Set to launch worldwide on July 19, a full reveal of the modes and features of EA Sports College Football 25 was announced on Friday.

Dynasty and Road To Glory modes will be available in College Football 25, according to a release. Those two modes will allow players “to construct their own powerhouse program as a created coach or vie for the Heisman as a player” in what the video game introduces as CampusIQ, which will be “a suite of features that brings to life the true depth of college football through wide open, fast-paced gameplay across all 134 FBS schools in all areas of the game.”

READ: ESPN, FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery introduce Venu Sports streaming service

Over 10,000 players have opted into College Football 25, it was announced in March. Any student-athlete who opts in and has their name, image and likeness used will receive $600 and a copy of the video game.

College Football 25 will also offer “the all-new Road to the College Football Playoff and College Football Ultimate Team” that will “bring fresh online experiences and ways to play.”

“EA SPORTS College Football is BACK! We’ve felt the passion and anticipation of college football fans every step of the way since we first announced this game, and we’re ecstatic to finally be able to show everyone what we’ve been building,” EA Sports SVP and Group GM Daryl Holt stated in a release. “College Football 25 is built with authenticity at its core, inspired by experiences our fans have loved from our games, and fully evolved to reflect modern college football – all of which will immerse them in the sights, sounds, and true-to-life gameplay of the sport they love.”

READ: Northwestern announces 2024 schedule, will play 2 games at Wrigley Field

READ: ABC, ESPN unveil Weeks 0-1 broadcast schedule

EA Sports unveiled the cover of College Football 25 on Thursday, showcasing Michigan running back Donovan Edwards, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Colorado defensive back/wide receiver Travis Hunter. They will star on the covers of the Standard and Deluxe editions.

“Donovan, Quinn and Travis are extraordinary talents who impressed and entertained millions of college football fans on the field last season and are poised to do so again this year,” Holt stated in a release. “We’re proud to be able to incorporate thousands of current athletes in College Football 25, and featuring this trio of playmakers and their iconic college programs on the cover is a perfect fit as we usher in a new era for EA SPORTS and college football. I can’t wait for the world to learn more about the game tomorrow.”

ESPN broadcasters such as Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will “call marquee matchups,” along with other broadcast teams such as Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer and David Pollack will comprise the virtual booth and “take the mic for all other games.”

Among the gameplay features include Homefield Advantage, which will allow players to “through distractions like screen shaking, missing pre-play icons, and moving play art.” Additional features consist of Pre-Snap Recognition and the Wear & Tear System, which means virtual player stamina is affected by more play so it will be important to “manage your players’ health, limit fatigue, assess risk of injury, and avoid on-field mistakes by using strategic substitutions to ensure your players are at their best when it counts the most.”

The traditions within college football that make it one of a kind will be immersed in College Football 25. Along with team mascots and fight songs, the video game will include “unique team run-outs, rivalry rituals, synchronized crowd-chants, loudness meters as well as real game-day audio.”

READ: Colorado-Nebraska primetime kickoff announced for Week 2 matchup on NBC

Dynasty and Road To Glory modes are also offered in the video game alongside Road to the College Football Playoff, where players will “experience a new way to play competitively across consoles” and “earn rank by upsetting the toughest opponents and securing the votes you need to progress and level up divisions,” as well as College Football Ultimate Team.

College Football Ultimate Team will allow players to “build your dream team of college football stars and legends” in Solo Challenges or H2H seasons, and they can test their skill across consoles “in more competitive formats like College Football Ultimate Team Champs and Champs Gauntlet.”

EA Sports College Football 25 is available for pre-order now. According to Matt Brown of Extra Points, the video game will not be available for PC at launch. EA Sports is also offering an MVP bundle on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S that will include deluxe editions of College Football 25 and Madden NFL 25 “with 3-day early access and unlocks a multitude of benefits across both titles.”

The post EA Sports College Football 25 features, gameplay shared in full reveal appeared first on Saturday Glory.

EA Sports announced Monday on social media that “10,000+” student-athletes “are in the game.” It was announced in February that any player who opts in and has their name, image and likeness used in the game will receive at least $600 and a copy of “College Football 25.”

READ: 5 takeaways from the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine 

“10k and counting… pretty pretttyyy good,” @EASPORTSCollege posted on X.

All 134 Football Bowl Subdivision schools will be available to play in the new video game.

READ: Texas WR Xavier Worthy breaks 40-yard dash record with 4.21 time at NFL Combine

ESPN broadcasters such as Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit will make up “the voices” of “College Football 25.”

