The biggest game of the weekend is set to take place in Columbus, Ohio, at 12 p.m. EST on Saturday, as the No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers travel to the Horseshoe to take on the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in a highly anticipated Big Ten clash. This marks Ohio State's third matchup against a top-five opponent this season, but it’s the first one to be held at home in Ohio Stadium. The energy will undoubtedly be electric, and head coach Ryan Day, along with starting quarterback Will Howard , made sure to send a message to Buckeye Nation ahead of the high-stakes showdown. Will Howard said, “We need y’all, we need Buckeye Nation to be loud.” Ryan Day echoed his quarterback’s sentiment, adding, “One thing about being at Ohio State is you get a chance to be around the best fans in the land, and I know that this week is a huge opportunity for us to show the nation what the best damn fans in the land look like.” It’s time to show a nation, the Best Damn Fans in the Land 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/siwrXTt5yZ This matchup not only has major implications for the College Football Playoff, but also for the Big Ten title race. The winner will put themselves in position to face No. 1 Oregon in the championship game in December. For Indiana, this is being called the biggest game in program history under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti. How they perform on Saturday will play a major role in how the College Football Playoff committee views them, especially as they compare them against other teams also vying for a playoff spot as the regular season winds down who may have a better resume. Ohio State, on the other hand, looks to reinforce their position as one of the country's top national title contenders. Aiming to prove they're more than just a playoff-worthy team, but one that can compete for a championship with the talent they have on both sides of the ball. © Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK With both ESPN's “ College GameDay ” and Fox's “ Big Noon Kickoff ” broadcasting from Columbus prior to the game, the energy and intensity will be off the charts, leading up to one of the most anticipated Big Ten matchups of the year. Related: Rick Neuheisel Predicts Top Five College Football Team to Lose on Saturday
Specific Low-Power Wireless Module Market Outlook and Future Projections for 2030
STRENGTH & DISCIPLINE: Carter a big reason the Colonels are back in the playoffsUSDA orders nationwide testing of milk for bird flu to halt the virusPRR loan fails to revamp Pakistan's tax system: report
Nagpur South West Election Results: In BJP's Devendra Fadnavis VS Congress' Prafulla Gudadhe, who is winning?Here’s what development around the Virginia Beach Convention Center could look likeAl-Kandari confirms readiness for ‘Khaleeji Zain 26’
India News | UP CM Yogi Inaugurates 25,000 Public Shelter Beds for Devotees in Mahakumbh AreaDonald Trump says he urged Gretzky to run for prime minister in Christmas visit
Insurgents' stunning march across Syria gained speed on Saturday with news that they had reached the suburbs of the capital and with the government forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The rebels' moves around Damascus, reported by an opposition war monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including two provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. Download the CTV News App for breaking news alerts and video on all the top stories The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. As they have advanced, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands rushed the Syria border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those that remained open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some shops were selling items at three times the normal price. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.” It was the first time that opposition forces reach the outskirts of Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. Assad's status Amid the developments, Syria’s state media denied rumors flooding social media that Assad has left the country, saying he is performing his duties in Damascus. Follow the CTV News channel on WhatsApp Assad's chief international backer, Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine, and Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up his forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran, meanwhile, has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. Pedersen said a date for the talks in Geneva on the implementation of U.N. Resolution 2254 would be announced later. The resolution, adopted in 2015, called for a Syrian-led political process, starting with the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. The insurgents' march Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were also marching from eastern Syria toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. Syria’s military, meanwhile, sent large numbers of reinforcements to defend the key central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as insurgents approached its outskirts. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama, the country’s fourth largest city. HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani told CNN in an interview Thursday from Syria that the aim is to overthrow Assad’s government. The Britain-based Observatory said Syrian troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces and are sending reinforcements to Homs, where a battle is looming. If the insurgents capture Homs, they would cut the link between Damascus, Assad’s seat of power, and the coastal region where the president enjoys wide support. The Syrian army said in a statement Saturday that it has carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by “terrorists.” The army said it is setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area,” apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011. After the fall of the cities of Daraa and Sweida early Saturday, Syrian government forces remained in control of five provincial capitals — Damascus, Homs and Quneitra, as well as Latakia and Tartus on the Mediterranean coast. Tartus is home to the only Russian naval base outside the former Soviet Union while Latakia is home to a major Russian air base. Diplomacy in Doha In the gas-rich nation of Qatar, the foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey met to discuss the situation in Syria. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels. Qatar's top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said. Complete coverage of conflicts in the Mideast Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there is a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity.” He said the war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to start a political process. After the fall of the cities of Daraa and Sweida early Saturday, Syrian government forces remained in control of five provincial capitals — Damascus, Homs and Quneitra, as well as Latakia and Tartus on the Mediterranean coast. On Friday, U.S.-backed fighters of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces captured wide parts of the eastern province of Deir el-Zour that borders Iraq as well as the provincial capital that carries the same name. The capture of areas in Deir el-Zour is a blow to Iran’s influence in the region as the area is the gateway to the corridor linking the Mediterranean to Iran, a supply line for Iran-backed fighters, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah. With the capture of a main border crossing with Iraq by the SDF and after opposition fighters took control of the Naseeb border crossing to Jordan in southern Syria, the Syrian government's only gateway to the outside world is the Masnaa border crossing with Lebanon. Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria and Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed to this report.McGregor must pay $250K to woman who says he raped her, civil jury rules
MILAN, Italy (AP) — Atalanta went to the top of Serie A when Ademola Lookman scored with three minutes remaining to beat AC Milan 2-1 on Friday. Atalanta’s ninth win in a row was a fitting gift to coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who was awarded the coach of the month award earlier in the day for guiding his team to a perfect record in November. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Anchoring Indo-Pacific power: Why India's third aircraft carrier is essential for maritime dominanceNone