Jon Joseph

Lincoln Riley, James Franklin, and Ryan Day made the list. As did Dillon Gabriel. College football 2024: Who has the most to prove next season? - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM With the entire landscape of the sport changing next season, there are more opportunities than ever for players and coaches to change perceptions.

Pac-12 guru Jon Wilner of The Mercury News will continue to follow Pac teams off to the ACC, B1G, and B12. Jon is an AP Voter who is not afraid to dance to a different ratings drumer. For example, in his preseason CFB top 25, Jon has Texas ranked No. 12, far lower than any other preseason poll I have seen. In his preseason B1G ratings, below, Jon goes against conventional wisdom with Michigan No. 3 and Penn State No. 5. 1. Ohio State - 'Kelly - The former UCLA coach will serve as OC and implement a scheme for Ohio State's running game that should maximize the not-quite-elite talent on the O Line.' 2. OREGON - 'The Ducks are well equipped to challenge Ohio State for the B1G title and will host the head-to-head showdown on October 12th. Anything short of a playoff appearance would be a major disappointment.' 3, Michigan/ 4. Wisconsin. 'QB VanDyke will receive better coaching than he did in Coral Gables.' DUH! Note, that OREGON will play both teams on the road. 5. Penn State/ 6. Nebraska/ 7. Iowa/ 8. USC - 'a comically difficult schedule.' Ranked No. 2 in the nation by SP+. 9. Rutgers - No OREGON, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State./ 10. Michigan State/ 11. Washington - '6-6 is a possibility.' A November schedule so tough it should be outlawed.' 12. Maryland / 13. Minnesota / 14. UCLA / 15. NW / 16. Illinois / 17. Purdue / 18. Indiana. Ducks play Wilner's Nos. 1, 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16 and 17.

Love for the Ducks. The top five offseasons in college football WWW.YARDBARKER.COM With coaching changes and transfer portal arrivals and departures, this year's college football offseason was as wild as any in recent memory. Here are five teams that have the most to celebrate...

ESPN’s SP+ ranks hardest 2024 college football schedules WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM ESPN's SP+ rated the toughest schedules of the 2024 season. Neel, go to your room! Oregon No.10 in the B1G? WRONG! Plus, no nuance for 8 games in a row with no off week, and the final 4 games being at Michigan, Maryland, at Wisconsin, Off, and UW.

As noted several times by several posters, Ohio State at No. 17 B1G SOS = OPPS - 'Ohio State Playoff Protection Schedule.' Goosed by 3 OOC cupcakes to be chowed down in Columbus, (2025/26 tOSU plays TX OOC; 2027/28 tOSU plays Bama OOC) Ohio State's schedule is the easiest nationwide of teams, Oregon, Ohio State, Texas, Georgia, with FanDuel 10.5 win totals. The disparity in SOS will continue year after year in CFB with no central authority controlling SOS. If the PO CT as it did in a 4-team PO continues to simply count wins and losses with no meaningful consideration of SOS and with a 16-team SEC playing 8 conference games and an 18-team B1G playing 9 conference games, even with the FSU situation in 2023/24 a thing of the past there will be controversy. And conference tie-breakers with the top 2 playing for a conference title instead of say 4 vs 1 and 3 vs 2 had best be well thought out. (And ND best be required come 2026 to join a conference or play 13 games with 10 at least vs P4 opponents.) I think there will be more opportunities to game the system with 12 teams than there were with 4 teams. Add on ESPN having exclusive PO broadcast rights through 2031/32, NY6 bowls being PO sites meaning non-PO bowls will be worth spit to PO contending teams that do not make the field, 5 of the 7 bowl PO sites being in Dixie as well as the 2024/25 and 2025/26 champ games (ATL + MIA) and again, the expanded PO format could engender more controversy than the 4-team PO. B1G commissioner Tony Petitti best be looking out for his conference and as much as possible, considering geography, in-conference schedules need to be equitable. In 2024, Oregon's opponents finished 101-57 in 2023. Oregon plays (SIGH) seven home games. Ohio State's opponents finished 2023 83-71 (an 18-game W/L differential between Oregon and Ohio State = a season and a half of regular season play) and the Buckeyes play eight home games. FanDuel has both teams with 10.5 wins; obviously, tOSU has the easier row to hoe, and as Micro so noted, the Ducks is the only P4 team in 2024 that will play 8 games in a row without a break. (I am likely too critical of the man but Mullens best get his Sierra together including losing a game in Logan, Utah in a few years.) Thanks for the post. It is of course, what it is but Brutus has the Pole Position with Oregon, the 13th hardest SOS in the country, on the outside. DW's Neel strikes again. Oregon at No. 10? Using SP+? SP+ has Oregon as noted above with the 13th hardest schedule in the country. When Bill Connolly comes out with his P4/G5 2024 SOS rankings, Oregon will not be No. 10 in the B1G.

