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NEW ORLEANS — Notre Dame has won 11 straight games and averaged a nearly 30-point margin of victory during that stretch, but as the Irish prepare for Wednesday’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, much of the attention remains on the one game they’ve lost.

Notre Dame’s 16-14 home loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2 was a low point for the Irish, but head coach Marcus Freeman said it also served as a turning point that ignited the team’s recent run.

“There were some valuable lessons in that loss,” Freeman said Monday. “It’s this constant chase for improvement — every week, every day — that we have been able to make, and we still continue to have that mindset.”

In the aftermath of that loss, Freeman told his team to “hold on to that pain” as a motivating factor and use it as a motivator to improve. Now that Notre Dame is among the last eight teams still playing for a national title, tailback Jeremiyah Love said he appreciates the reminders of the team’s nadir.

“We like it,” Love said of the NIU talk. “We don’t like that we lost, but we like the reminder. Keeping the pain with us — it’s a drive to be better. We like the little reminder that we fell short in that game, so if people keep doing it, we welcome it.”

Notre Dame had just gone on the road and upended Texas A&M in Week 1, and left tackle Anthonie Knapp said the Irish spent the next six days relishing the success.

That, he said, was a mistake.

“Coming off A&M, everyone was on a high,” Knapp said. “You get a little ego boost and you’re like, ‘Oh, NIU.’ We didn’t take preparation as important that game, and we got what we deserved.”

Against NIU, the Irish managed just 286 yards of offense, turned the ball over twice and averaged fewer than 5 yards per pass.

The conversation surrounding Notre Dame changed instantly. Suddenly the team riding the high of the win over A&M was instead answering questions about a one-dimensional offense and a transfer QB in Riley Leonard, who struggled to throw the ball downfield.

In some ways, however, it was a liberating moment, Leonard said.

“Once you lose a game like that, no one can say many worse things about you,” he said. “You can’t do anything but respond and not care and play freely, and that’s what we’ve done.”

Leonard, a transfer from Duke, had three offseason surgeries and missed all of spring ball, so the process of figuring out how he fit within Notre Dame’s offensive game plan was slow to develop. That showed against NIU, but the loss also galvanized a team around a mantra of owning the line of scrimmage.

Since the NIU game, Notre Dame has averaged 42.5 points per game, Leonard has 17 touchdown passes and just four picks and the ground game, led by Love, has blossomed into one of the most potent in the country.

More importantly, linebacker Jack Kiser said, the loss has put Notre Dame in a must-win scenario since mid-September, making this run through the College Football Playoff feel like familiar territory.

“This week [vs. Georgia] and last week [vs. Indiana], playoff games are do-or-die,” Kiser said. “But since Week 2, we knew if we dropped another game, we probably wouldn’t even be in the 12-team playoff. So it’s been a back-against-the-wall mentality. That has certainly carried us through the rest of the season. Who knows what this team would be like without that loss?”

Still, tight end Mitchell Evans said there’s a mindset that the NIU game defines Notre Dame more than the past 11 wins.

“It’s a stigma Notre Dame has that, ‘Oh they can’t do this or that,'” Evans said. “I think it’s because people want to be us, if I’m being honest. It’s Notre Dame. It’s the most prestigious university in the world. No one knows what we go through besides us, the people in our core. A lot of people hate the success we’ve had as a program.”

That’s part of what’s driving Notre Dame going into the Sugar Bowl. If the past 11 games haven’t been enough to erase the stigma of the NIU loss, certainly a win over Georgia would send a clear statement.

And if Leonard has learned anything over the past three months since Notre Dame’s low point, it’s that there’s still much left to prove.

“I don’t think we’ve come close to reaching our potential here,” he said.

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Suit accusing BYU QB Retzlaff of rape dismissed

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Suit accusing BYU QB Retzlaff of rape dismissed

A civil lawsuit accusing BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff of rape has been dismissed, according to court records.

