College Football

Dec. 26—PRINCETON — Throughout the 2023 high school football season, Princeton head football coach Keith Taylor kept saying it. Not because it was something he hoped might be true. But because he was convinced that it was true. “Dom Collins is the best high school football player in West Virginia,” Taylor repeatedly asserted to whomever was listening. Collins’ feet are …

No. 7 Ohio State plays in its third Cotton Bowl in program history when the Buckeyes take on No. 9 Missouri on Friday, Dec. 29 at 8 p.m. ET. The Buckeyes’ last appearance in the Cotton Bowl was a 24-7 win over USC in 2017. Ohio State is 1-3 in its last four bowl or College Football Playoff games against …

Christmas has not brought a lot of great news stories to USC football fans. Recruiting rankings and transfer portal hauls have been less than spectacular. Oregon and Dan Lanning (and Phil Knight) are outpacing the Trojans in the realm of player acquisitions. Oregon has the No. 5 recruiting class for the 2024 cycle, USC No. 18. Oregon has 17 blue-chip …

The matchup for the 2023 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl was shrouded in mystery until the last minute. In that regard, the matchup for the 2024 Sun Bowl has a one year head start in the mystery department. “I have no idea,” was how executive director Bernie Olivas described the 2024 game, which presumably will pit a team from the …

The USC Trojans and quarterback Miller Moss face the Louisville Cardinals in the 2023 Holiday Bowl on Wednesday. It’s a tough matchup for Moss, which could set him up for failure. Yet, that’s just the way it should be for Moss. It wouldn’t really mean much for Moss if he went up against an opponent with a pillow-soft defense, such …

New Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has continued to utilize the transfer portal throughout the month of December, landing seven players, including former Kansas State cornerback Will Lee Jr., who is a plug and player going into the 2024 season. While nearly every position on defense has been addressed, the defensive tackle spot has seen vast attrition due to …

As a public service announcement, we are obligated to clarify that there is no boxing scheduled on Boxing Day. There is, however, football. After a brief holiday timeout, the college bowl season continues Tuesday with a trio of games, all on the four-letter network. There’s no real overarching theme for the day. The three games feature representatives from six different …

ORLANDO, Fla. — Avery Johnson’s true freshman regular season with the Kansas State football team was supposed to serve as an apprenticeship for a bright future as the Wildcats’ starting quarterback. He appeared in seven games as senior Will Howard’s understudy and even helped lead the team to a memorable come-from-behind victory at Texas Tech. But then Howard threw his …

Oregon State and Notre Dame meet on Friday in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in front of a nationally-televised audience on noon. The game will be aired on CBS. Oregon State will be the visiting team and Notre Dame will be the home team. Here is a look at some players to watch on both teams that could have …

It was a memorable high school football season in the Greater Savannah area as four teams advanced to the GHSA state semifinals with Savannah Christian, Calvary Day, Benedictine and Bryan County making deep runs, and SCPS advancing to the GHSA state title game. In SCISA action, Bethesda capped off an undefeated season with a stirring comeback to beat Williamsburg Academy …

UNC football started the 2023 season with a statement win against South Carolina in Charlotte. The Tar Heels (8-4) will end the year against West Virginia (8-4) in Charlotte on Wednesday, Dec. 27 (5:30 p.m., ESPN), aiming to salvage their season with another positive experience at Bank of America Stadium. It’ll be the third meeting between UNC and the Mountaineers. …

The chance to play in a bowl game was already meaningful for Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt. Getting to play that bowl game at Yankee Stadium? That adds some extra significance. “I love baseball,” said Wimsatt, who pitched, played third base and centerfield growing up through high school. “I would say baseball was probably my first love. Which is surprising.” But …

Louisiana football signed 15 players during the early signing period on Dec. 20. Ragin’ Cajuns coach Michael Desormeaux and his staff welcomed a mix of offensive and defensive players, but the majority are on the defensive side. UL landed four transfers out of that 15, headlined by Missouri transfer and Monroe native Carmycah Glass and Zachary native Ashley Williams Jr., …

Dec. 25—Sign up for our daily Illini football newsletter here Greetings from “Can’t Wait For Saturday,” your morning morsel of college football, courtesy of longtime Illini beat writer, AP Top 25 voter and Heisman state rep Bob Asmussen. He’ll give you his views each day on the game he loves. *** Merry Christmas, P.J. Fleck. Fleck and his Minnesota Gophers …

Dec. 24—Ollie Gordon will return to Oklahoma State for his junior season, the running back announced on social media. The announcement should have been unnecessary, but in this modern era of college athletics, universities and fans question whether or not their star players will enter the transfer portal. Earlier this month, Gordon said he wanted to make his decision on …