I followed around Lane Kiffin as he “walked into a storm.” It ended with beer in the air, his former players taunting him and kicked off the biggest party in Oxford in a long time. Free story: www.nytimes.com/athletic/761...

Lane Kiffin 'walked into a storm' at Ole Miss. It didn't let up until the very end

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I followed around Lane Kiffin as he “walked into a storm.” It ended with beer in the air, his former players taunting him and kicked off the biggest party in Oxford in a long time. Free story: www.nytimes.com/athletic/761...

Lane Kiffin 'walked into a storm' at Ole Miss. It didn't let up until the very end

nytimes.com

How much did your team spend on its roster? Our staff @theathletic.com spent months and talked to countless people inside and outside of every Power 4 program in search of the answer. Here's what we found. Free story: www.nytimes.com/athletic/int...

Does your college football roster cost $8M or $50M? Here's our report on 68 teams (Gift Article)

The best teams are, on average, the ones paying players the most, but there's a wide disparity between the schools at the top and the bottom of major conferences.

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What's going on at the places where we found rosters cost the least? I took a closer look. Free story: www.nytimes.com/athletic/759...

How tough is it to be Boston College? Life at the bottom of the Power 4’s spending leaderboard (Gift Article)

On paper, these schools are NIL underdogs nearly every time they step on the field against a Power 4 team.

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How much did your team spend on its roster? Our staff @theathletic.com spent months and talked to countless people inside and outside of every Power 4 program in search of the answer. Here's what we found. Free story: www.nytimes.com/athletic/int...

Does your college football roster cost $8M or $50M? Here's our report on 68 teams (Gift Article)

The best teams are, on average, the ones paying players the most, but there's a wide disparity between the schools at the top and the bottom of major conferences.

nytimes.com

Kansas and Missouri have gone hard this week, educating students and fans about the rivalry. Mizzou alum @davidubben.bsky.social is concerned the damage that conference realignment has done to the Border War. 🎧📺 Full Week 2 preview: BunchFormationPod.com

“You want to go old school and play it?” Inside the night the lights went out in Tallahassee. Free story: www.nytimes.com/athletic/757...

Inside the SMU-Florida State power outage game: A 105-minute delay and an 'old school' kickoff

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🎙 New Bunch Formation - Colorado stuns Georgia Tech - UMass did WHAT??? - Why is LSU pushing it this far? - We debate Pop Watson vs Soda Watson 🎧 Listen: BunchFormationPod.com 📺 Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0YT...

Flipping narratives in Carolina. Should we be concerned about USC and FSU? FBS debuts and more. We talked every Week 0 game. Plus, how @chrisvannini.com and I got to where we are today and our own CFB/journalism journeys. Watch/listen: bunchformationpod.com

What happens when your program is consistently good but not quite great? And well-resourced but not quite rich? "I’ve got to make business decisions sometimes." On Dave Doeren and NC State, life in the middle and the stakes of an expanded CFP. www.nytimes.com/athletic/754...

NC State is college football’s ultimate high-floor, low-ceiling program. Can that change? (Gift Article)

NC State is one of the most consistent programs in the sport — good, but never great. What's life like in college football's middle?

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🎙 New Bunch Formation - Explaining why NFL players are coming back to CFB - We make our CFP bracket and Heisman picks - @davidubben.bsky.social has a neighborhood dilemma 🎧📺 Listen/Watch: BunchFormationPod.com

Freddy (FreddyLA7) made social media waves during the World Cup while visiting the U.S. and wants to hit college football next. So what do you need to know about making an ultimate CFB road trip? @davidubben.bsky.social and I asked a few vets for their advice: www.nytimes.com/athletic/750...

For Freddy — or anyone — embarking on a college football road trip this fall, take these tips

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Robert Morris fans are buying up Akron season tickets in hopes of winning the raffle and sabotaging the opening drive. And Pat McAfee might be getting involved soon. Talked to Robert Morris' AD and the Akron folks with Devon Henderson for this story. www.nytimes.com/athletic/749...

Why is one school in the MAC letting season-ticket holders call plays on offense?

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🎙 New Bunch Formation The great Chuck Klosterman joins us for a fun conversation. Why we love college football, how it's changed and predicting the future of the sport. 🎧📺 Listen/Watch: BunchFormationPod.com

🎙 New Bunch Formation - What really happened at Big 12 media days - Why Deion Sanders keeps taking shots at @davidubben.bsky.social - More Sorsby fallout + Thoughts on our convos with every team 🎧📺 Listen/Watch: BunchFormationPod.com

The Sugar Bowl was in two days. Then Texas learned it had a player who was 30 years old. He had already played professional football and had been competing all season under a fake name. Free story: www.nytimes.com/athletic/740...

