CFW Preseason 2026 – The offseason never fails to entertain
A basket weaving school? Ole Miss
gets trashed, so do Pavia and Sorsby
Will the Big Ten and the SEC leave the NCAA, and
how about playing bowl games at the beginning of the season?
The offseason had it all and more.
LSU coach Lane Kiffin and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian shared their thoughts on Ole Miss. Diego Pavia wasn’t drafted. And, in the end, nobody wanted Brendan Sorsby. The Big Ten and the SEC threaten to pull up roots and leave the NCAA, while Utah coach Morgan Scalley came up with the idea of playing bowl games during Week 0. The offseason had its moments – it was interesting to say the least.
Five days after Indiana beat Miami 27-21 to win the College Football Playoff National Championship, the Hoosiers held a celebration. The celebration, honoring the team, was held in Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. Unfortunately, on the day of the celebration, the temperature in Bloomington was 10°, with a wind chill that made it feel like 0°. As a result, only about 15,000 Indiana fans showed up for the event. Memorial Stadium seats 52,000. I’d say the 15,000 who came out for the celebration were hard core Indiana fans. The celebration, which was scheduled to last about two hours, was reduced to a 30-minute ceremony.
Two of the Power Four conferences announced they are changing the starting times of their 2026 conference championship games. The Big 12, whose title game has previously started at 12 noon on the Saturday of conference championship weekend, is moving its game to Friday night. Meanwhile, the ACC, whose title game has previously been played on the Saturday night of conference championship weekend, is moving its game to 12 noon on Saturday. The ACC is taking up the Big 12’s old time slot. In its old time slot, the ACC title game competed with the Big Ten’s championship game.
The Big 12 moved its game in hopes of getting better ratings on Friday night. The Big 12 has lagged behind the SEC and Big Ten in TV ratings. The SEC and Big Ten title games have been held late Saturday afternoon and Saturday night, respectively. The ACC moved its game to get out of direct competition with the Big Ten.
As we left you in January 2026, Duke was suing its quarterback Darian Mensah for entering the transfer portal. The Blue Devils were suing Mensah on the basis that he had violated his NIL contract. Well, a few days after the suit became public, the two parties said they had reached an out of court settlement. I’m sure Mensah agreed to give some amount of money back to Duke. Meanwhile, we learned that Mensah was transferring to Miami, purportedly for an NIL deal of $10 million. His NIL package at Duke was $4 million.
And to make matters worse for Duke, their top receiver and Mensah’s favorite target, Cooper Barkate, announced he also was transferring to Miami. At Duke last season, Barkete had 72 receptions for 1,106 yards. Mensah will be all set at Miami this season with not one but two top receivers – Barkate and Malachai Toney.
You have to feel for Duke because Mensah originally told the Blue Devils he was returning for the 2026 season. However, Mensah changed his mind and entered the transfer portal on the last day the portal was open.
As January was nearing an end, the ACC and Big Ten conferences released the 2026 football schedules of their member schools. In the Big Ten, current national champion Indiana will be playing Ohio State and Michigan on back-to-back weekends at mid-season. In fact, over a four-week period, the Hoosiers will be facing Nebraska (away), Ohio State (home), Michigan (away) and Minnesota (home) on successive weekends. That’s a pretty daunting four-game stretch.
USC coach Lincoln Riley named former TCU coach Gary Patterson as the Trojans new defensive coordinator. Defense has often been Riley’s nemesis.
The Gus Bus has been retired. It’s no longer in service. On Groundhog Day, current Florida State offensive coordinator and former Auburn and UCF head coach Gus Malzahn announced his retirement. No, I’m not trying to imply that Malzahn is a groundhog. But during his tenure as head coach at Auburn his offenses ranked as the best rushing team in the SEC, averaging 254 yards on the ground. Malzahn also was the head coach at Arkansas State. He was a head coach from 2012 to 2024. He had a 105-62 record during those 13 seasons. Malzahn began his college coaching career as an offensive coordinator at Arkansas, Tulsa and Auburn (2006-2011). He ended his college career as he began it.
“How can people be so heartless. How can people be so cruel. Easy to be hard. Easy to say no….” Singer and musician Chuck Negron died on February 2. Negron was the lead vocalist and a founding member of Three Dog Night, one of America’s most popular bands in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A native of New York City, Charles Negron was 83.“….How can people have no feelings. How can they ignore their friends. Easy to be proud. Easy to say no.”
My favorite Three Dog Night recording is “Never Been To Spain.” I loved that song. From 1969 to 1975, Three Dog Night released 21 songs and all 21 became Top 40 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Eighteen of the 21 songs were Top 20 hits – two were No. 1 hits. “Never Been To Spain” peaked at No. 5 in the winter of 1972.
After five years of play, the LA Bowl is shutting down. Officials of the bowl made the announcement in early February. In last year’s LA Bowl, Washington beat Boise State, 38-10.
The Southeastern Conference announced it is distributing more than $1 billion to its 16-member schools based on revenue accumulated during the 2024-25 (August 1, 2024-July 31, 2025) academic year. The total distribution jumped more than $200 million from the previous year. The amount distributed averaged $70.3 million per member school.
Conversely, the ACCs Florida State announced its athletic department is $437 million in the red for the same academic year (August 1, 2024-July 31, 2025). Florida State’s debt is the highest of any public FBS school in the country. California, also an ACC school, reported a debt of $432 million for the same time period.
Not to be outdone by Florida State, Penn State announced its athletic department is $534.7 million in debt for the same academic year. So, Penn State’s debt became the highest of any public FBS school in the country.
NFL and college football quarterback Sonny Jurgensen died on February 6. Jurgensen played 18 seasons in the NFL – 7 with the Philadelphia Eagles (1957-1963) and 11 with the Washington Redskins (1964-1974). He played college football for Duke from 1953 to 1956. Jurgensen was a longtime color commentator for the Redskins’ radio broadcast. Vince Lombardi once said, “If we would have had Sonny Jurgensen in Green Bay, we’d never have lost a game.” A native of Wilmington, North Carolina, Christian Adolph Jurgensen was 91.
FCS powerhouse North Dakota State finalized an agreement to join the Mountain West Conference in football only, beginning this season. The Bison have won 10 of the past 15 FCS national championships. North Dakota State paid the NCAA $5 million to move up to FBS from FCS and paid the Mountain West Conference $12 million to join. The Bison will be the 10th football playing member of the MWC.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was granted an extra year of eligibility by a state court judge in Mississippi. The judge issued an injunction that paved the way for Chambliss to play in 2026, saying Chambliss clearly met the criteria to play for a sixth season.
