Jon Joseph

Pac-2 sponsor thoughts: Roto-Rooter; Waste Management; Orkin Pest Control, Badass Bones Taxidermy, Philomath, Oregon; Palouse Valley Septic Service; Corbeill Funeral Home - Pullman; Hollywood's Hottest Cougars; GYM Old School Jock Straps; Etsy Handmade Beaver Pelts; and Rent-A-Coach? Thanks for the fun take, Darren. We might as well laugh rather than chug Prozac. 😍 OBD will play UCLA and USC three times each in 2024-2028, more than the Ducks played these two in the Pac-12. Setting aside the 2020 COVID Conference champ game, from 2016 - 2023 the Ducks played SC on three occasions. I'd like to see a steady diet of four B1G teams in the PO field every season. We need the dues. And the bottom two-thirds of the conference needs to step up in recruiting and sending players to the NFL. You can bet the SEC plays 'The SEC to the NFL card' every chance it gets. The B1G needs to halt the SEC BCS and 4-team playoff hegemony. Oregon was the 7th most-watched football team in 2023, without playing in the Big House and without hosting Ohio State. The numbers should improve in 2024 with Oregon certain to be a Super Conference football member. $100M a year in B1G revenue come 2031 is probably a conservative estimate. Let's Get It On!

OK, enough whining from moi. The Playoff format is what it is for the next two seasons. The Ducks schedule is what it is for the regular season and potential Playoff travel. The Oregon roster is primo. The coaching is top-notch and getting better all the time. So, Bring It ON! My last, forgive please OBD friends, prospective Playoff field, using the Sporting News 2024 preseason composite rankings, that I hope we will see in the future. 16 Oklahoma at 1 Georgia 9 Michigan at 8 Missouri 13 LSU at 4 OREGON 12. Utah at 5 Ole Miss ..................................................................................................................... 15 Clemson at 2 Ohio State 10 Penn State at 7 Notre Dame 14 Tennessee at 3 Texas 11 Florida State at 6 Alabama All games are played at the home of the higher-ranked teams or sites designated by higher-ranked teams before the champ game. Go Ducks! Vandalize the Vandals!

"Most bets in golf are won on the 1st tee." Sam Snead. Will the Playoff Committee in 2024 give teams a handicap for playing a tougher schedule? Sports Illustrated ranks Florida's 2024 schedule as the nation's most difficult. On the other hand, the Gators's SEC mate Missouri's strength of schedule (SOS) comes in ranked at 127. That's "only" a difference of 126 spots. Will a 10-2 Mizzou be ipso facto ranked higher than a 9-3 Florida? The Sporting News 2024 preseason Top 25 Composite Rankings (using The Sporting News, 247 Sports, The Athletic, Athlon, CBS Sports, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and USA Today's preseason rankings) are shown below for top-ranked Playoff contending teams. The number next to the ranked teams is a team's strength of schedule (SOS) using the opponents' 2023 results. Not perfect of course. SOS will be adjusted throughout the season. 1. Georgia - 20 2. Ohio State - 57 3. Texas - 49 4. OREGON - 5 5. Ole Miss - T46 (with No. 18 Kansas State) 6. Alabama - 9 7. Notre Dame - 54 (with no champ game to play to possibly take an extra loss.) 8. Missouri - 127 - (only two spots ahead of CUSA Liberty's 129.) 9. Michigan - 10 10. Penn State - 33 11. Florida State - 18 12. Utah - 115 Unlike golf where single-digit golfers give strokes to the less gifted (yes, I am in the latter group) the teams with the lower SOS should be getting strokes. Based on SOS the Oscar Best Scheduling Award is presented to former Missouri AD Desiree Reed-Francois who is now the AD at Arizona and replaced by 'Thanks For The Gift Desiree,' Laird Veatch. Laird is being paid $1.3M a year and in 2025, will have the same SEC opponents as in 2024. Which is nice. What a combined ranking Playoff would be. Sugar Bowl - 1 Georgia vs. 9 Notre Dame at 8 Alabama Rose Bowl - 2 Ohio State vs 10 Missouri at 7 Ole Miss Peach Bowl - 3 Florida State vs. 11. Michigan at 6. Oregon (1st out - No. 10 Penn State.) Fiesta Bowl - 4. Utah vs. 12 G5 at 5 Texas SOS spreads between conference contenders ACC - FSU 18 - NC State - 80; Clemson 72; Louisville 42; Miami 30 B1G - OREGON 5 - Ohio State 57 - Puddles wants 52 strokes! Penn State 33; Michigan 10; USC 2. B12 - Do any B12 teams deserve a PO spot? Kansas 125; Utah 115; Arizona 111; OK State 84; K State 46 SEC - Georgia 20 - Missouri 127; Tennessee 68; Texas 49; Ole Miss 46; A+M 39; LSU 37; Oklahoma 11; Alabama 9. Even with Ohio State's SOS at 57, based on SOS, the B1G is the toughest row to hoe. All schedules are not made equal. Look at a team's SOS when considering making future bets. And I certainly hope the Playoff Committee is paying attention to the disparity in schedule difficulty.

