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San Francisco Chronicle
10 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Ohio State's QB competition between Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz remains too close to call
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — After the first quarter of Ohio State's preseason practices, the competition between Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz for the starting quarterback spot remains too close to call. 'The competition continues,' coach Ryan Day said. 'They both have had good moments and moments where they're growing. I will say I've been pleased with the progress. It's going to go right down to the wire. 'The positives of having a competition is that you know every day you got to bring it. The guys are always on edge, they're uncomfortable, they're working at it. I think that's healthy for the entire building.' A quarterback competition the season after winning the College Football Playoff championship is routine at Ohio State. The circumstances, though, are different. In 2015, Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett both had experience as they battled. Jones led the Buckeyes to the title when he started the Big Ten championship and both CFP games after Barrett broke his ankle against Michigan. Sayin and Kienholz have a combined 34 pass attempts and 90 college snaps. They are competing to replace Will Howard, who transferred from Kansas State and threw for a Big Ten-high 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns in leading the Buckeyes to their sixth national title. Quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler is looking for consistency, especially as the Buckeyes start getting more into situational scenarios during practices the next two weeks. 'We have to be great on third down and in the red zone. That's where quarterbacks make their money,' Fessler said. 'We're in a spot where we're getting more and more of those situations every day. So it's an opportunity for those guys to go out and compete.' Sayin has shown better arm strength, though Keinholz has more athleticism after playing three sports in high school. Sayin originally committed to Alabama as the top-rated quarterback in the Class of 2024 and was taking classes when Nick Saban retired. Sayin then entered the transfer portal last spring and came to Ohio State. He played in four games, including the CFP first-round contest against Tennessee, and was 5 for 12 for 84 yards and one touchdown while taking 27 snaps. The sophomore is the slight favorite to emerge as the starter for the Aug. 30 opener against Texas, but he hasn't paid any attention to the outside hype. 'I feel like I'm developing in my footwork accuracy and mechanics. It's just all about building confidence. You make a great play, you start to build that confidence,' Sayin said. The last snaps Kienholz took in a game were in the 2023 Cotton Bowl against Missouri after starter Devin Brown was injured in the first half. Keinholz struggled, as he completed only six of 17 passes for 86 yards. However, the junior had a great offseason and was one of eight Ohio State players named an Iron Buckeye, which goes to players who excel during offseason workouts. 'As a freshman going in there, I didn't really know a whole lot. I didn't really know how protections worked and I mean, now that's something that I feel like I'm pretty good at, and I go out and and execute that well,' Keinholz said. 'I've been in the offense for three years now, so it's something that I think just more time, more reps and film study, it's helped me get better.' Freshman Tavien St. Clair is also getting snaps, but is still getting up to speed with the offense. He did come in as an early enrollee and participated in spring practices. Besides quarterback, Day and the coaching staff are looking for some of the positions to get an established starting group toward the end of the week. Day used a phrase from safeties coach Matt Guerrieri in comparing this week to the third round of a golf tournament, which is typically called moving day. 'This is moving week. We want to have our identity and it doesn't need to be in stone, but the players can tell us what we're doing and what our identity is coming out of this week,' Day said. ___
USA Today
40 minutes ago
- USA Today
Oregon Ducks cancel non-conference games vs. future Pac-12 team, per report
The Oregon Ducks will kick off the 2025 college football season in a matter of weeks with a home game against the Montana State Bobcats on August 30. However, they reportedly have made some changes to the upcoming schedule, according to a new report from According to the report, both the Oregon Ducks and Utah State Aggies have mutually agreed to cancel a portion of the non-conference series, originally scheduled for 2027, 2028, and 2029. In both 2027 and 2029, the Ducks were scheduled to host Utah State, currently a member of the Mountain West Conference, at Autzen Stadium for non-conference matchups, while Oregon was expected to travel to Logan, Utah, in 2028 to face the Aggies on the road. When this non-conference series was initially scheduled, Oregon was still a member of the Pac-12 Conference, and the major realignment had not yet taken place. Utah State has also announced