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College Football Power Rankings: How did the Top 25 look in Week 3?
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College Football Power Rankings: How did the Top 25 look in Week 3?

by admin



Sep 15, 2025, 07:30 AM ET

With three full weeks of action in the books and conference play underway, the 2025 college football landscape is taking shape and so is the sport’s new crop of breakout stars.

Big Ten powers Ohio State (Julian Sayin), Penn State (Trebor Pena) and Oregon (Dante Moore) all took care of business with help from their early standouts in Week 3. Georgia Tech toppled Clemson with help from Florida International transfer Eric Rivers. Georgia and Tennessee leaned on their new starting quarterbacks in an overtime classic at Neyland Stadium. And at Notre Dame, Texas A&M passer Marcel Reed and Mississippi State transfer receiver Mario Craver were the stars in the Aggies’ last-minute victory over the Irish.

Elsewhere, from LSU (Davhon Keys) to Miami (Carson Beck) to Missouri (Ahmad Hardy), college football’s breakout stars were on display this past weekend. Here’s our take on the Top 25 after Week 3. — Eli Lederman

Previous ranking: 1

Out of the Buckeyes’ running back by-committee approach, freshman Bo Jackson has emerged in a big way. The Cleveland native is averaging 12.1 yards per carry with 217 rushing yards, showing he has the potential to be Ohio State’s next great running back. Jackson didn’t get a carry in the season-opening win over Texas and figures to continue sharing carries with CJ Donaldson and James Peoples in the coming weeks. But if he keeps reeling off big plays — like his 64-yard scamper in Saturday’s 37-9 victory over the Ohio Bobcats — he will warrant more opportunities. — Jake Trotter

Previous ranking: 4

It was another ho-hum performance for Dan Lanning’s team as it traveled to Northwestern and didn’t let the Wildcats score until the fourth quarter in the 34-14 win that took them to 3-0. Though the Ducks remain balanced on offense, sophomore quarterback Dante Moore and freshman wideout Dakorien Moore deserve praise. Dakorien Moore has 144 receiving yards and a touchdown, and he is also averaging 16 yards per catch this season. A special chemistry is already brewing between the two young players who are supercharging the Ducks’ potent offense. As Dante Moore gets more comfortable in Will Stein’s offense throughout the season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dakorien Moore be his top target and Oregon’s leading wideout. — Paolo Uggetti

Previous ranking: 5

Coaches raved about true freshman receiver Malachi Toney all offseason, and through three games, it is easy to see why. Toney has been electric for a revamped receiver corps, leading Miami with 18 catches for 228 yards and a score. Coach Mario Cristobal has praised Toney for his approach, saying he practices and prepares like an NFL veteran. Toney has six catches in each of his first three games. He finished with 66 yards in a 49-12 win over South Florida on Saturday. True freshman Josh Moore had two touchdown catches in the win, also earning praise. Miami lost its top four receivers from a year ago, but with Toney, Moore and transfer CJ Daniels emerging, this group has not missed a beat. — Andrea Adelson

Previous ranking: 2

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The Tigers got a big boost from sophomore Dashawn Spears, who grabbed his first two career interceptions against Florida QB DJ Lagway, and returned one 58 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers some breathing room in a 20-10 slugfest Saturday. The defense never let Lagway get comfortable, but the offense couldn’t take advantage of five interceptions, and Brian Kelly was fiery in his defense of his team’s style points. He has a point: If you have a championship-level defense, you don’t want to force your offense to make risky plays, so it’s a work in progress. But at the same time, 116 of the Tigers’ 322 yards came on two plays — a Caden Durham run on third-and-1, and a catch and run by tight end Bauer Sharp. Kelly knows the offensive line is struggling and wants quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to get rolling. But for now, the Tigers are leaning on the defense. — Dave Wilson

Previous ranking: 6

There were plenty of doubts about whether new quarterback Gunner Stockton had enough arm and willingness to throw the ball down the field, and he more than answered those questions in a 44-41 victory at Tennessee in overtime. Stockton completed 23 of 31 passes for 304 yards with 2 touchdowns and one more rushing. He showed plenty of toughness in the pocket, taking several shots as the Volunteers tried to bring heat in the second half. Stockton’s best throw of his short career came on fourth down with about 2 ½ minutes remaining, completing a 28-yard touchdown pass to London Humphreys that helped tie the score. Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Stockton grew up Saturday, and though he wants his quarterback to use his legs, he wants Stockton to keep his eyes down the field when he runs. — Mark Schlabach

Previous ranking: 12

The Aggies have teased us before, and were far from perfect at Notre Dame Stadium. But their talent and resilience showed in the most critical moments, and they have a new star in wide receiver Mario Craver. The 165-pound transfer from Mississippi State torched a celebrated Notre Dame secondary for 207 receiving yards on seven catches, including an 86-yard touchdown dash where he miraculously stayed along the sideline. Craver, who had 368 receiving yards last season in Starkville, Mississippi, has eclipsed 100 receiving yards in each of his first three games with the Aggies. Quarterback Marcel Reed also is quieting the doubts about his passing ability, as he averaged 21.2 yards per completion against Notre Dame. Defensive end Cashius Howell has anchored the pass rush with three sacks and four tackles for loss. — Adam Rittenberg

Previous ranking: 3

Tyler Warren, who broke tight end receiving records last season before becoming an All-American and first-round draft pick, is gone. But sophomore Luke Reynolds has stepped up in his place with a productive start to the season. After catching only nine passes in 2024, Reynolds already has 13 receptions for 142 yards through three games and seems to have a rapport with quarterback Drew Allar. After three easy wins against non-Power 4 competition, Penn State’s season really begins Sept. 27 when Oregon travels to State College. With Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, the Nittany Lions already had a dynamite rushing attack. Reynolds’ emergence, combined with the strong start of transfer receivers Trebor Pena and Kyron Hudson, could give Allar what he needs in the passing game, too. — Trotter

Previous ranking: 9

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Though the 2-0 Seminoles had an open date in Week 3, Earl Little Jr. has been the unquestioned leader on a revamped defense. Little transferred to the Seminoles last season from Alabama but played out of position for large swaths of the season. New defensive coordinator Tony White moved Little to the rover safety position, and it feels tailor-made for him. Little leads Florida State with 11 tackles, including a sack, and his physicality has set the tone. Perhaps White summed it up best when he recently said, “He is trying to hit somebody’s soul out of their body.” — Adelson

Previous ranking: 11

The Sooners traveled to Philadelphia for the second time in program history and notched a 39-point win at Temple. As Oklahoma works to identify a lead running back, it has freshman Tory Blaylock — ahead of Cal transfer Jaydn Ott and veteran Jovantae Barnes — making the case to lead the rushing attack in next weekend’s SEC opener against Auburn. ESPN’s No. 210 recruit in the 2025 class, Blaylock paced the Sooners with 100 yards and two rushing scores on a team-high 14 carries against the Owls. Linebacker-to-tight end convert Jaren Kanak has been a surprise volume target for transfer quarterback John Mateer, and Kanak hauled in another four passes for 86 yards at Temple. In the secondary, freshman Courtland Guillory made his third consecutive start Saturday and will face his toughest challenge yet against a talented Auburn wide receiver corps in Week 4. — Lederman

Previous ranking: 7

What to make of this Texas offense? Arch Manning’s struggles continued this week, CJ Baxter left because of an injury on the first play of the game, and the Longhorns fans, starting to worry, booed their heroes at halftime. The Longhorns weren’t taking UTEP lightly, but they struggled to put up 341 total yards, just 114 of those passing, with Manning going 11-of-25 with a touchdown and an interception in the end zone. Ryan Wingo, who was expected to be a breakout star this year, caught his first touchdown of the season, but he has just nine catches for 97 yards in three games. The good news is, like LSU, the Longhorns’ defense is elite, allowing just four touchdowns this year. Texas gets one more tuneup against 0-3 Sam Houston before the SEC grind begins. — Wilson

Previous ranking: 13

Hank Beatty proved he can be an All-Big Ten performer as a return man last season, but the 5-foot-11, 185-pound wideout has taken his game to another level as a senior. Luke Altmyer’s go-to receiver has 289 receiving yards on 19 catches and ranks third in the FBS in all-purpose yards with 466 through three games. Beatty caught his first touchdown pass of the year in Illinois’ 38-0 win over Western Michigan on Saturday — it was just the second of his career. He has already scored rushing and punt return touchdowns as well. NFL scouts are paying attention with big tests ahead against Indiana and USC. — Max Olson

Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy is putting up big numbers already with 334 total yards and five touchdowns. Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire

Previous ranking: 18

The Rebels did an excellent job, as usual, at reloading on offense during portal season. Missouri transfer Kewan Lacy is proving he’s ready to be a true No. 1 back with 334 total yards and five TDs through three games, but it was Harrison Wallace III who stood out yet again in Ole Miss’ 41-35 win over Arkansas on Saturday. Wallace, who had just one 100-yard performance over his three seasons at Penn State, is thriving as the Rebels’ go-to receiver. After catching six passes for 92 yards and a TD to help beat the Razorbacks, Wallace ranks third in the FBS with 339 receiving yards. — Olson

Previous ranking: 10

Iowa State’s 24-16 win against Arkansas State wasn’t a performance that inspires optimism. It’s a win and the Cyclones get to move on, but to be in a competitive game with the Red Wolves late into the fourth quarter isn’t a sign of a team ready to win the Big 12. One bright spot was Carson Hansen, who set a career high with 116 yards rushing on 18 attempts (it was his first 100-yard game). But the offense needs more explosive plays as conference play ramps up this week against Arizona, which is 3-0. — Kyle Bonagura

Previous ranking: 17

The Utes have looked like a complete team this season, but after taking down Wyoming 31-6 Saturday, quarterback Devon Dampier is their obvious breakout player. The New Mexico transfer already has 826 all-purpose yards through three games, as well as eight total touchdowns. Dampier is completing 74% of his passes, averaging over 6 yards per carry and hasn’t turned the ball over. He has had a carry of at least 14 yards in each game and a completion of at least 24 yards in every contest. Dampier isn’t just running Utah’s offense; he is Utah’s offense. — Uggetti

Previous ranking: 20

Since a frustrating season opener against Florida State, Alabama’s Ty Simpson has completed 41 of 46 passes for 608 yards, seven touchdowns and no picks. He had 382 of those yards and four of those scores in a 38-14 win over Wisconsin on Saturday. It was 28-0 just 15 seconds into the second half after a 75-yard Simpson-to-Ryan Williams score. Bama shifted into cruise control from there. Williams finished with 5 catches for 165 and 2 scores, a breakout performance after a poor game against Florida State and a week in concussion protocol. The Crimson Tide defense allowed just 118 yards in the first three quarters and 209 for the game as Bray Hubbard picked off two passes, and four defenders had sacks. It was the second straight comprehensive blowout for Bama. — Bill Connelly

Previous ranking: 15

After losing their top three wide receivers from 2024, the Volunteers desperately needed someone to step up early this season. Former Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell II has more than answered the call so far. He caught 3 touchdowns on 6 catches for 177 yards against the Bulldogs, including TDs of 72 and 56 yards. Brazzell was the first UT receiver with more than 150 receiving yards in a game since Jalin Hyatt had 207 against Alabama in 2022. At 6-feet-5 and 200 pounds, Brazzell twice beat UGA defensive backs for 50/50 balls. He already has 20 catches for 364 yards with 5 scores in three games, and has been quarterback Joey Aguilar’s most reliable option. Last season, Brazzell had 29 receptions for 333 yards with 2 scores. — Schlabach

