
South Carolina takes on UConn in the National Championship
UConn Huskies (36-3, 21-0 Big East) vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (35-3, 19-1 SEC)
Tampa, Florida; Sunday, 3 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Huskies -6.5; over/under is 133.5
BOTTOM LINE: No. 2 South Carolina faces No. 3 UConn in the NCAA Tournament National Championship.
The Gamecocks have gone 19-1 against SEC teams, with a 16-2 record in non-conference play. South Carolina has a 32-3 record against teams over .500.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Diversity in College World Series field reminds us what college sports is all about
Diversity in College World Series field reminds us what college sports is all about Show Caption Hide Caption Jeremiah Smith, Ryan Williams on cover of EA Sports College Football '26 EA Sports chose Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith and Alabama's Ryan Williams to be on the cover of College Football '26. We talk to the athletes about what this moment means to them. This week, with the approval of the House vs. NCAA settlement, college sports officially split into two. The power conference schools are going to pay their athletes, make their own rules and take the responsibility of enforcement and punishment from an NCAA that was never very good at it in the first place. Is there fear and resentment across the rest of the college sports landscape about where this is all headed? Of course there is. Schools at the lower end of Division I see a power grab led by the Big Ten and SEC and wonder if the clock is ticking on their conference's automatic access to NCAA championships and perhaps even a full divorce. To many folks in the smaller conferences, it feels like they're paying the price for a problem they didn't cause. But in a world where it increasingly feels like the new financial realities of the Big Ten and SEC are driving a land grab for postseason bids, starting with the College Football Playoff but undoubtedly trickling down to every sport in the future, this year's College World Series shows why some traditions are worth preserving. The eight teams that advanced to Omaha over the last few days represent seven different conferences: The SEC (LSU and Arkansas) The Big 12 (Arizona) The ACC (Louisville) The Big Ten (UCLA) The Sun Belt (Coastal Carolina) The Missouri Valley (Murray State) The Pac-12 (Kind of. Oregon State played as an independent this season but was crucial in the effort to resurrect a new Pac-12, which will begin play in the 2026-27 academic year.) Is such a huge conference spread a bit of an anomaly? Absolutely. In recent renditions of the CWS, you'll see a whole lot of SEC and ACC representation, some strong Big 12 and Pac-12 programs (before it imploded) and your occasional interloper from outside the power conferences. But this year's field underscores a very simple point that the SEC and Big Ten would be wise to remember as they go about the business of remaking college sports: At the end of the day, competition is what this is all about. And even if that means you come up on the short end some years, it's nothing to be afraid of. That's just sports. Though we can find a thousand things the NCAA has done wrong on its journey toward the professionalization of college sports, it did one thing that was really genius. In constructing its format for national championship tournaments, it ensured that all Division I conferences would be represented by an automatic qualifier. This means that when the men's basketball players at SIU-Edwardsville began last season, they could dream of playing in March Madness. Was there a realistic chance to win a national championship? Of course not. Were they even likely to win a game? Heck no. Were they better than dozens of basketball teams who missed the tournament? According to the computers, they weren't even in the top 200. But they won their conference, earned their moment on the big stage and got blown off the court by Houston. That's what usually happens. But every now and then, you get an upset everyone remembers. Either way, the possibility of that moment keeps those programs viable and those communities invested in college basketball. Overall, it's a pretty great system. Folks at those lower levels have good reason to wonder if they'll keep those automatic bids going forward, not just in basketball but a variety of sports. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, in particular, has made public comments that could be considered threatening to the notion of equal access regardless of conference size or strength. Meanwhile, there was talk a few weeks back that the SEC and Big Ten could be interested in a 16-team CFP format where they get four automatic bids each, with the ACC and Big 12 getting two apiece and one going to the top-ranked Group of Five champion. It seems as if that idea has subsequently died down. Even though the ACC and Big 12 locking in two bids each might have been tempting on the surface, formalizing an existence as second-class citizens would not have gone over well with those fan bases. If you were to construct the CWS on the same kinds of principles that the Big Ten and SEC have been flirting with this year in their CFP expansion discussions, you'd never have seven conferences involved like this year. And the reason it's such a timely development for college sports is that it should remind people in the industry why they do this in the first place. Everyone understands that a true level playing field is impossible, but competition is about more than revenue on a spreadsheet. And when it comes to the structure of Division I, giving an automatic bid to every conference underlines that they are partners in an enterprise whose mission is to deliver a good product – even if a lot of those partners can't stack up competitively to the mighty SEC. You can't deliver as good of a product for the sport – the entire sport – by stacking the deck and using historical performance to engineer future outcomes in your favor. You can only do it by making the postseason possibility available to everyone and letting the chips fall where they may. Even in a more complicated and professionalized world, you don't need to apologize for the outcome when you just let sports do its thing.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
