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James Franklin to Virginia Tech: Expect the Hokies’ Program to be Reawakened
by George Ahearn James Franklin has agreed to terms with Virginia Tech to become the program’s next head coach, a move that projects to be the most promising change in Hokies football since Frank Beamer stepped foot on campus in 1987. Since Beamer’s retirement in 2015, Virginia Tech football has compiled a 63-59 record, sending
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The Duke Conundrum: Could the ACC Champion miss the College Football Playoff?
by George Ahearn The contingent of college football fans imploring that the highest-ranked Group of 6* team does not deserve an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff may want to stop reading now—because this season, there may be two G6 teams that earn their way to the CFP. The NCAA states “the 12-team College
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The Week 10 Betting Preview: Finding Winners in a Packed College Football Slate
By: George Ahearn Week 10 has blessed us with one of the best slate of games of the season, with top-25 matchups littered across the board. In addition to this slew of intriguing matchups is the largest betting preview of the season. We have detailed nine games in which we feel we have an edge,
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The Much-Awaited Rematch: No. 13 LSU Travels to Face No. 8 Alabama
By: George Ahearn The much-anticipated rematch between LSU and Alabama takes place this weekend, as the No. 13 Tigers will travel to Tuscaloosa to face the red-hot No. 8 Crimson Tide. The Tigers will look to win in Bryant-Denny Stadium for only the third time since 2010, attempting to join the 2019 and 2011 teams,
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Thursday Night Betting Preview: Syracuse (+3) v. Virginia Tech
By: George Ahearn After two weeks of nonstop running around and subsequently failing to turn in a betting preview, it is time to return to my bread and butter. In games I have written a preview for, I have yielded an 8-3 record. On the other side, the picks I have simply tweeted out have
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Heisman Power Rankings: Week 8
By: William Smythe Frankly, this might shape up to be one of the worst Heisman races in recent memory. I’m speaking in terms of the talent level, not the competitiveness of the race itself. We’ve been fortunate enough to witness Heisman winners without a single blemish on their resumes – Lamar, Burrow and Kyler seemed
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Friday Night Betting Preview: Tulane v. Memphis (+4.5)
By: George Ahearn A Friday night showdown between the heavyweights of the American Conference kicks off when 4-1 Tulane visits 4-1 Memphis in a game that could be critical in determining the direction of each team’s season. Both teams are off to a terrific start to their respective seasons, yet this was expected for Tulane.
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Thursday Night Betting Preview: West Virginia travels to Houston (+3)
By: George Ahearn The 4-1 Mountaineers travel to Houston in the first matchup between the two as conference foes. In Houston’s first season as a member of the Big 12, they have gotten off to a rocky start. They sit at 2-3, with their only wins coming against winless Sam Houston State and 2-3 UTSA.
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Tuesday Night Betting Preview: Coastal Carolina (+5.5) vs. App State
By: George Ahearn You know football season has hit its stride when we’re delivered great games like this on a Tuesday night. Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State are a staple Group of 5 programs, and this Tuesday night contest in Boone, North Carolina should deliver fantastic football. Coastal Carolina is used to competing for Sun
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Week 6 Betting Preview
By: George Ahearn While I wish all my days consisted of strictly writing these previews, at some point during the week I had to attend to my 200-point research paper. Nonetheless, the weekend has arrived and we’re here to find some winners. While these previews won’t be as detailed as some of the stand-alone previews
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Week 6 Betting Preview: No. 3 Texas vs. No. 12 Oklahoma
By: George Ahearn The Red River Rivalry kicks off Saturday, when the Longhorns and the Sooners meet in Dallas, Texas for the final time as members of the Big 12. With both teams owning impressive 5-0 records, the final bout between these two as bitter Big 12 rivals has the potential to be the most
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Week 5 CFB Takeaways: Utah rudderless without Rising, ND hopes stay alive, and more
By: William Smythe After a fire-filled (see BYU-Cincinnati) Friday night of college football, we all took our places on the couch the following day to settle in for a couple of noteworthy matchups: Colorado v. No. 8 USC, No. 17 Duke v. Notre Dame, and No. 1 Georgia v. Auburn, among others. While not as
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Week 6 Betting Preview: Alabama vs. Texas A&M
