College Football
Failing Chief
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Florida State used to be one of the best football programs in the nation. Under Bobby Bowden (1976-2009), they won two national championships and twelve ACC championships since FSU joined the conference in 1991. The Seminoles also finished as an AP top-5 team for 14 consecutive seasons, setting a record which doubled the closest program.
Jimbo Fisher (2010-17) took over after him and he had success in Tallahassee as well. He led them to another national championship in 2013, four ACC championships and he had six seasons with double digit wins. His overall record was 83-23.
It’s been a struggle for FSU since then. Mike Norvell was hired as the head coach on December 8, 2019. This was based on his time at Memphis (2016-19), where he went 38-15. In 2020 they were 3-6. They improved to 5-7 in 2021.
I’m sure fans and administrators wish they would have fired him after that. In 2022 FSU was 10-3 and in 2023 they were 13-1. They were the first undefeated Power Five conference champion to be left out of the College Football Playoff.
The #5 Seminoles played #6 Georgia in the Orange Bowl and FSU got demolished, 63-3. The program has been in shambles since then. Norvell was named ACC Coach of the Year, won the Bobby Dodd Trophy and was awarded the Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year.
Unfortunately, they plummeted to 2-10 in 2024 and 5-7 in 2025. They are currently 3-3 this season.
Their last game was a 44-20 loss at Louisville. The Seminoles had a 14-0 lead to start the second quarter.
Cardinals RB Isaac Brown ran for a career-high 235 yards and two touchdowns on just 17 carries, including a game-changing 97-yard score.
Brown’s long touchdown run came on the first play of a second-quarter drive after Louisville stopped Florida State at the Cardinals 3 on a fourth-and-goal. They still had the fourteen-point lead at this point.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t do a good enough job in that moment,” said Norvell, whose team lost its 11th straight road game. “They’re pinned back. They got to go 98 yards, and they did it in one play.”
“That’s where you got to be able to trust all elements of who you are, what you’re doing, the importance of the details and discipline in those situations. And we didn’t do a good enough job of handling that.”
The touchdown run set a record for Louisville’s longest play from scrimmage and Brown’s total for the night was the most for any running back among FBS programs this season.
The next game is at #3 Miami, one of their biggest rivals. This past weekend we did see an average Oklahoma team upset #1 Texas, so I guess anything is possible.
Florida State fans have wanted Norvell to get fired for a while but it’s looking like an impossible task. FSU closed the 2025 fiscal year with $437 million in athletics-related debt.
Norvell’s buyout for him and his staff is $68 million, if they decide to get rid of him. His contract ends December 31, 2031. He’s being paid approximately $10.3 million this season (with a scheduled $150,000 increase each season).
Let’s see if getting blown out by the Hurricanes will finally cause Florida State to pull the plug on Norvell.
No High Tide For Dawgs
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For years, there has been one place that has given Georgia football fans more heartburn than just about anywhere else in college football. That place is Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
It doesn’t matter how good the Bulldogs have been, how many five-star recruits Kirby Smart has signed, or how many championships Georgia has won; when Alabama is on the other sideline, there’s always been that little voice in the back of every Georgia fan’s mind wondering what could possibly go wrong.
Well, Saturday night, that voice finally got a little quieter.
Georgia walked into Bryant-Denny Stadium and walked out with a 20-17 victory over Alabama, improving to 6-0 and delivering what might be one of the most satisfying regular-season wins of Kirby Smart’s coaching career.
And make no mistake, this was a big one.
Georgia hadn’t won in Tuscaloosa since 2007. Smart had never beaten Alabama on its home field as Georgia’s head coach. For a program that has accomplished just about everything imaginable over the past several years, this was one of the few boxes left unchecked. Consider it checked.
What made Saturday night’s victory particularly impressive wasn’t that Georgia played a perfect game. The Bulldogs didn’t. There were mistakes, missed opportunities, and plenty of moments when Alabama looked ready to take control.
But Georgia did something championship teams have to do. It found a way to win when everything wasn’t going its way.
