Jon Joseph

BUCKS 24 - VOLS 17. High 40 degrees. Low 28 degrees. Feels like 35 degrees. Rain starting before noon that could turn to snow flurries. There is not much wind predicted at game time, so for Ohio in December, it will not be all that cold at the 8 PM kickoff. A long Day in Columbus if tOSU loses and Ryan Day best have a chopper nearby and ready for lift-off. Ruin Ryan! Humiliate Heupel!

30, if you can't be true to your school, be true to the $$$! 🤑

The Pressure is On! College Football Playoff games, first-round picks: Ohio State must dominate, Notre Dame out to flip narrative - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM Top storylines to watch as the 12-team College Football Playoff era kicks off this weekend with first-round action Rent Ryan Asunder! Humble Heupel!

COME - ON - MAN! Q. What do a leaf and Ryan Leaf have in common? A. They both die when you pick them. 🍻 Cheers!

Thank Goodness! 🤪

Thanks for the post. Go Ducks! OT - One of Nebraska or Penn State will play the winner of Pitt vs. Louisville for the Volleyball Championship. No. 1 seeded Ohio State lost to Marshall in the Men's Soccer semifinal; Vermont won the title. SYRUP ALL AROUND! 😉

tOSU vs. THE SEC. Hmmmm? Ohio State record vs. SEC teams: Will Buckeyes' bowl struggles continue in College Football Playoff? WWW.SPORTINGNEWS.COM

A Key Stat for the 12 Playoff teams. Yes, Gabe is The Man! 1 key stat for each Playoff team that you should know - Saturday Down South WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM These stats are worth knowing about each team in the 2024 College Football Playoff field ahead of the first round.

Hoo(sier) Knew?😁 Suddenly, the Hoosier State is the Epicenter of college football SATURDAYBLITZ.COM If you play in it, they will come. The basketball State of Indiana is experiencing a college football euphoria, as it prepares to host an on-campus college foot

I posted this elsewhere but I believe this excellent AP article deserves its a spot of its own. The Michigan running back pictured playing in the Rose Bowl, Bob Chappius, was an All-American at Michigan and my Uncle Harvey's roommate. Both men returned to Michigan after seeing combat in WW2. My Uncle Harvey Jones was the captain of the Michigan golf team. (The good golf genes skipped me. 😒) 12-team college football playoff arrives after 100 years, a few billion dollars and many detours APNEWS.COM It took more than 100 years, a few billion dollars and the cold, hard realization that you can’t fight progress forever.

AP - A Long and Winding Road to the 12-Team Playoff. The pictured RB, Bob Chappuis, was my Uncle Harvey Jones's roommate at Michigan. Harvey returned from combat to captain the Michigan golf team. 12-team college football playoff arrives after 100 years, a few billion dollars and many detours APNEWS.COM It took more than 100 years, a few billion dollars and the cold, hard realization that you can’t fight progress forever.

'Facts are stubborn things.' - John Adams Trust a teacher to throw facts into the mix and muck things up! 😁 Terrific take. One other item I'll add to why OBD is Off the Radar - ESPN vs. FOX. FOX's broadcast numbers took a way back seat to ESPN this season. The Big Noon KO instead of showing the biggest B1G games in Prime Time? Did not work out. Interesting that FOX was instrumental in breaking up the Pac-12 and I cannot recall a single SC game broadcast by FOX this season. OBD was often on NBC, a network that promotes Notre Dame far more than the B1G and CBS which had a troubling transition from the SEC to the B1G. CBS did not get the top B1G game at 3:30 as it did in the CBS Must-Watch SEC time slot. Nessler and Danielson seemed to be going through the motions. And when you air Penn State at Purdue at 3:30 Eastern? The Tradition is all over the B1G but the conference is top-heavy and does not have the attractive mid-level conference games we see in the SEC, on ABC/ESPN. The B1G Network does a terrific job of covering all of the conference's sports but ESPN has more than double the number of BTN subscribers and it also has the ACC and the SEC networks that it owns and manages. College GameDay dwarfs FOX's pregame show numbers. OBD and the B1G have the weaker media hand. Add this to the geographical situation David so correctly noted and even with the impressive and aggressive marketing of the Ducks it's tough to be in front of the parade. How to fix this? JUST WIN BABY and KEEP ON WINNING - They Will Follow. Thanks again, David, for another terrific article. Hash Heupel! Wreck Ryan!

