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Oct 30, 2023, 03:47 PM ET

It sounds like North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren and retired NFL star receiver Steve Smith Sr. are all good.

Doeren said Monday during his weekly news conference that Smith texted him a congratulations video after the Wolfpack beat Clemson, and that Doeren had invited him to see a future game from the sideline. That came two days after Doeren had a testy response to Smith’s comments on ESPN’s College GameDay during the pregame-picks segment that N.C. State was “unfortunately … waiting for basketball to start.”

“Tell Steve Smith in the studio that this ain’t a basketball school. He can kiss my ass,” Doeren told the postgame sideline reporter from The CW before walking off.

Doeren said he appreciated Smith reaching out, saying they had “a great conversation” and called him “a tremendous guy.”

“In that moment, I felt like I was defending my team. I was irked by it,” Doeren said, adding with a chuckle: “I don’t know, sometimes things just happen.”

Smith was in Charlotte on Sunday for the Carolina Panthers’ game against the Houston Texans and told a reporter with WTVD-TV from Durham about Doeren’s sideline invitation.

Smith, a Pro Bowler who spent much of his career with the Panthers and works in broadcasting, recently got in a squabble with Denver Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy and later apologized.

N.C. State beat Clemson 24-17 and hosts Miami on Saturday night.

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‘It’s our tune’: How Fleetwood Mac worked with the USC marching band to create ‘Tusk’

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November 10, 2025

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'It's our tune': How Fleetwood Mac worked with the USC marching band to create 'Tusk'

ON FRIDAY, DR. Arthur C. Bartner, the 85-year-old retired band director at USC, stood at the 50-yard line of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before the Trojans’ game against Northwestern, looking for an old friend.

Suddenly, Mick Fleetwood, the legendary drummer from Fleetwood Mac, showed up. He saw Bartner, and his face lit up. The 79-year-old drummer embraced his old friend in a huge hug.

“The look on his face was priceless,” Bartner said. “I mean, there was a genuine appreciation and love for our relationship through the years.”

In 1979, the two men joined forces to make American music history, when Fleetwood convinced Bartner to lend him the Trojan Marching Band for the recording of “Tusk,” the title track of a Fleetwood Mac album at the height of the band’s powers. It would go on to earn both bands two platinum albums and create an iconic marching band song.

Michael Barasch, the founder of College Marching, which covers bands across the country, said nobody else has what USC has in “Tusk.” He cited the popularity of “Dixieland Delight” at Alabama, “Country Roads” at West Virginia and “Rocky Top” at Tennessee as comparable examples. But there’s one big difference. “None of those bands can say they recorded the original track with the artist,” Barasch said.

That’s why Bartner became something of a star and his group became known as “Hollywood’s Band.” On Friday, he felt the need to remind Fleetwood of what the collaboration did for him.

“You made my career,” Bartner said he told Fleetwood. “You made me famous, Mick.”

Soon after, Fleetwood joined the Trojan Marching Band to play their creation together once again. For Bartner, it was a “joyous occasion.” Not only did he get to surprise Fleetwood, but he got to see Fleetwood play “Tusk” in person once again, 46 years after the first performance.

“At 85 years old, how lucky, how blessed am I to have an evening like this?” Bartner said. “There’s not many people that can live such a moment in your life and get to do it twice.”

FLEETWOOD MAC GOT whatever it wanted in 1979.

“Rumours,” released in 1977, was one of the biggest albums in history, leading to packed stadium shows around the world and putting the group on par with Led Zeppelin and The Eagles. Led by classics such as “Dreams,” “Go Your Own Way” and “Don’t Stop,” the record spent 31 weeks at No. 1 and has sold more than 40 million records.

Afterward, the band set out on an adventure in record making, exploring new sonic techniques and hoping to rebel against their record label. They were given a massive budget of $1 million, making the album, at that point, the most expensive of all time. L.A.’s legendary Village Recorders studio built the band a new studio for them to record it in, including a custom booth at Stevie Nicks’ request that was decorated to evoke a sunset in Tahiti.

But Fleetwood couldn’t stop thinking even bigger. He visited his mother and sister in Normandy, France, and while there, he couldn’t sleep. He was jet-lagged and had a few drinks. And to make matters worse, a brass band kept marching by, parade-style, outside the townhome where he was staying in Barfleur, a little fishing village. By 2 a.m., he gave up, sat on the balcony and watched the group go by. And it struck him. Wherever this little band went, even in the middle of the night, people followed.

He couldn’t stop thinking about a guitar riff that bandmate Lindsey Buckingham had been toying with that had become known as the “Stage Riff,” that he played all the time, yet they’d seemingly given up on figuring out how to make it a complete composition. Fleetwood thought, on that balcony, that he’d figured it out.

“Everyone in the band, including Lindsey, thought I was round the twist,” he told ESPN, using a British phrase for, well, being nuts. “But I said, let’s have a brass band develop that riff.”