If a player doesn’t opt into the “College Football 25” video game, then “a generic avatar based on the traditional strength or weakness of a position over the past decade for that school” will be created by EA Sports, according to ESPN.

The post EA Sports announces 10K players have opted in to ‘College Football 25’ appeared first on Saturday Glory.

College football players around the country shared on social media Thursday their participation in the upcoming EA Sports video game “College Football 25.”

EA Sports confirmed Thursday that all 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams will be available to play in the new game.

READ: Reports: CFP discusses 14-team Playoff possibilities

More information about the game will be available in May, according to a release.

Players such as Michigan’s Will Johnson and Ohio State transfer Quinshon Judkins posted on X a graphic designed in their team’s colors promoting the video game.

ESPN broadcasters such as Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit shared posts confirming they’ll also appear as “one of the voices” of the game. Herbstreit posted “I’m so excited to FINALLY announce that I’m part of @EASPORTSCollege. I’m proud to be a partner and one of the voices of the game once again – my 14th year in that role.”

According to Michael Rothstein of ESPN, any player who opts in and has their name, image and likeness used in the game will receive at least $600 and a copy of “College Football 25.”

Additional opportunities such as advertisements, promotion, social media posts and other avenues will be available for players to have a chance to make more, according to ESPN.

READ: Alabama announces JaMarcus Shephard, Nick Sheridan join offensive coaching staff

No Football Championship Subdivision school will be available to play when the game launches, according to ESPN.

If a player doesn’t opt into the “College Football 25” video game, then “a generic avatar based on the traditional strength or weakness of a position over the past decade for that school” will be created by EA Sports, according to ESPN.

According to Ryan Kryska of The Associated Press, users who could create and add players of real-life college football players who did not opt into the “College Football 25” video game will be blocked from doing so.

The post ‘I’m in the game’: CFB players share their participation in upcoming EA Sports ‘College Football 25’ appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Hoke has spent parts of six seasons with the Aztecs, coaching them first from 2009-10 and again in his current stint since 2020.

“I am proud of what we accomplished at San Diego State,” Hoke stated in a release. “I am grateful to all the great student-athletes I’ve had the chance to work with, molding them into men, husbands, fathers and pillars in the community. I will always cherish my time leading this program. I’d also like to thank the wonderful staff I’ve worked with and wish them the best in the future.”

PODCAST: Week 11 Recap: Are things getting any clearer?

Hoke has led the Aztecs to a 3-7 record this season.

In his time as head coach at San Diego State, Hoke has taken the Aztecs to 13-straight bowl games, a stretch that is sixth-longest in college football.

“I am very appreciative for the work Brady Hoke has done with our football program at San Diego State both on and off the field,” Atzecs athletics director John Wicker stated in a release. “Brady set the standard in 2009 when he first arrived on The Mesa that we now hold ourselves too. However, it’s more than wins and losses.  Brady created a culture, led our program thru COVID, played two entire seasons in Carson, including a 12-win campaign, and takes seriously the development of young men off the field as well as on.

The post San Diego State head coach Hoke to retire at end of season appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Consider this: a team has a 13-game winning streak and averages nearly 430 yards per game.

PODCAST: What Should Decide Who the Best Teams in America Are?

Enter Fresno State, the most recent team to enter the Associated Press Top 25 Poll right at No. 25, and the Bulldogs head coach doesn’t take much stock from it. 

“At the end of the year is what matters,” Fresno State head coach Jeff Tedford said. “Our team has played hard and done a good job, but we’re just now starting conference, and really it’s when you’re 4-0 that’s a little that can be even more challenging than 1-4 because of expectation and everybody patting you on the back and all that type of thing. It’s human nature to get in your comfort zone, and so we have to do our best to stay out of that. So we’re just going to go to work each week one day at a time and just try to continue to get better every week.” 

The only team with a longer active winning streak is No. 1 Georgia, which currently is riding a 21-game win streak that includes a College Football Playoff National Championship. 

The Fresno State Bulldogs are riding their winning streak that dates back to Week 7 of last season. Since then wins have included against San Diego State, Boise State and Washington State in the LA Bowl. 

This season, Fresno State began the year with a 39-35 stunner at Purdue. The Bulldogs came back from being down 28-17 while quarterback Mikey Keene threw two clutch touchdown passes in the second half.

READ: Preview Thursday: Week 5

Tedford said the Bulldogs have addressed team expectations during team meetings behind their 4-0 start. 

