PAT NARDUZZI

Several NFL players and teams sent prayers for Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who is in critical condition following a hit during Monday night's game.

The Panthers will face the UCLA Bruins in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, on Friday. The players were waiting in line to rent a car and planning to drive the nine hours from Dallas to El Paso. Golding told the players that he would rent a car large enough for everyone and then give them a ride to El Paso. They start talking about playing in the Sun Bowl and having to get to El Paso and there weren’t any cars left,” Golding told KTSM. “He definitely seemed like a responsible and trustworthy person,” Okunlola told KTSM.

Previously, Carolina coach Mack Brown said schools he refused to name had offered Maye “a whole lot of money” to transfer. Soon, social media was full of speculation of a $4 million offer, then a $5 million offer. Maye soon dismissed the story to ESPN and acted bewildered why Narduzzi would weigh in at all. Are there some players who transfer or pick a program due to an offer of more money (usually a moderate amount)? Even Pitt is adding a transfer quarterback for the second consecutive year.

No, North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye wasn’t offered a $5 million NIL deal to transfer away from the Tar Heels. Maye shut down those rumors, one of which was pushed by Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi, on Thursday. Maye was the target of several transfer rumors after his breakout season this fall. One such rumor claimed that Maye was offered a significant amount of money from other schools in NIL deals, though nothing specific was revealed. Narduzzi claimed earlier this week that Maye was offered $5 million by two different schools to transfer, but he wouldn’t say who the schools were.

Pittsburgh got off to as fast a start as a defense can at Virginia.

That gives the ACC a shot in the month of September to strengthen its reputation, in hopes of returning to this year's College Football Playoff while facing uncertainty about its long-term future in a football-driven landscape. “We have to win football games,” said Elko, who left Texas A&M's staff to take over at Duke this fall. It’s a competitive market, it’s a competitive landscape in college football. “Any time coaches have good wins, it’s good to see,” Narduzzi said. ___Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at https://twitter.com/aaronbeardap___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.

The Atlantic Coast Conference gets a chance in September to bolster the perception of the league's strength with multiple matchups against other power conferences.

Pitt and West Virginia renew one of college football's oldest rivalries this week when “The Backyard Brawl” returns.

There are 85 scheduled P5 vs. G5 games this season, five more than last year but still fewer than the 92 played in 2019. The SEC and Big Ten could go from eight to nine conference games when they get their new teams. Middle Tennessee, which has played as many as three SEC teams in the same season, goes to Miami on Sept. 24. The Hurricanes also play at SEC team Texas A&M between home games against G5s Southern Miss and Middle Tennessee before ACC play. The SEC is the only P5 league with all of its teams playing at least one G5 school and a game against a lower-division FCS team.

The realignment in the major conferences could lead to fewer opportunities in the future for Group of Five teams to play those bigger schools.

On a podcast hosted by a Pittsburgh-area car dealership owner (yes, for real), Narduzzi took shots at the Big Ten, Michigan State and Mark Whipple, among others. It all started when Narduzzi was asked about Kenny Pickett not playing in the Peach Bowl vs. Michigan State. Narduzzi said Pickett would have made a “21-point difference” had he played in the game. Narduzzi, who spent eight seasons as MSU's defensive coordinator before taking the Pitt job, then took a shot at the quality of the Big Ten as a whole. In the Wake Forest game Narduzzi referenced, Pickett threw for 253 yards (well below his season average of 332.2 ypg) and two touchdowns.

Not with Nick Patti ready to step in when Pitt (11-2) faces No. Narduzzi officially tabbed Patti as the starter on Wednesday as the Panthers try to win 12 games in a season for just the second time in their 117-year history. “It’s obviously a huge loss for us,” said tight end Lucas Krull, named Wednesday as Pickett's replacement as offensive captain. That means despite being a fixture in the quarterback room for the last four years, there are no guarantees for Patti heading into 2022. “It's a great opportunity for (Patti),” Narduzzi said.

