North Dakota State plays Troy in NIT
Fargo, North Dakota; Monday, 8 p.m. EDT
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NBC Sports
2 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Pick Six: Boise State primed to make another run at Group of Five's auto bid for CFP
Losing a Heisman Trophy finalist, the best defensive player on the team and other key personnel would tamp down expectations for a lot of programs even in this era of quick fixes through the transfer portal. Not Boise State, which brings back more than enough talent to be deemed the favorite to earn the Group of Five's guaranteed College Football Playoff bid a second straight year. Boise State has a second-year starter in quarterback Maddux Madsen, who threw for more than 3,000 yards with 23 touchdowns, and a deep offensive line returning 10 players who started a game. One of Madsen's favorite targets will be Matt Lauter, an All-Mountain West Conference pick whose 47 receptions set a school record for tight ends. The departure of Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman runner-up, creates opportunities for promising running backs Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines. There's a hole on the defensive line without Ahmed Hassanein, the MWC's top defensive draft pick as a sixth-rounder. Edge rusher Jayden Virgin-Morgan and linebacker Marco Notarainni, both All-MWC picks, are back. So are cornerbacks A'Marion McCoy and Jeremiah Earby. The Broncos' early schedule is intriguing: The opener at South Florida is followed by a mid-September trip to Air Force to start Mountain West play. There also is a road game against No. 6 Notre Dame. This is the second year the highest-ranked G5 conference champion will be assured a spot in the playoff. In addition to the Mountain West, the G5s are the American, Conference USA, Mid-American and Sun Belt. Tulane The Green Wave are looking for their fourth straight American Conference championship game appearance, and their 32 wins over the last three seasons are fourth-most nationally. Jon Sumrall brought in 34 transfers after getting dinged hard in the portal. Transfers Jake Retzlaff (BYU) and Brendan Sullivan (Iowa) are battling at QB, and the running back and receiver rooms are full of new faces. The offensive line is perhaps the best in the league, and the defense has quality players at all three levels. The schedule, with a home game against Duke and a trip to Mississippi, is second-toughest among G5 teams. Memphis The Tigers are extremely tough at home, and that's where they play key American games against South Florida, Tulane and Navy and a nonconference game against Arkansas. Nevada transfer Brendon Lewis takes over for four-year starter Seth Henigan at quarterback. As many as nine transfers could start on defense. Returning all-conference D-lineman William Whitlow Jr. is a menace. James Madison The Sun Belt Conference is a crapshoot, but James Madison gets the nod. Coach Bob Chesney was deciding between returning QB Alonza Barnett III, who is coming back from an ACL tear, and UNLV transfer Matt Sluka. Barnett set a school record with seven touchdowns in a 70-50 win over North Carolina and threw just four interceptions over 12 games. The Dukes also have the Sun Belt's top defense. JMU's biggest games are on the road — Louisville and Liberty in nonconference and Texas State, Marshall and Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt. Toledo Jason Candle, who has never had a losing record in nine-plus seasons as Rockets coach, could have his best team. He retained his best players, added key transfers and the schedule is one of his most manageable in years. The Rockets play four of last year's five bottom teams in the Mid-American Conference and avoid defending champion Ohio in the regular season. Key newcomers are RBs Chip Trayanum (Arizona State, Ohio State and Kentucky) and Trayvon Rudolph (Northern Illinois). They should help bring life to a lethargic rushing game and take pressure off returning QB Tucker Gleason. Liberty Coastal Carolina transfer Ethan Vasko takes over at quarterback following Kaidon Salter's departure for Colorado. Question marks remain at several spots, but the Flames' schedule is one of the easiest among Group of Five teams and they should be back in the Conference USA championship game after faltering late last season. The Flames, who joined the FBS seven years ago, have won at least eight games six straight seasons.
San Francisco Chronicle
13 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Pick Six: Boise State primed to make another run at Group of Five's auto bid for CFP
Losing a Heisman Trophy finalist, the best defensive player on the team and other key personnel would tamp down expectations for a lot of programs even in this era of quick fixes through the transfer portal. Not Boise State, which brings back more than enough talent to be deemed the favorite to earn the Group of Five's guaranteed College Football Playoff bid a second straight year. Boise State has a second-year starter in quarterback Maddux Madsen, who threw for more than 3,000 yards with 23 touchdowns, and a deep offensive line returning 10 players who started a game. One of Madsen's favorite targets will be Matt Lauter, an All-Mountain West Conference pick whose 47 receptions set a school record for tight ends. The departure of Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman runner-up, creates opportunities for promising running backs Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines. There's a hole on the defensive line without Ahmed Hassanein, the MWC's top defensive draft pick as a sixth-rounder. Edge rusher Jayden Virgin-Morgan and linebacker Marco Notarainni, both All-MWC picks, are back. So are cornerbacks A'Marion McCoy and Jeremiah Earby. The Broncos' early schedule is intriguing: The opener at South Florida is followed by a mid-September trip to Air Force to start Mountain West play. There also is a road game against No. 6 Notre Dame. This is the second year the highest-ranked G5 conference champion will be assured a spot in the playoff. In addition to the Mountain West, the G5s are the American, Conference USA, Mid-American and Sun Belt. The Green Wave are looking for their fourth straight American Conference championship game appearance, and their 32 wins over the last three seasons are fourth-most nationally. Jon Sumrall brought in 34 transfers after getting dinged hard in the portal. Transfers Jake Retzlaff (BYU) and Brendan Sullivan (Iowa) are battling at QB, and the running back and receiver