Jon Joseph

Agreed! No 1st round bye. Spot reserved for G5 if not in the top 16. Other than that, playoff teams seeded as teams are ranked by the Committee, 1 vs. 16, etc. I'd like to see the 1st 2 rounds on campus and SoFi, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, and Detroit added to the existing bowls in a rota that does not favor teams located in the south. With the money to be made when ESPN's exclusive goes away after 2025/26, I think expansion to 16 is inevitable.

Until the next media round, if then, Conference Champ Games are not going away. These games are built into broadcast packages. All media packages end in 2030 or 2031 except for the ACC which is locked in with ESPN and CW through 2036. Although, FSU and its lawyers may have something to say about this. The Power 4 conferences all play without divisions beginning in 2024 when the B1G and the SEC drop divisions. Especially in the SEC with 8 conference games, a champ game will often be needed to settle tie-breakers and to see which team, at least in 2024/25 and 2025/26, wins the title and scores the 1st round bye.

Per SP+, Florida has the most difficult SOS in the nation in 2024. USC is No. 2, Oregon, No. 13. QB Mertz did have a good year at UF and he is back.

A football legend at U of A would not take much. Arizona is, other than when AZ played at UCLA, the only Pac team never to play in the Rose Bowl. Had Fisch not left, AZ would have been in contention for the B12 title. Now? AZ trips to Utah in 2024. Utah on paper has one difficult road game, at OK St. Keep Rising upright and I think Utah is the B12 leader in the clubhouse. Fans showed up for the football games this season but more often than not AZ does not sell out a small stadium.

Buckeyes trip to Autzen on 10/12/24. No game is scheduled vs the Buckeyes in 2025. But in 2024, it is conceivable the two Os could play 3 times. But this will most likely not happen if Oregon or Ohio State wins the B1G title and has the 1st round bye. I think we see a 16-team PO in 2026 with all teams starting play on Week 0. The 2024 season's PO concludes a year from today, 1/20/25. I do not think that a 24-team PO is manageable. 24 teams would be interfering more with NFL playoffs than will happen in 2024. Champ games are part of the media package and I don't think they will go away.

Buckeyes sign transfer safety Caleb Downs. SEC Frosh of the Year in 2023. My goodness!

The Bill O'Brien hire article that has been posted, thank you, is another example of how all-in Ohio State is this season. Like Michigan was goosed by a PO loss to underdog TCU, Ohio State is similarly incented times the 3 losses in a row to Michigan. For Day to give up playcalling, if this is the case on game day is surprising. Behind Stroud, Day lit up the B1G sans Michigan, and the UGA D in a great 2022/23 PO game. In 2023 McCord was not Stroud and the tOSU OL continued to dip in production. The tOSU D was terrific in 2023 and should be so in 2024. And you don't pick up a Bill O'Brien off the street for nickles and dimes.

Facts are troublesome things. John Adams

For an old guy who used to get sports through the newspaper and SI, this is sad. Good thing I saved all of the Swimsuit issues.😍

Bama 'commit' 5* Julian Sayin from Carlsbad, CA has entered the portal. Good luck Kalen. He is considered to be an Ohio State lean.

5* Bama QB Justin Sayin, who committed to Bama, has entered the portal and is an Ohio State lean. He joins many Bama players in the portal. 5* S, Downs, who as a true frosh led Bama in tackles and was All-SEC, is also on Ohio State's radar along with home state Georgia. Ohio State is on a 2024 full-court press. Sayin is from Carlsbad, CA and you can bet that Lincoln Riley at SC will make a strong play for Sayin.

5* QB and Bama commit Justin Sayin, has entered the portal with an Ohio State prediction. If this happens Sayin, along with 5* QB Air Noland would be the 2nd 5* to sign with the Buckeyes. Something's got to give, right? Sayin is from Carlsbad, CA. and will be on Lincoln Riley's radar.

