Clark, a Kansas City Chiefs and Taylor Swift fan, might have to get into the prediction business. Swift announced her engagement with Travis Kelce on Instagram, captioning the post with, ‘Your English teach and your gym teacher are getting married.’

It wasn’t always a given for the famous couple. Many people were skeptical that the relationship was genuine, but Clark wasn’t buying it.

In fact, the Indiana Fever star guard predicted this outcome.

‘As a Kansas City Chiefs fan, how long will Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift last?’ Clark was asked in a TikTok video posted to the Big Ten Network page in October 2023.

She wasted no time replying with a prediction that took nearly two years to come true.

‘They’re gonna get married,’ Clark replied. ‘You heard it here first.’

Whether or not Clark was the first one to call this outcome is anyone’s guess, but the WNBA star has been all over this from the beginning.

If Clark ever wants to walk away from playing basketball, it appears she’d have a fine career awaiting her in the fortune telling business.

Single-handedly getting someone inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame is beyond the limit of presidential power.

Probably?

Donald Trump’s latest sports side-quest began Aug. 24 with a demand that Roger Clemens be added to the Hall of Fame – after playing golf with the seven-time Cy Young winner.

Undisputedly one of the greatest players in baseball history, Clemens’ legacy was soiled by steroid allegations brought on by his appearance in the 2007 Mitchell Report, and he failed to receive enough votes in 10 appearances on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.

Having scored a win on Major League Baseball’s reinstatement of Pete Rose in May, Trump’s again using the bully pulpit in his support for Clemens, but this case doesn’t look to have a path to victory.

The president still seems to believe MLB commissioner Rob Manfred can unilaterally add players to the Baseball Hall of Fame, but the museum is a completely separate entity from the league. Trump appears to have found this out to some degree, claiming in the Truth Social post that Manfred had ‘promised’ to put Rose in the Hall of Fame ‘but it was essentially a promise not kept because he only ‘opened it up’.’

Clemens will likely appear on a ballot again later this year, needing 12 of 16 votes from a committee made up of Hall of Famers, executives, media members and historians. He already struck out with such a group in 2022, earning less than four votes on the contemporary baseball era ballot.

Aside from the steroid allegations being a red line for voters, particularly those on the veterans committees, Clemens was divisive among peers and fans alike. Still, nearly two-thirds (65.2%) of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ended up voting for him, so it’s certainly not as if Trump is in the minority thinking Clemens is worthy.

But Clemens isn’t some sort of grassroots candidatee.

Minds were made up about him years ago and even with lobbying from the most powerful man on the planet, the Hall of Fame’s gatekeepers have no interest in Clemens’ case, much less relitigating the steroid era at large. In fact, once Alex Rodriguez falls off the ballot in 2031, the Hall of Fame’s own ‘Steroid Era’ will come to an end.

Roger Clemens thanks Trump

Clemens and his son Kacy posted photos and videos of their day on the golf course with the president, including a scorecard that showed Trump shooting a 77 at his course in Northern Virginia.

Clemens shared Trump’s Truth Social post and added: ‘I appreciate the love! DT knows more than anyone the fake news that’s out there. Everyone has their agendas… I played the game to change my family’s direction generationally and to WIN!’

Roger Clemens Hall of Fame voting results

Clemens spent 10 years on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, nearly doubling his support over the decade but still coming up short of the 75% required vote share to earn a spot in Cooperstown.

2013: 37.6%
2014: 35.4%
2015: 37.5%
2016: 45.2%
2017: 54.1%
2018: 57.3%
2019: 59.5%
2020: 61%
2021: 61.6%
2022: 65.2%
2023 (veterans committee): < 25%

On Thursday, Aug. 21, the SEC made a long-awaited move by adding a ninth conference game to its teams’ football schedules.

Five days later, one of the first ripples from that decision was felt.

The Crimson Tide were scheduled to visit Milan Puskar Stadium on Sept. 5, 2026, while the Mountaineers were set to play at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 4, 2027.

With West Virginia off the schedule, Alabama has added a non-conference game against East Carolina in 2026. Had the series with the Mountaineers not been called off, the Tide would have played two Power Four opponents in the non-conference schedule in both the 2026 and 2027 seasons, with Florida State already on the books for 2026 and Ohio State for 2027.

West Virginia, meanwhile, will instead play Coastal Carolina in 2026 and Southern Miss in 2027, with both those games coming at home.

‘We are proud of the number of high-quality home-and-home non-conference games we have scheduled for the next 10 years,’ Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said in a statement. ‘That being said, we know that college athletics has been evolving and changing rapidly over the last few years, and it made sense for us to make these adjustments on our future schedules.

