RALPH D. RUSSO
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrates against Texas during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Rodolfo Gonzalez)
AP Top 25 Takeaways: Bryce saves 'Bama; A&M, ND Sun Belted

By Ralph D. Russo Sep. 10, 2022 09:39 PM EDT
The college football offseason is mostly spent trying to figure what's going to

FILE - The College Football Playoff logo is shown on the field at AT&T Stadium before the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Alabama in Arlington, Texas, Jan. 1, 2021. The university presidents who oversee the College Football Playoff voted Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, to expand the postseason model for determining a national champion from four to 12 teams no later than the 2026 season. (AP Photo/Roger Steinman, File)
CFP committee digs into feasibility of early expansion to 12

By Ralph D. Russo Sep. 08, 2022 06:20 PM EDT
DALLAS (AP) — In a meeting room just down the hall from where the plan for a 12-team

Southern California running back Austin Jones (6) celebrates with wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) after scoring during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Rice in Los Angeles, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
College Football Picks: Future Big 12 showdown, USC's test

By Ralph D. Russo Sep. 07, 2022 11:33 AM EDT
Week 2 is a quick turnaround for college football fans. With the Labor

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) throws under pressure from Oregon defensive lineman Taki Taimani (55) in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
AP Top 25 Reality Check: Should Georgia be No. 1?

By Ralph D. Russo Sep. 07, 2022 01:33 AM EDT
Florida entered The Associated Press college football poll with a jolt.

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young throws a pass during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against Utah State, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
AP Top 25: Georgia moves up to No. 2, passing Ohio State

By Ralph D. Russo Sep. 06, 2022 02:17 PM EDT
Georgia moved up to No. 2 in the first Associated Press college football poll of the

FILE - The national championship trophy is seen before a new conference for the NCAA college football playoff championship game between Clemson and Alabama, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. The university presidents who oversee the College Football Playoff voted Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, to expand the postseason model for determining a national champion from four to 12 teams no later than the 2026 season.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
Analysis: Will a bigger College Football Playoff be better?

By Ralph D. Russo Sep. 04, 2022 02:19 PM EDT
While enthusiastically announcing plans to expand the College Football Playoff, those

Ohio State wide receiver Xavier Johnson, center, is tackled by Notre Dame cornerback TaRiq Bracy, right, linebacker Bo Bauer, top, and linebacker Jack Kiser during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
No. 2 Ohio State wears down No. 5 Notre Dame 21-10

By Ralph D. Russo Sep. 03, 2022 11:11 PM EDT
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — With its vaunted offense bogged down, No. 2 Ohio State leaned

Georgia tight end Darnell Washington (0) runs past Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa, bottom, after a catch in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
AP Top 25 Takeaways: Georgia underrated? Pac-12 dumped again

By Ralph D. Russo Sep. 03, 2022 08:03 PM EDT
Maybe Georgia was underrated. The defending national champions came

FILE - Alabama's James Burnip warms up before the College Football Playoff championship football game against Georgia on Jan. 10, 2022, in Indianapolis. The university presidents who oversee the College Football Playoff are scheduled to meet Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, to discuss expanding the four-team format, re-opening the possibility that a new model for crowning a champion could be implemented as soon as the 2024 season. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
College Football Playoff to expand to 12 teams by '26 season

By Ralph D. Russo Sep. 02, 2022 03:24 PM EDT
After 14 1/2 months of haggling over details and questioning motivations, a plan to

FILE - Alabama's James Burnip warms up before the College Football Playoff championship football game against Georgia on Jan. 10, 2022, in Indianapolis. The university presidents who oversee the College Football Playoff are scheduled to meet Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, to discuss expanding the four-team format, re-opening the possibility that a new model for crowning a champion could be implemented as soon as the 2024 season. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
AP sources: Presidents meeting to discuss CFP expansion

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 31, 2022 08:35 PM EDT
The university presidents who oversee the College Football Playoff are scheduled to

FILE - Utah quarterback Cameron Rising (7) runs for a touchdown during the first half in the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game against Ohio State Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, in Pasadena, Calif. Rising isn’t facing a battle to be Utah’s starting quarterback heading into a new season. Rising cemented his spot atop the depth chart when he led the Utes to their first ever Pac-12 championship and Rose Bowl berth a season ago. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
College Football Picks: Pac-12 contenders head down South

