Penn State preparing for hard-charging Jeanty and Boise State in CFP quarterfinals

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State players have watched Ashton Jeanty make opponents look silly all season. They don't want to be the next defenders Boise State’s star posterizes with jukes, spin moves, stiff arms and heavy shoulders. But they also know that slowing down...

SMU's Lashlee hopes Mustangs' mistake-filled performance won't affect future playoff consideration

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Rhett Lashlee knows deep down that this SMU team deserved a spot in the College Football Playoff, even if the Mustangs didn’t show it Saturday. SMU's coach also knows his team’s mistake-filled performance in Happy Valley, where it fell 38-10 to No. 6...

Former walk-on DeLuca provides early spark, Penn State drills SMU 38-10 in CFP; Boise State up next

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — In a time of incessant change, Penn State linebacker Dominic DeLuca is a throwback. The former walk-on's team might be one too. DeLuca was guaranteed nothing when he arrived on campus nearly four years ago without the promise of a...

Penn State beats SMU 38-10 and advances to face Boise State in College Football Playoff

Penn State and SMU carry the weight of history into their CFP debuts. They're both trying to shed it

DaQuan Jones remembers the chaos. The uncertainty. The sanctions. The aftermath. How could he not? He and the rest of his Penn State teammates — those that stuck around anyway — lived through it. Jones was a sophomore defensive lineman in the fall of 2011 when the...

Brr! Winter adds an old-school challenge to the CFP. Visiting teams insist it's 'snow' problem

Asked if playing in near-freezing weather at Ohio State might pose a challenge for his team, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel quickly noted that it wouldn’t be the Volunteers’ first rodeo with the cold. Kicker Max Gilbert even posted a photo last week standing with teammates as light...

College Football Playoff picks: SMU, Clemson, Vols, Hoosiers beware as CFP opens on campus

Welcome to the new-look postseason, where the path to the national championship begins at campus sites for eight of the 12 teams in the College Football Playoff. Bundle up, buttercup. Snow showers are forecast to give way to cloudy skies...

Franklin lobbies for transfer portal changes as Penn State loses Pribula during playoff run

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State coach James Franklin hopes college football players soon won’t have to make the same decision as backup quarterback Beau Pribula. The sophomore, who played a key role in No. 5 Penn State’s first run to the College Football Playoff, won't be...

Baldwin sets school record 16 assists to lead Penn St. to 48-point win over Coppin St.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Yanic Konan Niederhauser scored 14 points and Ace Baldwin Jr. set a single-game program assists record and Penn State overwhelmed Coppin State 99-51 on Saturday. Baldwin, a fifth-year senior, recorded his fourth double-double of the season scoring 11...

Baldwin, Dilione lead Penn State to 81-70 win over No. 8 Purdue

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Ace Baldwin Jr. scored 17 points, Freddie Dilione V added 14 and Penn State pulled away from No. 8 Purdue for an 81-70 victory in the Big Ten opener for both teams on Thursday night. Puff Johnson had 13 and four steals, and Nick Kern Jr. had 12 points and...