Jon Joseph

The College Sports Commission died in vitro. Saint Nick, among others, supported the concept but realized the Commission had nothing new to present to Congress that the solons had not already heard and failed to act. The power of the players has seen a 180-degree shift from the days when the 'Management' ruled. What incentive is there for the athletes to agree to any change that would take away their ability to hopscotch from program to program and make additional money with every move? Especially, when the athletes have courts from coast to coast and state legislatures seemingly in their pocket. The idea of an NIL review board that will come along with the House settlement, awaiting approval and still likely to be approved, sounds good in theory. But in reality, why shouldn't a tight end recruit make ten million dollars a year? Because such an amount exceeds market value? Because a payment in this amount violates recruiting rules? Logic says that $10 million a year for a player with no college football experience has to exceed market value. But how would such a finding be enforced in Tennessee, where the legislature has passed a law(s) making the terms of the House settlement unenforceable in the Volunteer State? Keep your hands off of Vandy! 😁 Lawyers are standing by to file Restraint of Trade suits shortly after an NIL deal is disqualified. The odds are very much in favor of 'injured student-athlete.' And any self-restraint on NIL deals has disappeared, with people with more money than sense willing to pay whatever it takes for good old U, or good old State, to win titles in football, basketball, soccer, swimming, and softball. Softball? The Oklahoma run in the NCAA Softball Tourney championships ended at the hands of a pitcher who transferred from Stanford to Texas Tech for $1 million. (I don't know if I'd leave Palo Alto for Lubbock for One Mill, but no one is asking me or paying me to do so? 😋) I reiterate what I expressed in the article, College Sports need Congress to provide shelter. But without a bargained for agreement between a Players Union and Management, I don't believe the Congressional Calvary will ride in to rescue college sports from itself. Once again: Shout Out to my editor!

OK State, a B12 powerhouse that happened to go 0-9 in the B12 last season. 🦨 ed! Take no opponent for granted, but Dante will have Moore experience than the QB who mounts up for the Cowboys. RB Ollie Gordon, after a great 2023 season and a bad 2024 season, is gone. Gundy will be starting close to an entirely new team in 2025.

Note, the B1G has indicated it will consider a 5-11 model, the highest ranked 5 conference champions and 11 at-large teams, with the field seeded following the PO Committee rankings, IF the SEC agrees to play 9 conference games. The winners and losers of a potential 5+11 Playoff model - Saturday Down South WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM What would be the pros and cons of the 5+11 College Football Playoff model? The winners and losers might surprise you.

Judge Wilkins is in no hurry. What's holding up House v. NCAA? College athletics hinges on decision from judge with a meticulous reputation - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM Even with revenue sharing set to begin on July 1, Judge Claudia Wilken's history suggests she's in no hurry to render a final decision

The Sooners schedule is 'manageable?' 247 Sports ranks Oklahoma's 2025 schedule as being the nation's most difficult. Ott and Mateer were not teammates at Cal last season. Mateer played at Wazzu. Another below the Mendoza line expert take, right? 🙃 Georgia and Clemson going Over their win total will be unexpected? "Lincoln Riley hasn't forgotten how to coach? 11-11 in the B1G with a Heisman-winning QB under center in 2023. 0-2 vs. Notre Dame when in the B1G. 0-2 vs. UCLA in B1G games. Five college football teams that will surpass 2025 win projections WWW.YARDBARKER.COM With the strength of college football conferences such as the Big Ten or SEC, predicting win totals has become more difficult than ever. Much of it has also become predicated on schedules. It...

Go, Gabe, Go! Illegitimi non carborundum! 😁 Browns confirm Dillon Gabriel news amid QB competition WWW.YARDBARKER.COM After six years playing college football, Gabriel only got better and better

Five B1G teams, besides OBD, TOSU, and PSU, that could make the PO. Note, the Nebraska vs. Cincinnati game is being played in Kansas City, not Lincoln, NE. UW is one of the five and not Michigan? Michigan in 2025 has the easiest or the second-easiest B1G conference schedule. No games against Oregon, Illinois, Indiana, and Penn State. Games against B1G bottom dwellers Purdue, Maryland, and Northwestern should be easy peasy. OOC at Oklahoma will be tough, and at Nebraska and USC are not gimmes. Seven home games with That Team from Down South visiting Ann Arbor will help the PO cause. Split against SC and Nebraska, and Michigan should finish 10-2 and in the PO. Big Ten playoff sleeper teams: 5 who could make it, if things break right AUTZENZOO.COM Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon are playoff-likely teams coming out of the Big Ten, each with an over/under of 10.5 wins at FanDuel.

