Jon Joseph

LSU, Notre Dame, and a good G5 team in Utah State. Gulp. Many the hero is awarded medals posthumously. Importance of USC-LSU football game can’t be overstated TROJANSWIRE.USATODAY.COM USC-LSU is coming closer, and we’ll have a lot more to say about it now that the season is approaching. 2 mirror image teams. Both replacing a Heisman-winning QB and both with new coaching hires on the D side trying to plug the holes in Swiss cheese Ds. I trust that Tony Petitti will be watching and will advocate LV as a playoff site. Fortunately, the game will be played indoors although it has cooled off in Vegas, 115 to 108.

I wonder if DeBoer appreciated Saint Nick's SEC title game prediction. Georgia vs Texas. Nick Saban makes SEC championship prediction SPORTS.YAHOO.COM Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban predicts who will make the 2024 SEC championship game Saban was denied entry to SEC media days and had to return to his hotel and pick up his entry badge. 😍

A century of B1G players. All Big Ten football players ranked among College Football 25 top 100 BUCKEYESWIRE.USATODAY.COM You made it. After eleven long years of going without a college football video game, EA Sports has revived its franchise under the name “College Football 25,” and if you bought an early…

More (Moore?) WR love. Move over Ohio State, USC and Oregon are bringing elite receivers to the Big Ten SPORTS.YAHOO.COM USC and Oregon have receivers who can challenge Ohio State's pass catchers in the Big Ten.

Spot On, DM. Counting the Spring Game as the first game of the regular season and all teams playing in Week 0 would go a long way toward having CFB PO games conflicting with NFL games. Do this and have half of the G5 and P4 off in Week 6 and the other half in Week 7 and you could move the 1st-round of the PO up to the first weekend in December. It's built into the media agreements but come the new B1G agreement in 2030, it probably would make sense to drop the conference champ game. Why tag an additional loss on a conference member whose regular season record has it in contention for the PO? Another loss would likely lead to a lower seeding. It's a different scheduling world with a 12-team PO and I expect we will see a 14 or 16-team PO come 2026,

Enjoyed all of the comments. What does playing OK State and Baylor get you? Michigan played 3 cupcakes OOC last season and other than Penn State on the road and Ohio State at home the Wolverines played a soft conference schedule. The week schedule did not prevent Michigan from being the No. 1 PO seed. With nine B1G games, there is no reason to tax yourself OOC. Any game against the B12 means a fired-up opponent trying to knock off a Power 2 team. Schedule 1 FCS and 2 G5 teams and make certain to play all three games in Autzen. Every other year Oregon will have 5 B1G road games and should aim to play at least seven home games every year. This year Ohio State is going the way of 2023 Michigan. 3 home cupcakes, all G5, to start the season and eight home games. tOSU has the easiest schedule among the B1G champ contenders. Next season and in 2026, the Buckeyes play Texas OOC. In 2027 and 2028, tOSU plays Bama. IMO, save this kind of game for the PO. Playing a soft OOC schedule may affect PO seeding but I don't see Michigan losing to Texas this season or at Oklahoma in 2025 making up for an extra W in December. And win or lose a B1G OOC game, you will not get a B1Gger piece of the media pie. Michigan sells out against Eastern Michigan and Ohio State sells out for Kent State. To reiterate, I say save the heavy lifting for the postseason. And Rob, cancel the game scheduled to be played in Logan, Utah, please.

The B1G allows its teams to schedule FCS opponents. Big change could come to Big Ten football schedule in 2024: report - College Football HQ WWW.SI.COM We could see a big change to the Big Ten football schedule in time for when USC and UCLA join the conference in time for the 2024 college football season as the

EA Sports is showing a whole lot of love for OBD. Best rated teams in EA Sports College Football 25 at launch APPTRIGGER.COM With the release of EA Sports College Football 25 just days away, EA has spent the past couple of days revealing player and team ratings. Naturally, the reveal

College Football News (CFN) has released an updated strength of schedule (SOS) ranking of the 134 teams in theory contending for an invitation to the 2024-25 CFB Playoff. CFN's methodology, like the NCAA Basketball Committee, weighs games in part, by Home, Neutral Site, and Away game difficulty. Los Angeles, USC No. 1, and UCLA No. 3 should be sending out a real S-O-S. B1G Top 25 - 1 USC/ 3 UCLA/ 4 Purdue/ 5 Michigan/ 11 OREGON/ 12 Minnesota/ 14 Penn State/ 18 Wisconsin/ 19 Northwestern/ 22 Iowa/ 24 Michigan State - 11 of 18 teams. Ohio State - 57. SEC Top 25 - 2 Florida/ 10 Vanderbilt/ 16 Alabama/ 17 LSU/ 21 Georgia - 5 of 16 teams. Other SEC contenders - 29 Oklahoma/ 39 Texas/ 41 Texas A+M/ 45 Ole Miss/ 61 Tennessee. Missouri - 66. USC playing 17 LSU and 43 Notre Dame and a ninth conference game move the Trojans ahead of the Gators. The Gators play a brutal out-of-conference schedule; with three P4 opponents: Miami; UCF; and Florida State. Mizzou plays its lone P4 opponent Boston College, in Columbia. With 9 conference games, B1G teams miss 8 conference members every season. With 8 conference games, SEC teams 7 conference members every season. OREGON plays Michigan and Ohio State in 2024 and misses both in the 2025 season. The SEC duplicates its 2024 schedule but for a change in game venues, in 2025. In general, with 16-team and 18-team mega-conferences in conference SOS will vary significantly from season to season. In 2024 for example, Rutgers misses Michigan, Ohio State, OREGON, Penn State, and Iowa and plays UCLA, Wisconsin, and Washington in Jersey. Did the Sopranos make an offer B1G HQ couldn't refuse? https://collegefootballnews.com/rankings/college-football-schedule-rankings-easiest-to-hardest-1-to-134-2024 A few other notable rankings - Oregon State - 70, Washington State - 79, Boise State - 81 and coming in at 134 and in last place (maybe 1st place?) Liberty.

