Colorado (45) No.17 TCU (42): Thanks a record-setting debut by Colorado Buffaloes QB Shedeur Sanders 510 yards and four passing touchdowns, Deion Sanders won his first game as Buffaloes head coach in a jaw-dropping 45-42 win over the CFP title game runner-ups in Fort Worth.

One of 80-plus transfer portal players that followed Coach Prime to Boulder, Sanders—the son of Deion—defected from HBCU powerhouse Jackson State west to help his father rebuild a program that had only won one game last year. Safe to say, that the nine-month buildup of hype and media attention appear warranted, for one week at least.

No.8 Florida State (45), No.5 LSU (24): Thanks to scoring 31 unanswered points in the second half, the eighth-ranked Seminoles pulled away from the visiting LSU Tigers in the Camping World Kickoff down in Orlando. Florida State’s Heisman Trophy quarterback accounted for five total touchdowns, with three going to former Michigan State WR transfer Keon Coleman as the Seminoles made a loud early-season statement in throttling the SEC west contender Tigers in a key early-season matchup.

Duke (28), No.9 Clemson (7): Riley Leonard. If you are not familiar with the Duke Blue Devils 6’4 212-pound quarterback before, you will surely know him by now, thanks to his game-sealing 44-yard touchdown scramble to cement Duke’s first win–and ended their 28-game losing streak vs. Top 10 opponents–with their last win coming against Clemson back in 1989. For the game, Lenoard completed 17/33 passes for 175 yards thru the air, while adding eight carries for 98 yards, highlighted by his aforementioned 44-yard TD run.

The post INSCMagazine Week One CFB Roundup: Colorado, Duke and Florida State Score Big Statement Wins appeared first on INSCMagazine.

Teams moving conferences because old heads can’t figure things out. Schools that make no sense being where they are now, simply because of location. I will do what I can to help make sense of it. It’s Hard to make a promise as it’s all confusing even when people who are in the middle of it can’t explain it to us little people.

Let’s dive into this.

All has to do with the incoming implosion of the PAC-12. Money is a major factor in all of this for sure, along with media rights. The Power 5 has a real stranglehold on the major networks, they make more money, therefore pay their schools more money. They are able to recruit way better and higher value recruits, and when was the last PAC-12 team to win the National Championship? That would be USC…in 2004. What do you do when you’re frustrated with your current job, and can go and make more money, in a better environment, with better coworkers? You take it of course!

Who is leaving the PAC 12? The easier answer is, only 4 teams are left; Cal, Stanford, Washington State, and Oregon State.

Here’s a rundown of who is going where:

• Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah, non PAC-12 teams like UCF, BYU, Cincinnati, and Houston are heading to the Big 12
• Oregon and Washington are off to the Big 10

The questions I have are, where will it leave the 12-team playoff expansion? How will it affect that? The Big 12 schedule will be interesting too, there are more teams than weeks in the season, so how will they manage? Are they going to have separate divisions? They must, right? These teams will have some serious ground to travel just for conference play!

Maybe in the long run we will look back on this situation and say they were the right moves. However, it will be interesting to see how the next months, let alone years unfold. Be sure to check in to INSC regularly for more information as it comes out!

The post Conference Realignment: What is happening in the PAC 12, Big 10, and Big 12? Why is it happening? Who is moving where? appeared first on INSCMagazine.

Stroud, a two-time Heisman finalist, and a projected top-five pick in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft has not formally declared and has until Monday to either announce whether he is staying in Columbus or going to the NFL.

A 6’3 218-pound native of Inland Empire, CA, Stroud may have arguably cemented his place as QB1 in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft thanks to a brilliant four-touchdown, 348-yard passing performance, that thanks to a missed potential game-winning field goal by Mike Ruggles, came up short in a 42-41 loss in the Peach Bowl CFP semifinal down in Atlanta. Despite the narrow loss, which will forever be remembered for the most egregious targeting non-call on WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Stroud could stand to be the first quarterback to hear his name called in Kansas City.

Therein lies the rub.

