If you had told anyone at Texas back in August they would beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, lose just once in a close game to a top-15 team and have the opportunity to win the Big 12 championship with a 12-1 record, they would have taken it with no questions asked. 

Not only would that have been considered one of the great seasons for any Texas team in the last 30 years, it would have easily been good enough to get the Longhorns into every previous edition of the College Football Playoff.

Instead, because it happened this season, it might get them left out in the cold.

As college football playoff’s championship weekend unfolds with plenty of possibilities still on the table, this much seems clear: If all the favorites win their conference title games, Texas is likely to end up in fifth place. Nice season, Longhorns. Have a good time at the Cotton Bowl. 

After nine controversy-free years of the four-team playoff, the 10th and final edition could give us a true outrage that not only justifies expansion to 12 teams next year but also explains Texas’ urgency to leave the Big 12 behind.

When the Longhorns move to the SEC next year, life will undoubtedly be more difficult. Knocking heads with Florida, Georgia and Texas A&M is going to be a much different experience than Kansas, Iowa State and Baylor.  

But if Texas gets left out of the playoff this year, the blame won’t just go to the 75-yard drive they allowed to Oklahoma in the final 77 seconds of the Red River Rivalry. It will be the overall weakness of the Big 12 that keeps them out. 

As things stand, the Longhorns have just two victories over teams ranked in the CFP’s top-25. One of them was the aforementioned 34-24 win at Alabama, which is arguably the best win anyone has had all year. The other, a 33-30 overtime win over No. 25 Kansas State, isn’t helping all that much. 

Still, it would historically be good enough to get into the CFP if the Longhorns take care of business Saturday against No. 18 Oklahoma State. So far this year, it’s only gotten Texas to No. 7 — one spot behind even Ohio State, which lost to Michigan last weekend. Quite simply, that tells us Texas is absolutely going to need some help. 

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian is saying the right things. Publicly, he’s focusing on the opportunity to win the Big 12, which the Longhorns have only done three times in the 27-year history of the conference. He also knows his team is fully capable of losing to Oklahoma State, so it would be counterproductive to engage in some preemptive lobbying. 

“There is no College Football Playoff talk if we don’t play really good Saturday and find a way to win that game, he said this week. “If that happens, then there’s another discussion to be had. A lot of teams have to play and the dust is going to settle where it’s supposed to so we’ll see what happens.”

Complaining wouldn’t do much good anyway. If Georgia, Michigan, Washington and Florida State all win to make a quartet of 13-0 teams, the committee’s job will be very easy and Texas will have to accept its rotten luck.

But if any of the results go a different way, the Longhorns will rightfully be kicking and screaming if they get left out. 

If Alabama beats Georgia, Texas absolutely has an argument to say: “Hey, didn’t we beat this team on their home field? And it wasn’t even particularly close in the end. Why should they jump over us?”

Let’s say Oregon beats Washington on Friday night. Based on the eye test, the Ducks have arguably looked better than anyone in the country for the last several weeks. But would a 12-1 Oregon team with just two top-25 wins (Washington, Oregon State) really have a better Playoff résumé than Texas with three top-25 wins and the Alabama trump card?

Though Michigan losing to Iowa is probably the most far-fetched possibility, how safe are the Wolverines really? They played nobody in the non-conference schedule, and the Big Ten was just as terrible as the Big 12 in the middle and bottom of the standings. 

Then there’s Florida State, a team that will once and for all expose the lie that the CFP committee picks the four “best” teams if it beats Louisville in the ACC championship game. 

The Seminoles were very much on track to be a national title contender until quarterback Jordan Travis’ awful leg injury a couple weeks ago against North Alabama. But once that happened, they become a different team that almost certainly isn’t going to win a national championship and would project to be around a two-touchdown underdog to Georgia in the semifinals. 

Downgrading Florida State’s chances with Tate Rodemaker at quarterback isn’t a criticism of the team or the awesome job coach Mike Norvell has done to rebuild the program into a national power. It’s merely a reflection of how good Travis was and how much they’re going to miss him in a Playoff scenario. If the committee truly saw its job as picking the four best teams, it’s pretty easy to make the argument that Texas is a better team than this version of Florida State. 

But when the committee gets down to it, are they really going to leave out a 13-0 team — even if all of them would pick Texas, Alabama, Ohio State or whoever to beat the Seminoles if they played on a neutral field tomorrow?

No, they’re almost certainly not going to do that because taking a power conference team with a loss over a power conference team without a loss would be too controversial. For all the conspiracy theories about this committee and what metrics they care about, the end result is always quite simple: Unbeaten teams get in, even if it’s at the expense of someone with a better shot to win the national championship.

That’s why Playoff expansion had to happen. The only upset is that it took this long to potentially have a year where a truly deserving team gets left out. 

Unless something unexpected happens Saturday, that team is going to be Texas. Not that it was a close call for the Longhorns to seek membership in the SEC, but a playoff snub of this magnitude will be all the proof they needed that leaving the Big 12 behind was the only move to make.

CARSON, Calif. — The Goodyear Blimp cruised at about 1,500 feet as the sound of a pickleball bouncing off paddles could be heard over the three 200-horsepower engines on the helium-filled airship.

Jay Devilliers and Catherine Parenteau, professional pickleball players, exchanged crisp shots during a rally mere inches from the open cockpit, occupied by two pilots.

Never mind both players said they were having a hard time maintaining their balance as the blimp sailed over the Southern California terrain.

“Crazy,’’ Devilliers said later.

On Sunday, the Goodyear Blimp will provide aerial views during the last day of the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Finals that start Thursday in San Clemente. The blimp also played a starring role in a a first-of-its-kind promotional stunt.