Previous ranking: 21

Sophomore running back J’Koby Williams had more receiving yards (116) Saturday than his entire freshman year (100), including a 30-yard TD catch. The Red Raiders still haven’t allowed a point in the first three quarters of any game this season, led 45-0 through that point of this one, and put up 513 yards to Oregon State’s 282. The Red Raiders muddled through their second extended weather delay (90 minutes in the first game, 2½ hours in this one) in three games. Behren Morton lit up the Beavers for 442 yards and four TDs, and the Red Raiders are on fire rolling into Big 12 play, with a huge showdown Saturday at Utah. — Wilson

Previous ranking: NR

Brent Key said before Saturday’s game his team had grown tired of the underdog label. Yes, it has suited Georgia Tech, which now has seven wins as an underdog against ranked ACC foes under Key, but it’s a label that suggests low expectations. This team, he said, is ready for something bigger. The Yellow Jackets proved the point with a 24-21 win over Clemson in Week 3, riding Haynes King and Eric Rivers to a program-defining victory. Rivers, a transfer from Florida International, has quickly become a favorite target for King. He had three catches for 72 yards Saturday, and his downfield explosiveness has offered Georgia Tech an opportunity to force defenders out of the box, opening options in the run game, too. The Jackets’ next three games are against struggling teams — Temple, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech — giving King and the offense a chance to pad some stats and keep building a new narrative that Georgia Tech is a legitimate playoff contender. — David Hale

After transferring from UL Monroe, RB Ahmad Hardy is making a name for himself at Missouri with 462 total rushing yards. AP Photo/L.G. Patterson

Previous ranking: 25

After rushing for 172 yards against Louisiana in 2024 when he was with UL Monroe, Mizzou running back Ahmad Hardy topped himself Saturday, carrying 22 times for 250 yards and 3 scores in a 52-10 win. Mizzou rushed for 427 yards and scored TDs on five of its first six drives, and quarterback Beau Pribula (15-for-22 for 174 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT) didn’t have much to do. The Tigers’ defense gave up 84 yards on a long Zylan Perry touchdown run, but 35 other Ragin’ Cajun snaps netted just 37 yards as end Zion Young and linebacker Josiah Trotter each made a pair of tackles for loss. Mizzou was 9-for-13 on third down, Louisiana 1-for-11. Ahead of next week’s big SEC opener against South Carolina, this one was an easy tuneup. — Connelly

Previous ranking: 22

The Hoosiers dominated the final two games of an insipid nonleague schedule, and received breakout performances from outside their usual sources. After three players eclipsed 150 rushing yards during the first two contests, wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. grabbed the spotlight Friday in a 73-0 win against Indiana State, catching 10 passes for 207 yards and 4 touchdowns. He tied a team record for single-game touchdown receptions and became just the fifth Big Ten player to reach 200 receiving yards and four touchdowns in a game. Junior linebacker Isaiah Jones starred for Indiana’s defense with a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss, as the Hoosiers held Indiana State to five first downs and 77 total yards, and recorded their second-largest margin of victory in the AP Poll era. — Rittenberg

Previous ranking: 24

True freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood is living up to the hype. The former No. 1-ranked recruit in the country struggled in Michigan’s Week 2 loss at Oklahoma. But Underwood bounced back with a dominant performance in the Wolverines’ 63-3 victory Saturday over Central Michigan. He passed for 235 yards and rushed for 114, totaling 3 touchdowns while posting a sterling QBR of 97.1. Said interim coach Biff Poggi: “I have a Labrador retriever who could coach that guy.” Despite the loss in Norman, Underwood clearly has the talent to keep Michigan on the fringe of the playoff conversation. — Trotter

Previous ranking: NR

Quarterback Diego Pavia remains the face of Vanderbilt’s recent surge, injecting the team with swagger and belief, as well as excellent production (73.5% completions, 645 passing yards, 7 touchdowns). But others have contributed to the Commodores’ 3-0 start, including running backs Sedrick Alexander and Makhilyn Young, who are averaging a combined 6.5 yards per carry, and Jamezell Lassiter, who has scored on his first two carries of the season. Alexander has scored in each of the first three games for the second straight season. Senior linebacker Nick Rinaldi was solid last season, but already looks like one of the SEC’s best defenders with five tackles for loss and two sacks in the first three games. — Rittenberg

Previous ranking: NR

South Alabama made Auburn put in a full shift, but the Tigers were never in serious danger, racing to an early 21-3 lead and eventually prevailing 31-15. Jackson Arnold was hit-or-miss in the passing game, completing 13 of 24 passes for 142 yards and a TD, but Jeremiah Cobb rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown, and Arnold staked out the early lead with two touchdown runs and an early TD pass to Cam Coleman. South Alabama put together three long drives in the second half but scored on only one of them, thanks to a fumble recovery by Xavier Atkins and a turnover on downs. The win moved the Tigers to 3-0 and set up an enormous visit to fellow unbeaten Oklahoma next Saturday. — Connelly

Previous ranking: 8

An 0-2 start might have removed Notre Dame from the CFP picture by mid-September, but there have been some individual bright spots. Eli Raridon looks like the next great Fighting Irish tight end, as he leads the team in receptions (9) and receiving yards (182) after recording just 16 total receptions in his first two college seasons. Jadarian Price continues to show that he’s an excellent complement to Jeremiyah Love, averaging 6.3 yards per carry despite limited opportunities in the first two games. Quarterback CJ Carr also has displayed tremendous promise for a young player, and had the highest passing total (293 yards) for a Notre Dame player making his first career home start since Terry Hanratty had 304 against Purdue in 1966. — Rittenberg

Previous ranking: 23

Let’s not try to read too much into a 42-21 win against Abilene Christian. TCU got its ticket sales, its easy win and moved on. This week’s game against SMU is much more interesting with the Iron Skillet up for grabs as coach Sonny Dykes goes up against his former program. It’s the last scheduled game in this rivalry (a shame), which adds to the stakes a bit as both teams wrap up nonconference play. — Bonagura



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College football betting: Can the Irish still win the natty?
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College football betting: Can the Irish still win the natty?

by admin


  • Pamela MaldonadoSep 14, 2025, 01:17 PM ET

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      Pamela Maldonado is a sports betting analyst for ESPN.

Well, this isn’t the start I was expecting for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Two games in and the record says zero wins, two losses. The story, however, is a little more complicated than that. Sometimes the numbers on the surface don’t capture the full picture, and sometimes the beginning of a season doesn’t tell the whole story of where it could go.

Notre Dame has stumbled out of the gate, but the bigger question is whether those stumbles are cracks in the foundation or simply early growing pains against top-tier competition. What comes next will decide if this season fades into disappointment or transforms into something entirely different.

The 0-2 start and what it really means

On the surface, Notre Dame’s 0-2 start looks like a disaster. The Irish lost their opener on the road to the Miami Hurricanes, then followed it up with a one-point heartbreaker against the Texas A&M Aggies in South Bend.

That kind of start usually feels like a season that slipped away before it ever had a chance to take off. But not all 0-2 records are created equal. These weren’t sloppy losses to unranked opponents or collapses against teams they should have beaten. They were competitive games against programs that could be among the best in the country by the end of the year.

Miami already looks like a legitimate top-three contender, and A&M has the talent to hold steady in the top 10. Context matters, and if Notre Dame steadies itself, this rough opening stretch could end up looking more like an early test than a death sentence.

Where the Irish stand right now

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That being said, Notre Dame is a bit of a mixed bag. The good thing is that QB CJ Carr has shown poise for a freshman, completing over 60% of his passes and already has chemistry with tight end Eli Raridon, who has emerged as a real weapon.

The run game has also flashed upside with Jadarian Price ripping off chunk plays and Jeremiah Love providing steady touches and receptions. The bad is on the defensive side. The Irish have only one sack through two games and the secondary has been exposed, giving up efficient drives and too many explosive plays. That is not going to cut it against better passing offenses.

These are issues of pressure and execution more than talent, which should be fixable. Being more aggression up front and tightening assignments on the back end can shift the defense from leaky to stable, giving Carr and the offense room to grow.

The road back to playoff relevance

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The path back to playoff relevance is still open. The good news is Notre Dame’s schedule from here is manageable. Games against Purdue, Navy, Boston College, Syracuse and Stanford are all opportunities to stack wins and rebuild confidence. The real prove-it moments will come against USC and Arkansas, but the Irish have the talent to get the wins needed.

The bad news is starting 0-2 leaves zero margin for error. Any slip against a team they should beat would be devastating, and without a conference championship game to boost its résumé, Notre Dame has to look dominant the rest of the way.

Marcus Freeman’s squad can clean up what has held it back. If the defense generates more pressure and the freshman quarterback continues to grow, Notre Dame has a clear shot to finish 10-2, a record that can absolutely land the Irish in the playoff.

Betting consideration for Notre Dame

A betting angle here for the Irish is about perception. Having not won a game, the market often reacts more to record than context.

That means you might see softer lines in the short term, especially against middle-tier opponents like Purdue or Boston College. Oddsmakers know the public could fade a winless Notre Dame team, so you could get discounted spreads on a program that still has talent and ability for improvement.

Another angle is the futures market. If a recalibrated win total or playoff price pops up later this week, it will reflect panic, not potential.

The trick is to separate narrative from reality. Notre Dame is better than its record suggests, and betting markets that lean too heavily into an 0-2 start could create value for anyone paying closer attention.

My two cents: Playoff potential? Notre Dame is still alive. National title hopes? That’s a much steeper climb. The ceiling looks like a playoff berth, but anything more would require a leap in defensive disruption and Carr playing well beyond his years.



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Fantasy football Week 2 inactives: Who's in and who's out?
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Fantasy football Week 2 inactives: Who’s in and who’s out?

by admin



Sep 14, 2025, 12:52 PM ET

Whom should you start? Whom should you sit? To help you set your fantasy football lineups and avoid starting an offensive player who won’t be in the lineup, we’ll post fantasy-relevant updates and analysis here as NFL teams release their official inactives lists.

Official Sunday inactives should begin coming in approximately 90 minutes before the scheduled kickoff times: around 11:30 a.m. ET for the early games and 2:30 p.m. ET for the late-afternoon games.

Refresh often for the latest information.

Don’t forget to check these out: Mike Clay’s Playbook | Week 2 Buzz
Week 2 Rankings | Expert chat (noon-1 p.m. ET)

What we’re watching for late

  • Tyler Goodson, RB, IND (elbow): Should he be able to play, he’ll still have to compete with DJ Giddens for backup touches behind Jonathan Taylor.

  • Brock Bowers, TE, LV (knee): Currently, coach Pete Carroll expects Bowers to be available to play on Monday. That said, we’re not going to know for certain until then, leaving few other options for you to make a pivot, should he need to sit.

Ruled out prior to Sunday

  • Younghoe Koo, K, ATL: In what could be a precursor to a permanent change, Koo did not travel with the Falcons to Minnesota. Parker Romo will handle kicking duties.

  • Isaiah Likely, TE, BAL (foot): Mark Andrews had only one catch in last week’s high-scoring affair. At least he won’t have any real competition for TE targets in Week 2.

  • Nate Adkins, TE, DEN (ankle): Fortunately for the Broncos, Evan Engram (calf) was able to fully practice toward the end of the week after leaving Week 1 action early. He will be able to return to the TE position.

  • Xavier Worthy, WR, KC (shoulder): Hollywood Brown should have another busy Sunday, with JuJu Smith-Schuster also potentially in the mix for some positive workload.

  • Darren Waller, TE, MIA (hip): Neither Tanner Conner nor Julian Hill did anything in Week 1 with the veteran missing from the huddle. Don’t expect much to change in Week 2.

  • Josh Reynolds, WR, NYJ (hamstring): Perhaps this means that veteran Allen Lazard or maybe even rookie Arian Smith will see some targets?

  • Will Shipley, RB, PHI (oblique): Newly acquired Tank Bigsby could see some action behind Saquon Barkley.

