NIU Wishes Notre Dame Good Luck in CFP Title Game with Highlight Video from Upset Win
Jan 20, 2025
SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 07: Northern Illinois Huskies quarterback Ethan Hampton (2) runs with the football and battles with Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Joshua Burnham (40) in action during a game between the Northern Illinois Huskies the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on September 7, 2024, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Northern Illinois had some fun with their video of support to Notre Dame.
As Notre Dame prepares for its National Championship matchup against Ohio State, the Huskies sent a "good luck" video to the Irish. In the video, the Huskies showed highlights of their 16-14 victory over the Irish in September.
Ahead of the title game, the Huskies remain the only team that has defeated Notre Dame this season. Northern Illinois put up 388 yards on the Irish, intercepted quarterback Riley Leonard twice and forced Notre Dame to be just 3-of-10 on third down.
It was the highlight win of the year for Northern Illinois, who finished 8-5 and won the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl over Fresno State. Notre Dame's season looked like it was in trouble following the loss, but the Irish managed to rattle off 13 consecutive wins, including key victories over Army, Indiana, Georgia and Penn State.
A victory over the Buckeyes on Monday night would give Notre Dame its 12th National Championship and its first since 1988. It would also give Northern Illinois a major bragging point forever as the only team to topple the Irish in its dream season.
Photo: Notre Dame Unveils Uniforms for 2025 CFP Title Game vs. Ohio State
Jan 20, 2025
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 02: A Notre Dame Fighting Irish helmet is seen during the 91st Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome on January 02, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
The Notre Dame football team will be making its first national championship game appearance since 2013 when it meets Ohio State in Monday night's College Football Playoff final, and it will be doing so in style.
The Fighting Irish revealed their uniform combination for the national title game, rolling with their classic look of a gold helmet, navy blue jersey and gold pants:
Notre Dame, which is ranked No. 7 in the College Football Playoff, is riding a 13-game win streak dating back to the regular season into Monday's game. The team showed resiliency in its first three CFP games, defeating No. 10 Indiana, No. 2 Georgia and No. 6 Penn State by an average margin of victory of just 8.7 points.
The Fighting Irish will need to continue their stellar play on defense, as they will be facing a No. 8 Buckeyes team that topped the 40-point mark in wins over No. 9 Tennessee and No. 1 Oregon before defeating No. 5 Texas 28-14 to reach the CFP final.
Ohio State will be playing for its first national title since 2014, the first year of the College Football Playoff. While the Buckeyes are closer to their most recent championship, it's the Fighting Irish who are peaking at the perfect time, and they will look fashionable when they try to earn their first title in over three decades.
AP College Basketball Poll 2025: Complete Week 12 Men's Rankings Released
Jan 20, 2025
Auburn remains atop the Associated Press Top 25 poll following an eventful week in men's basketball.
The Tigers improved their record to 17-1 with wins over Mississippi State and Georgia. They were one of three teams in the Top 10 from the Week 11 poll that managed to make it though unscathed.
AP voters had the difficult task of sorting through the mess and trying to make any sense of it.
Week 12 AP Top 25 Poll
1. Auburn
2. Duke
3. Iowa State
4. Alabama
5. Florida
6. Tennessee
7. Houston
8. Michigan State
9. Kentucky
10. Marquette
11. Purdue
12. Kansas
13. Texas A&M
14. Mississippi State
15. Oregon
16. Ole Miss
17. Illinois
18. Wisconsin
19. UConn
20. St. John's
21. Michigan
22. Missouri
23. West Virginia
24. Memphis
25. Louisville
Last week offered a little bit of everything in terms of unexpected upsets and consequential clashes between Top 25 foes.
Tuesday set the tone for what would follow. You had Auburn getting a ranked win. Kentucky beat No. 11 Texas A&M by 12 points. Ole Miss took down fourth-ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa. And Florida, a week removed from a dominant performance over Tennessee, came up short at home to Missouri.
Wednesday brought a battle with a potential impact in the Big 12 title race as Iowa State held firm against Kansas and earned a 74-57 win.
On Thursday, all three ranked teams in action (Gonzaga, Memphis and Michigan) lost.
Then came an even more chaotic Saturday that yielded multiple court stormings.
West Virginia's 64-57 over second-ranked Iowa State was the headliner. Mountaineers guard Javon Small had a game-high 27 points to power his team.
Over in Nashville, Tennessee, going scoreless for the final 3:48 didn't prevent Vanderbilt from beating its big in-state rival. Volunteers star Chaz Lanier had an opportunity to force overtime from the charity stripe in the final seconds. He hit the first of two free throws before his second rimmed out.
