The NCAA launched an investigation into the University of Michigan football program into alleged sign stealing, and the Big Ten Conference released a statement Oct. 19 stating it was notified by the NCAA of the investigation. 

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Athletics director Warde Manuel and the Wolverines athletics department suspended football staff member Connor Stalions with pay on Oct. 20. Stalions was named in an ESPN report as the “person of interest in the investigation into whether No. 2-ranked Michigan violation an NCAA rule by scouting future opponents in person at games,” which has been prohibited since 1994. 

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Stalions bought tickets to “more than 30 games at 11 Big Ten schools over the past three years,” and “video evidence of sideline taping is expected to be sent to the NCAA this week, caught by stadium surveillance this year.” 

According to Marc Givler of Buckeye Huddle, Stalions also “purchased a ticket to a Clemson home football game during the 2022 regular season.” This shows that the scope of the alleged sign stealing extended beyond just the Big Ten. 

Thamel also reported that Stalions bought tickets for games among at least four schools outside the Big Ten, including the 2021 and 2022 Southeastern Conference Championship games. 

According to Will Hobson of The Washington Post, “an outside investigative firm approached the NCAA with documents and videos the firm said it had obtained from computer drives maintained and accessed by multiple Michigan coaches.” 

Furthermore, “Among the pieces of evidence the firm presented, those people said, was a detailed schedule of Michigan’s planned sign-stealing travel for the rest of this season, listing opponents’ schedules, which games Michigan scouts would attend and how much money was budgeted for travel and tickets to scout each team,” according to The Washington Post. 

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh released a statement Oct. 19, and it can be found below via ESPN. 

“I want to make it clear that I, and my staff, will fully cooperate with the investigation into this matter,” Harbaugh stated. “I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed any staff member or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment. I have no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action. I do not condone or tolerate anyone doing anything illegal or against NCAA rules. No matter what program or organization that I have led throughout my career, my instructions and awareness of how we scout opponents have always been firmly within the rules. Pursuant to NCAA rules, I will not be able to comment further while this investigation takes place.” 

According to Thamel on Thursday, NCAA enforcement staff “have been at the University of Michigan this week to look into the sign-stealing probe,” and Thamel posted that it is “an indication of the priority the case has taken.” 

What other coaches are saying about sign stealing in college football 

Sign stealing is prevalent in football. It happens at levels from youth all the way up to the professional ranks. 

Where it can be considered illegal and not part of the game extends beyond traditional methods of scouting. 

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Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said he didn’t want to get into the investigation going on up at Michigan, instead choosing to focus on this week’s game at Wisconsin. 

“That’s just something I don’t want to get into right now,” Day said. 

But that doesn’t mean other coaches aren’t talking about sign stealing in college football. 

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders took an interesting approach when discussing the length and breadth of sign stealing in not just football but baseball, too. 

“I mean everyone’s trying to get an edge,” Sanders said. “I mean, everyone’s trying to get whatever edge they can. You could have someone’s whole game plan — they could mail it to you — you still got to stop it. You still got to stop it, so in football it’s not as pronounced as baseball. If I know a curveball is coming, I got you. With football I don’t give a darn if you know a sweep is coming. You still got to stop it. Physically. It’s a physical game. You got to stop it, so that’s a little tough. I don’t buy into a lot of that stuff that someone’s stealing, they’re stealing that. I don’t buy into a lot of that stuff. You still got to play the game.” 

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said “people are finding all different kinds of ways to prevent it and to try to gain a competitive advantage” when it comes to sign stealing. He said “with tempo and pace” it makes it difficult to decipher opposing signs, and there are individuals with signs shielding them on the sidelines from giving their opponents any sort of leg up. 

Venables said he’s sure sign stealing is part of college football, and that means coaches must be proactive. 

“I think you’d be naive and negligent if you’re always not aware of the potential,” Venables said. “That’s why, again, from whether it’s year to year or it’s week to week, since I’ve been coaching as long as there’s been signaling where you’re always on both sides of the ball, always changing up your signals and things of that nature. Even the hand signals on the field that the players will do amongst each other.” 

READ: Preview Thursday: Week 9

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart also spoke on the topic of sign stealing, and he recalled being with his father scouting opposing teams when he was younger. Here is Smart’s full quote. 

