Among the dozen, the Aggies have been the closest to reaching the College Football Playoff, finishing right on the outside in 2020 at No. 5.
The Texas A&M football team has been on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff since its inception.
However, in the second season with head coach Mike Elko at the helm, the Aggies may be bound for a breakthrough season in 2025.
CFB Select recently chose Texas A&M as 1-of-12 teams that could make its first CFP appearance next season. The Aggies were joined by: Auburn, BYU, Colorado, Florida, Louisville, Miami, Marshall, South Carolina, Texas State, UNLV and Utah.
Among the dozen, Texas A&M has been the closest to reaching the postseason. Led by former coach Jimbo Fisher, the Aggies finished right on the outside looking in at No. 5 in 2020.
Florida and Utah have each finished in the top 12 three times. The Gators were No. 10 in 2018, No. 9 in 2019 and No. 7 in 2020. The Utes were No. 11 in 2019, No. 11 in 2021 and No. 8 in 2022.
Auburn ranked No. 7 in 2017 and No. 12 in 2019. Colorado and Miami were ranked No. 10 in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Texas A&M kicks off a new campaign Aug. 30 versus UTSA at Kyle Field.
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These teams could reach their first College Football Playoff next year.
Colorado men’s basketball (9-8, 0-6 Big 12) has begun its conference slate winless through six games for the first time since 2016-17. On Tuesday, the Buffs will look to finally etch a win against the BYU Cougars (11-6, 2-4 Big 12) in Boulder.
BYU hasn’t had an ideal start to Big 12 play either, losing four of its last five games. On Saturday, the Cougars faltered on the road in overtime to the Utah Utes.
With Elijah Malone returning to action against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday, the Buffs may have the size needed to deal with BYU’s Keba Keita, the conference’s fifth-leading rebounder (8.5 per game). Within the Big 12, the Cougars are the third-best rebounding team (39.9 per game).
Colorado will also face freshman guard Egor Demin, who’s second in the conference in assists per game (5.7).
A late-night tipoff from the CU Events Center is set for 9 p.m. MT (ESPNU).
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AJ Dybantsa decided to play college basketball at BYU, but before that, he considered various other schools including North Carolina.
Picture this scenario that Dybantsa experienced: You are the top basketball recruit in the nation and while meeting with the program, the university opts to weirdly invoke the success of their biggest rival as a reason to attend their school.
That is somehow exactly what happened for Dybantsa when he met with UNC, according to a recent profile by Matt Norlander. It makes no sense, but alas, here is what Dybantsa was reportedly told (via CBS Sports):
“North Carolina pitched him a vision of being the next all-time scoring superstar to wear Tar Heel Blue, following in the footsteps of Michael Jordan, Vince Carter and Jerry Stackhouse. They referenced how Zion Williamson’s net worth skyrocketed by choosing to play at Duke instead of Clemson, laying out what one season at a blue blood did for his career in advance of being drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans, including a shoe deal worth upward of $50 million before ever playing an NBA game.”
That was an absolutely absurd decision, and Duke seemed to troll UNC afterward by posting a GIF of Williamson:
After hearing this pitch, and the whopping NIL deal, it isn’t exactly as much a surprise that the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft decided BYU as a better fit than UNC.
Whoever mentioned Williamson should probably reconsider that for future meetings with recruits.
Dybantsa chose to play for Brigham Young over Kansas, North Carolina, and Alabama. He will suit up next season in Provo after transferring to Utah Prep from Prolific Prep in California for his final year of high school hoops.
The 17-year-old, 6-foot-9 forward has won gold medals for Team USA at the FIBA U17 World Cup and FIBA U16 Americas Championship.
He will play for Kevin Young, a former Phoenix Suns assistant, at BYU. He is the first five-star recruit in the modern recruiting era of program history. It is expected he will sign a massive NIL deal potentially worth around from $5 million to $7 million.
Dybantsa, who said he plays like Tracy McGrady and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and considers himself a point forward, intends to contend for a college championship in the NCAA.
He could potentially join Egor Demin as back-to-back lottery picks for BYU, which would likeely change the trajectory of the program forever.
The perfect NIL pairing has happened for BYU QB Jake Retzlaff
A toast to BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff for his NIL deal.
The Jewish QB at the Mormon college has a new NIL deal and it is a perfect fit.
Retzlaff and Manischewitz will be working together in a pairing with great synergy.
