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  • David Hale, ESPN Staff WriterNov 5, 2023, 12:06 AM ET

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    • ACC reporter.
    • Joined ESPN in 2012.
    • Graduate of the University of Delaware.

Two games featuring four top-20 teams kicked off at roughly the same time Saturday night, and for the better part of the next three-and-a-half hours, the four quarterbacks involved put on a master class of how the game should be played.

In Tuscaloosa, Jayden Daniels was a magician, but it was Jalen Milroe who delivered the most astonishing trick, completing his transformation from benchwarmer in Week 3 to utterly dominant in Week 10.

In Los Angeles, last year’s Heisman winner worked his own magic, but it was this year’s favorite to take home that hardware who delivered the win.

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USC’s flea-flicker pays off for a 41-yard TD

Caleb Williams snags the pitch from Zachariah Branch and launches a beauty to Tahj Washington for a Trojans touchdown.

Never mind that Daniels’ day was cut short by a brutal hit from Dallas Turner. Never mind that Washington’s explosiveness came at the expense of USC’s abysmal defense. Never mind that the Tide and Huskies ultimately pulled away enough to erase any chance for late drama.

Like all great magic tricks, Saturday’s performances weren’t worth dissecting to figure out how they’re done. The enjoyment comes from simply sitting back and being amazed.

Milroe’s progress has been nothing short of astounding. He lost to Texas, was benched against USF, and for most of September, Alabama‘s title hopes seemed all but extinguished thanks to an offense without an answer at QB. And on Saturday, Milroe tallied 374 yards of offense and four touchdowns in a 42-28 win over rival LSU. How was this the same player?

Years from now, psychologists will study Nick Saban’s decision to bench Milroe after that early loss. It was an act of sheer brilliance, a move that allowed Milroe to both see he need not worry about looking over his shoulder while also forcing him to embrace his role as leader, pushing his team from the bench and earning the respect of every player on the field in the process. What other coach in the country would’ve had the guts to make that move? Saban is playing chess. Everyone else is playing Connect Four.

Michael Penix Jr. wasn’t even the centerpiece of Washington‘s offensive attack Saturday against USC. He threw for 256 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, but the mere threat of Penix’s arm made life a breeze for tailback Dillon Johnson, who rushed for 256 yards and four touchdowns in the 52-42 win.

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Dillon Johnson cooks USC for 256 yards and 4 TDs

Dillon Johnson runs circles around USC’s defense and scores four touchdowns to lead the Huskies to a 52-42 win.

How easy was it for Johnson? According to ESPN Stats & Information, he ran for 199 yards before first contact. We’d say it would be hard for a back to do that against 11 traffic cones, but that comparison might be giving USC’s defense too much credit.

In his loss, Daniels showed he belongs in the Heisman discussion — and perhaps should be at the forefront of it — but his late injury hurts the cause, and LSU’s third loss makes the case a long shot.

In his loss, Caleb Williams saw yet another brilliant performance undercut by Alex Grinch’s defense. Grinch has become Bizzaro Brian Ferentz, and it’s hard to envision a scenario in which he escapes a similar fate. (Though we’d give anything to see the movable force of USC’s D take on the stoppable object of Iowa‘s offense before the two ride off into the sunset.)

In all, Milroe, Penix, Williams and Daniels combined to complete 70% of their throws, tallied more than 1,300 yards and accounted for 14 touchdowns. It was like watching Michelangelo, DaVinci, Picasso and the woman who made that Tom Brady courtroom sketch all take to the canvas together.

It’s certainly possible the 2023 season will deliver another game or two that inspire such awe, but the odds are slim. Saturday’s fireworks were something special, something some fans (cough, cough … we’re looking at you, Big Ten) go decades without experiencing.

There were clear playoff implications involved here, and there were genuine questions raised about whether Alabama or Washington could weather the storm that remains on their schedules. But all of that is conversation for another day.

On Saturday, there was only the sheer exhilaration of four men doing their job just about as well as it can be done.

An epic close to Bedlam

A Heisman contender put on a show. A man named Stoops was everywhere. Both QBs threw for more than 300 yards. Mike Gundy slicked back his hair and donned a pair of sunglasses to look like a grizzled old fighter pilot called out of retirement for one last mission.

This was Bedlam: Endgame.

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Oklahoma State storms the field after upsetting Oklahoma

Oklahoma State fans storm the field after upsetting Oklahoma 27-24.

There have been better, bigger showdowns in the rivalry, of course, but none that came with quite the stakes of Saturday’s final installment. Yes, both teams were ranked in the top 25 and both had conference title aspirations. And on both sides, there were genuine star turns. But what really mattered, more than the records or the rankings or the championship repercussions was this: The winner stays the winner — now, next year and for the foreseeable future.

On Saturday, Oklahoma State — long cast as the little brother — sent big brother off with a swift kick in the rear.

So of course Cowboys fans charged the field as Drake Stoops was wrangled short of the line to gain on fourth down. It was his 12th catch of the game, and it wasn’t enough. “Happy Trails to You” echoed over the sound system, and Oklahoma slinked off into a future in the SEC with a loss to the Pokes etched eternally on their souls.

And of course Alan Bowman hugged every offensive lineman he could find when Oklahoma State’s 27-24 win was secured. He was part of a QB carousel that included Garret Rangel, Gunnar Gundy and possibly a few guys Mike Gundy found asleep outside Eskimo Joe’s, but he emerged as the clear starter after an embarrassing loss to South Alabama and helped turn the Pokes’ season around.

And without question, the Heisman conversation must now include Ollie Gordon, who carried the ball 33 times for 137 yards, scoring twice. Gordon got three carries in that loss to South Alabama. Since then, he has had 120 yards or more in every game. Saturday was actually a step back for him, as he battled an injury and a ferocious Oklahoma front but willed himself down the field, carry after carry. It wasn’t pretty. It was just emphatic.

Earlier this week, Gundy lamented a time when the Bedlam rivalry was ugly and brutal on the field, when he and Brian Bosworth took turns spitting in each other’s faces — which, in fairness, was considered a formal greeting throughout much of the mid-1980s in Oklahoma.

This time around, the trash talk was done in the media, with former Oklahoma State D-lineman Trace Ford, who transferred to Oklahoma, trashing Gundy, the Cowboys, and Oklahoma State fans, whom he said were “bandwagoners for sure.”

Well, the bandwagon is bursting at the seams now, while Oklahoma’s seems to have broken down somewhere on the side of I-40.

