Jon Joseph

NOT SO FAST FOR A CONFERENCE FALLING INTO A CANYON. Grand Canyon, Pac-12 reportedly are interested in negotiations TROJANSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Grand Canyon and the Pac-12 want to have in-depth discussions about a marriage, with Gonzaga now in the Pac and Saint Mary’s potentially on the way. The UTEP Miners said, How About, NO! UTEP? 😁

We had no power here in South Carolina on Saturday along with 4.5M South Carolinians, so I watched the game last night on an ESPNU replay. One of the best coaching efforts I have witnessed in CFB. Kirby and his assistants never panicked and never let the team panic. The adjustments they made to contain Milroe in the 2nd half were fantastic. Beck had issues, no doubt. but he still threw for 439 yards and 3 TDs in what, except for the heroics of a 17-year-old Superman WR would have been an amazing comeback and terrible look for DeBoer. I have no idea why the SEC handled UGA a conference schedule, after an OOC game vs Clemson that I believe will win the ACC, with road games at Bama, Texas, and Ole Miss (which may not be so daunting) but the SOS and Georgia's bona fides will have a 10-2 or even a 9-3, that I don't see coming, UGA in the PO with or without playing in the SEC champ game. Go against Bama in the SEC champ game and I'm still down on UGA -2.5. That could well have been a Pyrrhic victory for DeBeor who did have a terrific 1st half game plan. (And an all-time 2nd half-front door comeback cover.) I understand Georgia fans disappointment but UGA fans have so much to look forward to and take pride from the coaching staff down on never giving up. GO DUCKS! GO DAWGS!

An Update From Fansided. Over the Top Perhaps, But Notre Dame Could SOL. B1G, SEC are cooking up an arrangement that'll end Notre Dame independence and more FANSIDED.COM A reported scheduling agreement is being discussed between the two conferences that would essentially turn college football into the haves and have nots.

Not You SC! Ha, Ha, Heh, Heh. 😂 USC football showcase game vs Penn State won’t air on prime-time TV TROJANSWIRE.USATODAY.COM USC and Penn State will not be shown in the prime-time television slot on October 12, even though this is an absolutely gigantic football game. We’ll explain.

Thanks, Micro, terrific post. One reason CFB is 'fly-specked' by fans is the LONG off-season followed by the short season. The Sports pages and a plethora of CFB sites make for a year-round CFB gossip column and many faulty predictions including FSU being the class of the ACC. This season will see the CFB champ play 16 or 17 games. IMO, with CFB Fanatics in the multi-millions, the controversy will continue well into the PO; especially, with a jury-rigged PO format affecting seeding and higher-ranked team(s) likely to be left out in favor of preferred-seeding lower-ranked teams. This week's AP Poll would have No. 16 Iowa State and No. 21 Boise in the PO with a top-four seed and No. 11 USC being left out. No. 12 Boise at No. 5 Texas would be a very interesting game. Being optimistic is All Good. But all the optimism in the world doesn't eliminate the OL leaking like a sieve vs. an FCS team. Boise is No. 21 for a reason. I believe many higher-ranked teams would fall to this Broncos squad. Not only did Jeanty again run wild on Saturday, but the Boise front 7 also blew up the Wazzu O-line. (Never, Ever Schedule Boise State!) I do agree with you that a W is a W. The only place I disagree and I'm not certain that I should is whether we want to see a 10-2 Ducks in a conference champ game with a chance of losing game three. We will not know the answer to this question before 12/8/24, if then. Again, terrific comment. SLAM SPARTY!

Good point on KY but Ole Miss in The Sip was a considerable favorite. Kentucky does not have CFB cache it has in CBB. Even though it was a loss to ANOTHER AWESOME SEC TEAM, the Kiffs dropped to No. 12 behind 1 loss Michigan and USC. A lot of PO contenders in the SEC but not KY to date.