It involved three pickleball pros, two blimp rides and a small, makeshift pickleball court big enough only for singles matches that turned into quick-paced rallies.

The action took place inside the gondola, which inside measures about seven feet wide and is where the pilots and passengers ride. The precautionary measures included tethering the ball to the net (thus preventing a loose ball from ricocheting through the blimp) and using breakaway suction cups to attach the net to the walls (thus reducing the risk of players tripping over the net.)

Oh, and all passengers had to sign waivers.

The PPA Finals will be televised by the Tennis Channel and livestreamed on Pickleball TV. But only a few people witnessed live what occurred inside the gondola.

Such as on the second of two flights, when the co-pilot took a paddle from one player and then rallied with the other player while the pilot-in-charge steered the airship.

How did the pickleball stunt materialize?

A couple of months ago, officials at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company read an article about the rise of pickleball, said Julianne Roberts, the company’s Director of Global External Communications. She said the article mused about whether the sport was “Blimpworthy’’ — meaning big enough to warrant the iconic Blimp overhead.

For 70 years, the Goodyear Blimp has worked with the likes of the NFL, NBA and NASCAR to provide overhead views for premier televised sports events. Suddenly Goodyear was intrigued with pickleball and reached out to the PPA, the sport’s leading pro tour.

In 2022, the PPA dispatched six of its players for a pickleball exhibition on the roof of the Space Needle in Seattle. That’s 605 feet high.

The league was more than happy to provide some of its best players for the blimp excursion.

Roberts, who works at Goodyear’s corporate headquarters in Akron, Ohio, recalled the story Wednesday while standing at the Goodyear Blimp Airship Operations in Carson and literally watched pickleball reach new heights.

Why did the pilot play pickleball?

Devilliers, ranked seventh in men’s singles in the PPA rankings, is from France and affectionately known as the “Flying Frenchman.’’ He appeared to be flying high while rallying with Parenteau, ranked second in women’s singles.

 “No matter what, I’m the best male player in the blimp,’’ he joked.

That seemed a fair statement considering he was the only male pro onboard. But soon after that remark, Michael Dougherty, the co-pilot, emerged from the cockpit. (At this point, the passengers were allowed to roam the gondola and enjoy the sights.)

“I heard your outrageous claim of being the best male player on the blimp,’’ Dougherty told Devilliers with a grin. “You didn’t even give me a chance.’’

Devilliers gave the co-pilot more than a chance.

He gave him his paddle.

With the borrowed equipment, Dougherty acquitted himself well during a few minutes of rallying with Parenteau before returning to the cockpit.

The blimp landed without incident.

Is pickleball America’s fastest-growing sport?

Hard to say if blimp pickleball is just a fad, but real pickleball clearly is not.

Sports & Fitness Industry Association reported that the number of people playing pickleball in 2022 was 8.9 million, marking a 159 percent increase over three years. That makes if America’s fastest growing sport for the third year in a row, according to the association.

The prospects for people who want to make a living playing the sport seem to be improving. too.

Launched in 2018, the PPA has attracted attention and competition. They recently merged with Major League Pickleball, a group backed by the likes of Tom Brady, LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

The sport has its own star — 16-year-old Anna Leigh Waters, who is ranked No. 1 in women’s singles, No. 1 in women’s doubles and No. 1 in mixed doubles. She is making seven figures a year, according to her mother, Leigh, who said most of the money comes from sponsorship.

And did we mention pickleball is now officially blimpworthy?

There’s a scenario where this year’s College Football Playoff doesn’t include the champion of the SEC.

Here’s all that would take: Alabama beating Georgia, Michigan beating Iowa, Washington beating Oregon, Florida State beating Louisville and Texas beating Oklahoma State.

In this case, the top four would begin with the unbeaten Wolverines, unbeaten Huskies and unbeaten Seminoles. While this would be a judgment call by the playoff selection committee, the fourth spot could very well go to Texas, thanks to the Longhorns’ non-conference win in Tuscaloosa earlier this season.

While on the hold-onto-your-butts end of the spectrum, that’s just one of dozens of scenarios that could unfold during conference championship weekend.

Here’s how things could play out for the eight teams still in playoff contention, with each team’s simplest path into the top four with a win and possible avenue with a loss:

Georgia

How the Bulldogs get in:

Beat Alabama.

Georgia has lost all three previous SEC championship game matchups with the Crimson Tide. Winning this one would lock the Bulldogs into the top seed.

How the Bulldogs get in with a loss:

Louisville beats Florida State.Oklahoma State beats Texas.

This would leave Michigan as the No. 1 seed and Washington the No. 2, should the Huskies beat Oregon. (Alabama could rise as many as six spots to No. 2 should UW lose, though the Crimson Tide would match up with the Ducks either way.) With Florida State and Texas also eliminated, Georgia would be in competition for No. 4 with Ohio State, and that’s a comparison the Bulldogs would win.

Michigan

How the Wolverines get in:

Beat Iowa.

The Wolverines would be the No. 2 seed if Georgia beats Alabama.

How the Wolverines get in with a loss:

Georgia beats Alabama.Washington beats Oregon.Louisville beats Florida State.Oklahoma State beats Texas.

This would leave a field of Georgia, Washington and two teams from the Big Ten in the Wolverines and Buckeyes.

Washington

How the Huskies get in:

Beat Oregon.

Washington could be the top seed if Alabama beats Georgia and Michigan loses to Iowa, but the Huskies are guaranteed to be no lower than No. 3.

