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Sports Commentary

  1. 2d ago

    UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech and ULM – Back to the FCS?

    Finally!  Someone at a high enough level in Louisiana politics had the audacity to speak the truth. Louisiana’s three FBS (major college) state universities not named LSU are being brought to task about significant financial deficits in their sports programs. Thank you for your honesty, Dr. Wilbert Pryor of Shreveport! It’s about time that someone spoke up about serious financial problems stemming from trying to compete alongside the financial giants of college athletics. Prior is a Shreveport attorney.  He represents the northwest portion of Louisiana as a member of the University of Louisiana Board of Regents. The UL system governs most of the state’s public universities not directly affiliated with either LSU or Southern University.  Those two Baton Rouge-based universities each have their own supervisory boards to govern operations. Wilbert Pryor knows quite a bit about athletics and football in particular.  The Shreveport native played football at Captain Shreve High School and was a fullback at Vanderbilt University from 1989-1993 while on a football scholarship.   Pryor attended the September 22 budget meeting of the UL System.  A discussion took place about athletic spending deficits at UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and UL-Monroe. Each of those schools have athletic shortfalls ranging from $10-20 million apiece. A transcript of the budget meeting was released this week.  Wilbert Pryor spoke his mind on this issue at the meeting. He said what many of us have been thinking for years. Pryor suggested that it may be time for UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and ULM to (gasp!) leave the FBS division in football and return to the lower cost (and lower revenue) small college football group called the FCS. He has now received national media attention and anger from some within the state of Louisiana for speaking the truth. Since the three schools are having trouble keeping expenses in line with athletic revenues, the UL system hired a national audit and consulting firm to investigate. Deloitte will present their findings and recommendations to the UL system board by year’s end. One possible solution?  UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and UL-Monroe should step down from the FBS and return to playing football in the lower cost small college FCS group. Let’s review the history All three of these universities competed for years at the small school level formerly known as NCAA Division 1-AA. UL-Monroe (then known as Northeast Louisiana University) won the Division 1-AA football national championship in 1987 with a 13-2 record.  The title game was a thrilling 43-42 victory over Marshall University. The home side of Malone Stadium still proudly displays a banner honoring the 1987 National Championship team. Yes, those WERE the days in Monroe! The Ragin Cajuns of UL-Lafayette (then known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana) became the first of these three schools to move into major college football.  They became an independent in 1982. Louisiana Tech dove into the big time football pool in 1987 – also beginning as an independent. Northeast Louisiana University/UL-Monroe exited small college football to join the FBS ranks in 1994. What are the results after decades of competing in the FBS? None of this trio of schools has ever played in a major New Year’s Day bowl game.  They have not participated in the FBS playoffs, either. News flash! Don’t expect anything different over the next 30 years, either. UL-Lafayette has played in eight consecutive post-season bowl games, though.  The Ragin’ Cajuns have participated in a total of 13 bowl games since moving into the FBS in 1982. Louisiana Tech has now played in two straight post-season bowls.  The Bulldogs have also participated in 13 bowl games since joining college football’s upper division in 1987. What about UL-Monroe?  The Warhawks have played in only one bowl game after 32 years of competing in the FBS.   The 2012 Independence Bowl saw the ULM Warhawks lose to Ohio University 45-14. Ouch. These mid-major schools do not pocket significant money from bowl game appearances.  Travel and lodging costs for the team, staff, and band frequently exceed the guaranteed paycheck from the game itself. Home football attendance at all three of these Louisiana schools has, at best, risen slightly during their time at the FBS level.  The average football fan wants their favorite team to perform well on the field and have a chance to win a conference title. With the dramatic rise in NIL payments to, effectively, buy athletes, how competitive will any of these three state universities continue to be at the major college level? The reward for winning the Sun Belt Conference title is a bowl invitation to play in the R&L Carriers (a truck line) New Orleans Bowl in mid-December. None of these three schools envisioned playing in a mid-level bowl game as their dream when moving into the upper tier over 30 years ago. Oh, no!  He’s going to talk about money! All three universities now participate in the Sun Belt Conference Western division. It is, by far, the most economical FBS conference option for this cluster of schools.  Travel to most road games can be made by bus in 6 hours or less. The Sun Belt Conference media contract with ESPN is worth +/- $2 million annually to each member school. The contract covers all Sun Belt sports. UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and UL-Monroe each play one or two “money” road games each fall.  These football road games generate far more income than playing a home game with an “average” sized crowd. For example, Louisiana Tech’s recent trip to LSU netted a nifty $1.6 million. Louisiana Tech (with 32,000 football seats in Ruston) would have to sell-out a home game at an average ticket price of $50 to match that kind of revenue. Recent history shows that the Bulldogs are more likely to fetch half of that average ticket price while filling 50% of Joe Aillet Stadium.  That generates about $400,000 in ticket revenue for an average Louisiana Tech home game. However, the rising costs (players, coaches, support staff, travel, etc.) at the FBS level have exceeded the revenues generated by media deals, “payday” road games, and up to six home football games every fall. Thirty years ago, UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and ULM entered the FBS division believing that their upward move would generate increased fan interest.  With more fans in the stands, increased revenues should cover the added costs of travel and game day expenses. Would those three teams make the same decision today? Let’s compare regional rivals Sam Houston State (Huntsville) and Stephen F. Austin (Nacogdoches) in east Texas. Sam Houston won the FCS (small college) National Championship in 2021. The Bearkats decided to move up into the FBS group beginning in 2023.  Sam Houston is now a member of Conference USA. The Bearkats went 2-10 last season and are off to a 1-3 start in 2026. Sam Houston recently spent $60 million to update and renovate Bowers Stadium in Huntsville.  The listed capacity is still about 14,000. Attendance at Sam Houston home games has risen by a few thousand fans per game since the team last played in the FCS small college division.  However, travel expenses required to play at far-flung Conference USA locations are exponentially higher for the Bearkats. Rival Stephen F. Austin opted to remain in the FCS.  The Lumberjacks play in the Southland Conference. SFA won the Southland Conference in 2025 and qualified for the FCS playoffs last December.  The Jacks advanced into the quarterfinal (second) round before losing to eventual national champion Montana State. Homer Bryce Stadium in Nacogdoches has a capacity of 14,500. Last year’s average attendance at home games was (sadly) only about 7,000 per game.  Travel to SFA’s Southland Conference opponents is generally within a half-day drive from Nacogdoches. Today, Stephen F. Austin is off to a 5-0 start and ranked #5 nationally in the FCS. Which fan base is happier this fall? What would it look like if one or all three Louisiana schools returned to the FCS? A future FCS conference football schedule might include Louisiana competitors like McNeese State, Northwestern State, Nicholls, and Southeastern Louisiana along with nearby teams in Texas such as Stephen F. Austin and Lamar (Beaumont). Games against such regional foes would likely generate similar (or perhaps higher) fan interest than a typical Sun Belt home game against Georgia State or Old Dominion. A first place finish in an FCS conference (such as the Southland) automatically qualifies for a spot in the 24-team national playoffs each December. There are also 14 FCS “wild card” playoff slots awarded to teams based on their ranking and season record.  A competitive second or even third place conference finish might be good enough to get your team into the FCS playoffs. Of course, moving out of the FBS means the loss of a few million dollars annually in TV/media revenue.  That is a significant financial loss and represents the need for significant belt-tightening in order to reach breakeven. Returning to the FCS will necessitate fewer (and lower paid) coaches, fewer athletic staffers, less scholarships, and nearly “nil” NIL money for athletes. A downgrade in player talent is inevitable.  Then again, will the average fan even notice? No one is forcing UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and UL-Monroe to move out of the Sun Belt Conference and the FBS. Each of the trio’s football stadiums can easily handle another 10,000 fans every weekend if supporters want to keep their team playing in the upper division. FBS football has not significantly moved the attendance needle at any of these three state universities.  The stats don’t lie. The upcoming D