‘We have a bit more flexibility as we transition to a nine-game format in the Southeastern Conference, and it gives us the opportunity to further evaluate how strength of schedule is evaluated for the College Football Playoff. Between other home-and-homes as well as conference games, we will continue to have a solid strength of schedule, which is good for our team, fans and college football.’

West Virginia has had multiple major-conference opponents as part of its three-game non-conference schedule in every full season since 2018, though this year, it’s playing only longtime rival Pitt. In a release, the university said its preferred non-conference scheduling approach is having one Power conference team, one Group of Six team and one FCS team annually, noting that it’s a structure “conducive to reaching and advancing in the new CFP format.”

‘This scheduling philosophy has proven to be successful across college football. It aligns our football program with its competition in terms of potential postseason opportunities and advancement,’ West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker said in a statement. ‘I am also aware of the importance of a seventh home game in 2027 for our fans and the huge economic impact it brings to our state, city and tourism division,’ Baker added. ‘Visitors coming to West Virginia are not only critical for state tourism, but also to our local economy.’

A Colin Kaepernick documentary, originally planned with Spike Lee and ESPN, was shelved due to creative differences.
Finding a platform to distribute the documentary may be challenging because of the NFL and political sensitivities.
The docuseries on Kaepernick is needed because he’s such an historic figure.

No, that’s not a knock on magnificent filmmaker Spike Lee, who seemed so destined when he struck a deal in 2022 with the exiled NFL quarterback and ESPN. Lee, his creative edge aligned with purpose, was just the one to do justice to the story of the man behind the most consequential protest by any athlete of this generation.

Or so it seemed. Then the project, which was close to completion, was shelved. Apparently, it’s not all on Lee or Kaepernick with ESPN (prominent NFL partner and all) squarely in the crosshairs.

What a shame. When news broke in mid-August, like a year after the fact, that the docuseries was off, ESPN issued a statement citing “certain creative differences.”  Yet Lee, prevented from discussing many details due to a non-disclosure agreement, told Business Insider there are no plans to take the project to air on another platform.

Which brings us to the point: This is a great opportunity for someone to pick up the ball.

Regardless of what factors sealed the documentary’s fate with ESPN – and it’s fair to wonder about the potential for retaliation from the Trump administration, the relationship between the network and the NFL, which recently acquired a 10% stake in the network – Kaepernick’s story still needs to be told in what promises to be a compelling documentary.

After all, 2026 will mark the 10-year anniversary of Kaepernick’s national anthem protests – which brought attention to police brutality against people of color but cost a talented quarterback his NFL career.

First, his NFL career was squashed because he took a courageous stand. Now, the backtracking on the documentary makes me wonder whether there are forces that similarly want to suppress the narrative flowing from his dramatic mark on history.

Kaepernick’s voice, essential to any documentary, still needs to be heard.

Hello, Ryan Coogler and Ezra Edelman. Those are two Academy Award-winning filmmakers who come immediately to mind for a short wish list. They would undoubtedly knock a Kaepernick documentary out of the park. While Coogler blew up years ago with “Black Panther,” before that he produced a fascinating documentary about the 1989 World Series in the Bay Area that was halted by the Loma Prieta Earthquake. And he is executive producer for “Katrina: Race Against Time,” a riveting, five-part National Geographic documentary that began streaming recently as the 20-year anniversary of the devastating hurricane that toppled New Orleans looms. Edelman produced and directed the eight-part docuseries, “O.J.: Made In America,” among other impressive works.

And Edelman knows something about a major project getting scrapped. His docuseries on Prince, which was to air on Netflix, will never be released, blocked by the legendary musician’s estate.

Kaepernick, who in 2020 signed with Disney for rights to a docuseries, hand-picked Lee as his director. But now what? We may never know the extent of their creative conflicts. Reportedly, Kaepernick may have had the sense his story – which is how the docuseries was presented in the original announcements — was overshadowed by Lee’s vision to convey a larger theme about police brutality. Maybe that was the key factor, maybe not. Maybe they resolved the differences to the point of moving forward. Maybe not. Non-disclosure, you know. In any event, the “certain creative differences” also seemingly involved ESPN, which ultimately pulled the plug on the doc.

The climate has certainly changed since 2020, when corporate America (and by extension some media entities) embraced the “racial reckoning” that occurred after George Floyd was killed on a Minneapolis street at the hands of police – ironically tragic that it illustrated the issues that Kaepernick protested over. Back then, the climate was such that telling stories about the Black experience in the media flowed with the “reckoning.”

