SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo scored 27 points, Gisela Sanchez had a double-double in her Notre Dame debut, and the 15th-ranked Fighting Irish routed Fairleigh Dickinson 98-52 to open their season. Hidalgo a national player of the year candidate, made 11 of 22 shots and added six rebounds and three assists. Sanchez, a graduate transfer from Kansas State, contributed 14 points and 12 rebounds. Vanessa DeJesus, a transfer from Duke, scored 22 points, Cassandre Prosper 15 and KK Bransford 13 for Notre Dame. Ava Renninger scored 15 points and Joi Johnson 10 for the Knights.
UNDATED (AP) — If this week is like most others in college football the past two years, at least one unranked double-digit underdog will knock off a team in The Associated Press Top 25. Since Florida State beat then-No. 8 Alabama as a 13.5-point underdog, at least one unranked double-digit underdog has beaten a ranked opponent six of the first 10 weeks of the season. In 2024, at least one unranked double-digit underdog took down a Top 25 team 10 of the 14 weeks of the regular season.
UNDATED (AP) — The College Football Playoff selection committee has revealed its first rankings, with Ohio State taking the top spot. Committee chairman Mack Rhoades says both metrics and game tape are crucial in their decision-making. Ohio State is closely followed by Indiana and Texas A&M, both undefeated. Memphis would make the playoff as the fifth-best conference champion.
UNDATED (AP) — Lubbock is buzzing as No. 8 BYU faces No. 9 Texas Tech on Saturday in a Big 12 showdown. ESPN's College GameDay is setting up at Jones AT&T Stadium for the first time since 2008. Students are already camping out for prime seats. The winner will lead the Big 12 and the teams could meet again in the conference championship game. BYU is unbeaten but dealing with injuries. Meanwhile, Ohio State QB Julian Sayin is leading the Heisman race after a stellar performance against Penn State. Maryland's Mike Locksley is on the hot seat.
UNDATED (AP) — Six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Belichick and four other head coaches who won Super Bowls are among the nine semifinalists in the coach category for the 2026 class for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Belichick is in his first year of eligibility after rule changes put in place last year requiring coaches only to be out of the NFL for one full season before being considered for the Hall. Two-time Super Bowl champion coaches Tom Coughlin, Mike Shanahan and George Seifert also advanced, along with another Super Bowl winner in Mike Holmgren.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman has his team sitting at No. 10 in the AP poll and the College Football Playoff’s first rankings of the season. If the Fighting Irish intend to stay in the postseason picture they’ll have to kick the habit of missing field goals and extra points. It’s been a season-long problem that re-emerged in last weekend’s 25-10 victory over Boston College when three different kickers missed attempts. Freeman would like to give those problems the boot, starting with Notre Dame's annual game against rival Navy on Saturday.
