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Four Underrated Power Conference Teams to Bet on This College Football Season

Nov 19, 2025; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin during the press conference at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn ImagesNov 19, 2025; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin during the press conference at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

It’s easier to predict who will be the best teams in college football, but once you get past the first two to three teams in each power conference, it becomes a little murky.

Each season, there are a few teams in each conference that don’t end up competing for a national title, but they do pull off a big upset, win a decent-sized bowl game, or go over on their win total for the year. Here are the four teams from each power conference that I feel are most underrated heading into this college football season.

ACC: Virginia Tech o/u 6.5

While he was in charge of the Penn State football program for the better part of the last decade, head coach James Franklin became a bit of a punchline due to his inability to win a big game. However, despite his inability to win top-10 matchups, he did take over a Penn State program that was exiting the shadows cast by the Joe Paterno/Jerry Sandusky era.

He wasn’t the best of the best, but he consistently recruited well and met high expectations in Happy Valley. Virginia Tech has struggled to be competitive during the NIL era, and I believe that will change quickly under Franklin.

Virginia Tech’s offense will look completely different in 2026, and that’s for the better. Ethan Grunkemeyer will be a far more consistent quarterback, replacing Kyron Drones, who had massive flashes but also equally as large valleys. They’ll have a very solid running back duo in Marcellous Hawkins and Louisiana transfer Bill Davis.

The Hokies are light in the trenches on both sides of the ball, but have enough talent in the skill positions that they can surprise teams that are better than them. I think they go over their win total and are fairly competitive in a weak ACC.

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Big Ten: Minnesota o/u 6.5

I am exceedingly high on Minnesota this season. The middle of the Big 10 is an absolute toss-up, so I’m willing to bet on elite quarterback play, and let the rest fall into place.

Minnesota has been the most underrated Big Ten team ever since P.J. Fleck took over as head coach in 2017. They are a step behind the big dogs in the conference, but they consistently handle their business year over year.

However, unlike the last few seasons, Minnesota has built an offensive line that even some of the best teams in the Big Ten will envy. They have five big veterans up front, and they will need to lean on them to improve what was an underwhelming offense in 2025.

The defense will once again be very solid, especially when you have a future first-round draft pick in Anthony Smith playing on the defensive line. They’ll quietly have one of the better pass rushes in the country, which will hide many weaknesses that their secondary presents. Minnesota won’t be representing the Big Ten in the playoffs this year, but they could surprise people with 8+ wins.

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Big 12: Houston o/u 8.5

Many seem to forget that Houston is quietly coming off a 10-win season. The Cougars are a team that’s on the verge of becoming the next big thing in college football. Not many schools have NIL budgets like Houston’s, and it shows in the talent they’re bringing in.

Conner Weigman is the starter for now and is actually one of the better quarterbacks in the country; however, the best quarterback in the building might just be 5-star freshman Keisean Henderson.

Houston also hit the transfer portal for some immediate impact players. Oregon transfers Ashton Porter and Makhi Hughes are two of the most underrated pickups in the country. Houston’s a very complete football team on both sides, but if they want to have back-to-back seasons with double-digit wins, the defense will have to be more consistent.

Despite all the veterans returning to this Houston squad, they still only have the 13th oldest team in the Big 12. I’ll take experience over age, and bet on Houston to make it two great seasons in a row.

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SEC: Auburn o/u 6.5

Despite missing a bowl game in 2025, Auburn was far more talented than their record would imply. The defense was good enough to compete in the SEC last year, only giving up more than 24 points twice all season.

Fortunately, they decided to fix the offense this offseason, bringing former USF head coach Alex Golesh and his quarterback Byrum Brown. These two combined for one of the most exciting offenses in the country last season, and I expect to see similar results in the SEC.

Auburn is going to play with a ton of tempo this year and will be pushing the ball downfield to one of the best receiver rooms in the conference. This offense will look completely different schematically from last year, but the biggest question mark remains with the offensive line.

Golesh did a solid job of rebuilding this offensive front through the portal, but it still looks like they’ll be leaving a lot to be desired. My hope is that the fast-paced offense will mask many of their deficiencies, and they’ll be able to produce enough to compete with the best of the best in the ACC. I love Auburn to get at least 7 wins this year, and maybe more if things go well in year one of the Alex Golesh era.

