College football coach rankings: Alabama’s Nick Saban tops list of 124 coachesSporting News has ranked the 124 FBS head coaches by conference. Now it’s time to see how they rate overall.

First, some notes about our list:

— The Big 12 coaches have by far the best average ranking: 27.2, which crushes the second-best SEC’s average ranking of 43.3. Next in line: the Pac-12 (43.8), ACC (45.6) and Big Ten (46.8).

— Of course, the Big 12 has only 10 teams. Compared with the top 10 rankings by conference, it falls slightly below the SEC’s average of 26.6. The Pac-12 still ranks third at 34.5, followed by the Big Ten (35.9) and the ACC (37.0).

— The SEC is the only league other than the Big 12 whose lowest-ranked coach isn’t in the 100s. Tennessee’s Derek Dooley, the No. 14 SEC coach on our list, ranks 99th overall.

Read more: aol.sportingnews.com

WHAT IF TELEVISION EXECUTIVES COULD SET UP A 16 TEAM FOOTBALL SUPER CONFERENCE?

Television is driving all of conference realignment.

Whether it’s the Longhorn Network that precipitated last year’s slate of realignment or the massive rights deal recently inked by the SEC that set rights fees soaring into the stratosphere, television is the driving force behind the seismic shifts in college athletics.

But most of these shifts are relatively small, that is, most conferences have plenty of anchor teams that clearly aren’t going to relocate for a bigger paycheck.

read more: outkickthecoverage.com

Tough road lies ahead for playoff debate

The factions are forming.

As the debate continues to rage on about the future of college football’s postseason plan, those involved with making the final decisions are not unanimous with their beliefs.

While everyone appears to be in agreement on a four-team playoff, the selection of those four teams is being hotly contested between the conference commissioners.

The Big Ten’s Jim Delany added more fuel to the fire when he told The Associated Press that he doesn’t believe a playoff should include a team that doesn’t win its division.

read more: blogs.orlandosentinel.com

Tigers, Trojans, Tide exit spring practice atop Power Rankings

Other than deciding how to split the money, the most difficult task facing conference commissioners in the next few months is devising the system that will select the teams that play in the upcoming playoff. Do they keep the current BCS ranking system? Do they follow the model of the NCAA basketball and baseball tournaments and empanel a selection committee? Do they develop an entirely new ranking formula?

Read more: si.com

Ryan defends Wisconsin’s transfer stance

Madison – Not long after Wisconsin officials changed the conditions of Jarrod Uthoff’s scholarship release, UW men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan held court in his office for 35 minutes to discuss the events of the last week.

Ryan was candid, colorful, went on the defensive when talking about his program, and was adamant he handled Uthoff’s transfer request appropriately after consulting with other coaches who have lost players over the years.

“What is it that we did or didn’t do that doesn’t follow the letter of the law, the letter of the rule?” he asked a group of about a dozen reporters. “If somebody knows a better way for the University of Wisconsin to at least have the opportunity to talk to the young man, whether it’s the coach, which wasn’t going to happen (and) wasn’t my choice, or the administration . . . throw it out here.”

Read more: jsonline.com

Bielema looks to match bowl legacy of Alvarez

Los Angeles - The question has stalked Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema from Wisconsin to California.

What would it mean for you to win the Rose Bowl?

Bielema’s responses have varied in length and tone, but the message has been the same.

A victory for No. 9 UW (11-2) over No. 6 Oregon (11-2) in the 98th Rose Bowl at 4:10 p.m. Monday would give Bielema a .500 record in bowl games, allow his players to secure a trophy that eluded them in this storied game last season and continue elevating the national profile of the program. “It would obviously be better than losing,” said Bielema, whose first trip to the Rose Bowl as UW’s coach ended with a 21-19 loss to TCU.

jsonline.com

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