NCAA

Former Michigan Wolverines quarterback Cade McNamara is transferring to Iowa, with a formal announcement expected soon, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.

McNamara entered the transfer portal on Monday as a graduate transfer.

McNamara was a 4-star prospect in the 2019 class and ranked 268th nationally, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He originally committed to Notre Dame before flipping to Michigan.

The Nevada native didn't play at all in 2019, sitting behind starter Shea Patterson. However, he appeared in four games during the 2020 campaign, replacing Joe Milton III before being named Michigan's starter for the 2021 season.

In 14 games in 2021, McNamara completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 2,576 yards and 15 touchdowns against six interceptions. He also rushed for 37 yards and one score. The Wolverines went on to win the Big Ten and earn a berth in the College Football Playoff.

McNamara lost his starting job in 2022 following a quarterback battle with J.J. McCarthy.

McNamara started the first game of the season against Colorado State, completing 9-of-18 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown. McCarthy started the second game against Hawai'i, completing 11-of-12 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns to win the starting job.

The 22-year-old appeared in the win against Hawai'i and the following week's win over UConn, but he suffered a knee injury in that game and underwent surgery before being ruled out for the season.

McNamara can play at Iowa for two seasons. He redshirted as a freshman, and the NCAA gave any athlete from the 2020-21 campaign an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the season.

Iowa finished the 2022 regular season with a 7-5 record, sitting third in the Big Ten West behind Purdue and Illinois. The Hawkeyes currently have Spencer Petras, Joey Labas and Carson May as the quarterbacks on their roster.

University of Florida quarterback Jalen Kitna was reportedly set to be released on $80,000 bond Thursday after being arrested Wednesday on child pornography charges.

According to Mark Long of the Associated Press, Judge Meshon Rawls set the terms of Kitna's bond in Gainesville, Florida, decreeing that Kitna could not have any unsupervised contact with minors nor access to the internet.

Kitna's dad, former NFL quarterback Jon, and mom, Jennifer, reportedly addressed the court and said they would supervise their son at their home in Burleson, Texas.

The Gainesville Police Department announced Wednesday that Kitna had been arrested on two charges of distribution of child exploitation material and three charges of possession of child pornography.

Police said in a statement that an investigation into Kitna began when they received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about an account linked to Kitna sharing images of child sexual abuse on Discord.

Per Long, "Kitna shared two images of a pubescent girl, police said in the report, adding that the phrase 'so young junior' was written on both pictures. Kitna told a detective he thought they were legal because he found them online."

Police said they also found three further images of nude girls in the shower when they searched Kitna's phone.

Kitna, 19, is a freshman backup quarterback for the Gators who threw for 181 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in limited action this season.

The University of Florida released a statement on the matter Wednesday, noting that it was "shocked and saddened" by the allegations against Kitna.

It was also announced by the school that Kitna had been suspended indefinitely from the football program.

The Lincoln Police Department announced Wednesday that Nebraska interim head coach Mickey Joseph was arrested for strangulation and third-degree domestic assault, and new details about the case emerged Thursday.

According to TMZ Sports, court documents stated a woman told police Joseph "pushed me on the couch and strangled me" and then "grabbed her hair from behind and pulled her backward, causing her to fall to the ground" after she initially escaped.

She said he then punched her in the face, and police observed swelling around her eye when they arrived at the scene.

A witness corroborated what she said.

TMZ Sports noted Joseph faces up to three years in prison if he is convicted on the felony charge of assault by strangulation or suffocation.

The Lincoln Police Department said "the high-profile nature of the person involved and, in an effort, to provide transparency on an arrest involving a public figure" is why it made an announcement even though it typically doesn't for domestic violence-related arrests.

According to KSBN Local 4, Joseph, who denied punching and grabbing the hair of the woman, appeared in court Thursday and will do so again on Jan. 30. He was ordered not to contact the woman.

"I was made aware of the charges against Coach Joseph and given the nature of the allegations and based on University policy he has been placed on administrative leave," Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts said in a statement. "We will have no additional comment at this time."