Can the Michigan D match last season's sterling performance? https://collegefootballnews.com/college-football/michigan-football-2024-preview-defense-wolverines-might-be-1-again

Does Michigan have enough Big Uglies on hand to run last season's O effectively in 2024? https://collegefootballnews.com/college-football/michigan-football-2024-preview-offense-how-fast-can-wolverines-rebuild

Check out No. 4. Eight SEC teams in PO contention? O’Gara: 10 storylines that I actually care about at SEC Media Days in Dallas WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM Here's what's worth looking forward to in Dallas. Keeping an eye on 'the enemy.' SEC Media Days begin today and run through Thursday on the SEC Network. Welcoming the two newbies, the SEC moved the event from the southeast to Dallas.

Grab a (maizen) brew. Don't cost nothin'. Ranking the Big Ten’s top-five offensive linemen heading into 2024 WWW.MAIZENBREW.COM Oregon leads the list with the top-two offensive linemen.

EA says OREGON is more than just OK. https://athlonsports.com/college/oregon-ducks/ducks-digest/football/release-of-ea-sports-2025-feeds-into-oregon-footballs-rise-as-a-duck-dynasty

Duckley, I continue to believe that FSU will not receive an invite to join the B1G before it is awarded AAU member status, something the FSU administration is working to obtain. Without an AAU membership, UNC is a more attractive candidate than FSU. Notre Dame already plays Men's and Women's Lacrosse and Men's ice Hockey (the Women's Ice Hockey team is a club team.) John Hopkins is also a member of B1G Men's Lacrosse. Notre Dame won the Men's 2023-24 Lacrosse title with a win over Boston College.

Not so fast Ducks Wire and Sporting News (SN). As the 4th ranked team, OREGON would be the PO No. 6 seed and not the No. 7 seed. OREGON would host LSU in the 1st-round, not Ole Miss. If OREGON defeated the Bayou Bengals the Ducks would play FSU in Atlanta, not Ohio State in the Rose Bowl SN Rankings - 1 UGA/ 2, OH St/ 3. Texas/ 4. OREGON/ 5. Notre Dame/ 6. Ole Miss/ 7. FSU/ 8 Michigan/ 9. Bama/ 10. LSU/ 15 Utah/ G5 NR. PO Seeding - 1. UGA/ 2 OH ST/ 3 FSU/ 4 Utah/ 5 Texas/ 6 OREGON/ 7 Notre Dame/ 8 Ole Miss/ 9 Michigan/ 10 Bama/ 11 LSU/ 12 G5 - 1st Out Missouri. 2nd out - Penn State. Sugar Bowl - 1. Georgia vs 9 Michigan at 8 Ole Miss Fiesta Bowl - 4. Utah vs 12 G5 at 5 Texas Rose Bowl - 2. Ohio State vs. 10 Alabama at 7 Notre Dame Peach Bowl - 3. Florida State vs 11 LSU at 6 OREGON Ducks Wire, Sporting News, or both screwed up the PO seeding and had OREGON as the 7th seed when OREGON would be the 6th seed. The Sporting News has Ducks in a rematch with Ohio State in Pasadena DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM According to a scenario The Sporting News laid out, Oregon and Ohio State would meet in the CFP quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. Oregon and Ohio State would NOT match up in the Rose Bowl. I am not surprised by this up screw. The PO format makes as much sense as three blind men trying to describe an elephant. MIzzou fans, if you are ticked off, look no further than at your commissioner, Greg Sankey who came up with this structure. The structure was partly remedied, once the Pac-2 reluctantly agreed (SIGH), to have seven at-large and not six at-large teams. When the Pac-12 imploded the entire structure should have been reworked. Hopefully, by 2026-27, the top-ranked teams will be seeded in the order of their respective ranking. No. 15 Utah as the 4-seed and No. 4 OREGON as the 6th seed makes sense in what universe?

Some B1G transfers. Projecting the Big Ten’s most impactful incoming transfers in 2024 DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM A look at the biggest names you need to know when it comes to incoming transfers in the Big Ten Conference this season. Four Ducks without DL Caldwell and Harmon and RB Jay Harris and others.