Quarterback Gunner Stockton deserves a tremendous amount of credit. There were plenty of questions entering the season about whether he could lead this offense through the toughest parts of an SEC schedule. He completed 18 of 22 passes for 249 yards against Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, should answer a few of those questions.
Stockton wasn’t flashy. He didn’t need to be. He was poised, efficient, and didn’t let the moment become bigger than the game.
And how about Dwight Phillips Jr.? His 120 rushing yards gave Georgia the balance it needed and reminded everyone that the Bulldogs can still line up and play physical football when the situation demands it.
But the most encouraging part of the night was probably Georgia’s defense. They held Alabama to 17 points on its home field, that is no small accomplishment. The Crimson Tide have plenty of offensive weapons, and there were stretches when it looked like they might break the game open.
Instead, Georgia kept battling, made critical stops, and gave its offense the opportunity to finish the job.
That’s the kind of football Kirby Smart has built his program around.
Now, I’m not suggesting Georgia should start making hotel reservations for the national championship game. There’s still a lot of football left to play, and anybody who follows the SEC knows things can change in a hurry.
But Saturday night felt different. For years, Alabama was the standard Georgia was chasing. Even after the Bulldogs finally broke through and won a national championship, trips to Tuscaloosa remained unfinished business.
This victory wasn’t about proving Georgia belongs among college football’s elite. That argument was settled a long time ago.
It was about proving the Bulldogs can walk into one of the most intimidating environments in the country, absorb everything Alabama throws at them, and still be the better team when the clock hits zero.
And for Kirby Smart, who spent years working under Nick Saban before building his own powerhouse in Athens, there has to be something particularly satisfying about that.
Georgia didn’t just beat Alabama on Saturday night.
The Bulldogs beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, stayed undefeated, and reminded the rest of the country that the road to a championship might very well run through Athens.
As a Georgia fan, I can tell you this much: I don’t care whether the final score was 20-17 or 50-17. Walking out of Tuscaloosa with a victory feels pretty darn good.
How ’bout them Dawgs!
Delaying the Inevitable?
By: Joseph Stuckey
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
This past Saturday, the South Carolina Gamecocks accomplished 1 goal, and that was to buy Shane Beamer a few more weeks to save his job.
Coming into this season, I don’t know if anyone’s seat was hotter than Shane Beamer’s in Columbia. The start to this season has also not been helpful, as the Gamecocks’ only wins were against Kent State and FCS opponent Towson. They already had losses against Mississippi State, Alabama, and Kentucky.
Things did not look great for Beamer as the Gamecocks headed to The Swamp in Gainesville to take on the #16-ranked Gators this past Saturday.
However, strong quarterback play from Lanorris Sellers and the Gamecock defense forcing field goals out of Florida led to the upset victory.
Coming off of last year’s season, they started off great with 2 wins out of the gate, including one over Virginia Tech in the Aflac kickoff game. After that, the Gamecocks would only find 2 more wins and finish 4-8.
Their only SEC win last season was against Kentucky; they also lost their rivalry game to Clemson at home.
So, a 4-8 season last year and already 3 SEC losses this season had a lot of people thinking a loss this past Saturday could end Beamer’s time in Columbia. However, with this victory over the Gators, it may have bought him some time to turn things around.
The Gamecocks now have a week off before they welcome Josh Heupel’s Tennessee Volunteers to Williams-Brice Stadium on 10/24.
After that, they finish out their SEC slate @Oklahoma, vs. Texas A&M, @Arkansas, and they will finish their SEC slate welcoming the current #1 team in the country, the Georgia Bulldogs, on 11/21.
They will finish the regular season with a trip to Death Valley to take on Clemson in what could potentially be the last Palmetto Series rivalry game featuring both Shane Beamer and Dabo Sweeney.
Personally, I see the Gamecocks winning 3 of their remaining 5 SEC games, thus getting to bowl eligibility at 6-5 before heading to Clemson.
The good thing for the Gamecocks is the 3 tougher remaining SEC games are at home, and if they can pull off a victory in 1 of the 3 and pick up road wins against Arkansas and Oklahoma, the Gamecocks could find themselves heading to bowl season.