  • Dallas Goedert, TE, PHI (knee): Grant Calcaterra and Kylen Granson will see more playing time, but Goedert’s targets will likely get spread out among the team’s WR corps.

  • Joey Porter Jr., CB, PIT (hamstring): Give all of Seattle’s receivers a slight upgrade in potential fantasy value.

  • Brock Purdy, QB, SF (toe): He could be out for multiple weeks. Mac Jones is expected to lead this 49ers offense.

  • George Kittle, TE, SF (hamstring): He has been placed on IR. Jake Tonges will attempt to fill the TE void until at least Week 6.

What we were watching for early

  • Quinshon Judkins, RB, CLE: Officially, he was listed as questionable entering Sunday, but perhaps the better term would be “rusty.” He is active, but keep in mind he missed all of the preseason, having signed his first contract just last week. Dylan Sampson and Jerome Ford, both ineffective in Week 1, will also be in the mix for carries here.

  • Jaylen Wright, RB, MIA (knee): Wright, as expected, is inactive today. De’Von Achane should once again get most of the carries behind an already depleted offensive line.

  • Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, NYG (ankle): He did practice in limited fashion late in the week, so there’s optimism here he can play a full 60 minutes. He is active. Darius Slayton (groin) was removed from the team’s final injury report. The Cowboys will be without CB DaRon Bland.

  • Jauan Jennings, WR, SF (shoulder): Early morning reports said he was expected to play and he is indeed active. Even so, the QB situation in San Francisco downgrades him a bit. Jordan Watkins (ankle) was not on the week’s final injury report. He’ll also be in the WR mix.



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Game Reviews

These Limited-Edition NFL Echo Dot Bundles Hit an All-Time Low Right as the Football Season Kicks Off

by admin


The weather is cooling down. The leaves will be changing soon. And football season has officially begun. Any true fan it’s going to have some memorabilia of their favorite team. Most of them just sit there for display, but not this. Amazon’s Echo Dot now comes bundled with miniature NFL helmets. There are 32 different options, one for each NFL team in these limited-edition bundles. And then beyond that, you have your choice of color for the Echo dot itself, coming in either charcoal, glacier white, or deep sea blue.

Amazon currently has a sale going on for the NFL Echo Dot bundle, but not for every team. Between each helmet and Echo Dot color, I’ve taken on the tedious task of clicking on all 96 combinations to confirm which are on sale and which are still full price. After going through the full league, I can confirm only one set is on sale—the Green Bay Packers. All three color options for the Wisconsin team are $25 off, bringing the price down to just $85. Cheeseheads get to live large this week. Sorry all other NFL fans in the country, but you’ll be paying full price for your team’s limited-edition NFL Echo Dot bundle.

See at Amazon

Vibrant Sound, Small Package

Why even get an Echo Dot in the first place? Well this smart speaker, despite it’s small stature, is capable of producing powerful sound with a rich and deep bass. It’s got a front-firing 1.73-inch speaker which pumps out room-filling audio.

Streaming from you Echo Dot, be it music, podcasts, or audiobooks, comes through with clear vocals. It uses lossless HD audio from a handful for streaming services, Amazon Music HD included. Beyond Amazon’s own stuff, the Echo Dot can play from Apple Music, Spotify, SiriusXM, and more. Control the volume or start and stop the track with simple voice commands.

Not just a speaker, the Echo Dot is first and foremost a smart home hub. You can control other smart products in your home by just asking Alexa. Use it to adjust settings on your TV. Change the lights from off to on or dim them without getting up from the couch. You can set cooking times, ask questions, create calendar events and so much more. You can even connect with family and friends who also have an Echo device or even just the Alexa app on their phone. Use multiple Echos to communicate between rooms of your house if you so please.

Come grab the NFL Echo Dot bundle (exclusively the Green Bay Packers edition) for the reduced price of $85.

See at Amazon



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College football Week 3 -- Panic levels for Florida, Clemson, Notre Dame
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College football Week 3 — Panic levels for Florida, Clemson, Notre Dame

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  • Bill ConnellySep 12, 2025, 07:25 AM ET

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      Bill Connelly is a writer for ESPN. He covers college football, soccer and tennis. He has been at ESPN since 2019.

Week 1 had headliners for the casuals. Week 2 had rivalry games and loads of thrillers for the hardcores. In Week 3, we attempt to split the difference. This week gives us high-stakes helmet games (Texas A&M-Notre Dame, Georgia-Tennessee, Florida-LSU) and rivalry games both bitter (Pitt-West Virginia) and, sometimes, silly (Ole Miss-Arkansas). But most of all, it gives us PANIC.

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Notre Dame is 0-1 and won’t have a ton of quality win opportunities to overcome a potential 0-2 start. Clemson and Georgia haven’t looked the part yet and could be severely punished if they don’t shift into gear. Supposed Big 12 favorites Arizona State and Kansas State are a combined 2-3 and can’t wait much longer to turn into the teams they were supposed to be. And both Florida and Virginia Tech played their coaches onto incredibly hot seats with jarring second-half collapses last week. So many fan bases are either fuming or about to be.

The first two weeks were fun in different ways. Now it’s time to get anxious. Here’s everything you need to follow in Week 3.

All times are Eastern, and all games are Saturday unless otherwise noted.

Jump to a panic tier:
Hot seat | Time to look good
CFP hopefuls | Rivalries | Facing an upstart

More:
Week 3 playlist | Small school showcase

Hot seat panic

Between Nov. 16 and last Saturday, Florida went 5-0, beating LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State in successive weeks, allowing just 10.4 points per game and, presumably, playing head coach Billy Napier off of the hot seat.

Then the Gators lost to USF. They settled for field goals early and gave up just enough big plays (and horrid penalties) late to lose 18-16. It happened the way a lot of upsets happen, and USF might turn out to be an awesome team. But Florida now faces an absurd run featuring trips to No. 3 LSU, No. 5 Miami and No. 16 Texas A&M, plus a visit from No. 7 Texas, in the next month. Napier went from reasonably safe to all but done in a heartbeat.

He’s not alone, at least. Starting the season against South Carolina and Vanderbilt, Brent Pry’s Virginia Tech got outscored by a combined 48-3 in two horrendous second halves. The Hokies have plummeted to 74th in SP+. Unlike Florida, they have a rebound opportunity with home games against Old Dominion and Wofford, but ODU has been awfully interesting to start the season.

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First things first: If LSU had played USF instead of Louisiana Tech last week, the Tigers could have been in trouble too. The LSU offense no-showed, averaging just 4.9 yards per play, and with the run game struggling (as it did for much of 2024), quarterback Garrett Nussmeier made some shaky decisions, taking three sacks with a pick and averaging a dire 4.8 yards per dropback. If Florida responds well to an angry week in Gainesville, don’t be surprised if we get an upset.

Until we see Florida’s response, however, nothing else matters. Quarterback DJ Lagway is still kicking off rust after an injury-plagued offseason and is averaging just 9.7 yards per completion; the Florida run defense could very well dominate, but it’s the pass defense that matters against LSU, and the Gators rank just 91st in yards allowed per dropback. After games against Long Island and USF, that’s pretty foreboding, no matter how iffy Nussmeier looked last week.

Current line: LSU -7.5 | SP+ projection: LSU by 2.8 | FPI projection: LSU by 3.0

I don’t pretend to be a body language expert, but when Vanderbilt scored to start the second half against Virginia Tech last week, the Hokies’ offense had just about the worst body language I’ve ever seen heading out onto the field. It was bad enough that I actually noticed it and made a mental note, and it happened about right here on the game’s win probability chart.

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The Hokies offense didn’t score another point, and the Hokies defense didn’t make another stop. Tech will probably get back on track this week, but Old Dominion landed some solid punches early against Indiana in Week 1 and has overachieved against SP+ projections by a combined 46.4 points in its first two games. ODU quarterback Colton Joseph is making big plays with his arm and legs, and if the Monarchs can go up early, things could get very, very awkward at Lane Stadium.

Current line: Hokies -6.5 | SP+ projection: Hokies by 7.0 | FPI projection: Hokies by 3.8

‘It’s time to look like you were supposed to look’ panic

Georgia and South Carolina are unbeaten, and Clemson has only lost to the No. 3 team in the country. Arizona State suffered a heartbreaking loss to Mississippi State last week but could obviously still win the Big 12. All four of these teams were in the preseason top 15, and three still are. If they start looking like the teams they were supposed to be, they’ll all have good seasons with solid playoff chances.

If they don’t turn it on this week, however, things will get very complicated. They’ve combined to underachieve against SP+ projections by an average of 10.4 points per game. Georgia has barely made any big plays, Clemson’s offense has been shockingly inefficient, and South Carolina is 112th in points per drive and has been bailed out by punt returns and defensive touchdowns. Arizona State hasn’t been able to throw or defend the pass. On Saturday, all four teams play opponents that could absolutely beat them if they don’t find their respective A-games.

Georgia sleepwalked through a 28-6 win over Austin Peay last week on a disjointed, stormy afternoon in Athens. The Bulldogs had more turnovers (two) than 20-yard gains (one), and while APSU looks like an awfully strong FCS team, this was still one of Georgia’s most flawed performances in quite a while.

Does that matter? Georgia basically treats the season like an NFL regular season, knowing it’s talented enough to avoid any real missteps and aiming to peak in December. If the Dawgs flip the switch and roll over Tennessee, it won’t surprise a single soul in Neyland Stadium. They’ve won eight straight in the series, after all, and have won in their past four trips to Knoxville by an average of 41-10. But it’s hard to have much confidence in a Georgia offense that showed next to no explosiveness against Marshall and APSU.

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And it’s not as if the offense hasn’t tried. Gunner Stockton has thrown seven passes at least 20 yards downfield, but he has completed just one. Granted, he has completed 76% of all his other passes, and Georgia has been pretty efficient. But the big-play spigot needs to open pretty quickly.

New Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar has overseen plenty of big plays to date, going 39-for-59 for 535 yards, five TDs, no interceptions and no sacks. He has benefited from a strong run game, however, and he might not be able to lean on that Saturday: Georgia has allowed just 2.2 yards per carry (not including sacks), with linebackers Gabe Harris Jr. and Raylen Wilson flying to the ball. Tennessee could find itself behind schedule pretty frequently, and like Stockton, Aguilar will face his biggest test of the season by far.

Current line: Dawgs -3.5 | SP+ projection: Vols by 1.3 | FPI projection: Vols by 0.3

We’re working with tiny samples, but the difference between preseason expectations and early-season quarterback production has been dramatic: The top five QBs on the preseason Heisman odds lists are currently 35th (Garrett Nussmeier), 56th (Arch Manning), 77th (Drew Allar), 82nd (LaNorris Sellers) and 104th (Cade Klubnik) in Total QBR.

For younger players like Manning and Sellers, a slow start might make sense. But Klubnik was supposed to be the high-floor veteran who allowed Clemson to benefit from everyone else’s inexperience. With unproven running backs and an already banged up O-line, however, he has been a shadow of his 2024 self.

TruMediaTruMedia

After games against one of the best (LSU) and worst (Troy) defenses on the schedule, Klubnik’s stats are down across the board. He’s getting blitzed constantly, he’s providing no threat with his legs, and Clemson’s passing success rate has plummeted from 37th to 105th. Either that changes now, or Clemson’s 2025 goals start to fall apart. A loss Saturday would almost clinch that the Tigers have to win out to reach the College Football Playoff.

Georgia Tech is 2-0, with a defense that has overachieved twice against SP+ projections and an offense that was nearly perfect last week against Gardner-Webb despite forever-injured quarterback Haynes King sitting out. King should be good (enough) to go Saturday, and though the Clemson defense could disrupt the Tech line of scrimmage, the Yellow Jackets still might score enough to win if Clemson’s offense doesn’t start looking like it was supposed to look.