With the Chicago Bears owning the top overall pick and already having former Buckeye standout Justin Fields under center, the likelihood of QB-needy teams such as the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, or Las Vegas Raiders. Whichever team is most likely–and willing to meet whatever terms Chicago wants for the No.1 pick, and possibly Stroud–will also have a choice to make between the aforementioned Stroud, 2021 Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young out of Alabama or Will Levis out of Kentucky.

While there are some concerns that Young looks like Kyler Murray 2.0, and Levis looks somewhat inconsistent due to shoddy playcalling at Kentucky, if Stroud is the top overall pick, then he runs the risk of trying to be the face of a rebuild for two franchises in either Indy or Houston and dealing with a messy, dysfunctional one in Las Vegas.

What if he stays?

If Stroud were to return to Columbus, he would have a chance to go down as arguably the greatest Buckeye quarterback ever, as well as a chance to avenge his loss to that Team Up North, and help Ohio State finally claim the program’s ninth national title. There are many other factors such as the rumored four million dollar NIL deal waiting for him, and a chance to rewrite the record books with Harrison Jr. and a top recruiting class.

As both the NFL and college football world await to formally hear from Stroud, two leagues await with abated breath on the word of a single man, who can change the direction of both.

The post CJ Stroud: Should He Stay Or Should He Go? appeared first on INSCMagazine.

“Fight em until hell freezes over. Then fight em on the ice”.

If there is ever a quote that embodies a team, a program, a school, and a fan base it is Coach Meyer’s peppery eloquence. For it is from that where this current Horned Frogs team draws its inspiration to stand one win away from perhaps the most improbable championship in college football history.

Years and years of being overlooked by pollsters, avoided by major programs for non-conference scheduling, and openly mocked and disrespected by fans and media have finally come to a head. On New Year’s Eve 2022 hell froze over.

Still, the Frogs kept fighting to the tune of a 51-45 victory over college football blue-blood Michigan.

Not that they needed more bulletin board material, the Frogs were particularly annoyed with their opponents’ outward hubris. One Michigan player jokingly acted as if he wasn’t sure about the conference from which TCU hailed (it’s safe to say he knows now). Others spoke of playing either Georgia or a rematch with rival Ohio State in Los Angeles. They were overlooking the fight that was on their hands. TCU swung first, hard, and didn’t stop until they sent the  Wolverines back to Ann Arbor with their collective tails between their legs.

That wasn’t the only chip on their shoulder. It was one of many.  Flashback to the first week of September.

Around the country, to those that actually acknowledged knowing anything about TCU, they were perceived as a rag-tag bunch of big school rejects. The best-case scenario was landing in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl and getting unceremoniously trucked by a Mid-Level B1G team.

With a senior quarterback named Max Duggan who had lost his starting job and a new coach named Sonny Dykes trying to replace a legend, cautious optimism bordered on Pollyannaism. There were road games against the defending conference champion Baylor Bears and the perennially “BACK” Texas Longhorns. Those games wouldn’t matter because by the time they were played “Mighty” Oklahoma and “Less Mighty But Still Mightier than TCU” Oklahoma State will have come into Fort Worth and cleaned their clocks.

8-4 would be a dream season. Dykes would be lauded for guiding his team to the brink of the Alamo Bowl, and the eventual conference champ would be overlooked by the CFP committee (unless of course it’s Texas or Oklahoma).

It didn’t start there, either.

For a quarter of a century, the TCU football program has been among the best in the nation. The Frogs have complied a 13-6 bowl record, 13 ten win seasons, at least a share of eight conference titles, and wins in both a BCS and a New Years Six bowl game. They have more 10 win seasons in the 21st century than big, respected programs such as Texas, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Tennessee, USC, and Michigan.

Despite this, they’ve always been seen as teenagers trying to snag a vacant seat at the grownup table on Thanksgiving day. This was best personified in 2010 by former Ohio State President Gordon Gee. Speaking of TCU’s undefeated team, Gee referred to their Mountain West competition as the “Little Sisters of the Poor”. Ohio State’s conference rival Wisconsin would come to regret that remark, as they fell victim to TCU in that year’s Rose Bowl. Another fight until and after hell had frozen over.

