review Page 225 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

No. 9 Oregon tries to avoid upset at Iowa on path to CFP
A four-game stretch to end the regular season against four Big Ten teams currently with six wins each begins on Saturday for Oregon, which on Tuesday debuted at No. 9 in the College Football Playoff rankings.,The Ducks hope to avoid an upset the rest of the way and stay in the CFP field in December....

No. 6 Ole Miss not focused on rankings ahead of Citadel matchup
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said he wasn't looking ahead to the first CFP rankings that were released Tuesday night.,The Rebels (8-1) landed at No. 6 as they prepare for a non-conference game against The Citadel (4-5) on Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Miss.,"I really hadn't thought much about that," K...

No. 4 Alabama looking to revive run game against LSU
It seems illogical, like Utah having an NBA team called the Jazz or encouraging pitchers to give Shohei Ohtani a steady diet of fastballs.,Yet No. 4 Alabama finds itself in an unlikely predicament, given the program's history of generating a strong running attack, entering Saturday night's Southeast...

Kentucky's pass rush takes aim at DJ Lagway, Florida
Florida and Kentucky will square off on Saturday night in Lexington, Ky., with their head coaching positions either interim or tenuously held amid swirling rumors.,In a losing effort last Saturday in a season that has already seen the firing of coach Billy Napier, the Gators (3-5, 2-3 Southeastern C...

Longtime ACC powers Clemson, Florida State aim to get right
Clemson and Florida State largely have run the Atlantic Coast Conference of late, winning 13 of the last 14 conference championships between them.,When they meet Saturday in South Carolina, they'll be fighting for something far less significant: bowl eligibility.,The Tigers (3-5, 2-4 ACC) and visiti...

Ohio State focuses on wins -- not No. 1 ranking -- ahead of clash vs. Purdue
Ohio State has been playing like the top team in the country and will get its first opportunity to prove the College Football Playoff rankings were right when the No. 1 Buckeyes face Purdue on Saturday afternoon in West Lafayette, Ind.,The Buckeyes (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) received the top ranking in the ...

No. 10 Notre Dame using time wisely ahead of clash vs. Navy
After losing back-to-back games to open the season, Notre Dame has clawed back into the College Football Playoff picture.,Just don't tell Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman about his team's No. 10 ranking.,Notre Dame (6-2) will get an opportunity to bolster its playoff credentials when it faces Nav...

No. 14 Virginia vies to avoid 'distraction,' prepares for Wake Forest
Picked 14th in the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason poll, first-place Virginia faces a clear path to the conference championship game as the only remaining unbeaten team in ACC play.,Ranked 14th in the first College Football Playoff poll released Tuesday, the Cavaliers (8-1, 5-0) will play two of...

With plenty of fanfare, No. 8 Texas Tech braces for No. 7 BYU
Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire noticed something different this week as he prepared for his team's high-stakes game against BYU in Lubbock, Texas.,A group of students were camped out near Texas Tech's stadium. They were waiting for ESPN's "College Football GameDay" broadcast to begin and for the gate...

No. 23 Washington plots to improve standing at Wisconsin's expense
No. 23 Washington will look to move into the upper echelon of the Big Ten standings on Saturday afternoon when it visits reeling Wisconsin in Madison, Wis.,Both the Huskies (6-2, 3-2) and Badgers (2-6, 0-5) were idle last week. Before the bye, Washington recorded a 42-25 victory over then-No. 23 Ill...

Marcel Reed, No. 3 Texas A&M take aim at No. 22 Missouri
No. 3 Texas A&M can take another step toward landing a high seed in the College Football Playoff when it faces No. 22 Missouri on Saturday afternoon at Columbia, Mo.,The Southeastern Conference matchup is big for both schools but carries even more weight for the Aggies after the initial CFP rankings...

No. 19 USC eager to reignite offense vs. Northwestern
No. 19 Southern California will begin its closing four-game stretch of the season in the thick of both the Big Ten Conference championship and College Football Playoff races.,The Trojans will face another stout defense in Northwestern on Friday night in Los Angeles.,Southern California (6-2, 4-1) wi...

Warriors without Stephen Curry, possibly others, in clash vs. Kings
The Golden State Warriors could be without their three most experienced players when they make the quick trip to Sacramento to face the Kings on Wednesday night.,Stephen Curry has been ruled out with illness, Jimmy Butler III is questionable due to lower back soreness, and Draymond Green likely will...

Thunder seek to extend unbeaten start, dominance of Blazers
The Oklahoma City Thunder regularly dominate the Trail Blazers, and they will attempt to post their 17th consecutive victory in the series when they visit Portland on Wednesday night.,The Thunder have swept the four-game season series from Portland in each of the past four campaigns, including beatd...

Star power will be diminished in Pelicans-Mavericks matchup
Both teams will be at less than full strength when the visiting New Orleans Pelicans face the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.,Dallas will be missing Anthony Davis (left calf strain), Kyrie Irving (left knee surgery), Dereck Lively II (right knee sprain) and Dante Exum (right knee management), w...

Cavs' Darius Garland likely to make season debut vs. Sixers
Two-time All-Star point guard Darius Garland is expected to make his season debut Wednesday for the Cleveland Cavaliers against the visiting Philadelphia 76ers.,Garland underwent surgery on his left big toe in June, a month after injuring it in Cleveland's five-game upset loss to the Indiana Pacers ...

Mammoth, Maple Leafs out to build off uplifting wins
The Toronto Maple Leafs aim to carry the momentum of a four-goal third period in a comeback win into Wednesday night, when they host the rising Utah Mammoth.,The Maple Leafs trailed the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 after two periods on Monday before erupting with four goals -- two by William Nylander -- ...

Heat ready for climb to break 9-year losing streak in Denver
The Miami Heat started their four-game road trip with consecutive losses but can finish with two wins when they face the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night., ,Miami lost to the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers to kick off the trip but rallied to beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday nig...

No. 5 Georgia looks for dominant effort at Mississippi St.
Searching for a fifth straight victory, No. 5 Georgia travels to Starkville, Miss., on Saturday to face a Mississippi State team coming off a rare Southeastern Conference win.,Georgia (7-1, 5-1 SEC), which rallied to stay in the conference title race last week with a 24-20 win over Florida, is still...

No. 2 Indiana looks to validate CFP rank at reeling Penn State
One team in Saturday's matchup between Indiana and Penn State is ranked No. 2 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, but it isn't the team most experts would have predicted two months ago.,The undefeated Hoosiers find themselves behind only Ohio State in the initial CFP rankings and will ...