Also on Saturday, Alabama rebounded from the Ole Miss loss by beating Kentucky 102-97. Forward Grant Nelson and guard Mark Sears combined for 49 points, with Nelson adding 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the campaign.
Outside of the SEC, Xavier handed No. 7 Marquette its first Big East defeat of the season, which puts St. John's alone in first place in the conference for now. Oregon is already up to three losses in the Big Ten thanks to Purdue.
When all of the dust cleared, Houston was a major beneficiary. The Cougars are now the lone unbeaten team in the Big 12, and they climbed up seventh in the newest poll after sitting 10th in Week 11.
Meanwhile, Gonzaga had the biggest fall, going from 16th to out entirely in the newest rankings.
It will be almost impossible for the week ahead to match the chaos of the last seven days, but some titanic battles are on tap.
Auburn hosts Tennessee and the Vols can't be overlooked even with their reversal of fortunes on the court. Kansas will also be looking to make a strong statement at home to Houston, which is an opportunity to put the Iowa State game firmly in the rear-view mirror.
Video: CFP Championship Rings Unveiled for New 12-Team Format; Includes 133 Stones
Jan 20, 2025
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 19: A general view of the CFP logo at mid-field inside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium prior to the start of the College Football Playoffs Championship Game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 19, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
A bigger College Football Playoff makes for bigger championship rings.
ESPN and the CFP shared a look at the new big rings that will be handed out to the winners of the 12-team bracket following Monday's national championship game in Atlanta.
The rings feature 133 stones representing the FBS teams, including 12 crest stones for playoff teams and one diamond in the center for the national championship, according to ESPN.
One side of the ring displays the Atlanta skyline in honor of the title game taking place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, while the other reads "12 teams, 1 champ" around the newly expanded postseason bracket.
The ring also displays the College Football Playoff trophy and the year 2025, as well as the ESPN logo.
ESPN previously presented Michigan with a giant version of the national championship rings following the conclusion of the 2024 college football season.
The new rings will be handed out to the winners after Monday's title game. Fans will then be able to see the bling in person from Jan. 18 to Jan. 20 during an ESPN event at Georgia World Congress Center, according to ESPN.
Ohio State and Notre Dame kick off for a shot at the national title and the new rings Monday evening at 7:30 p.m. ET.
ACC Will Consider Changes to Conference Championship Game Format, Commissioner Says
Jan 20, 2025
PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 16: A high angle view of the ACC logo on the field at Stanford Stadium during an ACC college football game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Louisville Cardinals on November 16, 2024 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)
Changes could be coming to the current ACC championship game format
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips revealed on Sunday that discussions will take place between coaches and athletic directors regarding potential adjustments to the conference championship game, according to ESPN's Andrea Adelson.
Phillips suggested that the ACC could consider giving its regular-season champion a bye and have the second and third-ranked teams in the league standings play in the ACC championship game, per Adelson.
"You go through the regular season and whoever wins the regular season, just park them to the side, and then you play the second-place team versus the third-place team in your championship game," Phillips said, via Adelson. "So you have a regular-season champion, and then you have a conference tournament or postseason champion."
The change can potentially allow more teams from the conference to compete in the College Football Playoff, which gives automatic bids to the five highest-ranked conference champions under the current format.
In 2024, SMU sat at 11-1 and owned the No. 8 spot in the CFP rankings entering a matchup with Clemson in the ACC championship game. The Mustangs lost to the Tigers, although they were still able to earn the final berth in the CFP despite losing an opportunity to automatically clinch a spot.
The proposal could ensure that a team headed towards a CFP appearance without a conference title, such as SMU, wouldn't risk falling out of the 12-team field with a loss in the ACC championship contest.
Another possibility is the top four teams facing off against each other during the final weekend of the regular season and the winners advancing to compete in the ACC championship game (via Adelson).
Conversations will continue at the league's winter meetings, and changes could be coming to the ACC title game layout.
CFP Execs Don't Make Changes to 2025 Playoff Format at Meeting Despite Seeding Debate
Jan 19, 2025
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 18: A detailed view of the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship logo on display at 2025 CFP National Championship Playoff Fan Central at Georgia World Congress Center on January 18, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
College Football Playoff executives didn't make any changes to the 2025 playoff seeding format during a meeting on Sunday, according to Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde.
Per Forde, no changes are "imminent" but commissioners will meet again on May 6 and are expected to have a "more substantial discussion" surrounding the future of the CFP.
CFP Chair Mark Keenum revealed that commissioners are beginning the process of discussing future format and governance, via Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger.
