The class will be part of his third big roster remake at Colorado, this time without two of the best players in school history – two-way star Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, son of the head coach.

The recruiting class currently ranks No. 37 nationally according to the 247Sports composite rankings, which is fourth in the Big 12 Conference behind TCU, Baylor and Kansas State. Texas ranks No. 1 overall, as of Thursday morning.

But high school recruiting is only part of the strategy under Sanders. The portal for transfer recruits opens on Monday, when Sanders vows to “hit that portal like it hadn’t been hit before.”

“My biggest impression overall is that high school recruiting was taken a lot more seriously this year after he loaded up on the two portal classes (since 2023) and really got some elite players in this class,” said Adam Gorney, national recruiting director for Rivals.com. “It wasn’t just filling out a roster on top of the portal guys. … Obviously, JuJu Lewis is the star of the show here.”

Signing JuJu Lewis appear to signal Deion Sanders planting roots at Colorado

Lewis has led his high school team to a 13-0 record this year and plans to enroll in January. His signing on Wednesday also seems to answer a popular question in college football over the past 15 months: Does Deion Sanders plan on leaving Colorado anytime soon, especially after his two sons on the team leave after this season?

It’s doubtful Lewis would have signed with Colorado if he was. Lewis committed to Southern California last year but visited other campuses before announcing his decision last month to come to Colorado, where the Buffaloes will begin preparations for a bowl game later this month, likely the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.

“For Deion to do this was huge, because I think he had to convince JuJu and his family that he was staying in Boulder,” Gorney told USA TODAY Sports.

JuJu Lewis also getting reinforcements at Colorado

The scary part for Colorado opponents is that Lewis could end up being even better than Shedeur, at least according to the recruiting ratings. In 2021, Shedeur Sanders ranked No. 26 in the nation as a quarterback recruit, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. He originally committed to play for Florida Atlantic before deciding to play for his father at Jackson State and then Colorado, where he leads the nation in completion percentage at 74.2%.

Lewis ranks No. 6 nationally as a quarterback, according to the same ranking service. He’s getting some big bodies to protect him in Boulder, too. Colorado signed three offensive linemen Wednesday, including Carde Smith, a 6-foot-5, 300-pound blocker from Mobile, Alabama. He switched his commitment from USC and ranks as the No. 18 offensive tackle, according to Rivals.

“Can’t wait to get up there in Boulder and get to work,” Smith posted in a social media video Wednesday.

Deion Sanders’ high school recruiting strategy

Deion Sanders has developed a reputation as a transfer portal power, not a high school recruiting juggernaut. His transfer class for 2024 ranked No. 1, according to Rivals. He opened the season with 39 new scholarship transfer players from other four-year colleges, compared with only 11 new high school scholarship recruits. That high school class last year ranked No. 95 nationally, largely because of its small size, according to 247Sports’ composite.

“You know we don’t take a lot of high school players and the ones that we take, we want them to play immediately,” Sanders said at a news conference last week. “We want them to produce.”

In his first season as head coach, Sanders started the 2023 season with 17 high school scholarship players compared to 47 new scholarship transfer recruits from other four-year colleges. Of those 17 high school scholarship recruits, only nine remained a year later. It adds to the pro culture of the team, with rookies needing to be in top form to stick around with so many older free agents coming in as transfers.

“We got what we want,” Sanders said last week about his newest class of high school recruits.

He signed recruits from high schools in seven states, including his home state of Florida, where he landed edge rusher London Merritt from the IMG Academy after he previously committed to Ohio State. Merritt ranked No. 13 at that position, according to 247Sports’ composite. Sanders also signed three receiver prospects Wednesday to help fill part of the void left by Hunter, who will play in the NFL next season.

Did Deion Sanders lose any recruits?

Yes, one recruit committed to play for Colorado in April but didn’t sign with the Buffaloes Wednesday: cornerback Alex Graham of Cass Technical High School in Detroit. Graham announced Wednesday he would sign with Southern California instead.

His decision dropped Colorado’s national recruiting ranking a few spots, but that’s not a concern for Sanders, who can find other options in the transfer portal.

