National

With a No. 2 preseason ranking and Heisman favorite C.J. Stroud under center, interest in Ohio State football is through the roof ahead of the season, which begins in just two weeks.

State of play: For the first time ever, the Buckeyes are the most in-demand team in college football based on cumulative ticket sales as of Aug. 12, per exclusive data provided by StubHub.

The top 10: 1. Ohio State, 2. Alabama, 3. Texas, 4. Georgia, 5. Texas A&M, 6. Notre Dame, 7. Michigan, 8. Penn State, 9. Auburn, 10. LSU

Ohio State's year-over-year increase in cumulative sales was also the largest among all teams, followed by Texas, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Nebraska. 

Wild stat: The Buckeyes account for nearly 10% of all college football sales so far on StubHub, including more than a third of Big Ten sales.

Conference call: The SEC leads all conferences for the third straight full-capacity season, accounting for 39% of all sales. They're followed by the Big Ten (27%), Big 12 (13%), ACC (8%) and Pac-12 (5%).

Top 10 games: Alabama (three), Ohio State (two) and Notre Dame (two) are the only teams with multiple games in StubHub's top 10 by total sales:

Oregon vs. Georgia (Sept. 3; Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium)

Florida State vs. LSU (Sept. 4; New Orleans' Caesars Superdome)

The Buckeyes are the hottest ticket in college football

For the first time, Ohio State is the most in-demand team in college football based on cumulative ticket sales.

Illustration of Brutus the Ohio State mascot standing atop a large smoking ticket

Sports

NCAA

Shifts in technology and media are changing the way we play, watch and understand sports. Business models are adapting and social change is forcing those in charge of teams and leagues to reconsider decades-old practices.

University of Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson will no longer use the nickname "AR-15" and will rebrand a line of merchandise linked to him.

Driving the news: Richardson had used "AR-15," a combination of his initials and his jersey number, as his brand, but now says it’s important his name is not linked in any way to the semiautomatic rifle used in several recent mass shootings.

"While a nickname is only a nickname and 'AR-15' was simply a representation of my initials combined with my jersey number, it is important to me that my name and brand are no longer associated with the semiautomatic rifle that has been used in mass shootings, which I do not condone in any way or form,” Richardson said in a statement Sunday.

"My representatives and I are currently working on rebranding, which includes the creation of a new logo and transitioning to simply using 'AR' and my name, Anthony Richardson," he added.

The big picture: The gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, had purchased an AR-15-style rifle online, per NPR.

Go deeper: Biden calls on Congress to reinstate federal assault weapons ban

Florida quarterback drops "AR-15" nickname, rebrands merchandise after Uvalde

Anthony Richardson had used "AR-15," a combination of his initials and his jersey number, as part of his brand and image.

Photo of Anthony Richardson holding a football in his right hand about to throw

Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson makes a pass attempt during the Florida Spring football game on April 14 in Gainesville, Fla. Photo: Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Guns

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

Axios Sports

USC and UCLA will leave the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten in 2024, the schools announced Thursday — a bombshell that caught the sports world completely off-guard.

Why it matters: The future of college athletics seems clear: Two "super leagues" built from the foundations of the SEC, which will soon add Texas and Oklahoma, and the Big Ten, which now spans coast to coast.

The Pac-12, which has become something of a laughingstock among the Power 5 football conferences, faces an uncertain future without the Los Angeles schools.

Plus: This is expected to trigger more realignment. Could other Pac-12 schools join the Big Ten? What about Notre Dame? What will the ACC and Big 12 do now? Nothing is off the table.

What they're saying: "This move offers greater certainty in rapidly changing times and ensures that we remain a leader in college athletics for generations to come," said UCLA chancellor Gene Block and athletic director Martin Jarmond.

A graphic showing the logo of the Big Ten schools

The impending 16-team Big Ten. Graphic: Axios Visuals

By the numbers: The Big Ten and SEC had already separated themselves from the pack financially. Now, armed with the biggest brands in college sports, it won't even be close.

SEC schools will receive roughly $66 million per year starting in 2024, when ESPN's $3 billion deal kicks in. The new-look Big Ten, which is currently negotiating a new TV deal, should pay out even more.

By comparison, payouts for Pac-12 and Big 12 schools are roughly $21 million and $20 million, respectively, under their current deals. ACC payouts are even lower at roughly $14 million.

