UNDATED (AP) — Southeastern Conference leaders have met by video conference without holding a vote on LSU’s membership. The SEC had threatened as part of a federal lawsuit against LSU to take such a vote, but decided against it after LSU finalized its football roster without including a pair of NFL signees who had been recruited back to college by first-year Tigers coach Lane Kiffin. The SEC said in a statement Thursday that its presidents and chancellors discussed “recent matters involving conference expectations and responsibilities.” The SEC says those talks will continue.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s football team has much bigger problems than a clock controversy. For starters, the Wolverines host No. 11 Oklahoma on Saturday. The dramatic ending to the formerly 16th-ranked Wolverines’ 13-12 win over Western Michigan — with a disputed second on the clock that gave Bryce Underwood another chance to complete a Hail Mary — has been one of the most talked about topics in sports for nearly a week. The unlikely ending has overshadowed how poorly Michigan played in all three phases during coach Kyle Whittingham’s debut with college football’s winningest program.
UNDATED (AP) — Ohio State heads to Texas for a Saturday night rematch of last year’s season opener. Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin and Texas signal-caller Arch Manning bring a year of starting experience. Both quarterbacks come off strong performances in Week 1 wins. This matchup offers the slightly favored Longhorns a chance to boost their resume. Oklahoma faces Michigan on Saturday. Oklahoma rolled past UTEP, while Michigan relied on a Hail Mary to beat Western Michigan. Georgia's Nate Frazier, Ole Miss’s Deuce Alexander, and Tennessee's Faizon Brandon are standout players to watch. The SEC was undefeated in Week 1 for the first time since 1997.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU coach Lane Kiffin says he's been challenging the No. 8 Tigers to approach Saturday night's game against Louisiana Tech the same way they did their 51-10 season-opening victory over Clemson. Kiffin says it can be challenging to maintain the same intensity and focus every week, particularly when playing against teams that do not belong to power conferences. But Kiffin says there are reasons to take the Bulldogs seriously, starting with the 80 points they scored in their season opener against Northwestern State. Kiffin says Louisiana Tech's unusual defensive alignment creates a different set of challenges for the Tigers' offense. Louisiana Tech also visited LSU last season. The Tigers won that game 23-7.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Across a history of college football that dates to the 1800s, Texas and Ohio State have rarely met on the field. The Buckeyes and Longhorns are making a habit of it of late, however, with big games and big stakes. Top-ranked Ohio State and No. 4 Texas play for the third consecutive season Saturday night in Austin in the blockbuster matchup of the early schedule. The duel between national championship contenders features a pair of Heisman Trophy hopefuls in Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning and Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin.
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — After erratic play nearly cost No. 9 Mississippi a season-opening setback, coach Pete Golding has made consistency an over-arching theme while preparing for Saturday’s home opener against Charlotte. Golding says Ole Miss showed “flashes” of how they should play during Sunday night's 41-38 victory over Louisville in Nashville, Tennessee. But Golding was concerned by hiccups on offense and defense. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is criticizing himself for what he's termed, “bonehead plays in the first half.” Meanwhile. Ole Miss' coaching staff counted 19 missed tackles that led to 242 yards and three touchdowns for Louisville. Charlotte opened its season with a loss to The Citadel.
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia coach Kirby Smart says his No. 2 ranked Bulldogs will be looking for more improvement when they play Western Kentucky. The Bulldogs opened the season with a dominant 63-3 win over Tennessee State as Gunner Stockton passed for three touchdowns. Smart says his team's motto is “you don't have to be sick to get better.” Georgia moved up one spot to No. 2 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll. After the visit from Western Kentucky, Georgia will open its Southeastern Conference schedule at Arkansas next week. Western Kentucky opened with a 49-14 loss at Nevada.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham has a unique plan for how to defend quarterback Marcel Reed on Saturday when the Sun Devils visit No. 10 Texas A&M. “Pray,” Dillingham said with a laugh. Arizona State beat Morgan State 70-7 in its opener last week but Dillingham was unhappy with how his team contained the quarterback at times and knows the Sun Devils will have to do a better job of that this week against Reed. “If we don’t do that this week, he’ll throw it for 400 and run it for 400,” Dillingham said. “He’ll set the record.”