Not so much now, amid a climate where some (if not many companies) try to avoid attention from the Trump administration, which has launched so many attacks on DEI, media entities, political opponents and then some. I’m guessing ESPN doesn’t want that smoke.

Sure, it is said – now – that the decision on the Kaepernick docuseries came about a year ago, which would have been before the Presidential election. I found it interesting, though, when ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro was asked during a live interview last week on CNBC if the decision to scrap the documentary was the result of not wanting to anger the Trump administration.

“No, absolutely not,” Pitaro began his response.

Then he went straight to what seemed like an obligatory talking point, adding, “We made that decision many months before the NFL announcements.”

Hmmm. The question was about the Trump administration, not the NFL.

Then again, ESPN’s flow with the NFL is so sensitive in this space, too. The NFL is adamant that it didn’t have a role in scrapping the documentary (and, no, the NFL wasn’t jumping on the table demanding that ESPN move forward with the doc). And NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell assured ESPN staff during a Town Hall meeting on Aug. 13, via Zoom, that the league, despite its 10% equity stake, would not get involved with its journalistic independence, which presumably extends to myriad content. Goodell also had similar emphasis in speaking to CBS staff in New York the previous day.

Still, that’s always going to be in the air when it comes to a (potential) Kaepernick documentary. Even if another ultra-credible producer starts from scratch and creates a remarkable docuseries … on which platform will it be distributed?

Remember, Kaepernick’s story can’t be told without Trump and even more so, the NFL, cast as major villains. Kaepernick, unable to land another NFL job – despite his resume and the perpetual need for quarterbacks in the league — sued the NFL for collusion. That the league settled said something about the merits of his case.

Now think of all the media partners doing business with the NFL. In addition to ESPN and ABC, there’s NBC (and Peacock), Fox, CBS, Amazon, Netflix and YouTube. And maybe at some point, AppleTV. Given the politics of big business, I’d be shocked if any of those partners, or potential partners, would embrace a Kaepernick documentary about now.

Sure, there are some non-NFL attached entities out there. Think PBS or Vice. The point is that the challenges for a Kaepernick documentary to get maximum exposure extend beyond the creativity of the content.

Then again, the drama attached to the documentary adds another layer to the saga.

A documentary that somehow, in some way, by somebody, needs to be done.

Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on social media: On X: @JarrettBell

On Bluesky: jarrettbell.bsky.social

CHICAGO — Don’t hold A’ja Wilson’s greatness against her.

There has been some thought, aided by the Las Vegas Aces’ rocky start, that this was going to be the season for someone else to win MVP. That as otherworldly as Wilson is, the wealth should be shared.

That’s not fair, though. To Wilson or the game.

“There’s not a more dominant player,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said Monday night, after Wilson dropped 18 points and nine rebounds in a 79-74 win over the Chicago Sky that extended Las Vegas’ win streak to 11 and clinched a playoff spot.

“If you had to pick one right now — you could pick anybody in the league and you got one game to win, who are you taking? That answers your question. Or if you start with that as the question: Who’s as good as A’ja Wilson? That’s the point.”

Hammon is, of course, biased. Wilson, the league’s MVP in three of the last five seasons, is the driving force for Las Vegas, offensively and defensively. The Aces don’t have those titles in 2022 and 2023, or that trip to the semifinals last year, without Wilson.

But Hammon also has a point.

Wilson leads the league in total points scored and is a close second to Napheesa Collier in scoring average. She also is No. 1 in rebounding, blocks and that all-important player efficiency measure. She’s the only player to rank in the top three in points, rebounds, steals and blocks.

Really, though, Wilson’s game has been next-level since … Well, since South Carolina.

She has been top 10 in scoring, rebounding, blocks and efficiency every year she’s been in the WNBA. And most years, she’s been first or second in each of those categories. Wilson reached 5,500 points and 2,000 rebounds faster than anyone in WNBA history, and is also the only player with three games of at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.

“It gets lost a little bit, and I don’t think that’s fair. I mean, the way that she shows up every single night, I think people get used to it,” said Jackie Young, who has played alongside Wilson her entire career.

“She puts up the numbers every single night, and because she’s won three MVPs, I don’t think that it should get lost,” Young added. “She’s still putting up these numbers every single night, and I think she should be rewarded for that.”

This is not a slight against Collier, or the season she’s having. But there is a tendency to hold transcendent players to higher standards, to judge them against themselves rather than their peers. To get so used to someone being exceptional that it becomes the expectation.

