Latest news with #BCSChampionship
Miami Herald
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Oregon Football Preview 2025: Is This the Year the Ducks Win Something Really Big?
For people of a certain age, the idea of Oregon being a college football powerhouse among the blue-bloods is still a little bit hard to program didn't have a nine-win season from 1949 until the out-of-left-field run to the Rose Bowl in 1994, and it took 82 years to enjoy a double-digit win campaign until Mike Bellotti's 2000 team finally broke the last 27 seasons, Oregon has missed out on just two bowl appearances, won 13 of them, made it to a BCS Championship, won the inaugural College Football Playoff game, played in the first CFP National Championship, took home nine conference titles, and …Oregon has won as many national championships as you have. X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN Oregon Offense BreakdownOregon Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season It almost pulled it off in 2010 under Chip Kelly, losing a tough national title battle with Cam Newton's Auburn, but it never had a chance in the first CFP national title against Ohio State to end the 2014 season - and I have the receipts on that one, telling over 80,000 people in the room that there was "no reason to watch the game."And yeah, the Big Ten Champion Ducks caught an awful break being the No. 1 overall seed last year and drawing Ohio State in the Rose Bowl - instead of the free space scrimmages against SMU and Boise State that Penn State enjoyed - but that goes to the point. Oregon was never winning that game against that Buckeye team, either. Ohio State had a whole other level of talent, infrastructure, history, and institutionalized unrealistic demands and expectations. So did 2023 Michigan. So did Georgia in 2021 and 2022. So did 2020 Alabama. So did 1999 LSU ... Oregon has only been doing this for a few decades. But it's very, very close to busting through that blue-blood door. Dan Lanning is young. It's just his fourth year as a head coach, he's 35-6, and five of those six defeats came to teams that played in or won the national championship.(BTW, after bringing up my Ohio State prediction for the CFP pregame and halftime shows in AT&T Stadium, balloon will be popped by certain "friends" reading this, with a polite reminder that I spent six months calling Oregon over Georgia to start the 2022 season - it was 49-3 Dawgs, and it wasn't even that close - in 3 ... 2 ... ) Do Lanning's Ducks have the talent this season to win the national title? Absolutely, only this time around it's the defense that will be the they have the depth? Yeah, it's young in certain spots, but Oregon has plenty of options to work with. Do they have the experience? Ehhhhhhh, but the coaching staff does, and that should be enough to get the team back in the tournament. And will they get all of the right breaks?There's no Ohio State or Michigan this year, and Oregon will almost certainly be favored in every game but the trip to Penn State. Take out 2020 - Oregon won the Pac-12 title in the abbreviated season, though - and the Ducks have averaged over 11 wins a season since 2019, and it's about to come up with double-digit wins yet you can reasonably ask for now in the College Football Playoff era is to get your team in a position to make a run year after year after year, and eventually, it'll be your most of the last 25 years, that's what Oregon has done. Its time is coming. Oregon Offense BreakdownOregon Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gus Malzahn Names One Player Who Never Got the Credit He Deserved
Gus Malzahn Names One Player Who Never Got the Credit He Deserved originally appeared on Athlon Sports. In 1902, the Auburn Tigers began their quest for gridiron domination, finishing 2-4-1 in what would become their first of 122 years of competition. Over the course of more than a century, Auburn has won double-digit games 14 times, claimed two national titles, and nearly won another in 2013. Advertisement Twelve years ago, Auburn went 12-2, going from pre-season unranked to a date with the Florida State Seminoles in the BCS Championship. Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn Auburn ultimately lost 34-31, but the journey to Pasadena, California, was that of legend, including a walk-off field goal return against their rival, the Alabama Crimson Tide, and a victory against the Georgia Bulldogs at the horn that featured a tipped Nick Marshall pass that went to receiver Ricardo Louis for 73-yards. Despite the heartbreaking finish to the season and their third title in program history avoiding their clutches, many of the Auburn faithful hold that 2013 team in high regard. Advertisement On Thursday, ESPN's Paul Finebaum took to Twitter, asking his following to "name an athlete who never got enough recognition in their career." Gus Malzahn's respond? The aforementioned Nick Marshall. Malzahn coached Marshall during the 2013 season, with the dual-threat passer throwing for 1,976 yards and 14 touchdowns against seven picks as a first-year starter. More notably, he tailed 1,068 rushing yards and 12 scores on the ground and routinely upped his performances in the fourth quarter. Marshall returned in 2014, again playing under Malzahn, and showed significant improvement as a passer. However, Auburn failed to build on its previous year's success, going 8-5 and losing 34-31 in the Outback Bowl. Related: Auburn WR Getting Recognized as 'Most Underrated' Player in College Football This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
3 Raiders legends among nominees for College Football Hall of Fame class of 2026
3 Raiders legends among nominees for College Football Hall of Fame class of 2026 The National Football Foundation has announced this year's nominees for the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame. Among them are several players who suited up for the Raiders. Among the notable former Raiders on the ballot include former first round pick Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland native Marshawn Lynch, and Pro Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour. Sebastian Janikowski, K, Florida State Two-time First Team All-American, earning consensus honors in 1998 and unanimous accolades in 1999…Only two-time recipient of the Lou Groza Award (1998, 1999)…Helped FSU to consecutive BCS Championship appearances, winning the national title at the 2000 Sugar Bowl. Was selected by the Raiders with the 17th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. His selection at 17 overall was the fourth highest ever for a kicker and the highest drafted player of the past 45 years. Marshawn Lynch, RB, California 2006 First Team All-American who led Cal to a share of the 2006 Pac-10 title…2006 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year led the league in rushing (1,356), all-purpose yards (1,785) and TDs (15) that season…Two-time bowl game MVP (2005 Las Vegas, 2006 Holiday) and Cal's all-time leader in 100-yard rushing games (17). Marshawn came out of retirement in 2017 in order to play the final two seasons for his hometown Oakland Raiders. Richard Seymour, DT, Georgia 2000 First Team All-American, helping the Bulldogs to four-straight bowl wins and top 20 final national rankings…Two-year team captain and two-time First Team All-SEC selection…1999 UGA Defensive MVP and one of only two DLs in school history to lead the team in single-season tackles (74 in 1999). In 2009, the Raiders sent a first round pick to New England to acquire the five-time Pro Bowler, three-time All Pro, and three-time Super Bowl champion. He would head to two more Pro Bowls in his four seasons in Oakland and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.
Miami Herald
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Auburn Football Preview 2025: The Tigers Will Finally Be Good Again
When was the last time Auburn football went four straight years without a winning season?It did happen before this current run from 2001 to 2024. From 1927 to 1930, Auburn went 6-29. There was also a rough period from 1944 to 1952 without a winning campaign, but everyone gets a free pass for not being great then - you know, that whole world at war took head coach Ralph Jordan two years to get up to speed, starting with a 7-13 combined record in 1951 and 1952, and then they named the stadium after him. Auburn is struggling. It has just two bowl wins - the 2018 Music City and 2015 Birmingham- since 2011 (to be fair, there was a trip to the BCS Championship in there), but it's been a long, long stretch of mediocrity for a program that's expected to be among the Freeze was supposed to change all that, but he hasn't exactly set the SEC world on fire since coming back two years ago. A 13-14 record and tougher SEC to deal with is bad, but that's nothing compared to a frightening early diagnosis of prostate cancer this offseason. Freeze is expected to be okay, and - all forgiveness for the clunky transition back to football, like that's important - his Auburn team should be far better. The coaching staff crushed the transfer portal, there's better depth all the way around, and after two years, this is what a rebuild looks like. Auburn left wins on the table last year - Cal, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Vanderbilt were all gettable - and now this version should be on the right side of more of is when the slide of losing campaigns should stop. Auburn Tigers