  2. 4d ago

    Houston Texans’ 25th Season Begins with a Thud

    It’s hard to believe that the AFC expansion Houston Texans are now in their 25th year in the NFL. The city of Houston was the long-time proud home of the American Football League’s “Luv Ya Blue” Oilers from 1960 to 1996. The Oilers never played in a Super Bowl game.  Terry Bradshaw and his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates eliminated Coach Bum Phillips and the Houston Oilers in both the 1978 and 1979 AFC title games. The Houston Oilers remained quite competitive into the mid-1990’s. However, team owner “Bottom Line” Bud Adams had regularly threatened to move his football team unless the city replaced the 50,000 seat Astrodome with a bigger football facility – financed by Houston taxpayers. The voters said “No”. Bud Adams thumbed his nose at Houston and bid adieu.  He moved his NFL franchise to Tennessee in 1996. The renamed Tennessee Titans moved into a more spacious new football stadium in Nashville – all paid for by local taxpayers. Nissan Stadium in Nashville has a seating capacity of 70,000. Believe it or not, a new domed football stadium for the Titans is now under construction.  It should be ready for the Titans beginning in 2027. Ironically (to Houston pro football fans), Nashville’s new domed football stadium will have a capacity of just 60,000.  That’s a decrease of 10,000 seats!  The stadium may be downsizing, but Titans season ticket holders will see significantly increased prices to generate even more revenue for the city’s NFL team. The city of Houston was left without a pro football franchise from 1996 until 2002. That’s when America’s fourth largest city was granted an NFL expansion franchise.  The new ownership oddly chose the rather generic nickname of “Texans” for the new Houston football team. (Personally, I preferred the nickname “Houston Traffic” because it strikes fear into the hearts of visitors.) The new Houston Texans NFL franchise would not play in the Astrodome (which opened in 1965) either.  A new air-conditioned facility with a retractable roof known as Reliant Stadium opened in 2002.  It has a seating capacity of 72,200. As you might have guessed, football-starved taxpayers in Harris County agreed to foot the $350 million bill to pay for the Texans’ new football stadium.  Go figure. The Houston Texans are 0-24 in Super Bowl appearances Houston’s latest NFL franchise has qualified for the NFL playoffs in each of the past three seasons.  The Texans have made the playoffs nine times in 24 seasons. Contrast that to the lowly New York Jets.  The J-E-T-S have not appeared in the playoffs since 2011 (15 long and miserable seasons). Houston came into the 2026 NFL season as one of the oddmakers’ AFC favorites to make their first Super Bowl.  That’s because the team finished 12-5 last year and made it to the second round of the playoffs on the strength of the NFL’s top-rated defense. After stumbling to an 0-3 start in September, the Houston Texans have dropped to 16th out of 32 NFL teams in chances of playing this season’s Super Bowl. The Texans have started the 2026 season 0-3 – just like last year Houston entered the 2026 season with one of the most fearsome defenses in the NFL.  The Texans were favored to win the AFC South. This 0-3 start by the Houston Texans has sent a shock wave across H-Town during the month of September.  A 36-31 season-opening loss to Super Bowl favorite Buffalo wasn’t totally unexpected. It was a rather lethargic 20-6 home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week #2 which raised warning flags.  For the second straight season, the Texans’ offense was struggling to score enough points. Last weekend’s 19-17 loss at the mediocre (1-2) Indianapolis Colts found the winless Texans churning out just 223 yards in total offense. Indianapolis had three turnovers in this game compared to zero for Houston.  That meant that the Texans were gifted a few extra opportunities to score points but failed to take advantage of those chances. Fans of the Houston Texans might say, “Well, we started 0-3 last year and still finished 11-5”! That is true.  But that was also last year’s team. This 2026 Houston Texans squad is rushing the football for just 85 yards per game.  It ranks 29th out of 32 NFL teams. That means defenses don’t have to worry about Houston running backs doing much damage.  It puts more pressure on Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud to perform at a high level every week. Stroud is beginning his fourth NFL season.  His rookie year stats (4,100 yards and 23 touchdown passes) still represent the best season of his young pro football career, though. C.J. Stroud hasn’t exactly been surrounded by top NFL pass receivers in Houston. Former third round draft pick (2023) Nico Collins has blossomed into one of the NFL’s better receivers over the past two seasons.  He has not played a down yet in 2026 due to a hamstring injury.  Collins remains questionable for this Sunday’s critical game against intrastate rival Dallas. Outside of Nico Collins, the Texans wide receivers room is not exactly filled with household names. Does anyone have Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel, Jared Wayne, or Jayden Higgins on your fantasy football team?  Didn’t think so. Houston acquired former New England (and LSU) wide receiver Kayshon Boutte in August.  He led AFC champion New England in touchdown catches (six) in 2025. Alas, Boutte has just six catches in the first three games for Houston this season. What’s wrong with Houston’s offense?  Is it quarterback C.J. Stroud, the coaches or simply a lack of top talent? Stroud is now in the final year of his rookie contract with the Houston Texans.  His fully guaranteed four-year $36 million deal (about $9 million per season) makes C.J. Stroud a relative bargain for Houston. Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys both earn more than $50 million – per year. Stroud’s career statistics are middle-of-the road.  However, his resume accurately reflects that he has led the Texans into the playoffs in each of his three NFL seasons. Houston and C.J. Stroud failed to negotiate a contract extension during the offseason.  A few quarterback-needy NFL teams (Minnesota, Miami, and the New York Jets come to mind) are likely to offer C.J. Stroud $50 million or more beginning next season. Some wonder whether Stroud has already mentally checked-out this year or is simply struggling.  Regardless, the Houston Texans’ offense has been the team’s boat anchor again this year. Nick Caley is now in his second year as the offensive coordinator for the Texans. His previous experience was primarily as a tight ends coach at both New England and the Los Angeles Rams. It should come as no surprise that Houston tight end Dalton Shultz is currently leading the team in receptions with 19 catches in the opening three games.  The next closest pass receiver (Xavier Hutchinson) has only nine grabs in his first three games. Teams which throw primarily toward their tight end rarely score a lot of points.  It might indicate that the Texans coaches have little faith in their offensive line to provide enough protection time for C.J. Stroud to throw the football downfield. It might also indicate that the team’s coaching staff and quarterback do not have a lot of confidence in the Texans’ wide receiving corps. If the Texans’ offensive players are sub-par, then blame General Manager Nick Caserio Coaches can only work with the talent which the team’s General Manager provides via the draft and free agency. Houston Texans General Manager Nick Caserio came to the team in 2021 after nearly two decades with the New England Patriots.  He was Director of Player Personnel for the Patriots prior to moving to Houston. Patriots fans will tell you that legendary head coach Bill Belichick actually made the final determinations in constructing his team’s roster. On paper, Nick Caserio has been successful with the Texans.  The team has made the playoffs in the last three of his four seasons in Houston. Caserio should be credited with helping to build the Texans’ top-rated defense.  All-Star talent like defensive end Will Anderson, Jr. and former LSU cornerback Derrick Stingley, Jr. anchor an outstanding defensive unit. Head Coach DeMeco Ryans knows a lot about his defense, too. Ryans was once the starting linebacker for the Texans from 2006-2011.  After retiring as a player, he became the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers prior to accepting the head coaching job in Houston in January, 2023. Last season, the Texans defense allowed opponents only 17.4 points per game to rank #1 in the NFL.  The 2025 squad won its final nine regular season games to finish 12-5. Of note, Houston won seven of those final nine games by seven or fewer points. Houston’s offense finished 23rd in the NFL last year by scoring only 38 touchdowns in 17 regular season games (2.2 per game). It’s safe to say that the Houston Texans have been built on defense with hopes that their fragile offense can generate enough points to win games. This week, the rival Dallas Cowboys come to Houston for a pivotal game Last year’s Houston Texans started 0-3 before winning 12 of their next 14 games to finish 12-5.  Can they duplicate that feat again in 2026? The Dallas Cowboys will ride down I-45 into Houston this Sunday (12 Noon CDT on FOX) with a lot at stake, too. Dallas blew a chance go 2-1 last weekend in rather unique fashion.  A questionable kick-off decision resulted in the Cowboys giving Baltimore an opportunity to convert a long downfield pass into field goal position with one second remaining.  The Ravens kicked a 56-yard field goal on the game’s final play handed the Cowboys a 34-31 stomach-turning defeat. The Dallas Cowboys score a lot of points on of

