1 year, 1 month ago

AP Top 25 Takeaways: Alabama is a national title contender again. Michigan may have its next man

Remember when Alabama benched quarterback Jalen Milroe against South Florida in September and it looked as if Nick Saban’s dynasty was maybe not dead but definitely trending in the wrong direction? A judge in Michigan likely will decide whether Harbaugh coaches either of the Wolverines’ final two regular-season games, next week at Maryland and the Thanksgiving weekend finale against No. “You may have removed him from our sidelines today, but Jim Harbaugh is our head football coach,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a scalding statement Saturday. 21 James Madison improved to 10-0 against UConn and found out ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be in town next week when the Dukes host Appalachian State.. Northwestern moved to 5-5 by beating Wisconsin. David Braun, the Wildcats’ first-year defensive coordinator who was thrust into the interim head coach role after Pat Fitzgerald was fired during the summer, now has to be considered a serious candidate to keep that job.. Missouri RB Cody Schrader, who has gone from Division II star to SEC walk-on to SEC star, became the first player in the history of the conference with 200 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in a game.

Florida Game Title Texas Man Alabama Oklahoma Kansas Star Washington Heisman Coach Sec Tide Milroe Harbaugh Moore Lsu Michigan State 25 week alabama milroe star national takeaways title ap michigan state harbaugh man games coach game contender

History of this topic

3 days, 13 hours ago

With College Football Playoff down to 4 teams, not much looks different with Big Ten and SEC

Associated Press

Now that the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff is down to four teams remaining — the size of the field the previous 10 seasons — things really don’t look that much different. Even without former CFP champions Alabama and Georgia, the SEC extended its streak as the only conference with a final four team every season when league newcomer Texas …

1 week, 1 day ago

Surging Ohio State to face tenacious Texas in the Cotton Bowl for a spot in the CFP title game

Associated Press

PASADENA, Calif. — Texas will be a whole lot closer to home than Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. 6 Ohio State was favored by nearly a touchdown in many early Cotton Bowl betting lines, reflecting the confidence generated by the Buckeyes’ optimization of their bountiful talent over their last two games. So we’re just taking in all the moments …

1 week, 2 days ago

No. 6 Ohio State routs top-ranked Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl, advances to CFP semifinals

Associated Press

PASADENA, Calif. — Second chances don’t come around often in life, Ohio State coach Ryan Day told his players in a team meeting before the Rose Bowl. “Still got a lot of football ahead of us.” Smith, the Buckeyes’ standout freshman playmaker, had a remarkable bowl debut with seven receptions for a season-high 187 yards — including five catches for …

1 week, 4 days ago

A year after playing in CFP semifinal, No. 11 Alabama and Michigan meet again in ReliaQuest Bowl

Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. — The stakes aren’t as high as they were when No. 11 Alabama and Michigan last met in the postseason, however the Crimson Tide and Wolverines say they’re excited about their New Years Eve matchup in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Tuesday’s game at Raymond James Stadium is a rematch of last year’s College Football Playoff semifinal won by eventual …

3 weeks, 4 days ago

College Football Playoff guide for bandwagon fans: Reasons to root for (and against) every team

New York Times

We survived the wackiness of the BCS era and the computer formulas. Ohio State Why you should get on board: You’re a Michigan fan who wants Ohio State to win a few Playoff games — but not the national championship — so Ryan Day can stay in Columbus for a few more years. Notre Dame Why you should get on …

1 month ago

Ranking all 36 College Football Playoff title game possibilities from most to least likely

New York Times

For 10 years, we knew going into the College Football Playoff there were four possible national championship matchups. Notre Dame vs. Ohio State How we get here: We’ve seen Ohio State play Oregon, on the Ducks’ home field no less, and the teams could not have been more evenly matched. Boise State vs. Texas How we get here: I don’t …

1 month ago

Big Ten wins playoff selection derby, followed by SEC despite notable Alabama omission

Associated Press

College football’s conference shakeup left concerns about two super conferences dominating the playoff field. “We’ve been in some tough battles this year because of the good teams that we’ve gotten to play.” Then came the SEC — and one notable omission. ACC runner-up SMU got the nod over college football blue-blood Alabama, another blemish in Kalen DeBoer’s first season as …

