College category, Page 28
Highlands grad Cameron Reigard finds new home, path to college basketball success in northern IowaVideo
Cameron Reigard’s journey in college basketball began a little later than most, and it has taken him from Natrona Heights halfway across the country to a little town in Iowa. But for the chance to fulfill his dream of playing at the college level, the time and distance have been...
What are the matchups in the College Football Playoff?
After a chaotic end to the regular season in college football, the matchups are set for the first 12-team version of the College Football Playoff. The first-round games are Dec. 20-21 on campuses before the games shift to bowl games for the quarterfinals and semifinals. Here is what to know:...
Rust vs. rest: Extra time off or potentially losing edge brings another worry for CFP coaches
CLEMSON, S.C. — The expanded College Football Playoff brings something new for coaches who are used to planning for one game, maybe two: rust vs. rest. The 12-team bracket released Sunday features four teams — Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State — with first-round byes, whose games will take...
Alabama left out of playoff as committee rewards SMU’s wins over Tide’s strong scheduleVideo
The College Football Playoff committee took SMU’s wins over Alabama’s strength of schedule, picking the Mustangs for the final at-large spot Sunday after a furious public debate and days of lobbying and arguing over which teams should make the 12-team field. SMU (11-2) showed it could compete against a traditional...
N.C. State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson named head coach at Marshall
N.C. State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson was named head coach at Marshall on Sunday, shortly after Thundering Herd coach Charles Huff’s hiring was announced at Southern Miss. Gibson, 52, will take his first head-coaching job in college and return to his home state, where he served two stints at West...
Penn State gets home game, SMU edges Alabama for last spot in College Football Playoff, while Oregon seeded 1st
The new, 12-team College Football Playoff brings with it a promise to be bigger, more exciting, more lucrative. Perfect or 100% fair? Well, nobody ever believed that. The first expanded playoff bracket unveiled Sunday left a presumably deserving Alabama team on the sideline in favor of an SMU squad —...
AP Top 25: Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas, Penn State top poll going into playoff; Tide ranked ahead of SMU
Georgia moved up to No. 2 behind Oregon in The Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday, Texas and Penn State remained in the top five after losing conference championship games and Arizona State appeared in the top 10 for the first time in a decade. Unbeaten Oregon, with its win...
No. 18 Clemson kicks last second FG to beat No. 6 SMU for ACC title, berth in the CFP
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cade Klubnik threw for 262 yards and four touchdowns, Nolan Hauser kicked a 56-yard field goal as time expired and No. 18 Clemson knocked off No. 6 SMU, 34-31, on Saturday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff...
No. 5 Georgia pulls off another overtime stunner, beating No. 2 Texas 22-19 for SEC titleVideo
ATLANTA — The Georgia Bulldogs were struggling to get anything going against Texas, and there was little reason to be hopeful of a turnaround with their quarterback crumpled on the turf. Enter a guy who had barely played in his college career. Little-used backup Gunner Stockton came off the bench...
Ohio dominates Miami (Ohio) to win its first MAC Championship game 38-3Video
DETROIT — Parker Navarro ran for two touchdowns and passed for two more, and Ohio beat Miami (Ohio), 38-3, in the Mid-American Conference championship game played at Ford Field on Saturday. Anthony Tyus rushed for 151 yards and a score on 27 carries to help the Bobcats (10-3) win their...
No. 16 Iowa State falls short in Big 12 title game again, this time with CFP at stakeVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — Cam Skattebo ran for 170 yards and two scores while adding a touchdown catch as 12th-ranked Big 12 newcomer Arizona State beat No. 16 Iowa State, 45-19, in the conference championship game Saturday for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The Sun Devils (11-2, No....
Heisman hopeful RB Ashton Jeanty confirms he’s leaving Boise State after this seasonVideo
BOISE, Idaho — Boise State running back and Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty confirmed Thursday that this will be his last season at the university. The nation’s leading rusher with 2,288 yards on 312 carries along with 28 total touchdowns, has long been expected to enter the NFL Draft after...