How the Huskies get in with a loss:

Georgia beats Alabama.Iowa beats Michigan.Louisville beats Florida State.Oklahoma State beats Texas.

The key result is Iowa beating Michigan, since that would make Ohio State the third-place team in the Big Ten; that should eliminate the Buckeyes, though the committee could decide otherwise. With the Tide, Seminoles and Longhorns also out of the mix, the teams left standing would be Georgia, Oregon, Washington and Michigan. While the Huskies would have the better résumé, they’d be dropped to No. 4 in this scenario to avoid a third scheduled matchup with the Ducks.

Florida State

How the Seminoles get in:

Beat Louisville.

Don’t buy into the theory that Florida State could be left out with a win against Louisville. Unbeaten Power Five champions have been and will continue to be locked into the four-team field, so the Seminoles really have nothing to worry about.

How the Seminoles get in with a loss:

No chance.

If Georgia, Michigan and Washington win, one-loss Florida State gets bounced by Texas. If Georgia, Michigan and Texas win, the Seminoles lose the comparison to Oregon. If all four unbeaten teams lose, the playoff would consist of Alabama, Oregon, Georgia and one of Michigan, Ohio State or Washington. Basically, there are guaranteed to be enough one-loss teams still standing after Saturday to keep the Seminoles out of the field with a loss in the ACC championship.

Oregon

How the Ducks get in:

Beat Washington.

Oregon could be the No. 1 seed with wins from Alabama and Iowa. Importantly, though, the Ducks would likely move ahead of unbeaten Florida State and avoid a semifinal matchup with Georgia. (Unless the Ducks would rather play the Bulldogs than Michigan, in which case that’s not a good thing.)

How the Ducks get in with a loss:

No chance.

That would be Oregon’s second loss. Even the fact that both came to an unbeaten Power Five champion and even if both losses are by a single possession won’t be enough for the Ducks.

Ohio State

How the Buckeyes get in:

Georgia beats Alabama.Michigan beats Iowa.Washington beats Oregon.Louisville beats Florida State.Oklahoma State beats Texas.

Yeah, the Buckeyes need help. Specifically, Ohio State must get Oregon, Florida State and Texas out of the equation. As you can see, this scenario demands something very uncomfortable from the Buckeyes’ fan base: rooting for Michigan to beat Iowa.

Texas

How the Longhorns get in:

Beat Oklahoma State.Georgia beats Alabama.Louisville beats Florida State.

First and foremost, Texas needs FSU to lose in order to open up a spot in the field. While wins by Texas and Florida State, in conjunction with an Alabama win, do create the environment where the SEC does not reach the playoff, this also sets up the scenario where the Longhorns are in competition for the fourth spot with the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs. Even if the committee continues to place huge value on the head-to-head win against the Tide, this is a scenario the Longhorns would want to avoid. So to be safe, the easiest way into the top four also includes an Alabama loss.

How the Longhorns get in with a loss:

No chance.

Two-loss Texas is out of the picture.

Alabama

How the Crimson Tide get in:

Beat Georgia.

In this scenario, Alabama would come in ahead of Florida State and meet the Pac-12 champion in the semifinals. As mentioned, the Tide could be the No. 2 seed if Oregon beats Washington and might end up No. 1 if the Ducks win and Iowa tops Michigan.

How the Crimson Tide get in with a loss:

No chance.

Two-loss Alabama has no shot.

Former outfielder Andre Dawson has worn a Montreal Expos cap on his National Baseball Hall of Fame plaque since his induction in 2010. That may change.

According to The Athletic, the Hall of Fame is planning to consider Dawson’s request to change his depiction on the plaque from one wearing an Expos cap to one donning the cap of the Chicago Cubs.

A representative from the National Baseball Hall of Fame confirmed they plan to speak to Dawson, though they still have not received his letter as of Wednesday night.

The 1987 National League home run leader says he did not approve the Expos hat for his plaque when the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) voted him in with the Class of 2010. He recently submitted a request to the leader of the Hall of Fame’s board of directors to have the cap changed, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“I just felt my preference all along was as a Cub,” Dawson said to the Tribune.

HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.

The 69-year-old former outfielder began his career with the Expos in 1976 and played for Montreal until 1986. He played for the Cubs from 1987-1992, then finished his career with the Red Sox (1993-94) and the Marlins (1995-96). Dawson retired from MLB after the 1996 season at 42 years old.

Who decides what caps players wear on their Hall of Fame plaque?

The Hall of Fame has chosen the cap worn by players on their plaques since 2001.

Jeff Idelson, the president of the Baseball Hall of Fame from 2008 to 2019, told ESPN in 2019, ‘[The Hall of Fame’s senior staff and research team] look at a player’s career numbers and look at the impact, and quite honestly, it’s usually a no-brainer… Then we have a conversation with the player, because we wouldn’t do something unilaterally.’

Dawson says he did not get much of a choice.

‘It’s hard for stuff to bother me, to a degree. But this has toyed with me over the years for the simple reason that I was approached with the (announcement) that was going to be released to the press that I was going to wear an Expos emblem. I didn’t agree with it at the time. But for me, getting into the Hall was the most important thing,’ he said to the Tribune.

‘Over time, I’ve thought about it more and came to the (conclusion) I should have had some say-so … I personally feel my mission, for the rest of my life going forward if that’s what it takes, is to right a wrong.’

Has a player ever changed their cap in the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Since players had been able to select their caps until 2001, no players have made a request to change their cap after their inductions.

There are several players who are members of the Hall of Fame and don’t wear a logo on their caps on their plaques.

