Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for the USA TODAY Sports Network. An APSE award-winning writer, he has covered college football for three decades. Listen to him daily, from 12-2 p.m., on 1010XL-Jacksonville.
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My Recent Work
Big Ten and SEC must decide: Break away now or share later | Opinion
NCAA's new 5-for-5 rule will cost schools even more | Opinion
How new Kentucky AD could tip SEC–Big Ten power fight back south How J Batt can help SEC decode the Big Ten dominance plans.
NFL sees NIL chaos — and smells a threat to its empire | Opinion
Latest Jordon Hudson headache moves Bill Belichick closer to disaster
Brendan Sorsby finally walked — after college football lost its mind
Brendan Sorsby entering NFL Supplemental Draft amid gambling backlash
Will Lane Kiffin and Brendan Sorsby ever accept accountability?
Kiffin and Sorsby: You knew these two chaos creators had to intersect
College football is a mess — and untouchable at the same time | Opinion
Texas Tech went from disruptor to problem in one reckless gamble
The CFP’s gangster move could save college football | Opinion
What does Brendan Sorsby injunction vs NCAA mean for Texas Tech, QB?
Give Nick Saban antitrust exemption, czar status and get out of the way. Enough committees. College football needs a Nicktator | Opinion
Forget offseason ugly and embrace beauty: Leach is Hall of Fame lock
Big Ten, SEC didn’t lose control — they’re setting the trap | Opinion
Big money, bad blood: Texas Tech turns softball into must-watch TV
Utah’s private equity gamble was always going to end like this
Why SEC must wait on Congress to act before any realistic breakaway.
Why SEC must wait on Congress to act before any realistic breakaway
College sports is spiraling — and ignoring the one solution that fits
Why Pete Golding became the SEC’s favorite punching bag
Ole Miss coach threatens to 'expose' rampant tampering
SEC problem solving 101: If you want something done, do it yourself College Football’s real problem isn’t the Playoff — it’s everything else
Lane Kiffin defends comments as SEC weighs potential punishment
Everyone in the LSU orbit has bought into Kiffin. But how does it end?
Notre Dame's one-sided, narcissistic deal wearing thin on ACC | Opinion
ACC crawls back to the Big Ten — and calls it survival | Opinion
Lane Kiffin isn’t misunderstood. He’s calculated | Opinion
No one is safe as Steve Sarkisian rips CFB's Wild West culture
SEC vs. Big Ten has devolved into private NIL arms race.
SEC, Big Ten dominate unthinkable market of private NIL millions
A 24‑team CFP isn’t progress — it’s surrender | Opinion
Hope isn’t a plan — but it’s all Nebraska has left | Opinion
College sports isn’t broken. Duke just proved it’s for sale. Who's next?
The NCAA may decide Brendan Sorsby’s season — or a judge might
So much on the table, so much uncertainty for SEC spring meetings.
SEC is one month from most important spring meetings ever
Sports Seriously CFB Show: Sorsby scandal 'just tip of the iceberg'
NCAA hates gambling. Except when it cashes the checks | Opinion
'33rd Team' as sad as Bill Belichick's dwindling coaching twilight
Why Kyle Whittingham took Michigan football job sight unseen
Exclusive: Why Whittingham took Michigan sight unseen to fix Moore’s mess
Cincinnati knew of Sorsby's gambling issue prior to 2025 season
CFP expansion is tied to shared revenue, a non-starter for SEC.
Why the SEC Is digging In — and daring college football to blink
The 'unsustainable' era meets Alabama’s latest unthinkable splurge