Current line: Clemson -2.5 | SP+ projection: Tech by 0.6 | FPI projection: Tech by 1.3

First things first: If Vicari Swain wants to make a Heisman push by doing stuff like this all season, I’m game.

play

1:05

House call! Vicari Swain scores on 65-yard punt return

House call! Vicari Swain scores on 65-yard punt return

Swain has scored on three of five punt returns in 2025, and it has created a strange balance: Including a fumble return score, South Carolina’s defense and special teams have scored as many touchdowns (four) as its offense. The Gamecocks rank 108th in offensive success rate, and LaNorris Sellers is taking even more sacks (12.0% of dropbacks) with less deep-ball payoff.

Vanderbilt has, without question, been the better of these two teams thus far. The Commodores beat Virginia Tech by 24 in Blacksburg (compared to South Carolina’s 13-point, punt return-aided win on a neutral field), and they rank ninth in yards per dropback (10.2) and sixth in yards allowed per dropback (3.1). The Commodores scored more TDs in the second half against Virginia Tech (five) than the Gamecock offense has managed in four halves.

We don’t draw permanent conclusions after two games, but either South Carolina’s offense establishes a rhythm Saturday or the Gamecocks begin a very humbling stretch. They’re already projected underdogs in four of their next six games. Lose this one as a favorite, and you can probably kiss playoff hopes goodbye.

Current line: SC -3.5 | SP+ projection: SC by 9.5 | FPI projection: SC by 4.0

Last year, Arizona State survived a number of early close calls, then looked spectacular late. But the god of close games is fickle, and the Sun Devils dropped a thriller in Starkville last week.

They could obviously still reach the CFP by winning the Big 12, but with games against Baylor, TCU, Utah and Texas Tech on the horizon, they must start looking the part, and on Saturday night, they face an explosive Texas State team that nearly took them down last year. Bobcats backs Lincoln Pare and Jaylen Jenkins are averaging 8.1 yards per carry, and receivers Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn Jr. are averaging 20.8 yards per catch.

ASU should run the ball well against a shaky Texas State defensive front, but Sam Leavitt — currently 92nd in Total QBR with a 57% completion rate, three INTs and four sacks — has somehow become even more reliant on one-man receiving corps Jordyn Tyson, and the ASU secondary ranks 85th in yards allowed per dropback. ASU nearly overcame a terrible start in Starkville, but if TXST’s offense gets rolling early like Mississippi State’s did, it might never slow down.

Current line: ASU -18.5 | SP+ projection: ASU by 11.1 | FPI projection: ASU by 8.3

‘Probably don’t want to lose if you have CFP hopes’ panic

We can’t call many Week 3 games true must-wins in the CFP era, but Notre Dame is 0-1, Alabama has already laid one egg, and preseason Big 12 contender Kansas State is 1-2. If these three games aren’t must-win, they’re made of a pretty must-win-like substance.

Notre Dame gave us a pretty conflicting impression in Week 1’s narrow loss at Miami. Quarterback CJ Carr was decent but unspectacular in his debut start, while the defense limited Miami’s big-play potential but allowed a 49% success rate, which means it currently ranks 126th in that category. The offensive and defensive lines performed worse than expected, and the run game was first underwhelming and then forgotten.

The Irish had a week off to prepare for a strong Texas A&M team that has underachieved a hair because of defensive breakdowns. Quarterback Marcel Reed has furthered his brand of nearly mistake-free ball (zero INTs and one sack in 74 dropbacks), and running backs Le’Veon Moss and Rueben Owens II are averaging 6.6 yards per carry. The defense has knocked opponents off-schedule well, but it has indeed been hit by eight gains of 20-plus yards.

The Aggies scored 40-something and allowed 20-something against both UTSA and Utah State. Notre Dame isn’t much of a “track meets” kind of team, and Carr threw almost all of his passes close to the line of scrimmage against Miami. But he connected on both of his long passes. Might the Irish get aggressive and test A&M’s glitchiness?

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It’s easy to see this game becoming one of trench warfare, though random chunk plays could tell the tale. One way or another, the Irish really do need a win here. Even if they were to lose and then win out to finish 10-2 — not a given considering how good future opponents like USC and Arkansas have looked thus far — their résumé might feature only one or two wins over ranked teams, and they could find themselves at the bottom of a pile of 10-2 teams. That’s really not where you want to be.

Current line: Irish -6.5 | SP+ projection: Irish by 2.8 | FPI projection: Irish by 5.6

In 2003, Kansas State suffered an early three-game losing streak, then won its first Big 12 title two months later. You can overcome a slow start, but K-State has already almost run out of runway. The Wildcats have dropped three-point heartbreakers to Iowa State (excusable) and Army (less so) and barely beat North Dakota in between.

The run game has been dreadful without injured star Dylan Edwards — he is cleared to play Friday — and while quarterback Avery Johnson has been decent, only opponents are making big plays: 24% of opponents’ completions have gained 20-plus yards (124th nationally).

Arizona, on the other hand, has been spectacular, overachieving against SP+ projections by a combined 34.0 points and playing like 2024’s ridiculously disappointing campaign never happened. Noah Fifita is averaging nearly 18 yards per completion, and the defense has picked off five passes while allowing just two completions over 12 yards.

Once again: We don’t draw conclusions after two weeks, but Arizona has performed infinitely better than K-State so far. If that continues Friday night, K-State shifts to just trying to go 6-6 and Arizona announces itself as a Big 12 contender.

Current line: K-State -1.5 | SP+ projection: Arizona by 2.9 | FPI projection: Arizona by 2.6

Is it a stretch to put Alabama in this section when the Crimson Tide are three-touchdown favorites? Probably. But I wanted to highlight that the Crimson Tide have been maybe the single-most volatile team in the country through two weeks, first underachieving against SP+ projections by 28.3 points in a dismally unprepared loss to Florida State, then winning nearly every play and overachieving by 41.4 points in a 73-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe.

Wisconsin might not be amazing this year, but the Badgers are closer to FSU than ULM, at least on defense. The Badgers have allowed one drive over 50 yards in two games — yes, against Miami (Ohio) and Middle Tennessee, but still — and they’ve created serious havoc, ranking fourth in sack rate and 15th in stuff rate. Quarterback Danny O’Neil has been efficient filling in for the injured Billy Edwards Jr., but the Wisconsin offense probably won’t threaten Bama much. The defense will force the Tide to put in a shift, however, and prove that last week’s performance was far closer to what we should expect from Bama moving forward.

Current line: Bama -21.5 | SP+ projection: Bama by 17.1 | FPI projection: Bama by 15.7

‘This rivalry is full of devastating losses’ panic

The Backyard Brawl is pretty in-your-face about how awesome and wild it is. I mean, “Brawl” is right there in the title. It’s loud and brash enough that you have almost no choice but to think, “Tell me again why we aren’t playing this game every year?” about once per quarter. Rich Rodriguez’s return to WVU has brought a wave of sentimentality … and memories of 2007, when Pitt scored one of the most devastating rivalry upsets of all time.

(No, but seriously, tell me again why we’re not playing this game every year?)

Arkansas-Ole Miss, meanwhile, doesn’t really even have a name and wasn’t played annually until the 1980s. You can probably find plenty of Razorbacks and Rebels fans who don’t even consider this a true rivalry. Fine. But in the past 14 years alone, this game has produced scores of 53-52, 52-51, 38-37, 37-33, 34-30 and 30-27. There aren’t many games I look forward to more, and I can call it whatever I want.

WVU’s Week 2 loss to Ohio — and the subsequent loss of running back Jahiem White to season-ending injury — might have lowered the stakes here, but Milan Puskar Stadium will be humming all the same. Pitt has come out of the gate firing, beating Duquesne and Central Michigan by a combined 106-26 with an explosive offense and dominant run defense. The WVU defense has been better than I expected, though, and it will take only a couple of turnovers to flip this one in the home team’s favor.

Current line: Pitt -7.5 | SP+ projection: Pitt by 4.5 | FPI projection: Pitt by 2.2

Ole Miss survived one pain-in-the-butt matchup, exacting a bit of 2024 revenge with a 30-23 win over Kentucky last week. Quarterback Austin Simmons is establishing his footing, the secondary looks great, and the Rebels are projected favorites in all but one remaining game. We could be watching a playoff plan come together, but a trio of home games against Arkansas, Tulane and LSU in the next three weeks could provide any number of plot twists.

Arkansas is up to 21st in SP+ following two cupcake wins (Hogs 108, Alabama A&M and Arkansas State 21). Taylen Green is averaging nearly 10 yards per dropback and 13 yards per (non-sack) carry. But the Razorbacks were in the top 30 last September, too, before things went off the rails. If they have staying power this time, they could deliver us another very silly Rebs-Hogs game.

Current line: Rebels -6.5 | SP+ projection: Rebels by 10.4 | FPI projection: Rebels by 6.6

‘Don’t want the in-state upstart to ruin our great start’ panic

If you don’t knock USF out early, you will pay for it. Boise State drove into Bulls territory on four of its first six possessions but turned the ball over twice, scored once and eventually got done in by a big-play deluge in a 34-7 loss. Florida carved up a bend-don’t-break defense early but settled for three field goals, then threw an interception in its next trip across the 50. Given enough opportunities, USF hit on a couple of chunk plays and stole an 18-16 win.

USF is allowing opponents to win the efficiency battle this year but is preventing big plays and eventually making lots of its own. This formula has prompted a pair of ranked wins.

Miami’s offense is wonderfully efficient. Through two games, including one against Notre Dame, the Hurricanes are 15th in rushing success rate and ninth in passing success rate. Carson Beck’s arm and the legs of Mark Fletcher Jr. and CharMar Brown are keeping them on schedule beautifully, and they have a No. 5 ranking to show for it. They haven’t made a ton of big plays, though, and the defense has given up gains of 20-plus yards on 5.5% of snaps (70th nationally). Surely the USF formula isn’t going to work again, right?

Current line: Miami -17.5 | SP+ projection: Miami by 14.0 | FPI projection: Miami by 6.0

Week 3 chaos superfecta

We are unstoppable! We’re once again using this space to attempt to will chaos into existence, looking at four carefully curated games with pretty big point spreads and mashing them together into a much more upset-friendly number, and thanks to USF’s upset of Florida, we’re two-for-two on the season after going 10-for-14 in 2024.

What’s better than two-for-two? Three-for-three! Let’s take down another ranked team. SP+ says there’s only a 48% chance that No. 5 Miami (81% vs. USF), No. 17 Ole Miss (74% vs. Arkansas), No. 19 Alabama (86% vs. Wisconsin) and No. 24 Auburn (90% vs. South Alabama) all win. Adjust your chaos meters accordingly.

Week 3 playlist

Here are some more, less panicky games you should pay attention to if you want to get the most out of the weekend, from both information and entertainment perspectives.

Friday evening

Colorado at Houston (7:30 p.m., ESPN). Houston has allowed nine total points and 3.0 yards per play in two games, and Colorado is evidently trying to figure out which of three different quarterbacks is the way forward. The Buffaloes are projected favorites in only two more games this season, so now would be a good time to kick into gear.

Current line: Houston -4.5 | SP+ projection: Houston by 3.3 | FPI projection: Houston by 1.9

Early Saturday

No. 4 Oregon at Northwestern (noon, Fox). Northwestern has defended the pass well this year, but (A) Oregon’s passing game is an upgrade over those of Tulane and Western Illinois, and (B) NU hasn’t really done anything else well. Oregon has done everything well thus far. This one will need some serious upset magic to be interesting in the second half. (But hey, at least Northwestern’s glorious and temporary Lake Michigan stadium will get plenty of screen time.)

