It was some combination of religion, a grudge involving Knute Rockne and a rival, and maybe the simple time-honored notion that some people just don’t like Notre Dame.

The Big Ten plays nine conference games in football.

When Penn State moved a different linebacker into what had been Tyler Elsdon’s starting spot, Elsdon made a choice that doesn’t really fit into the storyline college football has been selling these days.

In college basketball, the scene of an African-American coach cutting down nets to celebrate a national title is nothing new.

Smothering defenses have carried the last four teams still in the hunt for the national championship.

Penn State coach James Franklin thinks there's a chance defensive star Abdul Carter will be back for College Football Playoff semifinals against Notre Dame.

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman expects running back Jeremiyah Love to play in Thursday's College Football Playoff semifinal game and the Fighting Irish ground game to be at full strength against sixth-seeded Penn State.

In the first round of the College Football Playoff, the teams seeded 5-8 all won.

Somewhere in the fight-filled, money-chasing hustle that the college bowl season has become, a national champion will emerge.

The cliche of one game at a time can be found all across the sports world.

Penn State coach James Franklin believes college football needs a commissioner and he even has a candidate in mind: former Alabama coach Nick Saban.

Even when Penn State quarterback Drew Allar gets some praise, it’s usually a backhanded compliment.

Penn State's offense is thriving under first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.

Penn State players have watched Ashton Jeanty make opponents look silly all season.

The running game will be front-and-center when third-seeded Boise State meets sixth-seeded Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game.

Dominic DeLuca and Tony Rojas returned interceptions for touchdowns and Penn State toyed with mistake-prone SMU in a 38-10 victory in the opening round of the College Football Playoff.

It is just about time to say goodbye, once and for all, to the amateur athlete in college sports.

Penn State and SMU head into the College Football Playoff with the weight of history on their shoulders.

SMU coach Rhett Lashlee took a moment while preparing his team for the College Football Playoff to address the ever-growing concern over the open transfer portal window.

Penn State backup quarterback Beau Pribula wants to spend his last two years of eligibility as a starter and knows he’d likely have to wait at least another year in Happy Valley with starter Drew Allar returning next season.

Drew Allar threw for a touchdown and ran for another score as No. 4 Penn State beat Maryland 44-7 and advanced its first Big Ten championship game since 2016.

Penn State coach James Franklin isn’t sure if starting quarterback Drew Allar will be ready to play when the No. 3 Nittany Lions host No. 4 Ohio State.

The Atlanta Falcons were stripped of a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft on Thursday for violating the NFL’s anti-tampering rules prior to signing quarterback Kirk Cousins.

An internal review by Penn State in 2019 found evidence of “friction” between football coach James Franklin and a now-former team doctor.

The NFL is reviewing whether the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles violated tampering policies during the legal tampering window, a league spokesman said Thursday.

Drew Allar threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns and Kaytron Allen ran for a career-high 137 yards, providing No. 11 Penn State with plenty of offense in a 42-0 win over Michigan State.

Kaytron Allen ran for two touchdowns, Alex Felkins kicked a pair of field goals and No. 12 Penn State pulled away from Rutgers after quarterback Drew Allar left with an apparent injury for a 27-6 victory.

Penn State has fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich one day after the Nittany Lions had another punchless performance against a highly ranked rival.

With coach Jim Harbaugh banned by the Big Ten Conference, J.

Penn State is still chasing elite under coach James Franklin.

All-American Marvin Harrison Jr. made 11 catches for 162 yards and a late touchdown as No. 3 Ohio State outlasted No. 7 Penn State 20-12.

Deion Sanders' immediate impact after taking over a Colorado football program that won just one game last year is providing hope for other Black coaches looking to land Power Five jobs.

Cam Miller, Abdul Carter, Daequan Dixon and Johnny Hardy had interceptions and No. 7 Penn State took advantage of five Illinois turnovers to beat the Illini 30-13.

Texans draft offensive lineman

No. 9 Penn State rallied past No. 7 Utah 35-21 in the 109th edition of the Rose Bowl.

Jim Harbaugh expects the four suspended Michigan State football players involved in roughing up two members of Michigan’s team to be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Michigan State players roughed up Michigan defensive back Ja’Den McBurrows in the Michigan Stadium tunnel following their game Saturday night.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said Penn State coach James Franklin acted as a “ringleader” when the No. 4 Wolverines and No. 13 Nittany Lions clashed nearly two weeks ago, dismissing Franklin’s claim that a policy change was needed to keep things orderly beneath Michigan Stadium.