“I’ve never heard of anybody going to the games to watch and film and do all that, all the stuff that’s going on, everybody’s talking about,” Smart said. “I don’t know anybody that’s ever done that or I’ve never been asked to do that as a young coach or known anybody to do that. I’ve never heard of that. In high school football, I grew up my dad. We’d go watch other teams play. That was part of what you did. You didn’t watch the other team play. You sat out there with four other coaches and you drew up their plays while they were doing it. That’s pre-cell phone and probably pre-signals because they were sending people in or the coach with send them in with signals. That was a long time ago. But as far as in-game, I think people try to do that. It tries to go on. As a signal caller, when I had to call defenses it confused me if I had to sit there and try to wait on somebody to tell me what they thought they got and I’m trying to think about what the best call for this situation is. And you’re relying on misinformation or something that’s not very reliable. So I don’t, I don’t know. I mean, there’s times that people have said they’ve had our signals in-game and they knew this or that and you talk to the team that you played last and sometimes when you’re not going to play that team again, they share what they might have had on you and things like that so I’ve heard of it in-game. But a lot of times you can know the signal and still not do it right. It’s kind of a joke we have is you know what play is come in and you mess it up, and I’ve laughed with coaches about that before.” 

The Bulldogs also recently played Michigan during the College Football Playoff semifinals in the 2021 season. Georgia beat the Wolverines 34-11 during the Orange Bowl, and later went on to win the first of back-to-back national championships. 

Smart said he “didn’t notice anything or know anything” prior to the Orange Bowl when his team played Michigan.  

“Nobody we talked to warned us or any of that,” Smart said. “I think everybody we play they say, ‘They steal your signals.’ I mean, we play somebody they’re always like they’re great at stealing your signals. But what they’re referencing is different than stealing them. I mean they’re coming and they’re talking about people, someone, coming to film on that’s completely different, but we’ve tried to hide the signals, hold the calls, put signs up, do all that but there’s nothing I remember about the Michigan game that makes me think that.” 

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has a unique lens into anything related to sign stealing. He spent parts of three seasons as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers in the NFL from 2020-22, and that came after head coaching stops at Temple and Baylor. 

Rhule was honest as he could be when discussing sign stealing, even noting that it happens “every game.” But what Rhule wanted to emphasize was the difference between sideline technology in the NFL compared to college football. 

Rhule, among other head coaches, wants to see helmet technology installed inside the quarterback’s helmet. Here is Rhule’s full quote. 

“Sign stealing happens every game,” Rhule said. “There’s nothing wrong with teams over there looking over trying to steal our signs. There’s nothing wrong with us trying to look at their signs. That’s why you should have mics in the helmets, right? Like all these coaches that vote against it every year, it’s because they don’t want to teach their quarterback. You know, in the NFL the quarterback goes out there with three play calls because if I see the free safety’s foot like that, it might be one-high, I’m going to check to this play, but you get the college and you’re watching the game on a Tuesday night and they got the signal and they’re just calling the play. So it’s what makes college football to me, it’s why they score more points, but it’s also why the kids are less prepared. So that’s why there should be, 100% should be (helmet technology). They could get rid of all the stupid signs on the sidelines and we could get pictures of rock stars and all that stuff and we could just play football the way it was meant to be. You go to a high school game, there’s technology on the sideline. You go to NFL game, there’s technology on the sideline. You go to a college, there’s nothing. It should be that. But that’s sign stealing. I would not carry that over to going and filming someone else’s practices or something like that or filming someone else’s games. That’s completely something different. I’m not saying that that happened. But I think what’s wrong partly in our society right now sometimes as we say someone does something against the rules, and sports need rules, right? Sports need rules to keep competitive balance, and when someone does something against the rules, we say, well, should that really even be a rule? And it is the rule. That’s the rule, right? Like I didn’t get to play with – we don’t get five downs. So but in-game, stealing of signs, when I play against somebody and I know that person has friends on the next staff, I know if they have our signs, they’re having it the next week, that’s all part of the game and you have to do what you do. We should absolutely have technology. But if there’s a rule, the rule should be followed. And I’m not speaking about what’s happening right now because I don’t know what happened. But if that is happening somewhere, it’s completely, completely wrong.” 

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And, similar to Smart, Rhule said he hasn’t heard nor suspected anything regarding the ongoing Michigan sign stealing investigation. 

“No one from the Big Ten or NCAA has asked me anything yet, so I’m not going to probably comment on anything like that,” Rhule said. “I would never want to cache to somebody else going through a hard time. I don’t know anything.” 

