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Ranking 131 college football teams after Week 12: TCU keeps proving it belongs

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There has been a general sense around the College Football Playoff conversation that TCU is lucky to be there and that one loss will knock the Horned Frogs out. But that shouldn’t be the case.

No doubt, TCU has needed a number of second-half comebacks to win, none more notable than the fire drill game-winning field goal to beat Baylor on Saturday. But this goes back further. Last week, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith dismissed the Frogs and said they hadn’t played anyone and that “competition matters.” He read off the schedule and said it isn’t deserving of a top-four ranking, even if undefeated.

It got a lot of reaction, because that’s the point, after all. But Smith was not alone. Paul Finebaum, in the same segment, agreed and downplayed the quality of the Big 12.

What Smith, Finebaum and others missed is that the Big 12 is the deepest conference in the country. Eight of 10 teams are bowl-eligible. There are no pushovers, and the nine conference games are more than the SEC or ACC. Among the CFP top four, TCU has the strongest strength of schedule in multiple ratings, including ESPN’s FPI and Sagarin. The Horned Frogs are No. 1 in ESPN’s strength of record, which evaluates the chances the average top-25 team would have that same record against the same schedule.

An undefeated TCU will make the CFP. We know that. The conversation we should be having is whether or not a one-loss TCU should get in.

All of that said, the place where you can ding the Frogs is they lack a true marquee win. Georgia beat Oregon and Tennessee. Ohio State and Michigan beat Penn State. Every team TCU has defeated has at least three losses. That’s in part due to the depth of the conference. But if you want to prove you can beat a top-tier team, TCU hasn’t done that and won’t have a chance to. (Michigan and Ohio State will try to prove it against each other.) That ultimately could be what keeps TCU out if it doesn’t win the next two games.

But what you can’t say is that TCU hasn’t played anyone. You can’t say it hasn’t deserved these victories. After a weekend in which Georgia, Ohio State and Michigan all struggled against far inferior opponents, maybe pulling out a late November comeback at Baylor proved the Horned Frogs do belong.

Here is this week’s edition of The Athletic 131.

1-10

Rank Team Record Prev

1

11-0

1

2

11-0

2

3

11-0

3

4

11-0

4

5

10-1

7

6

9-2

6

7

10-1

9

8

9-2

5

9

9-2

8

10

9-2

11

There is no change in the top four, and the moment of truth is here. After Michigan escaped Illinois, I thought I would finally put Ohio State ahead. Then the Buckeyes had to escape against Maryland. Every argument you can make about these two teams has its points. Ohio State has a better second win (Notre Dame), while Michigan didn’t play anyone in nonconference. Michigan flattened Penn State, while Ohio State needed a fourth-quarter comeback. Ohio State’s struggles in certain conditions make me think this could be a replay of last year, when Michigan’s toughness in the trenches won out. But now Wolverines running back Blake Corum may be hurt, and quarterback J.J. McCarthy has not been very good. I’m not sure if Michigan can win a big game with his arm.

I still lean toward Michigan slightly, but now it will finally be settled on the field and we can move on to arguing if the loser should be in the CFP.


Michigan held onto an undefeated record before the Ohio State game. (Rick Osentoski / USA Today)

USC finally got a marquee win, beating UCLA 48-45, which moves the Trojans ahead of LSU. The Tigers do have wins against Alabama and Ole Miss and the schedule is tougher. But USC doesn’t have a lopsided loss, and the Oregon State win on the road is valuable. Either way, both of these teams still control their destiny for the CFP, I believe.

Clemson jumps up to No. 7 due to Tennessee’s lopsided loss to South Carolina. The loss to Notre Dame still holds Clemson down, but the Florida State win has gotten better with time.

Tennessee’s 63-38 loss to South Carolina makes the Vols a very difficult team to place. They’re out of the CFP race, but wins against LSU and Alabama keep them from dropping further. The only other change is Washington moving into the top 10 after Utah’s loss to Oregon.

11-25

Penn State is an odd team to judge as well. The 9-2 Nittany Lions have seven blowout wins, but they’re against relatively weak competition. None of the wins stand out. They got manhandled at Michigan but played Ohio State tough. Oregon stays ahead of Penn State because it has two marquee wins against Utah and UCLA. Notre Dame continues to inch up and up, and Clemson’s move back up makes that Irish win even better. The Irish also moved ahead of Florida State because of the Clemson results between them.

The Group of 5’s New Year’s Six spot is still likely to go to the American Athletic Conference champ, but it’s about time Coastal Carolina, UTSA and Troy are recognized for the seasons they’re having as well.

26-50

Illinois stays put after the narrow loss at Michigan because of the effort and because of other results around the country. UCF drops out of the top 25 after a loss to Navy but remains ahead of Cincinnati because of the head-to-head. That could change when Cincinnati and Tulane meet this week. Iowa is back, controlling its destiny in the Big Ten West after beating Minnesota. Kirk Ferentz keeps doing just enough.

South Carolina is another tough team to place. The blowout win against Tennessee is one of the most impressive of the season, but the Gamecocks also got trounced by Florida last week and lost to Arkansas earlier in the season. The Razorbacks stay behind Liberty because of the head-to-head loss.

Oklahoma moves ahead of Oklahoma State after Saturday’s 28-13 Bedlam win. Boise State’s win at Wyoming clinched the Mountain West’s Mountain division and home field in the league championship game. The Broncos are 6-1 since a 2-2 start, when they fired their offensive coordinator and QB Hank Bachmeier entered the transfer portal. They’ve figured things out, but losses to UTEP and BYU still keep them behind other Group of 5 teams.

51-75

Wisconsin sneaked into bowl eligibility for the 21st consecutive season with a 15-14 comeback win against Nebraska. It hasn’t been pretty, but it looks like Jim Leonhard will probably get the full-time job. Houston demolished East Carolina 42-3 and continues to be one of the most inconsistent teams in the country. James Madison is 7-3 in its first FBS season, but it is not eligible for the postseason as a transitioning FCS team. However, the Dukes can still win a share of the Sun Belt East if they beat Coastal Carolina this week.

Iowa State lost 14-10 to Texas Tech and will miss a bowl game. The Cyclones are 3-11 in one-possession games over the past two seasons. SMU has allowed 145 points over the past three games, including 59 in Thursday’s loss to Tulane. Wyoming’s narrow loss to Boise State doesn’t drop the Cowboys far. Appalachian State and Georgia Southern will play for bowl eligibility in their rivalry game next week, as App State is not yet eligible because it has two FCS wins. Texas A&M got past UMass in another uninspiring performance. How about Vanderbilt? The Commodores have defeated Kentucky and Florida in consecutive weeks.

Fresno State turned around its season in a big way and clinched the Mountain West’s West division with a 41-14 win against Nevada, its sixth consecutive win. San Diego State has won five of six (the loss coming to Fresno State) and quarterback Jalen Mayden has given that offense a boost for the first time in a long time.

76-100

Miami had nine yards at halftime against Clemson and lost 40-10. The Canes must beat Pitt to get to a bowl game. Georgia Tech beat North Carolina 21-17, and Brent Key is 4-3 as interim head coach with two Top 25 wins. Ohio’s bounce-back continued with a 32-18 win against Ball State, and the Bobcats are one win away from winning the MAC East, but the status of injured quarterback Kurtis Rourke is key.