Nebraska named Joseph the interim coach after it fired Scott Frost following a 1-2 start to the 2022 season.

It has since hired Matt Rhule to be the new head coach, and it had not yet been announced whether Joseph would be retained on the coaching staff.

The No. 2 Michigan Wolverines' quest for a national championship will reportedly continue without star running back Blake Corum.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that Corum is expected to have knee surgery that will sideline him for the remainder of the season.

The junior running back suffered the injury during a 19-17 win over Illinois two weeks ago. While he tried to play on his injured knee last week against the rival Ohio State, he was limited to only two carries for six yards and saw no action after the first quarter.

Corum was highly effective last season as Michigan won the Big Ten title and reached the College Football Playoff, but he reached a new level in 2022. The Virginia native rushed for 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns on 247 carries and caught 11 passes for 80 yards and a score.

Even if Corum doesn't play another game this season, he may still receive an invite to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Losing a player of Corum's caliber would crush most teams, but head coach Jim Harbaugh is lucky to have another top-flight running back on his 12-0 Wolverines squad.

Sophomore Donovan Edwards is second on the team this season with 687 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He has also caught 16 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

Corum was Michigan's bell-cow back, whereas Edwards is the change-of-pace back who makes some huge plays and is averaging 7.5 yards per carry.

With Corum basically unable to play against OSU, Edwards took over as the No. 1 back and dominated to the tune of 216 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Both touchdowns came in the fourth quarter and they were from 75 and 85 yards out, putting a bow on a 45-23 road win.

That victory clinched Michigan a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game against Purdue on Saturday. It looks like Edwards will be the Wolverines' go-to guy on offense in that game.

Regardless of whether they win or lose to Purdue, the Wolverines are likely also ticketed for the CFP. They're currently in line to face No. 3 TCU in the semifinals.

Being without Corum could adversely impact Michigan's attempt to win its first national title since 1997. But if Edwards continues to play at his current level, the Wolverines are still a top contender.

No matter how many years we do this, the end of the college football season doesn’t get any easier. It comes quickly, and you can never quite brace for it.

Although we still have much work to do before we hit the dreaded offseason, conference championship weekend is upon us.

When it comes to Locks of the Week, our weekly CFB picks against the spread, the task of picking winners becomes more daunting. We have fewer options, although make no mistake about it: We will make the most out of what we have.

Last weekend, we delivered another winning week. A solid 6-3 showing brought us to 69-49-4 for the season. We have momentum again, and it’s coming at the opportune time. (Oh, and you better believe we’ll be making picks throughout the entire bowl season and the College Football Playoff.)

Before we get to this week’s picks, we must first explore what went right and wrong about last week.

The Good: Oregon State (+3) vs. Oregon: It didn’t look good deep in the third quarter. The Beavers were down 31-10, and the game felt like it was slipping away. Then, Oregon State mounted a massive comeback and ultimately won the game outright. Wonderful game and win.

The Bad: LSU (-10) vs. Texas A&M: Well, I can only blame myself. The point spread felt too good to be true, and it ultimately was. I took the obvious play, and I paid the price dearly for it. LSU delivered a dreadful performance, and this pick was dead from the jump.

With that, here are the conference championship weekend picks.

Odds courtesy of DraftKings and accurate as of Wednesday.

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TCU vs. Kansas State (Over 61.5)

Against Iowa State last week, the Horned Frogs scored 62 points by themselves. That is not to say they'll do so again in the Big 12 Championship Game, although points will be plentiful.

When these two teams met during the regular season, they totaled 66 points. They did so even though Kansas State scored zero points in the final 30 minutes of that game.

That likely won’t be the case this week, as both teams enter this one blazing hot. TCU has yet to lose a game this season. With a win here, the Horned Frogs will be playoff bound. (Heck, the same could be true even with a close loss.)

Meanwhile, Kansas State has covered the spread in each of its last three games. More notably, the Wildcats have hit the over in four of their past six.

This feels like a game that will be competitive until the very end. There will be lots of touchdowns, and Kansas State will likely push for the upset.

