Jon Joseph

Before I begin lobbying on behalf of a 24-team college football (CFB) playoff (PO), allow me to present the 2026-27 24-team PO field determined by using The Sporting News 2026 Composite Preseason Top 25. The Composite Ranking is a compilation of preseason top 25s from The Sporting News, Athlon, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Yahoo Sports, and On3. Ten of the most popular CFB sites. One comment before posting the field. What Tony Petitti and the Big Ten propose is actually a 16-team PO field with eight first-round play-in games. Think of a 64-team basketball field with four play-in games. The 24-team format, which no longer includes automatic qualifiers, will deliver a far less controversial playoff field. Of course, the fans of the team ranked twenty-five will witch, thus be it ever. The eighth teams with a first-round bye will, depending on the calendar, be idle for only seven to ten days. Let's end or at least reduce the subjectivity that comes from having to determine a PO from twelve disparate data points, and through a mirror looking darkly. In 2025, the 3-loss team that should have been in the playoff field was Texas and not Alabama. Texas was not rewarded for playing a marquee out-of-conference (OOC) game at Ohio State. 3-loss Alabama was not penalized for losing an OOC game to a bad Florida State team. Then, there was 11-2 BYU. Both losses were to No. 4 Texas Tech. Alabama's conference champ game loss did not matter to the committee. BYU's loss made a multi-million-dollar difference to the B12. To the field: 16 Alabama vs. 17 SMU - Tuscaloosa, Alabama - Winner plays No. 1 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio 15 Ole Miss vs. 18 Utah - Oxford, Mississippi - Winner plays No. 2 Texas in Austin, Texas 14 Michigan vs. 19 Louisville - Ann Arbor, Michigan - Winner plays No 3 Georgia in Athens, Georgia 13 USC vs 21 Iowa - Los Angeles, CA. - Winner plays No. 4 Indiana in Bloomington, Indiana 12 LSU vs 20 Penn State - Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Winner plays No. 5 Oregon in Eugene, Oregon (Under the proposed format, there would be no 1st-round rematch games. Accordingly, USC, which played Penn State in the regular season, would play 21 Iowa, and LSU would play 20 Penn State) 11 BYU vs 22 Washington - Provo, Utah - Winner plays No 6 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana 10 Oklahoma vs 23 Houston - Norman, Oklahoma - Winner plays No 7 Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas 9 Miami vs No. 24 G6 representative - Miami Gardens, Florida - (G6 representative knocks out 24 Missouri.) Winner plays No 8 Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. A review of the bidding - Group of 6 - One team in, but come December, two G6 teams would likely be in the field playing 1st-round opponents. This would give the G6 teams a better chance to advance to the 2nd-round. No need to send the paramedics to South Bend; Notre Dame is in. ACC - Three teams in the field: Louisville, Miami, and SMU - One first-round home game - Two more teams than were in the 2025-26 playoffs. B12 - Three teams in the field: BYU, Utah, and Texas Tech - One first-round bye - Two more teams than were in the 2025-26 playoffs. One home game. SEC - Seven teams in the field: Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M - Three 1st-round byes - Seven home games. Two more teams than were in the 2025-26 playoffs. Big Ten - Eight teams in the field: Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, USC, Washington. Three first-round byes. Five home games. Five more teams than were in the 2025-26 playoffs. (Hey, it's Tony's plan, right?) All of the G6 and Power 4 conferences would benefit financially from this format. Fox, CBS, and NBC would join the PO broadcast bidding. Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks estimates that the CFB postseason revenue would at least double. In addition, under this format, more money would flow from better out-of-conference matchups. The B1G and the SEC will compete in a Volleyball Challenge in 2026; why not a football challenge? Flex-scheduled end of the regular season conference championship and 'playoff play-in games', matching three versus six and four versus five, would also increase the value of a conference's college football game inventory. In today's college football world of mega-conferences with all conference teams matching up over a number of seasons, NIL, and largely unregulated transfers, these flex-scheduled games, while bringing in more money, would provide in-conference scheduling equity. The B1G's proposal, now also recommended by the NCAA, would have the season uniformly begin in Week Zero, with the playoff beginning and ending two weeks earlier than now, and also reduce PO games competing against NFL postseason games. A third and even a fourth loss in football (unless you're Bama) will not destroy a team and its fans' playoff hopes. Last season, four-loss Iowa defeated 10-2 Vanderbilt in a terrific bowl game. This game would have been worthy of a 1st-round game, a game that would have drawn millions more viewers than watched the Whatever Bowl. In 2025-26, two-loss Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, BYU, and Utah, three-loss Texas, USC, Illinois, and four-loss Iowa in a 24-team playoff would not have rocked or destroyed the very foundation of college football. College sports have to find access to additional money. I do not want to see the ACC and the B12 disappear. I do not want to see non-revenue sports disappear. I'm tired of Tony Petitti's playoff format being dumped on because it will supposedly destroy the regular season. Horse Hockey! In my seven decades of following college sports, I cannot count the number of times expanding a playoff field would ruin the regular season. It hasn't happened, and it will not happen if a 24-team playoff field is adopted. If the NCAA and not a broadcast entity managed the Division 1 football postseason, we would have a 24-team, at least, college football playoff. All those out there, including myriad college football journalists, bemoaning the destruction of college football tradition, I ask you: What tradition is left? If the CFB (and CBB) inventory is not further capitalized by expanding the playoff, what do you suggest to stave off a Super Conference, a Group of 8, and many non-revenue sports becoming club sports? I'm hearing crickets.

