Jon Joseph

Fisch in a barrel? 'We can go one way or the other': Washington's unique rebuild under Jedd Fisch WWW.NYTIMES.COM There's already proof of Fisch's ability to build up teams. How is it going so far at Washington?

I read a quote the other day where Mario said that Cam Ward has helped him and the team "evolve." Mar(o), didn't you have some guy named Justin Herbert play QB for you?

DG is The preseason QB in the B1G. But QB play in general is down this season in the B1G including the 4 newbies. As evidenced by the 2024 draft, 2023-24 was a year of exceptional QB-ing. Ranking the Big Ten’s top-five quarterbacks for 2024 WWW.MAIZENBREW.COM Transfer quarterbacks should be the stars in the conference this season. Miller Moss?

Here is a prospective PO field using The Sporting News (SN) Composite Top 25 2024 Preseason Ranking. SN used 11 polls to determine their rankings—25 points for a 1st place ranking, 25 for a 2nd place ranking, etc. I like the variety of polls used by SN. Among the preseason polls referenced by SN in addition to the SN poll: are the 247 Sports; The Athletic; CBS Sports; ESPN; Sports Illustrated (SI) and USA Today polls. Using SN's composite ranking, the following would be the PO field and the seeding of the field. ( ) after a team's seeding is a team's 2024 strength of schedule (SOS) as determined by SI. The field: 1. Georgia/ 2. Ohio State/ 3. Texas/ 4. OREGON/ 5. Ole Miss/ 6. Alabama/ 7. Notre Dame/ 8. Missouri/ 9. Michigan/ 11. Florida State/ 12. Utah / NR Boise State. Boise is the top G5 team in Others Receiving Votes. First Out - 10th ranked Penn State. Do you think Penn State fans, often playoff bridesmaids, will be happy about being replaced by lower-ranked ACC and B12 champions? And being seeded No. 5 with a home game against the No. 12 ranked G5 team is better than being seeded 6th. In the below playoff format, Texas would play Boise State in Austin and OREGON would host fellow B1G member Michigan in Autzen. Alabama, Texas, and Ole Miss host 1st-round games. It may be inevitable with this format for the next two seasons but a rematch of B1G teams in the 1st round with OREGON or Michigan knocked out especially with Penn State being 'formatted out' and a game between Missouri vs Ole Miss knocking out an SEC team would be unfortunate. I reiterate, that regardless of the playoff expanding to 12 teams, fans of teams knocked out by lower-seeded teams and higher-ranked teams playing a 1st-round game while a lower-seeded team sits, rests, and scouts their 2nd round opponent is not going to go over well with CFB Fanatics. Sugar Bowl - 1. Georgia (20) vs 9. Notre Dame (54) at 8. Alabama (9) Fiesta Bowl - 4. Utah - (115) vs 12 Boise State - NR - (82) at 5 Texas (49.) Rose Bowl - 2. Ohio State vs 10. Missouri (127) at 7. Ole Miss (46) Peach Bowl - 3. FSU (18) vs 11. Michigan (10) at 6. OREGON (5) Georgia does not play Missouri in the regular season. Georgia will face 12 opponents that went a collective 90-63 in 2023. The Mizzou opposition went 66 - 83. Oregon's 2024 opponents went 101-57 last season. Oregon does match up against an Ohio State team whose opponents in 2023 went 83-71. Looking at the records from 2023 and not just the SOS rankings, it becomes apparent that Georgia and OREGON face a much more difficult path to the playoff than Missouri and Ohio State. It's almost comical that an SEC team, Mizzou, plays an easier schedule than many G5 teams. And in-conference in the SEC, it's rinse and repeat the schedule in 2025. In 2024 and 2025 Missouri will not play Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Texas, and Tennessee. The CoMo Tigers play South Carolina, Vandy, and Mississippi State in back-to-back seasons. In 2025, OREGON will not play 2024 opponents Michigan and Ohio State. To date, B1G future scheduling makes far more sense than will be the case in the SEC. In the B1G and SEC mega-conferences with 18 and 16 teams, unless 10 conference games, at least, are played every season, superior teams with more losses due to SOS could well be benched in favor of lesser teams and it will be surprising if conference tiebreakers are not in play for the Power 4 conferences in 2024. Go Ducks! Vandalize the Vandals!