CBS brings the 2024 prospective B1G win totals. 2024 Big Ten win totals, odds, picks: Predictions for every team as Ohio State, Oregon face big numbers - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM Breaking down win total predictions for each Big Ten team as the league expands to 18 teams in the 2024 season I love the photo of Danno and his Ducks and the 2 Os at 10.5. Whoa, Fernelli! Tom went 7-7 with last season's B1G win total projections. I see Tom being on the wrong side with a number of his picks. Tom has Ohio State winning 12 games and Oregon going 11-1. Could happen and at 11-1 Oregon is in the PO even with a champ game loss to TOSU to finish 11-2. But IMO, Tom is selling Autzen short. Like the bookmakers, I see the game on 10/12/24 as a toss-up. Penn State finishes 10-2 and will be a PO at large contender. A big game for PSU also falls on 10/12/24 when PSU plays USC in LA. Michigan - Tom has the Wolverines defeating Texas in Ann Arbor. Today, Texas is -3.5. With UT losing 2 DTs to the NFL, the run game of Michigan QB Orji could be the difference. Rutgers - Under 6.5? No Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State on the schedule. UCLA and UW in Jersey. I think the Knights with 2 OOC wins finish no worse than 7-5. USC - Tom has Troy losing to LSU in Las Vegas, on the road vs. Michigan and UW, and home to ND. I think USC will win 2 of these 4 games. Iowa - I do not see Iowa losing on the road against Minnesota, Michigan State, and UCLA. I see the Hawkeyes as a dark horse candidate to make the conference champ game and finish no worse than 9-3. But what do I know?

Diaper Dandies? Hammerin’ the B1G: A pair of favorites loom over Freshman of the Year race in 2024 SATURDAYTRADITION.COM The Big Ten will feature some impact freshmen this fall. Two players enter the season a step above the rest as candidates to win the top honor for B1G freshmen.

David, again, thanks for the excellent article. I do not mean to co-opt your article but IMO, issues such as roster size need to be viewed within the macro changes that are part of today's CFB. This article further explores the split between football in particular in the P4 and the other conferences. (I believe this is a precursor to a further consolidation into a CFB football Super Conference.) Do I like 'THIS?' Not particularly but it's all about the Benjis. More folks will watch OK State play Oklahoma than will watch OK State vs Houston. With the future of college sports uncertain, one thing is clear: An official and permanent split of NCAA Division I is here SPORTS.YAHOO.COM Division I has never been more fractured, and the split between the haves and have-nots in college athletics is becoming more real than ever.

