NICK SABAN

Nick Saban not surprisingly says his quarterback, Bryce Young, is the best prospect in the upcoming NFL draft.

The opening of college football’s traditional signing period for high school prospects brought an apparent end to two of the cycle’s most notable recruitments.

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and linebacker Will Anderson Jr. are heading to the NFL, where both could contend for the top draft spot.

Georgia, Michigan, TCU and Ohio State have made the College Football Playoff, giving the Big Ten multiple programs in the four-team field for the first time.

Jayden Daniels ran for 25-yard touchdown in overtime and then found tight end Mason Taylor for a needed 2-point conversion, and 15th-ranked LSU defeated No. 6 Alabama 32-31.

Longtime Georgia football coach Vince Dooley has died at the age of 90.

It could well be among the marquee quarterback matchups of the season: Alabama’s Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young versus Tennessee’s rising star Hendon Hooker.

Jalen Milroe threw for three touchdowns in his first start and No. 1 Alabama made a final goal-line stand to escape with a 24-20 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday night in a battle of backup quarterbacks.

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young didn’t start the game against Texas A&M with a sprained right shoulder, leaving Jalen Milroe as his replacement.

Alabama lost quarterback Bryce Young in the second quarter, but held off No. 20 Arkansas 49-26 behind the explosive runs of Jahmyr Gibbs and backup quarterback Jalen Milroe.

Alabama has mostly breezed through the first month of the season, with one big scare and three games that were frightfully but predictably easy.

There may be no reason to put second-ranked Alabama and No. 17 Baylor on upset alert even though both are playing Sun Belt Conference teams in Week 3.

Will Reichard kicked a 33-yard field goal with 10 seconds left, and No. 1 Alabama overcame a stifling defensive effort by Texas to earn a hard-fought 20-19 victory.

Clemson has taken steps to keep football coach Dabo Swinney around for a while longer.

Brian Robinson Jr. will miss at least the Washington Commanders' first four games of the NFL season after being shot during at attempted robbery last weekend.

The Washington Commanders are preparing to start the NFL season without Brian Robinson Jr. after the rookie running back was shot in his right leg in an attempted robbery Sunday.

When you build a powerhouse program, it’s inevitable that others will try to copy your success.

Washington Commanders rookie running back Brian Robinson Jr. says he underwent surgery a day after being shot in what the team called an attempted robbery or carjacking.

Alabama coach Nick Saban is getting a new eight-year contract worth at least $93.6 million, eclipsing the recent megadeal of Southeastern Conference rival Kirby Smart.

Alabama is No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 for the second straight season.

Senators Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Joe Manchin of West Virginia have requested feedback from college sports leaders to be used to craft a bill to regulate how college athletes can be compensated for their names, images and likenesses.

Nick Saban has been vocal about his issues with the status quo in name, image and likeness deals and their use in recruiting.

The public spat between Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher and Alabama’s Nick Saban appears to be over.

Nick Saban tried to put an end to his feud with Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher at the Southeastern Conference meetings.

The Southeastern Conference spring meetings will be held in person for the first time since 2019 in a little less than two weeks.

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher is firing back at Alabama coach Nick Saban.

Alabama coach Nick Saban called out Texas A&M, saying the school was “buying” players with name, image and likeness deals.

The commissioners of the Southeastern Conference and the Pac-12 are scheduled to meet with lawmakers in Washington They will lobby for federal legislation to regulate name, image and likeness compensation to athletes.

John Mitchell and Wilbur Jackson already had their place in Alabama football history.

Alabama coach Nick Saban is concerned about the current state of college football.

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher is angry about rumors that booster-funded NIL deals are fueling the Aggies’ recruiting success.

Voting legislation that Democrats and civil rights groups argue is vital for protecting democracy has collapsed.

Kirby Smart learned from his former boss that the time for celebrating is short in college football.

Alabama had plenty of chances in the College Football Playoff championship Monday — but rarely turned those opportunities into touchdowns.

Stetson Bennett delivered the biggest throws of his storybook career and Georgia’s defense sealed the sweetest victory in program history, vanquishing rival Alabama 33-18 to win the College Football Playoff title game.

Back-to-back winning seasons were not enough for Brian Flores to keep his job as coach of the Miami Dolphins.

The Georgia Bulldogs defense has a chance at redemption.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart sees challenges everywhere for his defense — even with Alabama missing one of its top receivers.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart got an inside look at what it takes to build a college football juggernaut working for Nick Saban at Alabama for eight years.

Coach Nick Saban led Alabama off the team plane and into a cold reality.

A mere 37 days after they last played, Alabama faces Georgia again with a national football championship on the line.

By bringing the Bulldogs to another national title game, coach Kirby Smart has made Georgia a regular part of the championship picture.

Stetson Bennett threw three touchdown passes, Nakobe Dean led an angry Georgia defense and the third-ranked Bulldogs returned to their dominant ways, beating No. 2 Michigan 34-11 in the Orange Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff championship.

Alabama has a chance to repeat.

Top-ranked Alabama is headed to another national championship game.

