Twelve players from North Carolina won't play in the 18th-ranked Tar Heels' opener against No. 21 LSU in Atlanta on Saturday amid an ongoing NCAA investigation. The school said Friday that six players -- defensive ends Robert Quinn and Michael McAdoo, cornerbacks Kendric Burney and Charles Brown, receiver Greg Little and suspended defensive tackle Marvin Austin -- were declared ineligible...

Southern California was all smiles, except for coach Lane Kiffin. Matt Barkley and Ronald Johnson had record nights, connecting on three touchdowns to make Kiffin a winner in his Trojans' coaching debut. No. 14 USC beat Hawaii 49-36 on Thursday night to start the post-Pete Carroll era. Barkley had 257 yards passing and tied a school record with five TD passes while Johnson matched a USC mark with...

Utah was wavering between stifling defense and play sloppy enough to blow an 11-point lead before Brian Blechen saved the Utes. The freshman safety intercepted a pass on the first play of overtime, setting up Joe Phillips for a 21-yard field goal that gave the Utes a 27-24 victory against No. 15 Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

Ben Roethlisberger's first big gain of the season may occur weeks before he returns to the field. His six-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy likely will be shortened to four games by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after the two meet in New York on Friday. The meeting will take place about 12 hours after the quarterback played two series in the Steelers'...