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The Christmas holiday season is now underway.  Yours truly will trek down I-20 to visit family in north Louisiana for several days later this week. This will be the final SwampSwami report for 2025, so let’s make it worth your time with some bold predictions for the upcoming playoff games! First, a review of last weekend’s first round of the College Football Playoffs #9 seed Alabama 34, #8 Oklahoma 24 The Oklahoma Sooners looked unbeatable early in the second quarter of last Friday night’s opening game of this year’s playoffs. Alas, it was the second half of that same second quarter which wrecked the Sooner Schooner and its national title hopes. OU raced to 17-0 lead early in the second quarter by scoring on three consecutive possessions.  Alabama finally put some points on the board with a 75-yard touchdown drive to make it 17-7. Then Oklahoma’s All-SEC punter Grayson Miller accidentally dropped the ball just prior to punting it.  Bama quickly recovered and would kick a field goal to trail 17-10. On the next possession, Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer completed a beautiful pass – right into the hands of Alabama defensive back Zabien Brown – for a 50-yard interception and score for the Crimson Tide. This game went to halftime tied at 17 apiece.  The Oklahoma football team and its home crowd of more than 80,000 looked shocked and deflated heading to the locker room after a self-inflicted second quarter collapse. Alabama tacked on ten more points in the third quarter to take a 27-17 lead.  The Tide went on to win 34-24 and will face #1 seed Indiana in a second round game on January 1. #10 seed Miami 10, #7 seed Texas A&M 3 Nobody could have predicted this putrid offensive performance by both teams in the first two quarters.  The scoreboard registered 0-0 at halftime on a dry, warm 75-degree Saturday afternoon in College Station, Texas. Miami finally got on the scoreboard with a third quarter field goal.  They were matched by Texas A&M early in the fourth quarter to make the score 3-3. That’s when Hurricanes’ running back Mark Fletcher, Jr. took over and literally carried his team on his back Saturday with 172 rushing yards.  His punishing fourth quarter runs carried the Canes downfield to take a 10-3 lead with two minutes to go. A final drive by the Aggies to the Miami 5-yard line ended when Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed was intercepted on a questionable pass into the end zone. Miami returns to the state of Texas next Wednesday night to play #2 seed Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve. #6 seed Ole Miss 41, #11 seed Tulane 10 Before you blinked, the Coach Lane Kiffin-less Rebels jumped to a 14-0 lead with only a few minutes gone in the first quarter.  You may remember that Ole Miss played Tulane earlier in the season and came away with a lopsided 45-10 victory. Tulane never had a chance (again) in stepping-up to play this high-scoring SEC foe.  The Green Wave finished the season with an 11-3 record. Ole Miss travels to New Orleans to face #3 seed Georgia next Thursday on New Year’s Day in the Sugar Bowl. #5 seed Oregon 51, #12 seed James Madison 34 The Ducks had their way with the JMU Dukes in Saturday’s final first round College Football Playoff game.  Oregon led 34-6 at halftime and coasted the rest of the way. James Madison finished its season with an outstanding 12-2 record. The Ducks of Oregon will migrate across the USA next week to play #4 seed Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day. Prediction time! Wednesday, December 31 – 6:30PM CST on ESPN – Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas #2 seed Ohio State (12-1) vs. #10 seed Miami (FL) (11-2) Ohio State is rusty after nearly a month off, but they have more than enough firepower to sink Miami’s battleship.  The Hurricanes’ very expensive NIL transfer quarterback Carson Beck needs to have his best game of the year to deliver a win for the Canes. I don’t think he will. Prediction – Ohio State 31, Miami 14 Thursday, January 1 – 11AM CST on ESPN – Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida #5 seed Oregon (12-1) vs. #4 seed Texas Tech (12-1) Oregon and Texas Tech can light-up the scoreboard, but the Red Raiders’ defense should become the big difference in this game.  Oregon’s second half against James Madison displayed a number of defensive lapses.  Texas Tech took good notes and should exploit the Ducks secondary in rolling to a surprisingly easy win. Prediction – Texas Tech 38, Oregon 24 Thursday, January 1 – 3PM CST on ESPN – Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California #9 seed Alabama (11-3) vs. #1 seed Indiana (13-0) The only unbeaten team in major college football takes center stage in the famous Rose Bowl against SEC power Alabama.  Indiana’s gritty 13-10 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game validated their claim to the #1 spot. Alabama’s offense must duplicate its second half performance against Oklahoma’s defense in order to stay close in this game.  In the end, Indiana’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza has a more balanced offense than Alabama and should prevail. Prediction – Indiana 28, Alabama 17 Thursday, January 1 – 7PM CST on ESPN – Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana #6 seed Ole Miss (12-1) vs. #3 seed Georgia (12-1) Watch to see if the Ole Miss offense can exploit enough weaknesses in the Georgia defense to stay close in the first half of this game.  If not, Georgia’s ball-control offense has a tendency to wear down opponents late in the game.  Georgia has a proven big-time coach in two-time national champion Kirby Smart.  I cannot pick four favorites, so I like Ole Miss to jump to an early lead and stun Georgia in the Superdome next week. Prediction – Ole Miss 27, Georgia 21 Now, let’s review Saturday’s FCS Semifinals and make a Championship Prediction! #2 seed Montana State 48, #3 seed Montana 23 Montana State has been really close to winning a national title in recent years.  The Bobcats have finished second to North Dakota State three times in the past five seasons. This year, the Bison of NDSU lost – at home – to fast-improving Illinois State and left the door open for a new champion.  Montana State (now 13-2) punched its ticket to the title game on January 5 in Nashville with an emphatic fourth quarter performance to eliminate intrastate rival Montana. The Bobcats scored 21 points in the final quarter on Saturday afternoon to pull away from the Grizzlies.  Montana State will be attempting to win the school’s first FCS national title since 1984. Unseeded Illinois State 30, #12 seed Villanova 14 Illinois State won its fourth consecutive road playoff game by wearing down Villanova in Philadelphia on Saturday night. The “Roadbirds” improved to 12-4 in advancing to the FCS title game in Nashville in less than two weeks.  Illinois State traveled south, north, west, and east to defeat Southeastern Louisiana, defending champion North Dakota State, UC-Davis, and Villanova in succession in this year’s FCS playoffs. Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse, school-record holding wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz, and the Redbirds’ relentless 220-pound running back senior Victor Dawson controlled the football for nearly 40 minutes to just 20 for Villanova in Saturday night’s latest win. The Redbirds will try to grab the school’s first FCS football championship against 13-2 Montana State in the title game. *Prediction – FCS Championship Game – Monday, January 5 – 6:30PM CST on ESPN in Nashville, Tennessee #2 seed Montana State (13-2) vs. unseeded Illinois State (12-4) The two teams which have defeated all comers and will face-off in a fascinating title game being held this year at Vanderbilt University’s football stadium in Nashville. Montana State is capable of beating teams methodically or with big plays on offense.  The Bobcats’ opportunistic defense has been stellar all season.  This confident Illinois State team fears no one.  The Redbirds just became the first FCS football team to go 4-0 on the road to reach the finals. Illinois State’s defense can be suspect at times.  Montana State must not allow the Redbirds to control the ball like they have done throughout their incredible run in the FCS playoffs. This game should be a dandy!  I like the experience of Montana State to prevail in a very competitive title game. Prediction – Montana State 35, Illinois State 28 Heaux, Heaux, Heaux – it’s time for me to geaux! Merry Christmas to all! The post Holiday College Football Review + Playoff Predictions! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

We all know that Santa Claus is a football fan.   How else can he stay so jolly while gearing-up for a one-night trip around the world in both freezing and blazing hot temperatures next week? This man definitely has the Dad bod of a jolly old soul who watches a lot of football games during the fall.  Too many cookies and hot chocolate can do that. “Ho, ho…oh, drat!  That scale must be wrong again.  Time to start my diet all over again come January, right?” This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Santa’s Workshop will hand us a glorious assortment of pre-Christmas football games to watch as the elves keep one eye on their flat screen TV’s while they work. The football games help alleviate the stress which Santa and his crew are feeling ahead of next Wednesday night’s big deliveries. “Roll Tide or Boomer, Sooner? They play Friday night! Will Ole Miss miss Kiffin as Tulane puts up a fight? Sunday’s Jaguars at Broncos – the best game of the day? Or Steelers visit Motown – which team comes to play?” It’s a holiday weekend football celebration!  College football on Friday night and all day on Saturday.  NFL games are plentiful, too, on both Saturday and Sunday. If your Christmas shopping isn’t done, you’ve still got Monday and Tuesday, right? Let’s preview this wonderful slate of football games coming this weekend (all times CST) Friday 12/19 10 AM – ESPN – It’s the early bird special! Myrtle Beach Bowl – Conference USA champ Kennesaw State (10-3) vs. Mid-American champion Western Michigan (9-4) Put your bowl of Cheerios down and get started watching some college football!  This bowl game is played on the campus of nearby Coastal Carolina.  A partly cloudy day with 64 warm degrees will greet fans watching these two mid-major conference champions. 1:30PM – ESPN – Gasparilla Bowl – Memphis (8-4) vs. N. Carolina State (7-5) This fairly even match-up makes for a great spot to take your Friday afternoon siesta.  The NC State Wolfpack knocked-off top ACC teams like Virginia and Wake Forest this year.  Memphis (which saw head coach Ryan Silverfield leave for Arkansas three weeks ago) will try to break a three game losing streak in Tampa on a warm 78-degree afternoon. 7PM – ABC and ESPN – College Football Playoff Game 1 – Alabama (10-3) at Oklahoma (10-2) What a terrific Friday nightcap! The Sooners beat Bama 23-21 in Tuscaloosa on November 15. This is the “Something to prove” game.  Alabama’s quarterback Ty Simpson faded off the Heisman radar late in the year with several inconsistent efforts.  The agent for Bama head coach Kalen DeBoer has been fielding and deflecting calls from the University of Michigan about their head coaching job vacancy. Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s offense ranks #77 in scoring and must produce more points on Friday to take some pressure off the Sooners’ vaunted sixth-ranked scoring defense. Gusty winds of up to 30 miles per hour will come sweeping down the plains in Norman, Oklahoma this Friday night.  Kickoff temperatures will be in the upper 40’s to greet these two SEC competitors. Saturday – 12/20 – The greatest day of football of the year! There will be three College Football Playoff first round games, two FBS semifinal games, and two NFL games played on Saturday. Are you ready for some football? 11AM – ABC and ESPN – College Football Playoff Game 2 – Miami (FL) (10-2) at Texas A&M (11-1) This is the first ever playoff game for the Texas Aggies. Yell practice on Friday night in College Station, Texas might be be heard as far away as downtown Houston!  Miami comes in as a 4-point underdog.  The Hurricanes’ experienced quarterback Carson Beck has been involved in playoff games in three seasons at Georgia prior to coming to Miami this year. The Aggies are at home. They are quite hungry to win their first playoff game, too. The mighty 12th man (the A&M fans) will unleash a wall of sound at Miami for the entire game.  Sunshine and 75 degrees await these two teams in College Station Saturday. 2:30PM – TNT – College Football Playoff Game 3 – Tulane (11-2) at Ole Miss (11-1) Keep your remote control nearby – just in case this game gets ugly early.  The Rebels trounced Tulane 45-10 earlier this year, so oddsmakers established Ole Miss as a 17-point home favorite in this game.  Ole Miss is without offensive guru head coach Lane Kiffin (who left for LSU). Defensive coordinator Pete Golding was tapped as the team’s new top man in Oxford. Tulane’s best hope is to get off to a good start and maintain pressure on the home favorite down the stretch.  Sunshine and 60 degree weather will prevail Saturday afternoon in northern Mississippi. 3PM – ABC – FCS Semifinal Game 1 – Montana (13-1) at Montana State (12-2) This is a rematch from a very exciting regular season finale won by Montana State 31-28 on the University of Montana’s home field.  The still angry Grizzlies will lumber to Bozeman on Saturday seeking to even the score and advance into the national championship game in Nashville on January 5. The Montana Grizzlies’ high powered offense has generated more than 40 points in their 13 victories this season. Montana State, though, specializes in defense.   The Bobcats are #6 nationally and allow a little more than 17 points per game.  Ticket prices for this semifinal playoff game are through the roof with resellers grabbing $650 apiece this week.  Sunshine and Montana-like temperatures of 30 degrees at kickoff await these two longtime foes Saturday afternoon. 