The impending 16-team SEC. Graphic: Axios Visuals

The big picture: Major college sports, especially football, are increasingly about one thing: cashing checks. What was once "amateur athletics" is now a TV show — and one of the few that still drive ratings.

Millions watch Power 5 football games on Saturdays, and the money trickles down to schools, athletic departments, coaches and — now indirectly through NIL — players.

By that token, Thursday's shocking sequel to last year's SEC blockbuster probably shouldn't have been shocking at all. Big schools, big matchups, Big Noon — it's all there.

The century-old USC-Stanford rivalry has been thrown in the garbage. UCLA being in the same league as Rutgers is absurd and means huge travel demands and 9am PT kickoffs. The list goes on.

Plus, this doesn't just impact football and basketball. USC and UCLA have hundreds of athletes and are two of the three schools with more than 100 NCAA championships.

Zoom out: The Big Sixteen (or is it The Bigger Ten?) may seem strange, but it's part of a larger shift. As the NCAA cedes power to the richest leagues, who may eventually breakaway, membership is a golden ticket.

Conferences were built on culture and geography, and benefited from the framework and cash provided by the NCAA, which governs all schools from the elites to the minnows in Division III.

Now, the biggest conferences have enough brand name member schools to thrive without having to split money with the NCAA's smaller schools.

Looking ahead: We'll soon have two 16-team mega-conferences, but why stop there? Some believe the Big Ten and SEC will end up with 20 schools each, forming the "Power 2."

What's next for the Pac-12 (The Athletic)

Big Ten bombshell reshapes college sports

The Big Ten and SEC had already separated themselves from the pack financially. Now it won't even be close.

Illustration of the USC and UCLA logos riding away in a convertible

National Collegiate Athletic Assocation (NCAA)

Ole Miss sweeps Oklahoma to win College World Series

Ole Miss scored twice on wild pitches on Sunday to beat Oklahoma and complete the sweep in the College World Series Finals.

The Ole Miss Rebels celebrate on the field.

Photo: Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Oklahoma beat Texas, 10-5, on Thursday to repeat as softball national champions, the first team to do so since national seeding began in 2005.

Why it matters: The Sooners have cemented themselves as an all-time dynasty, winning four of the past seven Women's College World Series titles and 115 of their last 122 games.

A fond farewell: Thursday was the final college game for fifth-year senior Jocelyn Alo, the greatest home run hitter in softball history and one of the most dominant athletes in any sport.

She ends her career with 120 HR (most in NCAA history for softball or baseball) and 320 RBIs (third-most in D-I history). Her final season: .515 batting average, 34 HR, 85 RBI.

Wild stat: Alo's weighted runs created plus (wRC+) this season was 303, which was 203% better than the D-I average (100). The highest wRC+ in MLB history is 244 (Barry Bonds in 2002).

What's next: Alo will play professionally but has not said whether that will be in Women's Professional Fastpitch or Athletes Unlimited, where she was drafted No. 1 overall in May.

The bottom line: In 2021, Oklahoma went 56-4 and won a national title. In 2022, they got even better, making a case as the greatest softball team ever assembled.

Oklahoma cements status as all-time NCAA softball dynasty

The Sooners have won four of the past seven Women's College World Series titles and 115 of their last 122 games.

Jocelyn Alo celebrates with the national championship trophy.

Jocelyn Alo celebrates with the national championship trophy. Photo: Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Basketball is a game of runs. Monday's grand finale was a game of punches — and counterpunches.

ICYMI: Kansas erased a 15-point halftime deficit to beat UNC, 72-69, and claim its fourth national title and first since 2008.

It's the largest comeback in national championship game history and makes Bill Self the 16th D-I men's basketball coach with multiple titles.

UNC had been 46-0 in the NCAA tournament when leading by double digits at the half, the longest streak in history. They're now 46-1.

Game recap: Kansas had trailed at halftime just once in the tournament. And just like they did against Miami in the Elite Eight, the Jayhawks came out of halftime firing, outscoring the battered Tar Heels, 47-29.

By the numbers: UNC shot just 31.5% from the field but kept things close thanks to a 55-35 rebounding edge.

Most Outstanding Player: Ochai Agbaji (33 combined points) won Final Four MOP. David McCormack (40 and 19) had a great case.

