Latest news with #AndyStaples
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nick Saban Predicted to Return to Coaching at Alabama's Biggest Rival
Nick Saban Predicted to Return to Coaching at Alabama's Biggest Rival originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy dropped a bombshell at SEC Media Days on Monday, hinting Nick Saban might want to return to coaching. That leads everyone to wonder where the legendary leader's road would lead him. On3 analyst Andy Staples believes it might be the Auburn Tigers. Advertisement "I don't think it's that difficult to find a couple of places that he would really enjoy. But if I finish the sentence, this media days will end right here," ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum said. "I think I know this school. I've already denied this story, but I think I know the school where he could be going." Staples and his co-host, Ari Wasserman, read between the lines of Finebaum's comments on "Andy & Ari On3." ESPN analyst Nick Saban© Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images "They're obviously talking about Auburn, aren't they?" Staples said. "They're implying Auburn. Auburn, they're mad at Hugh Freeze for playing too much golf, so they want Nick Saban to stop playing golf and come back. ... I think he could win there. I think they'd rally together to give him what he needed to win." Advertisement Staples' co-host, Ari Wasserman, pushed back, saying, "I don't buy (that). I think I would buy, like, West Virginia or Toledo before I would buy that." Staples believes Saban would demand a certain level of infrastructure — one that Auburn could provide — in order to return to the sidelines. Wasserman made another strong point against Saban joining his former bitter rivals. "Alabama fans would rightfully hate him, right? Like, why would you do that?" Wasserman said. "It makes no sense." This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Lincoln Riley Can go From Hot Seat to Dominant Again
How Lincoln Riley Can go From Hot Seat to Dominant Again originally appeared on Athlon Sports. More so than they did on the field last season, Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans are finding their groove on the recruiting trail. The program recently picked up a commitment from Luke Wafle, beating out Ryan Day and James Franklin for the elite Class of 2026 edge rusher. Advertisement On3's Ari Wasserman and Andy Staples explained that the success in adding talent will have to continue if Riley wants to appease USC fans. "It's a matter of are your offers competitive enough to have these guys look at you on an equal footing with Oregon, with Ohio State, with Alabama, with Georgia, with Clemson?" Staples recently said on "Andy & Ari On3." "That's what matters because that has been USC's problem, is they have not been able to get nearly enough of the same players that all of those schools want. And this year, they are." The Trojans have yet to make the College Football Playoff. USC last won a national crown when Pete Carroll was in charge. USC coach Lincoln Riley© Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images "I think that if you wanted to come up with a one-sentence blueprint for how to compete for a national championship, it is this, something starting now," Wasserman said. "Consistently beat out Ohio State, Georgia, Penn State, Texas and Florida for recruits. Period." Advertisement Wafle's other finalists were the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions. "If both those two schools want the guy, there's a really good chance they're pretty good," Staples said. "And, look, they're not all gonna pan out. But if all those schools you mentioned want a person and you can get them, you are going to get enough talent to have a chance." Related: 'Haven't Been Relevant Since Matt Leinart': Former Oregon Star Rips USC This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
28-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
New ‘straight seeding' CFP bracket shows tough path for Oregon Football
New 'straight seeding' CFP bracket shows tough path for Oregon Football The Oregon Ducks football team had a tough draw in the first version of the 12-team College Football Playoff, as they were forced to wait around for nearly a month and then play the hottest team in the country in the Rose Bowl. The result was far from favorable. Now in the second year of the CFP, the committee has chosen to switch things up, going with a straight seeding of the teams instead of giving conference champions an automatic bye in the quarterfinals. The sentiment of rewarding the conference champions was admirable, but it quickly revealed some flaws, as some games ended in routs. On3's Andy Staples went ahead and published his own mock tournament for the coming year, and while he has Oregon playing in Autzen Stadium in a first-round matchup with Florida, the result is the same as Staples predicted under the old seeding model: the Ducks lose to eventual champion Texas in the Sugar Bowl. "Oregon went undefeated through the regular season last year and had the misfortune, thanks to the since-eliminated seeding rules, of drawing Ohio State in its first CFP game," Staples said. "After losing a ton of talent to the draft, the Ducks have once again reloaded at key spots in the portal — including at three offensive line positions. This should produce a talented roster but not necessarily a consistent one. So I'm not predicting a Big Ten title repeat, but I am predicting a first-round win for the Ducks." Staples says these Ducks are bound to be inconsistent with the new faces, but they could also be a team that just gets better throughout the season, and by the time the playoffs roll around, they will have everything figured out and be one of the hottest teams in the postseason. It worked for Ohio State last season and there's no reason to think the Ducks can't be in a similar spot in 2025. But Staples doesn't take that into account and has Oregon losing to the Longhorns in a venue more favorable for Texas. "Once again, Oregon runs into the most talented team in the country in the quarterfinals. I had Texas losing at Georgia in the regular season but beating Ohio State and Florida and then beating Alabama in the SEC title game," Staples said. "That produces a battle-tested team in New Orleans, the bulk of which played in a tight-in-the-fourth-quarter semifinal against eventual national champ Ohio State last year. Texas advances to the semifinals for the second consecutive year." Another quarterfinal loss wouldn't be devastating in Eugene, but it would lead to a narrative of Dan Lanning not winning the big postseason game. The only way to avoid that is to win the whole thing. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
On3's Andy Staples predicts the College Football Playoff with a straight seeding model
AI-assisted summary On3's Andy Staples predicts Notre Dame will be the No. 3 seed in the new College Football Playoff format, facing Alabama in the quarterfinals. Following the news last week that the College Football Playoff will soon got to a straight seeding model, many have wondered where Notre Dame would land with this new format. Well, On3's Andy Staples took a stab at what he predicts what it will look like for this coming season, and has the Irish as the No. 3 seed taking on Alabama in the quarterfinals. This means that he believes that Notre Dame will earn one of the four byes this fall, which is significantly different than what we saw this past year. While we all loved the fact that the Irish were able to host a first-round game in South Bend, you could visibly see that the team was running on fumes by the time they got to the championship game. By not having to play an extra game, Notre Dame should be in much better shape if they are able to make it to the end once again. Unfortunately, Staples doesn't believe that will be the case, as the Irish would have a rematch with Georgia in the semifinals, and he has the Bulldogs moving onto the championship game. The result isn't what Notre Dame fans want to see, but at this point it is all a mystery on when the seeding will be implemented, and how got each of these teams will really be this fall. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle
USA Today
29-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Notre Dame is already being hyped for next season
Notre Dame is already being hyped for next season The Fighting Irish are behind only Texas in one analysts' estimation. Notre Dame is No. 2 on one pundit's spring top 25. Yes, yes, it's probably too early for any top 25 -- things will change a lot as fall camp rolls on. So this top 25 will likely be different right before the first games kickoff. That said, teams have had spring games, transfers have happened, some recruits have committed for next fall, and so on. So analysts can get a sense of how teams are shaping up. On3 Sports' Andy Staples has the Fighting Irish at No. 2, following the Texas Longhorns. Clemson is at No. 3, Penn State at No. 4 and defending national champion Ohio State at No. 5. Oregon, Alabama, Georgia, Illinois and Florida round out the top 10. With the Irish returning a relatively young core after losing to Ohio State in the national championship game, it's no surprise the Irish are rated so high -- even accounting for players leaving for the NFL or the transfer portal. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Tim on X: @tehealey
