Colorado Daily

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Colorado Daily – Spring/Summer, 2024

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May 18th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Nebraska stadium renovations “scaled back”

From ESPN … The proposed massive renovation of Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium has been downsized for the time being, meaning the south end of the stadium won’t be torn down after the 2024 season as originally planned, athletic director Troy Dannen said in a statement Friday.

Former athletic director Trev Alberts in 2022 announced an estimated $450 million project to update the 100-year-old stadium. The first phase would have temporarily removed nearly 25,000 seats for the 2025 season while a new south-end section was built.

Dannen’s revised plan would address the east and west sides of the stadium, and work would begin no sooner than after the 2025 season. Bleacher seating would be replaced with chairbacks in some, if not all, sections and other amenities would be added. Renovations on the south end are in the long-range plan, but there is no timetable.

“We are all aligned on the need to modernize our aging stadium,” Dannen said. “But as we have said, any work we do needs to follow our guiding principles. First, it needs to help us win. Second, it needs to advance our goals for acquisition and retention of talent. Third, and equally importantly, it must preserve our financial stability — one of the greatest assets of Husker Athletics.”

A comprehensive funding plan has not been announced, though Alberts said he expected private dollars would be used for a substantial portion of the project.

Athletic department budget projections are in a holding pattern as the NCAA and major college conferences consider a possible settlement of an antitrust lawsuit. The proposed settlement of House v. NCAA would require Power 5 schools to spend $20 million per year on athlete compensation.

The Cornhuskers have played in Memorial Stadium since 1923, and incremental improvements have been made over the years, including luxury suites in 1999 and an expansion to more than 85,000 seats in 2013.

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May 17th

… CU in a few minutes … 

The making of the EA Sports College cover … 

The making of the @EASPORTSCollege cover 🎮#GoBuffs | @TravisHunterJr pic.twitter.com/FUZevHvb3e

— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) May 17, 2024

May 16th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Travis Hunter shares EA Sports cover with Quinn Ewers and Donovan Edwards

From ESPN … After dazzling at cornerback and wide receiver for Colorado in 2023, Travis Hunter often hears people describe him as a video game player. Now he is on the cover of the long-anticipated return of the college football video game from EA Sports.

Hunter, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Michigan running back Donovan Edwards share the cover of EA Sports College Football 25, set to be released July 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The popular game, which has been on hiatus since 2014, will include all 134 FBS teams and the names, images and likenesses of a large majority of current players.

Eight days after EA Sports set up NIL deals for current college players, more than 10,000 had opted in to the game. Each player who opted in will receive $600 and a copy of the game, valued at around $70. Hunter and Ewers were among the first high-profile players to opt in.

The main cover shows Hunter in the middle with Ewers to his right and Edwards to his left. The cover for the deluxe edition displays the backs of Hunter, Ewers and Edwards in the tunnel at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, where an extensive photo and video shoot took place in early March.

“It’s just a blessing to be able to be on the cover,” Hunter told ESPN. “We grew up watching this and looking at the covers, and now we’re on it. When I was young, I waited till 12 o’clock to get every NCAA. It was my favorite game by far. I still play the old NCAA 14 to this day.”

Hunter has created himself in the previous games, saying, “I’m a 90-something [rating] overall, so I’m pretty good, but my speed is kind of slow.”

… Continue reading story here …

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May 15th 

… CU in a few minutes … 

ESPN’s Pete Thamel: “CU has continued to be relentlessly fascinating”

From On3Sports … There’s no coach in sports like Deion Sanders and, in turn, there’s no team right now that’s like Colorado. That’s to their benefit but could also be to their detriment depending on how it goes in Boulder according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Thamel discussed the latest around the Buffaloes with Rece Davis during an episode of the ‘College GameDay Podcast’ last week. He began by maintaining that Coach Prime and company are still among the top stories in the sport based solely on intrigue.

“I think Colorado, again, Rece, will be the most interesting program in college football,” said Thamel. “Like, they have continued to be relentlessly fascinating.”

… “I certainly am never one to say, ‘Oh, a coach shouldn’t speak his mind’ or ‘A coach shouldn’t say that’. I agree with you one hundred percent that we should let coaches be unfiltered and interesting,” said Thamel. “That is what Deion has been.”

