Latest news with #Vannini
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Insider Exposes Painful Question That Could Derail Oregon Ducks
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Oregon Ducks appeared to be a superteam throughout most of last season, but the Ohio State Buckeyes shut the door on their national championship chances in humiliating fashion in the Rose Bowl. Now, Oregon will enter 2025 with fresh title hopes, but do the Ducks actually have enough to make a legitimate championship run? More news: Penn State QB Drew Allar Put on Notice in Concerning Outlook Chris Vannini of The Athletic recently ranked all 136 FBS college football teams heading into the new season, and he had Oregon placed seventh. That's obviously a strong ranking, but Vannini posed one question for Dan Lanning's Ducks that may ultimately thwart any chance of them winning a title. "People in the program rave about quarterback Dante Moore, and I love transfer running back Makhi Hughes, but can the Ducks stretch the field?" Vannini wrote. It's a fair question to ask for a team that has lost all three of its top wide receivers from 2024. Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden both made the jump to the NFL, and Evan Stewart, who was expected to be Oregon's No. 1 receiver in 2025, is now expected to miss the entire campaign due to injury. That leaves a whole lot of unproven options available for the Ducks at the position, with Gary Bryant and Kyle Kasper — who combined for a grand total of three catches last season — comprising two of the most experienced ones. Not only that, but Oregon also lost quarterback Dillon Gabriel to the pros, and as much as the Ducks may love Moore, there is obviously a major question mark under center, as well. Oregon's offense was incredibly explosive last year. We just don't know if that will be the case this fall with so many new pieces and so much uncertainty, and it doesn't help that the Ducks are playing in the rugged Big Ten. More news: Insider Connects Jon Gruden to Tennessee Volunteers Coaching Job Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan should all be tough in 2025, and teams like Indiana and Illinois are no slouches, either. That could make things exceedingly difficult for this suddenly inexperienced Oregon squad, which also subtracted plenty of key pieces on the defensive side of the ball, as well. Perhaps one of Bryant or Kasper will break out, or maybe Florida State transfer Malik Benson will have a big year. Either way, the Ducks are going to have to get production from at least one unproven — and possibly even unexpected — source. Oregon will open its regular season against Montana State on Aug. 30. For more on college football, head to Newsweek Sports.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
The New York Times ranks the top 25 college football teams: Where is Clemson, opponents?
Less than two weeks remain until one of the most anticipated Week 1 schedules in recent college football history gets underway. While each season begins with marquee nonconference matchups and other top 25 showdowns, few have stacked up with this year's slate. On Aug. 30, preseason No. 1 Texas visits No. 2 Ohio State in Columbus for a noon ET kickoff. Alabama makes its first ever visit to Tallahassee to take on Florida State in the 3:30 p.m. window. Last but by no means least, No. 4 Clemson hosts No. 9 LSU in the prime time window at 7:30 p.m on ABC. "Week 0" in college football has already arrived, though, with the first official game of the 2025 schedule set for Saturday in Dublin, Ireland, at noon ET. No. 20 Kansas State faces No. 21 Iowa State in a matchup of top 25 teams in "Farmageddon." It's a fun time of year for both fans and media members alike when possibilities are seemingly endless (see: Indiana's College Football Playoff run a year ago and Florida State's 2-10 finish after a preseason top 10 ranking). With that caveat, The New York Times recently ranked the top 25 teams in college football entering 2025 (subscription required for full rankings). Chris Vannini of the NYT's sports hub, The Athletic, looked at the preseason frontrunners and used his instincts as a veteran college football voice to rank all 136 FBS teams from worst to first. Here's a look at the top 10 teams entering the season as ranked by Chris Vannini of The New York Times/The Athletic. 1. Penn State Nittany Lions For more coverage of Penn State, head over to Nittany Lions Wire. 2. Clemson Tigers 3. Texas Longhorns For more coverage of Texas, head over to Longhorns Wire. 4. Ohio State Buckeyes For more coverage of Ohio State, head over to Buckeyes Wire. 5. Georgia Bulldogs For more coverage of Georgia, head over to UGA Wire. 6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish For more coverage of Notre Dame, head over to Fighting Irish Wire. 7. Oregon Ducks For more coverage of Oregon, head over to Ducks Wire. 8. Arizona State Sun Devils 9. Alabama Crimson Tide For more coverage of Alabama, head over to Roll Tide Wire. 10. LSU Tigers For more coverage of LSU, head over to LSU Tigers Wire. Clemson football 2025 opponents ranked by The New York Times From best to worst, here's where Clemson's 2025 opponents were ranked among all 136 FBS programs by Vannini. ACC football teams ranked best to worst by The New York Times Clemson football schedule 2025 All announced start times Eastern. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Where Wisconsin football falls on The Athletic's 1-136 ranking entering 2025 season
The Athletic's Chris Vannini released his ranking of all 136 college football teams entering the 2025 season on Monday. The Wisconsin Badgers came in at No. 64, just above conference rivals Rutgers and UCLA. Vannini explained in this article that the Badgers "should move back to the kind of rugged offense we expect, but new faces and a very difficult schedule could make improvement harder to spot." This seems to be the consistent outlook for the Badgers entering the season. The team may very well be better than it was in 2024, partially due to the move back to the program's traditional identity. However, the strength of its schedule is no joke. Tough matchups seemingly every week from mid-September on could be brutal for Luke Fickell's team as it enters the third year under his leadership. As mentioned countless times, the Badgers' schedule will be one of the toughest, if not the single toughest, in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season. Wisconsin will face the No. 4, No. 7, No. 9, No. 11, No. 14, No. 17, and No. 29 teams in Vannini's ranking. That presents a major challenge and makes the goal of bowl eligibility extremely difficult. It's not impossible, but the Badgers will have to upset a few teams to reach that point. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
The Athletic has Florida-Georgia among college football's best rivalry names
College football has plenty of heated rivalries–but which ones have the best names? The Athletic dropped its new list this week, ranking the top 25 rivalry names in the sport, and the Florida Gators' annual clash with the Georgia Bulldogs landed near the top for its famously colorful nickname. The Athletic's Chris Vannini placed the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party at No. 6 overall. It's a nod to the annual showdown in Jacksonville that is equal parts gridiron brawl and tailgate spectacle. "It's no longer the official name, but it still rocks," Vannini wrote about the rivalry's World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party name. "It's unique and accurately descriptive. Even if the rivalry doesn't always have juice, your drink will." Florida's rivalry with Georgia is one of the oldest in the South and a fixture on Gator Nation's calendar. Even as college football evolves with realignment, bigger playoffs and new rules, the rivalry between the Gators and Bulldogs remains a staple in the SEC. The Athletic's full ranking crowned Montana-Montana State's "Brawl of the Wild" as the top rivalry name in the country. Here are the top 10 college football rivalry names according to The Athletic. The Athletic's top 10 college football rivalry names 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.
