Fernando Mendoza hopes to cap an incredible journey with Indiana’s 1st national title
Fernando Mendoza arrived on Indiana’s campus last January carrying huge expectations for himself and the program. Outsiders almost immediately dubbed the new, highly touted transfer as the quarterback who could lead Indiana’s football program to unprecedented heights. Some even suggested Mendoza could be a Heisman Trophy candidate and possibly the...
Carson Beck’s college career set to end when Miami faces Indiana in College Football Playoff finale
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Carson Beck was only 17 when he enrolled at Georgia. Just a kid, completely unaware of what the next six years would bring. Had no idea he would become a lightning rod for criticism. Had no idea his elbow would need to be surgically rebuilt. Had...
Miami’s Columbus High will have some CFP champions, no matter what happensVideo
MIAMI — Tuesday’s classes at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami have been canceled. There wouldn’t be much learning going on that day. No matter what happens Monday night in the College Football Playoff title game between Indiana and Miami — a game that will be played in South Florida...
Marcus Freeman says Notre Dame must ‘leave no doubt’ in future CFP discussions — and addresses NFL rumors
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman spoke with reporters Wednesday for the first time since the Irish were left out of the College Football Playoff. He touched on multiple topics, including addressing some big additions through the transfer portal. Here are six things Freeman said: Freeman preaches to his players that...
Oregon QB Dante Moore says he’ll return to the Ducks rather than declare for the NFL draft
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has decided to return to the Ducks next season rather than declare for the NFL Draft. Moore, 20, announced his decision Wednesday on ESPN. “When it comes to me just making my decision, of course I want to feel most prepared and do what’s best for...
Mario Cristobal’s path back to Miami was forged by family. He has Miami on the cusp of a CFP title
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Luis Cristobal Sr. was always juggling at least two jobs. Clara Cristobal worked at an auto dealership well into her 70s. They were Cuban-Americans, didn’t know English when they came to the U.S, were extremely proud of their heritage, the sort of people who embraced hard...
Indiana, Miami should be near full strength for title gameVideo
No. 10 Miami needs everything at its disposal to slow down top-seeded Indiana’s high-scoring offense in next week’s College Football Playoff championship. The good news is the Hurricanes’ defense should be at, or near, full strength. Coach Mario Cristobal told reporters Monday he expects defensive linemen Ahkeem Mesidor and Ahmad...
Former Penn-Trafford football standout Greene transferring to YSU
The defensive line is calling his name again, and Conlan Greene can’t wait to get back in the trenches. The former Penn-Trafford football standout, who played three years at Temple, announced Saturday he has committed to play at Youngstown State. He entered the NCAA transfer portal with one year of...
Former WPIAL football standout Rodney Gallagher transferring from WVU to Arizona
Rodney Gallagher, the former four-star recruit from Laurel Highlands and experienced wide receiver at West Virginia, has a new college team. The versatile Gallagher announced Saturday he will transfer to Arizona, with one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Gallagher (5-foot-10, 181 pounds), who visited Tuscon on Friday, has 22 career...
It’s Indiana and Miami in a college-football title matchup that once seemed impossible
It looked improbable two months ago. Two years ago — impossible. But against the odds, Miami and Indiana have a date in the College Football Playoff final — a first-of-its-kind matchup on Jan. 19 in the second national title game of the expanded-playoff era. The Hoosiers (15-0), the top-seeded favorite...
No. 1 Indiana adds to CFP dominance with crushing 56-22 Peach Bowl semifinal win over No. 5 Oregon
ATLANTA — Undefeated Indiana’s already impressive march through the College Football Playoff gained momentum as its dominant defense created three first-half touchdowns with turnovers, Fernando Mendoza threw five scoring passes and the Hoosiers overwhelmed No. 5 Oregon, 56-22, in the Peach Bowl semifinal Friday night. No. 1 Indiana (15-0, No....
The transfer portal era and pursuit of NIL money are messy. Are there solutions?Video
A quarterback reportedly reneging on a lucrative deal to hit the transfer portal, only to return to his original school. Another starting QB, this one in the College Football Playoff, awaiting approval from the NCAA to play next season, an expensive NIL deal apparently hanging in the balance. A defensive...
Miami’s rise under Cristobal takes the Hurricanes home to play for a national title
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Mario Cristobal returned to South Florida and found his alma mater in disarray. A national powerhouse during Cristobal’s playing days, Miami had slipped out of prominence for the better part of 20 years, a handful of losing seasons sprinkled with mid-level bowl appearances. Cristobal’s goal when he...
