This article was published on <a href="https://sportandstate.com/">Sport &amp; State</a>, a new media company founded by Clay Travis that is built around sports, culture, original voices, and live conversation.
* * * * *
On Saturday night, Texas pulled off an improbable comeback, scoring 21 unanswered points to erase a 23-3 deficit against Ohio State and won 24-23. When the game ended, bedlam descended on the field. Arch Manning, suddenly relieved of a mountain of pressure, ran around the field celebrating wildly with his teammates. Meanwhile Holly Rowe, a sideline reporter for over 30 years for ESPN, tracked down head coach Steve Sarkisian and attempted to interview him.
An ebullient Sark had no time for her or the interview.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Holly Rowe is not happy with Texas HC Steve Sarkisian <a href="https://t.co/L6etAq1k4Q">pic.twitter.com/L6etAq1k4Q</a>
— Pick 6 Pack (@Pick6PackFB) <a href="https://x.com/Pick6PackFB/status/2098974627070394711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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As you can see, Holly Rowe immediately throws a fit on camera. It’s her unprofessional and child-like reaction that launched a thousand Internet memes. If she had simply said, “Looks like Sark wants to celebrate, guys!” and smiled for the camera then none of this would have happened.
It’s what she should have done.
It’s what every interviewer on the field at a game should do. You aren’t the story, Holly, you’re just the person holding the microphone to bring us the story.
Holly Rowe was pissed and she was pissed on camera, that made this a story.
She failed at her job and then she threw a fit about failing at her job and we all saw it.
The memes began immediately.
And they were well deserved.
She behaved like a spoiled brat and the Internet was merciless at her expense.
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It helps no one, least of all the media ecosystem, to be outraged over the trivial and trivialize the profound.<a href="https://x.com/Kayceeunplugged?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Kayceeunplugged</a> weighs in on the puerile AI video that swallowed a news cycle.<a href="https://t.co/cN8s2VusaL">https://t.co/cN8s2VusaL</a>
— Sport &amp; State (@SportNState) <a href="https://x.com/SportNState/status/2099968825374446077?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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By the way, the attacks were not because she was a woman. They were because she sucked at her job. If Kirk Herbstreit had behaved like this, he would have gotten destroyed too. It also wasn’t because of how Holly Rowe looks. Laura Rutledge, as I’ll show below, was also ripped for a post-game interview a while back.
Having said that, did Holly Rowe being dressed like the Michelin Man in an all-white outfit make the entire scene funnier? Yes, yes it did.
Holly Rowe was justifiably mocked for behaving in a way deserving of mockery.
(As an aside, some of you are going to react to this by saying sideline reporters aren’t necessary. I disagree with this. I think they bring needed color and information to the game. They can also be integral when things truly occur that are newsworthy during the game. And they are downright essential when actual news occurs — like we all saw when the SMU and FSU game was delayed. Taylor McGregor absolutely killed it then reporting on the details surrounding the delay for roughly two hours as we all waited for kickoff. As a result if I could buy stock right now in one person in sports media, it would be McGregor. I think she’s going to be a real star. But I digress.)
Interviews on the field don’t always go well. What happened to Holly Rowe is actually quite common.
It even happened at halftime of the game when Steve Sarkisian didn’t conduct his interview. Here Rutledge explains why Sarkisian wasn’t on air for his own halftime interview and specifically said he hadn’t blown off the network. (Do you think Sarkisian’s disinterest in the post-game interview might have something to do with how things went earlier in the game? I do.)
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“Know your role” is the perfect encapsulation of this. Laura Rutledge, by contrast, explained to viewers why the interview wasn’t happening and still made a point to promote/credit one of the stars her network was there to showcase. <a href="https://t.co/bnu4ttOd17">https://t.co/bnu4ttOd17</a> <a href="https://t.co/nVcvSKXdMY">pic.twitter.com/nVcvSKXdMY</a>
— Alonso (@atxgoodguy) <a href="https://x.com/atxgoodguy/status/2099261856011428192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Here’s Laura Rutledge interviewing Arch Manning after the game, which went perfectly well. And most people, as a result, have completely ignored. When things go smoothly, no one notices. When things fall apart, everyone does. It’s why one of the first things I was told on TV is never lose your cool. Even if things are a complete disaster, which they often are, stay calm. Holly Rowe broke that rule and then decided to play the victim.
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Arch told us he asked for <a href="https://x.com/ColtMcCoy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ColtMcCoy</a>’s advice after the Florida loss last season. The biggest take away: “let it rip”. It felt like he did that when it mattered most last night. His joy and relief radiates! <a href="https://t.co/fMpA6OLnye">pic.twitter.com/fMpA6OLnye</a>
— Laura Rutledge (@LauraRutledge) <a href="https://x.com/LauraRutledge/status/2099107259468878029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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And here’s the truth, these jobs are not easy. Many of you reading this right now think you could do a good job as a sideline reporter on live television. I am here to tell you that you could not, not without a great deal of practice. I’ve done quite a bit of live TV from stadiums and in front of crowds now. Let me tell you, you can’t hear anything. The camera and audio may or may not work. If you can hear, a producer may well be in your ear telling you to end this thing in 10 seconds while you are talking — most people freeze when someone talks to them in their ear while you’re talking, it’s a strange thing to happen. You may or may not be able to hear anything the person you are interviewing says, and the person you’re interviewing may not hear you at all either.
I’ve done five years of Big Noon on Fox Sports now.
I have never been able to hear the first thing Rob Stone says to me.
Not once!
Because everyone is always screaming near by. So I just jump right in and start talking, never responding directly to anything he said to me off the top. I get that many of you think these jobs are easy to do. They are not. Live TV in a crowded, chaotic environment is really hard to do well.
Holly Rowe did not do her job well on Saturday.
She threw a fit on camera and made herself the story.
The memes rained down. Many of them were very funny, as I will explain below.
Eventually the memes became so prevalent that even Arch was asked about them. And here is Arch reacting to the memes spawned by the interview.
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“I saw the AI Edit of (Sark) slapping Holly Rowe.”
I asked Arch Manning if he’d seen any edits on TikTok or Twitter after the game, and his answer is gold. <a href="https://t.co/70FnNCVEHb">pic.twitter.com/70FnNCVEHb</a>
— Evan Vieth (@EvanVieth) <a href="https://x.com/EvanVieth/status/2099566731630928332?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Watching this, I saw an honest, young guy telling us what he actually found funny.
