Latest news with #ConferenceUSA
USA Today
11 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Why Chris Hacopian chose Texas A&M - ‘I Want to Be the Best Baseball Player Possible'
Next season will be a make-or-break year for Texas A&M head baseball coach Michael Earley. Fans had mixed reactions when it was announced he would be retained, but expectations were high for several changes heading into the 2026 season. The first major move was the addition of Conference USA Assistant Coach of the Year, Cliff Pennington, who brings valuable experience to the staff, particularly on defense and the base paths. Another area of focus was the roster, as several players had already committed to staying under Earley. However, he still needed to address the loss of production and pitching depth. After a slow start in the transfer portal, Coach Earley received great news late Thursday night when one of the top players available, Chris Hacopian, committed to Texas A&M. The former Maryland infielder slashed .375/.502/.656 with 14 home runs and 61 RBIs, adding instant offense to the lineup. In a recent interview, Hacopian was asked why he chose A&M. His response: 'I want to become the best baseball player possible … and I think A&M and those guys over there are going to accomplish that.' Below you can see his interview with Cape Cod reporter Anna Watson. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Missouri State visibly changing ahead of joining Conference USA
SPRINGFIELD–The Missouri State Athletic Department has been hard at work getting major upgrades and changes underway and finished in preparation to join Conference USA on July 1. Between new field turf, lights, and fiber optics at Plaster Stadium to new court designs and logos at Great Southern Bank Arena and the Hammons Student Center BIG changes are visible across the campus of Missouri State. And those are just a few MAJOR things you can see, for now. There's still plenty of heavy lifting for the Bears brass to do before July 1, but most outsiders will notice there's a different look and feel around Springfield because of the changes. The athletic budget for MSU last year was $34.3 million, but will bump up closer to $40 million. That increase will put it on the same operating level as soon-to-be conference rivals Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, and Florida International. The travel budget will also see an uptick in cost. Last year, the school budgeted nearly $3 million, but this coming athletic year, that figure will rise to almost $6 million. The football team will, like usual, provide most of the funding for the other 16 school sports. By joinging Conference USA, the university will be featured in 5 nationally televised games this fall, adding a major source of revenue for the school thanks to selling that inventory and earning media money from being a member of C-USA. Bears Athletic Director, Patrick Ransdell spoke about the transcendant time earlier this week. 'Sales should see a bump up because now we're having national broadcast inventory,' said Ransdell. 'Going from just ESPN plus broadcast to 5 nationally televised games is a pretty big deal. To be on ESPN2 or ESPNU or CBS Sports Network those are opportunities that don't come along very often and we need to be able to take advantage when we can.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Liberty Flames Football Preview 2025: Prediction, Win Total, Top 10 Players, Keys to the Season
Liberty Flames Key to the Season Complete more Flame offense lives on the running game, and the quarterbacks will once again be mobile, but hitting the midrange passes is a must. When Kaidon Salter hit better than 55% of his passes, Liberty went 8-0. When he didn't, Liberty went 0-4. He's gone, but that means the offense needs lots and lots of completions from …- 2025 Liberty Preview Liberty Flames Key Player Ethan Vasko, QB Carolina transfer Michael Merdinger will be in the mix in fall camp, but Vasko is the likely starting quarterback when Maine comes to town. He stepped in last year at Coastal Carolina with 2,110 yards and 14 scores, and he ran for 821 yards in two seasons with the program, but it's asking a whole lot to be Kaidon Salter. Liberty Flames Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss Top Transfer In: Casey Cain, WR the 6-3, 200-pound UNLV transfer crack the loaded receiving corps. He only caught 16 passes in his time with the Rebels and first at Texas, but he has the size and can Transfer Out: Kaidon Salter, QB wasn't always great, and he took a big step back last season passing, but Salter is leaving for Colorado with close to 6,000 yards with 56 touchdown passes, and over 2,000 rushing yards and 21 scores. Liberty Flames Key Game at Old Dominion, Sept. 27Liberty should rip through its league slate without breaking a sweat, but there's a huge problem - there isn't anyone great on the slate. To get 19 steps ahead, to have any dream of being the Group of Five champion in the College Football Playoff, it has to rip up James Madison, and there can't be any buckling at ODU.