Jon Joseph

SMU - AAC Champ on the way to P4 ACC - Liberty - CUSA Champ SOS - SMU 76/ Liberty 133 out of 133 FPI - SMU 20/ Liberty 49 Wins vs. FPI Top 60 - SMU 2/ Liberty Zip Flight time to Phoenix from Dallas - 2 Hours 8 Min/ From Lynchburg, VA - 6 Hours 52 Minutes. After the Committee decided to jettison FSU and elevate, of course, the SEC champ, even though the ACC had a winning record vs. the SEC in 2023, and while FSU struggled somewhat vs. Florida, it did not need a miracle TD to defeat 6-6 Auburn, the Committee was likely too worn out to choose the correct G5 representative. The Committee went with the champion of the lowest-ranked G5 conference, a degree mill that graduates 29% of its students and has a 99% acceptance rate. Insult to injury. The Citrus Bowl, 17. Iowa vs. 21. Tennessee, kicks off at the same time as the Fiesta Bowl and this B1G vs. SEC clash will be carried on ABC while ESPN broadcasts the Fiesta Bowl. At the very least, the Committee could have provided Oregon with a decent opponent and not an opponent that pays big money for a G5 coach so it can sign up 'students' online. This is yet another example of why it behooves Puddles to fly off to the B1G.

But, with a P5, NIL, and the Portal, we saw parity at the top like never before in the run to the final Final 4. If Oregon had defeated UW in a close game and with Bama beating UGA, the Ducks would have been on the PO fence.

Chiles is in the portal and Martinez is DUI'd out. OSU is +8.5 for a lot of reasons in addition to no DJU. At least the Sun Bowl sold out. The Fiesta Bowl? Invite AAC champ SMU as should have been the case and lots of SMU fans on their way to the ACC would have showed up. SOS matters when it's Bama compared to FSU but not SMU compared to the Flames.

Oregon State QB Aiden Chiles has entered the portal. Utah's QG Pig Farmer Barnes is in the portal but will play for Utah vs. Northwestern. Could DJU think about doing the same for OSU vs. the Domers? The Sun Bowl is sold out and this would be a great place to audition. With D(UI)amien Martinez out at RB, 8.5 point underdog OSU could use the help. DJU is rumored to be headed to Louisville, FSU, or Mississippi State.

Liberty leads the nation in rushing with 302.9 rushing yards a game. The Flames will be fired up. Will Oregon match the intensity in a game going against the No.17. Iowa versus No. 21 Tennessee? The Iowa vs. Tennessee game is being shown on ABC at the same time ESPN is broadcasting the Fiesta Bowl. The Fiesta will be the least-watched NY6 bowl and will the stadium come close to a sellout. One metric that the CT. used to justify Bama in the PO over FSU was Bama's superior SOS. By going with Liberty and not a 10-2 SMU team that defeated ranked Tulane for the AAC, the CT. opted for a team with the worst SOS in the P5/G5. A team that did not play a P5 team all season. A small CUSA school from Virginia instead of a nearby SMU headed to the ACC. SMH.

Thanks, David. 'Bowls, Polls, and Tattered Souls.' And nuclear fallout in Tallahassee. 'Fan' is a most appropriate diminutive for 'Fanatic.' That was a tough long weekend.

15,000 + passing yards in CFB. If his Louie is not already packed it will be after he visits Eugene. This is the name of today's CFB game. What coach would prefer an untested starter at QB over a battle-tested vet? And Dillon has a W over Texas. Something Cam Ward does not have.