Many people in the room also laughed.
If you haven’t seen the meme, here it is:
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You’re all welcome. Hookem. <a href="https://t.co/7sRH9jQpIm">pic.twitter.com/7sRH9jQpIm</a>
— Hookem 🤘 (@hookem) <a href="https://x.com/hookem/status/2099641483930271872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
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After this meme went viral, my teenage sons looked it up and laughed at it. My 82-year-old dad then asked to see it and he laughed at it too.
I can’t believe I have to explain the humor here, but there were two things that were funny about the Steve Sarkisian-Holly Rowe interview. The first was Holly’s reaction when he blew her off. That’s what spawned the memes, but also Sark behaved like a delirious madman. This clip exaggerates his behavior for comedic effect and also exaggerates his disrespect of Holly Rowe for comedic effect. If Chris Berman had been conducting the interview and had the same exact reactions, this exact meme would exist for him too.
It’s also, and this is important too, clear fake comedic violence. IT. ISN’T. REAL.
As I argued Tuesday on my show, we have created a world where we overreact to non-violence and underreact to actual violence.
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Arch Manning was criticized more for LAUGHING at an Internet meme than Josh Jacobs was for allegedly hitting a woman. Here we go again, fake violence intended to be funny is worse than actual domestic violence. <a href="https://t.co/uF1hFzlom5">pic.twitter.com/uF1hFzlom5</a>
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://x.com/ClayTravis/status/2099974991714341016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Now, clearly, NO MAN SHOULD EVER HIT A WOMAN.
As I have told my own sons for my entire life. As you should have been told by your dads and your granddads and your coaches. But if you haven’t been told that, listen to me, your favorite person on the Internet: DON’T HIT WOMEN, BOYS!
But the comedic intent here wasn’t to glorify violence against women. It was to exaggerrate an already viral moment between two people who just had an awkward interaction and make it even more absurd.
This is what the Internet does.
This is the modern day version of “The Simpsons” or “South Park,” two shows that most kids these days don’t watch. If Homer Simpson had really been strangling Bart Simpson to death that would be problematic. Dads shouldn’t strangle their kids. But this is not real life. Most people used to understand that when TV was involved; somehow they don’t when the Internet is involved.
The joke here is Sark is a madman with no time for civilized behavior in the immediate aftermath of his big win. The meme would have probably been even funnier if he’d flattened even more people in the celebration after tossing aside Holly Rowe, a crazy Incredible Hulk like wild man intent on wrecking all in his path. That’s the joke!
That’s why Arch Manning, who I would wager has an incredible sense of humor because his dad Cooper is f*cking hysterical, and comedic sensibility, as many of us know, tends to run in families.
Plus, guys, it wasn’t very long ago that Terry Tate flattening a woman in an office was the most popular Super Bowl commercial on television.
We used to be a proper country!
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Simpler times: when the commercials were the real halftime show.
Remembering Terry Tate: Office Linebacker. Super Bowl XXXVII, January 26, 2003. <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/SuperBowl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SuperBowl</a> <a href="https://t.co/eiuLsO40o1">pic.twitter.com/eiuLsO40o1</a>
— Lloyd Legalist (@LloydLegalist) <a href="https://x.com/LloydLegalist/status/2020564744118120618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
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As long as humans interview humans, awkward interactions will keep happening on camera.
It happened last year.
Remember Laura Rutledge’s attempt to interview Justin Herbert just last year? Watch this entire interview, this is a masterclass of how to handle the person when they don’t want to talk to you.
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&#8220;I&#8217;m trying to celebrate with my team.&#8221;
Justin Herbert was reluctant to do a postgame interview with ESPN&#8217;s Laura Rutledge. <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/NFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NFL</a> <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/MNF?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MNF</a> <a href="https://t.co/zq1Ho4yN1u">pic.twitter.com/zq1Ho4yN1u</a>
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) <a href="https://x.com/awfulannouncing/status/1998261762504970692?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Did you notice the smile-smirk from Rutledge at the end?
A self-knowing wry look at the camera, like Jim Halpert on &#8220;The Office,&#8221; that told us all, “Boy, that was awkward.”
This is how someone without an incredibly inflated ego reacts to a situation like this.
Holly Rowe made herself the story, Laura Rutledge didn’t.
Here is Laura Rutledge addressing the controversy that came out of that interview.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;We’re there to do our jobs, they’re there to do theirs, and I actually credit him for still standing there and doing the interview.&#8221;
ESPN&#8217;s Laura Rutledge unpacks the on-field interview moment with Justin Herbert. <a href="https://t.co/QhOsawQwhc">pic.twitter.com/QhOsawQwhc</a>
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) <a href="https://x.com/FOS/status/2008636043944202517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Holly Rowe had an entire day to take the onus off Arch.
She could have posted something simple: “I was frustrated with the lack of interview at the end of the game. I threw a fit. I’ve seen the memes. I deserve them. I know Arch, he’s a good kid. We all need to laugh more. I’ll try to do better next time.”
But she didn’t do that.
She waited until Arch apologized, allowed herself to become the victim, and then posted after his post to say she forgave him.
Forgave him for what?
Laughing?!
I’m sorry.
I woke up this morning still fired up about how ridiculous all of this is. And even as I finish this column, I’m still fired up. Because we’ve created a world filled with such bullsh*t that we now expect athletes to issue public apologies FOR LAUGHING AT INTERNET MEMES.
But I want to end on a bright spot here.
Do you know how Laura Rutledge responded when <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reels/DSCEsSCEbw1/">a meme went viral of Justin Herbert smacking her down</a> just like Sark did for Holly Rowe?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rough day at the office 🤣🤣 let’s all have a good laugh and move on! 
<a href="https://t.co/eZf1i1sx2s">https://t.co/eZf1i1sx2s</a>
— Laura Rutledge (@LauraRutledge) <a href="https://x.com/LauraRutledge/status/1998442058563072016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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By sharing it and saying let’s all have a good laugh and move on.
That’s great advice for the perpetually offended in sports media.
Holly Rowe wasn’t a victim here. She was the instrument of her own demise, kind of like in Ghostbusters with the Marshmallow Man being chosen as the form of the destructor. I’m sure Holly remembers that movie character.
She dressed just like him on Saturday night.

