Indiana coach Curt Cignetti makes college football endorsements at Big Ten media days
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Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Louisville football could be sleeper in ACC race: Transfer QB Miller Moss holds key
CHARLOTTE, NC — This episode of The C.L. Brown Show was taped live on location at the ACC Kickoff and features college football reporter David Ubben of The Athletic, Fiesta Bowl CEO Erik Moses and California head coach Justin Wilcox. Ubben tells why, even though Clemson is the favorite, he wouldn't be surprised if Louisville finds itself competing in the ACC championship game. Moses explains why even if the College Football Playoff expands, first-round games belong on campus. As Wilcox brings Cal to its first game at Louisville, he tells why he always expects a quarterback under U of L coach Jeff Brohm to play well. A new episode of this podcast, hosted by Courier Journal sports columnist C.L. Brown, posts each Wednesday. You can listen to The C.L. Brown Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast, Audible, CastBox and iHeartRadio, among others. More from C.L. Brown Louisville football doesn't need to top Clemson. Being second in ACC should rate CFP bid Pat Kelsey has Louisville basketball recruiting at all-time high Kentucky basketball's Mark Pope has landed homegrown stars. Tyran Stokes would be big win Fear shouldn't derail Run 4 Roses basketball tournament or city of Louisville Kentucky football's Mark Stoops is on ropes. But don't count him out in SEC Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@ follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at to make sure you never miss one of his columns. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football: Jeff Brohm team will be factor in ACC race
USA Today
4 minutes ago
- USA Today
Penn State takes top spot in USA TODAY Sports Big Ten power rankings
There is no denying that Penn State is preparing for one of the more anticipated seasons in program history after making a run to the College Football Playoff semifinal last season. The bar has been raised by many for the Nittany Lions, and the hype train continues to be roaring at full steam heading into the 2025 season. That hype continued to rise with the Nittany Lions landing on top of the Big Ten preseason power rankings from USA TODAY Sports college football writer Paul Myerberg. Yes, Penn State comes out ahead of the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes and the defending Big Ten champion Oregon Ducks, respectively. That has been the fairly common belief by those around the college football media circles this offseason in part due to a roster returning many key players on each side of the ball, despite losing first-round draft picks in Abdul Carter and Tyler Warren, and adding key transfers to help plug the void at the wide receiver position. The addition of Trebor Pena from Syracuse is considered a major upgrade for an offense that already added a pair of other talented wide receivers in the offseason. Penn State's rise to the top of the Big Ten power rankings is focused largely on the expectations for the offense. The return of Drew Allar at quarterback and both star running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen gives Penn State as solid a returning backfield as we may see this season in all of college football. Penn State's schedule is also moderately favorable, with the biggest challenge coming with a road trip to Ohio State and getting Oregon at home for a primetime whiteout game highlighting the home schedule. According to the power rankings from Myerberg, Penn State will face five of the Big Ten's top-10 teams this season. Three of those games will come at home (Oregon, Indiana, and Nebraska), and the other two will be on the road (at Ohio State and at Iowa). You can see the full Big Ten power rankings from Myerberg via USA TODAY Sports to see how the whole conference looks in 2025. Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.
New York Times
5 minutes ago
- New York Times
ESPN and NFL closing in on ‘Next Era'-defining media deal
In 1987, an eight-year-old cable network in just 41 million homes acquired the rights to eight NFL regular season Sunday night games and the Pro Bowl. The then-up-and-coming ESPN paid a now-quaint $51 million per season to the NFL for the three-year package, and it changed the trajectory of what became arguably the most powerful sports media company of all time. ESPN was built on a lot of things, but the most notable was its nearly four-decade relationship with the league. Advertisement Now, according to sources briefed on negotiations, ESPN and the NFL are inside the five-yard line on another ground-breaking deal that may not have the impact of 1987 but could be historic, as the all-sports network makes its programming available in a direct-to-consumer product this fall that will cost $29.99 per month. ESPN is hyping this upcoming iteration as 'The Next Era.' While a contract between ESPN and the NFL is not signed, the two sides have been closing in on talks that first began four years ago, heated up a little more than a year and half ago and now are the closest they have ever been, with the league even informing its owners they may be needed for a vote on it early next month, as first reported by Sports Business Journal. Until a deal is across the goal line, it is not done – and the minute details, which the sides are said to be working around the clock on, matter. All that said, it's a big deal. The NFL and ESPN declined to comment for this column. In 1987, ESPN used NFL games as a battering ram to increase the fees it charged cable subscribers. By 2011, that once-little network was in 100 million homes, it called itself, 'The Worldwide Leader in Sports,' and it wasn't wrong. Today, still strong, but diminished, ESPN charges more than $10 per month for its services, but with the digital revolution, the rise of Netflix and other streaming options has resulted in just 65.3 million homes receiving ESPN through cable, satellite and services like YouTube TV and Fubo, according to Nielsen. ESPN wants to maintain as many of those viewers as it can. Those subscribers will be able to have access to ESPN in its traditional format, while adding the ability to log on to the new and improved direct-to-consumer app, launching soon. The same way a generation first turned to ESPN on cable, the Disney-owned network hopes the ESPN app becomes the ultimate go-to for sports fans. That leads back to the NFL. Advertisement The NFL has tried for years to unload many of its media assets, including NFL Media (which operates NFL Network and Red Zone Channel, among other entities), and there is optimism that it will finally happen. The league has had some success with its in-house creations, but in a media ecosystem that is more scattered, it may finally be ready to let someone else manage them – for a pretty penny, of course. The exact amount of money or equity that Disney/ESPN would pay is not yet known, but it will be enormous. There is expected to be a regulatory period that will need approval before everything goes into effect. The process may take nine months, give or take. What could be in the deal is the Red Zone Channel, NFL Network, seven regular-season games that appear on NFL Network, enhanced betting and fantasy league possibilities. There may be more. Red Zone is the Sunday afternoon show that takes viewers inside all the stadiums when teams are threatening to score. This could be a boon for ESPN's app, as well as in its future negotiations with cable and operators for its slew of networks. It could upsell Red Zone in the app, as well as demand more from operators (like YouTube TV, Fubo or cable systems) to continue to offer the service on its platform every Sunday in the fall. The NFL Network, under ESPN, would likely be enhanced. ESPN's main channels would still feature the NFL a lot of the time, but the devoted network would be on 24/7. NFL Network has seen years of layoffs and downsizing, and while ESPN will likely take advantage of overlapping jobs to cut costs, it will also want to make NFL Network even more of a must-watch. With sports betting and fantasy becoming an increasing part of the fan experience, ESPN can be expected to use its potentially enlarged user base integration into its new direct-to-consumer app for what it will likely hope is a transformative experience and increased subscriber growth. Advertisement In 2024, of the 100 highest-rated programs on television, 72 were NFL games. This does not appear to be changing anytime soon. With increased NFL competition from Amazon Prime Video on Thursday nights, Netflix on Christmas and now, for the first time, YouTube, for the second game of the 2025 season from Brazil, to go along with fellow traditional players such as Fox, NBC and CBS, a closer relationship for ESPN with the league would seem to make sense. ESPN already pays $2.7 billion per season for 25 games a year, mostly on Monday Nights. It will have ESPN's first Super Bowl on its platforms, including its sister network, ABC, in February 2027. This potential new agreement is probably not as transformative as 1987, but the sports streaming battle is about to have a historic marker in the fall when ESPN's direct-to-consumer launches, with possibly even more NFL in its portfolio. When 'The next era begins,' ESPN's first big move may be using its old playbook. (Top photo of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
