Shane Shoemaker Articles - Page 4

If you told North Carolina football fans a few months ago that Bill Belichick would be their next head coach, they’d probably have laughed in your face. No fortune teller or bold sports predictor could have possibly envisioned arguably the greatest NFL head coach in league history making the jump to college football—let alone to […]

The Atlanta Falcons are back on Monday Night Football in Week 15 as they hit the road to take on the Las Vegas Raiders. This marks Atlanta’s fourth primetime game of the season and their second Monday Night Football appearance, the first being a thrilling 22-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2. With […]

If you’re Florida State, the clock striking midnight on January 1 will symbolize something much-needed—a chance to start over. For head coach Mike Norvell, however, the New Year’s resolutions began weeks ago as he started reshaping his staff while bidding farewell to one of the worst seasons in Seminoles history. Florida State wrapped up the […]

As many expected, the Texas Longhorns are back in the College Football Playoff for the second consecutive year. Last season, Texas reached the four-team playoff, and this year, in the new 12-team format, they enter as the fifth seed, hosting a first-round home game against 12th-seeded Clemson (10-3). The Longhorns had hoped to secure a […]

This isn’t an alternate universe—the news is real. Bill Belichick is officially the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels football team. And no matter how many times it’s said or written, it’s a headline that will feel surreal for quite some time. UNC agreed to a three-year deal with the 72-year-old NFL legend, […]

If it wasn’t obvious that the Aaron Rodgers experiment had failed, it probably was after the New York Jets took their 10th loss of the season in Week 14 to rival Miami Dolphins in overtime. And that was with Rodgers having one of his better performances of the season, throwing for 339 yards and one […]

It was supposed to be a much different season for the Atlanta Falcons. Yet, after 13 games, they find themselves in the exact same position as last year: sitting at 6-7 and in the midst of a division battle in the lowly NFC South. The Falcons team that won five of six games and swept […]

Whether teams are ready for it or not, the transfer portal is officially open for business. Players now have until Dec. 28 to enter their names. One team that’s likely to see plenty of action, both in additions and subtractions, is the Miami Hurricanes. Since Mario Cristobal took over in 2022, the Miami (FL) football […]

The Kansas City Chiefs continued their dominance in the AFC playoff picture with a Week 14 win over the Los Angeles Chargers—and it was in typical Chiefs fashion. A doink off the upright made the difference in Kansas City’s victory, showcasing the kind of spell this team has over the rest of the league. It […]

The NFC playoff picture is starting to take shape after Week 14, and one team in particular is feeling good about how things turned out: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who now hold sole possession of the NFC South. For weeks, the Atlanta Falcons controlled the division and occupied the No. 4 seed in the NFC. […]

The 2024 college football regular season has come and gone in the blink of an eye, and now it’s time for the postseason. This year’s bowl season promises to be different, thanks to the debut of the 12-team College Football Playoff. Of course, that also means it’s time for bowl predictions. The New Year’s Six […]

Well, it certainly wasn’t what everyone wanted, but not everyone was going to be pleased. The final 2024 College Football Playoff rankings were revealed on Sunday during Selection Day, where the 12-team field was officially announced. For the most part, the field appeared set after last weekend’s penultimate rankings. However, conference championship weekend on Saturday […]

It goes without saying that the Atlanta Falcons are in desperate need of a win. Equally important, Kirk Cousins is in dire need of a bounce-back performance. Week 14 offers him a unique opportunity to do just that against his former team, the Minnesota Vikings. The Falcons (6-6) are currently riding a three-game losing streak […]

It’s not often that you see a rematch in the same season in college football, but that’s exactly what the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 2 Texas Longhorns are gearing up for in the SEC Championship. These two powerhouses first met back in October in one of the most highly anticipated games of the […]

SMU football finds itself in a place that few expected at the start of the season. The No. 8 Mustangs (11-1) are one win away from claiming their first-ever ACC Championship in their inaugural season in the conference. For some, SMU is a story of triumph and redemption—a program that was once on the verge […]

Tuesday night’s reveal of the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings was never going to satisfy everyone. Even with the expansion to 12 teams this year, there was always going to be someone left out. Controversial decisions by the committee were inevitable—and they delivered. Just as debates raged in the four-team playoff era over who would […]

Just as he signed with the Los Angeles Chargers after leaving his national championship-winning Michigan Wolverines team earlier this year, as many expected he would, the belief was that Jim Harbaugh would turn this NFL team around like he has every other team he’s coached. And they were right. The Chargers are looking the best […]

It’s that time of year again. With the college football regular season wrapping up last week in Week 14, the transfer portal has quickly become a hot topic. Although the portal doesn’t officially open until Dec. 9, NC State wide receiver Kevin Concepcion has already made headlines as one of the first big names to […]

After Week 13 in the NFL, the AFC playoff picture now has two teams officially locked in. The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, are postseason bound. Buffalo has already clinched their division after a snowy affair against the 49ers, while Kansas City will have the chance to […]

With all the turkey, stuffing, and the Week 13 Thanksgiving slate of games behind us, the NFC playoff picture once again looks a little different. The Atlanta Falcons are now barely hanging onto their NFC South division lead and the No. 4 seed after their loss to the Chargers and the Buccaneers’ overtime win against […]

