Latest news with #FCS
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
College Football Fans Take Side In Curt Cignetti, SEC Feud
College Football Fans Take Side In Curt Cignetti, SEC Feud originally appeared on The Spun. In his first year at the helm, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti injected a level of confidence that the football program had never experienced. An historic win total followed, and Cignetti has only grown bolder in the months since. But Cignetti recently announced that Indiana would be canceling a home-and-home series against Virginia in favor of adding some FCS opponents instead. Cignetti was swiftly criticized for avoiding tough competition in order to give himself an easier schedule. When pressed by the media, Cignetti made it clear that he sees his nine Big Ten games as more important. He said that decided to "adopt an SEC scheduling philosophy" by having several Group of Five opponents or an FCS opponent. 'That was a scheduling philosophy that began before I was hired. But I did sign off on it upon being hired, before our first season,' Cignetti said at Big Ten Media Days. 'Look, here's the bottom line. We picked up an extra home game and we play nine conference games. The two best conferences in college football – any football guy that's objective will tell you – [are] the Big Ten and the SEC. Twelve of the 16 SEC teams play three G5 or an FCS game. Twelve of those teams play 36 games – 29 G5 games and seven FCS games, and one less conference game. 'So we figured we'd just adopt [an] SEC scheduling philosophy. Some people don't like it. I'm more focused in on those nine conference games.' Fans quickly made it clear that they see Cignetti as a stat-padder, trying to farm some easy wins before inevitably getting crushed by the top-tier Big Ten teams: "Ah yes Indiana who played one ranked team last year and lost by 23," one user remarked. "The irony in this is if any SEC team scheduled Indiana as a non-(conference) game, they'd get clowned for adding a weak team by the SEC hate club," another remarked. "This take is so tired and flat out wrong. Nobody is a fan of the November cupcake game, but virtually every SEC team has a Florida State, Clemson or Ohio State on the schedule as well. Any analyst who is hyping up or agreeing with Curt on these comments is either a hater or lazy." Curt Cignetti has already succeeded in making Indiana a more relevant football program than its been in decades. But the gap between Indiana and the real powerhouses of college football is still enormous. He's going to have a hard time closing that gap if he doesn't give his players experience against teams with that level of Football Fans Take Side In Curt Cignetti, SEC Feud first appeared on The Spun on Jul 23, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
20 hours ago
- Business Standard
Doha-bound Air India Express returns to Calicut after mid-air tech fault
The Doha-bound Air India Express flight with 188 onboard returned to Calicut two hours after take-off due to a cabin AC anomaly, the airline arranged an alternate aircraft New Delhi An Air India Express flight from Calicut to Doha had to return to the airport on Wednesday morning because of a technical problem, news agency PTI reported. Flight IX 375 took off from Calicut International Airport at 9.07 am with 188 people onboard, including crew members. Around two hours later, at 11.12 am, it came back to the same airport. 'There was a technical problem with the cabin air conditioning. It was not an emergency landing,' an airport official told PTI. Passengers were safely taken off the aircraft. An Air India Express spokesperson said the aircraft landed as a safety measure. 'It was a precautionary landing due to a technical fault. We'll arrange an alternate flight by 1.30 pm,' he said, adding that food and water have been provided to passengers at the airport while they wait. Delhi to Kolkata flight aborts take-off On Monday (July 21), an Air India flight from Delhi to Kolkata had to stop its take-off due to a technical issue spotted during the process. The aircraft, flight AI2403, had 160 passengers. The plane was stopped on the runway at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi so safety checks could be done. Following standard safety rules, the cockpit crew decided not to continue with the take-off. All passengers were safely removed from the plane after it was brought to a halt. Air India plane skids off Mumbai runway At Mumbai airport the same day, an Air India A320neo aircraft skidded off the runway under the impact of heavy rainfall. The plane went into an unpaved area briefly before coming back onto the runway. All passengers and crew safely exited the aircraft after it reached the terminal. The aircraft has been grounded. The main runway suffered slight damage. As such, the Mumbai airport authority (MIAL) activated a secondary runway for operations. Air India finds no issues in Boeing 787, 737 Air India said on Tuesday (July 22) that it had completed safety checks on all Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft in its fleet. These checks focused on the locking mechanism of the Fuel Control Switch (FCS), and no problems were found. The checks were done after India's aviation regulator, DGCA, ordered all airlines flying these models to inspect the FCS and report findings by July 21. This came after a crash involving a Boeing 787 on June 12 in Ahmedabad, in which over 260 people were killed. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released a preliminary report stating that in flight AI171, the fuel control switches went from 'run' to 'cutoff' shortly after take-off. This caused both engines to fail, and the plane crashed in the Meghani Nagar area of Ahmedabad. [With agency inputs]


USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Curt Cignetti defends Indiana schedule, says Hoosiers used 'SEC scheduling philosophy'
While miraculously guiding Indiana to a spot in the College Football Playoff last season, Curt Cignetti established himself as one of the more colorful characters in the sport, a swaggering Yinzer who was never shy to share his feelings or hide his bravado. This week at Big Ten media days in Las Vegas, he directed that unfiltered gaze at the SEC. While addressing why the Hoosiers had canceled a home-and-home series with Virginia, Cignetti took a shot at the non-conference scheduling model many SEC teams employ and noted that his program was simply following that example. '12 of the 16 SEC teams play three G5 (Group of Five) or an FCS game,' Cignetti said. 'Twelve of those teams play 36 games – 29 G5 games and seven FCS games, and have one less conference game. We figured we'd just adopt SEC scheduling philosophy. Some people don't like it. I'm more focused in on those nine conference games.' Indiana made the inaugural 12-team playoff last season behind a gaudy 11-1 record, but did so against a relatively weak schedule. Of its 11 victories, none came against teams that finished the regular season with more than seven wins. While some of that could be tied to certain Big Ten teams on its schedule, like Michigan, being worse than expected, its three non-conference opponents — Florida International, Western Illinois and Charlotte — went a combined 13-23. None of those programs are from one of college football's power conferences. The Hoosiers had been set to play against Louisville, which went 9-4 in 2024, but the final two games of a three-game series against the Cardinals were canceled in 2023, before Cignetti arrived at Indiana. Then-coach Tom Allen cited Big Ten expansion as a reason for the move. The game against Louisville in 2024 was replaced with a matchup against Western Illinois, an FCS program that Indiana thumped 77-3. The home-and-home series with Virginia had been signed and announced in 2021 before being canceled earlier this month. This season, the Hoosiers will play Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and Indiana State in the non-conference portion of their schedule. Old Dominion went 5-7 last season, Kennesaw State went 2-10 in its first season at the FCS level and Indiana State, an FCS program, went 4-8. Indiana's scheduling approach has drawn criticism, including from Barry Odom, the first-year head coach at archrival Purdue. "I could take the approach of one of the other schools in the state, cancel games and do some of those things, but the schedule is what it is," Odom said in an interview earlier this month with 107.5 FM in Indianapolis. Unlike the Big Ten, which employs a nine-game conference schedule, the SEC has just eight conference games, giving its members more flexibility to beef up their non-conference schedules or use them to pad their records. This season, three of the SEC's 16 teams — Alabama, Florida and South Carolina — have two non-conference games against Power Four programs while 15 teams have one game against an FCS foe (Texas is the only one that doesn't.). The most common non-conference scheduling format in the league is the one Cignetti referenced, with 11 of the 16 programs having two games against FBS opponents outside the Power Four, one game against a Power Four foe and one game against an FCS team.


Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Fuel switch checks clear Boeing 787s, 737s in AI fleet
Air India NEW DELHI: Air India said Tuesday it has completed inspections and found no faults in the fuel control switch (FCS) locking mechanism on all its Boeing 787 Dreamliners and AI Express Boeing 737s. The checks followed a July 14 directive from DGCA, which ordered Indian carriers to inspect the FCS on all Boeing aircraft. The move came after the June 12 crash of AI-171 in Ahmedabad. Both engines of the London-bound Dreamliner lost power mid-air soon after take-off. According to preliminary probe, fuel supply was cut off when FCS switches for engines 1 & 2 moved from "run" to "cut-off" - one after the other - with a gap of one second. Investigators have not yet determined what caused the switches to transition. "Air India has completed precautionary inspections on locking mechanism of FCS on Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft in its fleet," the airline said in a statement. "With this, the two airlines have complied with DGCA's July 14 directive. No issues were found." The airline said results have been shared with DGCA and reaffirmed its "commitment to the safety of passengers and crew members". by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas in Dubai | Search Ads Get Info Undo The US Federal Aviation Administration had issued a special airworthiness information bulletin in Dec 2018 warning of potential disengagement of the FCS locking mechanism in some Boeing aircraft. Since SAIB was advisory & not mandatory, Air India had not acted on it earlier.

The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Arrest made in Limpopo after alleged sexual assault of a teenager
A 24-year-old man has been arrested in Limpopo for the alleged sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said that the incident occurred on July 19 when the victim was on her way home. "According to the information, a 17-year-old female victim was from a local tuckshop when she met the alleged suspect, who took her by force to his residential place. While on her way, the suspect allegedly pulled out a knife and threatened to stab her if she screamed." Ledwaba added that after the 24-year-old raped the victim, he then walked her back to her home. It was only when she reached her residence that she found the courage to tell her mother about the horrifying ordeal. The victim's mother immediately reported the incident to the Letsitele Police Station, and a case of rape was opened. "Tzaneen Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) were notified, and a successful manhunt was activated, resulting in the apprehension of the alleged suspect," Ledwaba added. The suspect appeared before the Ritavi Magistrate's Court on July 21, where the matter was postponed to July 29 for a formal bail application. In a separate incident in Bloemfontein, police in Parkweg have called on the public for assistance following a serious robbery and stabbing on July 20. The 21-year-old victim was attacked by two unknown suspects near the Stadium Swimming Pool. The suspects struck him on the head with a blunt object before stabbing him in the abdomen and fleeing with his friend's Huawei Y7 Pro cellphone. Lieutenant Colonel Thabo Covane, provincial spokesperson, confirmed that the victim managed to escape and reached out for help at the Parkweg Police Station. He was subsequently rushed to a local hospital for medical treatment, and a case of attempted murder has been registered. Authorities are appealing to the public for any information that could assist in this investigation. Witnesses or anyone with knowledge of the incident are encouraged to contact Lieutenant Colonel Lukas van Zyl at 082 525 2603. Alternatively, tips can be submitted through the MySAPS App or by calling the SAPS Crime Stop number at 08600 10111. The Star [email protected]