Under the current 12-team format, the four highest-ranked conference champions earned the top four seeds along with first-round byes. The fifth conference champion also earned an automatic bid, but no bye.
The remaining seven playoff spots were given to the top ranked non-conference champions.
The format led to some teams jumping up the CFP rankings after winning their respective conferences. Arizona State and Boise State earned first-round byes by taking home conference titles in the Big 12 and Mountain West, respectively. The Sun Devils sat at No. 12 in the final CFP rankings, while the Broncos owned the No. 9 spot.
Clemson, the fifth highest-ranked conference champion, earned the No. 12 seed in the CFP despite ending the regular season with the No. 16 ranking.
All three schools weren't able to win a playoff game. While Oregon and Georgia also earned a first-round bye and sat much higher in the last CFP rankings of the year, both teams failed to win their quarterfinal matchups as well.
With all of the conference champions losing by multiple scores with the exception of Arizona State, questions have surfaced surrounding the long-term viability of the format.
Dellenger previously reported Friday that changing the current playoff structure moving forward has been "discussed," but an adjustment is unlikely to gain necessary support from commissioners without "compromise."
Changes could occur during the upcoming May 6 meeting, but there doesn't appear to be an imminent switch to the current seeding format as of now.
CFP National Championship Game Concession Prices Revealed by Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Jan 19, 2025
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 15: In an aerial view, Mercedes-Benz Stadium is seen on May 15, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta is one of the host cities for the 2026 World Cup. (Photo by Alex Slitz - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Monday's College Football Playoff national championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame may feature the most expensive tickets in the sport's history, but at least the fans won't have to worry about being overcharged for concessions once they are inside Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
As Front Office Sports shared Sunday, Mercedes-Benz Stadium plans to continue its "fan first" pricing when it comes to food and drinks.
That means cheeseburgers and draft beers will cost $5, french fries and hot dogs will cost $3, and soda, pretzels and popcorn will cost $2:
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is continuing its “fan first” concession prices for the CFP National Championship game:
Unfortunately for fans hoping to get tickets, it will cost considerably more money to get into the stadium.
Front Office Sports relayed data from TickPick on Friday and noted the average purchase price of $2,637 per ticket is 36 percent more than last year's game between Michigan and Washington and on pace to set the record for the most expensive national title game.
The fans will save money on concessions at least, which is something of a developing pattern in the sports world at this point.
The Masters is is famous for its affordable concession prices in the golf world, and NBA teams such as the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz have also turned heads with similar approaches at times this season:
Winning starts with our fans. When I walk the concourse at games there aren’t food options for families who don’t want to spend a lot of money. That needs to change, so today we’re rolling out our $2 value menu for all home @Suns games. pic.twitter.com/BsluNoKD5P
With costs such as tickets, parking, apparel and more seemingly always increasing, concessions becoming more affordable across different sports and different venues is surely a welcome development for fans as they look to attend more games in person.
Notre Dame AD Open to Annual Clemson Game amid Debate on CFP Rankings and Scheduling
Jan 19, 2025
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - OCTOBER 12: Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on after the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Notre Dame Stadium on October 12, 2024 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
With the Big Ten and SEC appearing to separate themselves with their depth and overall quality at times in the modern-day era of college football, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua was asked about the scheduling arrangement his program has with the ACC.
He told reporters he would be interested in potentially bolstering the Fighting Irish's schedule as part of that agreement by annually playing one of the ACC's powerhouses in Clemson.
"When we play a team like Clemson, I think that has become such a great rivalry in such a short amount of time," he said. "I would tell you that's the type of game I'd love to play every year."
While Notre Dame remains an independent school outside of the conferences, it has an agreement with the ACC to play five games against the league's teams a season.
This past season's slate featured matchups against Louisville, Stanford, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Virginia. Louisville and Georgia Tech were the only teams from that group to finish above .500, and they still featured a combined 10 losses.
Florida State would normally be a strong game, but the Seminoles were arguably the most disappointing team in the country this season with a 2-10 record.
How to weigh performances on the field, overall records and strength of schedule will always be part of the debate in college football, and this season was no different even with the expansion of the CFP to 12 teams.
The Fighting Irish don't have the benefit of playing for a conference championship and automatic inclusion in the field, so their strength of schedule figures to be an important measuring stick in future years even if it wasn't really an issue this season thanks to their strong 11-1 overall record.
Facing Clemson, which won the ACC title and made the CFP this season, would typically bolster that strength of schedule and give Notre Dame something of a measuring-stick game ahead of the postseason games.