Holly Rowe/Arch Manning

Clay Travis: Arch Manning Owes No Apologies To Holly Rowe For Laughing At AI Meme

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Money ruined college football, you hear endlessly these days. But did it really? Wasn’t college football always about money, for someone? The “boola boola” days, where aging alums sit in the premium seats waving flags for our boys, are long bygone, as far in the historical rearview as naïve tourists setting up picnics to watch Civil War battles take place. 
College football became professional decades ago. In 2026, denial of that fact has finally started to evaporate. Football fans may ultimately get a better sport because of it. Finally, schools are starting to bankroll the guys who really Roll Tide. 
The 2026 season is the second under a system that would have violated NCAA rules only a few years ago. Now, schools are openly paying players themselves. Under the House v. NCAA settlement, participating Division I schools can distribute up to $21.6 million this academic year directly to athletes. In year two, the system is starting to look less like an experiment and more like an actual professional labor market.
Football programs operating under the settlement have a 105-player roster limit, but the old scholarship ceiling has evaporated. Schools can offer scholarships to everyone on that roster. There’s still third-party sponsor Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) money, but players must report deals of $600 or more with many reviewed through an NCAA clearinghouse. In July and August alone, the commission cleared more than $227 million in NIL deals.
So now for top players, you have direct school money and endorsement deals. And the rest of the machinery is beginning to resemble a professional labor market. This was the first offseason with one 15-day football transfer window, January 2 to 16, replacing separate winter and spring periods. More than 6,700 Division I players still entered, so it certainly didn’t end free agency. But once the window closed, coaches could at least head into spring having a pretty good idea who would actually be on their eligible roster.
Then this summer the NCAA rewrote eligibility itself, replacing the old redshirt maze with an age-based five-year eligibility period. The system fully takes over for athletes entering college in fall 2027. On top of that, we’re starting to see something resembling contract enforcement. The University of Mississippi sued two players who followed coach Lane Kiffin to Louisiana State University, seeking $550,000 from one and $400,000 from another under early-termination provisions in revenue-sharing agreements. 
Meanwhile, LSU spent the opening week of this season fighting with the SEC over whether players who’d actually signed NFL contracts could return to college football. A Louisiana judge sided with the players temporarily. LSU ultimately left them off its roster rather than risk SEC sanctions.
This isn’t your grandpa’s Big Red-themed University of Nebraska basement viewing room. Universities are paying players, signing written agreements with them, suing them when they leave, restricting when they can change teams, and fighting over whether actual former professionals can return. Sounds something like pro sports to me. 
The USC Trojan horse started nudging its way out of the barn in 1984 when, in NCAA v. Board of Regents, the Supreme Court ruled that the NCAA&#8217;s centralized control of college-football television rights violated antitrust law. That was the beginning of modern college football. TV revenue money could grow outside of the NCAA’s purview. 
In 2009, former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon sued because EA Sports hadn’t paid him for his likeness in an NCAA video game. His suit produced a ruling that NCAA restrictions on athlete compensation violated antitrust law. The legal foundation underneath “amateurism” had begun cracking.
The years 2018 to 2021 transformed player movement almost as much as time travel would have. The NCAA launched the transfer portal in 2018, then in 2021 broadly allowed athletes, including football players, to transfer once without sitting out a season. A 2021 Supreme Court ruling NCAA vs. Alston struck down restrictions on education-related benefits when it came to college sports, writing in its majority decision, “When it comes to college sports, there can be little doubt that the market realities have changed significantly since 1984.” Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in a concurring opinion, said “the NCAA is not above the law” and “price-fixing labor is price-fixing labor.”
That same year began the NIL era. But the House settlement has ended the central fiction. Going forward, schools themselves — not boosters or Nike or the local RAM dealer — can directly pay athletes. The first-year cap is $20.5 million, based on some complicated power-conference revenue math. A new College Sports Commission, which we’re sure won’t experience any corruption at all, will police the system. 
This direction is actually good for fans. For decades, college football had mammoth television contracts and multimillion-dollar coaches&#8217; salaries, stadiums, and pro recruiting operations and revenues while insisting it employed an amateur labor force of elite athletes. Then NIL produced an absurd uncanny valley of semi-pro compensation. People were brazenly greasing players, but all the athletes had to pretend some random booster with a local business just wanted their Instagram endorsement. Now, college athletes no longer have to fake it to make it. 
Once everyone accepts that these are compensated athletes playing a commercial sport, rules that once sounded taboo become sensible. You’ll have written multiyear agreements, defined transfer periods, retention incentives, and eventually some negotiated system governing movement and compensation. That could mean fewer beloved players disappearing every spring, more recognizable rosters, and more continuity from season to season. It will start to look like what it already is, and has been for a long time: professional football. Boola boola. 
***
Neal Pollack, “the greatest living American writer,” is the author of 12 semi-bestselling books of fiction and nonfiction and is a three-time “Jeopardy!” champion.
This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

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College Football Is Finally Honest About Being Pro

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This article was written by Mark J. Burns and published on <a href="https://sportandstate.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sport &amp; State</a>, a new media company founded by Clay Travis that is built around sports, culture, original voices, and live conversation.
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Football is synonymous with everyday American life.
This weekend, the NFL and its 32 franchises, in addition to dozens of college football programs across the country, plan to use the sports’ biggest stage to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
American flag displays, moments of silence, in-stadium recognitions of first responders, 9/11 tribute branding, and special musical performances are among the many ways the football community is honoring the lives lost in 2001.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Never Forget</h2>
During Week 1, the NFL <a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-commemorates-25th-anniversary-september-11-league-wide-tributes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> all games “will feature tributes designed to honor the lives lost, recognize survivors, first responders and military families, and connect fans to the lasting message of remembrance and service that emerged after September 11.”
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We will Never Forget.
📺: NBC <a href="https://t.co/EIFJTCXN20">pic.twitter.com/EIFJTCXN20</a>
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) <a href="https://x.com/Seahawks/status/2097844796639596727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The phrase “Never Forget” will be stenciled into end zones, and game officials will also use a 9/11 branded coin for the opening coin toss — the coins will later be auctioned off to benefit the NFL’s 9/11 charity partners. Additionally, for all of Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET kickoffs, there will be live broadcast coverage of the national anthems.
For specific teams, the Colts have organized multiple commemorative efforts. During the pregame ceremonies, the organization will recognize members of the Indiana Task Force 1 (IN-TF1), which conducted search and rescue operations at Ground Zero.
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Kicking off the season with a Seattle rock legend. <a href="https://x.com/MikeMcCreadyPJ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MikeMcCreadyPJ</a>
📺: NBC <a href="https://t.co/xxedRQoutY">pic.twitter.com/xxedRQoutY</a>
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) <a href="https://x.com/Seahawks/status/2097844900435792058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Country music artist Craig Morgan, who is also a U.S. Army veteran and longtime supporter of first responders, will perform the national anthem at Lucas Oil Stadium. Additionally, a portion of the team’s gameday 50/50 raffle will also be directed toward the Indiana 9/11 Memorial Fund.
“We hope fans leave the game with gratitude in their hearts for the sacrifice made by so many 25 years ago, as well as for the continuing service of those who protect and serve us every day,” said Steve Campbell, Colts Vice President of Communications &amp; External Affairs, to Sport &amp; State.
The Panthers’ organization said they are participating in <a href="https://uptowncharlotte.com/do/9-and-11-flags-and-lights-of-remembrance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charlotte’s 9/11 Flags and Lights of Remembrance</a> event, which includes honoring the 2,977 lives lost 25 years ago.
Other franchises like the Steelers and Titans are devoting time and resources to remembering 9/11, too. The Titans invited 200 local first responders to Sunday’s game with the Jets, while the organization will also host a meal packing session on Friday at Nissan Stadium as part of the country’s broader 9/11 Day of Service initiative to pack 20 million meals for families across the U.S.
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For the Steelers, the first NASA NFL flyover will occur pregame, according to a team spokesperson. Family members of victims from the United Airlines Flight 93 crash in Shanksville, Penn. will be on site, too.
During halftime, the United States Air Force Heritage of America Brass Band will perform service songs from each branch of the military, in addition to God Bless the USA, followed by a third quarter recognition of Master Sergeant Tim Motte, Pennsylvania US Army and Air National Guard. He conducted multiple combat tours and previously served as a state trooper where he was a first responder on the scene for the Flight 93 crash.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Red, White, And Blue</h2>
Across college football, stadiums from coast to coast will turn into places of remembrance this weekend with different displays of patriotism.
Fans at Kyle Field, home of Texas A&amp;M and the 12th man, will see the nation’s colors represented across the entire stadium this weekend.
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The stage is set in red, white and blue. 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/ZHjm8HCdIp">pic.twitter.com/ZHjm8HCdIp</a>
— Texas A&amp;M Football (@AggieFootball) <a href="https://x.com/AggieFootball/status/2097686517489533062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2026</a></blockquote>
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On Friday, Kansas hosts Missouri under the lights but not before four T-38 Talon jets conduct a pregame flyover at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Like the Jayhawks, additional football programs such as Indiana, Georgia, SMU, and West Virginia will provide moments of silence during their respective national anthems as well as offer other in-stadium visual displays paying tribute to the 9/11 anniversary.
Louisville’s matchup against Villanova on Friday is the Cardinals’ Salute to Service game, which will honor military members from nearby Ft. Knox and recognize approximately a dozen football alumni who are in the military or first responders. During halftime, there will also be a re-enlistment ceremony held on the field at L&amp;N Federal Credit Union Stadium for current military members.
Meanwhile, Rutgers will <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/rutgers-unveils-special-911-uniforms-honor-37-alumni-killed-september-11-attacks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">don 9/11 tribute helmets and jerseys</a> Friday night against Boston College as the Big Ten program honors the 37 alumni killed in the terrorists attacks, while Georgia hosts its 3rd memorial stair climb at Stanford Stadium for ROTC students and local first responders — North Carolina is <a href="https://x.com/GoHeels/status/2098075921378869450" target="_blank" rel="noopener">organizing a similar tribute</a> on Friday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
As we take the field on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, we honor all of those whose lives were lost on that tragic day, including our 37 <a href="https://x.com/RutgersU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RutgersU</a> alumni.
We remember. We honor. We will never forget. <a href="https://t.co/XtzQ7fjdh6">pic.twitter.com/XtzQ7fjdh6</a>
— Rutgers Football 🪓 (@RFootball) <a href="https://x.com/RFootball/status/2097057411831861599?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Against Rutgers, Boston College, in its annual Red Bandanna game, will honor 9/11 hero and alumnus Welles Crowther, who is known as the <a href="https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/sites/bc-news/articles/2026/fall/-red-bandanna-football-game.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“The Man in the Red Bandanna”</a> for the type of handkerchief he wore years ago. Crowther guided nearly 20 survivors to safety down a stairwell in the South Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. The Eagles will distribute red bandannas to the first 10,000 fans in attendance.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://x.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> tells the story of the “Man in the Red Bandana,” a 24-year-old rookie equities trader in the South Tower who heroically gave his own life to save 18 others on September 11, 2001. <a href="https://t.co/EiYCfUlOsJ">pic.twitter.com/EiYCfUlOsJ</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2097343221034574287?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Members of the Crowther family as well as relatives of Boston College alumni who died on 9/11 will also be honored. A drone show at Alumni Stadium is scheduled to dot the nighttime sky during halftime, too.
Nebraska, which hosts Bowling Green on Saturday night, plans to incorporate military personnel and first responders into the team’s pregame entrance, according to Keith Mann, Senior Associate A.D. of Communications. 
The senior administrator said the Cornhuskers will also illuminate the sky overhead with a postgame drone show of their own via a partnership with America 250 and an unnamed donor in Omaha, Neb. The organization put on a similar drone show this summer at the Men’s College World Series, Mann said.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="2026 Men&amp;apos;s College World Series America 250 Drone Show" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u3a6GskExj8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