These is just a few examples. We could go on for hours with examples of subtle and blatant disrespect this program and their fans have had to endure for their love and loyalty to the Disciples of Christ school on 272 beautiful tree-lined acres in Southwest Fort Worth. But one more game will be played this season against the 14-0 Georgia Bulldogs.

The defending national champions are installed as heavy favorites and deservingly so. They are the most formidable opponent Texas Christian University has ever faced on a football field. They have the talent and size advantage. They can seemingly play any style of game. They have superior depth at every position. They have a mountain of considerable game experience.

Yada Yada Yada…

This is the scenario that the Frogs have lived for the last 25 years. To them, their predecessors, their students, their fans, and their city, it’s not just another football game. This is a fight. A fight for respect. A fight for recognition. A fight to forever shut down the preconceived notions of “small school” and “Little Sisters of the Poor.”  A battle to incinerate the brand bias that has dogged them for more than a generation.

This is for all of us. This is for LaDainian Tomlinson, Bob Lilly, and Andy Dalton. This is for Tank Carder, Basil Mitchell, and Jeff Ballard. This is for Jim Wacker, Jim Pittman and Gary Patterson. This is for all of us that sat in The Carter and watched the Southwest Conference powerhouses take turns abusing us. This is for all of us.

They may not win. The odds are stacked against them. But make no mistake. TCU will fight Georgia until hell freezes over and then they’ll fight em on the ice.

The post 2023 CFP Championship Game: TCU Has One More Fight Left In Them appeared first on INSCMagazine.

Heavy underdogs coming into Dallas against a likely motivated Trojans team hoping to end their season on a high note, the Green Wave hope to carry the banner of the American Athletic Conference at a likely pro-Tulane AT&T Stadium.

Based on some of my own observations from Dallas, this is what I’ve gleaned:

• Although closed to the media, head coach Willie Fritz has his team practicing and being loose, spirited and fun, as opposed to the business-like hard-hitting and fierce practices by the Trojans.
• RB Tyjae Spears looks primed for a monster game against a suspect USC defense. Tulane’s leading rusher in yards (1,376), attempts (212) and TD’s (15), look for him to be factor. Also look out for Green Wave QB Michael Pratt, who is Tulane’s second-leading rusher with 395 yards and touchdowns (10)
• While the aforementioned Pratt doesn’t have the gaudy numbers of his Heisman Trophy-winning counterpart, Caleb Williams, Pratt could be a factor in both the running game and the passing game, as he has 25 passing touchdowns for the season.
• Stat to watch: For the season, USC allows 148.6 yards a game, and Tulane rushes for 197.1 while allowing 153.8 on the ground. If the game is close late, whoever runs the ball the best, will likely win.

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Michigan continued to gain yards by giving the ball to Edwards and mixed in a nine-yard completion to Roman Wilson, but eventually wound up with fourth and goal from the two. 

Here, however, Coach Jim Harbaugh displayed a lack of confidence in his power running game and elected to try an insane play that might be known as the Ann Arbor Special, similar to the Philly Special used in the Super Bowl 52 by the Eagles against the New England Patriots. This is the type of trick play that a team tries when they totally fear a superior opponent. Las Vegas, by the way, believed that Michigan was a -7.5 point favorite, but this play call is the type of call that makes sense for a +14 point underdog. Not surprisingly, the play blew up. 

What more can be said? It looked nuts to an outsider, so maybe the simplest explanation is best. Fans, Harbaugh is one of the best in the business, but today he made some play calls that were just nuts.

In any case after a punt, the next possession was highlighted by a tricky Michigan sideline pass into double coverage which led to a TCU pick-six from J.J. McCarthy to Bud Clark of TCU. They just temporarily forgot about Donovan Edwards.

After a Michigan three and out, TCU went on a 12-play 76 yard drive capped by three straight runs by Max Duggan, finally pushing the pig over the goal line from the one.

Michigan finally got their act together in the second quarter with completions to Luke Schoonmaker for 32 yards, and Colston Loveland for 16 yards, allowing a 42 yard field goal from Jake Moody.