However, will a trip to bowl season be enough to keep Beamer in charge next year, especially if they lose to Clemson to end the year?
I see it going 1 of 2 ways: first, if the Gamecocks win 3/5 in SEC play and then beat Clemson, and win a bowl game to get to 8-5, that would be a great year for the Gamecocks and allow Beamer to start fresh next year with some momentum.
However, if they only win 2 of their remaining 6 and don’t make a bowl game, I think Beamer’s time is done.
I think the fuse is pretty short; if they lose their next 3, with 2 being home games, I think he is out, even with Georgia and Clemson still looming on the schedule.
Is Alabama Crimson Tide Best Team In Country
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
This week, the biggest matchup in college football is #2 Georgia @ #6 Alabama.
I think Alabama is the best team in college football this season, so let’s take a look to see why.
The Crimson Tide haven’t won a national championship since 2020. That’s not a long time ago but for the standard Nick Saban set, it is. He retired after the 2023 season, with Bama losing in the CFP semifinal to the eventual national champions, Michigan.
At the time, Kalen DeBoer led Washington to the 2023 national championship game against Michigan.The Huskies finished 14-1 and he took over as the head coach in Tuscaloosa.
He had almost impossible shoes to fill based on the success Saban had. He also is navigating the transfer portal and NIL era of college football. He went 9-4 in 2024 and 11-4 last season.
They still made the College Football Playoff last season after a 10-3 regular season. Bama got beat 28-7 by Georgia in the SEC Championship. They did avenge their loss to #8 Oklahoma in the first round.
In the quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl, they were embarrassed by #1 Indiana, losing 38-3. QB Ty Simpson entered the NFL draft and he was selected 13th overall by the Rams.
They also ranked 123rd in rushing offense. This program has been known for being physical and producing great running backs like Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Najee Harris and Jahmyr Gibbs.
They came into the season with obvious weaknesses that had to be addressed. Sophomore QB Keelon Russell was named the starter in late August after training camp. He won the Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year as a senior in 2024. He also won the Elite 11 finals and was named MVP of the competition.
After five games, he’s a front runner for the Heisman. This is coming off of the 56-23 win at #16 Mississippi State. He accounted for 4 touchdowns in the game. He passed for 285 yards, 3 scores and he completed 72.7% of his passes.
“Just going out there, just having fun, understanding the assignment, doing me, playing my game,” said the 19-year-old Russell.
“Not really worrying about the Heisman right now. Accolades and stuff will come,” Russell said. “I don’t want to spoil myself too much about what I can get and rather (focus on) what am I going to do to make myself better.”
The Tide are currently ranked 43rd in rushing offense. They have scored at least 45 points in each game this season. They have three running backs with at least 200 yards; Daniel Hill, Trae’shawn Brown and EJ Crowell. Hill is the teams leading rusher but he fumbled twice against Miss State and lost one of them.
“Yeah, Daniel just needs to keep playing and keep going about it,” DeBoer said in his postgame press conference. “Things happen. You know, he put the ball on the ground, but he’s a guy we got a lot of trust in. Not going to lose trust in him.”
DeBoer does have a 2-1 record against UGA, so they should play well. The other ranked teams left on Alabama’s schedule are at 15)Tennessee and at 10) LSU.
Return Of The Old Swamp
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We’re done with the first month of the college football season.
One big question I have is, are the Florida Gators back? They became an elite program when Steve Spurrier became the head ball coach in 1990.
He coached in Gainesville from 1990-2001 and had a record of 122-27-1. He also won six SEC championships, won a national championship and played in another. He averaged more than ten wins per season and coached a Heisman Trophy winner (Danny Wuerffel).
Urban Meyer had the second-best tenure after him from 2005-2010. His record was 65-15. He also won two national championships, two SEC championships and he also coached a Heisman Trophy winner (Tim Tebow).
They have struggled to find consistency after Meyer left. Their last head coach was Billy Napier (2022-2025). He had one winning season in 2024, when they went 8-5. He was fired during the 2025 season after starting 3-4.