Cal beat rival Stanford 27-20. UConn lost to Army 34-17 and must wait and hope for a bowl selection. FAU lost 49-21 to Middle Tennessee with bowl eligibility on the line and must beat WKU next week. Rice (at North Texas) and UTEP (at UTSA) also need upsets next week to get to bowl games and perhaps save their coaches’ jobs. Indiana beat Michigan State 39-31 in double overtime despite being heavily outgained and completing just two passes. Virginia Tech ended its long losing streak with a 23-22 win at Liberty. UNLV began the season 4-1 but has lost six consecutive games after a 31-25 loss at Hawaii, ending its bowl hopes.

101-131

Bowling Green got bowl-eligible with a last-second touchdown at Toledo in the snow in a wild finish. The Falcons are still in the mix for the MAC East title if they can beat Ohio. Buffalo’s game against Akron was snowed out and could impact that MAC East tiebreaker. Navy beat UCF and Army beat UConn, and both did so without completing a pass. Neither academy will have a bowl game or the Commander-In-Chief’s trophy to compete for (because Army has two FCS wins and Air Force clinched the CIC), but that rivalry game is always special. The middle of the MAC continues to have a lot of parity. UMass fought valiantly against Texas A&M and covered the spread in a 20-3 loss, but it’s not enough to move out of the bottom spot.

(Top photo:  Tom Pennington / Getty Images)



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Ranking every college football team after Week 3: Washington is back on the rise

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What a difference a year makes in Seattle.

A year ago at this time, Washington was 1-2 with losses to FCS Montana and Michigan in which the Huskies scored 17 combined points. On Saturday, the Huskies scored 39 points in a dominant win against a Michigan State team that was ranked No. 11 in the AP poll. And the game wasn’t nearly as close as the 39-28 final score. Washington had 503 total yards and averaged 9.9 yards per pass. With the win to move to 3-0, the Huskies have moved into the top 25 in this week’s edition of The Athletic 131.

Washington’s fall off a cliff under former head coach Jimmy Lake en route to a 4-8 record last season was stunning because it happened so quickly. This was a program that won 32 games from 2016 to 2018 under Chris Petersen. Recruiting had gone relatively well, and it’s one of the best-resourced programs in the West. But the offense had become anemic.

Enter Kalen DeBoer and Michael Penix Jr. DeBoer has won basically everywhere he’s been. He’s 82-9 as a head coach, including a 67-3 stretch at NAIA Sioux Falls from 2005 to 2009. He helped turn around Indiana and Fresno State as the offensive coordinator, then went back to Fresno State and produced a 9-3 record in his second season as head coach.

Penix was electric as Indiana’s quarterback when healthy, but he dealt with several injuries. He’s reunited with DeBoer in Seattle, and Washington football is fun again. Through three games, he’s completing 66 percent of his passes for 359.7 yards per game with 10 touchdowns and one interception.

Everyone wrote off the Pac-12 after Week 1, but we may need to reevaluate that. Washington is the biggest reason why.

Here is the latest edition of The Athletic 131.

The only change in this group is USC’s move up to No. 8 after a 45-17 win against Fresno State. The Trojans look like the best-case scenario under Lincoln Riley right now. The offense is electric. The defense has shown holes (81st in yards per play), but it’s fourth in the nation with 10 takeaways. The trip to Oregon State this week will be an interesting test.

Michigan is a dominant 3-0 but has played three of the worst teams in the country. A home game against Maryland this week will be the first time we can actually begin to evaluate the Wolverines.

The polls have come around to put Georgia at No. 1, and its Week 1 win against Oregon looks even better now after the Ducks’ dominant win against BYU.

11-25

Rank Team Record Prev

11

3-0

13

12

3-0

25

13

2-1

21

14

3-0

20

15

2-1

15

16

2-1

16

17

2-1

18

18

2-1

11

19

2-1

19

20

3-0

49

21

3-0

22

22

2-1

26

23

2-1

24

24

3-0

27

25

3-0

29

Penn State’s 41-12 win at Auburn has quickly changed the view on what is possible for this team. Auburn may not be a good team, but the Nittany Lions were able to run for 245 yards against a good front. The aforementioned 41-20 Oregon win at BYU suddenly makes the Pac-12 look much better now to go with USC, Washington and Utah, which beat San Diego State 35-7.

Texas, Wake Forest and Ole Miss also move into the top 25. The Longhorns avoided an Alabama hangover and pulled away from UTSA in the second half, Wake Forest held off Liberty and Ole Miss pounded Georgia Tech 42-0.

The polls have Utah ahead of Florida and Baylor ahead of BYU, and the coaches poll has Michigan State ahead of Washington. Why? I have no idea. In these rankings, when two teams are close, the head-to-head winner gets the advantage, especially three weeks into the season.

I saw a lot of comments about Minnesota’s ranking last week. It’s barely moved in the rankings because it’s played two of the worst teams in the country and an FCS team. It’s the same reasoning with Michigan and with Ole Miss. It’s not a negative and not a positive. Sometimes you get jumped if someone else has a more impressive win. Minnesota was No. 39 in my preseason ranking and still sits there now. Beat Michigan State, and it’ll most likely be in the top 25.

North Carolina’s win against Appalachian State continues to look better, and the Mountaineers’ Hail Mary win against Troy coupled with Texas A&M’s win against Miami was a boost as well. Maryland’s 34-27 win against SMU was a solid performance.

Kansas and Syracuse! KU is in the top 35 after a 3-0 start with road wins against West Virginia and Houston. Syracuse is 3-0 with wins against Louisville and Purdue. It’s not hard to see a 5-0 Orange start going into the NC State game. Tulane makes the biggest jump this week, from No. 110 into the top 50 after a win against Kansas State to move to 3-0. Notre Dame’s close escape from Cal coupled with Marshall’s loss to Bowling Green drops both teams. Arizona’s 31-28 win against North Dakota State was impressive as an underdog, and the Wildcats are officially a pretty good team.

Several teams slipped into this group with losses — Purdue, Texas Tech, Houston, UTSA and Auburn — but there’s not much movement otherwise. Indiana barely escaped Western Kentucky and Rutgers barely escaped Temple, but both are 3-0. Wyoming’s 17-14 win against Air Force moved the Cowboys to 3-1, with the loss to Illinois.

Vanderbilt’s comeback win at Northern Illinois to move to 3-1 is a real sign of progress for the program. Rice’s 33-21 win against Louisiana was one of the most surprising results of the weekend. Eastern Michigan won at Arizona State, becoming the first MAC school to win a regular-season game against the Pac-12. Northwestern has followed up its Ireland win against Nebraska with losses to Duke and FCS Southern Illinois at home.

South Alabama let a win at UCLA slip away with a field goal as time expired, and Troy let App State win on a Hail Mary. Tough losses. San Diego State is now 1-2 with two blowout losses to Pac-12 teams. Very quickly, this doesn’t look like the Aztecs of old.

(Top photo of Michael Penix and Kalen DeBoer: Joe Nicholson / USA Today)



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Items stolen from Virginia Tech Hokies players’ lockers during loss at Old Dominion

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Virginia Tech’s trip to Old Dominion on Friday just keeps getting worse.