1 month ago

Mandel’s Final Thoughts: SMU, Alabama and other ripples of championship weekend’s wild swings

New York Times

And now, 20 Final Thoughts from Championship Weekend, a celebration of kickers and backup quarterbacks. Penn State nearly came back from an early 28-10 deficit, but Drew Allar’s second interception of the night, into the hands of Nikko Reed, wrapped up Dan Lanning’s first conference title. Running back Cam Skattebo has been the heart and soul of the Sun Devils’ …

1 month, 1 week ago

Miami’s playoff hopes nosedive as Alabama rises in the latest College Football Playoff rankings

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Miami’s playoff hopes took an all-but-final nosedive while Alabama’s got a boost Tuesday night in the last rankings before the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket is set next weekend. To make things worse for the ’Canes, selection committee chair and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said …

1 month, 2 weeks ago

SEC losses are big gains for SMU and Indiana in latest College Football Playoff rankings

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The Southeastern Conference’s losses were almost everyone else’s gain in the College Football Playoff rankings, with SMU nudging its way into the top 12 and Indiana staying in the mix at No. “They dropped five but we still felt their body of work was strong enough …

1 month, 2 weeks ago

Michigan’s defense of national title fell short, aims to cap lost season with win against Ohio State

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 9 in the AP Top 25, making them the third college football team since 1991 to be ranked worse than seventh in the preseason poll after winning a national title. Ohio State is a 21 1/2-point favorite, according to the BetMGM Sportsbook, and that marks just …

1 month, 2 weeks ago

No. 7 Alabama looks to strengthen case for College Football Playoff spot vs. Oklahoma

Associated Press

7 Alabama at Oklahoma, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. BetMGM College Football Odds: Alabama by 13 1/2. Alabama needs a win to strengthen its case for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Alabama defeated Oklahoma 45-34 in the College Football Playoff during the 2018 season.. Oklahoma has won both regular-season games against the Crimson Tide.. Oklahoma has won its home finale …

1 month, 3 weeks ago

College football picks: Never mind Hoosiers, Ohio State has lots riding on showdown at the Horseshoe

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Much has been made about the stakes for unbeaten Indiana in Saturday’s top-five showdown with Ohio State. Ohio State hasn’t won a Big Ten championship, let alone play in the title game, since 2020. With a one-point loss at Oregon on this season’s ledger, the Buckeyes …

2 months, 1 week ago

How to fix five of college football history’s most controversial national champion debates

New York Times

No sport invites as much chaos and debate in crowning a champion as college football. Lansing State Journal columnist Bob Hoerner wrote, “The name of the game is win and although the Spartans didn’t quite make it against Notre Dame, they at least tried right up to the final bell. Per Big Ten rules, Michigan State was not allowed to …

Alabama and Missouri Battle for Playoff Survival

Trending News

2 months, 2 weeks ago

Alabama and Missouri Battle for Playoff Survival

Associated Press

Alabama and Missouri clash in an elimination game for playoff hopes. The Crimson Tide, ranked 15th, are looking to extend their season, while the Tigers, ranked 21st, fight for their playoff lives. Both teams have dangerous receivers and talented quarterbacks, but Alabama's defense is a force to be reckoned with, while Missouri's offense is a high-scoring threat. The outcome of …

2 months, 2 weeks ago

Kennesaw State, the College Football Playoff hope crusher, plus Week 9 viewer guide

New York Times

Until Saturday Newsletter 🏈 | This is The Athletic’s college football newsletter. The previously winless Kennesaw State Owls recorded their first win last night against the PREVIOUSLY UNDEFEATED Liberty Flames and 2023 Conference USA Player of the Year Kaidon Salter. 17 Boise State at UNLV : Friday’s best game features two of the four teams tied atop the Mountain West …

2 months, 3 weeks ago

AP Top 25: Oregon tops Georgia for No. 1 as Alabama plummets, Vanderbilt replaces Michigan

New York Times

Oregon moved up to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 college football poll Sunday for the first time since 2012 after Texas became the third top-ranked team in the country to lose this season by falling to Georgia. 1 in the AP poll in the regular season since Oklahoma beat Nebraska 31-14 in 2000 — and it was the …

2 months, 3 weeks ago

Our experts’ midseason College Football Playoff, national championship and Heisman picks

New York Times

How much has the outlook for the college football season changed since the preseason? Ohio State is still on top of the national championship race in Austin Mock’s College Football Playoff projections model, winning the national title in 21 percent of our simulations. Team Votes Texas 11 Ohio State 9 Oregon 6 Georgia 4 Not only is Texas our most …

3 months ago

Where does Vanderbilt over Alabama rank among college football’s biggest No. 1 upsets?

