review Page 633 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

USC, unbeaten Saint Mary's clash in California desert
Undefeated Saint Mary's takes to Palm Desert, Calif., for a Thanksgiving night matchup with Southern California in the Acrisure Classic on Thursday.,The Gaels (6-0) head into the two-day event seeking their first-ever win over USC (5-1). Saint Mary's is 0-10 against the Trojans all-time, though the ...

Arizona St., New Mexico face off after run of cupcake wins
Arizona State and New Mexico enter their first game at the Acrisure Classic at Palm Springs, Calif., on Thursday each at 5-1 with some momentum from home wins following their lone loss to this point.,They are also unbeaten in their neutral-site games this season with Arizona State victorious against...

Northwestern aims to find 3-point touch vs. Butler
The Arizona Tip-Off doesn't feature any top 10 squads, but it's the perfect place for Northwestern or Butler to earn two wins that will matter when the NCAA Tournament committee does its work., ,The Wildcats (5-1) and Bulldogs (4-1) open the three-day event Thursday afternoon in Tempe. The winner wi...

Texans trying to get 'locked in' with Jags up next
A week after a demoralizing loss to the Tennessee Titans, the AFC South-leading Houston Texans might have a perfect opportunity to reboot when they face the host Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.,Then again, maybe not.,It depends, Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said, if the Texans (7-5) are "locked in" an...

No. 16 Arizona State continues playoff push vs. underwhelming Arizona
Arizona State was projected to have a rough first season in the Big 12, while Arizona was expected to be one of the conference's top teams upon joining the league.,However, the opposite has played out as the No. 16 Sun Devils get set to square off with the host Wildcats for Saturday's Territorial Cu...

Bad Axe: Wisconsin wary of rival Minnesota with bowl bid in peril
Wisconsin faces its first losing season in 23 years and the end of a bowl streak when the Badgers host arch-rival Minnesota on Friday in the annual Big Ten battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe.,Minnesota (6-5, 4-4) lost to No. 4 Penn State 26-25. Wisconsin (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) lost its fourth straight, 44-25,...

Quarterbacks in spotlight when No. 6 Miami visits Syracuse
It didn't take Syracuse first-year coach Fran Brown long to figure out the key matchup for Saturday afternoon's Atlantic Coast Conference game visiting Miami.,"Syracuse has a really good quarterback," Brown said of Kyle McCord, "and Miami has a really good quarterback (Cam Ward).",With a win on Satu...

No. 9 SMU aims to improve playoff odds vs. Cal
SMU has plenty to play for when it closes the regular season against California on Saturday afternoon in Dallas.,The Mustangs (10-1, 7-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who checked in at No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday, would like to send their seniors off the right way....

Runner's World: Top RBs take flight when Ravens entertain Eagles
Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles make their second-to-last road trip of the regular season Sunday to face Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens., ,The NFC East-leading Eagles (9-2) have won seven in a row and play four of their final six games in Philadelphia, traveling only about 125 mil...

No secrets as Bucs visit Dave Canales, Panthers for NFC South showdown
The connections are clear between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers, longtime NFC South rivals.,The teams get together for a meeting on Sunday in Charlotte and showed recent signs they can play with any team.,"It's an NFC South battle," Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said. "All of them ar...

Winless in rivalry, Dan Lanning, No. 1 Oregon determined to tame Huskies
Oregon already secured its spot in the Big Ten championship game, but the top-ranked Ducks have plenty to play for in their regular-season finale.,Revenge may be on Oregon's mind when the Ducks host longtime rival Washington on Saturday in Eugene, Ore.,Oregon (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) would perhaps be clo...

Bengals optimistic heading into new month, meeting vs. Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers look to continue their improbable season atop the AFC North when they visit the disappointing Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon. ,The Steelers (8-3) saw their five-game winning streak come to an end last time out, suffering a 24-19 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 21...

Winless at home, Cowboys shoot for eighth consecutive victory over Giants
The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants stumble onto center stage for a Thanksgiving Day battle of backup quarterbacks, as the out-of-contention NFC East rivals have served up a combined six wins and 16 losses in 2024.,Cooper Rush helped the Cowboys (4-7) return to the win column at Washington before...

No. 23 Illinois optimistic about postseason hopes, takes on Northwestern
Illinois comes in at No. 23 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and with three losses remains a long shot to make the coveted Top 12.,Still, it's coach Bret Bielema's experience to never say never.,As they prepare for Saturday's game against struggling Northwestern at Chicago's Wrigley F...

No. 5 Notre Dame looks to cement CFP berth vs. USC
When No. 5 Notre Dame visits rival Southern California in Los Angeles for the 95th all-time meeting between the programs, the Fighting Irish are playing to lock up a berth in the College Football Playoff.,Notre Dame (10-1) climbed one spot in the CFP rankings after clobbering then-No. 19 Army 49-14 ...

Colorado State looks for better shooting vs. Washington
Washington kicks off a three-game road trip to California on Thursday when it tangles with Colorado State on Day 1 of the Acrisure Invitational in Palm Desert.,The opportunity to bond on a road trip is what Washington coach Danny Sprinkle said the Huskies need.,"I think it will be great for our team...

Auburn bowls into No. 13 Alabama for Iron Bowl amid CFP angst
Alabama pulled off one of the biggest long-shot plays to beat Auburn on fourth-and-goal from the Tigers' 31-yard line last season.,The Crimson Tide might need a long shot of another variety this year.,No. 13 Alabama stands on the outside of the 12-team College Football Playoff picture as it conclude...

No. 3 Texas, No. 20 Texas A&M renew rivalry for title game spot
Texas and Texas A&M began their rivalry in 1903 and have faced off 109 times before pausing their unfriendly annual games in 2011., ,Conference compatriots once more, the No. 3 Longhorns (10-1, 6-1 SEC) and the host No. 20 Aggies (8-3, 5-2) meet again Saturday night in College Station, with the winn...

Vandy pining to play upset track for No. 8 Tennessee in Nashville
Stakes are off-the-charts when No. 8 Tennessee (9-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) heads three hours west to face Vanderbilt (6-5, 3-4) in Nashville, Tenn., in the annual in-state rivalry game.,The Vols scored a 56-0 pasting of UTEP last Saturday, but the best part of their week centered around score...

Stakes magnified as No. 12 Clemson hosts No. 15 South Carolina
South Carolina takes on host Clemson on Saturday afternoon in the annual intrastate rivalry game that has national implications when it comes to either one landing a spot in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.,For the first time since 2017, the 121st Palmetto Bowl will feature ranked tea...