“When you’re 4-0 and people are patting you on the back and that type of thing and saying good things all the time it’s challenging, and so we just have to make sure that we stay grounded and know what it takes to be successful each week and that we’re going get everybody’s shot,” Tedford said. “And we just have to keep that focus in mind on what it takes to win a football game. It is very difficult and it all happens in preparation. And we take a day off of preparation or get a little bit comfortable, then we’re going to get bit by it so it’s just really important for kids to understand that.” 

Fresno State has a balance of offense and defense capable of leading any game. Keene leads the Mountain West Conference in passing per game behind an average of 301.3 yards per game and he’s atop the passing efficiency leaderboard with a 151.42 rating. 

The Bulldogs are No. 1 in the Mountain West Conference in scoring offense, averaging almost 39 points per game, and No. 2 in total defense, holding opponents to 297.5 yards per outing. They also shut out Arizona State 29-0 on the road in Week 3. 

Defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle said Fresno State has “got a lot of guys that have improved,” and he highlighted defensive back Cam Lockridge, defensive lineman Gavriel Lightfoot and linebacker Raymond Scott among the team’s most improved players who are guiding the defense. 

Coyle also said he’s noticed the defensive side of the ball has started to make breakthroughs. 

“One thing I’m very pleased about is the fact that from the first week till now, we’re a much better defense than we were,” Coyle said. “A much deeper defense with the fact that we’ve been able to play a lot of players here early in the season, which is going to help us as we get into the conference schedule.”

PODCAST: Riding high and bouncing back, a week five preview

Fresno State opens conference play on Saturday against 0-4 Nevada, but Tedford and the Bulldogs aren’t taken the Wolfpack lightly. 

Each game is important to Tedford, who hopes the Bulldogs can continue building on their nationally important winning ways. 

“Every week I’m concerned about every single aspect of our team and our game,” Tedford said. “We have really good kids. I do know that. And they work really hard and they’re going to play really hard. I have a lot of confidence in that, but you just never know week to week. You see some young guys come along, which is nice to see like new safeties who hadn’t played before are doing a good job and some of the new receivers are doing a good job. So they’ve matured a lot and really it’s through hard work that they’ve done that. But still, we have to continue to get better each and every week. We have a lot of room for improvement.”

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And one yard was all No. 4 Ohio State needed to outlast No. 11 Notre Dame 17-14 on Saturday night. It was one of six ranked matchups on the docket in Week 4, and the better seed prevailed in all but one. 

READ: Ohio State climbs to No. 4, Fresno State enters latest AP Top 25 Poll

No. 16 Washington State upset Oregon State 38-35 in a high scoring affair. Cougars quarterback Cameron Ward threw 404 passing yards and four touchdowns to lead Washington State to its fourth win of the season. 

No. 1 Georgia once again took care of business, extending its winning streak to 21 games in a 49-21 victory over UAB. Quarterback Carson Beck tossed 338 yards and three touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ victory. 

Here are some of the top statistical performances from Week 2.   

Troy Franklin, Oregon 

Franklin had a hand in halting the Colorado hype train, as No. 9 Oregon defeated the Buffaloes 42-6 and had a 35-0 halftime lead. 

Franklin got the job done through the air. He was one of 10 Ducks to get a catch in the win over Colorado. 

Leading the receivers in the game was Franklin, who caught 126 yards on an impressive eight catches. He averaged 15.8 yards per reception. 

He also hauled in a pair of scores to lead Oregon backs behind Bo Nix’s three touchdown passes. Both Franklin’s touchdowns came in the second quarter on 16- and 36-yard receptions.

PODCAST: Here’s Why You Should Be Behind Ryan Day’s Comments to Lou Holtz

Nix had a solid outing, completing nearly 85% of his passes for 276 yards. 

Ashton Jeanty, Boise State 

A career day on the ground for Jeanty helped Boise State begin its Mountain West slate with a win. 

Jeanty rushed for 205 yards on the day against San Diego State, averaging almost nine yards on each of his 23 carries. 

Boise State didn’t get out to the best of starts. The Broncos had just 26 yards in the opening quarter before turning on the jets for 17 points in the second quarter.

READ: Travis ‘stood up in the moment,’ leads No. 4 Florida State to win over Clemson for first time since 2014 

Jeanty played a large role in igniting the Broncos offense. He broke off a 58-yard touchdown carry with 9:08 left to play in the first half finding space through the middle. 

Later in the second quarter Jeanty made way on a 36-yard rush that set up Boise State across midfield at the San Diego State 36-yard line. The drive ended with a 29-yard field goal. 

Jeanty’s second touchdown came on a 6-yard push that put Boise state ahead 34-24. He also added four catches for 49 yards and accounted for 12 of the team’s 19 first downs. 

