Sports

Brian Kelly’s Firing Should Change the College Football Landscape

Published

1 month ago

October 30, 2025

Austin Reed

BY: KENNY VARNER

LSU Tigers 2025-26 Season Preview: Hype or Reality?

The LSU Tigers enter the 2025–26 campaign with high expectations and a significant amount of hype. Ranked as high as No. 7 in the preseason polls, there’s no denying the national buzz surrounding this team. But despite the excitement, questions remain. Head coach Brian Kelly has gone on record saying this is the most talented roster he’s had at LSU—but will that talent come together to form a legitimate national title contender, or will it fall short of the lofty expectations?

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One major reason for optimism is that LSU has been ranked as the No. 1 transfer portal team in the country. However, the true source of fan excitement is the return of quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. The veteran signal-caller passed for 4,052 yards last season while completing 64.2% of his throws, racking up 29 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. He enters the year as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate and the centerpiece of the offense.

The key question on offense is whether the offensive line can keep Nussmeier upright. LSU loses four starters up front, including both starting tackles—Will Campbell and Emery Jones—who departed for the NFL. Tyree Adams has some playing experience, and D.J. Chester is the lone returning starter. LSU did add Braelin Moore through the portal, and he’s expected to take over at center. The Tigers will also rely heavily on freshman Harlem Berry, the top-rated running back in the 2025 class, to contribute early.

In the receiving corps, Aaron Anderson returns after leading the team with 51 receptions for 884 yards. However, he’s the only member of last season’s top five wide receivers returning. LSU hopes it struck gold in the transfer portal again, adding Nic Anderson from Oklahoma and Barion Brown from Kentucky—both of whom are expected to start. With a seasoned quarterback at the helm, there’s reason to believe this offense can stay productive, but it will depend heavily on how quickly the new-look offensive line gels.

On the defensive side of the ball, there’s talent, but not a ton of proven production. One of LSU’s biggest needs was finding consistent edge rushers. The Tigers addressed that by bringing in Patrick Payton from Florida State and Jack Pyburn from Florida via the portal. The cornerback position is also in flux. Highly touted freshman DJ Pickett will likely start, and LSU added Mansoor Delane from Virginia Tech to bring some experience to the secondary.

Linebacker Harold Perkins returns after an injury-plagued season and will be the heart of the defense. Still, questions remain—especially when it comes to whether this unit can hold up against the best teams on LSU’s schedule.

Leaning heavily on transfer talent can be a gamble—it can either create a quick turnaround or lead to chemistry issues as the season progresses. As an SEC team, LSU will get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to national perception, but this year’s squad will be tested early. Week 1 features a tough road matchup at Clemson, followed by a Week 3 showdown with Florida. The Tigers also travel to Alabama in November, in what could be a season-defining game.

A lot needs to go right for LSU to live up to its top-10 billing, but one thing is certain—this team will be fascinating to watch. If the pieces come together, the Tigers could make a legitimate push for the College Football Playoff.

By: Matthew Weatherby

Brian Kelly is out at LSU after what can only be described as a tumultuous stint in Baton Rouge. While most college football fans have already read countless takes and coaching hot boards, this firing represents something larger — a warning for athletic departments across the country. The Kelly saga reveals the structural flaws in how college programs chase success and how those decisions often backfire.

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The Big Hire Trap

Every time a major program fires a head coach, the dream is to land the big hire. Florida fans know the feeling all too well. But how often does that gamble truly work?
Recent examples tell the story. Brian Kelly, Jimbo Fisher, and Lincoln Riley all fit that mold. Two are out of jobs, and one is still trying to fix a defense that has haunted him everywhere he has coached. For every Nick Saban or Urban Meyer, countless others never replicate their past success.

Looking at the current AP Top 10, only two — Mario Cristobal and Kalen DeBoer — qualify as major name hires. The rest, like Kirby Smart, Dan Lanning, and Lane Kiffin, rose from coordinator or mid-major positions. The lesson? Success rarely comes from chasing reputation alone.

Contracts and Buyouts: The Never Ending Payday

College football contracts have become absurd. Buyouts are massive, and contract lengths are unrealistic. The saying “the best job in sports is a fired Division I coach” has never been more true. These coaches are rewarded even in failure, cashing out millions because they understand the leverage game.

When Kelly left Notre Dame, he played it perfectly. If he won, he got the glory. If he lost, he got the payout. Schools continue to sign these deals under the illusion that they are paying for stability, but what they are really buying is risk.

Broken Hiring Committees

The system doesn’t just fail financially; it fails structurally. Athletic directors are supposed to lead these hires, but too often, politics and ego get in the way. Boosters, donors, and even politicians want a say.
Case in point: Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry recently joked that he would “let Donald Trump select LSU’s next coach before I let Athletic Director Scott Woodward do it.” That kind of interference highlights how disconnected decision makers are from the actual demands of running a football program.

When everyone wants control, no one is accountable, and programs like LSU pay the price.

Final Thoughts

Brian Kelly’s firing is more than a headline; it is a symptom of a larger sickness in college football. Until schools stop chasing big names and start fixing their hiring processes, these mistakes will keep repeating. Smaller buyouts and shorter contracts could help, but unless universities change who makes these decisions and how, the same story will play out again and again.

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Sports

Wait Until Next Year For Bears’ Ownership Stadium Plan

Published

5 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Austin Reed

Bears Arlington Heights stadium drawings

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.

Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191

Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com

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Sports

Cure Bowl – USF faces ODU

Published

24 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Austin Reed

The Bulls charge into Conference Play rested and ready for the Friday night lights.

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.

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Matt Campbell set to take over in Happy Valley

Published

1 day ago

December 5, 2025

Austin Reed

college championship weekend The 2025 college football season kicks off with one of the most electrifying Week 1 slates in recent memory. With playoff contenders

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.

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