Tag: Power Five

Nick Saban ranked as the top college football coach

Alabama Crimson Tide football head coach Nick Saban is ranked the No. 1 college football coach in the nation, according to CBS Sports.

Nick Saban has done a lot with the Crimson Tide football program since he began in 2007. He has won six national championships and has a 170-23 record.

What’s interesting about Saban’s leadership of the Crimson Tide is he has such a tight grip over the players.

Knowing that this man has produced almost 40 first-round draft picks in his time at Alabama means players treat him with respect and don’t question his coaching methods.

CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli ranked the top 25 active college football coaches in the Power Five.

To no surprise, Alabama’s Nick Saban claims the top spot on the list.

“If he’s not already the greatest to ever do it, he’s likely to be considered so when (if?) he hangs up the headset,” wrote Fornelli. “Just think about it for a bit. Since winning his first national title at LSU in 2003, Saban has never gone three consecutive seasons coaching at the college level without winning at least one national title. It’s astounding. What makes it more special is that a lot of people, in all walks of life, experience success and think they never have to change. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? Saban’s different. He saw the writing on the wall and realized he had to change the way he approached the game if he wanted Alabama to stay on top. He did exactly that, and he’s still winning because of it.”

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Each Power Five conference team that the Texas Longhorns have not played

There are five teams from the Power Five conferences that the Texas Longhorns have yet to face off against.

Texas has a long, storied history of playing college football that dates back to 1893. Continue reading “Each Power Five conference team that the Texas Longhorns have not played”

OT Recruit Chase Bisontis Latest to Get Offer From Notre Dame

Jeff Quinn continues to be on the move to build Notre Dame’s offensive line for the future.

Jeff Quinn continues to be on the move to build Notre Dame’s offensive line for the future. This week, we’ve already seen an offer for Tyler Booker from Florida. Now, we have one from Chase Bisontis, an offensive tackle from Ramsey, New Jersey, who just completed his sophomore season at Don Bosco Prep and weighs in at 6-foot-5, 275 pounds. This could amount to a couple of solid gets from Quinn in the same recruiting class.

Bisontis has lured offers from 19 schools thus far. Among those vying for his services in a couple of years are Florida State, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Arkansas and West Virginia. Brian Dohn of 247Sports projects him as a starter with an elite Power Five program. Based on the programs already looking at him when he’s not even a high school upperclassman yet, that’s sure to become a reality, and we naturally hope he’ll pick the Irish.

Five ways to improve the College Football Playoff

After this season, it’s obvious that the College Football Playoff system needs a fix. Here are five ways the power conferences can do so.

Alabama‘s national championship in 2011 over LSU was the moment that everyone knew the BCS was a broken system. This year’s College Football Playoff is similar in the fact that the sport needs a change for the better.

There are many different opinions as to what improvements need to be made. Ultimately, the FBS conferences will follow whatever gives them the opportunity to make the most money. That may be a sad reality, but it will always be what drives commissioners and the sport’s biggest influencers.

The current College Football Playoff contract runs through the 2025 season. However, we have seen how quickly things can change. For the betterment of college football, the playoff system needs a fix.

Here are five ways they can do that.

What does the Big Ten’s return mean for the college football season?

With the Big Ten back in the fold, however, what does that mean for the college football season?

On Wednesday, the Big Ten announced that it would reverse course on its earlier decision to postpone the fall season.

The conference originally cited difficulties of contact tracing and uncertainty toward the long-term effects of exposure to COVID-19 as reasons for the postponement, but the decision was controversial and the league faced significant backlash, including from within its own ranks.

The decision to reverse doesn’t come without stringent COVID-19 protocols though, or at least more stringent than those undertaken by other leagues in the Power Five. The Big Ten will attempt thorough contact tracing, and any players who test positive can’t return to competition for 21 days.

To attempt to address the issue of myocarditis, the heart condition that has been associated with those who have had COVID-19, including a number of Big Ten athletes, the league will have players who tested positive undergo extensive cardiac testing. Players will also be placed in a cardiac registry to monitor their long term effects.

With the Big Ten back in the fold, however, what does that mean for the college football season?

