Jon Joseph

Mike, terrific take, and Charles: Aw, schucks. "This" sure seems to be coming to whatever it may-end-up-looking-like head, sooner rather than later. Perhaps it will help but I see the House settlement as a stop gap solution, if a solution at all. If it isn't happening already, and picking up on Mike's comment, the B1G/SEC Advisory Committee, on its own, free of the NCAA, should be talking with the current administration to get some kind of relief from litigation. I think both Sankey and Petitti know they have to lead the way. And Charles, 'YES,' go with the top ranked 16 with one G6 carve out to appease those who need appeasing and adopt Mike's scheduling suggestions. 16 top team ramked as seeded with the caveat that the football selection committee mirrors the basketball committee by making the metrics it uses public and sharing the metrics and justifying the rankings. 'Trust Us' doesn't cut it. And have a Playoff free of a Bowl Extravaganza. It's not that hard. See the NFL and every division of college football except for the P4 and the G6.

Fox Sports with a look at B1G teams portal pickings, and rankings to date. Big Ten transfer portal: Detailing the biggest incoming, outgoing players WWW.FOXSPORTS.COM In a unprecedented time in college football, the transfer portal is as important — and active — as ever. FOX Sports' Michael Cohen takes a deep dive into the biggest additions and departures this... The rest of the conference will be covered later this week.

This will be the Grand Daddy start time in 2025 and thereafter. Rose Bowl to start an hour earlier in Jan. 1 CFP tripleheader - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM The Rose Bowl Game will start an hour earlier than its traditional window and kick off at 4 p.m. ET as part of a New Year's Day tripleheader of College Football Playoff quarterfinals on ESPN. This move allows the Sugar Bowl to move from 9 PM Eastern to 8 PM. 1/1/26 will be a great day for CFB: Orange Bowl Noon Eastern; Rose Bowl 4 PM Eastern; Sugar Bowl 8 PM Eastern. That sound you hear is Senior Citizens all across the Right Coast sighing with relief.

With the House Settlement Close to Approval, the NCAA Proposes Dropping a Few Rules. What NCAA's new rule proposals mean for NIL, revenue sharing WWW.YARDBARKER.COM The landscape of college sports is rapidly changing and a massive legal settlement expected to be finalized over the summer could cement those changes. "Only" ONE HUNDRED and FIFTY THREE (153!) rules will be eliminated to facilitate direct revenue sharing payment to athletes.

A projected Field of 64 in the NCAA Baseball Tournament has OBD the Second Seed in Irvine, Close to Home. 1. Irvine/ 2. OBD / 3. Texas A&M/ 4. Fresno State Field of 64 Projections: NCAA Tournament picture shaken up entering final month - On3 WWW.ON3.COM Just a month remains in college baseball's regular season, and we made some big changes in this week's Field of 64 projections. PASTE PORTLAND!

Tennessee had the second-easiest schedule in the SEC in 2024. Nico, being paid $2.4 million, was average. He played nowhere close to what Vols fans were hoping for. And he alone is going to make UCLA a contender in the B1G? More of a difference than 5* Dante Moore with playing experience and a year of QB tutelege? Nico Iamaleava to UCLA: Big Ten QB outlook in 2025 season as Bruins join short list of teams with stability - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM UCLA suddenly finds itself on solid ground compared to much of the Big Ten entering this season Nico missed all of spring practice, has no experience playing with his new teammates, but provides 'stability' to the Bruins at the QB position? How about waiting to see if the proof is in the B1G pudding?

Typical whining. The 'Little Guy?' Sir, no team without a Blue Chip Roster won a BCS, a 4-Team, or a 12-team Playoff Title. And no team without a BCR will win a 14 or 16-team PO. Potential new College Football Playoff format would stomp out the little guys for good FANSIDED.COM The new College Football Playoff format ideas are getting out of hand. People do not tune in to watch the G6, the ACC, and the B12 close to the numbers who tune in to watch the Power 2. Likely 2 million more viewers would have tuned in the watch Bama at Penn State last season and not stumbling, bumbling SMU. The NFL does not invite UFL teams to its playoffs. This is not college basketball, where the 'little guy' can win. Look at every metric. The B12 in particular should be grateful to have two teams in the field. One G6 team is more than enough.