6:30PM – ESPN2 – FCS Semifinal Game 2 – Illinois State (11-4) at Villanova (12-2) These two overachievers are now just one game away from playing for a national championship.  Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse has been on fire over the past month for Illinois State.  The Redbirds went on the road to knock-off #1 overall seed North Dakota State two weeks ago and downed #8 seed UC-Davis in California last weekend.  They are loose and playing like a team of destiny. The Wildcats from Villanova are the #12 FCS seed.  They fell behind 14-0 in last week’s game at #4 seed Tarleton State.  Villanova’s defense stiffened, and the offense roared back to score a 26-21 victory to advance into the semifinal round game at home against Illinois State.  A clear, cold night is ahead for these two teams in Philadelphia with temperatures falling into the mid-30’s. 6:30PM – TNT – College Football Playoffs Game 4 – James Madison (12-1) at Oregon (11-1) It’s the Dukes against the Ducks! The upstart James Madison Dukes from the Sunbelt Conference will travel 2,800 miles west to take on the Oregon Ducks. JMU’s defense is ranked #10 nationally and allows a miserly 16 points per game. Oregon’s high flying offense is #9 in the FBS group and generates more than 38 points per game.  Quarterback Dante Moore produced 24 touchdown passes this season versus six interceptions. It is expected to be perfect weather – for ducks – on Saturday night with rain expected and chilly temperatures in low 40’s. NFL – The chase for the playoffs continues Saturday and Sunday Saturday – 4PM on FOX – Philadelphia Eagles (9-5) at Washington Commanders (4-10) The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles can clinch a playoff spot Saturday with a win.  Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will not play after re-injuring his non-throwing elbow last week. Saturday – 7:20PM on FOX – Green Bay Packers (9-5) at Chicago Bears (10-4) The Pack needs to win to have any chance to capture the NFC North title.  No one (except some die-hard Bears fans) expected Chicago to be 10-4 and leading this division.  A win by Chicago at home Saturday night (and a Detroit loss on Sunday) would lock-up a playoff spot for da’ Bears. Sunday – 12 Noon – FOX – Los Angeles Chargers (10-4) at Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1) If Philadelphia should lose at Washington Saturday, Dallas retains a 1% chance of making the playoffs.  They will have to defeat a Chargers team which is on the brink of clinching a return to the AFC playoffs for the second straight year. Sunday – 3:05PM – FOX – Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4) at Denver Broncos (12-2) Both of these teams have surprised the so-called experts this fall.  Jacksonville leads Houston by one game and Indianapolis by two.  A win would solidify the Jaguars’ chances to make the playoffs.  Denver is trying to lock-up the AFC’s #1 seed along with home field advantage through the playoffs as the Broncos ride an 11-game winning streak. Sunday – 3:30PM – CBS – Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6) at Detroit (8-6) Can the Steelers offense score enough points to compete against the pinball machine offense of the Detroit Lions?  A loss by the Lions on Sunday would put them at risk of missing the playoffs for the first time in three years. Sunday – 7:20PM – NBC – New England Patriots (11-3) at Baltimore Ravens (7-7) The Ravens are fighting to stay alive in the AFC North as they battle the Pittsburgh Steelers for the division title.  New England is a surprising 6-0 on the road this year.  The no-name Patriots are fighting to stay one-game ahead of Buffalo in the AFC East. The post Santa Delivers Pre-Christmas Football Presents this Weekend appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Hey, Notre Dame!  Listen-up, Vandy fans.  You, too, BYU! How about getting behind today’s idea which would have placed your favorite large division (FBS) college football team into a new 24-team College Football Playoff system? The latest and greatest 12-team College Football Playoff format began last year in the 2024 football season.  The howling has continued about which teams make the 12-team field and which teams don’t. Last year, it was Alabama’s fans crying about being left out.  A few weeks ago, it was Notre Dame’s fans and administrators yelling the loudest about being left out of the 12-team field. Why don’t we hear similar complaints coming schools in the smaller division FCS? The FCS (comprised of 129 teams) has a smoothly-working playoff system which includes its top 24 teams. That’s right!  They begin with twice as many playoff teams as the major college FBS group (which had 136 teams this season). This year’s FCS playoffs began with eight first-round games played on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. After the first three rounds of elimination games, the two FCS semifinal games will be played this coming Saturday.  Surprising Illinois State visits Villanova and Montana State will host intrastate rival Montana. The FCS title game will be played on Monday, January 5, 2026 at 6:30PM CST in Nashville, Tennessee on ESPN. Contrast that with the FBS and its cantankerous 12-team College Football Playoff system The larger schools haven’t even played one first round playoff game yet. Friday night will have Alabama traveling to play Oklahoma (a rematch from November 15 in Tuscaloosa won by OU 23-21).  Three more opening round games will be played this Saturday. One of Saturday’s games features yet another rematch as Tulane visits Ole Miss for the second time this year. The larger schools’ College Football Playoffs will not crown a champion until Monday, January 19, 2026! Think about this. If #1 seed Indiana should reach the championship game, the Hoosiers’ spring semester would have been underway for a full week prior to the championship game involving last fall semester’s athlete/students. That is absurd! It is a consequence when major college football conferences and universities become hooked on television money.  The networks now dictate how, where, and when their games are played. How many total games are played in the FCS playoffs vs. the major College Football Playoffs? From start to finish, the small college FCS playoffs include 24 teams. The top eight seeds receive a first round bye.  The remaining 16 teams play eight first round games to trim the field to 16.  Another eight games are played in the second round, four in the quarterfinals, two in the semifinals, and finally the national championship. That makes a total of 23 playoff opportunities for television.  The FCS winner and runner-up may end-up playing five post-season games by January 5. Meanwhile, the 12-team major College Football Playoffs have 12 teams playing “4+4+2+1” for a total of 11 games.  The winner and runner-up will play no less than three but as many as four post-season games ending on January 19. Would anyone really care if we lost the major conference championship games? To emulate the small college playoff system, the major college (FBS) current 12-game regular season would not provide for an extra week to play those made-for-TV conference championship games. Eliminating conference championship games would end the complaining from the losers of those title games. For example, look at the SEC. Why should 11-1 Ole Miss and 11-1 Texas A&M receive a week to heal-up at home after “losing” the SEC’s four-team tiebreaker for first place?  Were 11-1 Georgia and 10-2 Alabama privileged – or penalized – by participating in the SEC Conference Championship earlier this month? This season, there were nine different conference championship games being played on the weekend of Saturday, December 6. The television partners carrying those conference title games (primarily Disney’s ESPN/ABC group) can fight over who will carry our new format’s eight first-round match-ups. Raise your hand if you would really miss losing six bowl games under this new 24-team plan! Adding the 12 additional playoff teams would eliminate six annual bowl games.  Before grabbing your box of Kleenex, please remember that 26 bowl games still remain for the 52 remaining teams which finish with at least a 6-6 record. ESPN’s massive bowl-a-rama of post-season games would receive an overdue trim.  The television ratings for any first round playoff game will easily eclipse Tuesday night’s “Salute to the Military” Bowl (won 17-13 by Jacksonville State over Troy). Who would be playing in a 24-team major College Football Playoff scenario? Let’s utilize the current FCS (small college) selection and its playoff format.  I will also use the major College Football Playoff rankings to determine this year’s 24-team playoff field. Part 1 – Select the nine conference champions and 15 at-large teams based on the CFP rankings Nine conference champions – The following nine teams receive an automatic bid: American – CFP #20 Tulane (11-2) Atlantic Coast (ACC) – unranked Duke (8-5) Big 12 – Texas Tech CFP #4 (12-1) Big Ten – Indiana CFP #1 (13-0) Conference USA – unranked Kennesaw State (10-3) Mid-American – unranked Western Michigan (9-4) Mountain West – unranked Boise State (9-4) Southeastern (SEC) – Georgia CFP #3 (12-1) Sunbelt – CFP #24 James Madison (12-1) 15 At-large teams – These participants are selected from the CFP’s highest ranked remaining teams. They would have been: #2 Ohio State (12-1) – Big Ten #5 Oregon (11-1) – Big Ten #6 Ole Miss (11-1) – SEC #7 Texas A&M (11-1) – SEC #8 Oklahoma (10-2) – SEC #9 Alabama (9-3) – SEC #10 Miami (FL) (10-2) – ACC #11 Notre Dame (10-2) – Independent #12 BYU (11-2) – Big 12 #13 Texas (9-3) – SEC #14 Vanderbilt (10-2) – SEC #15 Utah (10-2) – Big 12 #16 USC (9-3) – Big Ten #17 Arizona (9-3) – Big 12 #18 Michigan (9-3) – Big Ten Part 2 – Determine the top eight overall seeds by utilizing the CFP Final rankings These teams would receive a “bye” in Round 1 and host a playoff game on their campus during Round 2 the following weekend. #1 – Indiana (13-0) #2 – Ohio State (12-1) #3 – Georgia (12-1) #4 – Texas Tech (12-1) #5 – Oregon (11-1) #6 – Ole Miss (11-1) #7 – Texas A&M (11-1) #8 – Oklahoma (12-1) Part 3 – The next eight seeds (#9-16) will host a first round playoff game on their campus This year’s first round home games would go to: #9 Alabama (9-3) #10 Miami (FL) (10-2) #11 Notre Dame (10-2) #12 BYU (11-2) #13 Texas (9-3) #14 Vanderbilt (10-2) #15 Utah (10-2) #16 USC (9-3) Part 4 – The final eight teams in the playoff field do not receive a seeding Those final eight teams (according to the College Football Playoff rankings) would be: Arizona, Michigan, Tulane, James Madison, Duke, Kennesaw State, Western Michigan, and Boise State. Like the FCS small college playoffs, first round match-ups would be based on geographic proximity and the avoidance of conference rematches from the regular season. Let’s do a little first round matchmaking.  Grab your ancient Rand McNally maps and let’s go! #9 Alabama vs. Kennesaw State (202 miles) #10 Miami (FL) vs. James Madison (1,026 miles) #11 Notre Dame vs. Western Michigan (85 miles) #12 BYU vs. Boise State (390 miles) #13 Texas vs. Tulane (534 miles) #14 Vanderbilt vs. Duke (527 miles) #15 Utah vs. Michigan (1,621 miles) #16 USC vs. Arizona (491 miles) Part 5 – The eight first round winners hit the road in Round 2 to play at Seeds #1 – 8 in the second round. Since this is the first game for the top seeded teams, match-ups would consider geographic proximity and the avoidance of replaying a conference opponent. Part 6 – The highest seeded teams would continue to host games during the quarterfinals. At this point, the top seeds will simply host any unseeded teams or any remaining team with the highest seed number (for example, #1 vs. an unranked team or #16 or #15, etc.). Rematches between two regular season opponents are permitted at this point. Part 7 – The semifinal round will be played on New Year’s Day The “Final Four” would play a semifinal game at two of the former “big” New Year’s Day bowl game sites (Cotton, Rose, Sugar, and Orange). Part 8 – The national championship game would be played one week later and rotated at one of the former “big” New Year’s Day bowl sites (not being utilized in the semifinal round) Let’s summarize these changes if major college football should adopt the small college FCS 24-team playoff concept: No more conference championship games As a result, no more squabbling about the losing teams in conference title games 12 additional playoff teams More home playoff games Generating more television interest Six fewer lower-tier bowl games What are we waiting for? The post The FBS should utilize the FCS 24-team playoff model! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

