Brandon Zimmerman

News Editor at ESPN.

[Michael Casagrande @ByCasagrande]

Nick Saban begins Senate testimony noting he’s not here representing a conference and he had a hard time sleeping last night thinking about his testimony.

[Brandon Zimmerman @BZSEC]

What’s interesting is that humans have been replaced by computers in every other aspect of modern life.

We’ll let computers drive our cars, manage our finances and even perform surgeries. We just don’t trust them ranking our CFB teams.

[Andy Staples @AndyStaples]

Tennessee AD Danny White made an interesting suggestion last week:

Would a return to something like the BCS formula be a better way to pick College Football Playoff teams?

Thanks to @BCSKnowHow, we have an idea of how that would have looked from 2014-25

https://t.co/ahx52hCV1y

[Koki Riley @KokiRiley]

What happened to Phelps (and to some degree Hairston) is less about the umpires and more about baseball culture in this country.

Fun is punished. Emotion even more so. There’s a reason why Team USA in the WBC wasn’t as emotional as the other teams. It was trained out of them.

[Cora Hall @corahalll]

The story coming out of an instant classic between Tennessee and Texas Tech at the WCWS wasn't about softball – it was, and still is, about drama, and that's a damn shame.

My column on the disappointing turn and my phone call with Karen Weekly:
https://t.co/1rqjpgQLmg

[Brandon Zimmerman @BZSEC]

Georgia and Long Island resuming a 17-1 baseball game at 9 am seems like cruel and unusual punishment.

[Jed May @JedMay_]

Getting drilled in the ribs by a foul ball as a catcher probably never feels very good. It probably feels worse at 9:04 AM

[Brandon Zimmerman @BZSEC]

Agreed. No. 12 BYU should have been in over No. 24 James Madison because we should be taking the committee’s 12 highest ranked teams.

[Chris Vannini @ChrisVannini]

Yormark: "I think BYU should have made the CFP last year. There was a lot of debate around it, but I feel very strongly about their resume."

(The CFP metrics had BYU quite high)

[Pete Thamel @PeteThamel]

A fun wrinkle from Big 12 meetings. Joey McGuire challenges Texas to play them after Steve Sarkisian's unflattering comments about Tech's schedule. https://t.co/bkUNKCfmpH

[Brandon Zimmerman @BZSEC]

If you schedule a non conference road game at Utah you should have some general awareness that it’s likely a 10 pm ET kick. Not sure how that comes as a surprise.

[ESPN PR @ESPNPR]

Welcome to the #SECNation crew, @MattBarrie! 🏈

The @ESPNCFB studio host & @SportsCenter anchor will join the desk this fall

More: https://t.co/hU8LmOPZeb

[Brandon Zimmerman @BZSEC]

ESPN reporting from the first day of the SEC spring meetings.

-Kiffin's focus on LSU's opener, not Ole Miss: https://t.co/8W8hhT4pj3

-Sark: Basket weaving dig poor choice of words: https://t.co/Ot52Vi4MGV

-Smart fears big football budgets will kill other sports: https://t.co/hNBZY7wJ0a

-SEC trims 'cupcake' games from November schedule: https://t.co/DfySoc4Qd5

[Brandon Zimmerman @BZSEC]

"What I'm hearing here (at the SEC meetings) is very different than what I heard last week (at the Big Ten meetings) where there was a very unified, I would say, company line, 'I'm in favor of 24.' Here, I'm hearing a lot of different opinions.

"Last week it was, 'This is our decision. Our mind is made up.' Here it's, 'We need a lot more conversation and more thoughtful discussion."

-- @CFBHeather tells @finebaum what officials at the Big Ten and SEC meetings have been saying about playoff expansion.

[Brandon Zimmerman @BZSEC]

Greg Sankey says he does not expect any decisions on the CFP at this week’s SEC spring meetings, noting there is still plenty of time ahead of the Dec. 1 deadline. (Story by @PeteThamel) https://t.co/W0MXbDZNvV

[Brandon Zimmerman @BZSEC]

Commissioners in support of the 24-team playoff argue that it sells hope to second and third tier power conference teams.

Did I black out, or did Indiana just win the national title?

[Brandon Zimmerman @BZSEC]

The NCAA opened an investigation of the Ole Miss football program the same day that Dabo Swinney accused Pete Golding of tampering with linebacker Luke Ferrelli. https://t.co/fyvupbFBLI

[Brandon Zimmerman @BZSEC]

Sark made the 2024 CFP with only one win over a team with an 8-win regular season - Texas A&M - and he wants to play the SOS card?

[Anwar Richardson @AnwarRichardson]

Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian was asked by a fan at The Touchdown Club of Houston if there is any way to get the College Football Playoff Committee to factor in strength of schedule in their decision-making. Sarkisian said there's a team in this state that plays in another conference that, if he played his 2s and 3s, his team would go undefeated, and they'll make the playoffs this year.

[Brandon Zimmerman @BZSEC]

@pamelam35 Curate

[Pete Thamel @PeteThamel]

Here’s the ESPN story on Coach O’s return to LSU, as his role will include being a recruiting weapon for his longtime friend Lane Kiffin. https://t.co/E7qG0kL1on

[Pete Thamel @PeteThamel]

Story from the opening of Big Ten meetings, where the league is amplifying its off-season voice and is unified on pushing for a 24-team College Football Playoff. https://t.co/SjFWZMqf5x

[The Next Round @NextRoundLive]

"I think 24 is preposterous and 16 is bordering on it." - @ReceDavis on College Football Playoff expansion

[Brandon Zimmerman @BZSEC]

.@RossDellenger tells @finebaum that the recent shift in favor of a 24-team playoff is from schools wanting more access to the CFP because they are investing $20-$40M into a roster.

"When you infuse a significant amount of money into a system that hasn't had it, things are going to change. One of those consequences, or benefits, depending on who you talk to, is that there needs to be an expansion of access for teams spending so much money."