If Tennessee chooses state law over NIL pledge, it risks being kicked out of SEC
This story was updated to add new information. A new Tennessee law triggered the power conferences of college sports into demanding member schools like the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt to sign a loyalty pledge over new player pay rules or face possible expulsion. Knox News confirmed the existence of the loyalty document through a source with direct knowledge of the situation. The source requested anonymity because those correspondence are between the conferences and member schools. The document is being circulated by the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and the SEC. It demands that member schools agree to follow new rules involving paying players despite state laws giving the freedom to circumvent the rules. And the pledge also requires schools to waive their right to sue the NCAA or conferences if they disagree with the implementation of those rules. The document has not been finalized. But potential consequences of not signing it include expulsion from the conference or participation in playing games against other power conference schools. The new Tennessee law applies to all four-year universities in the state, public and private. UT and Vanderbilt are in the SEC, one of four power conferences. A clause in the law permits Vanderbilt and private universities to opt out of the protections of the state law in order to cooperate with the NCAA or the College Sports Commission, a newly proposed entity overseen by the four power conferences. Additionally, it appears that UT is guiding the approach of the law because of how it's utilized lawmakers against the NCAA in the past. University of Memphis (American Athletic Conference), Middle Tennessee State (Conference USA) and other state universities are in mid-major conferences that likely won't require a pledge to follow the new college sports player pay rules. For better or worse, this makes Tennessee the epicenter of another earthquake in college sports. Expulsion from the SEC seems inconceivable for UT, a charter member since 1932. But whether it's a legitimate threat or a negotiating tactic remains to be seen. In a statement to Knox News, UT pledged to comply with the pending House settlement, which will create the new system for player pay, while acknowledging the need for the state law. 'The University of Tennessee has committed to following the House settlement if it is approved,' UT said in a statement. "That commitment has not changed. We appreciate the Tennessee General Assembly's forethought in passing NIL legislation that provides future protections for student-athletes and institutions beyond the House settlement." Vanderbilt and the SEC did not immediately respond to a Knox News request for comment. Threatening a loyalty pledge is a bold move by the NCAA and power conferences and, most certainly, in response to the new Tennessee law, which was signed by Gov. Bill Lee on May 1 and surfaced about two weeks later. The law protects Tennessee universities from anticipated antitrust lawsuits by athletes and NIL collectives unhappy with the player-pay rules coming to college sports. The new college sports system will include a salary cap of direct school-to-player pay, roster limits, revenue sharing that challenges Title IX principles of publicly funded institutions and a clearinghouse that vets NIL contracts. It could help stabilize college sports, but lawsuits challenging those rules are expected. If athletes, boosters or collectives sue, the new state law allows Tennessee universities to opt out of those college sports rules and shift liability toward the NCAA and conferences. It also prevents the NCAA from penalizing schools that circumvent those rules for purposes of following the law. Only a federal law, a valid court order or antitrust exemption for college athletics can supersede Tennessee's new law. That escape hatch for Tennessee schools sounded alarms across the college sports landscape. TENNESSEE DILEMMA: Why Vols winning too much could be a problem in player-pay era Opinions about Tennessee's approach vary around college sports. About a dozen states have enacted similar laws in the everchanging arms race of paying college athletes with few restrictions. But Tennessee's law is believed to be the strongest and most evasive to NCAA rules and the conditions of the pending House settlement. The timing of Tennessee's new law is also problematic. A new college sports system for paying athletes could begin as early as July 1, pending the multi-billion-dollar House settlement, which resolves three federal antitrust lawsuits against the NCAA and four power conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC). That settlement could come any day now. There's growing skepticism that it will solve the legal and structural problems in college