1 year, 2 months ago

SEC vibe check: CFP loss a hit to the ego, but nothing more, now on to 2024

The shots came from the north, the west and all over social media: The vaunted SEC, dominator of college football, had been humbled. Given where Missouri was this time last year, the vibes are better in Eli Drinkwitz’s program than anywhere else in the new 16-team league. It’s hard to project, but with quarterback Carson Beck and a lot of good players back, Georgia could still fight its way to 11-1 or 12-0. As of a year ago the talk was Oklahoma was the better program than Texas heading into the SEC, but it’s hard to say that now. Still, Freeze reeled in the seventh-ranked recruiting class, and in taking Alabama and Georgia to the brink he reminded everyone that he’s always good for a big win or two every season.

Georgia College Football Team Texas Missouri Alabama Quarterback Win Sec Nico Tennessee Longhorns Good Playoff Sankey Vibe Check Season Vibe good ego cfp quarterback loss playoff 2024 hit win alabama team texas georgia sec season vibe check

History of this topic

2 weeks, 3 days ago

Florida’s motivation in the SEC Tournament: locking up the final No. 1 seed in the NCAA field

Associated Press

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — There’s only one way for No. “We’re going to give it all we got.” Florida will play Missouri, LSU or Mississippi State in the quarterfinals Friday in Nashville, Tennessee. “But at the same time, I’m not sure how big of a difference our path would truly be whether we’re the third or fourth 1 seed, or the …

3 weeks, 1 day ago

With SEC tournament bracket set, Texas is the team of clear desperation

New York Times

The SEC’s bubble teams helped themselves as much as possible in the final week of the regular season, making likely a record for NCAA Tournament bids and reducing the number of teams in dire situations next week at the SEC tournament in Nashville, Tenn. Texas earns the title of “most dire,” at least among the 14 teams with NCAA hopes. …

1 month, 1 week ago

SEC and Big 10 are prepared to push for changes to CFP seeding in 2025

Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference will push for changes in the way College Football Playoff teams are seeded next season to coincide more with how teams are ranked by the CFP selection committee, commissioners for both leagues said on Wednesday. “I’m prepared to vote for seeding change,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. “But it has to …

1 month, 2 weeks ago

COLLEGE BASEBALL ’25: Defending champion Vols have new-look roster but face same high expectations

Associated Press

It was as if the 2024 Tennessee Volunteers were built to win a national championship with their dominant pitching and an offense that produced the second-most home runs in a season in NCAA history. That’s left coach Tony Vitello to approach 2025 as a building year, though much is still expected of the Vols as defending champions. “They’re the 2025 …

1 month, 2 weeks ago

NCAA Tournament Bracket Watch 2025: For Alabama-Auburn week, more SEC history imagined

New York Times

The SEC/ACC Challenge ended up 14-2 in the SEC’s favor this year. The men’s NCAA Tournament bid disparity could end up almost that bad — a record-smashing 14 SEC teams in the field of 68 because Arkansas keeps rising, and a match of the ACC’s lowest all-time output of three because North Carolina, Wake Forest and Pitt can’t do enough …

2 months, 2 weeks ago

As CFP leaders meet Sunday to discuss changes, seeding is in the crosshairs and 2026 looms

New York Times

The first 12-team College Football Playoff was always going to be a test run of sorts. The CFP’s board of managers, which is made up of 10 FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director, will meet for the first time since the new format went live on Sunday in Atlanta, the site of Monday’s national championship game between Ohio …

2 months, 3 weeks ago

With College Football Playoff down to 4 teams, not much looks different with Big Ten and SEC

Associated Press

Now that the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff is down to four teams remaining — the size of the field the previous 10 seasons — things really don’t look that much different. Even without former CFP champions Alabama and Georgia, the SEC extended its streak as the only conference with a final four team every season when league newcomer Texas …

2 months, 3 weeks ago

SEC’s historically good men’s basketball race is on — predicting 2 months of hoops ecstasy

New York Times

To the SEC sports fans who are sick of rattling off the league’s recent national championship and NFL Draft history in arguments about hypothetical matchups while the actual postseason results disappoint: Try shifting the conversation to men’s basketball. SEC double plays: Auburn, Kentucky, Mississippi State Projected SEC record and finish: 13-5, third Projected NCAA seed: 2 Outlook: Like Auburn and …

