NCAAF

6:26 PM ET A day after being shocked by Lincoln Riley’s abrupt departure for the USC job, Oklahoma president Joe Harroz and athletic director Joe Castiglione held a news conference to discuss Riley’s exit and reintroduce a familiar face in interim coach Bob Stoops. “We’re here today, surprised by yesterday, but with unlimited excitement for

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff What an epic rivalry weekend. Not only did Jim Harbaugh finally beat Ohio State, but he helped Michigan advance to the Big Ten title game in the process. Alabama was held scoreless for three quarters and needed last-minute heroics and four overtimes to win the Iron Bowl. And despite losing

8:30 PM ET Kyle Bonagura Close ESPN Staff Writer Covers the Pac-12. Joined ESPN in 2014. Attended Washington State University. Paolo Uggetti Six years ago, then-USC athletic director Pat Haden ushered a handful of reporters into an unglamorous conference room and announced that the school was putting Steve Sarkisian on an indefinite leave of absence.

3:59 PM ET Lincoln Riley said he wasn’t leaving Oklahoma for LSU. He didn’t say he wasn’t leaving the Sooners for USC. In a stunning move on Sunday, Riley, 38, accepted the head-coaching position at USC, according to ESPN and multiple reports. He replaces former Trojans coach Clay Helton, who was fired in September after

7:44 PM ET AUBURN, Ala. — Despite turning in one of its most inept offensive performances of the Nick Saban era during regulation, No. 3 Alabama rallied to defeat Auburn in the fourth overtime period, 24-22, on Saturday. With 1:35 remaining in the fourth quarter, trailing by 7 points and its College Football Playoff hopes

1:00 AM ET Rivalry weeks are a lot like “Fast and Furious” movies. There’s often huge amounts of animosity among the stars. The plots make absolutely no sense. And most significantly, there are no bad ones, just varying amounts of bloodshed and pyrotechnics. The 2020 installment was essentially the “Tokyo Drift” of rivalry weeks —

3:42 PM ET ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan defeated Ohio State for the first time under Jim Harbaugh with a 42-27 win Saturday. The Wolverines had lost 15 of the past 16 meetings, but they battered the Buckeyes for the first time since 2011 in an emphatic victory. Michigan took the lead to start the

12:06 PM ET Louisiana Tech and head football coach Skip Holtz have agreed to part ways, the school announced Friday. Holtz, 57, will coach his final game with the Bulldogs on Saturday against Rice. “Skip and I talked and agreed it was time for a change for both parties,” Eric Wood, vice president and director

5:40 PM ET Money has been pouring in on Ohio State this week at sportsbooks around the nation, including in Michigan, but on Friday morning, the point spread moved toward underdog Michigan. Caesars Sportsbook on Friday reported that 95% of the money bet on the point spread in Michigan was on Ohio State. The action

6:15 PM ET SMU coach Sonny Dykes will be the new head coach at TCU, sources confirmed to ESPN. Dykes, 51, is 30-17 in four seasons at SMU, including 25-9 in the past three seasons. In 2019, Dykes led SMU to a 10-2 season, becoming the first Mustangs coach to win 10 games in a

7:00 AM ET KARSON BELL HAS lived a charmed life as a college football fan this year — he has successfully rushed the field at three different games. The 19-year-old Blinn College student was decked out in Oklahoma gear for OU’s 21-point comeback win against Texas on Oct. 9 in Dallas, joining the first storming

9:26 PM ET Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker on Wednesday agreed to a 10-year deal worth $95 million to remain with the Spartans, the school announced. The new contract, which made headlines around college football last week leading up to the Spartans’ game at Ohio State, makes Tucker one of the highest paid coaches

7:00 AM ET A few months after Mississippi State hired Jackie Sherrill as its coach in 1991, then-Ole Miss coach Billy Brewer welcomed him to the Egg Bowl rivalry by calling him a “habitual liar.” The insult stemmed from what Brewer believed were improper recruiting tactics being employed by the Bulldogs. He alleged that Sherrill

7:00 AM ET Why did they stop serving ice in the drinks at Georgia games? Because the student who knew the recipe graduated. Why did Florida disband its water polo team? All the horses drowned. Did you hear about the Louisville grad who won the $4 million Kentucky state lottery? He asked to receive it

6:30 AM ET ESPN staff Rivalry Week is here! And while most of what makes this week great is the history, passion and petty in-fighting built over the past century, this year’s games also have plenty at stake on the field, too. Whether it’s fighting for a New Year’s Six bowl, a spot in a

6:45 AM ET It’s finally here, the week that hate — the clean, old-fashioned kind, mind you — is in fashion. If you’ve ever been accused of firing a contractor because he wore a rival’s shirt to your house, this is your time. Put the flag up outside your house. Get the group texts fired

7:00 AM ET [Editor’s note: It all comes down to this. What final weekend scheduling strategy will win the Bottom 10 title? Head-to-head matchups between ranked teams or blowout losses to good teams? One thing we know for sure: Michigan State left no doubt about the Coveted Fifth Spot.] Inspirational thought of the week: Someone

6:28 PM ET For the first time in the eight-year history of the College Football Playoff, a team from a Group of 5 conference has cracked the top four in the selection committee’s rankings, which would assure it a spot in one of the two semifinals games on New Year’s Eve. Cincinnati, one of just