Analysis Page 10 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Meet the 12 CFP Title Contenders: No. 6 Penn State
6. Penn State Nittany Lions,11-2 (8-1 Big Ten regular season) ,What's next: vs. No. 11 SMU at State College, Pa., Dec. 21, noon ET,Head coach: James Franklin (11th season, 99-41 overall at Penn State, 123-56 overall as head coach),About Franklin: Penn State gets pounded for a poor record against qua...
Meet the 12 CFP Title Contenders: No. 4 Arizona State
4. Arizona State Sun Devils,11-2 (7-2 Big 12 regular season),What's next: First-round bye; vs. winner of No. 12 Clemson-No. 5 Texas at Peach Bowl, Jan. 1.,Head coach: Kenny Dillingham (Second season, 14-11 overall),About Dillingham: A graduate of Arizona State and native Phoenician, Dillingham retur...
Meet the 12 CFP Title Contenders: No. 3 Boise State
No. 3 Boise State Broncos,12-1 (7-0 Mountain West regular season),What's next: First-round bye; vs. winner of No. 6 Penn State, No. 11 SMU, Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, Ariz., Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET,Head coach: Spencer Danielson (one-plus seasons, 15-2 overall),About Danielson: The 36-year-old was an assis...
Meet the 12 CFP Title Contenders: No. 5 Texas
5. Texas Longhorns,11-2 (7-1 SEC regular season),What's next: vs. No. 12 Clemson, Austin, Texas, Dec. 21, 4 p.m. ET,Head coach: Steve Sarkisian (fourth season, 36-16 at Texas),About Sarkisian: The former Southern California head coach revived his career by calling plays for Nick Saban and national t...
Meet the 12 CFP Title Contenders: No. 2 Georgia
2. Georgia Bulldogs,11-2 (6-2 SEC regular season),What's next: First-round bye; No. 2 Georgia awaits the winner of the Indiana championship, No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame, in the quarterfinals,Head coach: Kirby Smart (ninth season, 105-18 overall),About Smart: Perhaps the best head coach in the...
Meet the 12 CFP Title Contenders: No. 1 Oregon
1. Oregon Ducks,13-0 (9-0 Big Ten regular season),What's next: First-round bye; quarterfinals vs. No. 8 Ohio State-No. 9 Tennessee winner,Head coach: Dan Lanning (third season, 35-5 overall),About Lanning: The 38-year-old was an assistant coach at Park Hill South High School in Missouri the last tim...
Take 5: Contenders flex, Tennessee State makes mark, is Florida ... back?
College football's ecosystem has undergone radical transformations since returning from the COVID-19 pandemic, not the least of which are the changes to recruiting.,The February National Signing Day already lost some of its significance as a major tentpole of the college football calendar. The intro...
Stars align as SEC dominates Signing Day again
College football recruiting typically favors the Southeastern Conference, but National Signing Day on Wednesday turned into pure domination. ,Texas, Georgia and Alabama claimed the top three spots in the Class of 2025 rankings according to most recognized services with a total of eight SEC teams in ...
Take 5: Candidates to replace Mack Brown at UNC
North Carolina will usher in a new era after announcing Tuesday that head coach Mack Brown will not return next season.,So, where do the Tar Heels turn next as they move on from the winningest coach in program history?,Athletic director Bubba Cunningham got a head start on the process with the Tar H...
Stubbs: 23XI's driver choice shows sponsorships trump talent
When comparing Riley Herbst and Corey Heim as candidates for the third NASCAR Cup Series seat at 23XI Racing, the statistics and eye test speak for themselves. ,Heim has been a championship contender -- and arguably the best driver in the series -- in his two years in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Seri...
Take 5: Drawing conclusions from latest CFP rankings
The first couple of College Football Playoff rankings provided some fuel for banter and insight into the selection committee's collective thought process. However, as there was a month remaining in the regular season when the first CFP Top 25 rankings were released, there were too many moving parts ...
Stubbs: RFK gives Ryan Preece best (final?) shot at success
First chances are rare in racing, and second chances rarer still.,Ryan Preece has thrown the aforementioned proverb to the wayside.,On Tuesday, RFK Racing announced that Preece will be the pilot of the organization's third NASCAR Cup Series entry in 2025, marking Preece's third Cup Series team in fi...
Hoosier Hysteria: Out-of-nowhere Indiana basking in spotlight
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The college football world has spent the last couple of months trying to tell Curt Cignetti how to think. , ,"You can't win at Indiana University." , ,"The Hoosiers can't be highly ranked in the college football polls." , ,"IU can't have a spot in the College Football Playoff...
Take 5: Samuel Stubbs' NASCAR storylines to follow this offseason
The 2024 NASCAR season is in the books and the clock already is ticking on one of the shortest offseasons in sports. With less than 12 weeks until Bowman Gray Stadium hosts the Busch Clash on Feb. 2, here are the storylines you need to know going into the 2025 season.,New Faces in New Places,NASCAR ...
Contract terms, landing spot and bidders for top 20 MLB free agents
1. Juan Soto, OF, Yankees,Soto set himself up for the biggest payday in MLB history after batting .288 with a .419 on-base percentage and .569 slugging for the Yankees in 2024. Not to mention a career-best 41 home runs, 129 walks, a league-leading 128 runs scored and 109 RBIs. And Soto didn't even t...
Week 10 NFL Capsules
Week 10 NFL Capsules ,New York Giants (2-7) vs. Carolina Panthers (2-7) at Munich, Germany, 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network,A change of scenery awaits two teams tied for the NFL's worst record as embattled quarterbacks Bryce Young of the Panthers and Daniel Jones of the Giants meet in Munich. New York has...
Stubbs: Keys to victory for Championship 4 drivers
When the checkered flag flies at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday afternoon, the NASCAR Cup Series will crown its 2024 champion. Here's how the Championship 4 drivers -- Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and William Byron -- stack up against each other:,Ryan Blaney:,The defending champion will try to...
Stubbs: NASCAR fails to address root problem of race manipulation
If you want to eliminate a problem in any facet of life, starting at the source is the correct course of action.,If you're trying to put out a fire, aiming for the base of the fire rather than the flames is usually a good idea.,So it was confusing when NASCAR handed down penalties for the race manip...
Take 5: Drawing conclusions from first CFP rankings
The initial rankings for the highly anticipated, first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff confirmed what many believed even before the season began: The Southeastern Conference will be represented in the new-look tournament.,Indeed, Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama combine to make up one-th...
Take 5: Early candidates to be Saints' next head coach
The New Orleans Saints became the second team to get a head start on the NFL coaching carousel by firing Dennis Allen on Monday.,He follows Robert Saleh, who was let go by the New York Jets last month. Allen's departure appeared imminent as the Saints dropped their seventh consecutive game on Sunday...