Preview 2025: Offense X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN- The Auburn passing game was good. Payton Thorne wasn't bad. Hank Brown wasn't bad. Those two former Tigers put up yards and had moments - Thorne graduated and Brown is at Iowa - and outside of the 12 interceptions between them, they weren't the Auburn needed more pop at the position. Enter Jackson Arnold, the former super-recruit for Oklahoma who couldn't get the O going. He runs well, threw 12 touchdowns and just three picks last season, and it wasn't enough. The talent is there to do more, but first, Arnold has to hold off former Notre Dame top recruit Deuce Knight and keep former Stanford starter Ashton Daniels out of the starting hunt. - The receiving corps is fantastic after bringing in Eric Singleton from Georgia Tech and Horatio Fields from Wake Forest. Cam Coleman broke out with eight touchdown games last year, and Malcolm Simmons finished second on the team with 40 grabs.- The line should be a plus after an underwhelming season. The interior is strong with all three starters back, but the star power is on the outside with Xavier Chaplin a fantastic signing from Virginia Tech for the left tackle job, and Mason Murphy, a key get from USC for the right.- Jarquez Hunter is now a Los Angeles Ram - the running back situation is a bit thin. Damari Alston is the best of a decent rotation, but Arnold might be the most dangerous runner from the quarterback spot. Auburn Tigers Preview 2025: Defense - The defense had problems on third downs and didn't take the ball away enough, but overall it was good, and it should be even better with a ton of talent returning. The depth is made up of transfers and recruits, and at least early on, the starting 11 is mostly all home grown talents.- Look out for the defensive front. Keldric Faulk will soon be in the NFL - he's a potential top ten overall pick with great size and pass rushing skills at one end - and the tackles are deep enough to form a decent mix of options, especially from the recruiting class. - Caleb Wheatland might not be spectacular, but the Maryland transfer will be steady in the middle of the linebacking corps. Demarcus Riddick is a high-riser on the outside coming off a 27-tackle first Harris is one of the SEC's best young safeties - he'll be a statistical superstar this season - and the rest of the position is good enough. The corners could be a positive if Champ Anthony comes back to 100% after suffering a leg injury against Arkansas early last year, but they all have to make more picks and big plays. Miami University transfer Raion Strader is a broken up pass machine with 31 over the last two years. Auburn Tigers Key to the Season Turnover margin, turnover margin, turnover marginFrom 2018 to 2021, Auburn was +24 in turnover margin and didn't finish any of those four seasons in the negative. The 2022 team finished -9 and went 5-7. The 2023 team was -2 and finished with a losing record. Last year, the Tigers were a whopping - be fair, the offense cleaned it up in a big way after a rough first four games, with just eight turnovers in the final eight games, but overall, the team was still just a +2 over that final run. Auburn Tigers Key Player Jackson Arnold, QB Daniels is more than capable of handling the attack, and Deuce Knight might eventually be the best quarterback on the roster, but Arnold is the big-time get who's supposed to settle the the quarterback play hasn't been bad, be even Bo Nix was considered a bit underwhelming overall during his time on The Plains. If Arnold plays up to his prep hype, look out. Auburn Tigers Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss Top Transfer In: Xavier Chaplin, OT quarterback transfers were massive, and the receiving corps got a huge boost, but it's the 6-7, 323-pound Virginia Tech transfer who could be the best player in the haul of new talent. He's got NFL size and elite pass protection power as a left Transfer Out: Bradyn Joiner, OG won the transfer portal game - there weren't many crushing losses. Losing the 328-pound Joiner isn't a killer, but he would've been a nice part of the interior rotation after working at left guard last season. Now he'll be a key part of Barry Odom's Purdue front. Auburn Tigers Key Game at Oklahoma, Sept. 20It's the SEC opener, it's quarterback Jackson Arnold going against his old team, and it's a huge game for two power programs looking to restore the glory. Lose this, and it's uh-oh time with at Texas A&M, Georgia, and Missouri up next.