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The Herald Scotland
28-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
College Football Playoff seeding change is SEC, Big Ten power move
Until they couldn't -- until their false bravado of public statements wilted in the face of reality. So it should come as no surprise that the College Football Playoff announced Thursday that this season's 12-team bracket would be a straight-seeded format. No more highest-ranked conference champions earning first-round byes, a format that benefits the ACC, Big 12 and Group of Five. No more Mr. Nice Guy from the Big Ten and SEC. "After evaluating the first year of the 12-team Playoff, the CFP Management Committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment," said Rich Clark, executive director of the CFP. Translation: the SEC and Big Ten said take it or leave it, and the rest of the Football Bowl Subdivision conferences fell in line. More damning: this is just the beginning of the Big Ten and SEC power play -- and there's nothing anyone can do about it. If you don't believe it, consider this: any change to the final year of first CFP contract needed a unanimous vote. The next CFP contract beginning with the 2026 season, which will effectively be controlled exclusively by the Big Ten and SEC, doesn't. TOP 10 RANKING: Identifying the best SEC college football rivalries BAD IDEA: College football hiring CEO going to be another typical failure So if the minority didn't agree with the majority on the straight seeding for 2025 (which they could have), they may as well have signed their own pink slips for the next CFP contract. The Big Ten and SEC control everything - format and financials - beginning in 2026. A new 16-team format will likely exceed $1.2 billion in revenue annually, and no one wants to be left out. So while Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips have accomplished some heavy lifting to save their respective conferences, while the Group of Five conferences have done all they can to hang on for revenue scraps, the Big Ten and SEC have doubled down and flexed. It's their postseason world, the rest of college football is just surviving in it. And the Big Ten and SEC haven't even begun to take big swings yet. Soon enough - more than likely shortly after the SEC spring meetings next week in Destin, Florida - the College Football Playoff will announce the format for 2026 and beyond. It wasn't long ago that the Big 12 and ACC were publicly questioning a move to 16 teams, and against the idea that the Big Ten and SEC would be gifted four automatic qualifiers each -- or half of the field. It wasn't long ago that Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey floated the idea that maybe, with the new contract, they wouldn't use a committee to pick the field -- or they would, but it would be tweaked. Shoot, maybe they'd bring back computer polls. Understand this: the Big Ten and SEC aren't floating ideas publicly (or leaking them) to gain an understanding of how far things can be pushed. They're telling you what they're doing. And then they're going to do it. When the SEC meets next week in Destin, the league could finally and officially approve a nine-game conference schedule. This will put the Big Ten (which already plays a nine-game conference schedule) and SEC on an even playing field, and eliminate the final point of structural friction between the conferences. It will also send a shot across the bow to everyone else in college football. The two super conferences are now in lockstep in format and focus, and they're going after big financial paydays. If you don't like how we structure the postseason beginning in 2026, we'll take our ball and have our own playoff. Better yet, we'll schedule each other in non-conference games, and effectively shut out the rest of the sport. There's a reason the Big Ten and SEC have been talking about an expanded non-conference schedule for nearly a year. Network television (and eventually streaming) wants more Big Ten vs. SEC. So don't be shocked when the new 2026 CFP format includes an expanded championship week prior to the beginning of the playoff. That week - which long has been a standalone week for conference championship games - would include a championship game and three play-in games from the Big Ten and SEC. The teams playing in the two championship games, and the winners of the play-in games, would advance to the CFP. That's four automatic qualifiers each from the Big Ten and SEC. More problematic for the ACC and Big 12 (and Group of Five): the Big Ten and SEC play-in games will suck the oxygen (not to mention, television money) from that final regular-season weekend. More games, more television inventory, more revenue for the elite 34 schools of college football. The ACC and Big 12 would get two automatic qualifiers each beginning in 2026, Notre Dame would be guaranteed a spot if it's ranked in the top 16, and the highest-ranked Group of Five conference champion would also earn a spot. That leaves three at-large spots in a 16-team field. Three spots for the Big Ten and SEC to more than likely share, or earn a majority -- based, more than anything, on strength of schedule. It's all there, plain to see. The Big Ten and SEC are telling us how they're going to take over college football, and it's time we start listening. This is just the beginning, everyone. And there's nothing anyone can do about it. Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