The parties jointly agreed to dismiss with prejudice, ending the case which was filed last month. None of the parties was immediately available for comment.

Retzlaff now plans to transfer from BYU as he faces a possible seven-game suspension for violating the school’s honor code by admitting to premarital sex during the legal proceedings, sources told ESPN. He has begun informing staff and teammates of his intention to leave, sources said.

Retzlaff had been working out with the squad and participating in summer workouts and practices. The team is on break until July 7.

The BYU staff has been ramping up the preparation of the three backup quarterbacks — McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet and Bear Bachmeier — in anticipation that Retzlaff might not be available.

The woman alleged Retzlaff raped, strangled and bit her in November 2023. In a response to that lawsuit filed Friday, a lawyer representing Retzlaff denied those allegations but said Retzlaff had consensual sex with the woman.

The response indicated Retzlaff and the woman traded lighthearted text messages for months after the encounter and characterized the lawsuit as an extortion attempt based on the idea that Retzlaff developed into an NFL prospect roughly a year later.

The lawsuit described the encounter much differently.

Both the complaint and the response agree that Retzlaff and the woman connected through social media, which led to her visiting Retzlaff’s apartment to play video games on or around Nov. 22, 2023. The woman arrived with a friend, and friends and teammates of Retzlaff also were present.

Later that evening, the woman’s friend left, after which Retzlaff and the woman started watching a movie and began to kiss, the lawsuit states. While “Retzlaff began escalating the situation,” the suit says, “Jane Doe A.G. tried to de-escalate the situation and attempted to slow things down, trying to pull away, and saying ‘wait.’ She did not want to do anything sexual with him.”

The lawsuit says the woman told Retzlaff “no” and “wait, stop,” but he continued to force himself on her. After she tried to get up out of the bed, the lawsuit alleges, in graphic detail, that Retzlaff put his hands around her neck and proceeded to rape her.

A few days later, the woman visited a hospital, where a rape kit was performed and pictures of her injuries were taken. The lawsuit says she was connected with Provo, Utah, police but did not initially share Retzlaff’s name.

No criminal charges have been filed against Retzlaff.

After the lawsuit was filed, BYU issued a statement, saying: “The university takes any allegation very seriously, following all processes and guidelines mandated by Title IX. Due to federal and university privacy laws and practices for students, the university will not be able to provide additional comment.”

Retzlaff is not the first high-profile BYU athlete who faced a lengthy suspension for an honor code violation related to premarital sex. In 2011, basketball player Brandon Davies was dismissed from the team — which at the time was 27-2 and ranked No. 3 in the country — and suspended from school. He was reinstated that fall. In 1999, running back Reno Mahe was suspended from school and forced to leave the football team. He transferred to a junior college and later reenrolled at BYU.

Retzlaff, who has graduated from BYU, is expected to enter his name in the transfer portal in the coming days. He started 13 games for the Cougars in 2024, his first year as the starter, leading the team to an 11-2 record. He passed for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.

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Pac-12 welcomes Texas St. ahead of ’26 relaunch

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Pac-12 welcomes Texas St. ahead of '26 relaunch

Texas State has officially joined the Pac-12, the conference announced Monday, becoming the league’s ninth member ahead of its relaunch in 2026.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Texas State as a foundational member of the new Pac-12,” commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement. “It is a new day in college sports and the most opportune time to launch a new league that is positioned to succeed in today’s landscape with student-athletes in mind.”

Texas State’s board of regents voted to authorize a $5 million buyout to the Sun Belt Conference early Monday. The Bobcats will remain in the Sun Belt through the 2025-26 season before joining the Pac-12 in all sports for the 2026-27 school year.

The Pac-12 needed to reach eight football-playing schools to meet the NCAA minimum for an FBS conference prior to the 2026 season.

The conference’s board of directors, which includes representatives from all current and future members, voted unanimously to admit Texas State following the university’s formal application. Texas State joins Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego State, Utah State and Washington State as members of the rebuilt league.

