Month: October 2020

Coaches Top 25 Projection, Rankings Prediction: Week 9

What will the 2020 Coaches Poll probably be after the Week 9 games? It’s our predicted best guess on the latest college football rankings.

What will the 2020 Coaches Poll probably be after the Week 9 games? It’s our predicted best guess on the latest college football rankings.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– Coaches Poll Rankings Greatest Programs of All-Time

This is the prediction and projection of the Coaches Poll Top 25 after Week 9 of the college football season. Again, this is a projection and not the real AP Poll.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

[jwplayer dHsncH1X]

Last week’s ranking in parentheses.

25. North Carolina Tar Heels 5-2 (13)

24. Michigan Wolverines 1-1 (14)

23. Northwestern Wildcats 2-0 (NR)

22. Auburn Tigers 4-2 (NR)

21. Army Black Knights 6-1 (25)

20. USC Trojans 0-0 (20)

19. Oklahoma Sooners 4-2 (24)

18 SMU Mustangs 6-1 (23)

17. Iowa State Cyclones 4-2 (22)

16. Oklahoma State Cowboys 4-1 (6)

15. Marshall Thundering Herd 5-0 (18)

14. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 6-0 (21)

13. Oregon Ducks 0-0 (15)

12. Wisconsin Badgers 1-0 (11)

11. Indiana Hoosiers 2-0 (19)

10. Miami Hurricanes 5-1 (12)

9. BYU Cougars 6-0 (10)

8. Florida Gators 3-1 (9)

7. Texas A&M Aggies 4-1 (8)

6. Cincinnati Bearcats 5-0 (7)

5. Georgia Bulldogs 4-1 (5)

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 6-0 (4)

3. Ohio State Buckeyes 2-0 (3)

2. Alabama Crimson Tide 6-0 (2)

1. Clemson Tigers 7-0 (1)

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Uriah Hall: Israel Adesanya ‘danced with Anderson’ Silva, and I ‘finished it’

Uriah Hall thinks he got over a meaningful career hump when he beat Anderson Silva in the UFC on ESPN+ 39 main event.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] believes he got over a meaningful career hump on Saturday when he beat Anderson Silva in the UFC on ESPN+ 39 main event.

Hall (16-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) has long been a fighter who many think has failed to live up to his potential inside the octagon. He got a defining win over Silva (34-11 MMA, 17-7 UFC), though, when he scored a fourth-round TKO in the middleweight headliner at the UFC Apex.

Like many fighters, Hall said he was a career-long admirer of Silva. He had to separate emotion from business inside the octagon, though, and he said he now feels championship-ready.

“It would be right next to (winning the title),” Hall told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC on ESPN+ 39. “It’s kind of like that hump to say, ‘Hey, you’re here bro – you can fly.’ I’ll do it.”

Although Hall kept his composure in the fight, it wasn’t the case after he dropped and stopped Silva. All the emotions came pouring out once the referee pulled him off, then the two athletes shared a long embrace in the cage. Hall was crying after the emotional outcome, and he said a lot his reaction was born out of sad feelings.

“I felt bad,” Hall said. “Leading up to the fight, there’s a lot of emotions and we all know Anderson is a ‘G’ and what he’s done for the sport. So for me to beat him up and potentially kill him is weird. Right after the event, all the emotions just came out. Even today, I woke up like, ‘I’m fighting him? (Expletive).’ So I said I’m sorry.”

Hall has long looked to turn himself into a contender at 185 pounds, and beating Silva seems like a solid start. He now put together three consecutive wins since joining the Dallas-based Fortis MMA, and reigning champ Israel Adesanya was seated cageside for the contest. Hall said he enjoyed Adesanya’s presence, and made sure to point out the he did what Adesanya couldn’t when he fought Silva at UFC 234: Finish the fight.