DENVER BRONCOS VS GREEN BAY PACKERS, NFL

Flyovers, Special Unis, And Drones: How Football Honors 25th Anniversary Of 9/11

9/11

first responder

never forget tribute

welles crowther

This article was written by Mark J. Burns and published on <a href="https://sportandstate.com/">Sport &amp; State</a>, a new media company founded by Clay Travis that is built around sports, culture, original voices, and live conversation.
* * * * *
His business card reads Stark Enterprises, and he holds a senior-level title, but our mystery man isn’t a <a href="https://www.marvel.com/characters/iron-man-tony-stark/in-comics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">billionaire with superhuman strength</a>.
Wait, who did you think we were actually referencing?
Meet Martin “Marty” Alan Whims II, an Akron alumnus and Chief Financial Officer for the Cleveland-based real estate development company.
Up until three weeks ago, the Akron native might have largely been a regular ol’ die-hard Zips’ football supporter and a nearly 20-year season ticket holder at the Mid-American Conference school.
Now, Whims is the team’s first-ever fan offensive coordinator as part of a <a href="https://sportandstate.com/2026/08/19/a-mac-schools-genius-marketing-move-that-college-footballs-never-seen-is-paying-off/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">viral marketing promotion</a>, which required a season ticket purchase for entry.
The creative initiative, which was designed to generate fan interest and boost season ticket sales for the Zips, culminates on Saturday afternoon with Whims being on the sidelines. He’ll don a headset and team-issued garb as he stands next to head coach Joe Moorhead and helps script the team’s opening drive at home against Robert Morris. You can watch at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨IT&#8217;S OFFICIAL&#8230;
Martin Allan Whims II is named OC of the Game presented by <a href="https://x.com/Arbys?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Arbys</a> Steak Nuggets‼️<a href="https://x.com/hashtag/GoZips?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoZips</a> 🦘 <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/MakeTheClimb?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MakeTheClimb</a> <a href="https://t.co/3VHtodEq07">pic.twitter.com/3VHtodEq07</a>
— Akron Football (@ZipsFB) <a href="https://x.com/ZipsFB/status/2092355978884764065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
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“This is my 15 minutes of fame, and it’s been a really cool experience,” Whims said to Sport &amp; State on Wednesday. “You got co-workers, family, and friends, everybody wants to ask me about it. My kids go to Woodridge High School, and we go to the football games on Friday nights. You know some of these people and wave to them. Now, they want to talk about it. People are super excited.”
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Golden Ticket</h2>
Whims has club-level season tickets at InfoCision Stadium with his childhood buds Charlie and Jason. When he heard about Akron’s fun initiative, Whims knew he’d automatically be entered into the drawing — he just didn’t have the greatest odds.
“With only one ticket, I didn’t really think there was going to be a ton of opportunity,” said Whims, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 2002. “It’s still in the back of your mind, ‘Oh, that’d be cool.’ ”
He even tried to convince his brother-in-law, Justin, to purchase a season ticket. According to Whims, a season ticket referral got you an additional entry in the promotion. “He actually drew up a play,” Whims said of Justin, who ultimately decided not to buy.
With the lone entry in hand, Whims waited for days for a possible call from the Zips. As he sat in his office on Aug. 19 — the date Akron revealed the finalists — he received a phone call on his cell phone, but at first he didn’t pick it up.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
OC of the Game Top 9 Candidate&#8230;🥁 
Martin Alan Whims II<a href="https://x.com/hashtag/GoZips?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoZips</a>🦘<a href="https://x.com/hashtag/MakeTheClimb?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MakeTheClimb</a> <a href="https://t.co/rTYq5gsRyB">pic.twitter.com/rTYq5gsRyB</a>
— Akron Football (@ZipsFB) <a href="https://x.com/ZipsFB/status/2090225682387271825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Whims’ call screening feature let him know via text that it was the Akron Athletic Department … or so he initially thought.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, they probably want a donation or something like that,’ ” he recalled. “I was almost not going to answer, but then I realized it said ‘Akron Athletic Director.’ I’m like, ‘Well, Andrew Goodrich doesn’t normally call me, so there’s got to be a reason.’ ”
And a really good reason at that — Goodrich called to let Whims know he was a finalist for the offensive coordinator fan promotion.
Did I mention it was also Whims’ 46th birthday, too? Quite the present, even if he still had to beat out eight other individuals, which included other relatively unknown Akron fans and football enthusiasts as well as popular Internet personalities such as Barstool Sports podcast host Dan “Big Cat” Katz.
“Congrats to Martin!” wrote Katz, who <a href="https://x.com/BarstoolBigCat/status/2092390458265645243" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joked</a> about the contest’s merits, on <s>X</s> Twitter. “Go be great! (Maybe run a shark wheel).”
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Almost Go Time</h2>
Luckily, ahead of Goodrich’s call on Aug. 25 letting Whims know he was selected as the winner, the athletic department gave him advance warning. He still didn’t know ‘yes’ or ‘no’ if he had been picked before speaking with the athletic director.
With less than 72 hours before kickoff, Whims is already getting into the football spirit, even if he’s not necessarily the biggest football guy. He told me he played two years of offensive tackle at Ellet High School between the freshman and junior varsity teams.
“I got in for about four plays on varsity,” laughed Whims, who is scheduled to finally meet with Moorehead on Friday afternoon to talk ball, game plan for the Zips’ first offensive drive, and review tape of the Colonials.
So, what’s his thinking for the shared play-calling duties? Well, Whims was a bit coy with us in his response.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
They talked about Akron’s offensive coordinator stunt on the broadcast of the Akron-Wake Forest game 😂
Season ticket holder Marty Whims won the contest and will be their offensive coordinator for the opening drive vs. Robert Morris next week. <a href="https://t.co/O27taSfRy5">pic.twitter.com/O27taSfRy5</a>
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) <a href="https://x.com/CFBKings/status/2095659338513682905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Smart. Gotta keep Robert Morris on its toes.
“I don’t have an offensive philosophy,” Whims said. “I mean, my brother-in-law drew up a play when he heard about it. That’s not me necessarily. I’m a little more of a realist. They have certain personnel, and they have a certain playbook.
“In the end, you’re going to be selecting from 100-something plays that they have in their playbook. It wouldn’t make sense to draw up some random fun play that nobody’s run before that they have to learn the day before.”
But it’d be fun, though, right?
“It is about working with the head coach to script that opening drive. … I’ve been told I’m going to have actual, real say in what type of plays we run for that and how that script works, but I don’t think it’s just drawing up a random play with two quarterbacks out there, something crazy like that.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Marty Whims II offensive coordinator stock is falling rapidly <a href="https://t.co/TjwPjWzXEL">https://t.co/TjwPjWzXEL</a>
— Nick Wilson (@NickWilsonSays) <a href="https://x.com/NickWilsonSays/status/2095632403247104114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Has it hit him yet, that he’ll be on the sidelines this weekend in a real Div. I college football game?
“In a way, yes, but I’m sure once I’m down there with the headset on, that’s when it’s really going to set in,” he said.
Well, good luck, coach. Might I suggest some trickery.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 30 Buffalo at Akron

