Latest news with #ChampionshipWeek
USA Today
02-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
CFP for Dummies plan: What college football can learn from March Madness blueprint
CFP for Dummies plan: What college football can learn from March Madness blueprint Show Caption Hide Caption US LBM Coaches Poll: Ohio State claims top spot after national title run See where your team landed in the final US LBM Coaches Poll ranking of the year. Sports Pulse They're making this more difficult than it is, which falls in line of late with just about all things college football. So while we soak in the majesty of the three-week event that is March Madness, it's time to reassess the postseason football clunker rolled out last season by the smartest men and women in college sports. Something, everyone, must be done about the College Football Playoff. It's time to introduce the CFP for Dummies plan. 'We're only one year into the new playoff format,' said Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione. 'I don't know that you make drastic decisions based off one year.' While I'm all about not being trapped as a prisoner of the moment, there's something so reassuring about the simplicity of the NCAA basketball tournament that can't be ignored. Everyone has a chance to play in it, and the highest seeds get more favorable draws. That's it, period. Hence, the CFP for Dummies plan. But as we move toward the new CFP contract in 2026, and a likely increase to at least 14 teams, they're reinventing the wheel again. And by 'they' I mean the Big Ten and SEC — the insatiable beasts running college sports. They've got grievances, and they want to be heard. They want more guaranteed admission to the CFP, and they're not sure they like the idea of a selection committee — which doesn't exactly use strength of schedule as the determining factor. They're talking about turning Championship Week into play-in week, but each of the Power conferences have different ideas about how to pull it off. They're still not sure about campus games, or if more are needed. And the seeding thing is an absolute mess. This isn't rocket science. Simple is better. Follow the lead of the NCAA tournament, and begin the 2026 season with a clear and unmistakeable path to the national championship. Here's how it happens: SPRING POWER RANKINGS: Big Ten | SEC | ACC | Big 12 LOOKING AHEAD: Our way-too-early college football Top 25 for 2025 Commit to the selection committee This begins and ends with clear and unambiguous metrics from disinterested sources. Translation: computer nerds! The NCAA tournament uses NET, KenPom, BPI, KPI and – tada! – strength of record (see: record in relation to schedule difficulty) to decide selections for the 68-team field. I refuse to believe the highly qualified mathematicians running these programs can't easily translate their formulas to college football. The human committee will still have the ultimate say, and there will undoubtedly be questionable decisions (hello, Indiana). But at least there's transparency. Commit to a 20-team field How did we jump all the way to 20, you ask? It's less postseason games, in totality, than what the power conferences are currently discussing. The need for new revenue streams has led the power conferences to the idea of play-in games. More games for television means more money from the CFP contract. More money from the CFP contract means less of a financial hit when universities begin spending as much as $20 million-23 million annually on de facto pay for play, beginning July 1. By moving to 20 teams, championship week doesn't change, and conference championships aren't minimized because the winner of the four power conference championships receives a spot in the playoff. The other 16 teams are at-large selections, much like the NCAA tournament. But here's the catch: just because you're a power conference champion doesn't mean you avoid a play-in game. Commit to a basketball bracket After championship weekend, the selection committee releases its field of 20, and the bottom eight teams will compete in play-in games at campus sites. The winners then move to the round of 16, where the CFP is seeded just like the NCAA tournament: No. 1 vs. No. 16, No .2 vs. No. 15, and so on. The round of 16 is played on campus, and the seven remaining games – quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game – will be neutral sites through the bowl system. If this system were in place for the 2024 season, the SEC would've had seven of the 20 teams, and the Big Ten five. The Big 12 and ACC would've had three teams each, and the final two spots would've been committed to Boise State and Notre Dame. The play-in games: Illinois (20) at Miami (13), Missouri (19) at Mississippi (14), Iowa State (18) at South Carolina (15), and Brigham Young (17) at Clemson (16). The four winners move to spots 13-16 in the playoff, based on their end of season CFP ranking. It is here where I need to stress that the Big Ten and SEC are pushing a 14- or 16-team format for 2026 that includes four automatic qualifications for their respective conferences, and two each for the Big 12 and ACC. In the CFP for Dummies plan, everyone increases their access. And, more to the point, their ability to earn. Don't believe it? Check out this empirical evidence of teams per conference (with current conference alignment) beginning with the first CFP after the Covid season. 