“I know he danced with Anderson, and I was the guy that finished it,” Hall said. “I know there’s an age difference. … He’s the champ. He had to do what he had to do to get to where he is. There’s respect. I knew he was out here. My guess, he was trying to see holes in me or give Anderson the rematch. I thought I looked sloppy out there.”

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Three reasons Oklahoma won 62-28 against Texas Tech in Lubbock

The three biggest reasons Oklahoma annihilated Texas Tech 62-28 in Lubbock on Saturday night.

Oklahoma came into their meeting with Texas Tech playing confidence after two straight wins and things just generally looking a lot more polished a week ago against TCU.

The Sooners were solid favorites on the road, but they still managed to greatly exceed expectations on Saturday night, hammering the Red Raiders by a final score of 62-28.

After Texas Tech snagged a quick 7-0 lead by marching right down the field on the game’s opening possession – it was never remotely close.

Oklahoma responded with 42 unanswered points to make it a laugher, with the starters largely sitting out the majority of the second half.

The Sooners followed up their most complete game of the year against TCU with an even more complete performance in Lubbock, here are three reasons why it happened.

AP Poll Top 25 Projection, Rankings Prediction: Week 9

What will the 2020 AP Poll probably be after the Week 9 games? It’s our predicted best guess on the latest college football rankings.

What will the 2020 AP Poll probably be after the Week 9 games? It’s our predicted best guess on the latest college football rankings.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– AP Poll Rankings Greatest Programs of All-Time

This is the prediction of the AP Poll Top 25 after Week 9 of the college football season. Again, this is a projection and not the real AP Poll.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

[jwplayer W4tzdjZt]

Last Week AP rankings in parentheses

25. Michigan Wolverines 1-1 (13)

24. Penn State Nittany Lions 0-2 (22)

23. Liberty Flames 6-0 (NR)

22. Northwestern Wildcats 2-0 (NR)

21. Auburn Tigers 4-2 (NR)

20. Oklahoma State Cowboys 4-1 (6)

19. Boise State Broncos 2-0 (25)

18. SMU Mustangs 6-1 (22)

17. USC Trojans 0-0 (21)

16. Oklahoma Sooners 3-2 (24)

15. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 5-0 (20)

14. Marshall Thundering Herd 5-0 (19)

13. Indiana Hoosiers 2-0 (17)

12. Oregon Ducks 0-0 (14)

11. Wisconsin Badgers 1-0 (9)

10. Miami Hurricanes 5-1 (11)

9. BYU Cougars 7-0 (11)

8. Florida Gators 3-1 (10)

7. Texas A&M Aggies 4-1 (8)

6. Cincinnati Bearcats 5-0 (6)

5. Georgia Bulldogs 4-1 (5)

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 6-0 (4)

3. Ohio State Buckeyes 2-0 (3)

2. Alabama Crimson Tide 6-0 (2)

1. Clemson Tigers 7-0 (1)

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How Twitter reacted to Oklahoma’s 62-28 win over Texas Tech

Oklahoma outclassed Texas Tech in every facet for 60 minutes, earning an impressive 62-28 victory on the road in Lubbock.

Despite a Texas Tech touchdown on the opening drive, this game was hardly close from the opening whistle onward. Oklahoma simply outclassed Texas Tech in every facet for 60 straight minutes, earning an impressive 62-28 victory on the road in Lubbock.

The Sooners took a 21-7 lead to end the first quarter, but added a 27-point barrage in the second to virtually put the game away before the teams had entered the locker room for halftime.

Spencer Rattler put a near perfect game and what was likely the best game of his young Sooner career. He finished 21-30 passing with 288 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Running back Rhamondre Stevenson and defensive end Ronnie Perkins made the most of their much-anticipated return. Stevenson carried the ball 13 times for 87 yards and three touchdowns while Perkins’ presence was felt along the trenches throughout the game.

For a team desperately needing a statement win, this game is perfect timing. And with Oklahoma State and Kansas State each losing this weekend, Oklahoma’s outlook in the Big 12 has suddenly perked up.