Legendary manager Tony La Russa and dominant pitcher Greg Maddux, both members of the Hall’s Class of 2014, are two examples. La Russa and Maddux elected not to have a logo on their caps on their respective Hall of Fame plaques after storied careers managing and playing for multiple teams.

More recently, Class of 2023 member Fred McGriff also elected to enter the Hall of Fame without a logo on his cap.

Andre Dawson Cubs and Expos statistics comparison

Andre Dawson career accolades

1977 National League Rookie of the Year8x Gold Glove Award winner (1980-1985, 1987, 1988)4x Silver Slugger Award winner (1980, 1981, 1983, 1987)8x All-Star (1981-1983, 1987-1991)1981, 1983 National League MVP runner-upNational League home run leader (49) (1987)National League RBI leader (137) (1987)1987 National League MVP

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year, the magazine said Thursday.

The 56-year-old Sanders is the first collegiate coach to win the award since 2011, when Tennessee basketball coach Pat Summit and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, were honored.

‘In less than a year, Coach Prime has not only transformed a moribund Colorado football program,’ the magazine said in naming the Pro Football Hall of Famer to the prestigious award. ‘He’s also breathed fresh life into the campus and transformed a community.’

Sanders took over the Colorado program last December, following the Buffaloes 1-11 campaign in 2022.

He immediately made news by telling players in his first meeting to ‘go ahead and jump in the portal,’ signaling a roster overhaul and that he was bringing others with him from Jackson State, including his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and two-way star Travis Hunter.

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Sanders’ impact was immediate, as Colorado set a spring game attendance record and sold out its home games for the 2023 season for the first time in its history.

The Buffaloes were the talk of college football in September, when they upset 2022 national-runner up TCU in Fort Worth, with Shedeur Sanders passing for 510 yards and four touchdowns.

Colorado won its first three games before getting blown out at Oregon. They beat Arizona State but blew a 29-0 lead to Stanford, and ended 2023 by losing six straight games to finish 4-8.

Momentum is building toward a record-setting contract extension between the Milwaukee Brewers and top prospect Jackson Chourio that is progressing near the finish line.

Contract negotiations, sources told the Journal Sentinel, began in earnest late in the minor-league regular season, when members of the Brewers front office broached the topic with Chourio. 

Talks did not reach the point of an agreement before the end of the season, which kept Chourio from being included in the team’s late-season push at the big-league level, but significant progress was made.

Industry personnel, as recently as Tuesday night, were expressing optimism that a deal was nearing completion, though there was still more ground that needed to be covered, according to league sources. 

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal first reported Tuesday that the two sides were discussing a deal. The New York Post is reporting Thursday morning a deal is expected to be done today.

HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.

On Wednesday, Brewers general manager Matt Arnold declined comment.

Chourio has played only six games above the Class AA level but is nearing an agreement that would make him the highest-paid player ever without major-league experience. 

Contract extension negotiations can be a tricky process, particularly involving young players with little to no major-league experience.

Players receive immense financial security on the front end, but also risk sacrificing potential earnings down the road if they reach their potential. Teams also assume risk by offering guaranteed future money, and often seek to “buy out” a player’s first couple free-agent seasons without having to pay what may be an exorbitant market rate down the road. 

Because of the give and take between the sides, a deal in the ballpark of eight years and between $80 million and $90 million is likely, with the potential for options and incentives that could elevate the dollar amount. The sides were roughly $10 million apart in guaranteed money following discussions late Tuesday.

Those club options, which could be an important part of the negotiations from the Brewers’ side, can be one of the largest hurdles to clear in pre-arbitration extension talks. The player’s side may ask for more guaranteed money up front in exchange for the club options on the back end, or simply try to negotiate for fewer options as to reach free agency sooner.

These are the sorts of items the two sides still need to iron out.

The Brewers have been proactive in recent years in trying to lock up younger players they believe can be future foundation pieces.

Right-hander Freddy Peralta’s five-year, $15.5 million extension he signed in February of 2020 takes him through the end of 2024 with Milwaukee holding very affordable $8 million team options for both 2025 and 2026.

Peralta can also earn additional money through bonuses for various awards including finishing first through fifth in NL Cy Young Award balloting and all-star appearances.

Left-hander Aaron Ashby signed a five-year, $20.5 million extension in July of 2022 that takes him through the 2027 season with the Brewers holding a $9 million team option for 2028 ($1 million buyout) and a $13 million team option for 2029.

Both option years also include multiple incentives.

Chourio, who signed as an amateur out of Venezuela in 2021 and received a $1.8 million signing bonus, has quickly ascended through the ranks in the Brewers system to become one of the two highest-regarded prospects in baseball, along with Baltimore’s Jackson Holliday. 

He has taken home the Brewers’ minor-league player of the year award each of the last two seasons and, overall, has hit .286/.347/.490 across the minor leagues. 

Chourio does not turn 20 until March 11. And, if he signs the extension, he would likely be a part of the Brewers’ opening-day roster at the close of camp because his contract would be guaranteed and have no tie-ins to service time. 

Only five players ever have signed long-term contracts before their MLB debuts. Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert’s six-year, $50 million deal is currently the record for most money given to a player with no MLB experience. 

The Brewers have held extension discussions with other top prospects in their system in the last year prior to debuting in the majors but never got to the finish line on such an agreement.

Chourio, if in the majors, would join a crowded outfield picture that includes Christian Yelich and youngsters Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell and Joey Wiemer, along with Tyrone Taylor and Blake Perkins.

That depth could open up a variety of possibilities for the Brewers front office to potentially make a move for pitching or corner infield help if the right deal presents itself.