I like the game host prediction instead of having to travel for a 1st round game on 12/21/24 or so, but how about winning the conference and securing a bye? Having to play one less game to get to Atlanta for the champ game will, I think be a big deal. I think it's odds on that one of the B1G or SEC champs that get the 1st round bye will be in the champ pole position. I think but I am not certain, that come the second round the top-seeded and perhaps 2 top-seeded teams with a bye will get their choice of the bowl site. I have yet to see an article that details how the bowl selection process under the new PO will work. The Rose Bowl is a 2nd round PO site, after teams 5-8 host a 1st round game. After the 2nd round, all bowl sites in 2024/25 will be in Dixie with Atlanta hosting the Peach Bowl and champ game. UGA anyone? Thanks for the post. Where the Ducks will end up as shown on Ducks Wire, 247 Sports, will be but one of thousands (probably tens of thousands) of posts forecasting the Delighted Dozen PO field. USF? Lot's of competition for the G5 spot including Boise, the 2nd game on the Ducks 2024 schedule, Memphis, which defeated Iowa State in its bowl game, Liberty, QB Salter removed his name from the portal and will be back at Liberty, Air Force Academy, other AAC and Mountain West contenders. APP State, Troy, and JMU from the Sunbelt should also be in the mix. Why the Sugar Bowl to play FSU? FSU (I look for Clemson to be here and not FSU) and the ACC were never contracted with the Sugar Bowl during the BCS/ 4-team PO era. If UGA finishes 1 it will opt, if given the choice for the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. If Ohio State in this example has the 2nd seed, I think tOSU opts to play in the Rose Bowl. If it does finish with the No. 3 seed and is given the choice, FSU would choose the Sugar Bowl over the Fiesta Bowl. The semi-final sites are the Cotton and Orange Bowls. Champ game will be played in Atlanta in Mercedes Benz Stadium.

The Bill O'Brien hire article that has been posted, thank you, is another example of how all-in Ohio State is this season. Like Michigan was goosed by a PO loss to underdog TCU, Ohio State is similarly incented times the 3 losses in a row to Michigan. For Day to give up playcalling, if this is the case on game day is surprising. Behind Stroud, Day lit up the B1G sans Michigan, and the UGA D in a great 2022/23 PO game. In 2023 McCord was not Stroud and the tOSU OL continued to dip in production. The tOSU D was terrific in 2023 and should be so in 2024. And you don't pick up a Bill O'Brien off the street for nickles and dimes.

https://collegefootballnews.com/ohio-state/2024-ohio-state-football-schedule-3-things-to-know

https://collegefootballnews.com/oregon/2024-oregon-football-schedule-3-things-to-know

30 day window for Bama, UW, AZ, and SJS. AZ players are leaving like Tucson is on fire. Lots of good Bama players out the door. And the last UW 2023 starter out the door please turn out the lights. The powers that be have to get portal dates figured out. In 2024 the portal opens before the first playoff games on 12/21/24 and the playoff does not conclude until 1/20/25, 5 days before the traditional date when underclassmen have to declare for the draft. And in the middle of 'all this' the first signing day appears. Managing an NFL schedule today compared to a CFB schedule is a piece of cake.

As the wags in the midwest are calling it, the B1G conference handed Ohio State an OPPS, Ohio State Playoff Protected Schedule. Of the on-paper contenders, Ohio State has the least rocky row to hoe in conference and its OOC schedule in 2024 looks like Michigan and UCLA the last 2 seasons. This year, Michigan plays SEC Texas OOC, in Ann Arbor. UCLA plays at LSU during the Ducks 1st Off Week and the week before Oregon opens the B1G schedule with a trip to LA to play the Bruins. This should help the Ducks' cause. UW's toughest OOC opponent, like Oregon's, comes against a Pac-2 opponent. Wazzu at Lumen Field in Seattle. USC not only plays LSU in Las Vegas OOC but also plays Notre Dame in LA in the final regular season game. With the expansion to a 12-team playoff, until the playoff committee shows that strength of schedule matters instead of just Ws and Ls, I see no reason to step up the OOC schedule. Heroes often win their medals posthumously. Thanks to all of my editors for the great work! I need all the help I can get.

Was it over when Rutgers bombed Coral Gables?

