Jon Joseph

SMU bought its way into the ACC by taking no revenue for, I believe, 5 seasons. Cal and Stanford joined the ACC at a deep revenue discount. None of the three would have been accepted without the revenue discount and the approval of broadcast partner ESPN. The money the Pac-2 could have paid the B12 wasn't the issue; it was ESPN and Fox having no interest in the schools. ESPN did not want the Pac-2 in the ACC. As noted above, the smart move was a reverse merger with the Mountain West, but the Pac-2 thought it could make more money with a new Pac-Whatever. New 2026 Pac member Fresno State was blown out by Kansas on Saturday. Stanford's loss to Hawaii was Hawaii's first win against a P4/5 team since 2019.

Yahoo has three B1G thoughts. https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/article/3-things-to-know-about-the-big-ten-can-a-team-from-this-conference-win-a-third-straight-national-title-130034452.html

TOSU's AD Bjork is being called out for being a recruiting Dork. 🤬 Scarlet and GameOhio State football team spins like a broken record, lose...The Ohio State football team continues to spin its wheels on the recruiting trail.

It keeps getting worse for the Cardinal. Last night's loss to Hawaii was Hawaii's first win over a P4/5 opponent since 2019. 😧 Beaver transfer QB Gulbranson threw a pick late in the game to set up critical points for Hawaii. Other than that, Andrew, how'd you enjoy the trip? 😁

Thanks, ND. The tables have turned, and it's great to see Bama, Texas, and Ole Miss having to visit Athens this season. Between UGA's road schedule and Oregon playing eight B1G opponents in a row without a break, the schedules seem easier, but aren't easy, especially for your Dawgs, than last season. The CBB Committee's Quad System gives a team the same credit for a road win against a Quad 2 opponent as it does for a Quad 1 home win. So, home versus road wins are factored in. But bye weeks are not, as a week or two off in season is unique to football. The CFB Committee uses SportsSource Analytics as its source for strength of schedule (SOS) and strength of record, supposedly at least. Boise State's SOS last season did not qualify for its No. 9 seed. At least I hope not, because if it did, send out an SOS on SportsSource. The CFB committee's use of any and every metric has been hidden from the public. Will this change in 2025? Before moving to nine conference games, unless he received 'inside information' from the CFB committee concerning possible programming changes to the metric and how the committee intends to use it, Greg Sankey accepted verbal assurances from the same group that arguably disadvantaged 3-loss SEC teams last season. No comprende. I did note Commissioner Sankey's admonition to the committee that the SEC will be watching to see how the committee ranks and seeds this season. The problem with this is that the broadcast agreement with ESPN requires that any change to the PO format has to be agreed to by December 1, 2025. The committee's final 2025 ranking and the consequent PO seeding happen on December 7, 2025. Of course, the December 1st date could be extended, but if the PO is to expand, ESPN has to have time to sell advertising for a new 2026 additional game format. There are undercurrents here, including the SEC understandably being paid more money by ESPN to play nine conference games, and quite possibly back-channel discussions with Tony Petitti? Sankey has noted that the 5-11 PO model is the SEC's preferred format, but nothing has been agreed to between the Power 2. Go Dawgs! I cannot believe Texas is getting all of the SEC champ love and not the Georgia team that gutted out a title last season, defeating Texas twice in the process, and I hope that the Dawgs will have receivers in 2025 who hopefully have 'good hands' and not hands of Teflon.

Charles. Oregon's 1st bye is Week 6, after the Penn State game and before Indiana travels to Autzen, with the second bye in Week 10, after playing Wisconsin at home and before traveling to Iowa in Week 11. Before traveling to Eugene, Indiana also has a bye in Week 6. Like OBD, Iowa has a bye in Week 10 before hosting OBD in Week 11. Penn State is off the week before the Week 5 White Out, but this could be to OBD's advantage as PSU plays three donut holes before the Oregon game. Oregon will be the first opponent with a roster equal to that of PSU. Wisconsin has a bye in Week 8 before playing the Ducks in Autzen on Week 9. Rutgers plays at UW in Week 7, with the game kicking off on Friday, October 10, 2025, at 11 PM Eastern, before hosting OBD in Week 8. So Rutgers will be traveling its longest distance of the season before playing OBD. USC plays Iowa in LA the week before playing in Autzen on Week 13. Week 13 sees UW at UCLA before hosting Oregon in Week 14. UW has a yo-yo of an East-West travel schedule: Week 5, Ohio State, Week 6 at Maryland, Week 7, Rutgers, Week 8, at Michigan, Week 9, Illinois, Week 10, at Wisconsin, Week 11, Purdue, Week 12, Bye. You're making me dizzy 🤪. 2025 is a season with five B1G road games, but the schedule this season is friendlier than the eight consecutive B1G games without a break in 2024. With this kind of travel, Rob Mullens must do his darndest to arrange seven home games every season. It would be better for Rob to schedule Home+Home series with Cal and Stanford instead of OK State and Baylor. First P4 upset of the season today with No. 17, three point favorite Kansas State, falling to No. 22 Iowa State, in Dublin. A week from today, hip-hip-hooray, let's herd some Bobcats!😊