3 months, 1 week ago

College Football Playoff guide for bandwagon fans: Reasons to root for (and against) every team

New York Times

We survived the wackiness of the BCS era and the computer formulas. Ohio State Why you should get on board: You’re a Michigan fan who wants Ohio State to win a few Playoff games — but not the national championship — so Ryan Day can stay in Columbus for a few more years. Notre Dame Why you should get on …

3 months, 2 weeks ago

Who’s playing where? A cheat sheet on college sports realignment

Associated Press

Scores of schools have changed conference affiliation over the past century, but the pace has quickened as schools search for more stability and more revenue in the college athletics arms race. 2024 : Boston College, California, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest. 2023 : …

3 months, 3 weeks ago

Texas feels ‘sting’ of losing SEC title but still optimistic about winning the national championship

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Texas lost the SEC title Saturday but the Longhorns say it would be a mistake to count them out of the College Football Playoff or winning the national championship. “The beauty for us is this stings, it’s hard, but we get a chance to regroup in a couple weeks and get into the College Football Playoff and go …

3 months, 3 weeks ago

2024 College Football Playoff guide: What to know about the new 12-team format, at-large bids

New York Times

College football entered a new era Sunday with the unveiling of the first 12-team Playoff bracket. For most of its century-plus existence, college football had a “mythical national champion.” The sport’s season champion was determined after teams played in bowl games by various polls and rankings, which, of course, led to significant debate. The four quarterfinal games and both semifinals …

3 months, 3 weeks ago

Georgia vs. Texas: How to watch, picks, odds for SEC Championship Game

New York Times

After facing each other in mid-October, Texas and Georgia will run it back on Saturday afternoon in the SEC Championship Game from Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 5 Georgia is making its fourth straight SEC Championship Game appearance and seventh overall in coach Kirby Smart’s nine-year tenure. Georgia vs. Texas odds Expert picks against the spread The Pulse Newsletter Free, daily sports …

3 months, 3 weeks ago

What to make of Georgia’s recruiting, CFP scenarios, the SEC title game and the portal

New York Times

These days it can be hard to get too worked up about recruiting. And in Georgia’s case, it’s about to play a fairly important game Saturday, which will be followed by at least one other fairly important game. Let’s dive in: Recruiting and the portal Georgia still signed two of the nation’s top 10 players and five ranked as five-star …

3 months, 3 weeks ago

How much does the CFP selection committee punish conference championship game losers?

New York Times

There’s a fear among this year’s College Football Playoff contenders that losing a conference championship game could net them a worse result than not playing in one at all. Overall, the 47 teams that lost power-conference title games in the CFP’s first decade dropped an average of two spots in the final CFP Top 25. With all eyes on how …

3 months, 3 weeks ago

College Football Playoff rankings: Miami out, Alabama in with last at-large bid as ACC implications linger

New York Times

Alabama moved into position to receive an at-large bid to the College Football Playoff and Miami was locked out of contention as the selection committee’s penultimate rankings Tuesday night narrowed the field of contenders. ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said the conference was “incredibly shocked and disappointed” by Miami’s fall after the Hurricanes lost this past weekend, 42-38, at No. 16 …

3 months, 3 weeks ago

College playoff bracket offers last dress rehearsal and one more chance to see where the SEC stands

Associated Press

For the College Football Playoff, it’s one last dress rehearsal. After a 42-38 loss to Syracuse that cost Miami a spot in the ACC title game, coach Mario Cristobal emphasized the nature of his team’s two losses — both by less than one touchdown — and said “that makes us one of the better teams in the country.” He wasn’t …

4 months ago

CFP rankings: Georgia, Texas, and College Football Playoff madness in Week 14.