Colorado’s high school football signees for 2025

The recruits who enroll at Colorado in January will be able to practice with the team before the Buffaloes play in a bowl game. These are the recruits the university confirmed as signed on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period, which runs through Friday:

QB Julian Lewis, Carrollton, Georgia.
OT Carde Smith, Mobile, Alabama.
OG Chauncey Gooden, Nashville, Tennessee.
OT Jay Gardenhire, West Bloomfield, Michigan.
WR Quentin Gibson, Fort Worth, Texas
WR Adrian Wilson, Pflugerville, Texas
WR Quanell Farrakhan Jr., Houston, Texas
TE Zayne DeSouza, Loveland, Colorado.
TE Corbin Laisure, Johnson City, Tennessee.
DE London Merritt, Bradenton, Florida.
DT Alexander McPherson, Bradenton, Florida.
DL Christian Hudson, Daytona Beach, Florida.
LB Mantrez Walker, Buford, Georgia.
S TJ Branch, Miami, Florida.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

So the get-in price for the Big Ten championship game is less than $20 on StubHub. 

This, of course, has sent the college football world into a tizzy of overblown prisoner of the moment statements. 

Expansion has ruined college football. 

No one in the Big Ten knows or cares about Oregon. 

The 12-team College Football Playoff has rendered conference championship games useless. 

All ridiculous, reactionary mental gymnastics.

Want to know why you can stroll into Lucas Oil Stadium and get a seat for less than you’d spend on lunch at McDonald’s? Because it’s not an attractive game. Period. 

Ohio State couldn’t beat Michigan (again), and Michigan lost five games as the defending national champion. If Ohio State or Michigan is in the building, you couldn’t get a ticket for less than 20 times the current get-in price.

‘Our players are really excited about it,’ said Oregon coach Dan Lanning.

Want to blame someone for the lack of interest? Blame Oregon. 

Blame the Ducks for running roughshod over the Big Ten in Year 1 of the marriage, where Oregon accepted half the media rights money just to get in the door. Then beat the hell out of everyone in its way to Indianapolis. 

Want to blame someone for the lack of interest? Blame Penn State, which may be the most boring 11-1 team in the history of 11-1 teams. Where is the cutting-edge Andy Kotelnicki offense we were promised? 

Penn State looks nothing like the wide-open, take no prisoners offense Kotelnicki built at Kansas and Buffalo and all those championship seasons in the NCAA lower division with Lance Leipold.

The Penn State offense looks like – and I know this is going to shock you – every other offense we’ve seen from Penn State under James Franklin. Play smart, don’t force plays, let a great defense set the tone.

Basically, Iowa with better skill players. And more talent at quarterback.

Want to blame someone for the lack of interest? Blame Michigan. You can’t stumble all over yourself for 11 games, and then do what you do best in the biggest game of the season — and eliminate the highly-anticipated Oregon-Ohio State rematch.

Maybe Michigan can ease up on the Buckeyes next season, if it’s not too much to ask.  

Imagine complaining about Oregon and Penn State playing for a championship, and the get-in price is a measly few bucks. Or complaining about Texas and Georgia playing again in the SEC championship.

That’s four of the top five teams in the College Football Playoff facing off in championship games.

Imagine the ACC, Big 12 and Mountain West Conference all playing de facto play-in games for a spot in the playoff, and complaining about it. Win a conference championship, get a CFP bid.

Yeah, that sure sucks.

Want to blame someone for the lack of interest, despite the Big Ten championship game winner likely becoming the No. 1 overall seed in the CFP? Blame the nattering nabobs of negativism on social media. 

The Big Ten championship is still a big deal. So is every Power Four conference championship game. 

If you want to go down the rabbit hole of eliminating the games, and eliminating the playoff selection committee and awarding bids based on who knows what, we can have that conversation. But until then, this nonsensical idea that championship games aren’t meaningful is laughable.

About a week ago, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin whined aloud why anyone would want to play in a championship game — if a loss could knock that team out of the playoff. Such an incredibly defeatist attitude. 

Because the winner of championship games – this is still about winning and losing big games, right? – is rewarded with a golden ticket, that’s why. 

They hand out rings for these games. Big, bright and beautiful rings that no one can take away. A life time of memories that, 30-40 years from now, will be the only thing that mattered in an athletic career.

And you want to take away these games because “they don’t mean anything.” To whom? And for what selfish reason? 

Expansion hasn’t ruined college football, hasn’t eliminated its rare passion and pageantry DNA or, of all things, minimized something so important as conference championship games.

It’s not about whining. It’s about winning.  

And who doesn’t want to win a championship?

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke played as tough an opponent as it’ll face all season Wednesday night against Auburn, an opponent it could very well face again at the Final Four in San Antonio.

The ninth-ranked Blue Devils took the second-ranked Tigers’ best punch and responded each time with the toughness necessary to take down previously-unbeaten Auburn in a 84-78 win at Cameron Indoor Stadium. 

With the victory, Duke (6-2) evened its record against ranked opponents (2-2) and handed the Tigers (7-1) their first loss of the season. 

