The Oklahoma men’s basketball team will continue SEC play with a home game against Texas at 9 p.m. Wednesday. OU (13-3, 0-3 SEC) is still searching for its first conference win following a 72-62 road loss to Georgia on Saturday. Texas (11-5, 0-3 SEC) is in the same position following its 74-70 home loss to then-No. 1 Tennessee on Saturday. …
Read More »Daily Archives: January 15, 2025
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame odds, computer prediction: 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship picks
The inaugural 12-team field is down to two and the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship game is set for Monday, Jan. 20 between the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (13-2) and No. 7 Notre Dame (14-1). Ohio State breezed past Tennessee and Oregon in the CFP bracket before grinding out a 28-14 win over Texas in the semifinals thanks in large part …
Read More »Is Marcus Freeman a Chicago Bears candidate? Looking at Notre Dame coach’s rumors to NFL
Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman has done one of the best jobs in college football this season, leading the Fighting Irish to the national championship game in his third season at the helm. With such success, comes interest from a multitude of other teams. REQUIRED READING: ‘Trust your doctors,’ Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman says after Riley Leonard scare Among …
Read More »Why Oklahoma State football LB Bryan McCoy sees Cowboys as perfect fit for final season
STILLWATER — Though he lived his entire childhood on Chicago’s South Side, Bryan McCoy’s family has some country roots, too. That’s why the former Akron linebacker sees Stillwater as an ideal location for his final year of college football. Enough of a city feel to meet his needs, but also easy access to the country for his downtime hobbies. “I …
Read More »How late Colorado coach Bill McCartney faced his own mortality
On Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017, I made an appointment to meet with former Colorado football coach Bill McCartney at a Starbucks inside a Safeway supermarket near Denver. I was a reporter with USA TODAY, same as now, and wanted to interview him about his life and health after being diagnosed with late-onset dementia/Alzheimer’s disease. McCartney, then 77 years old, agreed …
Read More »Don’t believe what you hear: Georgia wanted quarterback Carson Beck to return in 2025
It’s all Carson Beck’s fault. He’s selfish, wasn’t a good teammate, wasn’t the same, dependable player after signing an NIL deal and driving a Lamborghini around Athens. There, feel good, Georgia fan? Now, some harsh truth: when Beck, the former Georgia quarterback, decided last week to enter the transfer portal after initially declaring for the NFL draft, the first team …
Read More »‘A football junkie like me’: Chuck Martin not surprised by Tommy Rees’ coaching ascension
It didn’t take long after Tommy Rees arrived at the University of Notre Dame for Chuck Martin to realize that the quarterback understood the game of football at a higher level than most. “Probably about 30 seconds after you start a conversation with him,” Martin, now the head coach at Miami of Ohio, recalled to the Beacon Journal. “It wasn’t …
Read More »How do you stop players from faking injuries? College football coaches torn on problematic issue
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Monday, in a conference room at the convention center here, several coaches explored one of the hottest of hot-button topics in the world of college football: faking injuries. In fact, the meeting even featured in-game clips of players (allegedly) dropping to the field in the middle of a drive in an effort, defensively, to slow an …
Read More »If Purdue football can turn around abysmal season, these 5 transfers will be key
WEST LAFAYETTE — Prior to finding Purdue football’s latest coach, athletic director Mike Bobinski made it public knowledge the hire would not only be someone with a proven background, but also a coach who could rebuild a roster quickly through the transfer portal. Barry Odom was the man tasked with doing so. And now, the Boilermakers have a revamped roster …
Read More »5 incoming Purdue football transfers key to quick Boilermakers turnaround
WEST LAFAYETTE − Prior to finding the next Purdue football coach, athletic director Mike Bobinski made it public knowledge the hire would not only be someone with a proven background, but also a coach who could rebuild a roster quickly through the transfer portal. Barry Odom was the man tasked with doing so. And now, the Boilermakers have a revamped roster that includes …
Read More »He’s back for a seventh year of Penn State football: How Smith Vilbert is one-of-a-kind
Defensive lineman Smith Vilbert will become the first seventh-year Penn State football player. The top backup, who grew up in Haiti, announced on social media that he intends on returning for the 2025 season. He used his fifth season as a redshirt in 2019, received an extra sixth season of eligibility with the COVID pandemic and successfully petitioned for an …
Read More »Edinboro University hires former IUP lineman Matthew Scott as its new football coach
Matthew Scott is familiar with facing Edinboro University’s football team. The West Allegheny graduate was a defensive lineman for Indiana (University) of Pennsylvania from 2004-07. Now, Scott will experience what it’s like coaching the Crimson Hawks’ PSAC West Division rival. Edinboro announced Scott’s hire as its next football coach on Tuesday. He succeeds Jake Nulph, who last month resigned to …
Read More »Texas football tight end Gunnar Helm declares for 2025 NFL draft
Texas football tight end Gunnar Helm has declared for the 2025 NFL draft after exhausting his college eligibility. The fourth-year senior has appeared in 54 games with 25 starts and was a John Mackey Award semifinalist this past season. Helm caught 14 balls for 192 yards and two touchdowns during the 2023-24 season while playing under Carolina former Texas tight …
Read More »Clemson hires Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen
Clemson has found its new defensive coordinator. The Tigers announced Tuesday that Penn State’s Tom Allen would be making the move to the ACC. Allen, the former head coach at Indiana, had been in State College for one season. “He will hit the ground running this week to get started helping us achieve all of our goals in 2025,” Clemson …
Read More »Notre Dame loves playing man coverage, but will that work against Ohio State football?
In Ohio State’s first two College Football Playoff games this season, Jeremiah Smith caught 13 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns in lopsided victories. Texas learned from that in Friday’s semifinal. The Longhorns geared their pass coverage toward stopping Smith with a combination of man and zone coverages, often with multiple defenders. He caught one pass for 3 yards. …
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