Slate

At the onset of fall, it was clear that the growth of the College Football Playoff from four teams to 12 would make this season unlike any other. Ole Miss is likely out of the playoff race because it plays miserable Mississippi State this week, and beating a team that goes winless in SEC play should not help the Rebels …

4 months ago

Final week shows expanded Southeastern Conference just means more chaos

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! NASHVILLE, Tenn. — One thing is sure as the newly expanded Southeastern Conference wraps up its regular season: Two new teams has just meant more chaos in a league that seemingly had settled in formation behind Georgia and Alabama. Going bowling Auburn snapping a four-game skid …

4 months ago

College football Week 14: Longhorns-Aggies among the high-stakes rivalry games to end regular season

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! It’s the final weekend of the college football regular season, which means rivalry games take center stage. With seven at-large bids for the first 12-team College Football Playoff up for grabs, not to mention spots in next week’s conference championship games, some of these games take …

4 months ago

SEC losses are big gains for SMU and Indiana in latest College Football Playoff rankings

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The Southeastern Conference’s losses were almost everyone else’s gain in the College Football Playoff rankings, with SMU nudging its way into the top 12 and Indiana staying in the mix at No. “They dropped five but we still felt their body of work was strong enough …

4 months ago

College Football Playoff rankings: Alabama, Clemson on outside looking in as Arizona State surges

New York Times

Alabama dropped to No. “Indiana played well at times against Ohio State, and obviously Ohio State pulled away in the second half,” said committee chairman Ward Manuel, who is also Michigan’s athletic director. “We felt also SMU has been playing really dominant football as of late.” The projected top-four seeds that go to conference champions and receive a bye in …

4 months ago

Conference title games a chance at a banner, bragging rights and, for some, a season-wrecking loss

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! League title games give the nation’s top contenders a chance to hang a banner and impress the CFP committee, but more than ever, the bragging rights come with the risk of a season-wrecking loss — even with an expanded field. “But I think teams who make …

4 months ago

What we learned about the College Football Playoff: SEC upsets, Big 12 chaos, Indiana’s hopes

New York Times

The weekend before Thanksgiving often feels like the calm before the storm in college football. Interesting to read analysis from others as they examine “strength of schedule” in college football…it does seem there is a trend to be identified… pic.twitter.com/pXSfxRMxvL — Greg Sankey November 21, 2024 But at a certain point, it doesn’t seem like too much to ask these …

4 months, 1 week ago

Chase for spots in SEC championship game still up for grabs with two games left in regular season

Associated Press

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — With two games left in the regular season, No. “There’s been no time ever where Texas A&M has been in the SEC, in the last two games controlled their own destiny to go to Atlanta. It’s the opportunity that you’ve trained for.” But a loss would create more chaos in an already tight race that could …

4 months, 1 week ago

College Football Playoff stock watch: Can BYU and Tennessee escape the bubble?

New York Times

Editor’s note: This article is part of the College Football Stock Watch series, breaking down which teams are rising and falling in the Playoff race. GO DEEPER College Football Playoff 2024 projections: SMU favored over Alabama for final spot Stock up Carson Beck played his best football of the season in throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns against Tennessee, …

4 months, 1 week ago

SEC tiebreakers: Alabama vs. Texas-Texas A&M winner is new likeliest title game scenario

New York Times

For all who love chaos, the potential eight-team tie for first place in the SEC is sadly over. But clarity is nearing on who will play in the SEC championship: If no more upsets occur, Alabama likely would play the winner of the Texas at Texas A&M regular-season finale. SEC standings Texas 5-1 Kentucky, at Texas A&M Texas A&M 5-1 …

4 months, 1 week ago

What we learned about the CFP in Week 12: Georgia’s still alive, an SEC-Big Ten debate looms

New York Times

There are two weeks left in college football’s regular season, and there appear to be more teams hanging around College Football Playoff contention than falling out. Big 12 CFP and title odds Team CFP bid B1G title Record Oregon 99% 51% 11-0 Ohio State 99% 45% 9-1 Penn State 93% 1% 9-1 Indiana 89% 4% 10-0 Welcome, Sun Devils Arizona …

4 months, 1 week ago

Tennessee blew it at Georgia, but Vols’ College Football Playoff hopes are not blown

New York Times

ATHENS, Ga. — Tennessee is a College Football Playoff team, the bulk of the evidence illustrated in a Saturday night setting that is not conducive for the thriving of average teams. GO DEEPER College Football Playoff 2024 projections: Colorado favored to win Big 12, earn bye So get ready for late November and early December campaigning, as if we didn’t …

4 months, 2 weeks ago

Ranking 134 college football teams after Week 11: Will shaky contenders feel an SEC squeeze?