  3. 6d ago

    Harvest Moon Weirdness

    You probably noticed that big full moon over the weekend.  This year’s Harvest moon occurred on Saturday (9/26). According to astronomy experts, the Harvest moon occurs closest to the first day of autumn.  The fall equinox occurred on September 23. Full moons tend to produce some weird occurrences.  This weekend was certainly no exception. A rare September N’orEaster brought rain and win to the eastern seaboard this weekend. Out west, a late September hurricane named Polo with 115 MPH winds is located just west of Baja California.  This storm will decrease in intensity this week and then turn northeastward.  It will (hopefully) bring some much-needed rain into the Southern plains and South Central US states later this week. This weekend’s sports scene was filled with its share of “full moon” moments, too. Houston Astros won the American League West with an underwhelming 81-81 record The race to win the American League West was more like a game of “Hot Potato” this baseball season.  Neither the Houston Astros nor the Texas Rangers seemed to want to win the division title. The Houston Astros finished with a blazing (ha ha) 5-5 closing stretch record to hold off the slightly-more-inept Texas Rangers by one game to finally claim the AL West. Houston won game #162 of baseball’s regular season on Sunday with a 9-0 win at the Athletics of Sacramento.  Texas lost at Minnesota 6-4 to finish the season one game back. Houston has now won the American League West five times in the past six seasons. The Astros will host the surprising Chicago White Sox in a best-of-three opening round playoff series in Houston beginning Tuesday afternoon. Chicago’s White Sox finished 83-78 to claim a Wild Card spot this year.  The ChiSox posted a 24-game improvement from last year’s dismal 60-102 record. This week’s playoff match-up will be available on Peacock (NBC’s $13/month internet site).  It will also be televised on the NBC Sports Network (a cable sports station which isn’t carried by some cable systems). Three major college football players acted like fools this weekend.  Each deserves to wear a dunce hat. The AP’s #1 Texas Longhorns survived a late Tennessee rally to defeat the Volunteers 17-14 on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville. That same #1 team had one of their defensive players who – uh – simulated taking a “#1” on the football field Saturday after sacking the Tennessee quarterback.  Defensive end Colin Simmons “celebrated” his quarterback sack afterwards with his personal fake watering job onto the Tennessee turf. This “Texas Tinkle” cost the Longhorns a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Texas coach Steve Sarkesian said afterward, “Unfortunately…we live in a ‘Look at me’ society”. The highly-forgiving coach is not likely to keep Colin Simmons on the bench for the Longhorns’ next game against Oklahoma, though.  That’s what five sacks in one game can do for you. South Carolina Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer has enough problems to deal with.  His Gamecocks fell to 2-2 after an embarrassing 49-18 loss at Alabama on Saturday.  Coach Beamer then had to deal with one of his own players who threw a punch at the helmet of an Alabama football player. Carolina defensive end Dylan Stewart swung his fist and hit the helmet of Bama tight end Josh Ford.  Stewart received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and then raged at his own coaches along the Gamecocks’ sideline. On Sunday, Stewart was suspended indefinitely by the South Carolina football coach. Coach Beamer commendably told the media, “That’s not how we do things around here”. Finally, did you see the dirtiest play in college football this season on Saturday night? Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was running with the football and slid feet first to avoid a direct hit from an oncoming Southern Cal defender.  His surrender didn’t matter to Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens, though.  He lowered his helmet and rammed it directly into the helmet of the Oregon quarterback.  It jarred the defenseless quarterback’s head back into the turf. His late hit was totally unnecessary and extraordinarily dangerous.  Believe it or not, Desman Stephens then started jumping for joy celebrating his own cheap shot dirty play. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore laid still on the field for several minutes.  Emergency personnel carefully placed him into an ambulance where he was evaluated at a Los Angeles hospital.  Moore has been diagnosed with a severe concussion.  Fortunately, MRI and CT scans did not reveal further damage.  His long-term prognosis is uncertain as of Monday. Oregon rallied around their fallen leader.  Former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola came off the bench to lead the Ducks to a 41-27 win at USC.  Oregon improved to 3-1 this year, while USC fell to 4-1. Coach Dan Lanning of Oregon said, “It was a disgusting play.  The energy changed.  A lot of the guys on the sidelines were emotional, including myself”. USC linebacker Desman Stephens was thrown out of the game for targeting and his team penalized 15 yards.  Trojans’ coach Lincoln Riley later suspended Stephens for one game for his juvenile actions. Based on what I saw Saturday night, Desman Stephens should not be allowed to play football at USC or for any other college program.   Michigan’s football team learned about karma during Saturday’s Harvest moon You might remember that Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference appeared to have won their season-opening football game a few weeks ago at Ann Arbor against the Big Ten’s Michigan Wolverines. Michigan’s “Hail Mary” pass into the end zone went incomplete as the clock showed no time remaining.  However, the replay officials reviewed the play (and erred) saying there was still :01 left. That controversial second heave-ho pass attempt by Michigan was caught in the end zone for a touchdown as the Wolverines escaped with a 13-12 win over a bewildered Western Michigan team. On Saturday, the 3-0 Iowa Hawkeyes came into Michigan for an important early season Big Ten encounter. This time, it was the Hawkeyes receiving some good fortune.  Iowa scored the winning touchdown on a 16-yard pass completion on the game’s final play. Iowa’s 20-19 win stunned the huge Michigan crowd of 111,126.  The Hawkeyes improved their record to 4-0, while Michigan dropped to 3-1 after its first “official” loss of the season. The dysfunctional US President’s Cup team rallied on Sunday for an epic comeback win We’ve seen this before.  The American men’s professional golfers struggle mightily to play in team competitions where the two US players must work together to help win a match. The US squad is filled with multi-millionaires who travel in their own private jets and stay in rented homes during golf tournaments.  They seem to rarely socialize with each other during the lengthy PGA season. On the other side, many foreign players (who don’t earn as much money as top PGA stars) seem to enjoy more camaraderie at European, Australian, and Asian Tour events.  They often stay in the same hotels, eat together, perhaps enjoy a toddy or two at the bar, and generally like each other’s company. Americans struggle in team four-ball competition (where each player plays his own ball for the hole with the best score counting).  The Yanks have been downright horrible in the foursomes (where one ball is played from tee by Player 1 and the second shot is played from the fairway by Player 2, etc.). Friday’s second round of the 2026 President’s Cup near Chicago saw the US team lose all five matches in the foursomes competition.  The International team led 7-3 after Friday’s foursome sweep. The International team seemed quite determined this year.  Their last share of the President’s Cup came in the 2003 matches in South Africa.  They had lost ten consecutive matches to the Americans coming into last weekend’s 2026 event at Medinah Country Club near Chicago. Captain Geoff Ogilvie’s team still maintained a 3-point lead entering Sunday’s 12 individual matches. US captain Brandt Snedeker’s squad rallied to post an impressive 9-2-1 record on Sunday. They roared from behind to claim a 17-13 victory over the International squad in the 2026 President’s Cup. The Americans were a woeful 2-7 in foursome (alternate shot) competitions but still found a way to overcome that significant deficit to win this biennial golf event. A 21-year old US rookie who played at Auburn was the only American not to lose a match this week.  Jackson Koivun went 2-0-1 in the President’s Cup including Sunday’s 2-up victory over World #14 golfer Si Woo Kim from South Korea. Koivun said afterwards, “It’s just exciting to call these guys my friends.  Now when I go to tournaments, it’s not ‘There’s so and so’.  I was on a team with them, and we won the President’s Cup”! It marked the first time in President’s Cup history that either team had overcome a 3-point deficit in the final day of singles matches to win. A very relieved US team captain Brandt Snedeker may just keep smiling all week long! The post Harvest Moon Weirdness appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

  4. Sep 25

    College Football’s Great Pretenders!