After the Hokies lost 20-17 in Brent Pry’s debut as head coach, players returned to the visiting locker room to find items were stolen from their lockers during the game.

Former Virginia Tech player Eric Kumah tweeted a reference to the theft shortly after midnight Saturday morning, and the school responded Sunday, saying police were investigating the matter.

“The Virginia Tech athletic department confirmed there were items missing from the Virginia Tech locker room following the football game against Old Dominion in Norfolk Friday night,” the statement read. “The university is working with law enforcement and Old Dominion University on the matter, and will have no further comment.”

The Hokies’ trip to Old Dominion was a comedy of errors. ODU took a 10-7 lead into the half, and Virginia Tech’s coaches were delayed in returning for the second half after being trapped in a malfunctioning elevator.

When the game resumed, the Hokies performed better, mounting a comeback to take a 17-13 lead into the final three minutes of action. But Hokies quarterback Grant Wells tossed his third interception of the day with 2:58 remaining, and the Monarchs marched 59 yards for a go-ahead touchdown.

Virginia Tech outgained Old Dominion by 95 yards and had 20 first downs to ODU’s 13, but five Hokies turnovers led to the upset win for the Monarchs.

“They wanted to make plays, they wanted to play hard, but I definitely think they pressed and were sloppy,” Pry said. “You want to make people earn it, and we didn’t do that.”

It was the second embarrassing loss at ODU for the Hokies, who also lost 49-35 there in 2018.

Virginia Tech is scheduled to play at Old Dominion in 2024, 2027, 2029 and 2031.

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Old Dominion does it again in second upset of Virginia Tech in four years

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For the second time in four years, Virginia Tech lost on the road to Old Dominion, falling Friday night 20-17.

Old Dominion fans stormed the field to celebrate their second win over a Power 5 team. The first also came against the Hokies in 2018, a 49-35 victory.

This was not exactly the way first-year Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry wanted to start the season. The Hokies had five turnovers, leading to 17 Old Dominion points. The most crucial came with 2:58 remaining in the game. Leading 17-13, quarterback Grant Wells threw an interception that set up the game-winning score, a 1-yard touchdown run from Blake Watson with 33 seconds remaining.

The Hokies also committed 15 penalties for 121 yards. Wells, starting his first game for Virginia Tech, threw four interceptions and went 21-of-36 for 197 yards with a touchdown.

“They wanted to make plays, they wanted to play hard, but I definitely think they pressed and were sloppy,” Pry said. “You want to make people earn it, and we didn’t do that.”

Added linebacker Dax Hollifield: “It’s embarrassing. Very embarrassing.”

Playing road games against the Group of 5 has not worked out particularly well for ACC teams that end up scheduling them. With this loss, the league now has 20 road losses against Group of 5 teams in the College Football Playoff era.

The game was a slog right from the outset as neither offense could find much rhythm. Old Dominion led 10-7 at halftime. Then, the start of the second half was delayed 15 minutes because members of the Virginia Tech coaching staff got stuck between floors on an elevator. Eventually, the coaches were able to get off the elevator, but they had to run up the six flights of stairs up to the coaches box.

That might be a good metaphor for what unfolded in the second half. But this is not the last time the schools will see each other. They are currently scheduled to play every year through 2031, with four of those games at Old Dominion.



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Duke Blue Devils men, UConn Huskies women to compete in Jimmy V Classic college basketball events

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The matchups for the 2022 men’s and women’s Jimmy V Classic college basketball events were announced Thursday, highlighted by Duke on the men’s side and a pair of potential top-10 matchups on the women’s side.

The men’s doubleheader will take place Dec. 6 at Madison Square Garden, with Duke facing Iowa and Texas playing Illinois. The women’s games will be hosted on campus sites Dec. 4: UConn at Notre Dame and Virginia Tech at Tennessee.

The coming season marks the first time since 1980 that Duke will be coached by someone other than Mike Krzyzewski, with Jon Scheyer taking over that role. The Blue Devils bring in the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class and are ranked No. 5 in ESPN’s latest Way-Too-Early Top 25.

The Longhorns and the Fighting Illini also are ranked in the Way-Too-Early Top 25. Chris Beard and Texas bring back three starters from last season’s 22-win team, while also welcoming two five-star freshmen and elite transfer Tyrese Hunter from Iowa State. Illinois lost All-American Kofi Cockburn, but it landed impact transfers Terrence Shannon Jr. (Texas Tech) and Matthew Mayer (Baylor), as well as top-25 recruit Skyy Clark.

Both men’s games will air on ESPN.

On the women’s side, all four teams are ranked in the top 11 of ESPN’s most recent Way-Too-Early Top 25.

UConn is coming off a national championship game appearance and returns stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, while Notre Dame brings back most of its contributors and hit the portal for Texas transfer Lauren Ebo.

Virginia Tech should compete for an ACC championship with the return of conference Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley, and Tennessee loaded up in the transfer portal and is receiving preseason top-five hype.

UConn’s trip to Notre Dame will be broadcast on ABC, and Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee will air on ESPN2.

Named for legendary coach Jim Valvano, the Jimmy V Classic raises money and awareness for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. To date, ESPN has helped raise more than $155 million for the V Foundation. Last year set a record, with 2021’s V Week raising $13.35 million.

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ACC gains ground on remaking football scheduling model, possibly as early as 2023

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AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — Momentum is moving within the ACC to remake its football scheduling model, perhaps even as early as 2023.

The most likely scenario is the 3-5 model, which would give each school three annual opponents while cycling in five new opponents per year.

“The scheduling model was discussed,” Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich said Tuesday, on Day 2 of ACC spring meetings. “We have good ideas moving forward. We’re closer to the end than to the beginning on that, but we need to talk a little bit to our TV partners to see what they think, kind of run it through the car wash one more time.

“It’s not urgent to be able to get done right now, from a timing perspective, because even if we decided to move this forward for ’23, there’s opportunity and time to be able to get it done. We want to be deliberate about it.”

Asked if there is a favored model, Radakovich described the 3-5 arrangement.

“I think the one where there are four-year rotating cycles where you play everybody twice and you have three common opponents,” he said. “I think that really got a lot of thumbs up (from ACC schools).”

Radakovich, who was hired by the Hurricanes in December, is particularly well-versed in this conversation, having been an AD in the league for 17 years. (He was at Georgia Tech from 2006-12 and at Clemson from 2012-21.) Discussions surrounding football schedules are nothing new in the ACC, which plays just eight conference games, has long been imbalanced toward the Atlantic Division and goes far too long without certain matchups between conference opponents. (Pitt’s 2021 ACC title marked the first conference championship from the Coastal Division since 2010.)


Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich described a 3-5 arrangement, in which teams have three common opponents, as having the most support. (Lynne Sladky / Associated Press)

Under the current format, Duke and NC State, which are located 30 minutes apart, play each other once every seven years. Fellow Tar Heel state schools North Carolina and Wake Forest — who make up the state’s oldest rivalry — were also scheduled to meet once every seven years before they took matters into their own hands, scheduling each other as a nonconference game in 2019 and 2021.

Miami and Wake Forest have not played since 2013. Their scheduled 2020 meeting was a casualty of the pandemic, and they are not on each other’s future announced ACC opponent schedules, which go through 2024.

Notre Dame, meanwhile, plays each ACC school roughly three times over every five-year span, despite not being a conference member in football.