I'm a traditionalist at heart but if there is one thing in life that is permanent, it is Change. Baker and the NCAA finally get it. By protecting Title 9, the stage is now set for Congress to give 'NFL Lite' anti-trust protection including protection from the NLRB and also protection when CFB transfers are reined in, perhaps a salary cap is imposed, etc. I also like the In Trust concept. Players will be paid but payments will be placed in trust before an athlete finishes his or her eligibility by 4 years to play 5 or deciding to go pro. This was inevitable. Size goes to size in big business and college sports today are big business. If this measure is passed, Congress also may give teams like Clemson and FSU relief from exit fees keeping schools tied into a given conference. FSU wants out of the ACC even before it lost a playoff shot in a board room and not on the field of play. I'm not certain that all Power 2 schools will opt in if the measure is passed. Schools like Vandy and Northwestern come to mind. And CFB's future is all about the Power 2. In substance over form. 2 SEC schools and 2 B1G schools are playing in the final Final 4. Using the Committee's final 2023 ranking and adjusting for the 2024 realignment, 5 B1G schools, Michigan, UW, Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State would be in the 2024 PO along with 4 SEC schools, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and Missouri. Ole Miss would be the 1st Power 2 school out. 1 B12 school, Arizona, 1 ACC school, FSU, and 1 G5 school, Liberty from CUSA would round out the field. I expect we will see this year after year and if the NCAA proposal is approved and the new format gets help from Congress, the PO could be a World Series between the top Power 2. Add Clemson, FSU, UNC, and a 4th team, Louisville, Miami, NC State, to the SEC and add say Notre Dame and AAU member and CBB power Kansas to the B1G and what school will be able to challenge for a title? Spread some playoff sugar to the G5 to keep the pols and lawyers at bay. Again, I believe this was inevitable and the NCAA knows that it must get ahead of the litigation and regulatory threats.

Tampering? Tampering! Oh No! Say it ain't so. Tamper with a STUDENT-athlete. Never! I jest. Just as likely, the young man's agent is waiting for all of the bids to come in before closing down the auction. But if was just about money I don't see the Sooners boosters letting the young man get away.

FWIW, Canzano, who was at the game in Seattle and in Las Vegas noted that the Ducks on Friday seemed to be far less emotional and fired up than before the game in Seattle. Almost listless in pregame warm-ups. Ever since the Seattle loss the Ducks were on PO thin ice with a lot to prove. Maybe they just ran out of gas? And being a 9.5 dog had to rankle the puppies. DeBoer had to love this for motivational purposes.

As my OL coach liked to say, "Gentlemen, it's about attitude and leverage." Why Oregon came out flat with a chance for a revenge win and a path to the playoff is puzzling.

The kid is a baller. A great competitor. His last drive against Texas to get the win was tremendous. If he had not been hurt against Kansas, OK would not have lost in Lawrence. Win this game and what team is in the final 4? OK would have been 11-1 and in the B12 champ game with the chance to take down Texas twice. Upset by OK St in Stillwater but that was more on the D, missing its best LB and top tackler who was injured the week prior. A true dual-threat QB who is accurate on the move. This would be a great get. I think he is the best QB in the portal including Duke QB Riley Leonard.

Wow! Ohio State starting QB McCord is in the portal. He has to know that Ryan Day is looking for someone to portal in with more athleticism and upside than McCord. The 2nd string QB will be playing for the Buckeyes vs. Mizzou. I was also surprised to see Oklahoma's Dillon Gabriel in the portal. A Hawaiin who grew up idolizing Marcus Mariota. UGA backup QB Vandergriff is in the portal and is well-known by Coach Lanning. Lots of talent will be available and with CFB free agency portal picking properly is right up there with recruiting.

Without DJU. Will Hartman play for ND. OSU QB Chiles gets some good reps but will he be auditioning for the portal OSU deserved to catch a break. The Sun Bowl executives were so unprepared for ND accepting a Sun Bowl bid that they did not have an ND hat on hand for the press conference. CBS scores! 1 bowl broadcast and it gets the Irish.

Rise in Fame, Go Down in Flames. Starting with Friday night, this was not a great weekend. Quack.

Van, good points. But beat UW and the only decision the CT would have to make is where to seed the Ducks in the playoff. 1 NY6 bowl team was going to be hit with the G5 ugly stick. UGA was available because of the Bama loss and is playing close to home in Miami. Ohio State lost to Michigan and plays in Dallas, a decent location for both Buckeyes and Mizzou fans. The ACC champ if not in the PO is contracted to the Orange Bowl. The system stinks. It has stunk from the start with 4 PO spots in a sport before next season with 5 power conferences. Professional sports use the on-field results to determine and seed playoff teams. College sports playoff selections and seeding are often subjective. So you get strange and often infuriating results. But Oregon is in this position because it showed up flat and did not play well vs. UW. It could be worse. We could be Seminoles fans.

