UNDATED (AP) — The College Football Playoff might expand to 24 teams next season, potentially ending conference title games at the top level. For now, the race to qualify for these championships remains intense. Miami leads the ACC, with Wake Forest close behind. North Texas tops the American Athletic Conference. Utah leads the Big 12, while UCLA is first in the Big Ten. Liberty and Jacksonville State are tied in Conference USA. Ohio is ahead in the Mid-American, and New Mexico leads the Mountain West. Boise State tops the Pac-12, Georgia leads the SEC, and Louisiana Tech is ahead in the Sun Belt.
UNDATED (AP) — Georgia is back at No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 after a dominant win over Mississippi. Utah moved to No. 2 after beating BYU, marking their highest-ever regular season ranking. Notre Dame climbed to No. 3 with a win over Miami, who dropped from the top spot to No. 5. UCLA is unbeaten and ranked No. 4, its highest ranking since 2001. Ohio State continued to fall, now at No. 21 after losing to Oregon. Alabama and Texas both moved up after road wins, completing a dynamic week in college football rankings.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Kory Mincy scored 10 of his 19 points during a second-half run and South Carolina beat Southeast Missouri State 78-68. Mincy made 6 of 11 shots with two 3-pointers and 5 of 6 free throws for the Gamecocks (2-0), adding three steals. He finished off a 13-0 run that turned a one-point deficit into a 46-34 lead. Juan Fernandez went 10 for 13 at the foul line and scored 18 for South Carolina. Jakub Necas added 12 points and freshman Marcus Johnson scored 10 off the bench. Fontaine Williams Jr. sank all three of his 3-point tries and led the Redhawks (2-1) with 18 points, while Marqueas Bell scored 13.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Chloe Kitts had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Joyce Edwards added 15 points as No. 1 South Carolina rolled past No. 12 North Carolina 84-39 at the Ally Tipoff on Sunday night. Kitts missed all last season after tearing the ACL in her right knee. But she appeared as energetic as ever in taking apart the Tar Heels. Kitts had her 18th career game with double figure points and rebounds. South Carolina took control in the second and third quarters, outscoring the Tar Heels 51-16 to win its fifth straight in the series. Nyla Brooks had 13 points to lead North Carolina.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Thijs De Ridder scored 16 points, one of five players in double figures for No. 9 Virginia as the Cavaliers routed No. 12 Arkansas 91-72. Sam Lewis added 16 points for Virginia, Johann Grunloh and Chance Mallory had 15 each and Nolan Adekunle contributed 13. Jordan Smith Jr. led Arkansas with 19. Virginia was up 46-27 at halftime and led by as many as 27 in the second. The most interesting moment of the second half may have been when a couple birds, which were somehow inside the arena, landed on the court during a stoppage before being chased away by some of the players.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Ajsa Sivka scored 32 points and matched a program record with eight 3-pointers in her third collegiate game, and 14th-ranked Kentucky breezed to a 93-78 victory over No. 25 N.C. State at the fourth annual Ally Tipoff. Sivka, a 6-foot-5 guard from Slovenia, made 11 of 17 shots for the Wildcats (3-0) at the double-header event that features top-ranked programs. She sank 8 of 12 from 3-point range and snagged five rebounds. Sivka’s eight makes from distance matched Rhyne Howard’s single-game school record. Clara Strack totaled 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting for Kentucky with eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Khamil Pierre led the Wolfpack (2-1) with 34 points. The senior, who scored a career-high 42 points as a sophomore, made 12 of 25 shots and 9 of 13 free throws.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Freshman LeeLee Bell had 20 points and 12 rebounds for her first double-double, Sa’Myah Smith added 18 points, nine boards and two blocks off the bench, and No. 21 Oklahoma beat Morgan State 95-38 on Sunday in its home opener. Bell scored seven of her 11 first-quarter points during Oklahoma’s 16-0 run to close the frame for a 28-11 lead. After leading 42-21 at halftime, the Sooners opened the third quarter on a 12-0 run as Morgan State did not score until the 6:38 mark. Oklahoma also closed the game on a 22-4 run. On Monday, Bell became the first freshman this century to score 25 points in their debut against a ranked opponent, while her points were the most by a Sooner freshman in their debut.