On Monday, The Athletic reported that the NCAA Football Oversight Committee recommended that the Division I council remove requirements to hold a conference championship game, which would allow conferences the flexibility to determine who competes in the title game. For the ACC, the chance for every four-year player to face every school in his conference has become more of a priority as well.

“One-hundred percent,” Florida State AD Michael Alford said. “I look at Boston College and Syracuse. How many times do they want to get to Florida? A lot. So what is the best scenario? And how many times do I want to get into the New York market? I want to get up in the Boston and New York market, because it’s a key market for us to build our brands and for recruiting. So making sure that we’re doing the right things where everybody has the same opportunity (is important).”

Alford, who said conference ADs will meet with ESPN on Wednesday, made his case that Florida State needs Clemson and Miami as two of its three annual conference opponents. He is more flexible on the third.

“It’s a wild card,” he said. “But I’m looking at it as, what’s best for the conference? How do we grow our brand? And I’ll get selfish toward it and say, how do I grow my brand? And where can I go play often that gets me in a major TV market?”

Potential permanent opponents?

Boston College — Miami, Syracuse, Virginia Tech

Clemson — NC State, Georgia Tech, Florida State

Duke — North Carolina, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech

Florida State — Miami, Clemson, Syracuse

Georgia Tech — Clemson, Duke, Louisville

Louisville — Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech

Miami — Florida State, Boston College, Pittsburgh

North Carolina — Duke, NC State, Virginia

NC State — Clemson, Wake Forest, North Carolina

Pittsburgh — Louisville, Miami, Syracuse

Syracuse — Boston College, Florida State, Pittsburgh

Virginia — Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Wake Forest

Virginia Tech — Virginia, Louisville, Boston College

Wake Forest — Duke, NC State, Virginia

The league can change the scheduling model provided the NCAA Division I Council approves a rule tweak recommended by the NCAA’s Football Oversight Committee. That is expected to happen at the May 18 meeting of the council. Previously, leagues that didn’t play a full round-robin schedule in football had to be split into divisions to stage a championship game. The initial iteration of that rule required leagues to have at least 12 teams and be split into divisions. It was passed in 1987 after it was co-sponsored by a pair of Division II conferences. The first league to actually take advantage of the rule was the SEC. Then-commissioner Roy Kramer remembered the rule and used the idea of a championship game as a tentpole when his league added Arkansas and South Carolina. That league split into divisions and began playing its championship game in 1992.

The ACC and Big 12 were the leagues that got the rule modified in 2014. The Big 12 had ditched its championship game after dropping to 10 schools but wanted to re-open the option of staging one. The then-new round-robin requirement made that possible. The Big 12 began playing a title game again in 2017.

The ACC didn’t get anything out of that change, but it did get an idea in the pandemic-affected 2020 season of how a division-less league might help the league. Scheduling uncertainty because of COVID-19 and a deal to allow Notre Dame — which is an ACC member in all other sports — to play a full ACC schedule made maximum flexibility necessary. So the league played as a 15-team group without divisions. It then staged a No. 1 versus No. 2 conference title game. Both participants in the game (Clemson and Notre Dame) made the College Football Playoff. The SEC (2017 and 2021) is the only other league to place two schools in the four-team Playoff.

“The year that Clemson and Notre Dame played and we had one division, the COVID year, that was kind of an idea of, well, maybe that could be a good precursor for things to come into the future,” Radakovich said.

Conference members playing one another more frequently and more varied season ticket packages are the most obvious benefits of shifting the scheduling model, but the more rare — though more impactful — benefit is lessening the possibility of a fluky conference champ knocking the league out of the Playoff.

In the division system, a team with several losses could win exactly the correct games and make the conference title game. If that team has an uncharacteristically great day and pulls an upset of a top-five opponent in the conference title game, the league is eliminated. That possibility becomes more remote if the CFP expands, but with a No. 1 versus No. 2 title game, the possibility of getting both teams into an expanded CFP increases.

Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi joked that the danger of finishing No. 13 or No. 14 in the league will scare coaches more than the danger of finishing No. 7 in a division. But this decision is largely out of the hands of coaches. Season ticket sales, TV partner preference and postseason possibilities are driving the discussion — just as they are driving similar talks in the Big Ten and SEC.

And if the change gets made, we’ve probably seen the last meeting of North Carolina and Wake Forest in a non-conference football game.

Radakovich said the ACC is closer to establishing each school’s three annual opponents. Asked if he has a preference on whom he’d like Miami’s fixed opponents to be, he took a big-picture view of the conference as a whole.

“I want our league to be able to get to the point where we look at all the schools that are in the league, and they’ve made quantitative, qualitative investments in their football program so that the entire league continues to move up in just national recognition,” Radakovich said. “Because we had it for a long time in basketball. We’ve done it in other sports. So we need to be able to have that kind of a thing in football. It’s going to take more investment by the schools to be able to get there.”

(Top photo: Ken Ruinard / USA Today)



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March Madness 2022: Friday’s can’t-miss games

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Here are Friday’s key March Madness 2022 games to watch:

No. 10 Loyola Chicago vs. No. 7 Ohio State: 12:15 p.m., CBS

Loyola may have lost head coach Porter Moser to Oklahoma, but his replacement, 30-year-old Drew Valentine, hasn’t missed a beat. The youngest head coach in Division I, he’s the older brother of former Michigan State star Denzel Valentine and will look to continue the Ramblers’ recent Cinderella history, having reached the Final Four in 2018 and Sweet 16 last year. And yes, 102-year-old Sister Jean will be by their side. Ohio State, meanwhile, is looking to avenge a stunning loss to 15th-seeded Oral Roberts in last year’s first round, just the ninth 15-over-2 upset in tournament history.

No. 11 Virginia Tech vs. No. 6 Texas: 4:30 p.m., TBS

Virginia Tech was last weekend’s conference tournament surprise, stunning the ACC by taking down top-seeded Duke as a No. 7 seed at the ACC tourney in Brooklyn. Hunter Cattoor scored a career-high 31 points in the title-game victory, but he’ll be hard-pressed to repeat that feat against Texas’ stifling defense under Chris Beard, who has the Longhorns in the NCAAs in his first season since leaving Texas Tech for his alma mater.

Drew Valentine is the youngest head coach in Division I.
AP
Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn reacts in a game against the Indiana Hoosiers on March 11, 2022.
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

No. 13 Chattanooga vs. No. 4 Illinois: 6:50 p.m., TNT

The Illini are looking for redemption after failing to advance past the first weekend last year as a No. 1 seed. They’ll be relying heavily on big man Kofi Cockburn, who averaged a dominant 21.1 ppg and 10.6 rpg this year as a junior following a stint at Christ the King in Queens after arriving from his native Jamaica. Chattanooga may have Lady Luck on its side, having reached the Big Dance thanks to a miracle 3-pointer to win the Southern Conference Tournament.

No. 11 Iowa State vs. No. 6 LSU: 7:20 p.m., TBS

Who needs a head coach? LSU will be testing that theory — again — after firing coach Will Wade on Saturday amid an NCAA investigation. It’s not the first time the Tigers have been forced to play without Wade in March, however: He was suspended in 2019, when LSU nevertheless advanced to the Sweet 16 without him.