Current line: Ducks -28.5 | SP+ projection: Ducks by 27.1 | FPI projection: Ducks by 23.1

No. 13 Oklahoma at Temple (noon, ESPN2). Only Oregon, USF and (in one game) TCU have overachieved against SP+ projections more than Temple thus far; coach K.C. Keeler is making an immediate impact in Philadelphia, and quarterback Evan Simon is actually second nationally in Total QBR. It’s probably a bridge too far to ask the Owls to scare the visiting Sooners, however.

Current line: OU -23.5 | SP+ projection: OU by 24.1 | FPI projection: OU by 12.3

Memphis at Troy (noon, ESPNU). Memphis is the highest-ranked Group of 5 team in SP+, but if Tae Meadows and the Troy run game get rolling, the Trojans and what should be a pretty spicy home crowd could make this one tough. (See: Tulane’s narrow escape against South Alabama last week.)

Current line: Memphis -3.5 | SP+ projection: Memphis by 11.8 | FPI projection: Memphis by 6.9

Louisiana at No. 25 Missouri (1 p.m., ESPN+). Missouri scored a wild rivalry win over Kansas last week, but seven of the Tigers’ last 10 games are projected within one score. This isn’t one of them, but Louisiana should be able to test Mizzou on the line of scrimmage, at least, and make the Tigers sweat a bit the week before South Carolina comes to town.

Current line: Mizzou -27.5 | SP+ projection: Mizzou by 25.3 | FPI projection: Mizzou by 23.5

Saturday afternoon

USC at Purdue (3:30 p.m., CBS). Purdue is 2-0 and has established a nice offensive rhythm, albeit against cakey competition. But now begins a brutal stretch: Eight of its final 10 games are against teams ranked 33rd or better in SP+, including five ranked 18th or better (including USC). Can Barry Odom’s Boilermakers spring a surprise?

Current line: USC -20.5 | SP+ projection: USC by 19.7 | FPI projection: USC by 19.9

Oregon State at No. 21 Texas Tech (3:30 p.m., Fox). Oof. Oregon State suffered a devastating collapse in last week’s 36-27 loss to Fresno State. Now the Beavers head to West Texas to face a Texas Tech team that has outscored its first two opponents 129-21. We don’t know what the Red Raiders do wrong yet because they’ve done almost nothing wrong. What can OSU do to slow them down?

Current line: Tech -23.5 | SP+ projection: Tech by 27.0 | FPI projection: Tech by 21.3

No. 14 Iowa State at Arkansas State (4 p.m., ESPN2). Iowa State has secured a pair of quality wins over rivals Kansas State and Iowa, but the Cyclones haven’t really gotten their run game going yet. Now’s the chance. ASU’s passing game has some pop, but the defense … doesn’t. Now’s a chance to establish a rhythm and take some pressure off Rocco Becht.

Current line: ISU -21.5 | SP+ projection: ISU by 22.1 | FPI projection: ISU by 16.2

FAU at FIU (6 p.m., ESPN+). SHULA BOWL! FAU certainly manhandled Florida A&M last week and is running Zach Kittley’s offense at the nation’s fastest tempo, but Willie Simmons’ first FIU team has overachieved against projections in each of its first two games. Can the Golden Panthers end a seven-game rivalry losing streak?

Current line: FIU -2.5 | SP+ projection: FAU by 2.7 | FPI projection: FAU by 0.7

Saturday evening

Ohio at No. 1 Ohio State (7 p.m., Peacock). Ohio is another big early-season overachiever, and quarterback Parker Navarro is fearless and physical. The blitz-happy Bobcats defense will try to throw some haymakers too. They probably won’t land many, but they could test Julian Sayin and some of Ohio State’s less experienced players.

Current line: Buckeyes -30.5 | SP+ projection: Buckeyes by -31.3 | FPI projection: Buckeyes by 24.6

No. 20 Utah at Wyoming (8 p.m., CBSSN). I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: When I’m in charge of all college football scheduling, I’m sending a ranked power conference team to Laramie’s War Memorial Stadium every year. It can be a cauldron. Utah should prevail in its first trip up there in 15 years, but the Cowboys will hit hard and make their remodeled offense work harder than they’ve had to so far.

Current line: Utah -23.5 | SP+ projection: Utah by 20.4 | FPI projection: Utah by 20.1

Duke at Tulane (8 p.m., ESPN2). Darian Mensah Bowl! Mensah’s new team hits the road to face his old team, and after the Blue Devils fumbled away an opportunity to beat Illinois last week, they’ll have to rebound quickly to avoid falling to 1-2. Tulane has already beaten one power conference team (OK, it was Northwestern, but still). It looks the part of a big-time squad.

Current line: Tulane -1.5 | SP+ projection: Tulane by 7.4 | FPI projection: Tulane by 6.1

Late Saturday

Minnesota at Cal (10:30 p.m., ESPN). Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has aced his early tests as Cal’s true freshman QB, completing 69% of his passes and taking almost no sacks. But Minnesota ranks third nationally in yards allowed per dropback (granted, after games against Buffalo and Northwestern State) and generates solid pressure without having to blitz much. The degree of difficulty ramps up considerably now.

Current line: Gophers -2.5 | SP+ projection: Gophers by 3.6 | FPI projection: Gophers by 0.6

Smaller-school showcase

Let’s once again save a shoutout for the glorious lower levels of the sport. Here are three games you should track.

Division III: No. 2 Mount Union at No. 15 Grove City (1 p.m., YouTube). After starting the season with a 37-29 win over a top-20 Wheaton team, Mount Union heads to Grove City, Pennsylvania, to face a ranked squad that SP+ loves. Can quarterback Mikey Maloney and the Purple Raiders score enough against a Grove City defense that forced seven turnovers against 2023 national champ Cortland last week?

SP+ projection: Mount Union by 1.8

Division III: No. 16 Wisconsin-Oshkosh at No. 1 North Central (2 p.m., YouTube). Well, you can’t question UW-Oshkosh’s bravery. A week after opening the season in Oregon and beating a top-15 Linfield team, the Titans return to the Midwest to take on Division III’s standard-bearer. North Central would immediately be a competitive FCS program, but this is a tricky season debut for the champs.

SP+ projection: NCC by 23.2

FCS: No. 17 North Dakota at No. 7 Montana (3 p.m., ESPN+). Montana is one of the FCS’ most reliable programs and should be strong again this fall, but North Dakota has begun 2025 by nearly beating Kansas State and walloping (an admittedly hopeless) Portland State. The Grizzlies better be ready for a slugfest.

SP+ projection: Montana by 11.6



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Fantasy football - Don't be surprised if ... Zach Charbonnet becomes an RB2, Quentin Johnston is on most-dropped list soon
Esports

Fantasy football – Don’t be surprised if … Zach Charbonnet becomes an RB2, Quentin Johnston is on most-dropped list soon

by admin


  • Eric KarabellSep 12, 2025, 07:03 AM ET

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      Eric Karabell is a senior writer for fantasy baseball, football and basketball at ESPN. Eric is a charter member of FSWA Hall of Fame and author of “The Best Philadelphia Sports Arguments”.

Each week in the NFL is its own story — full of surprises, both positive and negative — and fantasy football managers must decide what to believe and what not to believe moving forward. Perhaps we can help. If any of these thoughts come true … don’t be surprised!

NOTE: All mention of fantasy points is for PPR formats, unless otherwise mentioned.

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Seattle Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III is a fast, explosive talent who rushed for more than 1,000 yards during his rookie season and followed that up with another nine touchdowns in his second year. Last season, he added extensive pass receiving duties to his game. Walker has generally been a safe, high-end RB2 option for fantasy managers but has struggled to stay healthy — and last season his absence from six games opened the door for backup Zach Charbonnet. Ultimately, Charbonnet outscored Walker in total points for the season.

Don’t be surprised if … Charbonnet joins Walker as borderline RB2

There is a decent shot that Walker and Charbonnet share touches and both of them retain strong flex value for the season. Last season, they didn’t really share touches. Charbonnet earned his chances when Walker was out. This season, what happened in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers might become the norm. Charbonnet looked like the better player, rushing for 47 yards and a touchdown. Walker averaged only 2 yards per rush and ultimately played on fewer snaps. He turned his three receptions into just four yards.

The Seahawks play the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, and because the Steelers permitted 182 rushing yards to the New York Jets in Week 1, many believe the Seahawks will see similar success. Perhaps that is true. Or perhaps the Steelers fix their defensive issues. Perhaps the Jets just run on every defense this season. It’s Week 2. There is a lot of “perhaps,” you know.

Not that it matters much, but Walker and Charbonnet were both second-round draft picks, in successive seasons. They’re both good. It was always a fallacy to assume that loyalty to Walker would decide the hierarchy. There might be no hierarchy. I don’t see Charbonnet pushing Walker aside. I see a timeshare in which, in some weeks, Charbonnet gets more volume and produces RB1 statistics. In other weeks, it will be Walker. It will frustrate fantasy managers, but last season both backs finished among the top-30 RB scorers. This season, perhaps both will settle in nicely as a borderline top-20 option.

Other RB thoughts that shouldn’t surprise:

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

  • The snap count was nearly even for Minnesota Vikings Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason. Or should that be Mason and Jones? Of course, fantasy managers are flocking to Mason. Go for it. He was a popular preseason sleeper. We acknowledge that Mason added value after earning most of the Week 1 rushing attempts, but Jones caught a TD pass. He’s not going away. I maintain Jones should be ranked better this week (still) and we will see a more even distribution of touches this week vs. Atlanta.

  • As someone who does not believe Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley earns close to the same volume as last year or even stays healthy enough to perform in all 17 games, I like the Tank Bigsby acquisition from the Jaguars. Bigsby is certainly an upgrade over current Eagles backups Will Shipley and AJ Dillon. Frankly, I expect Bigsby will be very popular at certain junctures this season. Don’t dump him. Try to keep him on rosters.

  • Perhaps similarly, why does everyone assume that Jaguars RB Travis Etienne Jr. is suddenly so awesome and so much more valuable following the Bigsby trade? Rookie Bhayshul Tuten will emerge. This trade was about creating an opportunity for him. Etienne runs all over the lowly Carolina Panthers in Week 1 and now, suddenly, he’s reliable again? He averaged 3.7 yards per carry the past two seasons. Even acknowledging a new Jaguars regime and the ebbs and flows of annual performance, I would not feel safe with Etienne as a long-term RB2 and would seek an upgrade. We might be discussing this next week after Etienne provides 10 fantasy points against the Bengals.

  • Etienne did run all over the Panthers, so that should mean Arizona Cardinals veteran James Conner runs wild on that defense this week. Intriguing backup Trey Benson is going to earn double-digit attempts as well. How about two Cardinals RBs with 15-plus points? It’s just tough to force Benson into lineups. Unlike at QB and WR, there aren’t notable injuries keeping top-20 options out.

  • Week 2 is often about patience with rookies. Steelers rook Kaleb Johnson appears buried because of former Eagle Kenneth Gainwell. Will that last? New York Giants bulldozer Cam Skattebo lost yards on his Week 1 rushing attempts, and now the preseason darling is waiver wire fodder. The Dallas Cowboys might or might not activate Jaydon Blue this week, but fantasy managers have long since moved on. It doesn’t take much to react in fantasy. Presumably you drafted these fellows for a reason. Give that reason all of September.

Don’t be surprised if … Las Vegas Raiders QB Geno Smith keeps throwing downfield, but with more success

Geno Smith threw for 362 yards in Week 1 against the Patriots. Is the Raiders’ pass game being undervalued? Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire

People view rookie RB Ashton Jeanty as the team’s most important offseason acquisition, and for good reason. Jeanty was a bit bottled up by the New England Patriots in Week 1, and things might not improve this week versus the stout Los Angeles Chargers. Be patient, though, as Jeanty will be great. Smith was more of an afterthought and remains so (rostered in only 10.8% of ESPN leagues). Few thought about the Raiders’ drafted wide receivers Dont’e Thornton Jr. and Jack Bech.