There were several unusual sports stories which occurred over the weekend.  Let’s jump right in! WWE star performer John Cena finally ended his year-long “Good-bye” tour on Saturday night in a nationally televised wrestling event in Washington DC.  The 48-year old Cena was a 17-time WWE champion and, more recently, has become involved in the movie business much like former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Longtime NFL quarterback Philip Rivers, though, just exited his nearly five-year football retirement at age 44 on Sunday to lead the Indianapolis Colts.  Rivers last played NFL football in January, 2021. The irony is that it might be entirely possible that these two 40-something athletes might just find themselves doing the opposite at some point soon. Cena taps-out to the disappointment of millions of wrestling fans John Cena publicly announced his decision to retire from professional wrestling before the end of 2025 due to the physical nature of the sport and his advancing age.  That sounds rational and reasonable for a 48-year old man working in such a demanding and dangerous profession. John Cena’s wrestling ring motto was “Never give up!” Alas, the WWE scriptwriters for Saturday night’s final match ignored Cena’s favorite slogan. The popular John Cena tapped-out (gave up) in losing to a designated bad guy (“heel”) named Gunther. No, not Gunther Toody from “Car 54, Where are You?” There is actually a pro wrestler named Gunther! The wink-and-nod nature of pro wrestling etiquette is for the exiting top star to lose in their final match to promote an up-and-coming personality.  The exiting champion’s loss usually provides a significant “push” up the prestige ladder for the winner in popularity (good or bad) with pro wrestling fans. John Cena’s surprising loss to Gunther (a well-trained and very proficient wrestler who, unfortunately, has the personality of a dill pickle) means that something special is likely coming for Gunther soon in the WWE. Perhaps Gunther will receive a much-needed personality transplant and become a good guy (“baby face”) during 2026? Meanwhile, John Cena signed a 5-year deal to stick around WWE and help promote the business.  He claimed that his wrestling days were officially over as of Saturday night. But, hey, we’re talking pro wrestling here! You never know when a new script will developed by the WWE requiring none other than John Cena to save the day and make yet another “final” comeback, right? NFL: Ol’ Man Rivers…he keeps on rollin’ along! On the other end of the retirement spectrum, 44-year old quarterback Philip Rivers returned to the NFL on Sunday! The aging QB is now one good hit away from being sent back to his Alabama Gulf Coast home to begin a second NFL retirement soon. The Indianapolis Colts were the darlings of the NFL during the first two months of this season. They raced out to 7-1 start. Indy then lost four of its next five games. Making matters worse, starting quarterback Daniel Jones went down with a season-ending Achilles tendon injury one week ago in Jacksonville.  Back-up quarterback Anthony Richardson was already on injured reserve nursing an eye injury. The Colts turned to a rookie third-stringer named Riley Leonard to replace the injured Daniel Jones in the game at Jacksonville. The former Notre Dame signal caller completed 18 out of 29 passes for a measly 145 yards and one interception in the Colts’ 34-19 defeat.  The team’s record fell to 8-5. Indianapolis found itself one game behind Jacksonville in the AFC South.  The Colts’ playoff hopes were fading quickly. Enter Philip Rivers Quarterback Philip Rivers played 16 of his 17 NFL seasons with the San Diego-turned-Los Angeles Chargers. He became a free agent in 2020 and played for one final season with the Indianapolis Colts before retiring in early 2021 at age 39. The veteran quarterback has been living in southern Alabama wondering whether he might still be able to compete at a high level once again. Rivers said, “My wife always tells me that I’m crazy because there’s been times in the past three or four years when I said, ‘I wish I could just throw one and get hit hard!’ She’s like, ‘That’s not normal’!’”t A series of calls between Philip Rivers and his former Indianapolis coach brought the veteran signal caller out of retirement last week. He left the toasty Gulf Coast and traveled to frigid Indianapolis for one final NFL ride.  The likely Hall-of-Fame quarterback found himself in the team’s starting line-up days later on Sunday as the Colts traveled to play Seattle. Sunday’s game against the Seahawks saw Philip Rivers complete 18 of 27 pass attempts for a modest 120 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He led to the Colts downfield to take the lead with just 47 seconds remaining as newly signed (former Saints) placekicker Blake Grupe nailed a 60-yard field goal. Unfortunately, the Colts’ defense allowed Seattle to move the ball downfield to score a game-winning 57-yard field goal by Jason Myers with only seconds remaining. The Indianapolis Colts’ 18-16 loss dropped the team to 8-6 and two games behind Jacksonville in the AFC South. With three games left in the NFL regular season, Philip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts face a daunting challenge to qualify for the playoffs. Their next two games come at home against San Francisco (10-4) and Jacksonville (10-4). The Colts will close the season against their AFC South rival Houston Texans (9-5). Ouch.  This won’t get any easier for Ol’ Man Rivers and his Indianapolis Colts. The New Orleans Saints have become the NFL’s 2025 spoiler team Two weeks ago, the New Orleans Saints were a pitiful 2-10 and in the running for earning the NFL’s #1 draft pick next spring by having the worst record in the league. However, two consecutive wins over NFC South leaders Tampa Bay and Carolina have injected the suddenly-spunky Saints with some late-season confidence. The Saints rallied from behind in the fourth quarter for the second consecutive week on Sunday in defeating this week’s NFC South leader Carolina 20-17.  The loss dropped the Panthers into a first place tie with the team which New Orleans beat last weekend in western Florida.  Tampa Bay and Carolina are now tied at 7-7. The Saints improved to 4-10 and have zero chance of receiving the #1 draft pick next spring. Sunday’s victory put New Orleans behind a 2-12 trio of the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants plus the 3-11 duo of the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns. Most Saints fans couldn’t be happier, though. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough has displayed rapid improvement and provided some much-needed leadership in the Saints’ offensive huddle. The New Orleans Saints defense has been excellent recently, too.  The team’s final three games are winnable (at home for the 3-11 Jets this coming Sunday and on the road at 2-12 Tennessee and 5-9 Atlanta).  A 7-10 finish would be a huge accomplishment for rookie head coach Kellen Moore and his staff. Saints fans are finally feeling a little renewed hope for their favorite team. Did you hear about the wild finish in a Louisiana high school state championship game last Friday? Imagine if your high school football team had scored the potential game-tying touchdown in the state championship game with just 35 seconds left to play.  The extra point kick would tie the score, but…he missed it! Oh, no! The St. Charles Comets from LaPlace (30 miles NW of New Orleans) were that team last Friday night in the Louisiana Superdome.  Their opponent was none other than the defending state champion Archbishop Shaw High School Eagles (also from the New Orleans area). The Comets trailed 21-20 and attempted an onside kick.  Shaw recovered. St. Charles used its two remaining timeouts after first and second downs.  With no more timeouts remaining, all Shaw’s Eagles had to do to claim the state championship was to take a knee and watch the game clock run out. On that fateful third down play, one of Shaw’s offensive linemen prematurely tossed his helmet into the air – thinking that his team had already won the state championship. The game officials said, “Not so fast!” Archbishop Shaw was whistled for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the play.  The Eagles faced a fourth down punting situation after the premature celebration penalty was whistled. St. Charles then partially blocked the punt. The Comets remarkably had the football back but only seconds remaining to be played.  A sideline pass completion found the Comets’ receiver running out of bounds to stop the clock and bring on a potential game winning field goal attempt. Yes, the field goal kicker would be the same St. Charles high school placekicker who missed the potential game-tying extra point just moments earlier.   This time, he would attempt a 47-yard game-winning field goal on the game’s final play. Tyler Milioto’s kick went, as New Orleans Saints fans might say, “Right down Poydras Street!” and through the uprights. St. Charles emerged with an improbable 23-21 win as pandemonium ensued in the Superdome. The players, coaches, and fans of both teams had just experienced extreme sadness and happiness – all during the final minute of play. For Archbishop Shaw’s team and fans, there was understandable confusion and anger about how the referees could have penalized one of their young men for being overly excited about winning a state football championship. The St. Charles Comets fans couldn’t believe their own good fortune in getting a second chance to win the game.  The team’s kicker felt a very special redemption. “I felt like I had lost us the game, and then the next thing I know I’m out there kicking the game-winning field goal,” said St. Charles kicker Tyler Milioto. Indeed!  It was the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. No one will forget that high school football game! The post John Cena taps out and Philip Rivers tags in appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Most college football observers did a double-take when reading last Saturday’s FCS small college playoff scores. The undefeated defending FCS champion North Dakota State Bison lost – at home!  They were eliminated from the playoffs by Illinois State 29-28. NDSU’s loss has opened the door for a new national champion to be crowned in less than one month.  Villanova’s 2008 national championship was the most recent title won by a member of this year’s remaining eight quarterfinalist teams. What happened to North Dakota State last weekend? North Dakota State came into last Saturday’s home playoff game with Illinois State with a perfect 12-0 record in 2025.  The Bison had already defeated the Redbirds 33-16 at Illinois State a couple of months ago. However, my weekly FCS report last week noted, “That game saw the Bison leading by only two points (18-16) after three quarters before NDSU tacked-on two late scores for the final margin of victory”. Illinois State came into Fargo, North Dakota last Saturday with the knowledge that they had come really close to taking down the Bison in that previous meeting. By contrast, North Dakota State confidently entered last week’s game knowing they had won 14 straight games against their Missouri Valley Football Conference rivals. The Bison wasted no time in taking a 14-0 first quarter lead in NDSU’s always-noisy FargoDome stadium last Saturday. The first offensive play from scrimmage produced a 79-yard touchdown pass completion to Bryce Lance (yes, he is the younger brother of former Bison and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance).  North Dakota State tacked-on a 52-yard punt return for a touchdown to take a 14-point lead in the opening quarter. North Dakota State’s usually punishing offense was throttled all day. Illinois State held the Bison to just six first downs – for the entire game!  NDSU still led 28-14 early in the fourth quarter as Illinois State quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse tossed five interceptions which allowed the Bison to maintain the lead. However, the Redbirds’ quarterback saved his best for last. Rittenhouse tossed two touchdowns in the game’s final three minutes plus a two-point conversion to give Illinois State a thrilling 29-28 win. Illinois State controlled the ball – well, when they weren’t throwing one of those five interceptions to North Dakota State. The Redbirds kept possession of the football for 42 minutes compared to just 18 for the Bison. NDSU finished its season at 12-1. Illinois State improved to 10-4 and now travels west this week to play UC-Davis on Saturday afternoon. Let’s preview this week’s four FCS quarterfinal playoff games! #7 seed Stephen F. Austin (11-2) at #2 seed Montana State (11-2) – FRIDAY – 8PM CST on ESPN Two mirror image teams will meet on Friday night in Bozeman, Montana. The SFA Lumberjacks opened the season with two straight losses and have reeled-off a school-record 11 straight victories to reach Friday’s FCS quarterfinal game. The Southland Conference champions defeated the United Athletic Conference winner Abilene Christian 41-34 at home Saturday in Nacogdoches, Texas to advance to this weekend’s game. Ditto for Montana State! The Bobcats dropped a road “money game” at Oregon and were surprised in their home opener by South Dakota State. After an 0-2 start, Montana State’s defense has only allowed one team (Montana) to score more than 17 points in their current 11-game winning streak.  The Big Sky Champion Bobcats edged Ivy League winner Yale 21-13 last Saturday in Bozeman to advance into the quarterfinals at home on Friday night. Stephen F. Austin’s defense is doing its part this season, too.  The Jacks have allowed just 16 points per game over their current 11-game winning streak. Offensively speaking, Montana State ranks #9 nationally in scoring 36.8 points per game. Stephen F. Austin is #14 in the FBS in scoring by producing 36 points per game. The explosive Lumberjacks’ offense has produced 57 plays of more than 20 yards this season. Montana State expects nearly 20,000 fans for Friday night’s game.  The weather will be chilly with gametime temperatures around 40 degrees and brisk winds of 15-20 mph during this game. 11-2 Villanova at #4 seed Tarleton State (12-1) – Saturday at 11AM on ESPN The Wildcats come into Saturday’s quarterfinal game in north Texas on a 10-game winning streak. Villanova went on the road last Saturday to end the season for previously undefeated Lehigh 14-7 in a game played in Bethlehem, PA.  The Wildcats from the Coastal Athletic Conference took advantage of two Lehigh turnovers to secure a win in this tightly-contested game. Villanova’s fans must travel nearly 1,600 miles southwest to Stephenville, Texas (near Fort Worth) to attend this Saturday’s quarterfinal game. The Tarleton State Texans prevailed 31-13 over the University of North Dakota last week to advance into Saturday’s quarterfinals. The 12-1 Texans’ only blemish on its record came after a last minute field goal gave eventual United Athletic Conference champion Abilene Christian a 31-28 win on November 1. Tarleton State’s defense is ranked #10 nationally and allows just 18 points per game. The weather in north central Texas should be terrific on Saturday.  Sunny skies with gametime temperatures in the mid-60’s and light winds will make for perfect football weather conditions. Univ. of South Dakota (10-4) at #3 seed Montana (12-1) – Saturday 2:30PM on ABC The Coyotes of South Dakota and the Grizzlies of Montana will meet on Saturday afternoon for the first time in a playoff setting. These two FBS schools are spaciously separated by nearly 1,100 miles.  