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Next season, the competitive landscape of college football will undergo some massive shifts. More teams than ever will have a shot to make a playoff appearance, but they’ll also be dealing with greater in-conference competition. Everybody in the sport will have more opportunities to look good — and bad.

So, we asked our staffers which coaches and players — transfers and non-transfers — will have the most to prove during the surely chaotic upcoming season. Here’s what they had to say.


What coach has the most to prove in 2024?

Kalen DeBoer, Alabama

DeBoer just took Washington to the national title game in only his second year — two seasons after the team went 4-8 — so this designation feels a bit unfair, but so are Alabama’s expectations after Nick Saban’s historic tenure. If the College Football Playoff remained at four teams, DeBoer could miss them during a transition year and be given somewhat of a pass. But Alabama expects to be part of the 12-team field every year, and if DeBoer falls short, the pressure and comparisons to Saban will reach nauseating levels in Tuscaloosa. — Adam Rittenberg

James Franklin, Penn State

Franklin’s tenure in State College has featured a lot of winning. He picked up where Bill O’Brien left off in compiling four 11-win seasons. However, in the Nittany Lions’ most prominent games under Franklin, there hasn’t been a lot of winning. With the College Football Playoff expanding from four to 12, Penn State has a great opportunity to break through with both Michigan and Oregon not on the schedule and Ohio State coming to Beaver Stadium in 2024. It just needs to find a way to close out against the better teams on the schedule. — Blake Baumgartner

Mack Brown, North Carolina

Brown is in the Hall of Fame, is one of just three active coaches with a national championship and has taken UNC to five straight bowl games, something the program hadn’t done since Brown’s last tenure there in the late 1990s, so perhaps he doesn’t really have all that much to prove. But when Brown returned to UNC in 2019, it was with the intent to take the Heels from a regular bowl team to a regular playoff contender. At times, he’s seemed close, but despite having two extremely talented quarterbacks in Sam Howell and Drake Maye, UNC still seems stuck on the margins. Brown brought in Geoff Collins this offseason as his third defensive coordinator, and he’ll turn to either veteran Max Johnson or sophomore Conner Harrell to replace Maye. Brown will be 73 when the season kicks off, and while age doesn’t seem to be slowing him down, the window to transform UNC into a real playoff threat won’t be open forever, and there’s certainly those who’ll wonder if he already missed his best chance with Maye. — David Hale

Billy Napier, Florida

In two years with the Gators, Napier is 11-14 and has not come close to beating rival Georgia, which means Florida hasn’t come close to challenging for the SEC East title. How much longer can that go on? Napier enters a crucial Year 3 with perhaps the most difficult schedule in the country, opening against rival Miami while also having to play Tennessee, Georgia, Texas A&M, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas in the SEC. He has to prove the program is headed in the right direction to have any shot at convincing the fan base he’s the right coach for the job. — Andrea Adelson

Lincoln Riley, USC

I was going to say Chip Kelly at UCLA, but that all changed when Kelly bolted Westwood to call offensive plays at Ohio State for another guy who has some heat on him, Ryan Day. So I’ll stay on the West Coast with Riley, who enters his third season at USC still looking for a College Football Playoff appearance and/or conference title. He’s also facing life without former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams and brought in a new defensive coordinator, D’Anton Lynn, to replace Alex Grinch after the Trojans finished 121st nationally in scoring defense (34.4 points per game) in 2023. It’s premature to suggest Riley is on the cusp of losing his job after just two seasons at USC. But coming off a disappointing 8-5 finish and the playoff expanding to 12 teams in 2024, he needs to make a strong comeback in the new-look Big Ten, or the restlessness will ratchet up considerably in Year 4. — Chris Low

Ryan Day, Ohio State

Few schools have signed a more high-upside set of transfers (Alabama safety Caleb Downs, Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins, quarterbacks Will Howard for the present and Julian Sayin for the future) than Ohio State. After coming up just short of their goals the past couple of years, Day and the Buckeyes appear to be going all-in this year as Michigan undergoes massive turnover. The odds of success are high, but the perils of another year of missed expectations could be awfully damning. — Bill Connelly

What player has the most to prove in 2024?

Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke

When Van Dyke won ACC Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 at Miami, the expectation was that he would be long gone to the NFL by now. But after two sometimes solid, sometimes choppy seasons with different coordinators under coach Mario Cristobal, Van Dyke entered the portal and sought a fresh start. He lands at Wisconsin, which enters Year 2 of its Air Raid-style offense under coordinator Phil Longo after finishing 91st nationally in scoring and 69th in passing last season. If Van Dyke can be the quarterback who makes the Air Raid go in Madison, he will not only boost his NFL chances, but bring Wisconsin closer to the 12-team CFP mix. — Rittenberg

Clemson QB Cade Klubnik

Fairly or not, DJ Uiagalelei carried the bulk of the blame for Clemson’s playoff absences in 2021 and 2022, so Tigers fans were eager to turn the page to Klubnik last season. The results, however, looked a lot more like the DJU era than the Trevor Lawrence era. Klubnik finished the season completing 64% of his throws with 19 TDs and nine interceptions to go with a Total QBR of 55, good for 11th out of 12 qualified ACC QBs. He flashed potential at times, but made frustrating decisions in losses to Duke, Florida State and NC State that overshadowed the intermittent success. Dabo Swinney brought in Matt Luke to rebuild the O-line, and Klubnik is entering his second year with offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. The clock feels like it’s ticking on Klubnik’s chances to prove he’s Clemson’s next star quarterback — and it may be ticking on the Tigers’ chances to return to the playoff, too. — Hale

Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava

The good news for Iamaleava is that he certainly appears to have all the tools to be a difference-maker at quarterback and accounted for four touchdowns in his first start last season in Tennessee’s 35-0 victory over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. But from the time Iamaleava signed with the Vols, he’s been under a bright spotlight — from the reported $8 million NIL deal he signed, to being hailed as the quarterback that would vault the Vols back into championship contention, to being at the center of the recent NCAA investigation into Tennessee’s program. No player since Peyton Manning has walked onto Tennessee’s campus with this much pressure to perform at an elite level. — Low

Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel

Expectations are going to be sky-high for the Ducks, who are still smarting about last season’s two losses to Washington and their College Football Playoff near miss. Oregon will bring a potent offense (531.4 YPG in 2023, second in the FBS) as it moves to the Big Ten. The faithful out in Eugene will be pinning their collective hopes on Gabriel, who led the Big 12 in passing yards (3,660) and touchdowns (30) last year. — Baumgartner

LSU OLB Harold Perkins Jr.

One of the biggest revelations of 2022 was one of the biggest disappointments of 2023, relatively speaking. After recording 13.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in only 498 snaps as a freshman, Perkins produced 15, 5.5 and three, respectively, in 746 snaps last season. Good? Obviously. But not quite as transcendent. If he rediscovers the per-snap dominance that he had in 2022 under aggressive new coordinator Blake Baker, that alone could transform LSU’s defense. — Connelly

Which transfer has the most to prove in 2024?

Ohio State QB Will Howard

No national contending team made a more aggressive offseason personnel push than Ohio State, which will seek its first CFP championship in a decade. Elite quarterback play has been the standard for most of Day’s tenure, though, and Howard must reach that level after a four-year run at Kansas State that included a Big 12 title and good production both as a passer and a runner, but also two seasons with 10 interceptions. Howard will have the nation’s best running back tandem (TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins) and a gifted wide receiver group at his disposal. He doesn’t have to be the sole reason why Ohio State wins a national title, but he can’t be the reason the Buckeyes fall short, either. — Rittenberg

This is going to be quite the thought experiment. I found myself thinking, “Man, if Ohio State just had a top-20 level quarterback, they’d be the best team in the country with this defense” multiple times in 2023, and in Howard it has inked the quarterback who ranked 22nd in Total QBR last season, right on that top-20 borderline. He’s not C.J. Stroud, but he might be good enough, especially in such a transition year for quarterbacks overall. — Connelly

Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen

Nolen was the No. 1 recruit in the country when he signed with Texas A&M to headline the Aggies’ top-ranked recruiting class in 2022. He showed flashes of being an All-SEC performer with 11 tackles for loss and five sacks in his first two seasons in the SEC. The key now is being that kind of player on every down, as Ole Miss will look to Nolen to be an enforcer in its defensive line on what should be Lane Kiffin’s most talented defense yet in Oxford. The 6-4, 295-pound Nolen was one of the most coveted players in the 2023 transfer portal. If he plays to that level and becomes a more consistent player — along with some of the other key transfers Ole Miss brought in — the Rebels should be right in the middle of the 2024 playoff chase. — Low

Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard

All eyes are going to be on the latest ACC transfer signal-caller to come through South Bend. That’s just the way it is. Leonard showed glimpses of what he could do when healthy during the last two seasons at Duke (2,967 passing yards and 20 touchdowns for a nine-win Blue Devils’ team in 2022). After playing in only seven games because of injury last season, he now gets the opportunity to shine on a far bigger stage for perhaps the sport’s biggest brand. A third 10-win campaign in four years and a potential return to the CFP is well within reach if Leonard can effectively pilot the offense for Marcus Freeman. — Baumgartner