Jeanty is the first Broncos running back to rush for at least 200 yards since Alexander Mattison in 2018, and his production on the ground is the most from a Mountain West player so far this season. 

Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk, Washington 

A pair of Washington receivers are next in this week’s Stat Pack, and both had over 100 yards receiving in the win over Cal. 

Odunze is a projected Day 1 or Day 2 pick in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, and he showed out with another big performance on Saturday. He delivered his fourth-consecutive 100-plus yard performance and added a few more touchdowns to his stat line. 

Odunze wasn’t Washington’s leading receiver as Polk totaled 127 receiving yards to Odunze’s 125. The pair combined for 13 catches, 252 receiving yards and four touchdowns. 

Polk had touchdown scores of 8 and 24 yards in the first and second quarters, respectively, while Odunze found the end zone on touchdowns of 35 and 13 yards. 

Receiving wasn’t all for Odunze, however. He returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown in the opening minutes of the first quarter, the first of his career. 

Jack Plummer, Louisville 

While Michael Penix Jr. is busy guiding the Huskies to a 4-0 start, a fellow transfer quarterback was doing the same for Louisville. 

Plummer followed head coach Jeff Brohm to the Cardinals program after the 2022 season following a year at Cal. The two are tasked with building on an 8-4 record from a year ago under predecessor Scott Satterfield and Deion Branch. 

Plummer has done his job so far. He entered Saturday having reached 238 passing yards in each of his first three starts. 

Plummer more than upped his totals this time around with a 388-yard performance against Boston College. He threw a 1-yard touchdown on Louisville’s first offensive drive of the game, and the Cardinals never looked back nor trailed against the Eagles.

PODCAST: When Do Conference Realignment Changes Begin to Feel Real?

A career-high five touchdown passes came from the game for Plummer. He found four different targets, including receiver Ahmari Huggins-Bruce twice, for touchdown scores, and Plummer completed his passes at a nifty 85.7%. 

Naiem Simmons, South Florida 

This week’s leading receiver put up video game-like stats in South Florida’s 42-29 win over Rice. 

Simmons set new career-bests in a number of categories on Saturday. He caught a career-high eight passes for 272 yards and hauled in a touchdown. 

Simmons’ big day came after catches of 53, 52, 51, 49 and 42 yards. His first three catches of the second half all went for at least 42 yards. 

Simmons’ production broke the South Florida program record for receiving yards in a game, topping Tyre McCants’ previous best of 227 yards set in 2017. 

The post Stat Pack: Week 4 appeared first on Saturday Glory.

College football is a variety show with sketches, deep political discussions, slapstick humor, great musical guests, and there’s always a hilarious monologue from USC’s defense.

The NFL is basically just reruns of NCIS starring Lt. Phil Simms.

Meanwhile, with college football you are guaranteed to see something new every week. That’s what makes this sport so difficult to predict, and so impossible to turn away from.

We are all basically pre-rubbernecking. We know something disastrous is going to happen if we just watch a little bit longer.

We are sadists if nothing else. And we are legion.

Friday September 8

Illinois (1-0) at Kansas (1-0) (-3) | 7:30 pm | ESPN2

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels is expected to start this week after missing last week’s opener against Southwest Missouri State with back tightness. He can be a dynamic playmaker when healthy, but back issues have a way of showing up at the worst possible times. They’re basically the neighbors from hell. They’ll poison your animals or park their RV in the yard or show up on your doorbell camera at 3 in the morning slurring Bob Seger songs. Illinois comes into this game off of a 30-28 desperation win over Toledo. Rockets quarterback Dequan Finn threw for 230 yards and ran for 75 more. Jalon Daniels could have a big day, but so could Illini quarterback Luke Altmeyer, who threw for 206 and ran for 69 in the win over UT. He will need to avoid the bad turnovers, however. Given Illinois’ overall struggles against Toledo, (1) I like Kansas -3 in this one.

Saturday September 9

No. 10 Notre Dame (2-0) at North Carolina State (1-0) (+7.5) | 12:00 pm |ABC

It seems like people are wanting to buy into Notre Dame right now given their 2-0 start. It’s not every team in the nation that could beat Navy and Tennessee State to open the season, but it is most of them. North Carolina State quarterback Brennan Armstrong lit up the ACC two years ago as Virginia’s quarterback, but he missed the Notre Dame game that year with a rib injury. He should be able to cause some trouble. If he can avoid the turnovers, this could go down to the final possession. Irish quarterback Sam Hartman continues his obligatory Heisman campaign as college football tips its cap to its old ways, back when the sport fought in two World Wars and worked for 62 years as a mail carrier. (2) That being said, I will take Hartman to throw over 1.5 touchdowns.

