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USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
EA Sports releases top offenses for College Football 26
EA Sports has given gamers plenty of content this week in the lead up to College Football 26's July 10 release. The video game developer released the toughest places to play in the soon-to-be-released game, as well as the top 25 overall teams. With the top overall teams already known, EA Sports also released the top offenses in the game, and Colorado is not among them. Arizona State leads the way for the conference with a 91 rating, tied for the best in the game alongside national powers such as Texas, Penn State and Ohio State. The Sun Devils are led by quarterback Sam Leavitt and talented wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, so their high ranking is not surprising. BYU (87), Baylor (87), Texas Tech (87) and Iowa State (85) also cracked the list. Despite featuring a dynamic wide receiver corps and former Conference USA MVP Kaidon Salter at quarterback, Colorado was notably absent from the rankings. With the game set to launch in just a few weeks, the Buffaloes could land just outside the rankings with an offensive rating in the low 80s — a respectable starting point, but one that leaves room to improve. There are question marks surrounding Colorado's offense, most notably at running back and tight end, while several projected starters are also unproven at the Power Four level. To improve their standing in the game, Colorado will have to develop at least a mediocre running game and a passing game that at least somewhat resembles last year's talented group. The run game will benefit from a revamped offensive line led by All-American Jordan Seaton and Power Four transfers Zy Crisler (Illinois), Larry Johnson III (Tennessee) and Mana Taimani (Ole Miss). A lackluster offensive line over the past year, plus a bunch of unproven players, likely contributed to EA Sports' ranking of Colorado's offense. Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads and Instagram. Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Georgia baseball's final ranking after disappointing end to year
The Georgia Bulldogs baseball team ended the 2025 season with their lowest ranking all season in the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll. Georgia dropped nine spots to No. 15 in the poll after being eliminated following losses to Duke and Oklahoma State in the Athens Regional. For a second straight season, Georgia earned a top eight national seed, but was unable to make it to the College World Series. The Bulldogs undoubtedly had an impressive season in the SEC, but they went 0-2 against Power Four competition in the NCAA Tournament and are now looking to rebuild ahead of the 2026 season. Just two SEC teams advanced to the College World Series, but the LSU Tigers, who are ranked No. 1 in the coaches poll took home the national championship. The last six national champions dating back to 2019 have all been SEC teams (no national champion was named in 2020). Georgia figures to bounce back in 2026. The Bulldogs finished the 2025 season with a 43-17 record, but disappointed in the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. Georgia pitcher Kolten Smith recently became the latest Dawg to enter the transfer portal. Georgia currently has On3's No. 43 ranked transfer class. Follow UGAWire on Instagram or Threads for more Georgia Bulldogs coverage!
USA Today
16-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
PFF hypes Florida QB DJ Lagway as potential No. 1 pick in 2027 NFL draft
PFF hypes Florida QB DJ Lagway as potential No. 1 pick in 2027 NFL draft Florida football quarterback DJ Lagway is already turning the heads of NFL talent evaluators, and a new Pro Football Focus feature suggests the Gators' rising sophomore could headline a star-studded 2027 NFL draft class. PFF analyst Max Chadwick highlighted 12 underclassmen who could make the 2027 draft "historic", singling out Lagway's rare arm talent and sky-high ceiling as the biggest reason scouts are "drooling". The 6-foot-3-inch, 235-pound signal-caller posted an FBS-best 8.8 percent big-time throw rate in 2024 while earning a 95.6 passing grade on deep balls, according to PFF charting. Should Lagway continue to develop as projected, he could become another Florida quarterback selection taken in the top five alongside Anthony Richardson back in 2023. Lagway's rapid rise fuels growing national expectations for Billy Napier's program, which closed last season with four straight wins. If Lagway continues to refine his mechanics, Florida could field its most complete offense since the Tim Tebow era. Here is everything Chadwick said about Lagway and his growing potential. What PFF said about Lagway "It wouldn't be a special draft class without at least one potential franchise quarterback. Lagway showed why he was the top quarterback recruit in the 2024 cycle, leading the Power Four with an 8.8% big-time throw rate. Lagway's 95.6 passing grade on deep throws stood third in the country as well. He'll need to become more precise as a sophomore, though, as his 59.7 passing grade on all other throws was the second-worst mark in the Power Four. "It was still a very encouraging freshman year for Lagway, though, considering how brutal Florida's schedule was. He may have more arm talent than anyone else in college football and just needs to fine-tune his footwork and accuracy to potentially become the best quarterback in the nation." Other names included from the SEC Along with Lagway, the other names mentioned by PFF that play in the SEC are edge rusher Colin Simmons (Texas Longhorns), edge rusher Dylan Stewart (South Carolina Gamecocks), wide receiver Ryan Williams (Alabama Crimson Tide), wide receiver Cam Coleman (Auburn Tigers) and safety KJ Bolden (Georgia Bulldogs). Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Can schools like St. Bonaventure and FIU thrive in college athletics without the big bucks?
