Welcome to The Athletic’s Until Saturday college football newsletter. To get this right in your inbox, make sure you’re signed up!
Now, let’s talk about today’s college football scene, and yes, you might actually be glued to some basketball action too. For updates on basketball tournaments, you might want to check out The Pulse, our all-sports newsletter. It’s going to cover a bit of the March Madness this weekend in a debut Saturday edition. You folks are the first to know that The Pulse is now a seven-days-a-week affair. Breakthrough news in the media world!
The All-Star: A Nod to Jackie Robinson
Here’s a fun fact: Did you know Jackie Robinson was a four-sport star in college? Imagine having multiple top athletes like Travis Hunter rolled into one person. It’s astounding but true, and the depth of Robinson’s talents is something worth celebrating repeatedly. Each time you hear about his achievements, it seems too incredible to be true. He was a man of many “not only did he do X, but he also did Y” kinds of stories.
Robinson didn’t just challenge the racial barriers in pro baseball; he also shone as one of Major League Baseball’s finest. He led in stolen bases in his rookie year and clinched an MVP award in just his third season. Starting his MLB career at 28 after serving in World War II, he didn’t let anything stop him from potentially being the best second baseman ever.
But wait, baseball might not have even been his best sport. Back in 1939, Robinson was instrumental in UCLA achieving its first undefeated football season. The following year, he set a school record with a staggering 12.2 yards per carry, led the team in passing, and topped the nation in punt return yardage. Andy Wittry meticulously tracked his football exploits through enthusiastic newspaper covers.
And there’s more. Robinson wasn’t just a fantastic football player; he was also a standout long jumper, and his basketball days were so noteworthy that even Slam Magazine took notice. Oh, and that great football play everyone talks about? It happened on defense. In 1939, he delivered a game-saving fumble against USC.
Jackie Robinson remains unparalleled in both his athletic excellence and societal impact. Truly, if anyone deserves to be celebrated, it’s him.
On to a bit of news:
“On Wednesday morning, a Department of Defense link leading to a 2021 story titled, ‘Sports Heroes Who Served: Baseball Great Jackie Robinson Was WWII Soldier,’ resulted in a 404 error page with ‘dei’ in the URL.”
It sparked an outcry, and thankfully, the link is back without “DEI,” a term that, nowadays, some people use disparagingly when discussing the accomplishments of women and minorities. Right now, the Defense Department’s comments have a “King of the Hill” Dale Gribble vibe, but there’s still no word on how Robinson—a monumentally qualified figure—was ever labeled unqualified.
Quick Snaps
Curious what Jayna Bardahl, our newsletter’s former author, is up to lately? Studying Travis Hunter’s angling passion, naturally.
Controversy hits Stanford: head coach Troy Taylor has been accused of mistreating female staff, seeking the ousting of an NCAA compliance officer, and making inappropriate remarks to a staffer, according to ESPN’s investigative files.
In a groundbreaking move, California high school juggernaut Mater Dei has inked a massive multimedia pact.
EA Sports announces they’ll boost their payout for CFB 26 athlete appearances to $1,500, a nice hike from $600.
Pending legal resolutions, the NCAA might stop prohibiting the use of NIL as recruiting incentives.
West Coast schools typically start recruiting a bit late, yet this year, USC has clinched the No. 1 spot—a story worth noting.
Chris Vannini ranked the most enduring March Madness commercials in history based on quality, with his top and bottom picks hard to argue against.
Offseason Champs: Sizing Up the Portal Victors
As the transfer whirlwind winds down, it’s pretty apparent who made the most out of it. Manny Navarro recently spotlighted the big winners this cycle: LSU, Miami, Oregon, Texas Tech, and Southern Miss (losers were also named).
This week, Manny dove deeper into the numbers, considering the monumental exit of 2,328 FBS players:
- If top-100 signings are what matter most, then Ole Miss, North Carolina, and Texas A&M follow behind LSU and friends.
- If adding game experience is key, then Arizona, Missouri, Oregon, and Indiana are the front-runners.
- Programs like LSU, Auburn, Florida State, Indiana, and Washington have excelled in acquiring players who started at least six games last season.
- And for enthusiasts of sheer numbers, Marshall added a Deion Sanders-esque 47 players—out of necessity, given Southern Miss’s previous drama here.
There’s more to explore, including which lower-tier teams got hit hardest and which new coaches lured the most players from their old teams. Go Washington State Jackrabbits!
Mandel’s Mailbag
We’ve seen a 16-seed beat a 1-seed in March Madness. If the Playoff goes to 16, how soon could a 16 over 1 occur? — Reggie C., San Diego
Realistically, it’s an outside chance akin to 2024’s Ohio State. Suppose the Buckeyes ended with a third season loss, squeezed into the playoffs at 9-3, then heated up at the perfect time. In such a scenario, a No. 16 might topple a No. 1.
Yet, my take is a spot like that would most probably belong to an ACC, Big 12, or a Group of 5 champion.
(Note: Lately, I’ve seen reference to a “Group of 6,” potentially including the reformed Pac-12. I’m considering phasing out this term. Historically, it pointed to conferences lacking pre-set New Year’s Six spots. Now though, any conference can snag an automatic CFP place. So, should we ditch the label?)
For more from Stewart Mandel’s mailbag, head over here.
The Mid-Majors Discussion
Off of Stewart’s last thought: The so-called Group of Whatever isn’t exactly a “group.” They don’t have a separate postseason setup, don’t share media rights, often poach schools from one another, and truthfully, the only thing connecting them is they aren’t “Power Whatever.”
For ages, I’ve felt the conferences outside the Power Whatever should embrace the term “mid-majors,” already used widely for these leagues in other sports.
Sure, “mid-majors” is a loaded term in football. The BCS and CFP systems have often sidestepped these conferences as lesser. Hence, the name Group of 5 came across as bold and optimistic (unless the AAC tried to go “Power 6”).
That said, I think these schools should proudly embrace a term with “major” in it, encouraging the notion that they are indeed significant. ULM, own it loud!
Similarly, the term “Football Championship Subdivision” or FCS, adopted in 2006 to replace Division I-AA, intended to clarify that these teams are part of Division I. Back then, Division I-AA carried more prestige, identifying them clearly as Division I talents. Today, FCS leads to misinformed remarks like, “Carson Wentz played for a DII team called North Dakota State,” or, “Did you hear a Big Ten team lost to a non-DI school?”
Wait a minute. I retract this. Group of Whatever, go all out as The Absolute Highest Of All Possible Majors. Who’s stopping you from playing in the Rose Bowl anyway?
That’s wrapping up this week’s thoughts. Thanks for tuning in! Got opinions on anything mentioned? I’d love to hear them at untilsaturday@theathletic.com.
Last week’s hot topic: Check out how the quarterback scenarios at each Power 4 school are shaping up.
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(Top photo: Getty Images)
