College Football

It sounds like the Tulane Green Wave are going to have to deal with the Heisman Trophy winner in the Cotton Bowl.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams said he remains "confident" that he will play in the Jan. 2 bowl game despite suffering a hamstring injury during the Trojans' loss to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game, per Ryan Abraham of USCFootball.com.

While star players sitting out of bowl games has become rather commonplace at this point in college football, that is often done by players who are headed to the NFL draft.

Williams is still a sophomore and will be returning to USC next season, so the bowl game could be something of a kickstart to his 2023 campaign if he is healthy enough to play. Tulane isn't exactly a powerhouse program, but this is still a New Year's Six bowl and a chance for USC to make a statement after losing to the Utes.

Having the Heisman Trophy winner on the field is the best way to do just that.

He completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 4,075 yards and 37 touchdowns with four interceptions while adding 372 yards and 10 scores on the ground. His individual brilliance was often necessary because the Trojans struggled on the defensive side of the ball at times throughout the campaign.

Even with those defensive struggles, it seemed like the program was on the way to its first College Football Playoff as it went into the Pac-12 title game.

However, Utah bullied USC up front, had no trouble moving the ball against that lackluster defense, and controlled the second half of a 47-24 victory.

It certainly didn't help USC's cause that its star quarterback was limping around for much of the contest because of the hamstring injury, but it might not have made a massive difference given the way the game unfolded.

Williams is seemingly on the way back for the bowl game, though, and can get the Trojans heading in the right direction ahead of the 2023 campaign where he will be looking to join Ohio State's Archie Griffin as the only player in history to win two Heisman Trophies.

Deion Sanders' final season as head football coach at Jackson State will be the subject of a four-part documentary series on Prime Video from SMAC Productions.

Amazon released the trailer for Coach Prime, along with the announcement the first two parts will be available to stream on Dec. 29.

The series will follow Sanders and the Jackson State Tigers throughout the 2022 season. It will explore how the team and the community banded together over the course of the year, and it will feature a wide range of celebrity guests.

"I am HONORED and ELATED to share this inside look at how our program made HISTORY as JSU's first undefeated regular season football team. This group of young men are SMART, TOUGH, FAST, and DISCIPLINED with CHARACTER, and together, we were able to DOMINATE all season long," said Sanders. "You'll see it all this season—the highs and lows and the way this community came together. This is the most resilient and inspiring group of people I have ever met. I can't say enough about the people of Jackson."

This season marked Sanders' third year with the Tigers program. He built them into an FCS superpower, capped off with a 12-0 record and a SWAC Championship in 2022. It's the first undefeated regular season in school history.

Sanders will conclude his tenure at Jackson State on Dec. 17 against North Carolina Central in the Celebration Bowl. He accepted the head-coaching position at the University of Colorado on Dec. 3.

Jackson State was Sanders' first stint as a head coach at the collegiate level. He went 27-5 and won back-to-back SWAC titles in 2021 and 2022.

The holiday season is upon us, with college football giving its fans a special gift when early national signing day begins on Dec. 21.

The three-day signing period gives schools an opportunity to start solidifying their 2023 recruiting class, as well as hope their pitches to players who are either on the fence or decommitted from another program pay off.

A number of the best players in the 2023 class are already off the board. Fourteen of the top 15 players in 247Sports' composite rankings have committed, led by Texas landing Arch Manning.

2022 Early National Signing Day Announcement Schedule

Damon Wilson (5-star Edge): Dec. 21 at 12 p.m. ET

James Smith (5-star DL): Dec. 21 at 12 p.m. ET

Anthony Hill (5-star LB): Dec. 21 at 12 p.m. ET

Qua Russaw (5-star Edge): Dec. 21 at 12 p.m. ET

Jordan Hall (5-star DL): Dec. 22 at 2:30 p.m. ET

Desmond Ricks (5-star CB): Dec. 22 at 5:30 p.m. ET

Announcement schedule and recruit rankings via 247Sports.com.

Preview

What once seemed like a fairly standard recruiting season was shaken up on Dec. 4 when Deion Sanders was named head coach at the University of Colorado.

Even though a two-week timeframe would seem too short in recruiting, the Buffaloes seem poised to make a lot of noise.

Dylan Edwards, a 4-star running back who verbally committed to Notre Dame in August, opened up his recruiting on Dec. 8. He gave Sanders and Colorado a commitment two days later.

