SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — No. 3 Notre Dame and Michigan State have a storied rivalry without a recent chapter. That changes Saturday. For the first time since 2017, the Fighting Irish and Spartans (2-0) will square off in the Battle for the Megaphone — a rivalry that once was a featured annual attraction because of its national championship implications. The most notable game in the series came 60 years ago when the nation's top two teams played to a 10-10 tie in East Lansing, Michigan. This game won't live up to that hype but both teams are 2-0 as Notre Dame tries to avoid another September home loss.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State is on to Saturday’s game against Kent State, even though most fans of the sixth-ranked Buckeyes are still fuming about last Saturday’s 24-23 loss to No. 1 Texas. The Buckeyes are 52 1/2 point favorites over the Golden Flashes and have won the past three meetings by a combined score of 165-20. The past two games have been OSU shutouts, including 66-0 in the last meeting in 2014. The defense will be looking to bounce back after allowing Texas to score on three fourth-quarter drives. Quarterback Julian Sayin will try to rebound after completing just 5 of 16 passes with an interception in the second half.
UNDATED (AP) — The College Football Playoff says it can’t change the outcome of any games played during the regular season but notes that its selection committee relies on various measures beyond wins and losses. The CFP issued its statement to The Athletic on Thursday. It follows the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee’s announcement that it also doesn’t have the authority to overturn the result of No. 19 Michigan’s controversial 13-12 victory over Western Michigan. The CFP notes that its selection committee “evaluates all teams on a comprehensive body of work over a full season, driven by how teams perform in each game.”
UNDATED (AP) — Indiana coach Curt Cignetti won last year’s national championship by demanding his players keep finding ways to improve. That may never change. As the fourth-ranked Hoosiers chase a second straight title, the two-time Associated Press Coach of the Year looks at the two 50-plus point games his offense has strung together and the two routs his defense authored and expects even better results Saturday when they close out the non-conference schedule against Western Kentucky (0-2).
UNDATED (AP) — Longtime rivals Michigan State and No. 3 Notre Dame face off for the first time since 2017 in this week's most notable game featuring a Big Ten team. New Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald produced upset victories at Notre Dame as a Northwestern player in 1995 and as a Northwestern coach in 2014. Other interesting nonconference matchups featuring a Big Ten school against a Power Four opponent have Northwestern hosting Colorado and Maryland hosting Virginia Tech. UCLA's Bob Chesney coaches his first Big Ten game when the Bruins host Purdue.
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Northwestern has extended coach David Braun’s contract through the 2031 season. The school hasn't released financial terms. Braun is in his fourth season at Northwestern and carries a 20-19 record into Saturday’s game with Colorado. Northwestern went 7-6 and beat Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl last season. Braun became Northwestern's interim head coach in the summer of 2023 after the firing of Pat Fitzgerald. Braun got the job for keeps as he went 8-5 with a Northwestern team that had gone 1-11 a year earlier. The Wildcats slipped to 4-8 in 2024 but bounced back last year.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley will miss No. 12 Southern California’s Big Ten opener at Rutgers on Saturday because of an undisclosed injury. Mosley, a four-star recruit from Santa Margarita Catholic in Rancho Santa Margarita, has been the breakout star of the Trojans’ touted freshman class with 13 receptions for 255 yards and four touchdowns in his first three games. He has consecutive games with 100 yards receiving and scored on a 86-yard punt return in a 49-30 win over Louisiana on Saturday to wrap up the nonconference schedule for USC.
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.