American Military News
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- American Military News
Richard Norton, stunt veteran who sparred with Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan, dies at 75
Richard Norton, a veteran stunt performer, actor and martial artist who traded blows with action icons including Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan, has died. He was 75. Norton's wife Judy Norton announced her husband's death in an emotional Instagram post shared over the weekend. 'I am numb and devastated, I have no words I have lost my everything,' Judy Norton said. The post did not disclose additional information, including a cause of death. Norton was 75. 'I know there is, and will be lots of love and shock that we lost this incredible human being. The love of my life,' she added. 'I'm using this time to come to terms with my great loss.' Norton, born in Croydon, Australia, in January 1950, enjoyed a varied career that spanned from the 1980s to 2024 and resulted in on-screen battles against Norris in 'The Octagon' and Chan in 'City Hunter.' He also sparred against Hong Kong action star Sammo Hung in several films including 'Mr. Nice Guy' and fought alongside martial arts queen Cynthia Rothrock in 'China O'Brien,' 'Lady Dragon' and more. Norris mourned the loss of his 'dear friend and brother' on Sunday, sharing behind-the-scenes photos and pictures of their on-screen battles on Instagram. He said Norton 'made me not only a better martial artist but a better person' and that the performer's legacy will live on. To Norris, Norton was 'one of the finest men I've ever known.' 'I long for more time together, but I take comfort in the fact that we will meet again,' Norris wrote, before sending his love to Norton's family. 'Guardians of the Galaxy' filmmaker and DC Studios boss James Gunn also paid tribute to Norton over the weekend, remembering his work on 'The Suicide Squad' as a fight choreographer. Gunn said in a Sunday Instagram post that he and Norton bonded over their love for '90s Hong Kong films, and that he was 'particularly surprised' to learn about Norton's death because he said the martial arts expert came off much younger than he actually was. Gunn sent his condolences to Norton's family and collaborators. 'The film world will be a less vibrant place without him,' Gunn said. 'Rest in Peace, friend.' Norton's acting credits also include 'Force: Five,' 'Gymkata,' 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,' 'Magic Crystal,' 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars,' 'The Amazing Spider-Man' and the CBS series 'Walker, Texas Ranger.' In addition to showcasing his action chops, Norton also helped several A-listers improve theirs. Liam Neeson, Margot Robbie, Charlize Theron, Anya Taylor-Joy, Will Smith and Ben Affleck are among the actors who trained under Norton throughout his career. Norton, whose dynamic fighting style earned praise from Chan, began his martial arts career at age 11 after joining a neighbor to his judo class, according to an interview on his website. 'I ended up going along with him one night and was absolutely intrigued by it. The only downside was that I was pretty small and skinny as an 11-year-old so I ended up being cannon fodder for some of the older, bigger students,' he said. Before his Hollywood career, Norton channeled his physical abilities as a club security guard and eventually a bodyguard for musical acts including David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt, ABBA and Fleetwood Mac back in the '70s. Later in life Norton maintained his physicality with consistent training and by devoting himself to Brazilian jiujitsu. A sixth-degree black belt, Norton also created the Richard Norton Brazilian Jiujitsu Association, which helped bring the martial art to various clubs and organizations across South Wales, Australia and to Norris' United Fighting Arts Federation. ___ © 2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
South China Morning Post
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Stuntman Richard Norton sparred with Jackie Chan and made Chuck Norris ‘a better person'
Richard Norton, a veteran stunt performer, actor and martial artist who traded blows with action icons including Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan, has died. He was 75. Advertisement Norton's wife, Judy Norton, announced her husband's death in an emotional Instagram post shared over the weekend. 'I am numb and devastated, I have no words I have lost my everything,' Judy Norton said. The post did not disclose additional information, including a cause of death. Norton was 75. 'I know there is, and will be lots of love and shock that we lost this incredible human being. The love of my life,' she added. 'I'm using this time to come to terms with my great loss.' Norton, born in Croydon, Australia, in January 1950, enjoyed a varied career that spanned from the 1980s to 2024 and resulted in on-screen battles against Norris in The Octagon and Chan in City Hunter. The film world will be a less vibrant place without him. Rest in Peace, friend. James Gunn, DC Studios He also sparred against Hong Kong action star Sammo Hung in several films including Mr. Nice Guy, and fought alongside martial arts queen Cynthia Rothrock in China O'Brien, Lady Dragon and more.