Everybody wants to be FBS in football, while conference memberships get wilder and wilder – weirder and weirder. Sacramento State became the second school within a few weeks to announce it was moving up from FCS to FBS. Not only is Sacramento State “movin’ on up” so to speak, but the Hornets are joining, of all things, the Mid-American Conference. The MAC is an eastern-based conference, while Sac State is a California-based school. But these days when you have California and Stanford playing in the ACC, Texas State joining the Pac-12 and Northern Illinois joining the Mountain West, nothing is surprising. The move to FBS and the MAC membership is costing Sac State $23 million – $18 million to join the MAC and $5 million to move from FCS to FBS. The Hornets will be a football-only playing member of the MAC, beginning this season.
“I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” He had roles in some of the best movies of all time, including “To Kill A Mocking Bird” (1962), “Captain Newman, M.D.” (1963), “Bullitt” (1968), True Grit (1969), “M*A*S*H” (1970), “The Godfather” (1972), “Apocalypse Now” (1979), “The Great Santini” (1979) and “Tender Mercies (1983), among others. Actor Robert Duval died on February 15. A native of San Diego, California, Robert Selden Duval was 95.
Detroit became the latest location to dump its bowl game. A few weeks earlier, the LA Bowl was sent to the graveyard. Now, what began several years ago as the Motor City Bowl and ultimately morphed into the Game Above Sports Bowl was terminated. So, the postseason scene is getting better. We are down from 41 bowl games to 39.
Northern Illinois head coach Thomas Hammock resigned to become the running backs coach for the Seattle Seahawks. In seven seasons at NIU, Hammock was 35-47. Hammock was a running back at NIU from 1999 to 2002. He will be the highest-paid running backs coach in the NFL.
He was known as “Maz” and “The Glove.” Pittsburgh Pirate legend Bill Mazeroski died on February 20. Maz played all 17 seasons (1956-1972) of his MLB career with the Pirates. He became known for one of the most memorable home runs in baseball history. It was a dramatic ninth-inning homer in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series that beat the favored New York Yankees. It remains to this day the only walk-off home run to clinch a World Series championship in Game 7. Out of high school, Maz had baseball scholarship offers from Duquesne, Ohio State and West Virginia. However, he decided to pursue a professional baseball career. A native of Wheeling, West Virginia, William Stanley Mazeroski was 89.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has become the new Nick Saban when it comes to hiring fired football coaches. Last year, Sarkisian employed the fired West Virginia coach Neal Brown as a special assistant. Brown is now the head coach at North Texas. This year, Sarkisian hired former Kentucky coach Mark Stoops as a special assistant coach for the Longhorns. Stoops was fired by Kentucky at the end of last season. While at Alabama, Saban hired several fired coaches, including Sarkisian, as an analyst, consultant or special assistant. All went on to become head coaches again.
And speaking of Kentucky, the Wildcats’ athletic director Mitch Barnhart announced he was retiring in June. Barnhart has been the Kentucky AD for 24 years. He hired Mark Stoops and he fired Mark Stoops.
“Don’t take your love away from me. Don’t you leave my heart in misery. If you go, then I’ll be blue. ’Cause breaking up is hard to do…..” From 1959 to 1963, he had 13 Top 40 songs. Then after an 11-year hiatus, and thanks to Elton John, he had seven more Top 40 songs from 1974 to 1976. Singer, songwriter and pianist Neil Sedaka died on February 27. Six of those early Top 40 songs became Top 10 hits, and one, “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” became a No.1 hit during the summer of 1963. Three of his later Top 40 songs became Top 10 hits, and two, “Laughter In The Rain,” during the late fall and early winter of 1974, and “Bad Blood,” during the fall of 1975 were No. 1 hits. Some of Sedaka’s other hits included “Oh! Carol” (1959), “Stairway To Heaven” (1960)’ “Calendar Girl (1960); “Happy Birthday Sweet 16 (1961) and “Next Door To An Angel” (1962). A prolific songwriter, he also wrote songs that became hits for other singers, including “Stupid Cupid” (Connie Francis), “(Is This The Way To) Amarillo” (Tony Christie), and “Love Will Keep Us Together” (Captain & Tennille), among others. A native of New York City, Neil Sedaka was 86. “….Remember when you held me tight, and you kissed me all through the night. Think of what we’ve been through. ’Cause breaking up is hard to do.”
During the first of my many trips to Las Vegas, I saw Neil Sedaka perform at The Rivera in June 1976. The show was opened by standup-comedian Gabe Kaplan (Welcome Back Kotter).
Originally in favor of a 16-team CFP, Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Tennessee coach Josh Heupel announced they were now in favor of a 24-team playoff. Will other SEC coaches, and ACC and Big 12 coaches follow in Smart’s and Heupel’s footpath. At CFP format meetings last winter, only the Big Ten was in favor of a 24-team playoff. All the other conferences preferred a 16-team playoff.
His Notre Dame team won the national championship in 1988. In 33 years of coaching six different colleges, that was his only undefeated team. Lou Holtz died on March 4. Holtz was a head coach at William & Mary, NC State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina. In between NC State and Arkansas, he coached the New York Jets one season. A native of Follansbee, West Virginia, Louis Leo Holtz was 89.
Maybe they should become the Arkansas Chickens? Or how about the Arkansas Fryers? During the offseason, the NCAA gave approval for college athletic teams to wear commercial patches of sponsoring companies on their jerseys. Arkansas became one of the first schools to take advantage of the new ruling. In March, Arkansas announced its football team will begin wearing Tyson Food patches on their jerseys. Before long, American college football teams will become like European soccer teams. Instead of the team name on the jerseys, the name of a sponsoring company or business will appear across the front of the jersey. How about the Arkansas Nuggets? Maybe Tenders?
A dog and pony show with nothing resolved or decided. Sports dignitaries Nick Saban, Tim Tebow, Charlie Ward, Urban Meyer, politicians, etc. gathered at the White House on March 6 to discuss the future of college football. As it turned out, they all just wanted to hear themselves talk. The gathering ended with Trump saying he was going to issue an Executive Order which would take care of the problem. Yeah right.
“And it’s one, two, three what are we fighting for? Don’t ask me, I don’t give a damn. The next stop is Vietnam….” Famous for his performance at Woodstock and for the song “I Feel Like I’m Fixn’ To Die Rag,” singer, songwriter and musician Country Joe McDonald died on March 7. McDonald was the founder and leader of the band Country Joe and The Fish. He recorded 33 albums and wrote hundreds of songs during a career spanning 60 years. In San Francisco Bay Area concerts in the mid and late 1960s, Country Joe and The Fish often performed with the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Buffalo Springfield, Jefferson Airplane and Big Brother and the Holding Company, among other bands. Founded in 1965, Country Joe and The Fish dissolved in 1971. Following the group’s breakup, McDonald continued to perform in the spirit of Woody Guthrie. A native of Washington, DC, Joseph Allen McDonald was 84. “….And it’s five, six, seven open up the pearly gates. Yeah, there ain’t no time to wonder why. Whoopee, we’re all gonna die.”
