Latest news with #DeBoer
New York Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Why the betting market is underrating Alabama in 2025
Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information. You used to be able to set your watch to Alabama Football. Under Nick Saban, the pattern generally followed the same script. The Crimson Tide would be one of the favorites to win the National Championship, they'd often be odds-on to win the SEC, and their Over/Under would be the highest in the country. For most of Saban's tenure, Alabama would meet or surpass the lofty expectations that were set ahead of each campaign. The Crimson Tide won six national championships and nine SEC titles during Saban's 17-year tenure, and they only lost more than one conference game in four of those seasons. The stability under Saban made Alabama one of the safest teams to project in all of college football. The range of outcomes was minimal. Those days appear to be over, and not just because Saban is no longer in charge of the Crimson Tide, but also because the entire landscape of college football has changed. Realignment, the expanded Playoff, and the outlandish growth of NIL have leveled the playing field at the top of college football, making it hard for any program to maintain its spot at the top of the food chain. Alabama, in its second year under head coach Kalen DeBoer, is the seventh-favorite (12/1) to win the National Championship at BetMGM, putting the Tide behind Texas, Ohio State, Georgia, Oregon, Penn State, and Clemson. Alabama was 15/1 to win the national championship ahead of 2024, which means this will likely be the first time in 15 years that the Crimson Tide enters back-to-back seasons with outright odds in the double digits. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer at practice. AP The betting market was largely proven right last year when it came to Alabama. DeBoer's first season got off to a flawless start, culminating in a 41-34 win over Georgia to get to 4-0, but the following week saw the Crimson Tide lose to Vanderbilt for the first time since 1984. That result set the tone for the rest of an inconsistent season for the Crimson Tide, one that ended with a loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Given how his first season in Tuscaloosa went, it's no surprise that everybody seems to be lukewarm on 'Bama in DeBoer's second season. The AP preseason poll won't come out for a few weeks, but Alabama will likely be sitting right around fifth behind Texas, Ohio State, Georgia, and perhaps Penn State and/or Oregon. Betting on College Football? That would match the betting market and public sentiment, as the college football world needs to be convinced that DeBoer is the man for this job. While the winds of uncertainty that are swirling around DeBoer may seem like reasons for bettors to abandon ship, they're also presenting a rare opportunity to buy low on 'Bama in a season that sets up quite well for them on paper. Aside from DeBoer, the biggest question mark for Alabama will be under center, where dual-threat QB Ty Simpson is the projected starter. Ryan Williams was a standout performer as a freshman in 2024. AP Simpson does not have much experience running the show at Alabama, but he's walking into a terrific situation. The offensive line should be among the best in the country, he's got an experienced backfield to ride with him, and his wide receiver corps could be historically good, with Ryan Williams leading the way. The defense also grades out splendidly, which should mean that Simpson – or whoever wins the job – won't need to win many games on his own. If you strip out the noise and size up Alabama based on the talent on its roster, you could argue that this is one of the two best teams in the country right now. In fact, Bill Connelly's SP+ rankings have the Tide ranked second behind Ohio State. Connelly's numbers back up the notion that there are just two (albeit important ones) questions for the Tide to answer going into the season. For any other team, this kind of setup would lead to a bullish market. But for Alabama, two question marks are two more than we're used to, and that has caused the market to sour on the Tide. Why Trust New York Post Betting Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
Fox Sports
6 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Who are the 10 Coaches With the Most to Prove Entering the 2025 CFB Season?