    There is a good reason why SwampSwamiSports.com does not provide its first ranking of college football teams until early October. Did you know that 35 of the 138 (25.3%) major college (FBS) teams are still undefeated entering into this fourth full weekend of play? Let’s at least give these teams a little credit.  The number of unbeatens will decrease sharply in the weeks to come. These 35 teams are 3-0 unless otherwise noted: American (2) – South Florida and Tulsa ACC (4) – Miami (FL), Duke, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Tech Big 12 (6) – BYU, Texas Tech, Cincinnati, Kansas State, Utah, and W. Virginia Big Ten (9) – Southern Cal (4-0) plus UCLA, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Washington and Northwestern (2-0) Conference USA – none Independents (1) – Notre Dame Mid-American (1) – U-Mass Mountain West (1) – North Dakota State (4-0) Pac-12 – none SEC (9) – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas and Vanderbilt Sun Belt (2) – Appalachian State and James Madison Lest we forget, there are also seven FBS teams (5%) which have yet to pick-up their first win in 2026.  The following teams are all 0-3 as of this week: American – Charlotte (Current losing streak – 12 games in a row) Big Ten – Rutgers (five in a row) Conference USA – Western Kentucky (three in a row) Mid-American – Bowling Green (three in a row) Mountain West – Northern Illinois (five in a row) Pac12 – Utah State (five in a row) Sun Belt – UL-Monroe (11 losses in a row) One year ago, only U-Mass finished the season winless at 0-12.  Let’s hope these seven schools find a way to end their current losing streaks soon. Changing gears, there will be only one guaranteed College Football Playoff spot available for the so-called “Group of 6” mid-major conferences this season.  Let’s take a look at several teams which have a good chance to break through this fall. Remember North Dakota State?  They’re now in the FBS and are already making waves Did you know that FCS football power North Dakota State moved up into the FBS division for football beginning this season? You may have herd (get it?) that the Bison won ten of the past 15 NCAA Division 1 small college national titles. North Dakota State is already 4-0 this year as it moves into the “Big Boys” division of major college football.  The 2026 Bison have scored 30 or more points in each of their four season-opening victories. North Dakota State is in its first season competing in the Mountain West Conference.  They won their first conference game at Air Force (38-32) a couple of weeks ago. Let’s face it.  The Mountain West Conference is not exactly filled with the strongest football powers. That provides North Dakota State with an excellent opportunity to run the table and earn a spot in this year’s College Football Playoffs during their first season in the FBS. NDSU will be favored in every remaining game this fall except at New Mexico on October 24. The Lobos (2-1) played tough in losing 14-6 at Oklahoma last Saturday.  New Mexico is also coming off an impressive 9-4 season in 2025.  They tied for first place in the Mountain West Conference and then lost an overtime bowl game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers of the Big Ten. North Dakota State Bison football fans are known to travel in large numbers to road games with as much enthusiasm as major football powers like Alabama, Georgia, and LSU.  NDSU players are accustomed to playing in tension-filled playoff atmospheres, too. Expect New Mexico’s 40,000 seat football stadium in Albuquerque will be filled to capacity for this late October match-up.  A very large and loud contingent of green-colored Bison fans will be in town to support their team.  What about James Madison? The Dukes earned a trip to last year’s College Football Playoffs after posting a stellar 12-1 regular record.  They lost Oregon 51-34 in the first round. James Madison’s 2026 Sun Belt Conference schedule features a pivotal road game at Appalachian State on October 22.  JMU has remaining home games against top Sun Belt competitors such as Marshall, Georgia State, Troy, and long-time foe Coastal Carolina. The Dukes, like North Dakota State, must win at least 11 regular season games to be in the hunt for a playoff berth in December. How about another Sun Belt contender – Appalachian State? The Mountaineers are 3-0 but are traveling this Saturday to Raleigh to play North Carolina State of the ACC. You might remember that NC State was the team which lost at Vanderbilt last Saturday in rather spectacular fashion on the game’s final play.  The Wolfpack quarterback fumbled the football in the end zone which was immediately recovered by Vandy for a game-winning touchdown.  He had been instructed to simply run around and then out of the end zone to take a two-point safety as NC State led by three points. A win by App State over NC State this Saturday will attract “mountains” of national media attention.  Their October 22 home game against James Madison and a November 14 road game at Marshall also present difficult obstacles for the Mountaineers to climb. Could either South Florida or Tulsa of the American Conference claim a playoff spot? South Florida lost its head coach (Alex Golish) to the Auburn Tigers in the offseason.  The Bulls haven’t lost a step.  South Florida has rumbled to a 3-0 start and has a relatively easy schedule ahead of them until the final month of the season.  American Conference foes Memphis and Tulane must be defeated during November.  South Florida could finish 11-1 this year and wave their hands wanting to be selected for a possible College Football Playoff spot. The Tulsa Golden Hurricane shocked re-tooling Oklahoma State 24-10 during Week #1. Tulsa has improved to 3-0 and travels to SEC member Arkansas this Saturday.  A win over the 1-2 Hogs would vault Tulsa into the playoff conversation – at least for a while.  Difficult road games at Navy and Tulane are still ahead for the Golden Hurricane.  Tulsa fans will remain patient as their hometown football team hasn’t posted a winning record in the previous four years. Did someone actually say, “Watch out for U-Mass?” The Minutemen haven’t started a football season 3-0 since 2007.  They are in just their second year of participating in the Mid-American Conference. U-Mass had nowhere to go but up after last year’s woeful 0-12 campaign.  This is a school whose football program has not posted a winning season since going 6-5 in 2010. If the Minutemen should somehow finish 11-1 and get into contention for a College Football Playoff spot, their turnaround will be one of the biggest sports stories of the year. What about the College Football Playoff prospects for teams in the four major conferences? Their chances are a little bit easier to determine. Any of the 57 schools from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC which should be able to post at least a 10-2 regular season record is likely to receive a place in the 12-team College Football Playoffs. You may remember that Alabama’s loss during the 2025 SEC Championship game still got the 10-3 Crimson Tide into the playoffs.  However, 9-3 Texas was left at home. Expect that any team which loses three games during this year’s 12-game regular season is also “toast.” That adds even more pressure to this Saturday night’s encounter between 2-1 Texas A&M at 2-1 LSU (6:30 PM CDT on ABC).  The loser will have two defeats and must run the table (8-0) during October and November to have a legitimate playoff chance. Good luck trying to do that!  The SEC is tougher from top to bottom this season.  It will be incredibly difficult for any SEC team to go unbeaten during October and November this fall. When will the first SwampSwamiSports.com College Football rankings begin? My first College Football Top 25 rankings will be published in two weeks.  Most teams should have at least five games of history to review at that point.  A higher ranking will be given to unbeaten teams which defeated a quality opponent. An early season resume filled with cupcakes will not be rewarded in the SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 rankings. Yes, I’m talking to you, Indiana! This marks our second year of providing rankings for the FCS small college group of schools, too.  There will be room for at least one new top contender to emerge this fall with perennial favorite North Dakota State now playing in the major college division. Stay tuned! The post College Football’s Great Pretenders! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

