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Political Football: The state of 3 interminable CFB stories
If this college football offseason has felt more exhausting than most, it’s probably because three particular stories have refused to go away. Just a year after the College Football Playoff went from four teams to 12, the powers that be are in serious discussions about changing the format again. College sports are also a hot topic at the White House and on Capitol Hill, despite almost no actual news emerging from either place. And the massive settlement that’s set to overhaul the economics of college athletics? Still somehow not done.
What’s the latest? Here’s the extremely short version of each endless saga:
- Playoff expansion: The Big Ten and the SEC are pushing expansion past 14 and up to 16 teams. There are a few working concepts out there, but the basic idea is that the two richest conferences would get four automatic bids each, rather than fight for them the old-fashioned way. This power play may well succeed, but it’s also nonsense. It’s two powerful leagues trying to avoid even a semblance of meritocracy. The B1G and SEC would almost always have half the playoff bracket even without this. But why compete if you don’t have to?
- Politician involvement: President Trump has explored forming a commission meant to generate some manner of ideas about how to alter college sports, with Nick Saban and a Texas Tech megabooster as its heads. That’s not happening, at least not now. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic colleague Cory Booker are talking through potential legislation that would provide national regulation of player compensation, but you should only believe in that when you see it. Meanwhile, the ranking member on the House Budget Committee wants to have hearings over the Big Ten and SEC trying to manipulate the playoff. These things are connected.
- The House settlement: This is the settlement that is poised to create a new “revenue-sharing” system for college sports, with schools directly paying up to $20.5 million per year to their athletes starting this season. A federal judge still has to sign off on it, and at last check, she wasn’t prepared to do that until the NCAA’s schools had a plan to make sure upcoming roster limits don’t screw over current players. The schools have made some changes to that end. Nothing is guaranteed until the ink is dry, but most administrations expect this thing to be official soon.
Also, we’re now in roughly the 423rd consecutive year of the SEC weighing whether to move from an eight-game conference schedule to a nine-gamer. At this point, my eyes glaze over at the first sign of this debate, and I am guessing yours do, too. Subscribe to Until Saturday. We will force that newsletter’s writer to update you when the time comes, if it ever does.
News to Know
Pacers eliminate Knicks, earn Finals berth
The Knicks had the Pacers on the ropes for 48 straight minutes in Game 5. A Game 6 loss at home for Indiana would’ve felt like a knockout blow considering a certain return to New York. But every time the Knicks punched last night, the Pacers punched back. And these relentless Pacers are now headed to their first NBA finals in 25 years.
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For the Knicks, it marked the end of an inspiring, yet imperfect season with major question marks for the future. Our beat reporters have much more on where New York goes from here.
The NBA Finals tips off Thursday. Our staff isn’t giving the Pacers much of a shot against the Thunder in their NBA Finals preview. But just watch this Indiana crowd celebrate this moment:
PSG dominates Champions League final
PSG dismantled Inter in the most one-sided Champions League final in history. The French side was up 2-0 within 20 minutes before tacking on three more in the second half to complete a 5-0 thrashing. It was a footballing exhibition from PSG. Desire Doue is the first teenager to score two goals in a UCL final. Check out more impressive numbers from the dominant win, and watch the tactical breakdown on “The Athletic FC” podcast.
More news:
What to Watch
📺 French Open: Ben Shelton vs. Carlos Alcaraz | 8 a.m. ET* on TNT/Max
We have a loaded French Open slate today, headlined by the American Ben Shelton versus the defending champ Carlos Alcaraz. I can’t promise a close match, but I can promise some fun tennis. If you’re not up early, Lorenzo Musetti vs. Holger Rune should be equally fun.
📺 MLB: Yankees at Dodgers | 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
The World Series rematch absolutely delivered on Friday night (not so much last night). Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani have combined for five home runs in two games. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is on the bump tonight. This is a dream Sunday Night Baseball matchup.
📺 “F1: The Academy” | Stream on Netflix
Need something to cheer for this week? How about the stars of this show! The docuseries explores F1 Academy, a racing series launched in 2023 to develop the next generation of female drivers. It’s so cool seeing these brilliantly talented young women from remarkably diverse backgrounds, surrounded by deeply engaged families, all aiming to smash through the glass ceiling finish line. (Plus, I really chuckled seeing Toto Wolff referred to primarily as “Susie’s husband.”) — Hannah Vanbiber
Get tickets to games like these here
Pulse Picks
Rustin Dodd’s Q&A with former pro tennis player and Daily Show host Michael Kosta about how he learned how to lose.
The sixth “Mission Impossible” is still the best, but the newest one has the highest concentrated amount of movie that has ever been crammed into a single movie. — Jason Kirk
I’m preaching the gospel of a good water bath for your cheesecake, which doesn’t need an ounce of flour. Once it’s done baking, slightly open your oven to release the steam and allow the cake to adjust to room temperature before setting in the fridge, ensuring your cheesecake doesn’t dry out or crack in the process. — James Jackson
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Ralph Russo explains why college baseball has seen an unprecedented four-year run of power hitting.
What Elon Musk sees when he opens X is fascinating. Seriously, forget politics (I promise you can) and just ask: “What are my feedback loops?” It’s useful insight into modern polarization. — Chris Sprow
Probably among the heartiest one-pot meals you can make, this cheesy baked gnocchi feeds a crowd or leaves you with decadent leftovers. — Torrey Hart
Matt Baker has a useful explainer about Bill Belichick’s UNC contract and why today’s date — June 1 — is notable.
I’m on a second rewatch of the Netflix series “Dark,” which I think might be my favorite sci-fi series of the last 10 years. It’s German, and I recommend watching it in German with subtitles. It’s still incredible and easy to follow. — Chris Branch
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Carter Hart’s testimonyin the Hockey Canada trial.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Live analysis of PSG’s Champions League final demolition. Re-live it
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(Top photo: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)
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