March Madness began March 17 with the first two of the four play-in games. The NCAA calls these games the First Four. There were no surprises in the four play-in games. But of interest, Miami (Ohio), the only undefeated team during the season, who then lost its first game in MAC tournament play, beat SMU, 89-79. Many thought the RedHawks should have been ranked higher and should not have had to compete in a play-in game. Others thought Miami should not have been in the tournament.
Those who thought Miami should not have been in the tournament were saying “I told you so.” In the tournament’s First Round, Miami fell to Tennessee, 78-56. The First Round, often full of a number of upsets, only produced one true Cinderella team this year. High Point, a 12-seed, knocked off 5th-seeded Wisconsin, 83-82.
In another upset in the First Round, 11-seed VCU beat 6-seed North Carolina, 82-78. That was enough to get North Carolina coach Hubert Davis fired. Davis coached the Tar Heels for five seasons. Similarly, 11-seed Texas downed 6-seed BYU, 79-71. Also of interest in the first round, all four 9-seeds knocked off all four 8-seeds.
High Point’s Cinderella run was short-lived. In the Second Round, Arkansas downed High Point, 94-88. High Point did give the Razorbacks a run for their money. VCU lost to Illinois, 76-55. But 11-seed Texas continued its run. The Longhorns upset 3-seed Gonzaga, 74-68. Also in Round Two, three of the four 9-seeds finally hit the wall. But one of the 9-seeds – Iowa – kept winning. And that was the big surprise of Round Two. Iowa made a 3-point basket with 3.7 seconds remaining on the clock and hung on to upset 1-seed Florida, 73-72.
Eleven-seed Texas and 9-seed Iowa were the lowest seeds to make the Sweet 16. The other 14 teams in the Sweet 16 were seeded 6th or higher. Florida was the only 1-seed that failed to make the Sweet 16.
A social media outfit called “SEC Country” posted what it called the “Ten Most Annoying and Obnoxious People in College Football.” Topping the list was none other than Pat McAfee. The complete Top 10 consisted of 1. McAfee, 2. Paul Finebaum, 3. Robert Griffin III, 4. Danny Kannell, 5. Joel Klatt, 6. R.J. Young, 7. Dave Portnoy, 8. Kirk Herbstreit, 9. Desmond Howard, 10. Brady Quinn.
Meanwhile, back to March Madness, the Sweet 16 consisted of six teams from the Big Ten, four from the SEC, three teams from the Big 12, two from the Big East and one team from the ACC. Twelve of the 16 teams were seeded 4th or higher. Of the four teams that were not, two won and two lost. Eleventh-seed Texas fell to Purdue, and 5th-seed St. Johns lost to Duke. Ninth-seed Iowa beat Nebraska and 6th-seed Tennessee beat Iowa State.
See the curtains hangin’ in the window, in the evening on a Friday night. A little light shinin’ through the window, let’s me know everything’s all right….” Singer and musician Dash Crofts, one half of the soft rock duo Seals and Crofts, died on March 25. Seals and Crofts placed 12 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 between 1972 and 1978. Eight of the 12 songs became Top 40 hits. Ironically, all three of their biggest hits peaked at No. 6 on the charts – “Summer Breeze” in the autumn of 1972, “Diamond Girl” in the summer of 1973 and “Get Closer” in the summer of 1976. Other hits by Seals and Crofts included “Hummingbird,” “We May Never Pass This Way (Again),” “I’ll Play For You” and “You’re The Love.” A native of Cisco, Texas, Darrell George Crofts was 87. (Jim Seals died in 2022.)….”Summer breeze makes me feel fine. Blowin’ through the jasmine in my mind.”
No. 1 seed Duke went down in the Elite Eight. The Blue Devils blew a 19-point lead, losing to No. 2 UConn, 73-72. Trailing 72-70, UConn stole the ball from Duke and scored the winner on a 3-point basket with less than a second on the clock. It was the third-straight March Madness that Duke blew a big lead and lost. The two No. 1 seeds in the Final Four were Arizona and Michigan. Along with UConn, No. 3 Illinois was the fourth team to make the Final Four.
The Final Four consisted of two teams from the Big Ten and one team each from the Big 12 and the Big East. The final two consisted of one Big Ten team and one Big East team. The Big Ten team was Michigan who knocked out Arizona. The Big East team was UConn who eliminated Illinois. Neither game was all that close.
Michigan won the NCAA basketball championship. In an exciting game, the Wolverines beat UConn, 69-63.
UCLA won the ladies national championship. The Bruins clobbered South Carolina 79-51 in the title game.
In mid-April, the NCAA came out with a recommendation to start football season a week earlier. Under the proposal, the season would start on the Thursday night of what is now known as Week Zero. This model would guarantee that teams would have two open dates during the season. Labor Day weekend, the traditional start – Week One – of college football would become Week 2. The NCAA is recommending the earlier start begin in 2027. Currently, only a handful of teams begin their season during Week Zero.
CBS Sportswriter Cody Nagel predicted the 2026 season would be Dabo Swinney’s last season at Clemson. Nagel said Clemson would finish 7-6 in 2026. He also predicted Louisville would go undefeated in ACC play this season. Nagel went on to say Miami would miss the ACC title game again in 2026 and North Carolina would finish last in the conference. He said Virginia Tech and NC State would win 10 games this season. Last, but not least, Nagel said SMU would win the ACC championship. He predicted Louisville and SMU to play in the ACC title game, with SMU winning. Stay tuned!
Nebraska announced that Memorial Stadium, home of the Huskers, will undergo a $600 million overhaul. Nebraska said the overhaul will make Memorial Stadium more fan-friendly and greatly increase revenue for the athletic department. The “Big Red Rebuild” as the project is called is targeted to be finished for the start of the 2028 season. Construction work will begin at the end of this season. Penn State is currently refurbishing Beaver Stadium and Florida will soon start work to renovate The Swamp.
Just as CBS Sportswriter Cody Nagel made some bold predictions about the ACC, CBS Sportswriter Tom Fornelli made some bold predictions about the Big Ten’s 2026 season. Fornelli said Indiana would lose three games and fail to make the College Football Playoff. He added that Michigan would average more than 35 points a game this season. Fornelli said Michigan State would make a bowl game, while Nebraska and Wisconsin would fail to make a bowl game. He predicted Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles would lose his starting job at some point during the season. Fornelli predicted Ohio State to win the Big Ten in 2026. He said that Oregon would lead the league in rushing, while Penn State won’t beat a Big Ten team with a winning record. Moreover, Fornelli said USC quarterback Jayden Maiava would win the Heisman Trophy and Washington would be ranked in the Top 10 at some point during the season. Finally, Fornelli said 2026 will be the end of the second era of Greg Schiano at Rutgers. Stay tuned!
