SMU coach Rhett Lashlee took a moment while preparing his team for the College Football Playoff to address the ever-growing concern over the open transfer portal window.

College football’s conference shakeup left concerns about two super conferences dominating the playoff field.

The College Football Playoff committee took wins over strength of schedule, taking SMU over Alabama for the final at-large spot in the field.

SMU captured the last open spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, bumping Alabama to land in a bracket that placed undefeated Oregon at No. 1.

Cade Klubnik threw for 262 yards and four touchdowns, Nolan Hauser kicked 56-yard field goal as time expired and the No. 18 Clemson beat No. 8 SMU 34-31 on Saturday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff and position itself for a first-round bye.

Athletic directors at Iowa State and SMU are in a turf war over the latest College Football Playoff rankings, leading to a “stay off my lawn” moment on social media.

SMU clinches spot in ACC title game, beats Virginia 33-7

Kevin Jennings threw for a career-high 323 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another, and No. 13 SMU clinched a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game by routing Virginia 33-7.

The Atlantic Coast Conference finds itself fighting for respect from the College Football Playoff selection committee.

The ACC will be represented in the College Football Playoff, just maybe not by the usual suspects.

This move from a Group of Five conference to the Power Four is working out better than all right for SMU.

Kevin Jennings passed for a career-high 281 yards, Isaiah Nwokobia intercepted an end-zone pass with 2:23 left to seal it, and SMU overcame blowing a double-digit lead to beat No. 22 Louisville 34-27.

Highlanders remain undefeated after a 6-0 victory over Carroll County.

Bulldogs claim first state title in school history.

Kevin Jennings threw a touchdown pass and accounted for 266 yards from scrimmage in his first career start, Collin Rogers kicked four second-half field goals and No. 25 SMU beat No. 17 Tulane 26-14 on Saturday in the American Athletic Conference championship game.

Eastern Montgomery won their third straight Class 1 State title, and the All-State first team is dominated by Mustangs.

The Mustangs soccer standout will take her talents to Shenandoah University.

Ryan Coe kicked a school-record five field goals, including a season-long 52-yarder, and No. 21 Cincinnati held on for a 29-27 win over SMU.

Area squads are littered with coach and player of the year honors.

Desmond Ridder threw three touchdown passes, ran for another score and even caught a TD pass to help No. 3 Cincinnati roll past SMU 48-14 on Saturday.

Eastern Montgomery couldn’t defend its home turf against Parry McCluer in Week 11 of high school football.

East Mont rolled to a 34-8 victory over Bland County

The Mustangs fell behind 5-2 before rallying for a 10-5 victory.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, right, passes the ball over Charlotte Hornets center Bismack Biyombo, second from right, as Hornets forward P.J. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The Charlotte Hornets are getting set to welcome fans for home games. The Hornets’ reopening plan has been approved by state and county authorities and allows the team to host fans at 15% capacity, approximately 3,000 per game. “We are excited about the opportunity to welcome more fans to our outdoor venues,” the university said in a written statement. AdTuesday night’s game will be the first game with fans in attendance at PPG Paints Arena since last March.

The school said it brought the capacity in line with what’s being allowed for Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals games. 17 Ohio State women’s basketball team canceled Saturday’s game against Iowa because of a spike in positive COVID-19 tests in the Buckeyes program. The Beach didn’t open its season until Dec. 4 and six of its seven games scheduled this month are road games. This will be the third straight game canceled. USC postponed its Pac-12 opener at home against Stanford over the weekend when it first reported the positive COVID-19 test.

Tulsa celebrates after linebacker Zaven Collins (23) made a winning interception against SMU during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Tulsa, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020. 25 Tulsa is ranked in The Associated Press college football poll for the first time in 10 years and No. 9 Indiana is set to play the first top-10 matchup in program history. Tulsa moved into the rankings after beating American Athletic Conference rival SMU, knocking the Mustangs from the Top 25. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25