The University of Montana football team has never lost to USD (5-0) since the Coyotes moved up into the FCS football group in 2008. South Dakota wants to change that on Saturday. The Coyotes’ 10-4 record is deceiving.  Their losses came at FBS member Iowa State and against three other FCS playoff qualifiers (Lamar University, Illinois State, and North Dakota State). USD from the Missouri Valley Football Conference has blasted two consecutive playoff opponents. Last week’s 47-0 ambush at #6 seed Mercer raised a lot of eyebrows.  The Coyotes’ offense ran for 309 yards and passed for another 241 on Saturday in Macon, Georgia.  South Dakota’s defense stifled Mercer’s vaunted passing attack as it produced four interceptions. The Montana Grizzlies of the Big Sky Conference will have the home field advantage on Saturday.  This will mark the first-ever football game to be televised by ABC at picturesque Washington/Grizzly stadium in Missoula.  Montana is the FCS’ all-time leader in post-season appearances (29) with national championships won in 1995 and 2001. The Griz is #3 nationally in scoring (41.5 points per game). Their prolific passing attack produces almost 300 yards per game with an efficient 70% completion percentage. The weather forecast for Saturday’s game calls for afternoon sunshine and a balmy (by Montana standards) high temperature of 52 degrees. Illinois State (10-4) at #8 seed UC-Davis (9-3) – Saturday at 4PM on ESPN+ The final FCS quarterfinal game of this weekend will be played just west of Sacramento on the campus of UC-Davis.  UC-Davis and Illinois State are both seeking their schools’ first FCS national football championship. These two teams played each other in the second round of last year’s FCS playoffs.  The Aggies of UC-Davis cruised in a 42-10 home field decision over the Redbirds from Normal, Illinois. As we covered earlier, Illinois State (which finished in 3rd place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference regular season) will not be intimidated after traveling to #1 seed North Dakota State last weekend and taking a 29-28 victory over the defending champs. The “Road-birds” are now 13-1 over the past two seasons as a visiting team against FCS opponents.   Senior wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz added three touchdowns against North Dakota State last week. He now owns the Illinois State school record with 36 TD catches in his career. Meanwhile, the UC-Davis Aggies of the Big Sky Conference feature one of the most balanced offensive attacks in the entire FCS.  Last week’s home playoff win over Rhode Island saw the Aggies pass for 277 yards and rush for 276 more as they pulled away in the second half in a 47-26 victory over the Rams. UC-Davis is hosting a quarterfinal game at home for the first time since 2001. Saturday’s weather in northern California will feature plenty of sunshine and a kick-off temperatures at a cool 47 degrees.  Enjoy this weekend’s FCS quarterfinal games! The post FCS Quarterfinals – No Mo’ Bison to worry about! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

The college football world is buzzing to start this new week after the 12-team College Football Playoff teams were announced at midday Sunday. Just two years ago, 13-0 Florida State got jobbed. Alabama was selected as the final playoff team over the Seminoles as much of the nation booed in protest. Last year, Alabama was left behind after ACC runner-up 11-2 SMU was deemed more worthy of the final spot than a 10-2 Alabama team in the first-ever 12-team playoff field. Bama fans were understandably disappointed about being left out.  Some of us felt like it was a fitting payback from Alabama’s exceptional good fortune in the previous year. This year, the stars fell on Alabama once again. The Crimson Tide’s 10-3 record was deemed more impressive than 10-2 Notre Dame and a few other worthy two-loss competitors. Notre Dame became so angry about Sunday’s playoff slight than the Fighting (Mad) Irish have refused to accept any other bowl game invitation this holiday season (more on that later). How did we get here? From January, 1999 through January, 2014, the BCS Championship game was played one or two days after the traditional New Year’s Day games.  The major polls plus the computerized BCS ranking system determined the two top teams to play for the national title once the regular season and conference championship games concluded. Yes, those WERE the good ol’ days! A new four-team College Football Playoff system began in January, 2015.  This time, the top four teams (selected by a 13-member College Football Playoff committee) would play a couple of semifinal games on New Year’s Day.  The two winners faced-off about one week later to play for the national championship. The College Football Playoff committee (which rotates new members every three years) has been comprised primarily of current and former college athletic directors and football coaches. Can you believe that this group of 13 people meets (all expenses paid) up to ten times per football season? A more subtle but influential impact occurred when Disney’s ESPN unit purchased the exclusive rights to televise the College Football Playoff games. That move required college football fans to subscribe to cable television or a paid streaming services company to watch the two semifinals along with the championship game.  More recently, ESPN began to offer the College Football Playoff games via its own streaming service (at a monthly cost, of course). One year ago, a new 12-team College Football Playoff system was introduced. The expanded playoffs were expected to reduce the amount of fan complaining about the team(s) not selected for the 12th and final spot. If anything, the complaining about this 12-team playoff field has become even louder! On Saturday, two-loss Alabama just became the three-loss Crimson Tide. Bama lost a convincing 28-7 game to one-loss Georgia in the SEC championship in a nationally televised encounter for all to see. Yes, Alabama had defeated Georgia 24-21 – in Athens – earlier this season. Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M all finished 7-1 in the SEC regular season standings.  A series of tiebreakers gave the first and second place spots to Alabama and Georgia and a date to play in last Saturday’s SEC Championship game in Atlanta. Georgia dominated Saturday’s game from start to finish.  Alabama fans were rightfully concerned about being left out of the 12-team College Football Playoff field.  Several other worthy teams were available and under consideration. The following teams each had two losses and finished with a better season record than 10-3 Alabama: North Texas (11-2) – lost the American Athletic Conf. title game to Tulane 34-21 Brigham Young (11-2) – lost the Big 12 title game to Texas Tech 34-7 Miami (FL) (10-2) – finished in a five-way tie for second place in the ACC Notre Dame (10-2) – lost to Miami in its first game of 2025 (27-24) Vanderbilt (10-2) – lost two road games (at 10-3 Alabama and at 9-3 Texas) Utah (10-2) – lost two road games (at 12-1 Texas Tech and at 11-2 BYU) The College Football Playoff committee met on Saturday and into early Sunday morning to determine this year’s 12 playoff teams. Here are their 12 playoff teams: Indiana – 13-0 and winner of Big Ten Conference title game Ohio State – 12-1 and runner-up in Big Ten Conference Georgia – 12-1 and winner of SEC Championship game Texas Tech -12-1 and winner of Big 12 Championship game The four top seeds will receive a first round “bye” into the quarterfinals.  Those four teams will not play in the opening round of games scheduled for Friday, December 19 and Saturday, December 20. The following eight teams will play in the first round – which won’t begin for nearly two weeks: Oregon (#5 seed and 11-1) will host #12 seed James Madison (12-1 – Sunbelt Conference champs) Ole Miss (#6 seed and 11-1) hosts #11 seed Tulane (11-2 – American Athletic Conference champion) Texas A&M (#7 seed and 11-1) is at home vs. #10 seed and 10-2 Miami (FL) Oklahoma (the #8 seed and 10-2) will host #9 seed and 10-3 Alabama Before we discuss why 10-2 Notre Dame wasn’t chosen, the 13-member CFP committee just created two first-round rematches from the 2025 regular season! Ole Miss hosted and thoroughly pounded Tulane 45-10 on September 20 in Oxford. Oklahoma traveled to Alabama just three weeks ago and defeated the Crimson Tide 23-21 in Tuscaloosa. The College Football Playoff committee just gave us rematches involving those four teams.  Why? Couldn’t they have used a little bit of creativity in their rankings to give us the same eight teams but in different match-ups? Does anyone really care which teams are ranked #9, 10, 11, and 12 as long as their team was included in the playoff field? For example, the playoff committee could have sent Miami to face Oklahoma, Alabama to play at Texas A&M, Tulane to visit Oregon, and James Madison traveling to challenge Ole Miss.  Again, what difference does it make which teams were ranked #9, 10, 11 or 12? Giving us two first round rematches was a very preventable blunder by the CFP committee and their self-imposed rules which often make very little common sense to most football fans. What in the world were they thinking? Now, let’s examine Notre Dame’s case for that final playoff spot The 10-2 Fighting Irish lost their first two games in 2025.  Notre Dame’s first loss came at Miami in a tight 27-24 season-opening game.  The Hurricanes won on a field goal with one minute to play. Notre Dame returned home to South Bend for its second game of the season.  Visiting Texas A&M scored a touchdown with 13 seconds to play as the Aggies edged the Irish 41-40 and sent Notre Dame to 0-2. The Fighting Irish then steamrolled several teams in winning its final ten games of the season.  Five of those ten wins, though, came over some really weak teams.  Purdue was 2-10.  So was Arkansas and Boston College.  Syracuse had a lousy 3-9 season, and Stanford stumbled to a 4-8 record. On the plus side, Notre Dame beat then #20 USC 34-24 at home and took a road win over then-#22 Pitt 37-15. The Irish also sank the Navy (9-2) by a 49-10 score in South Bend. Notre Dame had good reason to be angry about the College Football Playoff Committee’s rankings in the weeks leading up to Sunday’s selections ESPN owns the rights to televise the College Football Playoffs. Much of ESPN’s daily sports talk programming has focused on the race to win one of those coveted 12 spots in the College Football Playoffs. ESPN is in business to make money.   They are also masters of self-promotion. The sports network hosts a weekly one-hour prime-time TV show every Tuesday night which brings the latest CFP committee weekly rankings to interested viewers. Those weekly rankings then provide much of the daily subject matter for hours of ESPN’s daily programming.  The network’s hosts and guests bloviate endlessly about which teams might have the best chance of making this year’s College Football Playoffs. “Come back on Tuesday night to find out where your team is currently ranked!” Notre Dame was ranked ahead of the Miami Hurricanes by the CFP committee every week for the past month prior to Sunday’s final selection show. Based on the weekly CFP ranking shows, Notre Dame was considered to be “safe” to make the playoff field by the majority of football fans and the school’s athletics department. That’s because neither Notre Dame nor Miami played a game on Saturday.  Nothing changed.  Both remained 10-2 – just like their records were one week ago. Sunday’s selection show surprisingly elevated Miami ahead of Notre Dame and into the final playoff position. Why? The CFP committee meekly acknowledged that they gave the nod to the Hurricanes based on their Week #1 squeaker win – at home – over the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame and college football fans just had the rug pulled out from under them.  Haven’t we seen this script before? Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bavacqua laid the blame squarely on the CFP committee and partner-in-crime ESPN. “If the (ESPN) ranking shows are legitimate, there is no logical explanation of what happened to us,” said the Notre Dame AD.  “Just have one ranking show at the end, like Sunday.  What’s the point of doing anything prior to that?” You are so right, Pete!  However… ESPN makes a lot of money selling expensive ads during the football season based on those weekly Tuesday night CFP ranking shows.  Their telecasts are watched in large numbers by interested college football fans.  The shows also generate a significant media buzz (and incremental revenue) for ESPN. ESPN knows exactly what it is doing.  We just keep falling for it every year. Notre Dame is fighting back! The Fighting Irish are, well, fighting mad! The school is not going to give Disney/ESPN/ABC an additional opportunity to generate incremental revenue on the backs of the Notre Dame football team.  Sunday’s snub by the College Football Playoff committee (televised on a 3-hour show by ESPN, of course) brought a surprise announcement from Notre Dame. The Irish will not participate in any bowl game this season. In case you didn’t know this, the most likely bowl games where Notre Dame would have been invited to play would be televised by (surprise!) Disney’s ESPN and/or its ABC affiliates.  Disney directly owns and/or televises nearly all of the 35 non-College Football Playoff bowl games. This might be a good time to remind you that the television rights for most of Notre Dame’s regular season football games are owned by NBC. The Fighting Irish football games generate $50 million of annual revenue for the school via NBC’s regular season television contract through the end of the 2029 football season. Notre Dame is going to long remember the 2025 football season and this year’s playoff snub. Good luck to any sales representatives from “Mickey Mouse” who have the courage to show-up in South Bend, Indiana in a few years trying to lure the Irish into switching TV partners. “Mouse trap!” The post ESPN Created this CFP Chaos – We fell for it again! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