2023: SEC (7), Big Ten (6), ACC (3), Big 12 (2). 2022: Big Ten (7), SEC (6), Big 12 (3), ACC (2). 2021: Big 12 (6), Big Ten (5), SEC (4), ACC (4). A simple plan for a simple process. Welcome, everyone, to The CFP for Dummies plan. Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2024-25 Fantasy Basketball Week 25 Schedule Breakdown
Week 22 is Championship Week in Yahoo! public leagues and Yahoo! leagues that use the default settings. By now, fantasy managers have dealt with many availability issues due to actual injuries or players receiving a night off for rest reasons. Sometimes, it has been easy to figure out when players will sit, but there have been some surprises. Week 22 is busy, as 22 teams will play four games, and a few have multiple back-to-backs to navigate. Let's look at the Week 22 schedule breakdown. Week 22 Games Played Advertisement 4 Games: ATL, BOS, CHA, CHI, DAL, DEN, GSW, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, NYK, OKC, POR, SAC, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS 3 Games: BKN, CLE, DET, MIN, NOR, ORL, PHI, PHO Week 22 Storylines - San Antonio, Toronto, Utah and Washington are among the teams that will play four games during Week 22. The Spurs, Raptors, Jazz and Wizards are all headed to the draft lottery, and each has a full schedule for the week. That's good news for fantasy managers who need to prioritize availability with league championships on the line. The Spurs have continued to play their veterans, but there has also been room for Stephon Castle and Jeremy Sochan to flourish in their respective roles. The Raptors, Jazz and Wizards have gone the route of resting veteran players, which means names like Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski (Utah), Bub Carrington and AJ Johnson (Washington), and Ja'Kobe Walter and Jamal Shead (Toronto) have been worth a look to varying degrees. San Antonio and Toronto will have a back-to-back to navigate during their respective Week 22 scheduled, but that is not the case for Utah or Washington. Advertisement - Will the Mavericks' frontcourt return to full strength during Week 22? Anthony Davis returned from a groin injury last week, but Dallas remained without centers Daniel Gafford (knee) and Dereck Lively II (foot). However, they were considered doubtful for Saturday's game against the Bulls before being ruled out, and there's hope that Gafford and Lively will be able to play at some point in the next week. In the hotly-contested race for a play-in spot in the West, the Mavericks play four games during Week 22, ending with a Friday/Saturday road back-to-back against the Clippers. The availability of Gafford and Lively also impacts Kai Jones, who has been worth rostering in deep leagues as the Mavericks' starting center. Managers who have Jones should hold onto him, as we don't know when (or if) Gafford and Lively will return, nor do we know what their workloads will look like. - The Hawks, Clippers and Knicks will have two back-to-backs to navigate. Beginning with the final day of Week 21, these three teams will have two back-to-backs to deal with over the next week. While Atlanta and New York have Tuesday/Wednesday and Saturday/Sunday back-to-backs, the Clippers have Sunday/Monday and Friday/Saturday. The Knicks are interesting on two fronts. First, Mitchell Robinson will likely be limited to two games during Week 22, as the ultimate goal is for him to be 100 percent for the playoffs. Second, the current state of the team's point guard rotation. Advertisement Jalen Brunson (ankle) remains out, while Miles McBride (groin) and Cameron Payne (ankle) have also missed time recently. Delon Wright has assumed the starting point guard duties, much to the chagrin of those who wanted to see rookie Tyler Kolek promoted into the role. Playing starters' minutes gives Wright a shot at fantasy relevance, while Kolek has been elite in the assist-to-turnover department (29 assists and one turnover over his last four games). Regarding the Clippers, managers who have Kawhi Leonard rostered will want to plan for a two-game week from him, which is unfortunate since he's been on a roll recently. - The Cavaliers, Pistons and Pelicans won't play their first game of Week 22 until Wednesday. Cleveland, Detroit and New Orleans won't need to be on any fantasy managers' radars to begin Week 22, as they won't be active on Monday or Tuesday. The Cavaliers and Pelicans will play their three games on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, while the