Sanders hasn't been shy about using social media in an attempt to land recruits, both those committing out of high school and anyone entering the transfer portal:

Malachi Coleman, a 4-star athlete and No. 63 overall prospect on 247Sports' rankings, has long been regarded as a safe bet to end up at Nebraska. He is from Lincoln and attends high school at Lincoln East.

On Dec. 1, Coleman announced he was decommitting from the Cornhuskers and opening up his recruiting. He tweeted on Tuesday he was taking an official visit to Colorado this weekend after previously scheduling a trip to Michigan.

While it remains to be seen just how much of an impact Sanders can make right out of the gate at Colorado, the top of the recruiting rankings are once again shaping to be a battle of SEC superpowers.

Per 247Sports' composite rankings, Alabama has the No. 1 class with 25 total commits. Safety Caleb Downs and edge Keon Keeley are the prize players, ranking in the top 10 among all players in the 2023 class.

Georgia is running second in the class rankings with 20 commits from players rated as 4-star recruits or better.

Despite losing Edwards to Colorado, Marcus Freeman is off to an excellent start in his first full recruiting cycle as Notre Dame's head coach. The Fighting Irish have 26 total commits, including 5-star safety Peyton Bowen and 21 4-star players.

A lot of things can—and probably will—change because high-school athletes can be difficult to read, but it's going to make for an interesting recruiting period.

Drew Brees is going back to Purdue as an interim assistant coach ahead of the Citrus Bowl.

The school announced Thursday that Brees will work on the field with players and participate in recruiting.

He said in a statement:

"I am extremely excited to work with our team over the next few weeks as we prepare for the Citrus Bowl. I see it not only as an opportunity to coach and mentor this group of young men, but represent all the former Purdue players that care so much about our program. This is also preparation for the future of Purdue Football with new head coach Ryan Walters. I had a great conversation with Coach Walters last night, and love the energy, passion and detail he will bring to our program. The future is bright, and there is no better time to be a Boilermaker!"

Per Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger, Brees wanted to help the football team as it transitions to Walters as its new head coach.

Former head coach Jeff Brohm left Purdue to take the same position at the University of Louisville. The 51-year-old is from Louisville and played football at the school from 1989 to 1993. He also worked as an assistant coach for the Cardinals from 2003 to 2008.

The Boilermakers had an inconsistent six-season run under Brohm. They went 36-34, and this season saw them play in the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time.

Brian Brohm, Jeff's brother and Purdue's offensive coordinator since 2017, will serve as interim head coach for the Citrus Bowl.

Walters was named as Brohm's replacement Tuesday. He spent the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator at the University of Illinois.

Brees, Purdue's starting quarterback from 1998 to 2000, is one of the best football players in school history. He is its all-time leader in passing yards (11,792), completions (1,026) and passing touchdowns (90).

In his final college season, Brees led the Boilermakers to a share of the Big Ten championship and an appearance in the Rose Bowl.

A victory in the Citrus Bowl will give Purdue nine wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1997-98.

New UNLV head football coach Barry Odom is reportedly hiring Bobby Petrino to serve as his offensive coordinator, according to Chris Low and Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.

Petrino has been Missouri State's head coach for the past three seasons, guiding the team to two FCS playoff appearances.

Petrino, 61, will bring a wealth of experience to Odom's staff. His previous stops included stints as the head coach at Louisville (2003-06, 2014-18), Arkansas (2008-11) and Western Kentucky (2013) at the collegiate level and the Atlanta Falcons for 13 games in the 2007 NFL season before quitting to take the Arkansas job.

He's gone 119-56 in his collegiate head coaching career but was just 3-10 in the NFL.

His time in coaching has not been without its controversies, however. Arkansas fired him in 2012 for misleading the school about an extramarital affair and a motorcycle accident he bad been in.

His second stint included the Lamar Jackson years, though Petrino was fired in 2018 after the team started just 2-8.

But his offensive prowess precedes him, and should make the UNLV attack dangerous.

"Having coached against him—the things they do on offense, the way his players are coached—it's phenomenal," Alabama head coach Nick Saban told ESPN this summer when speaking about Petrino. "... He's one of the toughest guys I've gone against."

New Louisville coach Jeff Brohm concurred.

"He could take a group of college students on an intramural team, put them out there on the field and help them win games," he said.

