#big-ten

#big-ten

Only a few weeks left and the Heisman race refuses to settle. Fernando Mendoza is the favorite, but at +160 he isn't close to locked in. Exactly a year ago, Travis Hunter sat at -400 before finishing the season with the trophy. Voters have short memories and long leashes, and with three pivotal Saturdays left, rivalry games, conference title stakes and a handful of candidates still searching for a moment, the race remains (a bit) open.

The Big Ten title might have gone through the Week 10 meeting between the Penn State Nittany Lions' visit to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Instead, Penn State's season collapsed and it has fired James Franklin and the Lions lost their starting QB, Drew Allar, for the season. The Buckeyes have been unstoppable and largely unchallenged this season. QB Julian Sayin has been remarkably efficient, completing 80% of his passes with a 19-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

A rule change allowing college basketball programs to schedule legitimate preseason matchups against other top programs has provided a few new data points to consider for preseason rankings. With the start of the men's college basketball season one week away, I've made a few adjustments to my original preseason poll. Those preseason games do not count, but as North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said last week, it's not like they're lab experiments. They keep score, Davis said.

Indiana has reached a new eight-year contract with Curt Cignetti, which will make him one of the highest-paid football coaches in the FBS with an annual average salary of about $11.6 million, the university announced Thursday. Cignetti guided the Hoosiers to a 10-2 record and a surprising College Football Playoff appearance in his first season at the school in 2024. This season, the No. 3 Hoosiers are 6-0 heading into Saturday's game against Michigan State.

The two schools discussed their shared skepticism during the call. One sticking point: The deal doesn't address the root issue -- soaring costs -- that have made the need for cash so imperative for athletic departments. Just providing short-term money, sources said, does not solve that issue. The schools also noted pending federal legislation that makes predicting the future of college athletics difficult, as well as a general apprehension at selling equity in a university asset (the conference media rights).

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, who left the Nittany Lions' stunning 22-21 loss to Northwestern on Saturday, is out for the season, coach James Franklin said in his postgame media availability. Allar hobbled off the field after a third down play in the fourth quarter, and was eventually carted off to the locker room. He was replaced by Ethan Grunkemeyer. "Drew will be done for the year," Franklin said.

Especially to those who questioned whether the 2024 Hoosiers belonged in the College Football Playoff, despite the dominance displayed for most of the season. "[The media] controls all that stuff, I just got to get them ready and then we all play our games and see what shakes out at the end of the year," Cignetti said diplomatically.

If we're going to do something monumental, do something monumental. Think outside the box. It's a very easy approach. ... We've all complained. The commissioner got up and complained. Coaches got up and complained about the selection process, which is understandable. It's a human system that has no standard of picking. There's going to be implicit bias. Why would we add more to that? I don't understand that.

SEC coaches favor adding one nonconference game against the Big Ten but need a partner to move forward with this scheduling agreement.

Katz's top-10 list showcases the increasing confidence in Purdue's roster, emphasizing their prospects for not just a successful season but a deep NCAA Tournament run.