OBD plays the last three games of this season in the Pacific time zone. Home against Minnesota and USC with the last regular season game at UW. SC plays its last four games in the West; UW the last three, and UCLA two of the last three. Week 13 sees the Bruins in Columbus against Ohio State. In the NFL in 2025, the LA Chargers, 37,186 miles, the LA Rams, 34.832, and the Seattle Seahawks, 31,302, are the top three travelers. Lengthy travel comes with being located out West. OBD's two trips to the Central time zone and two to the Eastern time zone are spread out, so there is no back-to-back travel. All schedules, including football, are under B1G review. I thought the 'Pac-12 teams' would be permanent opponents. Two Pacific time zone trips every season would eliminate a trip East. I'll take the money and the B1G prestige over travel to Tucson, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Pullman.

Thank you, Steven. Why play the season when USA Today already knows the record for 136 teams? I'm so happy we have college football to watch in about 15 minutes. I Need My Fix! 🤪 https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2025/08/21/college-football-season-record-projections-2025/85755096007/

Sigh. How about Tony P was playing chess when Greg S was playing checkers? Is it a B1G win for the SEC to go to nine conference games? The B1G has lost leverage? Have any CFB scribes out there advanced beyond Finance 101? https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/winners-losers-as-sec-adopts-9-game-schedule-fans-should-rejoice-big-ten-loses-leverage-amid-cfp-talks/

But there could be a stud Cisco transferring in from the portal? 😁

Light Up a Cig? After his dissing on the SEC schedules and the SEC going to 9 + a P4, Cig should shut up? From a B1Gger viewpoint, Cig helped smoke the It Just Means More gang into going to 9 conference games. Let's Spin again, and again, and again. Hoosier State of MindSocial Media Reacts to Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti b...Starting in 2026, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) will expand its football league schedule to nine regular-season conference games, ending years of speculatio

Why? What's wrong with Dan's 'Double Down' for 2025? After all, in 2024-25, OBD Won the Day 13 out of 14 times. And at the first opportunity to go NFL, Chip did not wait for even a day and was on another Day's sideline on 1/1/25.

Friend Jabba, I have to demur. The B1G has agreed to nothing regarding playoff expansion in 2026 and thereafter. Notwithstanding all of the populist slings and arrows fired at Tony P, the B1G stayed strong with the AQ format proposal and even leaked a larger PO field proposal, at least in part intended to have the SEC play 9 conference games. 'The SEC wins' is, IMO, more knee-jerk reaction from those who do not understand big-time business strategy. If the new metric is not SEC-centric, FPI-driven, as the other Power 2 member, the B1G should benefit from the strength of its schedules. 13 B1G teams play 10 P4 opponents in 2025, compared to 3 SEC teams. Yes, the SEC if the 9-game schedule and 1 P4 OOC opponent is adopted in 2026, will have all 16 teams playing 10 P4 games. However, like the B1G, not all OOC games will be against the CBB equivalent of Quad 1 or Quad 2 opponents. The key is the neutrality of the metrics the CFB committee intends to use, but I believe Tony P will seek assurances in this regard. And come 2032, if your prediction is correct, the B1G, if there is not a Super Conference with a playoff of its own, can crater a potentially agreed-upon 5-11 model. Who knows? With the enhanced metrics, it's possible that 9-3 Illinois, with a win over then-ranked No. 16 Kansas, could have been in the 2024-25 playoff field. To date, with your possibly spot-on caveat in mind, I see the SEC going to nine conference games being no worse than a push for the B1G. The biggest loser is likely the B12, with many OOC games versus the SEC likely to be bought out, especially by the SEC schools with traditional in-state ACC opponents. The B12 possibly becoming more irrelevant was one of Jon Wilner's takes on the SEC going to nine. Especially, if the money-making B1G/SEC OOC Challenge comes to fruition. Let's Play Ball!

On3's thoughts on whether the B1G will support the 5-11 model. On3SEC moving to 9-game schedule strengthens odds of Big Ten...Now that the SEC has expanded to a nine-game conference schedule, will the Big Ten agree to a College Football Playoff model?

Long-time Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald has settled his wrongful termination suit with the school after the school, upon review, found no evidence of Fitzgerald being aware of the hazing of freshmen football players. Pundits believe Fitzgerald scored B1G time. With the admission by Northwestern, how could he not have? Fitzgerald is 50 years old and anxious to return to coaching. He has no NCAA show-cause to overcome and will be number one on many ADs' new hire radar. He has stated that he does not want to return to coaching at his alma mater, Northwestern.

And no bowl game for Mark Stoops? As Sankey noted, 'not everyone,' a/k/a the coaches, is in favor of this move. But the money won out. Who knew? 🤑 For this to have happened, I think ESPN will be writing a larger check to the SEC.