The Punter weighs in. https://athlonsports.com/college-football/pat-mcafee-emotional-appeal-save-crucial-college-football-walk-ons

Jump Around. https://collegefootballnews.com/news/wisconsin-college-football-preview-2024-key-players-game-schedule-season-predictions

Jeffrey Bassa! He's our Man! Georgia's Dominic Lovett, Alabama's Germie Bernard among underrated NFL Draft prospects on top 25 teams - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM These under-the-radar players have a chance to make an impact at the next level BTW, CBS, the S no longer stands for SEC. A Six-Pack of SEC teams in the CBS mock Playoff - UGA, TX, Bama, Ole Miss, Mizzou, and LSU. TX, Bama, and Ole Miss host 1st round games. In the Sugar Bowl, UGA plays the winner of 9 Penn State at 8 Missouri. In the Rose Bowl, Ohio State plays the winner of 10 LSU at 7 Bama. Fiesta Bowl - 4. Utah plays the rematch winner of 11 Michigan at 6 Texas Peach Bowl - 4. Clemson vs 5 seed OBD vs 12. G5. It's a 90-minute drive from Clemson, SC to Atlanta. Clemson ranked 14 by CBS would be the 3 seed, and have a 1st-round bye and the shortest distance to travel to the 2nd-round game. Hell of a format.

"There's just too much confusion, I can't get no relief." Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Lane Kiffin? Lane Kiffin benefits from CFB's 'horrible system.' He wants to change it anyway WWW.NYTIMES.COM The Ole Miss coach defends his fix for the issue that most impacts college football's fan and coaching experience: unlimited transfers. Loved the article and I wholly agree in principle. Thanks, David. So much is happening so fast, not just in CFB but across the college sports landscape. How does any coach, let alone 'The Portal King" keep his head from spinning off? No relief from Congress? Thank you! Let's get ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater. When CFB players are found to be 'employees' will a non-scholarship walk-on be able to volunteer and not be paid? Will the players bargaining for the 'Union' with 'Management' want to carve an exception for Walk-Ons? Unions in 'the real world' do not allow for such exceptions. Revenue has to be enhanced, 'Washington Dogs Brought to you by Oscar Meyer,' and costs cut. This will lead to unfortunate choices. Do we find a way to cut costs in the No. 1 revenue program, or drop tennis as a varsity sport? Here's a smaller spoon stirring the pot. FCS school challenges House v. NCAA settlement proposal WWW.NYTIMES.COM HCU argued its financial interests were not adequately represented by the proposed terms of the House settlement agreed to last month. Thanks again, David for an argument 'to hold that line' when it comes to Walk-Ons, but I think the less talented players out of high school will have to look to D2 and D3 for playing opportunities. SIGH 😒.

10/5/24 - Sparty is coming to town. Taking an early look at Michigan State heading into 2024 WWW.MAIZENBREW.COM What’s in store for the Spartans for their first year under new leadership? Diving deep on the Michigan State Spartans ahead of the Big Ten's 2024 college football season What Oregon Duck fans should know about Michigan State Spartans DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM A deep dive into the Michigan State Spartans and their outlook in the new Big Ten Conference for the 2024 college football season. Duck Dive: Michigan State Football 2024 Preview Going deep with the Spartans’ scheme, returning personnel, and unknowns Duck Dive: Michigan State Football 2024 Preview WWW.ADDICTEDTOQUACK.COM Going deep with the Spartans’ scheme, returning personnel, and unknowns

