Matt Youmans columns

When the Chicago Bears are at their best — and their worst has been on display for several years — defense is their identity. So Khalil Mack...

With an unusually young team, Mike Brey set up a soft nonconference schedule for Notre Dame. The three toughest opponents — Oklahoma, UCLA and Purdue...

Sexy offenses sell, and so do scandals. Pat Fitzgerald coaches a football team that looks slow in purple and wins with defense, and he runs a program...

A week after he threw a bizarre goal-line interception in a costly loss, Ben Roethlisberger needs to make amends and the Pittsburgh Steelers need a bounce-back...

Computers spit out numbers as the cold truth, with no emotion and no consideration for Aaron Rodgers’ history of late-season rallies. The Packers’...

This is not the time to R-E-L-A-X, as Aaron Rodgers once said. This is the time to rally, as Rodgers has done in the past. With the Green Bay Packers...

Upsets always make the biggest headlines. It’s rivalry week in college football, and the biggest upset so far was Phil Mickelson taking down Tiger...

Without a doubt, quarterback Derek Carr will give an honest effort in an attempt to win Sunday. Carr is not a quitter. But in this case, it’s best...

At the tail end of a lost season, UCLA coach Chip Kelly could put a positive spin on the future with a rivalry win. A loss for USC could mean the end...

When a new coach is in place and the roster is stocked with more draft picks, Cleveland will start to see results in the win column. But at least the...

It’s probably a stretch to put Dabo Swinney on upset alert. At this point, it’s an upset if Clemson fails to cover a big spread or hang 50...

1. Kentucky — John Calipari typically downplays expectations this time of year, but he’s talking up this team and that’s a sign of...