New York Times

1 in the Associated Press college football poll are 587-40-7 against unranked opponents. 1 teams have lost to an unranked opponent and gone on to win the national title: But regardless of what happens next, Alabama’s first season under Kalen DeBoer will be remembered for a historic upset, just as its first season under Nick Saban is remembered for a …

3 months, 1 week ago

AP Top 25 Takeaways: Georgia-Alabama play a thrilling classic, undiminished by expanded CFP

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Milroe stamped himself as maybe the Heisman Trophy favorite, becoming the first player with 300 yards passing, 100 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns against an AP top-five opponent, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Hunter routinely has logged more than 100 snaps in games as …

3 months, 2 weeks ago

Familiar showdown highlights SEC slate as No. 2 Georgia visits No. 4 Alabama

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide meet again, just 10 months after ‘Bama’s 27-24 SEC championship-game victory ended Georgia’s 29-game winning streak and derailed the ‘Dawgs’ quest to win a third consecutive national title. Alabama opens league play after an off week following a 42-10 victory at …

3 months, 2 weeks ago

College football picks: Georgia-Alabama showdown not as consequential with 12-team CFP but still big

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 4 Alabama on Saturday in a showdown of two Southeastern Conference superpowers who have combined to win five national titles since the College Football Playoff’s implementation in 2014. Back in the days before the Bowl Championship Series and CFP, a game like Alabama-Georgia could have essentially …

3 months, 3 weeks ago

College football picks: New conference rivalries for No. 11 USC and No. 15 Oklahoma take spotlight

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 18 Michigan The Wolverines’ stock is way down as coach Sherrone Moore makes a switch to QB Alex Orji, who still seems limited as a passer. 14 Oklahoma State Another ranked matchup between new conference foes, this one Big 12 contenders. 1 Texas QB Arch Manning’s …

4 months ago

Texas and defending national champ Michigan clash in rare meeting of two historic programs

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! A rare matchup of two of the winningest programs in college football history and two of last season’s playoff teams. A loss in the SEC-Big Ten bragging rights matchup won’t kill the College Football Playoff hopes for either team in this season’s expanded format, but the …

4 months ago

Big Ten’s Week 2 schedule is topped by No. 3 Texas’ visit to No. 10 Michigan

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! We’ll get a better idea about Michigan’s defense when it goes against Quinn Ewers and a Texas offense that churned out 545 yards in a 52-0 win over Colorado State. Northwestern WR Bryce Kirtz, who caught six balls for 91 yards against Miami last week, goes …

4 months, 1 week ago

AP Top 25 Takeaways: Clemson’s feeble performance against Georgia confirms demise of Dabo’s Tigers

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Nebraska’s highly touted freshman quarterback, Dylan Raiola, was rock solid in his first career game, throwing for 238 yards and two scores as the Cornhuskers rolled past UTEP 40-7, setting up an tasty Week 2 game against Colorado. The 300-yard receiving game was the first in …

4 months, 2 weeks ago

No. 9 Michigan will try to repeat as national champions without Harbaugh, McCarthy and Co.

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! ANN ARBOR, Mich. — College football’s defending national champions have a lot of new faces in important places. “There’s a lot of hype about both of our teams that are historically great programs,” said preseason All-America defensive tackle Mason Graham. “I look forward to those big-time …

4 months, 3 weeks ago

National title or bust: No. 1 Georgia begins the season in a familiar spot

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! “The expectation is we’re going to develop and worry about today’s day.” The Bulldogs won consecutive national titles during the 2021 and ‘22 seasons, and came up just shy a year ago when a loss to Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship snapped a 29-game winning …

4 months, 3 weeks ago

The college football season is packed with mouthwatering games from coast to coast

