College football Top 25 rankings prediction for US LBM Coaches Poll before CFP release

There will be a new No. 1 in theUS LBM Coaches PollafterIndiana beat Ohio State 13-10to remain the only unbeaten team in the Bowl Subdivision.

The Hoosiers' historic run will continue as the No. 1 team in theCollege Football Playoffrankings. Look for theBuckeyesto drop two spots to No. 3 whileGeorgiaclimbs to No. 2.

There won't be anAlabamateam in the top 10, either, after the Crimson Tide were pushed around by Georgiain a 28-7 loss for the SEC championship.

Texas Tech capped a dominant run through the Big 12 by beating Brigham Young for the second time this season. Having an extra win than Oregon, along with better wins and a conference championship, gives theRed Raidersenough ammunition to climb into the top four.

Alabama's third loss will drop the Crimson Tide out of the top 10 and potentially out the playoff as well. Look for Miami to climb back into the top 10 in the final Coaches Poll of the regular season.

Here's how the top 10 of the poll will look:

1.Indiana(13-0)

Besides landing the top playoff seed and being No. 1 in the poll for the first time, the win against Ohio State will probably deliver the Heisman Trophy to quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who threw for 222 yards on 9.7 yards per attempt and a score. Among other big throws, his 30-yard connection to Charlie Becker on a key third down late in the fourth quarter helped Indiana seal the win.

2. Georgia (12-1)

The Bulldogs will climb after beating Alabama and snap the Big Ten's stranglehold on the top two spots. Georgia was able to avenge an earlier loss to the Crimson Tide and deliver a second SEC championship in a row and third in four years.

3. Ohio State (12-1)

Don't be surprised if OSU gets a chunk of second-place votes and challenges Georgia for that spot, though voters will be more likely to reward the Bulldogs' SEC championship than the Buckeyes' close loss. Buckeyes still are in solid shape to make playoff run.

4. Texas Tech (12-1)

Somehow, Texas Tech lost toArizona State. Otherwise, the Red Raiders might've been the most dominant team in the Power Four. Take what they did to BYU, winning both games by a combined 49 points. Look for Tech to climb two spots from last week and move ahead of Oregon andOle Miss.

5. Oregon (11-1)

The Ducks will be jumped by the Red Raiders but will stand land comfortably as the host of an opening-round playoff game. Oregon was able to seal a playoff berth with a strong November highlighted by a win against Southern California.

6. Mississippi (11-1)

The Rebels are also looking to host in the opening round, and should get the nod despite losing Lane Kiffin to LSU. A rematch against Tulane - a team they routed in the regular season - will be a nice opener if that's how the draw shakes out.

7. Texas A&M (11-1)

The Aggies probably wouldn't beaten Alabama, too, had they not lost to Texas last weekend and cost themselves a spot in the SEC championship game. This is still the program's most successful regular season in decades.

8. Oklahoma (10-2)

That Alabama win looks a lot weaker, though that result was still enough to put Oklahoma in line for an at-large bid heading into games against Missouri and LSU to end the year. While neither win was pretty, they were enough to get the Sooners into the playoff after posting a losing record last season.

9. Notre Dame (10-2)

Notre Dame was able to breathe a little easier on Saturday after Alabama failed to put up much resistance against Georgia. That shifted the playoff debate from Notre Dame and Miami to the Crimson Tide and Hurricanes, giving theFighting Irishless reason for concern heading into Sunday's selections.

10. Miami (10-2)

Miami is the clearest pick to replace Alabama. One, BYU lost to Texas Tech. Two, Vanderbilt had a great year but will have a weaker résumé for the Tide's loss. And three, Miami has looked the part of a top-10 team for all but a few days this season and will be a heavy contender for the playoff as an at-large pick.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:College football Top 25 poll rankings prediction: Is Indiana No. 1?

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College football Top 25 rankings prediction for US LBM Coaches Poll before CFP release

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College football bowl projections: Notre Dame, Alabama edge Miami for CFP

The college football regular season is complete.. TheCollege Football Playofffield will be announced Sunday, Dec. 7. And yet after 15 weeks of play, there is still some mystery about which 12 teams will be part of the bracket.

