UNDATED (AP) — Ohio State was No. 5 in the second-to-last College Football Playoff rankings, positioned to possibly take advantage if one of the top four slips up on championship weekend. Georgia was No. 1 again. No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 TCU both moved up a spot, and Southern California (11-1) climbed two spots into the fourth slot. The Buckeyes dropped three spots after losing 45-23 to the rival Wolverines on Saturday at home. Alabama moved up a spot to No. 6 and was followed by Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee, which beat the Crimson Tide in October.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Aliyah Boston had 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks a game after tweaking her ankle to lead No. 1 South Carolina past No. 15 UCLA 73-64 on Tuesday night. Boston had missed the final two quarters of her team’s victory over Hampton on Sunday after a hard fall. She returned to the bench in a walking boot. But there she was in the starting lineup and looked as healthy as ever, playing 35 minutes. Zia Cooke’s basket with less than six minutes left put the Gamecocks up for good as they won their 17th straight over ranked opponents.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lincoln Riley took over Southern California’s four-win football program one year ago this week, and he said his Trojans should be competing for championships right away. Riley has delivered on his declaration with a swiftness that even surprises the players who have turned USC into the nation’s fourth-ranked team. The Trojans have a chance at both the Pac-12 title and a College Football Playoff berth. It’s an abrupt correction to a miserable decade-plus for the West Coast’s marquee program. USC has won just one conference crown since 2008 and has never played in the CFP.
SEATTLE (AP) — Kalen DeBoer would much rather be preparing for the Pac-12 championship game than sitting around waiting to find out what the bowl destination will be for No. 9 Washington. But the Huskies coach and the rest of his team have a rooting interest in what transpires on Friday night in Las Vegas between No. 4 Southern California and No. 12 Utah. A win by the Trojans could end up landing Washington a trip to the Rose Bowl in DeBoer’s first season in charge. USC could be in the College Football Playoff with a win. That would open up the Rose Bowl to select a team of their choosing from the Pac-12 to replace the Trojans. That could be the Huskies, who went 10-2 overall and 7-2 in the Pac-12.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders says a report stating Colorado has offered him its head coaching job is true and he has also received interest from other schools. The Jackson State coach didn’t say whether he’s considering any of the opportunities, including trying to turn around the Buffaloes’ declining program. The university hasn’t commented on any candidates to replace Karl Dorrell after he was dismissed in October. Interim coach Mike Sanford finished out the Buffaloes’ 1-11 season. Sanders led Jackson State to an 11-0 mark this season. The Tigers play Southern in the SWAC championship game this weekend.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — David Shaw helped build Stanford into a physical powerhouse that was one of the top college football programs in the nation last decade. Shaw now believes a new coach will be best positioned to return the Cardinal to that level, leading to his decision to step down after a 16-year run on The Farm, including the last 12 as the head coach who won the most games in school history. But pulling off a similar turnaround could be even more difficult in this landscape of college football with players transferring more freely and earning money for name, image, and likeness.
UNDATED (AP) — Gonzaga has already faced a brutal schedule this season with wins over No. 19 Kentucky and No. 20 Michigan State and losses to second-ranked Texas and fifth-ranked Purdue. Next up: No. 6 Baylor on Friday night at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It will be a rematch of the 2021 national championship game won by the Bears in a rout. Other marquee games this week include Creighton-Texas in the Big East-Big 12 Battle, North Carolina-Indiana in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and Michigan facing Kentucky at the 02 Arena in London.
UNDATED (AP) — Houston is the No. 1 team in the AP men’s college basketball poll. It is the first top ranking for the Cougars since Clyde Drexler and Akeem Olajuwon had Houston there in the final poll of the 1982-83 season. They received 45 of 63 first-place votes from a national media panel. Texas climbed to No. 2 with Virginia, Arizona and Purdue rounding out the top five. North Carolina had been No. 1 all season but fell all the way to 18 after losing twice last week. Every slot in the Top 25 has a new team this week except for No. 16 Illinois.
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