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College Football Playoff rankings: Alabama passes Notre Dame; Miami, Texas lurking near top 10 – The New York Times
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Despite surviving a scare at Auburn, Alabama moved up a spot in this week's rankings. Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images
Notre Dame dropped a spot to No. 10, just two spots ahead of Miami at No. 12, and Texas moved up three spots to No. 13 Tuesday night in the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings.
Heading into conference championship weekend, Ohio State and Indiana remain Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. The Buckeyes and Hoosiers meet in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday.
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With only nine title games left to be played this weekend, there is not much opportunity for the rankings to change drastically before Sunday, when the field of 12 will be set by the selection committee. So the second-to-last rankings are a good guide to what the official bracket will look like in a few days.
Georgia (11-1) moved up to No. 3, followed by Texas Tech, Oregon and Ole Miss. The Rebels moved up a spot to No. 6 after winning their season finale against Mississippi State but losing their head coach. Lane Kiffin took the LSU job and will not coach the Rebels in the Playoff.
Texas’ victory over Texas A&M last Friday sent the Aggies out of the top three for the first time this season, to No. 7. The Longhorns (9-3) are the highest ranked team with three losses and are trying to make a case that they are being unfairly punished for playing at Ohio State to start the season. Texas lost 14-7 in Week 1, and then a few weeks later was beaten at Florida (4-8). The Longhorns were also soundly beaten at Georgia in November, but they do have victories against No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 14 Vanderbilt to go along with Texas A&M.
Alabama moved up a spot to ninth, and Notre Dame slipped to 10th.
The cut line to make the field as an at-large will be No. 10 because two of the five highest-ranked conference champions that are reserved a spot in the CFP at this point are all but guaranteed to be ranked outside the top 12.
That puts No. 11 BYU and No. 12 Miami on the outside looking in going into the final weekend. BYU still has a path to reach the Playoff by winning its conference. The Cougars play Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
Miami can only get in via an at-large bid after the ACC Championship Game tiebreakers didn’t fall in its favor.
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Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal has continued to push for his team’s season-opening victory against Notre Dame to be the deciding factor between the two teams. Notre Dame, which plays football as an independent, has also completed its regular season, closing with a 10-game winning streak after losing to Miami and Texas A&M by a combined four points.
Miami lost to Louisville and SMU by a combined nine points within a three-week span leading into the first CFP rankings. That put the Hurricanes way behind Notre Dame to start, 18th to the Irish’s ninth. Miami closed with a four-game winning streak, capping it by beating Pitt 38-7 on Saturday.
“The best part of football is you get to settle it on the field, where head-to-head is always the No. 1 criteria,” Cristobal told ESPN after the Pitt game.
But it hasn’t so far. With neither team playing again, it’s unclear how it would Sunday, though maybe the situation would change if BYU loses Saturday and Miami and Notre Dame were suddenly back-to-back in the rankings.
This story will be updated.
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Ralph Russo is a Senior Writer for The Athletic, covering college football. Before joining The Athletic, he spent 20 years as the lead national college football writer for The Associated Press. He also previously worked as the AP’s Mississippi-based sports writer and did a stint with The Denver Post. Ralph is a native New Yorker and a graduate of Fordham University.