College Football Team Will Let Real Estate CFO Call Offensive Plays On Saturday

akron zips football

marketing promotion

sport and state

This article was written by Gus Wilson and published on <a href="https://sportandstate.com/">Sport &amp; State</a>, a new media company founded by Clay Travis that is built around sports, culture, original voices, and live conversation.
* * * * *
From the drama caused by leaving Ole Miss in the middle of last year’s College Football Playoffs to enrolling former professional players on their roster, Lane Kiffin’s first year at LSU has had it all leading to the highly anticipated kickoff of the 2026 season in Baton Rouge.
It did not disappoint.
The LSU Tigers dismantled Clemson in their season opener, 51-10, despite all of the noise surrounding the Bayou Bengals all offseason. All of the talking points have painted Kiffin and the Tigers as the villains of college football. According to an alleged leaked video of Kiffin’s halftime speech, they are totally bought into the role.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Lane Kiffin’s halftime speech from the Clemson game has allegedly leaked. <a href="https://t.co/OzCTQeZpgM">pic.twitter.com/OzCTQeZpgM</a>
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://x.com/ClayTravis/status/2097137662297509939?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Mind you, LSU was up 31-3 at the end of the first two quarters. They had 20 more FIRST DOWNS and over 280 more total yards than Clemson. Clearly, he did not care about anything that had been done so far.
“Who gives a f*ck what happened? That’s what’s supposed to happen! Ain’t no celebrations for that,” he yelled in the alleged leak.
This mindset is part of the reason many fans and the media despise Kiffin. But again, he could care less how he and his team are portrayed.
“The whole f*cking world hates you. You get a chance to go show the world, ‘Go f*ck yourselves!’”
Love him or hate him, the alleged intensity from Kiffin is a testament to his coaching ability. Watching this video back, I’m ready to run through a wall and my heart rate is through the roof as I am typing this.
The speech supposedly happened just minutes after Kiffin joked about how much better the team would be playing if they decided to roster the ex-NFL players.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Lane Kiffin running off the field up 31-3 on Clemson. “Imagine if we had pro players.” This is well played. <a href="https://t.co/0ZYaVF9PgB">pic.twitter.com/0ZYaVF9PgB</a>
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://x.com/ClayTravis/status/2096442121053954221?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Kiffin’s supposed intensity carried into his press conference as well, as he called out his backup defensive players for allowing a late touchdown to cut the lead to a nail-biting 41 points. Serious shades of Nick Saban, who he worked alongside from 2014 to 2016.
The intensity post-game – and allegedly during the game – shows a side of Lane Kiffin that people rarely see. This type of mindset is expected to be carried over for the next two weeks when he makes his return to Oxford, Miss., in one of the biggest games of the season.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 05 Clemson at LSU

Lane Kiffin’s Alleged Halftime Speech Leaked: ‘The Whole F*cking World Hates You’