Nebraska (0-1) at No. 22 Colorado (1-0) (-3) | 12:00 pm | FOX

No team has captured the imagination of the college football universe like Nebraska. Specifically, people are wondering if Scott Frost has just executed the biggest con of all-time and pulled a Face/Off with Matt Rhule? Is Matt Rhule actually sedated in a hospital bed somewhere with no face, while Frost is out living it up as Mayor McRunza once again in Lincoln? Based on how badly Nebraska collapsed in their loss to Minnesota last week, I think the only answer is yes. Colorado, meanwhile, shocked everyone with a week one shootout win at TCU. This is not your grandfather’s Buffs team (mainly because your grandfather’s Buffs team could actually run the ball). Shadeur Sanders threw for 500 yards against TCU, so who knows what he’s going to do in this one. Despite what Deion Sanders is trying to tell everybody, Colorado is still an unknown. If Nebraska is going to steal this one, they’ll need a more consistent game from quarterback Jeff Sims. Expect Sims to be used heavily as a runner, which is why (3) I like the over on his 67.5 rushing yards. And while we’re talking quarterbacks, go ahead and (4) give me the over on Sanders’ 315.5 yards passing. It is way too early to start having expectations for what this Colorado offense is, but if Coach Prime is eventually going to find out what we’re all saying about his team, I’d like to have some positive things written for him that I can point to.

No. 20 Ole Miss (1-0) at No. 24 Tulane (1-0) (+7.5) | 3:30 pm | ESPN2

This line has climbed from 6 to 7.5 over the course of the week. Tulane should be relatively tough for Ole Miss to run against, but that’s why the Rebels have one of the best tailbacks in the game. Quinshon Judkins didn’t get much work in the opener last week against Mercer, but he may need to be a workhorse in this one. Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt completed 14-of-15 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns last week against South Alabama. He will get his second-consecutive shot at a directional Alabama school this week as the Green Wave take on the West Alabama Rebels. Despite the talented offenses, (5) I’m taking the under because 66.5 is too many points this early in the season.

No. 23 Texas A&M (1-0) at Miami (1-0) (+3.5) | 3:30 pm | ABC

A capacity seating chart of 64,992 places to sit will be witness to one of the biggest games of the week. And many of those places to sit will actually have fans in them! Texas A&M beat Miami 17-9 last year in College Station, but this year they’ll have to do it in the relative silence of Hard Rock Stadium. For the traveling Texas A&M fans, I want to reassure you that just because the place looks like an abandoned Sea World, there is no Shamu skeleton stashed away in a room somewhere. That was sold to a private buyer decades ago. And if anybody in a Hurricanes jersey tries to ask if you want to go see it, do NOT go with them. In terms of the on-field stuff, picking against the SEC West generally goes poorly for me, but I don’t know if A&M really qualifies since they play more like an SEC East team. This game confuses me. I can see a shootout with two talented quarterbacks or I could see a bunch of athletes on defense causing problems for two offenses that have yet to be tested.

Iowa (1-0) at Iowa State (1-0) (+3.5) | 3:30 pm | FOX

Everybody talks about the CyHawk Trophy being up for grabs in this game but nobody ever talks about how the losing team has to eat the entire Iowa State Fair butter cow before they can go home. If you combined both of these offenses, they’d have the No. 20 offense in the nation in terms of yards per game. The over/under on this is 36.5 points. Even with these two teams, that feels too low to take. But then if you think a 20-17 score seems high — which I do — don’t you have to (6) take the under? You’re never going to go broke taking the under with the Hawkeyes, after all.

No. 11 Texas (1-0) at No. 3 Alabama (1-0) (-7) | 7:00 pm | ESPN

The Game of the Year of the Week. It sure looked like Alabama was gonna lose this game last year until they knocked Quinn Ewers out of the game. They took a page out of their playbook from the national championship game in 2009 when they knocked Colt McCoy out of the game. Despite having that knowledge, I am still riding with Ewers in this one — to a point, at least. This should be a bit of a shootout, so (7) I like Ewers over 250.5 yards passing, and (8) over 1.5 touchdown passes. (9) I’m still taking the Tide -7, however.

No. 13 Oregon (1-0) at Texas Tech (0-1) (+6.5) | 7:00 pm | FOX

Texas Tech did not have a good start last week, losing 35-33 at Wyoming. Contrast that with Oregon’s 81-7 win over Portland State, and you’d expect a larger spread here. The fact that it’s under a touchdown should tell you that both teams are expected to bounce back closer to reality this week. If so, this could be one of the more entertaining games of the week. While everybody is starting the 7:00 o’clock hour with Texas and Bama, it could be this one that takes the 10 o’clock hour.