At least one person at Ole Miss is paying attention to SOS. 11 wins will guarantee playoffs for Ole Miss football OLEHOTTYTODDY.COM The goal for Ole Miss football in 2024 is clear: a place in the 12-team college football playoffs. The Rebels' 10-win mark seems to...

A Playoff History College Football Playoff History COLLEGEFOOTBALLPLAYOFF.COM College Football Playoff History Oregon is one of the few teams with a PO win.

6 Tiers of CFB on the way? New Playoff format a Big Two fast track or maybe six new tiers of college football BAMAHAMMER.COM With increasing frequency, the Big Two (and not the Power Four) define the top of the college football world. Even 'Big Two' is imprecise enough to be called sq It's a Big Two world and Puddles is living in it. 😍

The Ducks D in the BCS title game did a better job of shutting Cam down than any other team during the season. Why anyone listens to the guy is beyond me. He takes these contrary positions to see his name in the news. But you cannot take away the NIL trailblazing done by Pastor Newton, totally unknown to Cam himself of course. All the SEC teams that won titles are to be congratulated but that Gene Chizak has a title irks me.

Great comments. And thanks to my Editor for excellent editing. Polls for the obvious reason, $, are not going away. I used a gambling site to set the field as these folks do have dollars at risk. Gambling sites have to set odds for many teams not just to make the 12-team Playoff but to win a conference title in the P4 and the G5. As the season progresses odds will be adjusted. For the polls not published to entice people to waste their wages, one wonders why polls need to consist of more than a top 12 and the highest-ranked G5 team if not ranked in the top 12. ESPN will not allow this to happen as ESPN is paying large sums of money to broadcast the playoff. However, CBS and friends also pay a lot of money to broadcast the NCAA Basketball Tournament and the CBB Committee puts out only one ranking before the field is set and announced. After having FSU ranked in the top 4 for the final six weeks of the season, the Committee jumping Alabama up to the 4 seed and dropping the Seminoles to the 5 seed and out of the Playoff, just increased the pain for FSU and the ACC; one of the reasons FSU is trying to escape the ACC. The difference of course is that the NCAA is the host of the tournament and not ESPN. The Chairman of the Playoff Committee, Michigan AD Warde Manuel, is going to have his hands full. Make no mistake, the SEC has earned the privilege of being CFB's leader of the pack (not the Pac-2.) To the victor rightfully goes the spoils. But when I see nine SEC teams ranked in the top 25, more than half of the conference, I again question why the polls go 25 deep. (And also why the SEC plays 98 and not 9 conference games but that's another issue.) One thing I am comfortable saying with certainty is that many of the players on SEC teams ranked in the top 25 out of eligibility by time with a team or by choice going early to the NFL will not be playing in non-playoff extraneous bowl games. It is going to be an exciting year with many more teams involved in the playoff mix than we have had before; including, of course, OBD!😍😍😍

$cam Newton. Who has the bigger Q rating, $cam, Larry $cott, Bozo, or a Pet Rock?

Sorry friend ND. I meant to conclude my above post that referenced your take with: I always appreciate reading your thoughts. PS - Another Georgia golfer appears to be on his way to a PGA win. D Thompson is 6 under on the front 9 and ahead by 6 shots. A win would get Thompson an invite to the British Open.

