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The Herald Scotland
01-08-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
College football season improvement plan has Alabama's help
My lasting thought: Byrne suggested a worthwhile idea for how to improve the college football season. This came after I asked Byrne, one of the nation's most prominent athletic directors, last spring how he'd address the playoff. He shared a few thoughts, but he emphasized he felt most passionately about the selection process needing to place additional merit on non-conference strength of schedule. "I am 100% convinced that (would be) good for the game and everybody around it," Byrne told me. He's right. Weighting non-conference strength of schedule would encourage Power Four teams to schedule more games fans want to see and media partners want to televise. That's good for the game. The playoff is not broken. Neither is the selection process, subjective and controversial though it is. But, playoff ideas that would boost the season interest me. This idea would do that, by incentivizing schools to schedule better non-conference games. I'd add an addendum to Byrne's suggestion. Don't just value non-conference schedule strength. Value teams that win key interleague games. The March Madness selection process has figured this out better than college football. Consider last basketball season, when the SEC dominated non-conference play, including a 14-2 record in the ACC-SEC challenge. The SEC's NET ranking topped all conferences, and it appropriately qualified 14 of its 16 teams for the tournament. Throughout the postseason, the SEC lived up to the reputation it built during the season. ON CAMPUS: What is the best college football stadium? Our top 25 ranking BAD IDEA: Big Ten's playoff plan a recipe to make season worse, not better Byrne, who serves on the NCAA men's tournament selection committee, says he pays particular attention to non-conference metrics as he partakes in the selection process. "One of the first things I look at is non-conference strength of schedule in men's basketball," Byrne said, "because I think that's good for men's basketball to have it not be just a January to March sport." Again, he's right. Likewise, wouldn't it be better if college football's September docket featured more non-conference blockbusters like Texas-Ohio State or LSU-Clemson, while reducing the number of games like Houstin Christian-Nebraska and Austin Peay-Georgia? The abundance of lopsided, lackluster non-conference games creates a drag on the regular season. Too many coaches and their bosses gravitate toward the path of least resistance, after seeing that strategy rewarded. The past two national champions, Ohio State and Michigan, finished on top after neither played a Power Four non-conference opponent. Penn State crafted a similar road map for this year. The Nittany Lions will begin the season by chowing down on Nevada, Florida International and Villanova. Indiana wriggled into the playoff last season after rolling through a non-conference feast of Florida International, Western Illinois and Charlotte. The Hoosiers recently doubled down on this strategy, adjusting their future non-conference schedules to make them as easy as possible. Washington coach Jedd Fisch called Indiana's strategy of playing three non-conference nobodies "dead-on right." It's doggone pathetic, too, and it doesn't stop with Indiana. Big Ten, SEC teams among those seeking out cupcakes Big Ten teams will play four times as many MAC foes as they will SEC opponents. SEC teams will square off against the Ohio Valley as often as they'll face the Big 12. Six Big Ten teams won't play a single non-conference game against either a Power Four opponent or Notre Dame. Alabama, Florida and South Carolina are the only SEC teams that will play two Power Four non-conference games, for a total of 10 games against Power Four competition. The rest of the conference opted for additional patsies. Teams might lose their appetite for cupcakes if the playoff committee more heavily weighted non-conference metrics. And, if teams stiffened their non-league schedules, that would assist the committee's task of evaluating at-large playoff contenders. How might this idea affect playoff selection? If non-conference metrics had been more heavily weighted last season, that might have exposed Indiana, one of the last at-large teams admitted into the field. The Hoosiers didn't bother to play a Power Four non-conference opponent. The committee admitted Indiana thanks to its 11-1 record and its avoidance of a bad loss. If non-conference results had been more greatly valued, a 10-2 BYU team that beat SMU, a playoff qualifier, might have appealed more to the committee. Two-loss Miami, which beat Florida at The Swamp, also would have merited a stronger look. Three-loss South Carolina could have gained more of a boost from winning at Clemson, the ACC's champion. Now, let's revisit my original thought: Would adding weight to non-conference schedule strength be self-serving for Alabama? Perhaps. Starting this year, through 2034, Alabama has two games scheduled per season against either Power Four non-conference opponents or Notre Dame. Adding playoff selection value specific to non-conference metrics might therefore accelerate Alabama in bubble situations. But, shouldn't we want teams to follow Alabama's lead of seeking out challenging non-conference opponents, rather than ducking Power Four opponents in favor of Austin Peay? To Byrne, the answer seems obvious. "Good non-conference games are really good for college football," Byrne said. Rewarding teams that play good non-conference games would help ensure those games remain part of college football's future. Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@ and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