The No. 1 spot is clear, however, afterIndiana took down Ohio Statein the Big Ten title game to earn the top seed in the field. Georgia looks set for the No. 2 spot afterits dominant SEC title victory against Alabama. Look for theBuckeyesto drop to No. 3 ahead of Texas Tech, which captured its first Big 12 championship.

The order of the next four teams which will have first-round home games should mirror last week's rankings with Oregon leading, Mississippi, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. After that, things get interesting.

There are two at-large spaces for three teams - Notre Dame,Alabamaand Miami. Many interpreted the move of the Crimson Tide to No. 9 ahead of theFighting Irishin last week's rankings as a sign that the Hurricanes were in position to move into the field from No. 12 if BYU lost. But there was another possibility. The change gives the committee the flexibility to bump Alabama back a place after a loss and give separation between Notre Dame and Miami. And that's the expectation of how this will shake out. The committee has consistently valued the Fighting Irish in a higher position and nothing from Saturday will change that.

Yes, Hurricanes fans will cry foul because of the head-to-head win against the Fighting Irish. But this isn't just a debate between those two teams. It's between three teams and the criteria to split those teams goes deeper than just that one data point.

There's also some drama about whether ACC champion Duke makes the field or the fifth conference champion spot goes to James Madison. But too many losses by the Blue Devils -especially two against Group of Five teams - make it likely the ACC is shut out of the field.

The rest of the postseason lineup is starting to come into focus with some teams accepting bids. Those schools are in bold below. All those spots will be confirmed Sunday after the playoff field is announced.

Notes: Not all conferences will fulfill their bowl allotment. An asterisk represents a replacement pick.Legacy Pac-12 schools in other conferences will fulfill existing Pac-12 bowl agreements through the 2025 season.

College football bowl predictions for CFP and full postseason

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:College football bowl projections: Notre Dame, Alabama get CFP spots

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Women's Top 25 roundup: No. 8 TCU routs UTEP

Maddie Scherr scored 21 points and Olivia Miles contributed 11 assists and 10 rebounds as No. 8 TCU easily handed UTEP its first loss of the season, 95-40 in a nonconference game Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Horned Frogs (10-0) outscored the Miners (7-1) in every quarter, including 26-9 in the final one.

TCU hit 46.7 percent of its shots (14 of 30) from 3-point range and held UTEP to 5.9% shooting (1 of 17) from deep.

Ndack Mbengue had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Miners, and Sirviva Legions scored 10 points.

No. 12 Iowa 79, Rutgers 36

Ava Heiden tallied 17 points to lead the Hawkeyes to a runaway win in their Big 10 opener against the Scarlet Knights in Piscataway, N.J.

It was a consistent rout for Iowa (9-0, 1-0 Big Ten), which scored 20-plus points and held Rutgers (7-3, 0-1) to eight or fewer points in each of the first three quarters. Heiden made 8 of 13 field-goal attempts, Journey Houston added 14 points and eight rebounds and Taylor McCabe scored 14 points, largely on four 3-pointers.

Zachara Perkins was the only Scarlet Knight in double figures with 11 points. Rutgers shot 21.9% from the floor and was outrebounded 49-36. Iowa outscored the Scarlet Knights 44-18 in the paint and 45-17 in bench points.

No. 24 Oklahoma State 133, Mississippi Valley State 46

Led by Stailee Heard with 26 points, seven Cowgirls players scored in double figures in the nonconference rout of the Devilettes in Stillwater, Okla.

Oklahoma State shot 67.2 percent (45 of 67) from the field in extending its winning streak to five games and eclipsing the 100-point mark for the fifth time this season.

Mississippi Valley State (1-7) got a team-high 14 points from Kylah McCullers.

--Field Level Media

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Women's Top 25 roundup: No. 8 TCU routs UTEP

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Judge temporarily blocks Justice Department’s use of evidence in dismissed Comey case

A federal judge on Saturday temporarily locked down the Justice Department's access to some evidence used in its criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey, just as the Trump administration prepares to seek a new indictment after thedismissal of previous chargesearly last week.