Connor O'Gara reveals his 3-seed, ACC champ Florida State and calls for Oregon to defeat Utah in a 1st-round game in Autzen Stadium and then defeat FSU in the 2nd round in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Which would mean a semifinal game vs Ohio State or Georgia, most likely in the Orange Bowl in Miami. Predicting the Playoff: No. 3 seed Florida State WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM Will the Noles get some redemption after last year's Playoff snub? Definitely. Let's review O'Gara's PO bidding to date and see, based on SOS as calculated using a team's 2024 opponents' results in 2023; the teams with the most difficult to easiest paths to the PO, ranked from 1 most difficult to 134, easiest. 12. Memphis - AAC - G5 - No. 61 11. Utah - At-Large (AL) - B12 - No. 115 10. Iowa - AL - B1G - No. 14 9. Ole Miss - AL - SEC - No. 46 8. Alabama - AL - SEC - No. 9 7. Notre Dame - AL - IND - No. 54 6. OREGON - AL - B1G - No. 5 5. Texas - AL - SEC - No. 49 4. Oklahoma State - B12 Champion - No. 84 - 1st-round bye 3. Florida State - ACC Champion - No. 16 - 1st-round bye. SEC Champion Georgia - No. 20 and B1G Champion Ohio State - 57, will be seeded 1st or 2nd. Both would have a 1st-round bye. NOTES - 4 SEC teams; 3 B1G (with no Michigan and Penn State,) 2 B12 ( with SOS ranked 115 Utah, and 84, Oklahoma State in the field; I do not see two B12 teams being invited,) 1 AAC, 1 ACC, 1 Independent. There is a wide variance in SOS among O'Gara's 12-team field. From No. 5 OREGON to No. 115 Utah. Even if Utah finishes 12-1 with a B12 champ game loss to OK State, there will be many 1-loss and 2-loss teams with better records playing a more difficult SOS. Utah plays at OK State. O'Gara must believe that Utah defeats OK State in Stillwater, before dropping the B12 champ game to the Cowboys. Horse Hockey! Texas, OREGON, Notre Dame, and Alabama would host 1st-round games. No. 5 Texas path to the title game - 1st-round vs Memphis in Austin. 2nd-round vs OK St in the Fiesta Bowl in 'Phoenix,' and 3rd-round vs Georgia or Ohio State in the Orange Bowl in Miami. I see neither Georgia nor Ohio electing to play Texas in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Champ game in Atlanta. No. 6 OREGON's path to the title game - 1st-round vs Utah in Eugene, 2nd-round vs FSU in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. 3rd-round vs. Georgia or Ohio State in the Orange Bowl in Miami, or the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Champ game in Atlanta. If you are not one of the top-4 seeds with a 1st-round bye, the 5th seed is superior to the 6th seed. Does O'Gara have Texas finishing 12-1? This would mean a Texas victory over Georgia in Austin and a Longhorns loss to Georgia in the SEC champ game. In the above case, for OREGON to be the 6th seed, the Ducks would also likely have to finish 12-1 with a regular season victory over Ohio State and a champ game loss. If this were the case, how would the Committee determine which of Texas or OREGON gets the 5-seed nod? Based on the preseason SOS ranking which may differ significantly at the season's end, why would Texas get the nod over the Ducks? Thanks, O'Gara for the effort, but there will be no tip and you will not find perfect consciousness.

Sark, maybe you should have 'thrown in' Washington? Are Texas, Oklahoma ready for thrills, challenges of SEC? - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM A seismic move years in the making is finally here. How will the newest members fit in what has been CFB's best conference? Hubris - Texas will be the Super Bowl game for every SEC team. TX QB Ewers and affirmed by AD Chris Del Conte. Texas, perhaps you should defeat Oklahoma far more often in the Red River Rivalry before calling out the rest of the SEC?

More from an Alabama blogger, Ronald Evans of Bama Hammer, on three SEC team's relatively easy path to the PO. Missouri, LSU, and Ole Miss. Things may be quiet on the SEC front regarding the 2024 in-conference schedules being duplicated, but for game venues, in 2025 but watch as the season progresses and on Selection Sunday, 12/8/24. BTW Tennessee also has one of the easier SEC schedules. The attachment includes another calculation of SEC schedules not using 2023 results. This calculation also ranks the SEC SOS in the same order as Sports Illustrated. 2024 now or never for three SEC football coaches BAMAHAMMER.COM In the current Playoff-or-bust environment of college football, not making the 12-team field means a failed season for every ambitious program. The SEC is heavi If the SEC puts five teams in the PO playing 8 conference games and Notre Dame takes a spot with an easy 2024 schedule and no title game, there will be agitated folks outside of Dixie and also likely in the SEC.