Sporting News ranks the B1G 2024 schedules. Ranking Big Ten football schedules for 2024, from Michigan (hardest) to Rutgers (easiest) WWW.SPORTINGNEWS.COM Michigan first-year coach Sherrone Moore will have a difficult baptism with the reigning national champions. I think that 3 or more B1G teams could be tied at the end of the regular season in the loss column. And with no divisions in the ACC, B1G, B12, and the SEC and close to half of the teams in P4 not facing one another in 2024, I expect that conference tie-breakers could be used in all of the P4 conferences. And no one knows what the PO Committee will do to separate P4 teams with identical records. A 10-2 Rutgers? The Scarlet Knights have the easiest schedule in the B1G, missing Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State, and with UCLA and UW traveling to New Jersey. In the SEC, Mizzou and Ole Miss have cake walks compared to Florida and Oklahoma, and both have easy OOC schedules. Better teams in these mega-conferences will have more losses due to SOS than lesser conference members. 8 conference games in a row for OBD with games in November in Ann Arbor and Madison. I hope to see 11-1 but 10-2 is more realistic. Good news! The Wolverines and the Buckeyes are not on the 2025 schedule. I hope the B1G HQ will not have OBD playing eight games in a row in 2025 without a break.

Is the new Ohio State coach you are referring to Chip Kelly? Ryan Day has lost 3 in a row to that School Up North but is still the Buckeyes HC.

I agree that the Irish are a PO title Pretender. But due to the lightweigth schedule and playing 12 games, with only 2 true road games, a 10-2 ND likely sneaks in the PO over better B1G and SEC 9-3 teams and perhaps over a Power 2 champ game loser that finishes 10-3. Contender or Pretender: Notre Dame can make the College Football Playoff, but can it win there? WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM Notre Dame is likely to win enough to make the College Football Playoff in 2024. The question is whether the Irish can finally win a game that matters. Come 2026, I hope Sankey and Petitti insist on the Irish joining a conference or playing 13 games with at least 10 games vs the P4.

It is a good point. But other than the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit which last season had 5-7 Minnesota playing Bowling Green, in front of many empty seats, I do not believe there is a bowl game played in the Midwest. As to AnotherOD's point about the CFB Powers-That-Be not being concerned about Oregon's travels, B1G Commissioner Tony Petitti best be concerned. B1G fans travel well for a single New Year's Day bowl. In 2024-25 if Feldman's field and seeding were to play out, Ohio State fans would be asked to travel to Pasadena, then to Dallas to play Texas, which would defeat the G5 12-seed in Austin, and then to Atlanta to possibly play the 2nd seeded Georgia. If Petitti doesn't use his B1G muscle to make the playing field more equitable, including the ACC and SEC playing the same number of conference games as the B1G and Notre Dame playing 13 games, he will be pulling a Larry Scott. To date the SEC's Greg Sankey, along with once B12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, the Notre Dame AD, and the Mountain West Commissioner, except for changing the format from 6 automatic and 6 at large to 5 and 7, are the sole PO architects. Petitti needs to step up and be heard. Being cordial with the SEC is fine, so long as the B1G is not run over.

Bob Stoops handed off a 'Standing on 3rd Base job' at Oklahoma. The Sooners had one B12 opponent that could come close to its roster strength, Texas. And Texas was often dysfunctional. Oklahoma boosters pre-NIL were well aware of what it cost to have top athletes leave Texas for Norman. It's a different ball game in LA. Oklahoma football analysts not surprised by Lincoln Riley’s struggles TROJANSWIRE.USATODAY.COM In Oklahoma and elsewhere across the country, Lincoln Riley is being doubted. It is what it is. I am somewhat surprised that Venables received a long extension and a pay raise before seeing how Oklahoma deals with playing in the SEC. With the money Riley is being paid and after hiring a close to an entirely new staff to coach the defense, the Trojans best improve soon or there will be a new HC in LA.