This week, the so-called “big names” of college football are still waiting and arguing about which teams should be selected for their upcoming 12-team College Football Playoffs. The television networks will feature a limited slate of major conference championship games this weekend.  Most of this weekend’s FBS teams (win or lose) will probably make the 12-team playoff field. Yawn! By contrast, the FCS small college playoffs are now entering week #2 of their 24-team competition.  Yes, that is double the number of playoff teams compared to the major college football teams! Here’s how the FCS Playoffs work The 11 FCS playoff conferences do not play championship games. In the event of a tie for first place, each conference utilizes a set of tiebreaker rules to determine the league’s top team. Each of the 11 conference winners received an “automatic bid” into the 24-team FCS playoff field.  The other 13 teams were selected by the FCS Playoff Committee (comprised of one Athletic Director from each of the 11 participating conferences). The 11 conference winners are not guaranteed to host a home playoff game.  In fact, the winners of the Ivy League (Yale), Northeast Conference (Central Connecticut State), and Pioneer Football League (Drake) played on the road in Week #1. Last weekend’s first round had the top eight FCS seeds with a bye.  The remaining 16 teams were in action, though.  The next eight highest seeded teams (Seeds #9-16) hosted first round games last Saturday.  Their opponents were selected by the playoff committee with geographic considerations to minimize team travel costs (a very smart idea). Three road teams pulled Week #1 upsets last weekend. Surprising North Dakota clobbered #13 seed Tennessee Tech 31-6 in Cookeville.  Yale scored the final 29 points of the game in the second half to surprise #15 seed Youngstown State 43-42.  Illinois State prevailed over #16 Southeastern Louisiana 21-3 in Hammond. The other five teams eliminated last weekend were Central Connecticut State, Harvard, New Hampshire, Drake, and Lamar. The FCS is now down to its “Sweet 16” round on Saturday.   Let’s review each of the match-ups!  (All kickoffs shown are CST) #12 Villanova (10-2) at #5 Lehigh (12-0) – 11AM on ESPN+ When you’re hot, you’re hot!  The Villanova Wildcats lost two of their first three games of the season (to FBS Penn State and 9-3 FCS member Monmouth).  Since then, Villanova has won nine straight games.  That includes last Saturday’s 52-7 opening round shellacking of formerly 9-1 Harvard.  The Coastal Athletic Association runner-up Wildcats ran for 319 yards as part of a 519-yard offensive output in their home rout over Harvard. The Lehigh Mountain Hawks of the Patriot League enjoyed a first round bye.  Lehigh features the fourth best rushing offense in the FCS with more than 235 yards per game on the ground.  Lehigh (which was the SwampSwamiSports.com #1 regular season team) has limited eight of its 12 opponents to 14 points or less during the season.  Tickets for the first Lehigh home playoff game in Bethlehem, PA since 2004 are scarce.  Saturday’s game will be played in dry but chilly (upper 30’s) weather conditions. #11 South Dakota (9-4) @ #6 Mercer (9-2) – 11AM on ESPN+ South Dakota’s Coyotes from the Missouri Valley Conference eliminated Pioneer Football League champion Drake 38-17 last week in Round 1.  USD has won seven of their last eight games.  This week’s game is the first-ever football match-up of South Dakota and Mercer.  The Coyotes have advanced into the second round of the FCS playoffs for three consecutive seasons. The pass-happy Mercer Bears had a first round bye.  Mercer is second in the FCS with nearly 334 passing yards per game.  Alas, the forecast for Macon, Georgia features a 60% chance of rain with temperatures hovering around 50 degrees.  The weather conditions may dampen the effectiveness of the So-Con champion Bears’ dangerous passing attack. Illinois State (9-4) @ #1 North Dakota State (12-0) – 12 Noon on ESPN+ This is a Missouri Valley Football Conference rematch of North Dakota State’s 33-16 win over the Redbirds on October 4th in Normal, Illinois.  That game saw the Bison leading by only two points (18-16) after three quarters before NDSU tacked-on two late scores for the final margin of victory. Indiana State’s Redbirds are led by quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse.  He passed for 28 touchdowns and ran for seven more scores this season. North Dakota State is the defending FCS champion and is participating in the playoffs for the 16th consecutive season.  The Bison score 42 points per game (#3 nationally) and are #1 in defense by allowing less than 12 points per outing.  Expect another sell-out crowd in the noisy 18,700 seat FargoDome to cheer-on the unbeaten Bison this Saturday afternoon. North Dakota (8-5) @ #4 Tarleton State (11-1) – 12 Noon on ESPN+ I admit it.  It was quite surprising to learn that the 7-5 North Dakota Fighting Hawks were being selected to participate in the FCS playoffs over several other teams with much better season records.  UND finished in a three-way tie for third place in the Missouri Valley Conference.  They were dispatched 1,200 miles to the south to play a first round road game at 11-1 Ohio Valley/Big South champion Tennessee Tech.  The Fighting Hawks soared in the final quarter as North Dakota scored 21 points to secure a 31-6 win and advance into the second round. This week’s “reward” is a nearly 1,300 mile road trip to #4 seed Tarleton State of Stephenville, Texas (runner-up in the United Athletic Conference).  The North Dakota defense forced six turnovers last week in its win over Tennessee Tech. Tarleton State is no slouch on defense, either.  The Texans lead the FCS in turnover margin with a 2.42 “plus” turnover ratio.  Quarterback Victor Gabalis passed for 25 touchdowns and only four interceptions this year to lead Tarleton State’s offense.  Sunny weather and temperatures in the mid-60’s should make for a perfect day for playoff football in north Texas. Yale (9-2) @ #2 Montana State (10-2) – 1PM on ESPN+ Yale may be destiny’s darling in this year’s FCS playoffs.  After handing unbeaten Harvard its first loss and winning the Ivy League, the Bulldogs found themselves down 35-7 at the half at Youngstown State in last Saturday’s first round playoff game.  A furious second half rally saw Yale escape with an improbable 43-42 win to advance into Round 2. This week’s opponent is also on a roll.  Montana State defeated previously unbeaten Montana two weeks ago to win the Big Sky Conference title.  After a first round bye, the Bobcats can’t wait to play Yale this Saturday in Bozeman, Montana as snow and 38 degrees await the visitors from Connecticut.  Montana State rushes for more than 230 yards per game, so expect a ball-control offensive effort from the Bobcats on Saturday. #14 South Dakota State (9-4) @ #3 Montana (11-1) – 1PM on ESPN+ It took an overtime win in the regular season finale at North Dakota for the Jackrabbits to end their shocking four-game losing streak.  South Dakota State was rewarded by the FCS Playoff committee with a playoff spot.  The Jackrabbits (which finished 4-4 in the Missouri Valley this year) quickly dispatched New Hampshire 41-3 to advance to Round 2 and earn a visit to Missoula to play the University of Montana this Saturday. The hungry Montana Grizzlies are still seething from a season-ending 31-28 loss to rival Montana State.  Even with the loss, the Big Sky runner-up received a first round bye based on their sterling 11-1 regular season record.  The Griz want to avenge last season’s 35-18 playoff loss to South Dakota State in a game played in Brookings, SD.  Running back Eli Gillman (the Big Sky offensive player-of-the-year) leads the team with 105 yards per game and a team-high 17 touchdowns.  Light freezing rain and snow showers are expected during Saturday’s game with temperatures in the upper 30’s. #10 Abilene Christian (9-4) @ #7 Stephen F. Austin (10-2) – 1PM on ESPN+ These two Texas-based conference champions will tee-it up for a second time this season.  This time, the game will be played in Nacogdoches on Saturday.  The Wildcats beat Stephen F. Austin 28-20 in Abilene in early September.  United Athletic League champion Abilene Christian has won seven of its last eight games.  ACU dispatched third-place Southland Conference finisher Lamar 38-20 last weekend in Abilene during Round #1 of the FCS playoffs. The SFA Lumberjacks went 8-0 in the Southland Conference this year to take the league title for the first time since 2010.  Stephen F. Austin has won its last ten games and is allowing only 15 points per game on defense.  SFA was awarded a first round bye, and the school is “jacked” about hosting a home playoff game against the team which beat them in Week #2. #9 Rhode Island (11-2) @ #8 UC-Davis (8-3) – 9PM on ESPN2 “Road” Island is making a 3,000 mile cross-country trip to play this game on Saturday night in northern California.  The CAA regular season champion Rams earned the trip west by winning an opening round playoff game 27-19 at home last weekend over the stubborn Central Connecticut State Blue Devils.  Rhode Island quarterback Devin Ferrell leads the Rams’ offense with nearly 3,500 yards via the air and 22 touchdowns passes. UC-Davis finished third in the Big Sky Conference behind Montana State and the University of Montana.  The Aggies’ explosive offense passes for 258 yards per game and rushes for another 180.  Saturday’s match-up against Rhode Island will be the first-ever for these two teams.  This game will kick-off under clear skies with temperatures falling into the upper 40’s. Enjoy the second round of the FCS Playoffs this Saturday! The post FCS – Previewing the “Sweet 16” Playoff games appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

This weekend’s drama over “Where will Lane Kiffin coach college football?” reminded me of LeBron James’ over-hyped “The Decision” in July, 2010. Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin has become the hottest coaching commodity since Nick Saban’s younger days.  The Rebels 11-1 record this fall was the best regular season posted by either Ole Miss or in-state rival Mississippi State in the college football history of both schools. Lane Kiffin (now 50 years of age) used a late-season bye week in order to take his family to visit Baton Rouge (LSU) and Gainesville (University of Florida) to contemplate their respective head coaching openings. Coach Kiffin returned to Oxford a week later and led the Rebels to Friday’s 38-19 drubbing of Mississippi State to end the regular season. The Ole Miss Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter advised the media last week that Coach Kiffin would announce his decision (stay or go) on the day after Ole Miss played Mississippi State. Saturday’s lack of news coming out of Oxford led many to believe that the football coach may be getting cold feet. Don’t let the screen door hit you…on your way out! Lane Kiffin advised his 49-year old boss (Keith Carter) on Saturday that he was, indeed, taking the head coaching job at LSU. However, Kiffin wanted to have the chance to remain another month to coach his team through the remainder of the football season.  Ole Miss (ranked #6) is likely to host a first round College Football Playoff game on Saturday, December 13. The coach wanted to stay with his players through their final game. LSU agreed. Ole Miss athletics boss Keith Carter effectively told Lane Kiffin, “Not no, but heck no.” He refused to let the head coach even talk to his players on Sunday and made it known that Kiffin should skedaddle to Baton Rouge ASAP. Hours later, Lane Kiffin did just that.  A small group of Ole Miss fans loudly cursed the coach as he boarded a private jet in Oxford on Sunday afternoon. Lane Kiffin’s Defensive Coordinator, Pete Golding, was named the new Ole Miss football coach on Sunday as well. For the record, the 41-year old Pete Golding has never been a head football coach at any level prior to receiving this very generous battlefield promotion on Sunday. Meanwhile, Tulane and North Texas are allowing their departing coaches to continue This weekend also found Tulane’s football coach Jon Sumrall and University of North Texas coach Eric Morris taking the top jobs at the University of Florida and Oklahoma State respectively. Tulane Athletic Director David Harris posted that Coach Sumrall asked to coach the Green Wave for the remaining games of this football season.  Harris gladly obliged based on their years of mutual trust. The same thing happened with the University of North Texas and departing coach Eric Morris. He will coach the Mean Green football team for the remainder of the season and then move to Oklahoma State. Ironically, Jon Sumrall and Eric Morris will face each other this Friday night.  Tulane (10-2) hosts 11-1 North Texas in New Orleans in the American Athletic Conference championship game. Why didn’t Ole Miss athletics boss Keith Carter do the same thing for Coach Lane Kiffin? That’s a great question, and it may hold the key as to why Kiffin is moving on to LSU. In 2019, Keith Carter was promoted into his current job just weeks prior to the hiring of Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss.  Carter (a former Ole Miss basketball player and a prolific fund raiser for Ole Miss athletics) is one year younger than Lane Kiffin. It’s safe to say that these two gentlemen are quite competitive by nature. Partial credit for the rise in the profile of Ole Miss football in the past few years should be given to Keith Carter for hiring Lane Kiffin in 2019.  Of course, Coach Kiffin, his staff, and players have made Ole Miss into a national force in college football in recent years. That same 44 year old Lane Kiffin had already been the head coach for the Oakland Raiders (one and 1/2 years), Tennessee Volunteers (one season), USC (three and ½ years), and Florida Atlantic (three years) prior to accepting his fifth head coaching assignment at Ole Miss in 2019. Ole Miss sports boss Keith Carter had to know that hiring Lane Kiffin came with the risk that his coach might not stick around for too many years. Kiffin’s six-year tenure at Ole Miss was, by far, the longest in his head coaching career. Lane Kiffin’s years in Oxford marked a time in which he has become closer to his family.  