Bama Hammer is a Dixie guy paying attention to scheduling. Another guy pointing out that Mizzou has a relative cupcake walk. SEC Football dominance not automatic for Texas and Oklahoma BAMAHAMMER.COM The addition of Oklahoma and Texas is great for the SEC Football. Their brands are two of the biggest in college football. With 14 teams, the SEC was the toughe Parochial much? OK and UT will further separate the SEC from the B1G, right? Bama Hammer notes that TX made the PO in 2023. He does not note that in-coming Washinton defeated Texas in Texas. He also overlooks that USC is a premier football blue-blood brand with Puddles on the way. More folks watched Oregon play ball in the 2023 regular season than watched the Sooners and the Longhorns.

I agree with BamaHammer, I think Texas in particular is getting too much preseason love, and Oklahoma's SEC schedule for the next two seasons is brutal. Plus OK plays Michigan OOC in 2025 and 2026. I see UGA winning in Austin and at least one other loss (Oklahoma?) on the Longhorns schedule. The Texas schedule does not appear to be robust enough to make the PO with a 9-3 record although a win in Ann Arbor will help UT's PO cause. SEC Football dominance not automatic for Texas and Oklahoma BAMAHAMMER.COM The addition of Oklahoma and Texas is great for the SEC Football. Their brands are two of the biggest in college football. With 14 teams, the SEC was the toughe Little guy UGA Dawg needs payback against the big bully Bevo. And if Texas is back, where is it back from? 2006 in today's day and age of being wired is a way back; a Longhorn way back.

Nevada Dawg - Florida is in an SOS tier of its own per Mr, Ford. UGA and Oregon are on his second level of SOS and in his opinion will contend for a PO spot with a 10-2 record. Another question I have regarding the 12-team PO is, if you are at 10-2 with a difficult schedule and already a serious contender for a PO invite is it better to play in a conference champ game and possibly finish 10-3 or go for the PO gold first-round bye with a conference championship?

'Oregon and Ohio State appear to be playoff locks.' Knock wood and knock Michigan out in November. 3 reasons why Michigan Football can make the College Football Playoff again GBMWOLVERINE.COM The maize and blue football program is attempting to earn a playoff berth for the fourth year in a row. That trails behind only Clemson and Alabama for most con 11/2/24 - Bring your Long Johns.

All fair points, no surprise. Sports Illustrated's SOS (SI) rankings are calculated according to your 2024 opponents' records in 2023. Perfect? Heck no. But I prefer it to using preseason polls. Especially, and no offense intended, when nine SEC teams, more than half of the conference are ranked in several preseason polls. Georgia, Alabama, and Florida in particular have difficult OOC games but also a tougher row to hoe in the SEC. Every calculation of the strength of SEC schedules I read from numerous sites, including Saturdays Down South, has Missouri with the easiest SEC schedule, including and excluding out-of-conference games. Out of 134 teams SOS-ranked, SI ranked Mizzou 127. Georgia 20, Bama, 9, and Florida 1. Peruse the schedules and I think you will agree that the SI rankings are not of course spot on but in general indicate the level of competition. IMO and I believe in Billy Napier's opinion, a 9-3 Florida with OOC games vs P4 Miami, UCF, FSU, and Samford, and conference games vs. A+M, TN, KY, UGA, TX, LSU, MS St, and Ole Miss, would have a far better argument for Playoff inclusion than a 10-2 Missouri playing Murray State, Buffalo (Bulls not Bills,) UMass and Boston College OOC and A+M, Vandy, Auburn, Bama, SO CAR, OK, Miss State, and Arkansas in-conference. And the conference schedule will be the same in 2025. I respect the 'stiff upper lip' attitude and in truth, what can one fan do? However, a schedule like Mizzou plays in 2024 is not equitable compared to the schedules other playoff-contending teams will play. Teams like SOS 2nd ranked USC, 5th ranked Oregon, and nine other B1G teams playing schedules in the top 20 SOS. The superior top-to-bottom SEC has six teams in the top 20 including Vandy and Mississippi State. Joel Klatt pointed out earlier this year that if the Football PO Committee uses only Ws and Ls unlike the Basketball Committee which uses a uniform SOS calculation with teams separated by Quads, will come up with teams with better records inferior to teams invited to the Playoff. SOS in the bowl era mattered not. Mattered somewhat but not that much more with the BCS and 4-team Playoff, but will matter in a 12-team Playoff, especially to teams knocked out by lower-ranked ACC, B12, and G5 teams. Best of luck to UGA in 2024. See you in Miami? Or, maybe in Atlanta? It may not make much difference to the SEC as a conference, but I cannot imagine Georgia fans being copacetic with an 11-1 Missouri being valued by the Committee the same as an 11-1 Georgia. Especially when seeding provides a 1st round home game for teams No. 5 through No. 8. Also enjoy your thoughts. I think that strength of schdules are a simmering issue that will boil over on Decenber 8, 2024; especially, if the Committee simply 'wings it' when it comes to determining SOS.