Jon Sumrall was hired as the 31st head coach at UF on November 30, 2025. I thought he had a similar profile to Napier because he’s coming from a much smaller program. He coached at Troy (2022-23) and Tulane (2024-25). His record was 43-12 at both schools.
Napier mainly stuck around to start his final season because he had quarterback DJ Lagway returning. After Sumrall was hired, Lagway transferred to Baylor.
We’re only four games into Sumrall’s first season but the Gators are 4-0. They beat #4 Ole Miss, 52-28 in the Swamp. It tied Florida’s most points against a top-five team since beating Florida State 52-20 in the 1996 national championship game.
“It’s not asleep, but it ain’t fully awake yet. It’s being kind of stirred up a little bit,” said Sumrall, who became the first coach in Southeastern Conference history to lead his team to 200 or more points in his first four games.
“We’re going to get there. It’s coming.”
“I didn’t come here for us to be average.”
Junior running back and Atlanta native Jaden Baugh looks like the best back in college football. Last season he rushed for 1,170 yards, 8 touchdowns and averaged 5.3 yards per carry.
He also had 33 receptions, 210 yards and 2 scores.
After four games he has 600 yards, 11 TD’s and averages 7.2 ypc. He had 142 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Rebels.
Baugh became the third player in school history to top 100 yards rushing in five consecutive games, joining Emmitt Smith (1987, ’88) and Fred Taylor (1997). If he can sustain this, he could win the Heiman Trophy.
“That means everything to me, just having my name up there with those guys,” Baugh said. “They did so much when they were here. And just being able to follow their footsteps and excel, that just means so much to me.”
The Gators are now ranked #8. We will see if they can handle success.
I also want to talk about the impact the new offensive coordinator, Buster Faulkner is having. He was the OC/tight ends coach at Georgia Tech from 2023-25. He was the offensive quality control coach at Georgia from 2020-22. The Bulldogs won two national titles while he was there.
He got his QB, Aaron Philo (Georgia Tech) to transfer with him when he was hired at Florida. Philo has passed for 917 yards, 7 scores and 2 interceptions, while completing 72.4% of his passes.
The remaining schedule is @ #25 Mizzou, South Carolina, @ #1 Texas, #2 Georgia, Oklahoma, @ #24 Kentucky, Vanderbilt and @ Florida State.
I think the Gators will win ten games and make the College Football Playoff.
Group Of Six College Football Playoff Contenders
By: Capers Childs
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The College Football Playoff bracket is different for the 2026 season because there is no longer a guaranteed bid for a Group of Six conference champion.
Instead, the automatic bid goes to the highest-ranked team from the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West, Pac-12 or Sun Belt, regardless of whether that team wins its conference championship.
With this change, the race for the Group of Six’s spot in the College Football Playoff becomes even more competitive.
With that being said, I think James Madison, Troy, Memphis and the University of South Florida have the best chance of earning that spot.
Starting with James Madison, the Dukes have gotten off to a strong start in 2026. The recent win over San Diego State is especially important because it came on the road against an FBS opponent.
JMU also forced two turnovers in the game and finished with 417 yards of total offense.
The Dukes also have several important games remaining, including games against Marshall, App State and Troy. If JMU can continue winning, especially against its stronger Sun Belt opponents, it could be a contender near the top of the Group of Six rankings.
Troy is another team that could enter the playoff conversation. The Trojans are also off to a good start. Troy’s only loss came against No. 20 Missouri, 27-17.
The Trojans actually started the game strong, scoring the first 10 points and holding Missouri scoreless in the first quarter. Although the loss keeps Troy from having a perfect record, playing a ranked SEC opponent provides them with a quality opportunity to strengthen its résumé. The Trojans also have important Sun Belt games remaining, including a game against JMU on October 29.
Memphis is another contender because of the strength of its nonconference schedule. The Tigers only have one loss and that was to Boise State.
The game against Boise State was particularly important because both teams entered the season as teams expected to compete for the Group of Six playoff spot.
Memphis still has several meaningful American Athletic Conference games remaining, including games against Tulane, Army and South Florida.
