Who will win the conference championship games? Plus College Football Playoff chaos on deck?
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Who will win the conference championship games? Plus College Football Playoff chaos on deck?

New York Times  

Until Saturday Newsletter 🏈 | This is The Athletic’s college football newsletter. Line: Jacksonville State -5.5 Jacksonville State -5.5 Prediction: Jacksonville State 21, Western Kentucky 17 AAC: Tulane at No. 24 Army Tulane’s loss to Memphis last week deflated the College Football Playoff potential of this game. Line: Boise State -4 Boise State -4 Prediction: Boise State 28, UNLV 21 Saturday games MAC: Ohio vs. Miami When these teams met in October, Ohio entered the fourth quarter trailing 30-6 but scored two touchdowns to make the final score 30-20, still in favor of the RedHawks. The crowded Big 12 race comes down to one simple outcome for Arizona State and Iowa State: Win and you’re in the Playoff.

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History of this topic

Expanded College Football Playoff field draws more bets and on more teams
1 week, 3 days ago

Expanded College Football Playoff field draws more bets and on more teams

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! “They don’t want to be standing there and not have a ticket on some of these long-shot teams.” Expanding the playoff field from four to 12 teams this year meant more betting in general on college football and more varieties of wagering on the postseason. “We’re …

2024 College Football Playoff guide: What to know about the new 12-team format, at-large bids
2 weeks, 1 day ago

2024 College Football Playoff guide: What to know about the new 12-team format, at-large bids

New York Times  

College football entered a new era Sunday with the unveiling of the first 12-team Playoff bracket. For most of its century-plus existence, college football had a “mythical national champion.” The sport’s season champion was determined after teams played in bowl games by various polls and rankings, which, of course, led to significant debate. The four quarterfinal games and both semifinals …

Mandel’s Final Thoughts: SMU, Alabama and other ripples of championship weekend’s wild swings
2 weeks, 1 day 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’ …

No. 10 Boise State grabs CFP spot, beating No. 19 UNLV 21-7 in Mountain West championship
2 weeks, 2 days ago

No. 10 Boise State grabs CFP spot, beating No. 19 UNLV 21-7 in Mountain West championship

Associated Press  

BOISE, Idaho — Ashton Jeanty ran for 209 yards and a touchdown and No. “In January when they were playing tug of war on the field with their shirts off, they talked about what they wanted to do this season,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said. “But you continue to learn from them and move your organization forward and find …

An Oregon win, a Clemson upset, and ‘now what?’ for Alabama in the College Football Playoff
2 weeks, 2 days ago

An Oregon win, a Clemson upset, and ‘now what?’ for Alabama in the College Football Playoff

Associated Press  

INDIANAPOLIS — Undefeated Oregon pulled off the expected and grabbed the top spot in the College Football Playoff. In between, Georgia’s quarterback got hurt, Alabama’s hopes grew murkier and the selection committee settled in to create a first-of-its-kind 12-team postseason bracket that promises only one sure thing: a 100% chance of enraging at least some slice of college football’s rabid …

Boise State, Ashton Jeanty steamroll UNLV to win Mountain West, close in on Playoff auto bid
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Boise State, Ashton Jeanty steamroll UNLV to win Mountain West, close in on Playoff auto bid

New York Times  

BOISE, Idaho — No. Boise State got another spectacular performance from star running back Ashton Jeanty on Friday. Friday marked Boise State’s second straight Mountain West championship and fifth since joining the conference in 2011. Should it earn the first-round bye, Boise State will likely begin its CFP path in the Dec. 31 Fiesta Bowl, site of the program’s famous …

No. 19 UNLV visits No. 10 Boise State for Mountain West championship
2 weeks, 3 days ago

No. 19 UNLV visits No. 10 Boise State for Mountain West championship

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 10 Boise State, Friday, 8 p.m. EST BetMGM College Football Odds: Boise State by 4 Series record: Boise State leads 10-3 What’s at stake? Boise State and UNLV aren’t only playing for the Mountain West championship but also for a spot in the newly expanded College …

College football conference championship odds, picks against the spread for all 9 title games
2 weeks, 4 days ago

College football conference championship odds, picks against the spread for all 9 title games