Pistons end their Week 22 with a Friday/Saturday back-to-back. Managers with Zion Williamson or CJ McCollum rostered have likely already adjusted their rosters, as those two don't appear likely to see much action down the stretch. Bruce Brown should be back on your radar, as extended minutes and an opportunity to start have raised his fantasy ceiling. Detroit has been without Cade Cunningham recently, opening a place in the starting lineup for Dennis Schroder, while Marcus Sasser has entered the rotation off the bench. While he did struggle in Detroit's March 28 win over the Cavaliers, Sasser totaled 47 points in wins over the Pelicans and Spurs. If Cunningham remains out, Detroit's April 4 game against Toronto (the Pistons host Memphis the following night) could appeal to those willing to consider streaming Sasser. Advertisement - Orlando is the only team not playing a game after Thursday. While Cleveland, Detroit and New Orleans won't be active to begin Week 22, the opposite is true for the Magic. Orlando will play its three games during the first four days of the Week, starting with the Clippers on Monday. That's followed by a game in San Antonio the next night, and the Magic end Week 22 in the nation's capital on Thursday. Orlando's point guard situation hasn't been the best, with Jalen Suggs (knee) out for the season and Cole Anthony (toe) out of the lineup. Cory Joseph has been the replacement in the starting lineup, but Anthony Black offers a higher ceiling. However, the second-year point guard also boasts a lower floor, making it difficult for fantasy managers to commit to Black or Joseph with Anthony out of the lineup. Light Game Days Saturday: 5 Games Advertisement NYK vs. ATL MEM vs. DET MIN vs. PHI MIL vs. MIA DAL vs. LAC Week 22 Back-to-backs Sunday (Week 21)-Monday: CHA, HOU, LAC Monday-Tuesday: CHI, MEM, ORL Tuesday-Wednesday: ATL, DEN, NYK, SAS Wednesday-Thursday: MIA, WAS Thursday-Friday: GSW, LAL, POR, TOR Friday-Saturday: DAL, DET, LAC Saturday-Sunday: ATL, MIL, NYK Sunday-Monday (Week 23): SAC
NBC Sports
30-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
2024-25 Fantasy Basketball Week 25 Schedule Breakdown
Week 22 is Championship Week in Yahoo! public leagues and Yahoo! leagues that use the default settings. By now, fantasy managers have dealt with many availability issues due to actual injuries or players receiving a night off for rest reasons. Sometimes, it has been easy to figure out when players will sit, but there have been some surprises. Week 22 is busy, as 22 teams will play four games, and a few have multiple back-to-backs to navigate. Let's look at the Week 22 schedule breakdown. Week 22 Games Played 4 Games: ATL, BOS, CHA, CHI, DAL, DEN, GSW, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, NYK, OKC, POR, SAC, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS 3 Games: BKN, CLE, DET, MIN, NOR, ORL, PHI, PHO Week 22 Storylines - San Antonio, Toronto, Utah and Washington are among the teams that will play four games during Week 22. The Spurs, Raptors, Jazz and Wizards are all headed to the draft lottery, and each has a full schedule for the week. That's good news for fantasy managers who need to prioritize availability with league championships on the line. The Spurs have continued to play their veterans, but there has also been room for Stephon Castle and Jeremy Sochan to flourish in their respective roles. The Raptors, Jazz and Wizards have gone the route of resting veteran players, which means names like Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski (Utah), Bub Carrington and AJ Johnson (Washington), and Ja'Kobe Walter and Jamal Shead (Toronto) have been worth a look to varying degrees. San Antonio and Toronto will have a back-to-back to navigate during their respective Week 22 scheduled, but that is not the case for Utah or Washington. - Will the Mavericks' frontcourt return to full strength during Week 22? Anthony Davis returned from a groin injury last week, but Dallas remained without centers Daniel Gafford (knee) and Dereck Lively II (foot). However, they were considered doubtful for Saturday's game against the Bulls before being ruled out, and there's hope that Gafford and Lively will be able to play at some point in the next week. In the hotly-contested race for a play-in spot in the West, the Mavericks play four games during Week 22, ending with a Friday/Saturday road back-to-back against the Clippers. The availability of Gafford and Lively also impacts Kai Jones, who has been worth rostering in deep leagues as the Mavericks' starting center. Managers who have Jones should hold onto him, as we don't know when (or if) Gafford and Lively will return, nor do we know what their workloads will look like. - The Hawks, Clippers and Knicks will have two back-to-backs to navigate. Beginning with the final day of Week 21, these three teams will have two back-to-backs to deal with over the next week. While Atlanta and New York have Tuesday/Wednesday