Oregon was the No. 1 team in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll for the fourth straight week on Sunday as Penn State and Indiana climbed into the top five, Georgia and Miami dropped out of the top 10 and losses by four other ranked teams shuffled the rankings with a month left in the regular season.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) throws the ball as Maryland linebacker Kellan Wyatt (45) defends during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. Oregon won 39-18. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
No team this season has held the top spot for more consecutive weeks than Oregon, which pulled away from Maryland over the weekend to improve to 10-0 and is a unanimous No. 1 for the second straight week.
Ohio State moved up one spot to No. 2 and Texas got a two-rung bump to No. 3. Penn State was No. 4, one point ahead of No. 5 Indiana, with Tennessee just three points behind at No. 6.
Indiana players celebrate after defeating Michigan in an NCAA college football game in Bloomington, Ind., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Following Tennessee in the top 10 were BYU, Notre Dame, Alabama and Mississippi. The SEC has four teams in the top 10 and nine overall in the AP Top 25 while the Big Ten has four teams in the top five for the first time in history.
How those losses impact their bids for a College Football Playoff spot will be known on Tuesday night when the selection committee releases its second rankings. Georgia is the fifth-highest ranked Southeastern Conference team in the AP poll, and Miami remains the highest-ranked Atlantic Coast Conference team.Poll points
Mississippi earned the biggest promotion, from No. 16 to No. 10. The Rebels turned in a dominant defensive performance against Carson Beck and the Bulldogs a week after Jaxson Dart set school passing records in a blowout of Arkansas.
LSU had its playoff hopes snuffed with its 42-13 home loss to Alabama. The Tigers dropped from No. 14 to No. 21.
No. 18 Colorado controls its own destiny in the playoff chase. The Buffaloes are alone in second place in the Big 12, one game behind unbeaten BYU, and the conference’s second-highest ranked team in the AP poll. They don’t meet in the regular season. If both run the table, they would play in the conference championship game.
Boise State slipped one spot to No. 13 and remains the highest-ranked Group of Five team following its 28-21 victory over three-win Nevada.In-and-out
No. 23 South Carolina, which has beaten ranked Texas A&M and Vanderbilt teams in consecutive weeks, is in the Top 25 for the first time since the end of the 2022 season.
No. 25 Tulane, winner of seven straight, made its Top 25 debut under first-year coach Jon Sumrall.
Iowa State, Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt dropped out.
The Cyclones’ second straight loss came against a Kansas team that entered with two wins. Pitt, beaten soundly by SMU a week earlier, lost at home to Virginia. Vanderbilt has lost two of its last three.Conference call
SEC — 9 (Nos. 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 15, 21, 23, 24).
ACC — 4 (Nos. 12, 14, 17, 22).
Big Ten — 4 (Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5).
Big 12 — 3 (Nos. 7, 18, 20).
AAC — 2 (Nos. 16, 25).
Mountain West — 1 (No. 13).
Pac-12 — 1 (No. 19).
Independent — 1 (No. 8).Ranked vs. ranked
—No. 6 Tennessee at No. 11 Georgia: Volunteers QB Nico Iamaleava is expected to be back after not playing the second half against Mississippi State. Vols haven’t scored more than 21 points during their seven-game losing streak against the Bulldogs.
—No. 24 Missouri at No. 23 South Carolina: Tigers have won five straight in the series. Gamecocks have a chance to beat a third straight ranked opponent.
RANT SPORTS – As Super Bowl LIX Beckons, Football Fans Gravitate to Key Stats and Storylines
On February 9, 2025, the NFC and AFC Conference Champions will meet at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, for Super Bowl LIX. Football fans have been piling into the action all season to make their picks and predictions for the winner.
As Super Bowl Sunday beckons, there will be a tsunami of interest in the many different forms of football betting. Last year, the Super Bowl set records for American wagering, with some $23 billion bet. This year, seeing the popularity of the big game, platforms are going all out to appeal to this mass of betting interest.
So, there are plenty of offers bouncing around and unique ways to bet on the outcomes of Super Bowl LIX. Keep reading to explore these novel options and discover some stats to keep in mind for the potential Super Bowl contenders this year.
A Diverse Landscape for Super Bowl Fans
Every year, betting lines light up with a whole range of quirky selections. For the Super Bowl, prop markets are always a point of interest – and not just for the player lines. The length of the national anthem, style of the halftime performer’s attire, and the color of the winning team’s Gatorade douse are all in the odds.
In daily fantasy sports betting, the lines can also see a bit more variation. With some platforms, you’ll be able to bundle in these once-a-year kind of props. Many will also offer boosts on certain players hitting or missing their under-over lines. Others are adapting the formula entirely for the big game.