This is truly a BIG Weekend for the B1G. Are the B1G teams overrated as dozens in Dixie so believe? Friday - 5 Pacific - ABC - No. 5 NOTRE DAME -7 vs. No. 10 INDIANA Holy Hoosiers. What would the preseason odds have been for this being the opening game of the 12-team Playoff? Astro, meet Nomical. Indiana did defeat a team with a Blue Chip Roster, Michigan, in Bloomington, but Indiana was manhandled in Columbus by a team with a deeper blue roster, Ohio State. The Irish have a Blue Chip roster. Notre Dame went 3-1 vs. the G5 with Army and Navy supposedly being Top 25 wins, and 5-0 against the Irish's favorite bakery located in ACC Pastry Patsy Country. Clemson and FSU want out, not the Irish. USC lit up the Notre Dame defense. Notre Dame's best win came against 8-4 A+M. Army at No. 22 is Notre Dame's only Top 25 win. Notre Dame 27 - Indiana 23. The Irish win but don't cover on the way to play Georgia in New Orleans. .................................................................................................................. Saturday - No 4 PENN STATE - 8.5 vs. No 10 SMU 9 AM Pacific - TNT It's been a wonderful season for SMU. As a condition of joining the conference, SMU agreed to take no media revenue through 2036. However, in a futile effort to placate Clemson and FSU, the ACC agreed that member schools would eat what they killed in the post-season. In the process of shutting Bama out of the Playoff, SMU has already pocketed $4M with a chance to earn more if it can win in Happy Valley and advance to play Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Will PSU coach James Franklin finally win a meaningful game? Franklin came within a score of Ohio State and OBD this season but could not close the deal. PSU fans know they have the easiest Playoff path - vs. a P4 runner-up, with a home loss to BYU and a loss to 3-loss Clemson, and G5 Boise on the way to Atlanta. I think the Nittany Lions are on the way to a Fiesta. PSU 38 - SMU 24. ................................................................................................................... Saturday - No. 6 OHIO STATE -7.5 vs. No. 7 Tennessee 5 PM Pacific - ABC The weather outside may be frightfully cold, it's December in Ohio after sundown, but the HEAT is most definitely on Buckeyes coach Ryan Day and Ohio State AD, Ross Bjork. The Buckeyes opened the wallet for players who could have gone pro in 2023 and for a few studs from the portal including All-America DB Caleb Downs and All-American Center, Seth McLaughlin, from Alabama. Unfortunately for tOSU, Seth is down and out. Ohio State openly and loudly proclaimed that 2024 Was Championship Or Bust! Gulp! A 21-point home favorite, Ohio State lost to the hated School Up North for the 4th year in a row and looked B-A-D in the process. Oh, and Ohio State lost to The New Kid On The Block, That Team Out West. The Tennessee Volunteers? It is so hard to get a handle on this season's SEC. The Vols beat Bama in Knoxville but were never in the game vs. Georgia in Athens and flamed out on the road in Hog Heaven. Tennessee had one of the easiest SEC in-conference schedules but could not make the SEC Champ game in Atlanta. I think this will be a low-scoring affair with two excellent defenses getting after it. This is the SEC vs. B1G Main Event. The OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY - 21 - The VOLS - 17 So, I have the B1G going 2-1. Sit back, relax, smell the Roses, and let me know if you agree with my handicapping which in the past has shown to be Cover-Challenged. Ruin Ryan! Hurl Heuple!

Solar, let the sunshine in on Vernon Adams but Cam Ward was in a bidding war and signed for seven figures. Ward first announced he was going pro, Gabe was on board so Oregon never got involved with Ward who in 2023 lit the Ducks up. Ward had the Canes in the PO if Miami had an even half-decent defense. He put up enough points to defeat Syracuse. Ward is a perfect example of an experienced QB I'd take over starting Moore or Novostad. Even Cristobal couldn't screw this guy up. It's not just the quarterback position. Without the transfers Dan and Division Street brought in, Oregon would not be the B1G champion. No Burch, Chadwell, or Harmon on the D line? A D backfield made up only of recruits? No Tez to spark the O. Good luck. Roster management is the name of today's CFB game. The transfers Dan signed this season will be instrumental next season, and more transfers are on the way. This is Today's CFB Paradigm; a time when any player can transfer for any or no reason. We did not win a title with Nix because UW had a transfer QB who was just as good as Bo with a better WR group. And, Dan was growing on the job. We would have won one or two titles with a homegrown QB. I did not see that guy on the roster in 2022 and 2023. Look at the roster. The roster speaks for itself in support of Charles' argument. I don't understand the pushback because CFB will be a roster management-driven sport until the players and 'management' can collectively bargain.

CAREFUL, the elephant in the room is Bama! More mascots than titles?

Thank you, Charles. Nothing can replace Experience, certainly not Potential. I wholly agree with Charles. So long as the conductor can put the new pieces of the orchestra together. Dan Lanning and friends to date have been the Arthur Fiedler of the OBD Pops. A mix of the old and the new has popped opponents in the mouth. But choose wisely. Norvell had the tune down in 2023, only to fall flat in 2024. The Portal King is more like the 3rd Prince-in-waiting. When I hear that a Bear could be on the prowl in Eugene, I shudder. The Ohio State money to date has gone down an O-line injury pipeline. However, this does not excuse Day for throwing Kyle McCord under the bus and bringing in a QB no better suited to win than McCord. McCord is a glaring example of a coach failing to coach a guy up and instead bringing in a portal replacement to cover the coach's behind. The Howard for McCord switch was the first indication that something was rotten in Columbus. If he had stayed at K State, Howard would not have been the starting QB. Day did not have McCord's back. McCord played far better in Ann Arbor vs. Michigan in 2023 than Howard played vs. Michigan in Columbus in 2024. McCord had one awful game at Pitt but otherwise outplayed Howard in 2024 including coming back from a 21-point deficit to Miami and Cam Ward. In Dan We Trust. In The Team, Dan and We Trust. Take the team-oriented experienced vet over the rookie all day long. No position is tougher to project and predict. Take the team-oriented player who has proved it between the lines. Mateer?

