — Osborne was effective in the midrange and corners but stands to improve above the break, and Rice was paint-bound other than the left elbow.

    The paint will be more occupied this season with the addition of 6-7 Lauren Betts. The Bruins needed a fulcrum in the paint, as they played mostly without a traditional center, and she should immediately be the team’s most efficient scorer. That will allow Emily Bessoir and Lina Sontag to defend down a position and play on the perimeter on offense. Both players are gifted passers as well, opening up the possibility for high-lows with Betts.

    UCLA will be able to shape-shift depending on the matchup given their surfeit of depth. Londynn Jones provides an active point-of-attack defender off the bench who can also hit 3s. Fellow sophomore Gabriela Jaquez has some old-school post moves to bully smaller wings, while veteran Camryn Brown is another potential defensive stopper on bigger guards. But the Bruins need their stars to be among the nation’s best.

    • +Playmaking
    • +Depth
    • +Offensive rebounding
    • +Continuity
    • Shooting
    • Defending without fouling

    It feels fair to say that we’ll never see another class quite like The Freshies (especially with the advent of the transfer portal). Led by Aliyah Boston, South Carolina’s 2019 recruiting class went 129-9 (including 60-1 at home) during their four years. Given the amount of talent and experience with that group, there was obviously a bit of a vacuum when it came to experience for players outside of The Freshies. So, entering 2023-24, Dawn Staley will be going through a transition and rebuild, though she certainly has the kind of roster talent needed for a deep run.

    Kamilla Cardoso is one of the country’s most exciting players. At 6-7 (and with a wingspan that can feel like 7-6 to opposing players), Cardoso will anchor both ends of the floor. If Staley can bring out a bit more of an edge in her, there won’t be a team in the country that can contend on every play in the paint against the Gamecocks. Cardoso could simply be that good and that dominant if she takes her game to the next level.

    The big remaining question will be the same one that was a downfall for South Carolina last season: lack of consistent outside shooters. There seem to be options, though. Bree Hall was a 36 percent shooter in limited minutes last season, and Te-Hina Paopao should help out in that area — the Oregon transfer shot a career-best 42 percent from long range last season — as will the freshman star MiLaysia Fulwiley, who is dangerous from deep.

    • +Defense
    • +Paint play
    • +Rebounding
    • +Ballhandling
    • Experience
    • Outside shooting

    The Utes came into last season flying under the radar. They were unranked to start the season and didn’t crack the top 15 until Week 5, when they were 7-0. Under coach Lynne Roberts, Utah has built methodically. But with a regular-season Pac-12 title, a run to the Sweet 16 last year, and the return of its starting five this season, there’s no doubt: Utah has arrived. So, what do they do now that they’re here? (And, especially now that everyone knows it.) Handling that pressure will be one of the biggest storylines to watch with this motivated group that played eventual champs LSU the best of any tournament opponent.

    On the floor, Gianna Kneepkens, Kennady McQueen and Maty Wilke — the Wisconsin transfer — will stretch the floor with their 3-point shooting while Alissa Pili takes advantage of any space defenders give her. She and Jenna Johnson should be able to contend in the paint with any Pac-12 team, but the big remaining question is what happens when Roberts needs to turn to her bench for some post depth and production. Dasia Young and Samantha Crispe provide college experience, but a major potential difference-maker is Néné Sow, the 6-8 JUCO transfer from Belgium. She redshirted last year, so she has had a chance to get acclimated in the system, and if she’s ready to go, her length and size would be a real change up for a post group that could be the difference between a Final Four run or another second-weekend tournament exit.

    • +Continuity
    • +3-point shooting
    • +Go-to scorers
    • Post depth
    • Being targeted

    Last season’s assignment for opponents will be the same this year: Stop (or, at least, slow) Caitlin Clark. This season, there are a few wrinkles. Though Clark is a thrilling scorer and playmaker, part of her efficiency last season was that defenses couldn’t sell out on her entirely. They still had to contend with Monika Czinano in the paint and the established chemistry those two had using one another. Now, Czinano is gone, and Addison O’Grady and Hannah Stuelke — who can both be effective and efficient in their own ways — are not going to be stepping into Czinano’s shoes entirely on their own.

    If Gabbie Marshall or Kate Martin become similar complementary scorers to Clark that Czinano was a season ago, that will take some pressure off the paint and off Clark, helping the Hawkeyes find ways to win. But make no bones about it: Iowa will go as Clark goes. If she’s dropping 40-point triple-doubles, watch out. If she’s not, there better be at least two others going for 15-plus.

    Ultimately, more questions linger for Iowa than most teams. But the Hawkeyes have a player no other team has, and the kind of player who can more than make up for a plethora of questions.

    • +Caitlin Clark’s scoring
    • +Perimeter shooting
    • Paint play
    • Scorers outside Clark
    • Depth

    Addison O’Grady

    Forward / Center

    How does the Ohio State defense that led power conferences in steals per game last season (11.3) come into this season even more terrifying? Just go ahead and add the ACC defensive player of the year to your backcourt, why don’t ya? Celeste Taylor’s pickup was one of the best overall fits for any player coming out of the portal. Coach Kevin McGuff will have the ability to rotate through Taylor, Jacy Sheldon, Taylor Thierry and Rikki Harris — all of whom are absolute ball hawks — as the Buckeyes ramp up their full-court defensive pressure and drive opponents into mistakes and turnovers.

    With Taylor Mikesell’s graduation, the Buckeyes’ offensive identity needs to evolve. Mikesell accounted for almost a quarter of Ohio State’s shot attempts over the past two seasons, including more than one-third of its 3-point attempts. In her absence, Cotie McMahon — the reigning Big Ten freshman of the year — should become an even larger offensive centerpiece, especially as the Buckeyes don’t return any long-range shooters who are nearly as consistent as Mikesell.

    Though the Buckeyes lack a tall, traditional big who would be able to match up one-on-one with some of the posts on the other top-10 teams, it ultimately might not be as big of an issue for OSU given the potential of its full-court pressure and pestering perimeter defense.

    • +Backcourt play
    • +Full-court press
    • +Perimeter defense
    • +Guard depth
    • 3-point shooting
    • One-on-one post depth

    Taylor Thierry

    Guard / Forward

    Rebeka Mikulášiková

    Forward

    The return of Elizabeth Kitley and Cayla King for another season, alongside Georgia Amoore, guaranteed this group would be a preseason top-10 team and the ACC favorites. That trio is well established in Kenny Brooks’ system, and they’ll be able to help this group weather early season bumps that come along with a slew of transfers and young players entering the rotation.

    Last season, Virginia Tech relied on its starters more than almost any other team in the country. The five starters played 81 percent of the Hokies’ minutes and accounted for 88 percent of their scoring. And though Amoore, King and Kitley are talented and have an established chemistry, they won’t be able to carry the full load through the full season. But by bringing in so many transfers, it seems to indicate that Brooks might go a bit deeper into his bench if the Hokies can get production and efficiency out of that group. And that’s a fair wager considering Virginia Tech’s recent success with transfers — look no further than Taylor Soule, who came in as a grad transfer and was a bedrock for a team that went to the program’s first Final Four.

    • +Rebounding
    • +Outside shooting
    • +Half-court offense
    • Bench production
    • Rotation

    Matilda Ekh

    Guard / Forward

    Olivia Summiel

    Guard / Forward

    Indiana played eight games in the middle of the season with this starting five when Grace Berger was hurt, and the Hoosiers finished 7-1 against quality opponents, including tournament teams North Carolina and Illinois. This group knows how to play together and has a dominant offensive unit, even if there is nothing flashy about it. Mackenzie Holmes is one of the best screeners and pick-and-roll finishers in college basketball, and she’s afforded the space to work thanks to shooting threats surrounding her. Sara Scalia, Sydney Parrish and Yarden Garzon all shot at least 38.7 percent from 3-point range last season, and Chloe Moore-McNeil wasn’t too far behind at 36.2 percent.

    Defensively, Indiana is solid, if predictable. The Hoosiers execute man coverages well and don’t send extra help on the pick-and-roll, trusting their guards to maneuver through screens and Holmes to navigate the space between the ballhandler and the roller. A healthy Holmes had the mobility to contend with just about everyone the Hoosiers faced last season other than Caitlin Clark.

    The formula works, but Indiana will have to introduce some wrinkles to adapt to specific opponents. The Hoosiers don’t have a great answer for teams with deep shooting threats or athletic guards who can muscle their way to the basket. Indiana needs to find some diversity in its blueprint during the regular season to avoid being matchup-dependent in March.

    • +Offensive flow
    • +Pick-and-roll scoring
    • +Ball control
    • Depth
    • Athleticism
    • Paint defense

    Rori Harmon will be the focal point on both ends of the floor — the defensive stalwart and first point of attack in full-court pressure, and the offensive catalyst that makes Texas run. As a junior and three-year starter, she’s an obvious name in the small circle of the most elite point guards in the country, and Vic Shaefer should rest easy that Harmon is his coach on the floor.

    While every Shaefer team is known for its defense (and this year’s iteration will be no different), the reigning Big 12 champs were also one of the country’s most balanced offensive teams last season. But without a single focal point, Texas struggled to close out tight games when it needed a scorer to step up. Case in point: The Longhorns didn’t lose a single regular-season game by more than 10 points last season. The other side of that coin? In games decided by 10 or fewer points, Texas went 4-9.

    One puzzle piece that could help there: Aaliyah Moore, a player who seemed like she would have grown into that last year. But the junior suffered a season-ending ACL tear nine games into the 2022-23 season. Her status hasn’t been made public yet but her return would be key. If she’s not ready right away, Texas won’t need to fret — Shaylee Gonzales, Taylor Jones, DeYona Gaston and Harmon can carry the load while working freshman Madison Booker into the mix.

    • +Defensive pressure
    • +Transition offense
    • +Point guard play
    • Free-throw shooting
    • Avoiding fouling
    • Closing out games

    Notre Dame had an outside chance at national title contention before two knee injuries derailed last season, and the injury to Olivia Miles is the biggest cloud hovering over this year.

    Even without Miles available at the start, this is one of the best guard groups in the country. Sonia Citron is an elite shooting guard who made 51 percent of her 2-pointers and 40 percent of her 3-pointers as a sophomore while routinely guarding opponents’ best players. The Irish should be able to leverage her off the ball even more as KK Bransford and Cassandre
    Prosper grow as ballhandlers and with the addition of super freshman Hannah Hidalgo. Hidalgo’s rampage through the U19 World Cup over the summer showcased her advanced playmaking on both ends of the court — a team that struggled to create turnovers last season now has a ball hawk at the point of attack.

    The path to victory will be pushing the pace and letting the guards get downhill early and often because the Irish are a little small, and beyond Citron, a little light on shooting. Transfer Anna DeWolfe made 35 percent of her 3-pointers at Fordham, and Maddy Westbeld was at 34.4 percent, but neither is the long-range shooter that defenses have to stay glued to. The Irish will be at their best leaning into their speed by being disruptive on defense and playing in transition offense as much as possible. When Miles returns, she’ll fit in seamlessly to that style.

    • +Playmaking
    • +Pace
    • +Paint scoring
    • Olivia Miles’ knee
    • Jump shooting
    • Post depth

    The potential scoring trifecta that Jewel Spear, Rickea Jackson and Tamari Key could be this season is really something, giving the Lady Vols a “pick your poison” type offense for opponents to try to stop. The addition of Wells — the Belmont transfer who dropped 22 on Tennessee during the 2022 NCAA Tournament — gives the Lady Vols a fourth double-digit scorer in the form of a point guard who can be both a pass-first player and a shot hunter (she shot 46 percent from beyond the arc last season).

    Even with all that offensive potential, this is Tennessee after all, so defense will be prioritized. And even without Key for the full season, the Lady Vols’ interior defense performed well, holding opponents to 47 percent shooting at the rim, per Pivot Analysis. Having Key (6-6), Jillian Hollingshead (6-5) and Jackson (6-2) gives them defensive length, versatility and shot adjusting potential in the paint that could take this defense into pretty terrifying territory. Tennessee lost its leading rebounder in Jordan Horston, but this trio should be able to clean up the glass.