In Norman, they’ll talk about the frustrating penalties — including a 15-yarder on Brent Venables, who might have invented several new epithets to call the officials on what proved to be the winning touchdown drive for Oklahoma State. They’ll talk, too, about the non-call on what looked like a textbook pass interference against Stoops in the end zone on a drive that ended with a field goal. They’ll talk about the final throw, that Stoops corralled well short of a first down. They’ll talk about what might’ve been if Oklahoma hadn’t melted down in each of the past two weeks to watch championship aspirations disappear into the ether.

And then they’ll never speak of this again.

In Stillwater, however, Saturday’s Bedlam finale is destined to become legend, a story passed from generation to generation until, at least, another installment comes to fruition. Because it doesn’t matter that Oklahoma won 91 of the 117 previous meetings. The Cowboys won this one, the last one, the one that will remain as sweet as an Ollie Gordon jump cut until the college football gods — or Oklahoma’s AD — breathes life into the rivalry once more.

Texas, Ohio State tested

Oh, what chaos might’ve been in Saturday’s early slate. Ohio State spent much of Saturday afternoon flummoxed by Rutgers‘ defense and unable to corral Kyle Monangai. Texas jumped out to a big lead, then handed Kansas State one chance after another after another.

The No. 1 team was on the ropes.

The No. 7 team saw its playoff hopes flickering.

And in the end, the favorites clung to victory like so many loose opossums.

The committee rewarded the Buckeyes by placing them atop the first playoff rankings last week, in spite of their repeated offensive hiccups. The obvious counterargument was that Ohio State had played quality opponents and still won. On Saturday, however, Kyle McCord looked lost for long stretches, relying almost exclusively on Marvin Harrison Jr. in the red zone, and the Buckeyes finished with fewer than 400 yards of offense for the fifth time this season — something they’d done just four times total in the previous four seasons.

The committee considered Texas the second-best of the one-loss teams, providing the Longhorns with a pretty clear path to the playoff if they won out. And they had Saturday’s game against Kansas State well in hand, leading 27-7 in the final seconds of the third quarter. But Will Howard responded with three second-half TD passes, and Chris Tennant drilled a 45-yard field goal with 1 second left to send the game to overtime.

And yet, both survived, almost in spite of themselves.

Ohio State scored on a pick-six off a tipped ball and got 208 of its 328 yards from TreVeyon Henderson, including a 65-yard catch-and-run that was the dagger for Rutgers.

Texas overcame two Maalik Murphy interceptions largely because Kansas State botched two late kicks — one a PAT that would’ve given the Wildcats the lead and the other a short field goal.

And yet both remain contenders for a playoff berth because a win is a win.

Still, it’s hard not to have watched both games unfold, almost simultaneously, like college football’s version of a Jardiance commercial — confounding plot lines, sudden shifts in perspective, weirdly captivating. Was this good football? High drama? An important data point in an otherwise still mystifying season?

This is perhaps the real beauty of this season thus far. The flaws all seem so evident in the nation’s top teams — from QB concerns to marginal run games to ex-military operatives who may or may not have been wearing night vision goggles outside Ryan Day’s house earlier this year. But those flaws all seem to evaporate when the game is on the line, and chalk prevails.

The hope for Ohio State and Texas is that those battle wounds heal over, and the scars serve only as a reminder of how narrow the margins can be; that the tough wins make them stronger because every grueling, ugly victory is better than a loss.

Or perhaps the 2023 season is just saving its biggest moments for the very end, a twist buried deep into the final chapters when it’s revealed this whole song-and-dance was actually just a commercial shoot and the wardrobe people step in and — man, that Jardiance commercial is catchy.

Dabo Swinney spent 18 months selling commercial real estate before landing on Tommy Bowden’s staff at Clemson 20 years ago. He took time last week to reminisce about that time in his life, noting in the wake of Clemson’s 4-4 start and a revolt by fans — or, at least one of them in Spartanburg — that sometimes the lowest moments set the table for the greatest victories.

After Saturday’s 31-23 win over No. 15 Notre Dame, Swinney wasn’t talking about his old career. He was headlong into his new one as a financial adviser.

“If Clemson’s a stock,” Swinney shouted after the game, “you better buy all you freakin’ can buy!”

It was a mammoth win after a brutal two months to start the 2023 season.

The past week felt like either a turning point or an ending point for Swinney after he first ripped a caller into his radio show with “an Old Testament answer” then doubled down during his weekly media session saying he wouldn’t allow critics to “steal my joy.” Indeed, this was essentially Swinney’s “Eras Tour,” as he took fans through more than a decade of his greatest hits, from confounding analogies (“even healthy trees need pruning”) to vague threats (“you can apply for the job, and good luck to you”) to lamentations of the downfall of American culture (“our society today…”), and even sprinkled in a few grievance deep cuts along the way (“I worked my ass off every single day.”) Heck, he might have quoted “Shake It Off” a few times, too.

More than anything, however, Swinney referred back to his latest banger: It’s all about the turnovers. And Saturday proved he was right.

Clemson recovered a muffed punt and turned that into a touchdown, then saw Jeremiah Trotter Jr. return a pick-six that buried Notre Dame. With a half-dozen starters out for the game, Phil Mafah carried 36 times for 186 yards and two touchdowns, and Swinney won for the 166th time as Clemson’s head coach, moving him past Frank Howard for the most victories in program history.

For Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman, it was another brutal afternoon against his archnemesis. Hartman completed just 13 of 30 passes with two interceptions, finishing his college career with an 0-5 record against the Tigers. He’ll carry that burden the rest of his life, with only his NIL money, his Wake Forest degree, his awesome rib necklace, his amazing head of hair and his numerous ACC records to provide solace. He has our deepest sympathies.

But if the game was a brutal ending for Hartman against Clemson, it felt like a new beginning for the Tigers. Eight years ago, Clemson beat Notre Dame at home and it was the spark in a season that ended with Swinney throwing a pizza party for the entire fan base. Saturday’s win was a big one, too, and it could end with Swinney ordering a dozen pizzas to be delivered to Tyler in Spartanburg’s house at 3 a.m.

Top teams keep rolling

A quick recap of Michigan‘s week:

Jim Harbaugh insulted house plants because he was once offended by a fern wearing an Ohio State hat.

Connor Stalions resigned his post as director of covert oper– ah, graduate assistant. Yeah, that’s it.

Big Ten athletic directors pressured commissioner Tony Petitti to deliver some righteous fury as punishment for the thing for which Michigan has yet to be formally convicted.