College football has had an eventful offseason that saw dozens of high-profile transfers, some big-name coaches coming and going, as well as a bunch of trash talk between programs. All of that has set us up for a wild 2025-26 season with a whole lot of unpredictability to come. The College Football Playoff will undoubtedly add to that and deliver magic at the end of the season, but what happens to the teams that fall short of expectations? Going into the 2025-26 season, a number of high-profile coaches are facing pressure to win this year or are potentially looking for work next offseason. These are the 10 with the most to prove entering the 2025 College Football season. 10 Coaches With the Most to Prove Entering the 2025 CFB Season? 10. Kalen DeBoer - Alabama DeBoer took the Alabama job following maybe the greatest coach of all time in Nick Saban, which led to some massive expectations. After losing three games combined in his final two seasons at Washington, DeBoer lost four in his first year with the Tide, while also missing the CFP. That won't fly for two years in a row. He is going to need a big second year to prove he can hack it in the SEC and make it through his full contract. 9. Brian Kelly - LSU Kelly has been at LSU for three years and has yet to post a campaign with fewer than three losses. That hasn't been good enough to earn a CFP bid to this point. Once he was hired, there was concern he wouldn't be able to compete at the highest level of the SEC. Going into his fourth season, Kelly has a lot to prove if he truly wants to be at that highest level. 8. Billy Napier - Florida After a great run with Louisiana, Napier took his talents to Gainesville in 2022. Fast-forward to 2025, and he has had two under .500 seasons leading into last season's 8-5 campaign. That won't cut it long-term. If Napier is going to stick around with the Gators, he is going to need a much more successful year in the highly competitive SEC. 7. Mike Norvell - Florida State Hard to believe, but Norvell is entering his sixth season with the Seminoles. Unfortunately, though, his last season was by far his worst. After going a combined 23-4 over the previous two seasons, Florida State finished last season at just 2-10. A lot of that can be traced to injuries and some poor roster fits, but either way, Norvell has a lot to prove in 2025. 6. Hugh Freeze - Auburn The start of the Hugh Freeze era at Auburn has not been a stellar one. With back-to-back seasons under .500, Freeze is going to feel some real pressure in 2025, despite being in the extremely competitive SEC. If he is going to prove he can stick in the new-era SEC, he is going to need a much better season this year. 5. Mario Cristobal - Miami (FL) After two lackluster seasons with the Hurricanes, Cristobal and Miami turned it around to the tune of a 10-3 season. That comes after he combined for 13 losses in those first two seasons. The question is if Cristobal and Miami can repeat last season's 10-win performance in an ACC that is likely to be a little better than last season's. 4. Luke Fickell - Wisconsin Fickell's first two seasons at the head of the Badgers have been anything but noteworthy. His current record at Wisconsin sits at 13-13, a steep drop-off from Paul Chryst leading the team to three straight 10-win seasons from 2015-2017. The job won't get any easier in 2025 with a loaded Big Ten set to challenge them at every turn. 3. Matt Rhule - Nebraska Two seasons into his time at Nebraska, Rhule is 12-13 overall. The good news is, last season was a two-win improvement, and the recruiting and transfer portal have both been very kind to the Cornhuskers. If he can help lead the team to another small step forward, Rhule will once again prove he is a master at rebuilding, but with the Big Ten stacked, there is a lot for him to prove. 2. Lincoln Riley - USC After going a combined 21-5 in 2021 and 2022, Riley has struggled in 2023 and 2024, sporting a 15-11 record overall. Those two seasons do include two bowl wins, something that most schools would love to be able to say, but at USC, that is not what they are after. The CFP is where USC wants to be. In 2025, the Trojans are expecting another CFP berth, something Riley will need to prove he can deliver in a fierce Big Ten. 1. Brett Venables - Oklahoma It is now or never for Venables, who has one 10-win season sandwiched between two 6–7 campaigns at Oklahoma. This is his first head coaching stop, and over three seasons it has been anything but a home run. Oklahoma is in a crunch now, with its move to the SEC, there are a lot of schools competing for CFP spots, including the Sooners. Venables will need to prove he can coach at the highest level in college football if he is going to stick, a tall task for the former Clemson DC. Honorable mentions: Bill Belichick - UNC Jonathan Smith - Michigan State Josh Heupel - Tennessee James Franklin - Penn State Trent Dilfer - UAB Check out all of our Daily Rankers . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience College Football recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
The Herald Scotland
18-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Alabama's Kalen DeBoer faces Nick Saban pressure in Year 2
So let's begin with that cold slap in the face, and the undeniable question that follows: has Alabama lost its mojo? "We fell short at making the playoffs," said Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer. "It's as simple as that." But is it? Is it as cut and dry as Alabama, if it had one more regular season win in DeBoer's first season in Tuscaloosa, would've made the College Football Playoff and all would've been well in the land of The Standard is The Standard? Alabama had a loaded team in 2024, a roster full of four- and five-star recruits and a fourth-year quarterback (Jalen Milroe) who was one of the nation's most exciting players in 2023. A team that won the SEC championship, and advanced (again) to the CFP before losing in overtime on the last play of the game to the team that won it all. So it should come as no surprise that the first question DeBoer heard on the big stage at SEC Media Days, his