Jon Joseph

Meanwhile, a down season for B1G CFB including all 4 West Coast Newbies. Resetting NCAA Tournament ceilings for B1G basketball teams SATURDAYTRADITION.COM How many B1G teams will make the NCAA Tournament? What will they do when they get there? We predict the answers to both questions.

Lots of Oregon love in the latest edition of the B1G's Saturday tradition including Oregon's ILB coach hire coming in ahead of Chip to tOSU, Oregon having 2 of the B1G's 5 most anticipated games in 2024, and other positive praise for Puddles. The B1G 10: Why Chip Kelly wanted out. And what it means for UCLA, Ohio State and college football SATURDAYTRADITION.COM Chip Kelly took a huge pay cut to leave UCLA. Matt Hayes explains why. Plus: B1G power rankings, Iowa's very real Playoff path and more. Iowa to the 2024 Playoff? The schedule sets up well but this is a stretch prediction IMO.

The B1G 10: Why Chip Kelly wanted out. And what it means for UCLA, Ohio State and college football SATURDAYTRADITION.COM Chip Kelly took a huge pay cut to leave UCLA. Matt Hayes explains why. Plus: B1G power rankings, Iowa's very real Playoff path and more. Saturday Tradition, not Saturday Out West, is now the Ducks' Saturday go-to site. Oregon: 2 of the top 5 B1G games in 2024. 2nd behind only MI at tOSU and Ohio State in Eugene.

UCLA is ranked with the 12th hardest schedule in the nation in 2024; Oregon's SOS is 13th. UCLA football travel in 2024 will cover the distance of the Equator. UCLA plays in Baton Rouge vs LSU on 9/21 the week before the game with Oregon on 9/28. Oregon is Off on 9/21. The Bruins also play Hawaii, Penn State, Rutgers, Nebraska, and UW on the road. UCLA plays SC in the Rose Bowl on the penultimate weekend of the regular season and finishes with a 'home' game against Fresno State. UCLA's win total in 2024 is 5.5. Getting bowl-eligible will be a very good 1st season from Foster.

A hoops school with a men's team likely shut out of the Tourney. At least the women in LA are playing good ball. Both SC and UCLA women are in the top 10. As bad as UCLA's men's CBB has been USC has been worse.

https://collegefootballnews.com/news/deshaun-foster-named-ucla-head-coach-why-you-should-care-cfn-take-02-12-2024

Paul Finebaum takes the temperature of the UCLA job after Chip Kelly’s departure SATURDAYOUTWEST.COM Paul Finebaum believes Chip Kelly probably made the right decision to move to Ohio State as offensive coordinator, and leave UCLA.

Happy, great comment. Didn't CFB once have an off-season? It's looking back but not too many decades ago fans learned who had signed with their team on the first day of Spring football. There was no 'social media' and high school guys did not have a platform to flaunt themselves. Don James was run out of CFB because a booster gave the UW starting QB $50K. The only way you could bet on CFB was through a bookie whose organization was regulated by no one other than 'family.' Most head football coaches made less than $100K a year. CFB rosters with 125+ players were not uncommon; particularly, in Dixie. In many respects, CFB was an 'amateur' sport played by 'student-athletes' ten times a year in the daylight before 8 or so schools moved on to play in bowl games. Today, CFB is Big Business. It makes absolute sense for the two 'largest companies' to assume more control over the enterprise. And I can't wait for the Vandals to show up.

https://theathletic.com/5261282/2024/02/12/sherrone-moore-michigan-coach-harbaugh-replacement/

What can we expect from the 2025 recruiting cycle in California? THEATHLETIC.COM Six thoughts about the 2025 recruiting cycle and what it has to offer in the state of California.

Georgia players in the Super Bowl: Five former Bulldogs take unconventional paths to biggest stage THEATHLETIC.COM Hardman caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes on Sunday. But his career path there is far from a straight line.

No surprise that a Hairy Dawg scored the winning SB points. A roller-coaster season finished nicely for WR Hardman.

??????? - A 'home cookin' hire. Little experience as a coach but a much-loved Bruin. Unless the new president and the administration give a whip, the football program gets top-down support, and boosters get their NIL act together, I see a Minnesota-like B1G future 'bruin' in Westwood. I have no idea if the deal could be done but it would also help UCLA if it played at SoFi Stadium, 12.7 miles and not 25 miles away from campus, and a state-of-the-art venue that is not falling apart. See you on 9/28 DeShaun. First B1G game for Oregon and UCLA.

Heck of a Game! Mahomes Magic when needed. But a blocked extra point? Kelce? An off-season for No. 87 before the playoffs started and then he was $. If you played the SB drinking game, and have to chug one when Swiftie is on camera you are probably, and good for you, not reading this. Mahomes and Andy Reid have both moved up into rare Super Bowl air. KC's special teams were among the best all season, better than SFO's and the blocked Xtra point turned out to be a key play. Not dissing the kicker Moody, 2 50+ FGs for a guy who played at Michigan last season. Back to back in this day and age of parity without Tom Brady? I do not want to go UW but Bow Down to Mahomes. No. 10 draft pick in 2017. Great QBs make HC's smart.

