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USA Today
2 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Where does famed college football sportswriter rank UNC ahead of 2025 season?
Can UNC put together a complete season on the football field this fall? In just over a month, you'll be glued to your couches watching college football. Week Zero will kick off August 23, featuring Iowa State and Kansas State in the Aer Lingus Classic from Dublin (Ireland), then your North Carolina Tar Heels face TCU on September 1 at 8 p.m. UNC enters its 2025 campaign with heightened expectations, due to the offseason hiring of Bill Belichick as head coach, but also plenty of unknown. North Carolina replaced a good portion of its starters through the transfer portal, most notably with quarterback Gio Lopez, while also landing freshmen expected to make immediate impacts from Day One. Speaking of the Tar Heels, where are they ranked ahead of this coming season? In the following On3 Sports article, Phil Steele ranks UNC 57th. North Carolina is one spot behind Arizona, which finished 2024 with its sixth losing season in seven years, plus a slot ahead of Tulane – coached by Jon Summrall. The Tar Heels will be tested early in their schedule, hosting 2022 CFP runner-up TCU at 8 p.m. on Labor Day. UNC should have two easy wins after playing the Horned Frogs, with a trip to Charlotte and a home date with Richmond on September 13, then face a tough challenge at UCF before a bye week. North Carolina will host Clemson on October 4, then enter its second bye week. California and Virginia are two beatable teams, then a road date with Syracuse on Halloween will be testing. Stanford, Wake Forest, Duke and NC State close out the Tar Heels' schedule. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Worried About Social Security in 2025? A Pro Financial Planner Shares Key Things To Know
Many Americans are feeling uneasy about the future of Social Security. While the average monthly Social Security benefit is now over $2,000, some experts also predict that the Social Security trust fund will deplete its reserves within the decade. In an episode of the 'Future Rich' podcast, Barbara Ginty, CFP, reassured listeners that while Social Security isn't going away, it does face pressures that require thoughtful planning. Read Next: Learn More: Here are some things you should know, as well as seven things to do if you're worried about Social Security. Check Your Earnings Record Ginty said to qualify for Social Security, workers need at least 40 work credits, which amounts to roughly 10 years of employment. Without meeting this minimum, they are not eligible for retirement benefits. Reviewing one's earnings record on the Social Security website regularly helps to ensure that reported income is accurate and that no credits are missing. Find Out: Know How Benefits Are Calculated Social Security calculates retirement benefits based on a person's highest 35 years of earnings. Years with no reported income, such as time spent in school, caregiving or unemployment, can reduce the monthly benefit unless replaced by higher-earning years later. 'Those zero years will fall off,' Ginty said. 'They're going to take the highest of your 35 years of earnings in which you paid into Social Security.' Understand Who Can Claim Social Security offers more than just retirement benefits. Spouses, former spouses, widows, widowers, surviving ex-spouses, minor children of deceased workers and people with disabilities may all be eligible. 'There's a few different ways you can collect on Social Security, and that's where this can get a bit confusing,' Ginty said. Understanding these different claiming options is key to maximizing lifetime benefits. 'I think it is a lot more important as a household to consider what the benefits look like and how you're going to collect. Versus a single individual, where you have only one benefit available, as a household, there's two benefits,' Ginty said. Report Your Income Workers who are paid in cash or 'off the books' and do not report their income will not accumulate Social Security credits. 'If you don't plan accordingly, you could miss out on, or you most likely will miss out on, your Social Security,' Ginty said. 'You could also miss out on Medicare, so you want to make sure you are on the books.' Ginty said that failing to contribute to the system could result in being ineligible for future benefits, including retirement, disability and survivor payments. Learn How It's Funded Social Security is a 'pay-as-you-go' program funded through payroll taxes. This means today's benefits are largely funded through payroll taxes collected from today's workers. Employees contribute 6.2% of their wages toward Social Security and 1.45% toward Medicare, with employers matching both amounts. 'Now, if you're self-employed, you are responsible for the full 15.3%,' Ginty said. 