UNDATED (AP) — Big Ten coaches are enjoying stability at a time when programs in other conferences aren’t even bothering to wait until the end of the season to make changes. The Big Ten is the only Power Five conference that hasn’t had at least one head coaching change since the start of the season. That follows an offseason in which Illinois was the lone Big Ten school to fire a coach. Only three of the 14 Big Ten coaches are in their first or second season on the job.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State football coach James Franklin has agreed to a new 10-year contract that will guarantee him at least $75 million through 2031. Franklin and Penn State’s Board of Trustees agreed to the terms, which include a yearly base salary of $7 million, retention bonuses of $500,000 each year and a $1 million annual loan for life insurance. Franklin is 67-32 at Penn State with seven bowl appearances in his eight seasons. The Nittany Lions won the Big Ten championship in 2016.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kofi Cockburn had 23 points and 13 rebounds, Alfonso Plummer hit seven 3-pointers and added 21 points, and No. 14 Illinois held off pesky Kansas State 72-64 in the consolation game of the Hall of Fame Classic. Markquis Nowell scored 19 points and Nijel Pack had 15 for the Wildcats. They made it tough down the stretch in part by forcing 18 turnovers and turning them into 23 points while committing just four of their own.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — This year’s edition of The Game could come down to how well No. 6 Michigan can slow down the explosive offense of No. 2 Ohio State. The Wolverines are in the top 10 in several defensive categories, limiting opponents to just over 300 yards per game. Quarterback C.J. Stroud has the Buckeyes roaring. They’re averaging 560 yards per game. The game on Saturday in Ann Arbor has huge implications. The winner moves on to the Big Ten championship game and stays in contention for the College Football Playoff.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Johnny Davis scored a career-high 30 points and Wisconsin beat No. 12 Houston 65-63 in the Maui Invitational semifinals. The Cougars erased a 20-point halftime deficit and cut Wisconsin’s lead to two on Kyler Edwards’ 3-pointer with 40 seconds left. With the final possession, Jamal Shead drove baseline and passed to Edwards, who wasn’t expecting the feed, costing the Cougars a chance at a final attempt. Davis finished 10 of 18 from the floor, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range, and was 6 for 6 from the free-throw line.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Freshman wide receiver Keagan Johnson is the next in a line of Nebraskans who will wear the black and gold of Iowa when the Hawkeyes visit Lincoln on Friday. Four Nebraskans have been Iowa starters over the six straight years the Hawkeyes have beaten the Huskers. Johnson will be the fifth when the 17th-ranked Hawkeyes go for their seventh win in a row in the series. Johnson played high school football at Bellevue West and chose Iowa over Nebraska. His father, Clester Johnson, played on the Cornhuskers’ 1994-95 national championship teams.
UNDATED (AP) — The best college football rivalries can change over time. Go back 25 or 30 years and Miami-Florida State probably would have been near the top of most lists. Some rivalries have largely gone away, including Nebraska-Oklahoma and Texas-Texas A&M. The Associated Press asked a panel of sports writers and broadcasters to rank the best rivalries in college football. Four longstanding series separated themselves from the rest, topped by Alabama-Auburn, Michigan-Ohio State and Army-Navy.