that it will be leaving the Mountain West Conference in 2026 and joining the new-look Pac-12 Conference, effective July 1. FBSchedules reports that only the games in 2027 and 2028 have been canceled, and that the 2029 matchup is still currently scheduled to take place in Eugene, though there has been a change in the agreement surrounding that game. "Previously, the two schools were set to exchange $300,000 guarantees for the games in 2027 and 2028, and then Utah State would get $875,000 for the third and final game in Eugene," FBSchedules reports. "Per the contract amendment, the Ducks will now pay the Aggies a $1.2 million guarantee for the game in 2029, which is an increase of $325,000." As conference realignment has changed the landscape of the sport over the past couple of years, this is not the first instance of scheduling changes we've seen from top schools. Earlier this year, the Indiana Hoosiers struck the Virginia Cavaliers from their non-conference schedule in 2027 and 2028 with the aim of lightening their scheduling load going forward in the College Football Playoff era. We will see who the Ducks schedule in the Aggies' place going forward. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
Fox News
43 minutes ago
- Fox News
2025 SEC Title Odds: 'There's Not A Real Standout Team'
Can you believe it: The Southeastern Conference has four teams among the top 10 in College Football Playoff championship odds. Then, two more teams are knocking on the door of the top 10, and there might be a sleeper or two in the mix, as well. So it's no surprise that, for SEC championship odds, bookmakers expect quite a battle to see who takes home the league crown and presumably a first-round bye in the CFP. "The SEC feels more competitive than in past years. It used to be just Georgia and Alabama," Caesars Sports head of football trading Joey Feazel said. "There's not a real standout team, so maybe we will get some variance this year." Feazel serves up his insights into how bettors are playing SEC championship odds. Texas' Time? Texas has been in the SEC all of one season, but it was a pretty good one. The Longhorns reached the SEC title game, losing to Georgia 22-19, though still earning an at-large berth into the College Football Playoff. From there, Texas knocked off Clemson and Arizona State to reach the CFP semifinals, where the Longhorns' season ended in a 28-14 setback to eventual national champion Ohio State. For this season, Caesars opened Texas as the +280 favorite to win the SEC, and the Longhorns are now +260. That said, Feazel remains a little wary. "The Texas Longhorns are still new to this conference, but right now, they're controlling most of the money," Feazel said. Quarterback Quinn Ewers moved on to the NFL, which fully swings open the door for Arch Manning to start. That has early bettors quite enthusiastic. "They're banking on Arch Manning. He's the Heisman Trophy favorite. But is he gonna be that guy this year?" Feazel said. "He does have a high ceiling, but we don't know how low his floor is." Manning got two starts last year, when Ewers was out with an oblique injury. Those starts came against two overmatched teams: Louisiana-Monroe, in a 51-3 blowout, and Mississippi State, in a 35-13 victory. Close Behind Georgia is the +375 second choice in SEC championship odds. As noted above, the Bulldogs won the conference title last year, getting a bye to the CFP quarterfinals. That's where the season ended, in a 23-10 loss to Notre Dame. Georgia has played in the last four SEC title games and won back-to-back national crowns in 2021-22 and 2022-23. With that success, though, comes a higher calling for many players: the NFL. "Every year, Georgia loses a lot to the draft," Feazel said. "There are question marks around this team, whether it will have its dominant form." Alabama is the +400 third choice to win the SEC. But as the post-Saban era hits Year 2, bettors aren't quite as intrigued by the Crimson Tide, who didn't reach the SEC final or the CFP last season. "Alabama still has its betting faithful, but there's less action than they were getting in the Saban years," Feazel said. LSU is expected to be in the conference championship mix, as well, and in fact has seen its odds notably improve in the offseason. Caesars opened the Tigers at +1100, and they're now +650. "We have a big Louisiana betting base. That's the case every year," Feazel said, adding there's plenty of belief in QB Garrett Nussmeier. "He will be one of the top quarterbacks drafted next year. The LSU faithful are coming in." Major Mover Oklahoma is a +2500 long shot in odds to win the SEC, but that's significantly better than where the Sooners opened months ago, at +6000. Feazel and oddsmakers at other books feel Brent Venables' squad could be an SEC dark horse. "Oklahoma has one of the hardest schedules, but is getting really good action. More action than you'd expect on Oklahoma," Feazel said. "The Sooners are not the dominant offensive team we've seen in past years. They're trying to get that back. "They seem to be a value play in the SEC, driving a lot of money." Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He's based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on X: @PatrickE_Vegas. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