By: George Ahearn Perhaps the most intriguing game of Week 6 kicks off at 3:30p ET, with Alabama traveling to College Station to play the Texas A&M Aggies. Since both hail from the SEC West, this game could provide major SEC implications, as the winner will control their destiny in terms of playing in the
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Friday Night Betting Preview: Utah vs. Oregon State and Cincinnati vs. BYU
By: George Ahearn Utah vs. Oregon State (-3.5) | O/U 44.5 | 9:00p ET on FS1 Despite the absence of QB Cam Rising through four games to start the season, the Utah Utes have managed to stay undefeated despite a challenging non-conference schedule. On the flip side, Oregon State just suffered their first loss of
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CFB Power Rankings: The Top 10 Entering Week 5
By: George Ahearn Now that the dust has settled following the myriad high-profile games the college football world was blessed with in Week 4, it feels like the appropriate time to release the first rendition of this season’s power rankings. Through four weeks, we have seen enough to know which teams hold legitimate title aspirations,
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Week 4 CFB Roundup: Washington supremacy, ‘Bama bounce back and the ACC
By: William Smythe It’s been a while. College football is back, the Pac-12 (soon to be dissolved) is humming, and the top-25 will surely witness some massive changes following today’s outcomes. In arguably the most sought-after Saturday in years – outside of the College Football Playoff – we have a semblance of an idea of
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The Sleeping Giant Out West: Why Utah is Primed for a Playoff Run
By: George Ahearn In the history of the College Football Playoff, there have been a handful of unexpected teams who play their way into the top four come season’s end. Last year, TCU defied expectations and earned themselves a three seed entering the playoff. In 2022, Cincinnati broke the mold as they became the first
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70 Days ‘Til College Football: Day 1
Day 1: Notre Dame v Navy By: George Ahearn As the NBA and NHL playoffs have finally concluded, we have now officially entered the dog days of summer. Yet, these long, hot days have left us to salivate over one thing and one thing only: the rapidly approaching college football season. It may not seem
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Lane Kiffin: The transfer portal magician strikes again
By: George Ahearn Since the creation of the transfer portal, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has been labeled a kingpin of the transfer portal. If it wasn’t for Lincoln Riley’s hit-and-run – bringing Caleb Williams with him to USC – Kiffin would stand out as the main beneficiary of the portal. Today, Lane Kiffin
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National Championship Preview: ‘Dawgs will bark again
By: George Ahearn The patient wait forced upon college football fans from the semifinal games to the national championship is finally over, as tonight we will see TCU face off against defending-champion Georgia for all of the marbles. This year’s national championship will take place in Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles- and unlike during any Rams or Chargers game – the stadium will be
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Stop and smell the Roses: Penn State, Tulane cap off an epic New Year’s weekend
By: William Smythe *As an introduction to this piece, I would like to offer my sincerest thoughts and well-wishes to Damar Hamlin and the rest of his family as he continues to fight. First and foremost, I’d like to apologize for pegging Utah v. Penn State as a potential “classic.” It wasn’t. However, I wrote
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A Saturday of epic proportions and unprecedented results: Life springs out of the struggling CFP
By: William Smythe Since the inception of the College Football Playoff, we have often found ourselves entangled in a web of disappointment. In short, the poor three and four seeds which have “limped” into the playoff after dominant seasons outside of the SECs and Big Tens of the world have made things predictable and boring,
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Pre-NY6 Bowl Extravaganza: Red Raiders, Cade Klubnik and more
By: William Smythe The calm before the storm is upon us. The “meaningless” bowl games have essentially ended – save the boredom from the Orange Bowl and an exciting Gator Bowl yesterday – as we launch into the NY6 frenzy. We are all sick and tired of watching 6-6 teams duke it out against each
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A Breakdown of CFB coaching changes: Let’s give Rhule another chance!
By: William Smythe Good Job! [insert wealthy program below] Ew, I’m about to praise Matt Rhule as a Panthers fan. I would love to hear of a more catastrophic NFL coaching career – I know that Ben McAdoo and others exist – but the promise of Rhule’s college prowess still remains. Nebraska went out and
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Ricky Miezan’s commitment explained: What does this all mean for Virginia men’s lacrosse?
