Big 12 Notes

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Big 12 Notes – Spring/Summer

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June 30th 

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Pac-8/Texas State make it official: Bobcats to join conference in 2026

From ESPN … Texas State has officially joined the Pac-12, the conference announced Monday, becoming the league’s ninth member ahead of its relaunch in 2026.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Texas State as a foundational member of the new Pac-12,” commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement. “It is a new day in college sports and the most opportune time to launch a new league that is positioned to succeed in today’s landscape with student-athletes in mind.”

Texas State’s board of regents voted to authorize a $5 million buyout to the Sun Belt Conference early Monday. The Bobcats will remain in the Sun Belt through the 2025-26 season before joining the Pac-12 in all sports for the 2026-27 school year.

The Pac-12 needed to reach eight football-playing schools to meet the NCAA minimum for an FBS conference prior to the 2026 season.

The conference’s board of directors, which includes representatives from all current and future members, voted unanimously to admit Texas State following the university’s formal application. Texas State joins Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego State, Utah State and Washington State as members of the rebuilt league.

Texas State president Kelly Damphousse called the move “a historic moment” for the university.

“Joining the Pac-12 is more than an athletic move — it is a declaration of our rising national profile, our commitment to excellence, and our readiness to compete and collaborate with some of the most respected institutions in the country,” Damphousse said.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 29th

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BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff anticipating seven-game suspension, may leave team

From the Salt Lake City Tribune … BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff is anticipating a seven-game suspension for violating the school’s Honor Code, multiple sources told The Salt Lake Tribune.

Facing the prospect of missing more than half the 2025 season, Retzlaff has begun telling his coaches and teammates he is likely to leave the program, a source close to the situation said.

The sources are not being named because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

BYU did not immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment.

In a civil lawsuit filed in May, Retzlaff was accused of sexually assaulting a woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe A.G., at his Provo home in November 2023.

Through his attorney, Retzlaff immediately denied the sexual assault allegations. In his legal response filed Friday, he said that he had “consensual” sex with the woman who has accused him of assaulting her.

Retzlaff has asked for the case to be dismissed. But the filing in Utah’s 3rd District Court would inevitably be considered by officials at BYU. The school is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and enforces an Honor Code that sets guidelines that employees and students are expected to follow.

Among other things, the code prohibits premarital sex and instructs students to “live a chaste and virtuous life.”

… Read full story here …

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June 28th

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Utah and Kansas the Big 12’s “mystery” teams

From CBS Sports … College football’s margins have only grown slimmer following the latest wave of conference realignment. The reshaped landscape has flattened the competitive curve, turning every conference schedule into a week-to-week grind. The difference between a playoff contender and a team scrapping for bowl eligibility can come down to a few untimely injuries or bad breaks in one-score games. As a result, several teams enter the 2025 season with floors and ceilings that are miles apart.

Last season, several programs shattered expectations — for better or worse. Few predicted Arizona State’s colossal breakthrough, nor did many expect Indiana to post the best season in school history. On the other side, it would’ve taken a psychic to foresee Florida State’s collapse into a two-win disaster.

Surprises are baked into the fabric of college football. Identifying them before they happen is, by nature, an extreme challenge. But reading the tea leaves on some of the sport’s biggest mystery teams offers a glimpse into their potential to either overachieve or disappoint.

Here are college football’s biggest wild cards heading into the 2025 season.

Utah 

Odds to reach CFP: +520

The five wins Utah posted last season matched the fewest of its power conference era and snapped a bowl streak that dated back to 2014. Long story short: that’s probably not happening again. There would be ample shock value in seeing a team go from below .500 to the playoff in the span of one year, but that is an attainable feat for a program that promises a major offensive upgrade with tantalizing dual-threat weapon Devon Dampier arriving to solve the Utes’ devastating quarterback issues. The entire starting offensive line is back, too. Would anyone be surprised if the Utes dangled around the bowl eligibility threshold again? Probably not. But it’s hard to bet against Kyle Whittingham when he has this many tools at his disposal.

Kansas

Odds to reach CFP: +1200

With Jalon Daniels finally healthy, last season was supposed to be Kansas’ opportunity to finally put everything together and shock the college football world. Instead, a 1-5 start stopped the Jayhawks from even reaching a bowl game. But something changed down the stretch when Lance Leipold’s squad rattled off three straight wins over ranked opponents. It is impossible to predict which version of Kansas shows up in 2025. If it is the former, this could be one of the best seasons in program history. If it is the latter, it will be ‘just another year of Kansas football” in the bottom of the Big 12.

… Read full story here …

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June 27th

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Big 12 and Big Ten partner with PayPal to manage payments to athletes (worth $1M per year to CU)

From SportsPro.com … Digital payments provider PayPal is working with the Big Ten and Big 12 college sports conferences to help them manage payments to student athletes now permitted under National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules.

For more than a century, US colleges were prohibited from directly or indirectly paying students to reward their involvement with official sports programmes despite NCAA members generating billions of dollars in broadcast, matchday and commercial income.

However, since 2018, student athletes have been allowed to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) and last month a US$2.8 billion settlement paved the way for direct payments through revenue sharing agreements. This settlement compensates past athletes for their efforts and permits NCAA Division I schools to distribute up to US$20.5 million to student athletes each year.

The Big Ten and Big 12’s deals with PayPal will both facilitate and commercialise this new reality. Under the terms of the five-year deals, payments will begin on 1st July 2025, with funds will be distributed directly to student PayPal accounts.

PayPal will also become the preferred payment partner at selected schools while the company’s Venmo social payments platform will serve as the presenting partner for the Big Ten Rivalry Series. Venmo will also serve as the official partner for the Big 12 Conference across football, basketball and Olympic sports championships for both men and women.

“We are thrilled to enter into this landmark partnership with PayPal and Venmo,” said Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark. “As we embark on a new era of college athletics, aligning with a global leader like PayPal will unlock a wealth of opportunities for the Big 12. This partnership will also empower our student-athletes to receive payments through a secure, trusted platform they already know and use.”

“We look forward to partnering with PayPal to ensure a secure, rapid and reliable way for student-athletes to receive institutional payments as we welcome in this new era in college athletics,” added Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti.

Financial terms have not been disclosed, but PayPal’s deal with the Big 12 is believed to be worth nine figures, while PayPal has confirmed it is in discussions about similar arrangements with other conferences. CBS Sports reports that the Big 12 and PayPal had previously been in discussions over title sponsorship.

