Latest news with #footballteams
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Europe's €5 Billion Football Transfers Ignite Private-Debt Boom
A battle for talent among Europe's top football teams is igniting a debt market using the players' transfer fees as collateral. With spending on players smashing $5 billion this summer, this business model is becoming so big it's moving beyond niche financiers to start drawing the largest names in the world of private lending. Apollo Global Management Inc. and Blackstone Inc. are the latest to look at funding deals, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
From quirks to legends: The evolution of AP All-America college football teams over 100 years
A century of Associated Press All-America college football teams features plenty of great teams, great players and a host of of head-scratching quirks, reflecting how the game itself has evolved over 100 years. Let's start with the most important position: quarterback.
New York Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Cheap fantasy football wide receivers with the best point-scoring floors
Football coaches often say that in order to win a game, you first have to not lose it. The same advice applies to fantasy football teams. The early-round picks are essential to notching victories, but it is also imperative that your team avoid low scores or goose eggs (otherwise known as zero-point performances) that can crush a team's chances at winning. These low scores are prevalent at the wide receiver position, where 30 or so targets are split among many players. Add in bye weeks and injuries and filling your lineup can become particularly fraught. What fantasy managers need during those times are reliable, low-cost wide receivers. These pass catchers may have relatively low ceilings, but they provide a consistently high floor that can keep a fantasy team in contention for a win. I call these very valuable prospects lunch pail wide receivers. Advertisement Lunch pail wide receivers are wideouts with well-defined roles in their offenses. They also need to meet one of two qualifications. The first is to be rostered by less than 60 percent of teams on at least one of the major fantasy football platforms. The other is to have a consensus positional ADP of 42 or lower. This ADP level indicates that these wide receivers aren't generally considered starters in a 12-team league with three wide receivers and a flex position (assuming roughly half of the flex starters are wide receivers). Using those criteria as a guideline, here are this year's lunch pail wide receivers, starting with someone who is vastly underrated. Note: All metrics per TruMedia/PFF or Stathead. Coleman was heavily utilized on stretch vertical targets (passes of 20+ air yards) last season, ranking second on the Bills with 18. With Amari Cooper vacating nine stretch vertical targets for this offense, Coleman could see even more downfield usage. That can help set a strong floor, but what earns Coleman a spot on this list is a 9.2 yards per target (YPT) mark on short passes (10 or fewer air yards) that was tops among wide receivers with 25+ short targets. Add in Coleman ranking second on the team in red zone and inside the 10-yard line targets and it trends him towards being a go-to wideout in one of the best offenses in the NFL. Pearsall racked up an impressive 47.6 PPR points in Weeks 17-18 last year. This may have been part of Kyle Shanahan's plan to prime Pearsall for a larger role in this offense in the 2025 campaign. Available targets shouldn't be an issue with Deebo Samuel gone and Brandon Aiyuk looking like he will miss at least a few weeks of the regular season while returning from injury. Add in what might be the most favorable cornerback schedule at this position (Pearsall earns a 97 grade out of 100 in my matchup points category) and it should make Pearsall a very good high-floor candidate. Advertisement Pittman is one of only 10 players to post 110 or more targets in each of the past four seasons. That trend should continue regardless of whether Anthony Richardson or Daniel Jones (or a combination of both) is under center for the Colts this season. Pittman led Indianapolis in receptions inside the 5-yard line last year and was tied for the red zone reception lead. Both of those marks are within his reach this year as well. Pittman is only a season removed from ranking fourth in short PPR PPG, so he has proven to be a quality possession receiver. Merge these factors and Pittman should see enough targets on a weekly basis to set the desired high floor. Higgins gets some prime pass-catching real estate by taking over the Tank Dell role in the Texans offense. His draft profile says Higgins should be up to that task. Dane Brugler's The Beast NFL Draft Guide indicates that Higgins has all-around receiving skills that bring to mind his Houston teammate, Nico Collins. Few offenses have two wideouts with three-level skills (short, vertical and stretch vertical), so Higgins can be utilized in ways that should send him 100+ targets. He's proven to be up to the task of a high workload, having racked up 87 receptions last season for Iowa State. Combine this with Higgins' 60 receptions of 10+ yards last year (best in the Power 4) and a Big 12-high in red zone catches and it shows why Higgins is a reliable backup who may end up in starting lineups more often than not. With a consensus ADP in the 50s in every league scoring type, Higgins should provide solid value. As noted in my Top 25 QB rankings, Jim Harbaugh is a run-first coach but even he wants to throw the ball more than the Chargers did