The Pac-12 is the gift that keeps on giving this year.
They’re absolutely stacked with fun teams that seem to all play completely different styles and this week. Everybody has varying degrees of the same strengths and the same weaknesses. Almost all of them are really good offenses with terrible to above average defenses.
Then there’s Utah. The Utes are missing their starting quarterback Cam Rising who seems destined to take this year as a medical redshirt as he works his way back from a torn ACL in last season’s Rose Bowl. And yet, they keep winning.
Why? The defense is elite.
So elite they were able to bring along former Utah pig farmer Bryson Barnes to a pretty decent QB. Safety Sione Vake has become a star RB the last two weeks and they’re right there in the mix for the Pac-12 title game and a playoff spot.
In their way this week is perhaps the only other Pac-12 defense I trust in Oregon. The Ducks aren’t quite Utah good on defense, but they make up for it with an offense that isn’t quite Washington good but pretty close.
Elsewhere, the Pac-12 also treats us to Colorado at UCLA and Oregon State at Arizona as wonderfully fun contests to feed us football late into the night.
Thank you to our west coast friends for taking this last season together with a bang. Us east coast college football sickos appreciate it more than we can ever show.
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College Football Week 9 Picks, DFS Plays & Podcast: FSU-Wake, Utah-Oregon, Duke-Louisville lead battle for conference positioning

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A familiar face is on deck for Florida State softball to face off against at the Super Regional stage.
After sweeping through the Tallahassee Regional this past weekend, the Seminoles’ quest to return to the Women’s College World Series brings them to Norman Super Regional for a rematch of last season’s championship series with the Oklahoma Sooners.
While these Sooners aren’t the same as last year’s 61-1 team, they’re just as dangerous with a lineup that ranks third in the country in scoring, averaging north of 8 runs per game, and a  pitching staff headlined by Oklahoma State transfer Kelly Maxwell.
It’s a tough combination for a Seminoles team that lost Allison Royalty for the season to an injury suffered during the Tallahassee Regional championship and still faces questions about the availability of Makenna Reid who hasn’t hit the circle for FSU in more than a month.
On this episode of the Seminole Softball Wrap, Gwyn Rhodes and Brian Pellerin discuss the impact of Royalty’s injury, the team’s impressive regional sweep, their history against Kelly Maxwell during her time in Stillwater and the challenge ahead from OU.
Plus, we recap Gwyn’s regional picks and have her break down the Super Regional action.
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Seminoles softball: FSU wins Tallahassee Regional but pitching questions surround Florida State ahead of series vs. Oklahoma -- Super Regionals preview, predictions, analysis

For the 10th year in a row, Florida State softball and Tallahassee will play host to the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
After a second-place finish in the ACC Tournament last weekend, the Seminoles earned the No. 15 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host the Tallahassee Regional at Joanne Graf Field this weekend. The Seminoles will play host to the two-seeded Auburn Tigers, three-seeded UCF Knights and four-seeded Chattanooga Mocs.
On this episode of the Seminole Wrap podcast, Gwyn Rhodes and Brian Pellerin take a look back at the past two weeks — Florida State’s pursuit of the ACC regular season crown, wild extra-inning affair against the Florida Gators and the ACC Tournament run — and look ahead to the Tallahassee Regional as well as the regional action coming across the country.
Auburn (27-19-1, 19-11-1 SEC, 5-8 on the road)
Two-seed Auburn brings to the table one of the best pitchers in the country in Maddie Penta. The senior star has tallied 230 strikeouts in 182.1 IP to go with her sparkling 1.77 ERA. Shelby Lowe and Annabelle Widra are next on the team with 70 and 40 innings respectively. 
The Tigers lack a major strength in the lineup, but the pitching staff is strong enough to make them a serious threat.
UCF (30-23, 12-15 Big 12)
The calling card for the three-seeded Knights is depth — both in the circle and on the lineup card. The hitters lack power, but they feature five hitters with at least 98 at bats that hit over .300. They also feature seven pitchers who have made 10 or more apperances this season. Sarah Willis leads the way with 27 and the only one over 100 innings with 120.1.
Their first year in the Big 12 brought plenty of tough matchups with softball elite like Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas, but they went 0-9 in those matchups. Plus 0-5 in nonconference matchips with South Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Missouri and Mississippi State.
Chattanooga (42-14, 16-5 SoCon)
The four seed, Chattanooga, enters this regional as the SoCon champions with their greatest strength being their pitching staff. It’s a trio with 75+ innings and 20+ appearances, all with sub 3.00 ERAs and a total .223 batting average against this season. Peja Goold leads the way with 121 strikeouts across 112 innings, Alyssa Lavdis punched out 86 in 108 IP and, perhaps most impressively, Taylor Long struck out 107 in only 77.1 IP.
Their lineup is headlined by Kalli Phillips who is slugging .800 with 30 extra base hits including 15 homers. Four other regular starters are hitting over .300. They also had 68 sacrifice hits this season so they’re not afraid to use their outs to move runners.
But their schedule leaves plenty of questions as the only ranked opponent was Lafayette on the first two days of the season and Cal was the only power five opponent. The Mocs lost all four of those games.
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FSU softball: Breaking down the Seminoles' NCAA Tournament path in the Tallahassee Regional, ACC Tournament recap