If Memphis can finish the season with a strong conference record, those games could play a major role in determining where the Tigers are ranked at the end of the season.
Finally, South Florida has also put itself in position to compete for the playoff spot. The Bulls are undefeated. One of USF’s victories came over Army and that was big because Army entered that game undefeated, making it a meaningful conference victory for South Florida.
The Bulls also have several important games ahead, including UTSA, East Carolina, Memphis and Tulane.
The November 12 matchup against Memphis could be a good contest because both teams are competing for position within the American and potentially for the Group of Six automatic bid.
Overall, James Madison, Troy, Memphis and South Florida all have paths to the College Football Playoff.
The new format makes the race more complicated because winning a conference championship alone does not guarantee a playoff spot for these teams.
Instead, they need to build the strongest overall résumé possible. As the season continues, wins against quality opponents, avoiding losses and performing well against other Group of Six contenders will be important.
The team that finishes highest in the final rankings among these conferences will earn the automatic playoff bid, and that makes every remaining game important.
Protect College Sports Act
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For the past few years, I’ve written plenty about how college athletics has become almost unrecognizable.
The transfer portal has become free agency. NIL has evolved from athletes making money off their name, image and likeness into something that often looks a lot like recruiting payroll. Schools can now share revenue directly with athletes. And seemingly every few months another court ruling changes the rules again.
Something has to give. That is why the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA) currently moving through Congress deserves our attention.
The bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Maria Cantwell of Washington, cleared an important hurdle in early September when the Senate voted 77-22 to move it forward for debate and possible final passage.
At its core, the PCSA attempts to create one national set of rules, which is something college athletics desperately needs.
Among other provisions, the legislation would establish federal standards for NIL, place limits around revenue sharing, provide the NCAA and conferences certain antitrust protections to enforce rules, establish medical and health protections for athletes, and create protections for scholarships and roster spots in nonrevenue sports.
It also attempts to put some sanity back into the transfer portal by generally allowing athletes one unrestricted transfer without losing eligibility.
There are parts of that I really like. I’ve never had a problem with college athletes making money. If somebody wants to pay a Georgia quarterback to appear in a commercial or an offensive lineman to promote his business, good for them.
But what we’ve created isn’t really NIL anymore. When players are essentially being recruited from one school to another based on who can assemble the largest financial package, let’s at least admit what we’re watching.
That’s professional sports without contracts, salary caps or collective bargaining. College football needs rules, but the problem is deciding who gets to make them, and that’s where I’m a little uncomfortable with the PCSA.
One of the biggest criticisms is that it provides antitrust protection allowing the NCAA, conferences and schools greater authority to regulate compensation and enforce restrictions.
That deserves scrutiny. For decades, college athletics fought against giving athletes a larger share of the enormous amount of money they helped generate. The courts eventually forced much of the change we’re seeing today.
Now we’re being asked to give some of those same institutions greater legal protection to regulate the new system.
You can understand why athletes and their advocates might be skeptical. Critics such as Senators Chris Murphy and Cory Booker, the NAACP and athlete advocacy organizations argue the legislation places too many restrictions on players while doing comparatively little to restrain spending elsewhere in college athletics.
That’s a legitimate concern, but at the same time, doing nothing isn’t much of a solution either. I don’t believe the current system is sustainable.
Unlimited movement, constantly changing eligibility rulings, recruiting inducements disguised as NIL agreements and different laws from state to state aren’t good for the long-term health of college athletics.
And my biggest concern isn’t Georgia football, Alabama football or Ohio State football.
Those programs will survive. I’m worried about wrestling, swimming, track, tennis, softball and all the other sports that don’t generate millions of dollars in television revenue.
The PCSA specifically attempts to protect scholarships and roster opportunities in those sports, and that may ultimately be one of its most important provisions.
So, count me among those who believe college sports desperately needs guardrails. I just don’t want those guardrails to become handcuffs for the athletes.
The goal shouldn’t be returning college athletics to the old days when everyone made money except the people actually playing the games.
But the answer can’t be pretending the current system is working perfectly either.
