An investigation by Coastal Carolina University, partial results of which have been obtained by The Sun News and Deadspin, alleges that several cheerleaders worked as escorts and at strip clubs. The investigation found that some of the cheerleaders went on dates with men that were set up through seekingarrangement.com, a legal website that connects younger women with so-called “Sugar Daddies” for paid dates. The cheerleaders were reportedly paid between $100 and $1,500 per date....

The Rangers’ ace pitcher on Friday sued Cornucopia Events in Pennsylvania state court for allegedly withholding promised VIP tickets to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. MORE: MLB’s 2016 breakout candidates | Ryan Zimmerman denies PED allegations Hamels said he and his wife paid the British company approximately $70,000 for a VIP package, which was to include tickets to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and its after party in New York, a four-night stay at a nearby five-star hotel and other amenities....

The 49ers quarterback did not have the best season in 2014, but he’s working hard during the offseason to address his weaknesses. On Wednesday afternoon, he took to Twitter to inform his followers about his progress. Within minutes, a Twitter user decided to take a jab at Kaepernick because that’s what people do on Twitter. Now, here’s where Kaepernick had a decision to make: Ignore the insulting tweet, and go ahead with the rest of his day?...

According to Bleacher Report, Kaepernick has refused to take a pay cut to go to Denver and the 49ers will not help the Broncos pay the quarterback, killing (for now) any trade talks between the two sides. MORE: 10 players costing old teams millions | Places QBs go to die Kaepernick, 28, is slated to make $11.9 million in 2016, while the Broncos asked him to take a pay cut and only make $7 million if he came to Denver....

Kaepernick is a former NFL player whose 2017 on-field kneeling protest against police brutality compelled the NFL on May 23, 2018 to announce its intention to fine any players who don’t stand on-field or stay in the locker room during the national anthem. In 2020, the NFL reversed this policy. Republican President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that such protests are disrespectful to the nation and others have erroneously claimed that such protests dishonor the military....

Line: Ohio State -7, Total: 140 The Hawkeyes enjoyed a six-game win streak that spanned into early December, but have dropped two of three. They’re also 0-3 ATS over that span. The Buckeyes have won, covered and gone OVER in their two contests since losing to North Carolina. In fact, they’ve gone OVER in their last six overall. Early action on the dog here pushed this line down from -8....

DeCOURCY’S COUNTERPOINT: No such thing as too much hoops SCOREBOARD: AAC | ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Mountain West | Pac-12 | SEC I love college basketball, but despise conference tournaments. Why? They are cash-grabbing attempts to artificially inflate the excitement of college basketball and ultimately cheapen and devalue the regular season. The concept is completely backwards. Conference tournaments place value and emphasis on three days of tournament play over three months of conference play....

As a general strategy, we’re leaning running backs over wide receivers in Rounds 2-5, depending on individual value, of course. It’s crucial to land a few of the top-25 RB, whereas you can wait and select solid wide receivers later in the draft. Missing out on running backs will end your season in one of these fantasy football loser shirts. Fortunately, there are plenty of great RB options in high-scoring offenses....

Not to be outdone by its rivals, Ohio State has followed the trend so far, putting up a combined 87 points in the first two games. If a 45-21 win over Florida Atlantic in Week 1 could be filed in the “expected results” category, a 42-0 rout of Cincinnati last week was a resounding statement of intent from the Buckeyes. Since transferring to Ohio State from Georgia in the offseason, Justin Fields has hit the ground running, throwing for 458 yards and six touchdowns in the first two games with a completion rate of 93....

The short answer is no. Despite most schools losing millions annually from their football programs, those programs are important to the overall student experience schools offer their students. Colleges and universities focus on offering an education, and helping prepare their students for entry into the workforce. At the same time, schools need to pay attention to the experience they offer their students and football plays an important role in that student experience....

It’s still five weeks until the selection show, and there is a lot to play out. Sporting News will have bowl projections each week leading up to the final results. This year’s bowl season includes 42 games between FBS teams. The College Football Playoff championship game is Jan. 10 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The semifinals are Dec. 31 at the Capital One Orange Bowl and Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic....

The +125 odds indicate a 44 percent chance for Oregon to win the game. But Oregon won 54 percent of the 10,000 simulations of the game performed by AccuScore. AccuScore would have listed Oregon as the -117 favorite on the money line. It’s always an appealing pick when AccuScore has a different projected favorite compared to Vegas. More: Thursday night ATS picks | Current lines Make sure to check out AccuScore ’s hot trend ATS pick for this matchup....

Here’s a pick for this week’s NCAA Football card: Iowa Hawkeyes @ Minnesota Golden Gophers Winners of four of their last five games, Iowa heads up to Minnesota still competing in the Big Ten West race. Led by a defense that gives up just 20 points per game, Iowa will look to its defense once again to get this victory on the road. Las Vegas has Iowa as -125 favorites....

Washington is fourth after the second set of CFP rankings, which were announced Tuesday. The Aggies fell four spots, to eighth, after its loss to Mississippi State. BENDER: Petrino takes wrong approach in politicking for Louisville Alabama, Clemson and MIchigan continue to be 1, 2 and 3 in the rankings. Ohio State, at No. 5, is the highest-rated one-loss team. Louisville is right behind at No, 6. Outside of the top four, the only other undefeated team is Western Michigan (9-0), which is ranked 14th in the AP poll but just 21st in the playoff rankings....

The third-ranked Bears slip ahead of the fourth-ranked Buckeyes after Baylor beat Texas Tech 60-34 and Ohio State won 60-35 at Illinois on Saturday. Baylor has 1,351 points and Ohio State has 1,343. Alabama remains No. 1, with 55 first-place votes from the media poll released Sunday. No. 2 Florida State has five first-place votes. Oregon is fifth and Auburn is sixth. MORE POLLS: Coaches Alabama has been No. 1 since the preseason....

With its 37-33 win over the Sooners, Oklahoma State not only eliminated the Sooners from Big 12 championship contention, but also kept alive its hopes of making its first College Football Playoff. A win over No. 8 Baylor in the conference championship game would set the team up to become the first Big 12 team — other than the Sooners — to challenge for the biggest prize in the sport....