Thank you, Sammy, for an objective media take on an embarrassing so-called "Pac-12" media day. Pac-12 media days looked dismal and underwhelming, Beavers and Cougars standing alone SATURDAYBLITZ.COM Now, with just Oregon State and Washington State remaining, the Pac-12 is clinging on to anything they can in hopes of staying afloat.

Some good questions on how 1st-round home seeds, seeds No. 5 through No. 8 will be determined by the PO Committee (Ct,). IMO the PO Ct. will be under more stress than under the 4-team playoff. One fan base and one conference, FSU and the ACC were upset in 2023-24. There will be more pain for more teams and conferences in 2024-25 including a likely debate as to why the Ct. placed an SEC or a B1G team in the 5-spot with a home game vs the G5 representative. I will be very surprised if the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds are ranked higher than the team seeded No. 5. Some less known Alabama Football Playoff considerations BAMAHAMMER.COM Anyone thinking the new CFB Playoff format is just about adding eight more teams is mistaken. There are many new wrinkles in the Playoff selection process and n

Mary is coming to town. College Football Preview 2024: Maryland Terrapins win projections, strengths and weaknesses, quarterback spotlight and more WWW.PFF.COM PFF's college football previews provide an advanced overview of every FBS team entering the 2024 season, including PFF-exclusive advanced stats, player grades, scheme analysis and more. With the week off before the Terps show.

Bruce, give me 5! https://athlonsports.com/college-football/bruce-feldman-identifies-oregon-georgia-ohio-state-texas-alabama-best-equipped-for-nil-transfer-portal-era

The rumor also includes Notre Dame and Miami. Crazy, right? Adding Clemson and FSU will not happen without the existing 16 B12 members agreeing to take a financial haircut. Teams in the ACC could do the same so why move? Notre Dame, to the B12? Come On Man. ND will go to one of the Power 2 or it will go nowhere. Had the Pac-12 hired the B12 commish and not another Larry, the Pac-12 would perhaps still 'be open for business.' Kliavkoff fiddled while Yormack went to work.

Speaking of fortune and luck, the Dixie media are not hitting it out of the park with their SEC champ picks. The media is 9 for 32 including 11 years in a row, 1996 through 2006 when the ink-stained wretches went 0 for 11. 8 Bama picks went the wrong way including 6 seasons when Saint Nick was at the Tide's helm. O’Gara: Looking back at how bad we (the media) are at picking the SEC Championship winner WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM Predicting an SEC champ is harder than it looks.

'What's Luck got to do with it, What's Luck but a secondhand emotion?' Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Washington among teams that could rely on luck in 2024 College Football Playoff race - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM Luck plays a role in every college football season and it could be the difference between success and failure for these teams "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." Roman Stoic Philosopher Seneca. Hmmmmmmmmm? What happens when you question Roman Goddess Fortuna, the goddess of Luck, Fortune, and Fate? The Emperor Nero ordered friend Seneca to commit suicide. Seneca stoically complied by cutting his wrists and then entering a bathtub to exsanguinate. (I'm not certain how one can be a goddess of Luck and Fate at the same time. You would think that one would trump the other. No?) Dumping on Fortuna and the Emperor both is a wristy proposition. CBS Sports has identified a handful of teams odds on to run out of luck in 2024. Among the projected frustrated 5 are our 'buddies' up north in Seattle. Luck equals winning 8 one-score games in 2023, including a PO semi-final game vs Texas in Texas. Are any canines left to sacrifice? 😂

Four B1G teams in the 15 teams cited by Josh Pate in his evaluation of the top 15 programs which will put a quality product on the field in the next three-plus seasons. B1G: 2. Ohio State/ 4 Michigan/ 5 OREGON/ 10 Penn State. By their omission, Pate is not bullish on USC and UW. The three B1G usual suspects plus OBD are listed and re-ranked by Saturday Blitz. Ducks behind Michigan? I don't see it but this season Puddles will have the opportunity to change this narrative. The attachment is a deeper dive into the Pate's fifteen from Saturday Blitz. Evaluating Josh Pate’s top 15 college football programs for the next 3 years SATURDAYBLITZ.COM Coaching changes and conference realignments have reshaped the landscape of college football, necessitating a fresh look at the top 15 programs. The author's take on OBD. "Playing against the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State, will test the Ducks and could refine their status on the national stage." Condescending much? But this is how much of the CFB world views OREGON and discounts the competition the Pac-12 provided. The 7th most-watched team in CFB last season and a team that has been on the nation's radar for its uniforms, BCS champ game, and Playoff champ game is well known. However, I agree with the author, that OREGON will have more and better coverage as a member of the B1G than it did playing in the Pac-12. Playoff records: Ohio State 3-4/ Michigan 2-0/ UW 1-2; OREGON 1-1: Penn State 0-0. I believe the Ducks will help raise the image of the B1G. It's not like the Ducks are joining the SEC that dominated the BCS and the 10-team playoff. OREGON Football: The Whole World is Watching!