last year. Los Angeles brought in a lot of young pass-catching talent to help, but they also returned Allen to their roster after a year in Chicago. Allen is one of only five players to post seven or more seasons with 100+ targets since 2017. He worked with Justin Herbert for four seasons, so getting in sync should not be an issue. Allen was very good on short passes last year, ranking 24th in short PPR PPG. He was also solid on vertical (48th in PPR PPG) and stretch vertical (43rd) passes, thus providing Herbert with multiple production avenues. It may be best to lean on Allen earlier in the year than later as an age-related precaution, but unless he hits the wall, he should give fantasy managers plenty of solid point totals. It may have seemed like Father Time was catching up to Thielen for a spell last year, but the veteran proved that wasn't the case in the final third of the season. From Weeks 13-18, Thielen ranked 12th among wide receivers in both standard and PPR points. That's part of why Thielen had some incredible PPR PPG numbers last season. He ranked 28th in short, 15th in vertical and seventh in stretch vertical PPR PPG in 2024. It was a major factor in Bryce Young's late season production burst. Head coach Dave Canales isn't about to move production of that caliber out of a lineup that needs all of the big-play production it can get. And he certainly wants Thielen's veteran presence to help Carolina's young wide receivers develop more quickly. It should be a recipe for a very low-cost, high-floor roster addition. (Photo of Keon Coleman by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 preseason predictions for College Football Playoff field, Heisman Trophy winner
The 2025 college football season has now officially arrived. Yes, in the coming days-and-weeks, college football will be back for the start of the 2025 season, kicking things off nationwide with a loaded Week 1 that will feature the nation's top two teams, per the US LBM Coaches Poll, playing each other. Following that matchup will be countless games throughout the following months, which will include some of the top rivalries in college football, ranked showdowns, and more to ultimately determine which teams will end up make the College Football Playoff (CFP) come December. With the top individual award in college football, the Heisman Trophy, also announced in December, why not make a few preseason predictions surrounding both of those to predict what might happen, as well as to see if the Alabama Crimson Tide will be included? Here are some preseason predictions for the College Football Playoff field, national champion, the Heisman Trophy winner, and more this upcoming season. 2025 12-team College Football Playoff field Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide, Arizona State Sun Devils, Boise State Broncos, Clemson Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, LSU Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks, Penn State Nittany Lions, Texas Longhorns (teams listed in alphabetical order) Alabama is likely projected to return to the College Football Playoff this upcoming season after barely missing a year ago. The conference breakdown for the predicted CFP field are four SEC teams, three Big Ten, two ACC, one Big 12, one MWC, and one independent. 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship Game Prediction: Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Texas Longhorns As for the two teams to make it to the national title game out of that aforementioned field, I'll go with the Big Ten vs. SEC showdown in Penn State and Texas. This matchup would feature an intriguing quarterback showdown between Drew Allar and Arch Manning, as well as countless other college football stars such as Nick Singleton, Anthony Hill Jr., Dani Dennis-Sutton, and Colin Simmons, among others. 2025 College Football Playoff national champion Prediction: Texas Longhorns Led by head coach Steve Sarkisian, Texas has fallen just short of the national championship the last two seasons, as the Longhorns have fallen in the CFP semifinal each of the previous two years. I'll go with the Longhorns to win-it-all this season, which would be Texas' first national championship since 2005. 2025 Heisman Trophy finalists Prediction: Arch Manning (Texas, Quarterback), Cade Klubnik (Clemson, Quarterback), Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State, Wide Receiver), Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame, Running Back) The predicted Heisman Trophy finalists for later this season included two quarterbacks from the ACC and SEC, as well as a running back and wide receiver both from the Big Ten. None of these four predicted finished in the Top 10 of Heisman voting a year ago, while Manning will be a first-time starter this fall. 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Prediction: Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame, Running Back) As for the eventual winner from those four aforementioned finalists, Love certainly has a chance to become Notre Dame's first Heisman Trophy winner this season since Tim Brown back in 1987. Expected to be one of top premier running backs in college football yet again this season, Love is coming off a 2024 campaign in which he led Notre Dame to the national title game by rushing for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns on 163 attempts. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: 2025 preseason College Football Playoff, Heisman Trophy predictions
Forbes
09-08-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The College Football Season Is Upon Us. What's Changed?
