Latest news with #CollegeFootballPlayoff
The Herald Scotland
6 hours ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Shedeur Sanders speeding ticket: Browns rookie QB can't make mistakes
Rather than avoiding an NFL spotlight that's sparked so many off-field wildfires over the years, Sanders instead provided fresh kindling for a legion of critics waiting to pounce - cited by police for driving 101 miles per hour after midnight ET Tuesday in suburban Cleveland. The listed speed limit where he committed the infraction was 60 mph. Maybe you're thinking this isn't a big deal, easy enough to ascribe this mistake to youthful intemperance. And Sanders, 23, didn't cause an accident. He wasn't driving under the influence. His maximum legal exposure for a fourth-degree misdemeanor is a $250 fine. The Browns haven't issued a public statement. Nor has Sanders. And why should they? This incident - if it's even that - pretty plainly speaks for itself. "I just feel like in life and everything, it's just me versus me, you know?" Sanders said following Cleveland's rookie minicamp last month. "I can't control any other decision besides that. So, I just try to be my best self at all times." Obviously, he fell short of that Tuesday morning. Still, it would be silly to suggest that this is or should be a fireable offense. However it's certainly an (another?) unforced error from a player whose judgment outside the lines has drawn far more scrutiny in recent months than his generally reliable decision-making on the field. And it's fair to say a guy who's been running with the fourth stringers is further distinguishing himself in the Browns' crowded competition to be QB1 in 2025 - and that is not a compliment. There are three men ahead of Sanders on Cleveland's depth chart. Grizzled veteran Joe Flacco is a former Super Bowl MVP who also revitalized the Browns into a playoff squad in 2023. Kenny Pickett didn't pan out as a 2022 first-round pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he does have a 15-10 record as a starter in the NFL and earned a Super Bowl ring of his own last season as a backup with the Philadelphia Eagles. Like Sanders, Dillon Gabriel is a rookie. Gabriel was also drafted 50 spots ahead of Sanders following a distinguished college run that saw him start the most games ever (64) by a Division I quarterback while accounting for an FBS record 190 career touchdowns. He led the University of Oregon to a No. 1 ranking last year and a berth in the College Football Playoff. Sanders (somehow?) got his No. 2 - a digit the Browns didn't even see fit to let him select - retired by the University of Colorado, which went 13-12 during his two seasons and didn't win a bowl game. Despite his unremarkable physical skill set, he was unequivocally one of the country's better college quarterbacks - though it also helped to play with Heisman Trophy-winning receiver Travis Hunter, the No. 2 overall pick of this year's draft. Nevertheless, neither Flacco, Pickett nor Gabriel has been ticketed for excessive speeding ... or drawn flak for anything else of note in their personal lives. Meanwhile, Sanders needs to prove he's a superior option to a trio of other ones who have reputations as sterling citizens and, in one context or another, solid quarterbacks. And don't forget, there are also quite a few notable players behind Sanders. Just since 2012, the year Jimmy Haslam became the club's owner, the Browns have spent first-round picks on the likes of Brandon Weeden and Baker Mayfield, the top pick in 2018. Cleveland traded back into Round 1 in 2014 for Johnny Manziel, then gave up the farm and a fully guaranteed $230 million contract to acquire troubled Deshaun Watson eight years later. (Remarkably - or maybe not since we're talking about the Browns - neither Watson nor Manziel ever led Cleveland in passing yards in a season even once.) It didn't take Haslam long to lose patience with Weeden or Manziel, who didn't last two years in the league thanks to his pitiful play and off-field transgressions. (And, as of June 2025, no one should be comparing Manziel's brand of hubris or very serious personal issues to anything Sanders has done, allegedly or otherwise - though the latter also isn't the must-see, dual threat football talent "Johnny Football" once was.) Mayfield often played well - and frequently through pain when he doubtless would have been better off anywhere but a football field - for a fairly flawed team yet was still unceremoniously dumped in favor of Watson, who only remains on the roster due to his onerous contract. And these were all guys the Browns were heavily invested in. Though Sanders was widely expected to go in the first round of this year's draft, more than one pundit suggested the son of legendary Hall of Famer and Buffs coach Deion Sanders would more likely be a Day 2 pick if his name was Shedeur Jones. Turns out, apparently since his name is Shedeur Sanders, who was never the kind of generational talent who'd blind teams with scintillating gifts, he became a fifth-round flier - the type of player who doesn't even need to give a team a reason to cut him. Asked about his approach after Cleveland finally ended his highly scrutinized draft free fall in April, Sanders said this: "Get there and handle my business. Do what I have to do, whatever role that is. I'm just thankful for the opportunity. So that's all I could ask for. "The rest is on me." Yep. Sanders should heed his own advice. If he's not more careful, the next ticket he's served with could be the one-way variety - to football exile. All NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Big Change Coming for the College Football Playoff
Big Change Coming for the College Football Playoff originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Beginning next season, the College Football Playoff will require teams to issue player availability reports for all games. Advertisement According to Brett McMurphy of and a report CBS Sports, CFP executive director Rich Clark announced the change Wednesday. The Big Ten and SEC have put similar programs in place over the last few years, but the CFP did not share whether their system would follow either of the existing ones. This comes at a time when the widespread legalization of sports gambling is starting to fundamentally alter the landscape of all sports, whether professional or collegiate. Adding the injury reporting requirement brings a level of transparency, making it more difficult for anyone to profit from what was previously exclusive information. The Big Ten's partnership with U.S. Integrity was aimed at these precise issues. Advertisement 'The well-being of our students, coaches, and staff, as well as the integrity of our competitions are of paramount importance,' Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti said of the 2023 partnership. 'Enhanced transparency through availability reporting and partnering with U.S. Integrity strengthens our efforts to protect those who participate in our games as well as the integrity of the games themselves. I'm grateful for the collaboration of our schools, coaches, and administrators.' It seems likely that it is only a matter of time before similar measures are enacted throughout the NCAA. Related: College Football Fans Are Saying The Same Thing About Next Year's 12-Team Playoff This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Miami Herald
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Arizona State Football Preview 2025: Who's Having More Fun Than Kenny Dillingham and the Sun Devils?
