Shaking the Magic 8-Ball with only three weekends left until college football starts:

Magic 8-Ball, will the NCAA make a decision regarding Rahsul Faison before South Carolina begins practice on Aug. 1?

Logic dictates that an answer should arrive over the next few days. Then again, a decision regarding Faison’s eligibility should’ve been delivered weeks ago.

It’s been more than six months since the running back transferred from Utah State to USC, his fifth school in seven years. He went to Columbia with the belief he could secure a seventh year of eligibility in the wake of the Pavia Rule and the NCAA’s blanket waiver for those — like Faison — who played in junior college. Faison’s Los Angeles-based agent — Bryan Miller of The Familie talent agency — had hoped for a response by July 9.

That didn’t happen despite plenty of back and forth between the NCAA and USC since January. Even coach Shane Beamer has said, “it’s been a great process in regards to the communication we’ve had.” Great communication, that is, except for receiving an ultimate decision or even some idea of a timeline for an announcement.

One of the holdups has been getting clarity regarding Faison’s time at Marshall University in 2019.

He was grayshirted while at the Huntington, W.Va.-based school, meaning he didn’t participate in football activities. Marshall — which has had significant turnover in its athletic department over the past six years — missed its initial window to respond to the NCAA. But it followed through earlier this month, presumably providing the final pieces needed for a decision.

Yet here we are.

That leaves Faison — who Miller said has a mid-round NFL grade — with dwindling options as USC’s camp approaches. He can either:

Stick it out and hope to be granted that seventh year of eligibility.

Seek an injunction allowing him to play for USC if the NCAA shoots things down. Faison retained notable sports attorney Darren Heitner in May.

Try to make an NFL roster. The odds of that succeeding are formidable for any undrafted free agent, and they’re compounded for Faison since NFL camps are already underway. Keeping up is tough enough for any rookie; playing catch-up and making a team that’s already working out is nearly impossible

So, again deferring to logic, the thoughtful move on the NCAA’s part would be to give Faison and the Gamecocks a response before pads start popping. That would allow all sides to prepare accordingly for their future either jointly or separately.

The rub is that logic and the NCAA aren’t usually linked together.

The Magic-8 Ball reads: “Reply hazy, try again.”

Magic 8-Ball, will the ACC and SEC go to 9-game conference schedules?

Both the Big Ten and Big 12 play nine-game conference schedules and there’s a push to make the remaining Power 4 conferences follow along. The thinking is it will create stronger schedules and help streamline the process for gauging resumes with regards to the College Football Playoff.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said on July 16 that his league “should be working toward that.” He’s smartly using it as leverage to get an expanded CFP that has five automatic bids for the highest-ranked conference champions and 11 at -large bids. He said the SEC should make a decision before the start of the upcoming season.

Things seem more uncertain in the ACC.

ACC chief Jim Phillips discussed the matter last week, pointing out that increasing to nine league games could eliminate some key non-conference rivalries. That doesn’t necessarily mean games such as Clemson vs. USC, Florida vs. Florida State, etc., would vanish, but it those games could be impacted as to when and how often they’re played.

“We have discussed nine,” Phillips said. “The group has always felt that, at the end of the day, those non-conference games have really been good for the league and we have really scheduled well… If you go to nine, if the SEC ends up going to nine and maybe we end up going to nine, I think there’s a few challenges.

Among those challenges is the fact he has a 17-school league, an awkward number when it comes to scheduling. Of course, that could easily be changed if it would press Notre Dame to put both feet in and join the ACC across all sports.

The Magic-8 Ball reads: “Outlook good.”

Magic 8-Ball, will the SEC see coaching turnover after this season?

There were no SEC coaches fired after last season for the first time since 2018, an incredible anomaly for a conference known for high expectations and short leashes.

Part of it could be a slight shift in thinking because of the new economics involved. Schools are becoming more hesitant to pay massive buyouts because of all the other obligations they now face and the lingering uncertainty of the House settlement.

The latest odds on betonline.ag lists four SEC coaches among its top six to not only be fired, but to be the first P4 coach canned this season. That includes Oklahoma’s Brent Venables (6/1 odds), Arkansas’ Sam Pittman (7/1), Auburn’s Hugh Freeze (8/1) and Florida’s Billy Napier (12/1).

Other coaches are also facing pressure, most notably Kentucky’s Mark Stoops. And there’s no telling what happens with Brian Kelly if LSU doesn’t make the playoff.

The Magic-8 Ball reads: “It is certain.”