UCLA was amid a torrid rally midway through the fourth quarter of its Pac-12 South showdown with Arizona State last November. Down 35-13 at halftime of the de facto divisional championship, the Bruins outscored the Sun Devils 20-3 in the second half and were driving for more. But with under five minutes remaining in the final period, a drive stalled out at the Arizona State 21-yard line. Kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn came on to attempt a 38-yarder ...

The Texas A&M football team will have more depth in 2014 than it has had during its first two seasons in the SEC. The 2014 campaign will mark the first time the Aggies will be two-deep at almost every position.  In order to be an elite team in the SEC you need to be three-deep at every position. The physical nature of the league means that no one will go the entire season without losing starters ...

The annual ESPN "car wash" that features 14 head coaches over a two-day span took place this week, and the hot takes were everywhere. Among some of the nuggets uncovered in Bristol was Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn's impression of his wide receivers. The second-year head coach of the Tigers told Joe Tessitore that this group of Auburn wide receivers—which includes last year's star, Sammie Coates—is the best group of wide receivers he's had at Auburn, which ...

Big 12 media days lacked the size of its SEC counterpart—no surprise there, right?—but it certainly wasn't without major storylines.  When it comes to coaches in front of a microphone, the more vocal, the better, especially when it comes to big-picture issues like player stipends and postseason selections.  Which items stood out at Big 12 media days?   The Art Briles-Jimbo Fisher Kerfuffle Call this manufactured drama with quotes likely taken out of context, but it's July, which means media ...

Jimbo Fisher wants to make a very important distinction. The Florida State football team is not the "defending champion." FSU is looking to repeat. In Fisher's eyes, there is nothing to defend. National championships are independent of each other. "You're not competing against the past," Fisher told 247Sports' Tim Linafelt (subscription required) at ACC Kickoff. "You're playing against the opponent that's on the field at that time. Stay in the moment, practice in the moment, and live in the ...

Christian Ponder made a name for himself while playing under Bobby Bowden at Florida State, so the Minnesota Vikings quarterback and his wife felt it would be a good idea to honor the coach by naming their child after him. Check out what Christian and Sam Ponder named their newborn daughter: Naming a kid Bowden Sainte-Claire is one way to pay tribute to the former Seminoles coach.  Larry Fitzgerald Sr. reported that the Ponders brought the baby girl into the ...

Preseason draft rankings aren't just flawed; they're impossible. A final year of game film is the most important thing a prospect can post—more important than his size and his speed and his other scouting combine scores combined. The preseason draft boards put together by Bleacher Report's Matt Miller and other way-smarter people than myself are as accurate as they can possibly be, but even the authors of those lists would admit how much red ink they ...

Nobody could successfully argue with Urban Meyer's track record on the recruiting trail. Through three recruiting cycles in Columbus, the Ohio State head coach has brought the Buckeyes a trio of top-5 classes, including the nation's second-ranked class in 2013 and No. 3 class in 2014, per 247Sports. Even in 2012, when Meyer arrived on campus with two months to go until national signing day, he managed to turn what was at the time an unimpressive ...

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels are 8-3 against the spread in their last 11 games, which is important to consider when making your Week 1 college football picks, as they take on the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson, Arizona. Sports bettors will find that the Runnin' Rebels are 24-point road underdogs in the NCAA football odds, with no betting total available in the market. Let's take a closer look at this nonconference matchup from a betting perspective, while offering ...

Kentucky basketball has had its fair share of great offensive players through the years. Even currently under head coach John Calipari, the Wildcats are thought of as an offensive-minded team, usually involving numerous dunks. However, Kentucky has been an exceptional defensive team throughout the years and has had some of the best defensive players in the country at times. Whether it's been the recent trend of incredible shot-blockers in Anthony Davis, Willie Cauley-Stein and Nerlens Noel ...