Bears’ ownership wants to build a stadium in Arlington Heights.

It is wait until next year for the National Football League Chicago Bears ownership in its quest to get public money for a planned stadium-village in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The Bears ownership failed twice to get money from the Illinois state lawmakers in 2025 but next year isn’t very far away.  The Illinois General Assembly starts on January 16^th, 2026. Bears’ ownership has decided that Arlington Heights, a Chicago suburb is the right place for its stadium-village after running into opposition in Chicago over its plan to build a stadium-village in a Solider Field parking lot.

The Bears ownership’s stadium-village plan was first revealed in 2023. The Bears’ ownership bought the Arlington Park racetrack property in the Chicago suburb in Arlington Heights in February 2023 for $197 million. Bears’ ownership was set to build a stadium-village in town but then came the property tax bill. Bears’ ownership was alarmed with the tab and decided Chicago was a better option. In April 2024, Bears’ ownership unveiled a plan to build a domed lakefront stadium and surround the structure with a residential and retail zone. The McCaskey family, the owners of the football business, claimed they were willing to throw in about $2 billion to help finance the venture but they also said they needed public support. The McCaskeys claimed they would put up $2.025 billion and would get a $300 million loan from the NFL. The McCaskeys wanted at least $900 million in bonds from the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority. That funding would include extending bonds of an existing 2% hotel tax. That means people using hotels and motels would be paying for a football stadium that more than likely the hotel and motel users would never step foot in. The Bears ownership’s stadium-village saga continues.

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South Florida (9-3; 6-2 American) faces Old Dominion (9-3; 6-2 Sun Belt) in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl on Dec. 17 at Camping World Stadium, Orlando. The Bulls pursue a third straight bowl win and a historic 10-win season.

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South Florida (9-3; 6-2 American) will look to capture a third straight bowl victory for just the second time in program history when it faces Old Dominion (9-3; 6-2 Sun Belt) in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl on December 17 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The game, presented by Coca-Cola, will kick off at 5 p.m. and air nationally on ESPN.

Cure Bowl Supports Cancer Research

The Cure Bowl is more than just football—it’s a fundraising event hosted by the Orlando Sports Foundation to support cancer research. Since its inception in 2015, the event has raised over $6.35 million for the cause. Tickets start at $25 plus fees, and fans are encouraged to secure seats for this meaningful matchup.

Bulls Nation Ready for Orlando

USF Athletics CEO Rob Higgins emphasized the importance of the game:
“The Cure Bowl supports a tremendous cause that we are excited to champion, and we look forward to our Bulls taking on a very talented Old Dominion team on Dec. 17. It’s a short drive for Bulls Nation to Camping World Stadium, and I look forward to a great turnout in Green and Gold as we pursue a third straight bowl win for just the second time in program history.”

Program Milestones for South Florida

This marks South Florida’s 13th bowl appearance, tied for the third-most in the first 25 seasons of bowl eligibility. The Bulls’ 8-4 bowl record ranks fourth nationally in winning percentage among programs with 10 or more appearances. Interim Head Coach Kevin Patrick noted the team’s focus on finishing strong and chasing a rare 10-win season.

Pursuit of a 10-Win Season

The Bulls aim to reach 10 wins for only the third time in program history, last achieved in 2017. They also seek a third consecutive bowl win, following victories in the 2023 Boca Bowl (45-0 vs. Syracuse) and 2024 Hawaii Bowl (41-39 in 5OT vs. San Jose State). The only other three-bowl streak came between 2008–2010.

Old Dominion’s Strong Season

Old Dominion enters the Cure Bowl with a 9-3 record, finishing second in the Sun Belt East Division. The Monarchs closed the regular season with five straight wins, including victories over Virginia Tech, Liberty, and Coastal Carolina. They boast the nation’s No. 7 rushing offense (236.9 ypg), No. 16 total offense (460.8 ypg), and No. 20 scoring defense (19.3 ppg).

Cure Bowl Legacy

Now in its 11th season, the Cure Bowl has become a staple of postseason college football. Last year, Ohio defeated Jacksonville State, while Tulane remains the only American Conference team to win the Cure Bowl (2018).

USF Offensive Firepower

South Florida’s offense ranks No. 2 nationally in total yards (501.7 per game) and No. 4 in scoring (43.0 points per game). The Bulls set a program record with five games scoring 50+ points this season. Eleven players earned all-conference honors, including First Team selections Mac Harris and De’Shawn Rucker.

Looking Ahead

USF will formally introduce Brian Hartline as the seventh head coach in program history on December 8 at the Sam and Martha Gibbons Alumni Center in Tampa. The event is open to the public and marks a new era for Bulls football.

By: Matthew Weatherby

White smoke has risen from the Nittany Lion atop Beaver Stadium. Penn State has its new Head Coach in Matt Campbell. It was 54 long days since the Nittany Lions fired now Virginia Tech Head Coach James Franklin. They got turned down, people paid, and honestly publicly humiliated throughout the process. Now Campbell from Iowa State is set to take over in Happy Valley. Hoping to calm the mobs coming for Pat Kraft and his job.

This report came a few minutes ago from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, who said Penn State was finalizing a deal for Matt Campbell to become the head coach.

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Get to Know Matt Campbell

Penn State has finally found its guy, and funny enough, it is a similar route they took when they hired James Franklin in 2014. Franklin’s pedigree was that of a guy who appeared to do more with less. He was the most successful Vanderbilt Head coach until Clark Lea.

Campbell is the same. He won at his first stop, being Toledo’s Head Coach, where he went 35-15, good for a .700 winning percentage. Since he took the job at Iowa State, he has enjoyed some similar success, going 72-55 from 2016-25.

Now to the doing more with less portion. Over the 11 recruiting classes that he brought in at Iowa State, the average ranking was 55.8 in the national standings. Not exactly that of a top-tier program. He has developed that talent, however, with guys like Brock Purdy and Breece Hall being stars in the NFL now.

He also won Coach of the Year 3 times in the BIG 12, receiving the award in 2017, ’18, and ’20. Campbell was also the 2015 MAC Coach of the Year.

With the influx of cash I expect Campbell to receive, in terms of NIL money for the roster, it is not unreasonable to think of this as a great hire. With his coaching pedigree, you would expect the results he was able to give at Iowa State to only be magnified with a bigger brand and budget at Penn State.

What Campbell means for Penn State

It means that Pat Kraft might actually be able to sleep peacefully tonight. He has been contacting seemingly everyone, trying to get them to come to Happy Valley. None of those came to fruition; instead, he was getting them paid at the places they were already employed.

Here, the question that reigns supreme: will it be enough?

This search was an unmitigated disaster, from the inability to get anyone to take their money, all of the negative press, and the rumors of Jimmy Sexton freezing Penn State out for the way they handled Franklin. It could not have been worse for Penn State. You pair that with a group of Paterno people who wanted Terry Smith to be the Head Coach. I wonder if this hire is enough to calm the waters in Happy Valley.

One thing I do know for sure is that winning cures all. Matt Campbell might just be the guy to save Pat Kraft.