What would the ideal CFP model look like? 👀 – FOX Sports
POPULAR SEARCHES <br> BROWSE BY <br><br><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMibkFVX3lxTE5RdU1LM2NvbG9Uem92QWljVXZ1eUVtdldMdmRIaWN6WW0yeFphckRXc3dlR2NZREVCWEhQU1BGN0FhQkpoUWNuY2w3aTFKWDVOM0tjYXZZalkwWVpKYWk5Sk9mMlIzcU0wTm5vNnZB?oc=5">source</a>
College sports bill heads to final vote despite GOP defections – Politico
Sports Direct threatens shoppers with court action over missing parcels – The Telegraph
Retailer accuses customers of fraud and sends debt collectors for items never received <br>Copy link<br>twitter<br>facebook<br>whatsapp<br>email<br>Copy link<br>twitter<br>facebook<br>whatsapp<br>email<br>Copy link<br>twitter<br>facebook<br>whatsapp<br>email<br>Copy link<br>twitter<br>facebook<br>whatsapp<br>email<br><em>Have you been chased for payment of undelivered goods? Get in touch with us: money@telegraph.co.uk*</em><br>Sports Direct shoppers have been accused of fraud after parcels were stolen from their doorsteps, Telegraph Money can reveal.<br>Customers who secured refunds through their banks after packages disappeared or were delivered to the wrong address were later threatened with court action by the retailer.<br>Under the Consumer Rights Act, the retailer must replace or refund the item if it goes missing before it reaches the customer.<br>But letters seen by this newspaper show that shoppers who reported lost parcels to Frasers Group, the Mike Ashley-owned conglomerate that owns Sports Direct, were denied replacements and refunds and then pursued by debt collectors.<br>Customers’ details were passed on to a crime intelligence agency, which ordered them to pay hundreds of pounds more than the goods were originally worth to avoid a County Court trial.<br>One customer told The Telegraph that he paid more than £2,000 rather than face a court ordeal.<br>Recommended<br>Adele Peacock, an NHS worker in children’s mental health services, ordered clothes from Sports Direct worth £112.99 in November last year. However, the package was left in her garden and later disappeared.<br>The courier later admitted that the package had been left in “an unsafe location”, despite Ms Peacock, 54, requesting that it be left with a neighbour.<br>She said: “People buy things in good faith and pay for delivery, and parcels are not being safely delivered.<br>“My neighbours are retired – they would always take a parcel in – but the courier didn’t even try. They just threw it over the fence where anyone could take it, and someone clearly did.”<br>Ms Peacock said Sports Direct ignored requests for a refund, so on the advice of a colleague, she appealed to her bank, Santander.<br>She said: “The bank arranged a chargeback, and I got the £112.99 back in March. I thought that was the end of it, because Sports Direct had been completely unhelpful. Then the letters started coming.”<br>In July, Ms Peacock received a “notice of intended criminal and civil proceedings” from National Business Crime Solution (NBCS) demanding she pay £437 by bank transfer immediately or face defending herself from a fraud allegation in the County Court.<br>The email read: “We are instructed that on March 6 2025, you acted contrary to the Policies & Processes of Frasers Group, totalling £112.99 by claiming that you had not received goods which were in fact delivered successfully.<br>“As a result of your actions, our member has suffered loss, damages and costs totalling £436.99 and is considering both a formal complaint to the authorities and preparing to pursue this claim in the County Court to recoup their losses.”<br>NBCS describes itself as “an independent, not-for-profit organisation, created to tackle business crime collaboratively”.<br>More than 100 of Britain’s largest businesses are members, including Frasers Group, which also owns House of Fraser and GAME.<br>Ms Peacock said she received “four or five” letters in the post from NBCS, as well as emails.<br>She added: “The first letter made me look online, and I realised other people were experiencing the same thing.<br>“The letters from the recovery company were really inflammatory. They accused me of fraud and demanded four times the cost of the parcel. They threatened court action. I told them again to take me to court.”<br>Kate Dearden, the Minister for Consumer Protection, said: “Intimidating customers seeking refunds is exactly the kind of rogue practice we want to see the back of.<br>“We’ve already toughened penalties for companies breaching consumer law, and anyone who’s been unfairly treated can contact Citizens Advice for help.”<br>Consumers can ask their bank to launch a chargeback to recover funds when items fail to arrive and a retailer refuses to refund, effectively forcing the payment back into the customer’s account.<br>Credit card users also benefit from a legal right to a refund under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974.<br>These protections are designed to ensure shoppers are not left out of pocket when retailers fail to deliver goods or resolve complaints, with banks requiring evidence of non-delivery.<br>Recommended<br>Consumer rights expert Martyn James said: “The law makes it clear that the item must be delivered to the recipient, not left anywhere that has not been specified. A photo of you with the parcel proves this. A photo of a parcel outside a closed door does not.”<br>However, The Telegraph found that Sports Direct customers who made use of this scheme were being pursued by NBCS, despite banks deeming their refunds legitimate.<br>Online forums are littered with similar complaints from customers of various Fraser Group brands who allegedly also faced action after using chargeback to recoup their money. Some complaints date as far back as 2022.