With the majority of the NCAA football season getting going this weekend, some of the biggest teams in the nation are involved in off-the-field news. Meanwhile, other teams are making crucial decisions for starting positions after camp competitions.
LSU Impacted by Hurricane Ida
Hurricane Ida destroyed parts of Louisiana this week and forced LSU to hit the road for safer territory. The Tigers football team left Baton Rouge before the storm made landfall and practiced in Houston this week.
Head coach Ed Orgeron told the media on Wednesday that while Baton Rouge is without power and sustained damage, all of the Tigers players and their families are safe. The LSU program has over 60 players who hail from Louisiana, as does Orgeron.
The Tigers begin their season Saturday night against UCLA in California. The Bruins won 44-10 on Saturday against Hawaii. LSU starts the season as road favorites at -2.5, and they are +1800 to win the SEC.
Aggies Extend Fisher
Texas A&M rewarded head coach Jimbo Fisher with a four-year contract extension on Wednesday. The new deal will pay Fisher more than $9 million per year and adds on to his original 10-year, $75 million deal. With the extension, Fisher is now signed through Dec. 31, 2031.
With the new deal, the only head coach in the nation making more money per year is Alabama’s Nick Saban. The extension from Alabama that Saban signed this summer will pay him $10.6 million per year through 2028.
Fisher is 26-10 in three seasons at Texas A&M after winning a national title at Florida State. The Aggies will begin the 2021 season ranked No. 6 in the nation after finishing last year at No. 4.
Texas A&M hosts Kent State on Saturday, and they are -23,5. The Aggies are +1100 to win the SEC and +3000 to win the national title.
Texas Names Card as Starter
With Sam Ehlinger now in the NFL, the Texas Longhorns need a new quarterback. New coach Steve Sarkisian named Hudson Card as his starter on Tuesday after a camp battle with Casey Thompson.
Card is a redshirt freshman who played at Lake Travis High School in the Austin area. He attempted three passes in two games last season while redshirting.
Thompson is also expected to play in the opener against Louisiana. The junior player in the Alamo Bowl win over Colorado last season after Ehlinger got hurt. Thompson threw four-touchdown passes and was the heir apparent during the offseason.
Ehlinger threw for 11,436 yards in four seasons while racking up 94 touchdowns to 27 interceptions. He completed 63% of his passes and finished his career with a 145.0 quarterback rating.
Texas begins the season ranked No. 21, and they will host No. 23 Louisiana in Saturday’s opener. It marks the first opener for Texas against a ranked team since 1984.
The Longhorns are -8 against the Ragin Cajuns on Saturday. They are +700 to win the Big 12, ranked behind Oklahoma (-180) and Iowa State (+270).
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