A Michigan fan site suggested the spying allegations are all a result of a top-secret investigation by Ryan Day’s brother, who might also just have been Ryan Day wearing a top hat and sunglasses.

Michigan’s president sent a letter to Petitti asking how many Ts are supposed to be in his name and also not to jump to any conclusions about the spying.

From inside his lair hidden deep inside Mt. Rushmore, Harbaugh inched ever closer to acquiring yet another Infinity Stone.

And the Wolverines beat Purdue 41-13 because the Boilermakers are awful and definitely not because Hudson Card is actually a deep-state plant who has actually been working for the Wolverines for the past nine years.

Anyway, we hope Mr. Stalions enjoyed the New Mexico game Saturday.

Jordan Travis‘ 360 yards passing and two touchdowns helped secure a 24-7 Florida State win over Pitt that secured an ACC championship game berth for the Seminoles — their first since 2014. The win did come with a bit of controversy as Pitt tight end Gavin Bartholomew was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct while on the sideline as the Panthers were driving deep into FSU territory in the third quarter, trailing by just 3. What Bartholomew said to warrant the flag remained a mystery, but we’re assuming he told the refs that putting French fries on a turkey club was a completely normal thing to do. Regardless, FSU did snap a 14-game streak of scoring at least 30 points, which, given that the committee seems to find the Seminoles interesting only if they win by 100, seems like a real red flag.

Big man Nazir Stackhouse showed off his speed on a game-clinching interception, and the tandem of Carson Beck and Ladd McConkey helped fend off a strong effort from Missouri to keep Georgia undefeated with a 30-21 win. Then the law firm of Beck and McConkey helped several people with a structured settlement get cash immediately.

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Big man intercepts Mizzou late in the 4th to give Georgia the ball back

Nazir Stackhouse intercepts Brady Cook and returns it inside Georgia territory short of a touchdown.

Oregon demolished Cal 63-19 behind a six-touchdown performance from Bo Nix. Of course, there’s no way the Ducks QB can keep up this pace moving forward … and, no, sorry we’re being told he plays USC’s defense next week. He might hang 100 on it.

Louisville took a big step toward an appearance in the ACC title game with a dominant 34-3 win over Virginia Tech. The Cardinals’ D was tremendous, holding the Hokies to just 140 total yards — 2.7 yards per play — and 2-of-12 on third- and fourth-down tries. Meanwhile, Wisconsin transfer Isaac Guerendo rushed 11 times for 146 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Louisville is now 5-1 in ACC play, putting it a game up on six different teams with two league losses. It owns head-to-head wins over five of them. Louisville can clinch next week with a win over Virginia and a North Carolina loss to Duke.

Heisman Five

Trying to sort out the Heisman race before November has usually been a fool’s errand, but we’ve reached November and this year’s race remains arguably as chaotic as any in recent memory. There are at least seven or eight players with genuine cases, and Saturday’s games only bolstered those cases across the board. So, who do we have? Please burn these after reading. We don’t want to be accountable for this when we change our mind later.

1. Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

Saturday’s game wasn’t Harrison’s most prolific. He had just 25 yards receiving against an impressive Rutgers secondary. But two of his catches went for touchdowns, which were absolutely critical for a Buckeyes offense that looked flummoxed at times.

2. Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon II

After three straight games topping 250 yards of offense, Bedlam was bound to be a step back for Gordon, who ran for only 137 yards and two touchdowns. We’re choosing to overlook this embarrassing performance because he has bragging rights in the state for the rest of his life.

3. Florida State QB Jordan Travis

Travis racked up 360 yards through the air and accounted for two touchdowns against Pitt, despite FSU missing both of its top two receivers, Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman. Instead, Travis found 5-foot-9 Ja’Khi Douglas, who had just 36 yards on the season entering play, six times for 115 yards. It was more offense than the city of Pittsburgh had seen all fall.

4. Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.

Since his win over Oregon, Penix’s passing numbers have been a tad pedestrian: 64% completions, six TDs, four interceptions. And yet, he has made plays when he needed to, helping keep the Huskies undefeated, and defenses have clearly adjusted, opening holes for a Washington ground game that has rushed for nearly 600 yards and nine touchdowns in that span.

5. LSU QB Jayden Daniels

Here’s hoping he’s healthy enough to get back on the field next week against Florida, in part because we want to see his Heisman case live on and in part because we want to see what happens if Florida has to beat Florida State in Week 13 to get bowl eligible.

Aggies’ road woes continue

For much of Saturday, Texas A&M seemed destined to pull off a shocker against No. 10 Ole Miss.

The Rebels were on the precipice of a 17-0 lead midway through the second quarter when Jacoby Mathews returned a blocked field goal try 75 yards for a touchdown. Ole Miss still was up 14 midway through the third quarter when the Aggies went on a run behind Max Johnson, who threw one TD pass to brother Jake and ran for another. But Quinshon Judkins‘ 1-yard run with 1:40 to go proved the difference, and the Rebels won 38-35.

The loss adds more fuel under Jimbo Fisher’s increasingly hot seat. Setting aside the COVID-impacted 2020 season, he’s now 22-23 against Power 5 foes since taking over at A&M in 2018, including a disastrous 3-15 mark on the road.

So, if you’re in the College Station area and looking to save on a Christmas tree, now would be the time to start doing a few laps past Fisher’s house.

Battling for bowls

South Carolina finished 4-of-16 on third and fourth down, committed 10 penalties (for 100 yards), and managed just 89 yards on 38 rushes Saturday, trailing Jacksonville State by seven late in the third quarter, but finished the game on a 17-0 run — the last 10 of which came after Jacksonville State turnovers — to win the battle of the Gamecocks 38-28.

Spencer Rattler‘s 399 passing yards and four takeaways by the defense proved the difference in a win that narrowly keeps South Carolina’s bowl hopes alive and kept coach Shane Beamer from either injuring another foot kicking a Gatorade cooler or perhaps busting through the locker room wall like the Kool-Aid man.

The win snaps a four-game losing streak for the Gamecocks, and South Carolina now has home games against Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Clemson — and needs to win out to get bowl eligible.

Meanwhile, Nebraska had a chance to secure win No. 6 against woeful Michigan State on Saturday, but the Huskers couldn’t get any offense going in a 20-17 loss to the Spartans.

Florida, too, whiffed on a chance to get bowl eligible. The Gators fell behind Arkansas 14-0, fought back to tie at the end of the first quarter, then traded scores for the rest of the way — swinging from all-out surrender gator to Trevor Etienne‘s brilliance. Ultimately, Arkansas booted a 49-yard field goal to send the game to overtime, and KJ Jefferson‘s TD pass then clinched the 39-36 Hogs win.