Thanks, Jordan. Bad pick by Gabe; 1 in 5 games. I think he deserves a pass here. O disappears in 2nd half. I hope this is evidence of Stein keeping the playbook mostly closed (although the Tez pass that should have been a TD was interesting) through the first 5 games that on paper in preseason looked like a warm-up drill for tOSU visit on the 12th. I have argued against playing mega preseason games but having even a Texas Tech on the schedule could have helped the preseason focus. Boise is damn good (Never Schedule Boise!) but Idaho? Top OL guys looked like turn styles. It's been a complacent turn-it-on, turn-it-off performance to date and as noted above, where are the stud 5* Frosh recruits that we see flashing for Ohio State and Bama among other teams? Oregon will need its "A Game" for 60 minutes on 10/12. Will the Ducks bring it? And the concerning unanswered questions: Were These Guys Overrated in the Preseason? What quality team in a big-time game has Lanning and crew defeated? SPLATTER SPARTY!

Then, Chun has Dickert follow him to UW which UW fans blame on Puddles, Uncle Phil, and OBD. 😁 They have 200 more yards than Rutgers and more yards than WSU and have dropped both games. By November 30th, this team could be very good. Baby Belichick has done a terrific job with a completely new defense. When the Cascade Clash arrives I want it to be in contention for The Game of the Year. 7 B1G teams are ranked but SEC teams heading into Week 6 litter the top tier of the AP Poll. Ole Miss which had played trash to date was exposed and embarrassed by Kentucky on Saturday in Oxford. I hope that it's Mizzou's turn this Saturday at A+M. The B1G needs to prove that 'two B1G teams' playing for a title last season was not an aberration. That SEC teams are not automatically preferred over B1G teams when it's playoff-picking time. There are B1G dollars involved; especially, for a half-share 'junior partner.' We need the PO and CBB Tourney dues. B1G teams getting blown out by Texas and Bama on B1G home fields is not a good look. (BTW, does Michigan get EVERY break in the books from B1G refs?) UW losing to a G5 team in Seattle is not good. Texas opens in Columbus vs Ohio State next season and Michigan plays at Oklahoma. If you are going to schedule these games, you best be competitive, or come the PO the SEC will dominate the PO and at least for the next two seasons with the current format, potentially host all 4 first-round PO games in addition to having the majority of PO bowl games played in Dixie. GO DUCKS! SPLATTER SPARTY!

Thanks, Darren. Yes, Saint Nick Saban goes from whining about Chip's HUNH to hiring Lane Kiffin and poaching ace QBs from the Islands and California. Bama/UGA. The Tide Rolled In, The Tide Rolled Out, and a too young to imbibe 17-year-old prevented Tuscaloosa from Passing (sorry) Out.

Yes, but members outside of the class have brought suit. Reggie Bush recently sued USC, the NCAA, and others for preventing hime from receiving NIL money. The House suit does not bar future litigation including antitrust litigation.

How does it feel to roll craps while being grounded? 😁 Nellis Air Force base is close to The Strip. No matter how much money you have, before you tell the world you asked a cheerleader to the Prom you might want to wait for her to say, "Yes?"

You can't be CW without Copious amounts of bourbon and Wicked stupid spending habits. 😁

Or exclude such schools only regarding football and keep the conference as-is for all other sports with super-conference members sharing some of the revenue with non-football conference members. The ACC to keep Clemson and FSU on board is exploring the top revenue producers receiving a larger share of media revenues than Wake and BC; not just a larger share of the post-season money from football and Men's basketball. I expect this will be the norm in the next conference media agreements or sooner. Nothing wrong with having Vandy and NW in your conference as football members if they receive a smaller piece of the pie. We could also see as predicted by many, regional and not coast-to-coast conferences for the non-revenue sports.

Don't you dare call this whatever it is, an "Alliance." Thank you for the post. At least the Power 2 big boys understand that the House case settles only the House case. $2B without relief against the same litigation being filed post-settlement is a fool's bargain. Without Congressional relief, CFB is on the brink of being sued out of existence. A collective bargaining agreement has to be entered into between the 'Players' and 'Management.' With 'Management defined as the top 32 to 40 teams able to pay to play ball at the highest level and "Players' defined as those who compete for one of these 32 to 40 teams. With multi-billionaire owners, the NFL would not exist without collective bargaining and relief from Congress. ................................................................................................................................ The author, Ross Dellenger is now the Big Ten Network's CFB go-to journalist.

Tit for Tennessee TE tat! Way to go Danno. Please, explain to me again what the word 'Commitment' means.