'You need to be covering both sides of that, meaning … if you are self-employed, you're the employee and you're the employer. So you have to do both sides of it.' Have a Collection Strategy Claiming Social Security as soon as benefits become available may not always be the best decision. Ginty said having a collection strategy, particularly for married couples, helps maximize total benefits over two lifetimes and secure greater financial stability in retirement. 'I do believe it is important to consider a strategy with Social Security, not to just collect as soon as you're eligible, but to think about why you're collecting and how you're collecting, and how it will affect yourself and or your household,' she explained. Don't Count on Social Security Alone Social Security was never intended to serve as a retiree's sole source of income. 'It was intended to be a supplement for retirees,' Ginty said. 'It … has never been meant to be your sole source of income. Sadly, for some retirees today, it is the single largest source of income.' Ginty said that individuals aim to save at least 15% of their income for retirement to supplement their Social Security benefits, especially given rising life expectancies and the program's future uncertainty. 'I like to see your own savings being greater than what is being mandated by the government,' Ginty said. 'Remember, it is meant to be a supplement to your retirement. You don't want it to be your single largest source of income in retirement. That's just not as comfortable.' More From GOBankingRates Warren Buffett: 10 Things Poor People Waste Money On This article originally appeared on Worried About Social Security in 2025? A Pro Financial Planner Shares Key Things To Know
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Eli Drinkwitz SEC Media Days: Five key takeaways from Missouri football coach in Atlanta
In his opening statement, Eli Drinkwitz quipped that he wouldn't talk about the Jeffrey Epstein files or the JFK assassination. 'I know there's a lot of burning questions in this room by the 14 of y'all that showed up,' Drinkwitz said. 'But, just as a reminder, I'm not going to answer any questions about the Epstein files, or about the radiation belt, or whether or not it was possible for Lee Harvey Oswald to get three shots off in seven seconds.' Before he left the stage, he closed with what seemed to be a tongue-firmly-lodged-in-cheek message of thanks to the 'late-stragglers' media members who filled the room for his press conference late. Later in the afternoon, he took to X/Twitter to take on 'aggregate' headlines on his CFP format suggestions. Man, oh man. Where to begin? It's talking season, you betcha. And Thursday was a Drinkwitz-talkin' tour de force. Somewhere in-between it all, Drinkwitz — often-fierce, characteristically-zesty and self-admittedly less concerned with what people think about him now than before — broached a lot of big topics facing his Missouri football squad in the 2025 season and the College Football Playoff in general. Here are — wisecracks, right hooks and left jabs mostly set aside — five of the most noteworthy topics Drinkwitz addressed on the SEC Media Days stage. Missouri football QBs: It's still Sam Horn vs. Beau Pribula As expected, nothing new or unexpected on the quarterback front broke in Atlanta. Drinkwitz did confirm that Sam Horn plans to compete for the starting quarterback job, even despite being drafted in the 17th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday in the MLB Draft. Horn will compete for starting honors with Beau Pribula, a Penn State transfer. More: Missouri football's Eli Drinkwitz says QB Sam Horn will compete in 2025 despite MLB Draft pick Here is what was said about each of Mizzou's potential starters, and a bonus quote on true freshman Matt Zollers. On Horn: 'Has really excelled in his maturation,' Drinkwitz said. 'One thing most people don't know about Sam, he's a Type-1 diabetic, and so he's — since he's been in college — been able to learn to adapt and train and develop and adjust, and he's really done a lot of good things, understands the system.' On Pribula: 'Beau came in with the right mindset; nothing given, everything earned,' Drinkwitz said. 