lol

 I think it’s well known that Rodgers and McCarthy did not work well together. Green Bay had to choose which one went. I am guessing this will end a lot of talk about Rodgers playing another year in Pittsburgh. 

Saw that the 49ers and Trent Williams are nearing impasse. How would that guy look in Navy & Orange? What say you @Coach Nowlin?

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/columnists/gregg-doyel/2026/04/28/colts-draft-2026-nfl-draft-national-champion-iu-football-caitlin-clark-indiana-fever/89820609007/

Once one conference does it, how quickly will others follow? 

Since 1977-78, NBA teams up at least 7 with 40 seconds left in the 4th quarter or OT in a playoff game were 1,609-0 going into last night's Pacers game against the Bucks. 

That record is now 1,609-1. 

The Bucks had a late lead in regulation along with a 20 point lead in the 2nd quarter. 

Quote

The University of Indianapolis Greyhounds announced Wednesday their attention to join the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) beginning in July of 2027.

For the 2026-2027 academic year, the Greyhounds will continue to compete in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).

After receiving an invite to join the G-MAC in the spring, the university's athletic department closely assessed the opportunity before ultimately coming to the decision.

“This move reflects a thoughtful evaluation of where we can best support our student-athletes while continuing to uphold the high standards of academic and athletic excellence that have long defined the University of Indianapolis,” University of Indianapolis President Dr. Tanuja Singh said in a release. “We are deeply grateful for our decades of partnership and competition in the GLVC, a conference that has played an important role in our history as a charter member.

"At the same time, we are excited to begin a new chapter in the G-MAC — one that builds on our proud tradition while creating new opportunities for our student-athletes, coaches, and the Greyhound community."

The G-MAC is an NCAA Division II athletic conference made up of teams from Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio. Here are the teams:

 

• Ashland University (Ohio)
• Cedarville University (Ohio)
• University of Findlay (Ohio)
• Hillsdale College (Michigan)
• Kentucky Wesleyan College (Kentucky)
• Lake Erie College (Ohio)
• Malone University (Ohio)
• Northwood University (Michigan)
• Ohio Dominican University (Ohio)
• Tiffin University (Ohio)
• Ursuline College (Ohio)
• Walsh University (Ohio)

This change marks UIndy's first major conference shift since joining the GLVC in 1978.

Good luck to the Greyhounds in this new direction.  

Post your interesting stories about NIL here.

Here’s a broad overview of NIL: https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/31086019/everything-need-know-ncaa-nil-debate

One aspect I find interesting is a little tidbit I learned for the first time today. Heard Paul Finebaum say that part of the NIL regulation is that a kid can’t compete against the university. For example, Notre Dame has a contract with Under Armour. I think that means a player at Notre Dame can’t have his own shoe deal with Nike. How can that be legal?

Not a fan of this move. The o line was an issue most of the season; more so due to injuries and lack of depth. But jenkins was one worth keeping. He can and has played multiple spots. 

That said, I just saw this posted this evening. As a football fan, I loved listening to Madden's insight. He made things easy to understand, and it was obvious he loved his job. 

RIP John and thank you for so many great memories

16 Teams - Perfect in my opinion. Eliminate the committee. Use the AP poll..........or even better, an average of the AP, Coaches Poll, BPI, and Sagarin. 

24 Teams - Watered down in my opinion. 

I guess I'm siding with the SEC on this one. Sorry B1G. 

Quote

Indiana football quarterback Tayven Jackson has entered the transfer portal, per a report by 247Sports' Matt Zenitz.

Jackson, the former Center Grove standout who transferred to IU from Tennessee, was Kurtis Rourke's backup this season, and helped lead the Hoosiers in the second half of the Nebraska win and started the victory over Washington.

Jackson, the younger brother of IU basketball star Trayce Jackson-Davis, completed 27-of-37 passes for 349 yards, four touchdowns and one interception this season. He also rushed for three scores.

Rourke is out of eligibility and Curt Cignetti and staff have been entertaining potential transfer targets, including Cal's Fernando Mendoza (older brother to IU freshman Alberto Mendoza) and Penn State's Beau Pribula.

Jackson's decision to enter the portal only increases the need for the Hoosiers to add a veteran quarterback (maybe two) this offseason.

Along with Alberto Mendoza, IU has another former Center Grove state champion QB Tyler Cherry on roster. He, like Mendoza, redshirted this season.