No. 19 Wisconsin (1-0) at Washington State (1-0) (+6) | 7:30 pm | ABC

Leave it to Wisconsin to implement a new passing offense that rushes for 314 yards. If we expected Baskin-Robbins to open up a salad restaurant, it was our own fault. The Badgers may still be running the ball, but they’re doing it with more tempo. This could lead to a shootout, especially if Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward plays close to the way he did in the opener against Colorado State. In a 50-24 win over the Rams, Ward threw for 451 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 40 yards and a fourth touchdown. Luke Fickell’s defense is still being developed, and they’re going to have their hands full in Pullman. This couldn’t feel more like a trap for Wisconsin if Admiral Ackbar was calling the game. One thing the Badgers have going for them is the fact that Wazzu beat them in Madison last year, so at least they understand the possibilities here. Wisconsin has lost three-consecutive regular season contests against Pac 12 teams, so nobody is happier about the conference’s collapse than they are, which is pretty petty on their part. (10) And yes, I already feel stupid for taking the over on 58 points, which begs the question of why I don’t just edit this to take the under? Okay, let’s go with the under. Does this make me feel better? Not really.

UCLA (1-0) at San Diego State (2-0) (+14) | 7:30 pm | CBS

UCLA freshman quarterback Dante Moore was impressive last week. He didn’t start, but he provided an offensive spark, completing 7-of-12 passes for 143 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Chip Kelly isn’t announcing a starter just yet, but even if Moore doesn’t start, he can change the tone and momentum when he comes in. The Aztecs come into this game undefeated, but they needed an injured Ohio quarterback in week one to make that happen. An 8-point win over Idaho State last week was unimpressive. The Bruins have won their last five games as road favorites, but 14 points seems like a lot to cover right now.

The post Ten Best For The Weekend: Week Two appeared first on Saturday Glory.

It’s not quite kegs and eggs, but we had to grow up sometime.

Saturday is Week Zero for college football, and while it’s not the best week of the season, it’s better than the feckless, Fickell-less hellscape we’ve been living in since January.

But we’re here now, and you better believe we’re going to enjoy every moment of it.

Each week of this college football season I’ll be taking a look at the 10 best games to watch, and throwing in a few questionably valid tips here and there.

I would say that everything that follows from here is for entertainment purposes only, but that sounds both arrogant and presumptuous.

Saturday August 26

Chaminade-Madonna (FL) vs. St. Frances Academy (MD) | 12:00 pm | ESPN

Look, when it’s Week Zero and you’ve come up with a gimmick of where you have to write about 10 games and there aren’t 10 college games to write about, you dip into the high school ranks. I’m basically a McDonald’s from 1991 looking for employees. I cannot promise competitive wages, paid time off, or opportunity for advancement, but fortunately gas is only $1.47 a gallon in this timeline, so it won’t cost you that much to get here. I can, however, give you every other weekend off, provided you can get somebody to cover your shift for the weekends you won’t be working. We also provide a 15% discount on meals for employees (No McDLTs). Anyway, back to the present day, you’re gonna be so ramped up after watching College Gameday that you’re going to need something to watch RIGHT EFFING NOW. I give you Chaminade-Madonna against St. Frances. Two of the best high school programs around. Chaminade-Madonna has the best receiver room in the nation that isn’t located in Columbus. That room includes five-star prospects Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State commit) and JoJo Trader (Miami commit). Meanwhile, St. Frances has a defense with more future collegians than a country club daycare. It’ll be fun. This will scratch your itch better than the ruler you keep on your desk.

Navy vs. Notre Dame (-21) (Dublin) | 2:30 pm | NBC |

The Irish were favored by 16.5 over Navy last year, and nearly covered, beating the Midshipmen 35-32. That game came after an oddly dominating 35-14 win over Clemson where the Irish treated the Tigers like a Midwesterner treats a Myrtle Beach Motel 6 after an extra large Papa John’s and a 2-liter of Big K cola. There will be no let down this week, unless the Notre Dame players end up in one too many pubs. I have to assume there are more things to do in Ireland than visit pubs and golf in the rain, but I’ve never seen proof in the movies. There is no better time to play an option team than in the season opener, so give Notre Dame credit for not being idiots here. They’ve been preparing for this game for months. Let’s just expect a slow start offensively for both squads, which leads me to (1) liking the under on 49.5.