Finding a starting quarterback in the NFL is probably the hardest job for any franchise to accomplish. It’s hard enough to find one via the draft, much less in free agency. For the Atlanta Falcons, they hedged their bets and are attempting both this season by signing veteran Kirk Cousins and drafting Michael Penix Jr. […]

In one of the more surprising coaching moves of the 2024 season, Gus Malzahn has decided to pull his best Chip Kelly and leave UCF football to become the offensive coordinator for Florida State. Malzahn’s new job title was announced just before the Seminoles lost their 10th game of what has been an unprecedented season […]

The Atlanta Falcons entered Week 13 off a bye, hoping to bounce back from two consecutive losses. However, they faced a Los Angeles Chargers team that also had something to prove after an emotional loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the Harbaugh Bowl. On Sunday, the Chargers found their footing, defeating the Falcons 17-13 and […]

The 2024 Miami Hurricanes were on the verge of their best season since 2017. Sitting at 10-1 with a clear path to the ACC Championship, all they needed was a win over Syracuse. Easier said than done. In a storyline all too familiar for Miami over the past two decades, they stumbled when it mattered […]

With Week 14 being labeled rivalry week, something crazy was bound to happen—and sure enough, it did. Ohio State fell to Michigan in perhaps one of the biggest upsets of the season, while Miami was eliminated from the ACC Championship race after a loss to Syracuse. That sets the stage for another shakeup in Tuesday’s […]

The Atlanta Falcons (6-5) are back in action in Week 13 after a much-needed bye week. They’ll return home to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to face the Los Angeles Chargers (7-4). The Falcons needed the time off to recover and regroup, but the injury report from Wednesday’s practice, as noted by SI’s Daniel Flick, suggests the team […]

Many expected this year’s Miami Hurricanes to be one of the best in recent memory, largely due to the arrival of Washington State transfer quarterback Cam Ward. Now, with only their Week 14 matchup against Syracuse left in the regular season, the Hurricanes sit at 10-1, facing the pressure to deliver their most critical performance […]

Quinn Ewers will lead No. 3 Texas football into hostile territory in Week 14 as the Longhorns renew their storied rivalry with No. 20 Texas A&M in College Station. The Aggies were ahead of the curve when they left the Big 12 for the SEC years ago, but with the Longhorns now joining them, one […]

When the finale of the regular season hits, commonly known as Rivalry Week, in-state opponents meet with varying stakes on the line. However, with the 12-team College Football Playoff now in effect, this year’s matchup between No. 7 Georgia (9-2, 6-2 SEC) and unranked Georgia Tech (7-4, 5-3 ACC) in Week 14 carries more weight […]

The Oregon Ducks stand alone as the last undefeated team in college football. Their perfect 11-0 record (8-0 Big Ten) solidifies their No. 1 College Football Playoff ranking heading into the final week of the regular season, where they’ll face the Washington Huskies (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) in Week 14 in Big Ten play. For […]

There’s no other way to put it—the Los Angeles Rams were outright embarrassed by the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football in Week 12. Needing a win to get a leg up in the tightly contested NFC West, the Rams failed, losing to the Eagles 37-20 in primetime. It was yet another example of a […]

We’re finally beginning to see the Saquon Barkley we’ve always envisioned—the one who was highly touted coming out of high school and then again out of Penn State. Since joining the NFL, though, it seemed like hurdle after hurdle kept him from reaching his true potential. Whether it was a torn ACL in his third […]

The grind of a 17-game NFL season starts to take its toll the deeper teams get into the schedule, and in Week 12, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans—still the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds in the AFC playoff picture—found that out the hard way. In a game played on a field blanketed with […]

With only one game remaining in the 2024 season, North Carolina made the decision to fire head football coach Mack Brown on Monday. Brown was at the end of his sixth season in his second stint with the Tar Heels, having previously coached in Chapel Hill from 1988-1997. The Tar Heels currently sit at 6-5 […]

In one of the most surprising battles of Week 12 in the NFL, the Carolina Panthers pushed the Kansas City Chiefs to the limit but ultimately fell short, losing 30-27. Down 27-19 with 3:31 left in the fourth quarter, the Panthers forced a Chiefs punt, gaining excellent field position at Kansas City’s 49-yard line. Second-year […]

The NFC playoff picture took an unexpected turn after Week 12, particularly in the NFC West. In a pivotal matchup, the Seattle Seahawks pulled off a surprising 16-6 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, who had been riding a four-game winning streak. The win catapulted the Seahawks into the lead of the NFC West, at least […]

Just when it seemed like Deion Sanders and Colorado football had finally put it all together, they ran into the buzzsaw known as Kansas. In fact, the Buffaloes (8-3, 6-2 Big 12) might want to avoid the state of Kansas altogether for a while. Before Saturday, Colorado’s last loss had come against Kansas State. Since […]

It was all right in Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss’ hands—a berth in the College Football Playoff. Then, on Saturday evening in Gainesville, Florida, it slipped away. The Rebels had been projected to make the playoff as far back as the end of last season. Those expectations only intensified as the season approached. Kiffin and […]

Whether Alabama football fans want to admit it or not, this season has fallen far short of expectations. The Crimson Tide (8-3, 4-3 SEC), once a preseason favorite to make the 12-team College Football Playoff, now most likely will find themselves on the outside looking in after suffering their third loss in Week 13. Kalen […]