Jon Joseph

In the 2024-25 Playoff (PO) if the Ducks do not win the B1G, OBD fans should hope for the Committee to rank Oregon No. 3, behind the B1G and SEC champs likely to be PO seeded first and second. Being ranked third, with the ACC and B12 champs guaranteed, no matter their PO Committee ranking, a Top Four seed, and a 1st round bye results in a PO 5 seed for the PO Committee's 3rd ranked team. Why this mishmash? When this format was designed, college football (CFB) had five power conferences (offense intended, Pac-2), and a unanimous vote was required from the Power 5 and six G5 conferences and Notre Dame (?) to approve the PO format. The 5th-ranked champion is guaranteed a PO invitation to gain the G5s' approval. We have to live with 'this' for two seasons. The format will change in 2026-27. In many preseason polls, Oregon and Texas alternate between being ranked No. 3 or No. 4. Below are seven examples of why being ranked No. 3 trumps No.4. (The number below before a team is how a team would be seeded extrapolating a team's ranking to its PO seeding. SIGH.) Saturday Down South: 12. Memphis at No. 5 Texas 11. Utah at No. 6 OREGON USA Today: 12 G5 at No. 5 Texas (No G5 team in top 25.) 11 Missouri at No. 6 OREGON ESPN SP+: 12 Boise State at No. 5 OREGON 11 LSU at No. 6 Texas Phil Steele: 12 G5 at No. 5 OREGON 11 Ole Miss at No. 6 Texas 247 Sports: 12 G5 at No. 5 Texas 11 Penn State at No. 6 OREGON - With the winner to play Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. 😒 Sporting News Composite: 12 G5 at No. 5 Texas 11 Michigan at No. 6 OREGON This would be another all-B1G bracket with the winner off to Pasadena. ESPN Bet: In this example, let's look at the entire 12-team field. SUGAR BOWL - No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 9 LSU at No. 8 Ole Miss FIESTA BOWL - No. 4 Utah vs. 12 Boise State at No. 5 OREGON ROSE BOWL - No. 2 Ohio State vs. 10 Notre Dame at No. 7 Alabama PEACH BOWL - No. 3 Florida State vs. 11 Penn State at No. 6 Texas ESPN Bet would give us an all-SEC bracket. The PO Committee insists it will not rank to avoid first-round rematches or to limit conference vs conference first-round games, but we'll see, eh? A No.5 seed would give Oregon a home game vs. the G5 representative, instead of hosting Utah, Mizzou, Penn State, or Michigan. In this example, as with many preseason top 25 rankings, SEC teams would host three of the four first-round games. This is in addition to four of the six bowl sites being in Dixie and the Champ game played in Atlanta this season and in Miami next season. The first two teams knocked out in the ESPN Bet field would be Michigan and Missouri, each with +3500 odds to win the inaugural 12-team title. The Wolverines and the CoMo Tigers would be knocked out by Utah at +6000 and Boise State at +40000. Regarding the PO format being changed come 2026-27, in anticipation of the SEC and B1G furor, I hereby rest my case. Let's hope the Ducks win the B1G title and play the 16th game of the season and not the 17th game, in Atlanta on January 20, 2025.

If you do not win the B1G or SEC titles you want to be ranked No. 3 which equates to the No. 5 PO seed. No. 4 and the No. 6 seed, a much tougher row to hoe. The majority of preseason polls have either Oregon or Texas ranked at No. 3 and No. 4 behind Georgia and Ohio State. In the below projection by Athlon, 5th seed Oregon would play Liberty in Eugene and 6th seed Texas would play Notre Dame in Austin. https://athlonsports.com/college-football/college-football-playoff-12-team-preseason-projections-predictions-2024

Easy peasy for Texas. SEC strength of schedule rankings 2024: Florida faces brutal slate, Texas has clear path to playoff - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM The SEC's newcomers face vastly different outlooks in their first seasons as league members

ESPN Takes a Look at 2024 Schedules. This article provides more evidence that CBS Sports' ranking of tOSU's schedule as more difficult than Oregon's schedule is dumber than Dumb and Dumber. College football's toughest and easiest schedules for 2024 - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM Who is facing the iron and who is on easy street? Plus must-see nonconference matchups, potential trap games and more. Missouri with the SEC's easiest OOC and conference schedules deserves more criticism than it gets here. The only game I want the Gators to win is the opener against Mari(o.)

Hermits! Get your Synch together!

Mrs. Lanning You've got a Lovely Team. 😍 So Puddles Cross the Mersey, There's a Title Waiting There. 😁 A loss to the Buckeyes Is A Must to Avoid. 😵 Listen People, Get Out of OBD's Way. 😂 @ Midnight, January 21, 2024 - Atlanta, Georgia - There's A Kind Of Hush All Over Dixie Tonight. And Can't You Hear the Hearts Beat in Eugene! 👍👍👍

More Dan from the B1G's Saturday Tradition. Dan Lanning opens up on Oregon’s development ahead of first Big Ten season SATURDAYTRADITION.COM Dan Lanning says Oregon is bigger and deeper ahead of its first Big Ten season. Will that work pay off?

Dilly is a solid Heisman Trophy contender. Ewers? Only if the transfers to TX pan out. BTW, in the background of the bottom photo of Ewers, the B12 Commish does not look happy about the Horns winning the B12 title on the way out the door. 😁 Heisman Trophy Predictions: Projecting 2024 winner, finalists - On3 WWW.ON3.COM .

See the photo making the rounds of Simone Biles standing next to Shaq!

