Latest news with #GusMalzahn
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Where's Gus? FSU football OC Gus Malzahn not featured in EA College Football 26
EA Sports College Football 26 is approaching. In a new feature, over 300 coaches will be part of the game, including Florida State football's head coach Mike Norvell and defensive coordinator Tony White. However, Gus Malzahn is not among those coaches. Advertisement The former UCF head coach, now offensive coordinator, has chosen not to participate in CFB '26, the football program confirmed to the Tallahassee Democrat on May 29. Both Malzahn and White are entering their first seasons as coordinators on Norvell's coaching staff following a 2-10 season. Malzahn left his head coaching gig to join Norvell's coaching staff after lasting four seasons at UCF. White joined FSU's staff in December after his two seasons with Nebraska. Need a break Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. MAKING THE CUT: EA Sports College Football 26 covers: How many players from Florida made the cut? College Football '26 released its first official trailer earlier on Thursday. FSU, unfortunately, didn't make the cut. The release date is set for July 10, but you can pre-order the deluxe edition and the MVP bundle now and have access on July 7. Advertisement FSU opens the season against Alabama on Aug. 30 at 3:30 p.m. More: Is FSU football rivalry vs. Florida in trouble as sport handles realignment, playoff expansion? Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@ or on X @_Da_pistol. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football OC Gus Malzahn not in EA College Football 26
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hugh Freeze Sets Clear Expectations for Auburn's 2025 Season
The Auburn Tigers' football program has been in a difficult spot for several years. Auburn has sought stability since Gus Malzahn's 2020 departure, and the school hopes Hugh Freeze's third season as the head coach will bring a return to contention in the demanding Southeastern Conference. Freeze on Friday made the expectations clear for his Tigers entering 2025. He told "The Next Round" that Auburn cannot repeat its 5-7 campaign from a year ago, and the time is now to arrest the program's decline across recent seasons. Advertisement "I'm not a fool, I think we've got to go to a bowl game," Freeze said. It has been six years since Auburn ended a season ranked in the top 25 of the Associated Press poll, and the Tigers have not won 10 games in a season since 2017. Auburn was criticized for a failure to secure impact recruits during the Malzahn and Bryan Harsin eras, which has put Freeze in a challenging spot as he steadily rebuilds the program. "Our administration understands I inherited a program that didn't have a top-25 recruiting class for four years," Freeze said. "We've had now two full recruiting classes, both top 10, one more and then your roster looks complete." Advertisement Indeed, Auburn's 2024 and 2025 classes have been ranked eighth and sixth respectively by 247Sports. The 2025 class is led by four-star quarterback Deuce Knight and five-star defensive line prospect Malik Autry -- who went to high school just up the road from Auburn in Opelika, Alabama. The recruitment service also likes what Freeze and his staff accomplished in the transfer portal going into 2025. Knight forms one part of an overhauled QB room; he will be competing for reps with Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold, a former five-star recruit who is the early favorite to start Auburn's season opener against Baylor on August 29. "I see no reason why we shouldn't (improve), and I think that's an expectation that our people should have," Freeze said. Related: Fans in Disbelief Over Charley Barkley NIL Confession to Auburn
Fox News
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
2025 College Football win total best bets, predictions by Chris "The Bear" Fallica
"Bear Bets" are real wagers that Chris "The Bear" Fallica is actually making. There are just a few months left until kickoff, which means it's almost time for fans to switch their focus back to college football. And with that, sportsbooks have released win totals for the regular season. Let's dive into my favorite picks for how a few teams will perform this upcoming season. Florida State Under 6.5 wins I've already written this up at U7.5 (-120). Under 7.5 wins is now north of (-200) at some books, so I will come back with U6.5 at plus money. The Seminoles were an embarrassing 2-10 last year. It was horrific in every sense of the word. FSU didn't score more than 21 points against a single FBS team, and only three of its 10 losses came within one score. The QB position was a massive hole, as D.J. Uiagalelei was a disaster. To help fix the offensive woes, Gus Malzahn was brought in to run the offense and Boston College castoff Thomas Castellanos will be the new QB. Can Castellanos stand up to a year of running in Malzahn's offense? That remains to be seen, as does whether the Noles have any playmakers on offense. Will FSU be as bad as 2-10 again? No. But I don't know how much better it will be, as it has non-conference games on the road against Alabama and Florida, conference road games at Clemson and NC State, as well as facing Miami, which comes to Doak Campbell Stadium. That's probably four — if not five — losses right there. And after last year, are we willing to