Skip to main contentSkip to main content

    SEATTLE — Dear Big Ten football fan, The drive from Chicago to Seattle spans 30 hours and 2,000 miles, which feel like many more. It's a seven-state expedition along Interstate 90, a methodical western quest. It cuts through the University of Wisconsin (your other UW) and Sioux Falls, S.D., where Kalen DeBoer once made his name. It weaves through corn fields and rivers and quarries — and over ...

      Georgia’s new offensive coordinator is hardly a stranger in these parts. Mike Bobo played quarterback for the Bulldogs back in the 1990s. He worked on Mark Richt’s coaching staff for more than a decade, including a lengthy stint calling the plays. Despite all that familiarity, Bobo might be under more scrutiny than anyone associated with the two-time defending national champs. His task is straightforward yet daunting: Keep Georgia’s offense rolling toward an unprecedented third straight title. 

        The realignment frenzy in college athletics is all about football. And all that money, of course. There is barely a consideration of how these seismic changes will affect every other team on campus. From grueling road trips to missed classes to mental health challenges, it’s hard to see anything positive in all this dollar sign-driven nonsense if you’re an athlete who doesn’t happen to suit up for the pigskin squad. While football is driving the realignment train, it’s the sport that will be least affected by coast-to-coast conferences and travel times between member schools.

        SEATTLE — In one Seattle-based conversation, people might be talking about a certain West Coast conference's 108-year history and its imminent demise. In another one, people might be discussing a certain Midwest conference and how its recent acquisitions will shape college football for decades to come. But in between those chats about the past and future should be one involving these ...

        CHICAGO — In order to find mecca, one must take a journey. For four Wednesdays this summer, fans in the flyest pairs of sneakers and trendiest fashions lined up at a high rise in the city’s West Loop neighborhood. Some show up an hour or more before the start time of the Jumpman Summer Series to ensure they can get into one of the most exclusive basketball events. Basketball, local basketball, ...

        PITTSBURGH — What a shame to see the conference formerly known as the Pac-12 (and Pac-10, and Pac-8, and Pacific Coast Conference) withering away on life support on account of college football's latest money-fueled implosion. It's not even a six Pac anymore. It's the Pac-4. Obituaries roll in by the day, commemorating the 108-year-old league that gave us too many sports luminaries to count, ...

        DALLAS — For how many weeks (or perhaps it was months) were SMU fans led to believe they were on their way to the big time in the form of the Pac-12? Well, Bill Walton’s beloved “conference of champions” is now a conference of yesteryear, so excuse me for not buying in immediately to the notion that SMU is bound for the ACC. The latest reports have indicated the Mustangs are even willing to ...

        The latest round of conference realignment, which came to a boil with last week's implosion of the Pac-12, will not impact the 2023 Holiday Bowl. This year's game will pair Pac-12 and ACC teams Dec. 27 at Petco Park as scheduled. Next year? That's another matter. "Next year, yes, there are going to be changes," said Mark Neville, CEO of Sports San Diego, which produces the Holiday Bowl. "With ...

        USC’s search for a new athletic director included a hard look at the guy in Fort Worth, who is not going to follow Lincoln Riley to L.A. Sources said that TCU director of athletics Jeremiah Donati has withdrawn his name for consideration as the next athletic director at USC. Donati was unavailable for comment. After arguably the most successful 12-month stretch in the history of TCU’s athletic ...

        Affiliate

        You may find this hard to believe. The opportunistic disassembly of the Pac-12 and the cannibalization of college athletics — it all can be traced to the NCAA’s failure to act with reason and foresight. Undoubtedly, university presidents and college athletics administrators get their share of the blame, too. They’ve chased a bigger slice of the pie and made a mockery of the notion of acting in ...

        There was a simple logic to Georgia Tech hiring Paul Johnson as football coach. He would help the Yellow Jackets beat opponents who had more player talent, same as he did at Navy. It worked, for the most part. Johnson’s Jackets won four division titles, one ACC championship and an Orange Bowl. He won three times at Sanford Stadium, including a victory over Kirby Smart. The Jackets won at a ...

        You may find this hard to believe. The opportunistic disassembly of the Pac-12 and the cannibalization of college athletics – it all can be traced to the NCAA’s failure to act with reason and foresight. Undoubtedly, university presidents and college athletics administrators get their share of the blame, too. They’ve chased a bigger slice of the pie and made a mockery of the notion of acting in ...

        It's not easy picking a preseason Top 25. Take it from voters in The Associated Press poll. The 62 writers and broadcasters judge teams' bodies of work in the regular season. Preseason voting is a guessing game. Voters interviewed said some of the biggest factors they consider are whether a team has a returning quarterback, how many other starters are back, transfer portal additions and subtractions and the way a team finished the previous season. This year's preseason poll will be released Monday at noon Eastern.

        The Atlantic Coast Conference presidents have chosen not to vote on whether to add Stanford and California to the league. That's according to two people with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the ACC nor the schools disclosed their internal discussions publicly. The ACC's inaction keeps the Northern California schools in limbo as they look for an escape from the crumbling Pac-12. The ACC has also been looking at SMU, the Dallas-based school from the American Athletic Conference, as an expansion target.

        PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is back to full health and determined to finalize the business agreement with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf. Monahan has spoken publicly for the first time since he returned to work from a health scare. He stepped away a week after the Saudi deal was announced and said anxiety had built up over time. He believes the deal is the right path for the PGA Tour and that will be shown over time. The agreement has a Dec. 31 deadline to get it done. Monahan says that's the target and it's realistic.

        Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.

        Topics

        News Alerts

        Breaking News