clemson tiger

lane kiffin

louisiana state university

ole miss

This article was written by Mark J. Burns and published on <a href="https://sportandstate.com/">Sport &amp; State</a>, a new media company founded by Clay Travis that is built around sports, culture, original voices, and live conversation.
* * * * *
I spent the holiday weekend doing what any responsible Floridian would do during Week 1 of the college football season — one eye on the beaches and one eye on the games. Had my Michigan Wolverines lost, though, I might be singing a different tune.
Hey, as an undergrad student, I had to endure the Appalachian State stunner and the worst three-year stretch in Michigan football history, so forgive me if I’m not exactly level-headed at times. We’re onto Oklahoma…
And as we head into the Week 1 finale of FSU–SMU from Tallahassee on Monday night, here are my five sports business and media takeaways from the first weekend of college football.
<h3>1. Yes, College Football Is Professional</h3>
Both of Sunday’s neutral site games epitomized the commercialization of college football in 2026. If the adoption of NIL in 2021 put the amateur status of college sports into serious jeopardy — if there was really even a debate left to be had — these two games officially quashed that notion entirely.
I flipped on the Notre Dame-Wisconsin game from Lambeau Field and got a glimpse of Marcus Freeman’s zip-up sleeve. Did you catch that Big, Bad Corporate Logo from SoFi Technologies? The digital finance firm reportedly has the richest jersey patch agreement with the Fighting Irish in all of Div. I college football, worth $18 to $20 million per year.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rate these Notre Dame-Wisconsin uniforms ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/JUxHHpS3CB">pic.twitter.com/JUxHHpS3CB</a>
— The Irish Tribune (@theirishtribune) <a href="https://x.com/theirishtribune/status/2096779674395255158?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Dozens of schools have signed deals, while others are open for business as they try to secure millions for the biggest billboard in college sports. On-field corporate logos dot the football fields of several major programs across America.
Kudos to ESPN Events and the sales reps behind the Liberty Mutual Music City Kickoff in Nashville between Louisville-Ole Miss, too. The sidelines, in addition to a lot of the field-level, looked like a combined version of international soccer and European men’s ice hockey.
I had to Google &#8220;FrogTape&#8221; to see what the heck I’d be starting at for three hours. We’ve officially reached the point of no return.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We are about to spend hours staring at this abomination of a football field. <a href="https://t.co/kU3M2jIQEC">pic.twitter.com/kU3M2jIQEC</a>
— Brewer (@realwickedbrew) <a href="https://x.com/realwickedbrew/status/2096578100133773785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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<h3>2. Baton Rouge Is Center Of Football Universe</h3>
When Lane Kiffin speaks, the college football world listens. And not necessarily because the LSU football coach has the most enlightening of remarks — he’s currently just shooting from the hip and letting it rip. In other words, Lane being Lane. Maybe someone on the Tigers’ staff can reign in the resident heel of the SEC?
He successfully battled the SEC for weeks in court to allow two former NFL rookies to play for the Tigers, only to hold off on adding tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris to the team’s roster for now. I don’t imagine this topic fading into the sunset.
Meanwhile, this weekend, he got in a few one-liners during the blowout home-opener, which featured unprecedented noise levels in Death Valley.
At the end of Kiffin’s halftime interview on Saturday night, he said to ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe, “Imagine if we had pro players,” as LSU led Clemson 31-3.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Imagine if we had pro players.&#8221; 😅
Lane Kiffin is not holding back. <a href="https://t.co/OzHEZqw1UW">pic.twitter.com/OzHEZqw1UW</a>
— ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://x.com/espn/status/2096439096017121699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Naturally, the media got a quick response to the off-handed remark, with Kiffin saying, “What’s the difference? Everybody hates you. They can’t hate you that much more.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Lane Kiffin, when asked about his halftime comments of “imagine if we had pro players”
Says someone asked him if he really said that..
Kiffin: “What’s the difference? Everybody hates you. They can’t hate you much more” <a href="https://t.co/m4OwIOaxHI">pic.twitter.com/m4OwIOaxHI</a>
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace) <a href="https://x.com/TreyWallace/status/2096470965408378913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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All eyes will be on Kiffin going forward this season, especially when he returns to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 19 for a date with Ole Miss. How Kiffin talks, acts, and moves — like which celebrities are going to be in his entourage when he enters a stadium — will be closely scrutinized. Comedian Theo Von and former LSU gymnast and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Olivia Dunne strolled into Baton Rouge with Kiffin on Saturday.
I just hope we don’t see a red carpet at some point.
<h3>3. Fans Deserve Marquee Matchups In Week 1</h3>
After nearly an eight-month offseason, college football fans don’t need much of an incentive to tune into Week 1 to get their long-overdue fix.
I stayed up to watch the Colorado-Georgia Tech pillow fight on Thursday night and caught Miami boat race Stanford on Friday — if I’m being honest, I only watched the latter to see how much the Hurricanes’ standout wide receiver Malachi Toney would torch the Cardinal. Spoiler: a record-setting lot.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Every Malachi Toney catch vs Stanford.
May quickly work himself into the number one overall pick conversation in 2028. <a href="https://t.co/9ctW7E2FBS">pic.twitter.com/9ctW7E2FBS</a>
— Ryan Paganetti (@RyanPaganetti) <a href="https://x.com/RyanPaganetti/status/2096276117019676889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
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There were still a lot of blowouts and lopsided affairs this weekend.
But we had to wait until Sunday night in primetime to get a top-25 matchup between Ole Miss and Louisville. While the first half proved to be a dud, the second half became a track meet, which ended on a walk-off field goal as the Tigers beat the Cardinals 41-38 in Nashville.
As I write this, two of top three trending topics on <s>X </s>Twitter in the U.S. were tied to the Sunday primetime contests.
This all begs the questions — can we get more marquee top 25 games in Week 1 spread across three or four days? Is that too much to ask for? I enjoyed seeing Washington-Washington State in the Apple Cup to open the season, even if it was a bit of a snoozefest. The two Sunday night affairs capped a fun weekend.
Some blue bloods scheduling more home-and-home non-conference series with one another would be nice. You know, for the sake of college football pageantry? Think if we got the likes of LSU-Oregon, Michigan-Georgia, Texas-USC, Miami-Ohio State, Penn State-Utah, and Ole Miss-Notre Dame across a four-day slate.
I know, I know. It all goes back to money and TV, but man, we can all dream for now.
<h3>4. Deion Sanders Is MIA</h3>
The former SI Sportsperson of the Year had the college football world in the palm of his hand in 2023. After a 1-11 record, Colorado hired Deion Sanders to restore some semblance of pride in Boulder, Colo., only to catapult the football program into the national spotlight with an unprecedented level of news coverage before Game 1.
Sanders told the Buffaloes he was “bringing his own baggage with me” before he arrived in Colorado. “And it’s Louis,” he added.
As in Louis Vuitton.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Lil Wayne walks out with “Colorado Buffaloes” at Colorado vs Colorado State" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mOTjZU8nBxo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
A 3-0 record, including a 45-42 upset against TCU as 21-point underdogs, to start Sanders’ inaugural campaign only put the media frenzy into overdrive. TV ratings spiked as the Buffaloes became the talk of college football.
Still, after a 4-8 record in year one and a 17-21 mark overall, Sanders and the Buffaloes have become an afterthought in college football — Colorado’s comeback win against Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Friday was barely a blip on the college football radar in Week 1.
It’s a far cry from the early honeymoon phase of 2023 where Sanders, who signed a contract extension in 2025 to become the Big 12’s highest-paid coach, had every talking-head pontificating about his arrival out West. The coverage felt Tim Tebow-esque in some way. Now, he’s without his Louis as he tries to pull the Buffaloes out of the Big 12 basement.
<h3>5. College Football Is Still Wonderfully Weird</h3>
The year is 2026, and college football remains bizarre and chaotic in all its fine glory. Yes, I realize it’s Week 1 and you might be thinking, &#8220;Mark is just coming off a long offseason without one of the greatest sports on earth and is a little romantic about it all.&#8221; Yes, you might be partially correct.
Let me explain the weirdness for you.
A year after going 0-12, UMass upset Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey, last week before the Scarlet Knights decided to blast off fireworks into the New Jersey sky following the humiliating defeat. UMass, which snapped the nation’s longest active losing streak at 16 games, was a 29.5-point underdog.
A disgruntled 20-year Rutgers season ticket holder then called into WFAN and asked for “a firing squad” of the football staff. Yikes.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rutgers fans are done with the program.
Never thought Rutgers Football would light up the phone lines tonight on <a href="https://x.com/WFAN660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WFAN660</a>.
Feel for fans like Gus. <a href="https://t.co/ak1aGw0YeH">pic.twitter.com/ak1aGw0YeH</a>
— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) <a href="https://x.com/ZachGelb/status/2095724343963628009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Did we mention the stolen thrilling Michigan victory against Western Michigan on a last-second Hail Mary attempt? I’m not going to discuss the storming of the field. When you’re a 20-something college student, sometimes you do things you’re going to regret.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
MICHIGAN SURVIVES THE UPSET ON A HAIL MARY 🤯 
<a href="https://t.co/BBAsd26SuV">pic.twitter.com/BBAsd26SuV</a>
— Sport &amp; State (@SportNState) <a href="https://x.com/SportNState/status/2096433490514350521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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In Week 1, three FCS teams beat FBS programs, including Tarelton State narrowly getting by Bowling Green and The Citadel winning a 3OT thriller against Charlotte.
Michigan State offensive lineman Robert Wright Jr. projectile vomited on a defender mid-snap during a successful two-point conversion. Whatever works, I guess.
LSU’s Kiffin even got a practice jump shot in during the Tigers’ Week 1 victory. I can’t believe that’s actually a real sentence.
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Here&#8217;s Lane Kiffin&#8217;s attempt at a jump shot after a Tiger touchdown&#8230; maybe he should&#8217;ve gone for a dunk? Drive the lane? 😉 <a href="https://t.co/BRo45brQOr">pic.twitter.com/BRo45brQOr</a>
— WBRZ News (@WBRZ) <a href="https://x.com/WBRZ/status/2096437531038400849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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There isn’t a normal college football weekend in the fall. And for all the commercial changes, transfer portal chaos, seemingly never-ending legal disputes, and incompetence in Washington, D.C., the weirdness and absurdity remains — and that’s why we all keep returning every Saturday.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 06 Louisville at Ole Miss