UTEP at Jacksonville State (+1.5) | 5:30 pm | CBSSN

Jacksonville State is the very last team in Phil Steele’s preview magazine, which is like being the last kid picked in fifth-grade dodgeball. Even behind the kid who strikes out in kickball (that would be Sam Houston, by the way). This is Jacksonville State’s first game as a member of the FBS, so this is going to be the biggest thing to hit Jacksonville, Alabama since Cooter Brown’s Rib Shack opened 23 years ago. Rich Rodriguez is the head coach at Jacksonville State. He went 9-2 last year in his first year with the program. If there’s one thing we know about RichRod, it’s that if you hand him the keys, he can win anywhere in the country.*
*Offer not valid in Ann Arbor

UMass at New Mexico State (-7) | 7:00 pm | ESPN

This game features UMass head coach Don Brown against New Mexico State head coach Jerry Kill. If they were to partner up in a Euchre tournament and auction off the opportunity to spend the evening playing against them, I would spend an unfortunate amount of money to take part. I’d love to just sit and talk with them both over beers and cards. Plus I’d feel pretty good about my team’s chances of winning because you know Don Brown is always getting his partner euchred. The frustration from Jerry Kill would be intense. “How the hell are you going alone when I have the Right and the Left, Don!?” Also, (2) let’s go with the Aggies -7 here.

Ohio at San Diego State (-3) | 7:00 pm | FS1

Never before has an Ohio vs. San Diego State game been so anticipated. For one, there’s not a lot else going on. For two, this could be SDSU head coach Brady Hoke’s first real opportunity at a win over “Ohio.” If you’re a Bobcat fan, you just have to hope your team doesn’t get distracted by all of the amazing things to do in California and not bother to show up for a sporting event. Don’t be surprised when there is a vocal presence from the Ohio fans in the crowd. It’s a week-long drive back and forth, but it’s better than going to work. If you’re looking for some action, (3) bang the over on 0.5 touchdown receptions for Bobcat receiver Sam Wiglusz.

IMG Academy (FL) vs. St. Joseph’s Prep (PA) (Ocean City, NJ) | 7:00 pm | ESPN2

Yes, it’s another high school game, but there will be some talent on hand. IMG generally has half of Florida’s top 30 prospects. St. Joseph’s Prep has all kinds of FBS talent on hand as well. Interestingly, this could be a matchup that is watched closely in the Ohio State receivers room as St. Joseph’s Prep is where All-American Marvin Harrison, Jr. went to school, and IMG is where Marvin Harrison, Jr. Jr. went to school. You probably won’t tune in because you’ll be up to your ears in New Mexico State football. Just be careful not to let Aggie Football actually get into your ears, however, because it will lay eggs.

Hawaii at Vanderbilt (-17.5) | 7:30 pm | SECN

Vanderbilt went into Hawaii last year as 9.5-point and won 63-10, so 17.5 points seems very doable. (4) Some folks may have already gotten in at -17, but 17.5 still seems fine. Vandy is coming off of a season where they went 2-1 in their final three games against Kentucky, Florida, and Tennessee last year. That’s the kind of momentum that could mean something for any program other than Vanderbilt.

San Jose State at USC (-30.5) | 8:00 pm | P12N

You know those guys in The Lord of the Rings whose sole purpose is to sit up in the signal towers 24 hours a day looking to see if any other towers miles away raise a fire to signal danger or the need for help? That’s kind of how I feel about this game because I am one of the tower watchers who actually has the Pac 12 Network. I will be watching this fire and signaling to others via Twitter about what’s happening. Like, “Oh no, Gollum just went for 65 yards up the middle against Alex Grinch’s defense. Muster the Rohirrim!” When he is healthy, USC quarterback Caleb Williams is the best player in the country, so I think it’s okay to have a lot riding on him this week against the Spartans. That includes a five-leg parlay of (5) USC -10.5 in the first quarter, (6) USC over 40.5 points, (7) USC over 13.5 first quarter points, (8) USC -16.5 in the first half, and of course it wouldn’t be a USC game without also taking a sniff at their defense, so let’s add (9) San Jose State over 9.5 points. Watch for the towers, my friends, and be prepared to act.

FIU at Louisiana Tech (-11.5) | 9:00 pm | CBSSN

This game went to two overtimes last year, with FIU coming out with the 42-34 win. Former Texas Tech quarterback Sonny Cumbie is in his second season as the head coach at La Tech and my loyalty to him goes back to my old college fantasy football days. He may finally have a quarterback now with former Boise State Bronco Hank Bachmeier, who has had some good moments as a starter in his career. He has 13 career games with at least 250 yards passing. Florida International, meanwhile, hasn’t won a game since that double-overtime outing against the Bulldogs. Let’s go ahead and get back on the Sonny Cumbie train and (10) lay the 11.5. You only go broke once, right?