The conference is currently eying a return for the weekend of Oct. 24. This would, in theory, give the league enough time to complete its season in time to compete for the College Football Playoff.

For that to happen, it would take approval from the 10 FBS commissioners, with the decision likely to come down to the whims of the SEC, ACC and Big 12. Presumably, however, they would allow the Big Ten to do so despite playing a shortened season.

Players from the Big Ten who decided to opt-out, such as star Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons, would be allowed to return to school as long as they haven’t signed an agent.

Though four-fifths of the Power Five are now back on track for a fall season, it seems unlikely the Pac-12 will return this season.

State regulations in California and Oregon prevent teams from even having contact practices, and university presidents in the conference won’t vote to resume play until that changes.

The Pac-12 has more extensive barriers preventing a season, and it’s unlikely it could start play this fall until late November or even December. Such a start would almost certainly exclude it from the College Football Playoff.

But one thing is certain: With the Big Ten’s midseason return, this college football season is shaping up to be as bizarre and unprecedented as promised.

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Tale of the Tape: Starting Quarterbacks – Ian Book vs. Jordan McCloud

No one can be quite sure what to expect out of the quarterbacks when Notre Dame faces USF in its lone nonconference game Saturday.

No one can be quite sure what to expect out of the quarterbacks when Notre Dame faces USF in its lone nonconference game Saturday. In one corner, you’ve got Ian Book, who was decent against Duke but showed obvious signs that’s he still getting used to his receivers and Tommy Rees’ scheme. Though he and the rest of the offense got it going by the fourth quarter except for Kyren Williams, who did his job throughout, it would be nice to see the quarterback Irish fans have come to know. The Bulls are a perfect opponent against which he can open up a little more.

In the other corner, you’ve got Jordan McCloud, who leads an offense that carried the ball more times than threw it in a 27-6 win over The Citadel. The Bulls might be able to get away with that against a Football Championship Subdivision opponent, but McCloud will need to be the focal point a lot more when facing a quality Power Five team like the Irish. Though McCloud seems to be fairly accurate in his passes, throwing for only 68 yards simply won’t cut it in the environment he’s about to walk into. His career high is 267 yards last year against Cincinnati, and that’s what he needs to shoot for to at least a shot at pulling off the upset.

FBS coaches sound off on which programs are best equipped to handle a season with COVID-19

The bottom line is, if you recruit at a high level, you will be less severely impacted by the necessity of young players getting action.

We’re less than a week away from Power Five teams beginning play in the 2020 college football season, and despite uncertainty during the offseason and a number of outbreaks within programs across the country, the teams planning to play continue to push full steam ahead.

ESPN talked to FBS coaches and assistants anonymously to gauge which programs they think are best equipped to handle a season with the cloud of COVID-19 hanging over.

The primary takeaway from these conversations is that differences between the haves and have-nots will be even more pronounced this season. Coaches said that programs which recruit at a high level have a massive advantage over programs that don’t, because they have the depth and talent to contend with opt-outs and illness mid-season.

The bottom line is, if you recruit at a high level, you will be less severely impacted by the necessity of young players getting action.

Because of this, coaches expect teams like Alabama and Clemson to navigate the challenges this season relatively gracefully.

Unsurprisingly, coaches also expect experienced and successful coaches to have a better time maintaining team morale. One said that Dabo Swinney’s positivity and Nick Saban’s ability to adjust will help both keep their teams on track.

Another coach mentioned that experienced coaches have dealt with uncertain situations before and would be more prepared for this season than others.

One thing coaches agreed upon was that due to primarily conference-only scheduling, it will not be a good year for any potential Cinderellas looking to make it to the College Football Playoff.

Without non-conference games, the odds of a Group of Five team earning enough quality wins to land in the playoff seem to be slim to none.

However, coaches do think that an expanded conference schedule could give good teams in power conferences a chance to have breakthrough seasons.

One such team coaches are keeping an eye on is the Gators. Here’s what one Power Five coach said about Dan Mullen’s squad this year.

“Dan is really good the more he’s been with a quarterback, and [Kyle Trask] understands that system,” a Power Five head coach said. “I think Florida has a big-time shot to get there this year, although their third game at Texas A&M will tell us a lot about them.”

