Category: College Football

Clemson and Alabama are both making waves during March Madness. The two southern football giants are set to face off in Saturday’s Elite Eight with an appearance in the coveted Final Four on the line — a goal that neither basketball program has yet to attain. While this may be a rare postseason showdown between the two on the hardwood, the Crimson Tide and Tigers share a rich history on college football’s biggest stage. 

Between 2016-19, Alabama and Clemson competed in four straight College Football Playoff games, three of which were for the national championship. That streak constitutes four out of the five matchups between the two teams since the turn of the century. On top of that, Alabama and Clemson have never played one another — outside of the playoff format — in the postseason. 

As one might expect from such a prolific modern rivalry, Alabama and Clemson’s playoff streak featured amazing moments and monolithic figures. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was in the midst of building an emergent dynasty, while former Alabama coach Nick Saban worked to stack wins onto an already Hall of Fame worthy résumé. 

Myriad future NFL Draft picks, All-Americans and Heisman Trophy winners featured in these clashes, highlighted by the likes of Deshaun Watson, Jalen Hurts, Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa. With Alabama and Clemson set to play in the postseason once more, this time on one of college basketball’s biggest stages, it felt appropriate to look back at their College Football Playoff rivalry. 

2016: College Football Playoff National Championship

Final: Alabama 45, Clemson 40 

In the first meeting between the two teams in eight years, Alabama and Clemson took center stage at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, with a…

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With just over two weeks of spring practice remaining, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart isn’t yet sure what to expect from the Bulldogs defense in 2024.

Despite the questions in the secondary due to the departure of starters Kamari Lassiter, Javon Bullard and Tykee Smith to the NFL draft, Smart’s concern falls on the defensive line.

“Either we’re maybe a little weaker on the defensive line or we’re really good on the offensive line,” Smart said. “The glaring thing I’ve seen at practices is that the offensive line has done a really good job. That’s not to say we were subpar on the defensive line last year. We just weren’t great. We didn’t have a dominant guy, but we’re always going to be good on defense. I don’t know that we’re going to be great this year, but I think we have a chance to be great on offense.”

UGA wasn’t as dominant in the trenches in 2023 as what we’ve grown accustomed to for a Smart defense. After leading the country in run defense over back-to-back national title seasons, Georgia finished No. 16 in that category last season.

The loss of players like Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith played a part in the regression. The good thing for UGA this year is the return of starters Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse. Those two have to become game wreckers if the Bulldogs want to get back shutting down the run game.

Georgia will end spring practice on Saturday, April 13 in Sanford Stadium. Kickoff for G-Day is set for 1 p.m. ET, televised on SEC Network+.

Story originally appeared on UGA Wire

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USATSI

Spring games are right around the corner, and these scrimmages will give college football fans a first glimpse at what will be a completely different landscape. Waves of change will be implemented during the 2024 season: The College Football Playoff is expanding to 12 teams with a new auto-bid structure surrounding conference champions, the Pac-12 is operating with just two teams and the remaining power conferences — the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 — will each be introducing new members. 

More than 40 programs have officially announced dates and times for spring games, while each conference has placed the majority of television and streaming options to watch. As it stands, Alabama is the only team in the country to place its spring game on basic cable, but for good reason because it’ll be a fascinating one to watch. Following the retirement of legendary coach Nick Saban, Kalen DeBoer will lead his Crimson Tide squad onto the field for the first time on ESPN. 

The Big Ten’s spring games will air on Big Ten Network, while the Big 12, ACC and SEC will all show up on ESPN streaming. It should also be noted that the Pac-12’s dissolution does not go into effect until July, so the conference still stands at 12 member institutions throughout the spring. As such, Pac-12 spring games will be aired on the Pac-12 Network — potentially for the last time ever. 

You can view all the Power Four spring game dates and times below. For convenience, schools have been grouped into the conference in which they’ll be competing in the 2024 season. So, for example, USC and UCLA are included with the…

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Wisconsin football class of 2025 commit Torin Pettaway decommitted from the Badgers and flipped to joining bitter rival Minnesota on Thursday night.

The in-state defensive lineman initially committed to join the Badgers on March 7. His change of heart and move to rival Minnesota seems to have taken many in the industry by surprise.

Pettaway is the No. 653 player in the class of 2025, No. 63 defensive lineman and No. 5 recruit from the state of Wisconsin.

His decommitment leaves Wisconsin’s class of 2025 with eight total commitments. The group also slid No. 11 nationally with the news.

The 6-foot-5, 265-pound athlete and junior at Middleton High School will be yet another in-state recruit to commit to play elsewhere — a troubling trend under both former coach Paul Chryst and current coach Luke Fickell.

