Matt Brown
@mattbrowncfb.bsky.social
College football managing editor, The Athletic
Alabama is now 2-4 when I attend its games
January 2, 2026 at 12:58 AM
Alabama is now 2-4 when I attend its games
At the Rose Bowl for the first time in 17 years
Here's the story of the first Rose Bowl: How Michigan routing Stanford led to chariot and animal races before a football tradition was born
www.nytimes.com/athletic/302...
Here's the story of the first Rose Bowl: How Michigan routing Stanford led to chariot and animal races before a football tradition was born
www.nytimes.com/athletic/302...
The first Rose Bowl: How Michigan routing Stanford led to chariot and animal races before a football tradition was born
Michigan and Stanford met in Pasadena on Jan. 1, 1902, with many of the ingredients of a modern bowl game, just far ahead of its time.
www.nytimes.com
January 1, 2026 at 6:39 PM
At the Rose Bowl for the first time in 17 years
Here's the story of the first Rose Bowl: How Michigan routing Stanford led to chariot and animal races before a football tradition was born
www.nytimes.com/athletic/302...
Here's the story of the first Rose Bowl: How Michigan routing Stanford led to chariot and animal races before a football tradition was born
www.nytimes.com/athletic/302...
Construction update
December 30, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Construction update
Reposted by Matt Brown
And here's Florida State's AD, saying something you'll hear from LOTS of people in the industry:
“Balancing financial sustainability and accessibility is one of the hardest challenges in college sports right now."
www.nytimes.com/athletic/679...
“Balancing financial sustainability and accessibility is one of the hardest challenges in college sports right now."
www.nytimes.com/athletic/679...
What happens when college football games are only for the rich? Some faithful fans are finding out
Special moments and memories attending college football games are priceless — until they aren't.
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:19 PM
And here's Florida State's AD, saying something you'll hear from LOTS of people in the industry:
“Balancing financial sustainability and accessibility is one of the hardest challenges in college sports right now."
www.nytimes.com/athletic/679...
“Balancing financial sustainability and accessibility is one of the hardest challenges in college sports right now."
www.nytimes.com/athletic/679...
Reposted by Matt Brown
The Athletic spoke with 10 people who have been part of LSU football in recent years and/or have worked for Brian Kelly.
They described a coach who delegated too much authority, didn’t prioritize recruiting and failed to bond with his players: www.nytimes.com/athletic/676...
They described a coach who delegated too much authority, didn’t prioritize recruiting and failed to bond with his players: www.nytimes.com/athletic/676...
October 31, 2025 at 11:01 AM
The Athletic spoke with 10 people who have been part of LSU football in recent years and/or have worked for Brian Kelly.
They described a coach who delegated too much authority, didn’t prioritize recruiting and failed to bond with his players: www.nytimes.com/athletic/676...
They described a coach who delegated too much authority, didn’t prioritize recruiting and failed to bond with his players: www.nytimes.com/athletic/676...
Reposted by Matt Brown
I wrote for @theathletic.com about how unhinged college football is right now. www.nytimes.com/athletic/675...
College football is absolutely unhinged right now. It’s exactly why we love it
College football has always been governed by emotion, not logic. This is what happens when you add chaos to it.
www.nytimes.com
October 28, 2025 at 5:04 PM
I wrote for @theathletic.com about how unhinged college football is right now. www.nytimes.com/athletic/675...
Reposted by Matt Brown
Less than 24 hours after LSU was embarrassed by Texas A&M, sources told The Athletic embattled head coach Brian Kelly might have coached his last game in Baton Rouge. Our story on what happened today at LSU, and why it’s gotten so messy there: www.nytimes.com/athletic/675...
Brian Kelly, LSU in standoff as disagreement over staff changes leaves future murky: Sources
Kelly left the football facility, as did pretty much everyone else on the LSU staff, as they awaited resolution.
www.nytimes.com
October 26, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Less than 24 hours after LSU was embarrassed by Texas A&M, sources told The Athletic embattled head coach Brian Kelly might have coached his last game in Baton Rouge. Our story on what happened today at LSU, and why it’s gotten so messy there: www.nytimes.com/athletic/675...
Reposted by Matt Brown
This has always fascinated me: College football has most of the biggest stadiums in the world. Not country, the world.
How and why is that? Delving into it, including perspective from a couple foreigners who know college football:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/673...
How and why is that? Delving into it, including perspective from a couple foreigners who know college football:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/673...
Why does college football have most of the world's biggest stadiums?
www.nytimes.com
October 23, 2025 at 11:49 AM
This has always fascinated me: College football has most of the biggest stadiums in the world. Not country, the world.
How and why is that? Delving into it, including perspective from a couple foreigners who know college football:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/673...
How and why is that? Delving into it, including perspective from a couple foreigners who know college football:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/673...
We figured out our college football staff @theathletic.com has attended games at 123 of 136 FBS stadiums.
So we took a vote and came up with the Top 25 college football stadiums, ranked
www.nytimes.com/athletic/672...
So we took a vote and came up with the Top 25 college football stadiums, ranked
www.nytimes.com/athletic/672...
Ranking the 25 best college football stadiums from the Big House to Death Valley
What makes a college football stadium great? We polled our staff to come up with The Athletic's Top 25 — with a clear No. 1.
www.nytimes.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:09 PM
We figured out our college football staff @theathletic.com has attended games at 123 of 136 FBS stadiums.
So we took a vote and came up with the Top 25 college football stadiums, ranked
www.nytimes.com/athletic/672...
So we took a vote and came up with the Top 25 college football stadiums, ranked
www.nytimes.com/athletic/672...
Reposted by Matt Brown
At Penn State, James Franklin was standing on the edge of a cliff for years. Here’s why it was all so fragile and why in 15 days, everything collapsed. Reporting with @ralphdrussoath.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/athletic/672...