When Chris Barnett first heard the news that would instantly transform the quiet, hyper-focused young man he knew growing up in Lake Orion, Michigan, into a figure of intense national interest, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

Within 25 hours of an NCAA investigation into Michigan football for alleged in-person scouting and sign-stealing becoming public, Connor Stalions’ name was revealed as the centerpiece of the operation, introducing the country to what had been an anonymous staffer among a sea of maize-and-blue-clad individuals on the Wolverines sideline.

For some like Barnett back in Stalions’ hometown, it wasn’t an introduction to the 28-year-old, but a reaffirmation of what they already knew about the local boy who wouldn’t let anything impede him from his dream of coaching his childhood team.

“I’m damn proud of him,” said Barnett, Lake Orion’s township supervisor who is close with Stalions and his family. “I’m not going to get into the nuances of the NCAA rules and whether he broke them, but I just leaned back and smiled when I first heard the story because this is Connor Stalions. He’s driven. He wants to be the best he can be and help the organization he literally grew up loving be the best they can be. I wouldn’t say I was surprised to hear that he was involved in this.”

Stalions’ role in the biggest story in college football has turned him into an object of relentless fascination. A biography previously familiar to only those closest to him is now common knowledge among fans of the sport: He was born and raised in Michigan and educated at the U.S. Naval Academy. He is a retired Marine Corps Captain and someone who diligently worked his way from obsessing over the Wolverines to rubbing shoulders with their top players and coaches.

Stalions’ life was decidedly simpler growing up in Lake Orion, a suburb about 30 minutes north of Detroit with the motto, “Where living is a vacation.’ 

He was, according to Barnett, someone who largely stuck to himself. He opened up once he got to know someone, displaying a sharp wit and strong comedic timing. As Barnett put it, he was “the type of guy you would want to date your daughter,” the son of a respected local family who “live a life of service for others.” His parents, Brock and Kelly, are teachers at the local middle school, where they’ve each been named the school’s teacher of the year within the past four years. 

Connor Stalions always had an eye for Michigan

Stalions was active as a student at Lake Orion High School, where he played varsity basketball and lamented the Dragons’ 12-8 record in the school’s yearbook his senior year. He noted that, “We’re not winning the games that we should be winning.” He was a member of the National Honor Society and was on the school’s power-lifting team. While staying busy, he maintained a robust academic resume, one strong enough to earn him admission to both Navy and Michigan. In a January 2022 story from the nonprofit Soldiers to Sidelines, Stallions said he quit playing football his junior year of high school to help his father coach an eighth-grade football team.

Among his myriad interests, one loomed larger than others: Michigan — specifically, its storied football program.

Both of his parents are graduates of the university and dedicated fans of its teams. The day news of the NCAA probe broke — and one day before her son’s name would be tied to it, Kelly Stalions reposted a tweet from a Michigan fan describing the developing story as “absolute madness” and claiming it was only happening because the “NCAA hates (Jim) Harbaugh.” She also has pictures of herself with the likes of Desmond Howard and J.J. McCarthy on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Calls and messages to both of Stalions’ parents by the USA TODAY Network seeking comment for this story were not returned.

Their source of pride and passion naturally transferred to their son. By the time he was in high school, Stalions told Barnett that he wanted to one day be the head coach at Michigan. What would have seemed like an ill-conceived fantasy coming from most other teenagers meant something much different when verbalized by Stalions, who Barnett said is perhaps the most driven young person he has ever met.

“I was always impressed he had a vision and he set his mind to it,” Barnett said. “He was on that path to do what his dream was. He probably had a more direct path to doing something like that than anyone I’ve ever met or heard about.”

That drive and singular focus soon came to define his life’s path.

How Connor Stalions blended military strategy, college football

Despite being accepted at Michigan, he opted to attend the Naval Academy, believing a military background offered him a clearer road to his dream job in Ann Arbor. Once at Navy, Stalions took his first tangible steps toward his goal. He was a student volunteer for the Midshipmen, working one year in the program’s video department and three years in recruiting, according to Navy senior associate athletic director and sports information director Scott Strasemeier.

In the profile of him in Soldiers to Sidelines, Stalions claimed that after a triple-overtime win against San Jose State in 2013 — his first year as a volunteer — he drafted a report on every game clock situation and explained the best decision for each scenario. The report, Stalions told the publication, earned the approval of then-Midshipmen coach Ken Niumatalolo, who had Stalions brief the entire coaching staff on his findings.

One source familiar with Stalions’ time at Navy informed the USA TODAY Network that multiple members of the Midshipmen’s coaching staff do not recall that happening. Through a spokesperson at UCLA, where he now works, Niumatalolo declined to comment.

Dating back to 2015, when he was still at Navy, Stalions began working as a volunteer assistant at Michigan, according to his since-deleted LinkedIn account. He continued to do so once he was a Marine Corps officer stationed in Southern California, regularly making trips back to Ann Arbor on his own dime.

He leaned on his military experience and training to try to advance his career, noting in his LinkedIn profile that he sought to ’employ Marine Corps philosophies and tactics into the sport of football regarding strategies in staffing, recruiting, scouting, intelligence, planning and more.’ To help fund his travel back east, Stalions claimed he rented all the bedrooms in a house he owned while he slept on the couch. Even after he retired as a Marine Corps captain in 2022 and joined the Michigan staff in a full-time capacity, he continued to work on the side (most notably as a poorly reviewed seller of used vacuum cleaners on Amazon), according to The Wall Street Journal.

It was at Michigan where the roots for his newfound fame took hold.