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MLB roundup: Nationals extend A's losing streak to 10 in 23-4 beatdown

Jul 17, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Andres Chaparro (87) acknowledges the dugout after hitting a two RBI single and advancing to second base on an error during the sixth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn ImagesJul 17, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Andres Chaparro (87) acknowledges the dugout after hitting a two RBI single and advancing to second base on an error during the sixth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images

Andres Chaparro hit two homers and had eight RBIs — more than doubling his season total from 7 to 15 — as the Washington Nationals torched the lowly Athletics 23-4 on Friday night at West Sacramento, Calif.

The Nationals opened the scoring with a three-run third before busting the game wide open with four-plus runs in the fifth through seventh innings. That proved to be more than enough for Cade Cavalli (6-4), who gave up two runs and four hits over six innings.

Chaparro went 4-for-5 with a walk and four runs and Daylen Lile and Harry Ford each homered for the Nationals, who set a season high for runs, matching the second-most in franchise history. Curtis Mead was 4-for-6 with four runs, three RBIs and three doubles, and Nasim Nunez had three hits and three runs.

Tyler Soderstrom hit a two-run homer and Shea Langeliers belted a solo shot for the Athletics, who lost their 10th consecutive game. Gage Jump (3-5) of the A’s allowed four runs (three earned) and four hits in 3 2/3 innings before their bullpen was hit hard by Washington’s lineup.

Royals 7, Padres 6 (10 innings)

Carter Jensen’s two-run, walk-off single capped a four-run 10th inning which helped Kansas City rally for a victory over visiting San Diego.

The Padres scored three times in the top of the 10th, beginning with Miguel Andujar’s third double of the night down the right field line against Lucas Erceg (4-3) to score the automatic runner. Fernando Tatis Jr. followed with an RBI single, and Xander Bogaerts made it 6-3 with a sacrifice fly.

However, Michael Massey’s third hit of the game drove in the first run of the bottom of the 10th off Kyle Hart (0-2). Isaac Collins’ RBI groundout left runners on second and third for the Royals, then Jensen delivered his third hit through a drawn-in left side of the infield to score two and snap Kansas City’s five-game skid.

Red Sox 10, Rays 0 (Game 1)

Jake Bennett threw six scoreless innings before a six-run sixth allowed Boston to score a lopsided win over visiting Tampa Bay in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.

Masataka Yoshida and Carlos Narvaez each homered as part of three-hit games and Caleb Durbin went 3-for-4 for the Red Sox, who banged out 15 hits.

Bennett (5-3) allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out three. Alec Gamboa went the rest of the way, allowing just two hits over the final three innings for his first career save. Rays starter Griffin Jax (5-7) struck out six but yielded seven runs in five-plus innings.

Red Sox 5, Rays 3 (Game 2)

Wilyer Abreu hit home runs in his first two at-bats as Boston completed a doubleheader sweep with another win over Tampa Bay, extending its winning streak to 11 games.

Willson Contreras also homered for the Red Sox, who won a bullpen game with six relievers combining to throw 6 2/3 scoreless innings with four hits behind Eduardo Rivera, who allowed three runs over the first 2 1/3 innings. Greg Weissert (2-2) got the win, and Aroldis Chapman pitched a clean ninth for his 20th save.

Junior Caminero, who hit a solo home run in the third, and Jonny DeLuca both had multi-hit games for the Rays. Mason Englert (0-3) was tagged for five runs and eight hits over five innings before the Tampa Bay bullpen combined for three no-hit innings of relief work.

Dodgers 2, Yankees 1

Max Muncy hit a go-ahead two-run homer with nobody out in the seventh inning against Gerrit Cole and Los Angeles earned a victory over New York in the first meeting at Yankee Stadium between the teams since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.

The Dodgers snapped a three-game losing streak in their first trip to the Bronx since scoring five unearned runs off Cole in the fifth inning of Game 5 to clinch the first of their back-to-back titles. Roki Sasaki allowed an unearned run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings for the Dodgers.