How can anyone manage Bowl preparation, the transfer portal, attendant NIL deals, and early signing day at the same time in December without going nuts? And also re-recruiting your roster during the same time. That's crazy-making. NFL roster management and salary cap management by comparison is a piece of cake. CFB has to do something to ease the burden. Move signing opportunities for recruits up and move official signing day back to what is not the 2nd date in February. For enrollment purposes, CFB cannot defer transfer portal entry to the 2nd portal opening date.

Charles, I appreciate and respect your thoughts. 35 points in the B1G would not be all that bad. Penn State led the conference last season at 36.2 points, followed by Michigan 35.9 and Ohio State 3rd with 30.5 points. The high for tOSU was 63 points vs W. KY. Low, 3 points vs. Mizzou in the Cotton Bowl. A game where Ohio State basically had no QB. The D finished giving up an average of 11.2 points a game and held Mizzou way below the Tigers average in the Cotton Bowl loss. Horses for courses. I agree that Will Stein is a better fit at Oregon than Kelly would be. But I think that Kelly reuniting with Ryan Day and OL coach Frye will be a great fit. Far better than I think the Buckeyes would have been with O'Brien at OC. In 2023 OH ST had the No. 2 Blue Chip Roster behind Alabama and the No. 3 composite roster behind Bama and Georgia. It will be close to the same rankings in 2024. In 2023, Ohio State played Notre Dame OOC. In 2024, OH St plays 3 G5 teams out of conference. In 2024 Oregon plays teams that finished 101-57 in 2023. In 2024 Ohio Stat plays teams that finished 83 -71 in 2023. Oregon does not play Portland State in 2024 and may get Liberty in the 1st round if seeded No. 5 in 2024's playoff but is more likely to face a better 1st round opponent. These two games helped tilt the overall scoring numbers materially in Oregon's favor. Had CFB had a 12-team PO in 2023, Oregon's 1st round opponent would have been the Missouri team Ohio State lost to in the Cotton Bowl. In 2024 Ohio State plays 8 games in Columbus where it does not lose many games. The UCLA O finished 4th in the country in 2022 with the kind of talent on O (QB DTR, RB Charbonnet) that Kelly will have at his disposal in 2024. Like UCLA in 2023, Ohio State had issues at QB that it did not have with Heisman finalists Fields and Stroud. I think it will be a close-run thing in 2024 to see which of Oregon and Ohio State puts the better O on the field. With the possible exception of USC, I think these two will battle to see who leads the B1G in O in 2024. OT: I think the Ducks will play very good D in 2024 but I think Ohio State has a very good shot of leading the nation in D in 2024. I think 2024 will be the first of many seasons where the 2 Os battle it out for B1G supremacy. And I think the Buckeyes O will be much improved from 2023.

OBD 2023 Elite 8 Volleyball team and coach Matt Ulmer, learned on the BTN today which B1G teams will be traveling to Eugene in 2024, and the teams Oregon will be playing on the road. The specific dates of the games have not yet been determined. This is the first release of a B1G Olympic sports format for the 18-member conference and is likely a template of how the other Olympic sports will be formatted. In 2024 Oregon will play UCLA, USC, and UW Home and Away. All B1G Eastern time zone teams playing at Oregon will also play at Washington on the same trip. Ditto, UCLA, and USC for teams traveling to LA. In 2024, Oregon will play 4 teams in the Eastern time zone: Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Penn State. The Michigan/ Michigan State and Ohio State/Penn State games will likely be played on the same trip. Home - Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska (2023 runner-up), Northwestern, Purdue (OBD defeated Purdue in the 2023 Sweet 16). and Rutgers. Away - Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin. In 2023, Wisconsin defeated Oregon in an Elite 8 game played in Madison. A bonus for Ducks fans was an in-depth interview with Oregon coach Matt Ulmer. Matt was very pleased with the scheduling format. Matt said that he is especially excited to have Nebraska, a team that drew 92,000 fans to a game played last season on the floor of Nebraska's Memorial (football) Stadium, a women's attendance record for any sport, visiting Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon is not yet an official B1G member and this is the second time that Coach Ulmer has been interviewed on BTN. Again, I urge all OBD members to add BTN to your viewing stable. Yesterday's 12-minute interview with Deshaun Foster was great. The 'Pac-4' will not be ignored.