give the Noles the benefit of the doubt at Virginia or Stanford? Or at home vs. Pitt, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech? I sure am not. This could very easily turn into another bowl-less season for the Noles. PICK: Florida State (+110, DK) Under 6.5 wins Wisconsin Under 5.5 wins The Badgers missed a bowl last year, and I think they will again next year. Recruiting has slipped, and the portal has been a net negative in Madison. I just don't see how this is going to go well for Wisconsin. The Badgers will return to Alabama and visit Michigan, Oregon, Indiana and Minnesota. It's not the easiest home slate either, with Iowa, Ohio State and Washington visiting Madison. There's a chance the Badgers are 3-5 entering the Idle week; that would make for some uneasy chatter surrounding the program. PICK: Wisconsin (-144, FD) Under 5.5 wins Texas Tech Under 8.5 wins The Red Raiders have invested a ton in the portal, which is great for their outlook. What isn't great, however, are five road games — Arizona State, Houston, Kansas State, Utah and West Virginia — that appear loseable. Remember, too, that last year, Tech was great in one-score games (6-1) in a season where it won eight games. Will the close-game luck continue against a difficult road slate, even with an improvement in talent? I'm skeptical. PICK: Texas Tech (-115, FD) Under 8.5 wins Oregon Over 10.5 wins This assumption that the Ducks are going to take a step back is a dangerous one. Few teams have recruited as well lately as Oregon, and the Ducks have been able to augment their roster through the portal like few others. QB Dante Moore was one of the most sought-after recruits in the country a couple of years ago, so I would expect him to play well — especially with one of the best, if not the best, offensive lines in the country. Also, the schedule is quite manageable. Oregon will be 4-0 when it heads to Penn State, and I, for one, am not penciling that game in as a loss for the Ducks. Oregon's other road games are against Rutgers, Iowa and Washington. Its toughest home game is probably USC. Even with a loss at State College, 11-1 is very much on the table. PICK: Oregon (+110, DK) Over 10.5 wins LSU Under 8.5 wins In the new world order of college football, people need to accept that 8-4 or 9-3 in the SEC might become the new normal and these teams are still really good — likely more talented than their record indicates. LSU might be the best example of this in 2025. The Tigers brought in a significant haul in the transfer portal and have a Heisman candidate and potential No. 1 overall pick at QB in Garrett Nussmeier. But this feels like the kind of schedule/season Alabama and Ole Miss had last year en route to a 9-3 regular season. Now, that record would be good enough to go Over 8.5 wins, but LSU has Clemson, Florida and Ole Miss. Both Clemson and Ole Miss are away from home within the first five games of the season. The Tigers also visit Alabama and Oklahoma, while hosting South Carolina and Texas A&M. At plus money, I'll go Under. PICK: LSU (+128, FD) Under 8.5 wins Purdue Under 3.5 wins If you don't want to lay close to $2, you can get U2.5 at plus money at DraftKings Sportsbook, but that eliminates any wiggle room after the Boilermakers likely beat Ball State and Southern Illinois. Bringing in Barry Odom is a good start, but expecting two Big Ten wins is a bit much for me, even with 17 new starters transferring in. PICK: Purdue (-192, FD) Under 3.5 wins Auburn Over 7.5 wins The Tigers gave games away last year against Oklahoma and Missouri in a 5-7 season. The offense struggled quite a bit, but with Jackson Arnold brought in to play QB and Eric Singleton added to the receiver group along with Cam Coleman, as well as an offensive line full of upperclassmen, that has the potential to change dramatically. There are three built-in non-conference wins in the schedule, and the game at Baylor is certainly winnable. Your bet will either win or lose from mid-October to mid-November, when the Tigers face Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. But it's very reasonable to expect eight wins — and possibly more. PICK: Auburn (-120, DK) Over 7.5 wins Clemson Under 9.5 wins Cade Klubnik and the young receivers are a good starting point, but a deep dive into Clemson's 2024 season shows it wasn't that impressive, despite winning the ACC title. The Tigers were blown out by Georgia, were non-competitive at home against Louisville, and lost a game at home to South Carolina. They flat-out stole a game from Pitt, so maybe they offset. SMU turnovers helped the Tigers gain an early lead in Charlotte. But the other wins — we're talking either bad non-conference opponents or the bottom tier of the ACC. Clemson was a huge beneficiary of turnover margin, too, finishing fourth nationally, so basic regression can be expected. The schedule ramps up a little bit as well. Clemson opens against an SEC giant like it did last year — this time, LSU — but the road schedule is certainly full of pitfalls. Road games against Georgia Tech, Boston College (who should be pesky again with Bill O'Brien), Louisville and South Carolina. That's potentially five loseable games. SMU at home won't be a gimme either. Ten wins seem tough to come by. PICK: Clemson (+100, DK) Under 9.5 wins Indiana Under 8.5 wins Indiana's non-conference schedule is as laughable as it was last season during its magical 11-2 season. Old