“We’re proud to help lead this transformation in college athletics by making it easier and faster for student-athletes to receive funds and continue to bring trusted and innovative commerce solutions to the heart of campus life,” said Alex Chriss, PayPal chief executive. “From receiving institutional payments to making everyday purchases, we’re helping student-athletes, families, and schools engage in new ways that are modern, secure, and built for the future.”

… Continue reading story here …

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June 22nd

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Pac-12 announces television contract extension with CBS (grand total of three national broadcasts)

From CBS Sports … CBS Sports and the Pac-12 Conference today announced an extension of their partnership which is set to begin with the 2025 football season. The extended partnership will continue with the league’s transformation and begin with the new Pac-12’s launch ahead of the 2026-27 season and carry through the 2030-31 season. The new agreement establishes CBS Sports as the primary long-term media partner for the new Pac-12, with additional partners to be announced at a later date. As part of the extended partnership, football and men’s basketball games for the new Pac-12 will air throughout each season on The CBS Television Network (and streaming on Paramount+) as well as CBS Sports Network.

Octagon, the Pac-12’s exclusive media rights advisor, served as advisor for both the 2025 partnership and subsequent long-term extension.

Highlights of the extended partnership between CBS Sports and the new Pac-12 include:

New Pac-12 & CBS Sports Partnership Highlights

• Annual football championship game on CBS and streamed live on Paramount+.
• Annual men’s basketball tournament championship game on CBS and Paramount+.
• A minimum of three regular season football games on CBS and Paramount+ each season.
• A minimum of three regular season men’s basketball games on CBS and Paramount+ each season.
• Football and men’s basketball games throughout the regular season on CBS Sports Network, with details to be announced at a later date.

“Our goal with this process was to find transformational partnerships for the new Pac-12, and throughout our discussions and time together it became more and more clear that a partnership with CBS Sports would be just that,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould. “I am thankful to the team at CBS Sports for seeing our vision and investing in our shared future as we build, launch and realize a new Pac-12 together.”

“As the new Pac-12’s primary media partner, CBS Sports’ top-tier coverage will showcase the best of the conference’s football and men’s basketball games annually across our platforms, including the championship game for both sports,” said Dan Weinberg, Executive Vice President, Programming, CBS Sports. “Extending this partnership strengthens our multiplatform college football and basketball schedule and, at a pivotal moment for the new Pac-12, allows us to collaborate, grow the conference and expand its reach.”

… Continue reading story here …

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June 21st 

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Wisconsin sues Miami over player tampering

From ESPN … The University of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit Friday claiming that the Miami football team broke the law by tampering with a Badgers player, a first-of-its-kind legal attempt to enforce the terms of a financial contract between a football player and his school.

The lawsuit refers to the athlete in question as “Student Athlete A,” but details from the complaint line up with the offseason transfer of freshman defensive back Xavier Lucas. Lucas left Wisconsin and enrolled at Miami in January after saying the Badgers staff refused to enter his name in the transfer portal in December.

In the complaint filed Friday, Wisconsin claims that a Miami staff member and a prominent alumnus met with Lucas and his family at a relative’s home in Florida and offered him money to transfer shortly after Lucas signed a two-year contract with the Badgers in December. The lawsuit states that Miami committed tortious interference by knowingly compelling a player to break the terms of his deal with Wisconsin.

“While we reluctantly bring this case, we stand by our position that respecting and enforcing contractual obligations is essential to maintaining a level playing field,” Wisconsin said in a statement to ESPN on Friday.

According to the complaint, Wisconsin decided to file suit in hopes that “during this watershed time for college athletics, this case will advance the overall integrity of the game by holding programs legally accountable when they wrongfully interfere with contractual commitments.”

Miami representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The pending case promises to be an interesting test of whether schools can use name, image and likeness deals to keep athletes from transferring even though the players aren’t technically employees. Starting July 1, schools will begin paying their athletes directly via NIL deals.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 20th

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CFP meetings end with no resolution: “Everything is still on the table”

From ESPN … Leaders of the College Football Playoff are still “mulling over” what the format should look like in 2026 and beyond, CFP executive director Rich Clark said Wednesday following the conclusion of two days of meetings in Asheville, North Carolina.

“Pretty much everything’s on the table, and they’re taking a good look at it all of it,” Clark said. “So, I wouldn’t say there’s a leading contender right now for them, but they’re taking a fresh look at it.”

Last month, at the SEC’s spring meetings in Destin, Florida, there was new support from the head football coaches for a 16-team model that would include the five highest-ranked conference champions and 11 at-large teams. That quickly gained traction and public support from other leagues, but it also surprised many leaders in the Big Ten Conference.

Many athletic directors in both leagues had been aligned in their desire to have automatic qualifiers that would guarantee both conferences four spots each in the playoff, with play-in games to determine whom the third and fourth playoff participants would be. Following the SEC’s spring meetings, many sources in the Big Ten have indicated that they wouldn’t even consider a 5+11 model unless the SEC and the ACC both go to nine conference games.

The Big Ten and the SEC have the bulk of control of the next iteration of the playoff, but the two conferences haven’t been on the same page recently in terms of what that should look like.

“They’re obligated to come to an agreement on what the format is,” Clark said.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has said repeatedly that he wanted more clarity on the selection process before determining if the league should move to a nine-game schedule, and much of this week’s meetings were spent studying metrics, including strength of schedule. Clark said the CFP brought in a mathematician from Google to help the group, which included all 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua.

“I would say a lot of it is refreshing our metrics,” Clark said. “Some of these metrics were put into place with a whole different look at the way college football was laid out and the conferences were structured.

“I wouldn’t say it’s dramatic, but it’s a refresh. We looked at some of our processes and how we do things within the selection committee meeting room. Some of the things we brought up to the table for them to consider, but just things to help us get better.”

… Continue reading story here …

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June 19th

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Louisiana to tax sports betting to give to schools to off-set revenue sharing

From On3Sports … Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has signed a bill to raise the state’s sports betting tax. A portion of the revenue will go to the state’s colleges to help offset revenue-sharing costs upon House v. NCAA settlement implementation.

