Author: nfltalk

The 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four has a case for the most stacked ever. The last time four 1-seeds reached the Final Four was 2008. Amazingly, all four national semifinalists rank inside the top 10 teams in KenPom history. 

With that in mind, we decided to think about some of the best potential matchups on the football side heading into the second year of the 12-team College Football Playoff. The first iteration delivered some legendary games, including Notre Dame’s win over Georgia, a Texas barn-burner against Arizona State and Ohio State exorcising demons to win the natty. Next year could be even bigger. 

The criteria to judge quality CFP Final Four matchups is subjective. Some of it comes down to the entertainment factor and quality of play. Others involve key storylines, like a player or coach spurning a program. For at least one, the pregame trash talk would make for a legendary leadup. 

Several of the brackets are realistic and could deliver historic matchups in the coming months. Others require a little more suspension of belief. With that in mind, here are eight potential CFP Final Four brackets that would deliver a thrilling finish. 

Heavyweight Bracket

Teams: Ohio State, Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame

Consider this to be the college football equivalent of the 2025 Final Four. These are four of the unanimous most powerful programs in college football. Georgia and Ohio State have combined for three of the last four national championships. Texas has appeared in back-to-back national semis. Notre Dame reached the title game and returned the core of the team. The only drawback is that Texas will likely have played Georgia and Ohio State previously. If they earn their way back, though, it will be well deserved. Every…

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Recarder Kitchens of Muskegon, Mich. will reportedly visit Michigan State on Thursday for a spring practice

Michigan State football will be hosting a five-star elite edge rushing prospect on Thursday.

Recarder Kitchen of Muskegon, Mich. will reportedly visit Michigan State for a spring practice on Thursday. Multiple recruiting insiders posted about Kitchen’s upcoming visit today, including Jason Killop of On3.

Recarder is a five-star edge rusher in the 2027 class. He holds a rating of 99.05 on 247Sports’ composite.

Recarder is ranked as the No. 1 player from Michigan in the 2027 class, according to 247Sports composite. He is also listed as the No. 3 edge rusher and No. 6 overall prospect nationally in the class.

Michigan State is one of 15 programs to already extend an offer to Recarder, according to 247Sports. He also holds offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Pitt, Rutgers, Texas A&M, USC, Toledo, Central Michigan and Liberty.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.

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Andrew Luck almost retired one year earlier. Entering the 2018 season — his seventh with the Indianapolis Colts — fresh off of a 2017 campaign spent on the sidelines due to a shoulder injury, Luck had serious questions about his future. 

Then came new coach Frank Reich, who had a hand in convincing Luck to stick around for at least one more go. 

“Frank preached trusting the process and trusting getting better every day,” Luck said at Reich’s introductory press conference as Stanford’s interim head coach Tuesday. “I tried to embody that, and we did. I think I remember that training camp, by the time the season had rolled around, I don’t think I had thrown a pass more than 40 yards in practice. I didn’t know if I could. But we just kept trusting our process.”    

Under Reich’s guidance, Luck was named the 2018 NFL Comeback Player of the Year while posting a career-high 98.7 passer rating. The Colts made it to the NFL Playoffs after a 1-5 start to the regular season. Luck’s delayed decision to step away from playing football finally came in August 2019. 

Now Luck, in his role as Stanford’s general manager, is entrusting Reich with a different project: keeping Cardinal football afloat. 

Reich was named Stanford’s interim head coach on Monday. During his introductory press conference on Tuesday, both Reich and Luck emphasized that Reich’s tenure will not extend beyond the 2025 season. 

“This is the perfect scenario for both of us,” Reich said. “It fits absolutely perfect. Just because it’s a one-year deal does not mean that we can’t take a major step to helping fulfill this vision and have massive success.”  

Stanford hires Frank Reich: Ex-NFL coach will serve as…

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Stanford Cardinal edge rusher David Bailey has entered the transfer portal after the dismissal of his former head coach Troy Taylor. The Georgia Bulldogs stand out as a college football team should target Bailey for their defense in 2025.

Bailey is the top ranked uncommitted player in the transfer portal, so there’s no doubt that he’ll have a lot of suitors. Bailey has an excellent combination of size, production and experience. 247Sports ranks the Stanford transfer as the No. 10 player in the portal and the third-best edge rusher.

During his three years at Stanford, Bailey recorded 111 total tackles, 14.5 sacks, and 23 tackles for loss. His most recent season was his most productive, featuring seven sacks, eight tackles for loss, eight quarterback hurries, and five forced fumbles.

Bailey consistently performed at his best against strong competition. Four of his sacks came against ranked opponents like Syracuse, SMU, and Notre Dame. SMU and Notre Dame both made the College Football Playoff. He also recorded two sacks against North Carolina State in 2024.`

Georgia is actively recruited edge players from the transfer portal to replace for their significant NFL draft and transfer portal departures this winter.

Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams, both projected first-round picks, entered the 2025 NFL draft. Georgia had transfer portal exits from 2023 signees Damon Wilson and Samuel M’Pemba, who are staying in the SEC at Missouri and Texas A&M, respectively. This offseason, Georgia lost over 75% sack production from 2024 and needs someone like Bailey to replace that lost production and experience.

Only Georgia pass rusher Gabe Harris returns after having meaningful snaps last season within the edge group. An addition like Bailey would be substantial for the Georgia defense. Georgia has a strong recruiting pitch for Bailey. UGA…

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