Jon Joseph

Great comments by Mike West, Charles, and you, Sir Jabba. The numbers for college football attendance and viewership both improved in 2023 notwithstanding CFB being on the cusp of a Power 5 conference disappearing, brand names consolidating into a Power 2 and a little 'p' power 2, CFB players having the opportunity to transfer twice during the year without restrictions on eligibility, student-athletes permissively hiring agents, CFB and all other college athletes having the right to play-for-pay via NIL and moving closer to direct pay-for-play, with all but one of the most-viewed games in 2023 featuring at least one B1G or SEC team. Ohio State at Michigan drew close to 20 million viewers. After the NFL, college football is the most-watched sport in the USA. The Ducks finished 7th in the Nielson ratings in 2024 without playing a game in the Big House and playing Ohio State in Autzen Stadium. Untapped equity with venture capital investment in CFB is on the horizon. In 2031, I believe Oregon will bring in more than the anticipated $100M a year in revenue. A Super Conference with 28 to 40 teams will only increase the quality of the games and end but a few top-25 games on a given weekend.

Trying to make college coaches' lives a bit easier at Ole Miss and across the board. Ole Miss to benefit from recruiting and staff rule changes OLEHOTTYTODDY.COM The NCAA D1 Council announced several changes to the transfer portal and recruiting for college football and basketball. They also changed the football staff nu

Beat out Penn State for a CB from Maryland which is nice.

It's looking like a dog downer. [👍😍] https://collegefootballnews.com/news/washington-huskies-college-football-preview-2024-key-players-schedule-season-predictions

Welcome to the B1G! Big Ten expansion: Best, worst scenarios for USC, Oregon, Washington, UCLA in first season as league members - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM How will the four Pac-12 transplants fare in their maiden Big Ten voyage?

Certain teams will probably be invited because of the location near a pro team. ASU, UW, CU, Maryland. Maybe one of Cal or Stanford. Unlike the NFL, I don't think that Super Conference teams will receive an equal media cut. Eyes on the prize will matter. Miami finished 22nd in the 2023 Nielson rankings. (The Orlando market is now larger than the Miami market.) Cal and Stanford finished outside the top 32. Utah came in 25th. The Prime effect Mississippi State finished 32nd. Every SEC team except Vandy was in the top 32 including newbies Oklahoma and Texas. Oregon, UW, and USC finished 7, 11, and 13. UCLA finished outside the top 32. Prime Timers finished No. 3. I see no reason to have more than 32 teams; don't dilute the product.

Blue-Chip Ratio 2024: These 16 college football teams can actually win the national championship - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM Breaking down the programs that have done well enough on the recruiting trail to win the first 12-team CFP in the 2024 season

Every team that won a BCS and/or a 4-team Playoff had a Blue Chip Roster. If history holds, one of the teams listed above will win it all in 2024. (The number could rise when Bill Connelly posts the BCR combined recruiting and transfer list.) 8 SEC teams; 5 B1G teams; 2 ACC teams (both trying to bail out); Notre Dame and Zero B12 teams. Clemson and FSU join the SEC, Notre Dame and UNC join the B1G, and the myth of a Power 4 will conclude. Other than the four teams listed above, what other teams will be qualified to join a Football Super Conference?

SP+ will come with a combined raking later this season. A+M lost the baseball champ game to Tennessee and stayed on the NCAA no-champs list in any sport since 1939. Jimbo Fisher, $72M for doing the least with the most.🤣

U GO GALS! Lady Ducks in the Big 10 WWW.ADDICTEDTOQUACK.COM How Oregon Women’s teams would have fared if they’d jumped a year earlier.

How many White Outs will we see in 2024? Taking an early look at Penn State heading into 2024 WWW.MAIZENBREW.COM The Nittany Lions hope to contend for a Big Ten Championship now that they’re not in the East Division. PSU fans are hoping for a night game vs Ohio State. The last time PSU defeated tOSU was 2026.

B1G things Bruin for UCLA football? Probably not. Taking an early look at UCLA heading into 2024 WWW.MAIZENBREW.COM Beyond a conference swap, it’s a new era of UCLA football in 2024

Tasty B1G transfers. Top 10 most important Big Ten transfers for the 2024 football season WWW.MAIZENBREW.COM There were some massive additions for some of the top programs in the conference OK, I'm biased, but Stewart, Muhammad, the 2 DTs, and other Ducks should be on this list along with Dillon.

Charles, thanks so much for being The Beacon of Oregon Baseball. 👍😊

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