<br>NBCS did not respond to multiple requests for comment, and Companies House records show the firm collapsed into administration in September. Its website was suspended during the course of The Telegraph’s investigation.<br>Appointed administrators FRP Advisory confirmed that NBCS’s outstanding cases were passed to the National Retail Crime Alliance (NRCA), another non-profit. NRCA did not respond to The Telegraph’s requests for comment.<br>Fiz Aslam, from Birmingham, ordered a £1,900 bike from the retailer in September 2022. Photos later provided by the courier showed that the package was left exposed on his porch and ultimately disappeared.<br>Emails seen by The Telegraph showed that Sports Direct’s digital risk team admitted the bike “should not have been left outside as you weren’t home”. After months of further back and forth, Mr Aslam requested a refund through his bank, Lloyds.<br>He said: “They’re supposed to attempt delivery three times if no one is home. Instead, the driver took a photo of it on the doorstep, marked it as delivered, then left.”<br>The bank approved the refund in February 2023, but later that month, Mr Aslam said a letter from NBCS arrived at his doorstep demanding £2,076.99. NBCS also repeatedly sent him emails, which have been seen by The Telegraph.<br>It read: “We do not seek to profit from the cost of this recovery. Therefore, we will reduce the amount payable to £2,026.99 if payment is made in full within 14 days of the date of this email.”<br>Mr Aslam agreed to pay the money, telling NBCS: “Me paying the amount isn’t admitting any guilt – I just wanted debt collectors not chasing me.”<br>He told The Telegraph: “I felt unfairly treated. The total claim was £150 more than what the bike was worth. I’m just one person – it felt as though no one would listen.”<br>Nichola Green, from Hampshire, ordered £273 worth of trainers ahead of a holiday in February.<br>Photos later sent by her courier as “proof of delivery” showed the package was left outside the wrong doorstep.<br>She said: “I got a message at around 4pm saying the package had been delivered and ran to my door, but nothing was there.<br>“I walked around the whole estate trying to match the door in the delivery photo, and knocked on every neighbour’s door, but no one had received it.”<br>Ms Green, 43, contacted Sports Direct immediately to demand her money back, but the retailer told her it would not issue a refund until an investigation was complete.<br>In April, she raised the issue directly with Michael Murray, Sports Direct’s chief executive, after he responded to a comment she left on an Instagram post.<br>Screenshots seen by The Telegraph show that Mr Murray told Ms Green to email the retailer’s investigations department. However, Ms Green said that when she did so, she was ignored.<br>After 60 days, Ms Green contacted her bank, Monzo, to dispute the transaction and offered the courier’s photo as evidence.<br>Monzo ultimately refunded the money. But in July, Ms Green received a “notice of intended criminal and civil proceedings” from NBCS demanding she pay £597.94 immediately or face court action.<br>The letter read: “Failure to pay the specified amount will result in further proceedings being initiated against you in the County Court, together with costs and interest. A CCJ (County Court judgment) may also be added onto your credit file.”<br>Ms Green said: “If they took me to court, I have all the evidence, but receiving these letters is very frightening.<br>“I’m hoping to get a mortgage next year, and the idea that I could get a CCJ terrifies me. I am desperately hoping it doesn’t come to that, as the stress and worry would really affect me.”<br>Consumer expert Martyn James said retailers were increasingly using debt collection agencies to pursue refunds for items lost through no fault of the consumer.<br>He said: “A number of retailers seem to be taking a more aggressive approach to parcels that have not been correctly delivered.<br>“I’d strongly recommend that people passed to debt collectors contact Trading Standards and the Competition and Markets Authority if they think they have been unfairly treated.”<br>A CMA spokesman said: “Businesses that deny customers their statutory rights could face significant penalties of up to 10pc of their global turnover. Under consumer law, sellers must deliver goods within 30 days unless otherwise agreed. The retailer is responsible if goods have not been delivered, and consumers have the right to seek a refund. It’s not acceptable for customers to be intimidated for enforcing this right.”<br>The Telegraph shared details of the cases with Frasers Group but the company declined numerous requests for comment.<br><em>*Please note that by submitting your content to us, you are consenting to The Telegraph processing your personal data where required by law. For further details, please see our </em><a class="ck-custom-link" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/contact-us/readers-submission-privacy-notice/"><em>Privacy Notice</em></a><em>.</em><br>Copy link<br>twitter<br>facebook<br>whatsapp<br>email<br><br><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiqgFBVV95cUxQSW9lRm5ockhvZ25IOWtqU1I3WGhmc1B5czFhV1YyOEF5S0d1WnBpaTFCbVNlZjI5c2ZTcWZteGNYMG1uUi1RMm9kSTh3RF84NVNCekZiTExZYXpsWGVRS1ZqZHd0d3psdW83LWtfT21zOWJVR25zcnJZZ2pSRWhxa3ZmUnMwdzJDQnpLTDl2LUkzOUo5bG1aZ0FpU2E1NUZrSkdKVmpZZnBlZw?oc=5">source</a>
Trump picks College Football Playoff? Rubio had to be joking | Opinion – azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic
Marco Rubio was joking, right?