He returned to Los Angeles, 5,600 miles from his source of inspiration, and set his plan in motion. He placed a call to the USC band’s offices, wanting to talk to someone from the Trojan Marching Band. It’s Mick Fleetwood, he said. They said they’d have to call him back.

USC’s band was no stranger to being in the middle of showbiz. They turned up frequently in movies and TV shows. But, still, the directors weren’t used to one of the biggest names in music cold-calling them. There were always concerns it could be a prank call from some kid. Worse, it could be someone from UCLA.

Tony Fox, the assistant director, called back. He was stunned to find it genuinely was Fleetwood on the other end.

“They were the ones who contacted us and wanted to collaborate,” Fox said. “It’s the only time that’s ever happened between a college band and a major rock group.”

So Bartner, the longtime band director, and Fox, his trusted assistant and the arranger for the band, headed to Studio D at Village Recorders. There, the two college band directors worked with Buckingham and Fleetwood, two rock music giants, to arrange the score. Then they went back to USC and fine-tuned it. They got another call from Fleetwood.

He was even further round the twist. He told them they were going to record the track live at Dodger Stadium.

“That for sure nearly ended with me being taken to a mental institution by my fellow band members,” Fleetwood said. “They said it would cost a fortune. I said, ‘I’ll pay for it.'”

But the band had a very famous fan in Dodger third baseman Ron Cey, a perennial All-Star who would become the 1981 World Series MVP. He had hung out with the band during the recording process before. And he had enough clout to call in a favor.

“He said, ‘I’ll get ’em to donate the place and open it up for you. I love this idea,'” Fleetwood said.

So on June 4, 1979, they showed up, 112 members of the Spirit of Troy, in full uniform, to record a song with Fleetwood Mac at Dodger Stadium. “Tusk” was born, and it became an iconic part of both bands’ careers — the tribal, hypnotic toms of Fleetwood, mixed with Buckingham’s riffs and screeching vocals, and a huge band behind it. Fleetwood’s vision came to life.

In December of that year, when Fleetwood Mac returned on tour for the album, the band played five shows at the Forum, home of the Showtime-era Lakers, and the Trojan band joined for each of them.

In everyone’s memories, it’s one of the most Los Angeles series of events. And it has become an iconic part of USC’s history.

“Everywhere we go,” Fox said, “people ask us, ‘Play “Tusk,” play “Tusk,” play “Tusk.”‘”

MARCHING BANDS HAVE long adopted popular music into stadium anthems. The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” has become a staple worldwide. “Neck,” started as a 1984 song by Cameo called “Talkin’ Out The Side of Your Neck,” was arranged to become an HBCU band favorite, then soared into infamy at LSU where fans inserted lyrics so explicit that the school banned the song entirely.

But, according to Bartner and Fox, there was nothing like this that had ever come before, where a band’s own directors helped create a song, then recorded the original with the band, a true collaboration.

It was no small undertaking. The band filmed a video of the surreal scene, one of the first behind-the-scenes videos ever released of a rock band’s process. Engineers ran wires across the warning track to remote trucks. Bartner stood on a ladder in the middle of the field, surveying his charges, as Rodney Davis, his drum major, held up the music in front of him to conduct.

A larger-than-life character himself, Davis was a local student from nearby Carson, California, had already been the first Black student to live on USC’s fraternity row, had been the first Black fraternity president, and now was the first Black drum major to lead the band. He served for an unprecedented three years. He hustled around making last-second changes to parts and to make sure everyone was ready to go. Davis became a star of sorts once the video, full of close-up shots of him high-stepping into Dodger Stadium, debuted on MTV in 1981.

Rehearsals were done live in the stadium: students practiced in dugouts and uniforms laid strewn in the outfield awaiting the final performance. There were on-site adjustments, not the least of which came from Fleetwood’s manic drum solo in the middle of the song, which he never seemed to play the same way twice.

“Anything I’ve ever done and still do, I haven’t got a clue what I’m doing,” Fleetwood joked. “I don’t even know what a verse or a chorus is, but I know in the moment I’m always on the edge of f—ing everything up.”

For a band with hundreds of members that couldn’t adapt on the fly, that posed a problem. The directors had to beg their new friend to try and stick to a plan.

“I remember going down on the field and I actually hadn’t been playing in quite a while and I forgot how exhausting that middle bit was,” Fleetwood said. “It’s actually freeform. Everything they did was performance learned. And that really pays tribute to the band and their discipline, knowing that it sounded like it was just made up.”

Students could freely chat up any of the members during rehearsals. Buckingham, Nicks, Fleetwood and Christine McVie were all in attendance. John McVie, however, was sailing to Tahiti. So Fleetwood called Warner Bros. and asked if they had a full-size image of him, and they delivered, so a life-size posterboard of John was carried around all day.

Nicks, famously, was captured on video adeptly twirling a baton like a college majorette. Fleetwood said that was no act, and that she had grown up as a twirler.

