Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs’ Kirby Smart Throws Shade At Oregon Ducks Coach Dan Lanning
The Oregon Ducks football program, coach Dan Lanning, Nike and NIL are being talked about at SEC Media Days. Georgia coach Kirby Smart jokingly looks a little green with envy when talking about his former defensive coordinator Lanning.
“This year, we took Nike, who I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting Phil Knight and his wonderful wife Penny,” Smart said at day two of SEC Media Days. “And I wish I could get some of that NIL money that he’s sharing with Dan Lanning. But that’s another note.”
Lanning coached under Smart as Georgia’s defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach at from 2018-21. Lanning helped Georgia go undefeated in his final season with the Bulldogs, winning the 2021-22 National Championship.
Lanning will have a chance to react to Smart’s comments at Big Ten media days at the end of July. The Ducks are also bringing linebacker Jeffrey Bassa, tight end Terrance Ferguson, and transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Name, Image, Likeness has completely changed the college football landscape and some programs are adjusting quicker to the change than others. The Oregon Ducks are thriving in the new environment in their inaugural season in the Big Ten Conference.
Part of this success has been due to the efforts of Oregon’s Division Street NIL collective which has been lauded by many as the most innovative and effective in the country.
Two Oregon Ducks are top NIL earners in the country. Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and receiver Evan Stewart are both in the top 10 of NIL earnings among football players, clocking in at No. 8 and 10 respectively. This represents quite an accomplishment for the two high-profile transfers as they’re both yet to play a single snap for Oregon.
Oregon is recently receiving attention because of a report that Nike’s Phil Nike is allowing “unlimited NIL” for the Ducks. Has Knight written a blank check in order to buy a team that can bring home Oregon’s first national championship in football?
All football programs, including the Ducks, are of course using their resources to better their team and win championships.
But the Ducks’ success in recruiting and transfer portal runs deeper than that.
Oregon’s conference realignment means the Ducks will play against the top talent in the country vs. teams like the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes. Recruits and transfer athletes want to play against the best to prove they are the best. Next steps would be making it the NFL. With Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota all playing on Sundays… It’s no wonder transfers like Gabriel and Dante Moore want to be a Duck.
They were designed to hold a drink, but cups produced in Rome, Georgia, have become one of the FIFA Men’s World Cup’s most unexpected souvenirs.
Inside the Top Cup plant in Rome, millions of cups were created to celebrate the world’s biggest sporting event.
“We made 10 million over 70 different graphics for the World Cup,” said Rome native and Top Cup General Manager Zach Dixon.
The plant in north Georgia produces up to 750,000 cups a day.
“We’ve always been really proud of the cup … but the World Cup has obviously taken it to another level,” said Top Cup CEO David Cuthbert.
Fans have been taking them home from matches. Some have even been listed for sale online.
“We’ve always been really proud of the cup… but the World Cup has obviously taken it to another level,” said Cuthbert.
Dixon said they begin the process with massive coils of aluminum, each weighing about 30,000 pounds. The metal is stamped, stretched, washed, and moved down the line.
The plant produces about 1,100 cups every minute.
Ricardo Marques, the senior vice president of marketing for Michelob ULTRA, said that there have been venue-specific, match-specific, and Finals-specific stadium cups for the World Cup. There are also three separate red, white, and blue designs available for fans at bars and restaurants around the U.S.
“We’ve seen an incredible response to the collection. Together, these commemorative cups give fans a unique keepsake and a lasting reminder of an unforgettable FIFA World Cup experience and the moments that brought millions of people together through the world’s game,” Marques said.
Cuthbert said his company has seen how the World Cup has done wonders for metro Atlanta businesses.
“Our team in Rome, Georgia takes tremendous pride in helping bring this fan experience to life for one of the world’s biggest sporting events,” he said.
So when soccer fans celebrate the surprise victory or mourn their last-minute loss, they’re doing so with a little piece of Georgia.
Athlon Sports projected the best SEC games for each week of the 2026 regular season.
The conference features some of the most compelling matchups in all of college football, from opening weekend through rivalry week. The selections emphasize games anticipated to have the biggest impact on the SEC championship race and College Football Playoff picture.
Florida’s annual clash with Georgia was tabbed as one of the SEC’s premier fixtures. The game has grown in national significance since it began in 1904, continuing as a battle of blue-blood programs that routinely produces iconic results. The game temporarily moves to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta during the Jacksonville stadium renovations.
The Jon Sumrall era carries with it an increasing sense of belief — many experts see the Gators as a dark-horse CFB playoff contender. Regardless of its final win-loss record, UF will play a part in shaping the season’s narrative as they face several post-season favorites in Texas, Georgia and Oklahoma.
Noted in the article is the SEC’s depth and newly implemented nine-game conference schedule. Georgia, Texas, Alabama and LSU appear multiple times on this list, with Georgia facing Alabama in Week 6 and Ole Miss in Week 10 while LSU hosts Clemson in Week 1 and will see Texas in Week 11 take on Alabama.
Many contenders from the SEC face multiple nationally relevant foes over the course of the season.
Athlon Sports’ Best game for every week of the 2026 season
- Week 1: Clemson at LSU (Sept. 5)
- Week 2: Ohio State at Texas (Sept. 12)
- Week 3: LSU at Ole Miss (Sept. 19)
- Week 4: Oklahoma at Georgia (Sept. 26)
- Week 5: Auburn at Tennessee (Oct. 3)
- Week 6: Georgia at Alabama (Oct. 10)
- Week 7: Alabama at Tennessee (Oct. 17)
- Week 8: Ole Miss at Texas (Oct. 24)
- Week 9: Florida vs. Georgia (Atlanta) (Oct. 31)
- Week 10: Georgia at Ole Miss (Nov. 7)
- Week 11: Texas at LSU (Nov. 14)
- Week 12: Texas A&M at Oklahoma (Nov. 21)
- Week 13: Texas at Texas A&M (Friday) (Nov. 27)
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