Former NBA reporter and current St. Bonaventure men's basketball general manager Adrian Wojnarowski, center left, watches as Southern California guard JuJu Watkins walks past during the second half of an NCAA women's basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun, file) ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — As schools prepare to begin sharing millions with their athletes, there is no avoiding the reality that if you're not a Power Four school, you're at a disadvantage. With major conferences running the show, St. Bonaventure and Florida International don't even have a seat at the table. FIU and St. Bonaventure aren't necessarily worried about a head-to-head fight over top players with deeper-pocketed schools. The priority has become survival and finding a balance between athletics ambition and financial sustainability. Advertisement Adrian Wojnarowski spoke candidly about the challenges he faced during his inaugural season as the general manager of the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team. Solidifying a recruiting class that would improve the team and embrace the school culture was not easy. After July 1, when lucrative paychecks will pretty much become mandatory for blue-chip prospects, it's not going to get any easier. With some 2,000 undergraduate students, the Bonnies are outnumbered in resources and revenue when competing even against other Atlantic 10 teams like VCU, Dayton, and Saint Louis. Wojnarowski, ESPN's former lead NBA reporter, thinks he has identified a formula for locating the ideal prospect. To him, St. Bonaventure is a landing spot for international players adjusting to a new culture and college life, transfers who may have fallen short at a high major and need development, or those looking to move up to a mid-major. He admits the school upstate New York could be a pit stop on a player's journey. Advertisement 'I want them to see that our environment, our coaching staff, our small school, especially for international players coming over, what I really try to sell is your adjustment to American college life," he said at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and Affiliates Convention this week. 'I think for a lot of kids, it's easier in a school with 1,900 students than a school with 19,000. And you'll come to have two great years with us, and then you'll probably end up at schools with 19,000 or 29,000,' he said. "And so you're selling, for us, we're your first step on the way to somewhere else, or the other one to me is we're the place to come when you've got to get the basketball right.' If the plan goes awry and a recruit slips away, one thing the former NBA insider refuses to do is blame the money. 'Fundraising is hard, creating new revenue streams is hard, but the one thing that I try to stay away from with us is not saying, 'Oh, we didn't get him because they offered more money,' and using that as a crutch all the time. I really examine when we lost a player,' Wojnarowski said. 'Are we being honest with ourselves in saying that we did everything outside the economics to make our case to this person?' Advertisement FIU has more than 40,000 undergraduates, but the athletic department is using a similar philosophy, pinpointing advantages and opportunities to come from the settlement instead of the negatives. Similar to St. Bonaventure, FIU doesn't expect to come close to the $20.5 million revenue-sharing cap available over the next year. For a competitive edge, unlocking new revenue streams is fundamental. 'To compete, from a revenue standpoint, you have to think outside the box of your conventional fundraising and targeting donors,' senior associate athletic director Joseph Corey said. 'That's why you're looking at concerts being held at different venues, different festivals to generate extra revenue to bring in, different revenue streams, and not just fundraising going after the same donors. You've got to go beyond that in order to be able to compete.' Being based in Miami has its perks. Proximity to celebrities is one of them. In August, FIU secured a 10-year partnership with Pitbull, the singer and rapper who coins himself 'Mr. 305.' Advertisement 'We did the partnership with Pitbull – Pitbull Stadium. He's on tour, but part of the deal was that he would be collaborating with us and doing events for us from a fundraising standpoint," Corey said. "You've got to think outside the box. Especially in a city like Miami, it's about the experience too.' Schools unlocking creative revenue streams is something that can be expected. FIU competes in Conference USA alongside teams like Liberty, Louisiana Tech, UTEP, Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State. The football team went 3-5 in 2024, finishing sixth in the conference. The men's basketball team finished last with a 3-15 conference record. It's hard to sell donors on losing teams. 'Let's call it what it is, FIU's not going to be able to keep up with the Alabama's of the world, the Georgia's, Michigan, or Texas, but what can we do? We can be the best in our conference. That is our goal,' Corey said. 'Let's be the best in our conference and really compete there because once you're at the top of your conference, that means more revenue in other areas. Everyone wants to donate to a winner.' ___ AP college sports:
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
If SEC wants more College Football Playoff respect, it's time to dump cupcake games