The judge'sordersets up a fast-moving emergency court proceeding over this week that could exclude key pieces of evidence from any future proceeding against Comey, potentially limiting what prosecutors may present to a grand jury after his previous case was dismissed for different reasons.

The development follows a court challenge from Comey's friend and former lawyer Dan Richman,who went to courtafter learning federal investigators may have used unauthorized access to his digital communications to prosecute Comey.

Richman asked for his data to be returned and to block the Justice Department from accessing it without proper warrants. The judge temporarily agreed.

"The Court concludes that Petitioner Richman is likely to succeed on the merits of his claim that the Government has violated his Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures by retaining a complete copy of all files on his personal computer (an 'image' of the computer) and searching that image without a warrant," DC District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly wrote in a four-page ruling.

The court orders the DOJ to "identify, segregate, and secure" an image of Richman's personal computer made in 2017 as well as his Columbia University email and iCloud accounts, any copy of those files, and "any material obtained, extracted, or derived" from the files currently in the government's possession.

The judge ordered the Justice Department to certify by Monday that it is complying with the court. Further developments in the disputed evidence are expected this week.

The evidence the Justice Department collected from Richman's online accounts, iPhone, iPad and a hard drive was becoming a serious issue in the recently dismissed criminal case against Comey in Northern Virginia.

Richman, a Columbia University law professor, called the Justice Department's access to his files a "callous disregard" of his Fourth Amendment rights.

Saturday's temporary court restriction also creates the possibility for a judge to dig into the allegations of prosecutorial missteps, which were not fully exposed or litigated in the Comey case before it was dismissed last Monday, or close off evidence prosecutors may want to use as they try to refashion charges against Comey related to his 2020 congressional testimony.

Comey had pleaded not guilty before the charges were dismissed. The indictment alleged he had misled Congress in 2020 on his interactions with Richman. The Alexandria, Virginia, grand jury heard evidence from the Richman files, according to court records.

Virginafederal magistrate judge William Fitzpatrickwrote last month that the original search warrants in the national defense leak investigation known as Arctic Haze didn't authorize federal investigators to seize evidence related to Comey's alleged crimes of lying to Congress in his 2020 testimony, the charges for which he was ultimately indicted.

The evidence from Richman was also dormant for years, and the Justice Department hadn't obtained new warrants to access it again for investigating Comey this year, Fitzpatrick also noted. Comey's team said they hadnever had accessto the evidence before he was charged.

The Arctic Haze investigation never resulted in a criminal case, and Richman has never been charged.

The Comey criminal case ended abruptly last week with a separate judge's ruling that Trump-backed lawyer Lindsey Halligan, who had been acting as the US Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia and solely presented the case to the grand jury in late September, didn't have prosecutor powers at that time.

The Justice Department has said it planned to appeal the decision voiding Halligan's work, though that appeal hasn't been filed yet.

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Chinese jets directed fire-control radar at Japanese aircraft, Japan says

Japan said on Sunday that Chinese fighter jets had directed fire-control radar at Japanese military aircraft in two "dangerous" incidents near Japan's Okinawa islands, an account Beijing denied.

"These radar illuminations went beyond what is necessary for the safe flight of aircraft," Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi posted on X, adding that Japan had lodged a protest with China over Saturday's "regrettable" incident.

Meeting with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles in Tokyo, Koizumi said Japan would respond "resolutely and calmly" to China's conduct to maintain regional peace and stability.

A Chinese navy spokesperson, Colonel Wang Xuemeng, said Japanese aircraft had repeatedly approached and disrupted the Chinese navy as it was conducting previously announced carrier-based flight training east of the Miyako Strait.

Strained ties over Taiwan

The encounters near islands claimed by both Japan and China are the most serious run-ins between the two militaries in years and are likely to further escalate tension between the two East Asian powers.

Relations have soured in the past month since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned that Japan could respond to any Chinese military action against Taiwan if it also threatened Japan's security.

