Texas
Why UT (Texas, not Tennessee) could be the national championship favorite – and why not
Alabama honors Nick Saban by naming Bryant-Denny field after former coach
Alabama honors Nick Saban by naming Bryant-Denny field after former coach
Did Texas just assemble the best team money can buy? Maybe. Alternatively, it spent big for a playoff-caliber roster that will come up short of the national championship game once again, after two straight years bowing out in the semifinals.
This much we know: The Longhorns spent big. Just how big? Well, the Houston Chronicle recently reported that Texas’ budget for its 2025 squad is expected to be in the $35 to $40 million range.
That’s not entirely unexpected. Ohio State won the national championship last season with a $20 million roster. The Buckeyes’ roster reflected the top end of the market before revenue-sharing, though. Now, a legal settlement to an ongoing court case sits at the 2-yard line. If it crosses the legal end zone, that would unlock revenue sharing for this next fiscal year. Combine new revenue-sharing dollars with an NIL war chest, and you get Texas’ payroll.
On this edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss whether that handsomely paid roster makes Texas the national championship frontrunner.
Here’s how they see it:
Is Texas the national championship frontrunner?
Adams: Texas is a playoff contender. A national championship contender, too. But, the national championship frontrunner? I’m not willing to go that far. I seem to recall Texas A&M making headlines by spending more than a few shekels to build its 2022 roster the first season of the NIL era. How’d that go? Unemployed Jimbo Fisher can tell you all about it. I’m not suggesting an Aggies-esque flop for the Longhorns, only that it takes more than money to win a title. Assuming Arch Manning lives up to the name – I think he will – Texas will pack a punch, much more so than those 2022 Aggies. But, I don’t have Texas listed as my SEC frontrunner – see what LSU did in the transfer portal – let alone for the national championship.
Toppmeyer: I’d have no problem with anyone listing Texas as their national championship frontrunner. The Longhorns have a budding star quarterback. They have a well-rounded roster without apparent weakness. They have a good coach. A rich roster doesn’t guarantee success, but it sure helps. A quarterback like Manning and a coach like Sarkisian help, too. The Longhorns have a shot. So do about six to eight other teams.
Later in the episode
∎ Adams lists his eight teams that enjoy at least a 5% chance of winning the national championship. He also sounds off on USA TODAY’s list of the top 25 coaches, pointing to a few SEC bosses who are underrated.
Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered
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Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. John Adams is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Subscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered podcast, and check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
A day off at the pool — and a little sunburn — didn’t stop the Minnesota Twins’ momentum.
Brooks Lee hit a three-run homer as Minnesota scored multiple runs in the first inning for the third consecutive game, and the Twins went on to complete a series sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 9-3 win Thursday.
Minnesota has won four games in a row and scored 25 runs in the three-games series in Texas. The two teams had a rare, mid-series day off on Wednesday with the England-Croatia World Cup game being played in Arlington.
“We’re locked in every day,” Lee told Audra Martin on the team’s broadcast. “Yesterday, taking time off, lay out by the pool, get a little burnt and then right back to it. We did a good job getting focused. I feel like we do that with rain delays, too, just lock back in and we’re doing it.”
Lee’s 12th homer capped a four-run first off Jack Leiter (3-7). Trevor Larnach made it 6-0 in the fourth with a two-run shot to straightaway center that just cleared the extended glove of leaping Alejandro Osuna. Larnach’s third hit was an RBI single in the fifth, and Ryan Kriedler hit a two-run homer in the eighth.
Joe Ryan (5-3) struck out seven but needed 97 pitches to get through five scoreless innings while allowing three singles. Leiter was done after the fourth, and has given up 17 runs while losing three starts in a row.
The Twins never trailed in the sweep that extended their winning streak to four, matching their longest this season. Their 14-5 record at Globe Life Field is the best for any American League opponent since the ballpark opened in 2020.
Wyatt Langford, Ezequiel Duran and Justin Foscue hit solo homers for the Rangers, who have lost five of six games. They are 0-15 when giving up multiple runs in the first inning.
Twins DH Josh Bell, who was born in nearby Irving and grew up in the area, had an RBI single before Lee’s homer. Bell hit a three-run homer in the first inning of the series-opening 4-2 win Monday, and had an RBI single for a 2-0 lead in the first of a 12-2 win on Tuesday.
“We’re just passing the baton each time,” Lee said of the offensive output. “Our guys are hot. They feel good and they came out swinging today. It was awesome to see. We’ve done that for a while now.”
Up next
Twins rookie left-hander Connor Prielipp (2-4, 5.26 ERA) starts Friday at Arizona. The Diamondbacks are scheduled to start right-hander Michael Soroka (8-3, 3.11).
Watch CBS News
A Texas state trooper was killed in a crash in the Panhandle, becoming the 244th Texas Department of Public Safety officer to die in the line of duty since 1823, according to the agency.
Sergio Romero, 27, died Wednesday after a semi-truck pulled in front of him as he attempted a traffic stop around 4 p.m. on U.S. 287 in Childress County, DPS said.
In a statement, Col. Freeman F. Martin praised Romero’s courage, integrity, and service.
“Today, we grieve the loss of one of our own,” Martin said. “… Our hearts break alongside his family, friends, fellow troopers, and all who loved him. We will never forget the ultimate sacrifice he made in service of his fellow Texans.”
Romero previously served with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office before joining DPS as part of Class B-2025 in Childress, the agency said.
He is survived by his wife, Francisca, and their two young sons.
Funeral arrangements are pending. The crash remains under investigation.
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