Very, very sad. We never know the hour or the day. To an Athlete Dying Young by A. E. Housman | Poetry Foundation WWW.POETRYFOUNDATION.ORG The time you won your town the race A blessing for your family young man. Too soon gone, rest in peace.

You can find bumper-stickers friend ND, but on 10/19 will you be able to find a hotel room East of El Paso or Lubbock? Question for you my friend. Per Sports Illustrated, Florida's 2024 schedule is ranked 1st in the nation, Bama's 9th. and Georgia tied 20th with Arkansas. Ole Miss SOS is 46th, Texas, with a game at Michigan, is tied 49th, Auburn is tied 52nd, Tennessee 68th, and Mizzou a robust (meaning easy peasy and not the obsequious 'manageable,') 127th! How can you play your ball in the SEC and have a SOS easier than the majority of G5 teams? What did Bama and UGA do to the folks at HQ to deserve this? Who was the bag man for Mizzou, Gary Pinkle? Gary must have come with a Santa Claus-like bag. And the UF, Bama, and UGA ADs (these 3 should have clout, Arkansas?) are allowing Greg Sankey to produce a sequel of the same movie in 2025-26. Why? I Don't Get It. Sure, the venues change in 2025 but the quality of the opposition will not vary significantly if at all. In the B1G SOS ranges from USC 2nd to Nebraska 83rd. But in the conference schedules through 2028, USC has one protected opponent, UCLA, and the Cornhuskers have one, Iowa. Otherwise, the in-conference schedule strengths vary greatly from season to season; all B1G teams will play one another at least three times from 2024 through 2028. [FYI - 11 B1G schools, including Oregon at No. 5, have SOSs ranked in the top 20. Seven SEC schools are in the top 20.] Best to the Dawgs in 2024.

"Do not sleep on Oregon." Talent Tracker: If Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia land their dream classes, who finishes No. 1 in 2025 rankings? - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM And don't sleep on Oregon, which could charge from No. 7 to No. 2

The Word is spreading from Sea to Shining Sea. Oregon lands No. 1 WR of 2025 over schools like Ohio State, Texas and LSU WWW.YARDBARKER.COM Oregon fans probably woke up on Thursday morning and thought the only fireworks they would see that night would be the ones in the sky from their local 4th of July celebrations, but the number...

Lose? To the Ohio State University? Since 2021, Puddles is 1-0 against the Buckeyes. Oregon Ducks College Football Playoff Predictions: Semifinal Loss To Ohio State? WWW.SI.COM The Oregon Ducks are entering year three under coach Dan Lanning with championship-sized hopes and expectations. The 2024 college football season is brimming wi Even at 13-0, I'm not certain that Liberty, no game against a Power opponent for the 2nd year in a row would top a 2-loss MW, AAC, or Sun Belt Champ with a better schedule. The 5 seed instead of the 6 seed in this hypothetical would be excellent. A home game vs a G5 team and then a 2nd round game in the West in 'Phoenix.' A bye and a first-round game in the Rose Bowl would be as good as it gets but this scenario would be an excellent fallback position. Under this scenario, Oregon defeats tOSU in Autzen, drops the conference champ game, and plays the rubber match in Miami. How about the Two Os being 'instant' B1G time conference opponents?

Let the word go forth. Danno is nailing it! Oregon Football Recruiting: Ducks the Nation's Newest Recruiting Powerhouse? WWW.YARDBARKER.COM EUGENE- Since arriving at Oregon, Dan Lanning has put his foot on the gas and appears not to be taking it off anytime soon. During the off-season, Lanning and his staff compiled some of the...