Donovan Edwards ran for a go-ahead, 67-yard touchdown and Blake Corum had a 61-yard run for a score on consecutive snaps in the third quarter as No. 5 Michigan pulled away and beat No. 10 Penn State 41-17.

Being a good, but definitely not great, quarterback can be a rough ride in college football, especially when fans see only a ceiling they wish was higher.

Former Miami coach Manny Diaz has been hired as defensive coordinator at Penn State less than a week after he was fired by the Hurricanes.

Newly hired LSU coach Brian Kelly is in Baton Rouge after flying in on a private jet with athletic director Scott Woodward.

Florida was added to the lengthy list of schools looking for a head football coach that already includes LSU and USC.

Penn State football coach James Franklin has agreed to a new 10-year contract that will guarantee him at least $75 million through 2031.

TreVeyon Henderson ran for 152 yards and a touchdown and No. 5 Ohio State made enough long plays and short field goals to hold off No. 20 Penn State 33-24.

The last time the No. 1 team in the country lost to an unranked team was 2008.

Spencer Petras threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Nico Ragaini to complete No. 3 Iowa’s comeback from a two-touchdown deficit, No. 4 Penn State’s offense did next to nothing after quarterback Sean Clifford was knocked out of the game and the Hawkeyes held on for a bruising 23-20 victory Saturday.

Iowa leads the nation in interceptions and Penn State features one of the most dynamic passing combinations in Sean Clifford and Jahan Dotson.

Jaquan Brisker broke up a last pass toward the end zone by Auburn’s Bo Nix as time expired and No. 10 Penn State held on to beat No. 22 Auburn 28-20.

Sean Clifford completed 21 of 29 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown, ran for another score, and No. 11 Penn State beat Ball State 44-13.

The NCAA has officially approved a plan that will allow all college athletes to transfer one time as an undergraduate without having to sit out a season.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Penn State running back Journey Brown says he has a heart condition that is forcing him to give up football. Penn State coach James Franklin told reporters Brown’s condition was not COVID-19 related, but it was discovered in September during “a routine COVID test.”“It’s heartbreaking,” Franklin told reporters. Neither Penn State nor Brown have indicated whether he tested positive for COVID-19, but the Big Ten requires cardiac screening and testing of those athletes who do before they can return to competition. Brown was Penn State’s leading rusher in 2019 and was expected to be one of the best backs in the country in 2020. Penn State is off to an 0-3 start and heading to Nebraska on Saturday.

What happens if an outbreak hits a team’s quarterback room? “Obviously this year there’s some things that will be unique,” Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said Monday without specifically discussing his players’ test results. “I think there certainly were those questions after the decision was made,” Ohio State team physician Jim Borchers said last week. And that’s all we really paid attention to.”Big Ten protocols say that athletes who test positive through point-of-contact daily testing must take a polymerase chain reaction test to confirm the first result. While Wisconsin awaits answers, Big Ten teams continue reminding quarterbacks about the potential risks inherent in this unusual season.

Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) throws during the first half of an NCCAA college football game against Penn State, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, in Bloomington, Ind. 8 Penn State — ending the Big Ten's longest streak of consecutive losses to Top 10 teams at 42. After Indiana failed to gain a first down after Sean Clifford threw a go-ahead 60-yard touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson with 2:30 left, coach Tom Allen instructed his defense to let Penn State score. SCARY SCENELess than two minutes into the fourth quarter, Penn State thought it had another turnover when receiver Miles Marshall fumbled at the end of a 17-yard completion. The penalty moved the ball to the Penn State 27 and set up Campbell for his second field goal.

Minnesota is getting its star wide receiver back for an abbreviated Big Ten season. Minnesota announced Wednesday that Rashod Bateman was cleared to play this season by the NCAA and Big Ten after opting out in August. At Penn State, coach James Franklin closed the door on All-America linebacker Micah Parsons returning to the Nittany Lions. Both Bateman and Parsons opted out of the 2020 season before the Big Ten postponed amid concerns about the pandemic. Purdue All-America receiver Rondale Moore, who opted out early like Parsons and Bateman, was cleared to play for the Boilermakers last week.

Ohio State was a close No. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State coach Ryan Day is pushing the Big Ten for answers about when the conference plans to play a football season. Ohio State was No. That’s the hard part.”The Big Ten announced on Aug. 11 it was postponing its fall football season. Ohio State and other schools already are suffering financially because of the decision.