There is also a very real “fatigue” factor. Was Charles Barkley really the MVP in 1993? Or were people just tired of seeing Michael Jordan win everything? Same for Karl Malone in 1997. Nikola Jokić has three MVPs, but Hammon thinks he deserved a fourth.

“The way he impacts a game with the passing and the rebounding and the scoring, he just is so dominant in every kind of which way. A’ja has a similar dominant state line,” said Hammon, who spent eight years as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs before being hired to coach the Aces.

“She just impacts every area of the game. First in total points. First in total rebounds. First in total blocks. Blocks, steals. She’s everywhere. She’s everywhere,” Hammon said, drawing out that last word. “That’s dominance.”

With the Aces’ struggles at the beginning of the season — after a 9-11 start there were some doubts about the playoffs — and the dominance of Collier and the Minnesota Lynx, Wilson was, for the first time in several years, largely absent from early MVP debates. Collier, who finished second to Wilson last year, was the favorite.

Might still be, though Collier’s absence for seven games because of a sprained ankle and the Aces’ second-half tear have put Wilson squarely back in the conversation. Wilson is averaging 26.2 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.5 steals a game during Las Vegas’ 11-game win streak.

On Tuesday, she was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for a third consecutive week.

“She’s going to be the greatest player to ever play this game when it’s all said and done,” Hammon said. “Don’t miss it.”

And never, ever take her greatness for granted.  

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

NFL cut day was interrupted by some big news from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. They are officially engaged.

Swift and Kelce shared the news with an Instagram collaboration that showed Kelce kneeling and presenting the pop star with a ring.

‘Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,’ read Swift’s caption for the photo.

Long live the Eras Tour with our enchanting book

Swift and Kelce have been dating since 2023, shortly after Kelce made overtures to Swift on his ‘New Heights’ podcast.

Just over two years following that podcast appearance, they are set to tie the knot.

Here’s what to know about Swift and Kelce’s engagement and when they may eventually be wed.

When are Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce getting married?

Swift and Kelce have not clarified their timeline for getting married. It isn’t yet clear whether they have one or whether they will publicly reveal a wedding date at any point. They have simply announced they are engaged.

The 2025 NFL season is set to begin in less than two weeks. As such, it’s fair to assume no wedding will be held until after the 2026 Super Bowl, as Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are hoping to make it to the ‘Big Game’ for a fourth consecutive season.

Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess as to when Kelce and Swift’s wedding will be. Swift is set to release her ‘Life of a Showgirl’ album Oct. 3, 2025, but has not yet provided details about potential tour related to the release.

It’s a love story, and Taylor Swift said yes.

The superstar and Travis Kelce, who have been dating since 2023, announced that they’re engaged to be married in a joint post on Instagram on Tuesday afternoon.

The couple joked to their fans ‘Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,’ alongside a five-photo carousel of Swift and Kelce surrounded by flowers with Travis on one knee. While there’s no word on when the nuptials will take place, well wishes immediately started pouring in from the worlds of music, sports and more for the mega-famous couple.

Keep up with the USA TODAY Network’s live updates.

Swift + Kelce special edition

Taylor Swift’s engagement ring: What to know about the old mine diamond

Swift and Kelce’s Instagram post announcing their engagement featured a close-up shot of the singer’s engagement ring, and the USA TODAY Network can confirm it was created by Kindred Lubeck with Artifex Fine Jewelry.

It’s an old mine brilliant cut, with a gold band that matched the Cartier watch she’s also wearing in the photos.

NFL, athletes celebrate Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes reposted the announcement to his Instagram story accompanied by three heart emojis. “New Heights,” the Kelce brothers’ podcast, shared the clip of Jason Kelce asking Travis about the concert he attended two years ago and then a picture of the engagement in the “how it started, how it’s going” meme format.

The NFL’s official social media account reposted a picture from the proposal and also shared a clip of Kelce and Swift after the Chiefs’ victory in Super Bowl 58, with Swift telling Kelce, “I’m in shock, I can’t believe this is really happening,” as confetti fell.

Second-ranked women’s tennis player Iga Swiatek – and noted Swiftie – had news of the engagement broken to her on ESPN’s set of the network’s coverage at the US Open and replied “Oh my God, I’m so happy for her.” 

Trump to Swift and Kelce: ‘I wish them a lot of luck’

President Donald Trump hasn’t always been Taylor Swift’s biggest fan, but he had warm wishes for the musician and her football player finance Travis Kelce on their engagement.

