Good morning, and welcome back to CFB Roundup from CFB Home – the first daily newsletter that’s all college football, all the time with no bias, no slant, and no fluff.

YESTERDAY’S RESULTS:

TODAY’S SCHEDULE:

Betting Information as of time of writing

Toledo Beats Pitt in Back and Forth 6 Overtime GameAbove Sports Bowl 48-46

Toledo beat Pitt 48-46 in 6 overtimes in the GameAbove Sports Bowl in a game where the win probability graph looked more like a roller coaster than a regular graph.

Toledo took a 20-12 lead into half time, but Pitt scored 18 unanswered points in the 2nd half to have a 10-point lead through the first half of the 4th quarter. Toledo was able to tie it up late, and then the teams traded scores in each of the first 5 overtimes. Finally, in the 6th overtime Toledo was able to score and get a stop to ultimately take the win.

For Toledo, QB Tucker Gleason contributed 3 touchdowns, going 26/50 passing with 336 yards, 2 passing touchdowns, an interception, 34 rushing yards, and a rushing touchdown. The Rockets generally struggled on the ground, though, with RBs Jacquez Stuart (7/39), Sevaughn Clark (3/6), and Connor Walendzak (6/1) all struggling to consistently run the ball.

But of the 336 passing yards, 320 of those went to Junior Vandeross III (12/194/1), Jerjuan Newton (8/84), and Anthony Torres (4/42/1). The story of the game for Toledo, though, was the 3 interceptions, 2 of which were pick-sixes, including an interception by a defensive lineman, Darius Alexnader, that was returned 58 yards.

For Pitt, QBs Julian Dugger (7/13; 72/2/1) and David Lynch (10/18; 65/0/2) struggled to perform consistently, but the Panthers at least found some life with Dugger as the QB. Dugger also finished with 21 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown. RB Desmond Reid led the Panthers with 165 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries, quite literally carrying Pitt for large portions of the game.

With the loss, this means Pitt finishes the season on 6 straight losses after its 7-0 start. For Toledo, this is the third straight season with at least 8 wins, and is Coach Jason Candle’s 3rd bowl win as the Head Coach at Toledo. It is Toledo’s 5th season with at least 8 wins under Coach Candle, whose first full season as Toledo’s HC was 2016.

Kansas State Comes Back from Down 17 in Second Half to Beat Rutgers in Rate Bowl 44-41

With 8:57 left in the 3rd quarter, Rutgers took a 34-17 lead over Kansas State, having scored 27 points to Kansas State’s 7 over a little over 20 minutes of game time.

But Kansas State just kept plugging away, one drive at a time, outscoring Rutgers 27-7 from that point forward. By the end, Kansas State finished with 542 yards, including 347 rushing yards, compared to Rutgers, who finished with just 402 total yards.

For Rutgers, QB Athan Kaliakmanis finished 14/32 for 237 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. His most prolific targets were Ian Strong (5/105) and KJ Duff (3/58), with RB Ja’shon Benjamin (1/7/1 receiving) catching his lone TD pass.

For the RBs, Antwan Raymond (18/113/3) and Benjamin (7/33/1) had the Scarlet Knights’ carries in lieu of Kyle Monangai, who was sitting out of the game to prepare for the NFL Draft.

As for Kansas State, Dylan Edwards got the lion’s share of the carries with DJ Giddens also sitting out for the Wildcats, and Edwards made the most of the opportunity finishing with an illustrious statline of 18/196/2 rushing and 2/27/1 receiving, earning Player of the Game honors. QB Avery Johnson was 15/30 for 195 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an interception. Johnson also finished with 11 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown.

WR Jayce Brown led all Wildcats with 60 receiving yards while also rushing for 42 yards on his 3 carries, with several other Wildcats having solid days receiving (Dante Cephas; 2/42, Joe Jackson; 3/37/1, Garrett Oakley; 2/16/1).

With the win, Kansas State has won at least 9 games in each of the last 3 seasons, also winning bowl games in 3 of the last 4 seasons of the Chris Klieman era. Even with the loss, Rutgers’ 7 wins this season are the most since the programs first season in the Big Ten back in 2014, tying the total from last season when Coach Schiano and the Knights went 7-6 with a Pinstripe Bowl win.

Arkansas State Wins Tight Contest Over Bowling Green 38-31 to Win 68 Ventures Bowl

Arkansas State beat Bowling Green 38-31 to win the 68 Ventures Bowl in a game where the Red Wolves opened the first quarter with a quick 10-0 lead, and then maintained a close lead over the Falcons. Bowling Green never got behind by more than 10 or 14 points, but also never tied the game and never got it closer than 3 points despite outgaining Arkansas State by over 100 yards (479 v. 360) and winning the conversion battle, though only marginally (11/21 v. 6/12).

In a losing effort, the player of the game is still arguably Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr., who finished with 17 catches for 213 yards and a touchdown in a game that saw him set the single-season record for most receiving yards by a tight end, a record which he shattered. Rahkeem Smith (7/97/1) and Malcolm Johnson Jr. (2/69/1) also contributed well in the receiving game for the Falcons. QB Connor Bazelak finished 32/49 for 390 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Running the ball, Bowling Green did not get much going with no one rushing for more than 15 yards (Jaison Patterson: 3/15; Jamal Johnson: 3/14).

Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor finished 18/30 for 221 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception, with WR Corey Rucker putting up 4/107/2 as Raynor’s leading receiver. Zak Wallace (15/99/1) and Ja’Quez Cross (8/38) led the rushing efforts.

DeSean Jackson Finalizing Agreement with Delaware State to Be Next Head Coach

ESPN’s Pete Thamel is reporting that Delaware State and DeSean Jackson are finalizing an agreement to make Jackson its new Head Coach.

Jackson retired from the NFL in 2023 after a long and decorated career, and evidently this is the next step for D-Jax. He’s never been a head coach at any level, however, Jackson was the OC at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, CA this fall, so he does have some experience on one side of the ball.

According to one of Thamel’s sources, “it has always been a dream of Jackson’s to coach at an HBCU,” and it sounds like he’s going to get that opportunity.

In the previous two seasons, the Delaware State Hornets have only posted a 2-21 record, including an 0-10 performance in conference play.

Former Purdue HC Ryan Walters Favorite to be Next Washington DC

Recently fired Purdue HC Ryan Walters is currently looking like the most likely candidate to be the next DC, per On3’s Pete Nakos, as the Huskies look to replace Steve Belichick, who recently left Washington for North Carolina and new Head Coach Bill Belichick.

Walters has experience as the DC at Missouri and Illinois, where he did an excellent job calling defenses and developing players. He was then hired as the HC of Purdue, where the Boilermakers struggled with him at the helm, going 5-19 over two seasons, including 1-11 in 2024.

Marcus Freeman on Sugar Bowl Prep with Georgia’s QB Change

At the end of the first half of the SEC Championship, Georgia lost QB Carson Beck for the rest of the season with an elbow injury, which means backup QB Gunner Stockton will be the signal caller for the rest of the way.

As for if there any differences presented between Beck and Stockton, Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman shared that he doesn’t see much of a difference in terms of scheme ran by Georgia.

However, there are some differences in traits between the two, namely his improvisation ability: “He does some things a little bit differently – he can extend plays with his legs, he’s a good athlete. The thing I probably noticed more than anything in watching those 80 plays is he’s an ultra-competitive individual. You can just tell by the way he celebrates, by the way he goes and finishes plays, he’s a competitor. I don’t see it being tremendously different than what they’ve done all season. But we’ll prepare for anything.”

Ryan Day: Jeremiah Smith’s Size Underrated

Jeremiah Smith has been a bona fide stud for Ohio State, eclipsing 1,000 yards as a true freshman for the Buckeyes. However, Coach Ryan Day believes that, despite his production and obvious talent, too many people are overlooking that he’s already got NFL size despite only being a true freshman.

“When you get up on him, you realize how big he is and how big he plays, and that will be something he’ll have to do in this game as well, play big, play strong, play powerful. And I think Brian (Hartline) has done a great job again this year with our receivers, and we’re going to need them all in this game, just like when we played them last time.”

Wake Forest Transfer OL Luke Petitbon Commits to Florida State

One of the top transfer OL is off the board, as Wake Forest transfer OL Luke Petitbon has committed to Florida State.

Petitbon started 11 games during the 2024 season, and was All-ACC Honorable Mention. He was also graded as 3rd of all starting centers in terms of pass blocking grade according to PFF, apparently only allowing a single sack all season. He was also the 4th highest graded center in the ACC in 2023 after starting in 11 games.

Petitbon is currently ranked as the 43rd ranked player in the portal and is ranked as the 2nd best IOL in the portal.

Florida LB Shemar James Declares for NFL Draft

Florida LB Shemar James has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft after finishing his 3rd season in college, all with the Gators.

James finished with 165 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, an interception, 3 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumbles recovered in 34 games played during his career.

His best season was 2024, finishing with 64 tackles, 4 TFLs, 2 sacks, an interception, 3 passes defended, and a fumble forced and recovered. James was not just a critical piece on the defense, but he was also a vocal leader that was in Coach Billy Napier’s corner as the noise outside of the locker room was that Coach Napier was on the hot seat.

Leaders like James were instrumental in Florida rallying during the season to finish out the season strong and rally around their coach.

Clemson LB Barrett Carter Declares for NFL Draft

Clemson LB Barrett Carter has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, sharing a heartfelt message on his way out of Clemson.

Carter spent four seasons with Clemson, appearing in 52 games and finishing with 233 total tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, 21 passes defended, 3 fumbles recovered, and 2 fumbles forced.

Clemson has historically been a “culture” program under Dabo Swinney, and no one embodied that spirit more than Carter, as he was an instrumental piece of the Clemson defense, which is likely at least part of the reason why Carter’s announcement above is clearly full of heartfelt emotion.

Other Commitments/Decommitments

3-Star (83) LB Montrell Chapman commits to Mississippi State

Unrated RB Tylik Hill commits to Syracuse