#ncaa football
A weekend filled with high-profile matchups produced plenty of changes in the Amway Coaches Poll, though once again, the top-ranked team is as it has been all season. Alabama, which had the weekend off, is still the unanimous No. 1.
After that, the shuffling begins. Georgia climbs to No. 2 after dispatching archrival Florida. The Bulldogs appear to be on a collision course with the Crimson Tide in a month for the SEC title. Ohio State, the big winner of the weekend thanks to its comeback win against Penn State, vaults from sixth to No. 3 ahead of Wisconsin. Clemson, which got back on track with a win against Georgia Tech, is back in the top five.
The Week 5 results produced little movement in the Amway Coaches Poll as the top teams for the most part held serve.
Alabama easily retains the No. 1 ranking after a 66-3 demolition of Mississippi. The Crimson Tide, who have outscored their first two SEC opponents by a combined margin of 125-3, received 59 of 65 first-place votes.
Clemson, a road winner at then-No. 12 Virginia Tech, stays put at No. 2 with the remaining six first-place nods. No. 3 Oklahoma, which had the weekend off, and fourth-ranked Penn State, an easy winner against Indiana, also maintain their positions. Washington, now the highest ranked Pac-12 member, climbs a notch into the top five.
Amway Coaches Poll: Week 3
Alabama still has a comfortable lead atop the Amway Coaches Poll, but the gap closed a bit following No. 2 Clemson’s impressive performance in Week 3.
The Crimson Tide claimed 59 of 65 first-place votes after handling Colorado State. The defending national champion Tigers received the remaining six, up from two last week, after their dominant win at Louisville.
Amway Coaches Poll: Week 2
Withtop-ranked Alabama largely unchallenged in Week 2, the big question leading up to the compiling of the Amway Coaches Poll centered on who would be No. 2.
The Crimson Tide, of course, retained the No. 1 spot after an easy romp past Fresno State, receiving all but two first-place votes cast this week. The second spot went to defending champion Clemson after a strong defensive performance in a 14-6 triumph over Auburn.
The Tigers claimed the remaining two No. 1 votes and narrowly held off Oklahoma for the second position. The Sooners vaulted three places to No. 3 after their huge road win at Ohio State, avenging a loss on their home field from a year ago.
Southern California, a big winner against Stanford in its Pac-12 opener, reclaimed the No. 4 spot ahead of Penn State, who handled their own business against in-state opponent Pittsburgh.
Alabama strengthened its grip on the No. 1 spot in the Amway Coaches Poll following its impressive performance against Florida State. The Crimson Tide claimed 60 of 65 first-place votes this week.
The rest of the top five looks a bit different with the Florida State loss.
Ohio State retained the No. 2 position. But the Buckeyes picked up only two No. 1 votes, down from five in the preseason poll, after a slow start against Indiana. Clemson, which easily handled a tune-up with Kent State, climbed to No. 3 and retained three first-place nods. Penn State, equally impressive in its opener against Akron, vaulted to No. 4 ahead of Southern California.
The college football season gets underway in earnest Thursday night, and by the end of the weekend more than $70 million will be headed toward schools’ pockets regardless of how many hot dogs are consumed or who wins the game.
Nearly all the games are occurring between teams from different conferences. That means they are not being governed by conference scheduling, but rather by individually negotiated contracts. Usually made years in advance, these deals almost always include an appearance payment to the visiting team – or, in the case of increasingly numerous neutral-site games – a multi-million-dollar payment to each team.
By the time the regular season is over, around $150 million in these so-called “guarantees” will have moved through the college sports financial system, based on schools’ recent financial data and an analysis by USA TODAY Sports of more than 200 contracts for games this season involving teams in the NCAA’s top-level Bowl Subdivision.
A look at payouts for neutral site games and visiting teams
From top to bottom, it’s hard to find a more talented roster — maybe at Alabama, but nowhere else. The expectations are high for a reason. But with Urban Meyer, a fifth-year senior quarterback and a change in offensive style, the Buckeyes seem ready to notch yet another College Football Playoff berth.
Biggest games
►Vs. Oklahoma, Sept. 9
►Vs. Penn State, Oct. 28
►At Michigan, Nov. 25
Three players to know
1. CB Kendall Sheffield. The junior-college transfer certainly looks the part of Ohio State’s next first-round defensive back.
2. WR Campbell. While more will be asked of Campbell in the passing game, don’t sleep on his major impact as the Buckeyes’ primary returner
3. DE Nick Bosa. The younger Bosa brother — after his older brother, Joey — is the program’s next all-everything defensive end.
UH got it done this weekend!! That marks 10 wins in a row, the best record since the 2015 season. Gotta keep up this momentum, but I’m really proud of my Coogs this year!!
IG Sources: @universityofhouston and @uhcougarfb
My game is worth how much?
“Put me back in, coach! I’m fine, I’m game!”
Jaren Kanak
