Latest news with #Big12
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
ASU football projections: Sun Devils among 5 teams favored in every game
The Arizona State football is in some elite company for the 2025 season. According to projections from one site, the Sun Devils are among five college football teams expected to be favored in all 12 regular-season games in 2025. On3's Brett McMurphy first reported the projections, which are based on power rankings from Brad Powers of the Bet the Board Podcast. Who are the four other teams projected to be the favorite in every game this season? Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Elite company, indeed. McMurphy wrote of Arizona State's upcoming season: "While Arizona State is favored in every game, the Sun Devils don't have much margin of error. Arizona State is less than a one-score favorite in six games: at Baylor (-1) on Sept. 20; home vs. TCU (-6½) on Sept. 26; at Utah (-1) on Oct. 11; home vs. Texas Tech (-5½) on Oct. 18; at Iowa State (-2) on Nov. 1; and at Colorado (-8) on Nov. 22." Big 12 football game picks: Arizona | Arizona State | Baylor | BYU | Cincinnati | Colorado | Houston | Iowa State | Kansas | Kansas State | Oklahoma State | TCU | Texas Tech | UCF | Utah | West Virginia | Projected Big 12 standings, records Interestingly, one Big 12 team was also projected to be favored in every game at the beginning of the 2024 season: Kansas State. The Wildcats went 8-4 in the regular season, but are considered a favorite, along with Arizona State, in early Big 12 football title odds this season. Georgia, Liberty, Miami and Oregon were also projected to be favored in every game last season, according to McMurphy. Georgia and Miami both went 10-2. Liberty finished 8-4. Oregon, however, did end up 12-0 in the regular season. Big 12 football win total odds: Arizona | Arizona State | Baylor | BYU | Cincinnati | Colorado | Houston | Iowa State | Kansas | Kansas State | Oklahoma State | TCU | Texas Tech | UCF | Utah | West Virginia | Big 12 rankings Reach Jeremy Cluff at Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff. Support local journalism: Subscribe to today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State football projections: Sun Devils favored in every game
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Big 12 football title projections: Kansas State, Arizona State, Texas Tech favorites
The Big 12 conference is probably the most difficult Power Four football conference to predict. Want proof? Arizona State was picked to finish last in the conference last season and ended up winning the Big 12 title and going to the College Football Playoff. If that's not enough proof for you, here's another nugget: Eight Big 12 teams are given at least a 6% chance to win the conference in ESPN's latest Big 12 projections for the upcoming season. That's half of the conference (yes, the Big 12 has 16 teams). Kansas State tops ESPN's projections for the conference, with a 17.1% chance to win the Big 12. Arizona State is second, at 10.1%, followed by BYU (9.7%), Texas Tech (9.7%), Utah (9%), Iowa State (8.5%), TCU (8.4%) and Baylor (6%). ESPN's Bill Connelly recently wrote of each team's conference title chances: "Eight teams have at least a 6% chance at the Big 12 title, and no one has better than a 1-in-6 chance. And everyone has at least a 1-in-50 chance. Yes. Bring it on." College football: Big 12 football coaches pick conference champion Big 12 football championship projections 2025 Here's each Big 12 football team's chances to win the conference title this season, according to ESPN's projections: Kansas State: 17.1% Arizona State: 10.1% BYU: 9.7% Texas Tech: 9.7% Utah: 9% Iowa State: 8.5% TCU: 8.4% Baylor: 6% Kansas: 3.6% Arizona: 2.9% Colorado: 2.9% Oklahoma State: 2.8% Houston: 2.7% UCF: 2.4% West Virginia: 2.4% Cincinnati: 2.1% Big 12 football win total odds: Arizona | Arizona State | Baylor | BYU | Cincinnati | Colorado | Houston | Iowa State | Kansas | Kansas State | Oklahoma State | TCU | Texas Tech | UCF | Utah | West Virginia | Big 12 rankings Who will win the Big 12 football championship in 2025? ESPN's projections were done before QB Jake Retzlaff left BYU, but the site said that BYU wouldn't drop as drastically as it thought with his departure (Retzlaff has since reportedly enrolled at Tulane). Who will end up winning the Big 12 conference in the upcoming season? The 2025 Big 12 Football Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 6, so we don't have to wait that long to find out. Big 12 football game picks: Arizona | Arizona State | Baylor | BYU | Cincinnati | Colorado | Houston | Iowa State | Kansas | Kansas State | Oklahoma State | TCU | Texas Tech | UCF | Utah | West Virginia | Projected Big 12 standings, records Reach Jeremy Cluff at Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff. Support local journalism: Subscribe to today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State football not favored in Big 12 championship projections
Fox Sports
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Cleveland Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam: Drafting Shedeur Sanders Wasn't My Decision