‘I think he’s a great player. I think he’s a great guy,’ Trump said at the White House Aug. 26. ‘And I think that she’s a terrific person, so I wish them a lot of luck.’

Trump has repeatedly slammed Swift, who endorsed his 2024 Democratic opponent Kamala Harris.

‘Just look at Woke singer Taylor Swift,’ Trump wrote in an Aug. 4 social media post. ‘Ever since I alerted the world as to what she was by saying on TRUTH that I can’t stand her (HATE!). She was booed out of the Super Bowl and became, NO LONGER HOT. The tide has seriously turned — Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be.’

– Zac Anderson

How long have Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce been together?

The real-life rom com played out on a football field and concert stops after Kelce went to the Eras Tour in Kansas City in 2023 with a friendship bracelet that he couldn’t get to the singer.

‘I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings,’ Kelce said to his brother, Jason.

Swift reached out to him after he put her on blast on ‘New Heights,’ and the two began dating quietly until they went public when Swift attended the Chiefs vs. Bears game on Sept. 24, 2023. She attended 13 games that season culminating in Super Bowl 58 when Kansas City beat the 49ers.

Kelce visited Swift’s three plus hour show 14 times in Argentina, Australia, Singapore, France, England, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany and Indianapolis.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce engagement overshadows Trump cabinet meeting, interrupts Fox News coverage

Power couple Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged. And for a moment, the couple’s news overshadowed the president.

Shortly after Swift’s post, Fox News broke away from their continuous coverage of Trump’s Cabinet meeting in Washington to share the news, according to The Hill.

‘She does have an impeccable sense of timing,’ one commenter posted on X.

‘Stealing Trump’s spotlight is her favorite thing to do,’ another said.

Taylor Swift spotted at NFL games

For the 2024 season, Swift only attended home games at Arrowhead Stadium turning the stadium tunnel into a personal runway. Photographers and reporters snapped pics of her looks from local vintage to designer label fashion. She attended Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans, and the heavily Eagles crowd booed her when she was shown onscreen for a few seconds.

Kelce hard launched their relationship on Instagram at the start of Kansas City training camp in July, posting a carousel of 13 photos with the caption, ‘Had some adventures this offseason, kept it .’ The main photo showed Kelce smiling ear-to-ear in a ‘captain’ gold anchor hat while Swift points to being his ‘first mate.’

In a GQ profile released Aug. 12, Kelce gushed about Swift’s work ethic, stamina and values.

‘When there is not a camera on us, we’re just two people that are in love,’ Kelce said in the piece. ‘It can be perceived as something else because of how much it is talked about and how much we are tracked whenever we do go out, but I would say that it’s as normal of … It happened very organically even though from a media standpoint it was being tracked. It still happened very organically.’

Love lines stringing the eras

You could say Swift has been tying the invisible string between her and the Kansas City tight end since the very beginning. In her debut album on ‘Mary’s Song (Oh My My My),’ she sings: ‘I’ll be eighty-seven; you’ll be eighty-nine / I’ll still look at you like the stars that shine / In the sky, oh my my my.’

His number on the Chiefs is 87, and her album ‘1989’ refers to the year she was born. The singer sang the song as part of a mashup to Kelce on July 6 in Amsterdam.

Kelce is the only guy Swift has changed her lyrics for, and it became a tradition on the Eras Tour. During her song ‘Karma’ from ‘Midnights,’ she switched ‘karma is the guy on the screen’ to ‘karma is the guy on the Chiefs.’ She performed the altered line 14 times when he was in the audience and twice when the Chiefs won a game during her concert.

Finally, cue the songs she may have written with him In mind: ‘The Alchemy’ and ‘So High School’ off ‘The Tortured Poets Department.’ For her 87th show in Paris, she sang, ‘This happens once every few lifetimes,’ to Kelce dancing in a suite above the stadium.

The wristbands on every concert attendees’ wrist glowed bright red and the crowd roared. Swift made ‘The Alchemy’ the closing credit song for the concert, replacing ‘You’re On Your Own Kid.’ She also incorporated ‘So High School’ into her set list for year 2 with moves inspired by Kelce’s end zone dances. In the lyric video, the football lights show a ‘TS’ and ‘TK’ in light pink at 0:43.

Follow Taylor Swift reporter Bryan West on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.

These college football program rankings were based on a variety of factors, including traditions, fan base, on-field success and recruiting territory.
Despite being the most recent national championship winners, Ohio State is not rated No. 1.
Some blue blood programs such as Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Texas have gone through title droughts.