    Tennessee hasn’t won the regular-season conference title in nearly a decade, but there are some promising indicators that this season in Knoxville could be special (which is something we’ve said before to no avail). But with the returners as well as the personnel turnover on other SEC teams, could this be the year that Kellie Harper gets Tennessee over the hump and brings her first banner to Rocky Top?

    • +Rebounding
    • +Scoring potential
    • +Half-court defense
    • +Late shot-clock defense
    • Bench production
    • Transition defense

    Jillian Hollingshead

    Forward

    Tess Darby

    Guard / Forward

    Sara Puckett

    Guard / Forward

    Coach Courtney Banghart’s first recruiting class has reached its senior season, and this should be the best North Carolina team yet of her tenure.
    The Tar Heels needed to add some offensive firepower this offseason, and they did so in two distinct and important ways. Lexi Donarski helps fill the role of Eva Hodgson as a designated spacer, but the former Big 12 defensive player of the year also has some teeth at the other end as a perimeter stopper. Maria Gakdeng is an offensive hub in the post as a rim protector and by providing efficient scoring, which North Carolina sorely missed last year.

    UNC resorted to one-on-one basketball too often last season — its assist percentage was in the 19th percentile of Division I, per CBB analytics. Deja Kelly turning into more of a distributor will help, but having more capable ballhandlers on the floor should improve the overall flow on offense. Paulina Paris at least took care of the ball as a freshman; now she has to figure out how to move it. Transfer Indya Nivar didn’t get much time on the ball at Stanford but should get a chance to show off what made the Apex, N.C., product one of the nation’s top guard recruits.

    North Carolina has depth in the frontcourt, too, with returning starters Alyssa Ustby and Anya Poole complemented by Gakdeng and incoming freshman Cierra Toomey, who was No. 4 in ESPN’s rankings of the class of 2023. Rotating in more bodies is a necessity considering how physically the Tar Heels play.

    • +Rim pressure
    • +Transition defense
    • Outside shooting
    • Rebounding
    • Ball movement

    Alyssa Ustby

    Guard / Forward

    Maria Gakdeng

    Forward / Center

    A year ago, no one was talking about Ole Miss. Heck, heading into the NCAA Tournament last season, no one was talking about Ole Miss. The Rebels didn’t appear in a single AP Top 25 last season. Even though they played LSU and South Carolina well in mid-February, few outside of Oxford took notice. Then they held perennial mid-major power Gonzaga to 48 points in the first round and knocked off No. 1 seed Stanford in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. People across the country took notice of Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s vaunted defensive team.

    Now, as a top-15 team with a lot of hype coming into this season — and in the SEC that feels a bit more up-for-grabs this year — how do the Rebels respond … especially with so many new faces on this roster?

    Ole Miss added transfers Kennedy Todd-Williams (North Carolina), KK Deans (Florida) and Kharyssa Richardson (Auburn). As she predicted, McPhee-McCuin did “damage in the portal,” complementing an already-established Davis-Collins-Scott starting core. So, the talent is there and the fits — on defense, especially — seem obvious.

    Offensively, considering the Rebels lost five games last season by single digits, this side of the ball could see some growth. One big area: the 3-point line. Though Ole Miss’ offensive system isn’t predicated on a ton of long-range shots, the Rebels shot worse than 30 percent from deep last season (and their highest-volume 3-point shooter only 28 percent). That’s not a great recipe for success even if the 3 ball isn’t the highest priority. But McPhee-McCuin might’ve started to answer part of this question with two transfers — Deans shot 38 percent while Todd-Williams hit 32 percent on 3s last season.

    • +Defensive execution
    • +Paint protection
    • +Rebounding
    • +Transition defense
    • 3-point shooting
    • Handling increased expectations

    Kennedy Todd-Williams

    Guard

    Kharyssa Richardson

    Forward

    No matter how much continuity Maryland has, Brenda Freese manages to consistently construct one of the country’s best offenses. The Terrapins play fast and have pristine spacing. Abby Meyers may be gone, but Maryland still has three players who shot at least 39 percent from 3-point range last season (Lavender Briggs, Brinae Alexander and Bri McDaniel), plus Jakia Brown-Turner, who made nearly 42 percent of her 3s in four seasons at NC State.

    The problem for the Terrapins is lack of playmaking. Shyanne Sellers returns as the point guard, but she’ll have to score more with the graduations of Meyers and Diamond Miller, and there isn’t as much ballhandling in the starting lineup. Perhaps Maryland won’t have to worry about half-court execution if it can get out in transition and rain 3-pointers, but defenses that can slow the pace may find success against the Terrapins.

    Maryland’s depth could be an issue. Three of last season’s freshmen transferred, leaving five returnees and two incoming transfers. The good news is that the Terrapins brought in the No. 7 freshman class in the country, led by McDonald’s All-American wing Riley Nelson. Hawa Doumbouya also adds some needed size in the middle – at 6-7, she’s the only player on the roster taller than 6-2. They could be called upon to contribute right away.

    • +Coaching
    • +Offensive spacing
    • +Transition
    • Frontcourt rotation
    • Isolation scoring
    • Depth

    Brinae Alexander

    Guard / Forward

    Faith Masonius

    Guard / Forward

    The Seminoles return their three top scorers while adding multiple players who should bolster their offensive potential. Alexis Tucker, the UCSB transfer, averaged 14 points a game last season while Sakyia White averaged 18. Throw into the mix Carla Viegas, the Spanish sharpshooter who shot 45 percent from beyond the arc at the FIBA U18 European Championship. She and Amaya Bonner will bring a one-two scoring punch off the bench.

    Those additional scorers should make life slightly less difficult for Ta’Niya Latson, the reigning ACC freshman of the year who was an absolute matchup nightmare last season. Though FSU should have scoring threats across the board, make no bones about it, Latson will be the No. 1 option. Despite missing the postseason with an injury, she has been 100 percent since the spring and will come into this season with a similar offensive propensity, but with a focus on becoming a more disciplined defender.

    Post depth and paint presence will be the real question marks for the Seminoles, who have only three players 6-2 or taller. Makayla Timpson was one of 11 power conference players to average more than two blocks per game last season (she averaged 2.6), and the Seminoles’ overall rim protection was quite good (per Pivot Analysis, FSU’s opponents shot just 44 percent at the rim). But developing depth in the paint will be key to fight Virginia Tech and Notre Dame for control of the ACC.

    • +Transition offense
    • +Pace
    • +Latson’s injury recovery

    Fresh off its first Sweet 16 appearance in 21 years, Colorado returns six of its top seven players in total minutes and is in prime position to contend for a Pac-12 title in the conference’s swan song.

    The Buffaloes are once again led by Quay Miller and Jaylyn Sherrod. Miller’s versatility as a forward shines, especially in her ability to operate in the midrange and beyond the arc as a scorer and passer. Sherrod’s game is a little more paint-bound than ideal for a 5-7 guard, but her ability to turn the corner, get to the basket and spray out to the 3-point line is useful when she’s surrounded by shooters. Miller has upped her 3-point percentage every year at Colorado, getting to 33 percent in 2022-23, and she’s joined by some veritable scorers in Frida Formann, Kindyll Wetta and incoming players Maddie Nolan and Kennedy Sanders.

    With a frontcourt of Miller and Aaronette Vonleh each standing at 6-3, the Buffaloes can get outmatched inside. They shot just above league-average in the paint and weren’t very good at getting second-chance opportunities or blocking shots last season. The defense holds up due to its speed and activity, especially on the perimeter. However, bigger opposing posts like Rayah Marshall and Cameron Brink, along with guards who put pressure on the rim, could present a problem.

    • +Continuity
    • +Forcing turnovers
    • +Transition offense
    • Fouling on defense
    • Drawing fouls
    • Interior size

    Outside of Cameron Brink, Hannah Jump and Haley Jones, rotations for the Cardinal last season seemed to vary wildly. That might not be as much of an issue this season given the shorter roster for Tara VanDerveer. And though that lack of depth could be a downfall (especially if particular players get into foul trouble — cough, Cam Brink, cough), fewer players might also end up being a good thing as Stanford potentially settles on — by necessity — a core group more quickly.

    With that smaller rotation, every player will need to expand her game. While Brink will anchor both ends of the floor, she’ll need to make sure she plays within herself and the system so her minutes aren’t limited by fouls. Stanford will be significantly worse off anytime Brink needs to be on the bench. If Talana Lepolo makes a jump similar to Kiana Williams from her freshman to sophomore seasons, the Cardinal could be in good hands as she becomes more consistent and gets more involved as a scorer. Jump has been an excellent 3-point shooter, but if she can at least threaten more as a three-level scorer and distributor, Stanford will be much better off.

    Kiki Iriafen could raise the ceiling. Her potential on offense and defense could help separate this group. Her free-throw shooting needs to improve, especially as she gets more involved in the paint on offense, but the possibilities for Iriafen and Brink playing in tandem and off one another could give the Cardinal a dynamic unit to build around.

    • +Rebounding
    • +3-point shooting
    • Depth
    • Multiple distributors

    Jeff Walz is well aware of the new reality of college basketball. As he said during the NCAA Tournament: There’s Selection Sunday, then Portal Monday. And even though the Cardinals lost one of the country’s best players (Hailey Van Lith) as a transfer, Walz reloaded in impressive fashion.

    Jayda Curry is the new jitterbug scoring guard running the show, and her hot shooting stretch (48 percent on 2-pointers and 3-pointers in the last five games) to end the season for Cal provides excitement for playing off the ball with more help. She’ll get that in the form of Sydney Taylor, who averaged at least 15.6 points each of the last three seasons while improving her 3-point percentage every year, and Kiki Jefferson, who put up at least 16.2 points per game the last three seasons. Combined with Olivia Cochran inside, scoring shouldn’t be an issue. Curry and Jefferson will need a crash course in defending the Louisville way, however, because neither came from programs that emphasized that end of the floor.

    The Cardinals have grown accustomed to integrating hordes of transfers over the past few years. But Walz doesn’t have a veteran floor general or even a natural point guard this year with the departures of Van Lith and Mykasa Robinson. Still, expect Louisville to once again coalesce by March, even if there are growing pains.

    • +Coaching
    • +Shot creation
    • +Perimeter scoring
    • Post depth
    • Point guard play
    • Chemistry

    In coach Nicki Collen’s third season, Baylor has a serious chance to put up massive offensive numbers despite losing two of its top-three scorers. Andrews returns as the Bears’ leading scorer (15 points per game last season), and she has around her five others who scored in double digits in their most recent full seasons — Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (11 PPG, Baylor), Aijha Blackwell (15 PPG, Missouri 2021-22), Jada Walker (13 PPG, Kentucky), Dre’Una Edwards (17 PPG, Kentucky 2021-22) and Madison Bartley (14 PPG, Belmont). Balancing expectations and shot distribution with so many scorers is ultimately a good problem, but it’s a problem nonetheless.

    Add to that core scoring group Yaya Felder, the Ohio transfer who can attack the paint and put pressure on defenses, as well as 6-7 freshman Lety Vasconcelos, a solid passer with good touch around the rim who gives Baylor a lob option deep. Each brings a unique skillset, allowing the Bears to go through different players as Collen throws out versatile lineups without many redundancies at each position.

    The flip side? Players will need to adjust to working in Baylor’s schemes with teammates who attack the game in distinct manners. Building cohesion while maintaining that versatility will be Collen’s priority through camp and in early games.

