A season that was supposed to be defined by parity instead ended with the two most iconic brands in women’s basketball meeting in the national title game and UConn adding a historic record 12th title. Those programs once again top the field in this way-too-early look at 2025-26. As is tradition in these power rankings,…
The top three in my annual ranking of the best coaches in college football was easy. After that, things got more complicated. How much does recency bias factor in? For me, not as much as it does for Stewart Mandel, whose Top 25 can be found here. I’ve always given coaches more credit for what…
(Editor’s note: This article is part of the Bracket Central series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s & women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.) Drake’s in, so we can dispense with the arguments about whether Ben McCollum’s Bulldogs would have made the field of 68 without winning the Missouri Valley…
The Athletic’s debate series features two writers breaking down a topic. In this edition, Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman debate which teams are capable of winning the national championship. Ben Pickman: We’re less than two weeks away from Selection Sunday and the whole world caring about seed lines, bracket draws and Cinderellas. Before March Madness…
(Correction: An earlier version of this article included an incorrect order on our All-America teams. Paige Bueckers is a member of The Athletic’s All-America first team, and Ta’Niya Latson is a second-team All-America selection.) With the regular season in the rearview, The Athletic’s team of dedicated writers and contributors got together to take stock of…
INDIANAPOLIS — Arch Manning is at least a year away from fielding questions at the NFL Scouting Combine. Still, his former Texas teammates fully expect the sophomore quarterback to eventually join them at the highest level. “I think he can,” wide receiver Matthew Golden said Friday. “He has the heart to do it. Arch comes…
Five years ago, this was a fairly simple exercise: Rank Alabama either No. 1 or 2, then drop Ohio State, Clemson or Georgia immediately before or after. Look like a genius 365 days later. But these days, it takes the GDP of a small country to keep a roster intact in college football. Ohio State…
One evening after the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff concluded with four blowout games staged on campus, ESPN host Scott Van Pelt and football analyst Tim Hasselbeck held a conversation that mirrored many like it taking place on social media and in barrooms. The host teams won by an average of 19.3 points, and the…
As Quinn Ewers trudged off the AT&T Stadium turf and approached the tunnel following Texas’ season-ending loss to Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, scores of nearby Longhorns fans applauded and offered gratitude and encouragement to Ewers and the teammates who followed him off the field. Ewers, with a white Gatorade towel draped around his…
ARLINGTON, Texas — And now, 15 thoughts from Notre Dame 27, Penn State 24 and Ohio State 28, Texas 14 — two much-needed, much-enjoyed fourth-quarter finishes in the College Football Playoff semifinals. 1. The camera operators for the mammoth video board at AT&T Stadium love their crowd shots. There were several between every play. Friday…