The post Head coaches react to sign stealing in college football appeared first on Saturday Glory.

No. 8 Oregon will meet No. 13 Utah on the road, and the Ducks are looking to build on their 38-24 win over Washington State which served as a bounce-back measure after falling in a top-10 bout with Washington. 

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There are also 12 ranked teams that will play on the road in addition to Oregon, and the group includes No. 1 Georgia, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Florida State. No. 2 Michigan is on a bye. 

Here are several games to watch this week. 

No. 6 Oklahoma at Kansas 

The top team in the Big 12 Conference will hit the road and challenge one team looking to play spoiler to their undefeated season. 

A 7-0 Oklahoma squad is set for its third road game of the season against the Jayhawks, who are doing a bit of searching after losing their second of three outings last week. 

The Sooners avoided upset last week against UCF, defeating the Knights 31-29 after trailing 23-17 in the fourth quarter. 

This week, they’ll face the No. 7 total offense in the Big 12 that averages 443.1 yards per game. Jayhawks quarterback Jason Bean has taken over under center for Jalon Daniels, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, and Bean passed for 410 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions last week at Oklahoma State. 

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables is impressed with how dynamic Kansas’ offense can be, and he expects a number of ways the Jayhawks will attack Oklahoma’s defense, which is the No. 1 scoring defense in the Big 12 holding opposition to 16.1 points per game. 

“There’s a lot going on from an eye candy standpoint,” Venables said. “One of the most explosive offenses, explosive runs and explosive passes in all of college football. And so again, we’ve got to do a great job of playing with discipline and gap integrity and then staying on top of everything, leveraging routes in the back end, so that they don’t have this great balance, and that’s the challenge of all of that.” 

No. 8 Oregon at No. 13 Utah 

This week’s premier matchup focuses on the Pac-12 and the stipulations behind the Oregon-Utah matchup. 

Both teams enter with one loss in conference play already. They’re chasing Washington and USC in the standings, and both Oregon and Utah have proven worthy threats to the Pac-12 crown. 

Oregon has the top scoring offense in the Pac-12 and leads in rushing offense behind an average of 226.9 yards per game. Receiver Troy Franklin is second in the conference with 109.7 receiving yards per game. 

The Ducks defense is stout, too. They hold opponents to 312.6 yards per game. 

“There is no weakness. They’re a complete team,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. “Big game in the conference picture. They’re a one-loss team as are we, so both our backs are to the wall and it should be a hopefully a great football game.” 

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Whittingham said he’s long been impressed with the way Oregon quarterback Bo Nix plays, particularly with “the way he just leads and competes every week.” 

“He’s a tremendous player,” Whittingham said. “But the thing I like about him most is his competitiveness and his leadership, and I saw that at Auburn. I saw him play one game at Auburn. I was watching an SEC game a couple of, what was it, three years ago I guess now in the ’21 season, and saw this guy. I thought, ‘Who is that guy? He’s just making plays and just an absolute field general of the team and it was him and so I’ve had a strong opinion of how good he is for several years.” 

No. 20 Duke at No. 18 Louisville 

In a matchup between two teams looking to bounce back from losses, there are plenty of Atlantic Coast Conference championship implications between Duke and Louisville this week. 

North Carolina suffered its first loss of the season last week to unranked Virginia, and the Tar Heels currently are tied for second in the ACC with Louisville. Duke sits tied for fourth place. 

Louisville boasts the No. 4 scoring offense in the ACC behind an average of 34.1 points per game, while Duke holds the top scoring defense in the conference holding opponents to 13.9 points per game. 

The Blue Devils are searching for a win amid their quarterback dealing with injury. Riley Leonard suffered a shoulder injury against Notre Dame in September, and he played last week against the Seminoles going 7-for-16 with 69 pass yards and an interception. 

READ: Big Board: Week 9

Duke is also looking to get back in the win column after losing its second game in its past three contests. Head coach Mike Elko said he’s not concerned with the way the Blue Devils have handled themselves in defeat. 

“The one thing I don’t question about this group is response,” Elko said. “We’re wired in a really good way right now in that locker room because those kids understand that they’ve got a very small window to represent Duke football and they want to try to take advantage of it as best they can, so I’m not worried about our response. I’m more worried about can we stop this Louisville offense and can we make enough plays on our side to win the football game.” 

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Before clinching a 34-30 win in the Red River Rivalry over No. 3 Texas, Gabriel thought it was special to receive a phone call from someone he said he admires “a bunch.” 