This college football season promises to be unlike any before, due to several significant and unprecedented changes. In general, changes in college athletics are happening so fast that the business side of college sports is barely recognizable compared to just five years ago. College football, in particular, is expected to look very different, both on and off the field. What are some of the key changes that will shape the 2025 season? Settlement, Revenue Sharing, Scholarships, and The Portal: College Football's New Reality After a pivotal court decision this summer, college athletics have entered a new era, marking the first academic year following the House v. NCAA Settlement. For those who are not familiar, on June 6, 2025, the U.S. District Courts approved a landmark settlement that essentially allows college athletic programs to directly compensate student-athletes for their name, image, and likeness (NIL). The ruling marks a milestone in college athletics, as it effectively ends the amateurism ideal and transitions to a professional model. The case, which resolved multiple antitrust lawsuits against the NCAA and its power conferences, included back damages ordering the NCAA and these conferences to pay $2.8 billion to student-athletes who competed between 2016 and 2024. The largest share of the return is expected to go to football and men's basketball players, the primary revenue-generating sports. Another major development resulting from the court decision is the establishment of a new 10-year revenue-sharing model in college sports. For the 2025-26 academic year, college athletic departments may now distribute up to $20.5 million in NIL money to their student-athletes, with an estimated 75 percent of the funds expected to go to football, according to USA Today. These new benefits for student-athletes would be in addition to the existing forms of assistance they currently receive, such as free tuition, room and board, grants, academic support, nutritional resources, medical and mental health insurance, and other services. Along with the revenue-sharing feature, the new model will include a significant increase in scholarships across NCAA sports. Notably, football saw its scholarship cap raise from 85 to a roster limit of 105, providing athletic departments greater flexibility with recruitment and talent development. This shift is expected to enhance roster depth and recruiting power, while also increasing financial and resource demands. In addition to these legislative changes, the NCAA Transfer Portal witnessed a record total of 3,400 FBS football players enter during the December and April transfer windows, according to ESPN. College football continues to be a transient environment. As a result, coaches and administrators are scrambling to adapt. For several college football coaches, The NCAA Transfer Portal poses significant challenges with regard to continuity, recruitment, and roster management. Also, Power Four conference football coaches tend to favor a single transfer portal window. The April window is strongly opposed due to interference with spring practices and tampering concerns. During the SEC annual meetings week in late May, Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart voiced his concerns about the April timeframe. 'You think tampering is a problem? Put that portal in April and see what teams do in January, February, and March," reported by ESPN. Smart's starting quarterback from last season, Carson Beck, transferred to Miami in 2025. In the age of The Transfer Portal, teams continue to adapt their approaches and attempt to navigate its complexities. Playoff Updates, NFL Influence in Leadership, and the Preseason Top 5 Teams Besides off-field legal reforms and business developments, the College Football Playoff (CFP) structure underwent changes as well. Previously, the four highest-ranked conference championship teams automatically received first round byes in the 12-team tournament. For the 2025-26 season, there will still be 12 playoff teams, and all five highest-ranked conference champions are guaranteed a place in the playoff. However, the top four teams in the final ranking by the CFP Selection Committee, regardless of conference, will now receive a first-round bye. The rationale for this adjustment is that the best performing teams in the regular season will benefit from this advantage. Shifting the focus from the legislative side to the football field, college football welcomes NFL legend Bill Belichick, who begins his tenure as head coach at the University of North Carolina. Long-time NFL executive Michael Lombardi joins him at North Carolina as the football team's general manager (GM), a newly created position. With full details of his contract recently released on UNC's athletic department website, Lombardi signed a three-year contract worth $1.5 million per season in July—an agreement that took effect this past December. The GM position for college football programs is a recent development and increasingly resembles professional sports. Frank Reich, Stanford's interim head football coach, will also be coaching in college for the first time after playing quarterback for 13 seasons in the NFL and coaching for another 18 seasons in the league. From a competitive standpoint, the SEC and Big Ten conferences remain the strongest. Since 2019, the national champion has come from one of these two conferences. According to the Coaches Poll, college football's preseason top five ranked teams are: 1) Texas, 2) Ohio State, 3) Penn State, 4) Georgia, and 5) Notre Dame. The Associated Press (AP) Poll's preseason rankings will be revealed on Monday August 11th. An exciting early season matchup features Texas traveling to Columbus to play Ohio State at the Big Horseshoe, potentially showcasing a game between the top-two ranked teams. The 2025 college football season is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing in recent memory. With significant changes in college athletics both on and off the field, this fall football season promises to bring plenty of excitement and challenges for all stakeholders involved.