Included among allegations, Stallions purchased tickets under his own name to games at 12 different Big Ten schools, as well as tickets to games involving potential College Football Playoff foes, as part of a widespread scheme in which future opponents’ signs would be recorded on video. Over the past several weeks, videos have circulated on social media of Stalions standing next to and apparently communicating with Michigan play-callers on the sideline during games, an unusual set-.arrangement for an analyst. In what might be the most bizarre twist of an already-strange saga, photos emerged of a man who looks like Stalions standing on the Central Michigan sideline during the Chippewas’ Sept. 1 loss at Michigan State, which Central Michigan and the NCAA are currently investigating.

Despite the controversy surrounding the program and whatever distractions it created, Michigan has continued to win.

Since news of the NCAA investigation broke on Oct. 19, the Wolverines have gone 5-0, with the past three victories coming without head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was suspended by the Big Ten for the final quarter of the regular season. During that time, Michigan outscored its opponents 175-76 and secured wins against top-10 Ohio State and Penn State teams. At 12-0, and with Harbaugh able to return to the sideline, the Wolverines need only a win against three-touchdown underdog Iowa in Saturday’s Big Ten championship game to make their third-consecutive College Football Playoff appearance.

The ordeal that derailed Stalions from reaching his life-long dream is both surreal and believable. Stalions becoming a controversial figure was wholly unexpected by Barnett. But the traits for which he was once praised — namely, his tenacity and unrelenting ambition — were the same ones that led him into this predicament.

For those like Barnett back in Lake Orion, they’re left to reconcile how a man lauded for his integrity and character is now inextricably tied to what might become one of the most notable on-field scandals in the history of college football.

“I think he’s doing everything he can do for an organization he loves,” Barnett said. “If you’re asking me my opinion on the morality of that or squaring that, I don’t know that I can.”

No one in college football does single-season bonuses like Michigan and Jim Harbaugh do single-season bonuses.

For a third consecutive year, the Wolverines are headed to the Big Ten Conference championship game with Harbaugh able to get $1.5 million if they win it — $1 million for the conference title and $500,000 for reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals.

No matter that this year Harbaugh was suspended for the season’s first three games and for the past three. A Michigan spokesman has said the school plans to honor the bonus provisions their contract. So, this could be Harbaugh’s third consecutive season with at least $2.2 million in bonuses and his second in which that accompanies more than $8 million in scheduled basic annual pay, according to data compiled by USA TODAY Sports.

But in the long run, the most lucrative contract-incentive outcomes of this season will belong to Louisville’s Jeff Brohm and Oregon’s Dan Lanning. In addition to $800,000 in bonuses, Brohm has secured two one-year contract extensions that have added a combined $13.5 million in guaranteed value to his deal.

Lanning has picked up a one-year extension worth — for now — a guaranteed $9.2 million. But if the Ducks end up winning the CFP championship, he would get a $500,000 raise, beginning with the start of his 2024-25 contract year. With that being the first of now-six remaining years on the agreement, that would add another $3 million to its overall value.

And, oh by the way, he’d end up with at least $1.45 million in bonuses for this season.

A full, school-by-school list of public-school head coaches’ bonus data for this season follows. It is based on whether the school’s team has a path to participate in one of the six bowl games affiliated with the CFP.

Within each of those two designations, it is alphabetical, by school. It shows amounts coaches have achieved; still can achieve if they are in contention for a CFP-affiliated game; or achieved prior to leaving for other positions or being fired. In either of the latter two cases, the amounts still may be owed to the coach. This does not include bonuses and/or pay increases for assistant coaches, staff and athletics directors that also may be resulting from these achievements. It also does not include bonuses for team academic achievements. Not all conferences have announced their coach-of-the-year awards.

Coaches capable of earning bonuses this week

Alabama: Nick Saban

Has:

►$65,000: Sixth win, eligible for bowl game not among the six connected to the College Football Playoff

►$25,000: 7-1 record (5-0 in conference play), sets up team for Citrus or Southeastern Conference Pool of Six bowl (ReliaQuest, Gator, Music City, Liberty and Duke’s Mayo).

►$75,000: Play in SEC championship game

Can get:

►$50,000: Win SEC title

►$110,000: Play in Play in CFP non-semifinal game or

$310,000: Play in CFP semifinal

►$200,000: Play in CFP title game

►$200,000: Win CFP title

Florida State: Mike Norvell

Has:

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$100,000: Play in Atlantic Coast Conference championship game

►$100,000: Win to end season with 12-0 record, set for spot at least in CFP non-semifinal game

Can get:

►$150,000: Win ACC title

►$100,000: Play in CFP semifinal

►$200,000: Play in CFP final

►$300,000: Win CFP title

Georgia: Kirby Smart

Has:

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: 7-0 record (4-0 in conference play), sets up team for Southeastern Conference Pool of Six bowl

►$100,000: Play in SEC championship game

►$100,000: Win to end season with 12-0 record, sets up team for at least CFP non-semifinal game

Can get:

►$200,000: Win SEC title

►$325,000: Play in CFP semifinal

►$250,000: Play in CFP final

►$250,000: Win CFP title

Iowa: Kirk Ferentz

Has:

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$200,000: Play in Big Ten Conference championship game

Can get:

►$50,000: Win Big Ten title

►$250,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

►Best of:

$150,000: Team ranked No. 25 through 21 in final CFP rankings, US LBM Coaches Poll, or AP media poll

$175,000: Team ranked No. 20 through 16 in final CFP rankings, US LBM Coaches Poll, or AP media poll

$200,000: Team ranked No. 15 through 11 in final CFP rankings, US LBM Coaches Poll, or AP media poll

$275,000: Team ranked No. 10 through 6 in final CFP rankings, US LBM Coaches Poll, or AP media poll

