College category, Page 25
Playoff QBs include a hometown recruit, a prep title rematch and some 1-year hired gunsVideo
Kevin Jennings wasn’t even the player Rhett Lashlee was going to watch when he went to his first Texas high school playoff game a week after becoming SMU’s coach. Three years later, Jennings is the only quarterback starting for his hometown team in the debut of the expanded 12-team College...
Ohio State wants redemption, Tennessee seeks respect in 1st-round CFP matchupVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Coach Josh Heupel doesn’t much care for the narrative that No. 7 Tennessee, with its checkered history over the past 15 years, is content just to have reached the College Football Playoff. The fourth-year coach knows that mindset won’t work facing a team like No. 6 Ohio...
Heavyweights Texas, Clemson meet for 1st time in College Football PlayoffVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — No. 13 Clemson got into the College Football Playoff on a thunderous kick in the final seconds of the ACC championship. No. 4 Texas limped in after a great regular season was deflated by a frustrating overtime loss to Georgia in the SEC title game. Now these...
James Madison secures its 1st bowl win after topping Western Kentucky in the Boca Raton
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Backup Billy Atkins threw for 181 yards and a touchdown in his first start since 2022, leading James Madison to the program’s first bowl win after topping Western Kentucky, 27-17, on Wednesday night in the Boca Raton Bowl. JMU was without starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III,...
Hajj-Malik Williams throws 2 TDs passes to help No. 24 UNLV beat Cal in the LA Bowl
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Despite losing its starting quarterback after three games and head coach 10 days ago, UNLV had its best season in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The 24th-ranked Rebels picked up their 11th win and first bowl victory in 24 years Wednesday night when they pulled away in the...
Notre Dame and Indiana get 1st taste of playoff football under the Friday night lightsVideo
Marcus Freeman spent his first two seasons as the Notre Dame coach chasing the playoff dream. This year, he’s living it at home. After closing the regular season on a 10-game winning streak and getting two weeks to prepare for the most meaningful postseason game of his career, Freeman is...
Clemson’s Dabo Swinney once again defies, dismisses critics
CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney doesn’t see this season much differently than others in his long, successful career: criticism over his philosophy, his team counted out early before celebrating another season on top. “The way I’ve been taking shots since I got the job,” Swinney said. “Yeah, what’s...
Ivy League football to compete in FCS playoffs beginning next season
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The Ivy League will compete in the FCS playoffs beginning next season, the conference announced on Wednesday, ending a century-long postseason ban originally aimed at allowing the athletes to focus on their schoolwork. “It’s a monumental day in the Ivy League and a special day to be...
Reports: Greensburg Salem grad Brennan Marion to become Sacramento State head coach
Greensburg Salem graduate Brennan Marion is finalizing a deal to become the head coach at Sacramento State, according to multiple reports and first reported by Matt Zenitz of 247Sports. Marion was the offensive coordinator at UNLV for the last two seasons. Dan Mullen was hired after UNLV head coach Barry...
‘Better than going to Disney World’: Fans revel in CFP debuts at campus sitesVideo
Forget the cost, the frenzied planning and the timing around the holidays. SMU fan Will Howard is living the dream: His beloved Mustangs are in the 12-team hunt for a national championship, and he’s going to ride it to the end. “It’s better than going to Disney World,” Howard said....
Curt Cignetti named AP Coach of the Year after leading a remarkable turnaround at Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS — When Curt Cignetti took the Indiana job last fall, he promised immediate success. It wasn’t boastful bluster. After daring the doubters to Google his winning pedigree, the son of a Hall of Fame football coach delivered on his word by leading the Hoosiers to a school-record 11 wins,...
Vermont claims program’s 1st national championship on Maximilian Kissel’s overtime goalVideo
CARY, N.C. — Maximilian Kissel scored in a sudden-death overtime to help Vermont beat Marshall 2-1 on Monday night for the program’s first national championship. It was the ninth championship game decided by overtime or penalty kicks in the 21st century. Vermont (16-2-6) became the first squad in school history...
Former Steelers QB Michael Vick talks to Sacramento State, Norfolk State about head coaching jobs
Former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Michael Vick has talked to at least two schools about becoming a college head coach. Sacramento State president Dr. Luke Wood said Monday he has spoken with Vick about the opening at his school, and the Virginian-Pilot reported that Norfolk State has also interviewed the former...
