GAMEDAY: Lady Pirates Host Top-Ranked UConn/Men Shoot For First American Win At USF…ECU-UConn women’s game moved up to 2pm to beat weather…Scott Frost: UCF was kept out of playoff…Like it or not, strength of schedule an issue for Group of Five teams…UCF football success raises stakes for new coach Josh Heupel’s 2018 season…Memphis football heads into uncertain offseason…Hokies football trending upward under Justin Fuente…Arizona fires Rodriguez amid hostile workplace claim…The Redskins have an identity. It isn’t a good one….Alex Ovechkin finds more late-game magic to lift Capitals past Hurricanes in OT

Pirate Press: East Carolina Headlines

ecupirates.com

• GAMEDAY: ECU Hosts Top-Ranked UConn
• ECU-UConn Start Time Revised
• GAMEDAY: Pirates Shoot For First American Win At USF

UConn-ECU at 2 p.m. Greenville Daily Reflector

ECU-UConn women’s game moved up to 2pm to beat weather WNCT 9

ECU-UConn start time revised WITN 7

Redshirt Freshman Report: Taijh Alston 247 Sports

Around the American Athletic Conference

theamerican.org

• Tulsa’s Etou, UCF’s DeJesus Collect Weekly Honors
• UConn’s Williams, Cincinnati’s Thomas Earn Weekly WBB Honors

Scott Frost: UCF was kept out of playoff Washington Post

Unbeaten Central Florida has a right to be ticked about being left out of the College Football Playoff Norfolk Virginian Pilot

Orlando Sentinel

• UCF football success raises stakes for new coach Josh Heupel’s 2018 season
• UCF QB says Knights should be national champions after defeating Auburn in Peach Bowl

Tampa Bay Times

• Like it or not, strength of schedule an issue for Group of Five teams
• Think UCF deserves national title consideration? Think again

UConn Men Try To End Winless Ways At Tulsa Hartford Courant

CB Derrek Thomas and WR Marshall Ellick transferring from Temple Philly.com

TU hosts UConn, looking to continue January success Tulsa World

Memphis Commercial Appeal

• Memphis LBs coach Lanning takes job at Georgia
• Report: Hall to join Norvell’s staff at Memphis
• Memphis football heads into uncertain offseason
• Tigers, Tubby look for answers after ‘debacle’

Houston’s Breaon Brady a game-time decision Thursday Houston Chronicle

Wichita Eagle

• The 200-minute problem facing Gregg Marshall and Wichita State
• Why don’t WSU’s jerseys have players’ names? Here’s your answer

Regional Headlines: The Carolinas and beyond

Raleigh News and Observer

• Coach Kevin Keatts: NC State ‘not as talented as most teams in the ACC’
• Is NC State’s Bradley Chubb the top prospect in the NFL draft? One list says he is.
• Can UNC’s ‘small ball’ lineup overcome a big challenge at Florida State?

Hokies football trending upward under Justin Fuente Hampton Roads Daily Press

Columbia The State

• 5 things we learned from Clemson’s loss to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl
• How four minutes of football ended Clemson’s season
• South Carolina vs. Michigan: 15 things you might have missed

Is the College Football Playoff championship getting a bit too familiar? Washington Post

College football needs an 8-team playoff. Just don’t expect it to happen anytime soon Norfolk Virginian Pilot

The Associated Press

• Arizona fires Rodriguez amid hostile workplace claim
• College Football Playoff TV ratings rise on return to Jan. 1
• Kansas State’s Bill Snyder returning for 27th season
• No. 4 Alabama’s defense delivers payback, big statement
• Sony Michel, Georgia can finally ‘play for something big’
• Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson to enter NFL draft
• Former Kentucky starting quarterback Barker will transfer
• For Michigan, a step back in third season under Harbaugh
• Saban makes case for built-in travel day between semifinals and championship game

New York Times

• Arizona Fires Rich Rodriguez After Investigation Into Misconduct
• Saban’s Great. We Get It. But Can We Pause to Embrace Georgia?
• An Unrelenting Georgia Wears Down Oklahoma in a Clash of Styles