“Been away, haven’t seen you in a while. How’ve you been. Have you changed your style. And do you think that we’ve grown up differently? Don’t seem the same. Seems you lost your feel for me….” He was a member of the rock band Traffic, and as a solo artist, he placed seven songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart – two of which became Top 40 hits. Singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Mason died on April 19. Mason’s biggest hit, “We Just Disagree,” also one of my all-time favorite songs, peaked at No. 12 on Billboard in the fall and winter of 1977. Mason wrote the song “Only You Know and I Know,” which was a Top 20 hit for Delaney & Bonnie in the fall of 1971. In addition to Traffic and his solo career, Mason recorded with artists, including George Harrison, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Steve Winwood, Fleetwood Mac, Leon Russell and Cass Eliot. A native of Worcester, England, David Thomas Mason was 79.“…. So, let’s leave it alone. ’Cause we can’t see eye to eye. There ain’t no good guy. There ain’t no bad guy. There’s only you and me and we just disagree.”
The NFL draft took place April 23-25. After seven rounds and 224 players, former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia wasn’t drafted. Was that karma? When Pavia failed to win the Heisman Trophy, he posted and said “F U” to the Heisman voters. When he failed to get drafted, Pavia said, “Every NFL team made a huge mistake.” USA Today Sports Writer Jordan Mendoza thinks Pavia will become a WWE wrestler. A few days after the draft was over, the Baltimore Ravens signed Pavia to a three-year rookie contract.
The NCAA announced the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments would each expand from 68 to 76 teams, beginning with the 2027 tournaments. The mechanics of the 76-team tournament has 52 teams as automatic qualifiers for Round 1 of the tournament. Twenty-four teams will participate in a play-in game. The winner of the 12 play-in games would move on to Round 1.
On May 1, the Big Ten Conference announced it made $1.37 billion in revenue for the academic-fiscal year ending July 31, 2025. As a result, the conference distributed a record $76 million to its member schools. Not bad. Compare that to the SEC which paid an average $72.4 million, the ACC which paid an average $42.8 million, and the Big 12 which paid an average of $37.9 million.
The ACC announced that Syracuse and Wake Forest will open the 2027 season in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The game will be played on either August 28 or 29.
One was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. The other was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Both came to fame in Atlanta, Georgia. Both died within three days of each other. Ted Turner, the Cincinnati native, died on May 6. Bobby Cox, the Tulsa native, died on May 9. Turner, a businessman, television producer, media provider and philanthropist, was the founder of CNN, the first 24-hour cable news channel. He also founded the television networks TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies. Cox played baseball for the New York Yankees and managed the Toronto Blue Jays and the Atlanta Braves. He was most famous for managing the Braves, a team he managed twice – 1978-1981 and 1990 to 2010. Cox managed the Braves to the 1995 world series championship. His boss was Ted Turner. Turner owned the Braves from 1976 to 1996. Robert Edward Turner was 87. Robert Joe Cox was 84.
Class of 2027 quarterback R.J. Day, the son of Ohio State football coach Ryan Day, committed to Northwestern. Day, a three-star recruit, is a three-year starter at St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus, Ohio. He also had offers from Purdue, Syracuse, Cincinnati and South Florida. At Northwestern, Day will be playing under offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Kelly, a former head coach at Oregon and UCLA, was the offensive coordinator under Ryan Day at Ohio State during the Buckeyes’ 2024 national championship season.
Mark your calendars – September 19, 2026. That’s the day LSU meets Ole Miss in Oxford. We have known it’s going to be a day of tension and angst, ever since Lane Kiffin pulled out of Oxford for Baton Rouge last December. Now, it’s going to be a day of extreme tension and high angst – thanks to Lane Kiffin again. On May 11, the contents of an article in Vanity Fair Magazine surfaced. The article covered an interview that Kiffin had with Vanity Fair writer Chris Smith.
In the interview, Kiffin opened up about what led to his decision to leave Ole Miss for LSU. In addition to the Tigers’ program having more funding, Kiffin cited that the racial climate at Ole Miss and in Oxford, Mississippi, made it harder for him to recruit. He said Ole Miss and Oxford lack diversity – the University’s ties to such symbols as the confederate flag, Colonel Reb, even the name Ole Miss itself, makes it difficult to recruit Black players. Kiffin said Baton Rouge is more diverse.
Referee’s whistle. Penalty. Piling on. The following day, after the Vanity Fair article came out, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian was caught piling on. Piling on Ole Miss that is. Sarkisian claimed that Kiffin had it easy recruiting at Ole Miss. He said that unlike Texas, which only accepts 50% of the academic credit hours of a transfer recruit, Ole Miss accepts 100% of a transfer player’s academic credit hours. Sarkisian also said that a player can major in basket weaving at Ole Miss – “All you have to do is take basket weaving and you can get an Ole Miss degree.” Ole Miss, by the way, plays at Texas on October 24.
Responding to the Vanity Fair article, Lane Kiffin said that although he stands behind his comments, he was not wishing any ill will to Ole Miss or the people of Mississippi. He said his remarks were “factual” and “not shots.”
So, September 19 should be an interesting day in Oxford, Mississippi. Stay tuned!
The pressure is on the SEC. The ACC joined the Big Ten and the Big 12, announcing its support for a 24-team college football playoff. At the ACC spring meeting, commissioner Jim Phillips said the ACC coaches and athletic directors voiced their unanimous support for expanding the CFP to 24 teams. The SEC and its commissioner Greg Sankey remain firm on a 16-team playoff. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said expanding to 24 teams is just a “knee-jerk reaction.”
Personally, I agree with Sankey and the SEC. I think a 24-team playoff is silly – too many undesirable teams, too many boring, unwatchable games.
Paul Finebaum said a 24-team playoff “is going to devalue, dilute and perhaps destroy the greatest football season of them all, and that’s the regular season in college football. The big games at the end of the season are going to be meaningless.”
He’s back! Back at LSU, that is. Ed Orgeron, the former head coach at LSU, has been hired by Lane Kiffin as a special assistant coach for recruiting and defense. Orgeron coached LSU to the national championship during the 2019 season.
Singer, songwriter and musician Peabo Bryson died on June 2. Between 1976 and 1993, Bryson had 13 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. His biggest hit was a duet with Regina Belle – “A Whole New World” which reached No. 1 on the charts in the winter of 1993. His other big hits included a duet with Roberta Flack – “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love” (summer-fall of 1983), a solo recording – “If Ever You’re In My Arms Again” (summer of 1984), and a duet with Celine Dion – “Beauty And The Beast” (winter of 1992). Bryson also had a hit with saxophonist Kenny G – “By The Time The Night Is Over” (summer of 1993). A native of Greenville, South Carolina, Robert Peapo Bryson was 75.
In early June, the Virginia-NC State football game, scheduled to be played on August 29 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, was relocated to Charlottesville, Virginia. It seems that Rio wasn’t going to be prepared to host the event. The game will still be played on August 29.