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 31, 2022 10:37 AM EDT
Now the college football starts for real. Well, not that it didn't

FILE - Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman holds a helmet while posing for a portrait with University president John I. Jenkins, left, and Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick during a news conference on Dec. 6, 2021, at the Irish Athletic Center in South Bend, Ind. Swarbrick told The Associated Press on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, that the Fighting Irish's position is even stronger now than when he stepped into the job in 2008, bolstered by success on the football field and investments in the program. (Michael Caterina/South Bend Tribune via AP, File)
Recent success secures Notre Dame's treasured independence

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 30, 2022 06:24 PM EDT
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame is as confident as ever that the treasured

FILE - Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders calls out a play in the first half of Jackson State's Blue and White Spring NCAA college football game April 24, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. Last season, Sanders' second as Jackson State head coach, the Tigers went 11-2 and won the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Then Sanders signed two Power Five-level recruits to the HBCU, an unprecedented recruiting feat. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
On Football: Could Coach Prime jump from SWAC to big-time?

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 30, 2022 10:30 AM EDT
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Sitting on a metal folding chair just beyond the end zone of

FILE - Notre Dame offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson (55) plays during the second half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football game against Oklahoma State, Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, in Glendale, Ariz. Patterson was named to The Associated Press preseason All-America team, Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)
All-America OL Patterson questionable for Irish at No. 2 OSU

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 29, 2022 02:43 PM EDT
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said Monday that offensive

FILE - Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) attempts a pass under pressure from Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter (88) during Georgia's spring NCAA college football game, Saturday, April 16, 2022, in Athens, Ga. The 2021 season was filled with surprising contenders and conference champions. Another season with that much volatility in 2022 seems unlikely. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)
PICK SIX: Who will win the national championship in 2022?

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 25, 2022 02:53 AM EDT
Sometimes a prediction can feel right even though it ends up wrong. And vice versa.

FILE - Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, center, is dunked with water by Wes Welker (27), left, and Cody Campbell (64) right during the final minutes against Navy in the Houston Bowl on Dec. 30, 2003 in Houston. Of the top 25 most-prolific passing seasons in major college football history by yards per game, 12 have direct connections to Hal Mumme and Leach — from Kentucky to Houston to Texas Tech to New Mexico State to Washington State. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
Air Raid evolution: Pioneering offense passes test of time

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 24, 2022 09:21 AM EDT
Mike Leach settles into a leather chair in his office overlooking Mississippi State's

FILE - Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud plays in an NCAA college spring football game Saturday, April 16, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. Stroud is a top contender for the 2022 Heisman Trophy. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)
PICK SIX: From the Heisman to the Thorpe, the winners are?

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 24, 2022 02:38 AM EDT
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is the first Heisman Trophy winner since 2017 to play

FILE - Alabama defensive back Jordan Battle (9) celebrates his interception of a Mississippi State pass during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. Battle is among four players from the top-ranked Crimson Tide selected to The Associated Press preseason All-America team Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
AP preseason All-America team highlighted by Alabama stars

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 22, 2022 12:01 PM EDT
Alabama stars Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. are among four players from the top

FILE - In this March 21, 2013, file photo, taken with a fisheye lens, the NCAA logo is displayed on the court during the NCAA college basketball tournament in Philadelphia. NCAA officials sent a letter to its membership Thursday, AUg. 18, 2022, noting its enforcement's staff pursuit of “potential violations” of the name, image and likeness compensation policy and emphasizing the need for schools to help investigations. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
NCAA asks members for help with NIL violation investigations

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 18, 2022 04:36 PM EDT
NCAA officials sent a letter to its membership Thursday noting its enforcement's

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh talks to reporters during an NCAA college football news conference at the Big Ten Conference media days, at Lucas Oil Stadium, Tuesday, July 26, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
B1G deal: Big Ten lands $7 billion, NFL-style TV contracts

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 18, 2022 09:27 AM EDT
The Big Ten's new $7 billion media rights deal will string the conference's top