Football

7/22/2026 |  SEC’s move to 9-game conference schedules pauses some rivalries and awakens others (Associated Press (AP)) TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — It used to be the biggest rivalry game of the week, the month — maybe the entire season.
In 2026, Florida and Tennessee will be complete strangers.
Their once-a-year matchup that, back in the day, featured Steve Spurrier, Peyton Manning, Phillip Fulmer and snark that sometimes even outweighed the stakes — “You can’t spell Citrus without ‘U-T’” — is absent from the schedule for the first time in 37 seasons.

7/22/2026 |  ESPN starts layoffs tied to NFL Network acquisition, memo says (Associated Press (AP)) ESPN is undergoing a significant round of layoffs for the first time in three years after taking over NFL Network in April.
Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a memo to employees Tuesday morning, obtained by The Associated Press, that most moves are the result of ESPN’s acquisition of NFL Network and other league digital assets last year.

7/22/2026 |  NFL training camps set to open with 10 new head coaches, several QB changes and plenty of hope (Associated Press (AP))

The countdown is over. NFL training camp has arrived.
Every team is 0-0 so there’s hope in each city that this season ends with a championship parade.
Bryce Young and the defending NFC South champion Carolina Panthers report Wednesday. So do the Arizona Cardinals, led by rookie head coach Mike LaFleur.

7/22/2026 |  Greg Sankey keeps floating an SEC breakaway when the focus should be on improving the NCAA, not leaving it (CBS Sports) If there's a narrative that has defined the Southeastern Conference's offseason, it has been the threat of a breakaway from the NCAA's current structure.
The possibility of defecting was an overarching theme in May to the conference's annual spring meetings in Destin, Florida. Georgia president Jere Morehead sounded the alarms as something the SEC needed to consider, especially if proposed federal legislation didn't deliver the long desired and lobbied solutions it has asked for. 

7/22/2026 |  NFL players' push for natural grass fields hits roadblock as league disputes injury concerns (CBS Sports) NFL players saw many of their stadiums swap artificial turf for natural grass when the venues hosted 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, and their collective reaction has grown into an NFL Players Association-sponsored movement. The athletes want the league to fully adopt natural grass and say that the World Cup proves it is feasible. Decision-makers, however, are split on the issue.