Florida State QB DJ Uiagalelei

At the risk of turning this into a pro-ACC quarterback fest, we have been waiting on Uiagalelei to play like an elite quarterback since his arrival at Clemson in 2020. That has not quite happened yet. Uiagalelei transferred to Oregon State for the 2023 season after a constant barrage of criticism during his two years as a starter with the Tigers. He played better in his one season with the Beavers, but now finds himself joining the reigning ACC champions with the belief he can put it all together. Uiagalelei has never thrown for 3,000 yards or more than 22 touchdowns in three years as a starter. “He’s been in some tough situations,” coach Mike Norvell said. “I don’t get too caught up on what other people’s perceptions are at quarterback, because we just lived it. Plenty of people didn’t perceive Jordan Travis to be a great quarterback, and I’m really glad that I got the opportunity to show that he was. I’m excited to work with him, excited about what he brings, and obviously where that can go.” — Andrea Adelson

Miami QB Cam Ward

A number of coaches viewed Ward as the crown jewel of this year’s quarterback class. Ward toyed with entering the NFL draft — even announcing his intent to do so at one point — but instead landed at Miami. It could be a match made in heaven. Mario Cristobal has been stockpiling talent in Coral Gables, and he believes this Canes team is close to fulfilling its potential. On the other hand, Miami’s QB play in two years under Cristobal has been mediocre at best, with many of Tyler Van Dyke‘s biggest miscues playing directly into inexplicable Miami losses. Can Ward be the long-awaited answer for Miami? His passer rating and Total QBR last year both trailed Van Dyke’s, so there’s a lot of big assumptions in play here. The upside is awfully high though, and a career year from Ward could be the missing ingredient that finally puts Miami over the top. Since joining the ACC, Miami has never had a first-team all-conference quarterback. — Hale

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L.A. routed 18-1 in worst loss at Dodger Stadium

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L.A. routed 18-1 in worst loss at Dodger Stadium

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered their worst loss ever in Dodger Stadium, an 18-1 blowout at the hands of the Houston Astros on Friday night in the series opener of a matchup between division leaders.

The 17-run loss marked the Dodgers’ largest margin of defeat at home since the team moved to Dodger Stadium in 1962, and the franchise’s worst home loss since July 3, 1947, when Brooklyn lost 19-2 to the New York Giants.

Jose Altuve homered twice while reaching base five times and driving in five runs for the Astros, who held the defending World Series champion Dodgers to six hits including Will Smith‘s solo homer.

“That was one you want to flush as soon as possible,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I don’t think there were many positives from this night.”

Dodgers fans relentlessly booed Altuve throughout his at-bats, chanting, “Cheater! Cheater!” He’s one of two players, along with Lance McCullers Jr., remaining from Houston’s 2017 team that beat the Dodgers in the World Series. It later came out that the Astros were stealing signs with the help of video and relaying pitches to batters by banging on a trash can.

The AL West-leading Astros scored 10 runs in the sixth, highlighted by Victor Caratini‘s grand slam and Altuve’s three-run shot. It was the most runs given up in an inning by the Dodgers since April 23, 1999, when they allowed 11 to St. Louis.

McCullers (2-3) allowed one run and four hits in six innings of his second start since returning from a sprained right foot. He struck out four.

Isaac Paredes hit his first career leadoff homer on the first pitch of the game from rookie Ben Casparius. Altuve doubled and scored on Christian Walker‘s RBI single for a 2-0 lead.

Jake Meyers doubled leading off the third and scored on Altuve’s 14th homer. Rookie Cam Smith doubled and scored on Walker’s 417-foot shot halfway up the left-field pavilion to cap four straight hits given up by Casparius and extend Houston’s lead to 6-1.

“I don’t think Ben was good tonight,” Roberts said. “It seemed like they were on everything he threw up there.”

The Astros broke it open in the sixth. Smith had a bases-loaded RBI single, reliever Noah Davis hit Walker with two strikes on him to force in a run and Caratini hit his slam with no outs. Meyers added an RBI single, and Altuve hit his second homer of the night.

Casparius allowed six runs and nine hits in three innings and struck out three.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Walker back in Phils’ rotation after Abel demoted

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Walker back in Phils' rotation after Abel demoted

PHILADELPHIA — Mick Abel couldn’t sustain his sublime major league debut and is headed to the minors.

Taijuan Walker is back in Philadelphia’s rotation. And anticipation that prized prospect Andrew Painter could be headed to the Phillies will stretch past the All-Star break.

Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez are about the only sure things this year in Philadelphia’s rotation.

The Phillies demoted Abel, the rookie right-hander who has struggled since he struck out nine in his major league debut, to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The Phillies also recalled reliever Seth Johnson from Lehigh Valley ahead of Friday’s loss to Cincinnati.

