While we are a little over a month away from Week 1 of the college football season, excitement is starting to mount as the upcoming school year approaches. Before we know it, the crisp air of fall will loom, and college football will be in full swing.
With anticipation mounting, let’s take a look at some of the recent stories out of the NCAA football world.
Saban Not Pondering Retirement
At 70 years old, Nick Saban is going into his 16th season as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. In that span, he holds a 183-25 record. He also has eight SEC championships and seven national championships.
With such a long resume, it is fair to wonder if Saban has considered retirement as he enters his seventies. While speaking at the SEC Media Days, Saban put to rest the notion of his retirement and even went as far as to call out other SEC coaches who try to use it against him with recruiting, telling prospective players he may retire soon.
While he is a decade older than the next oldest SEC coach (Brian Kelly), Saban does not appear to be ready to give up the sidelines. For other SEC coaches, it may just be wishful thinking.
Also, at the SEC Media Days, Saban expressed his views on the NCAA’s NIL rules. While he supports players being able to be compensated for their name, image, and likeness, he does want to see consistency in how the rules are enforced, especially as programs are not supposed to use it as a recruiting tool.
Certainly, the players at Alabama are doing well, as Saban also indicated that his players had made over three million last season from NIL eligibility.
While the official AP preseason rankings won’t come out until August, it is very likely that Alabama will once again find themselves at the top. They are currently the favorites to win the 2022-23 National Championship at +180, followed by Ohio State (+300), Georgia (+350), and Clemson (+800).
Lane Kiffin Also Uneasy About NIL Rules
Speaking a bit more candidly about the NIL rules, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin likened it to baseball payrolls, meaning the teams that have more money will have the better players over the long haul.
Kiffin has been very outspoken about the NIL money, even going as far as saying Texas and Texas A&M should have been forced to pay a luxury tax after their recruits signed during the National Signing Day.
Big 12 And Pac-12 Not Planning To Merge
Earlier this week, the Big 12 and Pac-12 ultimately decided to not go through with a possible merger of the two conferences. Basically, Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports reported that the Big 12 decided to end discussions after finding that a consolidation would not really help move the needle in terms of league revenue.
Rather, it appears that the Big 12 may ultimately look to add some Pac-12 schools to their conference as teams like Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State have all been discussing possible deals.
Still, there are a lot of variables that would need to be worked out before any movement would happen, but the Pac-12 certainly has to be concerned about their status. They already took a hit this summer as both USC and UCLA announced that they would be spurning the conference to head to the Big Ten in 2024.
Oregon Tight End Dies After Accident
In tragic news, Oregon lost a member of its football family this week after Spencer Webb, a tight end, died in a cliff-diving accident.
After catching 18 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns in 2019, Webb caught 13 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown last season.
Georgia Bringing In NFL Bloodlines
The Georgia Bulldogs were able to solidify a commitment from a player with NFL bloodlines as Troy Bowles, the son of Buccaneers’ coach Todd Bowles, announced his decision.
Bowles was pursued by most top programs around the country but decided on Georgia due to their “player development and the opportunity.”
Bowles has played linebacker, safety, and edge rusher at Jesuit High School, and as part of the Class of 2023, he will try to continue the tradition of Georgia’s stout defenses.
Last year, the Bulldogs ranked first in scoring defense, allowing just 10.4 points per game to opponents.
