Jon Joseph

Further proof that it is a LOOOOOOOOOONG off season. ☹️ https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/ducks/football/2025/07/12/oregon-ducks-football-2025-schedule-academic-rankings/84514440007/?utm_source=smg-duckswire-strada&utm_medium=email

Steven A., I'm with you, my friend. However, in the capitalist system we have in the USA, very few items are price-fixed, and very few salaries and other payments, are fixed except as agreed to pursuant to collective bargaining. Athletes had a chance to file complaints against the House settlement being approved, but other than roster-size issues, Judge Wilkins ignored these challenges. I don't see such complaints being ignored in a court, state or federal, considering an antitrust claim(s). To date, in college athletics, the folks receiving revenue-sharing payments are not 'employees' according to the NCAA and the people writing the checks. Therefore, there is no group with management to bargain with. Why should the folks writing the checks have any right to decide that 'market value' is less than some entity is willing to pay for an individual's NIL? Public corporations, if not found to be a 'booster' of a program, can pay whatever they so choose for a player's NIL. Is NIKE a booster of OBD? How can this be the case when NIKE has deals with NCAA members from coast to coast? If public corporation payments, no matter the amount, are fine, then what right does the NCAA have to restrict payments from any source? What right, without the payees' approval, does any entity have to restrict an athlete's right to earn all of the money he or she can? If a group is stupid enough to overpay for an untested athlete's NIL based on potential performance, why isn't this the 'market value' an athlete and his agent have been able to bargin for? The decision to crater an athlete's NIL deal based on a 3rd party's decision of what defines 'reasonable market value' is on its face, reasonable. But said decision will not withstand an anti-trust challenge, and not withstand a challenge based on collusion and price-fixing, and will not withstand state laws prohibiting enforcement of the House settlement. Many of the institutions that 'supported' the terms of the settlement were ready to keep NIL deals confidential based on FERPA, fears of the loss of federal dollars, and because they can. Why these entities supported the settlement in the first instance is baffling. When the challenges come, I want to be sitting at the plaintiff's table.

Good take, thank you. I think you may be giving too much credit to a James Franklin-coached team in a big-time B1G game. Perhaps too much credit to QB Drew Allar, who has yet to win a significant game. Playoff wins against SMU and Boise were nice, but Franklin and Allar gave up a lead when playing against an equally talented roster in Notre Dame. Allar threw 2 picks versus OBD last season, and I believe he is capable of doing the same this season. I like the timing of this game and the lead-ins to the game. Penn State will have played three glorified scrimmages against teams not close to the talent of Oregon. Then, PSU has an off week before OBD comes to town with a roster equal to or better than the PSU roster. Oregon will have played two P4 opponents and traveled two time zones to play one of them. OK State and Northwestern aren't all that, but they are far better than the dreck PSU plays OOC. Drew Allar and his all-new WR corps will not have played against the talent of the back 7 Oregon will have on the field. The newbies may shine against Nevada, FIU, and Villanova, but it's a whole new ball game versus Oregon. I hear you on the D-line concerns, but I believe Matayo U. and friends will pressure Allar. Now we will see if Dan's interior D-line recruiting pays off. None of Oregon's IDL players were walk-ons; all were highly coveted recruits, and Bear Alexander in Eugene may be a mauler and a baller. This is an NFL prove-it season for Alexander. I'm looking forward to the chess game. Knowles knows that Dan knows what Ohio State ran on defense when the Buckeyes D embarrassed Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Will he run the same 'stuff?' Caleb Downs is not suiting up for Penn State. OBD went 1-1 against Knowles last season. How much will Knowles be able to improve the PSU D above the excellent defenses Tom Allen delivered in 2023 and 2024? 14 starters are back for Penn State, but Edge Abdul Carter is not one of them. This is a huge game for the Oregon coaching staff, who I'm certain want to pay back Knowles. I expect OBD's O to play it close to the vest before this game. And then throw everything it can at PSU. The Oregon D played and won a game against Penn State, even though it surrendered a 100-plus yards to RBs Singleton and Allen. Will OC Andy Kotelnicki have anything new to throw at the Ducks? His jack-of-all-positions, TE Tyler Warren, is in the NFL. Again, will the WRs Penn State brought in from Troy, USC, and Syracuse pan out? There is far more pressure on Penn State playing at home in a White Out, and in front of fans who expect a Natty. And do not overlook the impact of Forum Fanatics being on site. 😡

Good thoughts, by all. I think Bama's unexpected losses were the result of inconsistent play from the QB and others, and wholesale changes in the coaching staff. Will Ryan Grub's joining the Tide as OC make a difference? The Bama roster is absolutely stacked, but for questions at QB. Alabama returns 14 players who started in 2024. Far more returning production than OBD, Texas, Georgia, and Ohio State, all of whom have to replace their starting QB. Bama hosts Vandy, Tennessee, LSU, and Oklahoma. Possible 'trap games' are road games at Mizzou and South Carolina. Bama visits Auburn, but the Iron Bowl is never a trap game for either team. The critical game for Bama will be at Georgia in Week 4. Even with a loss in Athens, I think Bama will play Georgia in the SEC champ game. BTW, if you know it's a trap, are you trapped? Or is the effort simply not there on a given day?

