Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · 15h

Final rankings.

Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · 1d

What a CFP selection dry run revealed about college football’s most scrutinized conference room

www.nytimes.com/athletic/669...

Inside the CFP selection war room, the committee has plenty to think about

www.nytimes.com

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · 3d

College Football Playoff 2025 bracket prediction: Hello Alabama! Goodbye Penn State!

www.nytimes.com/athletic/669...

College Football Playoff 2025 bracket prediction: Hello Alabama! Goodbye Penn State!

Right now, three of the SEC’s four unbeatens are in — Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Alabama, Georgia and LSU are also in the field.

www.nytimes.com

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · 7d

Hey You GIF

ALT: Hey You GIF

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Scott Dochterman

Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · 9d

What we learned about the Big Ten after the conference’s most consequential Saturday

Oregon, Ohio State, Indiana pass major road tests
Concern, yes, but not all bad for Penn State
The league's "mushy middle"
QBs making strides
What if ... play-in edition

www.nytimes.com/athletic/667...

What we learned about the Big Ten after the conference’s most consequential Saturday yet

The Big Ten’s first major weekend of conference games provided clarity on which teams have championship potential and which have work to do.

www.nytimes.com

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · 9d

What we learned about the Big Ten after the conference’s most consequential Saturday

Oregon, Ohio State, Indiana pass major road tests
Concern, yes, but not all bad for Penn State
The league's "mushy middle"
QBs making strides
What if ... play-in edition

www.nytimes.com/athletic/667...

What we learned about the Big Ten after the conference’s most consequential Saturday yet

The Big Ten’s first major weekend of conference games provided clarity on which teams have championship potential and which have work to do.

www.nytimes.com

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · 10d

College Football Playoff 2025 bracket prediction: A wide-open field after a chaotic Saturday

(And good luck choosing among the SEC teams)

www.nytimes.com/athletic/666...

College Football Playoff 2025 bracket prediction: A wide-open field after a chaotic Saturday

Welcome to the impossible task of selecting the College Football Playoff field after Week 5.

www.nytimes.com

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · 10d

Indiana’s gut-check win at Iowa could form backbone of special season: ‘Now we know’

www.nytimes.com/athletic/666...

Indiana’s gut-check win at Iowa could form backbone of special season: ‘Now we know’

Winning in gutsy fashion at Iowa could help the Hoosiers form positive recall for future away games at Oregon and Penn State.

www.nytimes.com

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · 13d

‘I had to find out if the fan base was dead or just on life support.’

At Indiana, Curt Cignetti stepped out of his comfort zone and now is forcing fans to embrace a surprising football frontrunner. The infrastructure says IU could stay there.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/665...

‘Is this real?’ At Indiana, Curt Cignetti is forcing fans to embrace a football frontrunner

Cignetti's direct approach to turning Indiana from a basketball school into a perennial CFP hopeful, one blowout at a time, is taking root.

www.nytimes.com

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · 19d

Haha, thanks!

Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · 21d

Illinois and Indiana share a history of losing. That’s why their matchup is so intriguing

www.nytimes.com/athletic/663...

Illinois and Indiana share a history of losing. That’s why their matchup is so intriguing

Indiana and Illinois are both ranked heading into their matchup for the first time since 1950.

www.nytimes.com

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · 22d

Big Ten football mailbag:
Penn State’s schedule
Disparities on Friday night games
Illinois optimism
Oregon concerns
And more here ⬇️

www.nytimes.com/athletic/663...

Big Ten football mailbag: Illinois optimism, Oregon concerns as conference play ramps up

Also, why Penn State played a weak conference schedule and thoughts on Big Ten schedule discrepancies.

www.nytimes.com

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · 24d

Iowa's Kirk Ferentz set the Big Ten wins record without fanfare. Iowa's governor didn't hand him a cake, like with Hayden Fry in 1991. No B1G official was on hand to celebrate it.

Instead, Ferentz joined The Swarm & kissed his wife, which was perfect for him.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/662...

From 2-18 to No. 206: Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz breaks Woody Hayes’ Big Ten wins record

With a 47-7 win against UMass, Ferentz collected his 206th win as a Big Ten coach.

www.nytimes.com

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · 24d

Thanks and (I wanna puke after seeing that). Getting it changed now.

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · 24d

The only dancing to AC/DC songs should involve a pole, lol.

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · 24d

From 2-18 to 206: Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz breaks Woody Hayes’ Big Ten wins record

www.nytimes.com/athletic/662...

From 2-18 to No. 206: Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz breaks Woody Hayes’ Big Ten wins record

With a 47-7 win against UMass, Ferentz collected his 206th win as a Big Ten coach.

www.nytimes.com

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · Sep 7

Iowa State once looked up to Kansas State and Iowa. After winning 3 straight against the Wildcats and 3 of 4 against the Hawkeyes, it’s now the other way around.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/660...

Iowa State is no longer looking up at Iowa (or Kansas State). It's the other way around

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Scott Dochterman

Jerad Walker @jeradwalker.bsky.social · Sep 4

This week, The Broadside tackled… what else? The Belichick effect.

Big thanks to @scottdochterman.bsky.social and @themhartman.bsky.social for explaining the money-sucking machine behind college athletics. And why winning may not matter when you can’t lose in college football.

The Belichick effect and the money-sucking machine of college football

College football has become a money-sucking machine, with schools spending every dollar possible to keep up in an athletics arms race.

www.wunc.org

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · Sep 3

In college football’s new era, is it better to be Iowa or Iowa State? A breakdown of the pros and cons ranging from financial data to CFP access.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/659...

A Cy-Hawk would-you-rather: Is it better to be Iowa or Iowa State in 2025?

www.nytimes.com

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · Aug 28

10 things you need to know about the Big Ten as mega-conference kicks off 2025

www.nytimes.com/athletic/657...

10 things you need to know about the Big Ten before 2025 kicks off

www.nytimes.com

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · Aug 26

Who has the easiest, hardest Big Ten schedules? Ranking all 18, from Wisconsin to Michigan

www.nytimes.com/athletic/657...

Ranking the Big Ten's conference schedules, from Wisconsin to Michigan

www.nytimes.com

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · Aug 26

How college football players spend NIL money, from muscle cars and fishing gear to wedding rings and long-term investments.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/657...

How college football players spend NIL money, from cars to fishing gear to wedding rings

This summer, The Athletic asked 57 current football players about their first major purchase funded by an NIL check.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Scott Dochterman

Seth Emerson @sethemerson.bsky.social · Aug 24

What if there were a Big Ten vs. SEC challenge: Who would win a 16-game showdown?

For the second straight year @scottdochterman.bsky.social and I draw up matchups and make picks, and don’t always agree:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/656...

Big Ten vs. SEC challenge: Who would win a 16-game showdown?

If the sport's two premier conferences played a nonconference series, who would prove to have more depth? We played it out.

www.nytimes.com

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · Aug 20

Why is Iowa State-Kansas State in Ireland? How ‘Farm O’ Geddon’ went international

www.nytimes.com/athletic/656...

Why is Iowa State-Kansas State in Ireland? How ‘Farm O’ Geddon’ went international

How did a rivalry with so much importance to America's breadbasket end up in Ireland?

www.nytimes.com

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Scott Dochterman @scottdochterman.bsky.social · Aug 18

That looks cool, kind of like the Festhalle Barn in Amana for Oktoberfest. I do need to get a hold of you for something coming up.

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