Cole (3-5) entered the seventh at 90 pitches and started the inning by walking Mookie Betts. Manager Aaron Boone visited the mound and kept Cole in the game. Muncy fouled off three pitches before ending the at-bat by hammering Cole’s 2-2 slider about halfway up the second deck in right field. Cole had held him hitless in five previous encounters. Cole allowed two runs on four hits in six-plus innings.

Braves 15, Rangers 1

Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson and Austin Riley all homered and Chris Sale pitched seven scoreless innings to lead Atlanta to a win over visiting Texas in the opener of a three-game set.

Sale (10-6) became the 10th National League pitcher to reach double-digit wins. He allowed only two hits, never allowed a runner to reach third base and struck out six. Sale also recorded his 2,700th punchout. Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, Mauricio Dubon and Jim Jarvis also pitched in with two hits apiece.

Rangers starter Cal Quantrill (3-2) was roughed up for six runs on 11 hits, both season highs, in four innings. His ERA spiked from 3.11 to 3.93 due to the rough outing. Right-hander Emiliano Teodo followed with 1 2/3 innings and allowed two runs in his major league debut.

White Sox 12, Blue Jays 4

Braden Montgomery had four RBIs and Colson Montgomery added three RBIs as visiting Chicago throttled Toronto.

Sam Antonacci hit a two-run home run for the White Sox, who saw starter Anthony Kay allow two runs and two hits over four innings. Reliever Tyler Schweitzer (1-0) allowed one infield hit and a walk over the final three innings to earn his first major league win.

Luis Urias, George Springer and Brandon Valenzuela hit solo shots for the Blue Jays, who have lost all four games against the White Sox this season. Spencer Miles (4-2) was tagged for six runs on six hits in four-plus innings.

Orioles 3, Astros 2

Taylor Ward hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning to lift Baltimore to a road victory against Houston.

The Orioles extended their season-best winning streak to five games. They had barely mustered any offense until Adley Rutschman led off the eighth with a double and Ward followed with his seventh homer of the season. Baltimore collected five hits and four walks while striking out 13 times.

Astros starter Peter Lambert struck out 10 batters in six innings but his efforts weren’t enough. Lambert was charged with one run on three hits. Yordan Alvarez drove in a run and Jeremy Pena scored both runs for the Astros.

Giants 7, Mariners 0

Willy Adames hit a grand slam and Landen Roupp pitched seven innings of two-hit ball as San Francisco returned from the All-Star break with a shutout victory against host Seattle.

Bryce Eldridge added a two-run shot for the Giants, who won their third game in a row to tie their season-long winning streak. Roupp (7-8) allowed only a two-out single to Josh Naylor in the fourth inning and a leadoff single to Luke Raley in the fifth.

Mariners starter Bryce Miller (4-4) gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings.

Twins 5, Cubs 2

Ryan Jeffers belted a go-ahead three-run home run in the third inning and Minnesota held on for a win over host Chicago.

Trevor Larnach and Ryan Kreidler also drove in one run apiece for the Twins, who have won three games in a row after entering the All-Star break with back-to-back victories. Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (7-3) allowed two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Seiya Suzuki went 1-for-3 with a double and a run for Chicago. Michael Busch notched the lone RBI for the Cubs. Colin Rea (7-6) gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits in six innings.

Brewers 2, Marlins 1 (10 innings)

Garrett Mitchell grounded an RBI single up the middle with two outs to score Jackson Chourio from second base, giving Milwaukee an extra-inning win over visiting Miami in the opener of the three-game series.

Joey Ortiz homered and singled for the Brewers, who had lost their last three games before the All-Star break. Logan Henderson was trying to win his fourth straight start, but did not earn a decision after allowing one run and three hits over five innings. Craig Yoho (1-0) recorded his first major league win with a scoreless 10th.

Griffin Conine homered and Otto Lopez had two hits for the Marlins, who had also lost their last three games before the break. Sandy Alcantara limited the Brewers to one run and three hits in six innings, and Lake Bachar (1-1) took the loss.

Reds 7, Rockies 2

Spencer Steer hit a two-run homer and an inside-the-park solo home run, Brady Singer tossed seven strong innings and Cincinnati opened a three-game series against Colorado with a win in Denver.

Elly De La Cruz went 4-for-5 with a solo homer and Eugenio Suarez homered in his third straight game for the Reds, who have won 17 of their last 20 against the Rockies, including seven straight at Coors Field. Singer (4-9) allowed two runs on four hits.