  5. Sep 21

    Red Beans and Rice Monday

    It’s finally over!  We won’t have to hear about former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels any more until, at the very least, December. LSU spotted Ole Miss 17 points but still made the Rebels work hard coming down the stretch to secure their 32-24 victory over the Tigers on Saturday night.  This was a very intense football game from beginning to end.  Those who paid hundreds of dollars for a seat at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford might have received their money’s worth. LSU’s loss dropped the Tigers to 2-1 on the season.  They trailed Ole Miss (now 3-0) 24-7 at the half.  LSU battled back in the second half to tie this game at 24 apiece.  That’s when Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss sprinted around left end on a fourth quarter touchdown run to seal the win for the home team in Oxford. Let’s get our traditional Louisiana red beans and rice ready for Monday dinner.  We could use some comfort food while reviewing this past weekend of football in the Bayou State. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss led Ole Miss to victory in a game that 49 of the 50 US states were pulling for the Rebels to win Jubilant Ole Miss fans were busy celebrating the football team’s hard-fought 32-24 win over former head coach Lane Kiffin’s LSU Tigers.  As the players hugged each other and high-fived with fans, the stadium public address speakers blared the popular Garth Brooks’ song, “Calling Baton Rouge” in Oxford.   That song is played at every LSU home football game just minutes before the famed Golden Band from Tiger Land Marching Band pregame show.  The Garth Brooks tune puts LSU fans into a good mood as they loudly clap and sing along with the popular song named for Bayou State’s capitol city. Saturday night’s musical rendition played in Oxford, Mississippi after the Rebels’ 8-point win was Ole Miss fans way of saying, “Get on the bus, and enjoy your 340 mile ride back home!” LSU actually made the trip via charter jet, but it was the thought that counted, right? Tigers head football coach Lane Kiffin told reporters afterwards that the experience of being hated so intensely by Ole Miss fans in Oxford was a bit surreal. He said, “I thought that I would probably be more in, like, the competitive mode and just kind of embrace it.  Sometimes you can’t predict your emotions.  I know that sometimes I don’t act like it, but I’m a human, you know.” Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss shined again in front of a national television audience to solidify his early lead in the race for this year’s Heisman Trophy. The likable and very poised young man completed 33 of 48 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns. LSU fans may have thought the talented quarterback wearing the light blue Ole Miss uniform had an “S” on the front of his jersey instead the number six.  LSU tried just about everything except to bring Lex Luthor onto the field carrying a large piece of green Kryptonite in a desperate effort to slow down the talented Ole Miss quarterback. Trindad Chambliss added the winning touchdown for Ole Miss on a 14-yard scamper around left end to break a 24-24 fourth quarter tie with just six minutes left in the game. Did you know that this 24-year old quarterback is now participating in his sixth season of college football? Trinidad Chambliss is enjoying a second successful college football career After his redshirt freshman season at Division II Ferris State University (located an hour north of Grand Rapids, Michigan), Chambliss dealt with recurring respiratory issues during his sophomore year.  It prevented him from playing football in Year #2.  A tonsillectomy eventually improved his health issues. Chambliss went on to play the next two seasons at Ferris State and led the Bulldogs to the D-II national championship in 2024.  That’s when then-Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin offered Trinidad Chambliss a scholarship and some NIL loot to come south to play for the Rebels beginning in 2025. Chambliss started last season on the bench.  Ole Miss posted an 11-2 record after he became the team’s starting quarterback. The Rebels (playing without coach Lane Kiffin – who had accepted the head coaching job at LSU) went on to beat Tulane and Georgia before falling 31-27 to Miami in the College Football Playoffs semifinals last year. Trinidad Chambliss petitioned the NCAA for a rare sixth year of eligibility for this season.  He was denied in January.  Ole Miss then filed an appeal.  The NCAA rejected it, too.  That’s when Chambliss and his attorneys sued the NCAA in a Mississippi court in February for the right to play college football again this year. I guess you can figure out who won. Chambliss is now at the top of the shopping list for several needy NFL teams next spring in 2027.  He is trying to lead the 3-0 Ole Miss Rebels into the College Football Playoffs again.  A second national championship win would cap his rather lengthy college football career. LSU’s next opponent is slinking into Baton Rouge licking a few wounds, too! A few hours prior to the Ole Miss/LSU game, the 1-1 Kentucky Wildcats were in College Station playing the heavily favored 2-0 and #9-ranked Texas A&M Aggies. Just one week earlier, Kentucky led Alabama 17-13 at the half in Lexington before imploding in the second half to lose 45-17. This week’s game saw the Wildcats battle Texas A&M to a 7-7 halftime tie in Aggieland. The team’s fiery young rookie head coach then gave his team a rather determined halftime speech. Kentucky coach Will Stein told post-game reporters, “We put our foot down and said we’re not going to be denied. We’re going to take it.” This week, it was Kentucky scoring 21 unanswered points in the third quarter to zoom in front of Texas A&M and secure a 31-21 victory in front of 100,000 stunned Aggie fans. TAMU’s head coach Mike Elko said afterwards, “I don’t take away any positives from this game. Kentucky came in here and whooped us.” LSU (now ranked #10 this week by the AP) and Texas A&M (#23) are now both 2-1.  They will meet on Saturday night in Baton Rouge in a key SEC match-up.  The game will be televised nationally by ABC beginning at 6:30PM CDT. Saturday night’s loser will have two losses and their backs against the proverbial wall. There has never been a three loss team in the season-ending 12-team College Football Playoffs. LSU’s Death Valley in Baton Rouge is the unofficial host for an early season playoff game between the Tigers and Aggies on Saturday night. Louisiana’s FBS teams went a miserable 1-4 this weekend! It was a very tough Saturday for the FBS football teams in the Pelican state.  In addition to LSU’s road loss at Ole Miss, the rest of the state didn’t fare much better in Week #3. Tulane made it all the way to the College Football Playoffs last season before losing to Ole Miss in the opening round. The Green Wave then lost head coach Jon Sumrall to the Florida Gators.  Sumrall’s new team in Gainesville beat Auburn 44-39 Saturday to go 3-0. Alas, the Tulane Greenies fell to 1-2 this season after a 31-20 loss at 3-0 Kansas State. Louisiana Tech has yet to locate its missing offense.  Perhaps they left it back in Ruston again. For the second straight weekend, the Road Dogs’ one-dimensional offense failed as 2-1 Baylor beat Louisiana Tech 36-19 in Waco, Texas. Quarterback Tony Kukuk went 22 for 45 for 232 yards and also led the team in rushing with 75 yards.  Fifth-year head coach Sonny Cumbie (a former offensive coordinator at Texas Tech) continues to struggle on the offensive side of the football as his Bulldogs dropped to 1-2. UL-Monroe lost – at home – to an FCS (small college) opponent on Saturday. The Southeastern Louisiana University Lions (now 2-2) qualified for the FCS playoffs last season.  They are not a cream puff opponent.  The Lions held-off the UL-Monroe Warhawks 38-35 in Monroe to post their first win over an FBS opponent since 2003. It was ULM’s 11th consecutive loss. The last victory for the Warhawks came in a 28-16 win over Arkansas State on September 27, 2025.  ULM’s homecoming game is this Saturday night as the 0-3 Warhawks host 2-1 Florida Atlantic at Malone Stadium in Monroe. Only the Rajun Cajuns of UL-Lafayette saved Louisiana’s largest college football schools from being shutout on Saturday. Quarterback Lunch Winfield “sandwiched” a couple of touchdown runs to lead ULL a 21-10 win over UAB (1-2) in Lafayette Saturday.  The Cajuns improved to 2-1 and will travel to play at winless Charlotte (0-3) this week. Fortunately, the “Second Half” New Orleans Saints saved the weekend for Pelican state football fans AFC title contender Baltimore was an eight point home favorite to beat the visiting New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Quarterback Tyler Shough and wide receiver Chris Olave would have none of that!  The dynamic duo connected eight times on Sunday including a key touchdown pass in the Saints 24-17 win.  This tandem continues to remind WhoDat fans of Hall-of-Fame QB Drew Brees and wide receiver Marcus Colston during the Saints’ glory years. The Saints started slowly for the second week in a row.  Baltimore took a 14-6 lead into the halftime break. New Orleans’ young and opportunistic defense then limited the Ravens (now 1-1) to just three points over the final two periods.  Ball control offense dominated the fourth quarter for New Orleans.  The Saints’ final two touchdown drives consumed nearly 12 minutes off the clock and kept Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson on the bench. New Orleans (1-1) will play its first home game of the season in the Louisiana Superdome this Sunday against the surprising 2-0 Las Vegas Raiders at 3:25PM CDT on CBS. I’m glad that this weekend of football is finally over.  There is 75% of the se

  6. Sep 17

    “As the Tigers Turn” – Get Your Popcorn Ready!

