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

Ohio Commits Murder on National TV Against Winless Kent State, 41-0

Ohio improved to 6-3 on the season and 4-1 in MAC play as it obliterated winless Kent State on the road. Kent State is now 0-9 and has not had a lead for a single second all season despite close losses to Ball State (37-35) and St. Francis (PA) – an FCS team –(23-17).

Ohio outgained the Golden Flashes 411 to 114, which does not even account for Ohio’s kick and punt return TDs, which added another 173 all purpose yards. Defensively, Kent State lost the tackle for loss battle 13-1, lost the first down battle 23-7, and lost the yards per play battle 6.13-2.19. A silver lining is that the two teams tied in turnovers, each turning the ball over once.

Kent State punter Josh Smith got plenty of action, as the Golden Flashes punted on 10 of their 11 drives, with an interception being the lone non-punt drive. In all, Kent State’s offense went 3-and-out 7 times, which means it had as many 3-and-outs as it did first downs. That’s bad.

Ohio’s leading rusher was Anthony Tyus III, who finished with 84 yards and a touchdown. Rickey Hunt Jr. also added 80 rushing yards. QB Parker Navarro finished 14-for-24 with 142 yards passing, plus 41 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown.

Northern Illinois Scores on 6 Consecutive Drives to Beat Western Michigan 42-28

Northern Illinois did not score in the 1st or 4th quarters, but that did not matter for the Huskies to beat Western Michigan 42-28. Both teams are now 5-4 on the season, with Western Michigan dropping its first MAC game this season.

Northern Illinois struggled to capitalize early and late, with all of its points coming in the middle of the game, when it found the end zone on 6 consecutive drives.

Both teams were fairly evenly matched, with both teams finishing with 21 first downs, and with NIU only outgaining WMU 414-390 in terms of overall yardage.

Where NIU clearly outpaced WMU was in conversion downs (60% vs. 37.5%), yards per play (7.39 vs. 6.09), and turnovers lost (1 vs. 3).

For NIU, QB Ethan Hampton was remarkably efficient, finishing 13-for-16 with 156 yards and 2 touchdowns. RB Telly Johnson Jr. led all rushers in this one with 141 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns on 23 carries. RB Gavin Williams also added a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown with 64 combined rushing and receiving yards. WR Trayvon Rudolph led all pass catchers in this game with 74 receiving yards. Sophomore WR Cam Thompson also returned a kick 91 yards.

For Western Michigan, RB Jaden Nixon was explosive, finding the end zone twice, including on a 66-yard touchdown and nearly scoring on a kick return, bringing that one back 61 yards.

Florida QB DJ Lagway Injury Update: Questionable, But Not Out This Weekend

After QB DJ Lagway suffered a seemingly severe injury against Georgia, it was not looking good for the true freshman. However, Coach Billy Napier has shared that the injury does not appear to be nearly as severe as when Lagway initially suffered the injury.

Lagway is actually now listed as questionable for Florida’s game this weekend against #5 Texas, though the probability of Lagway playing is considered to be minimal by people familiar with the situation. Lagway being healthy enough to play would be a big addition back to the Florida offense, as the Gators are 21-point underdogs to the Longhorns on the road.

4-Star WR CJ Wiley Commits to Georgia

Consensus 4-star WR CJ Wiley committed to Georgia yesterday after having previously committed to Florida State, but decommitting back in late October.

Wiley was impressed that Georgia is dynamic offensively and can both run and pass the ball, giving him ample opportunity in the offense.

Wiley is ranked the highest by On3, who ranks him 80th nationally and 13th at the WR position. But according to the On3 industry composite, Wiley ranks 81st nationally and 12th at the WR position.

This is Georgia’s 21st Blue Chip commitment and 25th commitment overall for the 2025 class for a 2025 class which ranks 3rd nationally and 2nd in the SEC behind only top-ranked Alabama.

Indiana’s Curt Cignetti on Fan Response to #8 Ranking: I Do Better When Angry

Indiana Coach Curt Cignetti was on The Pat McAfee Show yesterday, and the topic of Indiana’s #8 ranking was brought up despite the Hoosiers looking great against admittedly poor competition, relative to the rest of the Top 10.

Some commentators, like Pat McAfee, are of the view that Indiana is being disrespected by not being given a higher ranking.

In response to this, Coach Cignetti shared, “well, that’s nice. We’re always looking for motivation, trust me. That edge, that chip. I do better when I’m a little angry. Everybody’s looking for something. But, you know, focusing on the right things. There will be a time and a place to comment on other things later. The key right now is you’ve got to win.”

Hugh Freeze: SEC Presidents Telling Coaches to Prep for 85 Players, Not the Maximum 105 Allowed

In the aftermath of the House v. NCAA settlement, NCAA teams are allowed to have 105 roster spots for football. However, Auburn coach Hugh Freeze has shared that the SEC Presidents are telling the SEC coaches to plan on the scholarship totals to remain at 85.