Commercialization Of College Football Hits Point Of No Return

deion sanders

Western Michigan v Michigan

Clay Travis’ Starting 11: Michigan Steals A Win; Lane Kiffin Embarrasses Dabo Swinney

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A Missouri college football player tragically passed away after suffering a fatal medical emergency right on the field moments after scoring a touchdown.
MicahJo Barnett, a 20-year-old running back for the William Jewell College Cardinals, <a href="https://abcnews.com/US/college-football-player-micahjo-barnett-dies-after-medical/story?id=136075741">died Saturday</a> following a sudden collapse on the team&#8217;s sideline during a home game in Liberty, Missouri. The game was abruptly halted as paramedics rushed to the field. School officials have not yet released an official cause of death.
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A college football player in Missouri has died after suffering a medical emergency during a game on Saturday. William Jewell College officials say 20-year-old MicahJo Barnett scored a touchdown in the team&#39;s season opener and collapsed on the sidelines moments later. <a href="https://t.co/BT2C9BhbR1">pic.twitter.com/BT2C9BhbR1</a>
&mdash; ABC News (@ABC) <a href="https://x.com/ABC/status/2094148402938290485?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2026</a></blockquote>
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In a heartbreaking twist, teammates revealed that Barnett’s final act on the field was putting points on the board.
&#8220;He scored like, right before his final moments,&#8221; teammate Jayshawn Richmond told local outlet <a href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/william-jewell-college-football-player-dies/73560520">KMBC-TV</a>. &#8220;And we [are] just going to continue on where he started.&#8221;
Barnett, a junior majoring in business administration, previously led Liberty North High School to a state championship, racking up 1,450 all-purpose yards and 20 touchdowns in his senior year. At William Jewell College, he quickly became a standout star, leading the Cardinals with 366 rushing yards and four touchdowns last season despite missing time due to injury.
Off the field, teammates described Barnett as an inspiring leader and the ultimate go-to guy.
&#8220;He was a hometown kid&#8230; Everybody looked up to him,&#8221; Richmond recalled. &#8220;He was a guy you go to whenever&#8230; you just need a little bit more motivation.&#8221;
The devastating loss sent shockwaves through the tight-knit campus community, which gathered for an emotional candlelight vigil on the college quad Saturday night.
&#8220;We are absolutely heartbroken over the tragic passing of MicahJo Barnett,&#8221; William Jewell Vice President for Athletics Ryan Erlacher said in a statement, remembering the young athlete as an &#8220;exceptional young man who made a tremendous impact.&#8221;
In 2024, the high school sports world was shocked when Connor Kasin, a 17-year-old hockey star from Massapequa High School on Long Island, <a href="https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/high-school-ice-hockey-player-dies-after-losing-116372421">collapsed on the ice</a> during a game at the Town of Oyster Bay Ice Skating Center in Bethpage, New York, following a sudden medical event. He died later at a local hospital.
Kasin also played for the Long Island Sharks U-18 travel hockey team. Jeff Tempone, head coach of the Sharks, said Kasin &#8220;always had a smile and a laugh&#8221; on his face, adding, “He was a hard-nosed, hard-working defenseman. He was a lot of fun. He was a great teammate. He had the respect of all of his teammates, both past and present. It&#8217;s a huge loss. Hockey lost another one way too early.”

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College Football Player Dies Minutes After Scoring Touchdown

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Despite playing preseason football for NFL teams, a group of players just got permission to return to college football — at least while their case against the NCAA plays out in court. 
Sixteen former college players, including several players still on NFL rosters, joined a group of other athletes in a lawsuit against the NCAA in Louisiana after the organization changed its eligibility rules to allow athletes to compete for five seasons within a five-year period, instead of four seasons during a five-year period. However, players finishing their fourth season under the old rules were not automatically granted the opportunity to return for a fifth season. A judge issued a temporary restraining order on Wednesday, allowing the professional athletes to return to college for another season.
NCAA officials criticized the ruling and pointed out that it&#8217;s part of numerous court decisions that are stripping opportunities from incoming freshmen &#8220;who will never have a chance to begin their collegiate sports experience.&#8221;
&#8220;Courts across the country granting relief to ineligible athletes who already had every opportunity to compete in college — sometimes without even having a hearing — are failing to appreciate the destabilizing effect their rulings are having on college sports,&#8221; said NCAA senior vice president Tim Buckley. &#8220;The lawyers bringing these cases seemingly won&#8217;t be satisfied until every professional athlete can treat college sports as a fallback option, regardless of the opportunities it strips from those who will never have a chance to begin their collegiate sports experience.&#8221;
If the NFL rookies are released from their pro teams by September 1, they could be back on college football fields this fall thanks to Wednesday&#8217;s ruling. The list of plaintiffs includes three former Ole Miss starters who signed with NFL teams this summer, but several of the players have expressed interest in being released from their NFL contracts to return to college. Dae&#8217;Quan Wright is currently on the Cleveland Browns&#8217; roster after he was waived by the Philadelphia Eagles, while Wydett Williams is on the roster for the Arizona Cardinals. Zxavian Harris was waived by the New Orleans Saints earlier this month and is not on an NFL roster.
One incentive for returning to college is the money now available to players through NIL — name, image, and likeness — opportunities. While individual NIL earnings are generally not publicly disclosed, an NIL payout for a starting player at Ole Miss typically <a href="https://thenilstandard.com/football/insights/ole-miss-roster-valuation-2026">ranges</a> from $150,000 to more than $5 million. College athletes were able to start making money from NIL beginning in 2021.
Former LSU edge rusher Jack Pyburn, South Carolina safety DQ Smith, James Madison linebacker Trent Hendrick, and Notre Dame defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka were also notable players on the list. Pyburn is currently on the Buccaneers, and Smith was waived by the Denver Broncos in May. Hendrick and Tuihalamaka are not currently on an NFL roster. 
While the temporary restraining order gives the plaintiffs relief from NCAA restrictions that could otherwise prevent them from entering the transfer portal or returning after signing professional contracts, the order is temporary and does not represent a final victory for the players. Their long-term eligibility will ultimately depend on what happens as the case is litigated.

