Latest news with #BrianKelly
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
CBS Sports pits Auburn with this Big Ten team in a hypothetical alliance
CBS Sports pits Auburn with this Big Ten team in a hypothetical alliance The traditional fanfare between these two programs would create an electric atmosphere says Brad Crawford of CBS Sports. Talking season is underway, and the biggest topics of discussion this week are potential changes to the College Football Playoff format and a possible alliance between the SEC and Big Ten. During the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Florida this week, LSU head coach Brian Kelly discussed the desire of fellow SEC head coaches for SEC teams to face one Big Ten team each season in the future in an effort to challenge each team. "The Big Ten right now holds it on the SEC," Kelly said this week. "They've won the last two national championships, that's the reality of it. We want to get challenged in that regard and we'd like to be able to get that done. That's up to the commissioner and the ADs, but that's the wish of the room." If this dream were to become a reality, which Big Ten squad would pair best with the Auburn Tigers? Brad Crawford of CBS Sports recently pieced together hypothetical pairings of an SEC vs. Big Ten schedule, and has pitted Auburn with Iowa in this scenario. The two teams have never met on the gridiron, and the traditions that each team possesses would create an electric atmosphere in the regular season. Despite all of those Florida-based bowl games for the Tigers and Hawkeyes, these programs have never played. What's up with that? Iowa has one of the nation's best gamed traditions with the 'Hawkeye Wave' at the end of the first quarter of every home game while Auburn enjoys the 'Tiger Walk' and pre-game 'Flight of the War Eagle' prior to kickoff. It would be a neat experience for fans of both teams if Auburn and Iowa were locked in a alternating series with at least enough time for each program to get a home game. Auburn has a winning record historically against the Big Ten at 16-15-1, with most matchups coming in postseason play. The Tigers have a winning record over seven Big Ten squads including Washington, Michigan State, and Oregon, with teams such as Penn State, Wisconsin, and USC holding an edge over the Tigers. The potential alliance between the SEC and Big Ten would create opportunities for Auburn to square off with the conferences best teams while expanding their history with teams such as Illinois, UCLA, and Iowa, teams that Auburn has never played on the field. 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__
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Could CFP expansion threaten Cy-Hawk Series future?
Could CFP expansion threaten Cy-Hawk Series future? Could College Football Playoff expansion spell doom for the future of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series? As SEC Spring Meetings unfolded this week in Destin, Florida, CFP expansion was at the forefront of the discussion. The initial momentum seemed to be CFP expansion toward a 4-4-2-2-1 model. In the 4-4-2-2-1 model, the Big Ten and SEC would each receive four automatic qualifiers into the College Football Playoff, while the Big 12 and ACC would each receive two. The highest-ranked Group of Six conference champion would also receive an automatic qualifier and then there would be three at-large bids. Now, it seems that a 5+11 CFP expansion model is picking up steam. In the 5+11 model, each of the five highest-ranked conference champions would receive automatic qualifiers and then 11 at-large bids would be awarded to the highest-ranked teams by the CFP selection committee. Either expansion road could be enough to convince the SEC to expand its league slate to nine conference games. That would match the Big Ten's current nine-game conference slate. Plus, it sounds like the SEC sticking with an eight-game conference slate is a non-starter for the Big Ten in terms of expanding the playoff to a 5+11 model. Assuming the CFP expands to 16 teams and the SEC adds a ninth conference game, those changes may also set the stage for the reported Big Ten-SEC scheduling agreement that's been floated about. LSU head coach Brian Kelly endorsed a potential Big Ten-SEC scheduling agreement on Wednesday. "Our first goal would be wanting to play Big Ten teams as coaches," Kelly said. "I can speak for the room. We want to play Big Ten teams but you've got to get a partner. You've got to get a partner who says we're in for that, too. So we've made our voice clear, our athletic directors know that as well that we would like that. Our commissioner obviously heard us well. The rest will be up to what gets negotiated." But, a potential Big Ten-SEC scheduling agreement could come with other scheduling consequences. Under that scenario, Iowa would play a nine-game Big Ten slate and then add an annual SEC nonconference date on top of that. With 10 of 12 games already filled up with Big Ten and SEC foes, would the Hawkeyes be willing to still sign up for the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series game annually? That would mean an 11th Power Four contest and leave just one final open date for a likely FCS or lower-level FBS opponent. In November of 2022, the University of Iowa and Iowa State University extended their scheduling agreement through the 2027 season. That ensures the date this season on Sept. 6 in Ames, a meeting in Iowa City on Sept. 12, 2026 and their contest in Ames on Sept. 11, 2027. If the Big Ten and SEC do indeed strike up a scheduling agreement, the Cy-Hawk Series and other nonconference in-state rivalries for Big Ten and SEC programs could be at risk. SEC schools Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina all have annual in-state rivalry games as does the Big Ten's Washington. USC also has its annual nonconference series against Notre Dame. Iowa owns a 47-24 all-time mark in the series and have won seven of the past nine in the in-state rivalry. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Is FSU football rivalry vs. Florida in trouble as sport handles realignment, playoff expansion?