Texas State president Kelly Damphousse called the move “a historic moment” for the university.

“Joining the Pac-12 is more than an athletic move — it is a declaration of our rising national profile, our commitment to excellence, and our readiness to compete and collaborate with some of the most respected institutions in the country,” Damphousse said.

Athletic director Don Coryell echoed that sentiment, calling the opportunity “a new era” for Texas State, which has been in the Sun Belt since 2013 after making its FBS debut with one season in the WAC in 2012.

“This historic moment belongs to our coaches, staff, student-athletes, fans, alumni and students,” Coryell said. “As the Pac-12’s flagship school in Texas, we proudly embrace the opportunity and responsibility that comes with it.”

The long-awaited announcement comes on the heels of the Pac-12’s announcement last week that it had finalized a five-year agreement with CBS for a portion of the conference’s football and men’s basketball media rights, including both sports’ championship game. Additional media partners are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Texas State is located in San Marcos, which is only about 35 miles south of the University of Texas in Austin. Texas State has more than 40,000 students, with one of the 25 largest undergraduate enrollments among public universities in the U.S.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Alabama lands top 3 OLB Griffin for 2026 class

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Alabama lands top 3 OLB Griffin for 2026 class

Alabama’s 2026 recruiting class landed another significant late-June recruiting boost Saturday when four-star defender Xavier Griffin, ESPN’s No. 3 outside linebacker, announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide over Florida State, Ohio State and Texas.

Griffin, a versatile, 6-foot-4, 205-pound prospect from Gainesville, Georgia, is the No. 30 overall recruit in the 2026 ESPN 300. A former longtime USC commit, Griffin took official visits with each of his finalists in June. He now stands as the top-ranked prospect among 14 commits in Alabama’s incoming class, joining days after the program secured top 300 pledges from running back Ezavier Crowell (No. 31 overall) and tight end Mack Sutter (No. 138) on Thursday night.

Griffin told ESPN that the Crimson Tide’s pedigree and vision laid out by Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer and outside linebackers coach Christian Robinson were driving factors in his decision.

“Growing up, just seeing them, all the draft picks and stuff that they’ve had — all the guys they’ve put in the league — it speaks for itself,” Griffin said. “They have history and they’re really clear about what they’re trying to build with this new staff.”

A physical defender capable of dropping into coverage, Griffin has cemented his status as one the nation’s top linebackers at Gainesville (Georgia) High School, where he’s recorded 97 total tackles and 21 sacks across his sophomore and junior seasons.

He initially committed to USC last July and remained one of the Trojans’ top prospects over next 10 months before Griffin pulled his pledge from the program on May 14. Sources told ESPN at the time that Griffin’s decommitment stemmed from his intention to schedule official visits with programs this spring, bucking against USC’s policy against committed players taking official trips to other campuses.

Upon reopening his recruitment, Griffin locked in official visits with Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State and Texas for this month, closing with a trip to the Crimson Tide from June 20-22. Despite his lengthy USC pledge, Griffin told ESPN that no program recruited him more actively than Alabama across the past two years, led by Robinson, the program’s second-year assistant.

“He’s been one of the most consistent with me throughout my whole process,” Griffin said. “He’s just a really, really good guy.”

The highest-ranked of seven ESPN 300 pledges bound for Alabama in 2026, Griffin now leads an increasingly talented Crimson Tide defensive class forming in the current cycle.

Alongside Griffin, Alabama holds commitments from top-10 cornerbacks Jorden Edmonds (No. 38 overall) and Zyan Gibson (No. 65) in 2026. Defensive end Jamarion Matthews, Griffin’s teammate at Gainesville High School and ESPN’s No. 92 overall recruit, has been pledged to the Crimson Tide since February, and Alabama’s latest defensive class could get even deeper over the next month as priority targets including top-60 prospects Jireh Edwards, Anthony Jones and Nolan Wilson approach the final stages of their recruiting processes.

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