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With the Cotton Bowl matchup against USC on tap today for 11-2 Tulane, Green Wave AD Dannen reflects on his decision to hire FB HC Fritz: "Since 1998, Tulane had tried a lot of different characteristics in a coach. The one thing Tulane had not done was hire someone who had been a consistent winner wherever he'd been." Dannen on the history of the program voluntarily leaving the SEC in 1965 vs the state of it now: "I've never worried nor dealt with the SEC decision. There are people here who will never get over that, regardless of what happens. But there were a lot of things we haven't done over the last 25 years that we now have done. … This is the moment we've been waiting for. This is what we can be. Now how do we keep our place?" (link)
Not all conferences award bonuses to teams participating in the College Football Playoff, but the SEC and Big 12 do. According to Business of College Sports' Dosh, Georgia and TCU will get some extra cash. Any team participating in the CFP earns a $6M payout for their respective conference for making the semis. The SEC allows schools participating in the semis to keep $2.05M with an additional $2.15M if the team makes the championship game. Dosh sorts out the formula used by the Big 12 and as such expects the Horned Frogs to get roughly $4.15M. (link)
The INFLCR NIL Summit, which drew more than 350 student-athletes to the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta last summer, is ready to roll in June for a second year & expects to sell out at 500 student-athletes to share ideas and collaborate alongside the transformative brands and organizations shaping the future of college sports. Early bird registration is open for schools who sent delegates last year. During the early-bird window, institutions may secure up-to ten (10) registrations for student-athletes by making a $100 per-attendee deposit, and will not be required to submit final payment and rosters until final registration closes later this Spring. Final registration cost is $500 per-attendee. Any institution that makes a deposit on behalf of their student-athletes during the early-bird window will have guaranteed access for at least one administrator. Early-bird registration closes on Friday, February 17. (link)
With the results of the College Football Playoff semifinals, Sports Illustrated's Forde wonders if the importance of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry - and strategic decisions for each program as a result - are too focused on winning The Game & yet suboptimal in the pursuit of a National Championship. Forde: "Michigan won both (vs. OSU & in the B1G title game), rolled over an outmanned Big Ten West opponent, and then lost in the Playoff in a disappointing performance. In fact, the Wolverines have lost their past six bowl games under Harbaugh. Gearing everything toward beating Ohio State is great if you want to win the conference, but if Harbaugh wants to win the national championship, he has some more tweaking to do. This past offseason, Day seemed to be taking his program into Beat Michigan Mode with the hiring of a new defensive coordinator and the emphasis on becoming tougher in the trenches. While those changes were needed to compete for the Big Ten title and a national title, it didn't pay off this season. The Buckeyes acquitted themselves nobly against Georgia, but there still is a level to attain beyond simply trying to counter-program your biggest rival." (link)
NFL.com's Rapoport and Pelissero throw Michigan FB HC Harbaugh's name in the mix for the Denver Broncos open HC gig and note Harbaugh's Ring of Honor status from his playing days with the Indianapolis Colts, a team which also has a HC vacancy to fill. (link)
Siena WBB HC Jabir will not coach his team until an investigation into alleged racially insensitive & misogynistic comments he made is complete, a review which is underway by the university. The Saints (8-5, 2-1) are at home in January for five of their next seven tips. (link)
Take a look at the 2005 Texas Tech football roster, led then by late-HC Leach. The list includes now-HCs Dykes (TCU), Holgorsen (Houston) and Riley (USC) and former HCs Littrell (North Texas) and McNeill (ECU). Players from that Red Raiders squad include new North Texas HC Morris, and a number of active assistants. Part of an impressive coaching legacy that Leach leaves behind. (link)
New Mexico State Senior Assoc. AD for Sports Administration, Student Development & Athletics Diversity Hall visits with @1Q Leadership to discuss the importance of including diversity in all elements of department planning, as well as how his role positively impacts recruiting processes for the Aggies. Hall: "You have to be intentional about diversity and it has to be on the agenda everyday. [...] With regard to the DEI position, you may be included but there are times when you have to interject yourself in a situation. [...] When you're in this role, you have to determine if this is a position just window dressing or is it actually a part of the department's strategic plan." Lots more. (link, link)