followup performance to the unthinkable task of replacing Saban, was living up to the standard set by the greatest coach in college football history. With the backdrop of that rumor that the Nicktator was returning to college football. "We've got to be better in the big moments," DeBoer said. "Whether it was the belief or whether it was the confidence." UNWANTED TALK: Nick Saban rumor is last thing Alabama needs SATURDAY SHRINES: SEC college football stadiums rankings This was never going to be easy for DeBoer, or anyone who decided to jump into the meatgrinder that is Alabama football and replacing Saban. There's a always transition, a buy-in from players recruited by one staff and playing for another. But not like this. Not losing to Vanderbilt, the SEC's annual tomato can. Not losing by 21 to the worst Oklahoma team in nearly four decades -- with a spot in the CFP on the line. Not falling to five-loss, one-dimensional Michigan in a bowl game that could've salvaged the season. Ten wins would've looked a whole lot better than nine. Then came the final, inglorious kick to the groin: Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt's dynamic quarterback, went on a national podcast last month and called out Alabama. "I have no doubt we have the guys to do it," Pavia said of beating Alabama again. To be fair, Pavia was responding to Tide star receiver Ryan Williams, who told Jon Gruden, "We don't call them revenge games. We're going to kill an ant with a sledgehammer." I ask you, who exactly is whistling through the graveyard here? EARLY FOCUS: LSU will have no excuses in opener at Clemson Pavia and his group of overlooked overachievers, or Williams and an Alabama team that had the talent to win it all last year and didn't? An Alabama team that maybe, just maybe, took its foot off the pedal when Saban finally retired. When the coach who demanded perfection and abhorred mediocrity - the foundation of The Standard, the secret sauce of Alabama's mojo - decided he'd had enough and strolled to a comfortable seat in, of all places, the media. Saban talked endlessly about the human condition, and how many opted for doing the easy thing instead of the hard thing. The commitment it took to not only win a national title, but do it again. And again. When the guy pushing and prodding and emotionally and mentally motivating finally walked away, it's only natural to think there would be a letdown. Like a Saban team losing by three touchdowns with the CFP on the line. Like a Saban team getting physically dominated by a five-loss Michigan team with the salve of a 10th win there for the taking. The Alabama season last year, as much as anything, revolves around a 30-minute joy ride against Georgia last September, and 30 more white-knuckle minutes of holding on to beat the Bulldogs in a game that showed what could be. The good, and the bad. What Alabama can be under DeBoer when everything is clicking, and what the Tide will be when the taskmaster is away -- and The Standard isn't met. "The first year is kind of frantic with a new coach, and everybody's unsure," said Alabama tackle Kayden Proctor. "I would say (DeBoer) is more comfortable." How could he not be? He has the most talented team in the SEC, and has his right hand man (offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb) back in the fold to settle an inexperienced and uneasy quarterback room. He has huge contract with a $60 million buyout, and more important, he has a track record of winning big. Why wouldn't it happen at Alabama, even with the shadow of Saban hanging over his every move? "All disrespect will be addressed," Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson said. That's not a DeBoer thing. That's a mojo thing. Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
San Francisco Chronicle
17-07-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
SEC coaches and players defend their dominance amid Big Ten's recent success
ATLANTA (AP) — There was not a Big Ten player, coach or fan was in sight this week as the College Football Hall of Fame hosted SEC Media Days. Still, the SEC's No. 1 rival found its way into conversations all week long. It's no secret the rivalry has intensified in recent years. Over the last decade, the SEC has won six of the 10 national championships. Two were won by Clemson in that stretch but the last two were won by Big Ten rivals, Michigan last year and Ohio State in January. The recent success has put a dent in the SEC's reputation as the nation's dominant conference. SEC coaches, players and Commissioner Greg Sankey have no question they're still No. 1. 'For all those of you who like to speculate about super-conferences, welcome to one," Sankey said to open this week's event. "We have common-sense geography, restored rivalries, record-breaking viewership. If you take the consumed viewership hours on linear TV, almost 40% of that viewership was focused on games involving Southeastern Conference universities and teams. Big Ten was next, right around 30%.' The SEC also boasted 79 NFL draft picks in 2025, more than any other conference and beating the Big Ten by eight. No one put it more plainly this week than Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz when asked if he thought the SEC was the top conference in college football. 'The top? The top, as in number of draft picks in the NFL? Top as in most viewership? Overall top, deepest conference in college football? Look, the more teams you add to the tournament, there's greater variance to it,' Drinkwitz said. '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.' The Big Ten and SEC draw outsized attention in college football for other reasons. The two will soon have a bigger say over the format of the College Football Playoff — they currently differ on that — and their teams are in the mix for the top recruits every year. Early bragging rights this season between the two behemoths include Texas at Ohio State in a CFP rematch from last season, Michigan at Oklahoma and Wisconsin at Alabama, all before mid-September. The real measuring stick in this league rivalry is always going to be the postseason. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer knows excellence is the expectation when it comes to SEC football. 'That's our responsibility, to be at the top, right? That's the expectation. I know at Alabama, but also the expectation for the SEC as a whole. I still feel that the SEC top to bottom is as strong as you'll find,' DeBoer said. DeBoer isn't wrong when he says it's the expectation. In fact, it's the standard and fan bases from Austin to Gainesville go beyond team cheers on game day. 'S-E-C, S-E-C' chants on a fall Saturday are not a rare occurrence. The excitement is part of what drew Cam Ball to Arkansas. 'Growing up, my father would wake me up on Saturdays. If we didn't go to the barber shop, we was at home, just sitting on the couch watching the game, mainly watching SEC games,' he said. Playing in the conference he grew up watching still feels surreal. 'Sometimes in a game, it's the first play, and I'll just look up and see an SEC opponent's helmet, and I'll be like, 'Wow, I'm really here. God is good.' This conference in general, it's just a blessing to be here,' Ball said. Alex Afari Jr.'s recruiting journey ended promptly after receiving the call from Kentucky. It was his first and only SEC offer. The decision was easy: Who wouldn't want to play SEC ball? 'Playing in the SEC means a lot," Afari said. "I always want to play against the best players. When I got the SEC offer and that's my only one — I had like Big Ten offers or whatever, but this is my only SEC offer, and I took that chance.' To Afari, no other conference compares. 'It's not even close, really. I feel like we just got the o-linemen, the d-linemen are just different, the skill players as well. We put the most players in the NFL," he said. 'Every SEC team can beat each other, every SEC team is not weak, so I feel like that's the difference. We don't have any bad teams in the SEC.' ___
Winnipeg Free Press
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
SEC coaches and players defend their dominance amid Big Ten's recent success
ATLANTA (AP) — There was not a Big Ten player, coach or fan was in sight this week as the College Football Hall of Fame hosted SEC Media Days. Still, the SEC's No. 1 rival found its way into conversations all week long. It's no secret the rivalry has intensified in recent years. Over the last decade, the SEC has won six of the 10 national championships. Two were won by Clemson in that stretch but the last two were won by Big Ten rivals, Michigan last year and Ohio State in January. The recent success has put a dent in the SEC's reputation as the nation's dominant conference. SEC coaches, players and Commissioner Greg Sankey have no question they're still No. 1. 'For all those of you who like to speculate about super-conferences, welcome to one,' Sankey said to open this week's event. 'We have common-sense geography, restored rivalries, record-breaking viewership. If you take the consumed viewership hours on linear TV, almost 40% of that viewership was focused on games involving Southeastern Conference universities and teams. Big Ten was next, right around 30%.' The SEC also boasted 79 NFL draft picks in 2025, more than any other conference and beating the Big Ten by eight. No one put it more plainly this week than Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz when asked if he thought the SEC was the top conference in college football. 'The top? The top, as in number of draft picks in the NFL? Top as in most viewership? Overall top, deepest conference in college football? Look, the more teams you add to the tournament, there's greater variance to it,' Drinkwitz said. '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.' The Big Ten and SEC draw outsized attention in college football for other reasons. The two will soon have a bigger say over the format of the College Football Playoff — they currently differ on that — and their teams are in the mix for the top recruits every year. Early bragging rights this season between the two behemoths include Texas at Ohio State in a CFP rematch from last season, Michigan at Oklahoma and Wisconsin at Alabama, all before mid-September. The real measuring stick in this league rivalry is always going to be the postseason. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer knows excellence is the expectation when it comes to SEC football. 'That's our responsibility, to be at the top, right? That's the expectation. I know at Alabama, but also the expectation for the SEC as a whole. I still feel that the SEC top to bottom is as strong as you'll find,' DeBoer said. DeBoer isn't wrong when he says it's the expectation. In fact, it's the standard and fan bases from Austin to Gainesville go beyond team cheers on game day. 'S-E-C, S-E-C' chants on a fall Saturday are not a rare occurrence. The excitement is part of what drew Cam Ball to Arkansas. 'Growing up, my father would wake me up on Saturdays. If we didn't go to the barber shop, we was at home, just sitting on the couch watching the game, mainly watching SEC games,' he said. Playing in the conference he grew up watching still feels surreal. 'Sometimes in a game, it's the first play, and I'll just look up and see an SEC opponent's helmet, and I'll be like, 'Wow, I'm really here. God is good.' This conference in general, it's just a blessing to be here,' Ball said. Alex Afari Jr.'s recruiting journey ended promptly after receiving the call from Kentucky. It was his first and only SEC offer. The decision was easy: Who wouldn't want to play SEC ball? 'Playing in the SEC means a lot,' Afari said. 'I always want to play against the best players. When I got the SEC offer and that's my only one — I had like Big Ten offers or whatever, but this is my only SEC offer, and I took that chance.' To Afari, no other conference compares. 'It's not even close, really. I feel like we just got the o-linemen, the d-linemen are just different, the skill players as well. We put the most players in the NFL,' he said. 'Every SEC team can beat each other, every SEC team is not weak, so I feel like that's the difference. We don't have any bad teams in the SEC.' ___ AP college football:
