College Football

Kirby Smart’s coaching peers gave him his flowers after Nick Saban retired, and whether a show of admiration or an attempt to ramp up pressure on Georgia’s coach, no one disputed that Smart stood first in line to rule college football in Saban’s absence. Saban, Smart’s old boss, had been the one coach Smart couldn’t beat consistently. With the GOAT …

Penn State has completed the first half of the regular season and finds itself sitting in a great spot on its quest to compete in this year expanded College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions sit at no. 3 in the major polls during their bye week as they prepare for a road game at Wisconsin and a home game against …

Sep 28, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) points at the line of scrimmage before the snap against the Purdue Boilermakers during the second half at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola met with the media earlier this week. The Huskers are on the road this weekend when they face …

Ryan Williams’ rankings of Alabama football rivalries has not changed since he was a kid. It was always the Iron Bowl vs. Auburn first, with his dad being a former Tigers cornerback. But Williams remembers “The Third Saturday in October” too, name-dropping Peyton Manning and Jalin Hyatt as the players he thinks of first when it comes to the Volunteers. …

Missouri State football can capture its first five-game winning streak since 1996 when it takes the field to play Indiana State for its annual homecoming game. The FCS No. 20 Bears (4-2, 2-0) will host the Sycamores (2-4, 1-1) on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Plaster Stadium in Springfield. Bears coach Ryan Beard could help his team surpass its win …

Duke football will try to make program history against Florida State on Friday (7 p.m., ESPN2) at Wallace Wade Stadium. Coming off an idle week, the Blue Devils (5-1, 1-1 ACC) will try to snag their first victory against the Seminoles (1-5, 1-4), who are 22-0 in the all-time series. Duke lost 21 of those games by double digits, including …

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football sustained injuries to its defense in last week’s loss at Georgia. The Bulldogs’ injury report, released on Wednesday, lists starting defensive lineman Kedrick Bingley-Jones as doubtful, and safeties Brylan Lanier and Tyler Woodard as questionable. Mississippi State (1-5, 0-3 SEC) hosts No. 14 Texas A&M (5-1, 3-0) at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday (3:15 p.m. …

NORMAN — OU football could get one of its best receivers back this week for the South Carolina game. Deion Burks, who missed the Sooners’ games against Auburn and Texas after suffering a soft tissue injury against Tennessee, is questionable to play against the Gamecocks. Head coach Brent Venables said Tuesday that Burks was up to 80% of his max …

Did Oregon head coach Dan Lanning purposely call for 12 defenders to take the field on Ohio State’s penultimate offensive snap Saturday — knowing that it would either be missed by the refs (thus aiding the Duck defense) or even if flagged would result in just a 5-yard penalty but cost the Buckeyes precious time on the clock because of …

Oct. 16—PULLMAN — Not even a calendar year ago, Washington State’s rushing game was mostly invisible. The Cougars couldn’t create much of a push up front, and the more opponents realized they couldn’t run with credibility, the more WSU’s offense suffered. So nonexistent was the Cougs’ rushing attack that season that Pro Football Focus handed the unit a grade of …

BATON ROUGE — There is some expectation that LSU football will get at least one of its hurt wide receivers back for its key Southeastern Conference showdown at Arkansas on Saturday night (6:00 p.m., ESPN). LSU coach Brian Kelly told reporters Monday during his weekly press conference he anticipates getting either senior wide out C.J. Daniels or junior Chris Hilton …

It looks like Alabama football will welcome Kendrick Law back to the lineup for Saturday’s border clash with Tennessee, and for the Crimson Tide, it comes none too soon. UA coach Kalen DeBoer confirmed Law is participating in practice this week and described him as “probable” to play against the Volunteers. Despite limited production this season, Law’s presence in the …

Florida football running backs Montrell Johnson Jr. and Treyaun Webb have been ruled as questionable for UF’s homecoming game Saturday against Kentucky at The Swamp (7:45 p.m., SEC Network). Webb has missed UF’s last two games with a knee injury, while Johnson left the Tennessee game after twisting his knee during the third quarter of UF’s 23-17 overtime loss at …

COLUMBIA — South Carolina football travels to Norman to face new SEC conference member Oklahoma, a team riddled with injuries since the start of the season. The wide receiver room is especially banged-up for the Sooners (4-1, 1-2 SEC), who are without four wide receivers this week, with a fifth listed as questionable. For the Gamecocks (3-3, 1-3) offensive lineman …

Army football bids for its first 7-0 season start since 1996, and a deeper hold on the lead in the American Athletic Conference when the Black Knights host the East Carolina Pirates. Army has never won in eight meetings with ECU, with all games played between 1995-2004. Both schools were members of Conference USA between 1998-2004 – now they are …