College sports
Mississippi cheerleaders cheer during the Walk of Champions in the Grove before an NCAA college football game between Mississippi and Texas A&M in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019. Football is being played in the Power Five conferences, but many of the longstanding traditions that go along with the games are on hold during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning)
Games go on, but many traditions on hold in college football

By Eric Olson 24 minutes ago

Duke cornerback Mark Gilbert (28) intercepts a pass intended for Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, in Durham, N.C. (Nell Redmond/Pool Photo via AP)
Duke loses CB Blackwell indefinitely after knee surgery

9 hrs ago

FILE - In this Oct. 24, 2019, file photo, Houston coach Dana Holgorsen watches during the second half of the team's NCAA college football game against SMU in Houston. Holgorsen, in his second year at Houston, and the Cougars face Baylor this week, in the first meeting between the schools since 1995. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke, File)
Houston still waiting to play after 3rd virus cancellation

By Ralph D. Russo 9 hrs ago

FILE -In this Nov. 2, 2019, file photo, Florida quarterback Kyle Trask throws a pass against Georgia during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Jacksonville, Fla. Isolated from coaches, teammates and friends during the coronavirus pandemic, Kyle Trask found plenty of extra free time this offseason. He reviewed each of his performances from his breakout year, trying to find and fix every flaw in hopes of improving the eighth-ranked Gators’ chances of becoming Southeastern Conference and national championship contenders in 2020. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
Media picks Alabama to top Florida in SEC championship game

9 hrs ago

FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2019, file photo, then-Appalachian State head coach Eli Drinkwitz shouts in the second quarter of an NCAA football game against Coastal Carolina, in Boone, N.C. The debut season for Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz got much more challenging when the Southeastern Conference adjusted its schedules this summer. Missouri’s original cross-division opponents in its SEC schedule were Arkansas and Mississippi State, which both finished below .500 last season. But when the SEC switched to a format in which each team will play 10 conference games, Missouri discovered it also would be hosting Alabama and visiting defending national champion LSU.(Allison Lee Isley/The Winston-Salem Journal via AP, File)
Mizzou's Drinkwitz: transparency trumps competitive edge

By Dave Skretta 9 hrs ago

FILE - In this Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, file photo, Lane Kiffin speaks to Mississippi fans after being announced as the new head football coach during a introductory press conference in Oxford, Miss. In attendance were his children, daughters Presley Kiffin, 13, left, Landry Kiffin, 15, second from left, and son Knox Kiffin, 10. Mississippi State's Mike Leach and Mississippi's Lane Kiffin brought big names and offensive pedigrees to the Magnolia State. But they drew huge challenges for their debuts, with the Bulldogs visiting defending national champion and No. 6 LSU and the Rebels hosting No. 5 Florida. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
College Football Picks: SEC start in most unusual season

By Ralph D. Russo 10 hrs ago

Wisconsin safety Reggie Pearson (2) waits for action during an NCAA football game on Friday, Aug. 30, 2019 in Tampa, Fla. Wisconsin has welcomed back offensive lineman Jon Dietzen and lost Pearson as it resumes practice to prepare for the pandemic-delayed season. The Badgers released a roster Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020 that didn’t include Pearson but added Dietzen, who had announced in February 2019 that he was stepping away from football due to injuries.(AP Photo/Mark Lomoglio, file)
Dietzen returns to Badgers; Pearson out for medical reasons

10 hrs ago

FILE - In this Nov. 9, 2019, file photo, Alabama coach Nick Saban reacts during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against LSU in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Alabama allowed 18.6 points per game nationally last season, good enough for 13th nationally. But it’s still the most the Tide has given up since 2007, Saban’s first year in Tuscaloosa. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)
SEC football opens minus big crowds, tailgating, some stars

By John Zenor 11 hrs ago

Budget shortfall forces deep cuts in Ohio St sports program

By Mitch Stacy 11 hrs ago
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State's athletic department will cut 25 jobs, furlough hundreds of other employees and ask coaches and others to take 5% pay cuts to...