New AD coming in. Not all that surprising but the guy was B1G COY only a few years ago. What have you done for me lately?

Sorry, that's ALABAMA tied at 76.

Ryan Day - 56 - 8 (1 of the Ls to Oregon.) B1G Record - 39-3, all 3 Ls to Michigan in the last 3 seasons where the Wolverines made the Final 4 and won the title in 2023. A Michigan team with 18 guys (!) invited to the Combine for the 2024 draft. In 2022 if Harrison isn't injured, Ohio State, and not UGA, blows out TCU for a title. Lost to Mizzou in the Cotton Bowl without a QB on the field. But held MO. well below its scoring average playing in the SEC. Great take but who would you replace Day with? Especially after he convinced all draft-eligible players with eligibility left, except for Harrison to come back. Finished No. 5 in recruiting, did a great job with the transfer portal, and IMO caught a break with O'Brien headed to BC and Chip coming in to run the offense. No. 1 headed into 2024? UGA on the road vs. PO teams 12-2 Bama and 12-2 Texas and the Peach Bowl winner and 11-win team Ole Miss, or Ohio State, on the road at Oregon and at a Penn State team blown out by Ole Miss? A PSU team that has not defeated tOSU since 2016. Ohio State comes into 2024 with the easiest schedule of B1G title contenders. UGA will have a slight roster ranking edge but it will be slight; the Dawgs have a more difficult schedule in 2024 than the Buckeyes.

An academic ranking of P4/G5 CFB programs. The B1G is behind the SEC in many respects including recruiting, NFL picks, and CFB titles, but leads the list here with 10 schools in the top 25. The SEC has 4 in the top 25. B1G - T3. - UCLA/ 5. NW/ 11. USC/ 12. Michigan/ T18. - Illinois and UW/ 21. Wisconsin/ 22. Maryland/ 23. Rutgers/ 24. Purdue Just missed - 27. Ohio State - FYI - Oregon No. 48/ Oregon State and Wazzu tied at No. 59. SEC - T9 Vandy/ T13. Florida/ 17. Texas/ 25. A+M. Just missed - 26. Georgia - FYI T 76. (Should be easier for deBoer to recruit to, right Jimmy?) On the B1G expansion radar screen? - 16. Notre Dame/ 15. UNC/ 28. Florida State/ T39. Clemson / 41. Miami (!) https://collegefootballnews.com/rankings/college-rankings-how-academically-good-is-your-football-school-2024 When it comes to the field of play, better to have a Blue Chip Ranking, like Oregon, than to be in the top 25 here. And yes, it's a long off-season. BTW - Using US News and World Report and Forbes rankings: 1. Princeton, 2. Stanford, 3. Cal. (Where have you gone, Harvard and Yale?)

What can Chip Kelly do with Ohio State's talent? Why his offense is tough to defend THEATHLETIC.COM Kelly’s reputation as a play caller inside football remains strong, making him an intriguing fit at Ohio State. Why is he tough to defend?

Bleacher Report is shucking the Huskers in 2024 and storm warnings are up for the Hurricanes. Storied College Football Programs That Will Struggle in 2024 BLEACHERREPORT.COM College football has several storied programs, featuring the likes of Alabama, USC, Notre Dame and Ohio State among the all-time leaders in wins and…

Our friends at Bleacher Report see these 'name teams' struggling in 2024; Mari(o) made the list. As well as out buddies at Nebraska and 2024 opponents Michigan State and Wisconsin. Storied College Football Programs That Will Struggle in 2024 BLEACHERREPORT.COM College football has several storied programs, featuring the likes of Alabama, USC, Notre Dame and Ohio State among the all-time leaders in wins and…

The B1G Commissioner weighs in. I wonder if this was prompted by some of the blowback from the new CFB Playoff/ESPN deal. Tony Petitti -- Big Ten wants more games with CFP implications - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti told ESPN he is focused on ensuring the conference has November schedules packed with games that carry CFP implications.

