When the 2014 NFL season begins, it is likely to be the first with an openly gay player on a roster. At least it should be. On Sunday, Missouri All-American defensive end Michael Sam officially announced he was gay … something he had already shared with his teammate before he became the SEC’s Defensive Player […]

With newly minted BCS National Champ Florida State carrying the ACC banner, the league enters a new era of football with a touch of credibility that was lacking for much of the last decade. There are a number of strong non-conference games, especially with Notre Dame sort of half in and half out of the […]

CBR’s ‘Way Too Early’ 2014 Top 10 No. 4 UCLA Bruins Remember those newspaper ads when Rick Neuheisel took over the UCLA program? It looks like they were a bit premature, as the Bruins didn’t officially stop the football monopoly in Los Angeles until Jim Mora arrived. Mora has been a fresh air for the […]

CBR’s ‘Way Too Early’ 2014 Top 10: No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners Bob Stoops’ squad showed us something we weren’t sure the Sooners could do this year when they outplayed and outhustled Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Did we see a glimpse of what’s to come or just a one-game aberration? Oklahoma […]

CBR’s ‘Way Too Early’ 2014 Top 10 No. 9 Michigan State Bulldogs You could make an argument that Michigan State was playing as well as anyone at the end of the season, but a loss to Notre Dame cost the Spartans a shot at a national title. However, coach Mark Dantonio is not going to […]

With the BCS era coming to an end in spectacular fashion, it just seems right to rank the 16 title games from least impressive to most impressive. Let’s be up front about this — the ranking is usually based on the excitement of the game, but there’s a chance the significance of the win plays […]

Mike Gundy may be a players’ coach, but he’s also a fans’ coach. He’s known for his “I’m a man. I’m 40,” rant. He’s also known for some interesting dance moves following big wins (but don’t overlook Missouri coach Gary Pinkel’s skills). Now we have another classic Gundy moment. He was not in a good […]

Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-2) vs. Missouri Tigers (11-2) Friday, Jan. 3, 7:30 p.m. EST, FOX Line: Missouri by 3.5 How Oklahoma State got here: The Cowboys enjoyed another solid season, but can anyone explain how they lost at West Virginia in September? OSU had the Big 12 title within its grasp after crushing previously unbeaten Baylor […]

Oklahoma Sooners (10-2) vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1) Thursday, Jan. 2, 8:30 p.m. EST, ESPN Line: Alabama by 14.5 How Oklahoma got here: It wasn’t always easy, but the Sooners did what it took early in the season and looked good at 5-0. Then a shocking 36-20 loss to rival Texas made everyone take another look […]

UCF Knights (11-1) vs. Baylor Bears (11-1) Wednesday, Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m. EST, ESPN Line: Baylor by 17.5 How UCF got here: What if UCF had found a way to beat South Carolina in September? Could the Knights be playing in the championship game? Seems doubtful, but a 28-25 loss is all that kept UCF from […]

Stanford Cardinal (11-2) vs. Michigan State Spartans (12-1) Wednesday, Jan. 1, 5:00 p.m. EST, ESPN Line: Stanford by 1.5 How Stanford got here: The Cardinal were a considered by many to be a legitimate title contender, but losses to Utah (27-21) and USC (20-17) kept them out of the conversation. Stanford did take down Arizona State […]

Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4) vs. LSU Tigers (9-3) Wednesday, Jan. 1, 1:00 p.m. EST, ESPN Line: LSU by 8.0 How Iowa got here: The season didn’t start off well as the Hawkeyes fell to Northern Illinois. But a four-game winning streak helped turned things around, and finishing the year with three wins is why Kirk Ferentz’ […]