Colorado star Travis Hunter first Big 12 POTW on offense, defense
Hunter was named the Big 12's offensive player of the week, becoming the first player in conference history to have won both offensive and defensive player of the week honors.
He played 132 total snaps on Saturday in a 34-23 win over Cincinnati, setting a career high with 153 receiving yards on nine receptions, with touchdowns of 3 and 34 yards.
The Heisman Trophy candidate -- a consensus All-American in 2023 -- had collected the defensive award after his performance in the Buffaloes' 28-9 victory over Colorado State on Sept. 14. The junior made five tackles, one interception and one pass breakup.
For the season, Hunter has 20 tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, two interceptions and a Big 12-best seven pass breakups as Colorado has become bowl eligible at 6-2 (4-1 conference).
Hunter, who has battled a shoulder injury that caused him to miss portions of games, leads the Big 12 with eight TD catches, is tied for first with 60 receptions and is third with 757 receiving yards.
Big Ten probing postgame fight between Michigan, Michigan St.
In the final moments of Michigan's 24-17 home win over Michigan State on Saturday, Spartans defensive lineman Anthony Jones and Wolverines tight end Colston Loveland began to scuffle, and both teams left the sidelines as the clock ticked down.
Loveland was seen headbutting Jones with his helmet on, and later in the fracas, Michigan running Kalel Mullings appeared to be stomping on a player at the bottom of a pile.
Haller said Monday he would not pursue criminal charges, which happened in 2022 when a fight broke out between the same programs in the tunnel of Michigan Stadium, leading to criminal charges for seven Spartans players.
"I don't think that situation (in 2022) should have been a criminal incident, and I don't think this should be as well," Haller said. "This is a sportsmanship policy situation, and the conference will look at it. And it's my wish that the same standard that everyone's held to, that (Michigan) be held to the same standard. But I do not believe that incident or this incident is a criminal situation."
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore called the fight "unacceptable" during his press conference Monday and said discipline would be handled internally.
The 2022 fight resulted in a $100,000 fine for Michigan State, the largest in Big Ten history, and an eight-game suspension for Michigan State's Khary Crump along with four-game bans for six other Spartans players. The players saw their charges reduced in court.
Neither the two head coaches nor the conference commissioner involved in 2022 are still in place. Jim Harbaugh left the Wolverines for the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers after winning a national championship last winter; Mel Tucker was fired for cause by Michigan State after a sexual harassment scandal; and commissioner Kevin Warren left the Big Ten to become the president and CEO of the NFL's Chicago Bears.
Tony Petitti now leads the Big Ten, and Haller explained what he hopes and expects from Petitti's office.
"We have a new commissioner. We have new leadership in the conference office," Haller said. "My wish is that the new leadership handles this in a clean slate and treat every school with the same standard."
Dillon Gabriel regains Heisman Trophy lead as Travis Hunter soars
Boise State's Ashton Jeanty rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown as the Broncos handed UNLV only its second loss of the season Friday night in Las Vegas. He now has racked up an FBS-leading 1,376 yards along with 18 touchdowns on the ground through seven games, but Jeanty didn't just lose his perch as the Heisman Trophy candidate -- he fell three spots at DraftKings.
While that may seem a massive slight, oddsmakers have swung back in favor of two quarterbacks at the helm of undefeated teams ranked in the top 5.
Oregon's Dillon Gabriel, who opened the season as the Heisman favorite, regained that title after throwing for 291 yards and three touchdowns in the No. 1 Ducks' 38-9 dismantling of No. 20 Illinois. He's being offered at +260, slightly ahead of Miami's Cam Ward (+270), who guided the No. 5 Hurricanes' rout of rival Florida State on Saturday night.
Jeanty (+400) also fell behind Travis Hunter, who starred on both sides of the ball in primetime as Colorado handled Cincinnati 34-23. In addition to serving as a shutdown corner, Hunter caught nine passes for 153 yards and a pair of touchdowns. A +2000 longshot just this week, the performance helped Hunter rocket up to the third spot at +330.
As the calendar shifts to November, the Heisman Trophy is shaping up as a four-player race.
