JabbaNoBargain

We really don’t need a radical change imo, we just went 11-1 and made the final-4. This year we needed a better pass rush and to not be starting our 5th string HB (he was in the portal no less) in the semi-final. I don’t think Indiana won because of a slogan.

A+ season with an F- on the final…what does that equal? What percentage of the grade is the final exam? Is there a curve? My expectation going in was a 10-2 regular season with a home playoff win for a final record of 11-3. We certainly exceeded that, and unless we’re preseason top-4, we really should consider making the final-4 a great season. That being said, what a flop to end it on. I have no doubt we were severely impacted by injuries, the portal, and our coordinators having at least one foot out the door. The first priority above any playoff expansion should be fixing the calendar…but it will not be. Anyways, exceeding lofty expectations, but still having a dud to end gets a B+ in my book. I would give an A- if it had been competitive.

After seeing Miami last night, pretty clear our pass rush was the biggest weakness this season imo. Mendoza with time = game over. Might have done it this year with more rush…I don’t know if it was scheme or an altered scheme reflecting personnel issues.

Reasonable fans on the net? Heresy! That’s what makes this site great, they are out there. I actually have friends that are ND and USC alums and we have rational conversations all the time…it is possible. Welcome, and go Hoosiers!

Beavis had a lot of really solid players taken by P4 teams in the portal and yet they went 2-10 with their ridiculous schedule. So my first guess for one appearance was terrible coaching.

If Beavis remotely valued him it’s perfect for that reason alone

OBD just signed DL Jerome Simmons. Seems like a good get. https://247sports.com/player/jerome-simmons-46144689/college-343567/

Every team is now in the same boat with depth. Our incoming class has 4 dline players and our current bluechip ratio is 75%, be ready to play newbs! Need to identify a couple non-mega stars in the portal to give us some more depth. Can’t rely on being NFL ready 3 deep to win…those days are gone for everyone.

Yep, our ridiculous depth has gone bubye in most spots. Identifying 3-star backups in the portal and incoming frosh every year are more important than ever for depth moving forward.

Not ignoring that or any other non-Alabama run. SEC has had tons of good teams…just saying that Saban inflated it significantly. They wouldn’t have been the best conference (imo)most years if it was just Alabama.

Saban, Saban, and Saban. The SEC was the best conference in most years during the Saban dynasty imo. That being said, he propped them up. If Alabama had been struggling as much as USC the last 15 years no one would think that conference was dominant. To me it’s similar to Brady or Belichick debates. Belichick is probably solid without Brady, but Brady made him.

Was having dinner last night with a friend that went to ND, and he was very excited about getting the D-line transfer from OBD. I say again, a diehard fan of Notre Dame was excited about getting what was a reserve player from OBD. Think it just cements the point that no one is going to be 2-deep with All Americans at rare positions anymore. Incoming HS players and random 3-star dudes from the portal are going to be the new depth imo.

It should be that simple, they over complicate everything. Though I wouldn’t reseed, no need to introduce an additional window for bias.

This is why I don’t get attached to names (even when hilariously ironic) before they play. I also find it interesting how fans assume a certain level of loyalty from players (to coaches) that just isn’t always there. Would you automatically uproot and go to Kentucky when you were good enough to be recruited by OBD? Gross. Visit any Beavis site and you can see the disappointment taking hold as their fans begin to understand they aren’t getting a dozen players from Alabama in the portal. As to Novosad, I wish him well, but if he wasn’t good enough to be QB2 with OBD he’s probably not good enough to start in the SEC…even if it’s Kentucky.

Hometown hero changes mind after two years of terrible football, not seeing smoke or fire personally. My observation of programs that aspire for the pop tarts bowl is their fans generally trash exiting players to feel better.

Be interesting to see the unintended consequences. At first blush, I think this lessens the importance of the portal a smidge. You can now legitimately use first year frosh as depth, which should make it tougher for relative second tier portal players to find a landing spot…which might reduce the number of players entering the portal. We shall see

Also good to remember Dylan is coming off of a serious injury and may well not be ready for fall camp let alone spring. He has 3 seasons to play 2, so this might make more and more sense as things unfold.

I’ve pretty much checked out on hoops sadly enough. I actually forgot to watch the MSU game, but I’m in Hawaii on vacation so whatever. I’ve watched most of our games though. This seems like a poorly constructed team with a key injury in what is a really tough conference this year. Keep waiting for the Dana turnaround but I don’t think it’s happening.

Very cool! We have a very good 2 deep. Advance warning, don’t be attached to HS names that weren’t good enough to play their frosh year.

The ending sucked, but this season was an unqualified success. A final four appearance by a team with a new QB. OBD Exceeded all expectations ranging from Vegas odds to our preseason ranking. There are apparently a few out there that consider not winning it all sub-standard, but by every other measurement we did better than the experts thought. We hit a buzz saw that slapped Alabama around the week before they slapped us around, and I’ll be shocked if they don’t continue the slapping on Monday.

Fundamentals for me to mentally deal with portal world 2026: 25% roster churn is normal Don’t get attached to any HS recruit not good enough to start from day 1 I don’t even learn most HS kids names until fall training camp Our players that leave typically leave because they will never start, and by never, I mean next season My memory of Bo Nix being announced was fans mostly being perplexed and skeptical - I trust this staff with recruiting

Here’s a nice quote today from a Beavis site that illustrates how confused they are with reality:

I think part of the flawed thinking that drew in BSU, SDSU and Fresno was the premise that the ACC would fall apart and those teams would automatically all want to join the PAC…as if the PAC name means anything without its original members. I’m 💯 sure if the real programs on the west coast ever want to form a new league it’s not going to be Beavis dictating the terms. They’ll simply start a new conference and it won’t include OSU or WSU.

It’s so prevalent it is actually an annual stage in the college football video game.

Sam L. Signed with LSU