“It was good, man. He’s just a really good dude,” Gabriel said. “He’s a stud. I love the way he plays and just love what he’s all about so really super cool to just have that access and that be something from guys who played here. They love this place and I love that about OU.”

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The Sooners captured the victory over Texas, handing the Longhorns their first loss of the season. 

Oklahoma also clinched bowl eligibility with the win, moving to 6-0 after what may be its signature win thus far this season. 

“This is our moment, and I’m a big team guy,” Gabriel said. “This is what we’ve worked for. This is the offseason training with next to these three guys and coach pushing us. This is a team effort and that’s what it was. I always say it — there’s no throw without a block and there’s no pitch without a catch. So just seeing all everyone make plays and find a way to win that’s all that matters. I always say it’s W or L and we just want to find ways to get W’s and keep moving, keep getting better.” 

The magnitude of the win isn’t something Sooners head coach Brent Venables is taking lightly, either. 

“I don’t know how long I’ve coached in the big scheme but there are a whole bunch of really, really big games and 15 of these and this one doesn’t take a backseat to any one of them,” Venables said. “National championships, conference championships just all the scenarios, the moments, the big plays, both sides of the ball.”

READ: UCLA scores 13 4th-quarter points, beats No. 13 Washington State 25-17

Oklahoma had 1:17 to find a way to usurp Texas’ then-30-27 lead. And with Gabriel under center, the Sooners had just the right tricks. 

Gabriel went 4-for-4 for 56 yards on the game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. He found receiver Nic Anderson in the corner of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown pass. 

“Starting out I saw 1:17 on the on the dot and I know we were getting at the 25 so just starting the drive out right, trying to create a completion with Drake (Stoops) across the middle,” Gabriel said. “From there you’re rolling and you kind of got that rhythm, that flow and then I believe I throw to Jalil (Farooq) on the sidelines so he gets another chunk and as time is dwindling as you get to that midfield just knowing we can get three within a 20-yard gain but also a chance to win the game but not taking the sack is in my mind and finding a way to either first down, touchdown or out of bounds.” 

Gabriel finished with 285 passing yards and a touchdown, completing 61% of his passes. It was a performance that’s been a long time coming because he missed the Red River Rivalry game last season, a Texas 49-0 shutout, due to a concussion. 

And a performance it was, and one that stands out to Venables. 

“He is the calmest guy I’ve ever been around at the quarterback position, and he’s got great belief in the players around him, incredibly humble,” Venables said. “He’s been one of the most consistent players in our program from the leadership and showing up every day with the right mindset and bringing out the best in his teammates, so he was fearless. And again, I don’t put any limits on what Dillon can do, and he’s playing as confident as anybody on our on our team right now.”

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Gabriel led the final drive going down the field 75 yards on five plays, something that could be bookmarked as one of his Heisman Trophy moments. 

But that’s not what Gabriel has his attention on. To him, it’s all about the team and Oklahoma’s legacy. 

“I’ll say this, it’s not my main focus,” Gabriel said. “I’m focused on heading into this bye week and getting better, watching the tape and finding ways to get better and then, shoot, taking it one week at a time. And I think as you do that the rest will take care of itself, and I’m a big believer in that. I know it’s at the forefront of what we’re all about so just taking it one week at a time and staying present that will take care of itself.” 

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There are four ranked matchups this week, headlined by the Red River Rivalry between No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 3 Texas in Dallas. 

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No. 1 Georgia will also look to go 6-0 and clinch bowl eligibility against No. 20 Kentucky, which is riding hot off a Top 25 upset of then-No. 22 Florida thanks to a 280-yard rushing performance by running back Ray Davis. 

Here are several games to watch this Saturday. 

No. 12 Oklahoma at No. 3 Texas  

The Red River Rivalry, in Dallas. 

The biggest stage between some of the biggest programs in all of college football is set to host Oklahoma and Texas at noon on ABC. 

“As far as this game, Red River Rivalry, that’s why we’re in college football, right, to be part be part of games like this,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “Two undefeated teams, two top-25 teams. The spotlight of college football will be on us. I think that the beauty for us this will be our third top-25 matchup now in six games, and every team we’ve played has got a winning record and is doing good things. So I think that we’ve been exposed to some high level football now through five weeks and naturally we understand the emotions that will come with this game and different things. I think it’s critical for us that we have a great week of preparation, that we take it one day at a time and then we go in with the mindset to execute on Saturday.” 