The Cleveland Browns did what all NFL teams do when they draft a quarterback and have three capable signal-callers on their active roster: take another one in the same draft. Well, that's actually not what typically happens, but seeing value in the move, Cleveland traded up for the No. 144 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Colorado quarterback and 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Shedeur Sanders. This came after the Browns had already selected Oregon quarterback and 2024 Heisman Trophy finalist Dillon Gabriel with the No. 94 pick. Sanders' selection raised eyebrows, and questions have persisted regarding whether Browns Executive Vice President of Football Operations Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski wanted Sanders, or if owner Jimmy Haslam recommended them to draft him. The latter theory was fueled by the live reaction to the pick in Cleveland's war room, showing Berry and Stefanski appearing to be dissatisfied after the pick was announced. Haslem clarified his role in drafting Sanders on Tuesday. "If you would've told me on Friday night as I was driving home that we were going to take Shedeur, I would've said that's not happening, but we had a conversation early that morning [Day 3 of the draft], and we had a conversation later that day. I think we had the right people involved in the conversation. At the end of the day, that's Andrew Berry's call. Andrew made the call to pick Shedeur," Haslam said at training camp on Tuesday about the Browns drafting Sanders, according to "Just like who's going to start or what play we're going to call is Kevin's call. That's Andrew's call. He made the call." Sanders was widely regarded as a first-round talent, with the quarterback going undrafted on Days 1 and 2 becoming one of the main talking points of the draft. In his senior season at Colorado (2024), Sanders totaled 4,134 passing yards, 37 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 168.2 passer rating, while completing 74.0% of his passes. Sanders led the Big 12 in passing yards, passing touchdowns, passer rating and completion percentage. As for the rest of its quarterback room, Cleveland traded for quarterback Kenny Pickett in March and reunited with veteran Joe Flacco — who played for the Browns in 2023 — in free agency. Deshaun Watson is expected to miss the 2025 season due to a torn Achilles tendon. While Flacco is the safe bet to win the starting job given his familiarity with Stefanksi's offense, the Browns haven't announced their Week 1 quarterback. Cleveland opens the 2025 preseason on the road against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8. 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! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience National Football League Cleveland Browns Shedeur Sanders recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
New York Times
13 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
College football's sneakiest favorite, plus a quick history of CFB in Germany
Until Saturday Newsletter 🏈 | This is The Athletic's college football newsletter. Sign up here to receive Until Saturday directly in your inbox. Today in college football news, 'Expedition 33' is my favorite 'Final Fantasy' game ever. To be clear, it is not a 'Final Fantasy' game. If you polled 100 college football fans on which FBS teams are expected to win each conference this year, I'm sure most could name the betting favorites in the ACC (Clemson), Big Ten (Ohio State), Mountain West (Boise State) and SEC (Texas), plus probably CUSA (Liberty) and the Sun Belt (JMU). Maybe the MAC too, where I assume Toledo will again be the favorite in 2099. Advertisement But what about the Big 12? After Arizona State's playoff run, arguably Iowa State's best season ever and a half-year of Texas Tech transfer talk? Plus the usual Colorado rubbernecking? And maybe some assumptions that Oklahoma State or Utah will bounce back, just like TCU did last year? The Big 12's favorite — according to BetMGM, FPI, SP+ and whatever else — is Kansas State, followed by a giant bottleneck. Oh right, Kansas State! Wait, the team that went 5-4 in conference last year, finishing eighth in a 16-team league? At first glance, picking K-State kinda feels like a shrug. (A shrug by the computers? Yes, computers can decline to answer. Haven't you seen '2001'?) But for more, I asked Kellis Robinett, beat writer for the Wichita Eagle/Kansas City Star: Why do you think this under-the-radar team is so widely favored? 'Kansas State is always a safe bet in the Big 12, because the Wildcats have such a high floor. Chris Klieman has averaged nine wins over the past four seasons, and he won a conference title in 2022. Even though K-State lost some high-end talent during the offseason, it brings back big stars at quarterback (Avery Johnson), running back (Dylan Edwards), and wide receiver (Jayce Brown). Austin Romaine also seems poised for a breakout season on defense. Arizona State is the defending champ, and Texas Tech is the biggest spender in the league, but K-State has proven to be consistently better than both.' Honestly, I'm nearly sold on K-State just by Klieman's consistency. Why not pick the team that has been most immune to the Big 12's feared Random Results Generator? (On top of that, picking a team that just finished in the middle is probably a safe bet. As has been frequently noted, last year's Big 12 preseason picks were nearly the opposite of the final standings. Avoid the bookends.) Before we leave the Big 12, yes, I asked David Ubben the obligatory Colorado question (more on Deion Sanders in a sec): Wtf will this team be now that Heisman winner Travis Hunter and school-record-smashing QB Shedeur Sanders are gone? 