UNDATED (AP) — Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith is The Associated Press national player of the week in college football. Smith set career highs with 12 receptions, 217 yards and four touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ 42-19 victory over Illinois. He became the first Ohio State player to go past 3,000 career receiving yards. He needs 613 to break the Big Ten record of 3,788 by Purdue’s John Standeford from 2000-03. Texas edge Colin Simmons is runner-up for the award. He had five sacks in a 20-17 win at Tennessee. That was the most by a Football Bowl Subdivision player since 2019.
ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — The Big Ten Conference has adopted a rule to prohibit men’s and women’s basketball players who left school to play professionally from maintaining their eligibility. The Big Ten announced the unanimous adoption of a rule deeming players who signed professional contracts with the NBA, G-League or WNBA as ineligible to play for any of the conference’s schools. The rule also covers players who declared for the NBA or WNBA drafts but did not withdraw their names or declare an intent to return to college in the required timeframe. The conference’s announcement comes as waves of student-athletes have filed lawsuits against the NCAA’s new eligibility rules allowing five years of competition over a five-year period.
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Tamin Lipsey has been added to Iowa State’s roster after being granted an injunction for another year of eligibility last week. Iowa State announced Lipsey’s return with a social media post showing his No. 3 jersey hanging in his locker. Lipsey went undrafted in 2026 but played two NBA Summer League games with the Indiana Pacers before getting injured. He was granted a temporary restraining order last week for one of the numerous lawsuits filed against the NCAA for its new eligibility rules. Lipsey averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game last season on a team that reached the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a sweeping bipartisan bill that would regulate college sports. It's an attempt to end “chaos” in an industry that has been upended by skyrocketing athlete payments and near-unrestricted transfers between schools. Passage of the legislation Monday would be the strongest effort yet by Congress to set national regulations governing payments to college athletes for their name, image and likeness and how often they can transfer. It would give the NCAA new authority over those rules and limited antitrust protections to enforce them. The legislation still has to pass the House.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Travis Hunter ended up with the football from his first NFL interception. Hunter spun the ball in celebration and then danced in the end zone after picking off a pass from New England’s Drake Maye late in the second quarter Sunday. A Patriots ball boy picked it up and refused to give it to Jaguars veteran defensive end Josh Hines-Allen, even screaming, “Hey, you can’t touch me” when Hines-Allen tried to grab the ball. The ball boy appeared to try to push Hines-Allen away. The Jaguars confirm they ended up getting the football. Video of the interaction went viral after the game, which the Jaguars won 35-6.
UNDATED (AP) — A few new contenders are emerging in the race for College Football Playoff spots. No one saw Florida coming but the Gators are up to No. 8 in The Associated Press Top 25. Mississippi State was picked second to last in the SEC but is now No. 16 in the nation. No. 10 BYU has been ahead of Big 12 prohibitive favorite Texas Tech for three weeks. No. 14 Iowa could be the most intriguing. The Hawkeyes beat Michigan 20-19 on the last play to set up a huge game against No. 5 Ohio State in Iowa City.
UNDATED (AP) — Florida made a massive jump in The Associated Press Top 25 and landed in the top 10 for the first time in five years. The Gators’ 24-point win over Mississippi on Saturday earned them a 13-rung promotion to No. 8. That's their highest ranking since 2020 and first top-10 appearance since 2021. Texas, Georgia and Notre Dame continued to hold the top three spots, Miami was a season-high No. 4 and Ohio State moved up two spots to No. 5. Indiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and BYU completed the top 10. The Longhorns received 62 of 70 first-place votes.
UNDATED (AP) — Florida not only would be on the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket for the first time based on The Associated Press Top 25, the Gators would host a first-round game. First-year coach Jon Sumrall’s team zoomed up 13 spots to No. 8 in the poll. That would give the Gators the last home-field spot and the Southeastern Conference a total of six teams in the field. Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame and Miami would be the top four seeds and Ohio State, Indiana, Alabama and Florida would host first-round games.
