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Fox News Digital Sports' college football winners and losers: Conference championship weekend

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Fox News Digital Sports' college football winners and losers: Conference championship weekend

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The 12-team College Football Playoff bracket was officially revealed on Sunday as the season begins to wind down with the bell ringing in the fight for the national championship.

Conference championship weekend proved out whether teams belong in the playoffs. Clemson surprised SMU with a win in the ACC Championship, which ended up keeping Alabama out of the field. Georgia stunned Texas to win the SEC Championship, earning the Bulldogs a bye into the quarterfinals.

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Boise State also earned a bye into the quarterfinals behind another Heisman Trophy-worthy performance from running back Ashton Jeanty.

So, with the meat of the season finished, who were the winners and losers from the weekend this time? Read below to find out.

Winners

Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers speaks to his team during the first half of the ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 7, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (David Jensen/Getty Images)

Clemson: After losing to South Carolina in the regular-season finale, the Tigers needed to beat SMU to clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff. After giving up a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, Clemson nailed a 56-yard field goal to win the ACC championship. After all the talk of Dabo Swinney not making another CFP run in the near future, he now has his team playing for a national championship. A wild end to the season for Clemson, and they needed a monster FG to finish it off. 

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SMU: A close loss may never feel so good for SMU as it did as their ferocious comeback in the ACC title game made the case for their spot in the College Football Playoff. Now they get a matchup against a Penn State team with a small bump in momentum and a dream.

Oregon: What an introduction to the Big Ten for Oregon. In year 1 in the conference, the Ducks ran a dominate campaign, culminating with a convincing yet competitive victory over conference staple Penn State.

Ashton Jeanty: Did the Boise State running back solidify the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night in the Broncos’ Mountain West Conference victory? The winner will be announced later this week, and Jeanty or Colorado’s Travis Hunter are expected to be the frontrunners to win the prestigious award. Jeanty, though, had his sixth 200-yard rushing game with 209 on 32 carries with one touchdown in the 21-7 win over UNLV. Jeanty finished the regular season with 2,497 yards on 344 carries (7.3 per carry) in one of the most impressive seasons for a running back in college football history.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty pushes away from the arms of UNLV defensive lineman Tatuo Martinson on a run in the first half of the Mountain West Championship NCAA college football game, Dec. 6, 2024, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Steve Conner)

Cam Skattebo: Never doubt the Arizona State running back’s confidence after he helped lead the Sun Devils to a Big 12 title on Saturday night. Skattebo had 170 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns in ASU’s beatdown of the Cyclones, which capped an impressive season for him. He had 1,398 rushing yards with 19 rushing touchdowns during the regular season, and there will be a national title to fight for as the Sun Devils get a bye as the No. 4 seed.

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Timothée Chalamet: College football fans were not pleased with ESPN’s decision to host Hollywood A-list actor Timothée Chalamet as the special guest picker on “College GameDay” for conference championship weekend. But the “Dune” actor left those same fans speechless with his seemingly expert analysis, leaving even his co-hosts for the day in awe. For what it’s worth, he was the only one to predict Ohio’s 38–3 rout over Miami-Ohio.

Losers

Alabama: The College Football Playoff committee decided that wins outweighed strength of schedule when giving SMU a spot in the playoffs over Alabama on Sunday. The Mustangs lost to Clemson on the final play of the ACC championship game, but the Crimson Tide’s losses to ​​Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma proved to be too costly. Penn State is set to host the Mustangs in the first round.

Texas: Look, I know that Quinn Ewers passed for over 350 yards against Georgia in the SEC title game, but those two interceptions were brutal. The biggest win of the regular season came against Texas A&M, and while their defense is good enough to help lead this team to a playoff win, the offense is also hit-and-miss. Even when Carson Beck was injured before halftime, the Longhorns could not take advantage of a wounded Dawgs team. It’s going to be fascinating to see if Steve Sarkisian gets Arch Manning more involved when the playoff begins.

Iowa State: Just when you thought Matt Campbell could lead this Iowa State team to a Big 12 title and get over the hump, they ran into Arizona State in the championship game. Not only that, the defense was abysmal, losing by 26 points in a game that was over by the third quarter. They had a shot at the playoff but will now be bowling somewhere, most likely in warm weather, but obviously not for a national championship. A missed opportunity for the Cyclones.

UNLV: UNLV was heavy underdogs against Boise State in the Mountain West championship. It appeared UNLV went through the motions of a Boise State blowout for much of the first half, then took an opening to make the score a bit more cosmetic when Boise State took its foot off the gas.

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Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck (Dale Zanine-Imagn Images/File)

Carson Beck’s draft stock: Would the Bulldogs have won the SEC Championship over Texas with Beck quarterbacking in the second half? Beck was hurt on the final play of the first half, which was supposed to be a Hail Mary, but his arm was hit while attempting to make the throw, and he went down in immediate pain. Then, his backup, Gunner Stockton, sent a jolt of life into the Bulldogs’ offense, which eventually scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime to seal the victory. Beck was 7-of-13 for 56 yards, though he does have time to rest up to be ready for the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff, where Georgia is the No. 2 seed.

The Fox News Digital Sports college football winners and losers were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the OutKick.com staff.

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Chiefs and Browns make first trade of 2026 draft and both eventually fill needs

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Chiefs and Browns make first trade of 2026 draft and both eventually fill needs

The Cleveland Browns, rumored to be willing to trade down from their No. 6 overall selection in the 2026 NFL draft, did just that Thursday evening when the traded the pick to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cleveland traded the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to the Chiefs, in exchange for the ninth overall pick, as well as pick No. 74 in the third round and No. 148 in the fifth round.

