Kaulana Apelu had the surprise of his life when his mother's face appeared on the big screen in the middle of Sunday's practice to tell the Oregon walk-on that he would be receiving a scholarship.
This is the first time since 2012 that USC is ranked in the preseason Top 5. That year, USC was preseason No. 1 and finished the year unranked. The last three times USC was ranked in the preseason Top 10, the Trojans have disappointed, losing at least four games all three times and finishing unranked in two of them. The hype train had not been kind to the Trojans
USC came in at No. 4 in the preseason AP poll, which is one spot down from where the Trojans finished last season. The Trojans have started in the top-10 three times dating back to 2009 and failed to meet expectations each time. They finished the season unranked after starting No. 1 in 2012 and No. 8 in 2015 and at No. 22 following a No. 4 preseason ranking in 2009.
Washington State is ranked No. 24 in the preseason AP poll, which marks just the third time in school history the Cougars have been a top-25 team in the poll's preseason edition. The last time they were ranked was in 2002 (No. 11) and before that in 1952 (No. 15).
Sophomore Tyler Huntley, who was in a three-way QB competition with last year's starter Troy Williams and Alabama transfer Cooper Bateman, will start the opener against North Dakota.
Chris Low went behind the scenes at preseason camps for USC, Florida State, Alabama, Penn State and Ohio State. Here's what he saw, heard and discovered about each team.
Utah has named sophomore Tyler Huntley as its starting quarterback, the school announced Monday. Huntley beat out last year's starter, Troy Williams, and Alabama transfer Cooper Bateman to win the job. Huntley completed 5 of 7 passes last year for 60 yards.
The Crimson Tide are ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press preseason Top 25, released Monday. Alabama received 52 of the 61 first-place votes.
There are only 13 California uncommitted prospects in the ESPN 300. USC is leading the way in this power state. But will the Trojans finish that way on national signing day?
Good thing college football's top quarterback performs best under pressure, because Sam Darnold has returned USC to L.A.'s most glaring spotlight.
USC coach Clay Helton seemed pretty pleased with how his offense looked during Saturday's scrimmage.
USC's final open scrimmage of training camp featured predominantly reserve players with the first-team offense playing just one series. Here are coach Clay Helton's thoughts on the day.
Phil Steele, "Stanford Steve" Coughlin and Chris Fallica give their takes on the Washington State Cougars. What is the best bet for the team's title odds, season win total and more?
Statement from Rich Rodriguez's attorney to ESPN in response to the lawsuit filed against him by his former agency alleging breach of contract: "Coach Rodriguez had an 'at-will' agency relationship with CAA that began in 2011. He paid CAA fees in excess of $280,000 through 2015, when he terminated the relationship. Rodriguez never entered in to a written contract with CAA, nor did he ever verbally agree to pay fees for any period after 2015." Rodriguez will fight this lawsuit "vigorously," his attorney said.
Arizona football coach Rich Rodriguez is being sued for breach of contract by Creative Artists Agency, the firm that used to represent him.
ESPN SEC football analyst Paul Finebaum joins The Morning Show to talk about USC's schedule, UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen's past comments, the problems circling Ole Miss and the state of college football.
Having earned his degree this summer, Oregon running back Royce Freeman is looking forward to his senior year with the Ducks.
Josh Rosen is not shy about voicing his opinions, and he elicits a wide range of them with both his comments and his play. But NFL decision-makers are mostly concerned with one question: Is he a franchise quarterback?
USC OLB Porter Gustin seems destined for a breakthrough season. He's been an important contributor the past two seasons, but if developed into an all-conference or all-American caliber player it would be a surprise. Here's Clay Helton on what Gustin is like away from the field.
The fine print in the Washington State coach's contract reveals how many friends and relatives that he can invite to Martin Stadium.
The fine print in the Oregon State coach's contract reveals what it means for him to go on a successful Duck hunt.
Carrington is a developmental prospect with a lot of raw tools, but he has some off-field baggage. He's eligible to play as a graduate transfer at Utah.
| North | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| California | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Oregon | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Oregon State | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Stanford | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Washington | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Washington State | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| South | CONF | OVR |
| Arizona State | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Arizona | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Colorado | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| UCLA | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| USC | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Utah | 0-0 | 0-0 |