“Stevie, she was the real deal,” Fleetwood said. “The whole spinning thing, it’s something I never learned to do with drumsticks. So I was unearthly jealous of her, like Tommy Lee or something. That was an impromptu idea, which of course was fantastic. She took the boys into battle stomping out with high-heeled boots on. She was the official twirler of the day.”

Nicks walked around watching rehearsals, and in outtakes of the video shoot, asked, “Who are we to deserve the USC band?”

After lunch on the field, the band suited up and recorded the final version. Fleetwood had headphones on with his hands over them, staring at the ground. With such a large ensemble playing in such a cavernous setting, keeping time was a monumental task, and Fleetwood was pounding the ground with his foot.

“I actually remember doing that,” he said. “I had the track in the cans. I was sort of a desperate Dan. That stomping on the ground was for a very real reason, especially being a drummer. This thing’s got to be in time.”

The finished product became the first single off the highly anticipated album. Fleetwood wanted it to have an unusual sound and to signal that he wasn’t putting out a sequel to “Rumours.”

“Tusk” was released just three months after the Dodger Stadium session, with plenty of studio sounds added to it, including Fleetwood slapping a leg of lamb with a spatula. The song was Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hit in England since 1973, and the combined group became the largest ensemble ever to chart in the U.K., but could not surpass the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s 320-member recording of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” in the United States.

In October of 1979, the band performed at the dedication for Fleetwood Mac’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. After the single sold more than a million copies, the album went platinum. At halftime of the 1980 homecoming game against Arizona State, members of Fleetwood Mac presented Bartner with a platinum album, the first college marching band to get such an honor. In 1997, Fleetwood Mac recorded a live reunion concert known as “The Dance” over two days at Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles. The Trojan Marching Band again performed with them, first on an updated version of “Tusk,” before closing the show with “Don’t Stop.” The band earned its second platinum album after it sold more than five million copies in the U.S.

Fleetwood calls Bartner a “total, total legend” and is proud of how close they became. In the following years, they’d go to USC games together. He takes immense pride in the collaboration.

“I think it’s a major bookend,” he said. “It’s full of drums. I didn’t get a songwriting credit, but it’s about as close as you can get, to have 80 other drummers playing with you just to say, don’t forget the drummer.”

BARTNER AND FOX are both retired from USC now. Fox left in 2016 after 45 years and Bartner in 2020 after 50. Bartner served as the director of the 800-member All-American College Marching Band for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Under their direction, the Trojan Band performed in movies such as “The Naked Gun” and “Forrest Gump,” at the Oscars three times, including once with Beyonce and Hugh Jackman and with Outkast at the Grammys. In 2009, they again performed at the Grammys with Radiohead, and found themselves rehearsing with the band at the same studio where Fleetwood Mac was rehearsing, with Buckingham calling it a “passing of the torch.”

Barasch, who documents bands on the @collegemarching Instagram account, grew up in Pennsylvania and marched at Penn State, but said he was always fascinated by the USC band, with their Trojan helmets and sunglasses showing up all over the place.

“No other program comes close to what USC has done not just on the field, but off as well in terms of exposure,” he said. “Embracing Los Angeles and saying they were open for business catapulted them from a great college band to essentially the face of collegiate marching band nationwide for many years.”

“It’s not really a rock tune, and it’s kind of hard to say what it is,” Fox said. “It’s so unique because of that drum beat. And it’s so unique because it’s our tune. I mean, they gave it to us to use in perpetuity. The collaboration is the big point. The big picture is that we were able to give those kids that participated in this thing something no other band in the country could have given them.”

Bartner said his greatest contribution to USC football is that the band essentially choreographs the game. “Fight On!” is usually played after first downs or touchdowns. “Conquest” is played after scores and victories. “Tribute to Troy” is played after defensive stops.

But “Tusk” has earned a prominent place along with all the stalwarts. It’s part of the pregame show, is almost always played in postgame, and is a favorite at any special campus events. In 2010, to celebrate Bartner’s 40th anniversary as band director, an alumni band joined the Trojan Marching Band to play “their crowning achievement,” as the band announcer called it, with 800 members performing at halftime of homecoming.

In 2015, Buckingham appeared as a guest in a Business, Administration, Entrepreneurship Program class in a packed auditorium at USC to discuss his career, play a few songs, and tell stories. He called the entire “Tusk” project a backlash against superstardom, which explained why they took such an avant-pop approach to creating it.

“It set me on the path to be an artist, and not just a craftsman doing music,” he said.

Last year, in an interview with Buckingham looking back at the artistic impact of the album, The Independent explained what made it so shocking, saying it’s arguably the most punk album. Completely nonconformist and full of experimentation. “Tusk” was described as an “experimental, often ramshackle double record full of junkyard clatter, Kleenex box drums and a full-on marching band,” and called that title track “a seemingly insane choice for the album’s first single … chosen as a showpiece for [its] uncontained, expectation-defying spirit.”

In the class, Buckingham called it his favorite album, and ended his lecture/show with the stage curtain opening behind him, and the Trojan Marching Band, led by Bartner, launching into “Tusk” and “Go Your Own Way” as Buckingham accompanied on guitar.

Fox said it’s a testament to Bartner’s style that all of this magic combined to create one of the most iconic songs played by a college marching band, and the beginning of a rich new tradition at USC.

“Art is a showman,” Fox said, noting that Bartner led a college band program at Disneyland from 1974-2005. “That showmanship gets into the band. These kids just love entertaining and dancing around and just having fun. And it’s infectious and it’s very unique. And in some ways, I think it just manifested itself. We just said, ‘Yeah, that’s it.’ A synchronism.” Both Bartner and Fox said they recall a modest flat fee for the involvement of the band, something like $10,000. For them, it was more about the chance for their students to make history and be a part of something unforgettable.

Bartner, whose first job was directing a band of 80 students at a small high school in Michigan, was overcome with emotion with the chance to reminisce with Fleetwood. They talked about Buckingham, about the band, about life and their careers.

“From North Adams, Michigan to Los Angeles, California, and Fleetwood Mac, if you were planning your career, who would’ve ever thought that this would ever happen?” Bartner said. “I just feel very fortunate to have had a band willing to do these kind of things. These kids were full-time students. I think 90%, 80% are non-music majors. And here they’re doing all these gigs in Los Angeles. I’m very thankful.”

Fleetwood, who spends most of his time in Maui, says it’s a “long swim” back to Los Angeles, so he doesn’t get back as much as he used to. But he was thrilled to once again return in front of the Trojan Marching Band and hear their creation in person again after nearly half a century.

Fox said it forever will remain one of the most unique parts of USC lore.

“It’s Mick’s baby,” Fox said. “He gave birth to it, and we helped. But Mick is an honorary member of the band. He is part of our history.”

As proud as he is of his own role in the creation of “Tusk,” Fleetwood is even prouder it that had such a legendary second act back in the marching band setting where his idea first arose. At USC, students have added their own chorus, chanting “U-C-L-A SUCKS.” Alabama’s Million Dollar Band has also adopted it as somewhat of an unofficial fight song. It’s become an American institution.

Fleetwood remains a fan of his adopted college. He used to hit Bartner up for tickets and come to games when he was in L.A. This time, while invited to be a guest of the music school, it was Fleetwood’s own request to play with the Trojan Marching Band, something Bartner found particularly endearing, that it still means so much to him.

Fleetwood said he keeps up with the Trojans on television. And then, every so often, he’ll hear that rhythmic beat, the one inspired by the marching band in Barfleur, played as a fight song in a college football stadium, and it always hits him.

“Oh my God,” he said. “They’re still playing it.”

And Bartner realized recently just how long of a lifespan it’s had too. He went to his granddaughter’s wedding in Washington D.C. earlier this month, and an 84-year-old man, the groom’s grandfather whom he’d never met, came up to him and told him that he’s a huge Fleetwood Mac fan.

“He says, ‘Do you know that I play ‘Tusk’ every time I wash the dishes?'” Bartner said. “Some man in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, washes dishes to ‘Tusk.’ This is its far-reaching value. That’s the ultimate compliment.”

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Report: Kelly rejected LSU buyouts, seeks $54M

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November 10, 2025

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Report: Kelly rejected LSU buyouts, seeks M

  • Mark SchlabachNov 10, 2025, 07:20 AM ET

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    • Senior college football writer
    • Author of seven books on college football
    • Graduate of the University of Georgia

Former LSU football coach Brian Kelly rejected two financial settlement offers from the university, and his attorneys have given LSU officials a Monday deadline to confirm in writing that they’ll pay him the $54 million he’s owed under the terms of his contract.

Kelly, who was fired on Oct. 26, was in the fourth season of a 10-year, $95 million contract.

According to documents obtained by the Baton Rouge Advocate, former LSU athletic director Scott Woodward offered Kelly a lump-sum payment of $25 million on the day he was fired. Woodward also offered to remove the mitigation language in Kelly’s contract, which would have reduced the buyout amount if he coached again.

LSU executive deputy athletic director Julie Cromer later increased the settlement offer to $30 million in two payments, according to the documents.

Kelly, who had a 34-14 record at LSU, rejected both offers, according to the report.

In a Nov. 5 letter to new LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry and Board of Supervisors member John Carmouche, Kelly’s attorneys said they want university officials to confirm by 6 p.m. ET Monday that the school intends to “fulfill its contractual obligation” to pay Kelly the “full liquidated damages.”

“Absent this written confirmation by that date, Coach Kelly will pursue all available legal remedies,” the letter said.

Kelly’s attorneys said in the letter that LSU officials previously confirmed that the coach was fired without cause, meaning he would be owed 90% of his remaining compensation.

If a lesser amount isn’t negotiated, the university would owe Kelly $54 million in monthly payments through 2031, minus any future salary he receives in coaching.