247 Transfer Rankings - 1/18/24 - Ducks at 6 with additon of 1 5* and 4 4* recruits. 2024 Transfer Football Team Rankings 247SPORTS.COM In order to create the most comprehensive Team Recruiting Ranking without any notion of bias, 247Sports Team Recruiting Ranking is solely based on the 247Sports Composite Rating.

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Is there a Doctor in the house!

Klatt: 1. Georgia - Number 1. in every poll I have seen to date. But neutral site vs. Clemson and Florida. Road games vs, Kentucky, Texas, Bama, and Ole Miss. And home vs. Auburn, TENN., and an improving Georgia Tech. WOW! A lot of guys are back but lots of guys are headed to the NFL including TE Brock Bowers. 2. Ohio State - Most of the talent is back. Michigan in Columbus. Road games vs Oregon and Penn State look to be the only away-from-Columbus tests. Wags are calling this the OSPPS - The Ohio State Playoff Protection Schedule. 3. Oregon - Thanks Joel. Makes some sense to be behind the Buckeyes because the Ducks 2024 schedule is far more difficult than tOSU. 4. Texas - Skip Bama but play UGA in Austin. Play the 14th easiest SOS of the 16 SEC teams. 5. Alabama - I don't know about this. It's still an 8 game conference schedule in the SEC but Bama trips to Wisconsin and with OK/TX in town it is going to be harder for SEC teams to finish with lofty records. 6. Ole Miss - Can Kiff get over the 2-SEC-loss hump? No Bama and UGA visits Oxford. 7. Michigan - So many questions. Texas, USC, Oregon, UW, and Ohio State are on the schedule. Good luck. 8. Utah - Makes more sense now that Fisch is gone. AZ does trip to SLC. But has Whit lost his mo-jo? I'd have K St. here. 9. Notre Dame - Schedule lightens up from 2023. Interesting opener at A+M. Does Marcus Freeman have the chops? 10. Penn State - No Michigan. Ohio State at home. Same question as Kiff. Can PSU get over the 2 loss hump? I would have seriously considered: Clemson; Mizzou; LSU; K St; OK St; and excuse me, USC. Oregon finishes 3rd, NICE! But 3rd behind tOSU means an extra playoff game; the 17th game for the Ducks, assuming OR played OH ST in the B1G champ game, would be played in Atlanta on 1/20/25 for the champ game.

The more that is discussed regarding his hire I do not see DeBoer being able to carry on at Bama anywhere close to the record that Saint Nick posted. He did an amazing job at the NAIA level. A very good job at Fresno State. And taking UW to the 2024 champ game speaks for itself. Or, does it? The 2024 UW roster was not valued as a Blue Chip Roster (BCR) coming into 2024 which, in my opinion, shows a flaw in the BCR calculations. Penix for BCR purposes continued to be ranked as a 3* recruit after his reuniting with DeBoer in 2022 and throwing for 4500+ yards. Ditto the 3 amazing wide receivers whose initial recruiting rankings did not reflect their performance since arriving at UW. This is also a failure IMO when it comes to the 2024 composite roster rankings. Transfers are re-ranked when they enter the portal but 3* recruits who play above their ranking do not have their initial ranking adjusted. Make no mistake, a BCR matters. No team won a BCS title or a 4-team playoff title without a BCR. Michigan in 2023 had a 54% BCR. My point is this: DeBoer was not working with a true 'developmental' roster at UW in 2023. He is a heck of a coach but he stepped into a situation in Seattle where there was a lot of experience and talent on the roster and he had the good fortune of having a prior relationship with Penix at Indiana. And coaching matters of course, but winning 10 games in a row by less than 10 points, the first time a CFB team had done so since Princeton in the 19th century, takes a fair measure of CFB pixie dust. In fairness, he only had two years to do so at the P4 level but DeBoer has never signed a recruit ranked in the top 200. Bama before Nick arrived had many down seasons. I have a feeling that Post Nick and with Oklahoma and Texas coming in a down season at Bama, 3 losses, could become the norm.

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