Best Of Bulloch
By: Joseph Stuckey
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
A lot of emphasis gets put on Bulloch County’s current collegiate prospects, but over the past few seasons there have been quite a few players who have made the jump and now play on Saturdays.
With college football in full swing, I thought it would be a good time to highlight some of these players. Below is a list of some of Bulloch County’s standouts at the FBS level organized by graduation year.
First, let’s start with the class of 2026, which produced current Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Bear Fretwell. The 6-7 true freshman lineman was rated as a unanimous 3-star and the 47th-ranked player in the state of Georgia for the 2026 class. The Crimson Tide will look to contend for the SEC title as well as a berth in the CFP.
The class of 2024 was one of those once-in-a-generation classes that produced 3 Power 4 (P4) players at the time. To start with, Portal High School produced Amir Jackson, who took his talents to Gainesville, FL.
The 6-5 tight end was a consensus 4-star and was ranked as a top-15 player in the state of Georgia. Jackson has appeared in 15 games for the Gators and scored a touchdown last season against Texas A&M. Under new head coach Jon Sumrall, the Gators will look to make a run at the SEC title and potentially sneak into the CFP.
Also in the class of 2024, Statesboro High School produced Kam Mikell and Amontrae Bradford. They were a part of the Statesboro team that gave coach Matt Dobson his first postseason win as a Blue Devil.
Bradford was a consensus 3-star and the No. 41-ranked edge rusher in the country. He has appeared in 26 games for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and has accounted for 25 total tackles. He will be a big part of the Yellow Jackets’ defense that will look to bring the first ACC title to The Flats since 2009.
For Kam Mikell, his journey has been a little different. He committed out of SHS to Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes. During his time there, he appeared in 8 games and then decided to transfer this season to play for his hometown Georgia Southern Eagles.
Mikell was a consensus 4-star and was the number 31 player in the state of Georgia for the 2024 class. His commitment to GSU really energized the fanbase, as he was their highest-rated transfer this past cycle according to 247Sports.
Under head coach Clay Helton, the Eagles have set their sights on winning their first Sun Belt title since 2014.
The final Bulloch County native is from the class of 2023. Jordan Lovett has spent his entire collegiate career with the Troy Trojans.
Lovett came out of Statesboro High School, and picked Troy over Georgia State, Charlotte, and Georgia Southern, among others.
During his time at Troy, he has appeared in 25 games and has 700+ all-purpose yards. This season, the Trojans will be looking to claim their first Sun Belt title since 2023.
As you can see, Bulloch County has quite a few alumni at the FBS level, and the current group of prospects will only add to its growing reputation as a pipeline to the collegiate level.
Can Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Recover After Tough Start?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets lost to #18 Tennessee at home, 45-24. They lost their first game to Colorado, so they are now 0-2.
Tech is one of only three Power Four conference teams to open this season with consecutive games against power-conference opponents.
The Vols are led by true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon. I thought the Yellow Jackets had a chance to win the game because they were facing a young QB making his first start on the road. Brandon went 10 of 21 for 148 yards and 2 touchdowns.
RB DeSean Bishop rushed for 147 yards and 2 scores.
Tennessee also had 14 penalties for 142 yards.
Georgia Tech blocked a punt and scored a touchdown after Elgin Session returned it. It was their first blocked punt return for a score in 22 years. They led 10-7 after the first quarter. After that, UT scored 17 unanswered points in the second quarter.
The offense finally scored their first touchdown of the season in the third quarter on a 2-yard touchdown reception by RB Justice Haynes. The Michigan transfer had 117 total yards and two touchdowns. The offense needs to make him the focal point.
QB Alberto Mendoza, the transfer from Indiana and younger brother of #1 pick, Fernando Mendoza has struggled. He completed 26 of 40 passes for 221 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions. One of those was a pick-six.
“Yeah, they played, they went to more of a, not the entire time, but a good portion of the time, played a three down front to be able to change up their gaps in the front, but also to bring the edge pressure” head coach Brent Key said. “And that’s what was happening a couple of times, some of the balls that were batted down even as well. And then when you’re doing that and they’re showing and they played a floater-type guy in the middle that’s a down lineman that’s playing in a linebacker-type stance, and they’re dropping different guys into coverage.”