No. 10 Davidson vs. No. 7 Michigan State: 9:40 p.m., CBS

The matchup itself will be fascinating — a battle of respected coaches in Davidson’s Bob McKillop and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo — but the side bet between star Warriors teammates Stephen Curry and Draymond Green over their alma maters is worth keeping an eye on. If Green’s Spartans get the best of Curry’s Wildcats, Curry will have to come to game dressed as Sparty, Michigan State’s mascot, Green revealed on his podcast.

Virginia Tech Hokies guard Hunter Cattoor reacts after hitting a three point shot against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament final at Barclays Center.
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College Football Power Rankings after Week 3

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9:06 PM ET

  • ESPN staff

Week 3’s biggest games lived up to the hype, and yet no team in the top 10 lost.

The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide looked mortal in their trip to the Swamp as the Florida Gators pushed them all the way to the final seconds, but the defending champion — and reigning juggernaut — of college football once again proved why it has that status.

Auburn made the SEC’s first visit to a Big Ten campus in 90 years but couldn’t earn the conference a win as the Penn State Nittany Lions defended their turf in front of a stadium full of fans clad in white. The victory shot the Nittany Lions up the Power Rankings as the biggest mover of the week.

Both Clemson and Ohio State got all they wanted from unranked opponents but held on to win late while Georgia and Oregon rolled in expected wins.

The Power Rankings might not have shifted much near the top, but the second half of the rankings saw lots of change following a few upsets and close calls. Michigan State and Kansas State climb into the rankings following 3-0 starts to the season while Miami and Kentucky fall out of the ranks after poor performances on Saturday.

With the action of Week 3 rearview, it’s time to take a look at college football’s Power Rankings.

It wasn’t pretty near the end, but Alabama did what it had to in order to get out of the Swamp alive. The Crimson Tide beat Florida, 31-29, in a nail-biter of a game that exposed some of the Tide’s flaws, whether it was a porous defense, a lackluster offensive line or far too many penalties. Perhaps most troubling was the front seven, which wore down in the second half and struggled to stop the run. With Ole Miss’ high-tempo attack coming to Tuscaloosa in two weeks, coach Nick Saban and defensive coordinator Pete Golding have a lot of work to do. — Alex Scarborough

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Bryce Young tosses three first-quarter touchdowns, but Florida rallies only to be stopped in the fourth quarter on a failed two-point conversion.

A week ago, it was Stetson Bennett tying a school record with five touchdown passes in a 56-7 rout of UAB. On Saturday, it was JT Daniels’ time, as the Dawgs’ starting quarterback returned to the lineup and passed for 303 yards and three touchdowns to lead Georgia to a 40-13 romp over South Carolina. Bennett did make an appearance late in the first quarter (after Daniels had thrown a touchdown pass on the previous possession) and was intercepted. It was Daniels’ show from there, along with a menacing Georgia defense, as the Dawgs won their SEC opener with ease. — Chris Low

When Iowa’s offense shows up, the Hawkeyes are a playoff contender. They gained 440 yards and put up 30 points on Kent State, and that was more than enough for an Iowa defense that sacked Golden Flashes quarterback Dustin Crum seven times (Lukas Van Ness and Joe Evans led the way with two each). With Iowa up 16-7 in the third quarter, Riley Moss recovered a Bryan Bradford fumble in the Iowa end zone. That was the last time KSU threatened. Tyler Goodson rushed for 153 yards, and with one touchdown in each quarter, Iowa cruised. — Bill Connelly

It took some time for the Ducks to pull away from Stony Brook but they’ll happily take a 48-7 win to wrap up the nonconference schedule undefeated. Starting QB Anthony Brown completed 14-of-18 passes for 159 yards with a TD before coach Mario Cristobal was able to get important game reps for both Ty Thompson (6 for 9, 82 yards, 2 TD) and Jay Butterfield (2 for 3, 22 yards). After giving up a 75-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter, the Oregon defense settled down and allowed just 169 yards the rest of the way. — Kyle Bonagura

Few teams have been tested through the first three games more than the Nittany Lions, who own one-score wins over both Wisconsin (road) and Auburn (home). Quarterback Sean Clifford had only four incomplete passes on 32 attempts and repeatedly found electric wide receiver Jahan Dotson, the best player on the field against Auburn (78 receiving yards and a touchdown, 22-yard pass, 16-yard punt return). PSU’s defense struggled at times with Tank Bigsby and the Auburn run game, but Temple transfer Arnold Ebiketie continued to spark the defense with five tackles and three quarterback hurries. — Adam Rittenberg

Cincinnati couldn’t get anything going offensively in the first half against Indiana. The Hoosiers defense frustrated quarterback Desmond Ridder, who was only 10-of-19 for 94 yards and one interception. A late targeting penalty on Indiana gave the Bearcats a little momentum, and Cincinnati was able to cut the score to 14-7 going into the second half. That seemed to spark some momentum as Cincinnati scored 28 points in the second half to seal the victory. It wasn’t a pretty win for Cincinnati, but they stay 3-0 on the season and beat a good Big Ten team on the road, 38-24. — Tom VanHaaren

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Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Indiana Hoosiers: Full Highlights

The Aggies had a convincing 34-0 win over New Mexico and saw the defense keep the Lobos in check all game. New Mexico finished the game with 122 total yards on offense and no touchdowns. That included only 33 passing yards from New Mexico quarterback Terry Wilson in a frustrating day. Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada threw for over 270 yards and had three touchdowns. Running back Isaiah Spiller went over the 100-yard mark and had a rushing touchdown as well. This was a good bounce-back game for the Aggies after an underwhelming 10-7 win over Colorado the previous week. — VanHaaren

It wasn’t exactly the Game of the Century, but the Sooners showed a little defensive muscle when the offense wasn’t quite sharp, as Lincoln Riley put it. There was an incredible play-of-the-year-worthy interception by D.J. Graham of Adrian Martinez that stopped a Nebraska drive at the 3. The Sooners had 10 tackles for a loss, five sacks and held Martinez to 34 yards on 17 carries, about 50 yards below his 2021 rushing average. They held the Huskers to just 95 yards rushing overall. Spencer Rattler didn’t provide many explosive plays, but Riley said he was “learning to win” and was pleased with how he controlled the game in the 23-16 win. — Dave Wilson

When it came down to it, Florida was a missed extra point away from taking Alabama into overtime. While that might be oversimplifying what happened, it is also true that not many expected the Gators to give the Tide a fight — especially after trailing 21-3 early in the game. But Florida gashed Alabama on the ground, rushing for 258 yards and four touchdowns to slowly chip away at the lead and put itself in position to try and tie with a 2-point attempt. Though the Gators ultimately lost 31-29, coach Dan Mullen said afterward that this is a game they can build off, with the ultimate goal to see Alabama again in Atlanta in the SEC championship game. — Andrea Adelson

It took much longer than expected, both because of a nearly two-hour weather delay and the simple fact that this wasn’t supposed to be much of a game at all, but Clemson eventually survived a stiff, frustrating test from Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets actually outgained the Tigers, 309-285, and held an already spotty Clemson offense to just 4.3 yards per play. But the Clemson defense made a late goal line stand — James Skalski stuffed a shuffle pass to Dylan Deveney on fourth-and-goal — and made one final stop following a safety. This could have been a disaster in about 17 different ways, but Clemson held on in the least impressive possible fashion. — Connelly