Mullen has also kept veteran defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, a finalist for the Mississippi State head-coaching job this past offseason. Grantham turned down the Cincinnati Bengals‘ defensive coordinator job two years ago.

“The teams who have continuity from last year to this year in regards to their coaching staffs and not having to learn a lot of new schemes and things like that, those are the teams best equipped to handle this year,” a Power Five offensive coordinator told ESPN. “That’s Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, all of the usual suspects; but Florida’s in that group too.”

It remains to be seen how the 2020 football season will play out (if it does at all), but there seems to be a general consensus among FBS coaches: Talented teams with resources should be alright, while less wealthy programs that don’t recruit at as high a level will struggle.

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Gators News: August 28, 2020

Another week is nearly in the books—and by the end of this weekend, August as well—and all systems are “go” for fall football in the SEC.

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Another week is nearly in the books — and by the end of this weekend, another month as well — and all systems are “go” for fall football in the Southeastern Conference, as well as the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conferences. But the road from here to Sept. 26 is anything but a smooth one, with more potholes than a Michigan road due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

We begin today’s news with the question, “Is anyone actually thinking of tailgating amid a pandemic?” Only three Power Five schools — Boston College, Duke and West Virginia — have said they will not host fans at the beginning of the season, with others considering hosting partial capacity stadiums.

While we still have a week before the Football Bowl Subdivision kicks off its season, the Football Championship Subdivision kicks off its schedule on Saturday night as Central Arkansas and Austin Peay face off at 9 p.m. ET, which will be broadcast on ESPN. The match represents the first college football game played during the COVID-19 era.

For those of you interested in fantasy football this fall, USA TODAY Sports has put together a draft kit for the upcoming season. They’ve got you covered with this quick one-stop-shop for fantasy football rankings, draft strategy and everything else you need to dominate your draft.

Around the Swamp

It’s great to be a Florida Gator!

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Can non-conference college basketball games happen this fall?

With Pac-12’s decision to postpone the start of the season the common belief seems to be that if there’s a season it won’t start on time.

As college basketball administrators around the country attempt to conjure a plan to save the 2020-21 hoops season, a report from CBS Sports laid out some of the obstacles facing potential nonconference games.

Only 17 of the 357 Division I programs has released a schedule for this season, but as of right now, the NCAA is reportedly planning on non-conference games happening, though a decision on the matter will likely be made midway through next month.

But with the Pac-12’s decision to postpone the start of the season until at least Jan. 1, the common belief within college basketball seems to be that if there’s a season, it won’t start on time.

The feelings on this are mixed.

For some this has been a blessing.

“Nonconference scheduling has been easier this year than ever before because there’s the belief it’s not going to stay in its current form,” one mid-major coach told CBS Sports.

It’s been dreadful for others.

“[Our] schedule isn’t complete and anyone who does have a complete schedule will probably soon find themselves back in the scheduling game,” a Big South coach said.

For Austin Peay’s Matt Figger, it’s been the most stressful offseason of his career. In a normal year, Austin Peay has four buy games. It has one as of today. The program brings in more than $250,000 annually in buy games, which amounts to more than 40% of the athletic department’s revenue.

“Scheduling has been an issue since the season ended,” he said. “We can’t get guarantee games. I’ve got one guarantee game against TCU right now. Nobody has them and if they did have them, they aren’t offering them to us, No. 1, and No. 2, they’re offering prices to play guarantees that they were giving back when I coached at South Alabama in 2002. I’m talking $20-30,000 to come play. It’s not financially feasible to do those things.”

The main concerns around nonconference play are reportedly two-fold. With the financial impact of the pandemic, pay-outs to mid-major teams will likely be lessened.

It appears as though the Power Five are calling the shots, with mid-major conferences financial viability likely hanging in the balance.

The money factor in this is gargantuan. It’s also been a story half-told to this point. Some coaches pointed out how much money their athletic departments have saved — millions of dollars — since March due to the cancellation of all sports activity. Schools have never seen such cost-cutting before, and it’s come at the expense of players’ college careers.