Regardless of where they come from, bring on the touchdowns.

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Georgia (-17.5) vs. LSU

The Bulldogs don’t need to win this game. Let’s begin there.

No matter the outcome, Georgia should be in the College Football Playoff. If that situation sounds familiar, it should. The Bulldogs were in this exact situation last year against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, and they promptly lost to Bryce Young. (They also proceeded to win a national championship.)

We can question Georgia’s motivation in this game if we want. It’s fair and reasonable to do so. But it’s also unfair to compare this LSU team to Alabama last year. For starters, it doesn’t have Young, who was magical.

Simply put, Georgia is better in so many places. And as we assess LSU’s loss to Texas A&M last week, we must also come to terms with the reality that we (and the committee) might have overrated the Tigers throughout the year.

LSU is solid, and Brian Kelly has done a wonderful job. But Georgia, motivated or not, will show it’s that much better than the Tigers.

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Clemson (-7.5) vs. North Carolina

Although the winner of this matchup will be the ACC champion, the game itself has lost some juice. No playoff team will emerge from the ACC Championship Game, regardless of the result. Still, Clemson is in a solid position to recover.

The Tigers are coming off a 31-30 loss to South Carolina, a game in which they were favored by 14.5 points to win. North Carolina, meanwhile, has lost two consecutive games. They were favored by a combined 28 points in those games.

Sure, UNC quarterback Drake Maye should find success against a Clemson secondary that has struggled. On the flip side, Tigers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is coming off an ugly performance.

But the talent on the Clemson sideline is in a position to overwhelm North Carolina in so many positions. That should ultimately be the difference.

It won’t be pretty, and it probably won’t be easy on the eyes. But it will be effective.

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Michigan vs. Purdue (Under 52)

Like the SEC Championship Game, it’s reasonable to question just how motivated Michigan will be in the Big Ten title game coming off its emphatic win over rival Ohio State.

Like Georgia, Michigan should be in the playoff regardless. Even a loss to Purdue won’t change that. Rather than tackle motivation, however, I am tackling intent. Well, and maybe a smidge of motivation.

After last week, Michigan is ready for the playoff. As such, I don’t expect we will see an elaborate passing attack, which there were glimpses of last week. I also don’t expect to see wideouts (or running backs) running freely through the open field like we saw on Saturday.

Seriously, Ohio State. Woof.

Instead, we’ll see ball control from Michigan. We’ll also see the Wolverines’ defense, which played a superb game last week, deliver a worthy encore.

This isn’t a huge number. It feels about right. Michigan will win by double digits and flirt with a cover, although the total will be safe.

Michigan 31, Purdue 17.

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Tulane (-3.5) vs. UCF

Do not sleep on this glorious football game.

The American Athletic Conference Championship Game will deliver us one team that will play in a marquee bowl. That team will ultimately be Tulane.

These two teams met earlier this year, and Central Florida won as a small underdog. Since then, UCF has looked a bit wobbly. The Golden Knights lost to Navy as a big favorite and then flirted with a loss against South Florida as an even bigger favorite.

While they did win at Tulane—and they’ll be playing on the road again—this does not look and feel like the same team. Tulane, meanwhile, has won and covered the spread in both of its games since that point.

The Green Wave enter with a sparkling 10-2 mark against the spread this fall. While it won’t be easy, Tulane will add to that total with a conference championship victory.

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Other Games On the Card

Fresno State (+3) vs. Boise State

The Bulldogs are one of the hottest teams in college football, and that hot streak will continue through the Mountain West Championship. Quarterback Jake Haener is healthy, playing well and ready to lead Fresno State to a mild upset.

UTSA (-9) vs. North Texas

On the topic of hot teams, enter UTSA. The Roadrunners have won nine consecutive games, and they have the offense to push North Texas in the Conference USA Championship Game. The point spread is robust, although that’s for good reason.

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There will reportedly be a 12-team College Football Playoff by the start of the 2024 season.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported the Rose Bowl agreed to amend its contract to allow expansion to occur by the start of the 2024 campaign. The bowl game, which has a central place in college football history, was holding up the process and could have delayed it until 2026.

Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports explained the 10 FBS conferences, Notre Dame and the other New Year's Six Bowls were all in agreement on early expansion for 2024 and 2025. However, the Rose Bowl was "the lone holdout" in such negotiations because it wanted to keep its coveted 5 p.m. ET kickoff time slot on Jan. 1.

Dodd noted any agreement to expand the playoffs early ahead of the CFP's new media rights contract starting in 2026 needed to be unanimous.

One source said the Rose Bowl would have single-handedly "killed" early expansion if it didn't relent.

This development means the playoff system, which has featured just four teams since its inception starting with the 2014 campaign, will now be open to more participants. That is welcome news for those in favor of more schools getting opportunities and could open the door for Group of Five conferences and others to battle for a championship.

Cincinnati became the first Group of Five conference team to make the CFP field last season, although the Bearcats will be in a Power Five league by the time expansion arrives because it is set to join the Big 12.

Parity in college football has been a concern, especially during the CFP era.

In fact, 21 of the first 32 playoff spots went to Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma during the first eight years, underscoring just how dominant the four programs have been compared to the rest of the country.

While none of those teams are in the top four this season—with Ohio State and Alabama just on the outside at Nos. 5 and 6 and hoping for chaos during the conference championship games—an expanded field means there will be additional chances for other teams to compete for playoff spots deeper into the season.

The Rose Bowl was holding the process up, but that apparently is no longer the case.

Kentucky redshirt senior quarterback Will Levis has established himself as one of the best signal-callers in college football in his two seasons with the Wildcats, and now he's ready to test himself against the pros.

On a Twitter space hosted by Blue Chips, Levis announced that he will enter the 2023 NFL draft, foregoing his final year of college eligibility. Levis also said he hasn't decided whether he'll play in Kenucky's bowl game.

After spending the first two years of his college career at Penn State, Levis transferred to Kentucky in 2021 and was named the team's starter to open the season. He led the Wildcats to a 10-3 record and a win against No. 15 Iowa in the 2022 Citrus Bowl. Levis put up 2,826 yards, 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions as a junior.

The 2022 season didn't quite go as Levis and the Wildcats had hoped. Kentucky finished with a 7-5 record and placed fourth in the SEC East with a 3-5 conference record. Levis missed one game with an undisclosed injury and recorded 2,406 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this year.

On Tuesday, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops fired offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello, who was in his first year in the position. Scangarello had replaced Liam Coen after he was named offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams.

Levis' down year doesn't appear to have affected his projection at the next level. B/R's NFL draft big board ranks him as the No. 3 quarterback and No. 11 overall player in the 2023 class. In B/R's most recent mock draft, he's projected to be selected 15th overall by the Indianapolis Colts.

Nebraska Cornhuskers interim head coach Mickey Joseph was arrested on Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of strangulation and third-degree domestic assault, according to the Lincoln Police Department.

Officers were dispatched to a house on a domestic disturbance call and after investigating the situation arrested Joseph.

The Lincoln PD noted that it generally does not provide a press release after a domestic assault arrest but did so in this case "due to the high-profile nature of the person involved and, in an effort, to provide transparency on an arrest involving a public figure."

"I was made aware of the charges against Coach Joseph and given the nature of the allegations and based on University policy he has been placed on administrative leave," Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts said in a statement (via KSBN Local 4). "We will have no additional comment at this time."

Nebraska fired former head coach Scott Frost this season after a 1-2 start to the 2022 campaign and a 16-31 record in parts of five seasons. Joseph was hired to serve as the interim head coach and led the Cornhuskers to a 3-6 mark the rest of the season.

The school hired former Temple, Baylor and Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule to take over the position earlier this week, signing him to an eight-year, $74 million contract.

Joseph previously spent time on the coaching staff at Alabama State (2000), Nicholls State (2001-03), Central Oklahoma (2004-05), Langston University (2008-12), Alcorn State (2013), Grambling State (2014-15), Louisiana Tech (2016) and LSU (2017-21).