Here's a Good Look at the 1st Round Match Ups. 1 key matchup for every first-round College Football Playoff game: Picks, predictions - Saturday Down South WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM Here's 1 key matchup (and a prediction) for every first-round College Football Playoff matchup in 2024, including Tennessee-Ohio State.

OREGON Rose Bowl History in a Nutshell. Oregon Ducks' Rose Bowl Game history: Appearances, wins, and records AUTZENZOO.COM No. 1 Oregon is headed to the Rose Bowl Game for its first matchup in the 12-team College Football Playoffs. Here's a bit about the Ducks' history in the game. Bash the Buckeyes! Total Tennessee! Give Me 5! Move to the Winning Side of the Mendoza Line. 😍

Oregon inches into the lead ahead of consistently overrated Texas. A new favorite to win the college football national championship emerges SATURDAYBLITZ.COM The race for the college football national championship has taken a slight but significant turn. After being tied with Texas at +360 odds, the Oregon Ducks hav 30, Georgia won't have an advantage playing in its home away from home Mercedes Benz Stadium? WHY NOT? It's a game-day drive for many Georgia fans. It's an overpriced flight and an overpriced hotel room for OBD fans. The game is on a Monday evening which complicates travel with work. I expect that decent hotels will require at least a two-night stay. I don't believe Penn State would have hung in the conference champ game until the end in Las Vegas where it would have been without a majority of the "home" fans that it had in Indianapolis.

FWIW. I'm Just Happy that Gus Won't Be There! Joel Klatt predicts Oregon Ducks as national championship winners DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks are officially Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt’s pick to win the national championship this season.

Win the Rose Bowl, Orange, or Cotton Bowl and the Championship Game in Atlanta and R-E-S-P-E-C-T will (grudgingly) follow. Then, once OBD climbs The Mountain, there will be plenty of folks around ready to pull Oregon down. 😁 Don't Worry! Be Happy! Oregon is the B1G Conference Champion and in the Playoff Hunt.😍 And playing in THE ROSE BOWL. Put the Hurt On Heupel! Relish Reaming Ryan!

The only thing I know with moral certainty when it comes to this hodge-podge, OBD should be playing the winner of No. 9 Boise State at No. 8 Indiana. Any suggestion that UGA should be out is comparing 2023 rotten apples to 2024 rotten peaches. In 2023, FSU should have been in any sensible form of playoff. (BTW, with two losses the Committee could have ranked Georgia behind 1 loss Boise State and also seeded Georgia behind 1-loss Boise State. It would have been counter-intuitive, but in theory, conference champs Oregon and Georgia could have been ranked anywhere within the top 4 the Committee so desired. Blow this abomination up ASAP!) Georgia IMO is the favorite to win the title even with a backup QB. Round 1 - BYE Round 2 - Notre Dame or Indiana in New Orleans. Round 3 -SMU/Penn State/Boise State in Miami or Dallas. Champ Game - Home away from home in Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The thought that UGA should not be in the field because Beck is banged up is absurd. Georgia is in this position because of its DEFENSE and coaching. Ruin Ryan! Chip Kelly! Humble Heupel!

I think Georgia will advance to the champ game. I do not see Notre Dame or Indiana defeating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Penn State, SMU, or Boise State in the next round? Georgia could have easily won the game at Bama. The bad loss to Ole Miss happened in Oxford, with Georgia forced to do O-line shuffling like OBD and Ohio State have had to do this season. Urban Meyer, among others, has noted that the O-line is the toughest position to recruit in today's game. Georgia does not have field-stretching players on O like McConkey and Bowers, and its best RB, Etienne, has been injured. Beck tried to do too much and was error-prone. Georgia shut down Texas twice. Texas D stats may be better than Georgia but this is due to Texas playing a lightweight SEC schedule. For FPI to have Texas as the favorite to win it all, is computer nonsense. Georgia will play in New Orleans, probably Miami, and then in Atlanta, and be favored at least up to the champ game in Atlanta where it could be favored over OBD and any other opponent. Gerogia's road to the title is an easier path than OBD's. Kirby Smart has won two PO championships The Dawgs are better coached than Texas and any other team in the PO until hopefully, Danno proves otherwise. In this format, the SEC champion was not going to be kicked out of the field. Fortunately, the wizards on the Committee did not seed Georgia behind Boise State and ASU. Lots wrong with this PO but Georgia as the 2nd seed is righteous. Trash Tennessee! Wreck Ryan!

Saturday Down South Knows That Gabe is No. 1. (And gives Ewers the skewer!) Ranking the 12 College Football Playoff quarterbacks - Saturday Down South WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM National championships are won with great teams and strong quarterback play. Who's the best this year? We rank the 12 Playoff QBs.

The school may not want to fire Riley ($) but the players? What does Jen Cohen need to see before parting ways? Pete Carroll is only 1 year older than Chapel Bill?