The market for games has also been affected. Buy games are down $15,000-$60,000 from typical rates. A 50% slash on payment from big school to small has been common, though the D1 Docket found through a Florida State records request that the Seminoles are slashing their $90,000 pay fee for opponents such as St. Peter’s and Charleston Southern down to $70,000 and $55,000, respectively.

“It is a buyer’s market,” Stephen F. Austin coach Kyle Keller said. “Usually you could hold out and wait and get a higher-priced game if you waited. Not this year. Games have gone for as small as $30,000 for teams that could bus on day-of travel now.”

The other major concern is testing — namely, the question of which schools will have the resources to do it properly. Many mid-major programs may not, and the fact that playing games against less wealthy out-of-conference programs could be riskier for Power Five players will almost certainly be a part of the calculus from conference administrators.

“Many nonconference opponents do not have resources to test and care for their players like [our league] would, so you have a higher risk against playing against an infected player,” one Big Ten coach told me. “Without fans, not much to gain with most nonconference matchups with the exception of ACC Challenge, Gavitt Games, (etc.).”

Though coaches are reportedly interested in large-scale changes to the scheduling format, such as delaying the season to Thanksgiving Week or later and playing nonconference games in pods, it remains to be seen if such an arrangement would be feasible.

For now, the NCAA will likely just monitor the situation as students return to campuses and wait until mid-September (if not later) to make any final decisions.

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Why Are We Trying to Play College Football During a Pandemic?

Once Notre Dame students returned to campus, it only seemed like a matter of time before COVID-19 worked its devil magic.

Once Notre Dame students returned to campus, it only seemed like a matter of time before COVID-19 worked its devil magic. Sure enough, off-campus parties happened, and now, an outbreak has hit the university. It’s gotten to where the Rev. John Jenkins, Notre Dame’s president, has closed the campus and implemented remote learning for at least two weeks. Similar measures have been taken at North Carolina and Michigan State.

Other big-name universities can’t be far behind, so why hasn’t the ACC, SEC or Big 12 followed the Big Ten and Pac-12 in postponing football? Why is it so hard to admit that student-athletes cannot and should not be put in harm’s way if they’re not even being paid for it? If these Power Five conferences won’t pull the plug, they need to admit that student-athletes need to be paid. But it will be a hot day in the Arctic before that happens.

We’ve been warned for months that this coming fall will be brutal, especially since both COVID-19 and the flu will infect on person after another. College students having the opportunity to gather in large groups frequently only makes that problem worse. Sooner or later, the football teams will be affected. Since the players go to class, too (big shock, I know), they’ll be mixing with the off-campus party animals, and it only takes one slip-up to compromise the team and possibly the season.

It’s not worth playing football this fall. We’re already down two Power Five conferences, so the integrity already is lost. Should the other conferences proceed with the schedule, do you crown a national champion from them only? How is that fair to the conferences who would be punished for their precautions by having nothing to play for except their own championships?

Lives cannot be risked for the sake of millions of TV viewers and billions of dollars. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that fun things and the almighty dollar have to take a back seat to public health no matter what the cost. So much already has been given up in 2020, and college football needs to be one more. Those who need football can turn to the NFL if they want.

For the sake of everybody, can’t you give up college football this fall so we can have it every fall afterwards? That we’re even having to debate this defies comprehension. Your team will be back once we have a vaccine or some other widespread means of keeping this virus in check. In the meantime, you can’t gamble these kids’ futures just because of some tradition or family history that goes back to your granddaddy’s daddy.

All of this ultimately lies with the conference commissioners, and they need to grow a conscience quickly. If you have to wait until the spring to play, so be it. So what if NFL prospects opt out? The college game predates the pro game by a wide margin, so in that respect, it could go back to its roots.

This is not a enjoyable thing to write because we all want college football, preferably this fall. But right now, students that go to school with the players on these teams are making it very difficult to justify it. If they won’t contribute to the greater good, you have to take their toys away. Though it’s not fair that the whole class has to be punished for the actions of a few bad apples, that hasn’t stopped teachers from doing it before, and there’s no reason it shouldn’t happen now.