Spring Game's Possible 'Breakout' Candidates - Oregon football's top breakout candidates for 2025 spring game DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Predicting which young members of the Oregon Ducks will have the biggest breakout performances this weekend at the annual spring game. This Saturday, 1 PM Pacific on Big Ten Network. I'll be watching the O-line to see how it is coming together. All of the players on offense mentioned in the article are not going to make it without a solid O-line.

Thanks, Smitty. It's fun to ponder. If the threshold is winning the Heisman, then I say, 'Yes.' Travis Hunter having his # retired at CU? Fine. Shedeur and not Kordell Stewart? In Shedeur's case, I have to ask the nepotism question.

The LA Times Is Happy to Have Nico Back Home, Right? Plaschke: With Nico Iamaleava joining UCLA, everybody loses SPORTS.YAHOO.COM UCLA's decision to recruit embattled Tennessee transfer Nico Iamaleava could very well turn into a match made in college football hell for many reasons. A match made in Hell?

Has College Football Morphed Into The National Enquirer? https://athlonsports.com/college-football/hanna-cavinder-breaks-silence-on-reason-she-dumped-carson-beck I wonder if Canes fans will be joining Hanna after the Notre Dame opener?

The Rumored 'QB Trade' Happened. https://athlonsports.com/college/tennessee-volunteers/tennessee-lands-top-transfer-qb-after-nico-iamaleava-departure-report Nico from Tennessee to UCLA. Joey Aguilar from UCLA to Tennessee. Which QB is being paid the most money?

The CFB Executive Committee, 10 Conference Commissioners, and ESPN Representatives gather in Las Colinas, Texas, (probably not in a Motel 6 ) this week to discuss possible changes to the 2025 PO format and further discuss the 2026 PO format. The 2026 PO format will likely be the format until ESPN's exclusive PO broadcast agreement expires after the 2031-32 season. A change to PO teams being seeded as ranked is not likely to happen before 2026. With Boise's 1st round bye in 2024-25, the Mountain West picked up an extra $4 million. The B1G and the SEC do not have the votes to make this logical change in 2025-26. The format for 2026-27 and thereafter has to be decided by December 1, 2025. The CFP Executive Committee has set an unofficial date of new format approval at its mid-June meetings in Asheville, NC. The B1G and the SEC are expected to inform the attendees that they will push for the 4-4-2-2-1-1 Format in 2026 through 2032. A 14-team field, 4 representatives each appointed by the B1G and the SEC, 2 spots reserved for the ACC and B12, and 1 for the highest-ranked G6 program. The other '1' is Notre Dame's if the Irish finish ranked in the Top 14, an at-large spot if the Irish finish lower than 14. Not happening. The B1G and the SEC have the voting power to make the 4-4-2-2-1-1 format happen. The Power 2 have been accused of greed, but by any and every metric, the format is justified, including the number of viewers tuning in to watch the games. The format is also buttressed by 2025 preseason strength of schedule (SOS) rankings. ESPN's SP+ 2025 Top 40 SOS rankings: SEC - 16 of 16 teams in the top 40, 100%. B1G - 17 of 18 teams in the top 40, 94%. ACC - 7 of 17 teams, 41%. B12 - Zero Teams. Nothing from Nothing Leaves Nothing. But JJ, it's ESecPN and the SP+ favors the SEC! Fair enough. Let's look at the College Football News 2025 Top 40 SOS rankings. SEC - 12 of 16, 75%. B1G - 13 of 18, 72%. ACC - 8 of 17, 47%. B12 - 5 of 16, 31%. If the ACC wants a 3rd guaranteed spot, stop enabling Notre Dame's independence and force the Irish to join the ACC and play a conference champ game if positioned to do so, or Notre Dame can find 12 teams (it should be 13 teams) to play on its own. This is BIG Business. The B1G and SEC dominate the business. Both will, of course, be accused of greed, but the numbers speak for themselves. Every preseason Top 40 2025 SOS ranking has the SEC and the B1G playing more difficult schedules. Every 10-2 record is not the same. Hold your noses! One more season of at least two lower-ranked teams being seeded in the top.

On the Ice Hockey Front, a Lady Badger and a Michigan State Skater won Ice Hockey's Heisman Awards. Breaking down the seasons of the Hobey Baker and Patty Kazmaier award winners WWW.NCAA.COM Each year, the top players in NCAA men's and women's college hockey are recognized with the two most prestigious awards in college hockey, the Hobey Baker Memorial Award and the Patty...