The Longhorns have already claimed ranked wins at Alabama and against Kansas, and they’ll have another shot to earn a Top 25 victory once again. 

Both Oklahoma and Texas will meet one more time before the two jump from the Big 12 Conference to the Southeastern Conference beginning next year. 

READ: Big Board: Week 6

The Sooners rank ahead of Texas in total offense, averaging 510 yards per game, and the Longhorns are atop the Big 12 in total defense just ahead of Oklahoma at No. 2. 

The quarterback matchup between Quinn Ewers of Texas and Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel should be a fun one. Both gunslingers have over 1,358 passing yards. 

“Going to be again, a wonderful environment against a really talented, hot Texas team that play on paper and on film they play their best when they’re playing really good people,” Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said. “Texas has always risen to the occasion and done so but coming off a really good, strong game last week against Kansas where they had almost 700 yards of offense and really were unstoppable. And they’ve been outstanding in all the areas you peel it back whether that’s rush defense or pass defense or scoring defense or red zone defense. If that’s offensively how efficient that they’ve been. They’ve got incredible weapons at the skill position. They lost some great backs last year and they’ve obviously shown they’ve really recruited well. (Jonathon) Brooks is one of a number of their backs that is running really, really well. (Xavier) Worthy, (Adonai) Mitchell, (Ja’Tavion) Sanders, amongst others are just some really incredibly talented players. Ewers was a true freshman last year, played pretty dang good and he’s playing at a really high level. Obviously against Alabama in Tuscaloosa (he) threw for just south of 350 yards and that was the National Player of the Week. So again, we got a great, great challenge. They’re spearheaded on defense by Jaylan Ford who is as good of a linebacker that’s out there in college football, and special teams have been really strong for them. But again, I like where we’re at as well. I want to see where we’re at. If you want to continue to improve and create change, we’re certainly not where we want to be by in any way shape or form, that doesn’t mean that you’re not thankful for your players and your coaches and the hard work that guys have put in and the success that we’ve had you got to celebrate.” 

No. 13 Washington State at UCLA  

Both Washington State and UCLA are coming off bye weeks, and they’ll meet in the Rose Bowl on Saturday. 

Washington State head coach Jake Dickert said he’s familiar with Chip Kelly’s style of offense. Though, Dickert also said he has “not seen a bigger, longer defense” than UCLA’s “in a long time.”

READ: Quotables: Week 5

“These guys are long and have great length and they’re attacking, and they’re playing tremendously on that side of the ball,” Dickert said. “I mean, it is impressive to watch their physicality, the (Laiatu) Latu kid is a problem. Most people have him in the top half of the first round. And then 53 when the Hawaii contingent was here, they used to talk about this kid. He is physical, he is downhill, he is aggressive. So I think they’re playing with supreme confidence on that side of the ball and it’s showing as one of the best defenses in our league so it presents a big challenge, especially up front and how much they want to blitz. 

Washington State has generated the No. 4 total offense in the Pac-12, averaging 533.8 yards per game. 

In the Cougars’ most recent game, their quarterback Cam Ward threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns. 

Offense has helped lead Washington State to its first 4-0 start since 2017, and Dickert expects this one to come down to a defensive battle. 

“They got a great receiver on the outside, and very unique schemes” Dickert said. “I mean, very unique schemes and week to week changes quite a bit, and I think it’s well documented how hard it is to go down in L.A. and win.” 

No. 2 Michigan at Minnesota  

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy has found a rhythm to begin the 2023 season. 

He is No. 5 among passers with a 191.64 passing efficiency rating, and McCarthy is No. 3 behind a 79% completion. 

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McCarthy’s favorite target is far and away receiver Roman Wilson, who has caught eight of McCarthy’s 10 touchdown passes. 

The Wolverines got out to their 5-0 start without their head coach Jim Harbaugh for the first three games. Since his return in Week 4, Michigan has outscored its two opponents 76-14 allowing two touchdowns. 

Harbaugh said he sees another good defense on the Wolverines’ hands, and the Golden Gophers rank in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten in scoring and total defense. 

“Another really good defense, really stout,” Harbaugh said. “The quarterback has really come along, and they have a tremendous ability to run the ball. Physical team that is going to be, I mean, I love how they play. It’s an emotional, fired up type of team. P.J. (Fleck) does a great job. I mean, you can always tell they’re confident no matter what, no matter what the stakes are, the odds are, you just see it in the way they play. They play hard. It’s all you can ever ask for as a coach from your players is that they play hard. Our guys are doing it. Minnesota’s guys are. It’ll be a football fight like it is every Saturday, and we got to play good.” 