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson says the NCAA needs to review its rules on whether quarterbacks should be allowed to “fake slide” after escaping the pocket.

Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett and Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman entered the season with modest expectations.

For the first time since it began in 2014, the College Football Playoff won't include a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

It seems parity has arrived in the Atlantic Coast Conference, just look no further than the results on scoreboards.

In addition, Wake Forest was picked as the most surprising team so far, with Pittsburgh as runner-up. They returned all but a handful of starters, creating an experienced and deeper roster that generally avoids self-inflicted damage. Maybe so, but Clawson has made the right moves with a team picked to finish fifth in the seven-team Atlantic Division. MOST SURPRISING PLAYERThe surprise with Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong has been just how much he has elevated his game. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25___Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardapCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson and Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett headline The Associated Press' list of midseason football honorees for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Atlantic Coast Conference coaches are counting on high program COVID-19 vaccination rates to minimize risks of illnesses or lineup-depleting contact tracing for the upcoming college football season.

He also knows it’s not that easy when working out against Heisman Trophy candidate Sam Howell, and he makes sure to pull aside frustrated defensive teammates to tell them so. Maybe not, but the challenges likely won’t get much easier on game days either considering the wealth of starting experience returning at quarterback throughout the Atlantic Coast Conference. Besides Howell, Miami star D’Eriq King is back for a sixth college season after suffering a serious knee injury in last year’s bowl game. Coach Mack Brown has already indicated this will likely be the quarterback’s final season before pursuing an NFL career. “I’d like to say I don’t think about it, but I see it, I hear about it all the time," Howell said of Heisman Trophy talk.

North Carolina's Sam Howell is a Heisman Trophy candidate and the headliner of the Atlantic Coast Conference's class of experienced returning quarterbacks.

Players who don’t get vaccinated likely face multiple COVID-19 tests weekly, just like last season. “But, you know, the reality of the matter is we’re football coaches and we’re football players,” Riley said. “What it’s really about is being able to save our season, being able to keep our players safe,” he said. He said the Hurricanes, who open Sept. 4 against Alabama, will be above 85% vaccinated once some players get their second shot. “Whatever opinions we have are fine and dandy, but if you want to have a football team with as least disruption as possible, here’s a way to do it," Diaz said.

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

The Ivy League became the first Division I conference this year to cancel all winter sports, including mens and womens basketball. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)The Ivy League became the first Division I conference this year to cancel all winter sports, including men’s and women’s basketball. That's still well below the peak of about 2,200 deaths per day in late April,The Ivy League has tried to be in front of the virus. The Ivy League announcement affects not just basketball, but wrestling, indoor track and field, swimming, fencing and other sports. Also, Conference USA announced Rice at Louisiana Tech scheduled for Saturday had been postponed because of COVID-19 issues with La Tech.

But he also had a recovery plan and intended to be back in time to face Florida State. Nick Patti had two touchdown runs, Pickett added a 10-yard TD run and the Panthers capitalized on short fields to defeat Florida State 41-17 on Saturday night, snapping a four-game losing streak. Pitt’s defensive pressure coupled with the turnovers forced Florida State coach Mike Norvell to go for it on fourth down, with the Seminoles converting just 1 of 3 chances. Florida State had been averaging 197 yards rushing per game but couldn’t get a ground game going against one of the nation’s top-5 rush defenses. Florida State will play at NC State on Saturday.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Miami avoided the post-Clemson letdown and now can set its sight on remaining in the conference championship picture. “We were disappointed and a little bit angry coming off last week,” Miami coach Manny Diaz said. But Miami regained its double-digit advantage on King’s 45-yard touchdown pass to Mallory. “They make you earn every single thing.”The Hurricanes struck first on King’s 35-yard touchdown pass to Cam’Ron Harris midway through the first quarter. King connected with Mallory on a 6-yard score with 6:44 left in the second quarter for a 14-0 lead.