Per Retzlaff in a press release:
“Manischewitz has always been part of my life, I grew up with matzo with peanut butter as my favorite snack, and every Passover, my family and I made matzo pizza together. At Chanukah time our tradition was making potato latkes.
“Now, at BYU, I’m able to share these traditions with my teammates. This partnership is about more than football — it’s about creating connections and celebrating Jewish pride in ways I never expected.”
The business chimed in on working with its newest partner:
“We are so proud to welcome Jake officially into the Manischewitz family this holiday season,” Shani Seidman, the chief marketing officer of Kayco, Manischewitz’s parent company, said in the release. “He is such an inspiration, and we are honored to support his exciting football career and dream. This partnership represents everything the brand aspires to be — celebrating our heritage and bringing awareness to Jewish food and excellence.”
We are proud to announce a collab that everyone saw coming:@jretz11 (AKA: BYJew) & Manischewitz!
Jake made history this year as the first Jewish quarterback at Brigham Young University. The world’s most famous Jewish brand, is thrilled to be sponsoring him on his journey! pic.twitter.com/lcUJA5eeRT
Three stars for Iowa women’s basketball during their two-game stay in the Cancun Challenge.
The No. 22-ranked Iowa women’s basketball team (8-0) wrapped up a perfect record in the two-game Cancun Challenge from the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya with a close 69-62 win over Rhode Island on Thursday and a blowout 68-48 victory against BYU on Friday.
In the two games combined, the Hawkeyes‘ offense shot 49-for-99 (49.5%) from the field and 17-for-40 (42.5%) from 3-point territory. The team also finished with a combined 66 rebounds and 34 assists.
Defensively, Iowa held Rhode Island and BYU to a combined 40-for-109 (36.7%) from the field and 15-for-42 (35.7%) from deep. Iowa also collected 18 steals and eight blocks combined through the two games played in Cancun.
With the Hawkeyes returning to the cold midwest weather of Iowa City, here’s a look at Iowa’s three stars from the Cancun Classic.
Senior center Addison O’Grady continued her dominating role at center by finishing with the two-game invitational with 30 points on 14-of-17 shooting (82.4%) from the field, including 2-for-2 (100%) from the charity stripe.
The senior also added nine assists, nine rebounds, six blocks, and one steal to her total in both games.
For O’Grady, this is another impressive set of performances that should bring deserved recognition later on in the season.
Hannah Stuelke
Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Junior forward Hannah Stuelke had two solid performances for the Hawkeyes by scoring 29 points on 10-for-17 shooting (58.8%) from the field, 2-of-6 (33.3%) from deep, and 8-for-14 (57.1%) from the free throw line.
The junior forward also added a combined 12 rebounds, five assists, and two steals for the Hawkeyes while in Mexico.
While expected, Stuelke’s consistent scoring and rebounding presence is always well appreciated, especially as the season progresses.
Aaliyah Guyton
Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Freshman guard Aaliyah Guyton made a major contribution off the bench throughout the Cancun Challenge as she contributed 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting (66.6%) from the field, 5-of-6 (83.3%) from deep, and 1-of-2 from the free throw line.
She also added four assists, four rebounds, one steal, and one rebound to her 39 minutes of game time throughout the invitational.
Iowa returns to action on Dec. 7 as they head to Brooklyn, N.Y. where they will play in the Women’s Champions Classic vs. Tennessee. Game time for that matchup is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on Fox and on the Hawkeye Radio Network.
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Senior guard Lucy Olsen finished with a game-high 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting in the win. Olsen added eight boards, five assists and one steal.
Senior center Addison O’Grady had another strong performance, chipping in with 14 points, seven rebounds and a pair of assists on 4-of-5 shooting.
But, it was what Iowa did defensively and on the glass that really turned heads. The Hawkeyes limited Washington State to 27.4% shooting from the field and 23.3% from 3-point range. Iowa forced 20 WSU turnovers and outrebounded the Cougars, 53-37.
As Iowa reenters the national conscience, the Hawkeyes’ rise is reflected by ESPN’s Feast Week guide. ESPN’s Charlie Creme tabbed Iowa’s Friday date against BYU among its must-see games during Feast Week.
Iowa has proved that life after Caitlin Clark and Lisa Bluder exists with an offense that is still among the best in the country through five games. BYU wasn’t supposed to contend in the Big 12 but is off to a solid start behind freshman Delaney Gibb. If the Cougars’ postseason aspirations are real, this is a perfect chance to prove it. – Creme, ESPN.
