CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Cearah Parchment had 22 points, Berry Wallace scored 21 and both players registered double-doubles for No. 23 Illinois in a season-opening 84-50 victory over Detroit Mercy. Parchment and Wallace, Illinois’ postseason award candidates, had 11 rebounds each. Gretchen Dolan added 10 points. Naima Diawara scored 11 points and Paula Lopez 10 for Detroit Mercy. Illinois led 36-32 at halftime then outscored the Titans 27-7 in the third quarter and 48-18 in the second half.
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.
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.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — After his Ohio State team struggled to finish drives and had special teams issues in a 30-18 loss to USC, coach Ryan Day said he’s not planning staff changes but is examining everything as the Buckeyes prepare for a game against Oregon on Saturday. Ohio State football has matched its high for losses in a single season under Day, and he said that has consequences.
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.