Cooper Flagg (22 points), Isaiah Evans (18 points), Tyrese Proctor (12 points) and Caleb Foster (11 points) finished in double figures to lead Duke. Johni Broome and Tahaad Pettiford scored 20 points each to pace four Tigers in double figures. 

Here are some observations from the Blue Devils’ win against Auburn in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

Cooper Flagg stats vs. Auburn

Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, didn’t have an efficient shooting night, but he did everything else well in a double-double performance. Matching the Tigers’ toughness, Flagg finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four assists, three steals and two blocks. 

Sion James’ birthday bash

Sion James took a beating for the Blue Devils on his 22nd birthday, but he got up every time he hit Coach K Court. James, one of the Blue Devils’ veteran transfers, threw down a one-handed dunk early in the second half as he got hit in the face and completed the three-point play to help Duke maintain its momentum. In his first start of the season, James finished with nine points, four rebounds, two blocks and three steals.

Isaiah Evans’ ridiculous 3-point shooting

Evans couldn’t miss in the first half against Auburn. The freshman wing did miss two attempts from 3-point range, but he made six treys to score 18 points in 11 minutes off the bench for the Blue Devils. Evans’ heater helped Duke take a 43-36 halftime lead. 

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.

All will be part of his third big roster remake at Colorado, this time without two of the best players in school history – two-way star Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, son of the head coach.

The recruiting class currently ranks No. 37 nationally according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, which is fourth in the Big 12 Conference behind TCU, Baylor and Kansas State. Texas ranks No. 1 overall, as of Wednesday afternoon.

But high school recruiting is only part of the strategy under Sanders. The transfer portal for transfer recruits opens on Monday, when Sanders vows to “hit that portal like it hadn’t been hit before.”

“My biggest impression overall is that high school recruiting was taken a lot more seriously this year after he loaded up on the two portal classes (since 2023) and really got some elite players in this class,” said Adam Gorney, national recruiting director for Rivals.com. “It wasn’t just filling out a roster on top of the portal guys… Obviously, JuJu Lewis is the star of the show here.”

Signing JuJu Lewis shows Sanders planting roots at CU

Lewis has led his high school team to a 13-0 record this year and plans to enroll in January. His signing on Wednesday also seems to answer a popular question in college football over the past 15 months: Does Deion Sanders plan on leaving Colorado anytime soon, especially after his two sons on the team leave after this season?

It’s doubtful Lewis would have signed with Colorado if he was. Lewis committed to Southern California last year but visited other campuses before announcing his decision last month to come to Colorado, where the Buffaloes (9-3) will begin preparations for a bowl game later this month, likely the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.

“For Deion to do this was huge, because I think he had to convince JuJu and his family that he was staying in Boulder,” Gorney told USA TODAY Sports.

JuJu Lewis also getting reinforcements at Colorado

The scary part for Colorado opponents is that Lewis could end up being even better than Shedeur, at least according to the recruiting ratings. In 2021, Shedeur Sanders ranked No. 26 in the nation as a quarterback recruit, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. He originally committed to play for Florida Atlantic before deciding to play for his father at Jackson State and then Colorado, where he leads the nation in completion percentage at 74.2%.

Lewis ranks No. 6 nationally as a quarterback, according to the same ranking service. He’s getting some big bodies to protect him in Boulder, too. Colorado signed three offensive linemen Wednesday, including tackle Carde Smith, a 6-foot-5, 300-pound blocker from Mobile, Alabama. He switched his commitment from USC to join Juju at CU and ranks as the No. 18 offensive tackle, according to Rivals.

“Can’t wait to get up there in Boulder and get to work,” Smith posted in a social media video Wednesday.

Deion Sanders’ high school recruiting strategy

Deion Sanders has developed a reputation as a transfer portal power, not a high school recruiting juggernaut. His transfer class for 2024 ranked No. 1, according to Rivals. He opened the season with 39 new scholarship transfer players from other four-year colleges, compared with only 11 new high school scholarship recruits. That high school class last year ranked No. 95 nationally, largely because of its small size, according to 247Sports’ composite.

“You know we don’t take a lot of high school players and the ones that we take, we want them to play immediately,” Sanders said at a news conference last week. “We want them to produce.”

In his first season as head coach, Sanders started the 2023 season with 17 new high school scholarship players compared to 47 new scholarship transfer recruits from other four-year colleges. Of those 17 high school scholarship recruits, only nine remained a year later. It adds to the pro culture of the team, with rookies needing to be in top form to stick around with so many older free agents coming in as transfers.