Iowa is once again starting to represent that type of resume-building opportunity for opponents. The Hawkeyes are slated to tip off against BYU (5-1) at 8 p.m. CT on Friday, but Iowa has another game in the Cancun Challenge before it.
Iowa will square off against Rhode Island (4-3) at 5:30 p.m. CT on Thanksgiving Day. Both games will stream on FloCollege.
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Arizona State held off BYU in a game with an odd finish
Call it a premature evacuation.
Arizona State fans thought the Sun Devils had beaten BYU on Saturday.
ASU tried to kill off the final 58 seconds of the game by running backward and burning clock.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt finally heaved the ball up in the air figuring by the time it landed the clock would read 0:00.
The crowd stormed the field but the officials ruled BYU had a second left and a chance for a Hail Mary. That would have been problematic because the fans had already had their way with s set of goalposts.
Arizona State held on for the Big 12 win in over of the most odd finishes this year.
Arizona State fans prematurely rushed the field and took down the goal post with one second left in the game pic.twitter.com/yRENXDqcVb
What is it with college football fans rushing the field too soon this season?
The latest trend in college football feels like the fan equivalent of dropping the ball before crossing the goal line. Saturday saw Arizona State become the third fanbasein the last month to commit the absurd sin — but it was easily the most chaotic.
As the No. 21 Sun Devils hosted No. 14 BYU in a game with Big 12 championship — and College Football Playoff — implications, Arizona State fans thought the game was after running out the clock on fourth down near midfield with a 28-23 lead. In fact, there was one second left on the clock, which meant BYU still had a chance at a Hail Mary to pull off the comeback.
But all of that had to be sorted out while fans were actively rushing the field, creating absolute madness as coaches, players and fans tried to spread the word that the game was not over.
Arizona State fans prematurely rushed the field and took down the goal post with one second left in the game pic.twitter.com/yRENXDqcVb
Getting all the fans back to their seats wasn’t exactly realistic. Instead, the officials decided to clear the field as much as possible. Which meant packing fans along the sidelines in a truly bizarre scene.
About 20 minutes after fans first rushed the field, play was finally able to resume. BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff dropped back, bought himself some time and heaved a ball all the way down to the two-yard line. Game over. Arizona State wins. And the fans got to rush again — this time without any barriers.
Thankfully this worked out for Arizona State, but we’ve really got to chill on this trend. Just wait til the clock hits zero before you celebrate a win.
This seems like a PERFECT fit for the Jazz if they don’t Cooper Flagg.
One of the most exciting names in college basketball is BYU freshman Egor Demin, who is off to an incredibly hot start this season.
After one of the strongest debuts of any first-year player, the 18-year-old freshman from Russia looks like one of the most promising prospects in all of college basketball. He is averaging 17.0 points and 7.5 assists per game at 6-foot-9, shooting 11-of-20 (.550) on 3-pointers as well.
Read more from Jonathan Wasserman on why this is such a good pick (via Bleacher Report):
“While the Cooper Flagg hype came built in after years of coverage and NBA accessibility, no player has generated more NBA buzz on his own so far than Egor Demin.
BYU coach Kevin Young has given the freshman an ideal role to showcase his on-ball upside, and the Russian has capitalized, looking like a legitimate 6’9″ initiator creating advantages and setting up teammates with his handle, size and passing IQ.
So far, he’s looked fluid and convincing enough for scouts to start feeling confident in his ability to continue playmaking at a high level in the NBA.
He also looks substantially further ahead as a shooter than previous jumbo playmakers like Josh Giddey, Anthony Black or even Scottie Barnes. Demin made 11 threes over his first four games. And even if the accuracy falls off, his early start and track record overseas point to clear shotmaking confidence and shooting becoming a regular part of his scoring attack.
Looking ahead, scouts will be eager to assess Demin against power-conference opponents, specifically his ability to create separation and finish inside the arc.”
Demin has not faced much competition so far this season. Among all teams ranked in the top 30, via KenPom, only five have had less difficult strength of schedule so far. But if he can keep this up, expect he will only continue this ascension on draft boards.
The Jazz could make a lot of sense for Demin to pair him with Keyonte George as their backcourt of the future. Jazz chairman Ryan Smith and CEO Danny Ainge both attended BYU and are reportedly very big donors to the university. They would likely find it thrilling to add the next great BYU star to their roster.
Another team with potential interest is the Spurs, who selected him in ESPN’s latest mock draft.