    A few weeks ago, I suggested a number of possible sports soap opera names for the ongoing drama involving this year’s LSU football program. Possible names floated included “Search for Tomorrow’s Coach”, “Lane – Is a Many Spendored Thing”, and “The Young and the Ruthless.” One title, though, stood out among the others. I chose “As the Tigers Turn” as the winner.  It seems to fit all of the wild and crazy stories which are surrounding this season’s Bayou Bengals from Baton Rouge. We’ve got another tasty dish of LSU jambalaya ready to serve-up, che’re.  It’s time to roll this show’s opening credits! In our last episode… Two weeks ago, LSU had not played its first college football game of the season. The opening game against long-time ACC powerhouse Clemson was coming up on Saturday, September 5 in LSU’s Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge on national television. Former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was taking the field that night for the first time as LSU’s new coach.  Ex-LSU coach Brian Kelly was long gone after receiving his expensive $54 million contract payout to vamoose. Lane Kiffin’s first game as coach of LSU was enough drama for Tigers fans.  The NCAA then inadvertently created some legal issues which added even more suspense to LSU’s opening game of the football season. The NCAA (it’s OK to boo the villain here) fumbled the ball again. They waited until June to implement a new rule affecting the eligibility of college athletes.  The overseer of college sports had previously allowed a maximum of four years of athletic eligibility. A June, 2026 NCAA rule gives athletes five years of college eligibility as long as it is completed within five years after leaving high school.  The previous rule had hundreds of athletes petitioning the NCAA for a fifth or sixth year of athletic eligibility due to injuries. medical issues, and/or other extenuating circumstances. A small group of athletes who had utilized their four years of college eligibility over four consecutive years filed a lawsuit in a Louisiana state court. They wanted the right to return to play a fifth year of college football this fall if they were released by an NFL team during the summer preseason. Two of those players in the lawsuit just happened to be former Ole Miss players who played for coach Lane Kiffin in 2025. The Southeastern Conference was furious that LSU was (perhaps) going to sign and play some ex-professional athletes.  SEC school presidents joined with Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12 Conferences to prohibit member schools from playing any former professional athletes beginning this fall. As you may have heard, the Louisiana state court judge held a hearing two days prior to the LSU/Clemson game – in his Baton Rouge courtroom, of course. Making matters worse, the SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey (it’s OK to boo or cheer here – your preference) was required to fly to Baton Rouge to testify in the matter.  After three hours on the witness stand, Commissioner Sankey left town and later learned that the judge had ruled in favor of the players. Can you imagine how “hot” Commissioner Sankey might have been after learning that? Would LSU actually go against the wishes of the SEC Commissioner and the 15 other university presidents and play a couple of college players who earned $2,000/week for several weeks in an NFL preseason camp? Would the SEC dare to either suspend LSU coach Lane Kiffin for six games and/or assess a $50 million penalty on the Tigers? Worst of all, would the SEC expel one of its original founding members and toss LSU completely out of the conference? Act 2: LSU did not add any pro players, and the SEC backed down on its threats The LSU Tigers had legal clearance to add those briefly-employed ex-NFL players.  They purposefully chose not to.  LSU went on to crush Clemson 51-10 in their season opener without the legally-cleared-to-play “pro” players. Early the following week, LSU added two final players to complete its roster.  Neither name was one of the so-called “pro” players. It’s likely that the two young men who came from the NFL summer camps will receive their promised NIL payments from LSU without ever playing a down of football this season. We can only hope these gentlemen will be as successful in the classroom in Baton Rouge this fall. Taking a cue from LSU’s more positive and conciliatory actions, the league’s presidents also met again last week.  The angry mob of academic leaders finally put down their pitchforks and torches.  Instead, they decided to slow things down and re-think expelling one of the SEC’s most powerful brand names called LSU. As predicted here, cooler heads seem to have prevailed on both sides.  Somewhere, ESPN is likely to have intervened to remind all parties that the SEC and LSU are stronger with each other. LSU played its second game of the season last Saturday night and defeated a tough Louisiana Tech Bulldogs squad 45-14. Act 3 – Ole Miss began a full-scale offensive against LSU ahead of Saturday’s game The date which Ole Miss fans (and, more recently, LSU haters) have marked on their calendars finally arrives Saturday in Oxford. At about 6:45PM CDT this Saturday night, Coach Lane Kiffin is expected to return to the field at Ole Miss! The man who left his 11-1 squad last season to take the open job at LSU will be greeted with a deafening cacophony of booing and R-rated jeers from Ole Miss fans. ESPN will (of course) be there to promote this hatred serenade with its Saturday morning College GameDay program.  For once, coach Nick Saban will not be the primary object of negative attention from Rebels football fans. Ole Miss and LSU are both 2-0.  The Tigers are ranked #7 and Ole Miss #8 this week. On Monday, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry suggested (jokingly, perhaps) that LSU Coach Lane Kiffin and his Tigers football team may need National Guard protection from any Ole Miss fans harboring bad intentions. Ole Miss officials promise that there will be ample security on hand before, during, and after this game to keep the peace. I joked with a long-time friend yesterday that, perhaps, Coach Kiffin and the entire LSU coaching staff should don “ZZ Top” disguises Saturday night. Having more than a dozen coaches wearing long overcoats and fake beards with the name “Kiffin” on the back would be a good way to diffuse all of the hate and turn it into laughter. Another idea would be for Lane Kiffin to hire a lookalike (carrying a lot of insurance) to stand on the sidelines next to several very large Louisiana state troopers.  Meanwhile, the actual coach Kiffin could sit in an undisclosed location in the press box to oversee the game for LSU. Act 4 – General Hospital – Former Ole Miss and LSU coach Ed Orgeron’s health update Coach “O” (spelled “Eaux” in Louisiana) has been hired as the head football coach and fired by both Ole Miss (2005-2007) and LSU (2016-2021). The 65-year old Ed Orgeron and current LSU coach Lane Kiffin are longtime friends.  They coached together at the University of Tennessee and Southern Cal. Kiffin hired his Louisiana-born and bred coaching friend to become a special assistant to recruiting and defense at LSU earlier this year.  Coach “O” has always been one of college football’s top recruiters – especially within the state of Louisiana. Monday’s LSU press conference featured Coach Kiffin fielding a reporter’s question as to whether Ed Orgeron had been away from the team due to a undisclosed medical issue.  Lane Kiffin danced around the question a little bit and finally said, “He’s doing better.  It was little scary.  He’s still not all the way back.  He just means a lot to me.  We’ve been through a lot.” Late Tuesday, a long-time New Orleans-area media personality posted on his X.com account that Ed Orgeron had been hospitalized recently for sepsis related to an infection.  His report confirmed that the coach was now out of the hospital and at home. A friend of mine died a few years ago from a similar (and extremely serious) condition.  Our prayers are with Coach Orgeron to make a full recovery soon! Geaux Tigah! Act 5 – Nuts and bolts, two former Ole Miss players just got sued! Finally, Tuesday’s LSU football practice concluded with a couple of its Ole Miss transfer players being served lawsuits demanding repayment of money owed to their former school. Defensive tackle Princewell Umanmeilen and offensive lineman Devin Harper hit the transfer portal to join Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin down at LSU.  Unfortunately, both players had already signed NIL agreements with Ole Miss covering this 2026 football season with the combined amount totaling nearly $1 million. Ole Miss claims that previous attempts over the past few months to get repayment have failed.  LSU officials responded that any payments due Ole Miss from the two transfers players were not the responsibility of their new school. The timing of being served with a lawsuit during game week was not a coincidence. Expect these two new LSU football players to be highly motivated to bring a different form of payback to Ole Miss come Saturday night. Kick-off is at 6:45PM this Saturday night on ABC. Get your popcorn ready! And come back soon for another episode of…”As the Tigers Turn!” The post “As the Tigers Turn” – Get Your Popcorn Ready! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

  7. Sep 15

    Where did ESPN’s scrolling football scores go?