    • +Scoring potential
    • +Ball movement
    • +Depth
    • +Pick-and-roll action
    • Cohesion
    • Shot distribution

    Bella Fontleroy

    Guard / Forward

    Aijha Blackwell

    Guard / Forward

    Darianna Littlepage-Buggs

    Guard / Forward

    In Shauna Green’s first year, Illinois put together one of the most impressive year-over-year turnarounds in women’s college hoops. Now in Year 2, with all five starters returning, the Illini are a dangerous top-25 team in a conference that could prepare them for a deeper postseason run.

    Last year, lack of depth hurt the Illini, especially as the season wore on, but with another full season of recruiting (and transfer portal recruiting), Illinois could prove to be a deeper team. Illinois’ top six will look the same but the two key additions — Camille Hobby and Gretchen Dolan — could be big difference makers.

    Hobby comes to Illinois from NC State, where she averaged eight points and four rebounds a game as a senior. As a 6-3 center, she gives the Illini more depth in the paint alongside Kendall Bostic and Brynn Shoup-Hill. Dolan, a freshman, averaged 39 points a game as a senior and ended her high school career with 2,622 points. To bring Hobby, Jada Peebles and Dolan off the bench should give Green the kind of depth and fresh legs she didn’t have last season.

    • +Experience
    • +Half-court offense
    • +3-point shooting
    • Defensive consistency
    • Rebounding

    Last season, USC played in the muck. The Trojans worked so hard to slow the pace and be disruptive on defense to break opponents’ offensive flow. It was tough to execute, and tough to watch for long stretches, but it was how they had to play to account for their offensive deficiencies.

    Now, the Trojans have 3-point shooters by raiding the Ivy League for McKenzie Forbes (Harvard) and Kayla Padilla (Penn) and adding an off-the-bounce scorer and creator in JuJu Watkins. If Watkins is as dynamic as advertised, she’ll be an offense unto herself. She and Rayah Marshall, who was already one of the nation’s finest defensive centers as a sophomore, are the foundations for USC on both ends. For the Trojans to take a meaningful step forward, however, Marshall has to become a passable scorer — her true shooting percentage of 42.4 was in the bottom fifth for centers last year.

    This is the second straight season that Gottlieb must weave together a patchwork roster, as only three rotation players (plus Clarice Akunwafo) remain from last year’s roster. The hope is that Watkins can provide some structure on offense while the defensive integrity from 2022-23 remains.

    • +Interior defense
    • +Athleticism
    • +3-point shooting
    • Passing
    • Experience
    • Paint scoring

    It’s not out of the question to think Wes Moore might have four freshmen in his main rotation, as the Wolfpack welcome four top-100 recruits, including ninth-ranked Zoe Brooks, who famously won the 2022 WNBA All-Star skills challenge alongside Sabrina Ionescu. But at the start of the season, expect Moore to lean on whatever continuity and veteran presence NC State does have, as well as the Wolfpack’s pace.

    Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers are two of the nation’s fastest players with the ball, each dynamite at getting into the paint, and together create a devastating open floor attack. The two guards had the best plus-minuses on the team last season, suggesting the Wolfpack are better off when they lean on that athleticism. Neither is a pure point guard, but their ability to turn the corner on defenders allows them to make plays. Brooks has this same burst to keep the tempo going when she comes off the bench.

    Katie Peneueta arrives from Sacramento State having canned 46 percent of her 3-pointers over two seasons, and River Baldwin likes to spot up from distance and hit trail jumpers in transition. But if the frontcourt needs shaking up, reigning WAC defensive player of the year Lizzy Williamson is ready to step in for Baldwin, and Madison Hayes provides a small-ball spacing element that Mimi Collins doesn’t.

    • +Speed
    • +Athleticism
    • +Dribble penetration
    • Youth
    • Chemistry
    • Ball movement

    Creighton is a model of consistency in an otherwise chaotic college basketball landscape. Jim Flanery has been a part of the program for more than 30 years, the last 20 as head coach, and his offensive system has remained relatively unchanged the past few seasons. It helps that the core four Bluejays (Lauren Jensen, Morgan Maly, Molly Mogensen and Emma Ronsiek) are all entering at least their third year at Creighton. The Bluejays will get into their offense deliberately and methodically, using east-west ball movement and screening actions to get layups and 3s. Their shot chart is an analytics dream.

    The only problem on offense is when jumpers don’t fall. Opponents can’t really take them out of what the Bluejays do — the movement generally works, but there is volatility in relying on such a high percentage of outside shots.
    Defense is another story. Creighton still doesn’t have the size inside to effectively protect the rim, and teams with more strength and athleticism can blow by its perimeter defense. Creighton should try more switching this year considering the players’ familiarity with one another and the like-sized rotation, or even throw out some junk defenses to keep opponents out of the paint. Flanery needs to take advantage of team chemistry on defense as well.

    • +Offensive system
    • +Continuity
    • +Efficiency
    • Size
    • Interior Defense
    • Athleticism

    Morgan Maly

    Guard / Forward

    The only team on this list that didn’t make the tournament last year, Texas A&M is in line to be one of the most improved programs in the country. Fortunately, there’s nowhere to go but up after finishing 9-20 overall and 2-14 in the SEC last season.

    The main source for optimism is second-year forward Janiah Barker, who was an absolute force in the 19 games she was available during her freshman year. Barker is excellent driving to her right and is an awesome play finisher on cuts, as a spot-up shooter, and in transition. The less creating she has to do, the better, which makes it important that the Aggies cleaned up in the transfer portal, starting with point guard Endyia Rogers.

    Rogers has been a disciplined distributor at two stops before College Station and has oodles of talent to work with between Barker, Sydney Bowles, and transfers Lauren Ware and Aicha Coulibaly. Texas A&M also brings in three top-100 perimeter recruits in Kylie Marshall, Solè Williams and Erica Moon, allowing Joni Taylor to use multiple ballhandlers when necessary.

    Coulibaly and Ware add paint protection to a team that has struggled defensively. Ware can play next to Barker in the frontcourt in smaller lineups, or the Aggies have enough depth with Jada Malone off the bench to play units with three bigs. Things didn’t come together for Texas A&M in Year 1 of the Taylor era, but Gary Blair went 2-14 in the SEC in his first year with the Aggies, too. There’s reason to have hope with this new roster.

    • +Point guard play
    • +Offensive versatility
    • +Frontcourt depth

    Also considered: Arizona, Duke, Kansas State, Miami

    (Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; Photos, from left, of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers: Maddie Meyer, Justin Tofoya, G Fiume / Getty Images)

    [ad_2]

    The New York Times

    Source link

  • The Athletic 133: How much does Ohio State jump and Notre Dame fall?

    The Athletic 133: How much does Ohio State jump and Notre Dame fall?

    [ad_1]

    Sign up for the Until Saturday newsletter | Jayna Bardahl and The Athletic’s college football staff deliver expert analysis on the biggest CFB stories five days per week. Get it sent to your inbox.


    We entered this much-hyped college football weekend ready to learn about a lot of teams. Some flailed in the spotlight while others came through. But the biggest lesson we learned is that Florida State is truly back to being one of the best teams in the country. After an overtime win at Clemson, the Seminoles move up to No. 2 in this week’s edition of The Athletic 133.

    Yes, it was ugly early. Yes, Clemson missed a chip-shot field goal late. But the fact those things happened highlighted how Clemson has fallen and how the Seminoles have risen to take that place, ending a seven-game losing streak in the rivalry. Clemson didn’t have a Keon Coleman-esque player who made a play when the team needed it most. Instead, it missed a field goal with a late-addition kicker and made an ill-advised wide receiver screen throw on third-and-1 in overtime.

    Now Florida State sits at 4-0 with a blowout victory against LSU and a win at Clemson. The Seminoles have an argument to be No. 1. They have some of the best wins. They only sit at No. 2 for me because they needed to escape Boston College last week. Georgia doesn’t have the big wins but it also hasn’t been in real danger.

    On this exact date two years ago, Florida State dropped to 0-4 after a loss to Louisville, two weeks after a loss to FCS Jacksonville State. FSU couldn’t afford to buy out another coach in less than two years. It had to let Mike Norvell figure it out. Now it sits here as a national championship contender. The Seminoles have figured it out. It’s a lesson in patience, roster building and believing in the people you have.

    Here is this week’s edition of The Athletic 133.

    1-10

    Quite a bit of change in this group. FSU jumps Texas because it has two top-level wins. Ohio State moves up to No. 4 after beating Notre Dame with one second to play. Washington continues to wreck everyone and look like the best team in the country, but it won’t play a top-level opponent until Oregon on Oct. 14.

    Utah beat UCLA to move to 4-0 and Cam Rising hasn’t even played yet, so look out for the Utes. Penn State overwhelmed Iowa 31-0 and slides up as well. Michigan slips to No. 8 not just because the Wolverines haven’t played anyone noteworthy, but because they haven’t been all that impressive, either. They are 0-3-1 against the spread, and that 31-7 win against Rutgers on Saturday was a 10-point game deep into the third quarter. I don’t doubt the talent on Michigan. We just haven’t seen it yet like we have with Washington. When we do, the rankings will react to it. Is this contradictory to the Georgia ranking? Maybe. But the two-time defending national champions get that benefit of the doubt for now. All Michigan has to do is win its games and it’ll be fine.

    USC battled into the fourth quarter with an Arizona State team that Fresno State shut out last week, so the Trojans tumble. Oregon moves into the top 10 after a 42-6 win against Colorado, bringing the Buffs back down to earth.

    GO DEEPER

    Auerbach’s Top 10: A shakeup at the top for early-season resume-builders

    11-25

    Notre Dame only falls to No. 11, since the Irish were a few inches away from beating Ohio State. LSU needed a last-second field goal to beat Arkansas and stays at No. 12. Alabama got through a brutal first half against Ole Miss to win 24-10 and sort of get back on track, moving up to No. 15. Washington State beat Oregon State 38-35 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score, and Wazzu moves up to No. 16.

    Kansas is 4-0 for the second consecutive year and moves into the top 25 after beating BYU 38-27. Kansas State beat UCF 44-31 and also moves into the top 25. TCU looks like the TCU we expected this season after a 34-17 win against SMU, and Colorado hangs in the top 25 for now because of that victory over TCU.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Sampson: Notre Dame’s coaches got in the players’ way against Ohio State

    26-50

    Maryland is quietly 4-0 after taking care of business at Michigan State and is No. 26. UCLA really struggled at Utah, but it was just a 14-7 final score, so the Bruins only drop to No. 27. Ole Miss and Clemson also fall out of the top 25 after their losses.

    Kentucky, at No. 33, handled itself against Vanderbilt and hosts Florida this upcoming weekend for a big matchup. Syracuse is 4-0 and No. 36 after beating Army and finishes undefeated in nonconference play for the first time since the Orange joined a conference in 1991. Fresno State is also 4-0 after taking care of Kent State and inches up to No. 37.

    Iowa and Auburn drop into the 40s after ugly offensive performances against Penn State and Texas A&M, respectively. No. 46 James Madison held on to beat Utah State, No. 47 Wyoming returned a block field goal in the final minutes to beat Appalachian State, and West Virginia beat Texas Tech to jump into the top 50.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Dochterman: Wow, Iowa makes offensive football look hard

    51-75

    No. 51 Ohio continues to do what it needs to and beat Bowling Green 38-7. This team might be undefeated if Kurtis Rourke didn’t get hurt in the opener against San Diego State. Georgia Tech jumps up to No. 53 after a comfortable 30-16 win at Wake Forest. Fellow Atlanta resident Georgia State is 4-0 after a 30-17 win at Coastal Carolina to put the Sun Belt on notice and move up to No. 54. Marshall beat Virginia Tech 24-17 and looked like the better team from the start, and the Herd make a big jump to No. 55 because of it.

    Texas Tech lost to West Virginia and lost quarterback Tyler Shough to a broken fibula. A Big 12 dark horse has turned downward very fast, down to No. 60. Rutgers played Michigan tough for more than a half and the Scarlet Knights do look improved, inching up to No. 57. USF seems to have something under Alex Golesh, after a 42-29 win against Rice, and moves up to No. 69. Troy held on to beat Western Kentucky 27-24 and moves to No. 58. Boise State beat San Diego State 34-31 for a big Mountain West road win to move up to No. 64.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Ten questions about the AP Top 25: When will Georgia’s No. 1 reign end? Who will be next?