UNLV is undergoing a period of turnover after firing former head coach Marcus Arroyo, who went just 7-23 with the program. Former Arkansas defensive coordinator and Missouri head coach Odom was hired to the post on Dec. 6.

The expectation will be that Petrino has a nearly full run of the offense, given his experience.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker will be the next president of the NCAA, replacing Mark Emmert on March 1.

Baker has served as a Republican governor since 2015 but did not run for reelection this year. His term will end Jan. 5.

Emmert announced in April he was stepping down as NCAA president after 12 years in the role, planning to serve until June 2023 or until a new president was selected.

"With the significant transitions underway within college sports, the timing of this decision provides the Association with consistent leadership during the coming months plus the opportunity to consider what will be the future role of the president," Board of Governors Chair John J. DeGioia said in a statement at the time. "It also allows for the selection and recruitment of the next president without disruption."

The NCAA has undergone significant changes in recent years, most notably allowing players to profit off their name, image and likeness rights.

The governing body of college sports had been hesitant to allow NIL until individual states began creating laws legalizing it for athletes.

In June 2021, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the NCAA was not exempt from antitrust laws and therefore had to allow athletes to receive NIL payments.

Massachusetts lawmakers introduced a bill to legalize NIL in 2019, but it has not been signed into law. The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association has since approved NIL for high school athletes.

Other lawmakers have gotten involved in NCAA affairs as of late. Five Democratic senators introduced a new version of the College Athlete Bill of Rights in August. A bipartisan group in Congress has also attempted to create a federal law that would affect the NCAA's ability to punish member schools.

Baker's political background could help him navigate these issues.

According to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, those involved in the search believe the 66-year-old is "uniquely suited to the NCAA's present needs" thanks to his record of "successfully forging bipartisan solutions to complex problems."

Baker also has experience as an NCAA student-athlete, playing basketball as an undergraduate at Harvard.

There's no sugarcoating it: Betting on college football bowl season has become an enormous challenge. Between coaching changes, opt-outs and transfer portal chaos, evaluating these games has never been more difficult.

We are still ready to thrive and conquer, though.

Locks of the Week, our weekly CFB picks against the spread, delivered a formidable 74-51-4 record during the regular season. We hit a rhythm, avoided massive losing streaks and ultimately finished conference championship weekend on a high note (5-2).

We're now trying to carry that momentum forward.

To do so, we're breaking up Locks of the Week into multiple installments. We'll start by picking from all bowl games between December 16th and December 22nd. (Yes, we'll also cover the College Football Playoff and the national championship, so you might as well get comfortable.)

In time, we'll get there.

Odds courtesy of DraftKings and accurate as of Wednesday.

Cure Bowl: Troy (-2) vs. UTSA

You don't have to wait long for bowl brilliance.

No, the action will be served on Friday when two ranked teams—along with two great stories—go head-to-head in one of the first bowl games of the year.

Both teams won 11 games this season, although they did it in different ways. UTSA was No. 12 in scoring offense this year, while Troy was No. 8 in scoring defense.

Despite thinking the world of UTSA, I expect the defense to win out in this game. Troy has faced tougher competition this season. It also feels like the more seasoned team.

While both programs were hot against the spread to close out the year, the Trojans covered five of their last six games and cruised in their final three outings.

In the battle of offense vs. defense, defense wins. And we all win with a game of this magnitude coming so early in the bowl season.

Fenway Bowl: Louisville vs. Cincinnati (Under 41)

This game has a chance to be ugly, and not the good kind of ugly.

For starters, both teams have interim coaches. Scott Satterfield, formerly of Louisville, will coach Cincinnati next year. (Yes, it's a little awkward.)

Beyond that, Louisville will also be playing without star quarterback Malik Cunningham, who left school early for the NFL. The Cardinals will also be without a few other key players, including running back Tiyon Evans and leading wide receiver Tyler Hudson.

Like most teams this time of year, Cincinnati is also losing some offensive contributors. While the Bearcats weren't an offensive juggernaut this season, they did show some promise along the way. They still finished only 46th in scoring offense, and the departures coupled with the daze of losing Luke Fickell to Wisconsin probably won't help.

On top of it all, the weather looks iffy. Rain and wind are in the forecast for Boston on Friday and Saturday, the day of the game, which could limit what the offenses do.

While the total is small, it feels about right. This feels like a 17-14 game.