And the two teams faced each other five times from 2018 through 2023, including in the 2018 CFP and 2020 ACC Championship Game. Due to the shortened season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Notre Dame was eligible to participate in the ACC Championship Game in 2020.
Clemson won both of those high-profile showdowns, although the Fighting Irish won their regular-season meetings in 2020 and 2022.
At this point, there is no questioning Notre Dame's accomplishments this season.
Despite a shocking loss to Northern Illinois in September, head coach Marcus Freeman's team rallied together with notable wins over Navy, Army, USC and Louisville, among others, before a playoff run that included victories over Indiana, Georgia and Penn State.
Only Ohio State stands in the way of a national championship, and the two powerhouse programs will face each other for the title Monday.
Cooper Flagg Scores 28, Exhilarates CBB Fans as No. 3 Duke Dominates in Win vs. BC
Jan 19, 2025
CHESTNUT HILL, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 18: Cooper Flagg #2 of the Duke Blue Devils prepares to shoot a free throw against the Boston College Eagles during the first half of the game at Conte Forum on January 18, 2025 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
The No. 3-ranked Duke Blue Devils dominated the Boston College Eagles 88-63 on Saturday. They were led by standout freshman Cooper Flagg's 28 points, which helped them secure their 12th straight win.
The Blue Devils hit the road on Saturday night and improved their record to 16-2, including 8-0 in the ACC, with Flagg also contributing five rebounds and four assists while shooting 64 percent from the field.
Junior Tyrese Proctor contributed 20 points, three rebounds and two assists to the victory, while fellow freshman Isaiah Evans added 16 points off the bench.
Flagg is averaging 18.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the field this season, generating excitement about his future with a standout freshman campaign.
Fans flocked to social media to express their excitement over Flagg's performance, even though the opponent was an unranked Boston College team:
Cooper Flagg just put on a show for his New England fans in a Duke win at Boston College 🚨
The near-homecoming game for the Newport, Maine, native did not disappoint, as Flagg delivered a standout performance in front of friends and family who attended the game.
Flagg opened the scoring for the Blue Devils with a jumper less than a minute into the game. He added seven made free throws in the first half, including an and-one after powering through contact for a layup.
Flagg started the second half strong, scoring back-to-back layups to extend the Blue Devils' lead to 46-36. From there, he did it all—dunking, assisting, blocking shots and draining three-pointers—as Duke pulled away and turned the game into a blowout.
Duke and Flagg have a full week off before traveling to face Wake Forest next Saturday.
Report: Steve Sarkisian Lands Texas Contract Extension After Declining NFL Interviews
Jan 18, 2025
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 10: Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns looks on before the Goodyear Cotton Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium on January 10, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
Texas head football coach Steve Sarkisian has agreed to a contract extension to remain with the Longhorns, per Brett McMurphy of Action Network, who noted that the 50-year-old previously declined interviews with two NFL teams.
Steve Sarkisian agrees to contract extension w/Texas after declining interviews w/2 NFL teams, sources said. UT Board of Regents chairman Kevin Eltife & AD Chris Del Conte were key figures in getting the deal done, source said. Sarkisian has led UT to consecutive @CFBPlayoff…
Texas has agreed to a new seven-year deal for Steve Sarkisian, which adds a year to his deal and includes a significant raise, per a source. He remains one of the highest paid coaches in the sport, as he’d ranked No. 3 at $10.6 million. Action Network first reported new deal. pic.twitter.com/8J38LI2JHu
Sarkisian has been Texas' head coach since 2021. He's led the Longhorns to a 38-17 mark, including 25-5 over the last two seasons. The Longhorns reached the College Football Playoff in 2023 and 2024, falling in the semifinal round both times.
Last year's Texas team won the Big 12 title before earning the CFP's No. 3 seed. This year's team reached the SEC Championship Game and earned the No. 5 seed, defeating Clemson and Arizona State before losing to Ohio State. The Longhorns are also the only team to make the CFP each of the past two years.
It's no surprise that Sarkisian had interest from NFL teams given how well Texas has done the past two years. He has a lengthy two-decade resume that also includes stops in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders (2004, quarterbacks coach) and the Atlanta Falcons (2017-2018, offensive coordinator).
However, it's clear that Sarkisian is committed to Texas. This X post from Thursday also seemed to indicate Sarkisian's loyalty to the school.
The contract extension seals it, of course. Ultimately, it's easy to see why Sarkisian is sticking around given how much success he's found in Austin. And Texas obviously wanted him back given how well the Longhorns have performed under his stewardship.
Now Sarkisian is around long term as he strives to give Texas its first national title since 2005.