My program is better than your program. That’s the start of the quintessential college football argument. And it’s an argument that never really produces an agreement between the sides involved because they are intractable in their positions.

So how do you solve the debate? You bring together the staff at USA TODAY Sports to vote on the best programs and produce a definitive list of the 25 best based on a variety of factors, including traditions, fan base, on-field success and recruiting territory.

How much each of those factors are weighed depends on the mind of those casting ballots. There’s the matter of weighing the historical success of blue blood programs, like Oklahoma, Texas, Notre Dame and Nebraska, that have gone through title droughts. And also programs, like Clemson, LSU and Georgia, that have won multiple titles in the last 20 years.

With enough voters to spread out the highs and lows of both perspectives, we’ve assembled our ranking sure to inspire debate and sure to lead to unresolved disagreements.

1. Alabama

Alabama conveys authority, building an international brand from a home base where college football is a cultural pillar. The two most legendary coaches in the sport’s history, Nick Saban and Bear Bryant, ruled at Alabama. Wallace Wade and Gene Stallings thrived, too, and produced national championship glory. Alabama is a recruiting machine that consistently attracts, then develops, premier talent.

2. Ohio State

The most consistently successful program in college football. Each of the past three permanent head coaches (Tressel, Meyer and Day) have won a national championship. The Buckeyes have won at least 10 games in every non-COVID season since 2005 but one (2011) and have just two losing seasons since 1960. Overall, Ohio State has six national titles, all since 1942.

3. Oklahoma

The Sooners ruled multiple eras – first in the 1950s with Bud Wilkinson and later in the 1970s operating Barry Switzer’s wishbone offense to perfection. Although it hasn’t won a national championship since its seventh in the 2000 season under Bob Stoops, double-digit-win records remain the standard for Oklahoma. Only Southern California has produced more Heisman Trophy winners than the Sooners’ seven. And their poll consistency – third in most No. 1 rankings and overall appearances in the poll – puts them in elite territory.

4. Texas

The Longhorns spent too long in the desert of mediocrity between Mack Brown and Steve Sarkisian, but the glory days were glorious under Darrell Royal, while Texas ruled the Southwest Conference and ripped off national championships. Brown enjoyed an elite run, too, and Sarkisian restored Texas to punching at weight. Sarkisian’s Longhorns, armed with an NIL war chest, enjoy staying power.

5. Michigan

After a 75-year drought, the winningest program in the FBS finally captured an unshared title in 2023 under former coach Jim Harbaugh. Plenty of Michigan’s excellence comes in the earlier days of college football under coaching legends such as Fielding Yost. But the Wolverines have been a fixture from the very beginning, challenging for Big Ten and national supremacy behind some of the most recognized coaches and players in the sport’s history.

6. Georgia

Georgia doesn’t have to live in its past. Bulldogs fans are bearing witness to the program’s glory days. Kirby Smart incorporated the Saban blueprint of elite recruiting and development to provide rocket fuel to a program that consistently performed well, but infrequently ruled. Herschel Walker and Vince Dooley gave Georgia an elite experience. Decades later, they’re in the midst of another.

7. Southern California

There are definitely a few chunks of modern USC history that don’t exactly move the needle, including most of the post-Pete Carroll era. But the Trojans became a powerhouse in the 1920s and have mostly remained an elite national program for the century since, highlighted by the long run at or near the top of the FBS under John McKay and John Robinson and then the nearly unmatched dynasty Carroll built in the 2000s. USC has also developed some of the greatest players in college football history, including a record eight Heisman winners.

8. Notre Dame

In addition to being immortalized on the silver screen and in some of the most memorable writing in sports pages for over a century, the Fighting Irish have produced seven Heisman winners, a slew of All-Americans, and over a dozen claimed national championships. The program has stayed relevant in the modern era while fiercely maintaining its independence, a testament to its staying power and broad name recognition.

9. LSU

LSU fans could teach a master class in elite tailgating, and they’ve had plenty to cheer this millennium, too, with Saban, Les Miles and Ed Orgeron supplying national championships. Since the dawn of the BCS era, only Alabama has captured more national championships than LSU’s three. LSU benefits from being the only Power Four school in a talent-rich state, but it also built a national brand to which it can recruit.

10. Penn State

Penn State had long been a national player but didn’t truly take off as a program under the Rip Engle era (1950-66), which paved the way for the Nittany Lions’ long run under Joe Paterno (1966-2011) as one of the top programs in the sport. Paterno captured a pair of national titles (1982, 1986). Penn State has reclaimed its place among college football’s elite under James Franklin and is one of the preseason favorites entering 2025.

