UNDATED (AP) — LSU jumped back into the top 10 in the first Associated Press Top 25 college football poll of the regular season. Oregon slipped out of the top five and Michigan fell out of the rankings altogether after it needed a second-chance Hail Mary try at home to beat Western Michigan. Ohio State remained No. 1 by a wide margin entering its showdown with No. 4 Texas on Saturday. The Buckeyes received 46 first-place votes from the voting panel of 69 writers and broadcasters. The other 23 first-place votes were divided among six teams; two of those votes went to Texas.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — It's test time in the Big 12. For most of the league, the opening week of the season was full of lopsided blowouts, including three in which the league's teams scored at least 70 points. But for most of them, that easy quiz was just the lead-in to a serious exam against other power conference schools That makes this week of paramount importance to the league. There are seven at-large berths for the College Football Playoff and the Big 12 didn't get any last season. So knocking off teams from the SEC and Big Ten could go a long way toward giving the league a shot at more than one entry when the end of the season rolls around.
IRVING, Texas (AP) — The College Football Playoff is discussing expanding its tournament to 24 teams with ESPN. The CFP announced Tuesday that this move is not a commitment but a step to gather more information. The playoff expanded from four to 12 teams in 2024. Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey supports 16 teams, while others prefer 24. The current ESPN deal is worth $7.8 billion over six seasons. A 24-team playoff would eliminate automatic qualifiers and make conference title games less significant. Supporters argue it would provide more programs access to the playoff.
UNDATED (AP) — Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney is The Associated Press national college football player of the week. Toney caught 12 passes for a school-record 234 yards and three touchdowns in the Hurricanes’ 45-6 win at Stanford. Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Heintschel was runner-up. The second-year QB threw seven touchdown passes in a 59-14 win over Miami (Ohio) to set the Atlantic Coast Conference record and tie the school record.
