RALPH D. RUSSO

College football writer

Russo has been the national college football writer for The Associated Press for two decades. He is a native New Yorker.

Duquesne players, cheerleaders and team staff pose after an NCAA college basketball game against Virginia Commonwealth in the championship of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament Sunday, March 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie)

Duquesne earns first NCAA Tournament bid in 47 years, beating VCU 57-51 in A-10 championship game

Duquesne earned an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in 47 years, beating fifth-seeded seeded VCU 57-51 to win the Atlantic 10 Tournament championship.

UConn center Donovan Clingan (32) goes to the basket against Marquette forward Ben Gold (12) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big East Conference tournament, Saturday, March 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

No. 2 UConn beats No. 10 Marquette 73-57 to win 1st Big East Tournament title since 2011

Donovan Clingan had 22 points and a career-best 16 rebounds, Jaylin Stewart gave No. 2 UConn an unexpected boost with three second-half 3-pointers during a decisive surge and the Huskies beat No. 10 Marquette 73-57 to win the Big East Tournament championship.

Marquette forward Oso Ighodaro, second from left, pulls guard Kam Jones away as he Jones argues with Providence guard Devin Carter (22) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Big East men's tournament Friday, March 15, 2024, in New York. Marquette won 79-68. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

No. 10 Marquette holds off Providence 79-68 to reach back-to-back Big East championship games

Kam Jones scored 23 points and Oso Ighodaro had 20 as No. 10 Marquette beat seventh-seeded Providence 79-68, withstanding a second-half surge by Devin Carter and advancing to the Big East Tournament championship game for the second straight year.

Conferences and Notre Dame agree on 6-year deal to continue College Football Playoff through 2031

The nine Bowl Subdivision conferences and Notre Dame have reached an agreement on a six-year deal to continue the College Football Playoff through the 2031 season.

Marquette guard Chase Ross (2) reacts after scoring a 3-point basket against Villanova in overtime of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Big East Conference tournament, Friday, March 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

No. 10 Marquette rebounds in OT after potential winner waved off, beats Villanova 71-65 in Big East

Kam Jones scored 18 points, Oso Ighodaro’s only basket was a huge one with 18 seconds left in overtime and No. 10 Marquette rebounded from having a potential game-winning buzzer-beater waved off in regulation to beat sixth-seeded Villanova 71-65 in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals.

St. John's head coach Rick Pitino reacts during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Seton Hall in the quarterfinal round of the Big East Conference tournament, Thursday, March 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Rick Pitino leads St. John’s to 91-72 victory over Seton Hall in return to Big East Tournament

Rick Pitino returned to the Big East Tournament for the first time in 11 years and led fifth-seeded St. John’s to a 91-72 victory over fourth-seeded Seton Hall.

Majority of U.S. adults are against college athletes joining unions, according to AP-NORC survey

More than half of Americans say they are against college athletes unionizing, though younger respondents were more supportive than older, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Villanova guard Justin Moore reacts after shooting the game winning three-point basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against the DePaul in the first round of the Big East Conference tournament, Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Justin Moore’s 3-pointer at 8 seconds left lifts Villanova past 24-point underdog DePaul in Big East

Justin Moore made a 3-pointer with eight seconds left in the second half and sixth-seeded Villanova escaped a potentially devastating upset by beating 24-point underdog DePaul 58-57 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament.

College Football Playoff moving toward agreement between conferences needed to complete ESPN deal

The College Football Playoff is moving toward a revenue-sharing agreement between the participating conferences that it needs to finalize a new television contact with ESPN.

FILE -FILE - Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts gives an update on Memorial Stadium renovations Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, in Lincoln, Neb. Texas A&M is close to hiring Nebraska's Trev Alberts as its next athletic director, a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday., March 13, 2024. (Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via AP, File)

Trev Alberts is leaving Nebraska to become Texas A&M’s athletic director

Texas A&M has hired Nebraska’s Trev Alberts to replace Ross Bjork as its athletic director. Alberts was a former football star with the Cornhuskers and had been athletic director at Nebraska for just short of three years.

A poster of a basketball player is attached to a lamppost on the campus of Dartmouth College, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in Hanover, N.H. Dartmouth basketball players voted to form a union, an unprecedented step in the continued deterioration of the NCAA's amateur business model. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Dartmouth men’s basketball vote to unionize seen as overdue milestone to college athlete advocates

For those who have led unsuccessful labor movements involving NCAA athletes, the vote by Dartmouth men’s basketball players felt momentous.