Quarterback Matt Corral joined exclusive company at Ole Miss on Saturday night in the Rebels’ 61-21 demolition of Tulane, and that company, believe it or not, didn’t include any of the Mannings. Corral accounted for seven touchdowns by the midway point of the third quarter, matching Arnold “Showboat” Boykin’s school record for total touchdowns in a game, which was set in 1951. Corral had four touchdown runs in the game and also threw three touchdown passes. Four of those touchdowns came in the first half as Ole Miss built a 40-21 lead at the break. The start of the game was delayed by nearly two hours because of lightning. — Low

Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly knew his team would have growing pains early this season, especially because of a rebuilt offensive line that already is dealing with injuries. So he doesn’t seem too concerned about his offense’s inconsistency during a 3-0 start. The Irish averaged only 3.5 yards per carry, and quarterback Jack Coan was sacked four times against the Purdue Boilermakers in a 27-14 win. The Irish were starting their third-team left tackle, Tosh Baker, after Blake Fisher (knee) and Michael Carmody (ankle) went down with injuries in the first two games. The Irish won’t have much time to get better with next week’s game against No. 18 Wisconsin at Soldier Field in Chicago coming fast. — Mark Schlabach

This game, surprisingly, went late into the fourth quarter before Ohio State was able to put the game away. The Buckeyes were only up seven against Tulsa at halftime and after trading scores, were only up seven in the fourth quarter until Garrett Wilson caught a touchdown pass to put the Buckeyes up 14. This game was too close for comfort and was full of mistakes for Ohio State. One bright spot was true freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson, who broke a school single game rushing record for a freshman running back, rushing for over 270 yards and three touchdowns in the 41-20 win. Ohio State came away with the win, 40-21, but there’s a lot to clean up. — VanHaaren

The Cyclones collected their winnings early and left Las Vegas with an easy 48-3 victory against overmatched UNLV. Iowa State allowed just 121 total yards in a game that served as a good bounce-back opportunity from last week’s deflating loss to Iowa. Quarterback Brock Purdy completed 21-of-24 passes for 388 yards and three touchdowns, while Breece Hall ran for 100 yards on 21 carries. — Bonagura

Ranked for the first time since 2016, the Razorbacks assured they would stay in the polls for another week, jumping out to an early 14-0 lead on Georgia Southern and cruising, 45-10. The Hogs nearly tripled the Eagles’ yardage (633-233), and KJ Jefferson made the most of his 23 passes, completing 13 for 366 yards and three scores, including third-quarter strikes of 60 yards to Warren Thompson and 91 to Treylon Burks. This one was as easy as it was supposed to be, and now the focus moves to a huge Week 4 battle with Texas A&M. — Connelly

The Chanticleers escaped what will be one of their most difficult road trips of the season, and earned the program’s first win against a school from the Mid-American Conference. Coastal Carolina, which entered the game averaging 50.5 points, still racked up 456 total yards, but had a difficult time distancing themselves from the Buffalo Bulls. They were tied at 14 at the half, and a 28-17 lead was fleeting. Buffalo used a 16-play, 92-yard scoring drive to close the gap to 28-25 with 2:41 remaining, but the Chanticleers’ strong running game was the difference. Shermari Jones averaged 9.3 yards per carry (16 carries, 149 yards) for Coastal. — Heather Dinich

The Wolverines defense was stifling against Northern Illinois, only allowing 18 pass yards and 90 rush yards in the first half. Michigan led 35-3 after the first two quarters, and the offense looked much more balanced with quarterback Cade McNamara throwing 191 yards on eight completions in the first half. The Wolverines finished with 373 yards on the ground and eight touchdowns in the 63-10 win. The ground game has been impressive through the first three games with 1,076 rush yards on the season. — VanHaaren

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Michigan dominates Northern Illinois behind eight rushing touchdowns for huge win.

Life is good in Provo. Coming off last year’s 11-1 season, the Cougars have secured membership in the Big 12 and started the year with three straight wins against Pac-12 teams. The Cougars never trailed in their 27-17 win against No. 19 Arizona State, as quarterback Jaren Hall completed 15 of 27 passes for 214 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. BYU will have a chance to make it 5-0 against the Pac-12 with games against Washington State and USC later in the year. — Bonagura

The good vibes from UCLA’s win against LSU two weeks ago didn’t last long. After not playing last week, UCLA returned to the Rose Bowl with a 40-37 loss to Fresno State. UCLA went ahead 37-33 with 54 seconds left. It didn’t hold up. Fresno State QB Jake Haener, limping badly from a hit on the previous drive, led the Bulldogs on a 6-play, 75-yard drive and won the game on a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Cropper with 14 seconds left. It’s a disappointing loss for UCLA, but the Bruins are still probably the favorite in the Pac-12 South. — Bonagura

There were times that North Carolina looked like a nationally ranked team on Saturday night and times the Tar Heels looked a tad lost. But in the end, they had Sam Howell, and his five touchdown passes were enough for North Carolina to hold off previously unbeaten Virginia in a wild 59-39 win at home. Howell connected with four different players on scoring tosses, as North Carolina raced out to a 24-7 lead early in the second quarter, then stumbled into halftime trailing 28-24 before pulling away in the second half for its second consecutive blowout victory after losing the season opener to Virginia Tech. — Low

The Spartans put on a show on the road against a ranked opponent in Miami to get its third win of the season. It’s the first time since 2015 that Michigan State has won its first three games of the season, and they did it in convincing fashion against the Hurricanes. Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne threw for four touchdowns. He is the first Spartans quarterback to throw four touchdowns in consecutive games since 2015 when Connor Cook did it. The defense gave up over 300 passing yards to Miami quarterback D’Eriq King, but that number doesn’t tell the whole story of how well the defense played. Two interceptions helped the Spartans defense keep Miami to only 17 points in the win. — VanHaaren

The Badgers enjoyed an early open week before another measuring-stick game against Notre Dame in Chicago. Wisconsin’s passing game remains atop its priority list as the Badgers are averaging only 175.5 air yards per game without a passing touchdown in two contests. A defense that once again looks nationally elite won’t be enough if Wisconsin can’t become more efficient on third down (36.4% conversions) or in the red zone (four touchdowns on 10 chances). The Badgers defense is set to get a boost with the return of linebacker Leo Chenal, who missed the first two games after testing positive for COVID-19. — Rittenberg

Bryan Harsin’s team handled the White Out and a raucous atmosphere at Beaver Stadium reasonably well, but the step up in competition against Penn State proved to be too much. The Tigers defense struggled to apply pressure or stop Penn State’s wide receivers and tight ends. While quarterback Bo Nix executed some nice back-shoulder throws, he couldn’t rally his team in the end, as an odd fade pass call on fourth-and-goal sailed incomplete. Tank Bigsby (102 rushing yards, two touchdowns) will be a problem in SEC play, but Auburn still needs to commit to him more at times. — Rittenberg

Arizona State showed it’s still not ready to be a banner program in the Pac-12 in a 27-17 loss to BYU. Not that others in the conference are doing much better, of course. A win against BYU could have been a pivotal moment for ASU. Instead, the Sun Devils committed 16 penalties for 121 yards and turned the ball over four times. They fell behind early and couldn’t erase a 14-point halftime deficit. — Bonagura

Kansas State moved to 3-0 with a convincing 38-17 win over Nevada. The Wildcats and Wolfpack were tied at 17 after three quarters, but the Kansas State rushing attack started to roll in the fourth quarter. Three rushing touchdowns followed, and the Wildcats defense shutout Nevada for a comfortable victory. Not only is Kansas State out to an undefeated start, but the opening week win over Stanford is looking better and better. — Shea Carlson

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College football Power Rankings after Week 2

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3:08 AM ET

  • ESPN staff

What college football’s Week 2 schedule lacked in high profile games, it more than made up for in drama.

