Latest news with #DennisDodd
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Where Billy Napier lands on CBS Sports Hot Seat Rankings
A year ago, Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports gave Florida head coach Billy Napier a four (out of five) hot seat rating and listed him second on the "now or never" section of his breakdown. The Gators rattled off four wins to cap off an 8-5 2024 campaign, and Dodd retired, leaving the door open for a fresh assessment ahead of the 2025 season. With a new methodology in place, and multiple minds meeting to provide a more precise rating for all 136 FBS head coaches, the CBS Sports Staff gave Napier a 3.67 heading into his fourth year in Gainesville. Eight head coaches are on a hotter seat than Napier, according to this system, including Arkansas's Sam Pittman, Auburn's Hugh Freeze and Oklahoma's Brent Venables. Wisconsin's Luke Fickell is tied with Napier for the ninth hottest seat in the country. "Our panel of nine experts rated every coach on a scale from 0 to 5," reads the methodology. "The average score offers a clearer picture of the hot seat landscape heading into the 2025 season. Across the FBS, things appear relatively stable — at least for now — with 88 of 136 coaches receiving a composite rating between 0 and 1.99, indicating they're "safe and secure." But among the (seven) coaches with ratings higher than "4", and even the (21) with scores above "3", there are big-name programs that will demand attention after the slightest stumble." Matt Zenitz, Shehan Jeyarajah, Brandon Marcello, John Talty, Tom Fornelli, Bud Elliott, Chris Hummer, Chip Patterson and Richard Johnson make up the panel. What Billy Napier needs to stay at Florida Things looked bleak for Napier after a blowout loss to Texas last season. Graham Mertz had already gone down with his ACL injury and DJ Lagway got hurt in the Georgia game a week earlier. Now 4-5 on the season with LSU and Ole Miss coming up, Florida needed an upset to reach bowl eligibility. Athletic director Scott Stricklin released a public vote of confidence in favor of Napier, both confusing and riling up the fan base. Still, Florida committed to seeing things through with Napier and it paid off on the recruiting front. Upsets against LSU and Ole Miss with DJ Lagway running the show also helped Florida secure the No. 7-ranked class, a program best since 2013. Once again, Napier and Florida face the league's toughest schedule. Winning two of three against LSU, Miami and Texas would put everyone in a good position, but dropping two of three means Texas A&M and Mississippi State become must-wins. The Georgia game is the golden snitch of it all. Beating Kirby Smart in Jacksonville in front of recruits is the best thing a Florida coach can do for his career. Still, it's easier said than done. There are three winnable games against Kentucky, Ole Miss and Tennessee before the regular season finale against Florida State. A nine-win season would show progression under Napier, but an eight-win year could spell doom in the sport's most impatient conference. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions. This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Gators coach Billy Napier hot seat rankings CBS Sports 2025
USA Today
13-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
'Who wouldn't want to play there?' Dennis Dodd discusses Texas A&M's future with TexAgs
'Who wouldn't want to play there?' Dennis Dodd discusses Texas A&M's future with TexAgs One of college football's most respected analysts, former CBS sports' Dennis Dodd recently retired and sat down with TexAgs to not just discuss his lengthy and fascinating coverage career, but also provide some insight regarding Texas A&M's football future under head coach Mike Elko, who is entering his second season at the helm. This offseason, Texas A&M has not been in the national spotlight, which is a very positive development for a program needing less widespread attention to fix its issues in-house. After the spring football season, including the annual Maroon & White spring game, starting quarterback Marcel Reed, his new receiving corps, and the defenses' deep edge rotation all made plays during a relatively tame scrimmage. So far, the Aggies are still considered a Top 25 team entering the 2025 campaign, but due to their tough schedule, including road tests against Notre Dame, Missouri, Arkansas, LSU, and of course, the season finale vs. Texas in Austin. Still, the keys to winning on the road are solid quarterback play combined with blocking up front and a consistent running game, two areas of strength for the Aggies, while Reed's improved play in the pocket remains to be seen. Dodd, during his TexAgs interview, has the same questions as the Aggies, especially the "long term" progress under Mike Elko, which needs to begin showing substantial progress in Year 2. "For Texas A&M, you have to play the same team in year two, but flip the venue. That was tough last year. You have to go to Notre Dame. You have to go to Missouri. A&M has a good recruiting class. You have Texas there, though. They are in the SEC now. I think Mike Elko has laid a good foundation. It remains to be seen what long-term progress will be made. Everything is on the table. The potential in the SEC is unlimited." Every team that recruits at a high level, especially hitting every region of the country, has a chance to build an elite program, so it's more than fair to say that Texas A&M is on the right track. Dodd's experience covering the last two decades of Aggie football led to an interesting observation regarding the program's mass appeal. "I was there for the Johnny Manziel stuff and the game in 1998. I should put that on my list. Kansas State was up, and we know how it ended with A&M winning in overtime. They can't seem to get over thre hump. Some of it was a selection of coaches. Some of it was Heisman trophy winners leaving, like Kyler Murray. Some of it is their recruiting not measuring up. Part of it is chasing Texas, which they will continue to do forever. It's hard to put your finger on. It's hard to blame anybody when you have the best of everything there. There is no reason A&M should not be a contender for a national championship every year. Step on that campus. Who wouldn't want to play there?" Again, results are results, and Texas A&M has not won a conference championship since 1998 or achieved more than nine wins since the 2020 campaign. After finishing 1-4 with an 8-5 overall record last season, Elko went out and hired defensive assistant Lyle Hemphill, and combined with the transfer portal additions, and 10th-ranked 2025 signing class, the Aggies are set up for success this season, but until we see the results, any preseason "hype" is pointless. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X 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
27-01-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
College Football Playoff considering centralized, neutral replay for all games
After some controversy in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, college football officials are considering making significant changes to bring the postseason more in line with the NFL. With the annual College Football Officiating meetings beginning on Monday, one of the top items on the agenda is the potential creation of neutral, centralized replay for all CFP games, according to a report from CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd. If the CFP were to move toward centralized replay, it would place two people who are not affiliated with a conference in charge of overseeing all reviews. Centralized replay is also under consideration for bowl games and Week 0 non-conference games, according to Dodd. The idea of hiring a centralized replay official has apparently gained some traction, with Fox Sports rules analyst Dean Blandino's name reportedly being mentioned, though Fox's ownership of the Big Ten rights could present a problem, per Dodd. It's unclear whether centralized replay will actually be implemented ahead of next year's playoff, but it seems to be a primary topic of conversation this offseason.