Kelly’s lawyers told LSU officials that the coach was still “open to additional offers” if the university provided written confirmation that it intends to pay the $54 million he’s owed.

Woodward, who oversaw LSU’s athletic department since 2019, stepped down from his position Oct. 30, a day after Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry criticized him for giving Kelly such a one-sided contract. Landry also suggested that Woodward wouldn’t select the Tigers’ next football coach.

“We are not going down a failed path. And I want to tell you something: This is a pattern,” Landry told reporters during a news conference at the state capitol on Oct. 29. “The guy that’s here now that wrote that contract cost Texas A&M 70-some million dollars. Right now, we’ve got a $53 million liability. We are not doing that again. And you know what? I believe that we’re going to find a great coach.”

Landry criticized Woodward for agreeing to a similar one-sided coaching contract when he was Texas A&M‘s athletic director. The Aggies owed football coach Jimbo Fisher more than $76 million when they fired him in November 2023, which was nearly triple the highest-known coaching contract buyout at a public school at the time.

However, it was Ross Bjork, who succeeded Woodward at Texas A&M in 2019, who gave Fisher a four-year extension just before the 2021 season that made his 10-year deal worth more than $90 million. Woodward originally gave Fisher a 10-year, $75 million contract when he was hired away from Florida State.

Ausberry, LSU’s former deputy athletic director, was named interim AD and then promoted to replace Woodward on Nov. 4.

Frank Wilson is LSU’s interim coach. The Tigers lost 20-9 at No. 4 Alabama on Saturday, dropping their record to 5-4.

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Week 11 Power Rankings: Texas A&M, Indiana swap spots; three newcomers join the list

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November 10, 2025

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Week 11 Power Rankings: Texas A&M, Indiana swap spots; three newcomers join the list

Nov 10, 2025, 07:50 AM ET

By mid-November, most college football teams are what they are. But each squad has areas that can be sharpened for the stretch run, especially those in the top 25.

Spots in the rankings can be tenuous, as Washington, Memphis, Iowa and ACC contenders Virginia and Louisville found out the hard way Saturday. Even teams much higher in the rankings, such as Oregon and Vanderbilt, came away from narrow wins with areas to clean up for the all-important games ahead. BYU certainly has things to assess on offense after being held to seven points and only 67 net rushing yards in its first loss of the season, at Texas Tech.

For some, such as Oregon, it’s simply getting healthier at key positions. For others, it might be improving third-down defense or special teams execution or scoring touchdowns in the red zone. As good as Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson has been, his deep-ball success is something that needs an upgrade if the Tide continue to roll.

Here’s our weekly look at the top 25 and the areas that will demand attention as these teams look to remain in the rankings. — Adam Rittenberg

Previous ranking: 1

The undefeated and top-ranked Buckeyes could lose out and probably not fall out of the top 25. The biggest question facing the Buckeyes is whether they can earn the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff along with a first-round bye. Ohio State can all but clinch a bye by ending its four-game losing streak against Michigan. After that, the Buckeyes can pretty much wrap up the No. 1 seed by winning the Big Ten championship game, presumably over No. 2 Indiana. With a victory over Texas in its hip pocket, Ohio State has a strong résumé. With a strong finish to the Big Ten slate, the Buckeyes could head into the playoff as the favorite to defend their 2024 national championship. — Jake Trotter

Previous ranking: 3

The Aggies didn’t play incredibly well, but the result was another double-digit win on the road against a ranked opponent, something in which they take solace. Mike Elko said Marcel Reed didn’t have the full playbook at his disposal, and they stuck with a short passing game, with only two of Reed’s throws traveling more than 10 yards. Then they followed a similar plan: line up, run the ball, and dominate up front down the stretch, finishing with 243 rushing yards on 6.3 yards per carry. Elko was frustrated that they also gave up 207 yards on the ground, but the Aggies never relented and allowed Missouri back in the game. A&M has to keep its feet in front of it at 9-0 and No. 3 in the CFP; it has 3-6 South Carolina and 1-9 Samford at home before a trip to Austin to face Texas. The Aggies have scored 30 points or more in eight of their nine games this season, including 49, 45 and 38 the past three weeks, but still can keep growing in the passing game. — Dave Wilson

Previous ranking: 2

The Hoosiers aren’t falling out of the top 25 and are probably bound for their first Big Ten championship game appearance, as they finish the regular season with Wisconsin and Purdue. But Saturday’s escape at Penn State provided plenty of focus items for coach Curt Cignetti and his team. Similar to 2024, late-season offensive line injuries have impacted IU, which surrendered three sacks, eight tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries in its win. Indiana played without starting guard Drew Evans and lost starting tackle Kahlil Benson for a stretch of the Penn State game, although he returned. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza was brilliant in the clutch but also faced a ton of heat. Indiana’s typical lockdown defense gave up eight third-down conversions and three plays of 30 yards or longer in the win, which coordinator Bryant Haines certainly will address. — Rittenberg