So far, you cannot play 4 games, take a redshirt year, and play for another team in the same season. But 'this' has yet to be tested in court.

One of the few 'rules' left in the portal world, you can't play for different teams in the same season. Can't play 4, redshirt, and sell yourself to another team. This issue has yet to be litigated so soon, as was the case in the 1920s and 1930s, we may see a player being able to play for two or more teams in the same season without attending a class. The proposed House Settlement settles nothing beyond the House case. Without collective bargaining and relief from Congress, CFB is a, forgive me, sitting Duck. Reggie Bush could not keep up with the Kardashians and is among the latest to sue over being 'screwed out' of NIL millions.

Cam Ward recommends Incarnate Word.

30, great take on Georgia's schedule. A team may play only 8 conference games; however, when over half of your conference is ranked in the Coaches and AP Polls, you will play daunting schedules. 3-1 A+M. Uncompetitive home loss to Notre Dame. Beat a bad 1-3 Florida team in Gainesville. Last Saturday, A+M defeated the MAC's Bowling Green at home by 6 points and moved from AP No. 25 to 24. Tennessee stifled Oklahoma at home. Oklahoma's only P4 win is a close home win over a Houston team that other teams have blown out. 3-1 Oklahoma remains ranked, No. 21 in the AP. 4-0 Indiana, Pitt, and Duke are not ranked. 3-0 Rutgers with a win at VA Tech, a very tough place to play, is not ranked. It doesn't matter until 12/8/24 when the Committee decides on at-large teams and seeds the PO field. I try not to get too ticked off by any of this but when anything is decided subjectively and not based on merit, you will get skewed results such as a 13-0 conference champion being benched. What would the response be if NFL teams played a different number of games, the most influential NFL teams chose the days of the week when they would play and the starting time of the games, and at the end of the regular season 13 folks met behind closed doors and subjectively determined 58.33 percent of the playing field, and teams inferior to other teams were given preferred seeding. In the NFL, teams with a losing record in their division can make the playoffs but they are seeded behind teams with better records. None of these 'losing' teams are rewarded with preferred seeding. The higher seeds are not sent hither and yon to play the biggest games of the season; their fans are rewarded with home games and not over-priced flights and hotel rooms. The system is what it is for the next two seasons so, Go Ducks and Kick Booty! I do not see the same PO format surviving beyond 2025-26. The Power 2's influence goes well beyond two votes.

When you run the ball 42 times and are never called for holding, including an SC DL's jersey nearly being torn off on the game-clinching TD, you're doing something right, right? 15 Louisville at 16 Notre Dame on Saturday will let us know if the Canes will play a top-25 team in the regular season. Take a loss in South Bend and how far will Louisville, the only ranked team currently on Miami's schedule, will fall? Miami had a game outside of the normal ACC rota scheduled with the Domers that the Canes canceled. Clemson is not on Miami's 8-Game (SIGH) regular season conference schedule. 3 of 17 ACC teams ranked and the winner of the ACC gets a top 4 seed and a first-round bye. The six ranked B1G teams, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Michigan, USC, and Illinois with 9 conference games mostly play one another in the regular season. 2026 will see changes made to the PO format.

Hell of an agent. Mr. Agent, I have been promised orally by an assistant coach, nothing in writing, that I will be paid $100K to transfer from Holy Cross to UNLV. His agent didn't check with the UNLV NIL collective to confirm the offer and get it in writing. Well done Sir! When Tark was at UNLV there was no problem paying the players, other than a few nudges from the NCAA. 😁

And Lane County and small business people lose $6-8M when you give up a home game vs a P4 opponent to play folks who called you everything including a red-headed stepchild. Is someone, anyone, in the Athletics Department looking at the bottom line? A road game at "Pac-7" Utah State? And 4 games vs B12 opponents with no connection whatsoever to OBD. One game in Waco is not going to convince a recruit from Texas to play ball for Oregon. OK State and its horror show stadium in Stillwater? Why? Because Rob met the Bears and Cowboys ADs when he was on the PO Committee? Making room for H+H series with Cal and Stanford makes sense. Tripping to Oklahoma and Texas when you are doing enough B1G tripping is senseless. And Logan, Utah for a game? Money Matters. (DUH!) Especially if the House settlement is approved.