Directing fire-control radar at another aircraft is a threatening step because it signals a potential attack and may force the targeted plane to take evasive action. Japan did not say whether the Chinese had locked on their planes or how Japan's aircraft responded.

Wang, in a statement on official social media channels, countered that Japan's statement was erroneous and its actions had seriously endangered flight safety.

"We solemnly demand that the Japanese side immediately stop slandering and smearing and strictly restrain front-line actions," Wang said. "The Chinese Navy will take necessary measures in accordance with the law to resolutely safeguard its own security and legitimate rights and interests."

Australia's Marles, at a press conference with Koizumi after discussions on deepening defense cooperation, said, "We are deeply concerned by the actions of China in the last 24 hours. We will continue to work with Japan and stand with Japan in upholding that rules-based order."

As China-Japan tensions over Taiwan have mounted, Beijing advised its citizens not to travel to Japan and paused plans to restart seafood imports suspended after Japan released treated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan and has ramped up military and political pressure against the island, whose government rejects Beijing's territorial claims. Taiwan lies just 110 km (70 miles) from Japan's westernmost island, Yonaguni.

Japan hosts the biggest overseas concentration of US military power, including warships, aircraft and thousands of US Marines in Okinawa.

The US State Department and the US Embassy in Tokyo did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Japan's claims about China's use of its fire-control radar.

Trump silent, China steps up military activity

US Ambassador to Japan George Glass has publicly expressed support for Japan in several social media posts since the diplomatic dispute began, but President Donald Trump and other senior US officials have remained silent.

Trump, who plans to visit Beijing next year for trade talks, telephoned Takaichi last month, urging hernot to escalatethe dispute, people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

That call followed a conversation between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who told Trump that Taiwan's return to China was central to Beijing's vision for the world order, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Japan said the Chinese J-15 jets involved in the two incidents were launched from China's Liaoning aircraft carrier, which was maneuvering south of the Okinawan islands with three missile destroyers. Japan said it scrambled F-15 fighters in response to flight operations from the Chinese carrier.

In 2013, Japan said a Chinese warship locked fire-control radar on one of its destroyers in the East China Sea. Three years later, Beijing accused Japanese jets of directing fire-control radar at Chinese fighters. In June, Japan said Chinese jets flew dangerously close to one of its patrol aircraft near Okinawa.

On Thursday, China had more than 100 naval and coast guard vessels deployed across East Asian waters at one point, Reutersreported,citing sources and intelligence reports.

Taiwan's government described that build-up as posing a threat to the Indo-Pacific region. Japan said it was monitoring Chinese activity closely.

On Sunday, Taiwan's coast guard said it was monitoring drills by three Chinese maritime safety ships on the western side of the Taiwan Strait's median line but that the situation in the waters surrounding Taiwan was "normal."

Chinese state media said the search-and-rescue drills were in the central waters of the strait, patrolling "high-traffic areas, and areas with frequent accidents."

Taiwan's coast guard said China was using "misleading and false wording" about what it was doing, with the aim of harassing Taiwan and carrying out psychological warfare.

China says it alone exercises sovereignty and jurisdiction over the strait, a major trade route for about half of global container ships. The United States and Taiwan say the strait is an international waterway.

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Fire rips through Indian nightclub killing at least 25 including several tourists

A nightclub fire in the popular Indian resort region of Goa has killed at least 25 people including four tourists, officials said.

The blaze is suspected to have broken out after a cylinder exploded in the kitchen area of the club in Arpora village around midnight on Saturday local time,CNN affiliate News18reported.

Fourteen of the victims are believed to have been staff, and the nationalities of the tourists are not yet confirmed, police told the English-language Indian news channel.

Seven people are being treated for injuries, including one person with 60% burns, it added.

Goa, a small state on India's west coast known for its beaches and Portuguese heritage, attracts hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists and millions of domestic tourists every year.

"Today is a very painful day for all of us in Goa," the state's Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said Sunday morning in a post on X.

Videos on social media showed fire trucks and ambulances lining up to help the injured.

Goa's Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on X that the injured were taken to Goa Medical College and Hospital, and are receiving "the best possible medical care," with teams working through the night.

