College Football

Mid-South Spotlight: Four prospects on flip watch

Rivals national recruiting analyst Marshall Levenson takes a look at four prospects in the Mid-South Region that could be at risk to flip their commitments before the end of the 2025 recruiting cycle. THIS SERIES: Four Midwest prospects on flip watch | Four Southeast prospects on flip watch ***** CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State …

Read More »

Iowa true frosh WR Reece Vander Zee expected to garner early playing time

It isn’t often that true freshmen grace the two-deep at Iowa. When it happens, it means an individual has been incredibly impressive early on. It can also indicate that the situation presented an opportunity. Both are true in the case of true freshman wide receiver Reece Vander Zee. The 6-foot-4, 207 pound freshman out of Central Lyon High School has …

Read More »

How a decade of transition led to college football’s new 12-team playoff format

From the very beginning, the brains behind the development and implementation of the College Football Playoff wanted to hit the sweet spot of “a generic name that was catchy,” said playoff executive director Bill Hancock. One suggestion was “College Bowl,” which was discarded for any possible confusion between the longtime radio and television quiz show of the same name. Another …

Read More »

USA TODAY Sports projects Auburn’s bowl destination ahead of week one’s action

Sept 19, 2009; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers receiver Darvin Adams (89) catches a touchdown pass as West Virginia Mountaineers defensive back Robert Sands (2) makes the tackle during the second half at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports College football, in its entirety, gets underway this weekend. To celebrate, USA TODAY Sports’ Erick Smith has …

Read More »

Watch Ohio State commit Jake Cook live on NFHS Network: Westerville North vs. Orange

Offensive linemen usually aren’t the high school football players who receive the most attention, but there are times when one sets himself apart. That is the case for Westerville North’s Jake Cook, a senior who has committed to Ohio State. Cook originally committed to Louisville, but Ohio State hosted him for multiple summer recruiting camps. When he announced his commitment …

Read More »

Mike Bianchi: Get ready for a college football season like no other in history

The cover of this football special section has an obvious musical concept with illustrations of LPs, CDs and even an old-school cassette tape. If you were to plug that cassette into your tape deck, you would undoubtedly hear David Bowie singing the theme song for the 2024 college football season. “Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, Turn and face the strange ch-ch-changes.” The chorus of …

Read More »

Purdue football predictions 2024: Our game-by-game picks are in for Boilers

INDIANAPOLIS – Purdue football improved since last season, raising its across-the-board talent level — and by extension its depth — and further buying into Ryan Walters’ system. Will its record improve? On the eve of the season, those two questions seem only marginally related. Based on historical precedent, the Boilermakers face understandable skepticism as to whether they can beat projected …

Read More »

5 takeaways from Ohio State football’s press conference

The opening week of Ohio State’s season has finally arrived. The Buckeyes are a 50-point favorite over Akron for Saturday afternoon’s game at Ohio Stadium, so the level of anticipation is nothing like the 2022 opener against Notre Dame or even last year’s opener at Indiana. Aug 27, 2024; Columbus, OH, United States; Ohio State football coach Ryan Day speaks …

Read More »