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
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 Kamario Taylor keep it rolling against No. 7 Alabama, or will Kalen DeBoer’s history of defeating ranked teams continue? Will Jon Sumrall and No. 8 Florida continue to climb the rankings? In the Big Ten, No. 14 Iowa’s stingy defense will try to finally stop Ohio State superstar Jeremiah Smith, while No. 18 USC … 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
TAMPA, Fla. — By his name alone, Arch Manning is subject to an unprecedented and nearly unfair level of high expectations. He has a football legend for a grandfather and two uncles who won two Super Bowls each. So, when asked what quarterbacks he compares himself to, the Texas junior politely declines. “I’m trying to … 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
Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey said Monday that leaders of the powerhouse league — some of them frustrated over the changes upending their industry — are having “real” conversations about breaking away from the rest of college sports, though that is not the preferred solution. “They’re real,” Greg Sankey said Monday of talks with school … Read more
Beginning with next year’s NCAA women’s basketball tournament, the top 16 teams will be placed in the bracket in their true ranking regardless of conference affiliation. In the past, the top four teams in a conference would be placed in different regions to protect them from playing each other until the Final Four. For example, … Read more