Michigan defensive back Dax Hill started in the Orange Bowl against third-ranked Georgia after his late arrival in Florida.

For years, college coaches have worried about players partying too much ahead of big games.

The biggest game week in Cincinnati history has arrived.

College Football Playoff week is here with a pair of semifinal games on Friday: Alabama vs.

Top-ranked Alabama and Cincinnati have arrived in North Texas for their playoff semifinal game at the Cotton Bowl.

The Atlantic Coast Conference is changing its rescheduling policy to avoid assigning forfeits for teams unable to play due to COVID-19 protocols.

Texas A&M holds the lead in the race for the national recruiting title in college football.

Alabama's Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy, beating out Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson to give the Crimson Tide consecutive winners of college football's most famous individual award.

Cincinnati is the first outsider to make the College Football Playoff and Alabama is the standard bearer.

The College Football Playoff is set and it is historic: Cincinnati will play Alabama in the Cotton Bowl and Michigan will face Georgia in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

A person familiar with negotiations says new Florida coach Billy Napier agreed to a seven-year, $51.8 million contract that makes him the fifth-highest-paid coach in the Southeastern Conference.

Bryce Young stunningly carved up the nation’s best defense, giving Nick Saban and Alabama a shot at another national championship.

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

Florida has hired Louisiana-Lafayette's Billy Napier to be its next football coach.

John Metchie caught a scoring pass from Bryce Young in the fourth overtime to give No. 3 Alabama a 24-22 comeback victory over rival Auburn on Saturday, rescuing the Crimson Tide’s national title hopes.

Michigan State is giving Mel Tucker a $95 million, 10-year contract to stay, making an aggressive move to keep a football coach who potentially could have left for LSU or the NFL.

It's rivalry week across the Southeastern Conference, with plenty of stakes beyond bragging rights.

Alabama coach Nick Saban and Georgia’s Kirby Smart continue to make their ability to field elite defenses a big part of their formula for maintaining consistently elite programs in the Southeastern Conference.

Bryce Young passed for 270 yards and five touchdowns, including three to Jameson Williams, and No. 3 Alabama beat New Mexico State 59-3.

Top-ranked Georgia and No. 3 Alabama appear headed for a showdown in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Bryce Young passed for 371 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores, carrying No. 4 Alabama to a 52-24 victory over traditional rival Tennessee.

Bryce Young threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns and No. 5 Alabama rebounded from a loss to rout Mississippi State 49-9 on Saturday night.

Will Anderson Jr. thought a close call against Florida would be “a real eye-opener” for Alabama at the time.

Seth Small made a 28-yard field goal as time expired and Texas A&M stunned top-ranked Alabama 41-38 to end the Crimson Tide’s winning streak at 19 games.

Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for career highs of 171 yards and four touchdowns and No. 1 Alabama mostly throttled the nation’s top offense in a 42-21 victory over No. 12 Mississippi.

Alabama and Georgia, the top-ranked teams in the country and the favorites to win their Southeastern Conference divisions, are preparing to face the league’s biggest early season surprises.

Alabama looked beatable.

Bryce Young’s first collegiate road start was a rousing success, a three-touchdown performance that helped top-ranked Alabama beat No. 11 Florida 31-29 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

The Southeastern Conference is moving away from early season cupcakes.

Top-ranked Alabama looks very much like a team capable of making another run at a national title.

Alabama is hoping its search for receiver help to complement John Metchie III pays immediate dividends.

Southeastern Conference officials are trying to get back to normal on football game days, with stadiums filled with fans and grills being fired up outside, even in a portion of the country where the states have among the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates.

New quarterbacks are leading last year's College Football Playoff teams.

Fans headed back into stadiums for the start of college football season.

Former NFL star Deion Sanders is eager to put Jackson State on the football map and help raise the profile of historically Black colleges and universities around the nation.

The preseason AP Top 25 college football is out and Alabama will pick up where it left off as No. 1 in the country.

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has made lucrative deals before starting his first college game, but he doesn’t think that or the preseason hype surrounding him will be a distraction.

The Associated Press preseason college football poll has been released and Alabama is No. 1.

Alabama is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason college football poll for fourth time in the past six seasons.

College football coaches around the country are spending much of the offseason urging their players to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Julio Jones turned 32 in February, missed seven games with a nagging hamstring issue in his 10th NFL season and now finds himself with a new team in the Tennessee Titans.

Alabama coach Nick Saban has agreed to a three-year contract extension running through the 2028 season.

One of the best linebackers in college football, the top defensive tackles and the consensus best safety available are all still on the board heading into the second day of the NFL draft.

Saban and Alabama opened spring practice Friday, March 19, 2021l with an immediate goal. For now, they need to find replacements for three of college football's top offensive weapons. Patterson, File)Nick Saban and Alabama opened spring practice Friday with an immediate goal. He also didn't get a spring practice last year because of the pandemic. The Crimson Tide holds its spring game on April 17 and opens the regular season against Miami on Sept. 4 in Atlanta.