Multiple teams in the top 10 survived close calls despite upstart performances from scrappy teams keen on pulling an upset early in the season.

Ohio State was one team that did not survive an upset-minded team as the Oregon Ducks marched into the Horseshoe in Columbus and pushed the Buckeyes around in a 35-28 victory. The win was Oregon’s first victory over Ohio State in program history and snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Buckeyes. Beyond knocking off Ohio State, the win gave the Pac-12 a serious early season boost for a possible College Football Playoff berth.

Elsewhere, Texas A&M and Notre Dame both survived despite trailing late to unranked teams. Both the Fighting Irish and the Aggies scored with less than three minutes left — 1:06 and 2:41, respectively — on the clock to avoid upsets on Saturday.

Iowa joined Oregon as the largest climbers in the Power Rankings this week following a 27-17 victory over rival Iowa State in Ames, and Ohio State tumbled out of the top 10 following the big loss.

With the action of Week 2 behind us, it’s time to take a look at college football’s Power Rankings.

Maybe Nick Saban was onto something a few days ago when he went on a rant about his team’s inability to play a full four quarters against Miami and how players were allowing themselves to be affected by everything from the weather to the media. He questioned whether they respected Mercer enough, and when kickoff finally arrived it looked like he was right. Alabama started out sloppy against the FCS foe, punting on each of their first two drives offensively. Eventually the Tide got their act together, of course. Bryce Young threw three more touchdowns and no interceptions, and Alabama won, 48-14, to set up a top-15 showdown at Florida next Saturday. — Alex Scarborough

Well then. Facing a great Group-of-Five defense with backup quarterback Stetson Bennett starting in place of the injured JT Daniels, it was easy to guess the Dawgs might struggle for a bit against UAB. Instead, they scored a first-round knockout. Bennett was 10-for-12 for 288 yards and five touchdowns. The incredible Georgia defense allowed only 174 yards, and the only points UAB scored were on a garbage-time pick six. The 56-7 win further established Georgia as Bama’s most formidable challenger early in the season. — Bill Connelly

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Bulldogs QB Stetson Bennett throws for 288 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Dawgs to a 56-7 victory over UAB.

The Ducks beat Ohio State for the first time in school history, and left no doubt they were the better team — even without star defensive players Justin Flowe and Kayvon Thibodeaux, who were both sidelined with injuries. Oregon racked up 269 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 38 attempts and finished with 505 yards of total offense. Oregon’s ability to sustain drives — including a 99-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter — wore out Ohio State’s defense. Quarterback Anthony Brown finished with 236 passing yards and 121 rushing yards. Twelve of his 18 completions went for first downs. — Heather Dinich

Clearly, there was far too much drama in Week 1 for Lincoln Riley’s liking. Oklahoma had to hold off an inspired effort by Tulane to win 40-35. So not wanting to go back down that road this week, the Sooners made quick work of outmanned FCS foe Western Carolina in a 76-0 rout. Spencer Rattler threw five touchdown passes – to four different players — in the first half as Oklahoma raced out to a 45-0 halftime lead, and the only question from there was how many more points the Sooners felt like putting on the board. — Chris Low

The Hawkeyes kept the Cy-Hawk Trophy with their sixth straight win over Iowa State as Kirk Ferentz continued his mastery over Matt Campbell, who is 0-5 against him. Iowa’s defense shut down Iowa State’s stars, holding QB Brock Purdy to 138 yards and picking him off three times, while limiting running back Breece Hall to 69 yards. Iowa had just 173 total yards — just 23 in the second half — and yet was in total control. The Hawkeyes are now 2-0 with wins over then-No. 17 Indiana and No. 9 Iowa State, their first top-10 road win since 1960. — Dave Wilson

Blame it on a Big 12 hangover, but Cincinnati slogged through a half against FCS Murray State before pulling away, 42-7. The Bearcats scored the final 35 points, propelled by quarterback Desmond Ridder and running back Jerome Ford. Cincinnati continues to feature a more aggressive downfield passing attack, as Ridder averaged 11 yards per completion. Ford recorded his first career three-touchdown performance, and the defense recorded five takeaways (three interceptions, two fumble recoveries). Sluggish starts won’t cut it when the schedule gets harder, but Cincinnati ended up winning rather comfortably. — Adam Rittenberg

The Tigers put FCS South Carolina State to bed before the end of the first quarter and cruised to an easy 49-3 win. Considering the significant talent gap, the game served as more of an offensive tune-up for Clemson, which was held without a touchdown in its 10-3 loss to Georgia in the opener. Through two games, Clemson has yet to allow an offensive touchdown. — Bonagura

Zach Calzada went through about eight different stages of player development in just four quarters. Thrust into action when starting quarterback Haynes King suffered a leg injury, Calzada was mostly overwhelmed and rushed. A&M trailed 7-3 after three quarters, and he lost a fumble inches from the CU goal line midway through the fourth. But given one last chance, he threw a gorgeous 18-yarder to Isaiah Spiller, and the Aggies survived. Winning with your backup QB doesn’t have to be pretty. — Connelly

Emory Jones started at quarterback, but backup Anthony Richardson stole the show once again in a 42-20 win over USF. Richardson went 3-for-3 for 152 yards and two scores, while adding 115 yards rushing and another touchdown — becoming the first Florida player with at least 100 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in a game since Tim Tebow in 2009. Richardson also happens to wear No. 15. If there was any downside to his performance it was this — Richardson tweaked his hamstring on his long touchdown run. The news was less glowing for Jones, who threw for 151 yards and a touchdown, but also had two interceptions. Still, Mullen was adamant afterward he is sticking with Jones as his starter. — Adelson

The Nittany Lions had an easier time this week compared to last week against Wisconsin. Penn State beat Ball State on Saturday 44-13 in a game that was never really close. Quarterback Sean Clifford completed 21-of-29 passes for 230 yards and one touchdown, while running for 66 yards and a score. The team combined for 240 yards on the ground and eventually was able to get some backups some time towards the end of the game. The defense held Ball State to just four of 16 third-down conversions and had two interceptions in the game. — VanHaaren

The Buckeyes’ defense had no answer for Oregon’s balanced offense, and couldn’t slow down a rushing attack that averaged 7.1 yards per carry. It was a night of dubious distinctions for Ohio State, which snapped a 23 home-game winning streak, and surrendered the most rushing yards to an opponent in Ohio Stadium since 2014 against Indiana. Quarterback C.J. Stroud wasn’t the problem — he threw for 484 yards and three touchdowns — but he was sacked twice on the last two drives of the game and threw an interception with 2:50 left in the game. — Dinich