Thank you, NJ. For this and all of the other great posts. 5 years. These days in CFB who the heck knows where the game itself will be in 5 years? In close to 5 years we (I may be stretching it with the 'we?') will see at least 2 new significant events, the renegotiation of the B1G media deal, with Oregon as a full partner, and the Playoff media broadcast deal also renegotiated with the new deal beginning in 2031/32. I doubt that in the next half-decade, we will see stasis in the conference realignment, NIL, direct pay-for-play, players as employees, how the product will be delivered, etc. fronts. DeBoer, Freeze, Kiff, Sark, and Smart. Based on the pressure in the SEC, I wonder how many of these men will still be coaching in the SEC 5 years from now? Is there room for all five of these guys to be successful in the SEC along with the coaches at A+M, Florida, Oklahoma, and other SEC teams? The Dixie standard is Natty or Bust. In the next five seasons, I do not see all five of these coaches winning a CFB playoff title. Norvell? Where will the Seminoles be chopping? In the easier ACC, the SEC, or elsewhere? Perhaps the B1G if FSU can capture an AAU ranking. If Big Time CFB continues to coalesce, as is likely, there will be fewer jobs for the more talented coaches; possibly without the parity guardrails built into the NFL. Even with the guardrails, Kansas City is odds-on to play in its 5th Super Bowl in 6 seasons in 2024/25. Lots of quality, experienced coaches do not win titles or win half their games or more. Boil CFB down to say, 32 to 40 teams and how much room will there be at the top? Dan Lanning? I won't, of course, argue with a Natty in the next five seasons. It is certainly doable with Dan at the helm. At 37 years of age, is Dan a CFB lifer? Win a Natty or two, kids grown up and gone, will Dan hear the NFL sirens calling? Have to love the man's loyalty. Turning down Bama? Wow. But if Ryan Day heads off to the pros and Dan receives an offer closer to his midwest growing-up place? And bless him and I am certain that Phil Knight will take care of Oregon after departing this mortal coil, but 5 years from now Uncle Phil will be 91. The world could look different to a 42-year-old Danno. Change is permanent. And in this wired world we live in today, change seems to be accelerating. Any prediction 5 years out that materializes will take one heck of a futurist and a lot of good fortune, a/k/a luck.

It's not like Bill's SP+ rankings are spot on at season's end, they're not. But, compared to many of the CFB 'experts' preseason polls, the SP+ is not a total WAG. For example, The Athletic's Stewart Mandel - Utah No. 9, Oklahoma State No. 10, and Louisville No. 11? ESPN's Mark Schlabach - Utah No. 10, Arizona No. 11? Scheduling matters in the SP+ rankings. Not so much in the throw-them-at-the-wall rankings. What SP + Is: A tempo and opponent-adjusted measure of a College Football team's efficiency. Taking into account roster attrition, current recruiting, and transfer rankings (composite roster rankings) as well as on-field success over the past three seasons. This is Bill's first 2024 pass which will be updated in May and August. What SP+ is not: It is not an attempt to predict what the final 2024/25 AP Poll will look like. However, while there are always a few 'oddball' SP+ rankings, for the most part, Bill's SP+ Top 6 made the 4-team playoff field. Note that the below SP+ top 12 would have 6 SEC teams in the 12-team playoff; this will not happen. Bill knows that it will not happen. Teams are ranked from 1 to 134. In the spirit of the coming 12-team playoff, below are Bill's top 12 teams and a look at the playoff field. 1. Georgia 2. Ohio State 3. OREGON 4. Texas 5. Michigan 6. Alabama 7. Penn State 8. Ole Miss 9. Notre Dame 10. LSU 11. Missouri 12. FSU. The 2024 playoff would be seeded as follows. 1. Georgia - SEC - vs 9. Penn State at 8. Alabama 2. Ohio State - B1G - 10. Ole Miss at 7. Michigan 3. FSU - ACC - vs 11. Notre Dame at 6. Texas 4. Utah (SP+ No. 17) B12 - vs 12. Liberty (No. 38 G5) at 5. OREGON Ranking of the Other 14 B1G Teams - 23. USC/ 25. Wisconsin/ 26. Iowa/ 29. UW/ 37. UCLA/ 39. Nebraska/ 41. Minnesota/ 43. Rutgers/ 45. Maryland/ 55. Northwestern/ 62. Illinois/ 79. Michigan State/ 86. Purdue/ Indiana 90. Oregon's 2024 OOC opponents ranking: Idaho - NR/ Oregon State - 44./ Boise State - 50. By P4 Conference -1. SEC average ranking - 14.3 - 2. B1G - 8.7 / B12 - 4.7/ ACC - 3.9 - No surprise that the B1G has some catching up to do, but CFB has a clear Power 2. I'd certainly like a Playoff 5 seed. But a rematch vs Liberty?