    76-100

    Texas State continues to win but slip a little because Baylor continues to fall, and because of Texas State’s loss to UTSA. South Alabama, one week after blowing out Oklahoma State, lost 34-30 to Central Michigan in a stunner and dropped to No. 83. UNLV is 3-1 under Barry Odom after a comfortable 45-28 win against UTEP, moving up to No. 85.

    Minnesota slides dramatically down these rankings to No. 90 after blowing a 31-10 fourth-quarter lead and losing to Northwestern in overtime. Indiana needed a missed field goal and four overtimes to escape Akron, so the Hoosiers drop to No. 91. Jacksonville State and RichRod are 3-1 and move up to No. 94 after a 21-0 thumping of Eastern Michigan. Stanford played Arizona close but lost 21-20, dropping to No. 96. Colorado State beat Middle Tennessee 31-23 and moves into the top 100.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Mandel’s Final Thoughts: College football or WWE? Lessons from an angry Week 4

    101-133

    Virginia Tech and Virginia drop to this group. The Hokies are 1-3 after a loss to Marshall. The fact they were underdogs to begin with says a lot. Virginia rallied but lost to NC State on a last-second field goal to remain winless.

    Hawaii continues to show improvement, beating New Mexico State at home to move up to No. 115. UMass continues to fall since beating NMSU in Week 0, losing to New Mexico in overtime and dropping to No. 119. Arkansas State beat Southern Miss for Butch Jones’ first Sun Belt win over a team that isn’t ULM and moves up to No. 123. That’s a win that could be a needed sign of progress this year.

    UConn lost 41-7 to Duke and appears to have taken a massive step back this year, falling to No. 128. Sam Houston finally scored a touchdown, but has just 10 points through three games, so the Bearkats drop to No. 132. Buffalo remains at the bottom after a 45-38 loss to Louisiana.

    (Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

    [ad_2]

    The New York Times

    Source link

  • Big-play Penn State roars past Utah 35-21 in Rose Bowl

    Big-play Penn State roars past Utah 35-21 in Rose Bowl

    [ad_1]

    PASADENA, Calif. — KeAndre Lambert-Smith had the longest touchdown reception in Rose Bowl history on an 88-yard pass from Sean Clifford, freshman Nicholas Singleton broke a tiebreaking 87-yard touchdown run, and No. 9 Penn State rallied past No. 7 Utah 35-21 in the 109th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All on Monday.

    Clifford passed for 279 yards and two touchdowns in an impressive farewell to Penn State, and Singleton rushed for 120 yards and two more scores on a rainy day filled with spectacular big plays by the Nittany Lions (11-2).

    Utah couldn’t rally with quarterback Cameron Rising sidelined by a second-half injury, and coach James Franklin’s exuberant group comfortably won the Rose Bowl for the second time in school history and the first since Jan. 2, 1995.

    Singleton got the Nittany Lions rolling in a well-played game when he broke through Utah’s defensive front and outran the secondary for his second touchdown early in the third quarter. The 87-yard romp was the third-longest TD run in Rose Bowl history and the second-longest in Penn State’s bowl history.

    Shortly after rain began to fall on the Rose Bowl Game for the first time since 1997, Lambert-Smith got open deep and eluded Utah’s defensive backs on the first snap of the fourth quarter for the longest pass completion in Penn State’s bowl history. Clifford’s pass also broke the Rose Bowl record of 76 yards by Michigan’s Rick Leach to Curt Stephenson in 1978 against Washington.

    Freshman Kaytron Allen added a 1-yard TD run with 10:36 to play, and Penn State’s defense got stops on the Utes’ first six drives of the second half.

    The victory was a fitting finale for Clifford, the sixth-year senior who finally added a memorable bowl performance to his slew of Penn State career passing records in his 51st game. Clifford also became the winningest quarterback in school history with his 32nd victory, passing Trace McSorley.

    Franklin called a timeout with 2:30 left to allow a hero’s farewell for Clifford, who waved at the standing ovation from Penn State’s white-clad fans while his teammates applauded.

    “I’m just so thankful for this place,” Clifford said. “I can’t put it into words. It’s so amazing. I just love Penn State so much.”

    Rising passed for 95 yards before apparently injuring his left knee in the third quarter, forcing the Utah quarterback out of his second straight Rose Bowl early due to injury. Bryson Barnes replaced Rising for the second straight year, but the two-time Pac-12 champion Utes (10-4) couldn’t rally behind their backup.

    Ja’Quinden Jackson rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown for Utah. Thomas Yassmin caught an early TD pass from Rising, but Utah was shut out for 32 straight minutes before Jaylen Dixon’s TD catch with 25 seconds to play.

    Rising, one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in Utah history, got hurt while being tackled after scrambling for a first down near midfield, eventually trudging to the locker room and returning later in street clothes. The Ventura County native also got hurt on a sack in the fourth quarter of last year’s 48-45 Rose Bowl loss to Ohio State.

    Barnes threw his first collegiate passes against the Buckeyes after Rising’s injury and led an improbable tying touchdown drive before Ohio State won it at the gun. Barnes couldn’t recapture that magic in his second Rose Bowl relief role, going 10 of 19 for 112 yards with an interception.

    The unusually gloomy afternoon in Arroyo Seco marked the end of an era for the sport’s oldest active bowl: It was the final edition of the Rose Bowl guaranteed to feature its traditional matchup between Pac-12 and Big Ten teams.

    The game will be a College Football Playoff semifinal next year, and the subsequent playoff expansion means the Rose Bowl won’t usually control which teams make the trip.

    In contrast to several wild Rose Bowls in recent years, including the Utes’ 93-point epic with Ohio State a year ago, both teams traded touchdowns early in drives with several old-school aspects with deliberate use of the run game and solid defense. Singleton even scored the game’s first touchdown on a run out of a T formation.

    Yassmin scored Utah’s first TD while filling in for tight end Dalton Kincaid, the Utes’ leading receiver. Kincaid sat out to preserve his health along with Utah’s leading rusher, Tavion Thomas, and first-team All-American cornerback Clark Phillips III.

    Penn State answered with Clifford’s 10-yard TD pass to Mitchell Tinsley, but Utah evened it less than two minutes later on a 19-yard TD run by Jackson, making it 14-14 at halftime.

    Singleton then made his 87-yard sprint early in the third quarter, surpassing 1,000 yards in his impressive freshman season along the way. Only Saquon Barkley’s 92-yard run in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl was longer in the Nittany Lions’ lengthy bowl history.

    RARE RAINFALL

    The game began under cloudy skies after a week of uncharacteristically gray skies in Los Angeles, and in the third quarter, rain landed on the Rose Bowl Game for only the third time since 1955. The visiting fans from two hardy cities showed little concern about Southern California’s version of bad weather.

    UP NEXT

    Penn State: Hosts West Virginia on Sept. 2.

    Utah: Begins its quest for a third straight Pac-12 title by hosting Florida on Sept. 2.

    ———

    AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP—Top25

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Defending champ Georgia vs. Cinderella TCU for CFP title

    Defending champ Georgia vs. Cinderella TCU for CFP title

    [ad_1]

    After the best semifinal day in the nine-year history of the College Football Playoff, the title game will match the defending national champion against the closest thing the sport has had in years to a Cinderella team.

    It will be No. 1 Georgia (14-0) looking for its second straight championship against upstart and No. 3 TCU on Jan. 9 at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

    The four-team playoff has been littered with lopsided semifinal games, but Saturday — and into early Sunday and the new year — delivered two thrillers and a combined 179 points.

    The Bulldogs came from 14 points down in the second half to beat No. 4 Ohio State 42-41 in the Peach Bowl and advance to the CFP championship game for the third time under coach Kirby Smart.

    “If we want any chance of winning a national championship we have to play a lot better football than we played tonight but we have to keep the resiliency and composure along with us,” Smart said.

    The Bulldogs and Buckeyes played a classic that came down to a missed field goal by Ohio State with three seconds left. Amazingly, it was even better than the wild opener of the semifinal doubleheader between No. 3 TCU and No. 2 Michigan.

    The Horned Frogs (13-1) upset the Wolverines 51-45 in the Fiesta Bowl, the second-highest scoring CFP game ever.

    “We’re going to celebrate it,” TCU quarterback Max Duggan said. “Obviously, we’re excited, but we know we got a big one coming up.”

    TCU, the first Big 12 to win a playoff game, will be looking for its first national title since 1938. Under coach Dutch Meyer, the Horned Frogs beat Carnegie Tech 15-7 in the Sugar Bowl to complete a 10-0 season.

    The Southeastern Conference champion Bulldogs opened as a 13 1/2-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, in what will be the fifth meeting between the schools.

    Georgia has won them all, including the last in the 2016 Liberty Bowl.

    Coming off a 5-7 season in 2021 and picked to finish seventh in their conference before the season, the Horned Frogs have embraced the underdog role and thrived on the being doubted.

    “We know we’re going to hear it again. It’s not going to stop now,” first-year coach Sonny Dykes said. “We got to do what we did this game (against Michigan). We’ve got to answer that criticism and show up and do what we’re supposed to do.

    “If we think that’s going away, I think you guys all know that’s not. That’s just the way it is.”

    TCU would be the first team to win a national championship the year after having a losing season since Michigan State in 1965.

    Georgia, No. 1 for most of the season, is looking for its third national title, trying to become the first back-to-back champions in the CFP era and the first since Alabama won the BCS in 2011 and ’12.

    It will be a matchup Heisman Trophy finalist quarterbacks, with Duggan and Georgia’s Stetson Bennett.

    Neither is a future first-rounder, and both had ups and down in the semifinal but came through in the biggest spots.

    Duggan ran for two scores and threw two TD passes as the Frogs held back a surging Michigan in the second half.

    Bennett threw for 398 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner with 54 seconds left.

    These Bulldogs rely more on Bennett and their offense than last year’s championship team, which fielded one of the best defenses college football has had in recent history. Georgia ranked fifth in the nation in yards per play (6.97) coming into the playoff.

    The Frogs have have a powerful offense, too, with Duggan and star receiver Quentin Johnston, who had 163 yards on six catches against the Wolverines.

    This is the penultimate season of the four-team version of the playoff before it expands to 12 teams in the 2024 season.

    Before Saturday, only three of 16 semifinals had been decided by single-digits, and all those blowouts helped fuel a desire to grow the field in the hope of creating some more interesting postseason games.

    This New Year’s Eve, the four-team playoff turned out to be an eight-hour college football party.

    After losing to TCU, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh summed up his team’s game, and as it turns out, the day.

    “The winner,” he said, “was football.”

    ——

    Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com

    ———

    AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap—top25

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Ohio State, Georgia reloaded after losing stars to NFL draft

    Ohio State, Georgia reloaded after losing stars to NFL draft

    [ad_1]

    ATLANTA — Only months after Georgia defensive linemen and Ohio State wide receivers combined to fill five first-round slots in the NFL draft, those positions again boast top talent for the teams preparing to meet in the College Football Playoff Peach Bowl semifinal.

    Georgia had three defensive linemen, including No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker, selected in the first round of this year’s NFL draft. Ohio State had wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave chosen with the 10th and 11th picks, respectively.

    Despite those important losses, Saturday night’s Peach Bowl will showcase evidence that No. 4 Ohio State and No. 1 Georgia reloaded with more star players.

    Wide receiver again is a strength for the Buckeyes as two players, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, have more than 1,000 receiving yards. Quarterback C.J. Stroud said Harrison and Egbuka showed their talent even when they had to play behind Wilson and Olave.