Las Vegas Bowl: Oregon State (-10) vs. Florida

If you haven't been following college football the past three months—and especially the past three weeks—this point spread might look out of whack. I am here to tell you that it most certainly is not.

In fact, Oregon State was a far better team than Florida before many of the Gators started declaring for the draft or heading into the transfer portal.

The most notable departures are clear: Quarterback Anthony Richardson and offensive lineman O'Cyrus Torrence are headed to the NFL draft. Richardson, in particular, is a massive departure. The offense isn't going to look the same without him.

For Oregon State, it's a matter of keeping the rhythm. The Beavers just bested Oregon in dramatic fashion to close out the year. They also covered the spread in their final six games.

That streak will move to seven against a Florida squad that is missing players and motivation. Beavers win big.

LA Bowl: Fresno State (-3) vs. Washington State

I'm heavy on favorites to begin, and I am perfectly comfortable with that. Underdogs will come in due time; right now, we're looking for winners in all shapes and forms.

Recently, Fresno State has done a lot of winning. The Bulldogs won eight consecutive games to close out the year, and they did it in a variety of ways. They also covered the spread in each of their last three games, closing out the season with a conference championship.

Washington State was certainly no slouch down the stretch, although the season ended with a thud against rival Washington. The Cougars allowed 703 yards of offense in that game, which is less than ideal. Wazzu is also down some key pieces on both sides of the ball.

While Fresno State doesn't possess the same offensive firepower, quarterback Jake Haener is no joke. And the fact that the oddsmakers have Fresno State as the favorite is certainly a noteworthy development.

There's nothing cute about this one. The Bulldogs stayed largely intact, and they are surging at the right time.

New Mexico Bowl: SMU vs. BYU (Over 64.5)

If you like defense, this isn't your ideal bowl game. If you enjoy touchdowns, however, this game could be right up your alley.

Neither of these teams did well to slow down the opposition this season: BYU is currently ranked No. 100 in scoring defense, while SMU is No. 123, close to the very bottom of FBS.

The Mustangs also averaged nearly 40 points per game, which is likely what we need to hit this over.

The status of BYU quarterback Jaren Hall, who would certainly help this wager, is a concern. Hall is questionable to play because of an ankle injury, although the Cougars should still find success on offense regardless of whether he plays or not.

We need a 50-burger out of SMU, and it feels like one might be possible. If that ultimately happens, there's a chance we cruise past the total.

Other Games On the Card

Frisco Bowl: Boise State (-10.5) vs. North Texas

Although the Broncos lost to Fresno State in their last game, they were otherwise hot to close out the season. Add in a surprising coaching change at North Texas, and I am ready to lay the points.

Boca Raton Bowl: Liberty (+5) vs. Toledo

Speaking of coaching changes, we're going the other way here. Liberty was blasted by New Mexico State in its final game, and the Flames lost three straight to close the year. They keep this one close enough.

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University of California regents voted Wednesday to allow UCLA to leave the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten, according to Ben Bolch, Thuc Nhi Nguyen and Steve Henson of the Los Angeles Times.

UCLA will join fellow Southern California school USC in the Big Ten, which will expand to 16 teams once the additions take effect in 2024.

The vote ended 11-5 in favor of UCLA's conference change:

UCLA's athletic director, Martin Jarmond, released the following statement regarding Wednesday's news:

The move is expected to have major financial benefits for UCLA. Per the L.A. Times report, "In just its first year of Big Ten membership, the school is projected to pocket $65 million to $75 million in media rights revenue, roughly doubling what it would have made by remaining in the Pac-12 Conference."

But it caused controversy and subsequent months of negotiations since UCLA will leave behind its sister school, UC Berkeley.

"Not all money is good money," wrote former UCLA linebacker Ramogi Huma, who serves as the executive director of the National College Players Association, to the regents. "The regents should not let a handful of people sell the soul of the UCLA athletics program for TV dollars that will be spent on luxury boxes in stadiums and lavish salaries for a few."

The regents secured certain guarantees in return for allowing UCLA's departure, however:

The Big Ten has also agreed to assist UCLA with its increased travel costs and considerations by "holding neutral-site jamborees involving Olympic sports from multiple conference schools," per the LA Times.

The UCLA-USC addition was the Big Ten's answer after longtime Big 12 powerhouses Oklahoma and Texas announced they would join the SEC. The conferences continue to jockey for position as the most powerful in the NCAA sporting landscape, namely in the cash cow that is college football.