Nevada Dawg. You make some good points, Sir. Assuming it would work for the Raiders, Las Vegas would be an excellent Western site. The Orange Bowl is not played in a covered stadium so why not So-Fi Stadium in LA—a stadium in far better condition than the Rose Bowl? NFL playoff games played in Minneapolis, Indianapolis, and Detroit, sell out in the winter. However, using bowl sites as playoff sites is a relic of the past. When there was not One True Champion, which I for one liked, the Rose, Sugar, Cotton, and Orange Bowls rewarded a few excellent teams and ended the season on New Year's Day. But today? Why use bowl sites for anything other than the champ game? The NFL had to delay a game by one day in Buffalo this season but the stadium was packed for the game vs. Kansas City. Money matters in college football today more than ever. Home games even in inclement weather earned by a team's quality of play in the regular season IMO are logical. Using the example I used above how many Ducks fans could afford to travel to Atlanta, then to Miami. and back to Atlanta; especially, when hotel prices are jacked up? Feldman's twelve teams and his PO seeding evidence the folly of the PO format in 2024-25 and 2025-26. Fans of a lower-ranked Florida State team with an easier preseason SOS than Oregon would have a 4-and-a-half-hour drive to Atlanta from Tallahassee, straight up I-75. It's a 39-hour drive from Eugene to Atlanta, the halfway point is Lemoyne, Nebraska. This is not equitable. But it is what it is for the next two seasons. In response to AnotherOD, the PO format suggested by the B1G and the SEC for 2026-27, 14 teams including 4 B1G and 4 SEC teams with the Power 2 champs having a 1st round bye did not bounce too high with the ACC, B12, Notre Dame, and the G5. Come the 2026 season, the format can be changed by a majority vote. If the proposed format is not approved in one form or another we will see a Power 2 College Football World Series in 2032 or before. Regardless, drop the bowl affiliations except for the champ game rotating between the Sugar, Cotton, Rose Bowls, and Indianapolis. Although it would give Georgia a significant advantage, I'd still like to see Oregon playing Georgia in Atlanta on 1/20/25,

Autzen, a great and loud home venue. EA Sports College Football 25 weighs in on toughest places to play SATURDAYBLITZ.COM EA Sports College Football 25 reveals top three toughest stadiums to play in, featuring new And when playing the Dawgs in Athens you better wear earmuffs. BARK!

Will Puddles (0-3😒) prevail over Boise State + other impactful G5 games? Games featuring Group of Five teams that will define the 2024 College Football Playoff race - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM These games will go a long way towards deciding the 12-team College Football Playoff field

Micro B, I think it is but a matter of time before we see a Super Conference for football that does not include historic bowl sites in the playoff site process until the CFB semi-finals and perhaps, only for the CFB Super Bowl. The teams selected will be determined by on-field results as will seeding. I believe CFB Fans will not be copacetic with their team ranked ahead of the ACC, B12, and G5 conference champions being left out and teams ranked above the ACC, and B12 lower ranked conference champions having to play four and not three games to win the title. Not happy with a 12-game Notre Dame that finished 10-2 knocking out a 10-2 team that lost its conference champ game to finish 10-3. The 2025-26 and 2026-27 format was designed to be approved by five P5 and 5 G5 conferences. The tables turned as we are well aware to CFB having four 'power conferences' and not five. The format went to a 5-7 format, better than 6-6, but the entire format should have been revised and will IMO be revised come 2026-27.

Looks like the beat goes on in LA. 'I'm locked into USC,' I just like visiting vacation hot spots Bloomington, IN, and Auburn, AL. Could I put up with this kind of Baby Grock-like 'commitment?' No, and thank you Danno for doing so. CFB recruiting today is a soap opera and every actor (player) has access to a media platform to (i) thank the coaches he committed to, (ii) apologize to all the great coaches and programs he did not commit to, (iii) when he de-commits, to thank all the great coaches he left at the altar, and (iv) to let us all know that he had been praying about his 'commitment' and it was the football gods who told him to de-commit not for more Nil money but because it was the football gods master plan for him to attend Tech and not State. Sigh. USC is feeling the heat with SEC schools intent on raiding Troy TROJANSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Auburn is making a run at a prized USC recruit.

Back in the day, CU Student Robert Redford was a part-time bartender at The Sink. A great college town watering hole.