A lot of miles but without the burden of playing 8 B1G games in a row. A long haul to New Jersey, but the week prior, Rutgers will be playing in Seattle, so it will also be traveling coast-to-coast before the game. I like the timing of the trip to Chicago. I'd much rather play Northwestern on the shores of Lake Michigan early than later in the year. 🥶 The week off before playing at Iowa is nice. Then home vs. Minnesota and USC before the short trip to Seattle. Week 6 and Week 10 off weeks are about as good as it gets. This is a far friendlier schedule than OBD faced last season. Thanks for the post.

Battle lines are being drawn ... Ohio State coach Ryan Day supports a College Football Playoff with 'at least' 4 bids guaranteed for Big Ten SPORTS.YAHOO.COM SEC coaches have pushed back against a format that would guarantee four spots for both the Big Ten and SEC and leave just three available at-large berths.

30 Duck, the answer to your first above interrogatory, my friend, is 'YES! 😧You have my sincere empathy. FWIW - Using the 2025-26 12-team format, here is the projected FPI PO field. 1. Texas vs 9. Miami at 8. Texas A&M 4. Ohio State vs. 12. G6 at 5. Penn State 2. Georgia vs. 10. Tennessee at 7. Notre Dame 3. Alabama vs. 11. Kansas State at 6. OREGON 5 SEC/ 3 B1G/ 1 ACC/ 1 B12/ 1 Independent/ 1 G6 1st 2 out - 11 Clemson and 12 LSU. Show $ankey the $$$$$. 2nd round games would see one B1G team knocked out in the Rose Bowl. HECK YES! Come on 8/30! Go Away FPI!

The Sporting News update 2025 top 25 uses its own and eleven other sites' rankings to come up with a composite top 25. Composite college football top 25 rankings for 2025: Texas, Ohio State, Penn State are consensus top teams WWW.SPORTINGNEWS.COM The consensus top two teams will square off in Week 1 when Texas visits Ohio State. The FPI software is hard-wired in favor of the SEC. SP+ is somewhat, but not much, more objective.

SB Nation ranks OBD 27th in preseason CBB rankings. Men’s college basketball rankings: Breaking down the top 25 teams after NBA Draft declaration deadline WWW.SBNATION.COM Here’s our early top 25 rankings for the upcoming men’s college basketball season.

ESPN has released the first iteration of its Football Power Index (FPI). When it comes to college football, the World Wide Leader is as objective as can be, right? Pay no attention to Herbie and other ESPN talking heads, beefing about Indiana and SMU instead of 3-loss Bama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina being in the playoff field. Our FPI formula proves that this criticism was justified. What's that? 3-loss Illinois defeated South Carolina, and 4-loss Michigan defeated Bama in the postseason? You cannot expect mighty SEC teams to give a whit about games against inferior opponents. College Football Rankings: ESPN reveals first FPI Top 25 for 2025 season - On3 WWW.ON3.COM . This ranking has 13 of the SEC's 16 teams, 81.25%, in the Top 25. This should DQ ESPN from any comment or take on the B1G's 4-4-2-2-1-3 suggested PO format being 'greedy' instead of the far more 'righteous' 5-11 model. Before adjusting for two B12 teams and a G6 representative, using this ranking and a 5/11 model, five highest ranked conference champs and 11 at-large teams, six SEC teams would be in a 16-team playoff field. Greg Sankey didn't notice this before last week's meetings in Florida, where SEC coaches enlightened their ADs and Greg, right? Three of the six B1G teams ranked, 33.33% of the conference, Ohio State, Penn State, and OBD, would be in a 5/11 field. How kind of the FPI. The 11/5 format to which the SEC has seemingly pivoted after whining that the PO committee doesn't know what it's doing, now makes perfect dollars and cents. Oh, and the SEC doesn't need to play nine conference games because an eight-game gauntlet in the SEC, when it comes to the quality of the competition, is beyond BRUTAL! Auburn is the 14th-best team in the nation? These Tigers are Not Ranked in the majority of preseason polls. Ditto, 22nd-ranked Arkansas. Oklahoma at 16? Texas A&M at No. 8! Holy Cowbells, Mississippi State isn't ranked? Vandy and Kentucky are missing? CALL PAWALLL! How about Miami ranked No. 9 and Clemson ranked No. 11? Add SMU, and the ACC has three teams ranked. This may be the proper number, but the Canes over the Dabos? B12 Commissioner Brett Yormark has to love these rankings, right? The highest-ranked B12 team is Kansas State at No. 21. The only other ranked B12 team is ASU at No. 24. The Chutzpah of these rankings; well, It Just Means More south of the Mason-Dixon line. I know I'm a B1G whiner, but ESPN, have you no shame? Oh well, nothing to see here, move right along and make sure that half of your B1G conference teams will have one more loss than half of our conference. But three 3-losses in the SEC are better than two in the B1G.