Previous ranking: 4

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said the Crimson Tide made just enough plays to defeat LSU 20-9 at home Saturday. But DeBoer and quarterback Ty Simpson were noticeably frustrated with the offense’s inability to get into a rhythm. The Tide’s lack of a consistent running game continues to put too much pressure on Simpson to make big plays in the passing game. The Crimson Tide ranks 14th in the SEC in rushing, gaining 111.9 yards per game. It was worse against LSU’s defense, as the Tide had only 56 rushing yards on 26 attempts. Jam Miller was back and ran eight times for 13 yards; Daniel Hill had 21 yards on seven attempts. If Alabama is going to get past Oklahoma’s menacing defense Saturday and remain in the hunt for an SEC title, it’s going to have to find a way to run the ball more effectively. — Mark Schlabach

Previous ranking: 8

The Bulldogs had one of their better defensive performances in Saturday’s 41-21 victory at Mississippi State, which many Georgia fans feared would be a trap game with next week’s home game against Texas looming. Georgia gave up 322 yards of offense and came up with a season-high three sacks, after totaling only eight in its first eight games. After Mississippi State drove 75 yards for a touchdown on its opening possession, it had only 87 yards of offense the rest of the half. Georgia scored the next 38 points and never looked back. Defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann dialed up plenty of pressure early, helping put Mississippi State in third-and-long situations throughout the first half. With much-improved Arch Manning and the Longhorns coming to Sanford Stadium next week, and another battle against in-state rival Georgia Tech and star quarterback Haynes King still to play in the regular-season finale, Georgia’s defense needs to continue to improve. — Schlabach

Previous ranking: 9

The Red Raiders aced their greatest test yet Saturday with a 29-7 win over unbeaten BYU. Coach Joey McGuire’s squad was ready for the national spotlight in a must-win game for his squad’s Big 12 title hopes. Texas Tech’s defense was excellent again with 11 third-down stops and three takeaways while holding BYU to a season-low 67 rushing yards. This would’ve been a real blowout if the Red Raiders hadn’t struggled to finish drives in the red zone, with touchdowns on only two of seven red zone opportunities. That’s one critical area where this team can keep improving, especially as quarterback Behren Morton continues to get back in rhythm after sitting out two games because of a hairline fracture in his right fibula. — Max Olson

Previous ranking: 6

The Rebels took care of business in a 49-0 rout of The Citadel at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Ole Miss had 603 yards of offense, including 151 rushing yards. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss completed 29 of 33 passes for 333 yards with three touchdowns. Defensively, the Rebels had their way against the FCS team, holding the Bulldogs to only five first downs and 106 yards of offense. It was the first time since 2014 that Ole Miss held an opponent to fewer than 150 yards of offense. With Florida coming to Oxford, Mississippi, next week, Ole Miss’ biggest focus might be maintaining its focus. Rebels coach Lane Kiffin is being mentioned as a potential candidate at Florida, which fired coach Billy Napier on Oct. 19. With a potential CFP appearance and SEC title still in play, the Rebels need to eliminate distractions. — Schlabach

Previous ranking: 5

After hovering on the fringes of the top 10 in the first CFP standings, the Ducks solidified their place with their best win of the season against Iowa. But there are challenges ahead, especially with USC and Washington still on the schedule, and a shorthanded receiver corps. The Ducks ran the ball effectively with multiple backs against Iowa, finishing with 261 yards and averaging 7.3 yards per rush. Quarterback Dante Moore made several clutch throws on the winning drive, but he will need to be sharper for Oregon to keep up with USC and Washington. If wide receivers Dakorien Moore and Gary Bryant Jr., and top tight end Kenyon Sadiq remain out, Oregon will need to develop other reliable pass catchers. The Ducks also will look to make more fourth-down stops after Iowa converted three of four attempts, including a go-ahead touchdown with 1:51 left. — Rittenberg

Previous ranking: 10

A 49-10 domination of Navy was the latest easy win for the Irish, who’ve won seven straight — all by double digits — since an 0-2 start. Notre Dame faces a ranked Pitt team this week — probably its last serious potential stumbling block between now and a playoff bid — which means Saturday’s showdown with the Panthers is do-or-die. The Irish are averaging 9.5 yards per dropback this season, second best nationally, while Jeremiyah Love and the ground game have continued to impress. The key to beating Pitt will probably come down to protecting CJ Carr. Notre Dame’s O-line has been exceptional after a shaky Week 1 against Miami, but Pitt is fifth nationally in tackles for loss and the Panthers figure to be particularly aggressive in trying to rattle Carr. — David Hale

Previous ranking: 7

BYU’s impressive run of doing just enough to win finally came to an end at Texas Tech, during which its offensive limitations were on full display. As effective as true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier has been at times this season, that usually sprouted from the run game — either with him or LJ Martin. This is just not a team built to play from behind and score quickly. The Cougars are still in the playoff mix, but they didn’t look like a playoff team in Lubbock on the biggest stage they’ll get during the regular season. BYU needs more from its passing game if it can win its way to a possible rematch with Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game. — Kyle Bonagura