The coach gave up drinking nearly five years ago and says he is also more mentally sober today as well. He admits that his time in Oxford has been the greatest period in his coaching career. Keep in mind that Keith Carter (Kiffin’s boss) bleeds Ole Miss blue and red.  He reportedly offered to match the salary of any suitors (primarily LSU and Florida) to get his football coach to sign a contract extension to stay put. Keith Carter had to endure questions from local and national media as to why Coach Kiffin was traveling to visit Florida and LSU during the team’s recent bye week.  The school’s athletics chief desperately wanted his football coach to tell the media that he was staying put in Oxford. Lane Kiffin and family returned from their brief visits in mid-November and said that no decisions had been made. When Coach Kiffin finally confirmed that he was leaving for LSU last Saturday, it appeared that his boss (Keith Carter) felt rather offended after being strung along for more than a full week. I believe that is a big reason why Keith Carter rejected Coach Kiffin’s request to continue leading this year’s team through the upcoming College Football Playoffs. The College Football Playoff Committee should not “punish” Ole Miss after their head coach left The Ole Miss executive hierarchy immediately promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding into the permanent head coaching spot.  That decision seems primarily designed to give the College Football Playoff committee an assurance that this year’s Ole Miss football team is “stable” and deserves to host a first-round playoff game. This season’s Ole Miss players and the team’s fans deserve that much for a tremendous 11-1 season. The CFP committee (which has a tendency to listen to TV partner ESPN) angered many a few years ago by leaving out 13-0 Florida State after its quarterback was injured in the ACC Championship game. The loss of a football team’s star quarterback is a quantifiable loss.  How can the CFP committee fairly assess the value of a team’s head coach? Answer: They shouldn’t! LSU’s Athletics Director handed the keys over to Lane Kiffin Verge Ausberry was appointed as LSU’s new Director of Athletics on November 4.  His primary task was to find a qualified replacement for the recently-departed Brian Kelly. Ausberry somehow landed the biggest coaching fish in the college football ocean by signing Lane Kiffin to become the Tigers new head coach. Monday’s introductory press conference at LSU provided a big reason why Kiffin decided to come to TigerTown. He said that LSU AD Verge Ausberry told him, “I’m going to leave you alone and let you coach the team.  I like when I hear that (laughter from the crowd).  We’re going to give you everything to win, and I’m going to leave you alone and go coach the team and win championships!” Lane Kiffin is a talented football coach and a very creative innovator.  He may have felt a little constrained at Ole Miss by his former boss, Keith Carter. As we all know, some bosses are more hands-on than others. LSU’s Verge Ausberry is going to give Coach Kiffin plenty of room to design a national championship football team in Baton Rouge. Lane Kiffin (at least for the next few years) has the football team’s car keys, and he is definitely in the driver’s seat right now.  Tiger faithful are excited and cautiously optimistic about the team’s chances for a fifth national championship coming soon. Enjoy “The Lane Kiffin Show” while you can, LSU fans.  Just remember that his escape pod will be parked nearby. The post Lane Kiffin vs. Ole Miss AD – Farewell, Fair Weather Friends! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

It’s official!  The 12-0 Indiana Hoosiers team (football, not basketball) crushed nearly every opponent and have earned the final #1 ranking for the 2025 college football season. Other college football rating services made 12-0 Ohio State as their #1.  That’s quite understandable.  The Buckeyes are the defending national champions and have enjoyed another terrific season. However, the Buckeyes finished in second place in the SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 rankings for the 2025 regular season. My ranking system gave the edge to Indiana by virtue of the Hoosiers’ 30-20 road victory at 11-1 Oregon. By contrast, the Buckeyes’ toughest win of the season came last Saturday in Ohio State’s methodical 27-9 beatdown of 9-3 Michigan. The Big Ten has morphed into “The Big 18” teams.  That meant that Indiana and Ohio State will face a different set of conference opponents every season. Indiana handed Oregon its only loss of the season.  That’s why the Hoosiers are my #1 team as the regular season ends. Indiana and Ohio State are now the final two unbeaten FBS teams after 9-3 Texas handed Texas A&M its first loss of the season Friday night in Austin by a 27-17 final score. The Indiana Hoosiers will enjoy some unexpected home cooking this Saturday as they face the Buckeyes in the Big Ten championship game at 7PM (CST) on FOX.  Saturday’s game will be played (as always) at the home field of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. By this time next week, the FBS will have just one team with a perfect record heading into the College Football Playoffs. Congratulations to Indiana for being my top rated team in 2025! Why are 10-2 Alabama and 11-1 Georgia playing in the SEC Championship game instead of 11-1 Texas A&M or 11-1 Ole Miss? All four teams were 7-1 in SEC competition this season, but only two can play in Saturday’s SEC title game (3PM on ABC). Here are the SEC tiebreaker rules: A. Head-to-head competition among the tied teams. Alabama – won at Georgia 24-21 in late September.  Bama did not play either Texas A&M or Ole Miss this season.  Bama gets the nod over Georgia in a tiebreaker. Georgia – lost to Alabama 24-21.  The Bulldogs beat Ole Miss 43-35.  That win gives Georgia the advantage over Ole Miss.  The Bulldogs did not play Texas A&M this season.  Texas A&M – did not play Alabama, Georgia, or Ole Miss this year (odd, isn’t it?) Ole Miss – lost at Georgia (43-35) and did not play against Alabama or Texas A&M this season. In this first scenario, Alabama would eliminate Georgia (based on a head-to-head win) and Georgia would eliminate Ole Miss (another head-to-head win).  Texas A&M (which didn’t play any of the other three SEC teams with a 7-1 conference record this year) would still be “alive” at this point. B. Record against all common opponents among the tied teams. In the second tiebreaker scenario, Georgia beat Texas (35-10).  Texas A&M then lost to Texas 27-17 last Friday. Georgia’s win over Texas was enough to eliminate Texas A&M. How did 7-5 Duke make it into the ACC Championship game this Saturday? This year’s Atlantic Coast Conference football race was dominated early in the season by Georgia Tech and surprising Virginia.  The Yellow Jackets started 8-0 but faded by losing three of its final four games. The Virginia Cavaliers finished as the ACC’s #1 team by virtue of a 7-1 conference mark and a 10-2 overall record. This Saturday night at 7PM, the ACC Championship game features Virginia playing…7-5 Duke? Duke benefited from a weak conference schedule.  The Blue Devils’ six ACC wins came over teams with losing conference records. Duke was part of a massive five-way traffic jam for second place in the ACC at 6-2.  They were tied with 10-2 Miami (FL), 9-3 Georgia Tech, 8-4 SMU, and 8-4 Wake Forest. Somehow (I won’t try to explain this one), Duke won tiebreakers over Miami, G-Tech, SMU, and Wake Forest to emerge as the second place team. A win by Duke over Virginia on Saturday night would hand the ACC crown to the Blue Devils.  However, an 8-5 Blue Devils team would not receive an automatic invitation into the College Football Playoffs.  Other conference champions (such as the American or Sun Belt) could receive that slot in the playoff by virtue of having better season records. So, why do the Power Four Conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC) bother playing these conference championship games now? Television money, of course! This weekend’s reduced college football slate brings more TV eyeballs to the rather finite number of televised games.  That’s a bonanza for the networks (ABC/ESPN and FOX).  Their sales staff is busy selling prime advertising slots to a male-dominated audience of shoppers during the crucial Christmas merchandising season. Believe it or not, the SEC is paid about $470 million for its entire slate of games televised by ABC and ESPN for this season.  That doesn’t count extra money from the College Football Playoffs. The “Bank of SEC” takes in about $31 million per week over a 15-week season (12 regular season games over a 14-week span plus this weekend’s championship game). An incremental $31 million payday for this weekend’s SEC Championship game is why we are being forced to wait another week prior to the beginning of the College Football Playoffs. A special consolation note to U-Mass Minuteman football fans The University of Massachusetts (U-Mass) joined the Mid-American Conference beginning July 1, 2025. After November 29, 2025’s final weekend of college football games, U-Mass is still searching for its first Mid-American Conference football victory.  They didn’t win a single game this season! The Minutemen even lost (at home) to FCS member Bryant University 27-26 in September. U-Mass lost its home finale on Saturday to 4-8 Bowling Green 45-14 as the only FBS team in America to finish 0-12. First-year coach Joe Harasmyiak said after the team’s final loss, “The record is the record.  It’s crappy.  It’s not acceptable.” Indeed!  There’s only one way to go next season, right?!!! Hey, Swami!  Aren’t you going to discuss the Lane Kiffin situation today? Come back on Tuesday for that.  Here’s a teaser to think about today. Why did Tulane and North Texas allow their current coaches (who are leaving for Florida and Oklahoma State respectively) to keep leading their current teams until season’s end, but the Ole Miss Athletic Director did not? Let’s reveal the FINAL SwampSwamiSports.com FBS College Football Top 25 rankings for the week ending November 29, 2025: The post Indiana Hoosiers Earn SwampSwami’s 2025 Top Spot! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

I have been providing a weekly ranking of my Top 25 NCAA Division I FCS small college football teams every week since early October.  Below are the SwampSwamiSports.com rankings (expanded to show some additional teams this week) through the week ending November 15, 2025: This is my first season covering the FCS group.  I am using the same guidelines which have served me well in determining a weekly Top 25 ranking list for the major college FBS football teams over the past seven years. There are only a few major media services which provide significant weekly coverage of the FCS smaller college football teams.  My weekly rankings (click here for my FCS methodology) give you the chance to compare my top teams  vs. the long-time American Football Coaches Association FCS Poll.   The website for the Coaches Poll indicated that 26 FCS Board of Coaches determine their weekly Top 25 rankings for the smaller division teams. This week, we agree on 17 teams in our Top 25 rankings Below are the eight teams in my latest poll which were left out of the Coaches’ Top 25: #8 – 9-2 Presbyterian College (Pioneer Football League) #14 – 8-2 Alabama State (SWAC)* #16 – 7-2 Dartmouth (Ivy League) #18 – 8-3 Sacred Heart (Independent) #21 – 8-3 UT-Rio Grande Valley (Southland) #23 – 8-3 Delaware State (MEAC)* #24 – 8-3 South Carolina State (MEAC)* #25 – 8-3 Prairie View A&M (SWAC)* Here are the eight teams in the Coaches’ Top 25 which differ from my rankings: #14 – 7-4 UC-Davis (Big Sky) #16 – 7-4 North Dakota (Missouri Valley) #17 – 7-4 Youngstown State (Missouri Valley) #18 – 7-4 Abilene Christian (United Athletic Conference) #21 – 8-4 South Dakota Coyotes (Missouri Valley) #23 – 8-3 West Georgia Wolves (United Athletic Conference) #24 – 8-3 Lafayette Leopards (Coastal Athletics Association) *Denotes teams/conferences which will not compete in the FCS playoffs.  Instead, the MEAC and SWAC winners will play each other in the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta. Who should be included in the 24-team FCS Playoff field? There is (of course) a national committee which will determine the 24 teams to be included in this year’s FCS playoffs.  The 2025 FCS Playoff Committee is comprised of one athletic director from each of the 11 FCS conferences which are participating in the playoff field.  This will be the first year for the Ivy League to send one or more representatives into the field. As previously noted, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) send their conference champions to compete in the Celebration Bowl for the HBCU title on December 13.  The MEAC and SWAC do not have a voting representative determining the 24 teams heading into the FCS playoffs beginning on November 29.    Each of this year’s 11 participating conferences will send their league champion team to the FCS playoffs.  The other 13 teams are considered “At-large” and will be determined by the selection committee on Sunday, November 23. First, let’s predict the 11 Conference Champions.  “Come on down!” All rankings shown are from the SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 published on Monday, November 17, 2025: Missouri Valley – #2 North Dakota State Bison (11-0) – clinched last week Southern (So-Con) – #7 Mercer Bears (10-1) – clinched last week Southland – #11 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (9-2) – clinched last week Here are my predictions for the other eight conference champions receiving automatic bids: Big Sky Conference – #3 Montana Grizzlies (11-0) Coastal Athletic Association – #10 Rhode Island Rams (9-2) Ivy League – #4 Harvard (9-0) Northeast Conference– #36 Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (7-4) Ohio Valley/Big South Alliance – #6 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (10-1) Patriot League – #1 Lehigh Mountain Hawks (11-0) Pioneer Football League – #28 Drake Bulldogs (7-3) United Athletic Conference – #31 Abilene Christian (7-4) Who should receive the other 13 “at-large” bids?  