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman has released his 2024-25 Playoff Delighted Dozen. Caveat - Bruce is a graduate of the program once justifiably 'The U' that today should be referred to as The Community College. Miami has yet to win an ACC title and did not get a sniff of the 4-team Playoff. However, Bruce's Playoff participant's guess is as good as any other sage rolling the dice. Feldman's CFP 12-team projection: Why I like Miami, PSU and Texas WWW.NYTIMES.COM Which teams reloaded their rosters and seem to be good bets this early on for the CFP? Feldman's field has 4 SEC teams in the Playoff - Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, and Alabama. A 1st round bye for Georgia and 1st-round home games for Texas and Old Miss. 3 B1G teams are in. No. 2 Ohio State with a first-round bye, No. 6 Oregon vs No. 11 Miami in Eugene, and 10 Penn State opening at No. 7 Ole Miss. In the 1st-round, No. 5 Texas draws 12-seed Memphis in Austin. Which is nice. After the home game vs. Miami, if the Ducks move on, Puddles pals best have unlimited frequent flyer miles to trade in; or, a seat on Uncle Phil's plane. Oregon's 2nd-round game would be peachy, for No. 3 FSU, with Oregon traveling to Atlanta to play the Seminoles in the Peach Bowl. The distance from Tallahassee, Florida to Atlanta is 261 miles. The distance from Eugene? 2621 miles, 5,242 miles round trip. Chop down the Seminoles and Puddles next mission would have the Ducks playing No. 2 Georgia in the Orange Bowl in Miami. The distance from Athens, Georgia to South Beach is a Dawg walk 679 miles. For Puddles, it's a 3,278-mile flight, 6,556 round trip. If Puddles Gets Smart in Miami, it's back to Atlanta to play No. 1 Ohio State. on January 20, 2025, for the title. This B1G champ game match-up assumes that Ohio State would win the Cotton Bowl semifinal against Texas in Dallas. If Oregon decided to spend the 1st semester in Eugene and not in Dixie, Puddles and Pals would be looking at 17,040 flight miles and at least two lube jobs for Puddles. Add this to the 15,222 miles Oregon will travel in the regular season, not including a possible round trip to Indianapolis, Total travel exclusive of a B1G champ game trip would be 32,262 miles. The circumference of the Earth is 24,901 miles. It certainly is not the ACC and the SEC's fault that Oregon is in the Northwest. However, favoring the ACC and the SEC in Playoff site locations is a systemic problem. that needs to be addressed before the 2026 Playoff. Is B1G Commissioner Tont Petitti paying attention? This putative Playoff travel is almost as bad as the B1G asking Oregon to be the only P4 team in the nation in 2024 to play eight games in a row without a break. Scheduling Matters! Game locations matter! Especially in an era of two P4 conferences with 16 teams, one with 17 teams, and the B1G with 18 teams. Join the NFL. The higher-seeded teams host games before the Super Bowl or at least before the semifinals.

Everybody's got one. Bruce Feldman's Playoff Prediction. Feldman's CFP 12-team projection: Why I like Miami, PSU and Texas WWW.NYTIMES.COM Which teams reloaded their rosters and seem to be good bets this early on for the CFP? Mari(o) back in Eugene? Puddles path to a playoff title. No. 6 Oregon vs No. 11 Miami - Eugene Peach Bowl - Oregon vs FSU - Atlanta Orange Bowl - Oregon vs Georgia - Miami Champ Game - No. 6 Oregon vs No. 1 Ohio State - Atlanta No other top 8 teams in Bruce's PO would have travel demands like Oregon. And the cost of travel for Ducks fans would be B1G. 3 and not 4 games for Georgia. 1st-round Bye. 2nd-round Sugar Bowl. 3rd round Orange Bowl. Champ game, Atlanta.

Ohio State will be a tough Out. Can Ohio State's 2025 NFL Draft class make history? It's possible WWW.NYTIMES.COM Michigan produced 13 draft picks in 2024, two shy of the all-time record. Can Ohio State top its rivals and set a new standard?