    “I’m not saying they’re better than Garrett and Chris, but they were playing really good to be freshmen,” Stroud said. “And I think when you come in with that type of attitude, I am not just going to be here to learn. I am going to be here to dominate. That’s when you learn and that’s when you become a great player. So it hasn’t been overnight.”

    The ability to reload with two 1,000-yard receivers is especially impressive because Ohio State lost AP Preseason All-American Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who will miss the game as he recovers from a leg injury and prepares for the 2023 NFL draft. Smith-Njigba is projected as a possible first-round pick even though he was hurt in the Buckeyes’ opener against Notre Dame and played in just two other games.

    Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Stroud is a key to Ohio State’s success at wide receiver.

    “It is great quarterback, great system, great coaches, great receivers,” Smart said Thursday. “They’ve come up under … first-rounders. Those kids watched those guys before them play.”

    Harrison Jr. was an AP first-team All-American. The sophomore leads the Buckeyes with 72 catches for 1,156 yards and 12 touchdowns.

    “I think what makes Marvin special is his discipline and his skill,” said Ohio State coach Ryan Day. “He’s built a tremendous amount of discipline in his life, takes care of his body, prepares at a high level, just unbelievable amount of discipline, the way that he runs his routes. His work ethic is unbelievable.”

    Meanwhile, Georgia reloaded after leaning on its defense to win the 2021 national championship. After having Walker and two defensive tackles, Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt, taken in the first round of this year’s draft, the Bulldogs’ 2022 defensive front is led by Jalen Carter, also projected as a high first-round pick.

    Carter also was named to the AP All-America team.

    “Very good player,” Day said when asked about Carter. “Disrupts the game, and their entire front is really good and so is their back end. They really don’t have any weaknesses on defense. They’re very, very good, and you can see why they’re ranked one of the best in the country. They do a good job, and he is very good as well.”

    Carter helped Georgia rank second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 12.8 points per game. Ohio State ranks second in scoring with 44.5 points per game.

    “I’m very confident in the talent we do have on offense, and I feel like when it comes to us playing any team in the nation, I feel confident with our guys and our ability to sling the rock,” Egbuka said.

    Georgia had a record five defensive players selected in the first round and 15 players picked overall in the 2022 NFL draft. Linebacker Quay Walker, selected by Green Bay, and safety Lewis Cine, by Minnesota, were the Bulldogs’ other first-round picks.

    ———

    AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap—top25

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Today in History: December 29, Texas becomes a state

    Today in History: December 29, Texas becomes a state

    [ad_1]

    Today in History

    Today is Thursday, Dec. 29, the 363rd day of 2022. There are two days left in the year.

    Today’s Highlight in History:

    On Dec. 29, 1845, Texas was admitted as the 28th state.

    On this date:

    In 1170, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was slain in Canterbury Cathedral by knights loyal to King Henry II.

    In 1812, during the War of 1812, the American frigate USS Constitution engaged and severely damaged the British frigate HMS Java off Brazil.

    In 1851, the first Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in the United States was founded in Boston.

    In 1890, the Wounded Knee massacre took place in South Dakota as an estimated 300 Sioux Indians were killed by U.S. troops sent to disarm them.

    In 1940, during World War II, Germany dropped incendiary bombs on London, setting off what came to be known as “The Second Great Fire of London.”

    In 1972, Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, crashed into the Florida Everglades near Miami International Airport, killing 101 of the 176 people aboard.

    In 1978, during the Gator Bowl, Ohio State University coach Woody Hayes punched Clemson player Charlie Bauman, who’d intercepted an Ohio State pass. (Hayes was fired by Ohio State the next day.)

    In 1989, dissident and playwright Vaclav Havel (VAHTS’-lahv HAH’-vel) assumed the presidency of Czechoslovakia.

    In 1992, the United States and Russia announced agreement on a nuclear arms reduction treaty.

    In 2006, word reached the United States of the execution of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (because of the time difference, it was the morning of Dec. 30 in Iraq when the hanging took place). In a statement, President George W. Bush called Saddam’s execution an important milestone on Iraq’s road to democracy.

    In 2007, the New England Patriots ended their regular season with a remarkable 16-0 record following a 38-35 comeback victory over the New York Giants. (New England became the first NFL team since the 1972 Dolphins to win every game on the schedule.)

    In 2016, the United States struck back at Russia for hacking the U.S. presidential campaign with a sweeping set of punishments targeting Russia’s spy agencies and diplomats.

    Ten years ago: Maine’s same-sex marriage law went into effect. Shocked Indians mourned the death of a woman who’d been gang-raped and beaten on a bus in New Delhi nearly two weeks earlier; six suspects were charged with murder. (Four were later sentenced to death; one died in prison; the sixth, a juvenile at the time of the attack, was sentenced to a maximum of three years in a reform home.)

    Five years ago: Puerto Rico authorities said nearly half of the power customers in the U.S. territory still lacked electricity, more than three months after Hurricane Maria.

    One year ago: British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in New York of helping lure teenage girls to be sexually abused by the late Jeffrey Epstein; the verdict capped a monthlong trial featuring accounts of the sexual exploitation of girls as young as 14. (Maxwell would be sentenced to 20 years in prison.) More than a year after a vaccine was rolled out, new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. were soaring to their highest levels on record at over 265,000 per day; the surge was driven largely by the highly contagious omicron variant. Candace Parker, who helped the Chicago Sky win the franchise’s first WNBA championship, was named The Associated Press’ Female Athlete of the Year for a second time.

    Today’s Birthdays: Actor Inga Swenson is 90. Retired ABC newscaster Tom Jarriel is 88. Actor Barbara Steele is 85. Actor Jon Voight is 84. Singer Marianne Faithfull is 76. Retired Hall of Fame Jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. is 76. Actor Ted Danson is 75. Singer-actor Yvonne Elliman is 71. The president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, is 69. Actor Patricia Clarkson is 63. Comedian Paula Poundstone is 63. Rock singer-musician Jim Reid (The Jesus and Mary Chain) is 61. Actor Michael Cudlitz is 58. Rock singer Dexter Holland (The Offspring) is 57. Actor-comedian Mystro Clark is 56. Actor Jason Gould is 56. News anchor Ashleigh Banfield is 55. Movie director Lilly Wachowski is 55. Actor Jennifer Ehle is 53. Actor Patrick Fischler is 53. Rock singer-musician Glen Phillips is 52. Actor Kevin Weisman is 52. Actor Jude Law is 50. Actor Maria Dizzia is 48. Actor Mekhi Phifer (mih-KY’ FY’-fuhr) is 48. Actor Shawn Hatosy is 47. Actor Katherine Moennig is 45. Actor Diego Luna is 43. Actor Alison Brie is 40. Country singer Jessica Andrews is 39. Actor Iain de Caestecker is 35. Actor Jane Levy is 33. Singer-actor-dancer Ross Lynch is 27. Rock musician Danny Wagner is 24.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • No. 1 Georgia still hungry as defending national champions

    No. 1 Georgia still hungry as defending national champions

    [ad_1]

    ATHENS, Ga. — Kearis Jackson insists he and his Georgia teammates are not content even after adding this year’s Southeastern Conference championship to last season’s drought-breaking national title.

    The Bulldogs are motivated to keep winning.

    In fact, Jackson, a senior wide receiver, insists No. 1 Georgia is working harder than at this time last year as they seek a new goal — back-to-back national championships. The Bulldogs won their first national title since 1980 last season.

    Jackson says motivation isn’t an issue as the Bulldogs prepare for their Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal against No. 4 Ohio State on Dec. 31. He says some observers will think Georgia players might be satisfied following their 50-30 win over LSU for the the SEC championship.

    It’s a change from one year ago, when Georgia players had extra incentive following a loss to Alabama in the SEC title game.

    “Last year after the SEC championship, it was like we came in with a chip on our shoulder because of the loss,” inside linebacker Smael Mondon said. “This year, I feel like we came with that same intensity, without coming off of a loss. We still have that same fire and intensity that we bring in practice.”

    Jackson also says winning the conference championship hasn’t taken away the team’s hunger as they enter another playoff.

    “I feel like this year coming off a conference win I think we will work harder than we did last year coming off a loss,” Jackson said. “It’s crazy because people can look at it and think they’re complacent, they’re happy about their win.”

    Jackson was thrilled and relieved after Georgia’s first SEC title since 2017. He was a member of three teams that lost in the SEC championship game.

    “Shoot, that’s just another checked box that we wanted as one of our goals,” he said. “I mean, our season is not complete yet. We still have goals we want to reach.”

    The win over LSU left the Bulldogs (13-0) undefeated and the top seed in the CFP. They will return to Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the site of the SEC championship game, for the Peach Bowl as they pursue their biggest goal.

    No Georgia team has won back-to-back national titles, and the Peach Bowl winner will earn a spot in the Jan. 9 national championship game in Los Angeles against No. 2 Michigan or No. 3 TCU.

    “We’re excited we get that opportunity to play in that game,” said Jackson of the Peach Bowl. “Just know that we’re motivated because we haven’t completed anything bigger than what we already want.”

    Georgia’s defense is motivated by the challenge of facing quarterback C.J. Stroud, a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist, and the high-scoring Ohio State offense.

    Coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs posted their second consecutive undefeated regular season despite losing a record 15 NFL draft picks, including five defensive players in the first round. Former walk-on quarterback Stetson Bennett became an unlikely Heisman Trophy finalist and the defense reloaded to rank second in the nation in points allowed.

    Defensive tackle Zion Logue said the Bulldogs avoided a letdown during the season by maintaining focus.

    “We treat every day like a game,” Logue said. “You try to make practice harder than the game so that by the time Dec. 31 gets here, we’ve seen everything and done everything to get ready for that moment.”

    ———

    AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap—top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • No. 1 Georgia still hungry as defending national champions

    No. 1 Georgia still hungry as defending national champions

    [ad_1]

    ATHENS, Ga. — Kearis Jackson insists he and his Georgia teammates are not content even after adding this year’s Southeastern Conference championship to last season’s drought-breaking national title.

    The Bulldogs are motivated to keep winning.

    In fact, Jackson, a senior wide receiver, insists No. 1 Georgia is working harder than at this time last year as they seek a new goal — back-to-back national championships. The Bulldogs won their first national title since 1980 last season.

    Jackson says motivation isn’t an issue as the Bulldogs prepare for their Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal against No. 4 Ohio State on Dec. 31. He says some observers will think Georgia players might be satisfied following their 50-30 win over LSU for the the SEC championship.

    It’s a change from one year ago, when Georgia players had extra incentive following a loss to Alabama in the SEC title game.

    “Last year after the SEC championship, it was like we came in with a chip on our shoulder because of the loss,” inside linebacker Smael Mondon said. “This year, I feel like we came with that same intensity, without coming off of a loss. We still have that same fire and intensity that we bring in practice.”

    Jackson also says winning the conference championship hasn’t taken away the team’s hunger as they enter another playoff.

    “I feel like this year coming off a conference win I think we will work harder than we did last year coming off a loss,” Jackson said. “It’s crazy because people can look at it and think they’re complacent, they’re happy about their win.”

    Jackson was thrilled and relieved after Georgia’s first SEC title since 2017. He was a member of three teams that lost in the SEC championship game.

    “Shoot, that’s just another checked box that we wanted as one of our goals,” he said. “I mean, our season is not complete yet. We still have goals we want to reach.”

    The win over LSU left the Bulldogs (13-0) undefeated and the top seed in the CFP. They will return to Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the site of the SEC championship game, for the Peach Bowl as they pursue their biggest goal.

    No Georgia team has won back-to-back national titles, and the Peach Bowl winner will earn a spot in the Jan. 9 national championship game in Los Angeles against No. 2 Michigan or No. 3 TCU.

    “We’re excited we get that opportunity to play in that game,” said Jackson of the Peach Bowl. “Just know that we’re motivated because we haven’t completed anything bigger than what we already want.”

    Georgia’s defense is motivated by the challenge of facing quarterback C.J. Stroud, a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist, and the high-scoring Ohio State offense.

    Coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs posted their second consecutive undefeated regular season despite losing a record 15 NFL draft picks, including five defensive players in the first round. Former walk-on quarterback Stetson Bennett became an unlikely Heisman Trophy finalist and the defense reloaded to rank second in the nation in points allowed.

    Defensive tackle Zion Logue said the Bulldogs avoided a letdown during the season by maintaining focus.

    “We treat every day like a game,” Logue said. “You try to make practice harder than the game so that by the time Dec. 31 gets here, we’ve seen everything and done everything to get ready for that moment.”

    ———

    AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap—top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Nitpicking Clemson, Alabama and all the CFP contenders through Week 8

    Nitpicking Clemson, Alabama and all the CFP contenders through Week 8

    [ad_1]

    On Saturday, Clemson turned the ball over four times, trailed by as much as 14, benched its starting QB and won. That, Dabo Swinney said, is the headline.

    Got it?

    No, don’t ask about that quarterback controversy. It doesn’t exist. Figment of your imagination. Swinney is essentially Kevin Bacon at the end of “Animal House,” standing in the midst of a stampede and yelling, “All is well!”

    Swinney spent the entire offseason hyping DJ Uiagalelei, despite his struggles in 2021. The coach has spent the first seven weeks of this season dishing out one “I told you so” after another, including as recently as last week, when he called doubts of Uiagalelei “embarrassing” and a product of “the world we live in now.”

    And when Clemson was trailing by 10 and Uiagalelei coughed up his third turnover of the game midway through the third quarter, Swinney came with the hook.

    Why? Swinney believed freshman Cade Klubnik could give the offense a spark, and the move worked. Clemson scored on three of its next four drives. Sure, Klubnik completed just two passes in the game, so his inspiration was more Rob Schneider in “The Waterboy” than Bill Pullman in “Independence Day.” But hey, a win is a win.

    In the aftermath, Swinney emphatically assured Clemson fans that Uiagalelei is still the starter as the Tigers, now 8-0, head into an off week with their ACC Atlantic Division crown all but assured. They will not play another ranked opponent this year.

    play

    2:26

    Clemson switches quarterbacks in the second half and overcomes four turnovers to beat Syracuse 24-21.

    But Swinney is right. The world is a cold, callous place, and so we must also ask the bigger question: Is this an 8-0 team capable of winning a national championship?

    Before last season, the answer might have been an emphatic, “Yes!” After all, we’d seen Clemson shrug off mediocrity before and still keep winning. Look back at Swinney’s first national title in the 2016 campaign. That season, the Tigers struggled against Troy, only beat NC State because of a missed chip shot as time expired and lost to Pitt. But Deshaun Watson still found Hunter Renfrow in the back corner of the end zone at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium in the title game against Alabama, and no one needed to remember those regular-season struggles after that.

    But then 2021 happened, and despite its 10-3 finish Clemson was clearly vulnerable. The wins were less destiny than they were rugged determination. That is commendable but perhaps not sustainable.

    Clemson needed double overtime to get past Wake Forest and nearly coughed up a big lead a week ago against Florida State. And if not for Syracuse‘s utterly mind-boggling decision to put Sean Tucker into witness protection Saturday — “I felt like he was the one guy who could flat-out beat us,” Swinney said afterward — there’s every reason to think this might be more 2021 than 2016.

    And yet, is this question any different from the ones posed at Oregon or Alabama or Michigan and on down the line?

    The Ducks demolished UCLA on Saturday and established themselves as the clear front-runner in the Pac-12, but does that matter when they’ve already been curb-stomped by Georgia in the opener?

    Should we forget the way the Bulldogs demolished them way back when if the recent data points are far more impressive? Do we need a rematch of a game that was over by the end of the first quarter? It’s complicated.

    Ole Miss offered the SEC an alternative to the Crimson Tide, but LSU sent the Rebels scurrying on out of Louisiana like a crawdad in a steam pot, as Brian Kelly would say.

    But Lane Kiffin’s crew will still get its shot at Alabama, and if it should win, wouldn’t the Rebels be a playoff team? It’s complicated.

    Or how about those Crimson Tide? Nick Saban likely spent this week of practice like Jigsaw, planning ever more sadistic dilemmas for his team to maneuver, but the rat poison was successfully expelled from Alabama’s system with a 30-6 win over Mississippi State. Yes, the Tide have appeared vulnerable against Texas and A&M and lost to Tennessee, but does anyone really think Alabama can’t be a playoff team? Well, it’s complicated.

    Despite the easy win, Alabama finished with just 290 yards of total offense — its lowest production in an SEC game since 2014.

    Are we sold on Tennessee? Has Georgia just been easing into the season like it’s a warm bath? Is Michigan a fitting adversary for Ohio State?

    Max Duggan wasn’t perfect Saturday in the 38-28 TCU win, but he was exceptional when he had to be, and the Horned Frogs’ ground game pounded away at Kansas State until the Wildcats finally gave way. TCU has been tied or behind in the second half of each of its last three games, including against Kansas State’s backup QB on Saturday, all of which might underscore just how narrow the margin is for the Horned Frogs, but it’s a line they’ve yet to cross. Does that make TCU a playoff team? Well, it’s complicated.

    If we’re nitpicking, we’ll find nearly all teams left wanting. In other words, it’s all complicated.

    But Swinney isn’t nitpicking. Well, sure, he picked a few nits with his starting quarterback Saturday, but bygones are bygones now. The point is, Clemson won. So, too, did Alabama and Oregon and Penn State and Oklahoma State. Their chase continues.

    In the end, Clemson is 8-0, one of just six teams (Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio State, Michigan and TCU) left with a zero in the loss column.

    And when it comes time for the committee to pick nits and split hairs, that zero looms awfully large because winning every game is the one way to erase all the complications and make the committee’s decision simple.


    Nix, Ducks roll past UCLA

    We would like to issue a formal apology to Bo Nix. He is not the reason Auburn fans spent four years beating their heads against a wall, shouting “Make it stop! Make it stop!”

    Nix bested UCLA 45-30 with a brilliant performance Saturday, completing 22-of-28 passes for 283 yards and five touchdowns. He ran for 51 more yards. He electrified a fan base that remains blissfully unaware of all the pain he once helped inflict in his old life.

    Yes, the numbers at Auburn seemed to suggest Nix was at the root of the problem, but as Mark Twain said, there are lies, damned lies and statistics, and Nix’s numbers were the most insidious of lies.

    Yes, we watched Nix struggle in his Oregon debut as the Ducks were steamrolled by Georgia, but that was an unfair sample. It was like starting fresh at a new high school with a chance to finally fit in with the cool kids, only to bump into an old classmate at the mall. Georgia knew Auburn Bo Nix too well.

    But look past all that. Look at what Nix has become now that he’s clear of Auburn, past Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin and … boy, it feels like there were six or seven other coaches in there, too. Oh, sure, Nix was an Auburn legacy and a five-star recruit, but The Plains has eaten up better men than that. But after years of tumult, Nix finally realized that this relationship was toxic, that he had to move on. Nothing in Taylor Swift’s discography captures the emotion of this breakup.

    And when Nix left, he got as far away as he could go. And at long last, he was free.

    Nix has Oregon at 6-1 and undefeated in Pac-12 play. Despite that brutal opener against Georgia, the Ducks have miraculously forced their way back into playoff conversation. Nix’s performance Saturday helped the Oregon fan base fully exorcise one of its demons, forcing Chip Kelly to return, defeated, to the sad suburban condo with the empty pool that we all assume he lives at.

    What happened at Auburn was inevitable. Nix just happened to be playing QB at the time, like the activities director on the Titanic. So, consider this Nix’s “Good Will Hunting” moment. It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault.


    Eight is enough

    Over the summer, Mario Cristobal wanted to assure the public that Miami was serious about winning and didn’t need any gimmicks to get the job done. So, Cristobal said, no more turnover chain.

    Big mistake.

    The turnover chain was not a gimmick. It was a sacred relic, and its destruction has signaled the end times in Coral Gables.

    Duke annihilated Miami 45-21 on Saturday, as the Hurricanes coughed up the football eight times.

    Eight. Times.

    Now, it’d be easy enough to chalk up all the turnovers to the simple fact that Miami is a very bad football team. But that would be like suggesting there are so many “Fast and Furious” movies because Vin Diesel is America’s greatest living thespian. Both things are true, but those facts alone cannot explain such prolific output.

    No, for Miami there can be but one obvious culprit: Cristobal angered the football gods, and he must now go on a mythic quest, through corridors haunted by the ghosts of Al Golden and Randy Shannon, scale the unconquerable mountains of the ACC Coastal Division and survive an epic freestyle battle with Uncle Luke to retrieve the turnover chain and return it to its rightful place on Miami’s sideline.

    The whole thing is already in development at HBO.


    Sanders leads Cowboys past Texas

    Quinn Ewers has had some rough moments this season. His car was towed. He hurt his shoulder. He had to watch Oklahoma play for an entire game. But Saturday was his rock bottom.

    Ewers completed just 19 of 49 throws and tossed three interceptions in Texas’ 41-34 loss at Oklahoma State.

    The Pokes were playing with a battered offensive line, but Spencer Sanders still delivered some critical throws, tossing two touchdowns, while Jaden Nixon showed he could’ve run over Texas’ defense wearing bedroom slippers.

    It was a huge bounce-back win for Oklahoma State after blowing a late lead against TCU last week. The Cowboys are 6-1, and Sanders has firmly established himself as either the best bad QB or worst good QB in the country.

    After the Longhorns lost twice without Ewers earlier this season, Saturday’s defeat can at least remove any linger “What if” debates and allow Texas to completely turn its attention to keeping trick-or-treaters safe from monkey attacks this week.


    Iowa digs past rock bottom

    Iowa finally benched Spencer Petras on Saturday, after he managed just eight completions — six to his team, and two to Ohio State. But honestly, benching isn’t enough salvation for Petras. It’s time Quarterback Protective Services steps in and removes him from his home. He deserves to run free on a farm upstate.

    Even after Petras was benched, things didn’t get better for the Hawkeyes. Alex Padilla completed just five of 10 passes for 32 yards and an interception, essentially assuring Iowa’s QB depth chart is just the two Spider-Mans pointing at each other meme.

    How bad was it?

    Iowa was 1-of-13 on third-down tries.

    Iowa had six turnovers. (Miami can expect a thank-you card from coordinator Brian Ferentz this week.)

    Iowa averaged 2.2 yards per run and yet the QBs were so bad the Hawkeyes still chose to run it 35 times.

    There’s only one logical solution to Iowa’s offensive woes at this point. It’s time for Kirk Ferentz to fire his son and hire Jeff Bowden.


    Under-the-radar play of the week

    If you missed the ending to Stanford vs. Arizona State, we understand. Watching that game was punishment for shoplifting in several states. And perhaps fittingly, the final moments were every bit as unfortunate as a matchup between two bad teams would suggest.

    Trailing 15-14, Arizona State chucked a Hail Mary throw down the sideline on fourth-and-19, which appeared to be hauled in by Elijhah Badger to set up a game-winning field goal with just seconds remaining.

    play

    0:52

    Arizona State falls to Stanford in the final seconds as Emory Jones has one foot out on the 4th-and-19 catch that would have set up a game-winning field goal.

    Upon replay review, however, the call was overturned, with officials saying Badger had a toe out of bounds on the catch, allowing Stanford to snap a 10-game conference losing streak.


    Under-the-radar game of the week

    Rhode Island and Monmouth put on a marathon Saturday, playing seven overtimes before the Rams emerged with a 48-46 win. Not since the famed Texas A&M-LSU epic has a college football game between two teams no one cared about gone on so very, very long.

    The game featured seven ties and four lead changes. Monmouth QB Tony Muskett — who also may have been a character on “Bonanza” — threw for three touchdowns. Rhode Island QB Kasim Hill threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns, including a 73-yarder to Marques DeShields with 3:23 remaining to tie the game at 35, but he also tossed three picks.

