Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what's next.
CFP THINKING ABOUT POTENTIAL CHANGES TO PLAYOFF FORMAT
There was a lot of consternation and hand-wringing about certain elements of the expanded playoff format, but the end result was that Ohio State won a national championship so it's hard to say that there's any way it could've been improved.
Still, that won't keep the CFP from trying (or people from complaining), so you might as well shove a sturdy stick in there and wiggle it around to see what comes out.
A source with knowledge of the conversations said nobody at this time was pushing hard for a 14-team bracket, and there wasn't an in-depth discussion of the seeding process, but talks were held about the value of having the four highest-ranked conference champions earn first-round byes.
[...]
[S]ome university leaders said they liked rewarding those conference champions with byes because of the emphasis it placed on conference title games.
The first-round bye games will likely receive the most attention going forward, although at this time in the sport if feels like pretty much everything is up in the air.
UCLA FACES NEARLY 52 MILLION DOLLAR ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT DEFICIT
In its sixth straight year of being in the red, UCLA has dug itself into a $50 million hole that it may find difficult to get out of, at least in the short term. Long term infusions of sweet, sweet Big Ten cash will likely help over time, but the UCLA athletic department has struggled to keep their heads above water, thanks to operating expenses that approach $180 million.
The intersection of big time football expenses, Olympic sports, and underwhelming revenue from ticket sales have proved difficult for one of the biggest names in college sports to navigate. But also, maybe it isn't that surprising? Because:
After the NCAA deregulated coaching positions, allowing for bigger staffs, UCLA added 15 new assistant coaches — 13 in the Olympic sports and one each in men’s and women’s basketball. The football team also hired a general manager, added several analysts and expanded its recruiting staff.
Mortgaging the future isn't anything new to college sports (just ask Rutgers), but even with the cash cow of the Big Ten around, it'll be interesting to see if this approach pays off. Literally.
BIG NAME COLLEGE FOOTBALL PROGRAM LOSES DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
It's not just an Ohio State problem! Notre Dame's Al Golden peacing out to coach defense for the Cincinnati Bengals makes this a particularly weird start to the offseason for both teams. National championship participants losing big time coaches isn't completely without precedent; Michigan lost half their coaching staff in the month or two after they won last year, and lots of other schools have lost coordinators to head coaching positions elsewhere (see Herman, Tom).
But this is unusual in that the coordinators for both programs are leaving for what are ostensibly lateral moves (although NFL > CFB, even if it's the same job). Both Notre Dame and Ohio State are well-positioned to get the best candidates available, although it's unfortunate that in the case of Ohio State they'll have to play against a Jim Knowles defense in about ten months.
ICYMI
Check out a nice selection of pieces we've written about Ohio State's national title, including some great reflective articles about Will Howard, Ryan Day, the offensive line as a whole, and more.
OHIO STATE OFFENSIVE LINE OVERCOMES WAVES OF INJURY ADVERSITY TO HELP DELIVER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
OHIO STATE'S MOST RECENT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IS THE MOST-EARNED TITLE EVER
WILL HOWARD'S TRANSFER TO OHIO STATE PROVED TO BE A PERFECT PAIRING FOR BOTH SIDES
WHAT'S NEXT
- Men’s basketball: vs Iowa, Monday, 8 p.m. ET, @Penn State, Thursday, 6 p.m. ET
- Men's ice hockey: vs Michigan State, Thursday, 8 p.m. ET