“Now, the tenor of some of stuff in the way it has come off hasn’t reflected great on Deion. I think it goes back to a little bit of one of the main topics we talked about a year ago – and I think this was your point that I’m maybe co-opting. Let’s see how Deion handles adversity,” Thamel said. “Like, that was always a question that we had. Okay, you can win signing day and you can have the spring game. You can have all of the pop culture and all the guys on the sideline. But what happens when things don’t go well?”

… “For all of Colorado’s improvement from one win to four wins, they were still a 1-8 conference team last year. They ended the season on a long losing streak,” Thamel noted. “Then they had another complete roster turnover. No matter what they want to say, they lost some good players. Dylan Edwards is a good player. Alton McCaskill had been a really good player – he was the Rookie of the Year in the AAC. They have five new starters on the offensive line. Travis Hunter is going to moonlight at receiver still but they have some huge voids to fill there.”

… Continue reading story here …

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May 14th 

… CU in a few minutes … 

‘Coach Prime’ renewed for a third season by Amazon

From Yahoo Sports … Amazon announced the sports documentary series’ renewal during the company’s Upfront presentation on Tuesday. Season 3 is expected to once again bring audiences inside the locker room and onto the field at the University of Colorado Boulder, giving a look at the football program during the upcoming season.

Season 2 debuted in December, following the conclusion of the 2023 college football regular season. It followed Coach Deion Sanders through his inaugural season as the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes.

Sanders became the head coach at Colorado after a history making season leading the Jackson State University football team of an undefeated season. That story is documented in Season 1 of Coach Prime.

Coach Prime is executive produced by SMAC Entertainment’s Constance Schwartz-Morini, Michael Strahan, FredAnthony Smith, and Jamie Elias. Micah Brown also serves as executive producer and showrunner. Coach Prime is produced by SMAC Productions, a division of SMAC Entertainment, for Prime Video Sports.

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Colorado/North Dakota State game time set: 6:00 p.m., MT on ESPN

Press Release from CUBuffs.com … Colorado’s 2024 season opener against North Dakota State will air on ESPN and kickoff at 6 p.m. MT, Disney announced Tuesday as part of its Upfront, a presentation showcasing the network’s concentrated portfolio of sports, entertainment, news and streaming platforms to advertisers.

CU now knows its time and television for the first two games of the season following NBC’s announcement of the Colorado at Nebraska game in Week 2 at its Upfront on Monday.  That game will air on NBC at 5:30 p.m. MT.

The Buffaloes and Bison will kickoff off the second season under Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders with CU’s first two games airing on network television or the flagship ESPN channel for the second straight season and just the seventh time in history along with the 1990, ’95, 2003, ’19, ’22 and ’23 seasons.

One of the most watched teams in the nation last year, the Buffs were on network television five times and  three more games on the flagship ESPN station and had nine games overall not on regional or conference networks.  CU’s five network games and eight games on network or the flagship ESPN are the most in CU history, and the nine overall games not on a regional or conference network matched the most in program history.

This will be the first meeting between the two schools.  North Dakota State is one of the top FCS programs in the nation with 17 National Championships and 37 conference championships to its credit.  The Bison have won nine Division I FCS titles since 2011 and will be in the first year under coach Tim Polasek, who was the offensive coordinator and QB coach at Wyoming the previous three seasons and has 10 years of prior experience on the NDSU staff.

On top of Monday’s announcement at NBC’s Upfront, the Buffs were also part of the Upfront last season when FOX announced the season opener at TCU on Big Noon Kickoff as part of its presentation.

The start time and television for CU’s other non-conference game at Colorado State on Sept. 14 is expected in late May, when CU could also find out the time and TV for its regular season finale against Oklahoma State at Folsom Field on Friday, Nov. 29 (Black Friday), which is the only Friday game on CU’s schedule this season.

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May 13th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Colorado/Nebraska game time set: 5:30 p.m., MT on NBC

Press release from CUBuffs.com … Colorado’s football game at Nebraska on September 7 will air on NBC and kickoff at 5:30 p.m. MT/6:30 p.m. CT, the network announced as part of its Upfront, a presentation showcasing the network’s concentrated portfolio of sports, entertainment, news and streaming platforms to advertisers.

As part of its Upfront presentation, NBC showcased two football games, the Colorado at Nebraska game in Week 2 to open the second season under Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, and the Fresno State at Michigan game in Week 1.