Notre Dame jumps to 3rd in AP Top 25 women’s poll after win over UConn; UCLA, South Carolina 1-2
Notre Dame jumped to No. 3 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Monday after beating rival UConn last week. The Irish climbed five spots after the 79-68 victory over the Huskies, who fell two places to fourth. Notre Dame’s victory over UConn gave the Irish three wins over top...
No. 2 Auburn closes the gap on No. 1 Tennessee as the SEC holds 5 of top 7 spots in AP Top 25
Tennessee held onto No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the second consecutive week, though No. 2 Auburn closed the gap as the top five remained unchanged in the men’s college basketball poll Monday. The Volunteers received 50 first-place votes from the national media panel after wins over Miami...
AP All-America team: Travis Hunter, Xavier Watts back on first team; Ashton Jeanty is unanimous pick
Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter of Colorado was a first-team selection at two spots and a second-team pick at another on The Associated Press All-America team announced Monday. Hunter and Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts were repeat first-team selections, and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty was the only unanimous pick after...
Notre Dame gives coach Marcus Freeman contract extension as playoff week begins
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Marcus Freeman opened his first playoff week as a head coach by holding a team meeting and fielding questions from reporters. A few hours later, Notre Dame made sure Freeman wasn’t going anywhere. Freeman has agreed to a long-term contract extension, making him one of the...
No. 1 Penn State wrestling team blanks Wyoming
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The Penn State wrestling team (3-0) shut out visiting Wyoming (2-3) 54-0 in front of over 7,300 fans inside the Bryce Jordan Center Sunday. The dual, originally a sellout in Rec Hall, was moved to the Bryce Jordan Center Dec. 8 due to the NCAA women’s...
Jackson State wins its first Celebration Bowl, beating South Carolina State
ATLANTA — Jacobian Morgan threw a pair of touchdown passes to Joanes Fortilien, Irv Mulligan added two short touchdown runs and Jackson State defeated South Carolina State, 28-7, on Saturday in the Celebration Bowl that serves as the HBCU national championship. The Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Tigers (12-2) outgained the...
Bishop Davenport, South Alabama rally to beat Western Michigan at Veterans Bowl
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Bishop Davenport made his second start of the season and accounted for three touchdowns, Jeremiah Webb had six receptions for 182 yards and two TDs on Saturday night and South Alabama rallied to beat Western Michigan, 30-23, at the Veterans Bowl. South Alabama (7-6), under first-year head...
Colorado 2-way star Travis Hunter wins Heisman Trophy
NEW YORK — Two-way star Travis Hunter of Colorado won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, punctuating a tireless performance by a dynamic player with a unique combination of skills. The wide receiver and lockdown cornerback dominated on both sides of the ball for coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes,...
Blake Horvath shines as Navy dominates in a 31-13 victory over Bryson Daily and No. 19 ArmyVideo
LANDOVER, Md. — This was an Army-Navy game unlike any before it. The teams had combined for 19 victories this season before their annual clash, a record for the rivalry. Of course, only one of them would be responsible for No. 20, the biggest win of them all. “I think...
UNLV hires former Florida, Mississippi State head coach Dan MullenVideo
LAS VEGAS — UNLV is reaching into the SEC to keep momentum going for its 24th-ranked football team, hiring former Florida and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen on Thursday. He will be introduced in a news conference Friday morning. UNLV athletic director Erick Harper, in a news release, called Mullen...
Colorado’s Travis Hunter piles up awards; Indiana’s Curt Cignetti named coach of the yearVideo
BOULDER, Colo. — Travis Hunter is a throwback-type player — an elite receiver one moment, a lockdown cornerback the next — who rarely leaves the field and has a knack for making big plays all over it. The Colorado Buffaloes’ two-way standout even celebrates at an elite level, unveiling imaginative...
Bill Belichick ‘always wanted’ to give college coaching a try. Now he will at North CarolinaVideo
Bill Belichick had just been introduced Thursday as North Carolina’s next football coach when chancellor Lee Roberts came armed with a gift: a short-sleeved gray hoodie — a bit of a trademark from Belichick’s NFL coaching days — bearing a blue interlocking “NC” logo. It was the visual confirmation, which...