'Works extremely hard developing his craft. He's a guy who spends a lot of extra time up there, has a chip on his shoulder — the right kind of chip. Does a really good job leadership-wise.' On Zollers: 'He throws it as well as any quarterback I've ever seen. He's coming back from an ankle surgery. You can tell he's adjusting to the speed of college football, but very excited about that room.' Bucking the 'whining' trend Drinkwitz, notably, had some novel suggestions for the College Football Playoff format, mostly focused on player- and fan-experience by making the field much, much larger, as well as making sure the competitors are decided on the field rather than in a backroom. More on that right here. More: Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz backs CFP play-in games, essentially expanding to 30 teams But one of the most thoughtful responses Drinkwitz gave was at least partially in rebuke to what he, perhaps jokingly, referred to as 'whining' from some other coaches. There's been a fair share of it. Whether it's NIL and revenue sharing or the transfer portal or the College Football Playoff or you name it; coaches generally don't seem to be thrilled with the state of the athletics landscape. 'I was sent a text message the other day by one of my good friends that said, 'What a privilege it is to be exhausted by a challenge you choose for yourself,'' Drinkwitz said. 'And that's something I think about a lot when we talk about college football and college athletics: We choose to do this. I'm blessed to be the head football coach (at Mizzou) and incredibly proud of the opportunity to serve the great state of Missouri.' That's a refreshing perspective, and one that's become pretty consistent with Drinkwitz's handling of changes to the sport. On the strength of the SEC The Mizzou coach was asked whether it was important for the SEC to get back 'to the top' after two straight national champions from the Big Ten. Drinkwitz disagreed with the premise of that question. ''The top' as in number of draft picks in the NFL? 'Top' as in most viewership? 'Top' as in overall top as the deepest conference in college football? Yeah, we haven't been — I heard that last night: 'Well, (SEC teams) haven't won the national championship in the last two years.' I don't know, what was it? The previous 10? Fourteen? … You've got 16 of the toughest competitors in the world who are head coaches in this league. We're all driven to achieve the best, whether that's internally or externally. 'We feel pressure to achieve that, but there's no pressure because we've got to do it for the SEC. We want to do it for our team, our players, our fans.' Between 2009-23 — the 14-year range mentioned — the SEC won 11 of the possible 14 national titles. On the return of Border War KU coach Lance Leipold ruffled some feathers in Manhattan, Kansas, when he said that he didn't know Border War was a bigger deal to most Jayhawks fans than Kansas-Kansas State. Mizzou versus Kansas is back on the football field this year, with a matchup set for Sept. 6 in Columbia. Drinkwitz has long been a proponent of maintaining and protecting regional rivalries in college athletics — a topic he's broached numerous times over the years when conference realignment has come up. 'I think rivalries are a great thing for college athletics and college football, particularly — especially — regional rivalries,' Drinkwitz said. 'This one goes back a long ways. The origins of our football name, the Tigers, is based off of the militia that was formed to protect Columbia from people from Kansas and the Kansas area. So, you know, this is something that goes back a long way. It's very deep, and it's something that our team is very keenly aware of. 'We understand the implications, the importance to our state, and look forward to playing that game, especially having it at home.' Weighing in on Nick Saban rumors OK, one last wisecrack: This one aimed at radio host and ex-Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy, who said he was told by a "very in-the-know person" that legendary coach Nick Saban might not be done coaching. Of course, that became one of the top storylines on the Omni Atlanta Hotel grounds this week, with Kirby Smart and Lane Kiffin and, of course, Kalen DeBoer among the coaches asked to weigh in. Drinkwitz decided to get his shot in, too. 'Coach Saban, all summer, he calls and does scouting reports with all the head coaches. Not to get back into coaching. Just want to clear that up for Greg McElroy,' Drinkwitz said. 'But he does that to make sure he has an edge on the competition. And the first person he asked about was Jalen Catalon.' Catalon transferred to Mizzou after an AP third-team All-American season at UNLV under Barry Odom. The safety previously has played for Arkansas and Texas, and figures to be an important figure in Mizzou's secondary this season. '(Saban) said, 'Man, that guy's played a lot of really good football at a high level,' and you could see that in the spring,' Drinkwitz said. 'He's got great instincts. He understands diagnoses, what offenses are trying to do. He's got a knack for finding the football in the air. He's really good at blitzing. You know, we play a lot of single-high defense and use that safety to insert, which is something that Jalen can really do, and we're very excited about what he brings to that room.' This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: 5 takeaways from Missouri football's Eli Drinkwitz at SEC Media Days