'The short version is: better than people who aren't paying attention think. Colorado had two of the five most famous players in the country last year, who were also stellar talents. This year, they start with little to no star power, but Sanders and his staff have quietly improved the roster on both sides of the ball, which raises the floor for this team quite a bit. They won't be as explosive in the passing game without Sanders, Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr., but they'll be good enough, and the running game should improve. I'm not sure I see a contender for the Big 12 title in this roster, but I do see a bowl team.' More Big 12: 🙏 'Deion Sanders had his bladder removed in May after doctors discovered an aggressive cancerous tumor, the Colorado football coach announced at a Monday news conference.' He's back at work now. Many more details here. 🏈 Stewart Mandel on the Week 1 games that will actually impact the CFP. (As in, Texas-Ohio State might not end up meaning much if they both make it anyway.) 👀 That 15-year storyline about the Big Ten and SEC potentially dueling over North Carolina in realignment? Heating back up. 📰 News: 🌀 A tale of two QBs: 📺 Media days, where the big leagues wrapped up last week: 🎤 Take The Athletic's survey on everything you love and hate about CFB right now. (Like me, you should vote to replace the entire CFP with the one true format: a plus-one title game at the Rose Bowl, with its participants to be selected after bowl season.) International college football has been a thing since almost literally the very beginning. (For one thing, the sport was so directly modeled on a version of English rugby, it's actually kinda hard to pinpoint when it actually became American football. For another, Montreal's McGill University was among the Canadian pioneers of the sport in the 1870s.) Since then, American colleges have sent football teams to bowls in the Bahamas, Canada, Cuba and Japan; FBS neutral-siters in Australia and Ireland; and lower-level games in Bermuda, China, Italy, Mexico, Tanzania and the UK, plus (per NCAA records) collegiate-adjacent games among American military installations in Algeria, Iran, New Guinea, the Philippines, Suriname and some Pacific islands. So when you hear Michigan and Western Michigan are planning to open 2026 in Frankfurt as the first FBS teams to play in Germany, know it's not just Modern College Football Chasing Trends And Trying To Be The NFL. It's also College Football Just Being Itself. OK, that's all for today. Email me at untilsaturday@ to tell me which country should host a CFB game next. Last week's most-clicked: Obviously, it was 'Ranking every Power 4 team by how much they'd sell for.' 💰 📫 Love Until Saturday? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters, too.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
National college football writer calls Big Ten playoff plan 'absurd'
Blake Toppmeyer at USA TODAY Sports isn't buying what the Big Ten is selling. He isn't alone. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey didn't seem to be interested in expanding the playoff on the Big Ten's terms. Tony Petitti, the commissioner of the Big Ten, has proposed an alteration to the College Football Playoff. Under his plan, the playoff would expand to 16 teams with four guaranteed bids for the Big Ten, four for the Southeastern Conference, two each for the Big 12 and the Atlantic Coast Conference, and a final spot reserved for the highest-ranked non-power conference champion. The three remaining bids would be at-large. "I think everybody outside of Big Ten land has realized that this Tony Petitti plan is patently absurd," Toppmeyer said on The Paul Finebaum Show. Big Ten coaches are behind the plan because they helped Petitti formulate it. And because it helps their conference, in turn, it helps their team. The Big Ten would have held 54 spots in the College Football Playoff over the last 11 years, the history of the playoff, if Petitti's plan were in place. "It would make the regular season worse when you consider 13 of the 16 bids would be rewarded purely off of conference standings and play-in games," Toppmeyer said. "Games like Texas-Ohio State, LSU-Clemson, Michigan-Oklahoma, that we're looking forward to this season, if we were in a world of Petitti playoff plan, those nonconference games would become glorified exhibitions. That's not how you make the season better." As much as the plan has support in the Big Ten, most of the rest of the college football world agrees with Toppmeyer. ACC and Big 12 commissioners have recommended the 5 + 11 plan, for example. But whatever changes come to the playoff will ultimately be decided by the Big Ten and SEC. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has largely hemmed and hawed on Petitti's plan so far. Any changes to the playoff format would have to be agreed on by December 1 to take effect for the 2026 season, and it's looking more like the playoff may not expand at all. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: USA TODAY Sports' Blake Toppmeyer calls Big Ten playoff plan 'absurd'