No team is going to boycott a NY 6 bowl. Especially with a shot to beat Ohio State. We need the dues!

Tough call. Especially for the AD of an ACC school chairing the Committee. Think FSU will be pumped the next time it plays NC State? The FSU D is legit. And even though FSU played 8 conference games and missed ranked NC State, it did play 10 P5 games and defeated a ranked LSU and Florida from the SEC. The ACC had a winning record OOC vs. the SEC. I get the injury argument but FSU went 13-0 in the final season of a 4-team Invitational. Sucks for the Seminoles. But FSU defeated 3 top-25 teams that had 3Ls. And Bama defeated #1. A team that had won 29 games since its last loss vs. Bama. And Bama was 3-1 vs. Committee final-ranked teams. Amazing to think that Bama defeated 6-6 Auburn with a miracle TD. FSU vs. UGA in the Orange Bowl should be an interesting game.

I think this puts a bow on why we need a Playoff and not an Invitational. UW with 8 wins against bowl-eligible teams, twice over OREGON, should have been ranked #1. But this is just another reason why it makes sense to go B1G. UW's OL holds up against and with the best group of WRs in CFB and UW defeats Texas, Teams that played 8 conference games are 9-0 in the PO. Watch out for Bama. DeBoer is 9-0 vs, the top 25 but Saint Nick did the best HC job this season. The Committee's job is to sort out the best 4 teams, it did exactly that. FSU would be a double-digit dog vs. any of the Final 4. Abd Bama punched its ticket last night. And placing FSU in the top 4 would have been a walkover for any team it played. My beef? Looking at UW's schedule and results, why isn't UW the #1 seed playing in the Rose Bowl? 8 wins vs. bowl-eligible teams for UW. If UW's OL can pass block, UW will defeat Texas. Different teams than last season's Alamo Bowl but I think that UW is the better team when it comes to the O side of the ball. Give Me Liberty? No wins vs. a P5 team in 2023 and a 131 out of 133 SOS. And Bo is suiting up? If the Ducks are focused this should be a blowout Puddles win.

I think this puts a bow on why we need a Playoff and not an Invitational. If the Committee's job is to sort out the best 4 teams, it did exactly that. FSU would be a double-digit dog vs. any of the Final 4. And Bama punched its ticket last night. And placing FSU in the top 4 would have been a walkover for any team it played. My beef? Looking at UW's schedule and results, why isn't UW the team that should have been the #1 seed playing in the Rose Bowl? 8 wins vs. bowl-eligible teams for UW. 4 Ws vs the top 25 compared to 3 for Michigan If UW's OL can pass block, UW will defeat Texas. Different teams than last season's Alamo Bowl but I think that UW is the better team. Oregon got the scum bucket NY6 game but considering the # of Ducks starters who will sit this game out, this isn't all bad for Puddles.

Liberty is a 13-0 opponent with one of the weakest SOS in CFB P5/G5. But a dangerous and fired-up opponent nonetheless and a game that Bo sits and likely Troy Franklin, Dorlus, and many other NFL draft-eligible players if their agents hold sway. Will Fergy come back at TE and play in this game? This will be a shell of an Oregon team vs. an all-hands-on-deck opponent. DL et al will have to do a great job to have the Ducks ready to play or this could be SC vs Tulane redux. Alamo Bowl rematch between UW and Texas with Sark again going against the school that gave him his first HC job. This time in the Sugar Bowl. TX stopped one of the best RBs in CFB yesterday but its pass D was not all that great. I think Penix if he and his OL play like they did vs. the Ducks they have a chance to light up the TX secondary. TX comes in -4.5. I am already down with a UW cover. DeBoer has never lost a game vs a top-25 opponent, he is 9-0 in these games. Based on the season-long resume UW should have been #1 and playing in Pasadena. UW has 8 wins vs. bowl teams and is 4-0 vs. teams ranked in the final top 25. One team in the final 4 that played 8 conference games, Alabama. 8 game conference game teams are PO 9-0. I expect that the Sugar Bowl will feature SEC refs. How much hand-fighting will these guys allow? Tough pill to swallow but Go Huskies. A tough PO row to hoe. Win the Sugar Bowl and then play the champ game also in Dixie against I think, Alabama.

