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.

TODAY’S SCHEDULE:

Betting Information as of time of writing

UNLV and Air Force Likely Staying in Mountain West, Passing on Pac-12 Interest

Early reports are indicating that UNLV and Air Force are both planning to remain in the Mountain West despite some interest from the Pac-12.

After adding Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, San Diego State, and most recently, Utah State, the Pac-12 was believed to be targeting Air Force and UNLV next. But as of right now, it sounds like Air Force and UNLV are standing pat.

According to SI’s Pat Forde, both Air Force and UNLV will be receiving significant financial incentive to remain with the Mountain West, who now find itself with 7 schools – one fewer than is required by the NCAA.

UNLV Starting QB Matthew Sluka Announces Plan to Redshirt & Transfer Due to Unpaid $100k

UNLV starting QB Matthew Sluka recently made news when he announced he would be leaving UNLV over misrepresentations about the NIL package which he was promised.

According to his NIL representative, Equity Sports’ Marcus Cromartie, Sluka was to receive $100,000 from UNLV. However, Cromartie has shared that Sluka has only received the $3,000 cost to relocate to Las Vegas.

Naturally, the understanding is that there was no written contract agreed to, but rather only a verbal promise. Equity Sports’ CEO, Chris Cabott, said, “we know a school can’t give a player a contract until he is enrolled. … We understand that sometimes there is going to be some flexibility. These schools can’t put a term sheet in front of you, they can’t put a contract in front of you. You just have to take people at their word.

Sluka’s father also spoke with ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg saying that his son has yet to receive any NIL payments that were promised by the UNLV staff during his recruitment. There were also reports that were leaked by some national and regional reporters when it was first announced Sluka was transferring that Sluka was attempting to renegotiate after UNLV’s great start that included wins over Big 12 opponents in Houston and Kansas, but Sluka’s father has shared that neither Sluka nor any of his camp have asked for more than what was promised. According to Sluka’s father, this deal was agreed to back in February but he’s not sure when or how things changed: “we have no idea what the hell happened. They keep deferring, ‘we don’t know. you have to wait.’ Then it was like, ‘we’re going to give him game checks.’ So, we’re like, ‘OK, great!’ We did not ask for a single dollar [more].”

UNLV’s collective, Friends of UNILV denies ever verbally or contractually agreeing to a $100k deal, and it also denies any involvement in the recruiting process of Sluka.

USC DL Bear Alexander Announces Plan to Redshirt & Transfer

USC’s Bear Alexander announced yesterday his intention to opt out of the rest of the 2024 season and instead redshirt before transferring at the end of the season.

Alexander has appeared in all three of USC’s games this season, though his usage has sharply declined since his first season at USC last season.

After the game against Michigan last weekend, a game in which Alexander only played 21 of 58 defensive snaps, Coach Lincoln Riley stated, “there’s no story here.”

Now, Alexander has announced his intention to leave and find a new opportunity for himself.

Alexander was a high 4-star prospect, ranking 43rd overall in the 2022 class.

UNLV RB Michael Allen Also Planning to Redshirt & Transfer, Not Because of NIL

UNLV RB Michael Allen transferred in to UNLV from NC State this past offseason, however, yesterday Allen announced his plans to use his redshirt this season and enter the transfer portal once more.

Allen has only tallied 19 carries for 108 yards in 3 games, which would explain why he announced his intentions to transfer due to unmet expectations for opportunities (i.e., playing time). 108 yards ranks 4th of UNLV rushers on the season.

Allen also shared, explicitly, that the decision has nothing to do with NIL – which is definitely worth mentioning based on the story above about QB Matthew Sluka. Allen posted a follow-up tweet to the original stating, “my decision has no ties to NIL agreements. This is due to on-field opportunities. I did not receive a dime from any UNLV collective.”

Virginia Tech Injury Updates Ahead of Friday Night Game at #7 Miami

Virginia Tech travels to face #7 Miami tomorrow night for a game in which Miami is heavily favored. But if Virginia Tech is going to pull off the upset, it’s going to need all of its playmakers at full health.

Coach Brent Pry shared some updates on injured players, most notably RB Bhayshul Tuten and WR Ali Jennings.

