The former Ohio State linebacker signed with the Wildcats on Friday after entering the transfer portal earlier this month, according to multiple reports.

Ohio State transfer linebacker Gabe Powers has signed with Kansas State, @On3sports has learned.

Former top-150 recruit had an interception return for a touchdown in 2024.https://t.co/VxSGJETKD9 pic.twitter.com/D0h2lGOt4f

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) December 21, 2024

Advertisement

Powers brings two years of eligibility to Kansas State after three seasons at Ohio State. Powers played only sparingly in his three years as a Buckeye, though he returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of Ohio State’s season-opening win over Akron this season.

What a play by Gabe Powers for the @OhioStateFB touchdown. pic.twitter.com/3JsVeITD0R

— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) August 31, 2024

Had Powers stayed at Ohio State, he likely would have remained a backup linebacker next season, assuming Sonny Styles stays at OSU for his senior year. Arvell Reese is in line to replace Cody Simon as the Buckeyes’ starting middle linebacker while Payton Pierce and C.J. Hicks – if he doesn’t make a full-time move to the edge – are also candidates for increased playing time at linebacker in 2025.

Powers, who opted not to remain with the Buckeyes for the CFP, chose Kansas State after also visiting Minnesota, North Carolina and Wisconsin. He becomes the second Buckeye since the end of the regular season to transfer to a new school, joining wide receiver Jayden Ballard, who committed to Wisconsin earlier this week.

The College Football Playoff for the 2024 season finally has arrived, with four first-round games set to unfold this weekend at campus sites.

• WATCH: Stream most of this week’s top college football games live for FREE with Fubo (free trial) or with DirecTV Stream (free trial).

It starts Friday night, with No. 7 Notre Dame playing host to No. 10 Indiana. Then on Saturday, 11th-seeded SMU visits No. 6 Penn State, followed by No. 5 Texas vs. No. 12 Clemson and No. 8 Ohio State playing host to No. 9 Tennessee.

All four winners will advance to the CFP quarterfinals, which are set for Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 at bowl sites around the country. The Ohio State-Tennessee winner will face No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl; the Texas-Clemson winner will play No. 4 Arizona State in the Peach Bowl; the Penn State-SMU winner will take on No. 3 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl; and the Notre Dame-Indiana winner will go up against No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

Check out the odds for the four first-round playoff games, plus score predictions from the college football coverage team at The Oregonian/OregonLive.

No. 10 Indiana (11-1) at No. 7 Notre Dame (11-1)

Game details: 5 p.m. PT Friday at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana

TV channel and live stream: ABC/ESPN and Watch ESPN

Latest line: Notre Dame by 7

Over/under: 50.5

Predictions

Ryan Clarke: Notre Dame 27, Indiana 17

James Crepea: Notre Dame 35, Indiana 21

Nick Daschel: Notre Dame 30, Indiana 23

Aaron Fentress: Notre Dame 29, Indiana 23

Joe Freeman: Notre Dame 30, Indiana 21

Sean Meagher: Notre Dame 38, Indiana 35

Joel Odom: Notre Dame 34, Indiana 24

Bill Oram: Notre Dame 31, Indiana 17

No. 11 SMU (11-2) at No. 6 Penn State (11-2)

Game details: 9 a.m. PT Saturday at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania

TV channel and live stream: TNT and Max

Latest line: Penn State by 9

Over/under: 52.5

Predictions

Ryan Clarke: Penn State 31, SMU 10

James Crepea: Penn State 28, SMU 21

Nick Daschel: Penn State 34, SMU 24

Aaron Fentress: Penn State 33, SMU 22

Joe Freeman: Penn State 28, SMU 17

Sean Meagher: Penn State 35, SMU 21

Joel Odom: Penn State 41, SMU 27

Bill Oram: Penn State 35, SMU 33

No. 12 Clemson (10-3) at No. 5 Texas (11-2)

Game details: 1 p.m. PT Saturday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin

TV channel and live stream: TNT and Max

Latest line: Texas by 12

Over/under: 50.5

Predictions

Ryan Clarke: Texas 23, Clemson 20

James Crepea: Texas 35, Clemson 24

Nick Daschel: Texas 27, Clemson 17

Aaron Fentress: Texas 39, Clemson 24

Joe Freeman: Texas 35, Clemson 20

Sean Meagher: Texas 24, Clemson 17

Joel Odom: Texas 35, Clemson 30

Bill Oram: Texas 55, Clemson 10

No. 9 Tennessee (10-2) at No. 8 Ohio State (10-2)