New York Times

Editor’s note: The Athletic 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams. The ACC and Big 12’s hopes of sending multiple teams to the first 12-team College Football Playoff took a big hit over the weekend. Meanwhile, Ole Miss’ win at Georgia brought more SEC teams into the Playoff mix rather than knocking one out with a …

4 months, 3 weeks ago

College football Week 11 odds, picks against the spread: Ole Miss-Georgia, Alabama-LSU and more

New York Times

The initial College Football Playoff rankings have been released, and several games on the Week 11 slate will significantly impact the eventual 12-team field. 16 Ole Miss 3:30 p.m. on Fubo, ABC The big change with the expanded playoff in college football isn’t that it cheapened the regular season. So it’s pretty simple — win on Saturday night to keep …

4 months, 3 weeks ago

Will the first College Football Playoff rankings of 12-team era favor Big Ten, SEC?

New York Times

Tuesday night’s College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings will surely be the most picked-apart first installment of a season since the CFP debuted in 2014. It’s also the committee’s first set of rankings in the new era of superconferences, where the SEC and Big Ten are trying to position themselves as superior to everyone else. “You can come from a …

4 months, 4 weeks ago

College Football: A Cheat Sheet on Conference Realignments

Associated Press

A dozen schools have changed conference affiliations in the past year, impacting the landscape of college athletics. The Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences have seen significant changes, with the Pac-12 acquiring two teams and the Mountain West losing one. The Big Ten, ACC, and SEC conferences have also experienced changes, with several schools switching conferences.

5 months ago

College football is heading for a conference tiebreaker nightmare. Whose fault will it be?

New York Times

When college sports’ most recent round of football-driven conference realignment began more than three years ago, it came with a promise of more blockbuster games, higher TV ratings and new, fresh rivalries. Especially because those conference championships determine which four teams earn first-round byes in the 12-team College Football Playoff, this situation doesn’t feel tenable in the long term. Too …

Texas and Vanderbilt Battle for SEC Championship in Historic Game

Trending News

5 months ago

Texas and Vanderbilt Battle for SEC Championship in Historic Game

Associated Press

The No. 5 Texas Longhorns and No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores will clash in a highly anticipated matchup on Saturday in Nashville. Both teams are vying for a spot in the SEC title game and the College Football Playoff. Texas, coming off a tough loss to Georgia, will be looking to bounce back, while Vanderbilt seeks to build on their recent …

5 months ago

A New Era in the SEC: Alabama's Title Pursuit, a Story to Be Told

Associated Press

The SEC is a conference with a diverse range of teams, with nine teams in the Top 25 men's basketball poll. Arkansas is one of the teams in the Top 25, despite having to rebuild the entire roster. Alabama is another team in the Top 25, led by guard Mark Sears, who is a preseason first-team All-American. Kentucky is ranked …

5 months, 1 week ago

How 30-plus College Football Playoff contenders and their conference races collide in the weeks ahead

New York Times

As November approaches, more and more programs’ College Football Playoff hopes are dropping like autumn leaves from the trees. Key games before first CFP rankings: BYU at UCF, Oct. 26; Cincinnati at Colorado, Oct. 26; Texas Tech at Iowa State, Nov. 2. A failed drive for a last-second field goal cost them at Oregon, but games against Penn State, Indiana …

5 months, 1 week ago

College Football Playoff 2024 projections: Georgia claims No. 1 spot, Alabama drops out

New York Times

Hello, and welcome to my weekly College Football Playoff bracket. In the Big 12, I believe the two title game participants will come from the pool of currently undefeated BYU and Iowa State and one-loss Kansas State. GO DEEPER Mandel's Final Thoughts: Georgia's defensive havoc takes down Texas and more from Week 8 I thought long and hard about swapping …

5 months, 2 weeks ago

What we learned about the College Football Playoff race after Oregon-Ohio State classic

New York Times

Two losses don’t necessarily eliminate a team from College Football Playoff contention anymore. Ryan Barker, right, made a game-winning field goal in overtime to lift Penn State over USC and likely end the Trojans’ chances of getting into the College Football Playoff. GO DEEPER Morales: After another close loss and a 3-3 start, USC simply needs more from Lincoln Riley …

5 months, 3 weeks ago

The secret to SEC football teams winning games may lie in this important statistic

New York Times

It long has been established, much to some traditionalists’ chagrin, that defense no longer wins championships in college football. So let’s do it just by games against power-conference teams: Observations • The two teams with the fewest number of power-conference games are still at the top, but neither has exactly played a murderer’s row: No ranked opponents for Ole Miss, …

