CFB

AP Sports WriterNo. 19 LSU hoping key freshmen mature vs top-ranked 'BamaBy BRETT MARTELBATON ROUGE, La. (AP) If No. 19 LSU is to knock off the nation's top-ranked team, three-touchdown-favorite Alabama, a number of first-year Tigers will have to come of age in the toughest game of their...

Georgia coach Kirby Smart gets new 7-year, $49 million dealATHENS, Ga. (AP) After leading Georgia to the national championship game, football coach Kirby Smart has been rewarded with a seven-year contract worth $49 million.Georgia's athletic association approved the contract extension and new compensation package Thursday.Smart initially signed a...

AP College Football WriterBIG TEN SPOTLIGHT: 10-2 start has more shine than 2016 markBy ERIC OLSONThe Big Ten went 10-2 in nonconference play last week. It was the same number of losses it had on opening weekend a year ago.The difference was four FCS teams served as first-week fodder...

AP College Football WriterMartinez day-to-day; Frost says play might have been dirtyBy ERIC OLSONLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez is day-to-day with a right knee injury and it might be close to game time Saturday until it is known if he can play against Troy.Martinez was hurt...

AP College Football WriterCollege Football Picks: First can't-miss slate of seasonBy RALPH D. RUSSOIf this college football season was a television series, you could jump right in this weekend without needing to catch up on previous episodes.The first six weeks have been entertaining, sure, but really not much has...

Oklahoma St finds 'no signs' of racism in football programSTILLWATER, Okla. (AP) Oklahoma State’s athletic director said late Thursday an internal review had found “no sign or indication of racism” in the football program under coach Mike Gundy after a number of players raised concerns.“We have spent the...

Missouri receives $8 million gift toward football facilityCOLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) The University of Missouri has received an $8 million gift for its proposed football facility project at Memorial Stadium.The university's athletic department said Wednesday the donor wished to remain anonymous. Missouri has raised about $67 million of the...

AP Sports WriterA win-win: Georgia, Miami succeeding after coaching changeBy TIM REYNOLDSCORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) Miami coach Mark Richt's departure from Georgia two years ago was called a lot of things: a stepping down, a parting of the ways, a mutual decision, and a firing.The semantics are irrelevant...

Wisconsin WR Quintez Cephus returns to practiceMADISON, Wis. (AP) Wisconsin receiver Quintez Cephus has returned to practice and his coach says pending eligibility issues stem from a lack of credits because he was expelled amid sexual assault allegations this spring.Cephus was charged a year ago with sexually assaulting...

AP Sports WriterTired of waiting: Ohio State stars opt out, move on to draftBy MITCH STACYCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) With the chances of the Big Ten Conference playing a football season slipping away, two of Ohio State's best players have chosen to opt out and start preparing for the...

STATS FCS Senior Editor=Defending champion Alcorn, Prairie View favored in SWACBy CRAIG HALEY(STATS) - A change in head coaches hasn't tempered the high expectations surrounding Alcorn State, the two-time defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion.Alcorn State and Prairie View A&M were selected as the East and West division favorites, respectively,...

Hokies' McClease announces he's leaving for NFL DraftBLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) Virginia Tech running back Deshawn McClease says he's leaving school early to enter the NFL draft.McClease made the announcement Monday on Twitter.The 5-foot-9, 190-pound redshirt junior ran for 843 yards and seven touchdowns this season, including 126 yards...