I thought it could be another 'we want to play 9 conference games' head fake, but the SEC will go to 9 conference games in 2026. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/sec-adopts-nine-game-conference-slate-commissioner-greg-sankey-explains-how-new-cfp-metrics-spurred-move/ The Football Playoff Committee agreeing to use an 'enhanced metric' to determine strength of schedule sealed the deal for Sankey and the It Just Means More Conference. Which means that Tony P and his B1G IT guys better take a close look at the new metric programming. Assuming the new metric and its use thereof pass the B1G smell test, far more important than the eye test 😁, this will likely result in the 5 highest-ranked conference champions and 11 at-large teams beginning in 2026. This should also allow, subject to schedule changes, an annual B1G/SEC football challenge. The Devil is of course in the details but this could be a positive for the Power 2 and all of college football.

OMG! The SEC will Talk the Talk beginning in 2026. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/sec-adopts-nine-game-conference-slate-commissioner-greg-sankey-explains-how-new-cfp-metrics-spurred-move/ This could result in the B1G signing off on the 5-11 model and an annual SEC/B1G football challenge. The CFB changes keep right on coming!

Yet again, the SEC talks the 9-game talk, but where's the walk? SEC fans and sites are celebrating the PO committee using a new metric to determine SOS. The metric's programming will not be revealed by the committee. The CBB committee makes all of it the metrics it uses public knlowledge and if ranking or seeding does not follow, the CBB folks explain why they varied from the metric. But the NCAA owns the CBB Tournament. ESPN owns the CFB Playoffs. If the metric's programming uses ESPN's FPI SOS ranking, with 15 SEC teams in the top 25, why would the SEC move to 9-games? Unless the SEC, with the committee using this metric, believes the B1G will support the 5-11 PO format. If this is the case, Tony Petitti and the B1G IT folks, better require a full disclosure of the metric's programming and how the committee intends to use the metric. In Sankey I do not trust.

Georgia's 'Dawn of the Dawg' is on board with the metric's use, mainly benefiting the SEC. Greg Sankey's propaganda and ESPN's broadcast money appear to be paying off. The metrics the committee intends to use for SOS and Sor should be disclosed and commented on before being adopted by the PO committee. Dawn of the DawgGeorgia owes the College Football Playoff committee a big...The College Football Playoff committee did not have very many fans at the conclusion of the 2024 season. This was especially the case from fans of the SEC as ma

Hopefully, this won't mean much if anything, on CFB PO judgement day, 12/7/25, but here's a preseason SOS ranking. FanSidedCollege football rankings by initial strength of scheduleWith the 2025 college football season kicking off this weekend with some Week 0 action, now is the perfect time to be reminded of this new wrinkle being inserte The CBB Tournament Committee updates its Quad team records and wins and losses based on which quad an opponent is ranked almost daily during the season. For the sake of every team outside of the SEC, the CFB PO Committee had best do the same. As of today, the FPI has 15 SEC teams ranked in its top 25, and the above ranking uses this FPI tripe. If the FPI is the metric the CFB PO committee plans on using, Tony Petitti had best have a Restraining Order at hand.

The Ohio State University is never short of hubris - Archie Manning is overrated? It may be advisable to wait until 4:30 to 5:00 PM Eastern on August 30, 2025, to say so. Plus, why not tweak Penn State and Michigan?🤪 Scarlet and GameThe three most overrated quarterbacks the Ohio State foot...The Ohio State football team is going to take on a lot of talented quarterbacks, but these three are fairly overrated.

Thank you, Charles. A terrific look at the roster turnover being experienced in today's CFB. Roster management in the NFL is a piece of cake compared to what we see today in college. On paper, the 2025 schedule should help OBD's champ run cause. This schedule is the easiest from last season's schedule through the 2028 season. The top third of the schedule, the first four games, sees OBD with a significant roster advantage over the four opponents, further helped by three home games. A perfect segue into a Week 5 White Out. This season, OBD does not play a P4 out-of-conference opponent on the road; not the case, as currently scheduled, in 2026, at OK State, and 2027, at Baylor. Only two teams ranked in the preseason AP, Penn State and Indiana, are on this season's schedule, and OBD plays the Hoosiers at home. The off weeks are optimal and not the crazy eight games in a row against B1G competition that OBD faced in 2024. Hopefully, the roster gels before Week 5 at Penn State, followed by a bye week and then Indiana. Let's start with a W against Montana State!

B1G+ Half Full? Or, Half Empty? https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-rankings-each-ap-top-25-teams-biggest-beacon-of-hope-cause-for-concern-in-2025/

Preseason SOS is guess work. The SOR ranking on 12/7/25, will be based on the PO Committee's final ranking. The SOR is all good IF the metric is truly unbiased. Anything out of ESecPN is suspect. Any metric the committee uses should be disclosed, including the programmer and the factors used by the metric. This sounds good in theory, but how does the metric rate a loss in the G5 compared to a loss in the Power 2? The committee's process being opaque and its subjectivity are one reason I like the B1G's 16-team, automatic qualifier proposal. Please explain how, in Hades, a G5 team with zero wins against the P4 was the ninth-best team in 2024? It looks like the metric could be akin to the CBB committee's Quad System? If so, and administered properly, including disclosing the results along with a weekly ranking, this could be good for CFB. If the SEC is behind this and uses it to stay at 8 conference games, we all better Duck. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/explaining-the-college-football-playoffs-new-strength-of-schedule-metric-and-the-secs-campaign-behind-it/