Willi Castro homered among his two hits for the National League-worst Rockies (39-60), who have lost five of their last six. Gabriel Hughes (1-0) yielded two runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings before his replacement, Jimmy Herget, allowed homers to the first two batters he faced in Cincinnati’s three-run sixth.

Cardinals 5, Diamondbacks 4

Ivan Herrera delivered the game-winning RBI on a ninth-inning sacrifice fly to lift St. Louis to a win against Arizona in Phoenix.

After their 2-0 first-inning lead was erased, JJ Wetherholt put the Cardinals ahead 3-2 in the fifth inning on a solo homer. Masyn Winn added an eighth-inning sac fly to make it 4-2 St. Louis. Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy allowed two runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings.

The Diamondbacks tied the game on a two-run homer off the right field foul pole from Corbin Carroll in the bottom of the eighth. Arizona starter Merrill Kelly gave up three runs (one earned) on four hits in five innings for the Diamondbacks, who had their four-game winning streak snapped. Tim Tawa also homered for Arizona.

Tigers 2, Angels 1

Hao-Yu Lee lined a two-run double into the gap in right-center with two outs in the top of the ninth as Detroit rallied for a victory over Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.

Matt Vierling had two hits and a stolen base and Riley Greene and Ben Malgeri each doubled for the Tigers, who snapped a two-game losing streak and won for the 10th time in the last 13 games.

Zach Neto had two hits and scored a run and Mike Trout had a double for the Angels, who lost their third straight game and fell to 2-11 in the last 13 games. Reid Detmers was denied his first win since June 16 at Arizona after allowing four hits over six shutout innings.

–Field Level Media

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OpTic, FaZe advance to winners final of CDL Championship

YMCA member Austin Manengu works the keyboard as he plays a game of Fortnite during the unveiling of the new gaming lab at the Maplewood Family YMCA in Rochester Thursday, June 20, 2024. YMCA of Greater Rochester in partnership with Metro Sports & Entertainment Group will open two gaming labs for youth and teens this year.YMCA member Austin Manengu works the keyboard as he plays a game of Fortnite during the unveiling of the new gaming lab at the Maplewood Family YMCA in Rochester Thursday, June 20, 2024. YMCA of Greater Rochester in partnership with Metro Sports & Entertainment Group will open two gaming labs for youth and teens this year.

OpTic Texas and FaZe Vegas advanced into the winner’s final while Toronto KOI and the Los Angeles Thieves were the first teams eliminated in the second day of competition at the 2026 Call of Duty League Championship in Las Vegas on Friday.

This is the final event and the world championship of the Black Ops 7 competitive season.

Eight of 12 teams qualified for the CDL Championship in the regular season from Dec. 5, 2025 to June 28, led by first-place OpTic Texas (40-12, +69).

The format is a double-elimination bracket, with all matches best-of-five except for Sunday’s grand final, which is best-of-nine. There is a $2 million prize pool, with the winning team taking home $800,000.

In the matchups of teams who won their opening matches on Thursday, FaZe Vegas swept the Riyadh Falcons 3-0 and OpTic Texas beat the Paris Gentle Mates 3-1.

FaZe completed its sweep with a 250-192 Scar Hardpoint win, a 6-5 Sake Search and Destroy victory and a 5-3 Scar Overload clinching win. Chris “Simp” Lehr of FaZe led all players with 75 kills and a plus-17 kill-death differential in the runaway victory.

OpTic and Paris split the first two games of their match, with OpTic winning 250-183 on Scar Hardpoint before the Gentle Mates responded with a 6-4 Den Search and Destroy triumph. OpTic put the match away from there, though, pulling out a 5-4 Scar Overload win followed by a 250-127 Colossus Hardpoint clincher. Cuyler “Huke” Garland led OpTic with 90 kills and a plus-24 K-D differential.

In Friday’s elimination matches, the Miami Heretics ousted the Toronto KOI with a 3-2 win while G2 Minnesota outlasted the Los Angeles Thieves 3-2.