New York Times  

The song of championship week has a running refrain: It’s tough to beat the same team twice. Sign Up Western Kentucky at Jacksonville State Friday 7 p.m. on CBSSN Jacksonville State joined the FBS last year, and coach Rich Rodriguez already has the Gamecocks in a conference title game. 10 Boise State Friday 8 p.m. on FOX It’s a banner …

College football championship week oddly specific predictions: Penn State? Yes, Penn State
2 weeks, 4 days ago

College football championship week oddly specific predictions: Penn State? Yes, Penn State

New York Times  

It was a really fun regular season trying to make educated guesses about what would happen week-to-week. But first, here are this week’s conference championship picks with the stat stuffers included in the capsules: Friday Conference USA: Western Kentucky at Jacksonville State Jacksonville State is the first program to reach a bowl game in each of its first two seasons …

College football picks: 'Let's play two' a theme for handful of conference championship games
2 weeks, 5 days ago

College football picks: 'Let's play two' a theme for handful of conference championship games

Hindustan Times  

No football coach would tell you he's excited about the prospect of having to beat the same team twice in the same season. The FBS rematches: Western Kentucky at Jacksonville State in the Sun Belt, UNLV at Boise State in the Mountain West, Ohio vs. Miami in Detroit in the Mid-American and Georgia vs. Texas in Atlanta in the Southeastern …

College football picks: ‘Let’s play two’ a theme for handful of conference championship games
2 weeks, 5 days ago

College football picks: ‘Let’s play two’ a theme for handful of conference championship games

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The FBS rematches: Western Kentucky at Jacksonville State in the Sun Belt, UNLV at Boise State in the Mountain West, Ohio vs. Miami in Detroit in the Mid-American and Georgia vs. Texas in Atlanta in the Southeastern Conference. “You can’t hang or your hat on the …

Miami’s playoff hopes nosedive as Alabama rises in the latest College Football Playoff rankings
2 weeks, 6 days 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 …

Ohio State and Miami tumble in College Football Playoff penultimate rankings
2 weeks, 6 days ago

Ohio State and Miami tumble in College Football Playoff penultimate rankings

CNN  

CNN — Buckeye and Hurricane fans must have known this moment was coming as the College Football Playoff comes into focus ahead of conference championship week. After suffering shocking upsets to unranked opponents on Saturday, Ohio State and Miami dropped in the penultimate CFP rankings, which were revealed Tuesday. After winning their first five ACC games, Miami lost two of …

What are the matchups in college football’s conference championship games?
3 weeks, 1 day ago

What are the matchups in college football’s conference championship games?

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 12 Clemson at Charlotte, North Carolina What to know: The Mustangs completed a sweep of their first ACC schedule with a 38-6 win over California, making them the only team in their new league that didn’t lose a conference game; SMU has a 17-game conference winning …

College football Week 14: Longhorns-Aggies among the high-stakes rivalry games to end regular season
3 weeks, 5 days ago

College football Week 14: Longhorns-Aggies among the high-stakes rivalry games to end regular season

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! It’s the final weekend of the college football regular season, which means rivalry games take center stage. With seven at-large bids for the first 12-team College Football Playoff up for grabs, not to mention spots in next week’s conference championship games, some of these games take …

UNLV a big favorite to beat Nevada in its quest to make the Mountain West title game
3 weeks, 5 days ago

UNLV a big favorite to beat Nevada in its quest to make the Mountain West title game

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The Rebels, behind QB Hajj-Malik Williams and RB Jai’Den Thomas, average 245.3 yards rushing per game, which is sixth nationally. UNLV will try to win for the third consecutive, which would be the first for the program since the Rebels beat Nevada five straight times in …

Five College Football Playoff chaos scenarios: Big 12 out? No. 2 Indiana? SEC champion LSU?
1 month, 1 week ago

Five College Football Playoff chaos scenarios: Big 12 out? No. 2 Indiana? SEC champion LSU?

