On this edition of the PoliticsPA podcast, Voices of Reason, host Steve Ulrich talks with Congressman Brendan Boyle (D-02) about the changing landscape of college sports.

From NIL policies and Title IX to the growing influence of major conferences, Boyle shares his concerns about fairness, the impact on Pennsylvania schools, and why this issue is gaining attention in Congress.

We talk about the CFP (College Football Playoff), NIL (Name, Image and Likeness), SEC (Southeastern Conference), the B1G (Big Ten Conference) and the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association).

We did not forget about politics, as we delved into the Trump Administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” and its impact on Pennsylvania.

A timely and informative discussion you won’t want to miss. “Voices of Reason” is the antidote to a political environment too often mired in animosity and hidden agendas. This podcast cultivates intelligent discussions that give way to real-world solutions even when guests don’t share the same perspectives. The key: everyone gets a fair shake. Visit www.politicspa.com for news and updates.

Saturday brought a close to the 2025 baseball season for Florida, even if some off-field headlines have dominated since then. East Carolina was the one to eliminate the Gators before Coastal Carolina took the honors of advancing out of the Conway Regional and into the Super Regionals.

While the end result was not what everyone in Gainesville wanted, Steve Spurrier still gave Florida a thumbs up on the season. Especially considering how SEC play began, the Ol’ Ball Coach gave the Gators credit for responding well and getting into the NCAA Tournament.

“To start off 1-11 in conference play and come back and make a run through the tournament,” Spurrier said via Another Dooley Noted Podcast. “It was an above-average year. I know Coach Sully (Kevin O’Sullivan) would say it’s not a great year, by any means. But it was above average.”

Six of the final SEC series resulted in wins for Florida, including a pair of sweeps against Missouri and South Carolina. The Tigers coming to Condron Family Park is what got the run started, as Florida went 14-4 against conference foes down the stretch. Just enough to put them into position for the NCAA Tournament.

Getting a win in Hoover, even if it was against South Carolina, certainly helped. Florida heard its name called when the full bracket was released on Monday, extending the postseason streak to 17 years.

However, results were not the same once in the field. The previous two years for O’Sullivan have produced runs to Omaha for the College World Series. Florida was even runner-up back in 2023, falling in the championship series to the LSU Tigers.

East Carolina was able to take Florida down twice this go-round. Once in the opening game and again in an elimination game on Saturday. Fairfield is the lone win the Gators could scrap together, earning a massive 17-2 win.

Spurrier describing the season as “above average” might speak to where the program, as a whole, is at the moment. Florida expects a lot of success and wants to get back to dogpiling soon. One national championship came back in 2017 and everyone wants another shot at college baseball’s crown.

This was not the season Florida would achieve that goal. O’Sullivan will get another opportunity in 2026, hoping to put together another great team. Hopefully, the overall assessment from Spurrier is a little more positive this time next year.

ESPN revealed its first Football Power Index rankings for the 2025 season this morning, and I’m sad to report that your University of Kentucky Wildcats are not in the Top 25; however, they’re not too far outside of it. Kentucky is No. 34 in the debut rankings, one of just three SEC teams outside the top 25 along with Mississippi State (No. 52) and Vanderbilt (No. 56).

The SEC may have taken a tiny step back last season, but the FPI forecasts a season in which it just means more. The top three teams are all from the SEC, led by Texas (No. 1), Georgia (No. 2), and Alabama (No. 3). The Cats host the Longhorns on October 18 and travel to Athens to play the Bulldogs two weeks prior on October 4. Nine SEC teams are in the top 15 and 13 in the top 25.

Even though Louisville beat up Kentucky to end the 2024 season, the Cards are No. 41 in the FPI, seven spots behind the Cats. Toledo, which opens the season at Kroger Field on August 30, is No. 73, and Eastern Michigan is No. 124. Tennessee Tech plays in the FCS, so they weren’t included in the rankings.

1. Texas – Oct. 18, home
2. Georgia – Oct. 4, away
3. Alabama
8. Texas A&M
10. Tennessee – Oct. 25, home
12. LSU
13. Ole Miss – Sep. 6, home
14. Auburn – Nov. 1, away
15. South Carolina – Sep. 27, away
16. Oklahoma
18. Florida – Nov. 8, home
22. Arkansas
23. Missouri
34. Kentucky
52. Mississippi State
56. Vanderbilt – Nov. 22, away

Other Kentucky opponents:

41. Louisville – Nov. 29, away
73. Toledo – Aug. 30, home
124. Eastern Michigan – Sep. 13, home

Kentucky has the 7th hardest schedule in the country

The FPI projects Kentucky’s record to be 5.6-6.4. Of course, that isn’t actually possible, but the fancy computer model gives the Cats a 50.7% chance of getting six wins. Kentucky will have to do it against one of the toughest schedules in the country. The FPI ranks Kentucky’s schedule as the seventh hardest in the FBS. Not surprisingly, all of the teams ranked ahead of Kentucky are also from the SEC: Florida, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi State.

