🏅The CFP's Civil War

Hey there,

College baseball, softball, rowing, and a ton of other sports are in postseason play right now, but structural changes to the fabric of college sports are taking place as we speak.

First, there’s a massive fight going on between the Big Ten, SEC, and… everyone else, really — specifically about how the future College Football Playoff’s auto-bid system should work. Then, we’re looking at the data behind coaching turnover in the NIL era. Lastly, Kirby Smart gets honest about what he thinks the most pressing issue to solve is.

It’s all coming up now, let’s get into it!

— Cole and Collin

The Big 3

The College Football Playoff’s Civil War

There’s been a war brewing this week over potential College Football Playoff changes. A straight seeding model passed, which eliminates automatic byes for conference champions… but now the auto-bid system itself could look radically different.

On one hand there’s the Big Ten and SEC, who think that their conferences should get four auto-bids to the future 16-team playoff. The Big 12 would then receive two bids, the ACC would receive two bids, the Group of 6 would receive one bid, and then there’d be three at-large bids. That’s 16 total.

But as you can see above, many others don’t seem to like that deal, preferring a model where five champions get auto-bids, leaving eleven at large bids for the committee to dole out. The entire episode has caused immense drama, which we’re breaking down more deeply Monday’s All-Access edition. (More)

Coaching Turnover is at an All-Time High

According to a CBS Sports’ Coaching Carousal Audit, college football has witnessed unprecedented coaching turnover since the advent of NIL in 2021. Over a four-year period, 2,163 coaches have changed positions – including 61 FBS head coaching changes over the last two years.

Let’s break that number down a bit more. There are 134 teams in FBS, which means that 44.9% of FBS programs have undergone a head coaching change in the last two years. In other words, it’s not just players that are switching schools – coaches are jumping at better opportunities frequently, as well as getting fired more often.

"Coaches, by and large, can adapt to a lot of situations,” said American Football Coach Association president Craig Bohl, “But what is challenging is the changing landscape, between roster management and the pending House case being finalized, and the number of players with the ability to transfer.” (More)

Kirby Smart Lets Loose on the Transfer Portal

As College Football Playoff tensions swirl, Kirby Smart is focused elsewhere. According to him, actually defining clear transfer portal parameters remains the sport’s biggest need.

“The biggest decision that has to be made in college football right now, by far, to me, is when is the portal window, and is there one or two?” Smart said at the SEC Spring Meetings “That’s not being decided by us today. A lot of people don’t even know how it’s getting decided, who’s deciding it.” 

This year was the wildest portal season yet between the sheer mass of portal moves, high profile team-changes, and much, much more. Smart isn’t alone in his frustration, but until the House Settlement is passed (if it ever actually does pass), we likely won’t have many solutions to this problem. (More)

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NIL BLITZ

♦️ Sure-fire NBA first rounders are going back to college because of NIL

♦️ College Football 26 will feature Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Alabama’s Ryan Williams on the cover

♦️ Rice University is selling their stadium’s naming rights

♦️ The NFL and college football are going to be battling for attention as the latter mulls schedule changes

♦️ College Swimming coaches released an open letter on how they plan to protect water sports in the next era of college sports

♦️ Bill Self says that NIL has not affected quality of play in the Big 12

♦️ Schools like UNC still see non-revenue sports as having a financial benefit because of “brand-building”

♦️ Texas blocked Ohio State’s request to move out of the noon slot for their Week 1 game

♦️ Two Sooners are using NIL to provide resources to a local homeless shelter

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Are you a fan of the new seeding changes for the College Football Playoff?

• Yes - 56%

• No - 44%