sports, although some are cautiously optimistic that it'll at least achieve some progress. Opponents of the new state law believe Tennessee is nixing an effective agreement days before it's signed by a federal judge. But proponents of the state law believe Tennessee is being proactive by keeping its legal options in anticipation of a system it believes will fail. The most straightforward take of the situation is that Tennessee is protecting its own interests ahead of the SEC or college sports. Whether that's a wise move or heavy handed is debatable, but it certainly got the attention of college sports leaders. Tennessee schools intend to comply with the system prescribed in the House settlement, but that plan remains hazy. UT, specifically, wants legal cover if the new rules violate antitrust law. Here are examples of what UT fears if it's not given liability protection by the state law. A new clearinghouse will determine if NIL deals are legitimate and of fair market value. Legally, that appears to be a difficult standard to define. If an athlete or collective sues because an NIL deal is declined, UT wants the flexibility to approve the contract independent of NCAA rules or at least opt out of the system to avoid a lawsuit. Lawsuits on numerous antitrust grounds are anticipated after the House settlement is approved. The NCAA, power conferences and schools could be sued. There's no indication whether those suits would be successful. But UT doesn't want to be among the defendants, and the state law says Tennessee schools don't have to follow anticompetitive NCAA rules. If damages are awarded in antitrust lawsuits, the state law says that Tennessee schools can't be held responsible for paying them. Instead, the NCAA would be liable. UT wants to avoid punishment from the NCAA if it opts out of rules that it finds to violate antitrust laws. If that occurs, the state law protects UT from NCAA sanctions. Notably, UT football is already on probation until July 13, 2028, as a result of the Jeremy Pruitt recruiting scandal. Some college sports stakeholders believe Tennessee isn't being a team player. But UT has reasons to distance itself from the NCAA in future lawsuits, and it has a good track record against the governing body. They faced off in federal court in 2024 after the state of Tennessee, on behalf of UT, sued the NCAA to loosen its stringent rules over NIL benefits. UT won that battle. On Jan. 31, 2025, the NCAA and a coalition of states led by Tennessee reached a settlement that protects student-athletes' NIL rights during the recruiting process and prohibits the NCAA from bringing back its NIL recruiting ban. And in 2023, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti threatened to sue the NCAA if it gave the UT football team a postseason ban in the Pruitt recruiting scandal. UT also won that battle, as the NCAA relented from issuing a postseason ban. The bad blood between UT and the NCAA can't be ignored as a backdrop to this state law. And don't be surprised if Skrmetti or Tennessee lawmakers get involved again if this situation escalates. Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: If Tennessee chooses state law over NIL pledge, it risks SEC expulsion


USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
ESPN College GameDay announces week 1 destination, could Oklahoma be next?
ESPN College GameDay announces week 1 destination, could Oklahoma be next? The week one destination for ESPN College GameDay has been set, and it's a doozy. When the Texas Longhorns travel to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes, the GameDay crew will be in attendance. It's a rematch of the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup between the two programs. Ohio State won the game 28-14 and went on to beat Notre Dame in the national championship game. Led by Ryan Day at Ohio State and Steve Sarkisian, both programs are going through quarterback turnover. The Buckeyes will go from national championship-winning quarterback Will Howard to Julien Sayin. The Longhorns go from Quinn Ewers, who led Texas to back-to-back semifinal appearances in the College Football Playoff, to the former five-star quarterback Arch Manning. It will also be legendary college football analyst Lee Corso's last GameDay. Ohio State leads the nation in number of College GameDay appearances. This will be their 63rd time featured. It's a marquee matchup for week one of the season between the SEC and the Big Ten. Week two could also feature an ESPN College GameDay experience in an SEC-Big Ten matchup when the Oklahoma Sooners host the Michigan Wolverines in primetime. The Sooners have made 41 appearances on ESPN College GameDay, good for fourth in the nation. Oklahoma has a 27-14 record. In Norman, the Sooners are 6-2 all-time. Norman has played host to GameDay just twice in the last decade. In 2024, Oklahoma's first game in the SEC against Tennessee earned the hosting opportunity and the Sooners lost 25-15. The game was marred by three Jackson Arnold turnovers and a quarterback change just before halftime. Oklahoma is hoping for a bounce-back season on offense, and they'll need it in week two against a Michigan team that should be pretty good defensively. The Wolverines will likely be starting true freshman and former five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood. It will be Underwood's second career collegiate start and first on the road. It will be a huge matchup that will have College Football Playoff implications and would be the perfect setting for an ESPN College GameDay experience. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.