Posted: 01:46 PM ET May 23, 2012 Notre Dame AD confident conference champ playoff model will include Irish By Brett McMurphy | College Football Insider PONTE VERDA BEACH, Fla. -- Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said Wednesday he is confident that whatever playoff model is adopted in 2014 that the Irish will be included as long as the school finishes in the top four."I remain confident about every team that makes the top four by whatever method of selection having access to that playoff format," Swarbrick said. "I feel good about that."The Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC said they support a conference champion playoff model, while the SEC prefers the top four ranked teams to qualify for the playoff. Swarbrick echoed Big Ten commissioner ... Continue reading →

Florida State would have an easier time advancing to a playoff from the ACC than from the Big 12, where it would have to get by Oklahoma and Texas every year.Jimmy DeFlippo/SI The obvious downside of going with an every-other-week schedule for the first few Mailbags is that there's always the possibility of big news breaking in between editions. Fortunately, all that's happened since May 9 is one of the nation's most prestigious programs openly flirting with a new conference, numerous developments regarding the forthcoming playoff format and two major conferences deciding to start their own bowl game. Phew. Business as usual. Do you think FSU will move to the Big 12? Better yet, do you think it should move? With the Big 12 champ ... Continue reading →

Tom Lemming has updated his 2013 Top 100 list, and though there's no change at the top, there's still plenty of movement in the rankings. Photo by Jeremy Allen Cooper Bateman Georgia defensive end Robert Nkemdiche remained the nation's No. 1 recruit. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive end is a physical specimen who helped lead Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) to a AAAAA state title last fall. He also took home National Junior of the Year honors.Quarterback Max Browne and linebacker Reuben Foster held steady at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively.Utah quarterback and recent Alabama commit Cooper Bateman soared from No. 85 to No. 39, making him the No. 5 pro-style quarterback in the country.Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) defensive end Alquadin Muhammad, whose stock is quickly rising, ... Continue reading →

Amid all the conference realignment rumors and talk of a shift in the football landscape toward superconferences, Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver feels comfortable with the Hokies' position in the ACC and doesn't foresee any change to that in the future. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook. Weaver spoke about the latest bout of conference realignment talk in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. Despite Internet reports that Virginia Tech had sent out "feelers" to the Big 12, Weaver said there has been no contact with another conference. "None whatsoever," he said. Asked if it would take a seismic change in the football landscape for that position to change, Weaver said it was a tough question to answer. "Because I think our president is very ... Continue reading →