This will be just the eighth game in CU history on a national broadcast on NBC, with six of the other seven being Bowl games, including the 1962, ’77, ’90 and ’91 Orange Bowls and the 1993 and ’95 Fiesta Bowls. The only regular season game shown nationally on NBC came when CU opened the 1990 season against Tennessee in the Pigskin Classic.   CU has not played a game on NBC since the 1995 Fiesta Bowl.

One of the most watched teams in the nation last year, the Buffs were on network television five times and had eight games on network television or the flagship ESPN station and nine games overall not on regional or conference networks, all the most in CU history.

Colorado and Nebraska are closing out the second home-and-home series since the two discontinued as conference partners in 2010.  The Buffs have won all three of those games to date, including both in the first home-and-home series in dramatic fasion.  CU won 33-28 in Lincoln in 2018 on a last second Steven Montez-to-Laviska Shenault touchdown and 34-31 in 2019 in overtime on a James Stefanou field goal after being down 17-0 at halftime.

Last season in Boulder, CU dismantled the Huskers 36-14 in the second game of the Coach Prime Era.  Shedeur Sanders was 31-of-42 for 393 yards and two touchdowns and the Buffs defense caused four turnovers, including a early interception from Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig that led to CU’s first touchdown and a 10-0 lead.

Overall, Nebraska owns the series edge 49-21-2, including a 26-9 mark in Lincoln, but the Buffs are 3-3 against the Huskers the last six games at Memorial Stadium, dating back to 2002.

The Buffs were also part of the Upfront last season when FOX announced the season opener at TCU on Big Noon Kickoff as part of its presentation.

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Coach Prime says he has a “good 10 years” of coaching to do at CU

From Denver7Sports … Deion Sanders shared a potential timeline for his coaching tenure at CU Boulder in a video posted to YouTube this week.

In a video documenting the reveal of Coach Prime’s new locker room lounge at Folsom Field – a former conference room where Sanders gets ready and hosts big-wig guests on game day – he said he’d be in Boulder for at least 10 years.

“Whatever coach comes after you, they’re going to be [excited],” a voice says off-camera after Deion toured the new space. “Cause they’ve got a lot of good stuff going on.”

“Well they’re gonna have to wait about 10 years,” Sanders says. “I’ve got a good 10 in me. I’ve got a good 10 strong in me.”

The video was posted by Deion’s son, Deion Jr., who has handled social media around the Buffs football program as Well Off Media. The comment on his coaching tenure happens at around the 2:30 mark of this video:

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May 12th

… CU in a few minutes … 

CU one of seven Big 12 teams with at least 25 transfers this off-season

From 247 Sports … The transfer portal era forever changed college football as the task of assembling a roster is increasingly more difficult for coaching staffs unsure of which players are staying or going ahead of the next season. The recent 2023-24 transfer portal cycle witnessed a record-setting number of entries with almost 3,900 players opting to explore other opportunities. For comparison, that exceeded the previous record by more than 300.

Not every college football program was impacted as much as others during the two transfer windows that took place this winter and spring, but every power conference team except for Nebraska suffered double-digit departures. Most of the teams that experienced the highest number of entries were those that underwent a change at head coach following the 2023 season.

Of course, a lot of attention is on Colorado and Deion Sanders with another roster overhaul that included a transfer portal exodus out of Boulder. However, a few other prominent teams were not far behind in total transfer portal departures this cycle.

1. Colorado … 41 … Deion Sanders and Colorado face another significant roster overhaul with most of its incoming class from last year already out of Boulder. The Buffaloes certainly have not shied away from using the transfer portal almost exclusively to try and upgrade the talent level. Whether that approach will lead to on-field results is yet to be seen. As much as Sanders deflected the impact of the recent transfer departures, some were notable, like former five-star cornerback Cormani McClain and touted running back Dylan Edwards — one of the few high school additions for the Buffaloes since Sanders arrived. Colorado does have 38 incoming transfers already locked in for the 2024 season.