The SEC keeps finding new reasons to not add a ninth conference game to its football schedule. Throughout the four-team College Football Playoff era, the SEC ruled that postseason format, so it found insufficient incentive to add another conference game. Advertisement When the scheduling debate resurfaced two years ago, some SEC members expressed reluctance to add another conference game without additional compensation from its media partner. ESPN didn't sweeten the pot. The SEC stayed at eight. The latest excuse? Many SEC coaches feel loath to welcome a ninth conference game without first knowing the College Football Playoff format for 2026 and beyond. Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) runs with the ball against Texas during the second half in the 2024 SEC championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. What's next, no ninth SEC game until there's peace in the Middle East? I'm losing my appetite for this eight-or-nine debate. The number should be 10 – as in, every power-conference team should play a minimum of 10 games against Power Four opponents. Advertisement MAN WITH PLAN: Lane Kiffin pushes promising 16-team playoff model BIG DECISION: SEC's Greg Sankey can be hero or villain in playoff debate SEC craves more CFP respect while playing cupcake games The SEC routinely insists it should gain preference from the playoff selection committee because of its run of national championship dominance the past 20 years, plus its strength of schedule. I won't argue that the SEC often boasts the strongest top-to-bottom conference. The SEC's pandering to the playoff committee, though, plays weak considering how the conference structures its schedule. Teams only play half the other members of their 16-team conference, and most only play one Power Four non-conference opponent, while supplementing the schedule with a few layup games. Advertisement In this era of the ever-expanding playoff, it is time for the SEC to curtail its feast of cupcake games. Either stay at eight conference games, or go to nine – so long as it adds up to 10 games against real competition. Power Four teams playing more games against legitimate opponents – and fewer games against directional schools – would provide clarity to the playoff's at-large selection process. Alabama, Florida and South Carolina will play 10 regular-season games against Power Four opponents. The SEC's other teams will play eight or nine games against power foes. By comparison, TCU and Baylor will play a nation-leading 11 games against Power Four competition. Advertisement Let's not spare the ACC, either. The ACC joins the SEC in playing eight conference games, while their Big Ten and Big 12 peers play nine. Most ACC schools, at least, will play 10 games against power-conference opponents, if you include Notre Dame as a power foe. Alternative to a ninth SEC game? Play another Power Four school Prominent SEC voices continue to trumpet that the committee erred by rejecting three 9-3 teams from the inaugural 12-team playoff, and that the committee does not sufficiently reward the SEC's schedule. 'I have a hard time seeing Ole Miss, Alabama, and South Carolina not being in the best teams last year,' Georgia coach Kirby Smart said, in reference to 9-3 teams that didn't make the playoff. Advertisement I maintain the committee flubbed by selecting two-loss SMU, which beat nobody of substance and lost its two games against Top 25 opponents. Mississippi, which smashed Georgia after suffering a résumé-staining loss to Kentucky, would have been a better choice. And yet, the SEC's three-loss also-rans could have tempted the committee more if they'd played and won another conference game or at least played and won an additional game against a Power Four opponent, instead of creaming a Championship Subdivision school. We don't know how the committee would view a 9-3 SEC team that played 10 games against Power Four competition. We do know what the committee thought of the SEC's 9-3 teams that played only nine games against power-conference foes. They thought them undeserving of a playoff bid. Advertisement If Florida, which plays Miami and Florida State, goes 9-3 this season, it likely would have a stronger case for an at-large bid than the SEC's three-loss teams last season. The same is true of South Carolina, which plays Virginia Tech and Clemson for 10 Power Four games. Alabama's games against Wisconsin and Florida State give the Tide 10 games at the big-boy table, too. Those teams stand in exception to the SEC's majority that choose a path of lesser non-conference resistance. The SEC keeps floating the myth that the playoff committee does not respect strength of schedule. That's untrue. Indiana won 11 games last season, but the Hoosiers' soft schedule meant Indiana ranked behind four other at-large playoff qualifiers that won fewer games. Also, the SEC's three-loss teams reached the playoff's doorstep largely because of their strength of schedule. Another marquee victory could help get a three-loss team across the playoff's threshold. Advertisement I can understand the SEC's reluctance to add a ninth conference game. Another league game would guarantee another loss to half the conference. Those additional losses would hinder playoff pursuits across half the league. The alternative to a ninth SEC game, though, should not be a game against Weasel Tech or Seventh-Grade State. Schedule another opponent from the big leagues. Non-conference scheduling includes the hurdle of needing two to tango. Not every power-conference team wants to play an SEC foe. Nebraska ducked out of its series with Tennessee. Wake Forest canceled on Ole Miss. Still, the SEC cannot relent. SEC coaches would be wise to keep the pedal down on this blue-sky idea of a Big Ten-SEC challenge. Advertisement The SEC insists it wields the nation's strongest conference and that the committee should honor it as such. That argument holds merit, but the case would become easier to prove if SEC teams scheduled fewer games against Coastal Cupcake and more games against power-conference peers. Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@ and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SEC wants College Football Playoff respect? Stop playing cupcakes