HB 639 was proposed in April and went through the state House of Representatives and Senate before heading to Landry’s desk June 10. It features a provision to raise Louisiana’s tax on sports betting from 15% to 21.5%. The law also states 25% of the dollars – an estimated $24 million – collected under the tax increase will be split equally among 11 of the state’s public universities to go toward revenue-sharing. It will take effect Aug. 1.

“Monies in the fund shall be appropriated to the Board of Regents for distribution to athletic departments at public universities that are members of conferences that compete in NCAA Division One athletics at the Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision levels in Louisiana for the benefit of student athletes,” the law states.

“For the purposes of this Section, ‘benefit’ means scholarships, insurance, medical coverage, facility enhancements, litigation settlement fees, and Alston awards. Each university shall establish eligibility criteria for benefits awarded pursuant to the provisions of this Section.”

‘Without the athletes, we wouldn’t have the revenue’

At most schools, football is expected to receive 75%, followed by men’s basketball (15%), women’s basketball (5%) and the remainder of sports (5%) after Judge Claudia Wilken approved the House v. NCAA settlement earlier this month. LSU is expected to follow a similar model, The Advocate reported.

According to bill co-sponsor Neil Riser (R), the law is a way for the state to support its schools and athletics programs. The athletes and revenue go hand-in-hand, in his eyes, and Louisiana will now help play a role in making sure there’s success on both fronts.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 18th

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Illinois head coach Bret Bielema: Can’t do a 16-team playoff if SEC won’t agree to nine conference games

From ESPN … Illinois coach Bret Bielema wants to see the College Football Playoff expand to 16 teams in 2026, but only if all the major conferences, including the SEC, play nine league games per season.

Speaking Tuesday before Illini Night at Wrigley Field, Bielema said the 16-team model doesn’t necessarily need to include four automatic spots for Big Ten teams, as Ohio State coach Ryan Day advocated for earlier this month. But Bielema, who coached in the SEC at Arkansas and has spent most of his career in the Big Ten, said both leagues need to be aligned in the number of conference games. The Big Ten currently plays nine, while the SEC has remained at eight.

“I don’t think there’s any way we can do a 16-team playoff if they’re not at nine,” Bielema said.

He also referred to conversations coming out of the SEC spring meetings in Florida, where LSU coach Brian Kelly suggested in SEC-Big Ten nonleague challenge.

“We voted unanimously as Big Ten coaches to stay at nine league games and actually maybe have an SEC challenge,” Bielema said. “I was told that they voted unanimously to stay at eight and not play the Big Ten. But then some people pop off and say what they want to say because they want to look a certain way.

“I get it, but like, I think until you get to nine for everybody, I don’t think it could work.”

The 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua are meeting this week in Asheville, North Carolina, to discuss the future format and other issues.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 17th

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SEC/Big Ten remain at odds over strength of schedule in deciding CFP participants

From CBS Sports … Since negotiating control over the future of the CFP format and a bigger cut of the money (29% to each conference), the Big Ten and SEC have largely been in lockstep on the major issues. Sankey and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti developed a strong working relationship — one Sankey never had with Petitti’s predecessor, Kevin Warren — and brought the two conferences closer together with historic joint meetings in Nashville and New Orleans over the last eight months.

Those shared sensibilities include momentum behind the Big Ten’s preferred revamping of the playoff to a model that would award four automatic bids each to the Big Ten and SEC, two each to the ACC and Big 12, one to the top Group of 6 team and the remainder to at-large teams. The SEC had seemingly rallied around the idea, with Sankey saying last month the conference was “interested but not committed.” That changed after significant backlash from the conference’s football coaches, leading multiple SEC sources to predict that the conference would stick with eight conference games and side with the ACC and Big 12’s preferred 5+11 model, which awards five automatic bids to conference champions and the rest to the top 11 teams.

The SEC appears open to continuing with a selection committee but one that tweaks the currently used metrics and weighs the strength of schedule more heavily than it has in the past. Such a development wouldn’t require a move to an AQ-heavy format. The key, for SEC leaders, is that they want to be rewarded for how difficult they believe it is to win in the conference.

“The human element is great, but there’s got to be some more clearly defined metrics,” Mississippi State AD Zac Selmon recently told CBS Sports. “I’ve worked in different conferences before — two different power conferences (ACC, Big 12) — and when you look at the depth from top to bottom of our league, it’s night and day compared to what other people say.”

Interestingly, the SOS metrics often favored the SEC over the committee’s rankings last season. The conference usually had the highest-ranked one-, two- and three-loss teams.

“Adding any new data points in is not going to necessarily cure what’s been a pretty dominant thought (process),” a Big Ten source said. “It’s always going to come back to this subjective mindset.”

The SEC’s regular season gauntlet memo signaled to Big Ten leaders that the conference just wants a formula that proclaims it is the best, rather than any real changes. The Big Ten is more convinced than ever that more AQs are the only way to fix the problems, not a tweaked SOS metric, according to Big Ten sources with direct knowledge of the situation. At the heart of the Big Ten’s argument, they say, is the belief that more automatic qualifiers (and a potential play-in championship weekend) would keep more program fanbases invested later into the season, which ultimately leads to better fan attendance and television ratings.

“In a model where it’s 5-11, there’s no amount of data you can pour through to figure out who’s better between the fourth-place Big Ten team, the fourth-place SEC team and the second-place Big 12 team,” said a Big Ten source. “I recognize people think there are solutions. We’ve studied it a whole lot and there’s not a whole lot that you can do to tweak it.”

… Continue reading story here …

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June 16th

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Texas State the heavy favorite to become the eighth team in the new “Pac-8”

From ESPN … In the cloak-and-dagger world of conference realignment, clues to potential moves can manifest in strange places.

One emerged last week via an X account with 313 followers promoting Texas State tailback Lincoln Pare for the Heisman Trophy.

The account included a picture, cribbed from the Instagram story of the Texas State president, of two beavers floating in the San Marcos River. And it noted the potential realignment ramifications — “Beavers in the San Marcos River” — by including a scratching chin emoji that hinted at the possibility of Texas State joining Oregon State in the Pac-12. (OSU’s nickname is, of course, the Beavers, and the San Marcos River runs through the bustling town south of Austin where Texas State resides.)

This likely would have faded into the background of the social-media-sphere if Texas State president Kelly Damphousse hadn’t reposted it on June 10. That set off a spark in the wake of a regularly scheduled Pac-12 meeting earlier in the week when Texas State’s candidacy was a focus of discussion. (The Pac-12 declined comment for this story.)