Hmm, it looked to me like young Mr. Jackson was the heir apparent to Mr. Rourke.   What happened?  Did Mr. Cignetti tell him he's not good enough?

Thoughts on this? Are we going to see a downturn in inter-conference games between Power 4 programs?

In the not too distant future, NFL and major college on field officials will have a greatly diminished role.

For these purposes, I am treating the NFL and major college football the same, since the latter is becoming little more than the minor leagues for the NFL. But that’s a story for another day.

The game at the upper level has evolved in 3 ways, all of which will combine to reduce the role of the on field officials.

First, the game has evolved physically. The players are bigger, faster, more athletic, harder to keep up with. They can do things you’d swear a human being couldn’t do. This aspect of the game has never placed more demands on the officials than it does now.

Secondly, the game has evolved technologically. Cameras everywhere. Enhanced use of replay. Now, every coach and fan can see, from multiple angles, in slow motion or stop action, what the on field official sees in a second. This has created unrealistic expectations among coaches and fans: “If I can see it, the official should have seen it, too.” The Dunning-Kruger Effect is in play here.

Lastly, the game has evolved financially. Not just in terms of player compensation and broadcast revenue, but gambling. There is simply too much money at stake to leave things to the judgment of an official who may not have had the best look at a play.

What does this mean for officials at the upper levels of the game? It means their role is going to be reduced to ministerial actions, like setting the ball, walking penalties, breaking up scuffles, etc. The actual calls (and no calls) will be made by AI using multiple cameras. AI will determine if there is a foul, for example, what the enforcement should be, etc., and relay that information to the field officials to administer.

In the future, the real officiating will be done at the small college level and below. Then, as the technology gets even better and more commonplace, the “reduced role” of officials will start trickling down. 

Not a pretty picture, is it? I’m considering making my crystal ball into a garden ornament.

This is pretty cool. 

Go Cubs Go!

For the 2026 season, the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee on Thursday approved a one-year trial rule to modify the penalty structure when players are penalized for targeting.

Under the rule, a player disqualified for targeting for the first time during the season, regardless of which half it occurs, may participate in the next game.

Any player disqualified for targeting a second time during the season will be required to miss the first half of the next game. If a player is disqualified for a third targeting penalty during the season, the player will be required to miss the entire next game. No players were disqualified for targeting three times in the 2025 season.

A conference has the option to initiate an appeals process after a player's second targeting offense. The appeal, which can cover the first and second targeting offenses, would be sent to the NCAA national coordinator of football officials, who would then facilitate a video review.

If the call is overturned on appeal, the player will be able to play without sitting out the first half of the next game.  

Previously, players disqualified for targeting would be disqualified for the remainder of that game, and if the foul occurred in the second half, the player would sit the first half of the next game. 

Since the 2022 season, conference offices have been allowed to appeal second-half targeting disqualifications to the NCAA national coordinator of officials in hopes of having the call overturned so the player would not have to miss the first half of the next game.

Fair catch kick 

Under another rule approved Thursday by the oversight committee, a team can choose to attempt a kick after a completed or awarded fair catch. The kick will be a field goal place kick with a holder (no tee) or a drop kick from the spot where the returner caught the ball.

If the ensuing kick goes through the uprights, it will add 3 points to that team's total. The defense is required to be at least 10 yards from the spot of the kick.

This rule further aligns Division I with similar rules that exist in NFL and high school football.

Other rule changes approved

• On punts where jersey number exceptions (players who do not wear numbers 50-79) are used, the snapper and two adjacent linemen on either side who are lined up in (or touching) the tackle box are ineligible receivers by position and become exceptions to the numbering rule when the snapper takes his position. This clarifies which players are eligible receivers in the formation.
• While the Division I Football Rules Subcommittee is comfortable with the administration of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, the oversight committee approved clarifying the rule to give on-field officials guidance to align with the current game. Officials will focus on unsportsmanlike conduct where a player taunts an opponent; actions that interfere with game administration; and celebrations found demeaning to the game or opponent.
• Offensive pass interference penalties will be 10 yards. Previously, the penalty for offensive pass interference was 15 yards.

Uniforms

The oversight committee did not approve a proposal that would have required players to wear leg coverings from the top of their shoes to the bottom of their pants.