2. Indiana … 39

2. Michigan State … 39

2. Alabama … 39

5. Houston … 33 … Houston would be much lower on this list had it not been for more than 20 departures during the spring window alone. The Cougars witnessed a surge of entries after its first spring practice under new head coach Willie Fritz. Three starters from last season exited in April, joining the five others that left during the winter window. Two of the top receivers are gone in Sam Brown and Matthew Golden, as well as a pair of starting offensive linemen in Tyler Johnson and Reuben Unije. Houston returns just two starters on defense after four departed through the transfer portal for other power conference programs. The Cougars do have 25 incoming transfers for next season.

6. Cincinnati … 32 … Cincinnati actually had more transfer portal departures this most recent cycle than it did after former head coach Luke Fickell left to take the job at Wisconsin. Not much is left from that 2022 season before new head coach Scott Satterfield arrived with the Bearcats. A roster overhaul process is underway in Cincinnati with its latest exodus, which included five starters from last season. The greatest blow occurred on defense where the Bearcats lost each of their top three individual tacklers. Cincinnati made a handful of underrated moves to supplement its roster through the transfer portal with 19 total additions so far.

11. Arizona … 29 … All things considered, Arizona ended up in decent shape from an attrition standpoint despite a change in head coach in mid-January. The Wildcats lost just three starters from last season as new head coach Brent Brennan retained arguably the most important pieces on offense. The defense did suffer a few losses with starting cornerback Ephesians Prysock among those departures that followed former head coach Jedd Fisch to Washington. Arizona had just eight additional transfer departures during the spring window in April.

11. Arizona State … 29 … Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham continues to fight an uphill battle in fixing the roster issues handed to him by the previous staff. To make matters worse, the Sun Devils had almost 30 transfer departures for the second year in a row. Only four of those were starters with leading receiver Elijah Badger joining that group during the spring window. Arizona State also lost touted quarterback Jaden Rashada to the portal after he played in just four games last season and missed spring practice due to a non-football related injury. The Sun Devils have 27 incoming transfers, but their portal haul ranks outside the top 25 nationally.

19. UCF Knights — 26

21. West Virginia Mountaineers — 25

… Read full story here …

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May 10th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Travis Hunter on the cover of EA Sports College Football Deluxe Addition 

A PlayStation Store update has revealed a Deluxe Edition cover of EA Sports’ “College Football 25” that will feature Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, Michigan running back Donovan Edwards and Colorado DB/WR Travis Hunter alongside three more of college football’s leading stars for the upcoming season.

The cover art, which circulated widely on Friday morning but has not been formally released or confirmed by EA Sports, also includes Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.

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May 9th

… CU in a few minutes … 

ESPN Transfer Portal rankings: CU No. 2 in the nation

From ESPN … Spring football is well in the rearview mirror and so is the spring transfer window. While there is still time for spring portal entries to commit before the start of preseason camp, most big names have already announced their new destinations and fall rosters have been shaped.

Whether it is established players seeking bigger opportunities or former prospects seeking fresh places, the portal continues to affect the landscape of college football in a major way. Quantifying the portal’s impact on various programs can be difficult. Schools take different approaches to building their rosters, with some leaning more heavily on the portal than others, so portal rankings alone often don’t tell the whole story.

Here’s a look at the 10 classes that made the biggest impact with spring transfers:

No. 1 … Miami

No. 2 … Colorado … We suggest using pencil, not pen, when covering all of Colorado’s transfers. The Buffaloes are as active as any team in the country in the portal. While recent departures made headlines, they’ve also successfully brought in new faces to try and elevate the four-win program. Colorado prioritized revamping the offensive line. It had several options on campus this spring but continued to try and strengthen that unit. That includes landing Michigan State transfer Ethan Boyd, who was an active contributor in 2023. Colorado also added Payton Kirkland, a 2023 high three-star recruit who brings raw tools to still develop.

The Buffaloes added more talent to their defensive front as well. They landed a pair of top-40 transfers, Dayon Hayes (No. 3) from Pittsburgh and Rayyan Buell (No. 39) from Ohio. Hayes was one of the most notable pickups of the recent transfer window. He’s an active, disruptive defense lineman and a needed plug-and-play addition.

Colorado lost its four top rushers from 2023. The loss of running back Dylan Edwards (to Kansas State) stings, but keep in mind only two Colorado backs even surpassed 300 yards in 2023. The Buffaloes added two of the top running backs available in Dallan Hayden and Rashad Amos. Hayden arrives from Ohio State where he flashed as a freshman (2022) and gives Colorado a quick, elusive runner. Amos is on his third school but is coming off a 1,000-yard season at Miami (Ohio) and complements Hayden as a bigger back who is more of a physical presence.

