PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi is frustrated with the ACC's lack of respect in college football polls. After Pittsburgh's win against Virginia Tech, Narduzzi urged AP Top 25 voters to pay attention. While voters did bump unbeaten Pitt into the polls at 25, Narduzzi believes critics consistently overlook the conference as a whole. Narduzzi thinks some of the issues stem from people focusing on 'brand name' in conferences like the Big Ten and SEC. Narduzzi added he feels the ACC's achievements are overlooked. Pitt's bid for the ACC to gain more respect continues when the 5-0 Panthers host North Carolina.
UNDATED (AP) — Missouri rose 11 spots to No. 14 in The Associated Press Top 25 following its rout of Florida and the Gators dropped eight to No. 16 and were replaced by LSU in the top 10. Texas will go into Saturday’s Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma as the No. 1 team for the fourth straight week. The rest of the top five stood pat with Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami and Ohio State. The Longhorns received 61 of the 70 first-place votes from the media voting panel. Georgia got six first-place votes and Miami got two.
UNDATED (AP) — How to judge Missouri’s 28-point win over Florida easily was the biggest question facing Associated Press Top 25 college football poll voters this past weekend. At kickoff Saturday, the Tigers were ranked No. 25 with one loss and the Gators were No. 8 and unbeaten. Missouri’s 45-17 victory merited the Tigers being ranked ahead of the Gators and they were. Missouri was No. 14 and Florida was No. 16 in the poll released Sunday. But 11 media members on the voting panel saw things differently and had Florida ahead of Missouri on their ballots. They said it's about more than a head to head result.
CHARLOTTE, N,C. (AP) — Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo is entering a senior season in a career with big stats and a long awards list. The 5-foot-7 point guard is a three-time Associated Press All-American. She's also a multi-time winner of Atlantic Coast Conference honors as the league's top player and its top defender. Hidalgo has averaged 23.9 points and 4.7 steals in her career. She could set a Division I career steals record and rank among the sport's all-time top scorers. Hidalgo is driven by the goal of taking another step after leading the Fighting Irish within a game of last year's Final Four.
UNDATED (AP) — Iowa State running back Aiden Flora is Associated Press national player of the week in college football for his performance against West Virginia. The former walk-on ran for three touchdowns and a career-high 212 yards and passed for two TDs in the 45-42 victory. His five touchdowns accounted for are most among Football Bowl Subdivision running backs this season and he’s the first FBS running back since at least 1996 with two rushing TDs, two passing TDs and 100 yards rushing in a game. Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith was runner-up after catching 11 balls for 206 yards against Iowa.
UNDATED (AP) — Texas Tech would be back on the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket after a one-week absence based on the new Associated Press Top 25 and Florida would drop off. The projected bracket underwent few changes with Florida the only top-10 team in the AP poll to lose. Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame and Miami remain the top four seeds and Ohio State, Alabama, Indiana and BYU would host first-round games. Florida’s drop partially facilitated BYU's two-spot move up in the AP poll and take the final home field spot for the first round.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh sophomore quarterback Mason Heintschel is out for the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee against Virginia Tech. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi announced the news about 24 hours after Heintschel was injured during the second half of the 35-33 victory. The win boosted Pitt's record to 5-0. Heintschel had been performing well, with 14 touchdowns and just one interception during the Panthers' perfect start. Holden Gernier, a transfer from Auburn, replaced Heintschel and threw for a touchdown to help secure the win against the Hokies. Gernier is expected to start against North Carolina on October 10.
UNDATED (AP) — Michael Jordan has committed $10 million to the University of North Carolina School of Social Work in honor of his mother, Deloris P. Jordan. Announced Monday, this is the largest single gift in the school's history. It will expand the Global Social Development Innovations Center, which will be renamed after his mother. The donation also establishes the Jordan Family Scholars program, providing scholarships for Master of Social Work students. Jordan expressed pride in supporting social workers who help communities. UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee H. Roberts praised the gift, highlighting Deloris Jordan’s dedication to children and families.