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
HC Mike Elko understands the importance of 'finishing' during the 2025 season
Coaching in the college ranks is a constant challenge, no matter the level of experience, as good and bad years aren't simply based on play calling, as Auburn's 2010 season, led by star quarterback Cam Newton, was a team coached by Gene Chizik, who failed to produce a winning season after two years at Iowa State, but struck gold before being dismissed after a 3-9 finish in 2012. No one has matched Alabama's success under former head coach Nick Saban, while Georgia's Kirby Smart has brought home two titles and is now considered the best coach in the college ranks until further notice. For Elko, the 2024 campaign, his first as the Aggies' head coach, was just his third full season leading a program after two years with Duke, so it's fair to say he is still a small fish looking to make his way to the surface despite being one of sixteen SEC head coaches. On Thursday, Elko, alongside linebacker Taurean York, guard Ar'maj Reed-Adams, and cornerback Will Lee III, spoke to the media during SEC media days, and during Elko's time at the podium, one of the media members in attendance asked about Texas A&M's lack of late season momentum after an impressive 7-1 start resulted in an 8-5 finish, including consecutive losses to Texas at home and USC in the Las Vegas Bowl. "Finishing" is a term widely used at every level of the game, as the teams that win in October and November usually make it to the postseason, and in this case, the College Football Playoff. Texas A&M has yet to earn a CFP bid since its inception, and with the 12-team expansion implemented last year, the Aggies have a shot to earn a spot in the bracket with at least nine or ten wins. However, Texas A&M's track record after September and the first half of October has been average to poor over the past six years under Jimbo Fisher. Although much of the same occurred during Elko's first season, he deserves some grace. While praising his talented 2025 roster, Elko provided a reality-based answer for how the team will attack the tough challenges in SEC Play, especially on the road. "You have to go through some of that sometimes, and as painful as it is and as painful as it was for us, our fans and everybody involved, we had never been in that position before." "You learn how you have to elevate your game in those matchups when you become that team. … Our kids have a really strong chip on their shoulder to finish that thing the right way." Texas A&M's comeback 38-23 win over LSU in Kyle Field included an early 17-7 deficit that was quickly eliminated in the second half after the Aggies' defense stepped up to force multiple turnovers, while quarterback Marcel Reed's performance off the bench included three rushing touchdowns. This team has what it takes to weather any storm this season, but that starts up front with the offensive line and the run game, both expected to be two of the best units in the country. Meanwhile, Marcel Reed's two weapons at wide receiver and tight end should create a balanced offensive approach. With Mike Elko taking over the defensive play-calling duties, broken coverages should be a thing of the past, and the pass rush should be elevated with more depth. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
On ESPN's First Take, Marcus Freeman says this group benefitted the most from ND's CFP run
Notre Dame's magical run to the College Football Playoff national championship game last season is paying dividends in a variety of ways, including on the recruiting trail. Marcus Freeman's squad is well-positioned to make another run at the CFP, and ND's national brand has been even more elevated because of last year's success. Freeman and six Fighting Irish players are in New York City this week for the program's version of media day, and he appeared on ESPN's First Take on Thursday. Freeman was asked which position group benefitted the most following last season's run to the national title game, and he mentioned offensive line coach Joe Rudolph's unit. "I think as you look at our offensive line, we probably ended up starting nine to 10 guys throughout the year," Freeman said. "Just through injuries, through different situations. As we go to 2025, you've got a group that all have game experience—starting big-game experience." Entering the new season, ND has several offensive linemen who have started games, including redshirt junior Ashton Craig, redshirt sophomore Charles Jagusah, sophomore Anthonie Knapp, redshirt junior Billy Schrauth and redshirt junior Aamil Wagner. While Jagusah is expected to miss the start of the season, Freeman knows he can rely on his depth until Jagusah is 100 percent healthy again. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Dave on X: Miller_Dave