HEISMAN TROPHY ODDS (via DraftKings)
PLAYER, TEAM, JULY ODDS, WEEK 1, LAST WEEK, CURRENT
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon, +750, +800, +380, +260
Cam Ward, Miami, +2200, +950, +250, +270
Travis Hunter, Colorado, N/A, N/A, +2000, +330
Ashton Jeanty, Boise State, N/A/, N/A, +220, +400
Cade Klubnik, Clemson, N/A, N/A, +1600, +2000
Carson Beck, Georgia, +800, +900, +2500, +3500
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, N/A, +2200, +5000, +4000
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss, +1400, +850, +4000, +5000
Jalen Milroe, Alabama, +1500, +1100, +3000, +5000
Quinn Ewers, Texas, +1000, +1400, +7500, +5000
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU, +2200, +3500, +3000, +6000
Drew Allar, Penn State, N/A, N/A, +3500, +6000
Will Howard, Ohio State, +1500, +1600, +7500, +8000
Bryson Daily, Army, N/A, N/A, +7500, +9000
Hunter, whose odds were as short as +300 the first week of the month, saw those steadily after catching only three passes in a loss to Kansas State and two in a rout over Arizona. But his duel-threat capabilities were on full display to an ESPN audience on Saturday night.
Hunter's +1670-point rise was second at DraftKings only behind that of Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, whose odds delta trended up +2500. However, he's still a +5000 longshot while Hunter is firmly in the thick of the Heisman picture. The book reported that Hunter leads all Heisman candidates with 31 percent of the money backing him since Saturday along with 20 percent of all bets.
Going in the opposite direction was LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who dropped from +3000 to +6000 and all but out of consideration following the Tigers' second loss of the season. Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik could only sit and watch his competition pull away during his bye week as he fell from +1600 to +2000.
Alabama scored a shutout win over Missouri, but that didn't help previous Heisman frontrunner Jalen Milroe. The Crimson Tide quarterback saw his odds lengthen from +3000 to +5000.
Penn State QB a game-time decision for Ohio State clash
Head coach James Franklin told reporters Monday that evaluating the status of Allar's injured left knee is a "timeline that will go all the way up to the game."
Allar sustained the injury late in the first half of Saturday's 28-13 victory at Wisconsin. He warmed up for the second half but was replaced by sophomore Beau Pribula.
Allar completed 14 of 18 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown before exiting and Pribula was 11-of-13 passing for 98 yards and one score. Neither threw an interception against the Badgers.
The Nittany Lions (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) have lost the last seven meetings against the Buckeyes (6-1, 3-1), who bounced back from their one-point loss to Oregon with a 21-17 win over Nebraska on Saturday.
Allar, a junior, has completed 71.3 percent of his passes for 1,640 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions in seven starts this season.
Hoosiers coach optimistic on QB Kurtis Rourke's return
Cignetti said the redshirt senior has been "throwing the past few days."
The 13th-ranked and unbeaten Hoosiers (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) are hopeful that Rourke can return to play at Michigan State on Saturday, ESPN reported Monday.
Rourke was injured in the second quarter of a 56-7 rout of Nebraska on Oct. 19, when his throwing hand struck the helmet of a Cornhuskers player. He did not return to the game, with Tayven Jackson taking over and finishing the blowout victory.
Jackson again took Rourke's place in Saturday's 31-17 win over Washington, going 11 for 19 for 124 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Rourke is in his first season at Indiana after starting the previous three years at Ohio. He has completed 74.6 percent of his passes for 1,941 yards with 15 touchdowns and three interceptions in seven starts for the Hoosiers and is considered a candidate for the Heisman Trophy.
Reports: UCF fires DC Ted Roof amid losing streak
The Knights are coming off a 37-24 home setback against then No. 11 BYU on Saturday, the third time they have given up at least 37 points during the current skid.
Co-defensive coordinator Addison Williams, who is also the associate head coach on coach Gus Malzahn's staff, will take over the defensive play-calling duties, per the reports.
Roof, 60, was in his first season at UCF. He previously worked as the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma from 2022-23 and has held the same position at several schools dating back to the mid-1990s, including UMass, Georgia Tech, Duke, Minnesota, Auburn, Penn State, Appalachian State and Vanderbilt.
Roof was the head coach at Duke from 2003-07, compiling a 6-45 record.
UCF (3-5, 1-4 Big 12) returns to action Saturday at home against Arizona (3-5, 1-4).
Camdin Portis, son of Clinton, commits to Miami
A member of the 2026 class, Camdin is considered a four-star player by 247sports and Rivals, and earning a four-star industry ranking from On3.
The 6-0, 165 pound defender hails from Myers Park High School in Charlotte, and received competing offers from Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee and Auburn.
Following his commitment, he told 247, "It's not even a legacy thing. I feel like this system will fit me, and I fit their system."
Clinton was a two-time Pro Bowler over a nine-year NFL career with the Denver Broncos and Washington. He sits at No. 33 on the NFL's all-time rushing list with 9,923 career rushing yards.
The elder Portis rushed for 2,523 yards over three seasons with the Hurricanes, winning a national title with Miami in 2001.