Like, he had to be joking during a Tuesday, Dec. 2, Cabinet meeting when he told President Trump: “If the University of Miami gets screwed out of the College Football Playoff after going 10-2 and beating Notre Dame the whole thing should be scrapped, and you’re going to have to take over next year.”
ESPN’s President of Content Offers Advice for Students at Seton Hall Sports Poll, SMAC Hosted Event – Seton Hall University
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Tuesday, December 2, 2025
By Zachary Mawby
This article was originally published in The Setonian on November 18, 2025.
From left to right) Bob Ley, Burke Magnus, and Len DeLuca | Photo via Christian Hui | “The Setonian”
In January 1996, Microsoft founder Bill Gates wrote an essay titled “Content is King,” from which the now-popular phrase originated. With the rise of the internet, Gates suggested that producing a volume of high-quality, engaging content would lead to success in the future of media.
Few have taken heed of Gates’ phrase quite like Burke Magnus, ESPN’s president of content. “It’s a cliche for a reason,” Magnus said. “People want what they want, and if you’re not giving it to them, they’ll find another place to get it.”
Promoted to the role in March 2023, Magnus oversees ESPN’s wide content organization — including studio shows, live events, newsgathering, investigative journalism, original content, digital and audio platforms and social media. In doing so, he ensures that the network is living up to Gates’ phrase — the network produces 50,000 live events each year after all.
A native of Ridgewood, NJ, Magnus has been one of ESPN’s most impactful members since joining the network in 1995. From November 2004 to March 2008, he served as vice president and general manager of ESPNU. A decade later, as executive vice president of programming acquisitions and scheduling, he helped launch ESPN+, the network’s direct-to-consumer service. Now in his 30th year with the network, he has played a key role in securing some of ESPN’s biggest agreements and extensions. These include deals with major American sports leagues like the NFL, MLB and NBA as well as international leagues like LaLiga and the Bundesliga.
On November 17, the Seton Hall Sports Poll and Sports Management and Analytics Club (SMAC) welcomed Magnus for a series of events including: a one-on-one chat with Center for Sport Management Instructor and poll Associate Director Leonard “Len” DeLuca; a second interview with poll Methodologist Dan Ladik for a segment of Hall or Nothing, the Sports Poll’s podcast; and a visit to the Sports Poll itself as well as the Center for Sports Media (CSM) — the latter of which was founded by Bob Ley, an ESPN icon and former colleague of Magnus who joined him and DeLuca on stage later on in their chat.
After a short game of trivia and a cinematic introductory video featuring Walt Disney, Magnus and DeLuca joined each other on stage for the first of these events. Former colleagues at CBS Sports — where Magnus once interned for DeLuca — and later at ESPN, the two first discussed the network’s recent landmark agreements with the WWE and NFL Network, both announced in August of this year.
Starting with the former, according to the network’s press release, the “deal makes ESPN home to the highest-profile WWE events of the year.” This includes WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series and Money in the Bank — all of which will be available exclusively on ESPN’s various platforms and services going forward.
The latter agreement, however, is perhaps ESPN’s biggest to date — so much so that The Walt Disney Company was willing to give up ten percent of their 80 percent ownership stake in the network to secure it. According to the network’s press release, in exchange for a ten percent equity stake, “ESPN will acquire NFL Network and certain other media assets owned and controlled by the NFL — including the NFL’s linear RedZone Channel and NFL Fantasy.”
This came just four years after the two sports media powerhouses reached a long-term agreement that resulted in ESPN gaining the broadcasting rights to Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027, with preparations starting a year in advance. “Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl on the same day,” Magnus said during his chat with DeLuca. “Let’s see how society grapples with that one.”
