UNDATED (AP) — No. 1 Miami at No. 4 Notre Dame on Saturday will be the season’s third matchup of teams in the top five of The Associated Press Top 25 and it will be close if it’s like the first two. Texas-Ohio State and Ohio State-Indiana were decided by a total of five points. Seven of the last nine regular-season top-five matchups have been one-score games. The average margin in top-five regular-season games since 2000 is 11.9 points. That's according to Sportradar. Of 54 such games, 25 were decided by eight points or less.
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 College Football Playoff rankings have raised questions about the committee's decision-making. The rankings have sent mixed messages about strength of schedule, injuries, and head-to-head victories. Miami's top spot was expected, but Georgia's second-place ranking raised eyebrows due to a recent loss. Notre Dame and UCLA were surprisingly low, possibly due to weak schedules. Head-to-head results seemed inconsistent, with Tennessee ranked lower than Alabama despite a recent win. Injuries also played a confusing role, particularly for Ohio State. With four weekends left, there's still time for significant changes in the rankings.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — What began as an intense regional showdown between Utah and BYU has evolved into a rivalry among the top in the FBS because of what is typically riding on the game each season. Many past editions of the Holy War have decided conference championships. That might be the case again this year with both teams ranked in the Top 10 going into Saturday — the first time that’s happened in the history of the storied rivalry. A history of close, low-scoring battles peppered with dramatic finishes has helped shape the Holy War into must-see TV.
UNDATED (AP) — College football fans with an appetite for large portions of high-stakes games should be pleased with the Week 10 menu. The main dish is No. 1 Miami’s visit to No. 4 Notre Dame on Saturday night. Appetizers are No. 7 BYU at No. 3 Utah, No. 10 Texas at No. 19 Missouri, No. 9 Alabama at No. 15 LSU, No. 8 Kentucky at No. 16 Tennessee and No. 2 Georgia at No. 12 Mississippi. Now that the initial College Football Playoff rankings are out, all these games and others will have tangible playoff implications.
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.