USA Today
31-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Here's how to improve college football season with plan from Alabama
Alabama's athletic director offered one of the offseason's best ideas for how to improve the college football season – and its playoff selection process. I initially thought Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne's idea for how to tweak the College Football Playoff selection process must be self-serving. After all, most playoff ideas that originate from a university or conference administrator are rooted in self-interest. But, the more I considered Byrne's idea to more greatly reward non-conference strength of schedule during the at-large selection process, the more I liked it. My lasting thought: Byrne suggested a worthwhile idea for how to improve the college football season. This came after I asked Byrne, one of the nation's most prominent athletic directors, last spring how he'd address the playoff. He shared a few thoughts, but he emphasized he felt most passionately about the selection process needing to place additional merit on non-conference strength of schedule. 'I am 100% convinced that (would be) good for the game and everybody around it,' Byrne told me. He's right. Weighting non-conference strength of schedule would encourage Power Four teams to schedule more games fans want to see and media partners want to televise. That's good for the game. The playoff is not broken. Neither is the selection process, subjective and controversial though it is. But, playoff ideas that would boost the season interest me. This idea would do that, by incentivizing schools to schedule better non-conference games. I'd add an addendum to Byrne's suggestion. Don't just value non-conference schedule strength. Value teams that win key interleague games. The March Madness selection process has figured this out better than college football. Consider last basketball season, when the SEC dominated non-conference play, including a 14-2 record in the ACC-SEC challenge. The SEC's NET ranking topped all conferences, and it appropriately qualified 14 of its 16 teams for the tournament. Throughout the postseason, the SEC lived up to the reputation it built during the season. ON CAMPUS: What is the best college football stadium? Our top 25 ranking BAD IDEA: Big Ten's playoff plan a recipe to make season worse, not better Byrne, who serves on the NCAA men's tournament selection committee, says he pays particular attention to non-conference metrics as he partakes in the selection process. 'One of the first things I look at is non-conference strength of schedule in men's basketball,' Byrne said, 'because I think that's good for men's basketball to have it not be just a January to March sport.' Again, he's right. Likewise, wouldn't it be better if college football's September docket featured more non-conference blockbusters like Texas-Ohio State or LSU-Clemson, while reducing the number of games like Houstin Christian-Nebraska and Austin Peay-Georgia? The abundance of lopsided, lackluster non-conference games creates a drag on the regular season. Too many coaches and their bosses gravitate toward the path of least resistance, after seeing that strategy rewarded. The past two national champions, Ohio State and Michigan, finished on top after neither played a Power Four non-conference opponent. Penn State crafted a similar road map for this year. The Nittany Lions will begin the season by chowing down on Nevada, Florida International and Villanova. Indiana wriggled into the playoff last season after rolling through a non-conference feast of Florida International, Western Illinois and Charlotte. The Hoosiers recently doubled down on this strategy, adjusting their future non-conference schedules to make them as easy as possible. Washington coach Jedd Fisch called Indiana's strategy of playing three non-conference nobodies 'dead-on right.' It's doggone pathetic, too, and it doesn't stop with Indiana. Big Ten, SEC teams among those seeking out cupcakes Big Ten teams will play four times as many MAC foes as they will SEC opponents. SEC teams will square off against the Ohio Valley as often as they'll face the Big 12. Six Big Ten teams won't play a single non-conference game against either a Power Four opponent or Notre Dame. Alabama, Florida and South Carolina are the only SEC teams that will play two Power Four non-conference games, for a total of 10 games against Power Four competition. The rest of the conference opted for additional patsies. Teams might lose their appetite for cupcakes if the playoff committee more heavily weighted non-conference metrics. And, if teams stiffened their non-league schedules, that would assist the committee's task of evaluating at-large playoff contenders. How might this idea affect playoff selection? If non-conference metrics had been more heavily weighted last season, that might have exposed Indiana, one of the last at-large teams admitted into the field. The Hoosiers didn't bother to play a Power Four non-conference opponent. The committee admitted Indiana thanks to its 11-1 record and its avoidance of a bad loss. If non-conference results had been more greatly valued, a 10-2 BYU team that beat SMU, a playoff