The Irish snuck by Toledo in their second close game of the season. It took a late touchdown to go ahead and stay ahead to win 32-29. Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Toledo, who eventually scored to take the lead. Quarterback Jack Coan dislocated his finger, got it fixed on the sideline and threw the game winning touchdown with 1:09 left in the fourth quarter. Coan was sacked six times, and threw two touchdowns and one interception in the win. It wasn’t pretty, and the defense struggled to keep points off the board, but Notre Dame is 2-0 on paper. — VanHaaren

The Bruins were off this week following last week’s statement win against LSU and will head into next week’s game against Fresno State as one of the most interesting teams in the country at this point. Fresno State should provide a stiff test, and a loss would nullify a lot of the gains from beating the 2019 national champions. — Bonagura

The Rebels are 2-0 and haven’t broken much of a sweat. For the second straight week, they cruised to an easy win, and this time, with coach Lane Kiffin on the sideline. Kiffin missed last week’s 43-24 season-opening win over Louisville after testing positive for COVID-19. He had a front-row seat Saturday for the 54-17 win over Austin Peay. Matt Corral had four touchdown passes in the first half, and Ole Miss never really looked back after that. — Low

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Quarterback Matt Corral throws for 281 yards and five touchdowns as No. 20 Ole Miss routs the visiting Governors.

The Chanticleers overwhelmed Kansas through the air, on the ground and on special teams in rolling to a third straight victory over the Jayhawks on Friday night. With all but three starters returning from last season’s 11-1 team, the Chanticleers didn’t have many concerns coming into 2021. But junior Reese White has shored up one of the few holes by emerging as a big-play back. He ran 14 times for 102 yards with three scores against Kansas. He had 62 yards with two scores on just seven touches in a season-opening win against The Citadel. The one-two punch of Reese and Shermari Jones will go a long way in replacing CJ Marable, last season’s leading rusher. — Mark Schlabach

The excitement surrounding the first top-10 matchup in Cy-Hawk history ended in disappointment as the Cyclones once again failed to break through against the Hawkeyes. Iowa State’s defense made it tough on the Hawkeyes, holding them to 1.7 yards per carry, but the offense had four turnovers as Brock Purdy struggled under pressure, going 3-of-8 for 37 yards and two interceptions against the blitz before eventually being benched for Hunter Dekkers. Matt Campbell has made historic strides at Iowa State, but is now 0-5 in the one that hurts the most. — Wilson

The Hokies got off to a sluggish start against Middle Tennessee, but that was not a major surprise considering they were coming off a highly charged, emotional win over North Carolina on opening weekend. Three scores to open the second half helped put the game away and sealed a 35-14 victory. Braxton Burmeister took a shot to the head early in the game but came back to throw for 142 yards and a touchdown. Raheem Blackshear had two touchdown runs. The defense held Middle Tennessee to 66 yards rushing. — Adelson

The offense needed a get-well week against Eastern Michigan after an extremely disappointing opening loss to Penn State. The Badgers received a big lift from running back Chez Mellusi, as the Clemson transfer became the first Wisconsin player to open his career with consecutive 100-yard rushing efforts since Corey Clement in 2013. Mellusi led the Badgers with 144 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, but had to share time with Jalen Berger. Isaac Guerendo also had an 82-yard touchdown run. But Wisconsin’s merciless defense once again rose up, allowing only three first downs and 92 total yards. — Rittenberg

Arkansas welcomed Texas to its future home in the SEC with a 40-21 victory that didn’t even feel that close. The Razorbacks racked up 333 yards and four touchdowns — despite not having any 100-yard rushers — on the ground as the Longhorns just didn’t have any answers in Fayetteville. Texas turned to backup quarterback Casey Thompson, who rushed for two touchdowns late, but it wasn’t enough to rally past an improved and hungry Arkansas team.

After all that UNC’s offense lost from the 2020 team, quarterback Sam Howell knew more would be on his shoulders this fall. Howell responded from a tough opening loss at Virginia Tech to carry the Tar Heels to their first victory Saturday against Georgia State. He not only led UNC in passing (352 yards) but also in rushing (104 yards), logging touchdown runs of 62 and 22 yards. Wide receivers Antoine Green and Emery Simmons flashed big-play potential as UNC needed barely seven minutes to exceed its Week 1 points total. The Heels defense limited a pass-heavy Georgia State offense to three yards per attempt. — Rittenberg

It’s been a long time since 2009, just ask BYU. The Cougars erased a nine-game losing streak to bitter rival Utah Saturday night by holding the Utes’ offense to just seven points over the first three quarters of their 26-17 victory. Jaren Hall threw for three touchdowns in the win, including a touchdown right before the half that extended BYU’s lead to 16-9 at the break. Utah scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, but the Cougars’ lead never felt in question, and the fans in Provo can sleep easy tonight knowing the streak is finally over.

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0:31

Jaren Hall completes a pass to Gunner Romney in the end zone for a 4-yard BYU score.

It took some time to get going, but after falling behind 10-7 to UNLV in the second quarter, the Sun Devils scored the game’s final 30 points to win 37-7. QB Jayden Daniels completed 20 of 29 passes with a pair of touchdowns as ASU moved to 2-0 with a tough game against BYU next week. ASU is one of just three teams in the Pac-12 still undefeated. — Bonagura

After jumping out to a 14-point lead against Missouri, the Wildcats found themselves in a battle. But, after the teams traded touchdown throughout the final three quarters, the early touchdowns paid dividends as Kentucky outlasted the Tigers, 35-28. Chris Rodriguez Jr. had a career day rushing the football, racking up 206 yards and three scores in the victory. A key matchup with the Florida Gators in three weeks now looms large for Kentucky.

You can’t prove much as a new coach when you start the season against Akron and Alabama State, but Bryan Harsin can point to both victories and say that his teams played well from start to finish. And, let’s face it, consistency was not exactly the hallmark of the previous regime. So that’s something. A 62-0 beatdown of Alabama State on Saturday also showed what could be an improved Bo Nix at quarterback. Again, the competition is what it is, but the junior appears to have cleaned up some of the mistakes we’ve seen from him the last two seasons, completing 29 of 39 passes for 383 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions through two games. — Scarborough

Don’t look now, but Jim Harbaugh is having a great time with his Michigan team this season. The Wolverines got a primetime slot against Washington this week and did not disappoint the Big House faithful. The Huskies sputtered on offense throughout the game, going scoreless in the first half while Michigan built a 10-point lead. A Huskies’ field goal in the third quarter did little to deter the Wolverines, who were led by Blake Corum’s three touchdowns. Washington scored a late touchdown, but by that point it was all Michigan. Harbaugh and company cruised to a 31-10 win.

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The latest on Maryland, Wichita State and the rest of the field for the 2021 NCAA Tournament – The Athletic

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We’re here. It’s time. Bubble Watch is live.

After six weeks of twice weekly updates, we converge on the final pre-NCAA Tournament burst of the season. We started the same process last year, of course, and we all know what happened then: The tournaments stopped, Bubble Watch stopped, the sport we love and this strange, wordy, contextually obsessed column we create together was frozen in place. The last BW update of 2020, filed from the media center in Greensboro, N.C., promised to “finish the fight;” this was roughly 15 minutes before the world halted. We were on a flight back to D.C. later that day.

So, yes, there is something especially satisfying about seeing this year of Bubble Watch through to its conclusion.

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