My personal belief is that the remaining 13 teams should be determined based on their performance on the field this season.  Wins and losses matter.  For example, a 9-2 team from Conference A has clearly sustained more on-field success than a 7-4 squad from Conference B. Determining the relative strength of schedule between teams at this level is even harder than evaluating the major college FBS teams.  Most fans are able to see the top major college teams on television several times during the football season. Let’s stick with my ranking system to select the following 13 teams to receive an At-Large invitation into Sunday’s FCS selection show (11AM CST on ESPNU): Tarleton State Texans (UAC – #5 ranking) – The 10-1 Texans won their first nine games of the year before losing 27-24 at Abilene Christian.  The Texans opened the season with an impressive 30-27 road win against 5-4 FBS member Army. Presbyterian Blue Hose (Pioneer and #8 ranking) – Presbyterian (9-2) plays in what is considered to be a relatively weak football conference.  However, the Blue Hose went to Macon, Georgia and gave the 10-1 Mercer Bears (champions of the So-Con) their only loss in 2025.  That’s good enough to justify a spot in my playoff field! Monmouth Hawks (CAA and #9 ranking) – The 9-2 Hawks lost one of their two games on the road at FBS member UNC-Charlotte 26-20.  When compared against fellow CAA member 8-2 Villanova, Monmouth wins my tiebreaker by virtue of their 51-33 drubbing of Villanova on September 20. Montana State Bobcats (Big Sky and #12 ranking) – Montana State is 9-2 heading into this weekend’s game with unbeaten Montana (11-0).  The Bobcats blew-out 7-3 UC-Davis 38-17 two weeks ago and receive my vote. Villanova Wildcats (CAA and #15 ranking) – Villanova (8-2) is red hot right now.  The Wildcats have won seven straight games heading into this weekend’s season finale against a very tough 8-3 Sacred Heart team.  Villanova’s only losses are to FBS member Penn State and at 9-2 Monmouth earlier this season. Dartmouth Big Green (Ivy League and #16 ranking) – Dartmouth is 7-2 with its only losses coming at 9-0 Harvard and 5-4 Penn.  If the FCS committee needs to be reminded, Dartmouth beat 7-2 Yale 17-16 earlier this season.  I expect Yale to lose at Harvard on Saturday.  If I’m wrong (it happens), then Yale should make the field, too. Sacred Heart Pioneers (Independent and #18 ranking) – The 8-3 Pioneers have played a fairly tough schedule.  Their three losses have come at 11-0 Lehigh (28-10), at 7-4 Central Connecticut State (42-35) and at 11-0 Montana (43-21).  Saturday’s season finale is at 8-2 Villanova. Another loss could knock Sacred Heart out of the playoffs, but their losses have come against likely FCS Playoff teams. Lamar Cardinals (Southland and #19 ranking) – Lamar (8-3) ran off seven straight wins earlier this season.  The Cardinals from Beaumont lost on Saturday at Southland Conference champion Stephen F. Austin 26-15 but hold my tiebreaker with wins over 8-3 Southeastern Louisiana and 8-3 UT- Rio Grande Valley. Southeastern Louisiana Lions (Southland and #20 ranking) – The 8-3 Lions lost two of their games on the road at FBS members Louisiana Tech and LSU.  The other loss came in a 14-12 thriller at 8-3 Lamar.  Southeastern has one of the top defenses in the FCS this year and has allowed less than 12 points per game to non-FBS opponents.  They are definitely in my 2025 playoff field! UT – Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros (Southland and #21 ranking) – In case you are counting, this would be the fourth Southland Conference team in the FCS playoffs.  This is UTRGV’s first full season in the FCS, so I fully expect the playoff committee to shun them.  Not me.  The Vaqueros’ only three losses came on the road against playoff-bound Stephen F. Austin, Lamar, and Southeastern Louisiana. Illinois State Redbirds (Missouri Valley and #22 ranking) – Illinois State (8-3) lost its opener at FBS #8 ranked Oklahoma.  The Redbirds’ other two losses came – at home – to 11-0 North Dakota State (33-16) and 7-4 Youngstown State (40-35).  Illinois State is on a four game winning streak heading into Saturday’s home finale against 6-5 rival Southern Illinois.  They must beat the Salukis to get into the playoffs. Lafayette Leopards (Patriot and #26 ranking) – The 8-3 Leopards are playing at home Saturday in “The Rivalry” game against the 11-0 Lehigh Mountain Hawks.  If Lafayette wins, they’re in the playoffs as Patriot League champs and Lehigh will still receive an at-large bid. Should Lafayette lose on Saturday, they are at risk of being left out of the playoff field.  The Leopards’ “best win” came over 6-5 Richmond 35-28.  Another four-loss team with a better resume is likely receive this spot. West Georgia Wolves (UAC and #27 ranking) – West Georgia (8-3) has been omitted from my FCS Top 25 most of this season for good reason. The Wolves have swept teams with lousy records but lost all three games to tougher competition.  West Georgia (located in Carrollton or about 45 miles west of Atlanta) lost games at 7-4 Austin Peay, at home to 7-4 Abilene Christian, and at 10-1 Tarleton State. The Wolves’ weak non-conference schedule may be a hard sell to the FCS playoff committee. Let’s include two “stand-by” teams with the best chance to shout “Pick me!” to the FCS playoff committee: UC Davis Aggies (Big Sky and #29 ranking) – UC-Davis (7-3) had its season opener at So-Con champion Mercer canceled due to possible tropical storm conditions in Georgia.  The Aggies have one less victory than other competitors affected my rankings (eight wins beats seven in the SwampSwamiSports.com rankings).  Having only three losses, though, helped to elevate UC-Davis over the 18 FCS teams which have four defeats through last weekend’s games.  The UC Davis Aggies must beat conference rival Sacramento State (7-4) on Saturday to have a chance at securing a playoff spot. South Dakota Coyotes (Missouri Valley and #30 ranking) – The 8-4 Coyotes concluded their season last week on November 15.  South Dakota lost a “money game” at FBS opponent Iowa State to start the season.  They dropped to 0-2 after losing another road game at 8-3 Lamar (20-13).  The Coyotes can point to a win over likely Pioneer Conference champ 7-3 Drake (42-21) and a pair of 7-4 MVC foes in South Dakota State and North Dakota. Best of luck to all of the FCS teams this weekend!  Happy Thanksgiving!  The post Predicting all 24 FCS Playoff Teams! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Do you remember the half-hour cartoon show called “The Jetsons”? The futuristic 1962 prime-time half-hour cartoon became ABC’s very first color television program shown by the network.  After a one-year run in the evenings, reruns of “The Jetsons” remained on Saturday mornings for decades. The show’s premise involved a space-aged middle-class office worker named George Jetson and his family (including the family dog, Astro) as they dealt with issues of the day (which were remarkably like today’s). One particular episode introduced an extremely smart and sophisticated computerized robot “genius” named UniBlab.  The president of George Jetson’s company president bought UniBlab to improve efficiency and reduce the number of workers (including, of course, George Jetson). Artificial intelligence (AI) is now doing the same thing to many jobs today.  Let’s return to that subject a bit later. All Hail to “King” Kiffin and his SEC Court This week’s college football coaching carousel has one particular man being flown around and treated like a king in both Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Gainesville, Florida. Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin already makes $9 million per year.  His 10-1 Rebels are a virtual lock to play in their first College Football Playoff game in December. The Ole Miss Rebels have this week off as they prepare for a regular season finale against intrastate rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl game a week from Friday in Starkville. Coach Lane Kiffin was already the toast of Oxford, Mississippi.  The school’s athletics director has offered the football coach a very generous contract extension which currently is awaiting Kiffin’s signature – if he wants to remain the football coach at Ole Miss. November is a big season for hunters. Two of the SEC’s “Big Name” hunters are trying to bag a very expensive trophy named Lane Kiffin during this week’s open season on football coaches. LSU (which fired Brian Kelly) and Florida (ditto for Billy Napier) are openly courting Lane Kiffin to leave northern Mississippi and lead their SEC football programs next season. Both schools are expected to dangle upwards of $12 million per season to lure “King” Kiffin away from multitudes of his loyal subjects in Oxford, Mississippi. A fool and his money…??? At what point will major college football programs learn their lesson about signing coaches to long-term multi-million dollar contracts which require the payment of tens of millions of dollars if the deal doesn’t work out? There are plenty of wealthy benefactors at the University of Florida and LSU.  Ole Miss has its share of big money supporters, too. Most every major college football program today has wealthy alumni and fans who will gladly fork-over the money with one string attached. The new coaching hire must bring about the required return on investment made by the big rollers. It’s called, “Our team must make it into the College Football Playoffs and compete for a national championship nearly every year!” But what if it doesn’t? A little over a year ago, Penn State won its first game in the first 12-team College Football Playoffs.  The Nittany Lions clobbered SMU 38-10 in Round 1.  They beat Boise State 31-14 in Round 2.  PSU then lost a squeaker to Notre Dame 27-24 in the national semifinals. By any measure, Penn State had a fantastic season in 2024. Did the team’s success in 2024 help Coach James Franklin keep his job this fall? Penn State fired its 12th year head football coach in October after the Nittany Lions lost three straight games following a 3-0 start.  During his tenure with Penn State, Coach James Franklin’s teams won 70% of their games in what has become known recently as “Unhappy” Valley. James Franklin wasn’t unemployed for very long. Earlier this week, Coach Franklin found a new coaching home as he will lead Virginia Tech’s football program in 2026. Yes, it is true that Coach James Franklin still hasn’t won a national championship. Then again, neither has Virginia Tech. Neither had coach Brian Kelly (Western Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and LSU). Ditto for coach Billy Napier (UL-Lafayette and Florida). This week’s rock star head coach (Lane Kiffin) hasn’t come close to winning a national championship, either Lane Kiffin is the well-traveled 50-year old son of legendary NFL defensive guru Monte Kiffin. The younger Kiffin played quarterback at Fresno State.  He quickly became a top college football assistant coach.  Kiffin worked his way up into the offensive coordinator position at the University of Southern California beginning in 2005. In 2007, the NFL’s Oakland Raiders hired 31-year old Lane Kiffin to become the youngest head football coach in franchise history.  After going 4-12 in his first NFL season, Kiffin was fired by Oakland the following season after a 1-3 start. Lane Kiffin returned to college football in 2009 as the head coach at the University of Tennessee.  After posting a 7-6 record during his first season in Knoxville, Lane Kiffin shocked Vol Nation by leaving to take the top job at USC in January, 2010. Coach Kiffin had three seasons of mild success with the Trojans before he was fired in late September, 2013 after losing two straight conference games early in his fourth season at USC.  Ironically, future LSU head coach Ed Orgeron replaced Kiffin as the interim head coach for the USC Trojans for the remainder of that regular season. Coach Nick Saban hired Lane Kiffin to become Alabama’s offensive coordinator a few months later in January, 2014. Kiffin performed well enough to be offered the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton (Fort Lauderdale area) beginning in 2017. The FAU Owls went 11-3, 5-7, and 10-3 before Lane Kiffin was hired by Ole Miss beginning with the 2020 football season. Lane Kiffin is now in his sixth year with the Rebels.  His Ole Miss football teams have produced a 74% winning percentage with four ten-win seasons in six years. Despite that success, Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels have not played in either the SEC Championship game or the College Football Playoffs. At least not yet. So, why does everyone want Lane Kiffin? This is purely a supply vs. demand problem. There are ten FBS college football teams searching for a new head coach.  The now 50-year old Lane Kiffin has acquired a great deal of experience and (perhaps) a bit of humility in his coaching journeys. Kiffin has also admitted that he is a recovering alcoholic for nearly five years.  He has become closer than ever to his family since taking the job at Ole Miss in 2020. Lane Kiffin is what I would call an “old soul” to be such a relatively young major college football coach.  His ability to recruit top players and assistant coaches for his staff have helped to make him the nation’s biggest coaching “get” on the market. However, Lane Kiffin will become the most hated man in the state of Mississippi for at least the next decade if should accept the top job at either Florida or LSU soon. Which brings us back to The Jetsons Why pay tens of millions of dollars to the next football coach (and an expensive assistant coaching staff) at Florida, LSU, Penn State, etc. if the new coach has such a small chance of succeeding? Remember 2022, Gator Nation?  Fans were giddy about their SEC title possibilities after they hired a former Nick Saban assistant coach named Billy Napier to become Florida’s newest head football coach. Ditto for LSU after they wrangled Coach Brian Kelly away from Notre Dame to coach for the Tigers starting in 2022. How did those deals work out for you? Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) could mean that (let’s say) Grok from Twitter might have a high statistical chance of replicating the success of most major college football coaches in game planning and play-calling. We already know that most major college football teams (especially Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels) lean heavily on advanced analytics and statistical models to make key decisions – especially on certain “down and distance” play calls. What if a college football team which rarely posts winning seasons (such as the UL-Monroe Warhawks) was to hire a cheaper and smaller group of under-30 coaches and fully utilize AI to find and sign key players, develop weekly game plans, and recommend play calls during the game? The money saved on the team’s coaching staff could be rolled into paying for better players. What would a struggling college football team have to lose by trying such an approach? The continued bidding war for both football coaches and players may put the proverbial nail in the coffin for a number of current FBS programs – even with the increased revenue from television and media deals. Perhaps hiring Coach AI UniBlab to run your favorite team may be coming sooner than you think! The post Ready for an AI College Football Coach yet? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