So what’s next for the Pac-12? And what ripples could buzz through the kinetic realignment landscape? Here’s what could be coming in the next wave of realignment, which is expected to occur outside of the power conferences.

What’s next for the Pac-12?

Texas State is the heavy favorite, per ESPN sources, to be issued a formal Pac-12 invitation. The league is still engaged with other schools, per sources, but Texas State has clearly emerged at the forefront of that group.

On July 1, the buyout for Texas State to leave the Sun Belt for the 2026-27 season will rise from $5 million to $10 million. This is obviously a bigger motivator for Texas State than the Pac-12, but it’s seemingly a significant enough deadline to trigger action.

For the Pac-12 to bring in a new partner in a time of financial uncertainty for the league, it would make sense to offer Texas State prior to July 1. After all, the Pac-12 needs an eighth football member for 2026, so they have their own deadline looming.

In realignment, of course, nothing is official until it’s signed. And nothing is formal until it’s completed. So with Texas State and the Pac-12, sources said the best way to explain the courtship is that the league is currently exploring making an offer in the upcoming weeks.

Texas State has loomed for months as the favorite to join the league and was prominently discussed in the Pac-12’s virtual meeting earlier this week. It has been the league’s top target for months and is expected to have voting support, as the league’s presidents are enamored with a foothold in the state and Damphousse’s leadership.

Texas State is booming as a university with an enrollment of more than 40,000, and it boasts a lot of tenets of football potential, with a rich local talent base and a rising young coach, G.J. Kinne, at the helm.

The league’s presidents won’t vote on Texas State until they are ready for the process to unfold in rapid-fire succession. That’s expected to come before July 1. Texas State turned down a verbal offer from the Mountain West last fall, which athletic director Don Coryell called “preliminary discussions with an interested conference.”

Texas State, if the Pac-12 process unfolds as expected, would be the league’s ninth member overall and eighth football member. Part of the feeling of inevitability of the invitation is tied to necessity. The league needs to grow to eight football members in order to qualify as an FBS conference. (Gonzaga is the non-football member.) Internally at the Pac-12, Texas State has long been viewed as the best readily available option for that eighth spot.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 13th

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Report: Texas Tech to spend $55 million on athletes this year

From Sports Illustrated … There’s no question that we have entered into a new era of college athletics with NIL and revenue sharing. While paying college athletes has been part of the landscape for quite some time, it has only become legal to do so over the last few years. And while the original intent was to allow players to profit from their name, image, and likeness in more practical ways, NIL morphed into something far beyond “practical” fairly quickly.

Some college football coaches estimate that it will soon cost nearly $40 million or more to construct a roster capable of competing for championships, something that would have been unimaginable just five years ago. Although many are unhappy with the current lack of guardrails within college athletics, the reality is that schools need to find a way to compete under the current format, regardless of how crazy it may be.

The good news for the folks in Lubbock is that Texas Tech is going all in on capitalizing on the current state of college athletics, and it could completely transform the trajectory of its athletic programs.

According to a recent report by Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports, Texas Tech is set to pay out a whopping $55 million to its student athletes in 2025. That number, according to the sources who spoke with Marcello, is believed to be the highest in the nation.

Texas Tech’s multi-million dollar investment into star softball pitcher NiJaree Canady has received plenty of attention, and it’s estimated that men’s basketball standout JT Toppin landed a $4 million deal to remain in Lubbock. The Red Raiders’ estimated $20-30 million investment into the 2025 football roster is believed to be one of the highest (if not the highest) in the country.

Put simply, Texas Tech is doing everything it can to take advantage of the current state of college athletics, with the ultimate goal of delivering championships to the university.

… Read full story here …

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June 12th

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25 Top Stories of the past 25 years includes three CU stories

From The Athletic … No sport has a longer offseason than college football, and it’s nearly inarguable that the sport has as much drama off the field during that eight-month layoff — and during the regular season itself — as it does on Saturdays in the fall.

As The Athletic continues its look back at the last two-plus decades of college football, we examined 25 college football stories whose influences extended beyond the gridiron over the last 25 years, from conference expansion, NCAA power struggles, coaching hires and postseason changes to players whose star power impacted the game in ways the box score did not always measure.

17. Rocky Mountain Prime

Deion Sanders commanded the spotlight during his Hall of Fame playing career, but nothing could prepare college football for his 2023 debut as an FBS head coach in Colorado. Sanders took over a 1-11 squad, flipped the roster and became the sport’s most compelling story as the Buffaloes upset defending national runner-up TCU, then beat rivals Nebraska and Colorado State to start 3-0. Each of Sanders’ first five games drew more than 7.2 million viewers.

With multiple football programs hiring former NFL superstars like Michael Vick (Norfolk State) and Desean Jackson (Delaware State) in the ensuing years, Sanders’ emergence has helped usher in a new level of celebrity to the coaching carousel. His past exploits, charisma and cultural status have helped him connect to potential recruits and fans in a way few coaches can attain. And the five-year contract extension he signed this spring implies he’s not going anywhere.

9. Expansion chaos 2010-11

The zero-sum expansion spat between the ACC and Big East from 2003 to ’05 had little impact on the rest of college football. That was not the case in 2009 when Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany announced his league was exploring expansion on an 18-to-24-month timetable. That forced other leagues to expedite expansion plans, and the Pac-10 launched the first salvo when it pursued six Big 12 schools, including Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma.

Colorado became the first Big 12 school to jump to the Pac-10, and Nebraska left for the Big Ten a day later. The remaining schools waited on Texas, which opted to stay in the Big 12. The Pac-10 then added Utah to become a 12-team conference.

But the 10-member Big 12 was far from a happy family. The holdovers allowed Texas to form the Longhorn Network, but the financial and recruiting boost was too much for Texas A&M, so it bolted for the SEC in 2011. That earthquake started another round of aftershocks, and by the time it subsided, Missouri joined Texas A&M in the SEC and the Big 12 added TCU and West Virginia in their stead.

This round of realignment allowed an unvarnished reality to override the platitudes of college athletics: Football is king without exceptions, and brand power trumps on-field excellence.