After losing four out of five games in top 25 matchupvs vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide, Duke  Blue Devils and Texas Longhorns, Florida State Seminoles softball has won 19 out of their last 20 games.
The cherry on top of the turnaround? That 19th win came via run-rule over the Florida Gators in Gainesville, earning FSU a school-record sixth-straight win in the series.
On the latest episode of the Seminole Softball Wrap, hosts Brian Pellerin and Gwyn Rhodes discuss the recent success of FSU’s softball team, highlighting an impressive run which has seen Florida State take first place in the ACC. They delve into the team’s significant victories, including that blowout win over Florida, which puts them in a good position to potentially host a regional. 
The episode also touches on the team’s depth, coaching, and player development, speaking on how the bounceback after the tough start to the season underscores the team’s resilience, adaptability, and the strong culture within FSU softball.
(Editor’s note: Also, this is Brian’s first episode as a dad. Everybody say congrats!)
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FSU softball: Seminoles have won 19 of last 20 games, earning first place in ACC standings

Florida State spring football is over -- but the Seminole Wrap is back.
Perry Kostidakis takes up hosting duty with fearless leader Brian Pellerin out on paternity leave, joined by staff writer Jordan Silversmith who has been up-close and in the trenches all spring long.
After a quick recap of everything in the FSU sports world, Jordan shares his answers to some burning questions after Florida State’s Spring Showcase, including:

What was there to like the most from Saturday’s showcase?

Who was an expected stand out that lived up to the hype? Who was a surprise?

What position groups to feel the most confident and most concerned about at this point

What has been seen throughout spring that wasn’t on display Saturday?

Offensive and defensive spring MVPs

The two also discuss the way that the annual spring exhibition has been held under Mike Norvell, while Jordan shares some thoughts on the NFL Draft and the upcoming week in FSU baseball.
All that and more on the Seminole Wrap podcast.
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00:00 Introduction
00:13 Quick Recap of Florida State Sports
02:03 Deep Dive into Spring Showcase
02:57 Defensive Standouts and Potential Improvements
06:17 Offensive Analysis: Progress and Concerns
12:10 Transfer Portal Speculations and Team Needs
16:52 Spring MVPs and Standout Performers
20:59 Final Takeaways from Spring Football
26:35 The Spring Game Debate: Showcase vs. Traditional Game
39:22 NFL Draft Prospects and Predictions
45:49 FSU Baseball’s Challenging Week and Outlook
49:36 Wrapping Up: Host Reflections and Audience Engagement
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Seminoles spring football evaluation: What did we learn from showcase? Where does FSU sit after camp? Biggest strengths, weaknesses

“I told (the team) after practice, I’m a head coach going into my ninth year, and you get a pretty good sense of a team by how the practice before the spring showcase or game (goes) and what their approach to it is.”
Mike Norvell appreciated the effort exemplified by his players on Thursday.
Florida State had its last “physical” practice of the spring today before the gates of Doak Cambell Stadium open, and the public gets to see what the team looks like. The Seminoles went out with a bang with explosive plays, competitive situations, and a couple of emotional moments that crossed the line.
Although the headman did not admit it, the defense won the final practice. Poor offensive execution, mainly drops, helped Adam Fuller’s unit stay in front, as the offense did not know where to go with the ball most of the day. The key to success came from the stout secondary play that suffocated the wide receivers. Patrick Surtain stapled Azareye’h Thomas and Fentrell Cypress to the field, and they delivered with sticky coverage and pass break-ups. As Mike Norvell mentioned in his press conference, the offense worked heavily on the short passing game and screens, which meant Jaylin Lucas played a featured role.
As noted, the Seminoles will suit up inside Doak Cambell Stadium for the first time in 2024 at 4 P.M. on Saturday.
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College Football Week 9 Picks, DFS Plays & Podcast: FSU-Wake, Utah-Oregon, Duke-Louisville lead battle for conference positioning

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