And somewhere, Dan Enos is firing up his burner account to send some incredibly pointed emails to new Arkansas playcaller Kenny Guiton.

In Week Zero, New Mexico State lost at home by 11 to UMass. In some countries, that is punishable by up to three years in prison. But credit to the Aggies, who have rebounded beautifully to win seven of their next eight games, including Saturday’s 13-7 victory over Middle Tennessee. New Mexico State’s D has held seven straight opponents to 24 points or fewer, and the Aggies’ ground game has been terrific, racking up 182 yards against the Blue Raiders. They’ve now topped 170 yards rushing in 13 straight games, the longest active streak in the country. More importantly, because the Aggies will play 13 regular-season games this season, they needed Saturday’s seventh victory to assure bowl eligibility.

West Virginia was picked to finish last in the Big 12, which riled up the locals about as much as anything since the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791 and, we should add, also seems like a serious overestimation of how good Cincinnati would be. Regardless, CJ Donaldson and Jahiem White both topped 100 yards on the ground as West Virginia ran for 336 in a 37-7 route of BYU that ensures a far better finish than last place in conference play and a bowl bid.

Iowa wins, paint dries

Iowa announced offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz would depart at year’s end, which means we have only a few more weeks left to enjoy — is that the right word? — a performance like the Hawkeyes gave us Saturday against Northwestern.

The over/under for the game was 32.5, and there was never a chance the game would hit that total. The biggest drama was wondering just how low the score would be. In fact, here are Iowa officials digging through rock bottom looking for the Hawkeyes’ passing game.

Iowa held the ball for nearly 20 minutes in the first half, and it still had just 89 yards. NASA scientists are still trying to figure out how that’s possible.

Northwestern, meanwhile, largely played offense like a newborn deer taking its first steps.

Neither team averaged better than 5 yards per pass. Neither threw for more than 100 yards. Neither topped 170 yards of total offense. Both required wellness checks after the third quarter to make sure everyone was still conscious.

Northwestern’s first eight drives ended with punts before a huge breakthrough midway through the fourth quarter when the Wildcats turned the ball over on downs. It was thrilling. Then things got really interesting. After an Iowa punt — usually an optimal play call for the Hawkeyes — Northwestern drove a whopping 22 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 7 with just 1:50 to play.

Fans around the world were terrified that the game would go to overtime, where the two teams would then play indefinitely until either someone scored again or the sun burned itself out and the world ended. Apocalypse was +240 in the Las Vegas live odds.

But miraculously, Deacon Hill completed two passes — a new Iowa record for a single drive — and the Hawkeyes drilled a 52-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining to win 10-7.

Iowa is now 7-2 and poised to make the Big Ten title game despite warnings from the FDA that consuming Hawkeyes offense can cause delusions, nausea and night terrors.

An ugly loss, a wild win

The last winless team in the FBS finally got a W.

One of the final remaining undefeated teams took a loss in horrifying fashion.

It was as if Sam Houston and Air Force swapped personnel in some sort of “Freaky Friday” situation in Week 10, with one team getting its first taste of victory and the other fumbling away a rivalry game and a shot at a New Year’s Six bowl.

In what might be the most embarrassing Air Force effort since “Iron Eagle 3,” the Falcons lost 23-3 to Army in a game in which the Falcons couldn’t get out of their own way. Air Force had 12 possessions in the game. Two ended with interceptions, four in fumbles, two in failed fourth-down tries, two in punts and one in a missed field goal. After the game, they also left the keys to an F-15 Eagle at the Dippin’ Dots concession stand.

For Sam Houston, however, Saturday offered a small bit of bliss after an utterly demoralizing season. The Bearkats — the “K” is for “kan’t win” — came in 0-8, having lost four of their past five games by a TD or less. In fact, they lost three weeks ago after an FIU field goal with 5 seconds left sent the game to overtime, and last week on a field goal by UTEP with 1 second to play.

So what happened Saturday?

Sam Houston fell behind FCS Kennesaw State 21-7 at the half but fought its way back to tie with 3:49 to play. Three plays later, Da’Marcus Crosby picked off a pass, setting up a nine-play drive that ended with — you guessed it — a field goal as time expired.

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Colby Sessums kicks 35-yard made field goal vs. Kennesaw State

Colby Sessums kicks 35-yard made field goal vs. Kennesaw State

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Sam Houston is now the first team in at least the past 20 years to play in three straight games in which there was a tying or winning field goal in the final 5 seconds.

The win was the first for Sam Houston since moving up to the FBS level, meaning its official membership card (which comes with 10% off any fines for field storming) and complimentary FBS windbreaker will arrive in the mail in the next four to six weeks.

Under-the-radar play of the week

Memphis moved to 7-2 on the season and 4-1 in ACC play with a win over South Florida in a game in which the two teams combined for 109 points — or, as it’s called in the Big Ten, a nice month.

Seth Hennigan and Byrum Brown combined for 706 passing yards and nine touchdowns through the air, but neither produced the game’s biggest pass play.

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Tevin Carter connects for 85-yard TD pass

Tevin Carter connects for 85-yard TD pass

That honor belongs to Memphis backup QB Tevin Carter, who hit Roc Taylor (which seems like the name of a character in the old “Mike Tyson’s Punch Out” game), who sprinted down the sideline for an 85-yard touchdown.

To sum up:

Iowa threw 15 passes Saturday and had 65 yards.

Northwestern threw 19 passes and had 81 yards.

Carter had 85 on one throw.

Under-the-radar game of the week

Illinois looked cooked when it got the ball back, down 5 points to Minnesota, with 2:47 to play and its QB injured on the sideline.

Then Jake Paddock came out of the phone booth wearing a Superman outfit. (Metaphorically. It’s hard to avoid the pass rush when wearing a cape.)

Paddock completed all three of his throws on a six-play, 84-yard drive, including a 46-yard TD pass to Isaiah Williams to go up 27-26.

Illinois is 4-5 on the season with wins by 2, 6, 3 and 1.

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How Thompson, Bedard, Keller, others are using 4 Nations snubs as Olympic motivation

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How Thompson, Bedard, Keller, others are using 4 Nations snubs as Olympic motivation

  • Greg WyshynskiSep 19, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

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      Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

HENDERSON, NV — Connor Bedard didn’t take it personally when Canada left the Chicago Blackhawks sensation off its 4 Nations Face-Off roster.