Let's Hear It For Our B1G Wolverine and Bruins Gym Rats! Michigan wins 2025 NCAA men's gymnastics national championships WWW.NCAA.COM Michigan won the 2025 men's gymnastics national championships, taking home its seventh national title and first since 2014 after scoring 332.224 points. The 2nd place UCLA Women's Gym Team bearly lost to Oklahoma by .004 points. It's Great to be B1G!

Rece Davis's take on how badly Nico's advisors handled this whole mess. UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava shunned by ESPN's Rece Davis in one-word blurb after Tennessee football exit WWW.SPORTINGNEWS.COM Nico Iamaleava's transfer portal process took aback ESPN college football host Rece Davis. I understand the - 'He's a 20-year-old kid' argument. However, his advisors, even though their behavior may seem teenage-like, are not teenagers. IMO, a 20-year-old who has played big-time college football and was making millions of dollars to do so, should not be hiding behind his advisors. 18-year-olds making less than stellar incomes are on the line to defend the USA and us. If your teammates mean nothing to you, I know I wouldn't want to suit up with you. It's not like Nico was in the G5 and looking for a payday. He was playing in the top football conference in America and was coached up by a QB guru who took Nico and his team to the playoffs. More on this merry-go-round. Joey Aguilar, who transferred to UCLA from App State and was the presumptive starter at QB for the Bruins, has entered the portal and is talking with Tennessee.

OBDers, Need a Good Laugh? Nico Makes the Bruins 2025 PO Contenders, Right? Nico iamaleava makes UCLA football CFP contenders GOJOEBRUIN.COM Nico Iamaleava made it official with his transfer to UCLA, and he may be what UCLA needs to make the leap to the College Football Playoffs for the 2025 season. Come On, Man!

The Players Expected to Make the O Go - Predicting Oregon football offensive depth chart for final week of spring football DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Projecting what the offensive depth chart looks like for the Oregon Ducks football going into the final week of the spring season.

Prospective Starters on D - Predicting Oregon football defensive depth chart for final week of spring football DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Projecting what the defensive depth chart looks like for the Oregon Ducks football going into the final week of the spring season.

Baseball Top 25 - OBD On Top of the B1G - College Baseball Rankings: D1Baseball releases updated Top 25 with top five shakeup - On3 WWW.ON3.COM This week was full of upsets and ranked matchups across college baseball, leading to big changes in D1Baseball's top 25.

I hope the headgear reflects where Lee and the crew will be in Week 1. A return to Columbus, Ohio, where Lee first put on the headgear, featuring the Buckeyes' Brutus, would be fitting. (The above is not a photo from the 1st Brutus pick; Chris Fowler was the ringleader back in the day.) Bring it with Brutus, or Hook 'Em with the Horns? A serendipitous Week 1 matchup for Lee's final pick.

Once again, thanks to my editor who makes my stuff view-worthy, and for the kind comments. Scheduling matters so much in today's mega-conferences. With the SEC simply changing game locations and not opponents in 2025, will the It Just Means More Conference send four or more member teams to the 2025-26 playoff? Georgia's road schedule in 2024, as Kirby Smart reminded commissioner Gene Sankey on the podium after the Dawgs second victory of the season over Texas, was simply brutal. Lots of roster turnover for UGA, but playing Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas at home has to be a relief, and also has to be one of 2025's best home schedules. OBD, according to Athlon Sports, has the 5th-easiest schedule in the B1G. No Ohio State and no Michigan. Only two games versus preseason top 25 ranked teams, on the road at Penn State and versus Indiana. Perfect, on paper at least, for a season with significant turnover for the Ducks on both sides of the ball. OBD has a Dawgs-like gauntlet coming up in 2027 with a game at Michigan and visits from Ohio State and Penn State, and a tough road game in Waco, Texas, versus Baylor. Get your popcorn ready for August 30th. Blast the Bobcats!

Bruins, I predict a trip South on a plane and in the polls. Scores • D1Baseball D1BASEBALL.COM Want the very latest scores in college baseball? Be sure to head on over to D1Baseball.com. We've got scores, box scores and much more.

The View From Up Here is SO NICE! Big Ten | Softball | 2025 Standings BIGTEN.ORG Big Ten Conference 2025 Standings for Softball. Also news, schedule, stats and more

Jane, you made the list! The 15 best places to watch college softball, according to the fans WWW.NCAA.COM While we wait for spring and the next college softball season to begin, we decided to ask the experts — the fans — which places are the best to watch college softball.