“We got what we want,” Sanders said last week about his newest class of high school recruits.

He signed recruits from high schools in seven states, including his home state of Florida, where he landed edge rusher London Merritt from the IMG Academy after he previously committed to Ohio State. Merritt ranked No. 13 at that position, according to 247Sports’ composite. Sanders also signed three receiver prospects Wednesday to help fill part of the void left by Hunter, who will play in the NFL next season.

Did Deion Sanders lose any recruits?

Yes, one recruit committed to play for Colorado in April but didn’t sign with the Buffaloes Wednesday: cornerback Alex Graham of Cass Technical High School in Detroit. Graham announced Wednesday he would sign with USC instead.

His decision dropped Colorado’s national recruiting ranking a few spots, but that’s not a concern for Sanders, who can find other options in the transfer portal.

Colorado’s high school football signees for 2025

The recruits who enroll at Colorado in January will be able to practice with the team before the Buffs play in a bowl game. These are the recruits the university confirmed as signed on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period, which runs through Friday:

QB Julian Lewis, Carrollton, Georgia.
OT Carde Smith, Mobile, Alabama.
OG Chauncey Gooden, Nashville, Tennessee.
OT Jay Gardenhire, West Bloomfield, Michigan.
WR Quentin Gibson, Fort Worth, Texas
WR Adrian Wilson, Pflugerville, Texas
WR Quanell Farrakhan Jr., Houston, Texas
TE Zayne DeSouza, Loveland, Colorado.
TE Corbin Laisure, Johnson City, Tennessee.
DE London Merritt, Bradenton, Florida.
DT Alexander McPherson, Bradenton, Florida.
DL Christian Hudson, Daytona Beach, Florida.
LB Mantrez Walker, Buford, Georgia.
S TJ Branch, Miami, Florida.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

The biggest bye week of the season comes during the most important week for fantasy football teams. Stars such as Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Nico Collins, Joe Mixon and Terry McLaurin won’t be available to help make that final playoff push, so fantasy managers may have to dig deep into their benches (or the waiver wire) to secure that all-important win.

ON BYE: Baltimore, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, New England, Washington

Fantasy football rankings for Week 14 are based on the point-per-reception (PPR) scoring used in most seasonal and daily fantasy football formats. One point is awarded for every 10 rushing and receiving yards and one point for every 20 passing yards. Six points are awarded for touchdowns scored, four points for passing TDs and one point for receptions.

Rankings are compiled by Daniel Dobish, TheHuddle.com. 

(*-check status before kickoff)

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Fantasy football Week 14 quarterback rankings

Trevor Lawrence (concussion) has been placed on injured reserve. Mac Jones becomes the Jaguars’ starter the rest of the way.
Drew Lock has been named the Giants’ starter as Tommy DeVito isn’t yet ready to return from his forearm injury.

Fantasy football Week 14 running back rankings

Isaac Guerendo steps into the 49ers starting lineup after injuries landed both Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason on injured reserve.
Kenneth Walker (ankle, calf) was a limited practice participant on Wednesday with injuries different from an earlier oblique that kept him out earlier in the season.
Bucky Irving (hip) now also has a back issue and did not practice on Wednesday.
After both missed last Friday’s game, Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quadriceps) are still questionable for this week’s game.

Fantasy football Week 14 wide receiver rankings

Since tweaking his shoulder on Thanksgiving day, CeeDee Lamb will benefit from extra rest to help him get ready for Monday night’s game against the Bengals.
Ladd McConkey exited Sunday’s game early with a knee injury and is questionable. He practiced on a limited basis Wednesday.
After missing the past two games, DeVonta Smith was a full practice participant on Wednesday.

Fantasy football Week 14 tight end rankings

Dallas Goedert (knee) did not practice on Wednesday and is questionable to play against the Panthers.

Fantasy football Week 14 kicker rankings

The Bengals placed Evan McPherson (groin) on injured reserve Wednesday and signed Cade York.

Fantasy football Week 14 defense/special teams rankings

Kansas entered Wednesday’s road game against Creighton as the No. 1 team in the nation, and an undefeated one at that.

However, the Jayhawks suffered a 76-63 defeat against the Bluejays (6-3). Though there were times Kansas (7-1) made things close, KU never led in its first true road test.

Here are a few reasons why the Jayhawks lost:

Pop Isaacs shines for Creighton

Creighton junior guard Pop Isaacs is no stranger to Kansas, given his time at Texas Tech. He lit up the Jayhawks for 27 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out four assists. His 10-of-15 shooting performance included six 3-pointers and proved impossible for Kansas to defend.