Legalized sports gambling is up & running in Ohio as former MLB great Rose placed the first legal sports bet yesterday. Fitting in so many ways, Rose wagered that the Cincinnati Reds will win the World Series. (link)
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Georgieva warns that a third of the global economy will be in a recession this year. "Even countries that are not in recession, it would feel like recession for hundreds of millions of people." Moody's Analytics economist Ell on the world economy: "While our baseline avoids a global recession over the next year, odds of one are uncomfortably high. Europe, however, will not escape recession and the US is teetering on the verge." Notably on China, Ell: "China's relaxed domestic Covid restrictions are not a silver bullet. The transition will be bumpy and a source of volatility at least through the March quarter." (link)
The Boston Globe's Platoff & Stout write on outgoing Massachusetts Governor/incoming NCAA President Baker's operating strengths looking back a key moments of challenge during his tenure: "More than any one specific law or event, Baker's greatest legacy is a leadership style that impressed even political rivals and put residents at ease in unprecedented times, according to dozens of interviews with elected officials, advocates, political observers, and people close to the governor." State Representative Santiago: "To me, what stuck out was his capacity to learn, to grow, and to really double down — on the correct path. To me, that's the definition of leadership." Legislature Transportation Committee co-chair Straus: "Just because he knows a lot of the details doesn't mean he's going to come to the right conclusion. But he has the ability to handle the detail level and still focus on the decision-making. I think other governors were content to drift higher up from ground level and didn't see the value of knowing the specific facts." More. (link)
Florida AD Stricklin stands behind FB HC Napier: "Just the intentionality about putting structure and culture in place, and really leaning into building something that can be sustainable over a long period of time, and obviously we wish the wins and losses had turned out differently, but if you look at Billy and what he did at Louisiana, that first year, they were a .500 ball club, but he put the pieces in place and the next three years they were competing for their conference championship and winning 10-plus games every year, and that's, you know, he obviously, you could tell he studied under someone like Coach (Nick) Saban, it's a similar path he took at Alabama, where that first year was a six-win season. … So, what I've witnessed is someone who's really methodical, putting a process and program in place, the infrastructure, building the culture and getting all the pieces lined up, and, candidly, it's an approach that I don't know that we've had here recently in that sport. You know, there's such a push to just win, just win quick, and Billy's approach is a little different than that, and my belief is that's going to lead to sustained success at a high, high level." (link)
The Mercury News' Wilner looks at the question of Pac-12 media rights as an issue of supply and demand, concluding that with every other Power 5 conference locked into media rights deals through the 2030s, the value of Pac-12 football will be greater in the next six to 12 months than it is today due to limited supply and rising demand. Despite that calculus, Wilner is wary on slow-playing a deal until the second half of 2023 or early 2024 due to the departure of UCLA, USC and the LA market: "The terrain is simply too unstable — the risk of waiting is simply too great — for the conference to slow-play its media negotiations." Related, in looking at the long-term conference home for Oregon and Washington, Wilner points out that until new media rights and grant-of-rights deals are signed, "the potential for dissolution [of the Pac-12] exists." (link)
JohnCanzano.com's namesake wonders how a potential exit by Big Ten Commissioner Warren for the Chicago Bears could impact further conference expansion: "I think the expansion brakes are already pumped. If the Big Ten members wanted to add additional Pac-12 members in this cycle, it would have already happened. Warren's interest in returning to the NFL may signal that he knows he's done all he can do in the Big Ten (media rights + expansion) or it may just be an attempt to garner leverage and negotiate an extension with the conference. A decade is an eternity in college athletics, but I think the Pac-12 continues to exist with the core 10 members (plus maybe an expansion team or two) in a decade. The bigger question is what college athletics itself looks like in 10 years." (link)