The 30-year-old who fooled Texas and played for the Longhorns under a false identity

nytimes.com

The Sugar Bowl was in two days. Then Texas learned it had a player who was 30 years old. He had already played professional football and had been competing all season under a fake name. Free story: www.nytimes.com/athletic/740...

The 30-year-old who fooled Texas and played for the Longhorns under a false identity

nytimes.com

What happened to giant shoulder pads? It's a simple question. My search for why was a little more complex. "It's scary." Gift link to read for free: www.nytimes.com/athletic/739...

Talked with a dozen HCs today about the Brendan Sorsby news. They're angry, confused and disillusioned. "Unbelievable." "F---ing crazy" "Egregious." "One of the worst things I’ve seen in 20 years of coaching.” Free story: www.nytimes.com/athletic/734...

College coaches react to Brendan Sorsby court ruling: ‘What are we doing?’ (Gift Article)

One Power 4 athletic director told The Athletic their school would no longer consider scheduling Texas Tech in any sport.

nytimes.com

Talked with a dozen HCs today about the Brendan Sorsby news. They're angry, confused and disillusioned. "Unbelievable." "F---ing crazy" "Egregious." "One of the worst things I’ve seen in 20 years of coaching.” Free story: www.nytimes.com/athletic/734...

College coaches react to Brendan Sorsby court ruling: ‘What are we doing?’ (Gift Article)

One Power 4 athletic director told The Athletic their school would no longer consider scheduling Texas Tech in any sport.

nytimes.com

🎙 New Bunch Formation: The CFB27 reveal. @davidubben.bsky.social and I break down everything new in the game. Then we talk with CFB27 Production Director Christian McLeod about what went into the changes. 🎧📺 Listen/Watch: BunchFormationPod.com

🚨🎮 For the first time, EA Sports CFB27 will let you pay players + coaches and upgrade facilities. It's Dynasty Mode's biggest revamp in decades. Here's everything new in CFB27, plus thoughts from me and @davidubben.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/athletic/733...

What's new in #CFB27? NIL is here, plus deeper dynasty, gameplay tweaks and a ton more. @chrisvannini.com and I got an inside look this week and offered some explanation and thoughts. Here's free access to our story: www.nytimes.com/athletic/733...

EA Sports' College Football 27 gameplay reveal: Here's what's new in the game

nytimes.com

He was one of the sport's biggest stars. Then a run of injuries and dropped passes marred a frustrating sophomore season. With a new number and a name change that runs deep, Ryan Coleman-Williams is chasing a rebirth. I made this story free to read. www.nytimes.com/athletic/727...

Alabama's Ryan Coleman-Williams has a new name — and strives for a football 'rebirth' along with it

nytimes.com

If your school doesn't have a mixed-use district yet, it's probably thought about one. Or your rival is building one. So what the heck are these things? And why are they the latest craze in the college sports facility arms race? From me and @davidubben.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/athletic/727...

How mixed-use stadium districts — for work, play and football — became college sports’ latest craze

As schools look under every rock for money in the revenue-sharing era, trying to generate money from the area around the stadium is a trend.

nytimes.com

Will be live here and on YouTube at 8 pm CT for Bunch Formation Bowl V: Me vs. @davidubben.bsky.social in our CFB26 dynasty, with live commentary. www.youtube.com/watch?v=fduN...

Bunch Formation Bowl V: Chris vs. David (CFB26 Dynasty)

YouTube video by Bunch Formation

youtube.com

Real good by @davidubben.bsky.social and the quotes from Will Howard and Riley Leonard are way more honest than you'd get out of most players www.nytimes.com/athletic/720...

For some NFL Draft prospects, joining the league now means a pay cut from college football (Gift Article)

“I’m definitely making less with the Colts,” former Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard said. And he's not alone.

nytimes.com

Being drafted in the NFL has almost always meant fulfilling a lifelong dream. For a growing numbers of prospects, it now means something else: Taking a pay cut. “It’s weird. It’s definitely different.” (Story is free to read) www.nytimes.com/athletic/720...

For some NFL Draft prospects, joining the league now means a pay cut from college football

nytimes.com

🎙 New Bunch Formation - Pete Golding responds to Dabo's tampering allegations - New strict transfer penalties - @davidubben.bsky.social on his South Carolina/NC State visits - I ADDRESS the response to my Duke hate story 🎧📺 Listen/Watch: linktr.ee/bunchformation

He ran a 4.47 40. He jumped 45 inches. Then he kicked a 70-yard field goal. But Jaffer Murphy’s winding road to the wildest Pro Day performance ever is even more remarkable. This story is free to read. www.nytimes.com/athletic/716...

An NFL Draft prospect went viral. But a winding road and bet on himself put him on the map (Gift Article)

Jaffer Murphy didn't attempt a field goal last season at UTSA. But his long kicks and 4.5-second 40-yard dash turned heads this month.

nytimes.com