The final seconds: "And the game is over! Kansas completes the biggest championship comeback [of] all time!" — Jim Nantz

Flashback: In 2020, the Kansas men and South Carolina women would have been No. 1 seeds and among the title favorites — but March Madness was canceled. Two years later, they're both champs. Take that, COVID.

Ochai Agbaji and Bill Self celebrate. Photo: Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

What they said: "Would you rather be down 15 with 20 left or down nine with two left?" Self asked his team at halftime, alluding to KU's comeback in the 2008 title game — and giving his players the belief that the night could still be theirs.

The other side: Tar Heel Nation just went through "an unprecedented emotional science experiment," writes Slate's Alex Kirschner:"No sports fan base has ever taken such a hard bit of whiplash in such a short time. It's like if Team USA had won the 'Miracle on Ice' and topped it off by losing to Finland."

Parting thoughts: In college basketball, March Madness is everything. Sure, we watch the big regular-season games and follow the AP poll movement. But more than perhaps any other sport, we're always looking ahead to the postseason.

March is when America really starts tuning in, our eyes glued to the screen for conference tournaments and opening weekend chaos, all the way through the ceremonial rendition of "One Shining Moment."

On paper, there's some risk in banking an entire sport's brand and success on the final month of the season fulfilling its potential and delivering on its promise. But here's the thing: it always does.

The bottom line: The last three weeks reminded us why we love sports. From Cinderella stories, to bitter rivalries, to thrilling comebacks, to the electricity of a jam-packed Superdome (we are so back!!!), it was everything everywhere all at once.

Kansas beats UNC in historic comeback for national title

Kansas erased a 15-point halftime deficit to beat UNC and claim its fourth national title and first since 2008.

Kansas holding the trophy after winning the national championship.

March Madness

South Carolina throttled UConn, 64-49, on Sunday to complete a wire-to-wire season of dominance and win its second national championship.

Why it matters: The Gamecocks are now one of just eight programs with multiple titles, joining UConn (11), Tennessee (8), Baylor (3), Stanford (3), Notre Dame (2), Louisiana Tech (2) and USC (2).

Wild stat: This was UConn's first loss in a national title game, men or women. The women had been 11-0 (all under Geno Auriemma) and the men are 4-0.

Game recap: South Carolina’s defense and rebounding prowess (+25 edge) gave UConn fits all night, and anytime the Huskies chipped away at the lead, their answer was fast and furious.

Senior swan song: Senior Destanni Henderson went out on top in more ways than one, scoring a career-high 26 points in her final game. Mic drop.

Most Outstanding Player: Aliyah Boston's 30th double-double of the season (11-16) made her the first national champion to average 15 points (16.8) and 15 rebounds (15.2) during the tournament.

What they're saying: "I've been thinking about this since last season, because everybody had a picture of me crying,” said Boston, who missed a would-be game-winner against Stanford in last year's Final Four. "But today we're national champions, and [all I have are] happy tears!"

The big picture: Dawn Staley's ascension to greatness has charted an eerily similar path to Auriemma's, roughly three decades apart.

Auriemma, 68, inherited a program in 1985 that had never been to the tournament. Four years later, he made it there. Eleven years after that, he won his second title over a coach widely considered the GOAT (Pat Summitt).

Dawn Staley, 51, inherited a program in 2008 that was coming off two decades of mediocrity. Four years later, she made her tournament debut. Ten years after that, she won her second title over a coach many now consider the GOAT.

Looking ahead: UConn hasn't won a championship since 2016, its longest drought since winning the first of its 11 titles in 1995. Is the dynasty over?

"I like our chances [next year]," said Auriemma, whose senior class will graduate without a title for the first time since 2008.

Paige Bueckers returns, as does fellow No. 1 recruit Azzi Fudd. And the Huskies will add two more top-five recruits in Ayanna Patterson and Isuneh Brady.

Fun fact: The last time South Carolina won the title was in 2017. The men's champion that year? UNC…

South Carolina's dominant win cements new era in women's basketball

South Carolina beat UConn on Sunday to complete a wire-to-wire season of dominance.

Photo: Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

South Carolina

The NCAA Women's Basketball Sweet 16 is set, and will begin on Friday. 

State of play: Powers like South Carolina and UConn headline the field, while unlikely threats like Creighton and South Dakota lurk.