Louisville: Jeff Brohm

Has:

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement goes through thru Dec. 31, 2029. Scheduled total pay for that season is $6.5 million, all guaranteed)

►$250,000:  Ninth regular season win

►$100,000:  9-1 record (6-1 in conference play), sets up team for ACC Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 bowl (CFP non-semifinal, Outback, Tax.Slayer, Holiday or Cheez-It)

►$100,000: Play in Atlantic Coast Conference championship game

►Additional one-year contract extension and $250,000 bonus this season: 10th win (Agreement thru Dec. 31, 2030 Scheduled total pay for that season is $7 million, all guaranteed)

Can get:

►$150,000: Win ACC title

Michigan: Jim Harbaugh

Has:

►$500,000: Win Big Ten Conference East Division, play in Big Ten championship game

Can get:►$1,000,000: Win Big Ten title

►$200,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal or

$500,000: Play in CFP semifinal

►$1,000,000: Win CFP title

Mississippi: Lane Kiffin

Has:

►$100,000: Regular season win over non-conference Power Five team (Georgia Tech)

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement set to run through Dec. 31, 2027. According to a recent term sheet from the university, Kiffin’s annual pay for the 2026 contract year is scheduled to be at least $9 million, beginning Jan. 1, 2026. The guaranteed value of the additional year is not available because that is determined, in part, by an agreement with the Ole Miss Athletic Foundation, a private, non-profit organization that declines to provide that agreement.)

►$150,000: Fifth win over Southeastern Conference opponent

►$50,000: Eighth win overall, sets up team for SEC Pool of Six bowl

►$150,000: Sixth win over SEC opponent

Can get:

►$25,000: Play in Citrus Bowl or

$150,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

Missouri: Eliah Drinkwitz

Has:

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: 9-2 record (5-2 in conference play), sets up team for Southeastern Conference Pool of Six bowl or Citrus Bowl

►$25,000: 10th win

►$25,000: Win in season finale as No. 9 team in CFP rankings makes record 10-2, will keep team in final CFP top 25

Can get:

►$150,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

►$25,000: 11th win

Oklahoma: Brent Venables

Has:

►$25,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game with at least seven wins

Can get:

►$75,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

►$50,000: Win CFP non-semifinal

Oklahoma State: Mike Gundy

Has:

►$62,500: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$62,500: Play in Big 12 Conference championship game

Can get:

►$25,000: Win Big 12 title

Oregon: Dan Lanning

Has:

►$100,000: Play in Pac-12 Conference championship game

►One-year contract extension: 10th win (Agreement now set to run through Jan. 31, 2030. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $9.2 million, all guaranteed)

►$200,000: 11th regular season win

Can get:

►$150,000: Win Pac-12 title

►Best of:

$150,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

$250,000: Play in CFP semifinal

$500,000: Play in CFP final

►$500,000 bonus this season and $500,000 pay increase, beginning with start of 2024-25 contract year: Win CFP title

Penn State: James Franklin

Has:

►$200,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Can get:

►$100,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

Texas: Steve Sarkisian

Has:

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$100,000: Play in Big 12 Conference championship game

Can get:

►$100,000: Win Big 12 title

►Best of:

$25,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

$50,000: Win non-CFP bowl game or CFP non-semifinal

$75,000: Play in CFP semifinal

►$125,000: Play in CFP final

►$250,000: Win CFP title

Washington: Kalen DeBoer

Has:

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Play in Pac-12 Conference championship game

►$225,000: Win to end season with 12-0 record, set for spot at least in CFP non-semifinal game

Can get:

► $100,000: Win Pac-12 title

► $100,000: Play in CFP semifinal

► $450,000: Play in CFP final

► $50,000: Win CFP title

What other coaches have earned this season

Appalachian State: Shawn Clark

►$20,000: Competitive scheduling — play guarantee game at home stadium of Power Five opponent (North Carolina)

►$30,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Eighth win

►$30,000: Play in Sun Belt Conference championship game

Arizona: Jedd Fisch

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Win in season finale as No. 15 team in CFP rankings makes record 9-3, will keep team in CFP top 25

Arkansas State: Butch Jones

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Army: Jeff Monken

►$75,000: Win over Air Force

Auburn: Hugh Freeze

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Bowling Green: Scot Loeffler

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$7,500: Fifth win over Mid-American Conference opponent

California: Justin Wilcox

►$25,000: Beat Stanford

►$10,000: Win over UCLA in season in which UCLA has at least six regular season wins

►$25,000: Sixth regular season win

►$40,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Central Florida: Gus Malzahn

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Clemson: Dabo Swinney

►$75,000: Non-CFP bowl game with at least eight regular season wins

Coastal Carolina: Tim Beck

►$150,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Eastern Michigan: Chris Creighton

►One-year contract extension; $10,000 raise, beginning next season; $25,000 bonus this season: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game (Agreement set to run through Dec. 31, 2028. Scheduled total pay for that season would be at least $775,000, with $725,000 guaranteed.)

Fresno State: Jeff Tedford

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$40,000: Seventh regular season win

►$20,000: Eighth regular season win

Georgia Southern: Clay Helton

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Georgia State: Shawn Elliott

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Georgia Tech: Brent Key

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Iowa State: Matt Campbell

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$250,000: Seventh regular season win

Jacksonville State: Rich Rodriguez

►$10,000: Sixth regular season win

►$10,000: Seventh regular season win

►$10,000: Eighth regular season win

James Madison: Curt Cignetti

►$15,000: Win over Power Five team (Virginia)

►$20,000: Sixth regular season win or

$25,000 if play in Sun Belt Conference bowl

►$25,000: Seventh regular season win over FBS team

►One-year contract extension and $10,000 bonus this season: Eighth regular season win over FBS team  (Agreement set to run through Jan. 31, 2030. Scheduled total pay for that season would be at least $870,000, with at least $600,000 guaranteed.)