“I mean, I kind of knew. I had a slow start last year,” he told ESPN last week. “There are so many great players in Canada. Even if I went out and played great and didn’t make the team, it’s not like I was going to be butt-hurt.”

Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres took it a little more personally when Team USA passed him over for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

“Going into the second half of the season, it was extra motivation to show them that I could play,” he said. “That maybe I did belong out there. I used it to fuel my game and push it in the right direction.”

Apparently, trying to earn the chance to represent one’s country in a best-on-best tournament is a heck of a motivator. Thompson had 24 points in 27 games for the Sabres following the 4 Nations break, with 18 goals.

Dozens of NHL players enter the 2025-26 season with Olympic aspirations. The NHL is returning to the Winter Games for the first time since 2014, taking a break in its season so players can chase gold in Italy next February.

While many players from the 4 Nations Face-Off rosters for Canada, the U.S., Sweden and Finland will carry over to their respective Olympic rosters, executives such as Team USA GM Bill Guerin have said that the 4 Nations group was “probably not gonna be the exact lineup that we take to the Olympics.”

That’s good news for players such as Clayton Keller, the Utah Mammoth forward who was left off the 4 Nations roster and, like Thompson, wasn’t exactly thrilled about it.

“Obviously I was upset, but I used it as motivation,” Keller said. “I think I played my best hockey of the year after that. We really came out strong and made a push for the playoffs”

THOMPSON WAS PERHAPS the most significant snub from the Team USA 4 Nations roster. That he was added as an injury replacement reserve for the championship game against Canada underscored how close he was to making the cut.

Thompson watched that game in Boston. Watched as the U.S. lost in overtime, 3-2, unable to break through against goalie Jordan Binnington before Connor McDavid ended the game and secured the gold medal for Canada.

“Obviously, I would’ve loved to be out there and be a guy to help them win,” he said. “But I don’t pick the team. I’m just playing and doing my job on the ice.”

When Team USA was constructed for the 4 Nations Face-Off, Guerin and his management team opted for veteran depth forwards with potential as two-way players — such as Vincent Trocheck, Chris Kreider and Brock Nelson — rather than bringing on younger players better known for their offense.

One reason was their versatility, as players such as Nelson and Trocheck have thrived in different roles in the NHL. Guerin said it’s an adjustment for star players when they join a best-on-best team and are no longer getting their usual ice time and offensive looks.

“You have to check your ego at the door. That happens on any championship team. I feel like we had that in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey team,” Guerin told ESPN. “You just have to do things that you’re not used to doing. Play roles that you’re not used to playing or the minutes that you’re not used to playing. You have to accept that.”

Another reason players such as Keller and Thompson were overlooked was a lack of championship tournament experience. Thompson has never appeared in a Stanley Cup playoff game after eight seasons — seven of them with Buffalo. Keller has appeared only once in the NHL postseason, playing nine games with Arizona during the empty-arena COVID bubble playoffs in 2020.

Both players sought to boost their résumés by playing on the U.S. team in the 2025 IIHF world championships last spring, when the Americans captured their first title since 1960. Guerin put a premium on having players who might be on the Olympic bubble play in worlds.

Not only were Thompson and Keller there, but so were hopefuls such as defensemen Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins, both of whom were on the 4 Nations roster. Younger players such as Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe and Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic parlayed their world championship experience into Team USA Olympic orientation camp invites in August.

While Thompson and Keller both said their focus is on their respective NHL seasons, they can’t ignore the Olympic carrot dangling in front of them.

“I think it’s something super cool and exciting and something to play for, and I’m just going to play my game and let the rest take care of itself,” said Keller, who led Utah with 90 points in 81 games last season. “I’m not stressing about it.”

“You don’t want to think about it too much. I feel like my priority is helping our team win in Buffalo. If I do that, then everything just falls into place,” said Thompson, who was Buffalo’s leading scorer with 44 goals in 76 games. “The Olympics is a big goal of mine. It’s something I’ve wanted to be able to do for a long time. So to make the team would be something pretty special. But you don’t want to put too much thought into it.”

Bedard, entering his third season in the NHL after being drafted first overall by Chicago in 2023, opted not to play for Team Canada at IIHF worlds this year. His focus was on his skating and other developmental work in the offseason. Despite Canada’s considerable depth at forward, Bedard is keeping his Olympic hopes alive, having attended orientation camp in August.

“It’d be incredible. It’s not something I think about now too much. I just want to go into camp and have a good start, personally and as a team, and then you see what happens,” said Bedard, who had 67 points in 82 games to led Chicago last season.

Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson‘s name was circulated among fans after the Americans — and specifically the Tkachuk brothers — mucked things up at 4 Nations. In fact, Wilson fought Brady Tkachuk in a game against the Ottawa Senators a few weeks after the tournament.

While Olympic rules likely mean there won’t be another punch-up between Canada and the U.S., Wilson did earn a Team Canada Olympic orientation camp invite this summer after being left off the 4 Nations roster.

“It was cool. It’s an impressive group of guys, to say the least. It really makes you want to put your head down and just work as hard as you can to put yourself in the conversation for making the Olympic team,” Wilson said. “When you’re a kid, it’s the Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal. That’s everything. That’s your biggest, wildest dreams. But you look around that [camp] room, every guy beside you wants it just as much as you do — and it’s the best players in the league.”

Wilson believes that the first few months of the 2025-26 season will see players with Winter Games dreams working extra hard to make a final impression.

“For all those Olympic hopefuls, you don’t have a lot of opportunity to gracefully dip your toes in the water to start the year. It’s a small runway before they started announcing rosters and stuff like that,” he said. “You better believe every guy that was in the conversation this summer was working really hard to start well.”

MAKING AN OLYMPIC ROSTER means taking a roster spot from someone who played in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim played three games for Team Canada at 4 Nations, and competed for the Canadians at IIHF worlds, where they were stunned in the quarterfinals by Denmark.

“Obviously, 4 Nations was something that was a privilege to be on. I probably wasn’t thinking about it a couple years ago, and just the last couple seasons I put myself in that situation,” Sanheim said.

The work doesn’t stop just because he made that roster. Sanheim was one of 14 defensemen who attended Team Canada’s Olympic orientation camp. He’s considered on the bubble for the 2026 Winter Games.

“I think Canada’s such a deep team and the guys that are competing for those roster spots — you could take about 20 guys to fill, what is it, eight spots? So it’s going to be a challenge,” Sanheim said. “The Olympics are something that I’m striving towards and want to be a part of. It’s exciting to have that opportunity.”

