College football news is nonstop, and we’re breaking it all down week by week this season.
Here’s the latest on what’s happening around college football entering Week 13:
Baylor sticking with Dave Aranda
The Bears announced that they’re staying the course with their head coach in 2026.
“After careful evaluation and consideration, we have decided to retain Coach Dave Aranda as the leader of our football program,” Baylor president Linda A. Livingstone said in a statement. “We recognize this decision will generate strong opinions. Let me be clear: Baylor expects excellence, accountability and competitiveness at the highest level. We are not complacent, and we are not settling for mediocrity.”
This decision comes in the wake of Baylor Athletic Director Mack Rhoades stepping down. The Bears are 5-5 overall and 3-4 in Big 12 play this season, good for 11th in the conference. In Aranda’s six seasons as Baylor’s head coach (2020-present), the Bears are a combined 36-35, highlighted by winning the Big 12 in 2021 – a season where they finished with a 12-2 record. Baylor has failed to reach a bowl game twice under Aranda (2020 and 2023), and it would be three times if it fails to win one of its last two games this season.
Ohio State possibly without Smith, Tate vs. Rutgers
Ohio State coach Ryan Day did not rule out star receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate for this weekend when the top-ranked Buckeyes play host to Rutgers, but he also did not want to go into specifics on their availability.
“Our policy is we don’t discuss specifics on injuries, and once you start going down a little bit here, a little bit there, you can create a problem,” Day said Tuesday. “So for a number of reasons, we don’t discuss those things. We put out the report the day of the game, but I can tell you they’re in great spirits. The medical staff is working hard. We’ll take it day to day and see how they come in each day, but they’re working hard to get back on the field.”
Tate missed the last two games with an injury that has not been identified. The junior from Chicago is still fifth in the Big Ten with 88.9 receiving yards per game. He was listed as “out” on the pregame availability report Saturday when the Buckeyes (10-0, 7-0) beat UCLA 48-10.
Smith was labeled questionable but ended up starting the game and making an acrobatic, one-handed catch along the sideline on the opening drive. The sophomore caught four passes for 40 yards in the first half and did not play in the second after being seen limping late in the first. Day did not disclose what he is dealing with other than to describe it as “something nagging” Saturday.
Michigan’s Haynes likely out vs. Maryland, OSU
No. 18 Michigan does not expect injured running back Justice Haynes to play this week at Maryland, or next week against top-ranked Ohio State. Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore said Monday that Haynes is probably out for the regular season.
Haynes ran for 857 yards with 7.1 yards per carry and 10 touchdowns in seven games this season. The Alabama transfer has not played since he had 26 carries for 152 yards with two touchdowns on Oct. 25 in a 31-20 win at Michigan State.
He has been on Michigan’s sideline on a scooter, keeping weight off his right foot that was in a protective boot.
Jordan Marshall, the Wolverines’ other standout running back, had 142 yards rushing and two touchdowns before a shoulder injury knocked him out of Saturday’s 24-22 win over Northwestern. Moore said Marshall’s X-rays were negative, adding he’s day to day.
Bryson Kuzdzal, who had 15 carries for 53 yards against the Wildcats, may become the team’s starting running back this week.
Iamaleava day-to-day
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava is day to day while dealing with a concussion that kept him out of the Bruins’ blowout loss at No. 1 Ohio State. There’s a chance Iamaleava could practice Tuesday, but his status depends on how his treatment and testing goes, interim coach Tim Skipper said Monday.
Iamaleava was injured in a loss to Nebraska on Nov. 8 and concussion symptoms later appeared, which ruled him out of playing in the 48-10 loss to the Buckeyes last Saturday.
The highly touted Tennessee transfer was replaced by redshirt sophomore Luke Duncan, who was 16 of 23 for 154 yards and a touchdown. Duncan found out the night before that he would be starting and he received support from Iamaleava.
Outside linebackers Reuben Unije and Garrett DiGiorgio also are day to day.
Auburn QB Daniels sitting on Saturday
Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels will sit out against Mercer on Saturday to preserve a year of eligibility. Interim coach D.J. Durkin said Monday that Jackson Arnold and freshman Deuce Knight will play against the Bears, but he did not name a starter.
Daniels, a senior transfer from Stanford, has suited up three times for the Tigers (4-6, 1-6 Southeastern Conference) this season and can only play in one more game to redshirt and retain another year of eligibility. With Auburn finishing at home against No. 10 Alabama, Durkin opted to keep Daniels off the field until the rivalry known as the Iron Bowl.
“You have a great responsibility as a head coach to do what is best for your football team and your program at all times,” Durkin said. “That’s what you were hired to do. That’s what you need to do. I also feel that you have a great responsibility to the young men that you coach and to their families to do what is best for them.
“Anytime you can thread that needle where those two things align, that’s the best and what makes it work. I think in this case we have that. The best thing for Ashton is to be able to preserve his redshirt year and be able to come back and play another year.”
Carter no longer with Tennessee
Sophomore defensive back Boo Carter is no longer a member of Tennessee’s roster, per ESPN. According to ESPN, Carter was not present for the Volunteers’ win against New Mexico on Saturday.
Carter was told he was not going to play in the game for disciplinary reasons, but was still expected to be in attendance. Coach Josh Heupel, post-game, said, “At the end of the day, there’s a standard you’ve got to meet to be in that locker room, so he was not out on the field with us. That will be my last response to anything related to that for right now.”
The defensive back then announced on social media that he would miss the rest of the season with injury, and that he would enter the transfer portal on Jan. 2.
Carter played in nine games in 2025, with 25 combined tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss and a sack. He also returned 11 punts for an average of 13.2 yards per return.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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