Everything about Arizona State last year was back Cam Skattebo was fun. Quarterback Sam Leavitt was fun. Winning the Big 12 Championship was fun, and almost pulling out a thriller over Texas in the College Football Playoff was super-fun, even in a no one had more fun than head coach Kenny Dillingham, with an infectious excitement and style that showed in every play in every game. X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN Arizona State Offense BreakdownArizona State Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season Skattebo might be a New York Giant, but now that the Sun Devils are the hunted, the good times aren't going to Big 12 is much better from top to bottom, being the hunted won't be easy, and there will likely be more than the two regular season losses the team suffered last year. And none of that should be a problem, because this team won't quit. Arizona State started 2-7 in Dillingham's first season in 2023, but there was still intensity and toughness over the final three weeks, even when they were way overmatched in blowout losses to Oregon and Arizona over the last two all carried over into 2024, and now is when it's on Dillingham to keep the party going. He's just 35, and Arizona State is his school - this isn't just some job for him - and it should once again show after proving that his style year's team is among the most experienced in the country, and it still landed a few icing-on-cake transfers to come in to help patch what few holes there team, fun coach, and all at one of the most fun schools in the country. Arizona State is on the national radar now as a must-watch team every it all going with another strong season, and 2024 should be just the beginning. Arizona State Offense BreakdownArizona State Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
CFP mandates player availability reports beginning next season in push for transparency
Image Source: Getty The College Football Playoff (CFP) is set to require official availability reports for players beginning with the 2025–26 season in a decision that brings college football closer to professional levels of transparency and scrutiny. CFP has launched a program designed to increase transparency and preserve the integrity of its games that will provide weekly and pregame updates on the status of all players participating in CFP games. It follows in the footsteps of the SEC and Big Ten, where similar protocols had already been installed, and it is a big departure from an era when programs dished out injury and participation information without much penalty. Transparency in CFP injury reports and game-day updates Playoff teams, per the new CFP mandate, will be required to report injuries mid-week, with each player denoted as 'available,' 'questionable,' or 'out.' Following a system similar to the NFL and SEC, the reports will be published publicly and updated again prior to kickoff at 90 minutes. The intent is to reduce ambiguity about player availability and to level out the playing field for all CFP participants by, for example, standardizing information that previously had come out on different levels or had not been revealed at all. The premise of increased transparency is also part of an effort to curb the growing impact of sports betting in college sports. The CFP believes its plan, with player statuses publicly available in centralized reports, will diminish the incentive to leak information from insiders and also cut off the unfair advantages enjoyed by those with access to such information behind the scenes. This is a forward-thinking move to safeguard not only the sport but the players from outside influences. Compliance, enforcement, and impact on college football betting As a result, accurate injury updates have become integral to fairness and credibility as sports betting has seen a significant rise in legalization. Organizers of CFPs will fall under enforcement models along the lines currently used by the SEC, where penalties begin at $25,000 for non-compliance and climb with repeat offenses. This framework for accountability is intended to discourage teams or coaches from concealing critical player information or providing false updates, tactics that could manipulate betting lines and competitive balance. Also Read: Boston College gives first official look at new football uniforms for 2025 season The CFP is shining a brighter light on this and assisting the sports world with increased transparency by requiring an official availability report to keep pace with this ever-increasing gambling environment. Rather, system features are already being trumpeted by people such as Kirby Smart, who said the system "relieves pressure on our kids," who frequently hear from gamblers or media outsiders. How the CFP handles this will probably be unprecedented for postseason football and might also set a precedent in the rest of the NCAA landscape. Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
USA Today
13 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Notre Dame football offers 2027 Penn State wide receiver commit Khalil Taylor
Notre Dame football offers 2027 Penn State wide receiver commit Khalil Taylor There is a rivalry brewing between Notre Dame and Penn State, and it doesn't just stem from the Irish's College Football Playoff semifinal victory. In the off-season, Notre Dame took the Nittany Lions running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider at the same position, and have been working on recruits like safety Joey O'Brien and cornerback Khary Adams. They've also have had success in landing Pennsylvania offensive tackle Grayson McKeogh on Wednesday. Then on Thursday, the Irish put their hat into the ring for 2027 Penn State commit Khalil Taylor, a 2027 wide receiver. The 5-foot, 11-inch and 180-pounder committed to PSU at the end of March, but that isn't stopping Notre Dame from trying to flip him. Taylor is ranked as the No. 72 overall player in his class by the 247Sports Composite, showing that he's one of the best in the cycle. With the momentum that the Irish have recruiting the state of Pennsylvania, McKeogh and Tyler Merrill committed in the 2026 class, you can't discount Notre Dame from potentially flipping Taylor. This is a recruitment to watch, especially if he makes it to South Bend in the near future.