- 2025 Liberty Schedule Breakdown Liberty Flames Top 10 Players 1. Joseph Carter, LB Sr.2. Aaron Fenimore, C Soph.3. Brylan Green, S Sr.4. CJ Bazile, EDGE Sr.5. A'Khori Jones, S Sr.6. Ethan Vasko, QB Jr.7. Amarian Williams, CB Sr.8. Dexter Ricks, CB Jr.9. Julian Gray, RB Sr.10. Elijan Canion, WR Sr. Liberty Flames 2024 Fun Stats - 1st Quarter Scoring: Opponents 70, Liberty 43- 4th Quarter Scoring: Liberty 124, Opponents. 69- Fumbles: Liberty 23 (lost 11), Opponents 13 (lost 7) Liberty Flames 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen This is a flawed Liberty team with a whole slew of things that need to come together, but Conference USA is so light and breezy that this could be a ten-win season just by showing Flames avoid a regular season game against a Power Four program for a third straight season, and missing Sam Houston and WKU will help. Even better, they get the two newbies, Delaware and Missouri long as there isn't a gack like last year's loss at Kennesaw State, there's no excuse not to be in the Conference USA Championship. However, even if the Flames roll everyone and beat James Madison, Bowling Green, and Old Dominion, the schedule is too light to get into the CFP, even at The Liberty Flames Win Total At … 9.5Likely Wins: Delaware, at Jacksonville State, Maine, Missouri State, New Mexico State50/50 Games: at Bowling Green, at FIU, James Madison, Kennesaw State, at Louisiana Tech, at Old Dominion, at UTEPLikely Losses: No projected sure-thing losses- 2025 Liberty Preview © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
USA Today
05-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alabama basketball set to face former player, assistant in 2025-26 nonconference schedule
Alabama basketball set to face former player, assistant in 2025-26 nonconference schedule Alabama basketball added another opponent to its 2025-26 nonconference slate this week. The Crimson Tide will face the Kennesaw State Owls from Conference USA on Sunday, Dec. 21. The game will be played at a neutral site, Propst Arena in Huntsville. The matchup against the Owls will come against a head coach that Alabama fans know well: former Crimson Tide guard and assistant coach Antoine Pettway. A starter on Alabama's 2004 team that went on a deep NCAA Tournament run to reach the program's first Elite Eight, Pettway will be in his third season as Owls head coach. He previously served as an assistant at Alabama from 2013-23 under Anthony Grant, Avery Johnson and Nate Oats. Pettway guided Kennesaw State to a 19-14 overall record and a 10-8 mark in Conference USA play last season. He had a four-year playing career at Alabama from 2000-01 to 2003-04 under coach Mark Gottfried, averaging 9.1 points per game to go with 3.7 rebounds with 3.5 assists while starting all 33 games his senior season. Oats has put together another loaded nonconference schedule with marquee matchups for 2025-26. The Crimson Tide will face Illinois (in Chicago), Purdue (at Coleman Coliseum), St. John's (Madison Square Garden) and Arizona (in Birmingham), among others. Alabama finished 28-9 last season and advanced to the Elite Eight before falling to Duke in the East Region final in Newark. The Crimson Tide were ranked No. 6 in the final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
28-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Picking Colorado's football schedule by NCAA Academic Progress Rate and U.S. News ranking
Picking Colorado's football schedule by NCAA Academic Progress Rate and U.S. News ranking The difficulty of Colorado's 2025 football schedule is well documented. We've outlined that the Buffaloes own the Big 12's toughest conference schedule and one of the most challenging overall. The team hosts Big 12 title contenders BYU, Iowa State, and Arizona State, and also travels to face a couple more in TCU and Kansas State. Not to mention traveling to a likely top 25 program in Utah. Many, including myself, think that Colorado would do exceptionally well to get to the six-win bowl eligibility mark, and anything more would be a huge surprise. Repeating the nine-win season seems like an unlikely scenario. Unrelated to football, how does Colorado football compare to its 2025 opponents academically? In the last few weeks, we've outlined Colorado's place in the Big 12 in both the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate and the latest U.S News & World Report rankings. Those placements: No. 14 (961) and No. 2 (No. 98 nationally), respectively. We went through each game on Colorado's 2025 schedule, comparing both academic