Spring Games - Ohio State's O looked good - Michigan's O and QB Underwood underperformed - OBD plays TOSU in Columbus on 11/7, and plays Michigan at home on 11/14 - https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-spring-game-takeaways-ohio-state-freshman-injury-texas-a-m/

Danno is looking forward to a flock of Ducks joining the league. https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/ducks/football/2026/04/19/oregon-football-dan-lanning-2026-nfl-draft/89683919007/?utm_source=smg-duckswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SMGbaseline&utm_term=

Oh, Chute!😁 https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/breaking-news/article/virginia-tech-spring-game-delayed-after-parachuter-gets-trapped-on-lane-stadium-scoreboard-195441147.html

Dak shows Moore than just football prowess - Oregon Ducks On SIDakorien Moore Shines at Oregon Track & Field Event as Te...The Oregon Ducks are nearing the end of their spring practice program as the team prepares for a highly-anticipated 2026 season. But the end of practice isn't

Long Ball Lauaki - 496' Home Run - Mercy! Oregon Ducks On SIOregon Baseball's Naulivou Lauaki Jr. Turns Heads With Nu...During the 16-6 blowout win against the Illinois Fighting Illini in Champaign, Illinois, redshirt freshman infielder and right-handed pitcher Naulivou Lauaki Jr

Allow me to put my answer in Con-Text. An easy decision for me, I'm The Guy in the USA without a Cell Phone! 🤪 Mr. Baseball, Charles Fischer's answer is spot on. Except for Bama in football, the quality of a loss in college sports matters. Fun post. Thanks.

