Football has had its share of issues in the past few years, but there’s no question it remains our national sport. Even with concerns about concussions, scandals and ratings declines, the gridiron game overtook baseball as our national pastime long ago and shows few signs of relinquishing its status. Football draws fans in from coast to coast, from Washington to South Beach. It is an all-encompassing obsession from youth ball to the NFL, with many fans ...

The Eastern Michigan Eagles are playing in a bowl for the first time in 30 seasons. The Old Dominion Monarchs are playing in their first bowl ever. So it's two squads with zero bowl experience meeting in the Bahamas Bowl on December 23 down in Nassau.     Bahamas Bowl point spread: The Monarchs opened as four-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (line updates and matchup report). College football pick, via OddsShark computer: 37-29.6 Monarchs (College ...

"Texas is back, folks," ESPN's Joe Tessitore said as the Longhorns claimed a thrilling season-opening overtime win over then-No. 10 Notre Dame. But we're not jabbing anyone here. It was a reasonable thought in the moment, given Notre Dame's preseason hype and Texas' excellent performance in the debuts of quarterback Shane Buechele and offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert. Reality just had a different plan. Notre Dame dropped off the national radar, and another seven-loss campaign led to Texas dismissing ...

After making the acquisition of a top offensive coordinator one of his biggest priorities, new LSU head coach Ed Orgeron hired Matt Canada for the position Wednesday, LSU announced.  Canada said the following: We have a real opportunity under Coach Orgeron to propel LSU football to another level. The chance to put together a high-powered offense with the athletic ability available at LSU and the leadership of Coach "O" is incredibly exciting. I've long-respected Coach Orgeron's ability to ...

From atop the Melbourne Cricket Ground, one of the largest sporting venues in the world, Melinda and Norman Roy could barely see their son. Dane Roy was down there somewhere, all 6'7" of him, outfitted in white shorts, high black socks with yellow stripes, and a sleeveless red jersey that exposed the tattooed anchor on his left forearm, a tribute to his late grandfather. His life was about to change, even if he didn't know it. Tossed in front ...

Colorado State and Idaho both finished their regular seasons hot on the money, each covering their last seven spreads in a row. But the Rams will play as nearly two-touchdown favorites when they hook up with the Vandals in the Potato Bowl on December 22 in Boise.              Famous Idaho Potato Bowl point spread: The Rams opened as 13-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report) College football ...

Auburn potentially lost one of the most dynamic players in the 2017 class with Tray Bishop decommitting from the school Tuesday, per Drew Champlin of AL.com. The 4-star is considered the No. 9 athlete in the country and the No. 129 overall prospect in the class, per Scout. He initially committed to Auburn in July, but the Georgia native apparently needs to think things over. "I just need some time, so I am decommitting," Bishop told Rusty ...

The Minnesota Golden Gophers football team has suspended 10 players indefinitely for unspecified rules violations, according to ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy.  Minnesota is scheduled to meet the Washington State Cougars in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27, but McMurphy reported it's unclear if the suspended players will be available for the showdown in San Diego.   According to the Star Tribune's Joe Christensen, defensive back Ray Buford, running back Carlton Djam, defensive back KiAnte Hardin, quarterback Seth Green, defensive back Dior Johnson, running back Kobe ...

The Penn State Nittany Lions added a playmaker to their future secondary on Tuesday. Cornerback prospect Donovan Johnson announced he would join the Nittany Lions' 2017 class on Twitter: The 5'11", 178-pound Johnson is a 4-star recruit, per Scout. He's the No. 36 cornerback in the country and No. 2 cornerback from Michigan in the class of 2017. Allen Trieu of Scout noted Johnson chose Penn State over Virginia Tech and also held scholarship offers from programs such as Wisconsin, ...

University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh made it clear he doesn't plan on leaving his alma mater for the Los Angeles Rams job during a meeting with players on Monday, per Dan Murphy of ESPN.com.  Harbaugh said any rumors to the contrary are "lies made up by our enemies," per Murphy. Defensive lineman Ryan Glasgow commented on Harbaugh's message during the team's annual banquet on Tuesday, per Murphy: "The team got all riled up. We don't ...