Bill Belichick interviews for UNC job, AP sources say
North Carolina interviewed former New England Patriots coach and six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick for its head coaching position, two people with knowledge of the situation said Thursday. Both people spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the school isn’t commenting publicly on its search. Belichick’s...
No. 8 SMU looks to complete unbeaten run through ACC in conference title game vs. No. 18 ClemsonVideo
SMU had no problems handling the jump to the ACC. Now the No. 8 Mustangs (11-1, 8-0, No. 8 CFP) look to complete an unbeaten run through the ACC in their inaugural season when they face perennial conference power Clemson on Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte....
Tino Sunseri tabbed to replace Eric Bieniemy at UCLA
LOS ANGELES — Eric Bieniemy’s return to UCLA lasted only one season. The Bruins let go of Bieniemy on Thursday after fielding one of the nation’s worst offenses this season. It didn’t take head coach DeShaun Foster long to find a replacement. Indiana quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri...
Arizona State coach once studied program at Iowa State, the team he now faces in Big 12 title gameVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — There was just something about coach Matt Campbell and his program at Iowa State that intrigued Kenny Dillingham. “His culture and his realness, I think he’s one of the most real people in the sport. You see the passion and emotion on the sideline,” said Dillingham, the...
No. 2 Texas goes for a title in its first SEC season, but must get by No. 5 GeorgiaVideo
ATLANTA — Texas wasted no time making its presence felt in the mighty SEC. In their debut as a member of the powerhouse league, the No. 2 Longhorns posted the best regular-season record and earned a spot in the SEC championship game Saturday. “Not a lot of teams can go...
Bahamas Bowl to feature pair of 8-win teams as Liberty, Buffalo square off Jan. 4
Liberty will face Buffalo in the Bahamas Bowl on Jan. 4, bowl officials announced Thursday. The Flames (8-3), of Conference USA, will be making their sixth consecutive bowl appearance. Buffalo (8-4), of the Mid-American Conference, will be playing in its fifth bowl game in the last seven years. The Bulls...
Big 12 commissioner insists his league’s champion should have playoff bye over any G5 champVideo
FORT WORTH, Tex — Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark clearly expressed his displeasure about the College Football Playoff rankings while insisting Wednesday that his conference’s champion should get a first-round bye over any Group of Five champion. Arizona State and Iowa State, the 10-2 teams that will play in the...
SEC, Big Ten powers lead way on signing day
The arrival of the early signing period Wednesday offered a stark reminder for college football fans. If recruiting rankings offer any accurate gauge in the era of the transfer portal, those teams competing for College Football Playoff berths now should keep contending for years to come. Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon...
Miami in trouble, Alabama rises in College Football Playoff rankings
Miami’s playoff hopes took an all-but-final nosedive while Alabama’s got a boost Tuesday night in the last rankings before the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket is set next weekend. The Hurricanes (10-2) moved down six spots to No. 12 — the first team out of the projected bracket — after...
Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, set to face Penn State, reminiscent of another Hawaiian-born QBVideo
Dillon Gabriel was faced with a quandary when he arrived at Oregon this year. Gabriel had worn No. 8 at Oklahoma before transferring for his sixth season of eligibility. But in Eugene, that number had special significance because it had been worn by Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota. There were...
San Jose State will play South Florida in the Hawaii Bowl
HONOLULU — San Jose State is headed back to the Hawaii Bowl for a second straight season to face South Florida. Bowl officials on Tuesday announced the matchup for the game set to be played on Dec. 24 on the campus of the University of Hawaii. The Spartans went 7-5...
High school recruiting isn’t the only way to build a winner in the era of the transfer portal
Texas A&M signed the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class three years ago believing it had built a potential national title contender. Plenty of players from that heralded 2022 class could indeed be participating in the first 12-team College Football Playoff this month. They just won’t be doing it for the Aggies,...
ACC fines N.C. State, North Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech for rivalry week scufflesVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Atlantic Coast Conference fined four of its schools on Monday for scuffles that broke out during rivalry week in college football, which had a rash of fights between players who attempted to plant flags and other team symbols on their rivals’ fields. North Carolina and N.C....