Kalen DeBoer is 9-0 vs the top 25. In 2023, UW won 4 games against teams that will finish in the CT.'s final ranking, two coming against Oregon. UW won 8 games vs. bowl-eligible teams. Oregon twice, Arizona, Boise St. (MW Champ,) Cal, OR St., USC, and Utah. 1 win at a neutral site and 3 on the road. Michigan defeated Ohio State, and 2 O challenged teams in PSU and Iowa. 1 at home. 1 on the road. 1 at a neutral site. Michigan is #1 in the final regular season AP Poll and UW is #2. Why? Based on resumes to date, this makes no sense. After SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey's groveling, shameful, Sesame Street whine about the SEC being left out based on history, which Greg, has nothing to do with this season, I am so happy to see the Invitational Expand into a Playoff. BTW, Greg, the SEC went 7-9 OOC vs. the P5. The significant wins, I guess? MO. over K State and Kentucky over Louisville. Bama lost to B12 champ Texas in Tuscaloosa. LSU lost to ACC champ FSU in Orlando. UW's reward for finishing 2nd in the country will likely be a game in New Orleans vs. Alabama. The last time UW played Bama in the PO the game site was Atlanta, GA. Based on my and I imagine the Eye Test of many others as well as looking at the resumes, I believe that the Final Final 4 should be 1. UW, 2. MI, 3. TX., 4. Alabama. FSU the way it is playing without its QB would be a PO sacrificial lamb. In this scenario, UW plays Bama but in Pasadena in the Rose Bowl. Someone will have a legit beef. If Bama gets in and not Texas, Texas and Michigan should agree to cancel the H+H series starting next season in Ann Arbor and play UTEP and Bowling Green instead. And Texas fans will beef about playing a 9th conference game vs Oklahoma and losing by 3 points when Bama and UGA have played twice in the last 15 regular seasons. (Of course, with a 2-game schedule, Texas and Oklahoma would play one another.) But come next year, I imagine 10-2 Penn State, Missouri, and Oklahoma will all be fighting for and explaining why they should get the #11. seed. Ducks vs. Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl? BTW: Lot's of great candidates for COY, But I'm giving it to the GOAT, Saint Nick Saban. This is likely Saban's best coaching job at Bama in the last decade.

Well, UW will not be playing Georgia and if it plays Michigan UW has a B1G time puncher's chance. Oregon might play UGA, Liberty, or SMU. And Ohio State could also be Oregon's foe as could Texas. I think FSU behind its 3rd string QB will beat Louisville. This happens and it would likely be Michigan 1, Washington 2, and then, will UW play Bama or FSU in the Sugar Bowl unless, for some reason, Michigan opts for the Sugar Bowl. I can't see Michigan wanting to play Bama or FSU in Dixie. Louisville wins and I think it's 1. Michigan, 2. UW, 3 Texas, and 4 Bama. I think in this case that the CT would give TX credit for the win in Tuscaloosa. I am assuming in the above that Michigan defeats Iowa. What I don't want to see is Oregon playing UGA in the Peach Bowl. Although that might entice Bo to suit up.

Thanks, Charles. A picture is worth a thousand words. I'm drowning my sorrows and hoping for wins from Bama, Texas, and FSU to throw the CT. a curve ball. Fortunately, my IPA is not flat.

Lose both LOS and you lose the game. Great comeback wasted by bad run D we haven't seen all season. And 3 and out on the 1st 2 drives? Bo seeming to press in the passing game? Bucky was ineffective running the ball, where was JJ in the 1st half, and not an over-the-top Bird Bomb the entire game. But even with all that, the Ducks came back and took the lead before the D, reminiscent of last year's game vs. the Beavers, could not stop UW's run game. Onward and upward. Tough to miss the PO by 3 points in a loss to your rival but with the way DL is recruiting compared to DeBoer, the tables will turn. Especially with Penix and some quality receivers leaving Seattle.