June became a volatile month in offseason college football. First, the Protect College Sports Act bill was introduced in Congress. What was initially thought to be a unanimously popular bill, the Protect College Sports Act received a mixed response. Two Power Four conferences – the Big Ten and SEC – threatened to leave the NCAA if it is passed. Second, a west Texas judge granted Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby an injunction to play this season. An uproar pursued.
The Protect College Sports Act is a bipartisan bill that was drafted and introduced by Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Washington Senator Maria Cantwell. The bill was written to take control of the chaotic nature of college sports, while at the same time, preserving Olympic and women’s sports in college athletics. The general overview of the Protect College Sports Act provides for the following:
1. Creating one national NIL law and cap that overrides the individual state laws
2. Giving the NCAA and the conferences antitrust protection against lawsuits
3. Creating federal oversight and disclosure requirements for NIL deals
4. Strengthening the control and regulation of boosters, collectives and athlete agents
5. Limiting the athletes to a one time transfer in the transfer portal, without having to sit out a year
6. Requiring schools to provide certain athlete health, safety and academic protections
7. Mandating the conferences pool their media profits.
8. Mandating no more conference expansion among the Power Four conferences.
Before the Protect College Sports Act was introduced, it was assumed that all colleges and all conferences were in favor of the act. However, when the contents of the Protect College Sports Act were revealed, two conferences were vehemently against the act. Those two conferences were the Big Ten and the SEC.
There was primarily one item in the act that the Big Ten and the SEC were against – pooling media profits. The two richest conferences in the country don’t want to pool their media profits. The pooling of media profits is not a new idea or an unknown practice. The NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL teams pool their media profits. So, why shouldn’t the colleges? Are the Big Ten and the SEC being greedy?
If the Protect College Sports Act passes, the Big Ten and the SEC threaten to leave the NCAA, grab some number of ACC and Big 12 teams along the way, and form their own “Super Conference.” They may leave the NCAA even of the bill doesn’t pass.
USA Today sports writer Matt Hayes wrote, “The Big Ten and SEC begged Congress for years to get involved and set guardrails. But the last thing the Big Ten and SEC wanted was the federal government getting under the hood of the money making machine. The Big Ten and the SEC (who can’t agree on anything) released a joint statement saying they’re not on board with the Protect College Sports Act. The Big Ten and SEC agreement is simple: ‘We have the product the public and television/streaming sites want. Why should we financially supplement those who don’t?”
Hayes went on to write, “If the bill passes, the Big Ten and SEC will act quickly to do what they’ve always wanted: Break away and form their own association, with their own rules and regulations. They’ll take a select few teams from the ACC and Big12 and walk away. Frankly, what the Big Ten and SEC want to do, is both diabolical and brilliant.”
The Protect College Football Act passed in committee vote – 19 for, 9 against. That committee approval frees up the act for a vote on the Senate floor. However, a number of senators, primarily ones from SEC states who were initially for the act, have come out against it.
By early July, the act had yet to come up for a vote on the Senate floor. Stay tuned, but don’t hold your breath.
If the Protect College Sports Act controversy wasn’t enough, the NCAA-Texas Tech-Brendan Sorsby bru-ha-ha caused perhaps a bigger uproar in June.
But first we have to retreat to provide some background information. On January 4, Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby announced he was transferring to Texas Tech for his final season of college football. It was Sorsby’s second transfer using the portal. A few seasons earlier, Sorsby transferred from Indiana to Cincinnati.
On February 26, Cincinnati sued Sorsby over an exit fee.
Then on April 27, after an investigation following an FBI tipoff, the NCAA revealed that while he was at Indiana and Cincinnati, Brendan Sorsby was gambling on college football games. The NCAA said Sorsby placed more than 1,000 bets on college games, including 40 wagers on his own team. The bets totaled upwards of $90,000.
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A few days later, Texas Tech acknowledges Sorsby’s gambling and says that he will be checking into a gambling addiction program.
But on May 1, the NCAA declared Sorsby ineligible, saying he cannot play football for Texas Tech in 2026. The next day, Sorsby hired an antitrust attorney to regain his college eligibility.
On May 18, Sorsby filed for an injunction, seeking eligibility. A week later, the NCAA denied Sorsby’s request for reinstatement.
Then the shit hit the fan, when on June 8 a west Texas judge granted Sorsby an injunction to play. The judge said a hearing on the injunction ruling would not be held prior to February 2027 – long after Sorsby would have played his last game for Texas Tech.
During the week following the judge’s ruling, 137 of the 138 Division I college football schools were unanimous that Sorsby shouldn’t play. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond called on the Big 12 to suspend Sorsby. Paul Fnebaum said that Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormak should declare Sorsby ineligible.
On June 13, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he will file suit against the Big 12 and anyone else trying to prevent Sorsby from playing. Paxton, who is running for the U.S. Senate from Texas, was sucking up for campaign contributions from billionaire oilman Cody Campbell. As Texas Tech’s biggest booster, Campbell basically funds the school’s athletic program. Campbell came through for Paxton, giving him $275,000.
The next day, June 14, the Big 12 and Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed suit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Texas Tech.
Finally, on June 15, Texas Tech and Brendan Sorsby announced they were parting ways. Sorsby said he would enter the NFL’s supplemental draft. But a week later, June 23, the NFL announced it would not hold a supplemental draft this year. Obviously, the NFL doesn’t want Sorsby.
Sorsby subsequently announced he would seek to play in the Canadian Football League. But like the NFL, the CFL doesn’t want Sorsby either. On June 26, the CFL released a statement, saying, “Upholding the integrity of the league and ensuring fair competition are paramount to the CFL. The allegations involving Brendan Sorsby are serious and concerning. At this time, the CFL will not register a contract for him and no CFL team will be permitted to add him to its roster.”
And so that was the rise and fall of Brendan Sorsby.
Of course, if it’s June, it’s the College World Series – the “Greatest Show on Dirt.” It just seems like the CWS gets bigger, better and more popular every year. The eight teams in this year’s Omaha-based event consisted of five teams from the SEC (Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Texas), one team from the ACC (North Carolina), one from the Big 12 (West Virginia) and one team from the Sun Belt (Troy). It was the first appearance in the World Series for Troy and West Virginia.
After several days of double elimination play, the final four consisted of North Carolina, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Georgia. The Tar Heels and the Sooners made it to the championship round. Oklahoma, who finished in 11th place in the SEC during the regular season, beat North Carolina 2 games to 1 to win the College World Series. That was an incredible end-of-season run for the Sooners.
For several years, Rocco’s Pizza & Cantina, across the street from the stadium in Omaha, holds a Jell-0 shot challenge. It’s an annual charity competition where the fans of all eight teams buy $5 Jell-O shots to see which school can dominate the leader board. The tradition began in 2019. The all-time record is held by LSU, whose fans purchased a staggering 68,888 Jell-O shots during the 2023 CWS. This year, West Virginia won the challenge, beating out Oklahoma.