The Browns now hold the No. 9 and No. 24 picks in the first round of the draft. They have a total of 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns watch from the sidelines during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)

So the Chiefs gave up three picks in making the first trade of the first round.

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And we know what the fan bases of both clubs were thinking prior to the selection:

Chiefs fans were thinking we know something they don’t. And then the Chiefs selected cornerback Mansoor Delane from LSU — a move no doubt forced by the club’s trade of Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the offseason.

So, the Chiefs fill a major need, assuming Delane is indeed the quality corner they believe.

LSU Tigers CB Mansoor Delane celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina. (Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network)

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ESPN’s Mel Kiper didn’t like the pick, by the way. He had Delane as the 14th best player in the draft.

“It was a necessity,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former NFL defensive back, responded.

Browns fans weren’t thinking that way.

BROWNS MAKE STUNNING KENNY PICKETT TRADE TO RAIDERS AS BACKUP QUARTERBACK ROLE REMAINS WIDE OPEN

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They were probably thinking something akin to “We screwed up.”

This is understandable because they’re Browns fans and this could have been the Browns Browning.

Well, the Browns, moving down three slots, gave up a shot to draft linebacker Sonny Styles of Ohio State to the Washington Commanders, receiver Jordyn Tyson to the New Orleans Saints and then the Browns got their chance with the newly acquired No. 9 pick:

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

Offensive tackle Spencer Fano of Utah.

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Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., on Feb. 24, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

Fano is good. And he makes the Browns offensive line instantly better because he’s going to likely start at left tackle for them.

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So what will Browns fans think of this pick?

They’ll probably wonder why the Browns didn’t pick Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, who went with the No. 10 pick to the New York Giants and promised “to die for” Jaxson Dart if necessary. They’ll wonder this because Browns fans expect the worst.

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Defending champion UCLA women’s basketball lands top transfer, continues roster overhaul

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Defending champion UCLA women’s basketball lands top transfer, continues roster overhaul

UCLA women’s basketball team has added some star power as its revamped roster begins to take shape.

Former Iowa State forward Addy Brown announced Thursday she is committing to UCLA, giving the Bruins one of the top players in the portal.

Brown averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the floor and 33.8% from three-point distance with the Cyclones last season. She played just 21 games due to injury, but she is one of the better two-way players in the nation on the transfer market.

The 6-foot-2 forward co-starred with Audi Crooks for Iowa State the past few seasons and was a part of the mass exodus from the Cyclones’ program.

The Bruins reeled in former North Carolina junior guard Elina Aarnisalo and former Texas Christian senior guard Donovyn Hunter a few weeks ago, adding two more experienced players to the depleted starting lineup after a record six UCLA players were selected in the WNBA draft.

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UCLA also signed Arkansas sophomore guard Bonnie Deas earlier this month. She is likely to start at point guard for the Bruins and is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation.

Along with returner Timea Gardiner, the Bruins are starting to form somewhat of a core to defend their national championship. Gardiner was a starter during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run, but missed all of this past season with injury and has one season of eligibility left.

A lineup with Deas and Aarnisalo in the backcourt, Hunter at the three and Gardiner or Brown at the four and adding another big or Sienna Betts at the five would be a competitive lineup in the Big Ten.

Before going to TCU, Hunter played two seasons at Oregon State where she earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honorable mention and All-Pac-12 Freshman team honors. This past season with a Horned Frogs team that went to the Sweet 16, she was third in scoring with 10.2 points per game and averaged 3.2 rebounds per contest. She also shot 45.7% from the field and was 33.7% from beyond the arc.

Aarnisalo played her freshman year in Westwood after she originally committed to UCLA in 2025. Due to injuries from point guard Kiki Rice at the start of the 2024-25 season, she was forced into action early her freshman season and finished the year averaging 5.1 points per game.

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The Helsinki, Finland, native averaged 10.2 points per game for the Tar Heels as a sophomore last season while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.3% from the arc. The Bruins will desperately need to replace the three-point production lost with the departure of Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker.

UCLA coach Cori Close said she wanted to sign five players from the portal. She probably needs one more guard and a little more forward depth coming off the bench following the departures of Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic.

Lena Bilic and Amanda Muse are returners coming off the bench who got a little bit of playing time in the tournament and should have much larger roles, but they are still relatively unproven in late-game situations. They will get a chance to develop as backups with some more Power Four experienced starters now in the fold.

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WWE to hold premium live event in Saudi Arabia amid Iran ceasefire

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WWE to hold premium live event in Saudi Arabia amid Iran ceasefire

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Saudi Arabia was among the countries seeing missiles fly into their airspace as a conflict broke out in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran.

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The prospect of Iran targeting its Middle Eastern neighbors like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates put some sporting events on hold and questioned others. Formula 1 races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were canceled and rumors swirled around whether future WWE events could be held in the kingdom.

Roman Reigns celebrates his win during WWE’s Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 31, 2026. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)

As the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire with Iran, WWE announced on Thursday that its Night of Champions premium live event will be held in Riyadh on June 27.

“We are proud to welcome Night of Champions back to Riyadh and look forward to delivering another unforgettable night of WWE action for fans in the Kingdom and around the world,” General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Al-Sheikh said in a news release.

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Sami Zayn makes his entrance during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)

The release touted that WrestleMania 43 will still be held in Riyadh in 2027. It will be the first time that WrestleMania is held outside the U.S.

WWE president Nick Khan was adamant before WrestleMania 42 that the event will still take place in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

“We’re doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi,” he said at a Sports Business Journal event, via The Sporting Tribune. “First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. And we’ve had a big, fruitful partnership with them.”

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John Cena wrestles CM Punk during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)

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He added that those complaining about WrestleMania being held in Saudi Arabia were a “vocal minority.”

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