rankings. How would the Buffaloes fare if games were decided in the classroom and not on the field? Week 1 vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Academic Progress Rate: 969 U.S. News Ranking: No. 33 Georgia Tech is the top academic school that Colorado faces all season. The Yellow Jackets are the only school on the Buffaloes' schedule within the top 50 of the U.S. News rankings. Georgia Tech's APR does not blow Colorado out of the water, but Colorado being ranked No. 98 in the U.S. News rankings is a far cry from a top-40 ranking. On the field, this game should be a close one, but according to SP+, the Yellow Jackets might still have a slight edge. Week 2 vs. Delaware Blue Hens Academic Progress Rate: 970 U.S. News Ranking: No. 86 Delaware is moving up to the FBS this year and will compete in Conference USA. However, the Blue Hens' academics were already on par with many FBS institutions. Delaware beats Colorado in both academic categories, but on the field, the Buffaloes should handle the newly promoted program with ease. Week 3 at Houston Cougars Academic Progress Rate: 940 U.S. News Ranking: No. 144 Colorado needs to go 3-0 to open the year to have a legitimate chance at bowl eligibility. The Cougars are one of the Buffs' easier conference opponents based on SP+, so a win on the field should not be much of an issue. Off the field, Colorado also reigns supreme in APR and U.S. News rankings. Week 4 vs. Wyoming Cowboys Academic Progress Rate: 976 U.S. News Ranking: No. 220 You can make the argument that Colorado going 4-0 to open the year is not out of the realm of possibilities. Unfortunately for Colorado, the easy games are all at the beginning of the season. Week 5 vs. BYU Cougars Academic Progress Rate: 954 U.S. News Ranking: No. 109 The gauntlet of Colorado's schedule starts Week 5 against BYU. Beating the Cougars will be a tall task, and the Buffs might hope the game was decided in the classroom as they own a better mark in both academic categories. Week 6 at TCU Horned Frogs Academic Progress Rate: 963 U.S. News Ranking: No. 105 TCU is another challenging opponent for the Buffs and, by far, their most daunting road test to date this season. Although the Horned Frogs have a slightly better APR, Colorado is superior in the U.S. News ranking. Colorado fans hope the on-field matchup is just as close. Week 7 vs. Iowa State Cyclones Academic Progress Rate: 991 U.S. News Ranking: No. 121 Another difficult opponent and another split in the two academic categories. Colorado ranks higher in the U.S. News ranking, while Iowa State owns a far superior APR. The Cyclones are one of the top teams in the Big 12, and although academically the Buffs might stand a chance, the on-field matchup will be a challenge. Week 9 at Utah Utes Academic Progress Rate: 984 U.S. News Ranking: No. 136 Utah edges Colorado in APR while the Buffs hold the better U.S. News ranking. After a bye week, the Buffs should be well-rested for arguably their most pivotal game of the season. If the Buffs want bowl eligibility, a win against the Utes would go a long way. Week 10 vs. Arizona Wildcats Academic Progress Rate: 969 U.S. News Ranking: No. 109 The easiest conference game of the year for Colorado, according to SP+. CU should have little trouble knocking off the Wildcats. APR goes the way of Arizona only slightly, while Colorado owns the better U.S. News ranking. Week 11 at West Virginia Mountaineers Academic Progress Rate: 980 U.S. News Ranking: No. 220 After several grueling matchups with the Big 12 elite, Colorado gets back-to-back winnable conference matchups. The Buffs can't afford to slip up against any inferior opponents, and West Virginia is one of them. APR goes the way of the Mountaineers while the Buffaloes hold the edge in the U.S. News rankings. Week 13 vs. Arizona State Sun Devils Academic Progress Rate: 973 U.S. News Ranking: No. 121 Colorado's season wraps up with its two most challenging games of the season against the Big 12's top two teams based on SP+. ASU edges Colorado in APR, but the Buffs make up for that with a better U.S. News ranking. Week 14 at Kansas State Wildcats Academic Progress Rate: 990 U.S. News Ranking: No. 165 Kansas State owns one of the top APRs in the Big 12 and one of the conference's top offenses. It will be a tall task to take down the Wildcats on the road to close out the season in a game that could seal Kansas State's College Football Playoff berth. In summary, the Buffaloes would have mixed results if games were decided in the classroom. They beat 10 of their 12 opponents in the latest U.S. News rankings, but only two of 12 in NCAA APR. We'll now see how the on-field product compares to that projection. Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads, and Instagram. Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.