The 23-year-old Abel made six starts for the Phillies and went 2-2 with 5.04 ERA with 21 strikeouts and nine walks.

“Mick needed to go down and breathe a little bit,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Just get a little reset. It’s not uncommon.”

A 6-foot-5 right-hander selected 15th overall by the Phillies in the 2020 amateur draft, Abel dazzled against Pittsburgh in May when his nine strikeouts tied a Phillies high for a debut, set by Curt Simmons against the New York Giants on Sept. 28, 1947.

Abel hasn’t pitched beyond the fifth inning in any of his last four starts and was rocked for five runs in 1⅔ innings Wednesday against San Diego.

Abel was 3-12 with a 6.46 ERA last year for Lehigh Valley, walking 78 in 108⅔ innings. He improved to 5-2 with a 2.53 ERA in eight minor league starts this year, walking 19 in 46⅓ innings.

“This guy’s had a really good year,” Thomson said. “His poise, his composure is outstanding. He’s really grown. We just need to get back to that. Just attack the zone and get through adversity.”

The Phillies will give Walker another start in Abel’s place against San Francisco. Walker has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen over the past two seasons. He has made eight starts with 11 relief appearances this season and is 3-5 with one save and a 3.64 ERA.

Thomson had said he wanted to give Walker an extended look in the bullpen. Abel’s struggles instead forced Walker — in the third year of a four-year, $72-million contract — back to the rotation. For now.

“He always considers himself a starter and ultimately wants to start,” Thomson said. “He’ll do anything for the ballclub, because he’s that type of guy, but I think he’s generally happy he’s going to go back into a normal routine, normal for him, anyway.”

Wheeler, Suárez and Sánchez have been lights-out in the rotation this year and helped lead the Phillies into first place in the NL East. Jesús Luzardo was a pleasant early season surprise but has struggled over the past two months and gave up six runs in two-plus innings in Friday’s 9-6 loss to the Reds.

“I still have all the confidence in the world in Luzardo,” Thomson said. “Everybody’s going to have bad outings here and there. I think we’re still fine.”

Thomson said he had not made a final decision on who will be the fifth starter after the All-Star break. Painter has two more scheduled starts in Triple-A before the MLB All-Star break and could earn a spot in the rotation. The 22-year-old will not pitch in the All-Star Futures Game as part of the plan to keep him on a hopeful path to the rotation.

Painter hurt an elbow during spring training in 2023 and had Tommy John surgery later that year. He was the 13th overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft and signed for a $3.9 million bonus.

Because of the All-Star break and a quirk in the schedule that has them off on all five Thursdays in July, the Phillies won’t even need a fifth starter after next week until July 22.

Aaron Nola could be back by August as he works his way back from a rib injury. Nola will spend the All-Star break rehabbing in Florida and needs one or two minor league starts before he can rejoin the rotation.

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Cubs’ Taillon (calf) to miss more than month

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Cubs' Taillon (calf) to miss more than month

CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs righty Jameson Taillon was placed on the injured list on Friday with a right calf strain, the team announced before its game against the St. Louis Cardinals. He’s expected to miss “more than a month,” according to manager Craig Counsell.

Taillon, 33, injured his calf on his last wind sprint after a bullpen session on Thursday.

“He’s going to miss a pretty significant amount of time,” Counsell said.

Taillon was 7-6 with a 4.44 ERA in 17 starts for the Cubs this season who just got lefty Shota Imanaga back from a hamstring injury. Now they’ll have to navigate at least the rest of this month without one of their other key starters.

“There’s a little room for us to be flexible right now,” Counsell said citing the upcoming All-Star break. “We’ll use that to our advantage and we’ll go from there.”

The team recalled left-hander Jordan Wicks to take Taillon’s spot on the roster, though he won’t go directly into the rotation. Instead, the Cubs will throw a bullpen game on Saturday against the Cardinals and “go from there,” according to Counsell.

Wicks, 25, went 1-3 with one save, a 4.06 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 12 appearances (11 starts) with Triple-A Iowa this season. In his past five starts dating to May 18, he posted a 1.65 ERA with 20 strikeouts, compared to just three walks, a 0.86 WHIP and a .186 opponent batting average.

The team might also consider a bigger role for righty Chris Flexen who has been fantastic for them out of the bullpen. Flexen, 31, has a 0.62 ERA in 16 games, including a four inning stint late last month.

“He’s a candidate to be stretched out for sure,” Counsell said. “He’s prepared to do a little bit more.”

Cubs brass have already stated they are looking for starting pitching before the trade deadline later this month. Counsell was asked if Taillon’s injury increases that need. He didn’t take the bait.

“The trade deadline isn’t until July 31,” he said. “I’m focused on the next week or 10 games before the All-Star break.”

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