Previous ranking: 13

The Longhorns are getting right at the right time, and had a bye week to rest up and fine-tune. Arch Manning threw 328 yards in Texas’ past game against Vanderbilt, second most in his career after the 346 the week before against Mississippi State. Manning has grown up this season, coach Steve Sarkisian said, but so has his offensive line, allowing Manning time to work through reads. Two of the Longhorns’ biggest stars who got off to slow starts have been on fire: receiver Ryan Wingo (273 of his 593 yards this season have come in the past two games) and edge rusher Collin Simmons (6½ sacks the past four games). With four SEC teams ahead of them in the CFP rankings, this week’s trip to Georgia is essentially a play-in game. Win, and all of a sudden, things get really interesting for the preseason No. 1 team. — Wilson

Previous ranking: 11

Wins in two of their final three games would almost certainly ensure a top-25 finish for the 7-2 Sooners. The question is what path they take. Oklahoma’s playoff hopes probably hinge on the outcome of next weekend’s trip to one-loss Alabama. From there, back-to-back home games against Missouri and LSU look much more manageable now than they did at the start of the season. The key to all three of those games will be the play of quarterback John Mateer, whose accuracy and passing metrics have dipped significantly since he underwent right hand surgery in late September. Playoff or not, this has been a positive fall for the Sooners as Oklahoma has rebounded from a 6-7 finish in 2024 and Brent Venables has coached himself off the hot seat. A strong finish over the final three weeks of the regular season would not only keep the Sooners in the top 25 but should bode well as Oklahoma looks to build on its momentum this offseason. — Eli Lederman

Previous ranking: 17

The Utes were off over the weekend but are in an interesting playoff position, coming in at No. 13 in the initial playoff rankings. What this means is that it’s possible for the Utes to win out, miss the Big 12 title game and still have a decent shot at a playoff spot with a 10-2 record. It gets complicated because their two losses are to Texas Tech and BYU, meaning they would be evaluated against at least one of them for an at-large spot. But this is the beauty of the playoff format. Utah has everything to play for late in the year. — Bonagura

Previous ranking: 16

After giving up only 34 combined points against LSU and Missouri in October, Vandy’s defense has sprung some leaks in November. The Commodores gave up 34 points and 7.1 yards per play in a loss at Texas a week ago, and on Saturday they were hit for 38 points and 6.9 yards per play against a previously moribund Auburn offense. They still have playoff hopes at 8-2, and they get a much-needed bye week now. But against an improving Kentucky team and an explosive Tennessee team, the defense will desperately need to find its legs again. Quarterback Diego Pavia and the offense came through against Auburn and can keep up in track meets, but they’ll need a little help, especially against Tennessee. — Bill Connelly

Previous ranking: 19

The Hurricanes beat Syracuse 38-10 thanks in large part to a newfound creativity with their offensive playcalling that had been missing for the bulk of the season. Malachi Toney threw a touchdown pass to Carson Beck; Beck threw a touchdown pass to offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa and off the Canes went to victory. It was a welcome change to see Miami open up its playbook a little bit more to get some momentum going for an offense that had become stagnant. Miami needs to continue to do that to keep defenses on their toes after the Hurricanes had grown somewhat predictable with their preference to run between the tackles. Without Mark Fletcher Jr. and CJ Daniels — two of their best playmakers on offense — Miami found a way to win and that is a good sign for the remainder of the season. — Andrea Adelson

Previous ranking: 15

An off week came at an opportune time for the Yellow Jackets, as their prime ACC competition stumbled in Week 11, leaving the door wide open for Georgia Tech to make it to the conference title game. ESPN’s FPI now gives the Jackets the best odds of winning the ACC (35.2%) with a date against 1-9 Boston College next up on the docket. Tech’s playoff profile, should it not with the ACC, is still a bit thin, with its best win — Clemson — looking far less impressive than it did in September. But Georgia Tech’s last two games of the season are against ranked foes — Pitt and Georgia — and winning both probably would assure the Jackets of a playoff berth, regardless of what happens in the conference championship game. — Hale

Previous ranking: 20

In its 38-17 win over Northwestern on Friday night, USC again won a game in which it relied on the run. For the fourth time in five games, the Trojans had at least 30 rushing attempts or more and were led by King Miller, a former walk-on, who now has three games of at least 100 rushing yards. Miller’s ascension has given Lincoln Riley’s offense a blueprint in which it doesn’t have to rely so much on Jayden Maiava‘s passing game the way Riley has in past seasons with different quarterbacks (Maiava himself has six touchdowns on the ground this season) — in fact, this season, USC ranks inside the top 25 in the country in rushing yards per game and top 10 in rushing yards per attempt. Three wins away from a likely berth in the CFP and its defense showing signs of improvement, the final stretch might not come down to the Trojans’ gamebreakers at wide receiver such as Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane but rather it’s the rushing attack, which could be what finally gets them over the edge. — Paolo Uggetti