Smith averaged 10.6 yards per attempt in Week 1, far better than anything he showed over a three-year stint with the Seahawks. It isn’t sustainable, of course (Lamar Jackson was tops last season at 8.8 YPA), but it does show that these new Raiders, with creative Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator, might have a more intriguing passing game than anyone imagined. Remember, Smith finished as the No. 5 fantasy scorer among quarterbacks in 2022. I think TE Brock Bowers (knee) plays this week, but Jakobi Meyers remains underrated and a rookie receiver or two (probably Thornton) will break out.

Other QB thoughts that shouldn’t surprise:

  • While I invested in 49ers starter Brock Purdy (toe/shoulder) in more leagues than I can count, touting his positive metrics, it is tough to keep him around in standard leagues knowing he might be out a month or more. In single-QB formats, use the bench spot for Thornton, for example, and wait for him to become valuable. Geno Smith, Daniel Jones, Aaron Rodgers and myriad other passers are available. The bye weeks start in October. And Mac Jones, against the New Orleans Saints, is not a terrible pickup in deep leagues. The 49ers system will help him.

  • One more thought: Say Purdy joins teammate TE George Kittle on injured reserve. Why wouldn’t the 49ers consider a trade for Atlanta Falcons backup Kirk Cousins? I’ve kept Cousins rostered in a 2QB dynasty format for this scenario. Someone is getting him this season.

  • Miami Dolphins lefty Tua Tagovailoa and Detroit Lions right-hander Jared Goff are the most-dropped QBs in ESPN leagues. I understand why, but c’mon! It was one game. The Dolphins did look awful, but they aren’t that awful. I bet the Dolphins and Patriots combine to score ample points (perhaps 60, and somewhat evenly distributed) this week.

  • For the Lions, Lambeau Field was all jacked up after the stunning Micah Parsons trade, but also, Goff passed for only 145 yards and a TD at Lambeau last season. The year prior, he threw for 210 yards, and in Week 18 of 2023 there, it was 224 yards. You expected 350 yards this season in Week 1 because what, the Lions unexpectedly lost at home in January to Washington and remain angry? Keep Goff around first. He isn’t a QB1, but he’s close, and rookie Isaac TeSlaa is going to matter in fantasy. With Tagovailoa and his mates, when everyone jumps on a quick bandwagon to give up on an offense, the opposite tends to happen.

  • Houston Texans starter C.J. Stroud still needs better pass protection, but it can’t be as awful as it was last season. Stroud is going to bounce back in Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their weak secondary. WR Nico Collins is going to have a monster game. Rookie Jayden Higgins likely breaks out, too. I view Stroud as a solid streamer against weak defenses and believe he tops his Year 1 figures in passing yards and touchdown passes, but also interceptions. That will be enough to end up in the mid-QB2 range.

Quentin Johnston recorded his second career game with multiple touchdowns in the opener against the Chiefs. AP Photo/Jeff Lewis

Don’t be surprised if … Chargers WR Quentin Johnston is on the most-dropped list next week

Yeah, I wrote about Johnston in the Week 1 waiver wire column, but really, I had little choice. Johnston caught 79 yards worth of Justin Herbert passes in Brazil against the vaunted Kansas City Chiefs — two for touchdowns. That’s 24.9 PPR points! Then again, haven’t we seen that from him before? It’s not just the drops during his first two NFL seasons. Johnston is inefficient and inconsistent and, in this offense that prefers to run with the football and has better wide receivers, that is a problem.

Johnston is the most-added player in ESPN leagues entering Week 2, but it is tough to see an avenue to placing him in lineups this week, or for him to enjoy long-term success with not only Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen around, but second-round pick Tre’ Harris, who awaits his turn. They are all better players. Johnston caught 55 passes and eight touchdowns last season, but I don’t see him returning to those figures this season. Herbert averaged only 29 passing attempts per game last season, and Johnston is not close to his preferred option.

Other WR/TE thoughts that shouldn’t surprise:

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  • No, I will not cut venerable Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill yet. In fact, I bet the rumors of Miami trading him make more sense now. Why wouldn’t the Chiefs trade for Hill? OK, so they’ve been there, seen that, and couldn’t wait to walk away, but are the Chiefs really going to let a season during Patrick Mahomes’ prime waste away because their receivers are overwhelmed, hurt or suspended? Hollywood Brown is not seeing another 16 targets this week. The numbers might show Hill is done, but I think he just needs more motivation (which is sad, in a different way). He knows this Dolphins team is a mess.

  • This one might seem ridiculous, but we already know Lions speedster Jameson Williams is not going to challenge for 100 receptions. He isn’t a volume option. He’s more like former Eagle DeSean Jackson — a threat to score from anywhere on the field, but when he’s not scoring, he leaves us frustrated. I see Williams — who will be fine despite a slow Week 1 — catching roughly 60 passes again. I see rookie Isaac TeSlaa doing this as well. The Lions will score 35 points against the Bears. Add TeSlaa today before he contributes 7-65-1.

  • I didn’t think I would be giving up on Vikings WR Adam Thielen so soon (or at all), but uninspiring Jalen Nailor started over him in Week 1, and Jordan Addison returns from suspension in Week 4.

  • Indianapolis Colts rookie TE Tyler Warren easily outshined Chicago Bears rookie TE Colston Loveland in Week 1. This is not surprising. The Bears still employ Cole Kmet, and Loveland might not see many targets early. I still like him, though. Warren zoomed up my rest-of-season rankings.

  • It might not be long before we rank Jacksonville Jaguars TE Brenton Strange over his former teammate Evan Engram, now with the Denver Broncos. You know the Jaguars will throw on the Bengals this week. If Strange goes for 8-60-1, and Engram (calf) misses Week 2 or is compromised, it might happen quickly.



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At last, our first look at Football Manager 26's flashy new match engine is here, and it's a bit like classic FIFA
Game Updates

Highly anticipated new look Football Manager 26 has release date confirmed for 4th November on PC, PS5, Xbox Series consoles, and Game Pass

by admin


Sega and Sports Interactive, developer of the Football Manager series, have announced that the next and highly anticipated version of the game, Football Manager 26, will release on 4th November.

The initial roll-out of the game will be on PC/Mac (full-fat version), alongside Football Manager 26 Console for PS5 and Xbox Series consoles. On 4th December Football Manager 26 Touch will release digitally for Nintendo Switch. All these versions of the game are built on the Unity Engine for the first time and offer save game compatibility with Football Manager 2024 and Football Manager 2023.

A mobile version of FM26 will be released exclusively for Netflix subscribers on the same date. This version will have compatibility with saves from FM24 Mobile careers only, and hasn’t made the switch to the Unity Engine.

“Setting Sports Interactive up for the next 20 years and beyond was an enormous undertaking but I couldn’t be prouder of the efforts of the whole team over the past two years” said Sports Interactive Studio Director Miles Jacobson.

Football Manager 26 and Football Manager Console (Xbox) will also launch day one in Game Pass.

Watch on YouTube

About Football Manager 26

Powered by the Unity engine, experience the richest Match Day experience in series history with enhanced player movement and greater on-pitch detail, bringing new levels of depth and drama to every match.

Experience the adrenaline of a weaving run and inch-perfect through ball that sets up that unforgettable, last-gasp title winner. Thanks to advanced player movements powered by fresh motion capture and volumetric animations, your players attack with more personality than ever.

Compete at the pinnacle of English football as the Premier League debuts with fully-licensed club badges, kits and official player photos. Authenticity reaches new heights as you pursue the biggest prize in domestic football with the full broadcast experience from the best seat in the house.

Discover a new world of possibilities as the women’s game makes its long-awaited debut, seamlessly integrated into the FM ecosystem as one footballing world. Explore fresh challenges, unearth untold stories and discover new talents as you break new ground and broaden your managerial horizons.

A game-changing UI overhaul brings clarity and fluidity to every interaction, primed for the modern manager – with the newly integrated Portal acting as your gateway to the wider footballing world. The reimagined UI surfaces essential information exactly when you need it, empowering you to manage more instinctively and efficiently.

Sega is offering 10 percent off pre-purchases of FM26 until 4th November at select digital retailers. On PC, pre-purchasing will provide early access to Football Manager 26 on Steam and Epic Games Store approximately two weeks before the official release date – single-player careers started in that pre-release period will carry over in the updated version at launch.

This is a news-in-brief story. This is part of our vision to bring you all the big news as part of a daily live report.

Love Eurogamer? Make us a Preferred Source on Google and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.



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Esports

College football coaching landscape: Hot seats, potential coaching candidates and more

by admin



Sep 10, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

Those who closely track the college coaching carousel recognize that there are rarely two light cycles in a row.

After a quiet 2024 (other than Bill Belichick’s stunning arrival at North Carolina) the upcoming carousel figures to be much more active. The first two weeks have reinforced that belief, as alarm bells are sounding again in Gainesville, Florida, and Stillwater, Oklahoma, and hot spots in between.

Some coaching situations are more urgent than others, including Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, who barely escaped 2024 with his job and just suffered the worst loss of his Pokes tenure (69-3 at Oregon). Virginia Tech’s Brent Pry entered the 2025 season with win-now pressure and has started 0-2. Florida’s Billy Napier coached his way out of peril with a strong finish to last season but finds himself back on the hottest of seats after Saturday’s home loss to South Florida.

When analyzing the carousel this early, it’s important to separate perception from reality. The angst around Kalen DeBoer’s future at Alabama might be premature, as a hefty buyout and the circumstances of following Nick Saban should buy a little more time. Could DeBoer and other second-year coaches such as UCLA’s DeShaun Foster ultimately be in trouble? It’s possible, but things need to play out a bit more.

Our staff is examining the coaches facing the most pressure only two weeks into the 2025 season, who has the best chances to turn down the heat and who could be next in line for what figures to be more Power 4 opportunities. — Adam Rittenberg

Whose early-season struggles have microwaved their seat?

A loss to South Florida has erased some momentum Billy Napier and Florida built after closing the 2024 season on a four-game winning streak. James Gilbert/Getty Images

Andrea Adelson: Florida coach Billy Napier appeared to be safe before the season began. The Gators reaffirmed their commitment to him last November, and then Florida finished 2024 on a four-game winning streak. With DJ Lagway and a host of others returning, Napier told ESPN in July he had a team that finally believed. “We were selling hope,” he said of his early days on the job. “Now it’s like, ‘It’s working.’ So there’s a confidence that we can go toe-to-toe with anybody, and I think that will go into this season.” But the same problems that have flummoxed Florida under Napier cropped up again in an 18-16 loss to South Florida. Undisciplined play, too many penalties and late game clock mismanagement gave the Bulls a chance to win. Lagway looked uncomfortable throughout, and now Napier is back on the hot seat. Florida is simply not supposed to lose to a non-Power 4 in-state school. A brutal schedule awaits: Back-to-back road games against LSU and Miami, before facing Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Florida State. All eight teams are currently ranked.

Rittenberg: Napier’s situation jumps out because of what lies ahead for his team and, as Andrea correctly points out, the perception that he had fixed some of the issues that surfaced early last season and during his first two years in Gainesville. He might need to pull off two or three significant upsets to stabilize the situation. Although the total number of Power 4 openings in the upcoming cycle should rise, Florida would be the biggest, and could trigger movement elsewhere in the SEC or perhaps Big Ten.

The hope for Gundy is that Oklahoma State will rebound, as it has before when external expectations are lower. But the complete lack of competitiveness at Oregon is a significant concern for a team already missing starting quarterback Hauss Hejny (broken foot). Next Friday’s home game against Tulsa feels very significant, as Oklahoma State begins a stretch of four of five in Stillwater. If the Pokes don’t display tangible progress soon, a coaching change could be made.