5 months, 4 weeks ago

Mandel’s Mailbag: Dear Big Ten and SEC, don’t tarnish new CFP before it begins

New York Times

We’ve made it through the first month of the first 12-team College Football Playoff season. In the new CFP contract that begins in 2026, the SEC and Big Ten can institute changes to the format without the others’ approval. As we know, in its first decade of existence, the committee still mostly defaulted to “one loss is better than two, …

6 months ago

What we learned about the College Football Playoff in Week 5: Buckle up, Big 12

New York Times

The biggest, most-anticipated game of the season so far took a while, but No. In The Athletic’s updated College Football Playoff projections model, Alabama now has the best chance to make the Playoff at 94 percent, though Texas is still favored to win the SEC. Notre Dame still has to play at USC to end the regular season, and a …

6 months ago

Texas takes the No. 1 ranking into its SEC debut at home against Mississippi State

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! “It’s going to be amazing.” Steve Sarkisian was just about to start his first season as Texas coach when the deal was struck and the move itself was still years away. “What an unbelievable opportunity for us to see how we’re gonna respond.” Texas quarterbacks Ewers …

6 months ago

No. 1 Texas, No. 5 Tennessee and No. 6 Ole Miss poised to challenge usual SEC powers

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Every week in the conference, especially with the amount of teams and no divisions -- you better finish up top if you want get into the SEC championship game.” The league no longer will have two division winners play for the conference title; it will just …

6 months, 2 weeks ago

Who’s playing where? A cheat sheet on college football realignment

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 2024 : Boston College, California, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest. 2023 : Florida International, Jacksonville State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee State, New Mexico State, Sam Houston State, UTEP, …

6 months, 2 weeks ago

SEC contenders handling early schedule of beefier foes instead of cupcakes to boost playoff resumes

Associated Press

One unknown to scheduling non-conference opponents years in advance is whether those future foes are as attractive when game day finally arrives as they were when the contract was signed. So, I’m certainly glad we were able to play a really good team, a good program like Clemson.” Even with a field featuring the five highest-ranked conference champions and seven …

6 months, 3 weeks ago

CFP Bracket Watch: More Southeastern Conference teams in 12-team field after Week 2

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Haters of the Southeastern Conference got a glimpse of a nightmare College Football Playoff scenario two weeks into the season. Using the AP Top 25 to set a projected 12-team bracket, half of the field would be SEC teams, including two-thirds of the top nine seeds. …

7 months ago

College Football Playoff Bubble Watch: Will teams like Ole Miss, Kansas State be in or out?

New York Times

Read The Athletic’s latest College Football Playoff bubble watch. Percent to make Playoff: 46 percent Kansas State In the new Big 12 without Texas or Oklahoma, reaching the four-team Playoff would be a tall ask in most seasons. Percent to make Playoff: 23 percent Liberty joined the FBS in 2018, and last year, went 13-0 before Oregon crushed the Flames …

7 months, 1 week ago

The college football season is packed with mouthwatering games from coast to coast

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 9 Michigan, Sept. 7 Perhaps the nation’s most significant non-conference game matches powerhouse programs from the SEC and Big Ten. 5 Alabama, Sept. 28 An early measuring stick game for Alabama and a chance for new coach Kalen DeBoer to grab a signature win following Nick …

7 months, 2 weeks ago

The confused college football fan’s guide to the many changes for 2024 season

New York Times

Hello, and welcome to my news conference to preview the 2024 college football season. To ask the questions, I’ve assembled a room full of college football fans who fell asleep somewhere around the end of 2019 and woke up at some point this weekend. GO DEEPER ‘All hell broke loose’: The chaotic final days that shook the Pac-12 and college …

Discover Related

4 days, 22 hours ago

Stylistic versatility: Those left in the NCAA Tournament have proven they can win a lot of ways

Hindustan Times

Houston and Gonzaga met in a second-round NCAA Tournament matchup last weekend in Wichita, Kansas, that could as easily have been played in the Final Four, the way Kelvin Sampson's and Mark Few's teams had played throughout the season. Yet the same bunch who scored 98 points against Kentucky and 100 against Oral Roberts in the regular season stifled North …

Defense Team Houston Season Win Points Ncaa

5 days, 5 hours ago