A Fansided look at ESPN's (Mark Schlabagh) Updated Top 25 - Under and Overrated Teams - Where I (FWIW) disagree. FanSidedCollege football rankings: Teams ranked too high, low in...Indiana and Miami both have new quarterbacks. One should inspire more confidence than the other. This is a good read from Alicia de Artola. She does a good job supporting her Over and Underated choices. However, she overlooks schedule strength. Overrated - Where I disagree - No. 6 Indiana - When he arrived at Indiana from Cal, Fernando Mendoza was far from a Heisman-quality QB. He joined a team that was coached up. And he was coached up. Five of Curt Cignetti's last six starting QBs have been All-Conference. Coming in from TCU, Josh Hoover will have better coaching than he had in Fort Worth. (Before Hoover committed to TCU and pre-Cig, Hoover was 'committed' to Indiana.) In 2026, Indinan's roster ranking will improve from last season's championship roster. In its 2026 portal rankings, On3 has Indiana at No. 1, and College Football News ranks the Hoosiers 2026 strength-of-schedule (SOS) at No. 50. A favorable mix. Indiana is odds-on to finish no worse than 10-2 and return to the CFB playoff as the defending champion. Perhaps 10-2 will not be good enough for a No. 6 ranking, but it won't be far off. Both No. 1 Ohio State and 2nd-ranked Oregon play far more difficult schedules this season than Indiana. The talent is there on both the Ducks and Buckeyes rosters, but it won't be an easy road for No. 6 SOS OBD, and NO. 17 SOS Ohio State. (Many sites other than College Football News have Ohio State with a SOS in the top 5.) No. 15 - Penn State's SOS is ranked 51st nationally, and 17th in the B1G. It has a reasonable chance of finishing 10-2 and being in the PO discussion. If PSU stays healthy, I don't believe it will finish too much lower than No. 15. No. 7 Miami's SOS is ranked 59th. Miami has an excellent chance of finishing 12-0 or 11-1. The only game on the schedule where the Canes will not be favored is vs. Notre Dame in South Bend. The Hurricanes lose a lot of talent on both LOS, but quality players are on hand to fill the holes, and other than Notre Dame, no opponent has the personnel to take advantage of the new starters on the O-line and D-line. The first third of the schedule, at Stanford, Florida A+M, at Wake Forest, and Central Michigan, will provide new QB Menseh the opportunity to settle in. Having stud WR Baby J and RB Fletcher back will help the Canes cause. 2026 should see Miami finally winning an ACC championship. I think No. 8 A&M is overrated. Before its loss to Texas, followed by the PO home loss to Miami in 2025, the Aggies had not defeated a team with a winning record. The Aggies No. 3 portal rankings is impressive, but A&M loses loads of talent to the NFL, and the in-conference schedule is more difficult than 2025. Underrated - I agree that No. 20 USC may be underrated. The Trojans will likely finish no worse than 9-3. If this is the record, SC will probably be ranked in the top 15. 10-2 and a spot in the PO is doable, but SC is a young team, with significant loss of talent at WR, a new DC, and plays the 15th most difficult schedule in the country. Notre Dame's schedule is Charmin soft. The Irish have a chance to go 12-0 and finish No. 1. Beat Boise!

Thank you, Charles, for another terrific editing job. If all eligible Ducks had declared for the draft, Oregon would have a shot at equaling or surpassing 22 Georgia players drafted in 2022.

Another step on the way to a 24-team PO that SEC coaches Kirby Smart and Josh Heupel want to happen. With 8 more in-conference losses coming up in 2026, additional SEC coaches will come on board.

From Zero to One? https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/breaking-news/article/ncaa-committee-recommends-ditching-week-zero-and-officially-moving-up-the-start-of-college-football-season-in-2027-204123433.html

Ty Who? Er, Ty Shoe? How did Tattoo-Gate work out for you, and a Buckeyes HC too? That was yesterday, and yesterday's gone. No longer handed shoes, you're handed a B1G check to buy the shoes, cars, and homes for Mom, etc.

