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Northwestern looks to end skid, give interim coach David Braun his 1st win when UTEP visits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

UTEP (1-1) at Northwestern (0-1), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)Line: UTEP by 1½, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.Series record: First meetingWHAT’S AT STAKE? Northwestern looks to stop a 12-game losing streak and give interim coach David Braun his first win. Braun took over after Northwestern fired longtime coach Pat Fitzgerald in July amid a hazing and abuse scandal. The Wildcats opened with a 24-7 loss at Rutgers, their 18th in 19 games. UTEP finds itself in a rare spot as the favorite to beat a Power Five team — something the Miners haven’t done since beating Mississippi in the 1967 Sun Bowl. UTEP has played in seven bowl games since then and lost each one.KEY MATCHUPNorthwestern’s defensive line against UTEP’s run game. The Miners lead the nation in rushing at 485 yards per game behind an offensive line that averages 6-foot-4 and more than 307 pounds. PLAYERS TO WATCHUTEP: RB Deion Hankins ran for a career-high 174 yards last week, giving him 228 on the se...

TCU has to beat Nicholls to avoid 0-2 start after that Buffalo stampede in opener

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

Nicholls (0-1) at TCU (0-1), Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+)Line: No line.Series record: First meeting.WHAT’S AT STAKETCU has to win to avoid its first 0-2 start since 1999. The Horned Frogs haven’t lost to a non-FBS team since an overtime loss to Northwestern State in 2001, which was then-coach Gary Patterson’s first home game. Nicholls is another FCS team from Louisiana, and is coming off a 38-24 home loss to Sacramento State last week. The Frogs have lost three of their last four games since an undefeated regular season last year in coach Sonny Dykes’ debut. They lost the Big 12 title game, the national championship game and then last week’s opener, 45-42, as Colorado had 565 total yards in its first game under Deion Sanders. KEY MATCHUPAfter so many missed tackles and opportunities for TCU’s defense in the opener, the Frogs just need to tackle and make stops. They have to deal with Nicholls running back Collin Guggenheim, who had five consecutive ...

West Virginia gets potential breather against Duquesne after Penn State blowout loss

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

Duquesne (1-0) at West Virginia (0-1), Saturday, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+)Line: No line, according to FanDuel SportsBook.Series Record: West Virginia leads 4-3-1.WHAT’S AT STAKEWest Virginia has a rugged September schedule with the only potential breather coming Saturday night against the Championship Subdivision Dukes. The Mountaineers are coming off a blowout loss at No. 7 Penn State and have other challenges this month at home against archrival Pittsburgh and Texas Tech and on the road against TCU. It’s too soon to think about the big picture but West Virginia must put together some strong showings to avoid a third straight losing season and perhaps save coach Neal Brown’s job.KEY MATCHUPWest Virginia’s defense against Duquesne’s ground game. Duquesne amassed 234 rushing yards in an opening 49-7 win over Division II Edinboro. West Virginia held Penn State’s running backs in check but allowed Drew Allar to throw for 325 yards and three touchdowns in his...

Vanderbilt is going for its 1st 3-0 start since 2017 in a trip to Wake Forest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

Vanderbilt (2-0) at Wake Forest (1-0), Saturday, 11 a.m. ET (ACC Network)Line: Wake Forest by 10 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.Series record: Vanderbilt leads 10-7.WHAT’S AT STAKE?Wake Forest and Vanderbilt both want to sustain early-season momentum in a matchup between the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences. The Demon Deacons have started at least 3-0 for two straight seasons, while the Commodores have a chance to start 3-0 for the first time since 2017.KEY MATCHUPWake Forest QB Mitch Griffis against Vanderbilt’s defensive front. Griffis is set to make his third career start but took at least two sacks in the opener against Elon in which he held the ball too long. That was an immediate area of concern for coach Dave Clawson after the game. Griffis will have to get the ball out of his hand quicker going forward, while the Commodores come into this game having five sacks in the first two games. Vanderbilt has two key defensive injuries with S De’Rickey Wri...

No. 20 Ole Miss visits a No. 24 Tulane team seeking an early signature win

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

No. 20 Mississippi (1-0) at No. 24 Tulane (1-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU)Line: Mississippi by 7 1/2, according to FanDuel SportsbookSeries record: Ole Miss leads, 42-28.WHAT’S AT STAKE?Both teams need to win, or at least play this non-conference game close, to remain in the AP Top 25. Following a lopsided victory over a lower-tier opponent that did not challenge them, the Rebels could use a victory over a ranked opponent before beginning its tough SEC schedule. A Tulane victory would put the Green Wave on an early trajectory to vie for a second straight New Years Six bowl bid. KEY MATCHUPMississippi receiver Tre Harris against Tulane cornerback Jarius Monroe. Harris caught four touchdown passes last week. Monroe is the Green Wave’s top defensive back and had a team-leading three interceptions last season.PLAYERS TO WATCHMississippi: QB Jaxson Dart passed for 334 yards and four TDs in less than three quarters in the Rebels’ 73-7 rout of Mercer last weekend.Tulane: F...

