South Carolina stays unanimous No. 1 in women’s AP Top 25
Arizona’s de Laura to enter portal after losing starting job
TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura will enter the transfer portal after being supplanted as the starter by Noah Fifita.
De Laura said in a social media post on Monday that he will remain with the Wildcats through Thursday’s Alamo Bowl.
“On Friday, college football made a decision to allow a second undergraduate transfer,” de Laura posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I appreciate my time at the University of Arizona, but the opportunity to return as a starter my final year of college, while also getting my degree, is something I must explore.”
Arizona made a big splash in 2022 by signing de Laura after he threw for more than 3,500 yards and 28 touchdowns in two seasons for Washington State. He had an immediate impact for the Wildcats, throwing for 3,685 yards and 25 touchdowns with 13 interceptions last season.
De Laura opened 2023 as Arizona’s starter but suffered an ankle injury against Stanford in the fourth game of the season.
Fifita played so well in his place that coach Jedd Fisch opted to keep him as the starter after de Laura was healthy enough to return.
FAU has highest ranking ever in AP Top 25. Purdue remains No. 1
Florida Atlantic’s run to the Final Four last season was viewed as a nice story, a small program making a surprise run before sliding back into anonymity.
The Owls are showing this season that that was no fluke.
Coming off a double-overtime win over No. 4 Arizona, FAU moved up seven places to No. 7 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll released Monday. It’s the Owls’ highest ranking as a program after being No. 10 in the preseason poll.
“We wanted to play it in the worst way for a lot of reasons,” FAU coach Dusty May said before the 96-95 win over Arizona on Saturday. “National television. Our guys wanted to be challenged. They love the challenge. And we felt our program was at a point where we needed these games to elevate even more than a Final Four run.”
Purdue maintained its top ranking for the second straight week, receiving 46 first-place votes from a 60-person media panel after blowing out Jacksonville. No. 2 Kansas had five first-place votes and No. 3 Houston received nine. Arizona and UConn rounded out the top five.
Florida Atlantic made massive waves last season, earning the program’s first ranking in the AP Top 25 during the regular season before making a magical run in the NCAA Tournament. The Owls just missed a shot at the national championship game when San Diego State’s Lamont Butler beat them with a buzzer-beating jumper.
South Carolina remained the No. 1 team in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll on Monday.
The Gamecocks received all 36 votes from a national media panel, marking the seventh consecutive week that they’ve been No. 1. South Carolina had a run of 38 straight weeks as the top team over the previous two seasons before LSU was the preseason No. 1 this year.
With most teams having a light schedule last week ahead of the holidays, the top 10 were unchanged. UCLA, North Carolina State, Iowa and Texas followed the Gamecocks.
Southern California, LSU, Colorado, Stanford and Baylor were next.
Ohio State dropped four spots to No. 17 after losing to UCLA by six points.
Report: Jets owner decides Saleh, Douglas will return next season
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – New York Jets coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas will continue to lead the team next season, as expected.
Owner Woody Johnson told the New York Post on Sunday that he will stand pat with the team’s football leadership, even after a dismal season that resulted in a 13th straight year for the franchise without a playoff appearance – the longest active drought in major North American professional sports.
“My decision is to keep them,” Johnson told the newspaper a few hours before the Jets’ 30-28 win over the Washington Commanders. “I think we’ve had some very positive moves. The culture of the team is a lot better. The defense is better. The offense needs a few pieces.”
After the game, Saleh said the news “wasn’t surprising” to him since Johnson had previously shared his thoughts with the coach.
“I’m always appreciative to get Woody’s support,” Saleh said. “There are a lot of things that we look back at from the season, a lot of things we know we can do a lot better, a lot of things that we have learned from.
“We have two more games to finish. With ’24 looming, there will be a lot of excitement to go attack this thing again.”
E. Michigan apologizes to S. Alabama for sparking brawl after bowl game
YPSILANTI, Mich. – Eastern Michigan’s athletic director apologized to South Alabama on Sunday, a day after an EMU player raced onto the field after the 68 Ventures Bowl and punched an opposing player in the head, sparking a brawl.
The confrontation happened as South Alabama’s players, cheer squad and band lined up to sing the school song following a 59-10 rout of Eastern Michigan on Saturday night on its home field, Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.
– Wire reports