We live today in a peripatetic, wired world. The moment is what matters; forget about yesterday. Three Big Ten (B1G) teams have won the last three college football (CFB) championships. The usual suspects, Michigan in 2023 and Ohio State in 2024, won it all. The suspect Indiana Hoosiers completed the greatest two-year turnaround in the history of CFB, defeating Miami on its home field to capture last season's crown. Move over Hickory High and Gene Hackman. So Hats Off to the B1G! But does this B1G trifecta mean that the conference has surpassed the It Just Means More SEC, the conference that dominated BCS and Playoff titles from the 1998 season through 2022? I say, Not So Fast, my B1G friends! Yes, Indiana, one of three B1G teams in the field, came through in 2025, but let's not forget that the SEC placed five teams in the field. It's also chic today to note that the B1G will likely have more first-round NFL draft picks in 2026 than the SEC. However, the draft is a seven-round exercise, and over the seven rounds, which conference is expected to have the most picks? It's the SEC, for the 20th consecutive year, extending its record from 2007 through 2025. NIL has spread the talent around, no doubt. But the SEC continues to send the most players to the NFL. On April 16, 2026, The Athletic's Dane Brugler released his fourth mock 2026 draft, predicting every pick from No. 1 to No. 257. Although the holes were rather small, I had to count them all. Now I know how many holes it takes to fill Pittsburgh's Acrisure Hall. 😁 Here's a summary of the eight Ducks expected to be drafted in 2026. Oregon Ducks On SITwo Oregon Ducks Drafted To Dallas Cowboys In New PredictionThe 2026 NFL Draft is right around the corner, and several former Oregon Ducks are expected to be selected by various NFL teams. Dane Brugler, an NFL Draft anal I was not surprised to see these Elite 8 Ducks on the list. I was surprised to see OT Alex Harkey going ahead of OT Isiah World. This is the number of players chosen from the B1G and the SEC through seven rounds. 1st Round - B1G - 11 - Ohio State - 4/ Indiana - 2/ Oregon - 2/ Penn State, USC, and UW - 1 each 1st Round - SEC - 8 - 2 each from Tennessee and Texas A+M/ 1 each from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, and LSU 2nd Round - B1G 6/ SEC 15 64 players taken in the 1st and 2nd rounds - the cream of the draft crop. The SEC leads in the 2nd round and thereafter through the 7th round. 3rd Round - B1G 9/ SEC 15 4th Round - B1G 13/ SEC 14 5th Round - B1G 9/ SEC 10 6th Round - B1G 12/ SEC 16 Total - B1G - 69 players drafted/ SEC 75 players drafted B1G - 3.83 drafted per 18-member schools/ 4.68 drafted per 16-member schools. What these numbers do not necessarily account for is the quality of the coaching in the two conferences. Overall, the Big Ten has the more experienced coaches New coaches Whittingham at Michigan, Campbell at Penn State, and Fitzgerald at Michigan State come from Utah, Iowa State, and Northwestern programs, which they left with the most wins in program history. New coaches at Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, and Ole Miss have no regular-season Power 4 head coaching experience. LSU is the exception. Roster rankings do support the SEC teams, top to bottom, having more talent than Big Ten teams. But talent is potential that will succeed only if the coaching results in the sum of the whole being greater than the parts. Big Ten projected draft picks: Illinois 2/ Indiana 8/ Iowa 7/ Maryland 2/ Michigan 5/ Michigan State 2/ Nebraska 1/ Northwesten 3/ Ohio State 10/ Oregon 8/ Penn State 7/ USC 5/ UCLA 1/ Washington 3/ Wisconsin 1 If all draft-eligible Ducks players had entered the draft, Oregon would have more players drafted than Ohio State. IMO, that's a WOW! The Big Ten has closed the gap, but IMO the conference has yet to dethrone the SEC.

ESPN - It's going to be a B1G draft, including OBD - ESPN.comCollege football fan guide to the 2026 NFL draftAttention college football fans: The NFL draft is coming. Here's everything you need to know.

Spot on, H! Your logical P12 alignment didn't happen because USC fans wanted their trip to SFO every season to watch SC vs Stanford or Cal. Thus, the Cali, Pat Haden, scheduling format. A Big Ten East-West division alignment based on past results in Big Ten play would hose over the teams in the East. I don't fault B1G HQ for underestimating the prowess of Indiana in 2023. Who knew? And who knew that many potential top draft picks would be returning to Oregon instead of playing in the NFL? Equitable scheduling in today's CFB with NIL, largely unrestricted CFB free agency, and significant roster turnover every season is not possible IMO. Especially when a scheduling goal is for every conference member to play one another at least twice over five years. As I noted above, you might convince Tony to adopt Mike's well-thought-out plan. But Tony's consent is meaningless without the approval of the media partners. Unequal scheduling in CFB would be a lesser problem if the PO committee revealed its metrics and used them. No E$PN sneak peeks before the ultimate field is revealed, with the metrics that support the field and the seeding of the field revealed at the same time. If the field and the seeding do not match the metrics, the committee spokesperson has to explain the reasoning behind ignoring the metrics. A 24-team field would also help with the disparity in scheduling. Yes, the 25th team and its fans would beef, but would No. 25 be able to win four games on the way to a title?