At Penn State, James Franklin was standing on the edge of a cliff for years. Here’s why
Penn State seemed built to contend and riding recent good vibes. In reality, it was one of college football's most fragile teams.
www.nytimes.com
October 16, 2025 at 3:14 PM
At Penn State, James Franklin was standing on the edge of a cliff for years. Here’s why it was all so fragile and why in 15 days, everything collapsed. Reporting with @ralphdrussoath.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/athletic/672...
Reposted by Matt Brown
The Athletic spoke to several sources who have worked for UNC football, the university, or had direct dealings with the team in the past year.
They described a culture of arrogance and ignoring of steep differences between college and the pros: http://dlvr.it/TNbl7Y
They described a culture of arrogance and ignoring of steep differences between college and the pros: http://dlvr.it/TNbl7Y
October 10, 2025 at 4:21 PM
The Athletic spoke to several sources who have worked for UNC football, the university, or had direct dealings with the team in the past year.
They described a culture of arrogance and ignoring of steep differences between college and the pros: http://dlvr.it/TNbl7Y
They described a culture of arrogance and ignoring of steep differences between college and the pros: http://dlvr.it/TNbl7Y
Have come a long way from never being able to get into soccer to being captivated by Slavia Prague vs. Bodø/Glimt on a Wednesday afternoon
September 17, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Have come a long way from never being able to get into soccer to being captivated by Slavia Prague vs. Bodø/Glimt on a Wednesday afternoon
The AP poll the last time Indiana and Illinois met when both ranked (1950)
September 14, 2025 at 7:40 PM
The AP poll the last time Indiana and Illinois met when both ranked (1950)
Welcome aboard to my old Sports on Earth pal
I'm going to be writing a weekly column about college football for @theathletic.com this year. I hope people enjoy it.
Here is the first one, about how it feels to be a college football fan in 2025. (Which is kind of how it feels like to be anything in 2025.) www.nytimes.com/athletic/657...
Here is the first one, about how it feels to be a college football fan in 2025. (Which is kind of how it feels like to be anything in 2025.) www.nytimes.com/athletic/657...
College football is still worth cherishing, despite all the junk surrounding it
College football no longer prioritizes the hardcore fans. The more you love this sport, the less you matter. In this way, we are cursed.
www.nytimes.com
August 29, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Welcome aboard to my old Sports on Earth pal
Too much scoring for my liking in Farmageddon www.nytimes.com/athletic/291...
The worst college football game ever: 77 punts, 33 plays and the growing legend of a record-setting 0-0 tie
It takes a lot for a game to truly qualify as one of the worst ever. There's a case for Centenary-Texas Tech in 1939.
www.nytimes.com
August 23, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Too much scoring for my liking in Farmageddon www.nytimes.com/athletic/291...
Our @theathletic.com staff college football predictions: Texas is the favorite, but 7 teams got a national title vote and 41 teams got at least 1 CFP vote.
And I'm calling my shot in the SEC
www.nytimes.com/athletic/656...
And I'm calling my shot in the SEC
www.nytimes.com/athletic/656...
August 19, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Our @theathletic.com staff college football predictions: Texas is the favorite, but 7 teams got a national title vote and 41 teams got at least 1 CFP vote.
And I'm calling my shot in the SEC
www.nytimes.com/athletic/656...
And I'm calling my shot in the SEC
www.nytimes.com/athletic/656...
Happy to hang up my cleats after 8 years and pass The Athletic voting baton to Ralph
The preseason AP Top 25 is released later today. That's been a big and busy day for me for a long time.
Still is, but differently now.
Here's how I voted.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/654...
Still is, but differently now.
Here's how I voted.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/654...
I ran college football’s AP poll for 20 years. Here’s how I built my first Top 25 as a voter
At the AP, my job was to administer the poll, so I knew that as a first-time voter I'd be undertaking a challenge with no perfect answer.
www.nytimes.com
August 11, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Happy to hang up my cleats after 8 years and pass The Athletic voting baton to Ralph
Watching a college football game from 1998 with commercials is a reminder that before that one sudden year of endless Draft Kings vs. FanDuel daily fantasy commercials there was the 10-10-321 vs. 10-10-220 war
August 8, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Watching a college football game from 1998 with commercials is a reminder that before that one sudden year of endless Draft Kings vs. FanDuel daily fantasy commercials there was the 10-10-321 vs. 10-10-220 war
Not sure that anything can hit the childhood nostalgia sweet spot for me more than the 1997 Heisman race 30 for 30
August 6, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Not sure that anything can hit the childhood nostalgia sweet spot for me more than the 1997 Heisman race 30 for 30
Watching Pony Excess for the first time in a few years and just laughing
July 28, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Watching Pony Excess for the first time in a few years and just laughing
Really testing a quarterback’s poise
July 23, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Really testing a quarterback’s poise
Reposted by Matt Brown
As college sports continue to look and act more like the pros, here's a question: How much would Ohio State football sell for? What about Texas? Texas Tech?
We used real pro franchise transactions as a guideline for every P4 football team. What we came up with:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/650...
We used real pro franchise transactions as a guideline for every P4 football team. What we came up with:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/650...
How much would college football teams sell for? Ranking all 68 Power 4 programs
www.nytimes.com
July 21, 2025 at 1:44 PM
As college sports continue to look and act more like the pros, here's a question: How much would Ohio State football sell for? What about Texas? Texas Tech?
We used real pro franchise transactions as a guideline for every P4 football team. What we came up with:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/650...
We used real pro franchise transactions as a guideline for every P4 football team. What we came up with:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/650...
Linebacker glory days
July 17, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Linebacker glory days