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 9 Michigan, Sept. 7 Perhaps the nation’s most significant non-conference game matches powerhouse programs from the SEC and Big Ten. 5 Alabama, Sept. 28 An early measuring stick game for Alabama and a chance for new coach Kalen DeBoer to grab a signature win following Nick …

4 months, 4 weeks ago

Georgia tops college football AP preseason poll for second year in a row

CNN

CNN — The Georgia Bulldogs have been selected as the No. 1 college football team in the annual Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll for the second season running. Georgia received 46 of 62 first-place votes and 1,532 points to comfortably top the poll ahead of the Ohio State Buckeyes, who received 15 first-place votes. 9 after head coach Jim …

5 months, 3 weeks ago

Alabama football fan survey results: How has transition from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer gone?

New York Times

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — What a difference a year makes. Selection Percentage Very pleased 84.1 Somewhat pleased 11.4 Neutral/Not enough information 3.8 Displeased/Very displeased 0.7 It’s one of the biggest questions in college football : What will Alabama look like in the post-Saban era? Selection Percentage National championship 11.2 National Championship Game appearance 12.9 College Football Playoff semifinal/quarterfinal game appearance 57.6 …

11 months, 4 weeks ago

College Football’s Greatest Source of Misery Is Finally Giving His Rivals a Break

Slate

Nick Saban hung up his decorative Coke bottle on Wednesday night. The best way to understand Saban’s run is not to count the national championships but to take stock of the reality he imposed on everyone else—and how different life might have been without him. In national championship contests alone, Saban’s Alabama kept trophies from falling into the hands of …

1 year ago

Nick Saban’s Alabama dynasty fueled 20 years of Southeastern Conference college football dominance

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! PHOENIX — While turning Alabama into college football’s greatest dynasty, Nick Saban helped the Southeastern Conference become the epicenter of the sport. “We’ve always had people that set the standard of excellence,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, who was in Phoenix attending the NCAA convention when …

1 year ago

Alabama’s Nick Saban retires after 7 national titles, most in major college football history

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Colorado’s Deion Sanders, a coach who has sought to capitalize on the intervention of players profiting financially from their play on the field, said on social media “College Football just lost the GOAT.” “WOW! College football let’s hold up our mirrors and say HONESTLY what u …

1 year ago

Updated college football 2024 top 25 rankings: Georgia back on top, Washington slides

LA Times

Nick Saban, the greatest college football coach of all time, has retired from Alabama, where he won six of his seven national championships. I knew there was a reason we waited a bit longer this year to release my 2024 “way-too-early top 25.” With Saban’s exit, nothing will ever be the same in this sport — much less this projection …

1 year ago

Michigan’s ability to contend for repeat national title hinges on decisions by Harbaugh, key players

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! “So I’m just ready to keep enjoying this while I can and get back to work whenever we get started again.” Oddsmakers aren’t forecasting a repeat for the Wolverines. “We stood tall, upright and innocent.” Going 15-0, he said, was the result of “good old-fashioned, roll-up-your-sleeve …

1 year ago

Michigan football vs. Washington Huskies: Wolverines win college football national championship the old-fashioned way.

Slate

The Michigan Wolverines returned to college football’s pinnacle on Monday night by beating Washington in the national title game in Houston, 34–13. Most national champions play offense one way now, and Michigan’s opponent on Monday appeared to have mastered that method. In 2021 and 2022, Georgia’s team identity was certainly not the passing game, but quarterback Stetson Bennett became an …

1 year ago

Michigan overcomes a season of scandal to beat Washington 34-13 and win the CFP National Championship game... as Jim Harbaugh celebrates with his family after winning his alma mater its first title si

Daily Mail

In a season where the Wolverines were questioned for their sportsmanship, for their ability to follow the rules, and for their alleged use of spying on opposing teams, they’ve reached the top of the college football world. It's enough scandals to make college football fans wonder whether a time might come when the NCAA strips the Wolverines of this national …

1 year ago

Jim Harbaugh and Michigan prove there’s more than one path to the top of college football

New York Times

HOUSTON — Jim Harbaugh’s way worked. The Wolverines’ 34-13 victory over Washington and triumph over everyone else who stood in their way to a national title is the culmination of nine challenging years of building a program with a certain purpose. Does it always have to be what’s next, what’s the future?” — Max Olson January 9, 2024 This team …