- 2025 Auburn Tigers Schedule Breakdown Auburn Tigers Top 10 Players 1. Kendrick Faulk, DE Jr.2. Xavier Chaplin, OT Jr.3. Kalbe Harris, S Soph.3. Cam Coleman, WR Soph.4. Jackson Arnold, QB Jr.5. Mason Murphy, OT Sr.6. Eric Singleton Jr., WR Jr.7. Demarcus Riddick, S Soph.8. Connor Lew, C Jr.9. Kaleb Harris, S Soph.10. Jeremiah Wright, OG Sr. Auburn Tigers 2024 Fun Stats - 2nd Quarter Scoring: Auburn 88, Opponents 41- 4th Quarter Scoring: Opponents 89, Auburn 65- Turnovers: Auburn 22, Opponents 13 Auburn Tigers 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen Let's start with this. Auburn will have a winning season, and it'll go to a bowl game, and things will finally trend upwards that might seem like a low bar, after four years without a winning season and no more than six wins since going 9-4 in 2019, being back to potentially normal to Baylor to start the season isn't a layup, but Ball State, South Alabama, and Mercer will be a base of three wins. It won't be easy, but Auburn has to beat Kentucky, win at Vanderbilt, and then come up with an upset somewhere. Yes, the schedule is tough, and no, this won't be a breakthrough run to the College Football Playoff. But it's an improved Auburn football team, Alabama and Georgia are home games, there's no Texas to deal with, and finally, winning tough games has to become a given The Auburn Tigers Win Total At … 6.5Likely Wins: Ball State, Mercer, South Alabama50/50 Games: Alabama, at Arkansas, at Baylor, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, at Oklahoma, at Texas A&M, at VanderbiltLikely Losses: No sure thing projected losses © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
USA Today
31-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Oklahoma Sooners dominate ESPN's Quarterback Rankings
Oklahoma Sooners dominate ESPN's Quarterback Rankings The Oklahoma Sooners have had the greatest run of quarterback play in college football over the last 25 years. No other team comes close. With four Heisman trophies, several more finalists for the award, passing records, historic offenses, a national title, and a number of BCS title game and College Football Playoff appearances, the Sooners have been the standard for quarterback play in the greatest sport on planet Earth. OU is simply put, QBU. If all of the accolades weren't enough to settle it, ESPN's Bill Connelly released his list of the top 90 quarterbacks (ESPN+) in college football since 2000, and seven Oklahoma Sooners made the list. That number doesn't include Josh Heupel, who didn't make the list, but was a Heisman finalist in 2000 and helped usher in the Air Raid offense into modern college football vernacular. It also doesn't include Caleb Williams, who spent just one season with the Sooners before transferring to follow Lincoln Riley to the USC Trojans. How incredible has Oklahoma's run at quarterback been? Oklahoma is the only team with two quarterbacks in the top 10, three in the top 15, and five in the top 30. All seven players mentioned were ranked in the top 45 of Bill Connelly's rankings. Clemson and Texas are the only other programs with two quarterbacks in the top 15. Alabama, USC, and Oregon had three players in the top 30. But each of those teams includes a transfer that spent significant time at Oklahoma as well. Here's a look at the Oklahoma Sooners to land in Bill Connelly's ranking of the top 90 college football quarterbacks since 2000. 44. Landry Jones Landry Jones finished his Oklahoma career as the all-time leading passer. He won a Big 12 title in 2010 and a share of the Big 12 championship in 2012. He threw for over 4,000 yards three times and is fourth all-time in career passing yards. Here's a complete list of QBs who spent their entire careers playing for power-conference teams and threw for more yards than Jones: [null] It was hard to appreciate Jones' steady excellence in real time, but by the time he had graduated he had put together a four-year statistical résumé that, even in the near-decade that has followed, no one has surpassed. - Connelly, ESPN Notable quarterbacks ahead of Landry Jones: Ken Dorsey, Stetson Bennett, and Mac Jones. 37. Jason White Though it was as low start to his career, joining the Sooners in 1999, Jason White closed his career with two fantastic seasons, leading the Sooners to back-to-back BCS Championship game appearances in 2003 and 2004. Though the Sooners came up short, he had terrific campaigns, winning the Heisman in 2003 and finishing third in the voting in 2004. BCS title game losses dampened White's legacy a bit, but his evolution from athletic dual-threat to statuesque ball-distributor following knee injuries was awe-inspiring. He didn't win one Heisman vote and finish third in another by accident. - Connelly, ESPN Notable quarterbacks ahead of Jason White: Michael Penix Jr.. Rex Grossman, and Colin Kaepernick. 