At Sleeper, the emphasis is on collaborating with your squad to make top fantasy picks. You’ll all get to select the DFS player lines that you think will happen, bundle them into a picks list, and watch the stats move in real time. With the Super Bowl fast approaching, savvy DFS teams will be claiming a Sleeper promo for NFL betting like this.
With the offer, each player will get a $55 bonus cash offer after playing $5. So, naturally, many teams will open an account, make the $10 deposit, play $5 on an upcoming game of the NFL, NBA, or anything else, and then get their 11 $5 bonus wagers to use on the big game.
What to Keep in Mind for the Super Bowl
On the NFC side, coming into the Conference Championships, Jayden Daniels absolutely had the upper hand on the Eagles’ QB, who’d suffered a concussion and then a leg injury. However, the Philadelphia defense ranked as the best in the NFL by quite some margin, only allowing 278.4 yards on average. It was Philadelphia that romped to an easy 55-23 victory.
Over in AFC territory, the Super Bowl machine that are the Kansas City Chiefs might have a shot at history with the unheard-of three-peat, after their 32-29 win over the Bills. There’s also Travis Kelce’s shot at unseating one of Jerry Rice’s long-standing records. With just three receptions in the big game, Kelce would overtake Rice’s haul of 33 takes at the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl LIX promises to be a fascinating game, with a second matchup of these two teams in three years. That contest came down to the final seconds, but who will win this one?
The bigger question here is, where will fans be placing their bets for the colossal event?
RANT SPORTS – NASCAR likes to open with a short track exhibition
A week before heading to Daytona for the 2025 NASCAR season, they will kick off the year with an exhibition race on Saturday night under the lights. The event, known as The Cookout will take place at Bowman Gray Stadium, a NASCAR-sanctioned quarter-mile asphalt flat oval short track and a historic football stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The race, also known as The Clash, will mark the debut for several new drivers. Two of the top young talents making their NASCAR Cup Series debuts are Tim Brown for Rick Racing and Burt Myers for Team Amerivet.
This race also features the Front Row Motorsports debut for Noah Gragson and the return of Zane Smith that team. Additionally, Todd Gilliland will be driving the flagship No. 38 after three seasons in the No. 34. Furthermore, Josh Berry iin the iconic Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford.
Some familiar names with new and full season rides
AJ Allmendinger has returned to Kaulig Racing full-time, while Riley Herbst has joined 23XI Racing. Cole Custer is back now full time at the Haas Factory Team. Cody Ware is also time in the family-owned No. 51.
Ryan Preece is debuting for RFK Racing and Michael McDowell has moved to Spire Motorsports. Shane Van Gisbergen is racing full-time in Cup for Trackhouse Racing
Here is the full list of cars the teams
1 | Ross Chastain | Phil Surgen | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet
2 | Austin Cindric | Brian Wilson | Team Penske | Ford
3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Boswell | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet
4 | Noah Gragson | Drew Blickensderfer | Front Row Motorsports | Ford
24 | William Byron | Rudy Fugle | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet
34 | Todd Gilliland | Chris Lawson | Front Row Motorsports | Ford
35 | Riley Herbst | Davin Restivo | 23XI Racing | Toyota
38 | Zane Smith | Ryan Bergentry | Front Row Motorsports | Ford
41 | Cole Custer | Aaron Kramer | Haas Factory Team | Ford
42| John Hunter Nemechek | Travis Mack | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota
43| Erik Jones | Ben Beshore | Legacy Motor Club | Toyot
45 | Tyler Reddick | Billy Scott | 23XI Racing | Toyota
47| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Mike Kelley | HYAK Racing | Ford
48| Alex Bowman | Blake Harris | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet
50 | Burt Myers | Tony Eury Jr. | Team Amerivet | Chevrolet
51 | Justin Haley | Billy Plourde |Rick Ware Racing | Ford
54 | Ty Gibbs | Tyler Allen | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota
60 | Ryan Preece | Derrick Finley | RFK Racing | Ford
66 | Garrett Smithley | Carl Long | Garage 66 | Ford
71 | Michael McDowell | Travis Peterson | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet
77 | Carson Hocevar | Luke Lambert | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet
88 | Shane Van Gisbergen | Stephen Doran | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet
99 | Daniel Suarez | Matt Swiderski | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet
Where to watch and listen to the race
Practice and qualifying is set for 6:10 on FS1 and heat races are set for 8:30 on FS1. The last chance race is set for 6 p.m. on Sunday on FOX and the main event is scheduled for 8 on FOX.