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Three of those ranked bouts will feature Pac-12 Conference members, and the conference couldn’t have gotten out to a better start to the year beginning 17-0. 

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This week’s top-10 game will take place in South Bend, Indiana, while the No. 1 Bulldogs and No. 2 Wolverines will play at home and No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Florida State will be on the road. 

Here are several games to watch this week. 

No. 16 Oklahoma at Cincinnati 

The first Big 12 matchup between the Sooners and Bearcats will take place at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, and both teams will bring an amount of momentum that will make for a competitive contest. 

No. 16 Oklahoma is 3-0 to start the season under second-year head coach Brent Venables, who recalled the challenge and prestige the Cincinnati football program has attained in recent years. 

“That’s a team that used to winning,” Venables said. “They have high standards when they play at home or when they play on the road, but it’s going to be a, again, a great atmosphere. they got a strong culture, great belief system. Those players expect success. And again, they had a tough loss in overtime. They were a play away from winning the game so I’m sure they’ve got great perspective. They haven’t lost their mind through a little adversity, and they’ll be ready to compete.” 

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Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel earned a place on this week’s Big Board after a big outing last week. Gabriel set the program record with a 90.3% completion against Tulsa, and he added five touchdowns and 421 passing yards. 

Saturday will mark Cincinnati’s first-ever Big 12 game, and it comes with high stakes. The Bearcats suffered a home rivalry loss to Miami (OH) in overtime a week ago. 

Gabriel will go against Cincinnati quarterback Emory Jones, who started the season hot with five touchdowns in Week 1 and has seven touchdowns and a 66.3% completion rate this far. 

No. 19 Colorado at No. 10 Oregon 

Colorado’s hype train is about to face its biggest test of the season. 

The No. 19 Buffaloes eked out an overtime win over rival Colorado State in Week 3, taking a 43-35 victory and riding momentum between a 3-0 start to the year. 

READ: Quotables: Week 3 

Across the field in Week 4 will be the No. 10 Ducks who entered the top-10 for the first time this season. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning earlier this season took a big picture approach and questioned whether Colorado has “won anything” in its program history. 

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders had only respect for Lanning and the way he runs the Oregon program. 

“I respect the heck out of this man. What he’s accomplished stepping in, taking over a program and keeping it not only rocking steady, but accelerating it,” Sanders said. “I’m not a fan of anybody I mean, except for, you know, some of the celebrities that got a tremendous gift but not in sports — I respect the heck out of him. I love what he’s accomplishing. I love who he is, the way he runs his team. I love the way he operates. So I’ve got a lot of respect for him.” 

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Lanning said he didn’t regret what he said about Colorado’s program and clarified that he wasn’t talking about Sanders’ team specifically. 

Ducks quarterback Bo Nix and Oregon have outscored opponents 174-47 so far this season. Nix has 893 passing yards and eight touchdowns along with no interceptions this season. 

Lanning said the Pac-12 is off to a great start this season and that only showcases the talent the conference has, and a lot of it will be on display between Colorado and Oregon on Saturday. 

“I think there’s a lot of great teams in this conference and I think that’s really evident with how they’ve performed outside of the conference,” Lanning said. “We kind of talked to our players about, ‘Hey, preseason (is) over, right. You’ve been playing opposing conferences, other teams but now this is when we get into the meat and potatoes of what really matters for us and our goals that we want to accomplish.’ So there’s some great teams. I think we’ll continue to see that each week. I think we have a really tough schedule, and certainly a tough opponent coming up here this week.” 

No. 6 Ohio State at No. 9 Notre Dame 

In a rematch of last season, the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish will meet to determine which top-10 team this time around has the edge over the other. 

READ: SMU raises $100 million in 1 week to support transition to ACC 

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman will look to upend his alma mater at home when the Fighting Irish host the Buckeyes at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Buckeyes took a big season-opener a year ago 21-10 in a game that showed both defenses were strong. 

Offense in this matchup will likely take the focus. Ohio State will trot out Kyle McCord at quarterback, as he is in his first year as starter, while Notre Dame will do the same with Sam Hartman. 

Hartman has played like a veteran. After four games, he leads the NCAA with 13 touchdown passes and has 1,061 passing yards. 