11. Florida

The Gators do not own the history of our top-10 programs, but they became members of the ruling class in the 1990s while program hero Steve Spurrier spurred a revolution. Spurrier produced a national championship and branded The Swamp – and then Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow re-electrified the place with a pair of crowns. Florida’s seven SEC championship game triumphs are second only to Alabama.

12. Florida State

Built from the ground up by legendary coach Bobby Bowden, the Seminoles became even more of a household name after joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1992. The Seminoles claims 16 league titles with three national championships as well as a trio of Heisman winners. There’s also the matter of a record 14 consecutive seasons with a finish in the top four of the final poll from 1987-2000.

No. 13 Clemson

The Tigers’ success in the modern playoff era ended a lengthy title drought, but Clemson has been the most decorated program in the ACC for decades. The school now owns 22 outright or shared conference crowns since reclaiming king-of-the-hill status from Florida State thanks to championships in eight of the last 10 seasons.

14. Miami

Thanks in no small part to a reputation for playing fast and loose with the rules both on and off the field, the Hurricanes burst on to the sport’s landscape in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. Unlike the bunch from Tallahassee, Miami has yet to regain their championship form since joining the ACC but still attracts its share of next-level talent.

15. Oregon

Oregon had hit-or-miss success (mostly miss) as a program until the late 1980s, when former coach Rich Brooks kicked off a run that has established the Ducks as one of college football’s top programs. Oregon has gone 276-103 since 1995, won nine conference titles and twice played for the national title (2010, 2014). The program has also changed college football with unique offensive schemes and, of course, a variety of wild uniform combinations.

16. Tennessee

Tennessee’s rabid fans finally have something to cheer again thanks to Josh Heupel’s program save after the Vols stagnated in a prolonged period of dysfunction since Phillip Fulmer’s heyday. Gen. Robert Neyland put the Vols on the map. Decades later, Tennessee won the first BCS championship. In the fall, they say “It’s football time in Tennessee,” but college football captivates this state no matter the month.

17. Nebraska

Nebraska has fallen on hard times this century but has a lengthy history to support its case for still being counted among college football’s bluebloods. Five-time national champions, the Cornhuskers won at a level unmatched in modern history under two coaches, Bob Devaney (1962-72) and Tom Osborne (1973-97). From 1993-97, the Cornhuskers went 60-3 and won three titles. Since 2002, though, Nebraska has just four 10-win seasons.

18. Auburn

Auburn and its boosters thirst for greatness as the other half of an epic rivalry. Consider, amid a cash-strapping pandemic, Auburn fired a coach who’d never had a losing season and forked over a historic buyout. Less than two years later, it fired another coach. When it’s not firing coaches, it’s enjoyed undefeated seasons and premier performers like Pat Sullivan, Bo Jackson and Cam Newton.  

19. Boise State

They’ve only been in the Bowl Subdivision since 1996, but the Broncos have established an identity well beyond their gimmicky blue turf. Boise State has gone to 21 bowls and won 283 games overall since moving up, and after participating in the inaugural 12-team playoff while sending a player to the Heisman ceremony the program is positioned to be among the standard bearers in the next generation.

20. Wisconsin

Wisconsin has been one of the top programs in the Big Ten and FBS since the 1990s, when Barry Alvarez orchestrated an incredible turnaround that has since yielded six conference titles and seven Rose Bowl berths. This has erased what had been an extended run of mediocrity, though there are fears the Badgers are headed for another downturn in a much stronger Big Ten.

21. Texas A&M

Great minds have pondered how the Aggies have not supplied a national championship since 1939. Don’t blame it on a lack of financial, institutional or fan support. The Aggies are steeped in resources within a state that oozes recruiting talent from every corner. Texas A&M needs someone to turn back the clock to the early 1990s, when R.C. Slocum’s Aggies ruled the Southwest Conference and dominated rival Texas.

22. Washington

Gil Dobie put Washington on the map by going 58-0-3 from 1908-16. In more modern times, the Huskies reversed a few decades of mediocrity with the hire of Jim Owens (1957-74) before really popping under Hall of Fame coach Don James (1975-92). James led the Huskies to a 153-57-2 mark complete with the 1991 national title. After another dip, UW returned to college football’s upper crust under former coaches Chris Petersen and Kalen DeBoer.