The two also discussed sports betting in the wake of ESPN recently entering into a new partnership with DraftKings after they mutually parted ways with PENN Entertainment Inc., putting an end to ESPN Bet.
Not one to bet himself, Magnus expressed that he is conflicted about sports betting, seeing it as flawed yet pervasive.
“It was illegal for a reason,” Magnus said. “Bad things can happen, and unless there’s great oversight and responsible messaging and people taking personal responsibility — it’s not without its pitfalls and its perils.”
“But with that being said, there’s not a single league, team, athlete, media company or sports division that doesn’t have some kind of relationship with one of the sports betting companies either through their advertising or sponsorship,” he added. “So everybody’s kind of in this together.”
In light of recent events, however, Magnus said he’s encouraged by how major leagues like the MLB and NBA have taken proactive steps to prevent future sports betting scandals from happening in their respective sports.
But perhaps the most important thing Magnus shared during the event was his advice for those who aspire to work in the sports media industry one day. For him, being open to opportunity — regardless of whether it aligns with your vision for your future career or not — is the main catalyst for success.
“I sit with a lot of young folks who are looking to get into this business, and sometimes they come in with a very specific vision for themselves,” he said. “They’ll say, ‘I’m a huge NBA fan, and I only want to work on the NBA.’”
“But opportunity comes in so many forms, and it can be right in front of you, and if you don’t have the mindset to sort of look at it with a broad perspective, even though it doesn’t fit your vision of how you saw your career going.”
He pointed to his own experience as proof of how being open to opportunity in an industry like sports media can be fruitful.
“I had a conventional career in undergrad, and I went back to grad school, and long story short, I started over my career because I wanted to work in sports so desperately, and I finally admitted that to myself,” Magnus said. “So you can make a lot of mistakes early in your career — and not even mistakes, you can choose paths and if it doesn’t work out, choose something else. But being cognizant of opportunity when it’s in front of you [is what’s important].”
Still using himself as an example, he also mentioned how one of his first big breaks at ESPN came when he worked on NASCAR in the programming department — something no one else wanted to do.
After the event, he offered further advice for students, emphasizing what he believes is the most important thing for students to know about how content is produced in the sports media industry.
“It’s very, very individual, very personal,” he said. “Between everything on television, social and digital, you can customize stuff to appeal to audiences better than ever.”
“There’s still the mass audience property in sports, where you put on big games that are supposed to aggregate tons of people,” he added. “But don’t forget about people feeling different about sports based on where they live and what they want, which is really unique to the era that we’re in right now.”
He also shared what students can learn from figures like Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee, who are the two biggest and most influential names at ESPN.
“I think if you’re a content creator, take matters into your own hands,” he said. “Both of those guys have very specific visions for themselves and their own brands, they’ll make it happen.”
“So you don’t have to necessarily rely on a platform and outlets,” he added. “And if you have a really dedicated vision for yourself, you can pursue it on your own.”
Before heading to his next event on campus, Magnus reiterated that those aspiring to work in the sports media industry one day will go only as far as their passion, endurance and curiosity takes them.
“Just work hard, be curious and just keep plugging away,” Magnus said. “If this is your passion, then you should pursue it, and just understand that it takes a lot of different forms along the way, so just stick with it.”
“I didn’t think liking sports or being a sports fan as a kid made me particularly unique,” Magnus added. “But just believe in yourself and work hard — it’s not that complicated.”
After the event, DeLuca reflected, “My takeaway after interviewing my friend and colleague Burke Magnus is that the folks in Bristol and worldwide covet their position as an insurgent, not an incumbent, despite having over 50,000 events — as many as their traditional competitors. Like Walt Disney himself said half a century earlier, ESPN will approach the Super Bowl in 2027 as the company’s greatest event. ESPN always takes the attitude of the ‘little engine that could.’ That’s their secret.”
He added, “Further Burke has become agnostic to platform because the fans demand it, and ESPN is smart to understand that sports content is king. It understands its audience better than most and serves as an example for all corporations in my opinion. Finally, I’m further taken that a day after he visited us, Burke and ESPN closed their new MLB deal and a day later Stephen A. Smith declared his departure from NBA Countdown. Yet on Monday, he was with us at Seton Hall. A great day for all.”
Categories: Athletics
For more information, please contact:
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