The Florida State-Florida football rivalry stands toe-to-toe with any marquee nonconference game nationally. The series started in 1958 and the game site has alternated on an annual home-and-away basis between Gainesville and Tallahassee since 1964. The Sunshine Showdown has usually been held in late November, giving passionate fans plenty of time during the season to prepare and rally behind the state's two oldest public universities. Advertisement The current contract between the two football teams ends after the 2026 season, according to FSU officials. While there is no indication the cherished series won't continue, one has to wonder if the game might be cast aside due to sweeping changes to college football. Personally, FSU and UF should tango every year for as long as college football is played. I believe FSU and UF leadership believe it, too. From my vantage point, FSU Vice President and Athletic Director Michael Alford is adamant his programs play and compete at an elite level. But nobody knows what the future holds, right? More: Who has Florida's best college football helmet? Is the USC-Notre Dame football game in jeopardy? Recent reports that the Notre Dame-Southern Cal could be on the brink of ending due to uncertainty about the future College Football Playoff format rattled college football's fan base. Advertisement The teams have met 95 times since 1924, but reports have suggested USC is reluctant to enter a long-term deal due to the sport's uncertainty and the demands of greater travel in the Big Ten. It was only a few years ago when USC and Stanford were forced to cancel their football series and oldest rivalry when the Trojans departed for the Big Ten and Stanford for the ACC. The College Football Playoff will undergo more changes in 2025, with the top four seeds in the 12-team field being the top four ranked teams. CFP executives are working to finalize the format for the 2026 postseason and beyond. Discussions center on expanding from the current 12-team playoff to 14-16 teams, with various formats on the table. The SEC and Big Ten pushing College Football Playoff narrative The Big Ten and SEC, which have combined to field 16 of the last 20 national champions, are the top leagues in revenue and have emerged as super conferences, are pushing the CFP narrative and how the postseason should play out. Advertisement But the powers in place also must also make the regular season a priority, too. These decisions affect fans who are buying tickets, bunking at hotels and eating at local restaurants. So many variables are in play. The FSU-UF series could be impacted if the SEC at some point determines it wants to move from eight conference games to nine. Another twist was bantered Wednesday, when LSU coach Brian Kelly told reporters at the SEC spring meetings that he and his fellow coaches are in favor of scheduling nonconference games against the Big Ten annually. This also could jeopardize in-state rivalry games like FSU-UF, Georgia Tech-Georgia and South Carolina-Clemson. Especially if the SEC-Big Ten games are a play-in-style format at regular-season's end that could potentially decide bids into the CFP. Advertisement SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has said he needs to make a scheduling decision in 2026. ACC teams, meanwhile, play eight conference games annually and all 17 teams are scheduled to meet at least twice each seven years. FSU has protected games with Miami and Clemson and will continue to play the pair annually. The FSU-UF game should be protected, too, don't you think? Here's hoping the FSU-UF football series remains a priority and never goes away regardless how the college football landscape changes under SEC-Big Ten influence. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU-Florida football rivalry: Could college football changes impact matchup?