1 year ago

Jim Harbaugh focusing on Michigan’s championship, not his future: ‘Going to just enjoy this’

New York Times

HOUSTON – Jim Harbaugh has a victory parade in his future. Beyond that, Harbaugh said he’s focused on enjoying Michigan’s national championship and not on seeking out his next challenge, whether that’s chasing another title at Michigan or returning to the NFL. “People want to look at the past or look at the future,” Harbaugh said Tuesday at Michigan’s championship …

1 year ago

Wasserman: Michigan’s quirky, title-winning season is a perfect reflection of Jim Harbaugh

New York Times

HOUSTON — There was something about this Michigan football team, even in the darkest times this season, where it just felt like its coaches and players knew this was all going to end with confetti falling on them in NRG Stadium. All season, long before Michigan beat Washington 34-13 on Monday night in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, …

1 year ago

Michigan stymies Michael Penix Jr., Washington to claim first national championship since 1997 season

New York Times

By Lauren Merola, Max Olson, Austin Meek, Jim Trotter and Nicole Auerbach It’s been 26 years, but finally, no one has it better than Michigan. The win marked Michigan’s first national title since 1997 and the completion of a long-anticipated return to the top of college football under head coach Jim Harbaugh. Michigan running back Blake Corum finished with 134 …

1 year ago

Georgia, Alabama open as favorites to win 2025 CFP title; Michigan has fourth-best odds

New York Times

This year’s national championship game featured two teams new to that stage since the national title game became a thing in college football, but the odds say that even with the expanded College Football Playoff field, Georgia and Alabama are still expected to be the top powers in the sport. Georgia opened as the favorite to win next year’s national …

1 year ago

No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 2 Washington for CFP title caps season of realignment, transfers and Harbaugh

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! HOUSTON — Michigan vs. Washington is just about the perfect way to end the 2023 college football season, a matchup of unbeatens that hits all the major themes and storylines of the past five months from conference realignment to the transfer portal — with Jim Harbaugh …

1 year ago

Picking the most memorable moments from College Football Playoff’s 4-team format era

New York Times

This is the final year of the four-team Playoff. Matt Brown: I was fortunate to cover the first three CFP national title games in person from 2014 to 2016, and it’ll be hard to ever top standing at the goal line when Hunter Renfrow caught the winning touchdown from Deshaun Watson in the final seconds to give Clemson its first …

1 year ago

Harbaugh’s future at Michigan is subplot to CFP title game as Washington tries to lock up DeBoer

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! “I think before the season, after the season is where they really like to iron out details.” If Harbaugh’s future is the main subplot to the national title game, the subplot to the subplot is whether DeBoer would be a candidate to replace him? That salary …

1 year ago

Mandel’s Mailbag: Why a Michigan national championship would be an undisputed achievement

New York Times

Well, folks — have we recovered? So while the Committee on Infractions could come back a year or two from now and decree that Michigan has to vacate past victories, it can’t order a championship banner be taken down. What would’ve been your reaction if somebody said after 2020 that Michigan would play in this year’s title game, or after …

1 year ago

CFP championship game matches Penix’s prolific passing against Michigan’s best-in-nation defense

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Michael Penix Jr. hasn’t faced a defense like Michigan’s, and the Wolverines certainly haven’t faced a quarterback like the Heisman Trophy runner-up from Washington. Penix, who suffered major knee injuries at Indiana before transferring to Washington last season, became the first quarterback since Texas Tech’s Patrick …

1 year ago

Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines to play for national title after stopping Alabama 27-20 in OT

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Harbaugh’s Wolverines will play for their school’s first national title since 1997 against Washington on Jan. 8 — but only after a fourth-quarter comeback and a hair-raising finish when the two winningest programs in college football history played just the second overtime game in the 110 …

1 year ago

No. 1 Michigan, No. 4 Alabama face off in powerhouse battle in CFP semifinal at Rose Bowl

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 4 Alabama, Jan. 1, 5 p.m. Eastern FanDuel Sportsbook College Line: Michigan by 1 1/2 Series record: Alabama leads 3-2. WHAT’S AT STAKE Michigan is in the College Football Playoff for the third straight season but still seeking its first win, getting routed by Georgia in …

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1 day, 4 hours ago