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Controversy Erupts As NFL Players Allowed To Return To College Football

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As the college football season nears, one program is holding a sweepstakes in which one lucky fan will help script plays for the first offensive drive of the team&#8217;s home opener.
The University of Akron Zips football team announced on Tuesday that a raffle for season-ticket holders would be held for “Offensive Coordinator of the Game,” allowing the winner to work with the head coach to create the script for the first drive against Robert Morris University on September 12. The promotion is a first of its kind for college football, especially at the Division I level.
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Make history and be the lucky season ticket holder to design the opening drive of the home opener when <a href="https://x.com/ZipsFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZipsFB</a> hosts Robert Morris‼️
🗞️<a href="https://t.co/G5aTUlVpzT">https://t.co/G5aTUlVpzT</a><a href="https://x.com/hashtag/GoZips?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoZips</a>🦘<a href="https://x.com/hashtag/MakeTheClimb?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MakeTheClimb</a> <a href="https://t.co/Qzu1w0R29O">pic.twitter.com/Qzu1w0R29O</a>
— Akron Football (@ZipsFB) <a href="https://x.com/ZipsFB/status/2084704539970535852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
“I’m looking forward to collaborating with the season ticket holder who wins this contest,” head coach Joe Moorhead said in the <a href="https://gozips.com/news/2026/8/4/akron-football-announces-offensive-coordinator-of-the-game">statement</a>. “This will give our fans a behind-the-scenes experience that has never been done before anywhere, so I’m excited to show them how to put together the opening script and see what they can do.”
“We’re always looking for new ways to bring our fans closer to the program,” Director of Athletics Dr. Andrew T. Goodrich added. “This is about giving one of our most loyal supporters a seat at the table, right alongside our coaching staff, on the biggest night of the season.”
Akron announced that the lucky winner will be a current season ticket holder, with all season ticket holders automatically entered into the drawing. Fans get one entry for each season ticket they hold. Season ticket holders can also receive additional entries by referring new season ticket holders for the upcoming 2026 season.
College football fans across the country are reacting as expected to the sweepstakes, hoping their favorite programs will let them draw up flea-flickers and Hail Marys to open up their season. Even for people who aren&#8217;t fans of Akron, the Zips&#8217; first offensive drive against the Colonials next month will be one to watch.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 05 Bowling Green at Akron

College Football Team To Let Fan Call Plays For Team’s Opening Drive

Marco Rubio, one could argue, could do anything in the world if he was given a week off — but the Secretary of State has a much more relatable vision of a theoretical week-long vacation with no interruptions: watch college football.
&#8220;My wife is going to hate this answer, but I would love to sit down and watch every college football game starting at noon eastern until when the west coast games end at 2 a.m. our time,&#8221; Rubio said during an interview on Fox News&#8217; My View with Lara Trump.
That&#8217;s right: when asked how he would spend a week off, Rubio said what a majority of men in America would say. Maybe it was because college football returns this month, so Rubio could already feel the anticipation of the season starting. But while the Secretary of State appears to have college football circled on his calendar like most sports fans, he probably also knows he has no time for it.
&#8220;I doubt I’ll be able to do that anytime soon,&#8221; Rubio added.
Unfortunately for Jeanette Rubio, her honey-do-list may take a backseat if her hubby gets a weekend off this fall.
But can you blame him? Rubio played college football at an NAIA school, Tarkio College, in Missouri before transferring to the University of Florida to earn his undergrad degree. His son, Anthony, followed in his father’s footsteps.
He’s a redshirt junior running back entering his fourth season at the University of Florida, where he scored his first collegiate touchdown in 2024 in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Rubio also has made it known he’s a die-hard University of Miami fan. He cheered on the school where he earned his Juris Doctor throughout the College Football Playoff last season, even attending the National Championship where Miami lost to Indiana. It’s clear football is in the Rubio family’s blood.
Admitting to having the same desires as most of America on fall Saturdays adds on to Rubio’s relatability, something he already gained quite by accident when he became a top meme of 2026.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-and-rubio-get-ready-to-bro-out-at-college-football-national-championship-game">Trump And Rubio Get Ready To ‘Bro Out’ At College Football National Championship Game</a>
Another common thread between the college football fan and Rubio is both share some of the same frustrations with the current playoff system. Back in December he criticized the College Football Playoff committee, noting how it would have been unfair to leave Miami out of the 12-team post-season bracket, which was a highly debated topic at the time.
&#8220;I&#8217;m a Florida Gator, but if the University of Miami gets screwed out of the College Football Playoffs, after going 10-2 and beating Notre Dame, the whole thing should be scrapped,&#8221; Rubio said.
He then suggested Trump would have to take over for the 2026 CFP if Miami got left out.
Ultimately Miami made it into the playoff over Notre Dame who had a matching 10-2 record to the Canes.
As he admitted, Rubio’s current role doesn’t allow him to watch a football game — much less attend as many as he would like to support his son — but he made it clear that when it’s all said and done, you’ll find him escaping the real world by watching the same game that, to many Americans, makes the world go round.

Credit: James Gilbert/Getty Images

Marco Rubio Reveals How He Would Unwind If He Had A Whole Week Off

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Despite breaking numerous NCAA rules regarding gambling as an athlete, a Texas state court on Monday granted Texas Tech University quarterback Brendan Sorsby a temporary injunction, allowing him to play college football in the 2026-2027 season.
Retired Lubbock County Judge Ken Curry made the decision on Sorsby after he was assigned the case when the current judge recused himself. Curry&#8217;s decision comes after the NCAA declared him permanently ineligible in May. The NCAA took action on Sorsby after he admitted to wagering over $90,000 on professional and collegiate athletic events over four years following an investigation in March shortly after he transferred to Texas Tech from the University of Cincinnati. 
Judge Curry stated that Sorsby’s attorneys <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/49000177/brendan-sorsby-granted-injunction-vs-ncaa-eligible-play-2026">explained</a> he would suffer “probable, imminent, and irreparable injury” if he could not suit up for the Red Raiders in 2026, granting him an injunction just three days after the NCAA denied Texas Tech’s appeal.
Curry’s ruling shocked many around the country. ESPN&#8217;s College Football senior writer Pete Thamel discussed the nationwide consensus of the news.
“Reaction from lawyer Tom Mars, a veteran of NCAA cases: ‘In 40 years as a lawyer, I&#8217;ve never been as shocked and surprised by a court ruling.’ That sums the reaction on the college sports landscape today,” Thamel wrote on <a href="https://x.com/petethamel/status/2064001793659433028?s=46">X</a>.
After the ruling, the NCAA defended its decision to punish Sorsby and warned about &#8220;far-reaching&#8221; ramifications from the court&#8217;s decision. 
“The NCAA strongly disagrees with the court’s ruling in Sorsby’s case and is deeply concerned about the damaging, far-reaching and broadly destabilizing ramifications of this outcome — which undermines and corrupts the integrity of sports,” the NCAA <a href="https://x.com/petethamel/status/2063993834862706831?s=46">stated</a>.
NCAA President Charlie Baker also took to X to express his disappointment in Curry’s decision, even calling for the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bipartisan-bill-seeks-to-restore-order-to-college-sports">Protect College Sports Act</a> to be passed and signed into law sooner rather than later. 

“There is no better example of why targeted intervention from Congress is necessary. When you have schools and deep-pocketed supporters willing to look the other way on the glaring integrity threat of betting on your own team &#8211; and judges whose rulings effectively strip away our ability to stop them &#8211; only Congress can equip the @NCAA to apply this common sense rule to everyone fairly and consistently,” Baker <a href="https://x.com/charliebakerma/status/2064014366899679736?s=46">wrote</a>. “The Protect College Sports Act would empower the NCAA to enforce rules including the gambling restrictions &#8211; it&#8217;s needed now more than ever.” 
 
The NCAA is expected to appeal the decision. However, the ruling states that the NCAA cannot prevent Sorsby from “practicing, playing or otherwise participating on Texas Tech’s football team for the 2026 season.” If appealed, the four justices in the Texas Seventh Court of Appeals, who are all Texas Tech University law graduates, would be making the decision on their alma mater’s quarterback situation.
Thanks to the ruling, what has long been a major offense in college athletics has been downgraded to a slap on the wrist, as Sorsby will only be suspended for the first two games of Texas Tech’s 2026-2027 season.

2026 Texas Tech Spring Football Game

Court Rules Star QB Can Return After NCAA Banned Him Over Gambling Admission

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