I don't know? But I Spit when I read the question.🤪

The Romans were impressed by these creatures, not known in Rome, and came up with the moniker - Hippopotamus - Latin for "River Horse." A hippopotamus never would have won a race in the Hippodrome in Rome. Unless it took out all of its equine opponents. 😁

I don't know friend Kirkland, how many games it will take for Jim Knowles' D to take at PSU, but I do know in year one in Columbus, he greatly improved the Buckeyes D. And this season he has three games against the cuppiest of cakes and a week off before the Ducks fly in for a visit. He also has quality players returning on every level of the defense. Penn State Roster Tracker: Where Nittany Lions stand with 2025 player decisions and transfer movement Knowels also has the advantage of watching a lot of film of the Penn State D when he was at Ohio State. Manny Diaz, now the HC at Duke, and Tom Allen, now the DC at Clemson, produced terrific Ds at PSU. I think Knowles is better than the two previous DCs. The way he deployed Caleb Downs and friends against the OBD O in the Rose Bowl was defense genius on display. The game in Autzen was the only game in 2024 where the TOSU D didn't show up. Chip's O was MIA in several games, Penn State, Nebraska, and Michigan, for example, and it was the Ohio State D No. 1 D in the land that won two of these three games and should have, but for a bad day out of its FG kicker, won all three games. Knowles went 1 and 1 against Stein last season. I believe the PSU D on the field in Week 5 will be better prepared than the PSU D we saw in last season's conference champ game. This will be the biggest and most hostile crowd Dante Moore has played against. I'm certain Knowles will have wrinkles up his sleeve against Stein and Moore that he will not need to show in the first three weeks of the season. OBD will be facing a highly motivated team from HC Franklin on down, including a lot of players on D who were embarrassed in Indianapolis. Charles, in a more succinct and to-the-point comment (no surprise), nailed it with his 'Hands Full' comment. I believe Jim Knowles and his D will be ready.

Thank you, David, for another insightful take on the 2025 CFB rule changes and OBD's 'Mad Genius' coach, Dan Lanning. (I'm surprised Cristobal didn't come up with advanced strategies, right? 🤪) The rub was in the Roses? Dan is a master motivator, but Ryan Day had superior incentive-making ammunition on January 1, 2025. 'We lost to these B1G newbies because of a technicality. Time doesn't run out, and Howie leads us to the walk-off winning field goal with a terrific end-game drive in their band-box stadium! And never forget those flag-planting sons of female dogs from Up North!' Let's get out there and pluck some Ducks! (Feel free to insert your favorite expletives deleted. 🤓) I don't think Eagles from Philadelphia, let alone Ducks, take down Brutus on New Year's Day. Great explanations coupled with great illustrations in both articles on the new rules. If your students aren't 'getting it,' it's on them! 🧑‍🎓 One thing I am certain of: Devious minds will always find new holes to be looped.

Spot On, 30. SC AD Jen Cohen and SC boosters removed Riley from being the front man for recruiting and portal picking. The front man for recruiting and portal evaluations is the GM hired from Notre Dame at $1 million a year. It was also Jen Cohen and the boosters who instructed Riley to fire the Grinch, who stole defense, and replace him with a capable DC. Riley is being paid $10 M+ a year for being a play caller.