Coach Pry shared that Tuten looked better at this point of the week than he did last week, which should be a good sign for the Hokies. Tuten is averaging almost 100 rushing yards per game for the Hokies.

Jennings is still a question, to Pry. Pry said that he told Jennings, ‘let’s just take it all the way to pregame and see how you’re feeling.’

LB Keli Lawson is another Hokie that is questionable and will be a game-time decision.

Dabo Swinney on Outside Noise: I’m Not Trying to Prove Anything to Anybody

Clemson has not made a playoff since 2019, and is 32-11 since then. This has led to a lot of outside noise from those wondering if Dabo Swinney is no longer the coach he used to be or if he’s the right guy for the evolving landscape of college football.

But Coach Swinney recently shared that he could [not] care less about the outside noise. Coach Swinney said, “I just focus on doing my job every day. I’m not trying to prove anything to anybody, man, I’m just trying to love these guys here, man, I’m just trying to do my job and do what’s best for Clemson day in and day out, put these guys in the best position to go win and worry about none of that stuff. People say whatever they want. I don’t need validation from anybody.”

Greg Schiano Praises Washington QB Will Rogers Ahead of Friday Night Matchup

Rutgers hosts Washington this Friday night and Greg Schiano took some time ahead of the matchup to praise the level of play that Washington QB Will Rogers has brought to the Huskies since transferring there.

Coach Schiano said that Washington has looked great and it, “starts with their quarterback, Will Rogers. He is performing at an incredibly high level right now.”

Coach Schiano also took some time to praise new Washington coach Jeff Fisch, stating, “you know, Coach Fisch is an excellent head coach, excellent offensive coordinator, and really good with the quarterbacks. You can see the effect he’s had in his career. Earlier Will has thrown interceptions. So early when I heard he was going there I said, oh okay, maybe we’ll get a few. He’s not playing that way now. Very, very good with the football, and obviously accurate as maybe anybody in the country right now. So really going to be a challenge there.”

Michigan State’s Jonathan Smith Treating Ohio State Like Any Other Opponent

Michigan State is a 23.5-point underdog against Ohio State this weekend for Michigan State’s first ranked matchup under new coach Jonathan Smith.

But to Coach Smith, this is not going to be some sort of “measuring stick” game for his program. Coach Smith said that he’s been prioritizing an emphasis on this being just another of the 12 games that Michigan State is guaranteed to get to play each fall.

He stated that Michigan State respects every opponent it plays, and obviously Ohio State is deserving of that respect. In the last 7 matchups, Ohio State’s closest win over Michigan State was a 26-6 win in 2018 with 3 of the last 4 matchups being at least 35 point wins for the Buckeyes and all 4 being at least 29 point victories.

“We got a bunch of respect for them. But again, we’re going to treat this Saturday and our approach to this Saturday very similar, understanding that you’re going to have to play really well to win a game, and I think we approach that week in and week out.”

3-Star CB Jett White Decommits from Maryland

3-star cornerback Jett White decommitted from Maryland yesterday after originally committing to the Terrapins back on January 6th of this year.

Prior to being committed to Maryland, White was also once a commit for USC.

White also shared that he will be an early enrollee wherever he ends up, which still may include Maryland.

White is rated as a 4-star by Rivals but is otherwise rated as a 3-star everywhere else. He is ranked 598th nationally and 52nd for the cornerbacks of the 2025 class according to the On3 industry composite.

Maryland’s 2025 class still has 21 commitments, including 5 Blue Chip commitments, for a class which currently ranks 32nd nationally and 10th in the Big Ten.

3-Star DL Ka’Mori Moore Decommits from Oklahoma

3-star DL Ka’Mori Moore decommitted from Oklahoma yesterday after originally committing to Oklahoma way back in July of 2023.

Moore took an unofficial visit to Oklahoma in the spring and then took an official visit over the summer, but has decided to open things back up.

Moore is a consensus 3-star who is ranked 774th nationally and 74th at the DL position according to the On3 industry composite.

Oklahoma’s 2025 class still has 21 commitments, including 13 Blue Chip commitments, and its class ranks 11th nationally and 8th in the SEC.

Other Commitments/Decommitments

3-Star (85) QB Deuce Vance commits to South Alabama