Dominion, Indiana State and Kennesaw State are the sacrificial lambs this season, but after having road games at UCLA, Northwestern and Michigan State last year (along with a blowout loss at Ohio State), the Hoosiers have to go to Iowa, Oregon and Penn State. Assuming IU loses at Iowa, Oregon and Penn State, it would have to run the table against Illinois, Michigan State, UCLA, Maryland, Wisconsin and Purdue to hit nine wins. The Hoosiers were third in the nation in turnover margin last year, turning it over just nine times. Is that going to happen again, even with the addition of one of the better portal quarterbacks, Fernando Mendoza from Cal? PICK: Indiana (-122, FD) Under 8.5 wins Chris "The Bear" Fallica has covered sports for nearly three decades. While college football has been his focus, he also enjoys the NFL, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, MLB, NHL and Horse Racing, with an "occasional" wager on such events. Chris recently won the inaugural Circa Football Invitational and finished in the Top 10 of the Golden Nugget Football Contest. He's a multiple-time qualifier for the NHC Handicapping Championship. Remember, "The less you bet, the more you lose when you win!" Follow him on Twitter @chrisfallica. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Washington Post
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Scott Frost's return to UCF earns him a five-year contract valued at $22.1M; starting salary $3.9M
Scott Frost received a five-year, $22.1 million contract upon his return to UCF and will have it automatically extended a year if the Knights appear in a bowl this season. An executive summary of Frost's contract was obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday through an open records request. UCF rehired Frost in December after Gus Malzahn left after four seasons to become offensive coordinator at Florida State. Frost had his first head coaching job at UCF in 2016, and the Knights went 6-7. A year later, UCF went 13-0 with a conference championship, a bowl victory over Auburn and final ranking of No. 6.
Fox Sports
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Bear Bytes: Chris 'The Bear' Fallica examines 2025 college football win totals
The NCAA Tournament has ended, which means a good bit of my focus has shifted to college football. Season win totals and odds to win conferences are popping up. So here are some schedule notes — or Bear Bytes, as I like to call them — to consider when deciding whether to make a bet. SMU SMU had one of the easiest schedules in the ACC last year and rode it all the way to the ACC Championship Game and a CFP berth. However, the Ponies might be a fade this year, as the 2025 slate includes home games against Baylor, Louisville and Miami, as well as a trip to Clemson, which defeated SMU in Charlotte a year ago. SMU's win total of 8.5 is representative of that slate. Under feels like the way to go here. Florida State FSU was a disastrous 2-10 last year, and I'm not sure how much better the Noles will be. They have an opener against Alabama, a home game with Miami, as well as road games at Clemson, Florida and NC State. The Noles might be hard-pressed to make a bowl game, considering most ACC games they are in wouldn't be considered gimmes — despite bringing in Gus Malzahn as OC and Boston College castoff Thomas Castellanos as quarterback. Under 7.5 wins is juiced but one of the few win totals I've already fired on. Arizona State ASU went from last in the Big 12 preseason poll to conference champs behind RB Cam Skattebo and QB Sam Leavitt. Was it a sign of bigger things to come under Kenny Dillingham? Or was it all a potential setup for a fall, given the departure of Skattebo and a schedule that has road games at Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State and Utah. ASU's win total is 8.5. Texas Tech Tech has been active in the portal and might be one of those teams that winds up being better than its record indicates. The Red Raiders' win total is 8.5 and five road games — Arizona State, Houston, Kansas State, Utah and West Virginia — look like possible losses. Illinois The Illini are everyone's trendy Big Ten sleeper this season. Yes, there's reason for optimism in Champaign, but expecting an Indiana-like run to the CFP might be asking a bit much. The Fighting Illini's win total sits at 7.5 and there are likely five toss-up games, at minimum. That includes USC at home and at Duke, Indiana, Washington and Wisconsin, as well as a home game against Ohio State. Against the Buckeyes, the Illini will be a considerable underdog. Indiana The Hoosiers' non-conference schedule is as laughable as it was last season in its magical 11-2 season. The Hoosiers have Old Dominion, Indiana State and Kennesaw State as their sacrificial non-conference lambs. But after having road games at UCLA, Northwestern and Michigan State last year (as well as a blowout loss at Ohio State), the Hoosiers have to go to Iowa, Oregon and Penn State. The oddsmakers have posted a win total of 8.5, which certainly takes into account the three auto non-conference wins. Assuming IU loses at Iowa, Oregon and Penn State, that means it would have to run the table against Illinois, Michigan State, UCLA, at Maryland, Wisconsin and at Purdue to hit nine wins. Michigan Michigan's schedule is certainly front-loaded with games at Oklahoma, Nebraska and USC in the first half of the season. This is not ideal because the