rooms are full of new faces. The offensive line is perhaps the best in the league, and the defense has quality players at all three levels. The schedule, with a home game against Duke and a trip to Mississippi, is second-toughest among G5 teams. Memphis The Tigers are extremely tough at home, and that's where they play key American games against South Florida, Tulane and Navy and a nonconference game against Arkansas. Nevada transfer Brendon Lewis takes over for four-year starter Seth Henigan at quarterback. As many as nine transfers could start on defense. Returning all-conference D-lineman William Whitlow Jr. is a menace. James Madison The Sun Belt Conference is a crapshoot, but James Madison gets the nod. Coach Bob Chesney was deciding between returning QB Alonza Barnett III, who is coming back from an ACL tear, and UNLV transfer Matt Sluka. Barnett set a school record with seven touchdowns in a 70-50 win over North Carolina and threw just four interceptions over 12 games. The Dukes also have the Sun Belt's top defense. JMU's biggest games are on the road — Louisville and Liberty in nonconference and Texas State, Marshall and Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt. Toledo Jason Candle, who has never had a losing record in nine-plus seasons as Rockets coach, could have his best team. He retained his best players, added key transfers and the schedule is one of his most manageable in years. The Rockets play four of last year's five bottom teams in the Mid-American Conference and avoid defending champion Ohio in the regular season. Key newcomers are RBs Chip Trayanum (Arizona State, Ohio State and Kentucky) and Trayvon Rudolph (Northern Illinois). They should help bring life to a lethargic rushing game and take pressure off returning QB Tucker Gleason. Liberty Coastal Carolina transfer Ethan Vasko takes over at quarterback following Kaidon Salter's departure for Colorado. Question marks remain at several spots, but the Flames' schedule is one of the easiest among Group of Five teams and they should be back in the Conference USA championship game after faltering late last season. The Flames, who joined the FBS seven years ago, have won at least eight games six straight seasons. ___
NBC Sports
a day ago
- NBC Sports
Mississippi State working to bounce back from rough first season under Jeff Lebby
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby enters his second season still looking for his first victory with the Bulldogs in Southeastern Conference play. Lebby, however, doesn't judge his maiden campaign solely by the Bulldogs' winless league record. 'The result was not what we want, wasn't the expectation,' he said. 'But if you know football and you watch, you can tell that it's a group of guys that believe, and so people want to be a part of that. There's great belief, passion, toughness, confidence inside the program right now.' The former offensive coordinator at Ole Miss and Oklahoma was widely seen as a rising star when he was hired at State after the regular season in 2023. His new job presented some tough challenges. The Bulldogs had been through a tumultuous calendar year that included coach Mike Leach unexpected death during the team's bowl game preparations. Defensive coordinator Zach Arnett took over, but couldn't last a full season as the Bulldogs struggled to a 5-7 record. Just four games into Lebby's first season, starting quarterback Blake Shapen went out with a shoulder injury. Lebby was left with true freshman Michael Van Buren at QB and the conference's worst statistical defense, resulting in a 2-10 overall mark. Lebby brought in Phil Loadholt to replace Cody Kennedy as offensive line coach, and added former head coaches Mike MacIntyre and Paul Rhodes as defensive analysts, along with former Colorado defensive line coach Vincent Dancy to coach the pass rushers. He also bolstered the roster with nearly 30 transfers and a full signing class. Second-year defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler has more more depth and talent on a unit that accounted for just 10 sacks last season. Offensively, Shapen returns for a final season of eligibility. It will be an offense built around a stable of running backs and led by a QB who enters his second year in Lebby's system and fifth year of college football. 'Being able to move a lot faster than I was last year is a big thing for me and then moving with tempo but also being able to lead other guys too,' Shapen said. 'I feel like last year I was very focused on the offense. This year I have a lot of opportunity to lead other guys and get guys in spots.' Ground game It took some time last year for the Bulldogs to get the running game off the ground, but former Utah State running back Davon Booth and junior college product Johnnie Daniels became a solid 1-2 punch. After Booth was granted another season of eligibility — stemming from Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia's precedent-setting case regarding junior college players — he is set for a huge senior campaign. Booth and Daniels have had plenty of competition from former South Alabama standout Fluff Bothwell, who gained more than 800 yards and a Sun Belt-Leading 13 touchdowns in 2024. Seth Davis, Kolin Wilson and Xavier Gayten also have shown potential. Retooled offensive line For the running game to thrive, Loadholt's line will have to pave the way. Lebby and Loadholt added five new faces from the transfer portal and added size to give the Bulldogs one of the bigger lines in the country. Jimothy Lewis and Luke Work are promising blockers poised to improve in Year 2, while Albert Reese and Canon Boone return as fifth-year veterans. Colorado transfer Zach 'Flap Jack' Owens and Virginia's Blake Steen could make an impact as well. Defensive line beefed up Improving the defensive line was among the Bulldogs' top priorities. Veteran line coach David Turner now has bigger players up front. Meanwhile, there's been an emphasis on getting defensive ends and linebackers better equipped to pressure QBs after finishing last in the league in sacks last season. The schedule The Bulldogs' SEC schedule features four teams that played in last season's inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff and seven ranked in the preseason AP Top 25. Lebby and his squad will host playoff teams Arizona State, Tennessee, Texas and Georgia with road trips to teams like Missouri and Texas A&M. The Bulldogs also have their annual matchup at home against rival Ole Miss, a team that was on the outside looking in of last year's playoff.
