UNDATED (AP) — Villanova’s Collin Gillespie is ready to make the most of his second chance at a senior season. Gillespie was the co-Big East player of the year last season but tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during a victory over Creighton that enabled Villanova to clinch the Big East regular-season championship.  The injury ended his senior season early and prevented him from participating in the NCAA Tournament. Gillespie now is back as a fifth-year senior and feeling healthy again.  

UNDATED (AP) — Oregon State could reach bowl-eligibility for the first time since 2013 with a win over California this weekend. A win could push the Beavers into the Top 25 as well. It would be the first time appearing in the polls since that ’13 season. Even more, a victory would keep things moving toward a high-stakes game with Oregon on Nov. 27 in Eugene, with the Pac-12 North possibly at stake. This will mark the 74th all-time meeting between Cal and Oregon State. The Bears lead the series 38-35. 

UNDATED (AP) — The Big Ten is in the spotlight before the College Football Playoff releases its first rankings next week. No. 20 Penn State is at No. 5 Ohio State, which features the nation’s best offense at 49.3 points per game. No. 6 Michigan and No. 8 Michigan State are both 7-0 heading into their first top-10 matchup since 1964. No. 9 Iowa is at Wisconsin in a matchup of two of the country’s best defenses. Elsewhere, No. 1 Georgia is a two-touchdown favorite over Florida in their annual rivalry game.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Five teams from the Pac-12 are in The Associated Press preseason poll for a sixth straight season, led by defending champion Stanford. The Pac-12 is tied for the most ranked teams with the ACC and Big Ten. Stanford sits at No. 3 and Oregon at No. 10, Oregon State 14th, UCLA at 20 and Arizona at 22. Coaches and players throughout the Pac-12 knew well before last season’s NCAA Tournament that they had one of the most talented conferences in the country. Then, Stanford edged Arizona by a point in the NCAA championship game.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Patrick Baldwin could have signed with just about any college basketball program in the country as one of the nation’s top-10 prospects in his class. He opted to stay home and play for his father at Milwaukee. His choice instantly made the Horizon League school one of the nation’s most interesting stories in this college basketball season. Baldwin was ranked seventh in his class according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports. He’s 6-foot-9 and can play multiple positions.

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