Category: College Football

The Big Ten has grown. Again.

Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington are officially members of the Big Ten as of Friday, Aug. 2, growing the league’s number of schools to 18. What better way to celebrate the expansion than with 18 things to know about the Big Ten?

For the newcomers and outsiders, consider this an orientation of sorts. For the Big Ten old-timers, it’s a refresher course that might include something you didn’t already know.

What we can all agree on is that there are 18 things. That’s indisputable.

1. The Big Ten didn’t get its name until 1916

The league has been around for a long time with a few different iterations. It also has its roots in death. The league formed after Purdue president James Henry Smart got together with school presidents from Illinois, Minnesota, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Chicago and Lake Forest College to figure out a way to regulate intercollegiate athletics after dealing with mounting pressure over deaths in the sport in 1895.

Over a 25-year period from 1880 to 1905, there were 325 deaths involving football players. It’s wild to comprehend it now in the age of endless targeting reviews, but in the late 19th century, there wasn’t much consideration for player safety.

A year later, in February 1896, the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives (an absolute banger of a name) was founded. Lake Forest College was not present for the founding and was replaced by Michigan. The seven schools were known as the Western Conference, and it wasn’t referred to as anything else until Iowa and Indiana joined in 1899. At that point, some began referencing the league as the Big Nine.

Shortly after, Nebraska asked to join the league in 1900 and 1911 but was rejected both times. They’d finally join the league a…

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Why the ACC needs multiple CFP teams in 2024 | College Football Enquirer<p>Yahoo Sports national columnist Dan Wetzel and Yahoo Sports senior college sports reporter Ross Dellenger look ahead to the playoff picture for 2024 – and why the future of the Atlantic Coast Conference may depend on how many bids the league can secure in this year’s field. Hear the full conversation on the “College Football Enquirer” podcast – and subscribe on <a data-i13n=”cpos:1;pos:1″ href=”https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/college-football-enquirer/id1423417914″><ins>Apple Podcasts</ins></a>, <a data-i13n=”cpos:2;pos:1″ href=”https://open.spotify.com/show/0x30kB7Vc7T7WAK7ExXzRi”><ins>Spotify</ins></a> or wherever you listen.</p>

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Florida State edged Clemson as the ACC preseason favorite in the league’s media poll, released Wednesday. The Seminoles, who are the conference’s reigning champions, received 81 of 170 possible first-place votes compared to 55 for Clemson and 17 for Miami.

The poll is a sign of FSU’s reclaimed prestige under fifth-year coach Mike Norvell, who guided the Seminoles to a 13-1 mark in 2023. Though FSU lost 10 NFL Draft picks from that team, the nation’s No. 7 transfer class is entering to help replenish the roster.  

Florida State’s standing in the poll is also a reflection of the skepticism surrounding Clemson after the Tigers did not sign a single transfer following a 9-4 season. After winning six straight conference titles from 2015 to 2020, the Tigers have won the league championship just once in the past three seasons as NIL and the portal have fundamentally altered college football.

The 2024 season will be the ACC’s second without divisions, and the conference has expanded from 14 teams to 17 with the additions of California, SMU and Stanford. Of the newcomers, SMU was picked the highest at No. 7 while Cal and Stanford were picked to finish No. 10 and No. 17, respectively.

NC State also received eight first-place votes while Virginia Tech received five. Louisville, last year’s runner-up, finished No. 5 in the poll but did not receive any first-place votes.

Here’s a look at how the media sees the ACC shaking out in 2024 (first-place votes in parenthesis):

Florida State

2,708 (81)

Clemson

2,657 (55)

Miami

2,344 (17)

NC State

2,318 (8)

Louisville

1,984

Virginia…..

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Yahoo Sports national columnist Dan Wetzel and senior college sports reporter Ross Dellenger are joined by Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde to discuss the appropriate punishment for Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal and what the school would prefer. Hear the full conversation on the “College Football Enquirer” podcast – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

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Video Transcript

So the NC A has said that it wants to get away from the postseason bands because that’s what said you don’t want to punish two angles on that for this case.

No one is alleging that like Connor Stallions was working with the players, right?

This would totally be did the coaches know because a lot of these are like, well, you paid for this recruit and that guy benefited financially, right?

That’s sort of the bit.

And then you say, well, I don’t want to punish these guys because they didn’t even know that kid, it was two years ago or something like that.

There’s no indication that any player knew anything now they might have benefited from it.

But it would be hard for me to say we should punish players, let alone future players on this for a postseason ban based on the past comments by the NC A that they want to get away with that.

So like this is not a player or recruit driven case, which it normally is because these are normally about money other than this drive and this meal that some staffer bought some of the kids and something else So, does that give Michigan some leeway on getting out of a postseason ban or not?

I, I just really feel like that’s it.

I think Michigan fan would take anything other than postseason ban and, and vacated title.

Yeah.

No, that’s it.

They, I mean, even if it’s, you know, 4 million to 10 million, I, you know, I don’t think Michigan’s gonna sit there and say, oh, no, we’re devastated by this…

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Year two of the Deion Sanders era at Colorado officially got underway on Monday when the Buffaloes opened fall camp with their first practice of the 2024 college football season. Coach Prime overhauled his roster during the offseason with the intention of getting stronger on the line of scrimmage and surrounding quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter with more explosive talent. After opening the season with a 3-0 record, which brought an unprecedented amount of national attention to the program, the Buffs closed out the season by going 1-8 to finish with a 4-8 overall record in Sanders’ first year in Boulder. 