Los Angeles Times
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Richard Norton, stunt veteran who sparred with Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan, dies at 75
Richard Norton, a veteran stunt performer, actor and martial artist who traded blows with action icons including Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan, has died. He was 75. Norton's wife Judy Norton announced her husband's death in an emotional Instagram post shared over the weekend. 'I am numb and devastated, I have no words I have lost my everything,' Judy Norton said. The post did not disclose additional information, including a cause of death. Norton was 75. 'I know there is, and will be lots of love and shock that we lost this incredible human being. The love of my life,' she added. 'I'm using this time to come to terms with my great loss.' Norton, born in Croydon, Australia in January 1950, enjoyed a varied career that spanned from the 1980s to 2024 and resulted in on-screen battles against Norris in 'The Octagon' and Chan in 'City Hunter.' He also sparred against Hong Kong action star Sammo Hung in several films including 'Mr. Nice Guy' and fought alongside martial arts queen Cynthia Rothrock in 'China O'Brien,' 'Lady Dragon' and more. Norris mourned the loss of his 'dear friend and brother' on Sunday, sharing behind-the-scenes photos and pictures of their on-screen battles on Instagram. He said Norton 'made me not only a better martial artist but a better person' and that the performer's legacy will live on. To Norris, Norton was 'one of the finest men I've ever known.' 'I long for more time together, but I take comfort in the fact that we will meet again,' Norris wrote, before sending his love to Norton's family. 'Guardians of the Galaxy' filmmaker and DC Studios boss James Gunn also paid tribute to Norton over the weekend, remembering his work on 'The Suicide Squad' as a fight choreographer. Gunn said in a Sunday Instagram post that he and Norton bonded over their love for '90s Hong Kong films, and that he was 'particularly surprised' to learn about Norton's death because he said the martial arts expert came off much younger than he actually was. Gunn sent his condolences to Norton's family and collaborators. 'The film world will be a less vibrant place without him,' Gunn said. 'Rest in Peace, friend.' Norton's acting credits also include 'Force: Five,' 'Gymkata,' 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,' 'Magic Crystal,' 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars,' 'The Amazing Spider-Man' and the CBS series 'Walker, Texas Ranger.' In addition to showcasing his action chops, Norton also helped several A-listers improve theirs. Liam Neeson, Margot Robbie, Charlize Theron, Anya Taylor-Joy, Will Smith and Ben Affleck are among the actors who trained under Norton throughout his career. Norton, whose dynamic fighting style earned praise from Chan, began his martial arts career at age 11 after joining a neighbor to his judo class, according to an interview on his website. 'I ended up going along with him one night and was absolutely intrigued by it. The only downside was that I was pretty small and skinny as an 11-year-old so I ended up being cannon fodder for some of the older, bigger students,' he said. Before his Hollywood career, Norton channeled his physical abilities as a club security guard and eventually a bodyguard for musical acts including David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt, ABBA and Fleetwood Mac back in the '70s. Later in life Norton maintained his physicality with consistent training and by devoting himself to Brazilian jiujitsu. A sixth-degree black belt, Norton also created the Richard Norton Brazilian Jiujitsu Assn., which helped bring the martial art to various clubs and organizations across South Wales, Australia and to Norris' United Fighting Arts Federation.
