FRIDAY

SCHROYER NAMED TO NATIONAL BASKETBALL COMMITTEE

 McNeese Director of Athletics Heath Schroyer has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Council and NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee, the NCAA has announced, serving as the representative for the Southland Conference.
 
The appointments will begin immediately and will be effective through 2028.

The Division I Council, which is made up of 40 individuals consisting of conference commissioners, athletics directors, athletics administrators, senior women’s administrators, faculty athletics representative and student-athletes, is a high-level group responsible for the day-to-day decision-making for Division I.

The Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee will supervise qualifications and/or selection procedures for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. The committee reviews recommendations from the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee and process other issues related to the administration of the championship. The committee also provides direction to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Rules Committee regarding playing rules. The committee is comprised of representatives from each divisional group.

OVER AND UNDER ODDS SET FOR SEC FOOTBALL

It is way too early to put down money on Over and Under totals for wins for this season, but Las Vegas has shared the odds. There is still plenty of time for additions and losses of talent for programs, but we are now only about 10 weeks away from kicking off. I have not looked specifically at all the schedules, so I have no opinion at this time. I do know that Florida has the toughest schedule in the SEC. LSU is fortunate in that they avoid Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee and get Ole Miss and Alabama at home.

Georgia and Texas are odds on favorite to meet in the SEC Championship, so their O and U is set at 10.5 wins which means they are allowed only one loss on the schedule. UGA has to play Clemson, then in SEC play travels to Ole Miss, Alabama, and Texas. I am not so sure I want to take that bet. The winner of the UT vs UGA game should be in the driver’s seat.

The next four programs are allowed only two losses in order to beat 9.5 wins. Missouri, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and LSU are set at 9.5 but I am not confident in any of those lines. My prediction is that these schedules are going to provide several upsets for teams coming off emotional wins. Fans want the tough schedules now, but the results may not be kind to coaches. The last time I checked, there are losers every night a game is played.

Three pretty good teams are in the next category. Texas A&M is set at 8.5 which is a stretch for a program with a new coaching staff. However, the Aggies lost a ton to the portal, but added some good players as well. Oklahoma and Auburn are both set at 7.5 wins. I think Auburn has a better chance at winning 8 or more games than OU.

Kentucky is predicted 6.5 wins as their total wins which is not where the Wildcats want to be. However, with these schedules the way they are, I can very well see six losses. South Carolina and Mississippi State are set at 5.5 wins which falls short of bowl eligibility. Arkansas is set at 5.0 in a year that Coach Sam Pittman is on the hot seat. Even worst is Florida who is predicted at only 4.5 wins. Billy Napier probably needs six wins to save his job which is not fair with his schedule. Not only does he get the SEC schedule, but his non-conference schedule is Miami, Florida State, and Central Florida.

Bringing up the rear is Vanderbilt at 3.5 wins.

The debate that I listened to on Thursday was which programs have the best odds to make the playoffs. Those would be Ohio State (93%), Georgia (92%), Texas (88%), and Oregon (75%). Notre Dame (72%) and Alabama(58%) are the only other teams at over 50%. Ole Miss is at 47%, Missouri at 33%, and LSU at 25%. There are others placed in the 20-50% but I was in the car listening and not copying the quotes down. Even though there are 12 spots for the playoffs, we must realize that the new Big 10 is going to chew up at least five spots with Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Washington, and Oregon. The ACC will have at least two probably with Florida State and Clemson. The top four highest seeded conference champions which has to be ACC, Big 12, Big 10, and the SEC. The next eight teams will be seeded 5-12 with the 5-6-7-8 seeds hosting games on campus. The top four seeds get byes.

Utah should win the Big 12 and qualify, but don’t count out Kansas State and Oklahoma State. North Carolina State should get some love as they went 9-4 last year and picked up some good transfers. The bottom line is you want to be in the Top 8 seeds in order to get a home game or a bye. It is going to be tough being in that 9-12 seeding due to traveling and then even if you win, you will be playing a top four seed in the next round on the road.

The committee will have their hands full this year. Fans want some diversity in their choices with representation based on records. I don’t think the football world (media in particular) is going to want more than four teams from one conference. The schedule should prevent very many teams from winning 9 or more games, so their job will be to compare an 8-4 fifth place SEC or Big 10 team against a 11-1, 10-2 Big 12 team or a third-place winner from the ACC.

The bottom line is there are going to be some very important conference matchups as well as non-conference games. LSU cannot afford to lose to USC or UCLA. Notre Dame will be at College Station the week prior to McNeese and it will be hot. They will need to beat Florida State in November and USC in early December.

Utah should have clear sailing if they can win in Stillwater. They host TCU and avoid playing Kansas State so their schedule looks very good for going at least 11-1. My guess is if you lose three or more ballgames, you will be in that 9-12 seeding and having a tough road to hold.

TOP QUARTERBACKS

Greg McElroy has put out his Top 10 quarterbacks for this season. It is early, but I trust Greg to be unbiased and to have done his homework. Note: If you got the original feed when I posted, the order was backwards. It should read from 10 to 1.

10.Jalon Daniels Kansas

9.Jason Dart Ole Miss

8.Noah Fifita Arizona

7.Cam Ward Miami

6. Cam Rising Utah

5.Jalen Milroe Alabama

4.Dillion Gabriel Oregon

3.Shadeur Sanders Colorado

2. Quinn Ewers Texas

1.. Carson Beck UGA