McCord and Ohio State will face a different level of adversity. McCord has had his fair share of ups and downs to start his campaign, but has settled in well and has thrown 815 yards with six touchdowns albeit alongside an interception. 

In a battle between two highly ranked, top-10 teams, Saturday will give way to one team over the other and show which is ready for the limelight after four weeks of the season. 

“This is, again, a top-10 game on the road and this is why, again, these are the kind of games why you come to Ohio State,” Day said. “This is an exciting series because it’s not something that happens very often. Ohio State-Notre Dame, two of the bigger teams in the Midwest getting together for a home-and-home. Last year’s atmosphere was electric. It’ll be the same way on Saturday night so our guys are really fired up for this.” 

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He lost twice while at Central Florida in 2019-20, and Saturday marked the first time he’d get another chance while a member of Oklahoma. Gabriel said his prior record against the Golden Hurricane was a sticking point in meetings leading up to the 66-17 win. 

“Something I’ve always remembered, and in a not a great way, but just something that sticks with you,” Gabriel said. “Being able to end it the right way does feel good.” 

Gabriel went 28-for-31 for 421 yards and five touchdowns against Tulsa, helping lead the way to a big win and a 3-0 start for a third-straight season. 

“We’re learning how to win in different ways and learning how to play just good football offensively in a bunch of different ways: running the football, throwing it and then situationally,” Gabriel said. “I think I’m very proud of our guys doing that and we got to continue to emphasize that and be really good at that.”

LOOK: Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel sets new program record for completion percentage

Three of Gabriel’s touchdown passes came in a 28-point first quarter for the Sooners. They set the tone early and didn’t give Tulsa a chance to get within 21 points for most of the game. 

Gabriel’s performance caught the attention of Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables, who said he thought Gabriel played “fantastic” and shared the football. 

“Dillon was incredibly accurate today and made several really good plays in tight coverage,” Venables said. “Loved that we spread the ball around. I think we had 11 different guys catch a ball today.” 

The Sooners in fact did have 11 different receivers make a catch against the Golden Hurricane, led by three receivers who posted 100-plus yard outings: Jalil Farooq, Nic Anderson and Andrel Anthony. 

Gabriel said Oklahoma did well turning short plays into chunk yardage and had “a really good tempo” putting things together. Aside from the win, Gabriel said there isn’t much time for enjoying his individial performance. 

“Unfortunately, there’s no time for that but maybe down the road,” Gabriel said. “For me, I’m just focused on continuing to get better, continuing to be ready for this team, be a great leader, be a great teammate. But I just look at it as opportunity to look back and reminisce and we’ll continue to get better at that. But yeah, all it takes is a W for me.”

READ: Missouri uses walk-off field goal to beat No. 15 Kansas State

Down the road is somewhere Gabriel wants to see himself being successful and on a grander stage. 

The redshirt senior is in his second season with the Sooners and under offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby. Through three games, Oklahoma has averaged 55.7 points and Gabriel has averaged 302 passing yards. 

Gabriel said “the group is the mindset” and that it’s been a collective effort so far to Oklahoma’s hot start, and he’s glad it’s showing. The Sooners have a chance to turn things around from a 6-7 season a year ago and with Gabriel in Year 2 of guiding the offensive system. 

“It’s a whole new year,” Gabriel said. “Just staying present in the moment, what it is right now, and I’m proud of our guys fighting and continuing to work through adversity at certain times that it shows itself. So it is what it is, we’re flipping the page and it’s next week for us.” 

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Just as there were plenty of interesting things said on Wednesday, so too was the case on Thursday. Here are the most interesting things each of the conference head coaches had to say on Thursday.

Scott Satterfield – Cincinnati

On having just one scholarship receiver returning from last year’s team: “Yeah, we have one scholarship player on our team right now that was with the team last fall. You mentioned we had a couple guys get drafted and several others that got in the portal before we got the transition before getting hired. We have now added many guys to the room, guys that are going to come in and really help us. I think this summer has been huge for our wide receiver room when you think about some of the guys we brought in.

“We brought in two players that were with me at University of Louisville that started for us over there. We brought in Xzavier Henderson that started at Florida, and we moved Evan Prater who was a quarterback, started last couple games, out to wide receiver this summer, as well. He’s looked really, really good. A very athletic player, good hands, strong, competitive. That room is really, I think, now in a position to go out and compete in the Big 12, and I think with some guys that have played a lot of football.”