The Colorado football depth chart and roster will have a different look in 2024. The Buffs added 42 new players through the Transfer Portal, which gave them the No. 8 Transfer class in the country, according to 247Sports. Now that the Colorado football roster is set, the Colorado coaching staff can begin to fit the pieces of the puzzle together during fall camp. If you want to see the latest Colorado football camp news, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at BuffStampede, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Colorado.

BuffStampede’s team of insiders provide Colorado fans behind the scenes scoop on all the latest happenings surrounding the Buffaloes. Led by well-respected reporter Adam Munsterteiger, who has covered Colorado for BuffStampede.com since 2003, BuffStampede has been at the forefront of Colorado coverage for more than two decades. Munsterteiger was ahead of the news cycle, breaking news throughout Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders hiring process, as well as Colorado’s conference realignment move back to the Big 12.

For all of the latest Colorado scoop, head on over to BuffStampede.com and…

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For perhaps the first time since he took over the Texas football program prior to the 2021 season, head coach Steve Sarkisian has a big issue befitting a top-10 program.

What blue-chip, highly talented players will have to watch from the sideline as someone else starts in his spot?

It’s an enviable problem, sure. But it’s also one that will have to be solved before the Longhorns kick off the season Aug. 31 against visiting Colorado State. Texas had 11 players drafted by the NFL in April, the most for the Longhorns in a single draft since the NFL cut the draft to seven rounds in 1994. That means competition looks stiff in the summer at certain spots, especially with several proven veterans arriving in the portal.

“For us to sit here and say this is the deepest team we’ve had, probably the most talented team we’ve had in my four years here, I can unequivocally say that,” Sarkisian said. “We lost some really good players from a year ago, but we’ve got a very deep football team, one that we’re excited about. (We) are looking forward to watching them compete this fall.”

That competition within the team itself begins with the first practice Wednesday. Let’s take a look at five key position battles.

More: Texas, Oklahoma: Differences between SEC and Big 12 football start with talent

Freshman wide receiver Ryan Wingo sprints downfield during the Texas spring game in April. Wingo, a five-star recruit who is part of a deep receiving corps, is one of the candidates to start at receiver for the Longhorns, who open fall camp Wednesday.

Left guard: Is Hayden Conner still the starter?

Hayden Conner, a 6-foot-5, 320-pound senior, gives the Longhorns one of the most proven interior linemen in the nation who has started all 27 games over the past two seasons. But former four-star recruit Neto Umeozulu should get a chance to…

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College football will have a drastically different look when the 2024 season kicks off in August. The Pac-12 has officially folded, and the remaining Power 4 Conferences all added multiple programs. The most notable changes include Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC, and Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten. The Alabama Crimson Tide will have a new look this season with head coach Kalen DeBoer taking over for the legendary Nick Saban.

The Tide are listed at 14-1 to win the national championship, with a win total over/under of 9.5 (+120) in the latest 2024 college football futures odds. Should Alabama be a part of your 2024 college football bets? Before making any college football win total picks or bets, you need to see the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s Jimmie Kaylor. 

Kaylor is a NFL, college football, and DFS expert for SportsLine, who has covered the NFL and college football for close to a decade as a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. His background as a former college football All-American and NFL player gives him a unique perspective when building his fantasy lineups and locking in his betting picks. He has his finger on the pulse of the college football landscape and has been cashing in big for the last two years. 

Kaylor destroyed the books in college football in 2023, netting a whopping 57.9 units ($5,790 for $100 bettors) while posting a 107-45-2 record. Anyone who followed his picks finished the season way up. 

Now, Kaylor has broken down the 2024 college football futures odds from every possible angle and revealed his top win total predictions and best bets. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine.

Top 2024 College Football win total…

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Brigham Young Cougars defensive end Tyler Batty (92) recovers a fumble near the end of the game at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. BYU won 38-31. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Editor’s note: This story is the 16th in a series previewing each football team in the Big 12 in 2024.

If the BYU football team’s plan to rise above low expectations in its second season in the Big 12 had to be summed up in two words, it would be these: Increase physicality.

For if there was a common denominator in BYU’s seven conference losses last year en route to a 5-7 overall season — 2-7 in the Big 12 — it was that the Cougars often got dominated on the line of scrimmage. They couldn’t run the football, and they couldn’t stop the run, or get much pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Pretty simple.

“There is a sense of urgency — we knew our identity was being physical, but then you run into teams that are physical, too,” said coach Kalani Sitake. “And then in the past you have been able to hang your hat on that, that being a competitive advantage. That’s the standard at BYU. So for us, it is about being more physical. These were the most physical spring practices we’ve ever had.”

As has been drilled into their heads for months, the Cougars are picked to finish 13th in the new 16-team league, ahead of only fellow 2023 Big 12 newcomers Cincinnati and Houston, and Pac-12 addition Arizona State.

Sitake said neither he nor his players are blaming the media for the apparent disrespect.

Instead, they are focusing all their energy on getting bigger, faster and stronger — particularly in the trenches.

The Cougars knew what they were getting into after 12 years as a college football independent, but actually experiencing it was a whole different animal.

“In Year Two, the players know exactly…

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