NCAA denies Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss’ eligibility waiver, but Rebels plan to appeal
The NCAA denied Mississippi’s request to extend the eligibility of Trinidad Chambliss on Friday. The Rebels star quarterback just finished his fifth year of college football in a 31-27 loss to Miami in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Thursday night. He had planned to return to Ole Miss for...
Home, sweet home for Canes: Miami to play for the CFP national championship at Hard Rock Stadium
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami flew home on Friday from the Fiesta Bowl. It’ll be the last flight for the Hurricanes this season. They’ll get to the next game — the last game — by bus. For the fifth time, Miami will be playing for a national championship on its...
Miami heading home for shot at national title after beating Ole Miss in Fiesta Bowl
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Carson Beck scrambled for a 3-yard touchdown with 18 seconds left, and Miami will head back home for a shot at its first national championship since 2001 after beating Mississippi 31-27 in an exhilarating College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night. The 10th-ranked...
Tough, motivated defenses headline Peach Bowl between Indiana, Oregon
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones insists there’s no real secret to the Hoosiers’ defensive success. They prepare hard, follow coaches’ instructions, stick to the fundamentals and trust one another to do their jobs. It’s as old-school as it gets, hardly a surprise in coach Curt Cignetti’s program. But No....
Former Central Catholic linebackers Anthony Speca, Cole Sullivan transfer to new Power 4 programs
A couple of former star linebackers from Central Catholic are moving on to new Power 4 college programs. Anthony Speca, who entered the transfer portal after Penn State’s coaching change — James Franklin out, Matt Campbell in — is staying in the the Big Ten with Purdue. He has three...
Thriving in NIL era, Ole Miss turns into unlikely powerhouse
Keith Carter had a premium vantage point at the Sugar Bowl for arguably the biggest moment in Mississippi’s college football history, standing directly behind the goalposts as Lucas Carneiro’s 47-yard field goal split the uprights. The Ole Miss athletic director scooped up the football and tucked it under both arms,...
No. 1 Indiana and No. 5 Oregon turn CFP Peach Bowl semifinal into celebration of Big Ten’s supremacy
ATLANTA — The Big Ten is marching into the heart of Southern football with a proud swagger, daring any conference to challenge its claim as the power to beat in the College Football Playoff. Undefeated No. 1 Indiana (14-0, CFP No. 1 seed) and No. 5 Oregon (13-1, CFP No....
No. 6 seed Ole Miss, No. 10 Miami set up College Football Playoff game like no other
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Miami barged into the College Football Playoff like a hurricane, a stifling defense and steady quarterback rekindling the magic of 2001. Mississippi has been excelling since its coach left for another program, an athletic and acrobatic quarterback taking the Rebels to heights not seen since the 1960s....
Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Indiana’s Curt Cignetti have different styles but same goal
Oregon coach Dan Lanning and Indiana coach Curt Cignetti look like opposites. Lanning is the flashy budding star who wins by defying conventional wisdom. The blunt-spoken Cignetti takes a decidedly old-school approach. The two former Alabama assistants will soon find themselves back in SEC country, sharing mutual admiration for their...
Miami’s Carson Beck, Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss take different paths to CFP semifinals
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Miami’s Carson Beck is the prototypical power-program quarterback, a former four-star prospect with a massive NIL portfolio who knows what it’s like to play on the big stage. Mississippi’s Trinidad Chambliss nearly gave up football, won a Division II national championship and has shined since being unexpectedly...
Strong ground games propel No. 1 Indiana, No. 5 Oregon to CFP semifinal matchup
INDIANAPOLIS — Fernando Mendoza spent all season stealing headlines and collecting awards. Indiana running backs Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black were content doing the dirty work in the shadows of their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, propelling the top-ranked Hoosiers into college football’s version of the Final Four. Now, less than a...
Reports: Former Penn State QB Ethan Grunkemeyer to join James Franklin at Virginia Tech
Multiple media outlets reported Monday that former quarterback Penn State Ethan Grunkemeyer will reunite with his former coach, James Franklin at Virginia Tech. Grunkemeyer is first in line to take over as Virginia Tech quarterback for Kyron Drones, who has exhausted his eligibility. Grunkemeyer, who was thrust into action after...