    Welcome to the new week!  College football’s second week featured a few upsets and some late game rallies (nicely done, University of Texas!).  The NFL’s Week #1 finally got underway with a few surprises.  In golf, America’s best female players were defeated by Team Europe in Sunday’s Solheim Cup final matches. But first… Remember those scrolling football scores at the bottom of your TV screen? That never-ending ribbon of both college and NFL scores seems to have vanished from ESPN’s family of companies beginning this football season. Why? ESPN recently said, “By removing the BottomLine during live action, we’re creating a cleaner presentation that keeps the focus where it belongs – on the field.” Sorry, Pinocchio.  I’m not buying that one. It is my opinion that the sports giant ditched the popular score ribbon so that TV viewers would not be able to easily locate a more compelling game to watch (especially if that other game is being carried on a competitor’s network). My own Saturday night proved that point.  I watched much of the Louisiana Tech vs LSU game from Baton Rouge. LSU emerged from a narrow 10-7 halftime lead to post an easy 45-14 victory as the Tigers’ offense caught fire in the final two quarters. In years gone by, I would have been following the ESPN score ticker along the bottom of my TV screen in search of a more compelling game.  Fortunately for me, I checked in on the Ohio State vs. Texas game at the end of three quarters. The #4 Longhorns trailed by 20 points against #1 Ohio State entering the final quarter.  Texas caught fire offensively to score the game’s final 21 points and take a thrilling 24-23 win on a touchdown with just 25 seconds remaining. What is the real reason that ESPN dropped the on-screen sports ticker? Money, of course. They are trying to get viewers to stay with one football game as long as possible.  The sales teams for the ESPN family of companies has likely heard complaints from its major advertisers – especially those buying ads in the second half of games.  The network’s viewer-friendly sports ticker has accidentally created viewer defections toward more competitive match-ups. Viewers could change to watch a more compelling game being carried by a competitor such as FOX Sports, NBC, or even the CW Network.  If the self-proclaimed sports leader had not received negative feedback from its advertisers, the sports score ticker/ribbon would still be on your screen during football games. The departure of ESPN’s score ticker at the bottom of your television screen will have another desirable effect for ESPN.  Millions of frustrated viewers will visit the ESPN.com website to receive their score updates. ESPN’s website traffic will balloon on game days and, of course, represent a new advertising vehicle. But keep this in mind.  ESPN’s television advertisers may find that fans will become more likely to neglect watching their very pricey ads.  Viewers will now utilize more time during ESPN’s lengthy three-to-four minute commercial breaks to search online for other scores. I turned on ESPN and the SEC Network earlier today (Monday).  I was a bit surprised to find that (gasp!) the bottom line sport ticker was still in use on weekdays! Yes, ESPN is utilizing it primarily to, among other things, promote their own slate of shows and upcoming football games. I’m not falling for the excuse that “It’s cleaner for viewers to enjoy the game experience”. If true, why not remove it from all of your shows during the rest of the week, too? College Football – Week #2’s game of the week Fans of wrestling legend “The Undertaker” could appreciate how the Texas Longhorns came to life after nearly being pronounced dead at the start of the fourth quarter. Austin, Texas reached a scorching 101 degrees on Saturday.  The heat and the pressure finally got to #1 Ohio State late in this game.  Ohio State surrendered a 23-3 fourth quarter lead to give the rejuvenated Horns a 24-23 come from behind victory on Saturday night. Texas was able to exact a little revenge after Ohio State’s 14-7 win last season in Columbus.  Texas (2-0) just replaced the Buckeyes as #1 in the AP’s way-to-early Poll released on Monday.  Ohio State (1-1) dropped to #6. Duck hunting season began in Stillwater Saturday afternoon! As mentioned here last week, the much ballyhooed Oregon Ducks did not look like national title contenders after barely taking down Boise State in Week #1. The Ducks flew eastward to Stillwater, Oklahoma last Saturday and were attacked by swarms of Oklahoma State hunters.  OSU was embarrassed by regional rival Tulsa 24-10 in its first game.  The Cowboys came into Saturday’s match-up with Oregon having lost 21 straight games to FBS (large division) schools. Okie State dominated this game from start to finish. They rolled-up 554 yards of total offense compared to Oregon’s 281. Oklahoma State has a new head coach (Eric Morris from N. Texas) who signed dozens of his former Mean Green players from last year’s 12-2 team to join him. James Madison tied an NCAA record Sun Belt Conference member James Madison trounced Wagner from the FCS 87-3 on Saturday in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  The 84-point win erased Louisiana Tech’s 80-6 win over Northwestern State in Week #1 as the largest rout of the 2026 season. Did you know that the JMU Dukes scored three of its touchdowns on punt returns? Two came via the conventional route as Michael Scott fielded two punts and returned them for scores.  A third punt-related touchdown came after the visiting Seahawks from Staten Island, New York had a punt blocked by JMU.  The loose ball was picked-up by special teamer Michael Halbert who ran it in for a touchdown. This trifecta of touchdowns scored by James Madison off the opposing team’s punts tied an NCAA record. Southern Cal was the last FBS team to accomplish this feat in 2013. The NFL’s Week #1 featured few surprises but… If you are a fan of the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, or Cleveland Browns, it’s time to create an appropriate paper bag to wear while watching your team this fall. They stink – again. A Super Bowl rematch featuring Seattle and New England produced a 13-10 win for the Seahawks as Patriots’ quarterback Drake Maye tossed an ugly interception deep in Seattle territory to end the game. Minnesota Vikings new starting quarterback Kyler Murray went down in the first quarter with a concussion.  The Vikings opted to turn to veteran Carson Wentz and not former first round pick J.J. McCarthy.  This turned out to be a good move as the Vikes reeled-off 22 straight points in the final quarter to down hated rival Green Bay 39-22. Didn’t you expect the Dallas Cowboys’ defense to be a little better this year?  They were 32nd out of 32 teams last year. Alas, the visitors from Texas allowed 29 first downs and nearly 400 yards of total offense as the New York Giants claimed a 28-20 win over the Cowboys. A bigger concern for Dallas fans was the puny 244 yards of total offense generated by its highly paid offense.  The $60 million dink-passing quarterback Dak Prescott completed 22 of 34 passes for only 175 yards. The biggest surprise from Week #1 for me was the Los Angeles Rams’ 27-7 loss to NFC West rival San Francisco.  This game was played in front of 100,000 fans in Melbourne, Australia.  Los Angeles’ vaunted offense tallied just 290 total yards as the 49ers controlled this game from start to finish. The Rams have said this season is considered “Super Bowl or Bust”.  They now have a flat tire to repair after Week #1. Golf news – Europe smashed US women to reclaim the Solheim Cup Team Europe apparently took offense after USA’s Jennifer Kupcho rolled in a 93-foot birdie putt on hole #17 and then added a 25-footer on #18 Saturday to win her Solheim Cup match.  Kupcho roared “Vamos – Let’s Go!” and taunted the crowd as the day ended with the Solheim Cup matches tied at eight points apiece. The team competition was over.  Sunday’s singles matches would decide the winner. Team Europe came out Sunday wearing their “Do Not Adjust your TV Set” vibrant blue and yellow golf apparel. Thousands of Netherlands golf fans helped to try and unravel the American golfers.  Speakers around the course blared loud music much like at a LIV Golf event.  Local fans even chanted the refrain from The Beatles’ “Hey, Jude” for several minutes. It worked as Team Europe earned a 15-13 victory Sunday.  The final point which was clinched after Jennifer Kupcho of the US lost in her singles match. Europe won the Solheim Cup to honor their recently retired 39-year old Swedish team captain Anna Nordqvist.  It was the fourth European win in the past five of these biennial golf matches. The 2028 Solheim Cup comes to Louisville, Kentucky’s Valhalla Golf Club.  There will be plenty of enthusiastic American golf fans, music, and, of course, some colorful golf apparel on display. In the men’s Ryder Cup and the women’s Solheim competitions, Europe has dominated the past few decades by focusing on teamwork.  The US needs to foster more camaraderie long before these matches begin. The post Where did ESPN’s scrolling football scores go? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

  8. Sep 9

    LIV Golf Files Chapter 11 – The End or the Next Chapter?