The NCAA Division I FCS (smaller college) football teams have just one week remaining in the regular season. This Sunday at 11AM CST, the FCS Playoff Committee will announce the 24 teams which will participate in this year’s playoffs beginning on Friday, November 28. There are three FCS teams which have already locked-up a place in the playoff field by virtue of clinching their conference races last weekend.  The remaining 21 places in the field will be determined after this Saturday’s games conclude. Three down and 21 more to go! Congratulations to North Dakota State, Mercer, and Stephen F. Austin for securing the first three invitations to late November’s FCS playoffs. Defending FCS champion North Dakota State is now 11-0 and has a two-game lead in the Big Sky Conference with only one game remaining.  Bison head coach Tim Polasek is likely hearing overtures from some of the 11 major colleges seeking a new football coach.  Can Coach Polasek and his very talented herd of Bison remain focused, run the table, and close out a perfect season with yet another FCS title? The red-hot 9-1 Mercer Bears of the Southern Conference own a two-game lead over their closest competitor, Western Carolina.  Mercer clobbered UT-Chattanooga 63-17 Saturday to wrap-up a spot in the FCS playoffs for the third straight season.  The Mercer Bears from Macon, Georgia have won nine games in a row and have tallied 38 or more points in their last eight contests.  The coachless Auburn Tigers of the SEC will try to end the Bears’ winning streak this Saturday (1PM on the SEC+ Network) at Jordan-Hare Stadium in eastern Alabama. Surprising Stephen F. Austin disposed of Texas rival Lamar University 26-15 Saturday night to claim its first Southland Conference football title since 2010.  The Lumberjacks have sawed through nine straight opponents to move to 9-2 and grab their spot in the upcoming FCS playoffs.  SFA finishes on the road Thursday night (6:30PM on ESPN+) to play the struggling 1-10 Northwestern State Demons with the rivalry’s 7-foot wooden trophy called “The Chief” going home with the victor. Let’s review some of the “Win and you’re in” games coming on Saturday Coastal Athletic Association – The 9-2 Rhode Island Rams have never won the regular season title in the CAA. They have a chance to finish with a perfect 8-0 conference record at home this Saturday (11AM CST on ESPN+) with a victory over the struggling 2-9 Hampton Pirates.  A win gives the Rams a ticket into the FCS playoffs.  An upset loss by Rhode Island would open the door for 9-2 Monmouth and/or 8-2 Villanova to become involved in a complicated tiebreaker to determine the CAA champion. Ivy League – It’s hard to believe, but this is the first season in which the Ivy League champion will be participating in the FCS playoffs.  Historically, the Ivy League wanted its student/athletes to concentrate on academics (gasp!) as final exams occur during the FCS playoff season. Boston’s famed Fenway Park baseball stadium will host “The Game” this Saturday (11AM CST on ESPNU) between 9-0 Harvard and 7-2 Yale.  This annual football contest was first played in 1875. Saturday’s winner also claims the Ivy League’s first guaranteed spot in the FCS playoffs.  Pressure, anyone? Northeast Conference – The Central Connecticut State Blue Devils are 7-4 coming off Saturday’s 38-33 loss to Duquesne in Pittsburgh. The Blue Devils are 5-1 in conference action and control their chances to reach the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2019.  A home win on Saturday (11AM CST on ESPN+) against the 5-6 Mercyhurst Lakers will give the NEC title to Central Connecticut.  If the Blue Devils lose, a tiebreaker may be needed with Duquesne. Ohio Valley/Big South Alliance – Tennessee Tech’s perfect 10-0 start ended last Saturday after the fast-improving SEC Kentucky Wildcats prevailed 42-10 in Lexington. The Golden Eagles return home to Cookeville on Saturday to face rival UT-Martin (6-5 overall but 6-1 in conference). Saturday’s winner receives an automatic bid into the FCS playoffs.  The game also marks Tennessee Tech’s final Ohio Valley Conference football game as the Golden Eagles fly into the Southern Conference next season in 2026. Patriot League – This weekend of big games wouldn’t be complete without the annual game pitting Lehigh (11-0) against Lafayette (8-3).  The game called “the Rivalry” has been played since 1884.  This year’s “Rivalry #161” takes place on Saturday at 11:30 AM CST (on ESPN+) in Easton, Pennsylvania. Lafayette’s Leopards are at home and will try to ruin the season for the unbeaten Mountain Hawks from nearby Bethlehem.  The winner takes home the Patriot League title and its automatic bid into the FCS playoffs. Pioneer Football League – The 7-3 Drake Bulldogs have surrendered only 10 points per game over its last seven games.  They are playing exceptional defense!   Drake controls its own fate to receive an automatic FCS playoff bid if the Bulldogs are able to take down Morehead State (6-5 overall and 4-3 in conference) on Saturday at 12Noon CST (ESPN+). Presbyterian College is 9-2 and still has a chance to take the top spot if (a) Drake loses and (b) the Blue Hose de-“feet” (ha ha!) Marist (5-6) on Saturday. United Athletic Conference – Abilene Christian’s upset of formerly unbeaten Tarleton State a few weeks ago has provided the Wildcats a one-game lead in the UAC. A win this Saturday by Abilene Christian (now 7-4) at Central Arkansas (3-8) would give ACU the UAC automatic playoff bid.  If da’ Bears are able to spring an upset in Conway, Arkansas, Tarleton State (currently 10-1) would win the league title with a home victory over 7-4 Austin Peay. The MEAC and SWAC have their own title on the line in December Winners of two FCS conferences featuring historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) will face-off in Atlanta on December 13 for the annual Celebration Bowl. The victor in this Saturday’s MEAC final regular season game between 8-3 South Carolina State at 8-3 Delaware State will receive an invitation to Atlanta to play in the Celebration Bowl. The SWAC holds its title game between the East Division winner vs. Prairie View A&M (the newly-crowned West Division champ) on Saturday, December 6.  That winner receives the other invitation to play in December’s Celebration Bowl. Alabama State’s Hornets (Montgomery, AL) and Jackson State’s Tigers share the SWAC’s East Division lead.  Both teams have identical 8-2 overall and 6-1 conference records.  Jackson State defeated Alabama State 38-34 earlier this season and may prevail in a tiebreaker.   Let’s reveal the latest SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 rankings for the week ending Saturday, November 15, 2025: The post Drama Galore as FCS Regular Season ends Saturday appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Unbeaten Texas A&M is really, really looking forward to this Saturday’s “cupcake” college football game against struggling 1-10 FCS member Samford.  The Southern Conference Bulldogs from Birmingham, Alabama should be a much tastier morsel than last week’s early delivery from the SEC bakery in Columbia, South Carolina. The 3-6 South Carolina Cream Puffs (I mean, Gamecocks) were supposed to show-up in College Station on Saturday and bow down to the mighty 10-0 Aggies.  The folks in Las Vegas established the Aggies as a 17 ½ point home favorite and expected Texas A&M to cruise an 11th straight victory in 2025. I noticed that Coach Mike Elko’s name was scrolling along the bottom of ABC’s television coverage during the game on Saturday.  The A&M football coach had just signed a six-year contract extension worth more than $11 million per season after guiding the Ags to a sterling 10-0 start in 2025. Ever heard of the term “Battered Aggie Syndrome”? Texas A&M fans have a tendency to become overly excited about their football team.  Sadly, the past few decades have seen the fast-starting Aggies fade coming down the home stretch of nearly every football season. The Aggies have never won the SEC title since joining the league in 2012.  They have never appeared in the BCS nor College Football Playoffs. Texas A&M’s last national championship came in 1939. After years of football disappointment, a significant portion of the Texas A&M football fan base coined the phrase “Battered Aggie Syndrome”. They get excited early in the season and become depressed as the team falters late. It’s much the same as Peanuts character Charlie Brown after Lucy pulls the football away from him just before he gets to kick it. You know what’s going to happen to good ol’ Chuck every time. This year’s Texas A&M football team came into Saturday’s game 10-0.  The coach had just received a very expensive six-year contract extension (another story for another day). What could possibly go wrong? Plenty. South Carolina showed-up and played their finest first half of the football season. Texas A&M served the visiting team a first half assortment of tasty football-flavored turnovers such as two interceptions and a timely fumble recovery.  South Carolina played nearly flawlessly during the opening first two quarters and took full advantage of A&M’s generous Texas-sized home field hospitality. The gracious Aggies allowed their Carolina visitors to jump to a shocking 30-3 halftime lead.  Many in the Texas A&M’s crowd of more than 100,000 suddenly wondered why they didn’t wear their sad “Battered Aggie Syndrome” T-shirts to this football game. Texas A&M’s now wealthier football coach Mike Elko looked in shock as he departed Kyle Field for the locker room after the first half ended. Meanwhile, Coach Shane Beamer may have dropped a few hints at halftime that his South Carolina Gamecocks team should reciprocate some of that generous Texas hospitality during the second half of play. The Gamecocks listened and switched places with the Aggies in the second half. Texas A&M rolled-off 28 straight points to beat South Carolina 31-30 to complete the biggest comeback in school history. Carolina coach Shane Beamer is still employed as I write this on Monday, November 17.  The coach would be due nearly $28 million if South Carolina’s athletics boosters felt the desire to make Coach Beamer the 12th FBS coach fired this football season. The SEC Bakery offers a variety of pastries available this Saturday Check out this list of “Who made this schedule?” for some SEC teams this weekend: Texas A&M (11-0) hosts FCS Samford (1-10) Georgia (9-1) tackles American Athletic Conference member UNC-Charlotte (1-9) Alabama (8-2) is at home for FCS Eastern Illinois (4-7) LSU (6-4) plays host to Sunbelt Conference Western Kentucky (8-2)* South Carolina (3-7) is home for the Sunbelt’s Coastal Carolina (6-4)* *This game was EXPECTED to be an easy home contest but may not turn out to be The 11th game of the season has become “cupcake” week in the SEC after the league started playing a 12-game schedule.  Many teams want their final game of season to end with a historic rivalry contest. Next week’s final week of the SEC regular season features grudge matches such as Alabama vs. Auburn, Georgia taking on Georgia Tech, Ole Miss at Mississippi State, and Texas hosting Texas A&M. That leaves lonely Week #11 available for non-conference action. The reason Samford, Eastern Illinois, and the others accept invitations to play in in such games is to collect +/- $1 million in financial guarantees just for showing up. There were a few other close calls last weekend involving some top teams In addition to Texas A&M’s good fortune in the second half against South Carolina, a few other top-rated teams were fortunate to come out on top. Ole Miss (now 10-1) trailed “coachless” Florida 24-20 heading into the fourth quarter in Oxford Saturday night.  The Rebels scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to escape with a 34-24 win over a tough group of 3-7 Florida Gators. Georgia Tech (now 10-1) was on the verge of losing to 1-10 Boston College last Saturday in Beantown.  A short field goal with 11 seconds remaining lifted the Yellow Jackets to a 34-32 win over BC and kept Georgia Tech’s College Football Playoff hopes alive. Meanwhile, the 8-2 Michigan Wolverines nearly became an upset victim on Saturday, too.  Big Blue turned the ball over three times to the Northwestern Wildcats (now 5-5), but a field goal on the game’s final play lifted Michigan to a 24-22 win.  Michigan visits 4-7 Maryland this week before hosting archrival 10-0 Ohio State on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It’s time to check out the brand new SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 rankings for the week ending Saturday, November 15, 2025: The post FBS Top 25 + The SEC Bakery Reopens this Saturday! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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