Mater Dei Catholic (CA) at Carlsbad (CA) | 10:00 pm | ESPN2

If you want to know why USC and UCLA bolted for the Big Ten, here’s one glimpse as to the reason — 95% of America can’t watch the University of Southern California play on Saturday night, but they can watch two California high schools play against each other. Carlsbad features five-star Alabama quarterback commit Julian Sayin, who will sign with Nick Saban in December but eventually play for Lane Kiffin when Saban retires.

The post Ten Best For The Weekend: Week Zero appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Many names that were near the top of the G5 standings are now gone and in their new leagues but several heavyweights remain while other teams are moving up to get into the conversation of being the best in the group of five.

Who may emerge?

Join Marc Givler and Tyler Shoemaker as they wrap up their league previews with an overall piece on teams in the G5.

The post Will movement shake things up in these leagues? appeared first on Saturday Glory.

According to Max Olson of The Athletic, two Big 12 sources told him that the conference “is not discussing” the possible additions of the Pac-12’s Oregon State or the Mountain West’s San Diego State “at this time.” 

The development comes at a point in time which sees the Big 12 in a fluid process of adding programs through conference realignment. 

In the past week, the Big 12 added Arizona, Arizona State and Utah to the fold beginning in 2024, while Colorado announced plans to do similarly in July. 

The Pac-12 has been left with four programs as a result of expansion: Cal, Oregon State, Stanford and Washington State. 

While the Big 12 has been busy in the conference realignment department, the Big Ten has been bustling just as much. Oregon and Washington announced plans to join the Big Ten also starting in 2024. 

What could be next for the Big 12 is undetermined. Among the possibilities for the Pac-12 could be a merger with the Mountain West Conference, which has reportedly been “receptive” to that possibility.

The post Report: Big 12 not considering adding Oregon State, San Diego State appeared first on Saturday Glory.

One of those directions could be to join and collaborate with the Mountain West Conference, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports. Dellenger reported that the Mountain West “is receptive” to working with the Pac-12 to determine best courses of action. 

An obstacle that could hinder the ability for the Pac-12 to possibly merge with the Mountain West is the exit fee per school in the latter conference. Dellenger reported that for a Mountain West program to leave in time for 2024 then the exit fee is about $34 million. 

The Mountain West currently has 12 programs in its conference. On the other hand, as the dust settled on a historic past week surrounding conference expansion, the Pac-12 is left with four schools: Cal, Oregon State, Stanford and Washington State. 

If the Pac-12 and Mountain West are able to work something out to continue the legacies of each respective conference, potential matchups could pit Utah State against Oregon State or Air Force against Stanford. 

According to Brian McInnis of Spectrum News Hawaii, Hawaii football head coach Timmy Chang said he thinks the Mountain West is the best Group of 5 conference and that “however this thing shakes out, I feel comfortable about where we are as a conference and group.” 

The post Reports: Pac-12 could merge with Mountain West Conference appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Well, for 14 teams on the move, today is the day as the Big 12, AAC and C-USA all welcome new members to their ranks.

Fans of USC, UCLA, Texas, and Oklahoma will have to just wait another year until they make their much-anticipated moves to the Big Ten and SEC respectively.

Before Texas and OU can leave the Big 12, each will see four new teams join the Big 12 as UCF, Houston, BYU, and Cincinnati are all members of the conference starting today.

With several teams leaving the American, the AAC welcomes six programs to its ranks with Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA all making the move.

Conference USA is not going to be left out with the additions of Jacksonville State, Liberty, New Mexico State, and Sam Houston State to the league.

A team that we are not talking about is San Diego State and while 2023 would not have been a year to move, the Aztecs are in difficult spot as it appeared that an announced move potentially to the Pac-12 was in the cards prior to July 1^st, but that is not the case now as the Pac-12 continues to work out details of a long-awaited media rights deal.

That does not mean the door is closed for San Diego State, but a move will be much more expensive as their exit fee doubles from 17 million to 34-million dollars to the Mountain West.

We will just have to wait and see what unfolds there along with what the Pac-12 may look like if a media rights deal does not check off all the boxes for all the league presidents with Colorado and others flirting with the idea of departure.

But for now, we know that 14 teams are officially home in their new leagues with the July 1^st start date, but we also know that movement is far from done as the constantly changing landscape of major college football continues to evolve.

The post College football moving day appeared first on Saturday Glory.