2021 COLLEGE FANTASY RANKINGS:Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Kicker | Top 200 Whether it’s because of elite defenses or awful offenses, the Big Ten is always a low-scoring conference, and they possess eight of the top 22 defenses in the rankings. The SEC comes in second with six. You shouldn’t ignore the other conferences, but a top Big Ten or SEC defense likely won’t disappoint....
Those ongoing concerns prompted ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit to say he would be “shocked” if college football is played this season. Whether that spread slows in the next few months will determine whether that grim prediction holds. We’re hoping for the best. That said, the absence of spring football left some of the top teams in the FBS with unanswered questions on the field. MORE: Updated college football preseason top 25 rankings...
It’s true not every bowl game is created equal, but these games represent the final few contests of the 2019 college football season before it picks back up next season. That said, there’s no reason you shouldn’t watch as many as possible. MORE: Watch select NCAA bowl games live with fuboTV (7-day free trial) That’s especially true for this year’s College Football Playoff semifinal games, which take place on Saturday in the Peach Bowl between LSU and Oklahoma and Fiesta Bowl between Ohio State and Clemson....
A few other storylines to keep an eye on are: Will UCF be able to keep their winning streak alive as they host Cincinnati? Can Oklahoma impress the playoff committee enough to get into the top four? And finally, will the Alabama starters even make it to halftime against The Citadel before they are pulled? WEEK 11 NFL DFS: Values | Stacks | Lineup Builder Smart fantasy owners know researching the highest Vegas totals gives you an edge on your competition....
Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett has been ruled out of the Big Ten Championship Game due to a fractured ankle suffered in last Saturday’s win over Michigan. The Buckeyes face Wisconsin for the conference title on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, opening as 3-point underdogs at The Wynn on Sunday and quickly getting bet down to +2.5 before rising to +4 on Monday. Ohio State will replace Barrett with sophomore Cardale Jones, who has attempted just 19 passes in his college career, completing 11 of them for 121 yards with two touchdowns....
The matchup between the Buckeyes and Irish is part of a loaded five-day weekend that starts with the renewal of the Backyard Brawl between No. 17 Pittsburgh and West Virginia on Thursday and ends with the ACC opener between No. 4 Clemson and Georgia Tech on Monday. There also are ranked matchups between No. 3 Georgia and No. 11 Oregon and No. 19 Arkansas and No. 23 Cincinnati. Of those 17 games involving FBS teams in the Top 25, a total of four have single-digit spreads....
While all of that’s well and good, the question still needs to be asked: Who ya got? MORE: Week 1 picks against the spread Sporting News offers its straight-up picks for the first week of college football. How do they measure up to your predictions? College football picks Ohio State vs. Indiana When: Thursday, Aug. 31, 8 p.m. ETTV: ESPN Indiana hasn’t beaten Ohio State since 1988, and that’s going to be the case after Thursday — the Hoosiers don’t have the talent to take on the Buckeyes....
Don’t worry, though: There are still plenty of exciting matchups to whet your appetite, including the first meeting of Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley and Texas’ Tom Herman in the Red River Rivalry, an SEC West matchup between Auburn and LSU and a deciding Pac-12 South battle between USC and Utah. MORE: Week 7 College Football Playoff outlook Sporting News is 34-14 this year after going 4-4 in our Week 6 picks....
The overnight ratings for the two semifinals were the highest-rated New Year’s Day college football games ever on an ESPN network. MORE: Is the SEC done? | Ducks vs. Buckeyes should be good fun | Bowl photos The Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl posted ratings of 15.5 and 15.3, respectively. Birmingham was the top market for both games, averaging a 39.6 rating for the Rose Bowl and a 50.2 for Ohio State’s 42-35 win over Alabama in the Sugar....
No. 5 Michigan knocked off No. 2 Ohio State 42-27 in The Game to win its first Big Ten East championship. The Wolverines are now in prime position to make the College Football Playoff for the first time if they can avoid an upset against Iowa. BENDER: Michigan’s hell froze over in the snow No. 3 Alabama rallied with a last-minute drive behind Bryce Young to beat Auburn 24-22 in a four-overtime thriller....
The $2,500 stipend per student-athlete is “intended to help with expenses for hotel accommodations, travel and meals for up to 100 families from each participating institution,” the CFP said in a release. MORE: SN Top 25 | Top 15 programs since 2000 | First CFP title game The NCAA also pays for families to attend the Final Four and it was announced in January that a family stipend of $1,250 would be given for the College Football Playoff....
That team is Tennessee, which was run out of Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C., after the Gamecocks whipped them 63-38. The Volunteers needed only to beat South Carolina and Vanderbilt in Weeks 12 and 13 to make the Playoff. Now at two losses, Tennessee — which also lost Hendon Hooker to injury — will watch with the rest of college football. Vols fans can take cold comfort in the fact several top teams struggled on Saturday, though No....
This time, however, it was guaranteed: No. 8 Michigan State was the victor in a 37-33 victory over No. 6 Michigan in Spartan Stadium. Michigan State overcame a 30-14 second-half deficit, scoring touchdowns and 2-point conversions on consecutive drives to tie the game late. The Spartans defense also came up huge, limiting the Wolverines to three fourth-quarter points and forcing two turnovers in the period — including a game-clinching interception — to seal the victory....
But something happened in the locker room at halftime after Auburn squandered a 14-point lead and went into the break tied with Arkansas. The Tigers came out in the second half and played defense. Real defense. The Tigers outscored the Razorbacks 24-0 in the second half and outgained them 284-62 en route to a rain-soaked 45-21 victory in the season opener that was delayed for nearly 90 minutes because of lightning....
A total of the 76 FBS schools — six conferences and three independent programs — have made the decision to forge on amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. A total of 54 schools canceled their fall sports season, which trimmed the down from the traditional 130-team total. The Saturday slates are not quite as full as a result, and the regular season will run from Sept. 3 through Dec....
Five games will take place among ranked teams on Saturday, including a matchup of unbeaten teams in the ACC (No. 14 Syracuse at No. 5 Clemson), the “College GameDay” game of the week (No. 9 UCLA at No. 10 Oregon) and a battle of two teams undefeated in Big 12 play (No. 17 Kansas State at No. 8 TCU). Elsewhere, No. 6 Alabama will look to recover from a Week 7 loss to Tennessee against No....
While it’s true some holdouts skipped the 72-hour early signing period in lieu of National Signing Day on Feb. 2, the vast majority of high school recruits chose to end their recruiting process, signing with their preferred teams of choice. Following the early signing period, only 12 top-100 recruits, including five five-star-rated players, have yet to sign (or, at least, have not made their signing public). MORE: Sporting News 2021 College Football All-America Team...
Both teams are looking to improve to 2-0, after the Tigers defeated Kentucky 29-13, while the Bulldogs won 37-10 on the road against Arkansas. Here’s all you need to know ahead of Saturday. Kickoff time—Georgia hosts Auburn at Sanford Stadium in Athens. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p. m. ET on Saturday, October 3. TV channel—ESPNLive stream—ESPN’s digital platforms, fuboTV and SlingTV. Odds—Georgia is a 6. 5-point favorite with William Hill and 22/25 to cover the spread, while the over/under line in terms of total points scored is set at 34....