3. The Pac-12’s demise

Long known as “The Conference of Champions,” the Pac-12 (previously the Pac-10 and Pac-8) enjoyed a proud tradition as a model academic-athletic conference. But financially it had fallen well behind its long-time partner — the Big Ten — and other power conferences. The league failed to secure distribution of its Pac-12 Network, and inept leadership turned a problem into a crisis.

A cascading departure of members followed USC and UCLA’s jump to the Big Ten, including Washington and Oregon (Big Ten), Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado (Big 12) and Stanford and California (ACC). Oregon State and Washington State remained as the Pac-12’s only members during the 2024 football season. The duo have mostly reconstituted the Pac-12, grabbing Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Utah State from the Mountain West for 2026. But it is not the same, not even close.

… Read full story here …

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June 11th

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ESPN College Football Future Power Rankings through 2026: CU in at No. 35

From ESPN … College football’s future power rankings have been reimagined as part of a changing sport. The constant roster shuffling around the sport because of the portal made three-year projections less sensible. Instead, the rankings will examine the next two seasons — in this case, the 2025 and 2026 seasons — and function more as a snapshot of the landscape.

Rather than deliver installments before the team rankings, I’m doing them all at once for the Power 4 leagues and Notre Dame. The reason: The spring portal changes things, and QB rooms or individual units can look moderately or significantly different by late May or early June. For example, think about where Tennessee would have been on the quarterback list in February and how the outlook is now.

Teams will be evaluated in the following categories:

• Returning quarterback
• Likelihood of a multiyear QB on roster
• Offensive line/defensive line outlook
• Roster management
• Star power (All-Americans, national award contenders, all-conference contenders)
• Coaching staff

Not every area has to be a strength to boost a team’s overall rating. Most teams likely cannot rely on having a multiyear starting quarterback on their roster, given the volatility of the position. But the most promising teams usually check at least a few of these boxes, especially overall roster management (high school recruiting and transfers), line-of-scrimmage play and at least some star power.

Let’s get started with the new Power 4 version of FPR, from No. 68 all the way to No. 1.

66. West Virginia Mountaineers

65. UCF Knights

64. Arizona Wildcats

62. Oklahoma State Cowboys

61. Houston Cougars

57. Cincinnati Bearcats

50. Kansas Jayhawks

38. TCU Horned Frogs

35. Colorado Buffaloes

Previous future power ranking: Not ranked

Returning quarterback: No. Shedeur Sanders produced a record-setting two-year run at Colorado, had his number retired and then became a fifth-round NFL draft pick to the Cleveland Browns.

Likelihood of a multiyear QB: Fairly likely. Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter, who led the Flames to an undefeated regular season and a Fiesta Bowl appearance in 2023, enters his final year of eligibility. But Colorado could at some point turn to decorated incoming freshman Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis, pegged as the team’s quarterback of the future.

Offensive line/defensive line outlook: The defensive line was a bright spot for much of last season, especially a pass rush that produced 37 sacks and 52 quarterback hurries. Colorado must replace B.J. Green and others but returns ends Arden Walker and Samuel Okunlola, who combined for 7.5 sacks and 13 hurries. Veteran tackle Amari McNeill is also back, and Colorado added transfers such as Jehiem Oatis (Alabama). Colorado’s offensive line remains an area to watch and once again will be transfer-heavy with Xavier Hill (Memphis), Zarian McGill (Louisiana Tech), Zy Crisler (Illinois) and others. The group returns an anchor in talented sophomore tackle Jordan Seaton, as well as guard Tyler Brown.

Roster management: Colorado not surprisingly was active in the portal, adding Salter as a potential one-year answer at quarterback, and addressing both lines of scrimmage, the secondary and linebacker. The team also sustained some potentially significant portal losses at offensive line, cornerback and running back. Colorado signed ESPN’s No. 34 class for 2025.

Star power: The Buffs lost more than most teams with Shedeur Sanders, Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and others departing. Who’s left? Seaton is back, Walker and Okunlola are both All-Big 12 candidates on the line, and Salter was Conference USA’s MVP and a Maxwell Award finalist in 2023. Hill earned first-team All-AAC honors last fall after being a second-team selection in 2023. Alejandro Mata is back as one of the nation’s more experienced kickers.

Coaching staff: Deion Sanders is back for Year 3, although the season represents Phase 2 of his tenure with his sons, Hunter and other notables leaving Boulder. He retained both of his coordinators, Pat Shurmur and on-the-rise DC Robert Livingston, and added another Pro Football Hall of Famer to the staff in running backs coach Marshall Faulk.

32. Baylor Bears

30. Utah Utes

29. Texas Tech Red Raiders

25. BYU Cougars

21. Kansas State Wildcats

19. Iowa State Cyclones

12. Arizona State Sun Devils

… Read full story here …

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June 10th

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Commissioners confident NIL rules will be enforceable: “We want oversight. We want guardrails”

From ESPN … Days after a multibillion-dollar legal settlement changed college athletics by allowing schools to directly pay their athletes, the most powerful conference commissioners are bullish on their ability to enforce NIL rules in a new system, even though specific punishments remain unclear.

Hours after the House v. NCAA settlement was approved on Friday, former MLB executive Bryan Seeley was named CEO of a new enforcement organization called the College Sports Commission. His job will be to lead the team responsible for enforcement of the new rules around revenue sharing, third-party payments to players for NIL deals, and roster limits.

One of the biggest questions, though, is what happens when those rules are broken?

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, who spoke Monday on a Zoom news conference with fellow commissioners Greg Sankey (SEC), Tony Petitti (Big Ten), Brett Yormark (Big 12) and Teresa Gould (Pac-12), said they’ve all had ideas, but nothing they’re “ready to come forward with.” Ultimately, Phillips said, the rules and boundaries will be under Seeley’s purview.

“We’re in the process of developing some of those rules and structure and overall implementation of that,” Phillips said. “Now that we have Bryan on board, I think we’ll be able to move a little bit quicker. But we want to get this right. It’s one of those areas that until you have somebody leading the College Sports Commission, it’s difficult to get together with that individual and start some of that framework that will be in place.”

Yormark called it “progress over perfection,” and said that while there will be challenges, they will meet them over time.

“Our schools want rules, and we’re providing rules, and we will be governed by those rules. And if you break those rules, the ramifications will be punitive,” Yormark said.

The annual cap is expected to start at $20.5 million per school in 2025-26 and increase every year during the decade-long deal. Those payments will be in addition to scholarships and other benefits the athletes already receive. Starting June 7, players have to report NIL deals of $600 or more to the College Sports Commission.