Later in the quarter, TCU put together another patient 10-play, 83 yard drive. The big play was a 32 yard pass to Quentin Johnston on third and two to score another touchdown. Taye Barber hauled in a six-yard pass from Duggan to score TCU’s third touchdown of the half.

Jake Moody hit a miraculous 59-yarder to narrow the margin to 21-6 at the half. It seemed as though TCU was dominant, but the truth was that Donovan Edwards was indeed dominant on the ground, with 90 yards on 14 carries, what the heck. J.J. McCarthy was 10-16 for 148 yards. With sane play calling, these numbers could translate to a winning performance.

In the second half, TCU appeared to be rattled, running into the punt returner for a penalty. On cue, Michigan launched a drive highlighted by a 43-yard catch by Ronnie Bell. However, TCU held, and Michigan had to settle for a chip shot field goal.

Michigan got back into it when Duggan was picked off by Mike Sainristil who returned the ball eight yds to the TCU 45. Then, after two Donovan Edwards runs to draw in some safety run support, Ronnie Bell hauled in a 34 yard McCarthy and suddenly the score was 21-16. Michigan was coming back!

But TCU answered immediately with a Max Duggan pass to Quentin Johnston for 46 yds to the Michigan 29. From there they ground it out and scored again with five straight runs by Emari Demercado, ultimately punching it in from the one.

McCarthy poured gasoline onto the fire by throwing another pick-six, this time to Dee Winters, making the score 34-16. Unfazed, in the ensuing possession he reeled off a 39-yard run, followed by a 20-yard run, making the score 34-22 (the two-point conversion failed). That drive lasted only 1:05.

Not to be outdone, Emari Demercado warmed up with an eight-yard run and then broke free for 69 yards. Duggan took it over from the one. Three plays, 58 seconds for that drive, 41-22.

Michigan kept pace. A 20-yard completion to Roman Wilson, followed by a 44-yard completion to Ronnie Bell and a one-yard run by linebacker-turned-fullback Kalel Mullings resulted in another Michigan touchdown. The two point conversion was good, and the score was 41-30.

Unbelievably, TCU’s Demercado promptly fumbled. Three plays later, Roman Wilson did his best imitation of John Elway and helicoptered into the endzone. This time J. McCarthy successfully passed to Ronnie Bell for the two-point conversion, making the score 41-38, and it was anyone’s ball game–again. For another 1:06, that is.

That is how long it took Duggan to answer to Quentin Johnston for 76 yards and another touchdown, making the score 48-38

Finally, there was a three-and-out, followed by a 31 yard return by Derius Davis to the Michigan 16. This led to a 13-point lead, 51-38 with 10:02 to go.

A five-yard touchdown grab by a wide open Roman Wilson on a blown coverage resulted in another score at 3:18, and once again six points separated the two teams, 51-45.

TCU could not close out the game on offense and was forced to punt, giving Michigan the ball at the 25 with less than a minute remaining. After a McCarthy scramble, and two incompletions, a botched snap ended Michigan’s dreams of a National Championship.

Incredible. Coach Sonny Dykes was the only TCU fan able to maintain a calm demeanor after the game. The rest of the fan base seemed to be experiencing an odd combination of delirious happiness and shell shock. Every year college football seems to deliver the most exciting football game of all time, replacing the previous year’s most exciting game of all time.  Well, they did it to us again this year.  The third quarter in particular, may well have been the most exciting and crazy 15 minutes of football we have ever seen. Once again it came down to the wire, but there was no doubt that the best team won, despite the pre-game expectation that it would be Michigan in a cake walk.

The post CFP Playoffs: TCU Outlasts Michigan, 51-45 In An Insane Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Classic appeared first on INSCMagazine.

USC, ranked as high as fourth in the College Football Playoff standings after Ohio State lost 45-24 to bitter archrival, Michigan in Columbus, stood on the precipice of making the CFP Playoffs vs. Utah in the PAC-12 title game in Las Vegas. Thanks to 310 passing yards and three touchdowns from QB Cameron Rising, the underdog Utes beat the favored Trojans for the second time in less than a month in a 47-23 defeat. Utah also defeated USC 43-42 at Eccles, despite 381 passing yards and five touchdowns from the eventual Heisman Trophy winner in QB Caleb Williams.