“Now troubles are many. They’re as deep as a well. I can swear there ain’t no heaven, but I pray there ain’t no hell…” Singer, songwriter and musician David Clayton-Thomas died on June 24. Clayton-Thomas was the lead vocalist for the American band Blood, Sweat & Tears. From 1969 to 1975, Blood, Sweat & Tears placed 10 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, six of which made the Top 40. Three of those Top 40 songs peaked at No. 2 on the charts – “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” (spring of 1969), “Spinning Wheel” (summer of 1969) and “And When I Die” (fall and winter of 1969). A native of Kingston Upon Thames in Surrey, England, David Clayton-Thomas (born David HenryThomsett) was 84. “…And when I die, and when I’m gone, There’ll be one child born in this world to carry on, to carry on.”
As a follow up to the Brendan Sorsby debacle, the NCAA sent a letter of inquiry to Cincinnati centered on Sorsby’s time and betting activity with the Bearcats’ program. Back in early June, Sorsby’s agent said that Cincinnati was aware of Sorby’s betting activity while he was playing for the Bearcats. Cincinnati denied the accusation. Stay tuned!
“Oh, it’s a heartache. Nothing but a heartache. Love him till your arms break. Then he lets you down…” Known for her distinctive husky voice, Welsh singer-songwriter Bonnie Tyler died on July 8. Tyler placed six songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, three of which became hits. “It’s A Heartache,” her debut single, peaked at No. 3 in the spring of 1978. Her biggest hit, “Total Eclipse Of The Heart,” peaked at No. 1 in the summer of 1983. “Holding Out For A Hero” peaked at No. 34 in 1984. After her death, tributes poured in from Catherine Zeta-Jones, Cliff Richard, Bryan Adams, and the Prince and Princess of Wales (William and Kate), among others. A native of Skewen, Wales, Gaynor Sullivan Hopkins, known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, was 75. “…It’s a fool’s game. Nothing but a fools game. Standing in the cold rain, feeling like a clown.”
Former Florida Atlantic, Houston and Texas coach Tom Herman joined Mike Norvell’s staff at Florida State. Herman will be an offensive consultant for the Noles. Herman is also a former offensive coordinator at Ohio State.
Play the bowl games at the beginning of the season. Save the end of the season for the College Football Playoff. That’s what Utah coach Morgan Scalley thinks college football should do. It’s really not a bad idea when you think about it. Scalley suggested that all the bowl games should be played the Thursday through Sunday of what is now Week 0 – the week before Labor Day Weekend.
As it is now, the bowls are losing attendance. The fans have lost interest in the bowl games. That’s because the bowl games are competing with the College Football Playoff. And players are opting out of the games. So move the bowls to the beginning of the season, when the fans are anxious to see their teams play. A formula could be set up, regulating how the bowls select their teams. You could base it off their record from the previous season. To make it interesting, the bowls would match two teams who aren’t playing each other during the season. Most, if not all, of the bowl games would be interconference affairs. And the players wouldn’t be opting out of the games.
Arizona coach Brent Brennan also embraces the Week 0 concept for bowl games.
Sounds like a winner to me!
“Last night, I took a walk after dark. A swingin’ place called Palisades Park. To have some fun and see what I could see. That’s where the girls are….” Between 1959 and 1966, he placed 22 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Singer and guitarist Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon died on July 17. Eight of those 22 songs became Top 40 hits and three became Top 10 hits. The Top 10 hits were “Tallahassee Lassie,” which peaked at No. 6 in the summer of 1959, “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans,” which peaked at No. 3 in the winter of 1960, and “Palisades Park,” which peaked at No. 3 in the summer of 1962. “Palisades Park” was written by “Gong Show” host Chuck Barris. Other Top 40 hits included “Transistor Sister,” “Abigail Beecher,” and “Action.” “Action” was recorded with session musicians Leon Russell, Glen Campbell and David Gates. A native of Revere, Massachusetts, Fredrick Anthony Picariello was 89. “….I took a ride on the shoot the chute. The girl I sat beside was awful cute. And after a while she was holdin’ hands with me.”
The SEC Media Days, always the best of the Power Four conferences, opened on July 20 in Tampa, Florida. At the opening session, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey sent shockwaves throughout the world of college football when he revealed the SEC was having conversations about leaving the NCAA. However, Sankey said the SEC’s primary goal was to get revisions to the Protect College Football Act so that it would be acceptable to all conferences – primarily to the Big Ten and SEC. But he reiterated, “the SEC breaking away from the NCAA is a real option.”
The question is does the SEC need to have all its suggested changes made to support the bill. To that, Sankey said, “That’s part of the conversation.” The SEC (and the Big Ten) are against the pooling of media profits and are against limitations to conference expansion.
Also on the opening day of the SEC Media Days, first-year Kentucky coach Will Klein spoke. He made an impression. When asked why Kentucky will win, the former Oregon offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach said, “Because of me.” By the end of the day, many at the media days were calling Klein the potential Curt Cignetti of the SEC.
Have you ever heard Vanderbilt coach Chris Lea speak? I’m more and more impressed with Lea every time I hear him talk. The Vanderbilt graduate and coach spoke on the second day in Tampa. He was definitely the highlight of Day 2. However, new Auburn coach Alex Golesh made a strong impression. And Georgia coach Kirby Smart said he’s all for getting out of the NCAA.
On Day 3 of Media Days, we learned that Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer won the award for the best tan. DeBoer looked like he just arrived in Tampa after a week on one of the Caribbean islands.
The SEC saved the best for the last. On the final day of the four-day Media Days, the featured coach was Lane Kiffin, and the featured player interview was Arch Manning. Usually, when Kiffin speaks, there is never a dull moment, but the first-year LSU coach was rather low key.
After Kiffin spoke, a reporter told SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey that Kiffin was “utterly boring.” Sankey responded, “That’s the kind of Kiffin I like.”
Actually, Kiffin spoke longer than each of the other 15 SEC coaches. He may have had reason for his lengthy talk. When he finished, there was only enough time left for four questions. Kiffin escaped having to answer a lot of questions about his departure from Ole Miss to LSU. However, in a low-key manner, he did say he regretted the way he handled his departure.
The biggest news out of Kiffin had little to nothing to do with football. The King of Social Media announced he had abandoned social media. Kiffin said he had deleted all the social media apps from his phone. He said this came about after his son told him he was spending too much time on his phone. His son challenged him to get away from social media and Kiffin accepted the challenge.
During the SEC’s Media Days, the Baltimore Ravens announced they had waived former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. You’ll recall that a few days following the NFL draft in April, the Ravens signed Pavia as an undrafted free agent. This after Pavia had become the first Heisman Trophy finalist in 12 years to go undrafted. Maybe Pavia has a future in Canada. Maybe he’s the next Doug Flutie.