Some of the victims succumbed to burn injuries and others died due to suffocation, News18 reported.

"In this moment of profound grief, we stand firmly with the affected families, assuring them of our unwavering support in every possible way," Rane added.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the fire was "deeply saddening" and pledged that his office would offer compensation of up to 200,000 rupees ($2,200) to each family of those killed and 50,000 rupees ($556) to the injured.

"My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones," he said on X.

"May the injured recover at the earliest."

An inquiry has been ordered to "examine the exact cause of the fire and whether fire safety norms and building rules were followed," Sawant said.

Early reports suggest the venue lacked the mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC) and violated fire regulations, the Director of Fire and Emergency Services Nitin Raiker told News18 on Sunday.

"Fire services were rushed towards the spot immediately," Raiker told the channel.

"In half an hour we extinguished the fire. NOC was not given, fire norms were not followed by the club."

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Duke proves spoiler, edging No. 17 Virginia in OT for ACC title

Darian Mensah threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns to Jeremiah Hasley to lead Duke to a 27-20 overtime win over No. 17 Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game Saturday night in Charlotte, N.C.

After Mensah found Hasley for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 1 in overtime, Luke Mergott intercepted Chandler Morris on the first play of Virginia's overtime drive to secure the victory.

The win clinched the Blue Devils' (8-5) first outright ACC championship since 1962 and avenged their 34-17 home loss to Virginia 21 days ago.

It also may have cost the ACC a spot in this year's College Football Playoff, denying what would have been a certain bid for the Cavaliers (10-3).

Duke head coach Manny Diaz, though, vehemently disagrees with the possibility that the ACC could be shut out of the playoff.

"The ACC champion should go to the College Football Playoff this year and every year," Diaz said postgame. "We'll be very excited to find out how they rule on that (Sunday)."

Trailing 20-10 with 5:02 left after a Duke field goal, Virginia strung together a quick 50-yard drive to set up Will Bettridge's 42-yard field goal with 3:54 left and then got a defensive stop.

Morris capped off a 10-play, 96-yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Eli Wood with 22 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

"I obviously don't like the outcome, but at the end of the day, our guys fought," Virginia coach Tony Elliott said. "They fought all the way to the end, they believed they were going to win the game. We came up a few plays short."

Mensah completed 19 of 25 passes (75%), throwing his 29th and 30th touchdowns and fifth interception of the season. Cooper Barkate caught five passes for a game-high 91 yards. Hasley caught three passes, two of which were touchdowns.

"Shoutout to my o-line, shoutout to my defense," Mensah, who was named ACC championship game MVP, said. "Those guys played their asses off."

Morris was 21-of-40 passing for 216 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. J'Mari Taylor had 99 yards from scrimmage (65 rushing, 34 receiving) and a TD.

The Blue Devils made a statement to begin the game, receiving the opening kickoff and going on a 15-play, 75-yard drive that took nearly 10 minutes off the clock before Mensah found Hasley for a 12-yard touchdown pass.

After a missed field goal on Virginia's opening possession, Corey Costner's interception set up Virginia's game-tying touchdown when Morris threw a screen pass to Taylor, who scored from 11 yards out.

Duke responded right back with another extended drive, this one 13 plays and 8:02 of game time, before retaking the lead on Nate Sheppard's 16-yard TD run.

Virginia finished the first half with 115 yards, 9:31 time of possession and seven points.

The Cavaliers did put together a promising drive after receiving the ball to start the second half, but the 17-play drive stalled inside the 10, resulting in a 24-yard Bettridge field goal that cut the deficit to 14-10.

Duke again responded with a score, this time Todd Pelino's 29-yard field goal that restored its lead to seven points late in the third quarter.

The Blue Devils added to their lead when Caleb Weaver's interception set up another Pelino field goal that made it 20-10.

--Field Level Media

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Duke proves spoiler, edging No. 17 Virginia in OT for ACC title

Darian Mensah threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns to Jeremiah Hasley to lead Duke to a 27-20 overtime win over No. ...

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