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On the first day of June it makes sense that we'd be talking about the Ohio State quarterback battle.
It will make sense to discuss who will start for the Buckeyes on the first of every month for the next few, because there is no bigger story in college football.
We have a new little wrinkle to digest.
Topbet, an online sportsbook, has set odds for the Ohio State quarterback race, on which you can wager your hard-earned dollars in case you needed another outlet to express your unbridled and illogical fandom.
In a bit of a surprise, Topbet has J.T. Barrett listed as the favorite to start Week 1 against Virginia Tech at minus-125 odds. Cardale Jones is second at plus-120, followed by Braxton Miller at plus-250. According to Las Vegas insider RJ Bell, this equates to a 43 percent chance of Barrett winning the starting job, 35 percent for Jones and 22 percent for Miller.
Jones has been considered the favorite to win the job -- initially at least -- given he was incredible in Ohio State's last three games of 2014, leading the Buckeyes to the national championship, and was the only healthy quarterback of the three in spring practice. But Barrett was working on a Heisman-worthy season last year before breaking his ankle against Michigan and is expected to be fully healthy by fall camp, and Urban Meyer reiterated last week that Miller will be back with the Buckeyes for 2015 (amid rumors he could transfer) and is showing great physical progress in his recuperation from a shoulder injury that forced him to miss all of last season.
So we shall see. My money would still be on Jones being the official starter in Week 1, with Barrett having some involvement in the gameplan.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. Mike Slive steps down early. It can't be seen as a total shocker, but last Friday SEC commissioner Mike Slive announced an early retirement at the final day of the conference's spring meetings. Slive was initially scheduled to retire on July 31, but he's handing the position over to successor Greg Sankey two months early. Slive will serve as an advisor to Sankey through July and will also act as a consultant to the league for the next four years. On Slive's last day as the leader of the SEC, it's fitting the league had two major announcements.
One, the league generated record revenues in 2014 due to the debut of the SEC Network and the success of the inaugural College Football Playoff. The SEC brought in $455.8 million in revenue for 2014-15, a staggering increase from the $309.6 million generated the year prior. Divided among 14 constituents, the SEC will provide $31.2 million to each member school before accounting for $19 million in bowl revenue.
Two, the league adopted a new conduct rule that prohibits schools from admitting student-athletes who were subject to "serious misconduct" -- defined as "sexual assault, domestic violence or other forms of sexual violence" -- at a previous school. Georgia proposed the rule with Jonathan Taylor in mind, who was dismissed from UGA last summer after a domestic violence case and was booted from Alabama this spring after another alleged incident.
Slive isn't finished having an impact on the SEC, I'm sure. He will likely do some behind-the-scenes work to help position the league going forward and will certainly have a voice in major decisions Sankey will face in the coming years. He exits with an unbelievable legacy of both professional accomplishment and personal integrity, as described here by my colleague Clay Travis.
2. Nick Saban's daughter got married last weekend. The celebration went down at Bryant-Denny Stadium, of course. It ended with the bride and groom riding in a Rolls-Royce across the football field. Here are a couple photos and videos from the evening. Congrats to the Sabans.
3. Oregon blows by Texas in revenue rankings. Every year it seems Texas is No. 1 in USA Today's rankings of the college athletics revenue (public schools only, as private institutions aren't required to report their finances). There is a change in the latest edition, though, which is based on the 2013-14 fiscal year. Oregon vaulted way past Texas, taking the top spot at more than $196 million in revenue generated. Texas came in at more than $161 million. It will be a one-year victory for the Ducks, since the leap was fueled by Nike owner Phil Knight's one-time donation of $95 million to Oregon's new athletic complex. Still, the Ducks haul in a ton of money beyond Knight's involvement, driven by the football programs rise in the last decade, which was continued last year with an appearance in the national title game.
LASTLY
I mean, come on with these crazy-ass backflip catches. What is happening around the country? Is there some sort of movement I'm not aware of? Here's the latest to surface over the weekend:
Have a great Monday, everybody.
Teddy Mitrosilis works in content production at FOX Sports Digital. Follow him on Twitter @TMitrosilis and email him at tmitrosilis@gmail.com.