Key also spoke about the team’s identity after the game.
“Yeah, you know, you don’t really expect anything. You don’t live in that type of world. You know, I guess you say you do it. There’s what you want. There’s the standard that you have, right, and that you play to. I will say this, last week was nothing close to a standard, an identity, whatever fancy word, you know, culture, whatever word you want to put up on social media. It was not even close to it. It didn’t even resemble anything. I thought a lot of times tonight it was a lot closer to what we want to be.”
This might be a tough season. I thought they would win the first game before the season started. I believe it will be tough for them to get six wins and become bowl eligible.
The next game is at home against Mercer, an FCS team. The Bears are ranked #22 but they are coming off of a loss to Furman. This should be an easy win for the Jackets.
The remaining schedule is @ Stanford, Duke, @ Virginia Tech, Boston College, @ Pitt, # 23 Louisville, @ Clemson, Wake Forest and @ #2 Georgia. Where will the other five wins come from?
They should be favored against Stanford, Duke and Wake Forest. I think they’re evenly matched against BC and Clemson. It’s possible they might pull an upset and beat a team they aren’t supposed to. The opposite of that is also possible.
LSU To Be Ousted From SEC?
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Welcome to college football in 2026.
On Saturday night, LSU looked like one of the best teams in America, dismantling Clemson 51-10 in Lane Kiffin’s debut.
By Tuesday, the Tigers had climbed to No. 8 in the AP poll. And on that same day, the Southeastern Conference was preparing for a meeting that could potentially result in LSU being kicked out of the league. You can’t make this stuff up.
The dispute centers around Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, two former Ole Miss players who signed NFL contracts and spent time with professional teams this summer before attempting to return to college football at LSU.
The SEC says they shouldn’t be eligible. A Louisiana judge has ruled, at least temporarily, that they can play. LSU didn’t use either player against Clemson, but the fight has continued anyway.
And naturally, Lane Kiffin couldn’t resist having a little fun with it.
With LSU leading Clemson 31-3 at halftime Saturday, Kiffin joked during his television interview, “Imagine if we had pro players.”
I’m guessing SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey didn’t find that nearly as funny as Kiffin did.
Now the situation has escalated to the point where SEC presidents and chancellors are scheduled to meet and potentially consider LSU’s future in the conference.
We’re talking about LSU here. A founding member of the SEC. One of the biggest brands in college football; Tiger Stadium, national championships and generations of SEC history.
Personally, I think kicking LSU out would be a massive overreaction. But I also understand the SEC’s position.
A conference has to be able to make rules and expect its members to follow them. If the schools agree on an eligibility rule and one member can simply go to court and have that rule blocked, how does the conference govern itself?
But that’s also why this story is about much more than LSU. College football has changed almost everything about itself in a remarkably short period of time without developing a system capable of governing what it has become.
NIL changed the financial landscape. The transfer portal changed roster building. Revenue sharing changed the relationship between players and schools. Eligibility rules continue to be challenged in court.
And every time the NCAA or a conference tries to draw a line, someone seems ready to file another lawsuit.
So, who’s actually in charge of college football? The NCAA? The conferences? The schools? The courts? I’m not sure anybody knows anymore.
I don’t blame the players for taking advantage of every opportunity available to them. I don’t necessarily blame LSU for challenging a rule it believes is wrong. And I certainly don’t blame the SEC for believing membership in its conference should require following conference rules.
But college football desperately needs some consistency. That’s the bigger story here.
The crazy part is that LSU might actually be really good. The Tigers just embarrassed Clemson and suddenly look like a legitimate playoff contender.
Yet only a few days later, we’re barely talking about football.
Instead, we’re wondering whether one of the SEC’s founding members could actually be thrown out of the conference.
That’s college football in 2026. LSU may be ready to compete for an SEC championship.
First, apparently, the Tigers have to make sure they’re still in the SEC.
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