LBi Software and accounting firm Deloitte will monitor salary cap management and the NIL clearinghouse, an online platform called NIL Go. Those NIL deals will be outside of the revenue directly shared by schools and will be vetted to determine if they are for a valid business purpose — not recruiting.

Sankey met with his head coaches in football and men’s and women’s basketball this past February, and he said he has asked the same question at every level — including up to the university presidents.

“If you want an unregulated, open system, just raise your hand and let me know,” Sankey said. “And universally, the answer is, ‘No, we want oversight. We want guardrails. We want structure.’ Those individuals don’t have the luxury to just say that in meeting rooms, period. They don’t have the luxury to just be anonymous sources. They have a responsibility to make what they’ve sought — what they’ve asked for — to make it work.”

… Continue reading story here …

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June 9th

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Private Equity to the rescue? $500M on the way as a new source of income for collegiate athletics

From Sports Business Journal … Private equity has finally come to college sports.

Elevate is set to announce the creation of the Collegiate Investment Initiative, a $500M initiative backed by PE firm Velocity Capital Management and the Texas Permanent School Fund, Sports Business Journal has learned.

The investment vehicle will provide a new funding source for collegiate athletics programs pursuing capital-intensive projects like facility upgrades and renovations.

Jonathan Marks, Chief Business Officer of Elevate College and Global Marketplace, said the platform has already closed funding deals with two Power Four athletic departments, though he declined to share details. He expects to complete another three to six deals by the start of this year’s college football season.

“One of the needs that we’ve seen that’s gone unfulfilled is the need for project-based or bridge capital that a school might not be able to achieve within the university debt structure or via bonds,” Marks told SBJ. “We’re looking more to provide debt-type capital or credit, [and] that ultimately we can help a school monetize that investment and that return on capital more than anyone else.”

To Marks’ point, Elevate’s strategy with the initiative aims to support cash-strapped athletic departments without requiring equity commitments or short-term exit strategies typically deployed by private equity firms. Instead, these disbursements can be long-term deals secured by a percentage of future, incremental revenues.

The strategy has no hard time horizon and is “highly customizable” to fit athletic department needs, though Marks noted the fund will generally make eight-figure investments. While he acknowledged the cost of capital will be more expensive than a typical bond or credit facility, the ideal outcome is for Elevate to recoup its investment through a share of newly created, incremental revenue.

Elevate Chairman & CEO Al Guido pointed to the company’s unique positioning to introduce institutional capital to the college sports space as it’s already a service provider to nearly 70 clients across the collegiate landscape.

Marks said that Elevate will also consider conference-level funding opportunities that could be secured by revenue from league-controlled assets like jersey patches, field logos, tickets and others (Elevate has existing relationships with the ACC and Big East).

“The biggest difference from us to maybe the other private equity partners that have tried to attack the space is we’ve already had these partnerships,” Guido said. “With that knowledge, combined with capital that schools can use, I do think it’s hopefully the winning solve.”

Velocity, the sports-focused private equity firm launched by David Abrams and Arne Rees in 2021, is an existing investor in Elevate. The Texas Permanent School Fund is Velocity’s majority backer, having committed $200M late last year, and holds an ownership stake in the firm.

Those two are the only financiers behind Elevate’s new collegiate investment strategy, and Marks noted the $500M represents an initial effort, with long-term hopes to grow the Collegiate Investment Initiative into a multi-billion-dollar platform.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 6th

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**House Settlement finalized – Schools allowed to pay players directly**

From ESPN .. .Schools are now free to begin paying their athletes directly, marking the dawn of a new era in college sports brought about by a multibillion-dollar legal settlement that was formally approved Friday.

Judge Claudia Wilken approved the deal between the NCAA, its most powerful conferences and lawyers representing all Division I athletes. The House v. NCAA settlement ends three separate federal antitrust lawsuits, all of which claimed the NCAA was illegally limiting the earning power of college athletes.

Wilken’s long-awaited decision comes with less than a month remaining before schools are planning to start cutting checks to athletes on July 1. Both sides presented their arguments for approving the settlement at a hearing in early April. While college sports leaders have been making tentative plans for a major shift in how they do business, the tight turnaround time means schools and conferences will have to hustle to stand up the infrastructure needed to enforce their new rules.

The NCAA will pay nearly $2.8 billion in back damages over the next 10 years to athletes who competed in college at any time from 2016 through present day. Moving forward, each school can pay its athletes up to a certain limit. The annual cap is expected to start at roughly $20.5 million per school in 2025-26 and increase every year during the decade-long deal. These new payments are in addition to scholarships and other benefits the athletes already receive.

Friday’s order is a major milestone in the long push to remove outdated amateurism rules from major college sports. Since 2021, college athletes have been allowed to make money from third parties via name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. Boosters quickly organized groups called collectives that used NIL money as de facto salaries for their teams, in some cases paying millions of dollars mostly to top-rated basketball and football players. Now, that money will come straight from the athletic department.

In June 2021, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled against the NCAA in a case that made it clear that college athletics should be treated less like an education-based endeavor and more like a lucrative entertainment industry. The decision unleashed a flood of fresh legal challenges to NCAA rules that have led to unprecedented turmoil.

The settlement approved this week will not put an end to the barrage of legal challenges. Questions about whether athletes should be considered employees and the current rules that dictate how long an athlete can play college sports remain unanswered.

However, NCAA president Charlie Baker and others believe the deal will help schools regain control and tamp down the sky-rocketing, largely unregulated market for paying college players through third parties.

The NCAA and its schools are hoping that federal lawmakers will now intercede to help solve the industry’s remaining legal problems. Industry leaders have asked Congress to write a new law that would prevent athletes from becoming employees and provide the NCAA with an antitrust exemption to create some caps on player pay and transfers.

Salary caps and free agency restrictions in professional sports are legal because they are negotiated as part of a collective bargaining agreement with a union. College sports leaders say many schools wouldn’t be able to afford to fund their teams if players are deemed to be employees and allowed to unionize.

The settlement gives the schools power to create new rules designed to limit the influence of boosters and collectives. Starting this summer, any endorsement deal between a booster and an athlete will be vetted to ensure it is for a “valid business purpose” rather than a recruiting incentive.