qualifier, might have appealed more to the committee. Two-loss Miami, which beat Florida at The Swamp, also would have merited a stronger look. Three-loss South Carolina could have gained more of a boost from winning at Clemson, the ACC's champion. Now, let's revisit my original thought: Would adding weight to non-conference schedule strength be self-serving for Alabama? Perhaps. Starting this year, through 2034, Alabama has two games scheduled per season against either Power Four non-conference opponents or Notre Dame. Adding playoff selection value specific to non-conference metrics might therefore accelerate Alabama in bubble situations. But, shouldn't we want teams to follow Alabama's lead of seeking out challenging non-conference opponents, rather than ducking Power Four opponents in favor of Austin Peay? To Byrne, the answer seems obvious. 'Good non-conference games are really good for college football,' Byrne said. Rewarding teams that play good non-conference games would help ensure those games remain part of college football's future. Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@ and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Florida State's Transfer QB Thomas Castellanos Turns Heads With Alabama Comments
Florida State's Transfer QB Thomas Castellanos Turns Heads With Alabama Comments originally appeared on Athlon Sports. A budding rivalry between the Florida State Seminoles and the Alabama Crimson Tide appears to be heating up ahead of their Week 1 ACC-SEC matchup on August 30. Advertisement The two highly coveted football schools will begin each of their 2025 seasons playing against each other, with new starting quarterbacks in Boston College transfer Thomas Castellanos for Florida State and redshirt junior Ty Simpson for Alabama. Florida State's transfer quarterback took an early jab at Alabama ahead of their matchup, telling Pete Nakos of On3 Sports, "They don't have Nick Saban to save them. I just don't see them stopping me." Castellanos also said that it has been a dream of his to face Alabama. Castellanos is set to play for his third school as he committed to Florida State in December of 2024, after spending his freshman year at UCF and his sophomore and junior seasons at Boston College. Advertisement At 5-foot-9, 196 pounds, the dual-threat quarterback has compiled over 3,600 passing yards, over 1,400 rushing yards, and 48 total touchdowns in the 26 games he's played in Division-I college football. Castellanos was the starting quarterback for Boston College to begin the 2024 season but was replaced during their Nov. 9 game against Syracuse for Grayson James following a declining performance mixed with injuries. Boston College Eagles head coach Bill O'Brien talks to quarterback Thomas Castellanos (1).Peter Casey-Imagn Images He'll be joining a Mike Norvell led Florida State team that's looking to flip their program around after a disappointing 2024 that resulted in a 2-10 record. Meanwhile, Alabama will look to rally back in the SEC after missing the College Football Playoff last season and losing to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Advertisement It will be just the sixth time the two decorated football schools will face off against each other. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
12-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Auburn basketball learns opponent for 2025 ACC-SEC challenge
Auburn basketball learns opponent for 2025 ACC-SEC challenge Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers will face a former SEC head coach in this year's edition of the ACC-SEC Challenge. The 2024 ACC-SEC Challenge was a huge success for the SEC, who posted a 14-2 record in the event. Auburn, unfortunately, was not on the winning side of last year's challenge, falling to Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, 84-78. This year, the Tigers will aim for revenge in front of their home crowd as they will host the NC State Wolfpack at Neville Arena for this year's edition of the ACC-SEC Challenge, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reports. This year's matchup is intriguing as it will pit Auburn's Bruce Pearl against former LSU head coach Will Wade, who is set to begin his first season as the Wolfpack's head coach after spending the last two seasons at McNeese State. Wade is set to take on the challenge of building NC State back into an ACC contender after the program recorded a 38-34 record, with a 14-26 mark in ACC play over the last two seasons under Kevin Keatts. Wade won 105 games in five seasons at LSU. Since arriving in Raleigh, Wade has worked tirelessly in his rebuilding efforts through the transfer portal by landing former North Carolina forward Ven-Allen Lubin, former Houston forward Terrance Arceneaux, and ex-Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams. He also landed the nation's No. 14 recruiting class with four-star guard Matt Able headlining the haul. Auburn basketball will nearly start from scratch with its roster following last season's Final Four run. Auburn signed key players, including Mississippi State forward Keshawn Murphy, the Big 12's leading scorer Keyshawn Hall, and a talented wing player in Elyjah Freeman this offseason. Pearl also landed a top-20 recruiting class that features two JUCO stars and a pair of four-stars from the high school ranks. This season's matchup with NC State has the makings of a classic. Here is a look at the complete lineup for this season's ACC-SEC Challenge. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