and Saturday/Sunday back-to-backs, the Clippers have Sunday/Monday and Friday/Saturday. The Knicks are interesting on two fronts. First, Mitchell Robinson will likely be limited to two games during Week 22, as the ultimate goal is for him to be 100 percent for the playoffs. Second, the current state of the team's point guard rotation. Jalen Brunson (ankle) remains out, while Miles McBride (groin) and Cameron Payne (ankle) have also missed time recently. Delon Wright has assumed the starting point guard duties, much to the chagrin of those who wanted to see rookie Tyler Kolek promoted into the role. Playing starters' minutes gives Wright a shot at fantasy relevance, while Kolek has been elite in the assist-to-turnover department (29 assists and one turnover over his last four games). Regarding the Clippers, managers who have Kawhi Leonard rostered will want to plan for a two-game week from him, which is unfortunate since he's been on a roll recently. - The Cavaliers, Pistons and Pelicans won't play their first game of Week 22 until Wednesday. Cleveland, Detroit and New Orleans won't need to be on any fantasy managers' radars to begin Week 22, as they won't be active on Monday or Tuesday. The Cavaliers and Pelicans will play their three games on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, while the Pistons end their Week 22 with a Friday/Saturday back-to-back. Managers with Zion Williamson or CJ McCollum rostered have likely already adjusted their rosters, as those two don't appear likely to see much action down the stretch. Bruce Brown should be back on your radar, as extended minutes and an opportunity to start have raised his fantasy ceiling. Detroit has been without Cade Cunningham recently, opening a place in the starting lineup for Dennis Schroder, while Marcus Sasser has entered the rotation off the bench. While he did struggle in Detroit's March 28 win over the Cavaliers, Sasser totaled 47 points in wins over the Pelicans and Spurs. If Cunningham remains out, Detroit's April 4 game against Toronto (the Pistons host Memphis the following night) could appeal to those willing to consider streaming Sasser. - Orlando is the only team not playing a game after Thursday. While Cleveland, Detroit and New Orleans won't be active to begin Week 22, the opposite is true for the Magic. Orlando will play its three games during the first four days of the Week, starting with the Clippers on Monday. That's followed by a game in San Antonio the next night, and the Magic end Week 22 in the nation's capital on Thursday. Orlando's point guard situation hasn't been the best, with Jalen Suggs (knee) out for the season and Cole Anthony (toe) out of the lineup. Cory Joseph has been the replacement in the starting lineup, but Anthony Black offers a higher ceiling. However, the second-year point guard also boasts a lower floor, making it difficult for fantasy managers to commit to Black or Joseph with Anthony out of the lineup. Light Game Days Saturday: 5 Games NYK vs. ATL MEM vs. DET MIN vs. PHI MIL vs. MIA DAL vs. LAC Week 22 Back-to-backs Sunday (Week 21)-Monday: CHA, HOU, LAC Monday-Tuesday: CHI, MEM, ORL Tuesday-Wednesday: ATL, DEN, NYK, SAS Wednesday-Thursday: MIA, WAS Thursday-Friday: GSW, LAL, POR, TOR Friday-Saturday: DAL, DET, LAC Saturday-Sunday: ATL, MIL, NYK Sunday-Monday (Week 23): SAC
USA Today
12-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Richmond vs Davidson Atlantic 10 Tournament betting odds, prediction, pick
Richmond vs Davidson Atlantic 10 Tournament betting odds, prediction, pick Richmond vs Davidson is the 13-versus-12 seed game at the A-10 Tournament in Washington, D.C. Championship Week is the lead-in to March Madness and the NCAA Tournament. This week of college basketball conference tournaments contains many flavors. In the SEC and Big Ten, large quantities of teams will go to the NCAA Tournament and are playing for either bubble positioning or NCAA seeding. At the Atlantic 10 Tournament, the annual vibe is very different in most years. Richmond versus Davidson in the first round is a familiar story, in line with the other plot lines of the 2025 Atlantic 10 Tournament. The A-10 Tournament is often an event in which every assembled team is playing for an automatic bid. There is sometimes one team, maybe two, with a chance at an at-large bid, but that chance is not great. VCU is that team this season. The Rams are very much in the conversation, but if they don't win this tournament, they know that the winner of the tournament will take up one spot in the field. That's a spot VCU won't get, and so it reduces the odds of the Rams getting in. Richmond versus Davidson might seem like a meaningless first-round tournament game, but when you see teams such as Delaware coming very close to getting a bid, and when you remember what North Carolina State did one year ago at the ACC Tournament, you remember that in March, anything is possible. Richmond versus Davidson could turn out