By: William Smythe Virginia lacrosse is on the brink of establishing another dynasty. With the “disappointment” following last season’s quarterfinal exit against eventual champion Maryland, the Cavaliers have rebuilt (and then some) in what may be another historic year for this lacrosse program. Coach Lars Tiffany is morphing into the godfather of recruiting, pulling in
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An Honest Heisman Ballot: Why WR Jalin Hyatt Deserved the Spotlight
By: George Ahearn The culmination of the Heisman race has gone and passed, as we saw USC sophomore quarterback phenom Caleb Williams bring home the Heisman trophy Saturday night. This year’s Heisman race was wildly unpredictable, as we all expected the intense battle for the illustrious trophy to be waged between Alabama quarterback Bryce Young
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Stetson Bennett is far better than you think, America, and he deserves a spot in New York
By: William Smythe I know, I had the same emotions when I saw the Heisman finalists revealed on Sunday. No Hendon Hooker? No Blake Corum? How could the committee so egregiously rob two of the nation’s most impactful players – only discounting their pedigree because of late injuries? In response, the rest of the world
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CFP Predictions: Why America is the True Winner of the Final College Football Playoff Rankings
By: George Ahearn At last, the final college football rankings have been released, and the culminating matchups to a chaotic season are solidified. Georgia comes in as our unanimous no. 1 seed after another absolutely dominant season, finishing with a perfect 12-0 record capitalized with an emphatic 50-30 SEC Championship win against LSU. At the
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The Stage is Set: Ohio State the luckiest of them all in the Playoff reveal
By: William Smythe With no surprises among the top two in Georgia and Michigan, the committee had their hands full after no. 4 USC’s defeat to Utah and no. 3 TCU’s blemish against no. 13 Kansas State. Run from it, hide from it, but destiny comes all the same: former no. 5 Ohio State and
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USC’s success is the embodiment of everything we don’t want in college football
By: William Smythe What a rebuild that Lincoln Riley has spearheaded in Southern California! Sure, it only took a Biletnikoff-winner, Heisman hopeful and 1,000-yard rusher at Oregon, but who cares? America! One can look no further than USC to witness the changes that have taken place in the college football landscape. The transfer portal “epitomized,”
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Shane Beamer, the Big Ten West and the Pac-12’s ascendance: Everything you need to know following Rivalry Week
By: William Smythe With everything on the line – well, almost everything – the college football gods tailored the script to their own liking. They could’ve given us hope by keeping LSU in the hunt, and they surely should’ve given the Fighting Irish enough Leprechaun magic to upend Lincoln Riley’s CFP bid in Southern California.
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Playoff considerations, The Game’s elevated ramifications and more
By: George Ahearn As the college football season rounds the final corner, the playoff picture becomes clearer by the week. Tennessee and North Carolina found themselves as the latest casualties to the brutality that is college football, as Tennessee was routed by unranked South Carolina and UNC experienced an epic collapse to Georgia Tech after
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Heisman Tracker, Post-Week 11
By: William Smythe What a whirlwind weekend of college football. Well, TCU has successfully staved off my pessimism as they willed themselves to yet another win – one step closer to the CFP and arguably the most impressive first year coaching job I’ve seen in a long time. With a crushing injury to Heisman candidate
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Why Tennessee’s saving grace may end up being their loss to Georgia
By: George Ahearn After Tennessee’s 27-13 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, many figured their dismal performance in a game of that magnitude would significantly weaken – if not eliminate – the Vols’ playoff hopes. However, college football is and will always be a source of never-ending unpredictability. Less than two weeks removed from their only
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Things just keep getting weirder: College football’s top 8 and their playoff chances
If we thought the playoff competition couldn’t get any tighter, we were wrong. Oregon, I honestly believe you’ve opened Pandora’s box. LSU, I have forgiven you for Brian Kelly’s impersonation of a Southern dude even if a two-loss team in the playoff just seems wrong. TCU, you continue to laugh in my face, and I
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Blind-resumés: the most dynamic freshman tailback put into context
By: William Smythe Player A Profile: Rushing Yards/total TDs in freshman year: 728 yds, 12 TDs Most prolific year – as a sophomore: 1,658 yds, 20 TDs Honors: Heisman Trophy Winner, SEC Offensive Player of the Year Player B Profile: Rushing yards/total TDs in freshman year: 382 yds, 3 TDs Most prolific year – as
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Why Iowa State is the Nation’s Grittiest College Football Team
By: George Ahearn The term “gritty” is thrown around at an alarming rate in the new era of sports media. Players and teams who don’t deserve that rare designation receive it far too often, leading to misguided perceptions of who is truly gritty. In my mind, there are three conditions that can deem a team
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Why Inevitable Heartbreak is on the Horizon for TCU
By: George Ahearn The Horned Frogs have Fort Worth, TX bouncing off the walls, as TCU has jumped out to their best start since joining the Big 12 back in 2012. In Coach Sonny Dykes’ first year at the helm, he has the Horned Frogs sitting at an impressive 9-0. Senior quarterback Max Duggan has
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DraftKings for Week 10 of College Football: Your Lineup Guide
By: William Smythe Another week of college football means another crack at daily fantasy lineups. This week’s 14-game slate on DraftKings is chock-full of sleepers, high-priced hits and guys who may slot into larger roles due to injuries. Not to mention, SMU is playing – which bodes well for literally everyone on UCF; look to
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Overreaction or Not? Answering CFB’s Biggest Questions
By: William Smythe I can’t believe we’re approaching the end of the season. Can Northwestern still make a play for a share of the Big Ten West – in the wildest of worlds, the Wildcats have a semblance of a chance to parlay a 1-8 record into three consecutive wins and a 7-way tie. Absolute
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Heisman Tracker, Week 9
By: William Smythe Blink twice and you’ll miss the apex of the college football season: it’s that time to create a Heisman moment. We’ve been blessed by a lack of compelling candidates this year – thank you Georgia, Northwestern and Iowa for making Hendon Hooker and CJ Stroud look mortal. Rarely can I remember a
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