Previous ranking: 21

At 7-2, the Wolverines remain a stealth playoff contender. Both of their losses (at Oklahoma, at USC) came against ranked opponents on the road. And though they don’t have any true noteworthy wins, that opportunity is coming Nov. 29. If the Wolverines can somehow knock off No. 1 Ohio State for a fifth straight year, they would become an intriguing playoff possibility (pending whether they also advance to the Big Ten championship game, where they could earn an automatic berth). Wins the next two weeks at Northwestern and at Maryland would almost assuredly keep Michigan in the top 25, regardless of what happens against Ohio State. But another victory over the Buckeyes also would hand the Wolverines a compelling playoff résumé. — Trotter

Previous ranking: NR

The Panthers find themselves in a four-way tie atop the ACC standings following their idle week. They’ve won five in a row, are scoring 40 points per game and have the No. 11 passing offense in FBS since they turned to true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel at the start of October. No ACC title contender has a tougher remaining schedule than the Panthers with Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Miami up next, so the week off landed at an ideal moment for Pat Narduzzi’s squad. Their young QB will learn from his three red zone turnovers against Stanford last week and must play great situational football under pressure for his team to make a run to the ACC title game. — Olson

Previous ranking: 14

The overtime loss to Cal in Week 11 was a brutal blow for a Cardinals team that hasn’t lost a game by more than a touchdown in two years but looked entirely flat. With Isaac Brown out because of an injury, the ground game was less explosive, and Cal used the opportunity to turn up the pressure on quarterback Miller Moss, who struggled badly, completing just 20 of 38 throws with no touchdowns and a pick. Moss has now thrown an interception in five of his past six games, and it has been more than a month since he topped 250 yards passing. The Cardinals’ next two games — Friday vs. Clemson and Week 13 at SMU — are both potentially fraught matchups, and without a more balanced attack, a once-promising season could crumble quickly. — Hale

Previous ranking: 12

The Cavaliers have not been nearly as explosive on offense, nor dominant in the run game over the past five weeks, and that includes a 16-9 setback to Wake Forest in which quarterback Chandler Morris was knocked out of the game in the second quarter after taking a hard hit to the head. Virginia also turned the ball over three times — an area in which it had excelled and allowed it to win so many close games this season. Virginia has to find a way to get back to controlling the ball on offense, something we have seen in limited stretches since its big win over Florida State. Whether Morris will play next week against Duke is a big question. Daniel Kaelin had two of the turnovers, and threw incomplete passes in the end zone with a chance to win the game. If Morris does start Saturday, Virginia will have a full week to get him ready. — Adelson

Previous ranking: 23

Tennessee’s biggest area of focus is the same thing it has been for a while — defense. Pick your category: The Vols are 61st in yards allowed per play (5.39), 98th in yards allowed per game (395.9), 114th in scoring defense (31.1 points per game) and 120th in completion rate allowed. The fact they’re 6-3 with tight losses to two ranked teams tells you how explosive their offense can be, but with games remaining against ultra-efficient Vanderbilt and all-or-nothing Florida, they’ll have to make at least a few stops if they want to win out and create some late positivity from an up-and-down season. — Connelly

Previous ranking: 25

The Hawkeyes were seconds away from closing out a win that would have put them on the outer edges of the CFP radar. But they couldn’t finish off Oregon in a game in which they were outplayed in areas where they normally thrive. Iowa gave up its highest rushing total (261) since 2022 and its highest yards-per-rush against average since 2014. The Hawkeyes also made an uncharacteristic special teams error, as a bad snap led to a safety and the game’s first score. Iowa can’t afford slip-ups in its areas of strength, and must be sharper this week at USC and at Nebraska on Nov. 28. The Hawkeyes also must continue to grow their downfield passing attack, which flashed at times in the Oregon game, as quarterback Mark Gronowski had completions of 40 and 38 yards. — Rittenberg

Previous ranking: NR

The Mean Green defense has stepped up since a 63-36 loss to South Florida, holding each of its past three American Conference opponents to 20 points or fewer. First-year defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity has pulled off one of the more impressive turnarounds in FBS this season in building a top-10 pass defense in Denton. But North Texas’ No. 130-ranked run defense has been tested quite a bit in conference play and still has to face Rice’s gun option attack on Nov. 22. The offense of coach Eric Morris led by quarterback Drew Mestemaker will continue to command the headlines, but Cassity’s defense playing with consistency and getting stops in November will help determine if this team can get into the CFP. — Olson

Previous ranking: NR

With only one conference loss, Cincinnati remains in the mix in the Big 12, with three tough games remaining: Arizona (6-3), BYU (8-1) and TCU (6-3). After being blown out by Utah, it’s hard to see the Bearcats winning out to reach the Big 12 title game, but it’s well within the realm of possibility. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby is having one of the best seasons of any quarterback in college football and he’ll continue to help give his team a chance the rest of the way. — Bonagura

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