Do not sell Nebraska short! Nebraska accomplished what only 1 school in the B1G has accomplished, it is the only one out of 18 B1G member institutions to flunk out of AAU membership. Without being an AAU member at the time, Nebraska never would have been invited to join the B1G. The last time the Cornhuskers appeared in a bowl game was in 2016 when Nebraska lost to Tennessee 24 - 38. That's 7 seasons in a row with 5 or fewer wins. In 2023, Nebraska and OREGON shared a common opponent. OREGON 42 - Colorado 6 / Colorado 36 - Nebraska 14. Puddles, run for cover! 😂🤣😘

Texas skill players? Why is young Manning even mentioned when he is not likely to see the field? The TX O that did not shine vs. UW's less-than-high-ranked D lost its 2 best RBs and most of the WR corp. Ewers was hurt last season and his backup is now playing for Manny Diaz at Duke. The incoming transfer portal WR guys, including an OR St guy, look good on paper but? I'm not sold on TX, even with a light 2024 schedule by SEC standards, strolling into the SEC and finishing in the top 4 in the nation as the Horns are ranked in many preseason polls. TX was close to UW only due to a late play-calling screw up. The Ducks played better O twice against UW. And in 2023, TX had many close calls in the B12.

Huh? The 4 newbies finish up the B1G ladder and won't be playing on or close to New Year's Day in B1G bowls. I'm fine with keeping the Pac-12 bowls but not with an apartheid bowl system where the newbies start in 2nd place. I want SEC opponents and not B12 and MW opponents.

Big Ten, SEC pushing for more as College Football Playoff finalizes expansion details SATURDAYTRADITION.COM Big Ten and SEC leaders seek to change the revenue distribution model and voting structure of the College Football Playoff as expansion looms.

Get ready for a battle of The O's. Big Ten recruiting roundtable: Biggest winner, impact players, QB most likely to start THEATHLETIC.COM Seven teams in the new-look Big Ten finished with a top-25 ranking, led by newcomer Oregon at No. 3 and Ohio State at No. 5.

I love reading a variety of opinions regarding the posts we ponder on OBD. I was a bit taken aback by the response to Chip heading to Columbus to be the Ryan Day's and the Buckeyes OC. Many commentators opined that Chip is over-the-hill and washed up. In 2022 UCLA had the No. 4 ranked run offense in the nation behind RB Charbonnet and QB DTR, both on NFL rosters today. The run attack dropped to 32 in 2023 but the personnel was not as solid both in the skill positions and on the OL. The tOSU OL is coached by Coach Frye who worked with Chip for two seasons at UCLA. Both know what the other wants in the run game. The QB, Howard, is a legitimate dual threat who won a B12 title in 2022 and was the second team All B12 QB (behind OBD's Gabriel) in 2023. As noted in this attached article, the RB position at Ohio State is more than solid. Yes, tOSU WR Harrison is off to the NFL but plenty of studs return including 2024's No. 1 recruit. Of the four teams' with FanDuel projected odds of 10.5 wins coming into 2024, Ohio State, based on the 2023 opponent's results (imprecise, I know), has the easiest schedule. Ohio State - 83 - 71 / 8 home games. Texas - 84 - 69 / 7 home games Georgia - 90 - 63 / 7 home games OREGON - 101 - 57 - 7 home games. Chip will have a lot of shiny new toys to play with in 2024. Could Chip Kelly bring nation's best run game to Ohio State? 5 thoughts on Buckeyes new OC THEATHLETIC.COM Kelly isn't an elite recruiter, but his offensive mind could bring a successful scheme to Columbus. Without the 'other stuff.' Fundraising, recruiting, PR point man, etc.

Not a great season for Oregon B-Ball. And unlike football and like George Kliavkoff, the Conference of Champions is dribbling its way out of CBB, at least on the Men's front, with a whimper and not a fury. Oh well. The 20 most important questions you may have about college basketball with the NCAA Tournament five weeks away - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM Now that the NFL is done, it's time to lock into college basketball's stretch run