►$5,000: Ninth regular season win over FBS team

►$5,000: 10th regular season win over FBS team

Kansas: Lance Leipold

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Seventh regular season win

Kansas State: Chris Klieman

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Eighth win (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2031. Scheduled total pay for that season is $6.5 million, with at least $3,75 million guaranteed)

Kentucky: Mark Stoops

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

LSU: Brian Kelly

►$500,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Marshall: Charles Huff

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Maryland: Mike Locksley

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2028. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $7 million, with $4.55 million guaranteed.)

Memphis: Ryan Silverfield

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$75,000: Eighth win

►$25,000: Ninth win

Miami (Ohio): Chuck Martin

►$23,973: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$23,973: Play in Mid-American Conference championship game

Nevada-Las Vegas: Barry Odom

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Play in Mountain West Conference championship game

►$25,000: Mountain West coach of the year

New Mexico State: Jerry Kill

►$10,000: Win over New Mexico

►$10,000: Win over Texas-El Paso

►$20,000: Sixth regular season win

►$5,000: Seventh regular season win

►$5,000: Eighth regular season win

►$5,000: Ninth regular season win

►$25,000: Win over Power Five team (Auburn)

North Carolina:  Mack Brown

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

North Carolina State: Dave Doeren

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Eighth win

►$50,000: Ninth win

►$50,000:  Win in season finale as No. 22 team in CFP rankings makes record 9-3, will keep team in final CFP top 25

Northern Illinois: Thomas Hammock

►$15,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Ohio: Tim Albin

►One-year contract extension and $5,000 bonus this season: Eighth regular season win (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $700,000, with $300,000 guaranteed.)

►$5,000: Ninth regular season win

Old Dominion: Ricky Rahne

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Oregon State: Jonathan Smith

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement had been set to run through Feb. 28, 2030. Scheduled total pay for that season would have been $5.45 million, with $3,542,500 guaranteed. However, Smith has left Oregon State to become Michigan State’s head coach — and he is set to make $7.25 million for the 2024 season, with $100,000 annual increases in future years.)

►$50,000: Eighth regular season win

Rutgers: Greg Schiano

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

San Jose State: Brent Brennan

►$15,000: Sixth win

►One-year contract extension and $15,000 bonus this season: Sixth regular season win (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $1.9 million, with $950,000 guaranteed.)

►$5,000:  Seventh regular season win

South Alabama: Kane Wommack

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

South Florida: Alex Golesh

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Tennessee: Josh Heupel

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Win in season finale as No. 21 team in CFP rankings makes record 8-4, will keep team in final CFP top 25

Texas A&M: Jimbo Fisher

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Texas State: G.J. Kinne

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Texas Tech: Joey McGuire

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Texas-San Antonio: Jeff Traylor

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Eighth regular season win

Toledo: Jason Candle

►$75,000: Sixth regular season win

►$20,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$60,000: Seventh regular season win

►$130,000: Eighth regular season win

►$25,000: Win Mid-American Conference division title

►$15,000: Clinch berth to play in MAC championship game

►One-year contract extension and $60,000 bonus this season: Ninth regular season win (Agreement now set to run through thru Dec. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for that season is $1,125,000, with $900,000 guaranteed.)

►$20,000: MAC coach of the year

Troy: Jon Sumrall

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Eighth win (Agreement now set to run through Nov. 30, 2028. Scheduled total pay for that season is $1,100,000, all guaranteed.)

►$50,000: Play in Sun Belt championship game

UCLA: Chip Kelly

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Sixth regular season win

►$50,000: Seventh regular season win

Utah: Kyle Whittingham

►$15,000: Team ranked in top 25 at any time during season (AP preseason top 25, No. 14)

►$275,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$10,000: Team in College Football Playoff rankings at any time during season (No. 18 in first rankings of season)

Utah State: Blake Anderson

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Virginia Tech: Brent Pry

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

West Virginia: Neal Brown

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$100,000:  Eighth regular season win

Western Kentucky: Tyson Helton

►$50,000: Seventh win, team will have winning record for season

Wisconsin: Luke Fickell

►Share of pool that is 2% of $6.225 million staff pay total ($124,500): Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►Share of pool that is additional 2% of $6.225 million staff pay total (total of $249,000): Seventh win

Wyoming: Craig Bohl

►$100,000: Regular season win over non-conference Power Five team (Texas Tech)

►$33,333: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Fifth Mountain West Conference win

Post-Thanksgiving is a light week on the NFL’s 2023 schedule, just 13 games slotted on the Week 13 lineup.

And, to be sure, there are some nice matchups – including the Seattle Seahawks visiting the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, and the Houston Texans hosting the scalding Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon in a contest that suddenly carries very significant playoff ramifications for a pair of 6-5 teams sitting just outside the AFC’s final wild-card slot.

But make no mistake, the game of the weekend – maybe the entire year – will be the rematch of the 2022 NFC championship game as the San Francisco 49ers and reigning conference champion Eagles strap it up again at Philadelphia in the late Sunday afternoon window. Not only is it arguably a showdown of the league’s top two teams, but there’s also plenty of bad blood surrounding this one.

Can’t wait. Now, on to the forecast from our esteemed panel of experts:

(Odds provided by BetMGM. Access more BetMGM odds here.)

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

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