#college-football

#college-football

HIM?! THAT'S THE GUY?!

At the midpoint of the season, Penn State has three losses, Clemson has three losses, Texas is trying to claw its way back into the playoff conversation, and undefeated Indiana is ... a top five team?! "This showed the country we're a real team," Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza told reporters after the Hoosiers' 30-20 win at Oregon. "We're not just a one-hit wonder." Separation has started to occur, true playoff contenders have begun to emerge through statement wins,

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Ohio State had 14 players from its national championship team selected in the NFL draft, which tied the team record and raised legitimate questions about who would fill the holes. Rebuilding years don't happen at Ohio State, but the Buckeyes projected as a team that might evolve over time. Halfway through the regular season, the Buckeyes' growth spurt has already come, and the team looks fully capable of defending its title.

Stanford remained winless in four road games all in different time zones as SMU scored the first 17 points in a 34-10 win in Dallas on Saturday. The Cardinal (2-4, 1-2 ACC) allowed an 87-yard touchdown run with 35 seconds left in the first half to fall behind 17-0, and SMU had a 96-yard interception return for a touchdown that made it 31-10 midway through the fourth quarter.

DALLAS -- Stanford cornerback Aaron Morris was alert and responsive after being immobilized and taken off the field in an ambulance following a tackle, the school said Saturday. Morris' facemask was removed while he was placed on a stretcher before he was loaded onto the ambulance at SMU's Ford Stadium. Stanford spokesman Brian Brownfield said Morris was "alert and responsive. Doing well."

Six weeks into the college football season, the chaos is starting to settle. Upsets have reshaped the landscape, preseason darlings have faded and the sport's true heavyweights have emerged. The Big Three for me are clear: Ohio State, Oregon and Miami. ( Alabama is third in national title odds, and while I don't agree, that's a different conversation.) The Buckeyes, Ducks and Hurricanes are undefeated, loaded with elite talent and have a real path to the playoff and national title.

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. - Joe Fagnano threw for 355 yards and four touchdowns on 22-for-28 passing in three quarters, Skyler Bell had two touchdown grabs, and UConn cruised by Florida International 51-10 on Saturday. The Huskies (4-2) have won three straight, while the Panthers (2-3) have dropped two in a row. UConn took a 24-point lead into halftime, and scored on five straight drives between the second and third quarters.

CINCINNATI -- Brendan Sorsby passed for 214 yards and two touchdowns, Evan Pryor ran for 111 yards and two TDs and Cincinnati used a 17-point first quarter to beat No. 14 Iowa State 38-30 on Saturday. The Bearcats (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) beat a ranked opponent at home for the first time since beating No. 16 Houston 35-20 on Dec. 4, 2021.

North Carolina coach Bill Belichick is turning to senior quarterback Max Johnson to start Saturday's game against Clemson, a source told ESPN. Gio Lopez, who opened the season as the Tar Heels starter, is a game-time decision because of a lower body injury, but if he is available, he will serve as Johnson's backup, the source said. Johnson replaced the injured Lopez two weeks ago during a 34-9 loss to UCF.

BERKELEY After three decisive victories, an unexpected defeat and a come-from-behind road win to open ACC play, Cal faces a potent Duke team on Saturday night, hoping to improve to 5-1 for the first time in 10 seasons. We've seen some stretches of good football, Cal coach Justin Wilcox said. Now it's about: What does our best look like? That's what we need to find out. We're going to have to play our best this weekend.

We've seen some stretches of good football,

In 2013, NBC produced a 4-minute, 41-second commercial to hype up its acquisition of broadcast rights for the English Premier League. Jason Sudeikis starred as "an American Coach in London." After that viral marketing success, some TV writers and producers realized that Ted Lasso, as Sudeikis' character was named, could be good television. The resulting series became the first big hit for Apple TV+ in 2020 and, despite the wishes of many, is still coming back for more.

At Ole Miss, Ferris State transfer Trinidad Chambliss eclipsed 300 passing yards for a third consecutive start to help the Rebels slay LSU. After dismantling Illinois in Week 4, Indiana and Georgia Tech, which gained a win in overtime over Wake Forest, escaped trap games to their respective surprise places in the College Football Playoff race. Fellow CFP contenders Missouri, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt continued their scorching starts and others -- LSU, Florida State, TCU and USC among them -- stumbled.

What looked to be a great Friday night was one of the best Friday nights in memory, with Virginia pulling off a stirring overtime upset of Florida State, Arizona State unearthing some more close-game magic and Houston coming back to win in overtime in Corvallis. Indiana survived Iowa City. Cincinnati and Kansas put on a Big 12 track meet. Central Washington scored 91 points!

ATHENS, Ga. -- Ty Simpson passed for 276 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score as No. 17 Alabama held on late to beat No. 5 Georgia 24-21 on Saturday night to hand the Bulldogs their first home loss in six years. Alabama (3-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) has won three straight after opening the season with a 31-17 loss at Florida State.

STANFORD Sedrick Irvin scored on a 1-yard run with 19 seconds left as Stanford topped San Jose State 30-29 Saturday night at Stanford Stadium. The Cardinal (2-3) drove 80 yards for the winning score, highlighted by a 34-yard pass from Ben Gulbranson to Caden High on fourth-and-10 from the Stanford 41. San Jose State (1-3) had a chance for a go-ahead field goal, but safety Jay Smith broke up a pass at the Stanford 27 with five seconds left.