Patrick Kane has had that opportunity twice, winning silver in 2010 and losing bronze in 2014 for the Americans. The 36-year-old winger’s absence from Team USA’s 4 Nations roster wasn’t a surprise, as Kane himself admitted his play last season didn’t warrant a selection. However, his presence at the U.S. Olympic orientation camp in August was a surprise to some, although not to Kane.

“They told my agent there’s the potential of maybe making the team. That I was under consideration. So when you hear that, it’s not really that big of a surprise that you’re there,” he said.

Kane said the real surprise was that his Detroit Red Wings teammate Alex DeBrincat wasn’t invited to camp after not making the 4 Nations cut either.

“I think both of us have some motivation to get off to good starts this year,” he said.

Kane remembers back in 2010 when he was a 21-year-old star on the U.S. Olympic team, surrounded by veteran national team members such as Chris Drury, Jamie Langenbrunner and Brian Rafalski. Now, he would be that elder statesman should he make the cut for 2026. But like every other NHL player that hasn’t formally been named to an Olympic roster, Kane knows he must earn it.

“I want to get to a point where obviously you put yourself in consideration for the team just on your play, right? Not for your name or what you’ve done in the past,” Kane said. “That’s the goal going into this year.”

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Week 4 preview: Key matchups, quarterbacks who aren’t meeting their preseason hype and more

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10 hours ago

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September 19, 2025

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Week 4 preview: Key matchups, quarterbacks who aren't meeting their preseason hype and more

Sep 18, 2025, 08:00 AM ET

If there’s an overriding storyline through three weeks, it has been about the winners and losers of some big bets on quarterbacks.

Miami bet on Carson Beck reviving his NFL prospects after a down year at Georgia. So far, he has delivered, averaging nearly 10 yards per pass with eight total touchdowns, and the Canes are ranked in the top five.

Oklahoma wagered Brent Venables’ future on John Mateer, and the Washington State transfer has been electric, leading the Sooners past Michigan in a Week 2 showdown and earning Heisman front-runner status.

Auburn felt sure former five-star recruit Jackson Arnold still had plenty of untapped potential, and through three weeks, he has looked like the superstar he once was, getting the Tigers to 3-0.

Ohio State, Georgia and Oregon all bet on in-house QBs rather than dipping into the transfer portal, and all have been rewarded.

Florida State, Indiana and Tulane hit pay dirt in the portal.

That’s the good news.

On the flip side, so many quarterbacks who were expected to provide massive dividends — Arch Manning, Cade Klubnik, DJ Lagway, Nico Iamaleava, LaNorris Sellers — have wavered between average or awful.

Week 4 offers some chances for redemption, with Lagway getting another big test against Miami, Klubnik hoping to right the ship against Syracuse and UNC‘s Gio Lopez going on the road against UCF in the Tar Heels’ first real test since a blowout loss to TCU.

Some of the nation’s most talented young players have a chance to break through, too. CJ Carr can earn win No. 1 against woeful Purdue. Michigan’s Bryce Underwood, coming off a strong performance against Central Michigan, has a much bigger test against Nebraska. Ole Miss’ Austin Simmons hopes to return from injury in time to make his mark in a showdown with Tulane.

The story is just beginning to be written, so there’s plenty of time for Manning, Klubnik and other preseason darlings to find their footing. But it has been a cold September for some of the nation’s most renowned passers, and Week 4 could be another opportunity for others to grab their share of the spotlight. — David Hale

Jump to:
Auburn-Oklahoma | Utah-Texas Tech
Quarterbacks who are falling short
Breakout players | Quotes of the week

What do each of these teams need to do to win?

Auburn: The Tigers have to disrupt Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer and make him pay for running the ball, and they have the ingredients to do so. Auburn is tied for sixth nationally in sacks per game (3.67) and tied for 12th in tackles for loss per game (8.7). Although Keldric Faulk is the headliner, Arkansas State transfer Keyron Crawford has been the team’s most disruptive pass rusher so far with three sacks and a forced fumble. The defense and run game, which ranks 16th nationally at 240 yards per game, ideally must reduce the pressure on quarterback Jackson Arnold in his highly anticipated return to Oklahoma. Arnold is completing nearly 70% of his passes, running the ball effectively and limiting mistakes, but the more Auburn’s other playmakers can take off his plate, the better the chances for a key road win. — Adam Rittenberg

Oklahoma: Arnold started nine games for the Sooners last fall. If anyone knows his weak spots, it’s Oklahoma coach Brent Venables. As Adam points out, Arnold (eight turnovers in 2024) has played efficient, mistake-free football in his first three games at Auburn. A Sooners defense that’s creating pressures on 44.6% of its snaps this season — 10th nationally, per ESPN Research — is built to change that and make Arnold uncomfortable, although Oklahoma will be without 2024 sack leader R Mason Thomas for the first half Saturday following a Week 3 targeting ejection. Mateer will have his own work cut out for him against the Tigers’ defensive front, but he should be able to find holes in a secondary that ranks 85th in yards allowed per game (220.0). The difference, ultimately, could come on the ground where a still-figuring-out Oklahoma rushing attack meets Auburn’s 10th-ranked run defense (67.0 yards per game) on Saturday. Freshman Tory Blaylock (5.4 yards per carry) has been the Sooners’ most effective running back through three games. — Eli Lederman

How do each of these quarterbacks need to perform?

Utah: Through three games a year ago, Utah had gone without a first down on nearly a quarter of its drives. This season, it has happened only three times in three games. The difference is Devon Dampier, who has looked as at ease running his brand of dual-threat football in a Power 4 backfield as he did a year ago at New Mexico. Dampier has racked up more than 800 yards of offense and accounted for eight touchdowns, and he has yet to turn the ball over. His skill set has made him particularly effective. He has already accumulated 80 yards on scramble plays, and three of his seven TD passes have come from outside the pocket. This will be his biggest test to date, but he’ll also be, by far, the biggest challenge for Texas Tech’s defense. — Hale

Texas Tech: Behren Morton hasn’t taken a snap after the third quarter across three straight 30-plus point victories to open the season. Still, Texas Tech’s senior quarterback enters Week 4 tied for No. 1 nationally in passing touchdowns (11) and ranks ninth in passing yards (923), leading the nation’s highest-scoring offense (58.0 PPG). Utah, with the nation’s 20th-ranked pass defense (134.0 yards per game), should present Morton with his toughest test yet in 2025. He’ll have to be accurate against an experienced Utes secondary, and Morton’s decision-making will be key, too, in the face of a Utah front seven that features the nation’s joint sack leader in John Henry Daley — five in three games — and blitzes on 42.6% of its snaps, the 10th-highest rate among FBS defenses, per ESPN Research. Most of all, Texas Tech will hope Morton’s experience (27 career starts) can keep its offense steady in the Red Raiders’ first visit to a notoriously hostile Rice-Eccles Stadium. — Eli Lederman