Now, roughly 1,400-plus miles away and on the cold plains of North Texas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, USC faces a very determined and underrated Tulane squad fresh off a 45-28 romp over Big-12 bound UCF in the American Athletic Conference title game at Yulman Stadium.

USC will be without star wideout in former Pitt transfer Jordan Addison, as he is skipping the game to prepare for the 2023 NFL Draft and is nursing an ankle injury. For the year, the former Biletnikoff Award winner led USC with 59 catches for 875 yards.

The Trojans will also be without leading rusher Travis Dye, who led the team with 891 yards while averaging 6.1 yards a carry. The Trojans will also be short-handed up front with first-team All-America guard Andrew Vorhees opting out for the NFL Draft while rehabbing from an injury and third-team center Brett Neilon.

While leading sacks leader, first-team All-America defensive end Tuli Tuipulotu, will play after registering 12½ sacks and 21 tackles for loss, the biggest question down in Arlington throughout the week is the availability of the aforementioned Williams, who is recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in the Pac-12 title game loss vs. Utah.

If Williams can someone manage to play, he will face a fully-healthy Green Wave team that has reported no injuries and per head coach Willie Fritz, everyone will play who played vs. Central Florida.

While on paper, USC has the bigger brand name, is one of the most storied programs in college football, and has the reigning best player of the year in Williams. If there is a team that is built to beat a high-power Lincoln Riley offense, it is Tulane. That and the fact that they are the healthier team playing closer to home and coming off of a conference title win, as opposed to a less-than-interested Trojan team down four keey players, and still smarting after it’s second straight loss to the same team.

This game will be closer than it should be–and likely decided–late in what should be a tight game.

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Yet here we are. On Saturday, the undefeated 13-0 Michigan Wolverines will face the insurgent 12-1 TCU Horned Frogs for the right to take on the Peach. Bowl champions in Los Angeles.

Conventional wisdom says that TCU is out of it’s league and #2 Michigan should beat the brakes off of the #3 Horned Frogs. That would be the same fate of other CFP upstarts Washington (2016) and Cincinnati (2021).

However, there is a game to play. And if Jim Harbaugh’s squad plays a subpar game, then it could be Sonny Dykes’ team making the trip to SoFi.

Michigan’s path to the dance was mostly smooth. Coming off of an appearance in last year’s CFP, they were given great odds of getting there again. Outside of two games against ranked teams, they had a fairly easy schedule. Their signature win was incredibly impressive. They were able to beat their neighbors down south for the second year in row. The did so in convincing fashion; a 22 point win for their first victory in Columbus since 2000.

The Horned Frogs path to the big dance was significantly less conventional. In 2021 they finished 5-7. This resulted in the mid season sacking of their legendary head coach Gary Patterson. To replace them they plucked Dykes from regional rival SMU. They were ranked 7^th in preseason polls. No, not 7^th in the nation. They picked to finish 7^th in the 10 team BIG XII. They were able to overcome those odds and five ranked opponents to finish the regular season undefeated. Their only blemish is a heartbreaking overtime loss to 9^th ranked Kansas State, a team they had previously defeated in the regular season.

Michigan Wins If:

Their superior size and physicality overtakes TCU on both sides of the ball. As a team they  rushed for 3159 yards. That ranks as 5^th in the FBS and tops among playoff teams. Even after losing leading rusher Junior Blake Corum against Michigan, Sophomore Donovan Edwards rushed for 216 and 185 yards against Ohio State and Purdue respectively. If they’re able to run the ball that effectively, they should win.

TCU Wins If:

They contain Michigan’s running game to get off the field in key situations. This will keep the game close. That’s been a specialty for the Horned Frogs. 7 of their 12 wins were in games decided by 10 points or less. Senior QB and Heisman finalist Max Duggan has been at his best in clutch situations, leading his team to 4 comeback victories in the 2022 campaign. They will need him to lead a balanced effort on offense to keep up with the Michigan offense. If they can do that, they have a puncher’s chance.