After a lot of thought and considering I have decided to reopen my commitment and de-commit from the university of Wisconsin

— Torin Pettaway (@torinjp) March 29, 2024

Story originally appeared on Badgers Wire

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Winning in the SEC is hard, which Georgia knows as much as anyone, and it just got way more difficult with the additions of Oklahoma and Texas. But no team has been as dominant as the Bulldogs since 2021. They’ve won two out of the last three national titles and went almost two whole years without losing a game prior to last season’s setback against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. With the way Kirby Smart recruits and develops, Georgia is set to be a mainstay on the national stage — especially since the bar for entry just got a little bit lower.2

We’re talking about the College Football Playoff in its current format here, something that’s likely to change in 2026 and beyond under the new media rights agreement. But, for the next couple years at least, Ohio State is primed to take advantage of a new-look Big Ten. The Buckeyes loaded up on talent in the transfer portal and poached UCLA coach Chip Kelly to be their offensive coordinator, cobbling together one of college football’s most…..

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The Oklahoma Sooners are hoping to go back-to-back recruiting classes with a blue-chip tight end after depth and production became an issue in 2023.

The Sooners have been heavily involved in the recruitment of four-star prospect Nate Roberts, but are also in the mix for another four-star prospect from the region, Kansas native Da’Saahn Brame.

Brame is considered the No. 3 tight end in the 2025 recruiting class and hails from Derby, Kansas. On Wednesday, he dropped his top six schools at this point in his recruitment, and the Sooners were included. Oklahoma is joined by Oregon, Ole Miss, Alabama, Tennessee, and LSU. It’s a star-studded group of programs that have been recruiting really well in recent years but the Sooners are no stranger to big-time recruiting battles.

At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, Brame has a fantastic frame to build upon at the collegiate level and he knows how to use his size to make plays in the passing game. He regularly displays incredible athleticism, showing off an ability to get above the rim to high point the football, but also has really good lateral agility to work out routes and make players miss after the catch. His straight-line speed also jumps off the tape.

It’s easy to see why he’s caught the eye of 32 Power Four programs across the country.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Story originally appeared on Sooners Wire

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The 2024 season is a crucial one for college football. Following the latest wave of realignment, every power conference will have a new lineup. The College Football Playoff is expanding to 12 teams for the first time in its relatively brief history, opening the door for schools that have been routinely excluded in the past. And, of all the leagues at the FBS level, the SEC may stand to benefit the most from all these changes. 

The SEC is poised to have multiple teams compete for a spot in that expanded playoff format. Though the league isn’t welcoming as many newcomers as other power conferences, its two additions — Oklahoma and Texas — boast elite brand recognition and on-field success. 

But postseason pursuit starts with spring practice. All 16 teams in the new-look SEC have taken the field at this point, giving coaches a glimpse at what their 2024 squads will look like. In Missouri’s case, spring practice is already in the rearview mirror. 

With so much change, each team has at least one burning question to iron out before the first practice period of the year culminates in televised spring games. Prominent programs like Alabama are breaking in a new coach for the first time in almost 20 years, while others are replacing assistants and overhauling position groups after natural attrition and transfer portal losses. 

With that in mind, here’s one question every SEC team — except Missouri, which has already completed its spring sessions — must address as spring practice unfolds. 

Alabama 

What does the defense look like? Defense was a hallmark for former Alabama coach Nick Saban. No matter what else was happening, the Crimson Tide could hang their hat on production from that side of the ball during the legendary leader’s 17-year…

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OXFORD — More transfer portal chaos is brewing, Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin predicts.

At his weekly news conference Tuesday, Kiffin was asked whether he believes the spring transfer portal window ‒ set to begin on April 16 ‒ will be more active than we’ve seen in previous years. In the transfer portal era, the winter window has seen the bulk of the action.

Kiffin is bracing for that to change, he said.

“Obviously, because they can transfer multiple times,” Kiffin said. “Here, again, just a really stupid system. But, hey, good for the players ‒ maybe. It’s good for them financially. I don’t know that it’s really good for them that they can leave every time something goes wrong, they’re just gonna run no matter what.”

Ole Miss just signed the top transfer portal class in the country. Kiffin has constantly criticized college football’s transfer setup while acknowledging that the Rebels benefit from it more than most.

Speaking in the context of college football as a whole, rather than just his own program, Kiffin thinks there will be more examples of players transferring in the winter, collecting an NIL check, and then moving again in the spring for more money without having played a snap.

“Maybe it just happened with a high-profile player,” Kiffin said. “I’m going to go somewhere in January. I’m going to get their money. I’m going to have never played a down as a transfer, and I’m going to go back in right after spring ball into the portal and go somewhere else and get their money. So I mean, you can say yeah, good for the players, but is it?”

AS SEEN ON TV: What Lane Kiffin said about Ole Miss football connection to next ‘Bachelorette’ season

Standout offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor transferred from Alabama to Iowa this winter. He is reportedly expected to leave the Hawkeyes and return to Tuscaloosa when the…

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