Colorado has made some strong upgrades, and it’s likely not done. The question is whether it has brought in enough to strengthen its overall depth, but the additions so far are notable.

No. 3 … UCF … (only other team from the Big 12) …

… Read full story here …

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CU Football has six May graduates 

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May 7th

… CU in a few minutes …

Coach Prime: “I don’t mistreat anybody. I don’t play that, I don’t condone that”

From Athlon Sports … Colorado head coach Deion Sanders’ transfer portal methods were a popular subject this past week.

In an article by The Athletic’s Max Olson, it was detailed as to what happened to the nearly 60 players who left the program last year. Most of them didn’t necessarily choose to leave the program but were shown the door by Sanders and his staff.

One of the players who left the program and was featured in the article was former Austin Peay and current UTEP safety, Xavier Smith. While detailing his experiences, Smith may have not realized the absolute toxicity he was bound to face from fans of Colorado. He likely also wasn’t expecting his former teammate Shedeur Sanders to call him “very mid at best”.

“He was destroying guys’ confidence and belief in themselves,” Smith said about Deion Sanders. “The way he did it, it could’ve been done with a little more compassion.”

While Shedeur Sanders faced a ton of backlash for the jab at Smith, fellow Buffs began to dive into what was a messy situation on social media.

One that Deion Sanders felt could have been prevented altogether by the story not being written. Sanders addressed the article in an exclusive interview with a group of content creators, and revealed that he felt Smith was “used”.

“This is what’s strange to me,” Sanders told the group via Thee Pregame Show. “That great weekend with the (spring) game. with the festivities, great recruiting weekend, million recruits up there that can flat-out, play and change the complexity of your program. And right after that, somebody goes and finds a young brother. They talk about another brother and. Is that okay? How’s that okay? You go and find somebody that bad mouths us that ain’t been with us. Why aren’t you talking about the team you’re with or the team you’re getting ready to go to?

“And how can this gentleman not know that you’re being used? Because now you’re going to get used again. Now the fans getting ready to jump on you, and you ain’t built like that mentally and emotionally. You’re not prepared for that onslaught. So you got to be careful with that. And, that’s the sad thing about it. You’re not you’re not built for that kind of stuff, man. Like, don’t don’t do that.”

Sanders also denounced the claims that Smith and others made about any kind of mistreatment taking place with the former players.

“No one mistreats nobody, man. Like, we don’t do that,” said Sanders. “I don’t condone that. Y’all been around me. Y’all know how I get down. I don’t mistreat anybody. I don’t play that, I don’t condone that.”

… Read full story here …

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May 6th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Pro Football Focus: Shedeur and Travis Nos. 1 and 2 nationally in NIL earnings 

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May 5th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Transfer cornerback Colton Hood: “I know I’m a really good receiver and I can play both sides”

From the Daily Camera …Growing up in Georgia, Colton Hood played a variety of sports and a variety of positions, looking up to one of the most well-rounded athletes in history: Deion Sanders.

Now Hood will get a chance to play for Sanders, the second-year head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes. Earlier this week, Hood verbally committed to transferring to CU after one season at Auburn.

“I’m extremely excited. Coach Prime was my idol growing up,” he said. “I’ve read his book, I’ve listened to, like, almost every documentary, all those type things. So I’m really excited to learn from him.”

Hood and his younger brother, Brandon, grew up dreaming of playing together, ideally at Auburn. The Tigers, however, didn’t have room in their backfield for Brandon, a class of 2024 running back recruit from Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy in Georgia.

They found a good fit in Boulder, though. Brandon also committed to CU last week.

“Auburn was always my dream school,” Colton said. “I got to go there. I played in a couple of games. So that was a good dream of mine but I think I’m on to the next dream now, the next goal, which is playing with my brother at Colorado and playing under Coach Prime.”

Coming out of Eagle’s Landing in 2023, Colton was a four-star cornerback prospect. Listed at 5-foot-11, 188 pounds, he played in four games last season at Auburn, posting three tackles in 44 snaps. He will have four years to play at CU and is eager to make a bigger impact than he did last year.