FILE - In this Oct. 19, 2019, file photo, Georgia coach Kirby Smart, center, talks to his players during a timeout in the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against Kentucky in Athens, Ga. There will be much interest in possible changes coming to No. 4 Georgia’s offense with a new quarterback, who is expected to be Wake Forest transfer Jamie Newman, and a new coordinator, Todd Monken. Still, Smart’s Bulldogs may lean on their experienced defense in the pandemic-delayed season. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
Former UGa player says he experienced racism, manipulation

By Paul Newberry 13 hrs ago

Wake Forest running back Kenneth Walker III (9) looks for room to run against North Carolina State during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP)
The Latest: Notre Dame-Wake Forest rescheduled for Dec. 12

By The Associated Press 14 hrs ago

Flanked by other members of the Illinois congressional delegation, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky speaks about the importance of the United States Postal Service during a press conference outside the USPS Chicago Headquarters. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
Ill. Rep. Schakowsky backs College Athlete Bill of Rights

By Ralph D. Russo 14 hrs ago

Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy (15) runs off the field after an NCAA college football game against Louisiana-Lafayette, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in Ames, Iowa. Louisiana-Lafayette won 31-14. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Cyclones head into Big 12 opener at TCU in bounce-back mode

By Eric Olson Sep. 22, 2020 05:09 PM EDT

FILE - In this Tuesday, March 26, 2019, file photo, Georgia coach Kirby Smart is shown during an NCAA college football spring practice in Athens, Ga. Kirby Smart gives much credit to first-year Arkansas coach Sam Pittman for helping to make No. 4 Georgia an annual contender for the Southeastern Conference championship. Georgia opens its season at Arkansas on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in Pittman’s debut as the Razorbacks coach. Pittman was one of Smart’s top assistants as the Bulldogs’ offensive line coach for four seasons. (Joshua L. Jones/Athens Banner-Herald via AP, File)
No. 4 Georgia to be reunited with popular Pittman in opener

By Charles Odum Sep. 22, 2020 04:37 PM EDT

FILE - This Sept. 21, 2015, file photo, shows The Carrier Dome at Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y. The Carrier Dome at Syracuse University hosted its first football game 40 years ago this week, and it's undergoing a major upgrade as the football season opener looms. (AP Photo/Mike Groll, File)
Syracuse's Carrier Dome turns 40 years old, gets new look

By John Kekis Sep. 22, 2020 04:31 PM EDT

FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2020, file photo, the video board at Dudy Noble Field at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss., welcomes new NCAA college football head coach Mike Leach.Mississippi State's Mike Leach and Mississippi's Lane Kiffin brought big names and offensive pedigrees to the Magnolia State. But they drew huge challenges for their debuts, with the Bulldogs visiting defending national champion and No. 6 LSU and the Rebels hosting No. 5 Florida. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, FIie)
New Magnolia State coaches prepare for challenging debuts

By John Zenor Sep. 22, 2020 04:20 PM EDT

Kansas head coach Les Miles, left, greets Coastal Carolina head coach Jamey Chadwell before an NCAA college football game in Lawrence, Kan., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
Kansas, K-State try to rebound in Big 12 from Sun Belt blows

By Dave Skretta Sep. 22, 2020 04:08 PM EDT

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 30, 2019, file photo, then-Colorado State quarterback Collin Hill (15) plays in the third quarter of an NCAA college football game against Colorado, in Denver. New South Carolina offensive coordinator Mike Bobo will work with a very familiar face this season, his longtime passer at Colorado State in Collin Hill. Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp said Hill will start when his team opens up on Sept. 26 against No. 15 Tennessee. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
South Carolina looks for improvement from revamped offense

By Pete Iacobelli Sep. 22, 2020 04:00 PM EDT

FILE — In this Oct. 19, 2019, file photo, Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason watches from the sideline in an NCAA college football game against Missouri in Nashville, Tenn. Mason knows who his new starting quarterback is, but he isn't sharing his decision, not while looking for every advantage possible in the Commodores' season opener. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
Vandy coach still mum on starting QB vs No. 10 Texas A&M

By Teresa M. Walker Sep. 22, 2020 03:38 PM EDT

FILE - In this Nov. 9, 2019, file photo, Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman (13) runs the ball down the field for a touchdown against Penn State during an NCAA college football game, in Minneapolis. Bateman has decided to opt back in to the 2020 football season in light of the Big Ten’s resumption of fall competition. That's contingent on the star junior gaining the necessary eligibility clearance. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs, File)
Minnesota star WR Bateman wants to opt back into 2020 season

By Dave Campbell Sep. 22, 2020 03:20 PM EDT