NC State will get another shot at a familiar QB when Sam Hartman and No. 10 Notre Dame visit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren doesn’t need to do much research on No. 10 Notre Dame’s new quarterback. He has seen him plenty.The Wolfpack’s home game Saturday against the Fighting Irish represents another matchup with quarterback Sam Hartman, an every-year opponent at Wake Forest in the same Atlantic Coast Conference division before his transfer this past offseason.“Wake’s system was completely different,” Doeren said. “But we do know from experience what kind of player he is, and there’s a great amount of respect from our staff towards that young man. We do know what we’ve done well and what we haven’t done well over the years against him. And so there is some good knowledge in that.”As well as success.Hartman lost both of his starts in Raleigh, first in 2020 and then last November. He threw three touchdown passes with three interceptions in those two games combined, while the Wolfpack’s defensive front has gotten to him for 10...

No. 2 Michigan to host UNLV without suspended coach Jim Harbaugh and an eye on air attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan has had a run-heavy offense under Jim Harbaugh that has led to a lot of success the last two seasons, including finally beat rival Ohio State and consecutive Big Ten championships.In playoff losses to Georgia and TCU, though, the Wolverines’ passing game didn’t deliver.This year, the college football program with the most victories is trying to win a new way with a scheme that relies more on a potentially potent passing game.The second-ranked Wolverines (1-0) provided a glimpse of their plan to attack through the air in a 30-3 win over East Carolina, which loaded up the box and dared J.J. McCarthy to throw.“If teams want to do that, please, we’ll keep throwing,” All-America running back Blake Corum said. “Teams will have to back up sooner or later.”McCarthy completed 15 straight passes — the longest streak by a Harbaugh-coached quarterback at the school — in the first half. He finished with the second-highest completion percentage by any Michigan qua...

Middle Tennessee gets second straight SEC foe with a trip to Missouri on Saturday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

Middle Tennessee (0-1) at Missouri (1-0), Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)Line: Missouri by 20 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.Series record: Tied 1-1.WHAT’S AT STAKE? Missouri is trying to build on an easy win over South Dakota last week while the Blue Raiders are facing a second straight SEC opponent after losing to third-ranked Alabama in their opener. Missouri and Middle Tennessee have played twice in the past 20 years and both were close affairs. The Tigers won 41-40 in overtime in 2003 when the Blue Raiders missed an extra point to end the game. They got some revenge in 2016 when l’Tavius Mathers ran for 215 yards and led Middle Tennessee to a 51-45 victory. KEY MATCHUPMissouri QB Brady Cook appears to have finally won the battle with freshman Sam Horn for the starting job. He was efficient a week ago against the Coyotes, but questions persisted into Week 2, when coach Eli Drinkwitz said that Cook would be the starting going forward. The Blue Raiders allowed 431 yards of...

Coach Prime’s 2nd game at Colorado highlights Week 2 for the undefeated Pac-12

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

Here are some things to watch this week in the Pac-12 Conference:GAME OF THE WEEKNebraska at Colorado, Saturday. After Coach Prime’s spectacular debut for the Buffaloes all eyes will be on whether there be a repeat this week. Coach Deion Sanders’ Colorado team hosts former Big 12 rival Nebraska and one of the other high-profile first-year coaches in Matt Rhule. The Buffs were the surprise team in Week 1, getting a school-record 510 yards passing from Shedeur Sanders with four receivers topping the 100-yard mark in a 48-45 win over last year’s title-game finalist TCU. The star of the game was two-way star Travis Hunter, who had 11 catches for 119 yards on offense and an interception near the goal line on defense while playing 129 snaps. Rhule’s debut didn’t go nearly as well as the Cornhuskers lost 13-10 to Minnesota and fell to 2-14 in one-score games since the start of the 2021 season. MATCHUP OF THE WEEKNo. 13 Oregon at Texas Tech, Saturday. The Ducks...

No. 11 Texas could reignite CFP talk for Big 12 with a win at No. 3 Alabama; Shough faces Ducks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

Things to watch for in the Big 12 Conference in Week 2:GAME OF THE WEEKNo. 11 Texas at No. 3 Alabama. This is the only game this week matching Top 25 teams from Power Five leagues. With the Longhorns already favored to win the Big 12 title in their farewell season, a road win for coach Steve Sarkisian over his former boss Nick Saban and the Tide would certainly ignite talk about the College Football Playoff. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers got off to a hot start against the Crimson Tide last season. He already had 134 yards passing and the Horns were first-and-goal in the closing seconds of the first quarter when he took a hard hit that knocked him out of the game, and three more after that, with a sprained clavicle. Ewers threw for 260 yards and three TDs in a season-opening 37-10 win over Rice. The only other time the Longhorns went to Tuscaloosa to play was 121 years ago, and Will Reichard’s field goal with 10 seconds left last year in Austin gave Alabama a 20-19 victory in t...