Whit getting Freaky With It? Could "Freak" Noah Whittington be the Key for Oregon Ducks Rushing Attack? WWW.YARDBARKER.COM EUGENE- Noah Whittington, an offensive force for the Ducks, is poised for a breakout 2024 football season. After missing the majority of last season due

Danno, sign her up! USA women’s rugby wins historic Olympic medal on walkoff ‘truck stick’ score WWW.SBNATION.COM The Americans claimed bronze thanks to a stunning walk-off run from Alex Sedrick This D 3er from Williams College would match SC signing a receiver transfer from Middlebury College. 😊

One thing you can count on in college football? The LA to Athens connection. Georgia flips a USC commit once again this summer TROJANSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Georgia flips another USC commit.

The Boyz from Troy say, 'Not So Fast!' The truth about Deion Sanders is not complicated TROJANSWIRE.USATODAY.COM A lot of people need a reality check on Deion Sanders. Trojans Wire = Comedy Central. 😁

Trojans! Let's go crazy! Ace recruiter and portal picker Lincoln Riley, somehow convinced a D III player from Middlebury College (it's in Vermont folks, and plays Bowdoin every season 😁) to bring his game to LA. This is certain to improve Traveler's dark horse B1G champion odds, right? New USC transfer receiver is a mystery with hard-to-define upside TROJANSWIRE.USATODAY.COM It will be fascinating to see what USC can do with this new transfer. Is it April 1st? 🤣

Nevada Dawg - In honor of UGA and the Olympics I'll have you know I give a triple flip with a perfect dismount regarding your opinion! 👍👍👍

Reminder: B1G Bus Tour of Fall Camps Begins Today. Big Ten Network - 8 PM Eastern from Minnesota - Could be delayed to 8 PM Pacific so check to see if it will be broadcast at 5 or 8 PM Pacific. 😍

Let's Go Crazy With Danno! Oregon Ducks Coach Will Stein Drawing 'Crazy Trick Plays' On Restaurant Napkins WWW.SI.COM EUGENE - The Oregon Ducks enter the Big Ten Conference with one of the most explosive and exciting offenses in college football. The Ducks are led by the top-tr

Nice but where's Corny's running mate Conerly? Oregon OT Ajani Cornelius named to Outland Trophy preseason watch list 247SPORTS.COM Heading into the 2024 season, Ajani Cornelius is recognized for his talents by being named to the Outland Trophy preseason watch list.

Herbie roasted over Rutgers as a PO Dark (Scarlet) Knight. https://athlonsports.com/college/rutgers-scarlet-knights/kirk-herbstreit-getting-roasted-over-college-football-dark-horse-pick This is from SEC-Centric Athlon. In addition to missing Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State, Rutgers also misses Oregon and Iowa and plays UW, Wisconsin, and UCLA in Jersey. Rutgers plays USC in LA so the Knights play three of the Pac-12 newbies while Oregon and LSU (?) play two. Rutgers trip to VA Tech will be a good measuring stick game for both teams. VA Tech has every starter back on O and is superior at the QB position. Rutgers was last seen chopping down Mari(o.)

Is anything B1G Bruin in Westwood? https://athlonsports.com/college/ucla-bruins/all-bruins/football/ucla-football-news-what-success-looks-like-for-deshaun-fosters-bruins-in-2024-aw1

CBS Sports ranks the SEC by strength of schedule. This appears to be a more accurate ranking than CBSS ranking of B1G schedules. SEC strength of schedule rankings 2024: Florida faces brutal slate, Texas has clear path to playoff - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM The SEC's newcomers face vastly different outlooks in their first seasons as league members In the 16-team SEC, Texas at 14, Ole Miss at 15, and Missouri at 16 have a significant PO invite advantage. Especially if the PO Committee values only wins and losses and not the strength of schedule as does the NCAA Basketball Committee. More PO teams do not mean an easier task for the CFB PO Committee.

Stuck in Indy through 2028. Saturday Tradition suggests other conference champ game sites down the road. Hammerin’ the B1G: 5 host sites I want to see if the B1G Championship leaves Indy SATURDAYTRADITION.COM Tony Petitti has said the Big Ten could alter its host site for future championships. Where should the league go if not Indianapolis?

Mari(o) makes another hot seat list. 😁 10 Power Four college football coaches on the hot seat in 2024 SATURDAYBLITZ.COM Examining which college football head coaches in the Power Four conferences will be on the hot seat for the 2024 season.

College Football's 24 B1Ggest Games of 2024 - Courtesy of 247 Sports. College football rankings: 24 most meaningful games of 2024 season 247SPORTS.COM These matchups are dripping with playoff and conference championship implications. One-third of the games involve B1G teams including Oregon at Michigan and the Ducks hosting Ohio State. 247 Sports is an SEC-centric site and it shows with this list. Less than a month away before Florida State plays Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland.😍 The ranking from 247 is embedded in a Sooners take beefing about the conference schedule the SEC handed Oklahoma in 2024 that but for a change in venues will be duplicated in 2025. The Sooners have a conference schedule from Hades, especially compared to the other SEC newbie Texas. SMH that the short end of the scheduling stick SEC ADs rolled over and agreed to play the same conference slate back-to-back. The B1G has it all over the SEC in future scheduling. Why? The SEC wants more money from ESPN to play a 9th conference game.

Thank you, Charles. I agree that The Athletic is well worth the cost. Austin Meek is now The Athletic's go-to guy for coverage of the Wolverines and in general coverage of the B1G. The Athletic knows where its bread is buttered and there are many Power 2 articles on the site.