    In the first OT, both teams traded touchdowns. Both went scoreless in the second frame. Then it went to 2-point tries, and the Rams and Hawks stayed even through four more frames. In the seventh OT, Rhode Island broke up a pass in the end zone, and Hill completed his throw to Ed Lee to secure the win.

    Sadly, Jimbo Fisher’s nephew was not able to attend, so this seven-OT game did not end with fisticuffs, and frankly, we cannot truly embrace seven overtimes unless someone wearing khakis starts taking swings at complete strangers.


    We hate to be the ones to bring this up, but it needs to be said: Liberty is 7-1.

    We know, we know: When quarterback Malik Willis left, we all hoped we could safely stop paying attention to the Flames. But somehow, they’ve kept winning, including a 41-14 stomping of BYU on Saturday behind 213 rushing yards from Dae Dae Hunter.

    Liberty’s lone loss came on a missed 2-point try against 6-1 Wake Forest.

    Liberty has won with three different starting QBs.

    Liberty is — deep breaths — good.

    Is it possible Hugh Freeze is fueled by the country’s anger at him, like the emperor in “Star Wars?” (We also assume that if Twitter existed in a galaxy far, far away, Palpatine would slide into Obi-Wan’s DMs to complain about rebel criticisms too.) There’s simply no keeping the guy down (even when he is literally kept down).

    So, do we need to take Liberty seriously? The only acceptable answer is yes. To embrace Freeze is to take away his power. Or, if not that, maybe Iowa should hire him.


    Heisman Five

    Even in a week in which three of the nine remaining undefeated teams lost, there wasn’t much room for shake-ups at the top of the Heisman hopeful list.

    1. Tennessee Volunteers QB Hendon Hooker

    Tee Martin won a national championship at Tennessee. UT Martin, on the other hand, struggled badly at Tennessee on Saturday. The Skyhawks had no answers for Hooker, who averaged more than 11 yards per throw and tossed three more touchdowns.

    2. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud

    Exposure to the Hawkeyes’ offense took its toll on Stroud, who struggled through the first half, but thankfully Ryan Day was able to perform a full Iowa exorcism (it involves spewing creamed corn instead of pea soup) and Stroud rebounded with four second-half TD throws.

    3. Alabama QB Bryce Young

    Young did all he could to pull Alabama over the finish line last week against Tennessee, but we were still worried he might catch some strays from Saban during practice this week. Thankfully, he survived, and he returned with another strong day, throwing for 249 yards and two touchdowns in the Tide’s 30-0 win over Mississippi State.

    4. USC QB Caleb Williams

    USC was off Saturday, leaving Lincoln Riley with an extra week to find some defenders in the transfer portal.

    5. Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman

    Wake is 6-1 after drubbing Boston College, and in the lone loss, Hartman had six touchdown passes. He nearly matched that total Saturday, throwing for five touchdowns and running for a sixth in the win. Hartman now has the third-most passing TDs in ACC history (93), trailing only Tajh Boyd and Philip Rivers, all despite also working part time as a 1920s mafia hit man.


    The most college football thing to happen Saturday

    We talk often about the plague of #CollegeKickers, with flubbed chip shots invariably costing teams a needed win on an almost weekly basis. Long-snappers, on the other hand, tend to fly below the radar.

    Unfortunately for Weber State‘s Grant Sands, his Saturday will be remembered for a long time.

    Sands snapped the football over the punter’s head and out of the back of the end zone for a safety four times against Montana State on Saturday, handing the Bobcats eight points in a game that Montana State ultimately won 43-38.

    play

    0:41

    Weber State is on the wrong end of the record books as it surrenders four safeties on errant special teams snaps.


    Big bets and bad beats

    Miami has been favored to win four times this season. The Hurricanes are now 1-3 in those games after a miserable eight-turnover loss to Duke on Saturday. Miami has now lost as a 25.5-point favorite to Middle Tennessee, a 10-point favorite to Duke and a four-point favorite to North Carolina. The Hurricanes’ lone win as a favorite came against Virginia Tech, after they failed to cover a nine-point spread in a 20-14 victory.


    Clemson trailed Syracuse 21-10 at the half on Saturday, which was just about the perfect spot for the Tigers — or at least for sharp bettors. The Tigers were -9.5 in the second half, and they covered that number easily, outscoring the Orange 17-0 in the final two frames. That makes Clemson coach Dabo Swinney 11-2 against the second-half spread in his career when trailing at halftime.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • The 2022 college football midseason All-America team

    The 2022 college football midseason All-America team

    [ad_1]

    We’ve reached the midpoint of the 2022 college football season, and some new faces — both teams and players — have navigated their way to the front of the line.

    Tennessee is unbeaten and ranked No. 3, the Vols’ highest in-season AP ranking since 2001. Ole Miss also is unbeaten and the No. 7 Rebels have won 11 straight regular-season games dating back to last year. TCU and UCLA cracked the AP top 10 this week. It’s the highest ranking for the Horned Frogs (No. 8) since 2017 and the highest for the Bruins (No. 9) since 2015.

    The fresh faces extend to ESPN’s midseason All-America team, which includes only five players who were on our preseason team. Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee each placed two players on the team. Overall, the 26 players selected on offense, defense and special teams come from 23 teams:

    Offense

    QB: Hendon Hooker, Tennessee

    Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud are special players, but Hooker gets the nod. The sixth-year senior has been the heart and soul of Tennessee’s resurgence. He’s third nationally among Power 5 quarterbacks in total offense (350.7 yards per game) and has accounted for 18 touchdowns with just one interception, and he’s done it without his most accomplished receiver (Cedric Tillman) for much of the season.

    RB: Blake Corum, Michigan

    The 5-foot-8, 210-pound Corum is a dynamo. Opposing defenses know he’s going to get the ball, and it doesn’t matter. He just keeps piling up the yardage. Corum has 666 of his 901 rushing yards in his past four games and has rushed for an FBS-leading 13 touchdowns. He leads all Power 5 running backs with 11 runs of 20 yards or longer and is averaging 6.2 yards per carry.

    RB: Bijan Robinson, Texas

    One of Robinson’s many specialties is making defenders miss. Pro Football Focus has him No. 1 among Power 5 backs when it comes to creating missed tackles. The 6-foot, 222-pound junior, who is a carryover from our preseason team, also catches the ball like a wide receiver. He’s the only FBS player to have more than 700 rushing yards (780) and 200 receiving yards (239). He has 11 total touchdowns, including 10 on the ground, and has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his past five games.

    WR: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State

    When has Ohio State not been loaded with talented receivers? Emeka Egbuka and Harrison have formed an explosive one-two punch with Jaxon Smith-Njigba slowed by a hamstring injury. Harrison, a 6-4, 205-pound sophomore, is tied for second among Power 5 players with nine touchdown catches and is averaging 17.3 yards per catch. He has the most targets (46) without a drop in the Power 5, according to Pro Football Focus.

    WR: Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee

    Hyatt has been one of college football’s most compelling stories and also one of the nation’s most improved players. He torched Alabama with a school-record five touchdown catches and has 10 touchdowns for the season. The 6-foot, 180-pound junior has elite speed and has been much more consistent in every area of his game. He had made just two career starts prior to this season and has stepped in for the injured Tillman as the Vols’ go-to receiver.

    T: Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State

    Johnson’s move from guard to left tackle has been a big reason Ohio State’s offense has been as explosive as ever. The Buckeyes rank first nationally in scoring offense (48.8 points per game) and have given up just three sacks. The 6-6, 310-pound Johnson, one of the three offensive linemen who also made our preseason team, hasn’t allowed a sack since the 2020 season, and his tackle cohort on the right side, Dawand Jones, also is a top NFL prospect.

    G: Nick Broeker, Ole Miss

    This is Broeker’s third straight season as a starter, and he has blossomed as the Rebels’ starting left guard after playing left tackle as a sophomore and junior. Lane Kiffin’s offenses always run the ball effectively, and the 6-5, 315-pound Broeker has been a mauler. Ole Miss is third nationally in rushing (271.4 yards per game), and Quinshon Judkins and Zach Evans have made a living running behind Broeker.

    C: John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota

    One of college football’s most experienced and dominant interior offensive linemen, the 6-4, 320-pound Schmitz has 29 career starts. The sixth-year senior has helped clear the way for Mohamed Ibrahim, who is fourth nationally in rushing yards per game (138.8). Schmitz’s 91.2 run-block grade, according to Pro Football Focus, leads all other centers by a wide margin. Schmitz is a carryover from our preseason team.

    G: Steve Avila, TCU

    After starting 11 games at center a year ago, Avila shifted to left guard this season. He’s the unquestioned leader of the TCU offensive line and has played his way into being a top NFL prospect. A 6-4, 330-pound senior, Avila has made starts during his career at center, guard and tackle. His play in the interior of the TCU offensive line has helped the unbeaten Frogs move into the top 25 nationally in both rushing and passing offense.

    T: Peter Skoronski, Northwestern

    The Wildcats have struggled, but Skoronski continues to play his left tackle position as well as anybody in the country. The 6-4, 315-pound junior has been a fixture in the Northwestern lineup since his true freshman season in 2020, when he stepped in for Rashawn Slater. Skoronski, who also made our preseason team, has the footwork and strength to play anywhere on the offensive line, but he has excelled at tackle.

    TE: Michael Mayer, Notre Dame

    There are a lot of good tight ends to choose from. Utah’s Dalton Kincaid and Georgia’s Brock Bowers are both having big years, but Mayer has been the most complete tight end to this point. He leads Notre Dame in catches (33), receiving yards (351) and touchdown catches (five). The 6-4, 265-pound junior is a good runner after the catch and more than holds his own as a blocker.

    All-purpose: Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama

    The transfer from Georgia Tech has been invaluable for an Alabama offense that has had to rely far too much on Young. Gibbs is the only FBS player with more than 600 rushing yards (635), 200 receiving yards (268) and 150 return yards (164). He has five rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns and is one of those players who looks like he’s going to score every time he touches the ball.


    Defense

    DE: Tuli Tuipulotu, USC

    Tuipulotu has been one of the most disruptive defenders in the Pac-12 after earning first-team all-conference honors as a sophomore. The 6-4, 290-pound Tuipulotu is athletic enough that he can do a little bit of everything. He leads all FBS defensive linemen with 12.5 tackles for loss and leads all Power 5 defensive linemen with seven sacks.

    DT: Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh

    A dominant pass-rusher on the interior, Kancey had 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack against Georgia Tech and heads into the second half of the season with a total of 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks while generating six quarterback hurries. The 6-foot, 280-pound Kancey has also freed up other teammates to make plays because he’s constantly facing double teams and crushing the pocket.

    DE: Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State

    Chris Klieman’s Wildcats (5-1) are contending in the Big 12 and their defense has led the way. They’re ranked 14th nationally in scoring defense (16.7 points per game), and the 6-4, 255-pound Anudike-Uzomah has picked up right where he left off a year ago. He has 6.5 sacks (11 last season) and two forced fumbles (six last season), and his constant pressure off the edge has fueled Kansas State’s stifling defense.

    LB: Will Anderson Jr., Alabama

    play

    0:21

    Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. returns interception 25 yards to the house.

    Alabama used Anderson a little differently in the loss to Tennessee, and he didn’t have big numbers, but he’s still one of the most feared defenders in college football and a player who must be accounted for on every play. The 6-4, 243-pound junior, the final carryover from our preseason team, is tied for sixth nationally with 10.5 tackles for loss, including five sacks. He has nine quarterback hurries, an interception return for a touchdown and blocked a field goal attempt in the 1-point win over Texas.

    LB: Jack Campbell, Iowa

    Campbell is a fierce leader and competitor and has been one of college football’s most productive defenders from his middle linebacker position the past two years. The 6-5, 246-pound senior has 63 tackles, including three for loss, and recorded a safety in Iowa’s 7-3 win over South Dakota State. Campbell’s presence in the middle is a big reason the Hawkeyes have held opponents to just two rushing TDs this season.

