#college-football-playoff

#college-football-playoff

Cal storylines: The Bears face their second straight AP Top 25 opponent, having lost 31-21 to then-No. 15 Virginia last week at home . . . Cal has dropped 14 consecutive games to Top 25 opponents, dating back to a 21-17 home victory over No. 21 Oregon in the COVID-shortened 2020 season . . . A loser in back-to-back games for the first time this season, Cal needs one victory in its final three games to secure bowl eligibility . . .

The first round of the 12-team College Football Playoff will start at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 19 on ABC and ESPN, followed by a tripleheader Dec. 20 that starts at noon, the CFP, ESPN and TNT announced Tuesday. ESPN, which has owned the exclusive rights to the playoff since its inception in 2015, is in the second year of its current expanded package, which includes all four games of the CFP first round with two of the games sublicensed to TNT Sports.

It's not supposed to care that Vanderbilt hasn't been 7-1 in 84 years. The 12 people in that room will absolutely care, though, that Vanderbilt is 7-1 now -- with back-to-back wins against ranked SEC opponents LSU and Missouri. Vanderbilt -- the story of the season so far -- is on the brink of making its first appearance in any CFP ranking during the playoff era.

The 2025-26 coaching cycle wasn't expected to be calm, like its predecessor. But few forecasted such a robust line of storms rolling through the sport in the first half of the season. All four power conferences have had a firing. Penn State's ouster of James Franklin, midway through his 12th season and barely 10 months removed from the team playing for a spot in the national title game, sent a message around the sport: Almost no coach is safe.

Week 8 of the college football season had the USC Trojans and Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the latest ( and hopefully not last) edition of their historic rivalry. The Irish, with two losses, need a win to stay alive in the College Football Playoff race and bolster their credentials. The Trojans are the only remaining team on the Irish's schedule that is currently ranked.

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.

Below you'll find one team in the spotlight for each of the Power 4 leagues and another identified as an enigma. We've also tiered schools into four groups. Teams with Would be in status are featured in this week's top 12 projection, a snapshot of what the selection committee's ranking would look like if it were released today. A team with Work to do is passing the eye test (for the most part) and has a chance at winning its conference, which means a guaranteed spot in the playoff. And a team that Would be out is playing in the shadows of the playoff -- for now.

One of the most anticipated weekends on the 2025 college football calendar is upon us. The headliner comes Saturday night when No. 6 Oregon visits No. 3 Penn State. A potentially season-defining occasion, the clash of Big Ten powers, will test quarterbacks Drew Allar (Penn State) and Dante Moore (Oregon), Nittany Lions coach James Franklin and the Ducks' backbone as they step into the hostile confines of Beaver Stadium in Week 5.

The 12-team College Football Playoff has significantly broadened the pool of candidates to include any team that has a chance to win its conference -- and that makes every FBS race matter longer, as the selection committee's five highest-ranked conference champions are guaranteed spots in the playoff. Heading into the final Saturday of September, the shifting continues as conference races are just beginning to heat up.

TAMPA, Fla. -- USF coach Alex Golesh repeated the same thing after both of his team's first two wins -- a stunning blowout in the season opener against Boise State, and another shocker last weekend against Florida -- "This ain't the same ol' South Florida, my brother!" The 2-0 Bulls are ranked for the first time since 2018, notched the first win in school history over the Gators and are an early favorite to win the Group of 5 automatic berth into the College Football Playoff.

Noah Whittington scores a 59-yard touchdown for the Ducks, which is quickly followed by a 65-yard pass by Dante Moore to Dakorien Moore that gives Oregon the early lead over Oklahoma State. (0:45) We're still months from the College Football Playoff, but we've already seen some big wins by the favorites to reach the 12-team tournament and some crucial losses by teams in last year's CFP.

Week 1 is wrapping up and we've seen plenty of surprise performances -- and some room for growth. Texas quarterback Arch Manning showed against Ohio State that there's room to improve when it comes to his decision-making, accuracy and timing. Meanwhile, Utah's new-look offense -- with a new offensive coordinator and starting quarterback -- showed that it might be the team to beat in a wide-open Big 12 title race.

Following public uproar over the potential end of their 100-year old football rivalry, USC has made an amended offer to Notre Dame that would extend their annual series for multiple years beyond this season, USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen told The Times. Negotiations remain ongoing between the two schools, but Cohen said she is "really hopeful" that USC's new offer, which better accommodates Notre Dame's preference for a long-term deal, would lead to an agreement "very soon."

If there's one thing we've learned from the debate between the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12 over the future of the College Football Playoff, it's that committees are awful. They get it wrong nearly every year despite the fact that they've mostly gotten it right.

"Do I want to play the game? Hell yeah, I want to play the game," Riley said. "It's one of the reasons I came here. But also, my allegiance and my loyalty is not to Notre Dame and not to anyone else. I'm the head coach of USC."

The College Football Playoff selection process is fraught with potential conflicts of interest, leading to widespread distrust among stakeholders in college football.