Adelson: Virginia Tech’s Pry had an experienced team with high hopes in 2024, but the Hokies failed to meet expectations after a season-opening loss to Vanderbilt and finished 6-7. As a result, he made staff changes, hiring new offensive and defensive coordinators, and revamped his roster. Quarterback Kyron Drones remained a constant. Yet none of those changes appear to have Virginia Tech any closer to competing for a championship. The Hokies blew a 20-10 halftime lead to Vanderbilt, getting outscored 34-0 in the second half — its worst scoring margin in any half at home in the history of Lane Stadium. Virginia Tech is now 0-2 for the second time in three seasons, and Pry is 16-23 since his arrival in 2022.

Who could join them?

Rittenberg: Like Napier, DeBoer is dealing with the concern that he hasn’t remedied a bad habit from 2024 — losing to unranked opponents, given that Florida State was coming off of a 2-10 season. His four losses to unranked foes match Saban’s total from the previous 14 seasons. Although many are justifiably looking toward Alabama’s Sept. 27 visit to Georgia, a team DeBoer beat last fall, the Tide’s ability to take care of their opponents before (Wisconsin) and after (Vanderbilt) seems equally important.

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I’m also keeping a closer eye on the Big Ten, and specifically how UCLA’s Foster and Northwestern’s David Braun perform leading up to and beyond their Sept. 27 game. The season couldn’t be off to a worse start for UCLA, both on and off the field, after the spring/summer excitement around quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s transfer. Northwestern’s 23-3 opening loss at Tulane has placed increased pressure on Braun to get the offense right ahead of the opening of the new $850 million Ryan Field in 2026. Wisconsin is another job being watched because of an extremely tough schedule ahead for coach Luke Fickell, beginning this week at Alabama.

Whose seat has cooled?

An impressive victory over Baylor and a rout of Ball State have Hugh Freeze and Auburn on the right track in 2025. David Buono/Icon Sportswire

Mark Schlabach: It’s only two weeks into the season, but Auburn’s Hugh Freeze and Arkansas’ Sam Pittman seem to have their programs headed back in the right direction. The Tigers picked up an impressive 38-24 victory at Baylor in their opener, then blasted Ball State 42-3 at home Saturday. Quarterback Jackson Arnold’s legs have certainly helped, but Auburn will need to get more out of its passing game (he’s averaging only 2.7 yards per dropback on third and fourth down, as our colleague Bill Connelly noted).

After what should be another warmup against South Alabama on Saturday, the Tigers will get into the meat of their schedule with four straight games against ranked SEC foes: at Oklahoma and Texas A&M, and against Georgia and Missouri at home. That stretch will determine if the Tigers are truly back or not.

As for Arkansas, quarterback Taylen Green was spectacular in the Hogs’ first two games. He’s third in the FBS in total offense with 376.5 yards per game. In last week’s 56-14 rout of Arkansas State, Green ran for 151 yards with one touchdown and passed for 269 yards with four scores. He’s flourishing during his second season in coordinator Bobby Petrino’s offense.

Like Auburn, the Razorbacks are about to be tested in a big way — eight of their final 10 regular-season games are against teams that are currently ranked. They go to No. 17 Ole Miss and Memphis before playing No. 8 Notre Dame (home), No. 15 Tennessee (road), No. 16 Texas A&M (home) and No. 24 Auburn (home). Arkansas plays No. 3 LSU (road), No. 7 Texas (road) and No. 25 Missouri (home) to close the regular season. Good luck.

Rittenberg: When Baylor fell behind by 14 points at SMU in the fourth quarter Saturday, I started to wonder whether coach Dave Aranda would face job pressure for the second straight season. Last fall, Aranda’s Bears started 2-4 before rallying to win their final six regular-season games. He faced an 0-2 start to this season, but an incredible rally led by quarterback Sawyer Robertson and others helped force overtime, and Baylor came away with a 48-45 win. Robertson has 859 passing yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions through the first two games. Although Baylor’s defense remains a concern, the team split a difficult two-game start and will get most of its toughest remaining opponents in Waco.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables also deserves a mention here, after his team outclassed Michigan on Saturday night. Venables probably wasn’t in imminent danger, especially with Oklahoma going through an athletic director transition after Joe Castiglione’s incredible run. But another .500-ish season with substandard offense would turn up the heat. Oklahoma has made upgrades by adding the package deal of quarterback John Mateer and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. The schedule remains a grind, but the progress Venables needed in Year 4 seems to be taking shape.

Who would be the biggest player loss if Florida made a move?

Max Olson: If Florida ends up making a coaching change, the retention of Lagway would inevitably become a major topic. That is in no way a statement about Lagway’s loyalty to the Gators, but it’s clear he has shown a ton of loyalty to Napier as his coach. It’s probably fair to say, too, that a bunch of Florida players would be looking to their QB and his decision before making their own. Lagway wouldn’t have to put his name in the portal to determine his options; the potential tampering would start as soon as Napier is out, if not sooner. Texas A&M made a big push for a last-minute flip of the Texas native in December 2023 after coach Mike Elko took over the program. It’s also worth noting Lagway’s father played at Baylor, and the Bears will have to replace senior QB Sawyer Robertson for 2026. If a change at Florida were made, whoever takes over would have quite a fight on their hands to hold the roster together. There are plenty of good, young players, including starters in running back Jadan Baugh, wide receiver Vernell Brown III and linebacker Myles Graham and blue-chip prospects such as wide receiver Dallas Wilson and edge rusher LJ McCray, all of whom would be coveted.

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Eli Lederman: Similar to the Gators’ current roster, eyes — including those of the program’s recruiting rivals across the country — would quickly turn to Florida’s 11th-ranked 2026 class if Napier exits between now and national signing day.

The headliner atop his incoming class is five-star defensive end JaReylan McCoy, ESPN’s No. 9 overall recruit in the 2026 cycle. Mississippi’s top-ranked prospect held heavy interest from LSU and Texas before he committed to Florida in June, and McCoy would have no shortage of non-Florida, late-cycle suitors. The same goes for four-star rusher Davian Groce; ESPN’s No. 4 running back was a priority target for Oklahoma, Houston and Baylor when he landed in Napier’s 2026 class last month.

ESPN 300 pledges, including defensive end Kevin Ford Jr. (No. 148 overall), running back Carsyn Baker (No. 173) and pass catchers Marquez Daniel (No. 227) and Justin Williams (No. 287), would also emerge among the other high-profile flip candidates. And though longtime quarterback pledge and Florida legacy Will Griffin has repeatedly affirmed his commitment to the Gators this year, a fall coaching change could potentially open the door, particularly if a QB-needy blue blood gets involved late in the cycle.

Who are coaching candidates to watch?

Lane Kiffin has built a solid program at Ole Miss, where he has a 46-18 record in his sixth season. AP Photo/Tanner Pearson

Schlabach: If Florida makes a move, it’s going to be the most coveted job on the market because of its tradition, recruiting base and financial resources in the SEC. Florida AD Scott Stricklin got a three-year contract extension, and he’ll need to get this hire right. He could swing for the fences for Oregon’s Dan Lanning, but I’m guessing it would be difficult to lure him from Nike founder Phil Knight’s checkbook.

Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin would be close to the top of the list given his success with quarterbacks and offenses. Kiffin has matured since his days as an offensive coordinator under Nick Saban at Alabama, and he has built a solid program at Ole Miss, where he has a 46-18 record in his sixth season. Kiffin knows the SEC and can recruit well in Florida.

Washington’s Jedd Fisch might seem like an outsider, given his West Coast coaching roots, but he attended Florida and was a graduate assistant under Steve Spurrier in 1999-2000. Fisch’s overall record as a head coach is 25-29, but that mark is deceiving because he inherited such a bad program at Arizona. After going 1-11 in his first season in 2021, he guided the Wildcats to a 10-3 season in 2023. Quarterback Noah Fifita was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year that season.

Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz might be another possibility. Drinkwitz, 42, has guided the Tigers to a 40-24 record in five-plus seasons. After so-so campaigns in his first three seasons, Missouri has won 10 games or more in each of the past two. He was named SEC Coach of the Year in 2023 after the Tigers went 11-2 and defeated Ohio State 14-3 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Missouri is back in the AP Top 25 after beating Kansas 42-31 last week.

South Florida’s Alex Golesh, Kansas’ Lance Leipold and Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann might be on the short list as well.

Rittenberg: Kiffin and Drinkwitz certainly make the most sense from within the SEC, as both have some Spurrier in them and fit the offense-centric approach that Florida covets from its coaches. I’ll throw out another big name: Penn State coach James Franklin. A lot depends on how a championship-or-bust 2025 season goes, and Franklin certainly could continue at PSU, especially since he has the infrastructure and support that he coveted earlier in his time there. But coaches also talk about restarting their clocks, and after 12 seasons at Penn State, a change might make sense for him. Franklin has a home in Florida and has spent a lot of time in the state over the years.

If South Florida keeps rolling, Golesh will be one of the top coaches on the market for Power 4 openings. He’s a pedal-down recruiter who has varied experience in key areas of the country, including the SEC (Tennessee), Big Ten (Illinois) and Big 12 (Iowa State). There could be more openings in the SEC than those other conferences, and Golesh has worked in the state of Florida both as an offensive coordinator (UCF) and now a head coach.

Tulane’s Jon Sumrall is still the top candidate from a non-Power 4 school. I’d be a bit surprised if he’s not leading an SEC program in 2026 or shortly after. Sumrall is an Alabama native who played linebacker at Kentucky and coached both at his alma mater and at Ole Miss in 2018. He will be the top name mentioned whenever the Mark Stoops era ends at Kentucky, but his return is far from a guarantee. Sumrall could look to other SEC jobs where making the CFP seems a bit more realistic.

Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield is another coach from the American worth watching. He has carved his own success there, independent from predecessor Mike Norvell, and is 23-5 since the start of the 2023 season. Silverfield has NFL ties and could be in play for both Big Ten and SEC jobs.

Schlabach brought up Leipold, who is a fascinating candidate to examine. The 61-year-old could finish his career at Kansas, which opened its renovated stadium last month and is supporting the program unlike ever before. He also could make one big move. If he does, I see him ending up back in the Big Ten, especially if a job like Wisconsin opens. Leipold is from the state and spent three years as a Wisconsin graduate assistant early in coach Barry Alvarez’s run there.

Want one more? Sure you do. Let’s see how the season plays out at UNLV, but Dan Mullen is off to a 3-0 start in his return to the sideline, highlighted by last week’s win over UCLA. Mullen came to UNLV with a career record of 103-61, all in the SEC at Mississippi State and Florida. Schools seeking Power 4 experience could look at Mullen, who is only 53 and seems revived after spending three years away from coaching.



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Fantasy football 2025 - Week 2 PPR rankings
Esports

Fantasy football 2025 – Week 2 PPR rankings

by admin


ESPN’s weekly PPR and IDP fantasy football rankings are an aggregate of our rankers (eight PPR, three IDP). They are Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Daniel Dopp, Eric Karabell, Liz Loza, Eric Moody and Field Yates. Karabell also provides his superflex rankings all season long.

Rankings will be published every Tuesday and are updated throughout the week for news and emerging analysis.

PPR rankings:
Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends | Kickers | D/ST

IDP rankings:
Top 50 DLs, LBs, DBs from Clay, Cockcroft and Moody

Eric Karabell’s superflex rankings:
Top 150 QBs, RBs, WRs and TEs



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Travis Hunter effect is alive in the 2025 college football season
Esports

Travis Hunter effect is alive in the 2025 college football season

by admin


  • Adam RittenbergSep 9, 2025, 06:52 AM ET

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      College football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.

Utah’s mission to reboot its offense started with adding a quarterback-coordinator combination from New Mexico, as Devon Dampier and Jason Beck made their way to Salt Lake City.

But the Utes also needed playmakers to surround Dampier. Their search led them to the transfer portal, naturally, but also to their own roster and, ultimately, to the other side of the ball.