Many sources in the college sports industry have doubts about whether the limit on booster spending — aimed at protecting competitive balance — will be effective in slowing down the rapid increase in money flowing to athletes at the NCAA’s richest schools. Some believe the rule will spur new lawsuits.

The power conferences are planning to soon launch a new enforcement organization to monitor payments that come from both schools and boosters, a duty that was previously one of the main functions of the NCAA’s national office. College sports officials are hoping that the new organization will have a more streamlined and effective approach to investigating potential violations and punishing those who break the rules.

The new enforcement organization, called the College Sports Commission, has yet to name a chief executive or finalize the types of punishments it will dole out for those that break the rules. The group responsible for creating the new organization — a collection of athletic directors and conference executives — has been waiting for final approval of the settlement before publicly announcing their plans.

Wilken refused to approve the settlement in early April because several athletes objected to a term of the deal that allows the NCAA to set a limit for many players each team can carry on its roster. The limits would have potentially resulted in thousands of athletes losing their place on their team. Lawyers for both sides agreed in late April to alter the deal so that no athletes would lose their opportunity to play college sports as a direct result of the new roster limits.

… Continue reading story here …

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June 4th

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Peace in the East: Florida State/ACC officially drop lawsuits against one another

From The Athletic … The ACC’s legal infighting is officially over after Florida State, Clemson and the ACC filed to dismiss the cases against each other Tuesday.

The move formally, finally, ends more than 17 months of litigation that played out in Florida (where the Seminoles sued the ACC), South Carolina (where the Tigers sued the conference) and North Carolina (where the Charlotte-based league separately sued both schools). Both schools and the league approved the settlement’s terms in March, and Florida State’s counsel estimated the agreements would be finalized in 30 days. The whole process took almost three months, approaching a June 9 deadline in one of the Florida courts.

The initial settlement terms clarified issues if/when Florida State, Clemson or other ACC members moved to leave the conference. Schools, not the league, would get to keep their TV rights, which are worth hundreds of millions of dollars between now and 2036 (when the ACC’s ESPN contract expires). The exit fee, according to a presentation to Clemson trustees in March, would drop annually from $165 million in the 2026 fiscal year to about $75 million in 2030-31.

That’s a critical window as TV contracts with the SEC, Big Ten and College Football Playoff will expire — potentially setting the stage for another massive round of conference realignment.

The agreement reported in March also created a new way for the ACC to share revenue with its members. About 60 percent of conference payouts would be divided based on TV viewership in football and men’s basketball. That amounts to more than $15 million in extra revenue for the top earners — a significant bonus as ACC paydays lag behind those in the SEC and Big Ten. Florida State officials previously said the gap would exceed $30 million in the coming years unless things changed.

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June 3rd

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Eric Bieniemy in Top Ten of Hall of Fame candidates (out of 79 candidates)

From College Football News … The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced the names on the 2026 class ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, including 79 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision.

A Hall of Famer should be obvious, and it’s not just about name recognition. A player’s popularity doesn’t mean he had an all-timer impact on the sport or was one of the true greats.

Perspective is needed, eras and systems have to be considered, NFL careers don’t matter, and there should be some test of time.

Here’s our ranking of all FBS player College Football Hall of Fame nominees based on how much they deserve to be in.

10. Antwaan Randle El, Indiana QB
2001 First Team All-American. First player in FBS history to pass for 6,000 yards and rush for 3,000 yards in career. Finished career with more rushing yards than any quarterback in FBS history.

9. Ken Dorsey, Miami QB
2002 First Team All-American who led the Canes to back-to-back BCS Championship games, winning the national title his junior season. Two-time Big East Co-Offensive Player of the Year and 2001 Maxwell Player of the Year.

8. Eric Bieniemy, Colorado RB
1990 unanimous First Team All-American and finished third in 1990 Heisman voting. Played in two national championships, leading Buffs to 1990 national title. Two-time All-Big 8, still holds eight Colorado records.

7. Peter Warrick, Florida State WR
Two-time First Team All-American who led FSU to a national championship at the 2000 Sugar Bowl. Two-time First Team All-ACC receiver finished career as the league’s all-time leading receiver. FSU’s career leader in receiving TDs.

6. Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska DT
Fourth in 2009 Heisman voting. All-American and winner of Bednarik, Lombardi, Nagurski and Outland. AP College Player of the Year.

5. Manti Te’o, Notre Dame LB
Finished second in 2012 Heisman. First player to win Maxwell, Walter Camp, Bednarik, Butkus, Lombardi, and Nagurski in the same season.

4. James Laurinaitis, Ohio State LB
Three-time First Team All-American, Two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. 2007 Butkus and 2006 Nagurski recipient. Led Ohio State in tackles three-straight seasons.

3. Robert Griffin III, Baylor QB
2011 Heisman winner. Won the Davey O’Brien and AP Player of the Year. 2011 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, and two-time All-Big 12.

2. Mark Ingram, Alabama RB
2009 Heisman winner, BCS Championship MVP, 2009 SEC Offensive Player of the Year.

1. Cam Newton, Auburn QB
2010 Heisman winner, leading Auburn to the national title. Won the Davey O’Brien, Maxwell, and Walter Camp awards. 2010 SEC Offensive Player of the Year.

… Read full story here …

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June 2nd

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Eric Bieniemy; Chris Hudson on ballot for College Football Hall of Fame

From Football Foundation.org … The National Football Foundation (NFF) announced today the names on the 2026 Ballot under consideration for induction into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame, including 79 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 100 players and 35 coaches from the divisional ranks.

“For more than 65 years, the NFF College Football Hall of Fame has stood as the sport’s ultimate archive, honoring those whose impact on the game still echoes today,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “This year’s ballot carries forward that responsibility, spotlighting individuals who not only excelled on the field but also helped define what college football means to so many.”

The ballot was emailed today to the more than 12,000 NFF members and current NFF Hall of Famers whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF’s Honors Court, which will deliberate and select the class.

The Honors Court, chaired by NFF Board Member and NFF College Football Hall of Famer Archie Griffin from Ohio State, includes an elite and geographically diverse pool of athletic administrators, NFF Hall of Famers and members of the media. Click here for the official criteria and the voting procedures, which govern election to the NFF Hall.