    Troubled LIV Golf finally filed its long-awaited Chapter 11 bankruptcy paperwork on Tuesday in a New Jersey court. A Chapter 11 bankruptcy attempts to restructure the company’s debts but also allows the entity to continue operations.  Chapter 7 bankruptcy filings usually signal the white flag of financial surrender. The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) spent upwards of $6 billion to sign PGA golf stars and then bankroll dozens of worldwide golf events over the past five years.  Saudi’s PIF finally decided to turn-off the money-printing machine operated by LIV Golf at the end of August. This upstart golf league is now desperately shaking the financial bushes in search of new sources of financing. They want to re-launch the golf league in 2027 as LIV Golf 2.0. After the Saudi PIF announced it was pulling the financial plug in late August, LIV Golf appointed some new executives to its board.  Their resumes are filled with corporate restructuring experience. They truly have their work cut out for them. Eugene Davis is one of the new leaders.  He is CEO of privately-held Pirinate Consulting Group which specializes in corporate turnarounds. LIV Golf named the 71-year old Davis as its Chairman of the Independent Directors Committee a few months ago.  You will find his name listed all over this week’s LIV Golf Chapter 11 filing. Davis said in April, 2026, “LIV Golf…has built a global league with passionate fans, world-class talent, and demonstrated commercial momentum.” His new management team is intent on launching LIV 2.0 in 2027.  Maybe. In order to begin LIV 2.0, “Classic” LIV Golf has a lot of debtors to settle-up with Tuesday’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing (click here to read the actual document) listed LIV Golf’s assets of “more than $100 million but less than $500 million.”  Liabilities showed “more than $500 million but less than $1 billion” due its creditors. Let’s take the worst case.  Assume LIV Golf has $100 million in assets but nearly $1 billion in liabilities. That means that creditors might receive (perhaps) 10 cents on the dollar in value.  That value won’t necessarily be in cash, either.  Some creditors may receive a proportionate share of the ownership in a newly emerging golf entity. Nearly half of the top 30 creditors owed the most money by LIV Golf are, indeed, the golfers.  All seven of the top names on the IOU list are LIV golfers: Jon Rahm – $7.5 million Bryson DeChambeau – $5.8 million Dustin Johnson – $5.5 million Cam Smith – $4.8 million Adrian Meronk – $4.4 million Tyrell Hatton – $3.4 million Bubba Watson – $3.3 million Other golfers owed big money by “Classic” LIV are: Abraham Ancer (9) – $2.7 million Ben An (10) – $1.8 million Brooks Koepka (12) – $1.7 million Caleb Surratt (17) – $1.3 million Joaquin Niemann (18) – $1.3 million Lucas Herbert (24) – $1 million Tom McKibbin (27) – $1 million These IOU’s for these 14 golfers appeared under the heading “Player Participation Agreement.” LIV Golf signed most of its pro golfers from either the PGA Tour or the DP (European) Tour.  Their individual contracts are quite private. The “Player Participation Agreement” likely requires each LIV golfer to tee it up in each of LIV Golf’s events during the season. Brooks Keopka (#12 on the IOU list at $1.7 mm) negotiated an exit from LIV Golf after the 2025 golf season and returned to the PGA Tour in 2026. Perhaps Koepka’s exit agreement from LIV Golf may have included some form of deferred compensation which was to be paid in 2026 or a future year. For Jon Rahm (who signed with LIV Golf for $300 million) and Bryson DeChambeau ($125 million), the remaining money owed to each of them in this bankruptcy filing (though significant) is a relatively small percentage of their original packages. Not all golfers signed by LIV Golf became filthy rich For some like Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin ($1 million due), that amount owned by LIV Golf is a significant percentage of his estimated $5 million contract.  McKibbin told reporters recently that he remains under his LIV Golf contract “for a few more years.” Tom McKibbin and several other LIV golfers have begun participating on the DP World Tour this fall while waiting on LIV Golf’s restructuring. He (and several other LIV golfers including former World #1 ranked Jon Rahm) will be forced to make a decision soon. The DP World Tour announced that it will not allow LIV Golf players to play on both tours beginning in 2027. Golfers must choose one league and stick with it for the entire season. LIV Golf’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing may nudge some players like Tom McKibbin to cut their losses and return to the lower-paying but more financially secure DP World Tour in 2027. Where was Phil Mickelson’s name in this filing? The list of top 30 creditors in LIV Golf’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing did not mention Phil Mickelson.  He became LIV’s first big name star to bolt from the PGA Tour and join LIV Golf in 2022.  His contract with the new golf league was reportedly worth $200 million. Lefty participated on the LIV Golf Tour for the league’s first four seasons ending in 2025.  Phil Mickelson’s contractual obligations to LIV Golf may have ended at that time.  He did not play in LIV Golf events during 2026 due to an ongoing medical issue involving a close family member. Welcome to the LIV Golf bankruptcy filing, Louisiana! Another notable party owed a significant amount of money is the State of Louisiana (#20 at $1.22 million). LIV Golf was originally slated to play a golf tournament beginning June 25 at the newly renovated City Park golf course in New Orleans.  A local television station reported that City Park had received $2 million in state government funding to upgrade its golf course and facilities ahead of the proposed LIV Golf event.  Another $1 million was reportedly advanced to LIV Golf by the state as part of the deal. The New Orleans LIV Golf event was postponed in late April with no reasons given.  There had been speculation that LIV Golf was attempting to reschedule the tournament for this fall. After Tuesday’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, there is a zero percent chance that LIV Golf will be hosting an event in New Orleans this fall. What else was contained in the LIV Golf Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing? Tuesday’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing told a lot about LIV Golf’s financial pickle. I was surprised to see that the Saudi PIF was willing to loan nearly $50 million to LIV Golf (as Debtor in Possession).  That money should be used to help LIV Golf stay afloat for a few more months as the entity tries to acquire and implement new sources of funding. According to bankruptcy rules, the “Debtor in Possession” is expected to be paid back first. There were an amazing 56 different LIV Golf corporate entities listed on the bankruptcy filing. Those names included seven which began with the term “LIV Golf” (such as LIV Golf Inc., Holdings, Ltd., Investments, and Events).  Another group of eight entities began with the golf term “Wedge” (clever, eh?). Then there were 13 different consecutively-numbered entities such as “FAIRWAY TM BLOCKER 1, LLC”.  Another 13 LIV entities used consecutively-numbered names such as “FAIRWAY TM INTERMEDIATE 1, LLC” on the bankruptcy filing. Speaking of the number 13, LIV Golf conducted exactly 13 tournaments in 2026.  Does each tournament have its own separate corporate entities to account for tournament revenues and expenses? LIV Golf’s corporate structure made me wonder if they had planned for a possible future financial failure (bankruptcy) from the very beginning. What’s next for LIV Golf? Tuesday’s LIV Golf bankruptcy filing also contained information confirming the identity of at least one new source of future funding. Private equity company BC Partners is willing to invest up to $300 million if LIV Golf 2.0 gets off the ground in 2027. Keep in mind that the Saudi Public Investment Fund lost about $1 billion per year with LIV Golf. LIV 2.0 will need to drastically cut its tournament payouts and other operating expenses by more than 50% for the new investor(s) to have a chance of becoming successful. LIV Golf’s ever-optimistic CEO Scott O’Neil wrote on Tuesday, “The next phase of LIV Golf will be built around a sustainable business model and deeper alignment between the players and the League, with team golf at its core.” His press release mentioned LIV 2.0 would expand to 75 players next year and introduce a cut line during each event.  Expect to hear the same on-course thumping music blaring again in 2027, too. Party on, Garth! The CEO is proud that LIV Golf’s average audience is about 20 years younger than the PGA Tour’s Medicare-aged viewers.  LIV Golf deserves credit for admitting children under 12 years of age free of charge into its golf tournaments. Scott O’Neil is paid handsomely to speak lovingly about his golf product. File this away The truth remains that LIV’s worldwide golf events played across vastly different time zones makes for a very difficult television sell to US-based advertisers. LIV Golf’s lack of a consistent weekly TV starting time and weekly TV channel in the US (yes, I’m talking to you, FOX Sports) makes it hard to imagine how this league will earn enough revenue to turn the financial corner. As mentioned in a previous post, keep your eye on top LIV golfer Jon Rahm this fall.  If he bolts to play in the DP World Tour in 2027, a massive exodus of top LIV Golf talent will follow. LIV “lives” – at least for now! The post LIV Golf Files Chapter 11 – The End or the Next Chapter? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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