Back in July, I walked up closely to the table where UCLA coach Bob Chesney sat. The occasion was Big Ten media days, and we were still all weeks away from the start of this now-memorable 2026 season when I told Chesney my most closely held belief about the modern game: You’re about to watch the … Read more
Think of a more chaotic Saturday. Think of the day you managed to get all three kids to three birthday parties, two soccer games, a dance recital and a middle school dance in an 18-hour window. Think of the day you boarded a 6 a.m. flight, connected twice, got delayed twice, canceled once and still … Read more
By now, you’ve heard some variation of the story. Indiana athletics director Scott Dolson has told it countless times. It’s been printed in newspaper copy for months. It’s been chronicled in books about the remarkable rise of Hoosiers football. Nobody knew exactly who Indiana hired in Curt Cignetti in December 2024, but there was an … Read more
Georgia is the best team in college football, and now they’ve got the No. 1-ranking to show for it. And I feel vindicated in my belief about Kirby Smart’s Dawgs: If maleficent Martians had a death laser pointed at the Earth with a crusty gnarled finger on a button ready to press it unless one of … Read more
Can No. 1 Texas outlast Oklahoma in the “Red River Rivalry” to remain the top team? Will Keelon Russell continue his efficient freshman season against No. 6 Alabama’s rival, No. 2 Georgia? In the Big Ten, Bob Chesney and No. 21 UCLA will try to stay undefeated as they travel to No. 13 Oregon. Matt … Read more
Can Arch Manning keep Texas at the top while playing Peyton Manning’s alma mater, Tennessee? Will Ole Miss fall victim to a trap game against Florida? In the Big Ten, Oregon and USC face off in what could be a College Football Playoff eliminator, while Michigan tries to keep its CFP hopes alive against Iowa. … Read more
Georgia running back Dante Dowdell was injured in a recent off-campus accident, and Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart told reporters Tuesday at SEC media days that he will be indefinitely sidelined. Smart didn’t offer specifics. ESPN reported that Dowdell was involved in an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accident. The outlet confirmed with Smart that Dowdell is receiving … Read more
He’s the dean of Southeastern Conference coaches who also has two national titles on his resume, so what Georgia’s Kirby Smart says about the state of college football is bound to resonate far outside his own state. On Tuesday at SEC media days, Smart made clear that to become dean of SEC coaches and win … Read more
Somehow, yes, it’s true: for the first time in World Cup history, the four remaining teams are also the top four teams in FIFA’s rankings. The tournament has been around since 1930, and even with an expanded 48-team field designed to create more unpredictability, the final four is as chalk as it gets. No. 1 … Read more
Ohio State has won at least 10 regular-season games in 13 consecutive years, not including the COVID year. Yet oddsmakers have set the Buckeyes’ 2026 win total at just 9.5. That number caught Joel Klatt’s attention as he looked at several over/under totals on a recent episode of his podcast, “The Joel Klatt Show.” Klatt’s … Read more