If you don't like playing on Friday night, please return the Money to CBS, FOX, and NBC and ask for an invite to the Scrap 12. 11 PM KO Eastern vs. UCLA is part of the B1G deal. And as Charles so noted, Illinois at Nebraska drew better viewer numbers than if squeezed in on Saturday.

But I am thrilled that DJU's younger brother is with OBD.

It's already Week 5! Does anything go slower than College Football's (CFB) off-season or faster than the CFB season? I am reminded of the time Albert Einstein visited FDR in the White House. 'Doctor Einstein,' the President inquired, 'please help me to understand why Time is relative to the observer?' 'Mr. President,' Einstein responded, 'have you ever attended a boring lecture where one minute felt like an hour?' FDR smiled and nodded his agreement. Einstein continued, "Mr. President, have you ever spent an hour with a beautiful woman that felt like a minute?" To this interrogatory, the President of the United States not only nodded his consent but LOL while doing so. Close to half of the regular season is gone for many CFB teams. Hard to believe, is it not? To date, Puddles Playoff Flight Path has encountered unexpected turbulence. Week 1 - 'The pump don't work because the Vandals stole the handle.' Week 2 - You never, ever, NEVER, schedule Boise State! Week 3 - Pac-2, 6, 8, or 12, it's still G5 so what the hell? Week 4 - Please, respect the Do Not Disturb sign on Puddles Nest. Week 5 - A flight to LA for Puddles' first B1G game. Against a team that OBD has played 72 times! Have to love the irony attached to these mega-conference schedules. OBD 32 - 40 versus the Bruins all time but 4-0 against UCLA in the last four meetings. Thanks to Darren Perkins, 30 Duck and other Forum Friends who have previously looked into B1G conference and other Week 5 Games with a Playoff impact. No. 19 Illinois +10.5 at No. 9 Penn State - 4:30 (and all other game times) Pacific - NBC. The last time Illinois visited a Top 10 Penn State team was in 2021. A record was set when the Illini won the game in the 9th Overtime! Beer and Pretzels were long sold out and a MASH Unit helped both team's players off of the Beaver Stadium field. 3-1 Maryland +7 at 4-0 Indiana. 9 AM Big Ten Network. If the B1G COY was decided today, Hoosiers HC Curt Cignetti would win hands down. Indiana is in the Top 5 nationally in all key offensive categories including 5th in points scored - 50 points a game. Defeat Maryland and Indiana will be 5-0 for the first time since 1967 when Indiana went to the Rose Bowl and lost a close game to USC and Heisman winner OJ Simpson. 4-0 Indiana has punted the ball 4 times this season. Keep a B1G eye on - 3-1 UW +2.5 at 3-0 Rutgers, Wisconsin +14.5 at No. 13 USC, No. 3 Ohio State -24.5 at 3-1 Michigan State, and of course, OBD -24 at UCLA. The Biggest Game of the Weekend is No.2 Georgia -2.5 at No. 4 Alabama. 4:30 ABC. 2007 was the last time UGA played at Alabama. The Dawgs won the game in Overtime. The Tide has won 5 of the last 6 games played between these CFB behemoths with every game being oh-so-close. In 2008, the No. 8 Tide paid back No. 3 Georgia with an upset win in Athens. This is the first of Georgia's three tough SEC road games. UGA will also play at No. 1 Texas and No. 6 Ole Miss. UGA also will play No. 5 Tennessee 'Tween the Hedges. Georgia got one of the shorter ends of the SEC scheduling stick; a schedule but for the game venue will be repeated in 2025. No. 15 Louisville +6.5 at No. 16 Notre Dame - 12:30 on The Bird (Peacock) This game resonates in the Playoff seven at-large selections. A two-loss Irish with a less-than-impressive schedule and with a 2nd home loss could be all but Playoff done. Louisville is the only ranked team left on Miami's regular season schedule. Louisville drops this game in South Bend and Miami's strength of schedule will be rank, not ranked, especially for a possible ACC champion that will be rewarded with a top 4 Playoff seed. Holy War in the B12! Undefeated No. 10 Utah and 4-0 No. 22 BYU (who knew?) are the front runners for the B12's champ Playoff top 4 Playoff seed. GO DUCKS - RUIN THE BRUINS!