Yesterday's thrilling College Football Playoff semifinal between TCU & Michigan means we get another week of the "psychedelic cartoon amphibian" Hypnotoad that has quickly become the Horned Frogs' second mascot. Sports Illustrated's Johnson dives into the rise of the Futurama character in Fort Worth. Lots here, including FB Coordinator of Creative Video Petrie: "I think a lot of times, I don't know if it's coaching staffs or whatever, they tend to really want to hold on to control of their look, but that's why you hire people. And I find it funny, because Coach Dykes lets us do whatever you want, and that's kind of beautiful. I think the fear in regards to being like that on the internet, is that you're going to offend someone or someone's sensibilities or something, and the opposite is true. I think because you see lots of people think I wasn't a TCU fan before this and I saw this and I'm like, I'm in. That's awesome that a meme can make someone a fan of a football team. And I think a lot of coaches will probably start waking up to that. I would hope they would start waking up to that. It's the new reality." (link)
"The time for an HBCU football playoff has come" according to HBCU Gameday's Wilson, who adds: "There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Celebration Bowl. But, with HBCUs struggling with funds to make budgets, an additional in-house money game would go a long way in HBCUs utilizing their own draw to rectify shortfalls. The SWAC and MEAC need to consider authorizing a four-team playoff, with the NCAA's blessing. The top four teams would vie for the crown jewel, the Celebration Bowl. … The goal is not to diminish the Celebration Bowl, but to enhance it by making the buildup even larger. More importantly, like the FBS has learned with expansion to the playoff field coming in 2024, there are millions to be made with a playoff." (link)
With last night's win over Ohio State, Georgia FB HC Smart adds $250K to his bonuses, bringing him to $1.1M on the season. Buckeyes HC Day ends the season with $250K in extra cash while his ACs get a bonus equal to 21.25% of their respective base salaries. Michigan HC Harbaugh finishes the season with $2.05M in bonus bucks. Kansas State HC Klieman ends with $200K in on-field bonuses, plus an automatic one-year extension now scheduled to be worth $4.3M with nearly all of it guaranteed, per USA Today's Berkowitz. (link)
Our condolences to the BYU football family as offensive lineman Veikoso died in a construction accident in his hometown of Kailua, Hawai'i on Friday. Cougars HC Sitake: "We are extremely saddened to learn of the tragic death of one of our brothers, Sione Veikoso. His passing is heartbreaking to all of us. We offer our deepest condolences and prayers to his family as we share in their grief. Our love for you is forever, Sione!" (link)
Crakes Media founder Crakes with a quick hitter on the potential of Amazon scoping up the Pac-12's media rights: "Given AMZN has not mentioned Prime adds much for TNF (during Week 1 only, I think) suggest possible Prime near full distribution in U.S. If even partly so, hard to see how Pac-12 helps strategically as need lots of subs for acquisition to be meaningful based on that metric alone." (link, link)
If you're wondering which teams ESPN College GameDay's Corso has picked every week since the beginning of time, you've found your answer. Dallas-based IT systems administrator Cole has compiled the all-time list on "Cole's GameDay Blog," which includes all picks by members of the show and guests. Corso is 264-131 all-time in headgear predictions, getting it right 66.84% of the time. More on Cole's story and which celebrities fared best. (link)
On Friday night we reported that former Michigan Volleyball HC Mark Rosen had assumed the same role at Fresno State, when in fact it is former Wolverines AHC, Leisa Rosen, who has been selected to lead the Bulldogs. Our apologies for the error. (link)
Assistant Academic Advisor - Football (1) & Assistant Learning Specialist (1) (University of Minnesota / Minneapolis, MN): Serve as a learning assistant with assigned students in one-on-one and group settings. We are a student-athlete focused environment dedicated to guiding student-athletes to graduation. Join our team! More details HERE.
Deputy Director of Athletics (California State University, Fresno / Fresno, CA): Under direction of AD, the Deputy Director oversees the day to day ops of the Athletics Dept. Inquiries, nominations, & referrals should be sent via https://apptrkr.com/3740378 More details HERE.
Director of Creative Services (Appalachian State University / Boone, NC): The Director of Creative Services will support all App State Athletics efforts to build brand affinity for Mountaineer programs, overseeing graphic design, photography and overall visual identity. More details HERE.
Director of Business Operations or Assistant AD-Business Ops. (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee / Milwaukee, WI): Responsible for performing duties within accounts payable, accounts receivable, purchasing, p-cards, administration and audits, travel & expense reimbursements, and deposits. More details HERE.
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