NCAAF

10:33 AM ET ESPN News Services Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain did not travel with the team for Saturday’s game against Missouri after having an emergency appendectomy on Wednesday. McElwain, who is starting his third season at CMU, was told by doctors to miss Saturday’s game. Newly minted assistant head coach Tim Skipper will lead

10:00 AM ET ESPN staff Football is fully back! Well, it has been since Wednesday at least, but Saturday makes it feel all the more real, doesn’t it? There are five, yes, FIVE, games between AP Top 25 opponents, the most-ever for a Week 1, so it’s safe to say we’re in for a real

8:48 AM ET Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin has tested positive for COVID-19 and will not coach in Monday’s season opener against Louisville. Kiffin said in a statement that he had developed a breakthrough case of COVID-19. “I am grateful to be vaccinated and experiencing over mild symptoms. So much so, I debated over being

11:32 PM ET North Carolina enjoyed an offseason filled with darkhorse playoff buzz, but Virginia Tech upended those aspirations from the opening kickoff Friday, finishing with a 17-10 win in front of a raucous Lane Stadium crown. “Obviously the shine’s off,” UNC head coach Mack Brown said of the 10th-ranked Tar Heels. “The ratings mean

5:45 PM ET Heather Dinich Close ESPN Senior Writer College football reporter Joined ESPN.com in 2007 Graduate of Indiana University Adam Rittenberg Close ESPN Senior Writer College football reporter. Joined ESPN.com in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University. BYU, Houston, UCF and Cincinnati are planning to submit applications next week to join the Big 12, sources

7:15 AM ET TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. is used to starting fast. According to Dr. Matt Rhea, the Crimson Tide’s director of sports science, Anderson has reached 20 mph on GPS while running in practice. Even more impressive, Anderson is the fastest player on the team going from zero to five

8:43 AM ET FOR TWO WEEKS last summer, Justin Foster puttered around his Clemson apartment, working out as best he could, waiting for the 14 days of his COVID-19 quarantine to pass. He was one of more than 40 Clemson football players to test positive, and, like most of them, his symptoms were barely noticeable.

6:50 AM ET ESPN staff The Houston Texans are the team that’s most likely to have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft when it begins on Thursday, April 28, according to the preseason 1-32 draft order projections from the ESPN Football Power Index (FPI). Could the Texans target a quarterback next

8:00 AM ET Let’s imagine the 12-team playoff format were implemented now. What would the playoff landscape look like as we head into the 2021 season? How would it be different? Each week during the college football season we use this space to breakdown the playoff race, using the Allstate Playoff Predictor. Most of the

8:00 AM ET ESPN Stats & Information Welcome to the first full weekend of college football, when we get to see many of the top contenders in action. Week 1 is also a time to see many prominent nonconference matchups, like No. 1 Alabama taking on Miami, or No. 5 Georgia taking on No. 3

3:14 AM ET ORLANDO, Fla. — When UCF fell behind by 21 points in the season opener against Boise State on Thursday night, coach Gus Malzahn realized what happened the remainder of the game would tell him a lot about his new team. What he — and the nation — learned is that his team

1:33 AM ET ESPN News Services TULSA, Okla. — Isaiah Gomez kicked two of his four field goals in the fourth quarter, and UC Davis, an FCS school, stunned Tulsa 19-17 in a nonconference season opener on Thursday night. The Golden Hurricane closed as 22-point favorites at Caesar Sportsbook, making it the largest upset defeat

1:48 AM ET MINNEAPOLIS — When C.J. Stroud began to struggle early in his first career start as Ohio State’s quarterback, coach Ryan Day pulled the redshirt freshman aside. The fourth-ranked Buckeyes had no intention of backing off their typically aggressive game plan on offense. Day fully expected growing pains for Stroud, who didn’t even

1:06 AM ET MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota star running back Mohamed Ibrahim left Thursday’s season-opening loss to No. 4 Ohio State with a lower left leg injury. Ibrahim went down on a 1-yard run late in the third quarter and appeared to be injured as he planted his left foot. He limped off the field and

first Quarter OSU MINN TD 7:22 Miyan Williams 71 Yd Run (Noah Ruggles Kick) 5 plays, 92 yards, 1:42 7 0 second Quarter OSU MINN FG 12:50 Noah Ruggles 35 Yd Field Goal 14 plays, 74 yards, 6:47 10 0 TD 9:11 Dylan Wright 13 Yd pass from Tanner Morgan (Matthew Trickett Kick) 6 plays,

4:20 PM ET Associated Press SPOKANE, Wash. — A former Washington State player contends in a lawsuit that his civil rights were violated when he was kicked off the football team after complaining about potential exposure to COVID-19 and for joining an association of Black student-athletes. Kassidy Woods, a wide receiver from Addison, Texas, filed

3:23 PM ET Adam Rittenberg Close ESPN Senior Writer College football reporter. Joined ESPN.com in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University. Heather Dinich Close ESPN Senior Writer College football reporter Joined ESPN.com in 2007 Graduate of Indiana University As the Big 12 continues to consider expansion, four leading candidates have emerged in BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and

12:51 PM ET Associated Press JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — Former Alabama football player and assistant coach Jim Fuller, who worked as both athletic director and head coach for Jacksonville State, has died after suffering from complications due to COVID-19. He was 76. Fuller died Wednesday night at his home in Texas, Jacksonville State athletic director Greg