From four to 12 to 24 – the College Football Playoff is expanding to 24 teams starting next season. This, after the CFP and ESPN reach a 1.7-billion-dollar deal. All Power Four teams will now be required to play 10 games against other Power Four teams. LSU Athletic Director Verge Ausberry says the SEC already had that requirement with a nine-game conference schedule with one non-conference power opponent – but the Big Ten did not.
Each Power Four conference champion and the top-rated Group of Six team will gain automatic berths. Power Four conference championship games will be eliminated, and the eight highest ranked teams will have first-round byes. The first 24-team playoff national championship game will be held in the Superdome on January 24 2028.
Now that the midterm elections are in the rearview mirror, save for a pair of U.S. House runoffs, attention is shifting to next year’s governor’s race. Of course, Jeff Landry will be running for re-election. Pollster John Couvillon says Landry cannot take Republican support for granted.
“Thou shalt not steal” apparently didn’t resonate with this pastor. Investigators say a 44-year-old St. Tammany Parish priest stole money from an Abita Springs church. Lieutenant Suzanne Carboni with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office says they began their investigation into Reverend Daniel Okafor after the New Orleans Archdiocese contacted them about discrepancies involving the finances at St. Jane de Chantal Parish.