23. Michigan State

Michigan State was essentially the top program in college football from between 1950-66, with six claimed national titles (1951-52, 1955, 1957, 1965-66) under coaches Biggie Munn (1947-52) and Duffy Daugherty (1954-72). The Spartans returned to national prominence under former coach Mark Dantonio (2007-19), including a College Football Playoff appearance in 2015.

24. Iowa

Like Michigan State, Iowa was a dominant figure in the 1950s and had things run off the rails in the immediate aftermath before being saved by former coach Hayden Fry (1979-98). Fry’s successor, Kirk Ferentz (1999-present), has built a rock-solid identity built around a perennially strong defense that has yielded eight 10-win seasons and a Rose Bowl bid (2015).

25. Utah

It took until the turn of the century for the Utes to become bowl fixtures, but a couple of undefeated campaigns in the aughts and back-to-back Rose Bowl appearances more recently gave the school a presence in the realignment derby. Their fans now hope last year’s 5-7 finish was just a bump in the road as they forge ahead in the Big 12.

Many fantasy football managers focus heavily on their first two or three picks in drafts. That makes sense, those players are the foundation of your roster and should carry you through the season. Usually, you’re taking a wide receiver or running back early, and missing on those picks can sink your team before the season even begins.

But here’s the truth: your early-round selections do not win you championships. Being able to find those late-round gems or even off the waiver wire can turn a good roster into a great one.

For this exercise, deep sleepers are defined as players going at ADP 200 or later who have the potential to be difference-makers. They aren’t likely to become top five options at their positions, but they’re underrated and if things break their way, they’ll be valuable additions to your team.

2025 POSITION RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | K | D/ST | Overall

Here are a few examples from last season with ADPs of 200 or later:

Tyrone Tracy, RB16 from Week 5 on
Jauan Jennings, WR24
Sam Darnold, QB9
Jonnu Smith, TE4
Zach Ertz, TE7

Now, if this article had come out a couple weeks ago, Jacory Croskey-Merritt would have been at the top of the list. But after the Commanders traded away Brian Robinson, his ADP jumped to 121, making him ineligible. Let’s get to the players who still qualify.

2025 fantasy football deep sleepers

Ollie Gordon II, RB, Miami Dolphins

Ollie Gordon has put together an impressive camp and even impressed coach Mike McDaniel in preseason action. Reports suggest he has leapfrogged Jaylen Wright on the depth chart, thanks to Gordon’s strong play and Wright’s struggles.

Injuries to both De’Von Achane and Wright could also open the door for Gordon to begin the season as Miami’s lead back. Even if he doesn’t, the Dolphins reportedly want a different back handling goal-line duties, which gives Gordon immediate touchdown potential.

Achane will eventually retake control once healthy, but given his injury history, Gordon could carve out a more meaningful role than expected. That upside makes him a potential draft-day steal.

Dont’e Thornton, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

Jack Bech is drawing more attention in fantasy drafts because of his second-round draft capital, but Thornton is projected to be a starter in Las Vegas. He has consistently run with the starters in camp and preseason, and at 6-foot-5 with 4.3 speed, his upside is enormous.

His preseason performance has been a bit underwhelming, catching just three of seven targets, but he did come down with a nice back-shoulder grab for a touchdown in the last preseason game.

His athletic tools are impossible to ignore, making Thornton worth a late-round flyer, especially with the hopes that coach Pete Carroll uses him similar to the way he did with DK Metcalf.

Tory Horton, WR, Seattle Seahawks

Horton would have been drafted earlier if not for a 2024 knee injury, but he slipped and the Seahawks grabbed him in the fifth round. Before that injury, he posted back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons in college.

He has drawn plenty of preseason buzz and is projected to open the year as Seattle’s WR3, likely replacing Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Consistency could be an issue for Horton with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp ahead of him, but Kupp is declining and always a health risk. That means Horton could see a larger role sooner than expected.

Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Carolina Panthers

The second-year tight end showed up to camp 15 pounds lighter at 238 and noticeably quicker than he looked in 2024. Reports out of Panthers practices say he has been heavily involved, especially in the red zone.

While he is technically listed as the No. 2 TE behind Tommy Tremble, that distinction does not matter. Sanders is the receiving option, while Tremble is the blocker. Plus, Tremble spent most of camp on the PUP list following May back surgery. His slow recovery could give Sanders the early-season opportunity to establish himself as a reliable weapon for Bryce Young, who badly needs one behind Tetairoa McMillan.

Honorable Mention

DJ Giddens, RB, Indianapolis Colts
Isaac TeSlaa, WR, Detroit Lions
Woody Marks, RB, Houston Texans
Mason Taylor, TE, New York Jets