“Each year, the NFF Hall of Fame ballot provides our members with the meaningful opportunity to help shape the future of college football’s most prestigious honor,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, a 1989 NFF College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Ole Miss. “Our voters are deeply passionate and knowledgeable, and their involvement ensures that those selected represent the very best our sport has to offer. It’s a tradition rooted in excellence, and we are excited to see who will be chosen for the 2026 Class.”

The announcement of the 2026 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2026, with specific details to be announced in the future.

The 2026 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 8, 2026, at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino, and they will be honored at their respective schools with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the 2026 season.

Of the 5.78 million individuals who have played college football since Princeton first battled Rutgers on Nov. 6, 1869, only 1,111 players have earned induction into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame, or less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of those who have played the game during the past 155 seasons. From the coaching ranks, 237 individuals have achieved NFF Hall of Fame distinction.

Prominent Big 12 and Pac-12 nominees … 

Kenjon Barner, Oregon-Running Back-2012 consensus First Team All-American and finalist for the Doak Walker Award…First Team All-Pac-12 selection helped Ducks to four BCS berths, including a 2011 BCS National Championship appearance…Ranks third in Oregon history in career AP yards (5,848) and rushing TDs (41).

Aaron Beasley, West Virginia-Defensive Back-1995 consensus First Team All-American led the nation in INTs (10) in 1994…Two-time First Team All-Big East selection who led WVU to an undefeated regular season and a 1993 Big East title…19 career INTs and holds two of the top five single-season PBU performances in Mountaineer history.

Eric Bieniemy, Colorado-Running Back-1990 unanimous First Team All-American and finished third in 1990 Heisman voting…Played in two national championships, leading Buffs to 1990 national title…Two-time All-Big Eight pick, still holding eight CU records.

Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State-Wide Receiver-2008 consensus First Team All-American and finalist for the Biletnikoff Award…2008 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year who earned First Team All-Big 12 honors as both a receiver and return specialist the same season…Led the conference in scoring (126 points), receiving ypg (113.8) and punt return average (17.9) during prolific sophomore season.

Rocky Calmus, Oklahoma-Linebacker-Two-time consensus First Team All-American and 2001 Butkus Award winner…OU’s all-time leader in TFL (59) helped Sooners to the BCS National Championship at the 2001 Orange Bowl…2000 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and four-time All-Big 12 performer posted 431 career tackles.

Mark Carrier, USC-Defensive Back-Two-time First Team All-American (1988-89), earning unanimous honors in 1989…1989 Jim Thorpe Award winner as the nation’s top defensive back…Two-time First Team All-Conference selection…Led the Pac-10 in interceptions in 1989 with seven.

Robert Griffin III, Baylor-Quarterback-2011 consensus First Team All-American and winner of the Heisman Trophy, Davey O’Brien and Manning awards…2011 AP Player of the Year led the nation in points responsibility (22.15 ppg) and ranked second in total offense (384.0 ypg)…2011 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and two-time All-Big 12 performer broke or tied 54 Baylor records and led the Bears to their first bowl victory (2011 Alamo) in 19 years.

Byron Hanspard, Texas Tech-Running Back-1996 unanimous First Team All-American and recipient of the Doak Walker Award…Tech’s all-time leader in rushing (4,219) who tied NCAA record by reaching 1,000-yard mark by fifth game of 1996 season…Three-time All-Big 12 selection, helping Red Raiders to first Cotton Bowl since 1938.

Josh Heupel, Oklahoma-Quarterback-2000 consensus First Team All-American and Walter Camp Player of the Year…2000 Heisman Trophy runner-up who led the Sooners to a national title at the 2001 Orange Bowl…2000 Big 12 Player of the Year who left OU with virtually every school passing record despite only playing two seasons.

Chris Hudson, Colorado-Defensive Back-1994 consensus First Team All-American and Thorpe Award recipient… Three-time First Team All-Big Eight selection who helped the Buffs to the 1991 conference title…Finished career with 141 tackles 15 INTs (including two returned for a TD) and 20 PBUs.

DeSean Jackson, California-Return Specialist/Wide Receiver-Two-time First Team All-American (as a specialist), earning consensus honors in 2006, and Randy Moss Award winner as the nation’s top kick returner…Earned First Team All-Pac-10 honors as a receiver and punt returner in 2006…Cal’s career leader in punt return average (16.7) and punt return TDs (6).

Ryan Leaf, Washington State-Quarterback-1997 First Team All-American who finished third in Heisman Trophy voting…1997 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year led Cougars to the first league title in school history (1997) and first Rose Bowl berth in 67 years…Two-time All-Pac-10 performer set four WSU career records, including TD passes (59).

John Lee, UCLA-Placekicker-Two-time First Team All-American, earning consensus honors in 1985…Boasted the NCAA’s highest career field goal percentage among players with at least 55 attempts (.859)…Two-time First Team All-Pac-10 selection who helped UCLA to three league titles and finished his career as the Bruins’ all-time scoring leader (390).

Marshawn Lynch, California-Running Back-2006 First Team All-American who led Cal to a share of the 2006 Pac-10 title…2006 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year led the league in rushing (1,356), all-purpose yards (1,785) and TDs (15) that season…Two-time bowl game MVP (2005 Las Vegas, 2006 Holiday) and Cal’s all-time leader in 100-yard rushing games (17).

Terence Newman, Kansas State-Defensive Back-2002 unanimous First Team All-American and winner of the Thorpe Award…2002 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, also earning First Team All-Big 12 honors as a specialist after leading the league in kickoff return yards (28.5 avg.)…2002 team captain and MVP was just the second Wildcat in history to score on both a kickoff and punt return in the same season (2002).

Ken Norton Jr., UCLA-Linebacker-1987 First Team All-American, leading Bruins to four consecutive bowl wins… Member of the 1985 conference championship team… Led team in tackles in 1986 (106) and in 1987 (125) and ranks sixth in school history with 339 career tackles.

Ron Rivera, California-Linebacker-1983 consensus First Team All-American…Lombardi Award finalist in 1983 and named East-West Shrine Game Most Valuable Player…Selected as Pac-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 1983…Led team in tackles from 1981-83.

Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska-Defensive Tackle-2009 unanimous First Team All-American and winner of the Bednarik, Lombardi, Nagurski and Outland trophies…2009 AP College Player of the Year became the first defensive lineman in 15 seasons to be named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy (4^th in 2009)…2009 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year tied the Nebraska record for single-game TFL (7 vs. Texas) in the 2009 Big 12 title game.

… Read full list here …

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