During the SEC coaches teleconference, Coach Freeze’s full quote was: “Well that’s just what we’ve heard from our Presidents. That we need to – I don’t know that that’s fact on if it’s going to stay there or not. I just think we were told that we should plan and for our signing day plan on it being the 85 number for scholarships. And I don’t know that that means it’s going to stay there, but that’s what I’ve been told to try to base it on come December.”

Assuming there are no problems with the House v. NCAA settlement taking effect, it would be expected to take ahold prior to next season.

Alabama’s Jalen Milroe on LSU Crowd

LSU’s Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge is often considered to be one of the most challenging night environments in the entire SEC (and the country), so when Alabama heads to Death Valley to deal with the LSU faithful, it’s understandable that he was asked about it.

Milroe, though only in his second season as a starter, was the backup when Alabama traveled to LSU in 2022. And he spoke on his experience, stating that there are plenty of external factors with fans impacting the game due to the energy and noise which pours into the stadium.

As for how to face this challenge, Milroe shared that in a game like this, it’s about being able to communicate with the team effectively and start fast. He said “the biggest thing we try to do is eliminate bad plays, eliminate miscommunication, and just try to be on the same page so that we can be our best us. And that’s what’s going to allow us to be our best us, being on the same page and having the right mindset.”

Lincoln Riley on Decision to Bench Miller Moss for Jayden Maiava

USC has dropped 4 of its last 5 games, and it is looking for answers. And Lincoln Riley has decided to start searching for answers by benching QB Miller Moss in exchange for starting transfer QB Jayden Maiava.

Lincoln Riley recently shared his thought process on the decision to go from Moss to Maiava, and Riley said, “I said I was gonna make decisions based on what was best for the team to win. And nothing’s changed. We go back and evaluate like we do every single game. We have two good players in the room, and when we went back and looked at it, we felt like it was in the best interest of the team to give Jayden a chance here. It’s that simple.”

Coach Riley also talked about the increased scrutiny that the quarterback position receives, saying, “Listen, I’ve been though enough of these with QBs. I know the QBs at any program, especially one like this, are a lightning rod. … I get it. It’s just, it’s part of football, but there was nothing more to this decision than that.”

Finally, of Miller Moss, Coach Riley said that Moss has done a great job, and Moss could have played exactly the same way and the team could be sitting with a much better record right now. So, it’s not a reflection of anything Moss has or has not done, but ultimately “when we went back and evaluate, this was the best thing for the team. It’s really that simple.”

Deion Sanders on Colorado’s Success: We Expect To Be Where We Are

Colorado was ranked #20 in the first College Football Playoff Rankings on Tuesday night with its 6-2 ranking and 4-1 start in Big 12 conference play.

One year after missing a bowl game in Coach Deion Sanders’ first season with the team, a playoff berth is very much so on the table, much to many people’s surprise.

But if you ask Coach Sanders, he’d tell you that his team is poised to seize the opportunity, and no one is surprised by the result.

Coach Sanders shared, in part, “we’re been through a lot, and we’re prepared for the moment. We’re not shying away from what we expect. We expect to be in this. We expect to be where we are. We expect to be better than where we are, honestly. But we’re here, and we’re thankful, we’re happy, we’re excited, we’re elated. … We’re not done. And we cannot wait to get to Lubbock to do what we’re gifted to do. Daunting challenge on the road. We love it.”

2026 3-Star QB Cole Leinart Commits to SMU

2026 3-star QB Cole Leinart committed to SMU yesterday over offers from Arizona, Colorado, Duke, Pitt, Utah, and others.

Leinart is the son of former Heisman winner Matt Leinart. Cole visited SMU when SMU beat up on Pitt at home, a win which evidently impressed Leinart enough to commit to the Mustangs.

The On3 industry composite ranks Leinart as the 733rd ranked prospect nationally and the 64th ranked QB in the 2026 class.

This is SMU’s 2nd commitment in the 2026 class, as Leinart joins CB Victor Lincoln, who is a high 3-star according to On3 but is unrated on the other recruiting sites.

Other Commitments/Decommitments

3-Star (88) S Davin Chandler decommitted from Virginia

3-Star (85) DL Wilnerson Telemaque committed to West Virginia

3-Star (85) DL Paxton Naegle committed to Utah State

3-Star (84) Johnny Williams decommitted from ECU

3-Star (82) LB Ryder Holt committed to Idaho State

Unrated LB Carl’veon Young committed to Oklahoma State

Unrated LB AJ Tuitele committed to Washington State

Unrated WR Mykel Calixte flips from Central Michigan to FAU

Brown S Tim Malo entered the transfer portal