“I know I’m a really good receiver and I can play both sides,” he said. “Colorado, I just feel like going there, I would get that opportunity.”

Sanders played receiver and cornerback and has allowed current CU star Travis Hunter to shine at both spots, too. He told Hood the opportunity could be there for him, as well – under one condition.

“He said, ‘I know you can play,’” Hood said. “He was like, ‘You’ve got to dominate at corner first.’ I respect that wholeheartedly. I understand.”

… Continue reading story here …

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May 4th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Coach Prime v. The Athletic: “Great Theater for the Fall”

From The Athletic … On Monday, The Athletic’s Max Olson published a really interesting story on the dozens of players sent packing during Sanders’ initial offseason a year ago, and the Pulse featured the story multiple times because, simply, it’s a good story. Yesterday, it turned into something bigger:

• To backtrack briefly: the way Sanders handles the media is a fascinating use case. His family creates tons of its own production, with cameras following him and his sons around the facility, practice fields, etc. It makes for great content. But, if anyone outside the in-house media operation — like The Athletic, ESPN’s Ed Werder or anyone else — dares question a tactic, they’re deemed a dissident.
• So, as Max’s story matriculated through social media this week, both Sanders and his son, Shedeur, fired back. Shedeur, the starting quarterback, tweeted a diss at one of his former teammates mentioned in the story, saying he didn’t “even remember” the player, who must’ve been “very mid at best,” according to the QB.
• Deion went on an extended tirade, with vague platitudes about negativity and a diss at a separate former Colorado player featured in the story. He also defended Shedeur in a reply to someone, saying his son would be a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. For context, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has Shedeur going 22nd in his early 2025 mock, while Nate Tice has him as prospect No. 30 — and that’s before wondering how many NFL GMs will simply not want to be part of this spectacle.

Let’s be clear: This is great theater for the fall. There is an annoying, villainous energy here, where — let me repeat — a team that went 4-8 is trashing players who felt wronged by the coach who booted them. We have two realities ahead:

• The Sanders empire backs up its talk and wins a few big games next season. There are plenty of winnable games on this schedule.
• Or … we get another sub-.500 season and the entire operation gets clowned all year. Remember when the far superior Oregon caught Colorado players talking trash before last year’s game and then ran the Buffs off the field? That made for good theater, too.

… Continue reading story here …

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College administrators looking for more bowl games, not fewer

From CBS Sports … Get ready for more bowl games, not less, as college administrators continue to push for more postseason access in all sports.

That’s what Bowl Season director Nick Carparelli believes is next after the College Football Playoff expands from four to 12 teams this fall — and potentially 14 in 2026. Why? Expansion is the hot trend in all corners of college athletics, and the NCAA transformation committee has made it clear more postseason opportunities are desired in all sports.

“When I speak with head football coaches and athletic directors and conference commissioners, it’s very encouraging. You know, I think it’s more likely we add bowl games than subtract bowl games,” Carparelli told 247Sports this week at the annual Fiesta Summit for leaders in college athletics.

The NCAA has no stake in the CFP or the 42 bowl games, which include the CFP, but leaders are attracted to the trend in other NCAA sports, such as the upcoming serious conversations to expand the men’s NCAA Tournament in basketball to as many as 80 teams.

“Twelve postseason opportunities is not enough for all of college football,” Carparelli said. “There’s so many great stories every year about growing programs emerging that have an opportunity to play in a bowl game and celebrate a great victory. It serves as a launching point and building a platform for their program moving forward. College football needs bowl games and bowl games are going to be the solution to college football’s postseason, just like they have for the last 100 years.”

Six of the 42 bowl games scheduled for 2024 are playoff games.

Not enough bowl-eligible teams were available in each of the last three seasons, which led to three five-win teams accepting invitations: Rutgers in 2021, Rice in 2022 and Minnesota in 2023.

The quality of play has also suffered with player opt-outs and the transfer portal. At least 78 players opted out of bowl games last season and 431 players entered the transfer portal before their postseason games, according to data compiled by The Action Network. Florida State was the poster child last season. Thirty-three players opted to not play in the Orange Bowl after the College Football Playoff Selection Committee did not select the Seminoles. Georgia demolished FSU, 63-3.

… Continue reading story here …

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This post, about the Spring/Summer game, from the 2024 Season, is filed under Article.
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