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
SEC football coaches want Big Ten schedule agreement
After spending two days holed up in a beachside resort for the league's annual spring meetings, SEC coaches decided to drastically alter the narrative from this painfully parliamentary offseason. The coaches want to play the Big Ten once a season. As soon as possible. "I think I can speak for the room when I say that's our first goal as coaches," said LSU coach Brian Kelly said. "But you gotta get a partner who says we're in for that, too." USA TODAY Sports reported last October that the SEC and Big Ten were talking about a scheduling agreement, one that would significantly increase media rights revenue as a stand alone regular season series. A Big Ten official, speaking in December on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions, said the series may not begin until later this decade or the early 2030s because of logistics. But in the fluid environment of college sports, where the world revolves around generating revenue to help offset pay for play, what's concrete one month is mailable the next. Especially for the two super conferences quickly coalescing and gaining further separation from the rest of college football. The ultimate goal of any scheduling agreement would be a straight 16 vs. 16 format, but there are obstacles. While Kelly said he was speaking for the entire group of coaches, that's theoretically. CRYING EYES: SEC coaches complain as college football burns around them ADULTS NEEDED: College sports 'leaders' acting like children in CFP squabble They all want to play a game against the Big Ten, but not all in the same manner. Like everything of late in college football, nothing lives in a vacuum. There are tentacles and unintended consequences to every decision. It begins with the SEC schedule debate (eight or nine games?), and includes the College Football Playoff selection committee (do Big Ten games strengthen resumes?). If the league sticks with eight games, coaches are full-go on playing a non-conference game against the Big Ten. If the league moves to nine conference games, that could be a problem for the four SEC schools (Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina) with current annual rivalry games against an in-state ACC school. Playing nine conference games, an annual rivalry game and a game against the Big Ten would leave those four teams with one flexible game on the schedule. Washington, Oregon, Iowa and Southern California are in similar situations in the Big Ten, which currently plays nine conference games. In other words, a simple 16 vs. 16 schedule agreement might be difficult to execute. But an agreement that includes a majority of the schools from each conference would still generate significant revenue and attention. "I'm all for it, but it'd be like the Kansas City Chiefs playing the Green Bay Packers for an 18th regular season game," South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said. "And the other teams aren't." Any schedule agreement also depends on the most perplexing issue of the moment: the College Football Playoff selection committee. Specifically, metrics used to select teams. Many in the SEC believe they were unfairly penalized for playing in the most competitive conference in college football. Losses, they said, held more weight than wins -- no matter the strength of the conference. There must be a process, SEC officials say, where the selection committee votes within the subtleties of the season. Case in point: Indiana. The Hoosiers won 11 games in 2024, but beat one team with a winning record and received an at-large berth. While a rotating Big Ten schedule gave Indiana a favorable draw, the selection committee could have weighed that factor -- instead of simply rewarding the Hoosiers for winning games. Then there's SMU, which had two losses in a conference that was 3-8 vs. the SEC in the regular season, and was selected ahead of three-loss Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina. The 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences that make up the CFP already showed a willingness to change formats after only one season of the 12-team structure. The CFP last week eliminated automatic byes for the highest-ranked four conference champions, and instituted a straight-seed process for the 2025 season. Maybe friction from the offseason will filter into the selection committee room, too, where the human condition typically outweighs other objective and subjective factors. Or maybe it's as simple as winning games that matter, and another non-conference win over a Big Ten team would go a long way in the eyes of the committee. Especially against the conference that has won the last two national titles. "We want to show we have the depth in this league from top to bottom," Kelly said. "And we are the premier league in the country." Finally, a return to football normalcy. Until the next legal hurdle, anyway. Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
LSU football head coach Brian Kelly shares take on SEC scheduling format
LSU football head coach Brian Kelly isn't shying away from playing a tough schedule. The SEC coaches got together this week for the conference's annual meetings in Destin, Florida. Kelly, along with other SEC coaches, advocated for moving to a nine-game conference schedule and adding a rotational game vs. the Big Ten. Advertisement Right now, the SEC only schedules eight conference games, one less than the norm around the country. Fans of other power conferences, such as the Big Ten, have used that as a point of criticism. Since the SEC moved to 16 teams with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma, the conference has still not decided on a permanent scheduling format. We saw some rivalries get uprooted in 2024 as the SEC struggled to fit every key game into a eight-game schedule. LSU's schedule looked different without Mississippi State or Auburn on the slate. A move to nine games would bring more intrigue and variance to the schedules while allowing SEC teams to bolster their playoff resumes. Even though LSU only played eight SEC games in 2024, the Tigers scheduled two Power Four nonconference opponents in USC and UCLA. LSU's 2025 slate is shaping up to be challenging, too, with a road trip to Clemson in week one. This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU football's Brian Kelly not shying away from tough schedule