Greensboro, North Carolina: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 5 UNC; No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 10 Creighton

Spokane, Washington: No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 4 Maryland; No. 2 Texas vs. No. 6 Ohio State

Wichita, Kansas: No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 4 Tennessee; No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 10 South Dakota

Bridgeport, Connecticut: No. 1 NC State vs. No. 5 Notre Dame; No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Indiana

Lady Vols return: Tennessee — the winningest program in women's D-I history — is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016. The Vols made 34 of the first 35 (1982–2008, 2010–16) before the drought.

Historic blowout: No. 5 Notre Dame obliterated No. 4 Oklahoma, 108-64, becoming the first team in NCAA tournament history (men or women) to beat a higher seed by 40+ points.

Family still dancing: Speaking of the Irish, Notre Dame's head coach is Niele Ivey, mother of Purdue star Jaden Ivey, whose Boilermakers are also still alive in the men's tournament.

Power programs: Iowa State, Michigan and UNC have teams in both the men's and women's final 16. Reminder: UConn is the only school to win both titles in the same year (2004, 2014).

Women's Sweet 16 set as Tennessee returns for first time in 6 years

Powers like South Carolina and UConn headline the field, while unlikely threats like Creighton and South Dakota lurk.

Tennessee players douse each other with bottled water.

Sara Puckett drained a go-ahead three to beat Belmont. Photo: Donald Page/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Saint Peter's, a small school in New Jersey that had never won a tournament game, shocked the world Thursday with an 85-79 (OT) win over Kentucky.

 Why it matters: The Peacocks' unlikely victory was the fourth-biggest upset since the men's NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

2012: No. 15 Norfolk State (+21.5) def. No. 2 Missouri

2018: No. 16 UMBC (+20.5) def. No. 1 Virginia

1993: No. 15 Santa Clara (+20) def. No. 2 Arizona

Thursday: No. 15 Saint Peter's (+18.5) def. No. 2 Kentucky

Wild stats: Kentucky has four assistant coaches who make more than Saint Peter's head coach Shaheen Holloway (~$266,000). The Peacocks' entire budget is $1.5 million, while UK's John Calipari makes ~$9 million per year.

The Spider special: No. 12 Richmond's victory over Iowa was the Spiders' ninth win as a 12-seed or lower, five more than any other team since seeding began in 1979.

Three OT games: Saint Peter's-Kentucky wasn't the only game that needed extra time. Murray State and Creighton also won OT thrillers, beating San Francisco and San Diego State, respectively.

0-4: All four Mountain West teams are out (No. 12 Wyoming, No. 6 Colorado State, No. 8 Boise State, No. 8 San Diego State). The conference is now 0-8 since Nevada reached the Sweet 16 in 2018.

Team on his back: Teddy Allen (37 points) was New Mexico State's only player in double-figures in an upset win over UConn.

Monster line: Freshman sensation Chet Holmgren had 19 points, 17 rebounds, seven blocks, five assists and two steals in Gonzaga's 93-72 win over Georgia State.

Go deeper: March Madness betting expected to set record

Saint Peter's beats Kentucky in March Madness shocker

Saint Peter's, a small school in New Jersey, had never won a tournament game.

Saint Peter's players celebrating their victory over Kentucky on March 17.

Photo: Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images 

The College Football Playoff will keep its four-team playoff format through at least 2025, CFP executive director Bill Hancock announced Friday.

Driving the news: The CFP management committee, made up of 10 conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletics director, could not reach the unanimous consensus needed to expand the tournament before the end of its 12-year contract, which means expansion will have to wait until the 2026 season.

Catch up quick: A 12-team expansion plan was proposed to the CFP and made public in June, ESPN notes.

But Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner Jim Phillips took a strong public stance against the plan, saying that now is "not the right time for expansion," citing other problems with Division I collegiate athletics. 

What they're saying: "Even though the outcome did not lead to a recommendation for an early expansion before the end of the current 12-year contract, the discussions have been helpful and informative," Hancock said in a statement.

"I thank the working group for its hard work that resulted in the 12-team proposal, and the Management Committee for its thorough and diligent job reviewing it and other possible expansion ideas," he added.

College Football Playoff keeping 4-team format through 2025

The CFP could not get the unanimous approval needed in order to expand prior to the end of its 12-year contract.

Lucas Oil Stadium where the CFP championship was held

Lucas Oil Stadium where the Alabama Crimson Tide versus the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff National Championship, on January 10, 2022. Photo: Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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