UNDATED (AP) — The big college football game this Saturday is No. 7 LSU at No. 8 Mississippi. On Friday, No. 22 Houston visits No. 13 Texas Tech in the Big 12, and No. 16 SMU faces No. 23 Louisville in the ACC. Most Top 25 teams are heavily favored in their games. AP is picking LSU to win the showdown at Ole Miss.
UNDATED (AP) — LSU sack leader Princewill Umanmielen has been served legal papers related to a July lawsuit filed by the University of Mississippi which alleges that the former Rebels edge rusher owes Ole Miss $550,000 in revenue sharing money. Records filed in Lafayette County Circuit Court in Mississippi show papers were served Tuesday, five days before No. 7 LSU visits No. 8 Ole Miss in a game immersed in hype stemming from coach Lane Kiffin’s decision to leave Mississippi for LSU last fall. A person familiar with the situation says Umanmielen was served outside LSU’s football operations complex. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because university officials have not commented publicly on the lawsuit.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma coach Brent Venables isn’t ready to hit the panic button yet. But after a 17-10 loss at unranked Michigan on Saturday the margin of error for the Sooners to return to the College Football Playoff is thin. Venables knows what’s ahead of his team — showdowns with No. 2 Georgia and No. 1 Texas in the next three weeks — but he wants to see how his players respond to disappointment. OU dropped 13 spots in the Top 25 to 24th. The Sooners can’t afford to overlook a capable New Mexico team in Norman on Saturday. The Lobos are 2-0 and rank in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense (54.0 points) and scoring defense (7.0 points).
UNDATED (AP) — The nearly 10-month wait for Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford is almost over. No. 7 LSU at No. 8 Mississippi would be the game of the week under normal circumstances. It's the first top-10 matchup between the teams since 1962. There's been nothing normal about the build-up. It started Nov. 30 when Kiffin left to take the LSU job just as the team he had coached six years was days away from the College Football Playoff. Other Top 25 matchups have No. 22 Houston at No. 13 Texas Tech and No. 16 SMU at No. 23 Louisville.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Legislation to broadly regulate college sports has cleared a first major hurdle in the Senate. The Senate voted Tuesday to consider the bill, a significant step forward as senators from both parties have made the legislation a priority. The bill aims to put guardrails around escalating spending in college sports as the industry struggles to adapt to a new model in which schools can pay players. Major conferences, Senate leadership and President Donald Trump have backed the bipartisan bill. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz of Texas said the bill aims to quell “the chaos we have in college sports.”
UNDATED (AP) — The Senate is moving closer to passing a bill that could transform college sports. This week, senators voted 74-24 to advance The Protect College Sports Act, which would change how colleges pay athletes and limit legal battles. The bill proposes revenue sharing, allowing schools to share up to 22% of certain revenue with athletes. It also includes a $27.5 million retention pool to keep players on rosters. The bill aims to preempt conflicting state laws and limit athletes to one free transfer. Additionally, it would ban coaches from switching schools mid-season and restrict conference expansions.
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Ole Miss players say the hype surrounding former coach Lane Kiffin's return to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with LSU this weekend is all anyone they see around Oxford wants to talk about. But they say they're trying to put football first and set aside any relationships with former coaches or teammates who followed Kiffin to LSU. Eight assistants and four support staff, along with four players, chose to switch sides in the historic rivalry this past offseason. They included two defensive starters: end Princewell Umanmielen and linebacker T.J. Dottery. Ole Miss receiver Deuce Alexander says “there’s no bad blood” between former teammates.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas quarterback Arch Manning has apologized for publicly joking about an AI-altered video that depicted Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe in the moments after Texas’ big win over Ohio State. Manning was asked Monday at a news conference if he’d seen any social media posts about the postgame celebration. He mentioned the fake video clip, called it “hilarious” and laughed about it. The comments drew widespread criticism on social media. Manning publicly apologized to Rowe on Tuesday in a statement on Instagram. Rowe posted a note accepting his apology.