The FPI is higher on Kentucky than another computer model, Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings. Kentucky is No. 43 in the SP+ rankings, with the Cats’ offense coming in at No. 79, the defense No. 31, and the special teams No. 14. Like the FPI, only two SEC teams rank lower than Kentucky in the SP+: Vanderbilt (No. 55) and Mississippi State (No. 71). The SP+ also ranks Kentucky’s schedule as one of the toughest in the country, No. 8 in the SOS rankings.

Only 88 days until the season opener vs. Toledo.

The distinction marks the second time he has received the honor. He was named the coach of the year in 2018 and was a finalist for the award in 2016 and again in 2021.

Last week, Bratton led the Cowboys to their 12th national championship at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. 

The victory capped a run of five consecutive wins to end the season and gave OSU seven wins overall.

After closing the fall with a victory at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup, the Cowboys won their spring opener at the Amer Ari Intercollegiate. They would finish second in three of their next four starts and also had a third-place showing as well.

OSU would start its string with a win at the Haskins Award Invitational before winning the Mountaineer Invitational. The Cowboys would bring home their 57th conference title, winning the Big 12 Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa before capturing their NCAA-best 17th regional title at the NCAA Urbana Regional.

Individually, four Cowboy sophomores garnered All-Central Region honors with Ethan Fang, Gaven Lane, Eric Lee and Preston Stout all earning the distinction. Fang and Stout were also named first-team All-Americans as well as Arnold Palmer Cup selections.

Stout finished the year with wins at the Cabo Collegiate and the Big 12 Championship, while sophomore Eric Lee won the Mountaineer Invitational.

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Good morning! Win a chess match today, and watch for projectiles.

While You Were Sleeping: A superstar ends OU’s historic run

We must start this morning on the softball diamond, where a change of power happened last night with a sacrifice fly. It ended a thrilling game — and one of the most impressive streaks you’ll see in organized sports. 

Quickly: 

• Texas Tech advanced to the Women’s College World Series finals with a walk-off win over No. 2 seed Oklahoma, which has won the past four national titles. The Sooners were down to their last strike in the seventh inning before hitting a two-run homer to tie the game. Tech won it on Lauren Allred’s sac fly in the bottom half of the frame.
  
  
• A dynasty ends while the sport’s most interesting story continues. Pitcher NiJaree Canady, who led Stanford to two straight WCWS appearances in the last two seasons, left Palo Alto for a $1 million NIL package at Texas Tech this offseason. She nearly shut out the Sooners last night. Canady has a 0.90 ERA and 11 home runs. Talk about a game-changer. 

The Red Raiders start their title series tomorrow against Texas, which beat Tennessee 2-0 yesterday. 

• In baseball, the regionals wrapped up, and I nearly had to whine for a section about LSU pain before my Tigers eked out a 10-6, win against the tournament’s Cinderella, Little Rock, to advance to the super regionals. Host teams Ole Miss and Southern Miss weren’t so lucky yesterday. See the super regional matchups here. 

We’ll have more on the college tournaments this week. Away we go:

News to Know

Boisson’s big break
Last year was supposed to be a dream for French tennis player Loïs Boisson. A torn ACL the week before the French Open, to which she had earned a wild-card entry, broke her heart. How did she respond? The dream was merely delayed, as Boisson’s stunning upset win over women’s world No. 3 Jessica Pegula yesterday sent Boisson to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. The crowds should be roaring for Boisson, 22, tomorrow. Also from Paris: Coco Gauff is moving on, while Jack Draper is done.

Intoxicated bettor sends death threats
Houston police identified an overseas man as the culprit behind death threats against Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and his family after a bad outing last month. The man told authorities he was “frustrated and inebriated” when he posted the threats on social media. “I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports,” McCullers said after the game. “But threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with.” No charges have been filed yet. More details in our report.

Deion ‘hurt’ by Shedeur reports
In a podcast interview, Colorado coach Deion Sanders said the draft narratives surrounding his son, Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders, “hurt” and called them “foolish stuff.” More Sanders: “Anybody who knows my son understands he’s a professional. He’s going into a meeting with headphones on? C’mon, man.” See his full comments here.

More news

• Lions center Frank Ragnow announced his retirement after seven seasons. Read more here.
  
• The Hockey Canada trial is almost over after both sides concluded arguments. A decision could come in the next week.
  
• Celtics assistant general manager Austin Ainge is joining his father, Danny, in Utah as the Jazz’s president of basketball operations. Despite the name, he’s earned his way up.
  
• The Braves hired former manager Fredi González to be their new third-base coach after some disastrous sends. Huh.
  
• South Florida is putting former head football coach Jim Leavitt into the school’s Hall of Fame despite his bitter exit. More in our full report.
  
• Max Verstappen conceded his F1 clash with George Russell shouldn’t have happened. Read his comments.