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Jags release FB Bruce Miller with several other moves

The Jacksonville Jaguars made several transactions Friday, including the release of fullback Bruce Miller. With him primarily serving as a blocker and being the only fullback on the roster, the move is an indication that the Jags will be going …

The Jacksonville Jaguars made several transactions Friday, including the release of fullback Bruce Miller. With him primarily serving as a blocker and being the only fullback on the roster, the move is an indication that the Jags will be going without the fullback position heading forward.

In addition to Miller’s release, the Jags also released kicker Aldrick Rosas from their practice squad.

Miller was signed this summer during training camp and was mostly used for blocking purposes, only garnering one catch for two yards. He made an appearance in all seven of the Jags’ games and started in four. However, with him just accumulating 56 snaps on offense (12%) and the run game flourishing without heavy usage of the fullback position, the Jags went in a different direction.

As for Rosas, he signed with the Jags’ practice squad on Sept. 28. With Stephen Hauschka dealing with a knee injury, Rosas had to be promoted to the active roster for the Jags’ Week 4 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. During that game, he was able to hit four-of-five field goals and an extra point attempt before having to go on injured reserve.

The Jags also had defensive end Josh Mauro plucked from their practice squad by the Arizona Cardinals Friday. He never saw the field with the Jags as a result of a five-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, but played for the Oakland Raiders in 2019.

Five things we learned about Ohio State football in the win over Penn State

Ohio State went on the road to Penn State and won rather convincingly. Here are five things we learned during the big win.

Ohio State came running out of the tunnel in Happy Valley and never looked back. The first play from scrimmage was a 62-yard run by Garrett Wilson, and from there Penn State had no answer for the Buckeye offense despite trying to stay in arms reach throughout the game.

In the end, it was a rather comfortable 38-25 victory on the road for this Ohio State squad, and now it must find a way to continue to be motivated as it goes through a stretch of games that it should be able to handle pretty easily.

As we do each week, here are five things we learned from what we saw this weekend, this time after what could up being the best team on the Buckeyes’ schedule. Time will tell.

NEXT … Ryan Day is the anti-Jim Tressel

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College GameDay Coming to South Bend for Notre Dame-Clemson

No Trevor Lawrence doesn’t mean no national interest when Notre Dame welcomes Clemson to South Bend.

No Trevor Lawrence doesn’t mean no national interest when Notre Dame welcomes Clemson to South Bend. In fact, ESPN has decided to give the game the highest honor it can bestow. That’s right. College GameDay will broadcast from South Bend ahead of kickoff.

During ESPN’s coverage, it showed a graphic that put this contest at the top of a list of games this season that have College Football Playoff implications. The Tigers might be able to afford to drop this game and still sneak into the bracket, but this is it for the Irish. If they can’t win this, it likely will take a miracle for them to get back into consideration for the playoff. So with or without Lawrence, ESPN decided it simply couldn’t ignore this game.

The hype building up to this game will be unreal, and it only makes sense that this be the culmination of it all. NBC might be covering the actual game, but ESPN just gave itself a nice piece of the ratings pie. And whether the Irish win or lose, the national spotlight will be a lot of fun.

Dana White: UFC plans on booking Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya next

Israel Adesanya has gotten his wish, according to UFC president Dana White.

LAS VEGAS – Dana White was initially hesitant to book [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] against [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag], but that changed thanks to [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag].

At the UFC on ESPN+ 39 post-fight news conference Saturday, the UFC president said Adesanya (20-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) will move to 205 pounds to fight Blachowicz (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC), the light heavyweight champion.

White attributed his willingness to book a fight between two of his champions to the former UFC middleweight champion Whittaker’s recent lack of interest in rematching Adesanya.