New York Times  

Though the College Football Playoff race is coming into focus with three weeks left in the regular season, there is still plenty of time for chaos to flip everything upside down. GO DEEPER College Football Playoff 2024 projections: Colorado favored to win Big 12, earn bye Let’s dig into five of the most chaotic scenarios and wildest brackets that are …

College football Week 11 odds, picks against the spread: Ole Miss-Georgia, Alabama-LSU and more
1 month, 2 weeks ago

College football Week 11 odds, picks against the spread: Ole Miss-Georgia, Alabama-LSU and more

New York Times  

The initial College Football Playoff rankings have been released, and several games on the Week 11 slate will significantly impact the eventual 12-team field. 16 Ole Miss 3:30 p.m. on Fubo, ABC The big change with the expanded playoff in college football isn’t that it cheapened the regular season. So it’s pretty simple — win on Saturday night to keep …

Predicting the first 12-team College Football Playoff selection committee rankings
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Predicting the first 12-team College Football Playoff selection committee rankings

New York Times  

The first College Football Playoff rankings will be revealed Tuesday night, and once again I’ll be using my projections model to try to predict how the selection committee will rank the teams each week. Here’s what I expect Tuesday’s rankings to be: Next five: Missouri, South Carolina, UNLV, Arizona State, Tulane Biggest question: What to do with Notre Dame? There …

Kennesaw State, the College Football Playoff hope crusher, plus Week 9 viewer guide
1 month, 4 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 …

How 30-plus College Football Playoff contenders and their conference races collide in the weeks ahead
2 months ago

How 30-plus College Football Playoff contenders and their conference races collide in the weeks ahead

New York Times  

As November approaches, more and more programs’ College Football Playoff hopes are dropping like autumn leaves from the trees. Key games before first CFP rankings: BYU at UCF, Oct. 26; Cincinnati at Colorado, Oct. 26; Texas Tech at Iowa State, Nov. 2. A failed drive for a last-second field goal cost them at Oregon, but games against Penn State, Indiana …

What we learned about the College Football Playoff race after Oregon-Ohio State classic
2 months, 1 week ago

What we learned about the College Football Playoff race after Oregon-Ohio State classic

New York Times  

Two losses don’t necessarily eliminate a team from College Football Playoff contention anymore. Ryan Barker, right, made a game-winning field goal in overtime to lift Penn State over USC and likely end the Trojans’ chances of getting into the College Football Playoff. GO DEEPER Morales: After another close loss and a 3-3 start, USC simply needs more from Lincoln Riley …

College football picks: Welcome to rivalry weekend in September for divorced Pacific Northwest foes
3 months, 1 week ago

College football picks: Welcome to rivalry weekend in September for divorced Pacific Northwest foes

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 9 Oregon at Oregon State The Ducks are unbeaten but it’s been a choppy start against Idaho and Boise State for a team that started the season ranked No. Washington State at Washington The Huskies have had an encouraging start under new coach Jedd Fisch, who …

Boise State, UNLV favored in Mountain West, which has Pac-12’s Oregon St, Washington St on schedule
4 months, 1 week ago

Boise State, UNLV favored in Mountain West, which has Pac-12’s Oregon St, Washington St on schedule

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! As then-interim coach, Danielson led the Broncos to the Mountain West championship last season, but that was the program’s first conference title since 2019. It’s going to be very black and white, and whatever quarterback gives us the best opportunity to win games will be the …

Major conference races are heating up down the stretch
10 months ago

Major conference races are heating up down the stretch

Associated Press  

The conference races are coming down the homestretch and while No. The Cardinal, who are playing their final season in the Pac-12 before joining the Atlantic Coast Conference next season, have a relatively easy schedule left, with home games against Arizona and Arizona State before traveling to face Oregon and Oregon State. While South Carolina and Stanford both have cushions …

Green, Jeanty lead Boise State to 44-20 win over UNLV for Mountain West title
1 year ago

Green, Jeanty lead Boise State to 44-20 win over UNLV for Mountain West title

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! We’re excited, but we wanted this one real bad.” As for Boise State, its players lobbied for Danielson to get the job on a full-time basis, and they made their best statement on the field. “Our did a great job picking the guy,” said Broncos safety …

College Football Picks: Awkward trophy ceremonies, CFP implications highlight championship weekend
1 year ago

College Football Picks: Awkward trophy ceremonies, CFP implications highlight championship weekend

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 19 Oklahoma State, Big 12 championship at Arlington, Texas, Saturday The Longhorns might need some help to reach the playoff if they win the Big 12 for the first time since 2009. 23 Toledo vs. Miami, Ohio, MAC championship at Detroit, Saturday The Rockets could become …

Conference championships critical for College Football Playoff in last 4-team bracket
1 year ago

