
No. 4 Clemson's experience makes the Tigers the ACC favorite. Can anyone challenge them?
Still, the Tigers are the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference champions and coming off a trip to the College Football Playoff. Experience from that run is part of why the Tigers are the runaway preseason pick to finish atop the ACC again.

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Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Tigers bring 3-game road win streak into game against the Twins
Detroit Tigers (72-52, first in the AL Central) vs. Minnesota Twins (57-65, fourth in the AL Central) Minneapolis; Saturday, 7:15 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Tigers: Casey Mize (11-4, 3.50 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 93 strikeouts); Twins: Zebby Matthews (3-4, 5.11 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 57 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tigers -133, Twins +113; over/under is 9 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Detroit Tigers will try to keep a three-game road win streak alive when they take on the Minnesota Twins. Minnesota has gone 32-27 at home and 57-65 overall. The Twins have a 27-14 record in games when they did not give up a home run. Detroit is 72-52 overall and 33-28 in road games. The Tigers are fifth in the AL with 158 total home runs, averaging 1.3 per game. The matchup Saturday is the 12th meeting between these teams this season. The Tigers have a 7-4 advantage in the season series. TOP PERFORMERS: Byron Buxton leads the Twins with 43 extra base hits (15 doubles, four triples and 24 home runs). Trevor Larnach is 9 for 35 with a double, three home runs and six RBIs over the last 10 games. Riley Greene has a .267 batting average to lead the Tigers, and has 26 doubles, a triple and 28 home runs. Javier Baez is 11 for 33 with four RBIs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Twins: 5-5, .207 batting average, 3.72 ERA, outscored by four runs Tigers: 6-4, .238 batting average, 4.25 ERA, outscored opponents by one run INJURIES: Twins: Alan Roden: day-to-day (thumb), Christian Vazquez: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Simeon Woods Richardson: 15-Day IL (illness), Anthony Misiewicz: 15-Day IL (shoulder), David Festa: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Pablo Lopez: 60-Day IL (shoulder) Tigers: Matt Vierling: 10-Day IL (oblique), Paul Sewald: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Reese Olson: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Parker Meadows: 10-Day IL (quadricep), Sean Guenther: 60-Day IL (hip), Jackson Jobe: 60-Day IL (flexor), Jason Foley: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Alex Cobb: 60-Day IL (hip), Ty Madden: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jose Urquidy: 60-Day IL (elbow), Alex Lange: 60-Day IL (lat) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.


Winnipeg Free Press
6 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Charlie Morton shines on the mound, Dillon Dingler drives in 3, and Tigers rout Twins 7-0
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Charlie Morton gave up two hits and struck out five over six innings and the Detroit Tigers scored five runs in the first inning of a 7-0 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. Dillon Dingler hit a two-run single in the first, in which the Tigers batted around against Twins starter Pierson Ohl (0-3), who was making his fifth career start. An error by Minnesota second baseman Luke Keaschall led to four unearned runs. The was enough for 41-year-old right-hander Morton (8-10), who bounced back after a rough start against the Angels his last time out. Ohl, who faced Detroit earlier this month, lasted only 2 1/3 innings. Four of the seven total runs he surrendered were unearned. Dingler drove in his third run of the game with a double in the third. Javier Báez also drove in a pair of runs for the Tigers, who are leading the AL Central. Spencer Torkelson reached base three times and scored twice for Detroit. The start of Friday's game was delayed 26 minutes due to rain. Key moment Keaschall reached base three times, but his error in the first inning helped open the floodgates for the Tigers. It was the second error of his young 17-game MLB career. Key stat Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Friday was Morton's second start of the year in which he did not allow a run. He also put up a zero in a five-inning start against Baltimore in June. Up next RHP Casey Mize (11-4, 3.50 ERA) starts the third game of the series for the Tigers and looks to win his third straight outing. The Twins counter with RHP Zebby Matthews (3-4, 5.11), who beat Detroit in his prior start against the Tigers this season. ___ AP MLB:


Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
No. 11 Arizona State now seeks something special after Big 12 title debut in unpredictable league
Arizona State was a big surprise debuting in the Big 12 with a conference championship and making the College Football Playoff after being picked to finish at the bottom of the 16-team league. Kenny Dillingham, the 35-year-old coach now in his third season at his alma mater, bluntly told his Sun Devils they really didn't do anything special last year. 'The reality is there's been a lot of teams in college football who have done what we've done, who have won one year and then come back to reality,' Dillingham said. 'What would be special would be to continue to build off of that. The real challenge was how do we not become what normal teams in our situation do, which is fall back to where we've always been.' After a CFP quarterfinal loss in double overtime to now preseason No. 1 Texas, the No. 11 Sun Devils are the highest-ranked team from the unpredictable Big 12, even after the departure of do-everything running back Cam Skattebo to the NFL. They return quarterback Sam Leavitt (2,855 yards, 24 TDs passing), the preseason Big 12 offensive player of the year, and receiver Jordyn Tyson (75 catches, 1,101 yards, 10 TDs) is healthy after missing the end of the last season with a collarbone injury. The last time Arizona State was higher in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 was No. 8 in 1998, what turned into a 5-6 season. The Big 12's other ranked teams are No. 17 Kansas State and league runner-up No. 22 Iowa State, who open against each other with a conference game in Ireland on Aug. 23, along with No. 23 Texas Tech. All return quality starting quarterbacks. Texas Tech transformed its program with big money through the transfer portal and made the preseason poll for the first time since 2008, six years before three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes played a game for the Red Raiders. Passers and a rusher make contenders Baylor redshirt sophomore Bryson Washington (1,028 yards, 12 TDs) is the only of the Big 12's eight 1,000-yard rushers back from last season. The Bears, who won their last six regular-season games, also return quarterback Sawyer Robertson (3,335 yards, 27 TDs). Leading passer Shedeur Sanders (4,134 yards, 37 TDs) went in the NFL draft after two seasons at Colorado, but the next eight top QBs were all coming back, including Iowa State's Rocco Becht, Texas Tech's Behren Morton and K-State's Avery Johnson. The only change was Jake Retzlaff unexpectedly leaving BYU this spring after a since-dismissed civil sexual assault lawsuit. Three seasons after making the national title game, TCU has Josh Hoover (3,949 yards, 27 TDs) after a 9-4 season capped by four consecutive wins. Old coaches feeling some heat Only Iowa's Kirk Ferentz in his 27th season has been with his FBS team longer than Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy and Utah's Kyle Whittingham. The Big 12's stalwarts are coming off huge disappointments in their 20th seasons. Utah was the presumptive favorite last year to be the team to make its Big 12 debut with a title, but had its first losing season (5-7, 2-7 Big 12) since 2013. Two-time Pac-12 champion quarterback Cam Rising had to 'medically retire', but dual-threat QB Devon Dampier followed new offensive coordinator Jason Beck from New Mexico. Oklahoma State was 3-9 and didn't win a conference game, its first losing season since Gundy's 4-7 debut in 2005. And there is still plenty of uncertainty with two new coordinators and a lot of transfers. 'The changes in how we go about rebuilding, whether it's financially or roster management, have been challenging but also intriguing,' Gundy said. 'It's different than it's ever been before.' Familiar new coaches Scott Frost has reunited with UCF and Rich Rodriguez is back at West Virginia, but they are new coaches to the Big 12 since those schools weren't yet in the league when they were there. 'Whatever head coaching spot, it takes you six to nine months to kind of get a lay of the land,' Rodriguez said. 'Well, West Virginia took six to nine minutes. … But, then again, there's also times of change.' The Mountaineers are in their 14th Big 12 season. They has three consecutive 11-win seasons in the Big East from 2005-07 before Rodriguez went to Michigan. This is UCF's third Big 12 season. Frost coached UCF's undefeated season out of the American Athletic Conference in 2017, when the Knights declared themselves national champions and he left for Nebraska. Games to watch TCU opens 2026 in Ireland against North Carolina, but this year will be in Chapel Hill as the visitor for Bill Belichick's UNC debut on Labor Day night. The Horned Frogs two years ago lost their season opener in coach Deion Sanders' first game with Colorado. Sanders, who was treated this summer for bladder cancer, has his first Buffs game without a son on the team Aug. 29 against Georgia Tech. Other notable games: No. 11 Arizona State at Baylor, and No. 23 Texas Tech at Utah, Sept. 20; TCU at No. 11 Arizona State, Sept. 26; No. 17 Kansas State at Baylor, Oct. 4; No. 11 Arizona State at Utah, Oct. 11; No. 23 Texas Tech at No. 11 Arizona State, Oct. 18; No. 11 Arizona State at No. 22 Iowa State, and No. 23 Texas Tech at No. 17 Kansas State on Nov. 1; Big 12 championship game, Dec. 6. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and