The recruiting class that Alabama finalized Wednesday has the highest rating in the history of the 247Sports Composite team rankings, which go back to 2010. Steve Wilfong, the director of recruiting for 247Sports, notes this celebrated Alabama class arrives as most of the Tide’s decorated 2017 class departs. Ad“You’re replacing one of the best recruiting classes ever for what they accomplished with maybe the best recruiting class on paper coming in,” Wiltfong said. While plenty of SEC teams joined Alabama in signing impressive classes, Ohio State stood out from its Big Ten foes. All three were quarterbacks, with Bryce Young enrolling at Alabama, DJ Uiagalelei selecting Clemson and CJ Stroud selecting Ohio State.

FILE - In this Aug. 21, 2020, file photo, Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien watches during an NFL football training camp in Houston. Alabama has hired former Texans coach O'Brien as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – National champion Alabama has hired former Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. O'Brien also served as offensive coordinator for the Nittany Lions and won national coach of the year honors after going 8-4 in 2012. A 28-year coaching veteran and former Brown defensive player, O'Brien was also offensive coordinator at Duke.

(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)AUSTIN, Texas – Fresh off a national title with Alabama, Steve Sarkisian plans big changes to Texas' football program. Sarkisian said that while discussion about "The Eyes of Texas "and other issues are welcome, “'The Eyes of Texas' is our school song. Texas, without a conference championship since 2009, is itching to see if Sarkisian can produce similar results in Austin. Texas expects quick results from Sarkisian, recent winner of the Broyles Award given to college football’s top assistant coach. Asked about scheduling A&M again, Sarkisian said “I would love to play that game.”Sarkisian is Texas’ fourth head coach since 2009.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)Nick Saban wasn’t ready to contemplate his legacy moments after capturing a record seventh national championship “because you’re always looking forward.”It was time to start chasing No. "It’s an ongoing process, building a team," Saban said. Only Florida in the SEC championship game came closer than 15 points. “There’s no team that will ever play an SEC schedule like that.”The 2009 Alabama team that went 14-0 is Saban's only other undefeated group. “I came back to get a degree and to win a national championship,” Smith said.

Dr. Scott Harris, the head of the Alabama Department of Public Health, said he expected more cases of COVID-19 to result from the street party. “It’s disappointing to see people not paying attention to the guidance that we try to give to keep them safe. Students and workers also are required to complete online training about reducing the risk of spreading the illness. More than 5,500 people have died in Alabama from the illness caused by the coronavirus, and about 408,000 have tested positive. People lined up to get into the bars an hour before kickoff despite the warnings, The Tuscaloosa News reported.

(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Alabama finished the season No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the 12th time, extending its record by completing the program’s first perfect season since 2009. With 12 AP titles overall — Paul “Bear” Bryant was coach for five and Gene Stallings for one — Alabama has four more than Notre Dame, in second place with eight. The Big 12 finished with a perfect record in five bowl games. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25___This story has been updated to correct the number of national titles for Alabama to 12, not.

DeVonta Smith was uncoverable, Najee Harris unstoppable and Mac Jones impeccable as the top-ranked Tide won the College Football Playoff national championship game 52-24 against No. 7 overall, breaking a tie with Alabama great Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most by a major college coach. "To me this is the ultimate team,” Saban said. “To me this team accomplished more than almost any team," Saban said. “Heaven knows what he would have done if he played the whole game,” Saban said.

From start to finish, the specter of COVID-19 loomed large over the 2020 college football season and the national championship game was no exception. The game, played in the Miami Dolphins’ stadium, drew the sort of turnout typically found in the fourth quarter of an NFL preseason game. But the challenges college football faced in navigating the pandemic were unique. The Pac-12 and Big Ten postponed their seasons before reversing course, and Ohio State played only eight games. It was a made-for-TV season that ends with an asterisk, and college football now looks toward the 2021 season, which is a big question mark.

Now the question is will he be able to play in the title game Monday night against Ohio State? “I think you absolutely have to prepare as if he's going to play,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs said. Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson posted photos on Twitter showing her visiting with coach Ryan Day and the team in the school's indoor practice facility. WEST COAST EXPORTSThe West Coast will be well represented in the national championship game among the players, if not the football programs themselves. Alabama All-America tailback Najee Harris, Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave and Buckeyes All-America guard Wyatt Davis are all from California.

(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)Steve Sarkisian is the latest Alabama coordinator to be drawing up game plans for a national title showdown before leaving for a new head coaching job. The Longhorns fired Tom Herman and hired Sarkisian eight days before the national championship game Monday night against No. The difference this time is the accelerated time frame from Sarkisian’s hiring to the title game. Alabama beat Oklahoma in the semifinals before a 44-16 loss to Clemson in the national title game. Nearly a month passed from his hiring to the January 2012 title game rematch against LSU, which ’Bama won 21-0.

Ohio State won 49-28. “This team, this program, we persevered through so much,” Ohio State running back Trey Sermon said Monday. In addition to Sarkisian's imminent departure, Alabama has to take care of some Heisman Trophy business while preparing for the matchup with Ohio State. Ohio State (7-0) won that meeting en route to the national title. OHIO STATEOverview: Like many teams, Ohio State faced major obstacles during the pandemic.