Feed Me! I'm Wide Open! https://sports.yahoo.com/article/ranking-18-big-ten-wide-162628453.html Lots of love for a Nits receiving corps yet to catch a pass in a PSU uni.

Expect no help from Congress - AP NewsDemocrats criticize latest effort by Congress to regulate...The latest effort by Congress to regulate college sports is generating predictable partisan outrage.

"They" are trying to enforce the settlement - AP NewsThe new college sports agency is rejecting some athlete N...A new college sports agency has rejected certain NIL deals involving donor-backed collectives. These collectives, formed to funnel money to athletes or schools, fail to meet NCAA rules requiring de...

My opinion. They're withholding information not because they're concerned about losing federal funding or being sued under FERPA, but because they can. The 'we can't comply lightbulb' did not suddenly turn on after the settlement was approved. Adherence to the terms of this so-called settlement, before and after the settlement was approved, was lip service only. Why the college sports powers-that-be, especially the Power 2 conferences, agreed to this fiasco to keep the NCAA afloat is well beyond me. There were other remedies available. There was no reason to make more plaintiff attorneys rich and drop a few crumbs to those 'student-athletes' who were not allowed to be paid without being ruled to be ineligible. Tennessee has passed a law that prevents the enforcement of the settlement in the Volunteer State. Other states will follow suit. Here's one solution. Big-time athletic programs establish a regulatory system of their own. Athletes being paid by a university are employees. Employees who can collectively bargain with the folks paying them. Of course, there is no reason for any party to negotiate anything when it holds all of the cards, as do college athletes, so Congress will have to act in one fashion or another. Or, big-time schools will have to play the, 'We're going Ivy League/ D-3. Here's your bill for tuition, room and board, and your school books. Tutors are available at $100 an hour.' Before this fiasco was approved, where in Hades were the attorneys for OBD and other big-time programs? The same attorneys who now 'suddenly' find many loopholes that prevent having to follow the terms of the settlement. If the NCAA pre-settlement obtained an opinion from a reputable law firm that the terms of the settlement are enforceable in every state in the Union, every attorney in the firm should be disbarred.

I like Mighty RJ Young's OBD Prediction! There is a vote for Not-A-Lot's Clemson and one for Penn State. https://www.foxsports.com/stories/college-football/college-football-playoff-predictions-which-team-has-clearest-path-cfp Note. Both Oregon and Indiana have week 6 off before the Hoosiers visit Eugene. Oregon's game versus Indiana is not the week after the PSU game.

All want the 11-5 except the BIG, but the B12's approval is conditioned on all P4 conferences playing 9 conference games. The B1G has indicated it could go with 11-5, but only under the same conditions. No wonder the B12 and the ACC want the 5-11 format, the in-conference games' SOS for the Lesser 2 lag far behind the B1G and the SEC. In 2025, three SEC teams, Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina, play 10 P4 opponents. 13 B1G teams play 10 P4 opponents. Sankey can use all of the ESPN-generated stats he likes, but this is not an even path to the PO. SEC Snake Sankey wants it both ways. 8 conference games and 5-11. It Just Means More, right? There is no way Tony Petitti should allow this. If the SEC and ACC don't go to 9 conference games, then stay with a field of 12 teams. When it comes to the bottom line, SEC is 2nd to the B1G and will stay there with 8 conference games and a 12-team field. BTW, as long as college championship games are played, Notre Dame should be required to play 10 P4 opponents.

The Mullet will be Fazed Planted on 9/6/25 - ☠️ https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/i-get-it-mike-gundy-unfazed-by-pressure-as-grizzled-oklahoma-state-coach-stares-down-make-or-break-season/

Flaws for the preseason top 2025 that could be fatal. ESPN.comAreas of concern: What could trip up each of our Top 25 t...Nobody's perfect, not even the best teams in college football. Here are their potential weak spots.

The Tigers could be there, Not a Lot of doubt. 😁 But the opener versus LSU and the closer versus South Carolina in Columbia will not be easy wins. Georgia Tech and Louisville are tough road games. Last season, the 2025 highly touted Clemson D was lit up by Louisville, SMU, and Texas. This season, SMU trips to Clemson. 40 years and counting since a team ranked lower than 13th in the final poll of the season, Oklahoma, won a title the following season. The final Committee Poll ranked Clemson 16th after the 2024-25 regular season.

Is Ohio State OBD's Kryptonite? ESPN.comThe anticipated archvillains for every top 25 college foo...These are the players, coaches, teams and concepts that every squad in our Way-Too-Early Top 25 will be looking out for in 2025.