to be the entirely unremarkable and forgettable game the experts think it will be, but March is a month when expert predictions often get flipped upside-down. Let's give you the Richmond-Davidson betting odds and take a look at this first game of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.: Richmond vs Davidson game odds: All college basketball odds via BetMGM Spread: Richmond +6.5 (-110), Davidson -6.5 (-110) Money Line: Richmond +220, Davidson -275 Over-Under: Over 130.5 (-115), Under 130.5 (-105) Richmond vs Davidson prediction, pick: This is the 13-versus-12 game in the A-10 Tournament bracket. The winner plays No. 5 seed Saint Louis in the second round of the tournament on Thursday. When you have a 13-12 game in a bracket, you should expect the unexpected. Teams finish in the bottom third of a conference for a reason (or two, or three). What obviously stands out here, in a game between teams seeded 12 and 13 -- right next to each other in the Atlantic 10 standings -- is that one team, Davidson, is favored by 6.5 points. That leads us to the injury report. Richmond has been without a few important players for a few weeks, but the Spiders haven't absorbed any fresh injuries in the past several days. The line you see is therefore a reflection of what these teams have been since the middle of February, when Richmond's prominent injuries occurred. Even then, a 12 seed being favored over a 13 by nearly seven points is an eyebrow-raising line. We would therefore lean to Richmond, but of course, we wouldn't want to trust a 13 seed with a bet unless or until we saw some hint that an upset was possible. Therefore, we recommend that you watch the first 10 minutes of this game. If Richmond bolts out to a big lead, you could still get the Spiders on the moneyline for a decent price. If Richmond falls behind by 10, the live line might be Richmond +17.5 and you could grab that line. Betting on Richmond before the game without seeing how the Spiders play seems like an unnecessary risk. Prediction: Davidson 69, Richmond 66 Richmond vs. Davidson channel, start time, streaming: Start time: 11:30 a.m. Eastern time, 8:30 a.m. Pacific time TV Channel: USA Network Live Stream: FuboTV Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
NBC Sports
11-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
America East Tournament: Maine vs. Vermont - Prediction, Odds, Expert Picks, Betting Trends and Stats
Championship Week continues Tuesday with the semifinals of the America East. Perennial power Vermont (21-11) takes the court against Maine (19-13) with the winner moving to within one win of the Madness. The Catamounts knocked off the Black Bears on February 15 by the score of 65-61. The Game Total OVER 125.5 barely cashed, but it cashed. TJ Hurley is Vermont's leading scorer averaging 16.1 points per game. AJ Lopez leads Maine in scoring averaging 14.7 points per game. (Lopez was held to just six points by Vermont on February 15). Lets dive into the matchup and offer some information and possibly a sweat or two. We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the opening tip, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Game details & how to watch Black Bears at Catamounts Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2025 Time: 7:00PM EST Site: Roy L. Patrick Gymnasium City: Burlington, VT Network/Streaming: ESPN+ Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest scores and player news. Check out our day-by-day NCAA Basketball Schedule Page that includes live game updates. Game odds for Maine vs. Vermont The latest odds as of Tuesday courtesy of BetMGM: Odds: Maine Black Bears (+140), Vermont Catamounts (-170) Spread: Catamounts -3.5 Total: 123.5 points Expert picks & predictions for Maine at Vermont Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NCAA calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, injuries, and the schedule. Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today's Black Bears & Catamounts game: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on Vermont on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Maine Black Bears +3.5. Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Game Total OVER 123.5. Maine vs. Vermont: Top betting trends and recent stats Vermont has won 10 straight against Maine but is just 2-7-1 ATS in those 10 games Maine is 2-0 ATS in the America East Tournament after going 0-6 ATS in their final 6 regular season games Vermont covered the spread in their final 9 games of the regular season but did not cover in their first tournament game against New Hampshire If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NCAA Basketball Top Trends Tool on Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: · Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) · Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) · Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) · Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