FILE - Pac-12 Senior Associate Commissioner Teresa Gould speaks during Pac-12 Conference NCAA college basketball media day Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021, in San Francisco. The Pac-12 has promoted Teresa Gould to commissioner as the conference tries to navigate a murky future. “Teresa’s deep knowledge of collegiate athletics and unwavering commitment to student-athletes makes her uniquely qualified to help guide the Pac-12 Conference during this period of unprecedented change in college sports,” Washington State University President and Pac-12 Board of Directors chair Kirk Schulz said in a statement on Monday, Feb.19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

New Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould: Oregon St., Wash. St, encouraged by interest in media rights

New Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould says the conference’s two remaining members, Oregon State and Washington State, are encouraged by the interest in the media rights to the schools’ home football games.

Analysis: Big Ten and SEC power play undermines credibility of playoff, marginalizes ACC and Big 12

The 12-team College Football Playoff that was unveiled in 2021 looked like an exciting evolution of the postseason.

CFP discussing 14-team model with 3 automatic bids each for Big Ten, SEC, AP sources say

College Football Playoff officials are considering a 14-team model that would guarantee multiple automatic bids for each of the four power conferences, starting in 2026.

FILE - NCAA signage outside the headquarters in Indianapolis, Thursday, March 12, 2020. Forced into yet another courtroom to defend its amateur model of athletics, the NCAA argued that shelving its rules against name, image and likeness compensation being offered to recruits would make an already difficult situation across the country even more chaotic. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

‘What NIL stands for: Now it’s legal': Ruling frees booster-backed groups to negotiate with recruits

The NCAA claimed that if a court barred it from enforcing rules against name, image and likeness compensation being offered to recruits it would make an unmanageable situation even worse.

The James H. Quillen United States Courthouse is shown in Greeneville, Tenn. Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. A judge on Tuesday kept in place for now the NCAA's rules prohibiting name, image and likeness compensation from being used as a recruiting inducement, denying a request for a temporary restraining order by the states of Tennessee and Virginia. (Brianna Paciorka/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)

Judge hands NCAA another loss, says compensation rules likely violate antitrust law, harm athletes

A federal judge has barred the NCAA from enforcing its rules prohibiting name, image and likeness compensation from being used to recruit athletes.

FILE -Washington linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio (5), on the left, and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9), on the right, celebrate after defeating Texas during the Sugar Bowl CFP NCAA semifinal college football game, Monday, Jan. 1, 2024, in New Orleans. ESPN and the College Football Playoff have agreed to a six-year deal worth $1.3 billion annually that allows the network to keep exclusive rights to the 12-team playoff through the 2031 season, two people with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman, FGile)

How the 12-team College Football Playoff will work

The 12-team College Football Playoff is 10 months away from kicking off. The format is finally locked in.

College Football Playoff approves 5+7 format and reduces spots for conference champions

The field for the 12-team College Football Playoff will comprise five conference champions and seven at-large selections after the university presidents who oversee the CFP voted unanimously to tweak the format.

FILE - Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff speaks at the NCAA college football Pac-12 media day Friday, July 21, 2023, in Las Vegas. The Pac-12 is parting ways with Commissioner George Kliavkoff after the former MGM executive oversaw the demise of the once-powerful league during a wave of conference realignment last year. The Pac-12 Board of Directors announced the move Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in a two-sentence news release, saying the conference and Kliavkoff “mutually agreed to part ways, effective February 29, 2024.”(AP Photo/Lucas Peltier, File)

Pac-12 parts ways with Commissioner George Kliavkoff, who oversaw demise of league with realignment

The Pac-12 is parting ways with Commissioner George Kliavkoff after the former MGM executive oversaw the demise of the once-powerful league during a wave of conference realignment last year.

FILE - NCAA headquarters is shown in Indianapolis, April 25, 2018. A member of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions has resigned over NCAA policies regarding participation of transgender athletes. William Bock is also a former general counsel of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. He says NCAA policies permitting transgender athletes to compete against women are unfair. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

NCAA Committee on Infractions member resigns over association’s transgender athlete policy

A member of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions has resigned over NCAA policies regarding participation of transgender athletes.

FILE - Florida State players pose after defeating Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Charlotte, N.C. The Atlantic Coast Conference asked a Florida court to pause Florida State's lawsuit against the conference while its claim against the school in North Carolina moves forward or dismiss the Seminoles' case altogether, according to a filing submitted Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco, File)

Atlantic Coast Conference asks court to pause or dismiss Florida State’s lawsuit against league

The Atlantic Coast Conference asked a Florida court to pause Florida State’s lawsuit against the conference while its claim against the school in North Carolina moves forward or dismiss the Seminoles’ case altogether.