Smith Snowden, who started at nickel in 2024 and had 10 passes defended, and linebacker Lander Barton, the team’s tackles leader in fall 2024 who had six passes defended, were the top options.

“Obviously Travis Hunter last year, the success he had, winning the Heisman [Trophy], that struck a chord with a lot of coaches, taking them through their roster: Who do we have that can contribute both ways?” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham told ESPN. “The bottom line is: What’s going to help you win games? It’s not the novelty of having a two-way guy. Who’s going to give us the best chance to win?”

Hunter’s surge to the 2024 Heisman at Colorado, while playing full time on both offense and defense, might have nudged coaches to expand their view of what was possible for the right players. Although Hunter did things not thought possible in the modern era of college football — he played 2,625 snaps in two seasons at Colorado, leading the FBS in both 2023 and 2024 — his success is already increasing opportunities for others.

Utah opened the season with a 43-10 win at UCLA, in which Snowden led the team in receiving and added a rushing touchdown while Barton caught a touchdown pass from Dampier. Safety Jackson Bennee also had a 17-yard reception. In Week 2, Snowden had two rushes, three catches and two tackles.

Your eyes do not deceive you… that is, in fact, CORNERBACK Smith Snowden scoring a rushing touchdown for @Utah_Football 👀#Big12FB | 📺 @CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/Ih38m3CHze

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) August 31, 2025

“Travis Hunter really set the standard for it,” Snowden said. “He opened a lot of doors for younger athletes that can’t decide if they want to play offense or defense.”

Maybe they don’t have to anymore.

The Utes’ crew is among a small but growing group of players with the license to play both ways. Minnesota sophomore Koi Perich, a first-team All-Big Ten defensive back in 2024 who also stood out on returns, is carving out a bigger role with the Gophers offense. Vanderbilt defensive back Martel Hight, an All-SEC return specialist this past season, is on a similar path as a wide receiver.

They’re all occupying expanded roles, at least in part, because of the Travis Hunter effect.

“It’s starting to open up,” Hight told ESPN. “I’m pretty sure the coaches, they see guys doing it and it probably opens their eyes.”

DURING VANDERBILT’S WINTER conditioning session, Hight was running gassers — sprints across the width of the field — when Jerry Kill, a senior offensive advisor and chief consultant to coach Clark Lea, walked over.

“[Kill] grabbed me and said, ‘Hey, you’re going to be a starting receiver for me,'” Hight said.

Hight came to Vanderbilt as an ESPN 300 recruit and the nation’s No. 33 cornerback out of Rome, Georgia. Like many high school standouts, he played both defense and offense and even faced Travis Hunter when their Georgia high schools played.

“I scored on him, ran him over, he caught a pass on me my junior year, and it was a pretty good catch,” Hight said. “We’ve always kind of had this little back and forth. It was never any trash-talking or anything. We just kept it cordial.”

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Hight, however, arrived at Vanderbilt with a clear role on defense. In 2023, he became the first freshman in team history to record a pick-six. He continued to display good ball skills on defense last year, while becoming a bigger factor on punt returns, averaging 14.7 yards with a touchdown, and earning second-team All-SEC honors. After the offseason interaction with Kill, Hight emphasized his desire to play offense to the coaches, and then began running routes with starting quarterback Diego Pavia in spring practice.

“I don’t know that we had quite the idea of how dynamic he could be for us at receiver until we started playing him there and realized that he’s really natural as a pass catcher and a route runner,” Lea said. “As we got out of spring, it was, ‘Hey, let’s see how we can take this a little further.'”

Lea reached out to new Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen, who selected Hunter at No. 2 in April’s NFL draft, about how they intended to use Hunter at the pro level. Kill, who led programs at New Mexico State, Minnesota, Northern Illinois and elsewhere during a 40-year career in college football, contacted Colorado coach Deion Sanders.

“We had a basis of understanding of what he did in college, what Jacksonville’s plan was for him in training camp,” Lea said. “But everybody’s different. We’ve got to look at Martel and think about where we think he can net out here.”

Martel Hight was an ESPN 300 defensive back but had experience on both sides of the ball in high school. Steve Roberts/Imagn Images

Other coaches made a similar point when asked about the effect Hunter will continue to have on college football. Hunter showed what is possible when given the chance to do it all, but very few can handle anywhere near the play load he took on at Colorado. Hunter famously logged 144 snaps in his Colorado debut at TCU, and eclipsed 120 the following week against Nebraska.

“He’s an anomaly, and you’ve got to understand that that’s not doable for 99.99% of the players,” Whittingham said of Hunter. “So going both ways is a relative statement, because if you go both ways but only play a total of 65 snaps a game, then that’s a normal workload.”

The challenge, then, is figuring out what each player can handle. Snowden played 22 snaps on both defense and offense in the opener at UCLA, as well as three on special teams.

If Utah had been in a closer game, he might have been out there more. Snowden said this past season, he averaged 55-60 snaps per game, almost all on defense.

“I could get to 70 [snaps],” he told ESPN last week. “It will vary game to game. I’m a defense specialist when it comes down to it, so defense is my position, and whatever the team needs on offense, I’m down.”

THOSE ATTEMPTING TO follow Hunter’s path this season have similar profiles.

“They’re primarily defensive guys, and they play some offense,” Whittingham explained. “It’s not very common to have it go the other way.”

Hunter came into college football as ESPN’s No. 2 recruit, and the top cornerback in the 2022 class. Although he broke the Georgia high school record for receiving touchdowns with 48 and had nearly 4,000 receiving yards, he projected as a top defensive back. Despite only 18 receptions his first college season at Jackson State, Hunter saw his receiving production spike at Colorado, and won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top wide receiver this past season. As a high school senior, Minnesota’s Perich accounted for 27 touchdowns in 10 games — five on defense, four on returns and 16 on offense. He was rated as the top prospect from Minnesota and signed with the Gophers as the nation’s No. 172 recruit and No. 14 safety.

Koi Perich was an All-Big Ten DB and returner. Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire

Perich made an immediate impact in 2024, becoming the first freshman in the FBS since at least 1976 to record five interceptions, at least 100 kickoff return yards and at least 100 punt return yards in a season. His 565 all-purpose yards, from returns and interceptions, ranked fourth on the team. As soon as the season finished, Minnesota’s coaching staff began carving out a role for Perich on offense.

Perich spent the spring working with both units, spending 70-75% of his time with the defense, but still attending some meetings with offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. and co-coordinator Matt Simon. Through two games, Perich has two catches, five punt returns and five tackles.

“You can throw somebody out there and just throw him a deep ball and gimmick him, but is that really playing offense?” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck told ESPN. “There’ll be certain [individual practice] periods dedicated to safety, certain periods where you come over and play wideout. He’s going to show me ultimately how much he can handle.”

Although Hunter’s talent set him apart, he also embraced the mental toil of toggling between position groups and learning as much as he could on both sides of the ball.

“There’s a burden in this with the player,” Lea said. “There’s a willingness that you don’t have any downtime in the building. You have to go all the time. He’s got to buy into that. Martel is so bright and confident on both sides, we’ve been able to really not hold back on anything.”

Syracuse coach Fran Brown recognizes the mental challenge as well, saying two-way hopefuls must learn an entire playbook and at least a few chapters of another. While other teams are exploring the option with more experienced players, Syracuse is assessing what it has with true freshman Demetres Samuel Jr., who is only 17 and was just 16 when he enrolled this winter.

An ESPN 300 recruit, Samuel has started Syracuse’s first two games and had eight tackles Aug. 30 against UConn. He hasn’t recorded a catch at wide receiver but is expected to have a role there.

“You can’t get down and frustrated when you don’t do well at first, you’re taking two tests, and we’re asking you to learn two things,” Brown told ESPN. “I tell him, ‘You’ve got to run. I don’t care that you just got out of that side, you’ve got to run. Up and down.’ He’s got a lot better at it lately. It takes time.”

As Minnesota and other programs decide how to divide the time for their two-way players, they must weigh what they’re gaining on offense with what they could lose on defense.

“You don’t want to do anything that starts the law of diminishing returns,” Fleck said.

Snowden and Barton were two of Utah’s most productive defenders in 2024. Barton led the Utes in tackles with 72, while Snowden had a team-high eight pass breakups. They were two of three Utah players with multiple interceptions, and each recorded a forced fumble.

Smith Snowden has done a bit of everything for Utah this season. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Late in the season, Barton provided one of Utah’s top defensive highlights against Iowa State, catching a deflected pass, wriggling free of quarterback Rocco Becht’s tackle attempt and then sprinting down the sideline for an 87-yard scoring return.

“My theory has always been, you master one position before you even think about playing both ways,” Whittingham said. “It’s not fair to play a guy two ways unless he has a substantial grasp of one side of the ball first. Those guys are experts at defensive play and their assignments. So really, the learning curve is on the other side.”

Minnesota’s coaches organized Perich’s schedule with efficiency in mind. Defensive coordinator Danny Collins said that Perich might get the ball thrown to him on the first play of a practice period on offense and then spend the rest of the time on defense. Or he’ll alternate between offense and defense, much like Hunter did at Colorado.

The Gophers’ depth in the secondary made the plan a bit easier to sell to Collins.

“At first, it was like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, let’s hold on: This is an All-Big Ten safety,'” Collins said. “But at the same time, he’s a tremendous athlete. When the ball is in his hands, special things are going to happen, whether he’s picking it off, whether it’s a punt return. And then you think about, ‘OK, we can put him on offense and get the ball in his hands, now that’s going to help the whole team.'”

WHEN MAPPING OUT the plan for Perich at Minnesota, Fleck watched a lot of Colorado film. His goal wasn’t necessarily to identify a direct comparison, but rather to assess how the Buffs used a distinct talent like Hunter.

“In the new world, that’s the only one you get to look at,” Fleck said of Hunter. “Like, what athlete did it besides Travis Hunter? I don’t see it being trendy, because it’s too hard to be trendy. It takes a really special athlete in a really unique situation that fits. That’s what we have in Koi.”

It will be hard for any player to match the number of snaps Travis Hunter had over the previous two college seasons. Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire

In his NFL debut, Hunter became the second NFL player in the past 10 years to play at least 30 offensive snaps and five defensive snaps in the same game. Whether he sparks a true trend of two-way players remains to be seen. What’s clear is he has at least cracked open the door for others to try.

Like Kill at Vanderbilt, Brown also contacted Sanders about Hunter’s workload and how he approached such an added workload.

“It’s really hard,” Brown said. “People will try to go down that road. But Coach Prime is a special guy. It takes somebody special like Travis to truly, truly do it. I think Demetres has that chance.”

Hight doesn’t need much prodding about the chance to play more on offense. When he arrived at Vanderbilt, former defensive backs coach Dan Jackson floated the possibility of him taking some snaps with the offense.

After two seasons, though, he didn’t think it was going to happen, which has made this fall even sweeter.

“Honestly, I can play all day,” he said. “I’m like an energetic ball on the field. I’m having so much fun being there with the guys. I don’t really have a number [of snaps]. I’ll go until my heart stops.”

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Hight thinks the more players who show they can be reliable options on both sides of the ball will reduce teams’ reliance on the transfer portal to address specific needs, like at wide receiver. But will there be a limit on how many teams explore the two-way track?

“It’s always going to be rough because you’re playing two years of football in one,” said an assistant coach from a top 10 team. “If you’re on a team that’s actually really good, it’s hard to see a guy doing part time at a position and then be better than a guy who’s doing full time.”

Lea has often thought about Hunter since exploring a two-way role for Hight, and how much the Colorado star truly influenced Vanderbilt’s decision. Ultimately, Lea kept coming back to an enduring truth about personnel.

“We can’t afford to not have our best 11 out on the field,” he said.





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