LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has signed a five-year contract for the Jayhawks to participate in the Players Era Festival. This ties one of college basketball's storied programs to the innovative out-of-conference tournament. The Players Era began in Las Vegas in 2024, funneling at least $1 million toward each participating school's name, image and likeness fund. The tournament expanded last year to 18 teams and will have 24 teams split between two events this year. The Jayhawks are now locked into the tournament through the 2030-31 season. This ensures a lucrative NIL stream and a marquee early-season showcase for the team.
UNDATED (AP) — Ohio State and Oregon hold the top two spots in the USA Today preseason coaches football poll. Ohio State received 38 of the 72 first-place votes, while Oregon got six. Georgia is third with seven first-place votes. Texas and Notre Dame round out the top five. Defending national champion Indiana is sixth with 14 first-place votes. The Southeastern Conference has five of the top 10 teams. The Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll will be released on August 17.
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Appalachian State athletics director Doug Gillin has been appointed to the College Football Playoff selection committee. CFP executive director Rich Clark named Gillin as the replacement for former Louisiana AD Bryan Maggard. Maggard recently became the deputy athletics director/chief operating officer at Missouri. Gillin has spent the last 12 years at App State, overseeing the football program’s multiple conference championships and the No. 20 spot in the final 2019 CFP rankings. The CFP selection committee is responsible for ranking the top 25 teams and setting the field for the 12-team CFP.
UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA has women's flag football on the fast track to becoming a championship sport. There could be a national title game as early as spring 2028, before the LA Games, where flag football will make its Olympic debut. More than 120 schools are slated to field a team this academic year. A vote in January by Division I, II, and III officials could cement the sport's inclusion. Schools are already recruiting and game-planning to build championship rosters. The NFL has thrown its weight behind the sport, sponsoring teams and tournaments, and USA Football is developing players to bring home an Olympic medal.
DENVER (AP) — The judge who granted the right to play another year of college sports to some athletes whose eligibility ran out last school year issued a new order to make clear that does not include football players who signed pro contracts this summer then had a change of heart. That change comes after U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney responded to an NCAA request for clarity about her ruling granting a fifth year to athletes who were not included in the new rule that allows five seasons of eligibility for Division I players.
UNDATED (AP) — The Big Ten and Southeastern Conferences have agreed to support a Senate bill that seeks to regulate college sports, ending a breakneck week of negotiations and pulling the bipartisan measure out of what looked like a certain death spiral. School presidents from both conferences voted to back the bill after receiving last-minute concessions over language regarding third-party name-image-likeness deals and the so-called “associated entities” that often make those arrangements. More details need to be worked out, but the headline is that the bill still has a chance to earn the 60 votes it needs to halt debate and head to an up-or-down vote before the Senate heads for summer break.
UNDATED (AP) — Over 100 women's college basketball players have formed the United College Athletes Association, a union for college athletes. The UCAA announced this on Friday. This comes two years after players requested collaboration on issues affecting college athletics, which was denied. Now, these athletes have signed union authorization cards for collective bargaining. The announcement follows the College Football Players Association's recent move at Stanford. The UCAA aims to represent and protect athletes, ensuring fair and safe sports. Oregon State's women's basketball team has filed for union representation. The UCAA's mission is to give athletes a voice in decision-making.