Conference championships critical for College Football Playoff in last 4-team bracket

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Since the SEC introduced college football to conference championship games in 1992, they’ve been knocked for being a money grab, putting unbeaten teams at risk if they slip up against a lesser opponent and being a tough sell for traveling fans who would rather spend their …

Loaded field of CFP contenders for last 4-team playoff fuels championship weekend drama
1 year ago

Loaded field of CFP contenders for last 4-team playoff fuels championship weekend drama

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Florida State The Seminoles are perfect and in playoff position heading into their Atlantic Coast Conference title game against Louisville, but an injury to star quarterback Jordan Travis creates some uncertainty. If Florida State muddles past Louisville and Alabama beats Georgia in a competitive game, leaving …

Georgia loses to Alabama: Predicting the College Football Playoff scenarios
1 year ago

Georgia loses to Alabama: Predicting the College Football Playoff scenarios

New York Times  

The Athletic has live coverage of the College Football Playoff rankings selection show. Heading into championship weekend, eight teams — Georgia, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, Florida State, Texas, Alabama and Ohio State — can still reach the College Football Playoff. GO DEEPER Emerson: Georgia’s three-peat hopes depend on beating familiar nemesis Scenario 10: Alabama, Washington, Florida State and Oklahoma State win. …

Ranking 133 college football teams after Week 13: Conference title clashes will tell all
1 year ago

Ranking 133 college football teams after Week 13: Conference title clashes will tell all

New York Times  

The 2023 season comes down to conference championship weekend. GO DEEPER Behind the AP Top 25 ballot: Oregon-Washington making Pac-12 history and more takeaways The regular season has come to a close, meaning teams with losing seasons have essentially locked in their final positions in these rankings, pending some small moves due to bowl games. All of those teams could …

College Football Picks: SEC divisions on line with No. 13 LSU-No. 8 Bama, No. 14 Mizzou-No. 1 UGA
1 year, 1 month ago

College Football Picks: SEC divisions on line with No. 13 LSU-No. 8 Bama, No. 14 Mizzou-No. 1 UGA

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 8 Alabama The Tigers’ surprising victory against the Tide last year sent them to the SEC championship game in Brian Kelly’s first season as coach. 10 Oklahoma at Oklahoma State The Cowboys have turned their season around with three straight victories, fueled by RB Ollie Gordon, …

College Football Picks: AAC title is glimpse into CFP future
2 years ago

College Football Picks: AAC title is glimpse into CFP future

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Green Wave vs. Knights is a bit of glimpse at the future, when conference title games will routinely decided which team gets in a 12-team playoff with the loser left out. The only teams to make the playoff after losing a conference championship were Georgia last …

Commentary: College Football Playoff committee didn’t have to fret much over its final four
3 years ago

Commentary: College Football Playoff committee didn’t have to fret much over its final four

LA Times  

Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams celebrates his touchdown with tight end Jahleel Billingsley during the second half of the Southeastern Conference championship game against Georgia on Saturday. Oklahoma State running back Dezmon Jackson’s failure to get the ball across the goal line in the Big 12 Conference championship game made the playoff selection committee’s life easy. Oklahoma State running back …

Championship picks: Georgia over Tide, Michigan over Iowa
3 years ago

Championship picks: Georgia over Tide, Michigan over Iowa

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The Horned Frogs were third in the final rankings, blew out an Iowa State team that did not win a Big 12 game that season but ended up out after Ohio State won the Big Ten title against Wisconsin. Back then there was no Big 12 …

College Football Picks: Big stakes from ACC to Mountain West
3 years ago

College Football Picks: Big stakes from ACC to Mountain West

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! If Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State, the conference title game is a rematch next week. Mid-American Conference: Northern Illinois will play the winner of Saturday’s Miami, Ohio, at Kent State game. Oregon wins the North by beating Oregon State, but a loss sends either the Beavers or …

College basketball picks: Kansas-West Virginia, UNC-NC State and more
4 years ago

College basketball picks: Kansas-West Virginia, UNC-NC State and more

New York Times  

Talk about a murderer’s row! William & Mary, which lost by 22 points to High Point at home on Saturday to fall to 2-2, is unlikely to provide much resistance, but if the Cavs are going to be a factor in the tourney again, or stay within shouting distance of the Zags on Saturday, they’ll have to execute their offense …

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