UNDATED (AP) — The undefeated Miami Hurricanes received top billing in the season’s first College Football Playoff rankings, with Georgia, undefeated Utah and defending national champion Indiana filling out the top four spots in the initial projected playoff bracket. The biggest surprise from the selection committee was its choice to rank Notre Dame 11th — seven spots lower than its spot in the AP Top 25 and the last team in the bracket if the playoffs started today. The rest of the rankings: No. 5 Alabama, No. 6 Kentucky, No. 7 Texas and undefeated UCLA at No. 8. BYU was slotted in the ninth spot, followed by Ole Miss, the Irish and Ohio State.
UNDATED (AP) — The final month of the college football season in the Big 12 will shake loose a tight race and determine the teams that will play in the championship game. And it all starts with Saturday's Holy War between No. 3 Utah and No. 7 BYU. The Utes are in first place with a one-game lead over BYU and Texas Tech. The Holy War has a 10 a.m. local kickoff time in Salt Lake City to accommodate television. Utah quarterback Devon Dampier says he couldn't go anywhere the entire offseason without hearing about the rivalry. He says he understand what the game means to the state of Utah.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Davis Kern scored 24 points and South Dakota State stunned Kansas State 68-66 in a season opener. Kansas State tied it at 60-all on Isaiah Abraham’s basket with 3:13 remaining. Kern answered with a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer and the Jackrabbits stayed in front down the stretch. Kalen Garry buried a 3-pointer for a 68-62 lead with 1:40 remaining. Kern made 7 of 15 shots with five 3-pointers and 5 of 6 free throws. Jon Mekonnen and Garry scored 14 apiece with Garry adding eight rebounds. Joe Sayler scored 10. Reserve Pape N’Diaye led the Wildcats with 18 points and eight rebounds.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Laura Somfai totaled 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead 15th-ranked TCU to a 99-43 win over Oral Roberts on Tuesday night to start the season.Lanie Grant and reserve Camille Williams both scored 12 points to help TCU post its largest margin of victory in a season opener. Jadyn Wooten added 10 points and eight assists.Grant had nine points to help the Horned Frogs take a comfortable 27-9 lead after one quarter. TCU outshot Oral Roberts 65% to 25% in the first 10 minutes. Reserve Aliyah Duval led Oral Roberts with 14 points and Kayten Donley scored 13.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — TCU coach Sonny Dykes says the boos and calls for him to be fired are the kinds of things happening everywhere in college football. And he said Tuesday that he didn't notice all of that going on during the last home game for the 4-4 Horned Frogs. But there were “Fire Sonny!” chants and boos during their 22-16 win over Kansas on Saturday. The Horned Frogs play at No. 24 Arizona on Friday night after the 22 points that were their most against a Power Four opponent. They have four one-score losses to P4 teams.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders called Tuesday one of the best practices of the season for Colorado. Breaking a five-game losing streak can boost morale. Sanders said there's no dark cloud over the team. The Buffaloes, with a 3-5 record, play Arizona State on Saturday. They're aiming for bowl eligibility with four games left. Defensive back Ben Finneseth emphasized resilience after the team turned things around in an overtime win against Kansas State. Sanders said he spoke to the father of Julian “JuJu” Lewis and the QB was “doing well” after suffering a medical emergency at the school’s athletic facility last week and going to the hospital.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Gia Cooke scored a career-high 28 points, and No. 24 West Virginia beat Rhode Island 68-64 for its 13th straight season-opening victory. Cooke, who started 34 games and averaged a team-best 15.0 points per game last season, kept West Virginia in it early by scoring 13 points in the opening 10 minutes. She finished the half with 16 points to help West Virginia build a 39-30 lead after holding the Rams to just six points in the second quarter. Cooke gave the Mountaineers their largest lead of the game, 60-43, with 6:28 remaining in the fourth. But West Virginia made just 1 of its next 9 shots as URI went on a 10-0 run to get within single digits. Delanie Hill scored 26 points and made seven 3-pointers for URI.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The college basketball season tips off with many players unexpectedly gaining an extra year of eligibility. They have received injunctions from courts in various states after the NCAA adopted a new five-year eligibility model that did not apply to them as they wrapped up their playing careers last season. As of last week, the NCAA reported about 200 lawsuits involving 850 athletes. So far, most of the courts — though not all — have sided with athletes seeking another year of eligibility. But nothing has been definitively decided as the season gets underway, leaving coaches to wonder whether their players will remain eligible through March.