ESPN, College Football Playoff agree on 6-year deal worth $1.3 billion annually, AP sources say

Two people with knowledge of the agreement say ESPN and the College Football Playoff have agreed to a six-year deal worth $1.3 billion annually that will allow the network to keep exclusive rights to the 12-team playoff through the 2031 season.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti speaks to the media outside of the James H. Quillen United States Courthouse in Greeneville, Tenn., Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. A judge on Tuesday kept in place for now the NCAA's rules prohibiting name, image and likeness compensation from being used as a recruiting inducement, denying a request for a temporary restraining order by the states of Tennessee and Virginia. (Brianna Paciorka/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)

No immediate ruling after preliminary injunction hearing in Tennessee, Virginia NIL lawsuit vs. NCAA

A federal judge will rule “in short order” on a preliminary injunction requested by the states of Tennessee and Virginia to stop the NCAA from enforcing its rules governing name, image and likeness compensation for athletes.

FILE - UCLA coach Chip Kelly walks off the field following the team's NCAA college football game against Oregon State Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Corvallis, Ore. Chip Kelly has informed UCLA officials that he is stepping down as coach of the Bruins, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman, File)

Ohio State hires Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator after he steps down as head coach at UCLA

UCLA coach Chip Kelly stepped down after six seasons leading the Bruins to become offensive coordinator for Ohio State.

FILE - New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien watches warmups for the team's NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 7, 2023, in Pittsburgh. Ohio State is hiring O'Brien as its offensive coordinator, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday night, Jan. 18, 2024. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the hire still needed university approval, but an announcement was expected as soon as Friday. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, File)

Boston College hires former NFL head coach and Ohio State assistant Bill O’Brien to lead Eagles

Bill O’Brien is the new head coach at Boston College. The Boston native opted to return to his hometown for a top job instead of taking the offensive coordinator position at Ohio State he accepted just last month.

FILE - TCU head coach Gary Patterson talks to his players during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Kansas State, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Manhattan, Kan. Baylor is hiring former TCU coach Gary Patterson as a a senior consultant to head coach Dave Aranda, a person with direct knowledge of the move told The Associated Press on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

Baylor hiring former TCU coach Gary Patterson as senior consultant to head coach, AP source says

Baylor is hiring former TCU coach Gary Patterson as a senior consultant to head coach Dave Aranda, a person with direct knowledge of the move told The Associated Press.

FILE - A Tennessee cheerleader runs with a flag before an NCAA college football game against Vanderbilt Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017, in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee has been in contact with NCAA investigators and a person with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, the inquiry is into potential rules violations related to name, image and likeness compensation for multiple athletes.(AP Photo/Wade Payne, File)

Judge keeps NCAA’s restrictions on NIL in place for now, denying request by Tennessee and Virginia

A judge has kept in place NCAA rules prohibiting name, image and likeness compensation being used as a recruiting inducement, denying a request for a temporary restraining order by the states of Tennessee and Virginia.

FILE - Dartmouth's Robert McRae III (23) takes a pass from Jackson Munro (33) as Duke's Jaylen Blakes (2) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Nov. 6, 2023. A National Labor Relations Board regional official has decided that Dartmouth basketball players are employees of the school, clearing the way for an election that would create the first-ever labor union for NCAA athletes. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown, File)

US labor official says Dartmouth basketball players are school employees, sets stage for union vote

A National Labor Relations Board regional official has decided that Dartmouth basketball players are employees of the school, clearing the way for an election that would create the first-ever labor union for NCAA athletes.

FILE - Tony Petitti is introduced as the Commissioner of the Big Ten Friday, April 28, 2023, in Rosemont, Ill. The Big Ten plans to stick with a 20-game conference schedule for men’s basketball and an 18-game schedule for women’s basketball when the league expands to 18 teams next year. The league also announced that 15 of the 18 members will qualify for the Big Ten men’s and women’s basketball tournaments once Southern California, UCLA, Oregon and Washington arrive from the Pac-12. (AP Photo/David Banks, File)

Big Ten, SEC forming joint advisory group to find solutions to college sports issues

The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference are formally trying to find solutions for the issues facing college sports.

NCAA President Charlie Baker speaks at his first state of college sports address, at the association's annual convention Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

NCAA spent years fighting losing battles and left itself helpless to defend legal challenges

Years of fighting losing battles have left the NCAA almost helpless to defend itself. The legal pile-on against the largest governing body for college sports in the United States continued when attorneys general from Tennessee and Virginia filed an antitrust lawsuit that seeks to throw out the few r