Three quarterbacks who aren’t meeting their preseason hype

1. Arch Manning

Anyone can have a rough outing in a Week 1 matchup against the defending champs, and Manning looked fine a week later against San José State. So, nothing to worry about, right? Ah, not so fast. A dismal first half against UTEP ignited a full-on inferno of criticism of the preseason Heisman favorite, and for good reason. Manning is completing just 55% of his throws and has turned the ball over three times, and Texas has gone without a first down on nearly a quarter of its drives so far. Add the sideline grimace that coach Steve Sarkisian chalked up to — well, we’re not quite sure — and it would be enough reason for concern even if Manning didn’t carry a legendary name and a ton of hype. That this all comes on the heels of such high expectations means Manning will be fighting critics for the foreseeable future.

2. Cade Klubnik

What’s wrong with Clemson‘s offense? The answers are everywhere, but none appear bigger than Klubnik, who has at times looked lost, frustrated or intimidated in the pocket. His 37.5 QBR through three games ranks 121st out of 136 FBS passers, and his miserable first-half performances — no passing touchdowns, two turnovers — have put Clemson in some early holes. Klubnik is completing less than 60% of his throws on the year, but the bigger issue is the number of open receivers he hasn’t even targeted in key moments. He has been sacked just three times this year, but he has gotten moved off his position too often, and abandoned ship even more frequently. So, what’s wrong with the Tigers? The better question is what’s wrong with the Tigers’ QB?

3. DJ Lagway

After last year’s hot finish, the assumption was that Lagway would take the next step in 2025 to becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Through three weeks, he’s nowhere close. Not only is Florida off to a 1-2 start, Lagway has been the primary culprit. He’s completing 71% of his throws, but nearly one-third of his throws are behind the line of scrimmage. He has done nothing to extend the field, attempting just seven throws of 20 yards or more. On those throws, he has one completion and two picks. Lagway’s six interceptions overall are tied for the second most nationally through three games. If Florida wants to turn things around amid a brutal schedule, it has to start with Lagway looking more like the player he appeared to be down the stretch in 2024. — Hale

Five early breakout players

Rueben Bain Jr., DL, Miami: The 6-foot-3, 275-pound pass rusher is performing at an All-America level so far this season with 15 stops, 11 pressures, 2.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble through three games. Bain was a top-100 recruit and a Freshman All-American in 2023, so there’s nothing shocking about his rise, but he’s making the leap as a junior and proving he’s a no-doubt NFL draft first-round pick. As ESPN draft expert Jordan Reid put it, no other draft-eligible player in the sport is having a greater down-to-down impact than Bain.

Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas: Green is off to an incredible start to his second season under OC Bobby Petrino, leading the country in total offense with 866 passing yards, 307 rushing yards (most among all FBS QBs) and 13 total touchdowns. Last week against Ole Miss, he became the first QB in program history to surpass 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in a single game. The Razorbacks came up short in their SEC opener but have seven more top-25 opponents on the schedule, which should give Green every opportunity to play his way into Heisman contention.

Mario Craver, WR, Texas A&M: The Aggies faced Craver last year during his freshman season at Mississippi State and knew he could be a dangerous playmaker. He has been an absolute game changer for Marcel Reed and Texas A&M’s passing game with an FBS-leading 443 receiving yards and four TDs on just 20 receptions. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound wideout isn’t flying under the national radar anymore after burning Notre Dame’s secondary for a career-best 207 yards on seven catches, and his 279 yards after catch are nearly 100 more than any other pass catcher in the country.

Ahmad Hardy, RB, Missouri: Hardy had a prolific freshman season at UL Monroe and hasn’t slowed down one bit since making his move to the SEC. He’s now the second-leading rusher in the FBS with 462 yards and five TDs after a ridiculous 250-yard day against Louisiana last week. The sophomore has played in only 15 career games, yet he already has three 200-yard performances on his résumé, and he leads all FBS backs with 29 forced missed tackles, according to ESPN Research.

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, QB, Cal: The true freshman from Hawaii was a late riser in the recruiting rankings as a high school senior, and we’re quickly learning why he became so coveted. Sagapolutele signed with Oregon but flipped back to Cal in early January, believing he’d have a chance to start right away for the Golden Bears. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound lefty has flashed big-time arm talent and exciting potential with 780 passing yards and seven total TDs while leading a 3-0 start. He’s becoming must-see TV on a Cal squad that looks poised to exceed expectations. — Max Olson

Quotes of the Week

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on speculation about his job security:
“Hey, listen, if Clemson’s tired of winning, they can send me on my way. But I’m gonna go somewhere else and coach. I ain’t going to the beach. Hell, I’m 55. I’ve got a long way to go. Y’all are gonna have to deal with me for a while.”

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian on quarterback Arch Manning:
“Here’s a guy who’s had an awesome life, the way he’s grown up, the people he’s been surrounded by. I think you learn a lot about yourself through adversity and overcoming adversity. … When he gets on the other side of it, I think all of this is going to serve well not only for him, but for us as a team.”

LSU coach Brian Kelly:
“LSU won the football game, won the game. I don’t know what you want from me. What do you want? You want us to win 70-0 against Florida to keep you happy?”

Michigan fill-in coach Biff Poggi on Bryce Underwood:
“He might actually be Batman. We need to do a DNA test on him.”

Georgia Tech coach Brent Key addressing his team after beating Clemson:
“Enjoy the s— out of it, man. Guess what? Next week is going to be bigger.”

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Sources: ACC closing in on new schedule format

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11 hours ago

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September 19, 2025

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Sources: ACC closing in on new schedule format

  • Andrea Adelson

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    Andrea Adelson

    ESPN Senior Writer

    • ACC reporter.
    • Joined ESPN.com in 2010.
    • Graduate of the University of Florida.

  • David Hale

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    David Hale

    ESPN Staff Writer

    • College football reporter.
    • Joined ESPN in 2012.
    • Graduate of the University of Delaware.

Sep 18, 2025, 10:41 PM ET

The ACC is closing in on a change to its scheduling format that will require all league teams to play at least 10 games against Power Four competition, though the number of intra-conference games played — eight or nine — remains a sticking point, according to multiple sources.