Game details: 5 p.m. PT Saturday at Ohio Stadium in Columbus

TV channel and live stream: ABC/ESPN and Watch ESPN

Latest line: Ohio State by 7

Over/under: 46.5

Predictions

Ryan Clarke: Tennessee 34, Ohio State 28

James Crepea: Ohio State 35, Tennessee 28

Nick Daschel: Ohio State 35, Tennessee 31

Aaron Fentress: Ohio State 31, Tennessee 23

Joe Freeman: Ohio State 28, Tennessee 24

Sean Meagher: Tennessee 33, Ohio State 31

Joel Odom: Ohio State 27, Tennessee 20

Bill Oram: Tennessee 24, Ohio State 14

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks and Ohio Bobcats, two conference champion programs who just bid farewell to their head coaches, will clash at the 2024 StaffDNA Cure Bowl on Friday, December 20 (12/20/2024) at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

Ohio vs. Jacksonville State will air nationwide on ESPN, and can be streamed live on fuboTV (free trial).

Here’s what you need to know:

What: StaffDNA Cure Bowl

Who: Ohio vs. Jacksonville State

When: Friday, December 20, 2024

Where: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida

Time: 12 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN, ESPN Deportes

Channel finder: DirecTV, Verizon Fios, Cox, Xfinity, Spectrum, Optimum

Live stream: fuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial), Sling (half off first month), Hulu + Live TV

READ MORE: College football bowl season 2024-25: Full schedule, dates, kick times, TV channel, matchups

Here’s a recent college football story via The AP:

Rich Rodriguez left West Virginia 17 years ago in part because he was frustrated over the school’s refusal to give him more money for his assistant coaches.

He’ll have plenty for them this time around.

Under his memorandum of understanding signed Dec. 11 and obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request, Rodriguez signed a five-year agreement and will be paid $3.5 million in his first season. That figure increases $100,000 in each subsequent season. His predecessor, Neal Brown earned $4 million this season before being fired on Dec. 1.

Rodriguez also will have a $5 million pool annually for his on-field assistant coaches along with $2.5 million for his football support staff, according to the agreement.

The 61-year-old Rodriguez was introduced Friday for his second stint in Morgantown. He went 60-26 at West Virginia from 2001 to 2007.

The Mountaineers went 6-6 this season under Brown and will meet No. 25 Memphis in the Frisco Bowl on Tuesday night.

After he left for Michigan in December 2007, Rodriguez has said promises made by a previous administration at West Virginia were not kept and his request for more money for his assistant coaches was rejected. Rodriguez said his relationship with then-athletic director Ed Pastilong had disintegrated by August 2007 to the point that the two men barely spoke.

In December 2006, Rodriguez considered and then turned down a six-year, $12-million offer to coach at Alabama — a job later taken by Nick Saban. Rodriguez then was given a $100,000 supplemental payment for his assistant coaches at West Virginia. He said later that, prior to leaving for Michigan, he was denied another request for an additional $50,000 for the assistant coaches pool.

Rodriguez spent three seasons at Michigan and six at Arizona before being fired from each head coaching job. He spent the last three seasons as head coach at Jacksonville State, which won the Conference USA championship game over Western Kentucky earlier this month.

Under his agreement, West Virginia will pay Rodriguez’s $1.25 million buyout to Jacksonville State. He’ll be required to pay 25% of his total compensation over the life of the agreement if he leaves before the contract expires, and Rodriguez will receive 50% of his remaining total compensation if he’s fired.

What is fuboTV?

FuboTV is a live TV streaming service focused on live sports, including U.S. and international soccer, the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and more. It also includes its own fubo Sports Networks with exclusive programming, and 35 regional sports networks such Bally Sports and YES Network. fuboTV carries 55,000 live sporting events annually, and offers 202 channels starting at $79.99, includes unlimited DVR, and streams on most devices. Right now you can sign up for fuboTV and get your first month for just $44.99 after a 1-week free trial.