BEST LINKS

NBC and Amazon are still negotiating a sublease for the 2026 Big Ten Championship Game - and the fact they're still talking is the story. Fox, which owns the majority of Big Ten Network, has signaled it doesn't want the game going to a streaming competitor. But NBC is pushing anyway, asking around $70M for the rights. The backdrop: NBC landed the Big Ten's primetime package three years ago but has been frustrated by marquee programs refusing to play night games after November. Could Fox eventually say yes? Maybe. Fox One is available through Amazon Channels, and Amazon exec Mike Hopkins spent 17 years at Fox with deep relationships there. Oh, and Amazon's Jay Marine is a proud Michigan alum - so at least one person in that negotiating room cares who wins. [LINK]

USC's top-ranked 2026 class cost them north of $9M - mostly front-loaded NIL deals that powered 21 commitments between February and May, right before the House settlement kicked in. The engine behind it: Chad Bowden, the 30-year-old they poached from Notre Dame on a multiyear deal worth over $1M annually. Lincoln Riley said finding the right GM-type was the single most discussed topic between him and AD Jen Cohen since they started working together. "Our patience has been rewarded." Translation: USC found their guy, paid up before the rules changed, and locked in a class before anyone else could adjust. [LINK]

CFP Selection Committee Chair Hunter Yurachek is catching heat for his explanation of why Notre Dame sits ahead of Miami, despite the Hurricanes beating the Irish head-to-head. His answer: "We're not comparing Notre Dame and Miami side by side. We're comparing really this whole, we've been comparing Alabama, Notre Dame, BYU, and Miami collectively." He also defended Vanderbilt's placement behind 9-3 Texas, arguing the Commodores "just don't have a signature win" because Missouri and Tennessee dropped out of the rankings after Vandy beat them. The circular logic, beat ranked teams, those teams fall, your wins no longer count, is precisely the kind of committee-speak that makes fans want to throw their remotes through the TV. [LINK]

DEEP DIVE

James Franklin Wins 68.7% Of His Games. Frank Beamer Won 66.7%. VT Is Calling Franklin A Home Run Hire. But The Data Says It's Just Getting Back To Normal.

The Verdict

James Franklin is a high-floor, polarizingly safe hire for Virginia Tech.

He dramatically raises the talent and competency baseline in Blacksburg. His recruiting prowess will immediately transform VT's roster trajectory. And his track record of building programs (Vanderbilt, Penn State) removes the developmental gamble that tanked the Pry era.

But his historical ceiling in big games makes it unlikely he turns VT into a true national title contender.

The Numbers Don't Lie

Franklin's career record speaks for itself - and it stacks up favorably against Virginia Tech's coaching legacy.

Franklin vs. Virginia Tech Coaching Legends

Franklin's .687 career win percentage actually exceeds Frank Beamer's legendary .667 mark at Virginia Tech. His bowl record (4-2) significantly outpaces Beamer's 16-19 postseason ledger.

The Elephant in the Room

Franklin wins games. But can he win the right games?

At Penn State, Franklin went 4-21 against AP Top-10 opponents. That's the number that haunted him in Happy Valley—and the number that will follow him to Blacksburg. When games mattered most, when a breakthrough win would have changed the program's trajectory, Franklin came up short.

Franklin vs. Elite Coaches (Career Records)

The gap is stark. Saban won 81% of his games against ranked opponents. Meyer won 84%. Franklin? He's .500 against ranked teams—and significantly worse against Top-10 competition specifically.

The Recruiting Rocket

This is where Franklin immediately changes everything.

In roughly two weeks on the job, Franklin dragged Virginia Tech's 2026 class from around No. 120-125 nationally into the low-20s. He flipped 10+ former Penn State commits, pulling heavily from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the Mid-Atlantic. The current class includes at least six ESPN Top 300 prospects.

Penn State signed 2 players. Virginia Tech signed 7 blue-chippers. Again, James Franklin has been on the job for two weeks.

This isn't an incremental improvement. This is a complete geographic and talent-level reorientation.

• Before Franklin: VT classes hovered in the 30s-50s nationally with only one top-25 finish in the last decade.

• After Franklin: Tracking toward VT's best class since the early 2010s—with no full staff and a three-week runway

• Projected steady-state: Classes settling in the 15-25 range annually instead of the 30-50 band

Franklin has explicitly said VT will "always" prioritize offensive and defensive line recruiting. Given VT just produced a top-25 class with almost no runway, expect Hokies classes to feature more blue-chip linemen than they've signed in years.

The Virginia Tech Context

Virginia Tech made this move after an 0-3 start in 2025, including a blowout loss to Old Dominion and a defensive collapse under a defensive-minded coach.

Let's be clear about where the Hokies have been since Beamer left:

•        Only one double-digit win season since 2011 (Fuente's first year, 2016)

•        Brent Pry went 16-24 and never finished ranked

•        The program has largely drifted into the ACC middle

Franklin's win rate, ranked finishes, and recruiting baselines are all significantly above what VT has produced since 2011. The expected value jump from Pry to Franklin is massive - even if the ceiling remains debated.

The ACC Factor

Here's the key insight that makes this hire make sense:

The ACC path is significantly easier than the Big Ten gauntlet Franklin just left.

In the Big Ten, Franklin had to navigate Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, and Washington every year. His historical ceiling there translates to "playoff fringe but not elite." But in the ACC? That same performance profile projects to frequent 9-10-win seasons, regular conference title contention, and occasional playoff appearances in the expanded field.

For a program that hasn't lived in that neighborhood for a decade, that represents a clear upgrade.

The Bottom Line

Virginia Tech's realistic near-term needs are:

1. Consistent 8-10 win seasons

2. Regular ACC contention and major bowl relevance

3. A recruiting/portal footprint that looks like peak Beamer-era VT, modernized

Franklin's history suggests he is very likely to deliver that tier and stabilize the brand - even if he falls short of making VT a playoff mainstay.

THAT’S A WRAP

That's it for today. Franklin to Virginia Tech is the splashiest move of the carousel so far—but it's not the only one worth watching.

On Friday, we'll profile another new hire and break down what the data says about their ceiling.

Until then, stay hot.