Wolverines will be breaking in a new QB and replacing a couple of impact players on defense (Mason Graham and Will Johnson) and TE Colston Loveland. But survive that — which means going at least 2-1 in those three games — and the Wolverines could build up a lot of momentum prior to The Game in Ann Arbor on Nov. 29. Before the Ohio State game, the Wolverines play at Michigan State, Purdue, at Northwestern and at Maryland. Those teams combined to go 6-30 in Big Ten play last year. The Wolverines' win total is 8.5 juiced to the Over. Nebraska Will the Matt Rhule Year 3 bump happen in Lincoln? The Huskers don't have a true road game until Oct. 11 at Maryland. Michigan, USC and Iowa are in Lincoln. The true road games are Maryland, Minnesota, UCLA and Penn State. It seems like we've been saying it every year lately, but there's a chance Nebraska might have only one or two losses and a potential CFP berth on the line entering the Nov. 22 trip to Penn State. If QB Dylan Raiola progresses this season, the hype will be through the roof. Hype has not reached the win total, as Nebraska is still at 7.5, which seems to indicate bettors and oddsmakers are taking a wait-and-see approach this season. Oregon Reigning Big Ten Champion Oregon lost QB Dillon Gabriel and other key contributors. But with road games at Northwestern, SUNJ, Iowa, Washington and Penn State, along with a home schedule where the Ducks should be double-digit favorites in every game, 10-2 and another CFP berth seems the worst-case scenario. Unless, of course, QB Dante Moore does not live up to the hype and expectations as one of the top QB recruits from his class. Penn State Despite reaching the CFP Semifinals last year, the Nittany Lions did nothing to change the perception of the program and the ability to win big games. Penn State lost at home to Ohio State and in the Big Ten title game. The Lions will get two more chances this year to change the narrative as they host Oregon on Sept. 27 and visit Ohio State on Nov. 1. Both are among the most-anticipated games of the regular season. Anything short of 10-2 and another CFB berth will be a disappointment. And that's what the oddsmakers see as well, putting Penn State's win total at 10.5. Wisconsin I just don't see how this is going to go well for Wisconsin. The Badgers have the return trip to Alabama, and visit Michigan, Oregon, Indiana and Minnesota. It's not the easiest of home slates either, with Iowa, Ohio State and Washington visiting Madison. There's a chance the Badgers are 3-5 entering the idle week and that would make for some uneasy chatter surrounding the program. Wisconsin's win total is 5.5, and I have already fired on the Under. Notre Dame The Irish open with a game at Miami and a home game against Texas A&M. That might lead to opportunities to get a better price on Notre Dame to make the CFP after a couple of games, as was the case in 2024. Winning out after those two games isn't farfetched at all. With the final five games of the season at BC, Navy, at Pitt, Syracuse and at Stanford, it seems like an opportunity to climb up the rankings and into solid CFP contention. Notre Dame's win total is 10.5, heavily juiced to the Under. Florida Florida again gets no breaks from the schedule maker. The Gators are at LSU, at Miami, have a bye, play Texas then go to A&M. Then they have Georgia, they're at Ole Miss, Tennessee and FSU. Is DJ Lagway good enough to lead the Gators to seven wins and push them over the win total of 6.5? Georgia The Dawgs visit Knoxville and host Alabama before the end of September. Unlike last year, Georgia gets Texas and Ole Miss in Athens. LSU Despite the presence of QB Garrett Nussmeier, I'm not seeing the CFP contender buzz surrounding LSU. It feels a lot like the type of season Alabama and Ole Miss had in 2024 could be in store for the Tigers. LSU has Clemson, Florida and Ole Miss. Clemson and Ole Miss are on the road and within the first five games of the season. The Tigers also visit Alabama and Oklahoma and host South Carolina and Texas A&M. LSU's win total is 8.5, and it sure feels like 9-3 will be hard to come by. Oklahoma OU underwent a massive program overhaul on the staff and roster and the early part of the schedule might allow OU to build some momentum and positive vibes. The only time the Sooners leave the state prior to the Texas game is a visit to Temple. If the Sooners can beat Michigan and/or Auburn and former QB Jackson Arnold at home, it would be vital for a winning season. The back end of the schedule is brutal. They've got Texas, they're at South Carolina, play Ole Miss, they're at Tennessee and at Alabama. Then they play Missouri and LSU. Oklahoma's win total is 6.5 and failure to go over might result in some tough decisions having to be made in Norman. Chris "The Bear" Fallica has covered sports for nearly three decades. While college football has been his focus, he also enjoys the NFL, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, MLB, NHL and Horse Racing, with an "occasional" wager on such events. Chris recently won the inaugural Circa Football Invitational and finished in the Top 10 of the Golden Nugget Football Contest. He's a multiple-time qualifier for the NHC Handicapping Championship. Remember, "The less you bet, the more you lose when you win!" Follow him on Twitter @ chrisfallica . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? 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