Matt Campbell – Iowa State

On the impact that defensive coordinator Jon Heacock has had on him as a head coach: “For me, trust is so critical in this journey, especially in college football, and it’s a time in that relationships, continuity and trust, it’s hard to find that.

“But for me, that’s what Jon has meant to me. A young coach, shoot, I’m only 43; still far from having all the answers. You can imagine what I was at 32, 33 years old as a young head football coach, and to have somebody like Coach Heacock come on board who had had head coaching experiences, who had been through the highs and the lows that college football can bring, he’s been a steadying force every step of the way for me.

“I think what’s been so rewarding is to watch the success we’ve been able to have on defense and him get the credit for it. Because I do, I think Jon is one of the great coaches in college football. What we do on defense is not really what’s special. How we do what we do on defense is what’s made us really special, and it starts with his leadership.”

Chris Klieman – Kansas State

On the parity of play in the Big XII: “Well, there’s tremendous parity in the Big 12. You saw that last year with the amount of teams that either won one-score games or knocked people off, and every week you had to have your A game or you were going to get beat. I think that’s what college football is starting to become, as well. Recruiting is never ending. The transfer portal is never ending. So there’s so many players switching teams, so you’re always going to have increased parity.

“Some of the guys that maybe weren’t playing as much for you are on another team. Sometimes even in the same league. That always is going to increase competition. College football is really healthy, and I’m excited about the direction it’s going, especially once we get to the 12-team playoff.”

Brent Venables – Oklahoma

On Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy putting the blame on Oklahoma for ending Bedlam: “Look, I’m not in control of whether or not we play Oklahoma State. I love college football. I love the traditions of the game. I love rivalry games. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have played for over 100 years, and Oklahoma has been dang good in those games for a long time. But whether or not we play them in the future, nobody is asking me what I think. If they do ask me, I’ll tell them what I think. I’d love to play the game. But we’re going to play the schedule that they put in front of us.”

Joey McGuire – Texas Tech

On Texas Tech’s 2023 recruiting class: “We feel really good. We signed the fastest class in the nation last year. That’s not a feel-good statement. You can look it up in black and white.”

On being aggressive offensively and going for it on fourth down: “More and more the game has become more analytical whenever it comes to that and the numbers. We meet every Thursday with Champion Analytics kind of to go over what we did right and maybe what we did wrong.

“We also look throughout the nation at different games, at different situations to try to learn from. Learned that from Dave Aranda. They do that at Baylor. If you watch and kind of see the trend, if you look at 2020 to 2021, the difference of coaches’ philosophy, of being on that staff and seeing the success, really kind of changed our philosophy a little bit.”

Gus Malzahn – UCF

On how the one-year clock rule in 2006 negatively impacted offenses by shortening the game, and if the new rules this year will hamper UCF’s offense: “No. We’re going to continue to put the hammer down. My first year in college football was 2006 when I was at Arkansas when they implemented that rule. You’re exactly right, that’s what happened.

“But I think this change is not going to be that drastic. It may limit a few plays a game, but I really don’t think as of right now it’s going to be that drastic, and we’re planning on putting the hammer down and playing as fast as we can.”

Neal Brown – West Virginia

On being picked to finish last in the Big XII by the conference media: “I’ll start with this because I’m sure I’m going to get asked about it. Upset about the media poll. Definitely do not agree with that. The good thing, the positive is that the media has not been, as far as predicting the Big 12, has not been successful in recent years, so I think that bodes well for us.

“But I’ll say this on a more serious note. I was sitting on the beach last week, whenever Mike Montoro, who’s the best in the business, who’s our sports information director for football, he sent me a text and I made the mistake of looking at it. From that point on, my vacation was over. I went into football mode.

“This is why I disagree, and this is why, first of all, it starts with belief in our staff and belief in our players, and then how we finish will be the next thing. We beat Oklahoma, beat Oklahoma State on the road, winning two of our last three games.

“Offensively this is going to be our best group. And then we have 132 starts returning on the offensive line, 132. If that’s not the most in the country, it’s got to be close. Within that group we’ve got four former freshman All-Americans. We’ve got three for sure all-conference type players. Two of them are here with us today. Zach Frazier who’s a two-time All-American, and then Doug Nester.

“We have a budding superstar at running back in CJ Donaldson, and defensively we’re going to be one of the most improved units in the Big 12, if not in the country.”

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