FPI's Initial 2025 Top-25 Ranking - Wow! Only 13 SEC teams ranked! Only half of the top 10 from the SEC? Better call Paul! MIA ranked ahead of Clemson and SMU is the 3rd ACC team ranked. The 1st B12 team, K State, is ranked No. 21, with No. 24 ASU being the 2nd B12 team ranked. Yet, ESPN beats the drum for a 5-11 and not a 4-4-2-2-1-3 format? One of the three goes to Notre Dame, but using the 4-4-2-2-1-3 format the SEC, based on this ranking, would grab the other two at large bids and have ten teams in the field reduced by Clemson, the 2nd ACC team, and B12 K St and ASU and a G6 team to result in 6 SEC teams in the field. Maybe the SEC should play with itself? 🤔 6-Pack placement for OBD, one of six B1G teams ranked. 81.25% of the SEC ranked. 33.33% of the B1G ranked. Does the SEC play 8 or 4 conference games? Aren't there going to be a few in-conference losses for the 13-ranked SEC schools? It's hard to tell that the F(aulty) P(rediction) I(ndex ) is an ESecPN product. 😁 Someone, please tell the FPI software that, including the postseason, the B1G had a winning record over the SEC in 2024-25. Details, right? College Football Rankings: ESPN reveals first FPI Top 25 for 2025 season - On3 WWW.ON3.COM .

Texas Tech and its $1 million NIL transfer pitcher from Stanford, NiJarre Canady, gave up a two-out, two-strike homer to the Sooners 9-spot hitter but prevailed 3-2 in extra innings. They're spending a lot of oil money on NIL deals in Lubbock, Texas. One of the noteworthy football transfers is Stanford DE David Bailey, who transferred to TT for a reported $4.8 million a season. Will CFB be saved from itself? If I'm the DE opposite Bailey and toiling and boiling in the Texas heat and humidity, how happy am I going to be over the guy down the line making millions of dollars for doing the same thing? No wonder the portal is packed with players. One good year in the G6 or P4, and why wouldn't you test the marketplace, if only to get a better deal from the team you are playing for? Charles is spot on - this is not sustainable. If we see the House case settled and NIL deals disclosed, how many 'low payroll teams' will be competitive in their conference and across CFB? The folks in Cincinnati are not bathing in oil money. If I'm Texas Tech, why would I support a B12 private equity deal that gives me the same return as conference mates without the same resources?

I guess Vandy was not bilt for this? NCAA baseball tournament winners, losers: SEC stumbles, ACC surges into super regionals WWW.USATODAY.COM The NCAA baseball tournament regional round was full of surprises. Unexpected teams advanced as favorites fell. A look at the winners and losers. Not a great overall showing from the SEC. However, you put that many teams into the postseason and losses will happen.

Great post, makes dollars and cents. I believe the direct payment cap of $21.5 million in the first year of the House settlement will be sustained in court. I also believe the first time a committee of 7 Deloitte accountants determines that an NIL deal is not within 'market value,' will be the last time before their decision is overturned in court. Reviewing all NIL deals $600 and over to determine whether NIL is being used as a recruiting tool sounds good in theory, but it will not withstand a legal challenge. The NFL has a direct salary payment cap, but there is no cap on what an athlete can earn off of his (and her in other sports) Name, Image, and Likeness. Regardless, overspending on untested players straight out of high school is not likely to yield the same ROI as investing in seasoned players. So, a measured approach by Dan and company makes sense. CFB needs restrictions on free agency akin to what we see in the NFL. But I don't believe this can happen before CFB 'management' negotiates with a Players' Union. The House settlement provides for direct payment from schools to their athletes, but this doesn't make them employees, right? The NCAA and big-time college athletics will part company. Not if, but when. Again, a great post. PS - LOL at Finebaum today opining that 'some guy in a Walmart parking lot' is better suited to rule on the House settlement than 75-year-old Judge Claudia Wilkens.

Counselor Mudslide, your pleading is affirmed. 🧐

Good Luck, Yuck, Yuck. The cap on direct payments likely stands. But a cap on NIL? Dabo Swinney on transfer portal guidelines: ‘We just want some rules’ - On3 WWW.ON3.COM .

Bret Bielema - 'Luuuuke, I am your father.' Another shot at the PO and sweetened by some NIL $$$. QB Luke Altmyer passed on SEC return to chase history at Illinois - On3 WWW.ON3.COM In an interview with On3, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer discussed the opportunities he had to hit the transfer portal this spring.