Toronto opened a 2-1 lead with a 6-3 Gridlock Search and Destroy win followed by a 6-0 Den Overload shutout after Miami won the opening game 250-167 on Colossus Hardpoint. Miami rallied from 2-1 behind a 250-210 Gridlock Hardpoint triumph followed by a 6-4 Den Search and Destroy win in the winner-take-all fifth game. Adrian “MettalZ” Serrano of Spain had a match-high 109 kills for Miami, finishing as the only member of the team with a positive K-D differential (plus-14).

Minnesota pulled off an even more impressive comeback against Los Angeles. After the Thieves jumped ahead 2-0 on a 250-249 Sake Hardpoint nail-biter and a 6-2 Gridlock Search and Destroy triumph, Minnesota rallied with a 6-1 Den Overload win, a 250-149 Hacienda Hardpoint victory and a 6-4 Sake Search and Destroy win in the final game. All four Minnesota players had a K-D differential of minus-one or better, but Kyle “Kremp” Haworth led the charge with 109 kills and a plus-20 K-D.

The stage will be set for Sunday’s grand final on Saturday with five more matches which will lock in the finalists.

Saturday’s schedule:

Elimination Round 2

Riyadh Falcons vs. Miami Heretics

Paris Gentle Mates vs. G2 Minnesota

Winners Final

OpTic Texas vs. FaZe Vegas

Elimination Round 3

Elimination round 2 winners face off

Elimination finals

Elimination Round 3 winner vs. Winners final loser

Call of Duty League Championship prize pool

1. $800,000, TBD

2. $480,000, TBD

3. $320,000, TBD

4. $160,000, TBD

5-6. $80,000, TBD

7-8. $40,000, Los Angeles Thieves, Toronto KOI

–Field Level Media

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Twins focusing on results, not trade deadline amidst success vs. Cubs

May 17, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins designated hitter Ryan Jeffers (27) celebrates his solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fifth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn ImagesMay 17, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins designated hitter Ryan Jeffers (27) celebrates his solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fifth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Ryan Jeffers knows he cannot control the trade rumors swirling around him.

Jeffers also knows he can control his approach at the plate. Lately, the sound of his bat smacking against the ball has seemed at least as loud as any trade speculation.

Jeffers and the Minnesota Twins will try to keep up their recent success when they face off against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The Twins will go for their fourth straight win after taking Friday’s series opener 5-2.

In the win, Jeffers clubbed a three-run homer. His successful return from the injured list after missing time with a broken hamate bone in his left hand has reignited discussions that the Twins could move him before the trade deadline.

Jeffers will be a free agent this offseason, and the Twins are deep at catcher.

“I’m really happy,” Jeffers said. “I feel like I picked up not missing a beat from where I was early in the year. It’s always in the back of your head when you go down with an injury when you’re playing well: Are you able to find that quickly? I felt like I found it pretty quickly on my rehab assignment.”

The Cubs will try to bounce back after losing their first game after the All-Star break. Chicago won 20 of 28 games heading into the break and wants to regain its winning ways as it eyes a possible postseason run 10 years after its last World Series title.

Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson should be good to stay in the lineup after avoiding serious injury Friday. Swanson covered second base and waited to catch a throw, but the ball deflected off a Twins baserunner and hit Swanson squarely in the face.

The Cubs’ medical staff attended to Swanson, who eventually got back to his feet and stayed in the game.

“He’s not a dramatic person at all, so I know when he’s going down, there’s something going on,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “Obviously, a baseball to the face never feels good. He’s a tough guy, but that still doesn’t feel good.”

Twins right-hander Taj Bradley (9-3, 3.59 ERA) will make his 19th start of the season. He ranks second on the team with 118 strikeouts in 102 2/3 innings this season.

This will be Bradley’s third career start against the Cubs. He has been terrific in his first two appearances, limiting Chicago to three unearned runs on six hits in 12 2/3 innings.

Despite boasting a 0.00 ERA against the Cubs, Bradley is 1-1 in those two outings because of the unearned runs.

The Cubs will counter with veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd (5-1, 4.50), who will make his 10th start of 2026.

Boyd will try to earn a victory for the fourth start in a row. Before the All-Star break, he reeled off wins against the San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds.

In 24 career starts against the Twins, Boyd is 9-8 with a 4.67 ERA. He has 43 walks and 139 strikeouts in 135 innings.

–Field Level Media

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