    LB: Ivan Pace Jr., Cincinnati

    Pace didn’t have to look far for his new home, and his transfer from Miami (Ohio) has paid dividends for both him and Cincinnati. After opening the season at outside linebacker, the 6-foot, 235-pound senior has created havoc from his middle linebacker position and is tied for the FBS lead with 12.5 tackles for loss, including five sacks. He’s been remarkably consistent with an average of 10.3 tackles per game.

    LB: Drew Sanders, Arkansas

    The Alabama transfer — and a player the Tide could use right now on defense — moved to inside linebacker at Arkansas and has been a force for the Hogs. His defensive coordinator, Barry Odom, says the 6-5, 233-pound junior is playing at an “elite” level, and Sanders’ numbers back up those words. He has 7.5 tackles for loss, including 6.5 sacks, and has forced three fumbles. He ranks fourth in the SEC with 63 total tackles.

    CB: Clark Phillips III, Utah

    Phillips has started every game since he came to Utah, including all five games during the 2020 shortened season when he was a freshman. During that time, Phillips has developed into one of the top corners in the country and is tied for the FBS lead with five interceptions this season. He had interception returns for touchdowns in back-to-back games earlier this season against Oregon State and UCLA.

    CB: Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State

    Wherever the ball is, you’ll find Forbes. He’s one of the best cover cornerbacks in the country and already has five interceptions this season to add to the three he had a year ago. The 6-foot, 180-pound junior has returned two of his interceptions for touchdowns this season against Texas A&M (33 yards) and Kentucky (59 yards) and has five pick-sixes in his Mississippi State career.

    S: Christopher Smith, Georgia

    It’s no secret how much talent the Dawgs lost on defense to the NFL last season, and they’ve also been hampered by injuries to some key players. But Smith’s consistency and experience have been vital to a Georgia defense that ranks second nationally in scoring defense (9.1 points per game) and third in total defense (247 yards per game). The 5-11, 195-pound senior has three tackles for loss, two interceptions and one fumble recovery.

    S: Jartavius Martin, Illinois

    Illinois and Bret Bielema have something special brewing in Champaign, and it starts with a defense ranked first nationally in scoring defense (8.9 points per game). The Fighting Illini (6-1) have been especially hard on opposing passing games. They’ve allowed just two touchdown passes and collected 12 interceptions. Martin is part of a safety tandem along with Kendall Smith that has been terrific. Martin is second on the team in tackles (33) and has also intercepted two passes.


    Special teams

    PK: Christopher Dunn, NC State

    There’s perfect, and then there’s Christopher Dunn. He’s 14-of-14 on field-goal attempts and hasn’t missed an extra point this season. Eight of Dunn’s field goals have been from 40 yards or longer. The Wolfpack (5-2) would have a third loss had it not been for Dunn making all four of his field goals in the 19-17 win over Florida State. He kicked a 53-yarder in the fourth quarter of that game and the go-ahead 27-yarder with 6:33 to play.

    P: Bryce Baringer, Michigan State

    Baringer has been booming footballs seemingly forever in the Big Ten. He started his career at Illinois and is now in his sixth collegiate season. It’s been his best to this point, as he leads the country with a 51.4-yard average (the only FBS punter over 50 yards). He’s had seven of his 30 punts downed inside the 10-yard line and has a long of 70 yards, the best in the Big Ten this season.

    KR: Eric Garror, Louisiana

    Garror, a fifth-year senior cornerback, is the only FBS player with two punt returns for touchdowns. Garror had an 83-yard return for a score in the Ragin’ Cajuns’ opener against Southeastern Louisiana and took one back 69 yards for a touchdown against South Alabama. Garror is averaging 18.4 yards on 13 returns, and he also had a 34-yard return to set up a touchdown against Eastern Michigan.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Heisman Watch 2022: Leading contenders, current odds and top moments

    Heisman Watch 2022: Leading contenders, current odds and top moments

    [ad_1]

    We’re officially over halfway through college football’s regular season, so what better time to check on the Heisman Trophy race than now?

    After several high-profile games this past week, our Heisman watch has been turned upside down with three new faces on the list since our last check in — congrats on making the cut once again C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young.

    This week, you’ll see our Heisman standings, top Heisman moments of the week, what to watch for in Week 8, plus a Q&A with Michigan RB Blake Corum.

    Voting methodology: 13 voters ranked their top five candidates, with five points for a first-place vote down to one point for a fifth-place vote.


    Top five candidates

    1. Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee

    Total points: 61 (first-place votes: 9)

    Notable: Hooker has been the breakout star of the college football season so far and his best came last Saturday against Alabama. He finished 21 of 30 for 385 yards and five touchdowns as the Volunteers beat the Crimson Tide for the first since 2006.

    Heisman odds: +450

    Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook

    2. C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State

    Total points: 56 (first-place votes: 4)

    Notable: Stroud has been the picture of consistency this season as the No. 2 Buckeyes are off to a 6-0 start. Stroud has thrown for over 350 yards three times this season, including his last time out when he threw for 361 yards and six touchdowns against Michigan State. He’s thrown for 4+ touchdowns in four games this season.

    Heisman odds: +100

    3. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

    Total points: 36 (first-place votes: 0)

    Notable: The Crimson Tide may have taken a loss at Tennessee but Young’s return was still something to behold. He threw for 455 yards and two touchdowns while keeping Alabama in the game as Hooker was lighting up the scoreboard. Young is looking to be the second player in history to win back-to-back Heisman trophies.

    Heisman odds: +2000

    4. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, UCLA

    Total points: 19 (first-place votes: 0)

    Notable: The Bruins are off to the program’s best start under Chip Kelly and the success starts with the quarterback. Thompson-Robinson put UCLA on the map on Sept. 30 when he threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-32 win over a ranked Washington team. If Thompson-Robinson wants to thoroughly place himself in the Heisman conversation, a big performance in Eugene this week against Oregon will do it.

    Heisman odds: +1600

    5. Caleb Williams, QB, USC

    Total points: 12 (first-place votes: 0)

    Notable: Much like Young, one of Williams’ best performances of the season came in loss. The Trojans fell late to Utah this past week but Williams threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns in the 43-42 defeat. He also ran for 57 yards against the Utes.

    Heisman odds: +800

    Others receiving votes (total points in parentheses): Blake Corum, RB, Michigan (8); Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina (3)


    Q&A with Blake Corum

    After Michigan’s 41-17 win over Penn State in Ann Arbor, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg and Chris Grandstaff talked with Corum about his season and the Heisman.

    ESPN: Reggie Bush has attended your last few games [as a Fox analyst]. What have your interactions been like with him?

    BC: I’ve become really cool friends with Reggie the last couple weeks. I talked to Reggie after every game. The respect is mutual. Reggie is one of the best running backs ever, especially when you talk about college, he killed it. He told me what he thought about my cutting ability and what type of running back I am. He said I’m one of the best. He is the best, so getting those words from him meant a lot. I talked to them after the game yesterday, and then when he was leaving, the police were escorting their cars, and I was walking out with fans, and he saw me, he rolled his window down [and said], ‘Keep being great.’ Then he told me, ‘You’re the best running back in the nation.’ That meant a lot. If I’m able to win the Heisman like Reggie, it would be a blessing.

    ESPN: Did you see Charles Woodson at the Penn State game?

    BC: Yeah, I’ve met Charles Woodson a couple of times. I talked to him before the game, he came up to me. Desmond Howard, I’m really cool with him. I know a bunch of guys who used to play here.

    ESPN: Obviously those two guys won the biggest award you can win in the Heisman. What would it mean to be in that mix and ultimately have a chance?

    BC: It would be amazing, but I’m not looking too far ahead. I’m really focused on trying to get better, how can this team get better and keep winning? When you’re winning, everyone’s looking at you. Those awards that happen at the end of the season, they’re at the end of the season for a reason. I’m not going to win the Doak Walker [Award] today, I’m not going to win the Heisman today. I have to keep producing, I have to keep eating, and that’s going to take work. Obviously, it would be a blessing to be up there on that wall next to the greats. It would be a dream come true.

    ESPN: Growing up, what was your Heisman Trophy memory? What player do you remember most?

    BC: I don’t have too many Heisman memories, because more times than not, it’s a quarterback winning it. But when I committed to Michigan, I went on YouTube and actually looked at the [Heisman] ceremonies of Desmond and Charles. Obviously, Johnny Manziel, that was cool with the money sign, that was a big year, that was fun, everyone was rooting for him. He was a heck of an athlete.

    ESPN: How do you view your role last year as opposed to what they’re asking of you this season?

    BC: I look at it as Donovan [Edwards] took my role and I took Hassan [Haskins’] role. Hassan last year, he set it up for me. He got those hard yards, and then I come in and break a 50-yarder. It’s a little different now because he wasn’t really breaking too many 50-yarders. I’m still breaking some long ones, but he was getting 20-plus carries a game, really inside zone, he wasn’t going outside too much. I feel like I’m that thunder with some lightning as well. That’s what my role is. I can take the load and then Donovan comes in and does his thing, too. I was lightning last year. Now I get to the goal line, like third-and-1, I’m in as a power back. Red zone, I’m in.

    ESPN: How important has it been for you to prove you can do that and still break a 60-yarder?

    BC: It’s been very important. A lot of people have doubted my durability, maybe my size, it starts with my height [5-8], but at the end of the day I’m 210 [pounds], weighed in at 212 today. So the weight isn’t a problem. But being able to get 28 to 30 carries in the last four games, I feel has shown a lot to whoever may have been doubting that.

    ESPN: Who have you tried to model your game after?

    BC: I love Barry Sanders. He was a little before my time, so I didn’t really get to watch him on TV, but I love watching him on YouTube, just how elusive he was and how he was able to get out of cuts and get out of tackles, break tackles, not get touched. I admire his style. Then, when it comes to power, because I like inside zone, I like running up the middle, I’m not afraid of contact, so I like Marshawn Lynch. He likes getting hit, he likes hitting people. He has that thing where he says, ‘Hit ’em over and over and over again.’ I like that mentality.

    ESPN: You mentioned earlier that the Heisman is often a quarterback’s award. What would it mean to win it as a running back?

    BC: It would mean a lot because it is kind of like a quarterback award. Obviously, [Michigan defensive end] Aidan [Hutchinson] went last year, didn’t get a chance to win it. If I’m able to go [to New York] and win it, I don’t know what I would do, honestly. I just know it would mean the world to me. I would definitely have come back and give my offensive linemen and big ol’ present. If I’m able to win it, I don’t know what the emotions would be like. It would mean a lot, especially another No. 2 at the University of Michigan winning it. They may have to retire the jersey after that. I thought they would have already retired it after Charles, just because of the legend he is, but if someone else wins it wearing No. 2, oh man, it would be a blessing.

    play

    0:27

    Blake Corum gets down to the 1-yard line with a 50-yard run. On the next play he finished the drive off with a short touchdown run.


    Top Heisman moments this past week

    1. Let’s be honest, Hooker’s entire performance against Alabama is why he’s No. 1 on the list this week. But here’s one of his many dimes from the 52-49 win.

    2. When the Michigan Wolverines look to closeout games, they turn to Blake Corum.

    3. It might’ve come in a loss, but Bryce Young had plenty of fans in Knoxville nervous after his performance against the Volunteers.


    Heisman game of the week

    No. 9 UCLA at No. 10 Oregon (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox)

    As previously mentioned, if Dorian Thompson-Robinson is a true Heisman candidate, this will be the game to show it — until the USC matchup, of course. ESPN’s College GameDay is heading to Eugene for the game and, with both teams in the top 10, UCLA coach Chip Kelly’s return to Oregon should be one of the Pac-12’s most electric games of the season. Oh, and Oregon quarterback Bo Nix isn’t too shabby, either.

    [ad_2]

    Source link