Dajuan Harris Jr. needed too many shots to lead Kansas in scoring

There will be more opponents who force Harris to beat them shooting the ball, given how much talent surrounds the Jayhawks point guard. There will be games Harris makes them pay for it, too, but Wednesday wasn’t that game. Harris’ team-high 15 points came on a 6-of-21 shooting night — including 3-of-9 from 3-point range.

Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner wins battle of star big-men

The game’s marquee matchup featured Creighton senior center versus Kansas graduate center Hunter Dickinson. Kalkbrenner prevailed with 17 points and 10 rebounds in 38 minutes. Dickinson had six points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes in a game that saw Creighton overcome its 15-5 deficit in turnovers by outscoring Kansas 36-24 from 3-point range.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on X at @JordanGuskey.

It’s December and you know what that means: cozy fires, hot cocoa and lots and lots of ranked hoops matchups. 

That’s the case this week in women’s college basketball, a the SEC/ACC challenge pits numerous national title contenders against each other. There’s also a major showcase on FOX Sports, with the first-ever Women’s Champions Classic in Brooklyn, home of the reigning WNBA champs.  

Just one month into the season we’ve already had numerous upsets, with lower ranked teams beating ranked teams and unranked teams knocking off top 25 opponents. It’s a sign of growing parity within women’s hoops, a sport on the rise at both the collegiate and pro level. And this week, narrowing down our list of must-watch games was a challenge, more proof that the conference season and March Madness are going to be as chaotic as we’ve ever seen. 

COACHES POLL: UCLA passes Connecticut for No. 1 spot

No. 3 Texas at No. 10 Notre Dame

Thursday, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN

First, Notre Dame thumped USC on the Trojans’ home floor, then the Irish melted down against TCU, then they got surprised by Utah. What we should expect against the Longhorns is anyone’s guess. But this is a matchup of the best two two-way guards in the country in Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo (23.9 ppg, 4.6 spg) and Texas star Rori Harmon (9.4 ppg, 6.6 apg). Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles (16.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 6.4 apg) facing off against Texas’ Madison Booker (16.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg) is another reason to tune in. 

No. 6 USC at Oregon

Saturday, 4 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network

The reality of inflated conferences is we have to start league play way earlier than usual, hence USC and Oregon’s first Big Ten matchup of the season. JuJu Watkins (25.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and Kiki Iriafen (18.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg) will battle with an Oregon roster that already has one win over a ranked team. Ducks guard Deja Kelly (11.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.8 apg) is one of the top transfers in the country, but she’ll need help from her teammates if Oregon is going start conference play undefeated. 

Tennessee vs. No. 20 Iowa

Saturday, 7 p.m. ET on FOX

The first game of the Champions Classic in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center features an Iowa team people think might be even better, and more balanced, than the back-to-back Final Four squads vs. a Lady Vol roster forcing opponents into an average of 28 (!!) turnovers per game. Tennessee has made an impression under first-year coach Kim Caldwell, and sits just outside the top 25 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, garnering lots of votes. The best way for Talaysia Cooper (19.7 ppg, 3.0 spg) & Co. to break into the poll? Upset Lucy Olsen (17.3 ppg, 5.3 apg) and the Hawkeyes in prime time on national television. 

No. 22 Louisville vs. No. 2 UConn 

Saturday, 9 p.m. ET on FOX

The second game of the Champions Classic pits two of the top programs over the last decade against each other. It’s also a preview of the game’s future. UConn senior Paige Bueckers (20.4 ppg, 4.6 apg) is the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, while Louisville freshman Tajianna Roberts (12.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg) could be an All-American sooner rather than later based on how she’s played so far. But this game could very well come down to players whose names aren’t as well known but whose games deserve respect in the Huskies’ Sarah Strong (15.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and the Cardinals’ Olivia Cochran (9.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg). 

No. 4 South Carolina at No. 13 TCU

Sunday, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2

Perhaps the most impressive thing about both these teams just a few weeks into the season: They’re not afraid of a challenge. Just a couple weeks after South Carolina went on the road and got drilled by UCLA, they’re traveling to play upstart TCU, which hung on to beat NC State and came from behind to beat Notre Dame, both ranked teams. The Horned Frogs are undefeated largely because of one of the best duos in women’s hoops in forward Sedona Prince (19.4 ppg, 10.8 rpg) and guard Hailey Van Lith (19.4 ppg, 6.6 apg). The Gamecocks boast their own powerful one-two punch in forward Chloe Kitts (10.9 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and guard Te-Hina Paopao (12.0 ppg, 43.8% 3FG)