All Hail College Football

All eyes are on the No. 1 team from The AP Top 25, Texas, and the Big 12 matchup between No. 22 Iowa State and No. 17 Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland

August 18, 2025

College Football Season Kicks Off With Thrilling Matchups and High Stakes
A handful of games kick off the season Aug. 23, with the most intriguing a Big 12 matchup between No. 22 Iowa State and No. 17 Kansas State that will take place in Dublin, Ireland.

The AP Top 25 and the coaches poll both list Texas as the preseason No. 1 team and the Longhorns are currently the favorite (plus-450, or 9-2 odds) to win the national championship, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Ohio State is right behind them (plus-525), followed by No. 5 Georgia and No. 2 Penn State (both 7-1) and then Clemson and No. 7 Oregon (both 9-1).
^{AP News}

Bubba Cunningham Shares Revenue Sharing Split For UNC Football, Basketball
When speaking on UNC’s Carolina Insider podcast, UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham said the majority of the revenue sharing percentages are split with 65% for football and 35% for men’s basketball, with baseball and women’s basketball, respectively, receiving the rest. UNC’s model for splitting the revenue will differ from the proposed outline.
^On3

Lakers, Warriors Tie for Most National TV Games in 2025-26
Sportico’s Lev Akabas reports: “The overall number of games that fans will be able to watch outside of their local markets will be up in 2025-26 under the first year of the NBA’s new media rights package. Between Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon, the league’s media parents will show games on every day of the week once the NFL season concludes.”
^Sportico

Sports Leagues on Hot Seat as Congress Eyes Blackout Rules
Sportico’s Anthony Crupi reports: “On Monday morning, league bosses Roger Goodell, Adam Silver, Rob Manfred, and Gary Bettman were asked to participate in a briefing on matters related to the sports broadcasting market, including those having to do with blackout exemptions. The letters were signed by HJC chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), the latter of whom chairs the subcommittee on the administrative state, regulatory reform and antitrust. It’s that last item on Fitzgerald’s plate that may prove to be particularly worrisome for the heads of the professional sports outfits.

“Jordan’s letter to Goodell opens with the assertion that the House intends to look under the hood of the ‘61 SBA, which effectively created the antitrust exemption that allows pro sports leagues to collectively negotiate and sell their TV rights directly to the networks, rather than sending each individual team out into the marketplace to hammer out its own deals.”
^Sportico

As NFL Eyes Overseas Growth, UK Ambassador Pushes for Super Bowl
FOS’ Eric Fisher writes, “The prospect of the NFL holding a Super Bowl in the U.K., while still somewhat theoretical, has gained another notable supporter. Peter Mandelson, the British ambassador to the U.S., told the Chicago Council on Global Affairs that he’s making a full-fledged effort to bring the league’s title game to his country.”
^{Front Office Sports}

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New Mexico’s Revenue Sports Had One Good Year. Then Almost Everyone Left Town
The Athletic’s Chris Vannini writes, “At the University of New Mexico over the past year, the Lobos have seen the departures of their athletic director, head football coach, star quarterback, top two running backs, top four receivers, top tackler, head men’s basketball coach, conference player of the year point guard, starting shooting guard and more, all leaving for other schools following brief runs of success. That came one year after New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia followed his former coach Jerry Kill to Vanderbilt, where he became a star after the Commodores beat Alabama.”
^{The Athletic}

Big Ten Moves CFP Expansion Goalposts Up to 28
FOS’ Eric Fisher writes, “The Big Ten, led by commissioner Tony Petitti, is considering a far larger CFP expansion to 24 or 28 teams, according to multiple reports. While still very much just an idea, and not something that’s been formally proposed, the concept was almost simultaneously disseminated Saturday afternoon by several top college football reporters, and with similar phrasing, signaling the conference’s keen interest in an even larger CFP format.”
^{Front Office Sports}

Mid-Major Conferences Launch Coalition to Lobby Capitol Hill and Protect Their Future in College Sports
SBJ’s Ben Portnoy writes, “The coalition, which includes the Atlantic 10, Big Sky, Big West, Horizon, Metro Atlantic Athletic, Ohio Valley, Southern, Summit, Western Athletic and West Coast conferences, initially grew out of discussions between [president of Youngstown State] Johnson and Horizon League Commissioner Julie Roe Lach.

“Set against the backdrop of a college sports landscape that’s become increasingly stacked against mid-majors, Johnson and Lach opened a dialogue through their regularly scheduled talks, trying to decipher how to best affect growing governmental interest in college sports. That brainstorming evolved into communication with other leaders across the mid-major level and, ultimately, the formation of the group.”
^{Front Office Sports}

Sankey Stresses Need for Federal Legislation Around College Athletics
Sankey said, “We really can’t go on as we are. We need the ability to have national standards.” He added, “I spent a couple hours Saturday on a video conference with a basketball coach from another conference and a senator from the Democrat side of the aisle, because this is a nonpartisan issue and a bipartisan solution.
^{Sports Business Journal}

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