The Big Ten Media Days opened July 28, a week following the SEC Media Days. The Big Ten’s preseason show generally isn’t as splashy as the SEC’s. But Illinois coach Bret Bielema, never shy of making controversial statements, got things off to a competitive start by saying, “The SEC wants to live in 2005 forever.” Bielema smiled and continued, “I think I just made the headline.”
Paul Finebaum responded by saying that Bielema never fails to be the village idiot at Big Ten Media Days.
The Big Ten saved the best for last. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti spoke on the final day of the conference’s media days. Cignetti blasted the SEC and defended the Big Ten by saying, “The Big Ten is the best league in football. We don’t run a hype machine up here in the Midwest. We believe everything’s earned, not given. And when we fall short, we say we fell short. We don’t cry a river, whine and complain. And that’s why we’re the best.”
Someone said that Cignetti put the SEC in its place without mentioning the SEC. However, it should be noted that Indiana doesn’t have a Power Four non-conference opponent on its schedule for the next six years.
Meanwhile, activity was taking place in an attempt to get a Senate vote on the Protect College Sports Act. The latest version of the bill was changed to allow the Power Four conferences to expand to up to 19 members. Previously, the bill banned any Power Four conference expansion. Changes were also made to how the conferences would pool their media profits. However, the Big Ten and SEC still had some concerns about the bill.
The stance of the Big Ten and the SEC continued to raise concerns from the other conferences that the Big Ten and SEC are positioning themselves to leave everyone else behind.
Surprisingly, a breakthrough in the support for the Protect College Sports Act came late Friday afternoon, July 31, a week before the Senate was scheduled to recess for the remainder of the summer. The Big Ten and the SEC announced they were now in favor of the act. Both conferences voted in favor of supporting the proposed legislation.
In the latest version, conferences were not forced to pool their media profits. Participation in the pooling of media profits would be entirely voluntary. Also Division I conferences will be prohibited from reducing the number of varsity teams, minimum roster participants or intercollegiate competition schools must sponsor for membership. That protects women’s sports and Olympic sports.
On Monday of last week (August 3), Senator Ted Cruz predicted the PCSA would come to a vote on the Senate floor and pass prior to the Senate recess on August 7. But at the end of the day Monday, the text of the bill was still being written and rewritten. In additional changes, the revised bill raised the revenue share cap to $48.8 million, including $21.3 million from the House settlement, a $22.5 million retention pool and $5 million for non-revenue sports. The bill provided for limited antitrust exemption for the NCAA and its schools to enforce a cap on payments to athletes and rules related to eligibility and transfers. The bill created an opportunity for schools to sell media profits as one large entity rather than on a conference by conference basis. The Big Ten and SEC do not want to participate in the media pool and thus sought language making it clear that participation is voluntary.
Ultimately, despite a flurry of negotiations, including the changes made to appease the Big Ten and SEC, the Protect College Sports Act never saw the floor of the Senate. The legislators adjourned for their summer break without taking a vote. Although the conferences were in agreement, this time it was the senators who couldn’t come to an agreement.
New and last minute demands from lawmakers created more confusion and uncertainty for the legislation. No less than 10 objections from Republican senators cropped up during the final days before the summer recess. Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana demanded a 4% cap on annual ticket price increases. Kennedy also wants legislation that would not protect the NCAA from liability. Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri, Jim Banks of Indiana and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama are demanding that the legislation does not override state laws governing participation in women’s sports.
The Congressional Black Caucus also came out against the legislation in the final days before the Senate broke for summer recess. The Black Caucus argued that Black athletes and their communities were not sufficiently involved in the shaping of the bill. So just when the Big Ten and the SEC gave optimism that the bill would come to the floor for a vote, these last minute objections surfaced.
A potential vote on the Protect College Sports Act must now wait until the House and Senate reconvene in September. And who knows what will happen then. Stay tuned!
The problems trying to get the Protect College Sports Act passed reminded me of something I once saw hanging on the wall in someone’s office. In the spring of 1978, I was doing some work at the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer in Columbus, Georgia. The first day on site, I was in a meeting in the office of the newspaper’s production manager. Hanging on the wall, printed and framed, was a paraphrased Bible verse – “For God so loved the world, he didn’t send a committee.”
The College Football Playoff management committee meets today to discuss expanding the playoff to 16 or 24 teams. The meeting won’t result in a decision on the format, but it will provide a recommendation. A decision is expected later this fall. The Big Ten supports a 24-team playoff, while the SEC supports a 16-team field. All other conferences – the ACC, Big 12 and the Group of Six conferences – support a 24-team playoff.
How much are starting players for Power Four conference teams making this season? Well, according to ESPN college football writer Max Olson, here are the salary ranges by position.
Quarterbacks: $1 to $3 million
Running Backs: $300K to $800K
Wide Receivers: $400K to $1 million
Tight Ends: $300K to $600K
Offensive Linemen: $300K to $1.2 million
Defensive Lineman: $500K to $1.2 million
Linebackers: $300K to $700K
Defensive Backs: $300K to $900K
Kickers: $50K to $200K
Punters: $50K to $150K
Long Snappers: $10K to $50K
Miami’s Darian Mensah is the highest paid quarterback at $8 million. Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith is the highest paid wide receiver at $5.5 million.
That my friends is a compilation – the highs and the lows – of the past seven months – January to August.
As the offseason comes to an end, a new season is about to begin. What will 2026 bring? We’ll soon find out.
Nothing lasts forever, as the offseason had a sad moment for me – the passing of a close friend.
College Football Week and I lost a close friend during the offseason – Sally Kirk Adkins. I first got to know Sally after my third and/or fourth grade while attending vacation Bible school at our church. Sally, a few years older, was one of the junior helpers at VBS. She assisted the mothers, helping to organize some of the crafts and games. A few years later, after my sixth and seventh grades, I attended church camp and Sally was one of the counselors. Then I lost touch with Sally. She and her high school sweetheart – Fred Adkins – went to West Virginia University. They both attended high school where my mother taught English. My mother always thought they were the cutest couple. Fred was at WVU on a football scholarship. After graduation, Fred and Sally married. He went on to law school at WVU. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was a freshman at WVU when Fred was in his final year of law school. That was 1964-65.
