With players opting out of bowl games to begin preparation for the NFL Combine and the draft and others hitting the transfer portal, many of the teams in bowls outside the College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six games will be playing with different lineups. But rather than lament about losing a few starters and some key backups, Clemson coach …

The Steelers looked like a lock for the postseason before last week, with back-to-back games upcoming against two-win teams. The Steelers, though, lost to the Cardinals 24-10 on Sunday and, four days later, fell to the Patriots 21-18. It has put a dent in their playoff hopes as Pittsburgh fell to 7-6. The Patriots, who at 2-10 before Thursday, had …

Duke football has picked Manny Diaz to become the next head coach for the Blue Devils, the school announced Thursday night. “We are grateful and humbled for this opportunity and could not be more excited to be the head football coach at Duke University,” Diaz said in a school-issued statement. “I’d like to give a special thanks to Dr. Price …

MONTREAL — Quinton Byfield had two goals and an assist, Cam Talbot earned a shutout and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 Thursday night for their NHL record 11th road victory to open the season. The Kings (16-4-3), who eclipsed the mark of 10 straight road wins set by the Buffalo Sabres in 2006-07, are one road …

Since the Steelers’ first touchdown with 2:50 left in the first half, it’s been all Pittsburgh. Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe, who threw three first half touchdowns, was intercepted by linebacker Mykal Walker, who returned the pick 30 yards to the New England 16. Running back Ezekiel Elliott prevented the pick-six, chasing down Walker, with 58 seconds left in the third …

Another UNC football season that started out with so much promise, another UNC football season that ended with so much disappointment. While the year is technically not over yet, as the Tar Heels take on West Virginia in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 27, UNC was once considered an ACC and fringe College Football Playoff contender. Carolina was …

Zappe knew he would ‘eventually be the starter’ after being cut by Patriots originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston If you had told New England Patriots fans that Bailey Zappe would be their starting quarterback this year after he was cut back in August, not one would have believed you – but Zappe himself always knew it would happen. In …

TCU transfer safety Randon Fontenette has committed to Vanderbilt football, he announced Thursday. Fontenette, a 4-star recruit out of high school, was recruited by the Commodores but ended up on the Horned Frogs. There, he played in all 12 games his freshman season, making 16 tackles. Fontenette, who has three years of eligibility remaining, is a valuable addition to a …

The 2024 quarterback class has been celebrated for the past few years due to the star power that could be available on draft day. The collection of gunslingers and dual-threat playmakers has scouts salivating over the group’s potential as franchise players.  Although we are still a few months away from conducting a deep dive on the quarterbacks who could transform …

Social media stunned by Bailey Zappe’s huge first half vs. Steelers originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston Bailey Zappe shocked the NFL world with his performance in the first half of Thursday night’s showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After failing to put the New England Patriots on the board in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Zappe exploded for …

The Oklahoma Sooners lost another player to the transfer portal after a former top 100 recruit in the 2021 Recruiting Class decided to enter earlier Thursday. Kelvin Gilliam has officially entered the portal. Gilliam came in as a consensus 4-Star and was someone with a lot of promise but was never able to live up to it due to injuries. …

DETROIT — Patrick Kane is back. Kane took the first shift at right wing with the Detroit Red Wings against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night in his season debut and just missed on a shot that potentially could have made the difference in a 6-5 overtime loss. Early in the third, Kane just missed on a scoring opportunity. …

Steelers fans have booed Mitch Trubisky for most of the night, and at one point, a chant of “Mason! Rudolph!” began. Rudolph is the backup to Trubisky tonight. Steelers fans were happier, though, after Trubisky found receiver Diontae Johnson for a 25-yard touchdown with 2:50 left in the first half. Still, the Steelers will have to make a big comeback …

Michigan State might be on the verge of landing their quarterback for the 2024 recruiting class. The Spartans coaching staff sent out an offer to Alessio Milivojevic, a native of Wheaton, Illinois. Milivojevic is currently committed to Ball State, but holds power conference offers from Nebraska and Ole Miss to go along with a plethora of other offers. The signal …

An emotional Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott acknowledged regret on Thursday for crediting the 9/11 hijackers for their coordination during a team meeting four years ago. McDermott had cited the hijackers while stressing the importance of communication. Upon realizing how his message was being interpreted, McDermott said he called a second team meeting an hour later to apologize to his …