Bottom Line

The path to victory is easier for the favored Wolverines. They have a size and depth advantage. But the pressure is also on Michigan. Anything short of a win on Saturday and this season is a major disappointment. TCU, on the other hand, can consider their season an unqualified success regardless of Saturday’s outcome. The question is, are they happy to be there or hungry for more?

We find out Saturday in Glendale.

The post CFP Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Preview: Michigan Wolverines vs TCU Horned Frogs appeared first on INSCMagazine.

Well here we are again, the Rose Bowl has a lot of hype and a lot of substance with it.  We have two teams that are ready to take to the fast-track turf of Pasadena and put on a show for the fans.

On one side, we have Big Ten powerhouse Penn State.  James Franklin has this team humming at the right time and the offensive side of the ball is where they make their hay.  They come into this game averaging 35.8 PPG and 4332 yards per game.  Sixth-year QB Sean Clifford has this offense humming and they can get up and down the field.

Then you have the back-to-back Pac-12 Champion Utah Utes.

Two wins over USC, 10 plus wins on the season, and an offense worthy of the West Coast offense title.  Coming into this match-up, they score 40.0 points per game and 472.4 yards per game under the direction of QB Cameron Rising.

Both of these defenses however surrender less than 21 points per game and can stop you on a dime.  So how does veteran sports journalist Brian Snow see this, take a look at his “Bowl Bonanza” preview of what could be the highest scoring game of the bowl season:

The post Brian’s Bowl Bonanza – Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Utah Utes Rose Bowl Preview appeared first on INSCMagazine.

However, the Tigers excelled in one particular category: rushing defense. They ranked 10^th in the nation in rushing yards allowed per game. The Tigers would miraculously start the season 8-0, with many people claiming that the team could make a run for the College Football Playoff. However, those hopes came to a screeching halt on Nov. 5, when they travelled to South Benz, Pennsylvania to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. A 21-point loss would be their fate, something almost everyone knew would end their Playoff hopes.

The Tigers would lose again in the regular season finale against in-state rival South Carolina, 31-30. They sat at 10-2 in the regular season, but that was good enough to claim the Atlantic division of the ACC Conference and send them to Charlotte, North Carolina, to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in the ACC Championship game. It was there that Clemson made a statement win, picking up a 39-10 victory and punching their ticket to the Orange Bowl. All they had to do was wait and see who got the at-large bid for the game. That team would be none other than a team that was one state over the Tennessee Volunteers.

The season began like any other for the Volunteers, on the cusp of the AP top 25 polls and looking to show the college football landscape again that they would rise to prominence again. Now, we hear this every offseason about how they are “back”, so no one really batted an eye towards them as serious contenders. A double-OT win against a then-ranked Pitt team, then a win against then-ranked Florida, and finally a win against the newly ranked LSU Tigers proved that this team was good, but the biggest test was right around the corner: the Alabama Crimson Tide.

This was it. Tennessee had been the butt of all the jokes about not winning big games for decades, so no one thought much of the Volunteers going into the game. But then again who would? They had lost the previous 15 games against the Crimson Tide, with all but twice being blowouts by more than two touchdowns. But the Volunteers shocked the college football world and fans alike when the final score read 52-49 in favor of the Volunteers. They finally won a huge game to prove they were contenders in 2022.

They were the buzz of the college football landscape for the next three weeks. Quarterback Hendon Hooker suddenly found himself in the driver’s seat for a spot in New York for the Heisman trophy. The Volunteers suddenly found themselves as the top-ranked team in the nation in the first College Football Playoff rankings.

Then came the downfall. It started with a 27-13 loss against the Georgia Bulldogs, which was a blow but not as big of a blow that could have kept them outside the College Football Playoff at the end of the season. They won the next week 66-24 against the Missouri Tigers, and it looked as if they could handle their last two games against South Carolina and Vanderbilt with no problem. Then the biggest blow to the Volunteers season came: a Hendon Hooker injury in the fourth quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks. They would go on to lose the game 63-48, killing any hope they had for the College Football Playoff.

They would still beat Vanderbilt the next week to finish the regular season 10-2 and clinch an at-large bid for a New Year’s Six bowl game. Now they are traveling to Miami on Dec. 30 against the Clemson Tigers.

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