Athletics directors are scheduled to meet Monday in Charlotte to discuss the details of what will either be a move to a nine-game conference slate with one additional Power Four game required out of conference or an “8+2” model that would provide more flexibility to schools who already have an annual non-conference rival.

“The ACC committing to go to 10 Power Four games is a big step forward,” Clemson athletics director Graham Neff said. “It’s indicative of where college football is and leans into emphasizing the importance of strength of schedule and more Power Four matchups.”

Neff is among the handful of ADs concerned that a nine-game conference slate would be problematic in limiting schools’ ability to play marquee non-conference games, as Clemson did this season against LSU in Week 1.

The Tigers play South Carolina annually and, beginning in 2027, will also have a yearly game against Notre Dame.

A straw poll of 13 of the ACC’s 17 athletics directors showed nine supported or were amenable to the nine-game slate, while Clemson and Florida State are among the others with concerns about the impact on non-conference scheduling.

The SEC announced last month it would move from an eight-game to a nine-game conference slate — a decision that has spurred the ACC’s interest in adjusting its scheduling model, too.

Multiple sources said ACC commissioner Jim Phillips wants to see the conference play nine league games annually plus require each school to schedule one out-of-conference game against another Power Four school, essentially matching the SEC’s new strategy. ACC schools are already supposed to have at least one Power Four non-conference game each year, but that rule has not been enforced and several programs have avoided playing a more difficult schedule. Sources told ESPN that the current conversations have reached a consensus that 10 Power Four games must be an enforced minimum moving forward.

One administrator said it felt inevitable the league was going to go to nine league games. Duke coach Manny Diaz agreed.

“I think it’d be awfully strange to be the only conference not at nine conference games,” Diaz said. “Usually when you’re the only one doing something, it’s either really good or really bad. It just feels like you’d want continuity in what everybody does in college sports.”

The SEC’s move coincided with the College Football Playoff committee’s revised guidelines that emphasize strength of opponent. SEC schools are also expected to see an increase in revenue from its TV partner, ESPN, for adding the additional conference game.

ACC ADs were briefed on the various plans during a call Wednesday, though several said there remains little understanding of how potential changes would be accepted by ESPN or considered among the College Football Playoff committee. Indeed, as Radakovich noted, the ideal formula for a 12-team playoff vs. an expanded playoff might not be the same, but the ACC will need to decide its scheduling fate before knowing what the future playoff might look like.

“Hopefully Jim [Phillips] will give us some insight into that when we get together Monday, and help set the table that, hey, nine is going to be really important for us to keep a very good seat at the table as it relates to the other CFP commissioners and the Power 4 conferences,” Miami athletics director Dan Radakovich said. “It all depends on how big the CFP gets. That’s another driving factor we won’t know. We’re going to have to make this decision without that knowledge and try to project it the best way we can.”

No additional revenues are expected to come from ESPN if a change is made. The ACC also changed its revenue-distribution model starting in 2025, awarding a higher percentage of revenue to schools based on TV ratings.

“It’s important we continue to be strategic in providing value to our media partner, ESPN,” Neff said. “And with how the ACC has adapted our financial distribution model, that has direct school revenue implications unlike any other conference.”

The ACC has wrestled with how many league games it should play for more than a decade. In 2012, the ACC agreed to play nine league games, but decided to stay at eight after adding Syracuse and Pittsburgh and coming to a scheduling agreement with Notre Dame the following year. The intra-state nonconference rivalry games that Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Louisville play annually against their SEC rivals have always been a sticking point in any of these discussions.

For those four specific teams, their rivalry games coupled with a nine-game conference slate would provide a full inventory of 10 Power Four matchups — with more in years in which those schools play Notre Dame as part of the league’s agreement that requires five games per year against the Irish. That leaves little room for marquee matchups like Clemson-LSU or Florida State-Alabama, two games that did monster ratings in Week 1 of this season, each drawing more than 10 million viewers.

But future marquee non-conference matchups like those could disappear once the ACC moves to a nine-game conference slate, Neff said, which could diminish the overall product and inhibit revenue opportunities, given the ACC’s new distribution model that provides more money to schools with better TV ratings.

Radakovich noted that games like this week’s showdown with Florida are unlikely to be played moving forward due to the constraints of a larger conference schedule, but he will continue to have conversations with Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin.

“It’s going to be a real tough sell because Florida has their nine SEC games and their rivalry game with FSU,” Radakovich said. “Scott and I will have some chats to see if it can happen but it’s going to be some tough sledding.”

Louisville athletics director Josh Heird said his school would still schedule top non-conference competition, even if that means an 11th Power Four game. The Cardinals currently have future games scheduled against Georgia in 2026 and 2027 and Texas A&M in 2028 and 2029.

“Play good teams,” Heird said. “We’ll play Kentucky every year, and we’ll have Notre Dame every once in a while. And we absolutely want to still play the home-and-homes with Georgia and Texas A&M. I think the kids want to play those games, too.”

Several ADs expressed concern, however, that series like Louisville’s with Georgia and Texas A&M would disappear regardless, as the SEC bows out of such matchups now that its teams will play nine league games. Others suggested the SEC and Big Ten — the two leagues with the most financial clout — could work together for non-conference scheduling, leaving the ACC and Big 12 with few options to fill out their schedules, particularly if the ACC has two Power Four non-conference games required.

“You’re not guaranteed 10,” one AD in favor of a 9+1 model said. “That’s the issue. Who’s to say the other Power four leagues want to schedule ACC schools?”

One alternative could be for ACC teams to schedule non-conference games against each other, as NC State and Virginia did in Week 2. Several ADs expressed skepticism about that plan, however, suggesting it would be extremely confusing for fans to understand which ACC vs. ACC matchups counted in the league standing and which did not.

Regardless, the ACC will have to figure out a way around a more basic problem of math. With 17 football-playing members, there’s no way for all schools to play nine conference games.

One initial plan involved games vs. Notre Dame — an ACC member in all sports except football — to count as conference games. Multiple ADs told ESPN that plan has been shelved for the time being, likely in favor of an imbalanced model in which at least one team will play just eight conference games while the rest play nine.

Monday’s meetings in Charlotte are expected to move the league closer to a final decision, but several sources said they did not expect an official vote to happen for a few weeks and were similarly dubious a change would take effect for the 2026 season.

“Let’s look to try to set our course,” Radakovich said. “The discussions will happen Monday but decisions will hopefully happen shortly thereafter. Hopefully we’ll come out of that with a consensus that leads the ACC to a final conclusion.”

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