Many years went by without any connection. There are good and bad things about Facebook. One of the good things is reconnecting with old friends and acquaintances. Sally and I did just that. We reconnected on Facebook in early 2010. Sally soon became a big fan of College Football Week, often forwarding it to other readers. After every WVU football game and some of the basketball games, we commented on the outcome. Messaging and texting, we shared our thoughts on the games. Then, in 2018, Fred and Sally invited Swamp Mama and me to spend a weekend at their home and to attend a WVU football game with them. They had a beautiful home in the mountains of West Virginia not far from Snowshoe, the ski resort. It was a reunion for Sally and me – our first time seeing one another since sometime in the 1960s. The four of us went to the Kansas State-West Virginia game. The Mountaineers won the game 35-6. The following summer, Swamp Mama and I rented a cottage in Canaan Valley in West Virginia. We visited with Fred and Sally. In 2022, Swamp Mama, Princess Gator, Gator Gabe, Gator Babe and I spent a few days at Snowshoe Ski Resort. After leaving Snowshoe, the five of us spent our last night at Fred and Sally’s house before flying home. That was the last time I saw Sally. But we continued to message and text, especially after the WVU football and basketball games.
Sadly, Sally Kirk Adkins passed away in February. I will be thinking of Sally with every CFW word I write this season. She was an exceptional lady.
“We are sailing, we are sailing
Home again, across the sea
We are sailing stormy waters
To be near you, to be free”
Gavin Sutherland
CFW returns tomorrow with a look at this season’s new head coaches.
Touchdown Tom
August 17, 2026
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Quotes of the Offseason
“I want to make the NFL. I want to be a first-round draft pick,” Miami quarterback Darian Mensah, on why he transferred from Duke to the Canes.
“The college football offseason doesn’t officially begin until the first Georgia football player is arrested,” Mike Attword.
“I’m the best player in the country,” former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, prior to the NFL draft.
“I think that ship has sailed. It’s run its course. I don’t like the idea of it going away, but I think it is reality,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, on the elimination of the SEC championship game.
“It’s time we wake this thing up. This is a sleeping giant. I’m telling you right now, it ain’t a matter of if we’re gonna win here, it’s how fast we’re gonna win. It’s coming,” Florida coach Jon Sumrall after the Gators spring game.
“Every team that passed on me made a huge mistake,” former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, after the first round of the NFL draft.
“We think that conference championship games have kind of run their course. So, why are we playing them?” American Football Coaches Association executive director Craig Bohl.
“All you have to do is take basket weaving and you can get a degree at Ole Miss,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian.
“I think Miami might be the team to win it all this year,” ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit.
“The ACC is walking on eggshells around Notre Dame, afraid of its own shadow – and certainly afraid to stand up for itself. Notre Dame speaks, the ACC jumps. If it wasn’t that way, the ACC would have fined Notre Dame last December when the Irish accused the ACC of lobbying for Miami to get into the CFP. And the ACC would have told Notre Dame the same thing the selection committee told the Irish – you lost to Miami, deal with it,” USA Today sports writer Matt Hayes, on the dysfunctional relationship between the ACC and Notre Dame.
“You remember the SEC, right? Merely the biggest, baddest television property in college football. The SEC may have forgotten how to win national championships, but the television ratings difference between the collective SEC and everyone else (including the Big Ten) is night and day,” USA Today sports writer Matt Hayes.
“Wherever Lane Kiffin goes, the spotlight brightens, and the drama heightens. LSU signed up for the ‘Lane Kiffin Experience.’ Well, it’s getting all of the Kiffin experience – and the season hasn’t even started. Already, Kiffin stirred the pot with his recent comments in a Vanity Fair interview that rekindled Mississippi fans’ ire for him, after he left the Rebels on the doorstep of the playoff. Kiffin typically basks in the attention he generates, but is he ready for the level of scrutiny and pressure that will center on him during his first season at LSU?” USA Today sports writer Blake Toppmeyer.
“It’s so much fun once the season begins. It’s the best sport in the world,” college sports blogger and podcaster Andy Staples, on college football.
“It’s f**king bullshit,” Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor, when Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby was granted an injunction to play this season.
“There’s no excuse for Texas Tech to not simply tell Brendan Sorsby you can play somewhere else, but you’re not playing here,” USA Today sports writer Matt Hayes.
“It’s sickening. I just don’t know where this ends,” ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, on the judge granting Brendan Sorsby an injunction to play.
“Nothing, I mean nothing, has done more damage to college football than free player movement. Because free player movement allows contract renegotiations and valuable player leverage every year. But if there’s only one free transfer, there’s only one big payday,” USA Today sports writer Matt Hayes.
“Five college football sleepers who could contend for the national title this season are Texas A&M, Ole Miss, LSU, USC and Penn State,” USA Today sports writer Blake Toppemeyer.
“Dabo Swinney is just stuck on stupid right now trying to convince us that his program is still legitimate,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.
“The only time Dabo Swinney is relevant is when he’s talking about the past, and that’s all he does,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.
“Lane and I are great. I can’t wait for him every morning to call me or text me. It’s just the highlight of my day,” Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, on his relationship with LSU coach Lane Kiffin.
“Everybody thinks we suck,” South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, on his Gamecocks.
“I’m a Florida resident now. I’m kind of a semi-Gator. So, if you don’t get your shit together, then I’m going to be in the middle,” ESPN’s Nick Saban to Florida coach Jon Sumrall.
“I show them our trophy case and it’s empty,” Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, on how he inspires his players.
“John Wayne rode after he had been shot. He turned out all right,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz, when asked if his running back Ahmad Hardy would be ready to play. (Note: Hardy was shot in the leg during the summer.)
“I don’t set goals. I set standards,” first-year Auburn coach Alex Golesh.
“Is he going to win a championship at Alabama? And my answer is no,” ESPN’s Paul Finbaum on Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer.
“Every recruit and every student-athlete will hear this message repeatedly. We are here to win championships. If you don’t want to win championships, go to Indiana. Purdue may not be the place for you,” new Purdue athletic director Tommy McClelland at his introductory press conference.
“I’m having a great day yesterday, giving our vision and sharing what we’re going to do here at Purdue. I made an offhand, unscripted comment about an in-state rival that didn’t land well. I knew it the second it left my mouth,” new Purdue athletic director Tommy McClelland, the following day after his introductory press conference.
Touchdown Tom
August 17, 2026
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but as summer was winding down and college football fans were anticipating the start of another season, the number one song in the country…
…85 years ago, this week in 1941, was “Daddy” by Sammy Kaye
…80 years ago, this week in 1946, was “To Each His Own” by Eddy Howard and His Orchestra
…75 years ago, this week in 1951, was “Come On-a My House” by Rosemary Clooney
…70 years ago, this week in 1956, was “Hound Dog/Don’t Be Cruel by Elvis Presley and “My Prayer” by The Platters
…65 years ago, this week in 1961, was “Tossin’ And Turnin’” by Bobby Lewis
…60 years ago, this week in 1966, was “Summer In The City” by The Lovin’ Spoonful
…55 years ago, this week in 1971, was “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart” by The Bee Gees
…50 years ago, this week in 1976, was “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John and Kiki Dee
…45 years ago, this week in 1981, was “Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
…40 years ago, this week in 1986, was “Papa Don’t Preach” by Madonna
…35 years ago, this week in 1991, was “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” by Bryan Adams