“Listen, when the fight was over on ‘Fight Island,’ the last fight (at UFC 254), I was like, ‘I’m going to have to sit down with this kid (Adesanya) and convince him on why he needs to fight Whittaker,'” White said. “Whittaker comes out and says he doesn’t want to fight him – craziest (expletive) I’ve ever seen. Yeah, there’s no arguing with Israel now. I thought Whittaker deserved the shot and Whittaker doesn’t want it, so yeah, we’ll let him do it.”

White did not reveal a timeline or location for the matchup.

Adesanya, 31, knocked out Whittaker to earn the undisputed middleweight title in October 2019. At UFC 248 in March, Adesanya defeated Yoel Romero by unanimous decision. At UFC 253 in September, Adesanya successfully defended his strap for the second time when he finished Paulo Costa with strikes.

Blachowicz, 37, earned the then-vacant light heavyweight championship at UFC 253 when he finished Dominick Reyes with strikes in Round 2. The victory was Blachowicz’s fourth win in as many fights and his third finish in that stretch.

UFC on ESPN+ 39 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streamed on ESPN+.

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Dana White says Anderson Silva ‘should never fight again,’ laments letting him compete again

If Anderson Silva opts against retirement after UFC on ESPN+ 39, his fighting future will come outside the octagon.

LAS VEGAS – If [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] opts against retirement after UFC on ESPN+ 39, his fighting future will come outside the octagon.

UFC president Dana White said that after Silva (34-11 MMA, 17-7 UFC) suffered a fourth-round TKO loss to Uriah Hall (16-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) in Saturday’s headliner that his UFC career is definitively over. And in fact, he regrets allowing Silva even step in the octagon.

“He fought a guy that has absolutely zero output,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC on ESPN+ 39. “They’re in a five-round main event on ESPN and they threw (expletive) 11 punches in the second round. You fight any of these other savages, he’ll be in big trouble, and he’ll take a (expletive)load of punishment. Uriah Hall threw 11 punches in the second round. Uriah Hall is one of the most gun-shy fighters in the UFC.

“And look at Anderson. When the fight was over, he couldn’t even stand up to do his interview. He had to sit down and do an interview. I made a big mistake and I shouldn’t have let him fight this fight tonight. He’s a legend of this sport and he’s a legend of this company, and I did something I disagreed with. I knew I was right, and tonight proved I was right, and Anderson Silva should never fight again.”

White expressed frustration with Silva’s pre-fight interview with MMA Junkie in which he said he thought the UFC has lost its “family” feel over the years. That disappointed White, who said he’s treated the likely future UFC Hall of Famer particularly well, even letting him take the fight with Hall when he thought he shouldn’t have.

“So, let me start here: It used to be a family when Lorenzo (Fertitta) was here and all that kind of stuff,” White said. “We all miss Lorenzo, and I will always admit that Lorenzo was always the kinder, gentler side of the UFC. But I’ve done nothing but be good to Anderson Silva, and tonight I don’t feel good about myself that I let Anderson Silva fight out this last fight. We’ve treated Anderson Silva with nothing but respect, and if you guys knew what Anderson Silva gets paid to fight, you’d (expletive) your (expletive) (expletive) pants. So, I think that we’ve treated him like family. I shouldn’t have let him fight this fight tonight.”

White confirmed Silva has one fight remaining on his UFC contract after UFC on ESPN+ 39, but it won’t happen, he said. If Silva insists on continuing, White indicated he’d allow “The Spider” out of his contract to compete for another organization. He said it would be a “scumbag” move to for anyone to pick him up, but he hopes cooler heads prevail.

“I’m not trying to prevent him from doing anything,” White said. “He’s a grown man and he can do what he wants, and he’s got one fight left with us. I’ll never let him fight here again. I want him to retire. And what I hope is when he goes home his family, he tells him that same thing.

“I’m in a really hard position right now because this is a guy I care about and this is a guy that’s been here for a long time and is a legend of his company, and I don’t want to sit here and (expletive) on him. But he’s almost 46 years old. Unless you’re trying to defend your (expletive) life or save your family, no one at 46 should be fighting.”

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