11/14/25 - 'Freeze Gopher!' https://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/minnesota_golden_gophers_announce_big_news_for_coach_pj_fleck/s1_13132_42433044?utm_source=mb&utm_medium=email&mb_edition=20250710&mb_loc=le

In the last 10 seasons, no team that did not return at least three of its Head Coach, OC, defensive coordinator, and strength and conditioning coach, won a championship. I think the move to long-time WRs coach Hartline as OC will be painless. WRs Smith, Tate, and Inniss are as good a group as any in CFB. New TE Max Klare from Purdue is a weapon on O. It's not like Chip's group performed well in every game in 2025-26. Chip's O was missing in action in 2024 against Nebraska, Penn State, and Michigan. Chip's O with 9 penalties for 75 yards allowed Texas to keep the Cotton Bowl outcome in doubt. The DC hire? Was Patricia a good choice? There was friction on D last season between Knowles and long-term DL coach Larry Johnson, who was opposed to TOSU playing fewer than four D linemen.

Fatal Flaw? That Team Up North? Ryan, 1-4, has had long Days against Michigan. TOSU may have a fatal (hide the women and children ) flaw, but it also has another Natty Trophy in the trophy case. Ohio State may not have won back-to-back titles, but the Buckeyes have won nine CFB championships since the beginning of the polling/playoffs era. As Buhler (Buhler!) notes, he believes Ohio State will return to the playoffs. I agree. And I see Ohio State with a first-round bye or a home game. Three Buckeyes opponents in the regular season, like Ohio State, have Blue Chip Rosters. Texas and Penn State play the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium. Ohio State closes the season in Ann Arbor. Games at UW and back-to-back road games at Illinois and Wisconsin could be tough. Which of OBD, Texas, Georgia, and other title contenders best fill the voids in rosters with few returning starters? Vegas Insiders shows the odds to win the 2025-26 Natty from six gaming sites. Across the six sites, the skinniest odds to win the title are Ohio State +400, Texas +440, Penn State +480, Georgia +650, and OBD +800. The lower the return, the greater a bookmaker's belief that a team will win it all. These five teams are generally the top five favorites in this order, across the six sites. Of the five favorites, only Penn State, with 14 starters back in 2025, returns more than 11 starters (players who started six or more games in 2024), including its starting QB. FWIW, no team in the last eight seasons that returned fewer than 11 starters has won a championship. Thanks for the post!

Thanks, Mike. I respectfully demur, backed by my Vegas buddies and I having skin in this game. All of Ewers' 2024 top targets, including a top drawer TE, are gone. 1 starter on the O line returns for Texas. The Longhorns' great D in 2024 was lit up by Clemson and ASU. Targeting is called as it should have been, and ASU wins the Peach Bowl and advances to play TOSU. As much as the Texas D stymied Ohio State, the Buckeyes offense, after a flawless Rose Bowl game (😒) incurred nine penalties for 75 yards. Smith will be super fired up to make folks forget about being shut down in the Cotton Bowl. It's not just Smith. Tate and Innis are very good WRs. Purdue transfer TE Max Klare is better than what the Buckeyes had at TE last season. Four starters return on the O line, buttressed by OT Onianwa, a portal 4*, who transferred in from Rice. Archie could not beat out 7th-round draft pick Quinn Ewers. Ewers led Texas to back-to-back semifinal game PO appearances. Archie's wins as a stater were over Mississippi State and two G5 teams. I don't believe Sayin's play at QB could be any worse than the Michigan QB play versus Texas in 2024. Michigan's passing attack in 2024 was superior only to the three service academies. Sayin has much better receivers to throw to. Ryan Day is 27-3 in Ohio Stadium. At Texas, Sark has one road win against a top 5 ranked team, defeating Bama in Tuscaloosa in 2023 before Bama had figured out the QB position. My LV friends and I like Texas -2.5. Should be a terrific game.

Hell of a settlement. 🤢"We don't know the rules." https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/article/we-dont-know-the-rules--big-12-coaches-still-wrestling-with-new-world-order-after-player-payment-changes-013454522.html

Lott did not cast his Lot with his Dad's Alma Mammy. Hats off to Danny! 🤠 YardbarkerOregon steals commitment of four-star athlete from TexasThe Oregon Ducks have landed star recruits over the years, but there's a case to be made that four-star athlete Jalen Lott from Frisco, Texas is one of the top "athlete" recruits of the Dan Lanning...

A Very Nice Ranking for Coach Dan Lanning. 1st coach ranked without a Natty (YET!) On3PFF ranks the Top 10 coaches in college football entering...Pro Football Focus unveiled its definitive list of the Top 10 head coaches in college football ahead of the 2025 regular season.

FSU Thinks Miami is Constantly and Consistently Overrated, Shocking! 😁 Chop ChatThey are overrated every year... When is it time to give...When will they learn...

You Can't Recruit at Oregon! Right? FanSidedScott Frost threw Nebraska fully under the bus to excuse...This is quite the thing to say about your own alma mater.

BIG 12 - Too Little + Too Late. Big 12 Commish wants to keep CFB special, but his words are too little, too late

DUH! Lincoln Riley needs to win this fall, according to Fox's Joel Klatt