28. Jalen Hurts Jalen Hurts spent just one season in Norman, but he was phenomenal for the Sooners. He led Oklahoma to the Big 12 title in 2019 and will always be remembered for orchestrating the Sooners remarkable comeback win over the Baylor Bears in Waco. He finished second in the Heisman to Joe Burrow and was drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He's the only Oklahoma quarterback to reach the Super Bowl, let alone win it. The former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback provided incredible leadership and a steely demeanor during that 2019 season to lead the Sooners. Hurts was a starter for three years, averaged 2,900 passing yards and 1,036 rushing yards per season and led three CFP bids; as a backup to Tua Tagovailoa in 2018, he helped to save a CFP bid as well. He was the SEC's offensive player of the year as a freshman and Heisman runner-up as a senior. What a career. - Connelly, ESPN Notable quarterbacks ahead of Jalen Hurts: Case Keenum, Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers. 24. Dillon Gabriel Dillon Gabriel may not have finished his career at Oklahoma but he put his stamp on the program in the Brent Venables era. A 10-2 season in 2023 (Gabriel didn't play in the bowl game), Gabriel led Oklahoma to a dramatic win over Texas in the Red River Showdown and had a record-setting eight touchdown day against West Virginia. His experience and leadership played a huge role in keeping the program afloat amid the transition from Lincoln Riley to Venables. Gabriel finished his career second all-time in career passing yards after his time with UCF, Oklahoma, and Oregon. Gabriel also took advantage of the 2020 bonus eligibility year to become the No. 2 passer of all time. He threw for more than 7,000 yards at UCF and nearly 7,000 at OU before leading Oregon to an unbeaten regular season and the No. 1 seed in the first 12-team CFP as a senior. Bonus year or not ... just look at those ridiculous numbers above! - Connelly, ESPN Notable quarterbacks ahead of Dillon Gabriel: C.J. Stroud, Tua Tagavailoa, and Caleb Williams. 15. Sam Bradford There have been a lot of players that played in the Air-Raid offense. But few players have run it as productively as Sam Bradford. Oklahoma's 2008 season is one of the best offensive seasons in college football history. That year, Bradford threw for 4,720 yards, 50 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions. Oklahoma scored 60 or more in five straight games to end the season, including the Big 12 championship win over No. 1 Missouri. Over that stretch, Bradford averaged 337.8 passing yards per game and threw 19 touchdowns to just one interception. Bradford went on to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. The 2008 OU offense was, at the time, the best spread attack in history. Bradford threw for 4,720 yards and 50 TDs, and the Sooners scored at least 58 points in six consecutive Big 12 games that year. Only a 2009 injury (and a couple of goal-line failures in the 2008 national title game) kept him out of a potential top-10 spot here. - Connelly, ESPN Notable quarterbacks ahead of Sam Bradford: Colt McCoy, Johnny Manziel, and Kellen Moore. 7. Kyler Murray Few players in the history of college football were as mesmerizing as Kyler Murray. He was Michael Vick, but with a better arm. He was must-see television every time he stepped on the field. Murray electrified with his legs first as Baker Mayfield's backup in 2017 and then when he took the reigns in 2018. He led Oklahoma to a Big 12 title win over Texas, and despite a slow start in the Sooners' playoff game against Alabama, Murray rallied the Sooners to have a shot in the second half. He had just one season as a starter for the Sooners, but in that one year, Murray combined for more than 5,300 total yards and 54 touchdowns. Murray was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft after winning the Heisman in 20108. Though other former Sooner quarterbacks may have had better numbers or more accolades, Murray might have been the best of them all. Murray was a first-round draft pick in baseball but decided to play college football one last season in 2018. We were all better off for it. As Baker Mayfield's OU successor, he threw for 4,361, rushed for 1,478 more and posted 54 combined TDs. IN ONE YEAR. And then he became a first-rounder in another draft. - Connelly, ESPN Notable quarterbacks ahead of Kyler Murray: Tim Tebow, Joe Burrow, and DeShaun Watson. 1. Baker Mayfield Baker Mayfield won a Heisman Trophy, took Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff, won three Big 12 titles, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and is currently No. 11 all-time in career passing yards. Now Mayfield's experiencing a resurgence with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after back-to-back playoff appearances.
