Enhance your way of obtaining the latest college football news and stories with the CFB Newsletter.
The college football season is getting close. August is just around the corner, and before we know it, Week 0 will be upon us. There’s been plenty of college football news to keep us busy in the meantime, and the CFB Newsletter will bring these stories to the forefront for fans.
East-West Shrine Bowl 1000
The East-West Shrine Bowl have released their 1,000-player watch list this week. The list features all draft eligible players in college football. And to be honest, it’s quite an extensive list.
The Shrine Bowl is the nation’s longest running all-star event in college football, and enters its 100th year this season. Like the Senior Bowl, the Shrine Bowl is coached by NFL coaches. It also gives players access to resources that they may not have at their alma mater. You can view the entire Shrine Bowl 1000 list here.
“Deion is going to Deion”
Legendary Oklahoma Sooners head coach Barry Switzer made a bold declaration about Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders. Many have speculated that the NFL Hall of Famer will leave the program for greener grass if the opportunity arises. Now we can add Switzer to that list echo chamber.
“Deion is going to go what fits Deion,” Switzer said on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich.” “I don’t say he is tied to Colorado; he is going to try and establish himself there, but Deion is going to go what fits Deion, and I understand.
While Switzer may be right, Sanders is far from the first head coach who would leave their current job for better opportunity.
Was Army forced to join the AAC?
Throughout the history of college football, Army has been known as an independent school. Despite one seven-year stint in Conference USA, the school has been independent since 1890. And no, that’s not a typo.
However, everything changed this past offseason. With a multitude of teams changing conferences, and with it, schedules, Army was essentially forced to join the American Athletic Conference, home to teams like the FAU Owls.
While the Black Knights may not have wanted to join the AAC, they’re sure to be an unique problem for teams in the conference this season.
Ohio State players receive insane NIL payout
NIL has entered the college football world, and it seems like it’s here to stay. For some schools, these NIL payouts have hit extreme numbers. The latest example comes from Ohio State. The Buckeyes AD Ross Bjork told Yahoo Sports that Ohio State players received “around $20 million” in NIL money from collectives and brand affiliates this past season.
That number is steep, but it’s likely just the tip of the iceberg going further. As college football spreads in popularity, these type of news stories won’t be nearly as surprising. In fact, it’s only a matter of time before a larger number is released, and it could be as soon as this season.
Lincoln Riley vows for Mike Leach
At Big Ten Media Days, USC head coach Lincoln Riley declared that the college football Hall of Fame “is simply not complete without Mike Leach.” The requirements for college football’s Hall of Fame states that a head coach must retire with a .600 win percentage. However, Leach died in 2022 with a 59.6 winning percentage. Exceptions to that rule have been made in the past, and multiple coaches throughout college football have agreed that an exception should be given to Leach.
“He changed the game and changed a lot of people’s lives, mine included,” Riley said.
Clemson Tigers slipping to mediocrity?
The Clemson Tigers have been a staple in college football for the past decade. From 2015 to 2021, the team had made six consecutive college football playoff appearances. Yet while they “struggled” to a 9-4 record last season, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum took huge shots at the program during an appearance on First Take on Friday.
“Is Dabo Swinney in a missing persons bulletin right now?” asked Finebaum. “Because they had the ACC media days and usually Dabo controls the theater and I don’t remember a single thing he said because he’s still complaining about everything that’s wrong with college football while his program slips into mediocrity.”