Ohio State opens the 2025 season on 8/30/25 with a game vs Texas. (TX is playing in Ann Arbor in 2024 and in Columbus in 2025!) In 2025, tOSU will play 7 and not 8 home games. The Buckeyes will be on the road against Michigan, Washington, and Wisconsin and will play Penn State (and UCLA) in The Shoe. The Buckeyes do not play the Trojans until 2026 when the two will play 3 seasons in a row with the 2026 game in LA. In 2025, Oregon goes on the road to play Iowa, Northwestern, Penn State (White Out!), Rutgers, and UW. 2026 OOC, Ohio State plays at Texas. In 2027 the Buckeyes play Alabama and return the favor in 2028. 3 cupcakes OOC in 2024 but not in the following 3 seasons. Ducks OOC - 2025 OK St, 2026 at OK St, 2027 at Baylor. Quality opponents but not Texas and Bama. Ohio State's 2024 schedule is easier than Oregon's, no doubt, but not so down the road.

The Fighting Illini, on the Ducks 2024 schedule, is the 7th B1G team projected to miss out on a bowl game.

With its 2024 schedule, how can the Dawgs not be ranked SP+ 15 most difficult schedules? BRUTAL! https://www.si.com/college/georgia/football/is-georgias-2024-schedule-its-toughest-ever

Here's a deeper dive into SEC win totals. Ranking the SEC with Las Vegas 2024 win totals from top to bottom WWW.ON3.COM Las Vegas has listed the over/under win totals for the SEC programs going into 2024, and On3 compiles them from top to bottom.

Friend NJ Duck, always on the posting ball, has posted on the B1G predictions thread, the Win totals for B1G football teams in 2024. The SEC totals were listed by Fans Duel. Ducks Wire Zach Neel only identifies the odds as 'coming from Las Vegas.' Regardless, unlike the majority of 'expert predictions, here the rubber meets the road. The 'House' is taking bets on these numbers. Will a team go Over or Under its predicted win total? A few thoughts. 1st - Is the B1G the new 'cannibal conference?' 7 of 18 teams are not projected to qualify for a bowl game: Purdue, Minnesota, UCLA, Northwestern, Michigan State, and Indiana. This is far less than the 13 bowl games projected for the SEC. Why? Yes, there is a disparity in talent between the two conferences as is evident year after year when the SEC leads in the total number of players drafted by the NFL. However, the reason fewer B1G teams will go bowling in large part is because B1G teams play 9 and not 8 conference games. Can't schedule out-of-conference (OOC) in the B1G like you can at Ole Miss. The Rebels, predicted to win 9.5+ games, play three cupcakes at home with the toughest OOC opponent being Wake Forest. Missouri is predicted to win 9.5 games. These Tigers play Murray State, Buffalo (Bulls not Bills,) Boston College, and UMass OOC. It's not every SEC team is ducking a tough OOC foe, A+M plays Notre Dame, Texas plays Michigan, and Alabama plays Wisconsin. However, the easy-peasy 4-win OOC scheduling option is not available for B1G teams. More cannibalism? Wisconsin at 6.5 wins and Maryland, Nebraska, USC, UW, and Iowa all at 7.5 wins? I believe the odds-makers are too pessimistic here. I think one or more of these teams will at least be 'spoilers' in the B1G this season. Six SEC teams have win totals of 9.5 or better. Four B1G teams have win totals of 9.5 or better, Michigan, Penn State, OREGON, and Ohio State. OBD and Ohio State, a predicted Battle of the Os, at 10.5 wins have the same odds as the Georgia Bulldogs at 10.5. Georgia is the only SEC team with a win total of more than 9.5 wins. At the very top, the B1G is predicted to be as successful as the top SEC teams. Oregon's 2024 Strength of Schedule is ranked the 13th most difficult by ESPN's SP+. Ohio State's schedule did not make the early top-15 most difficult schedules list. It's going to be B1G fun! Win totals released for all Big Ten teams in 2024 college football season - Yahoo Sports SPORTS.YAHOO.COM A look at all of the win totals for teams in the Big Ten Conference going into the 2024 college football season.

"Facts are stubborn things." John Adams Excellent take by College Football News Pete Fiutak. It is not easy to win games in G5 and P4 college football. Especially, if you do not have top-down administrative support and NIL cash on hand. https://collegefootballnews.com/news/will-your-new-college-football-head-coach-succeed-hint-probably-not-2024-02-10

Some very interesting ideas for the next UCLA coach? Pete Carroll? https://collegefootballnews.com/news/10-ucla-head-coach-candidates-to-replace-chip-kelly-2024-02-10

College Football News notes that Chip will have lots of top-grade 'toys' to play with. https://collegefootballnews.com/news/chip-kelly-leaving-ucla-to-be-ohio-state-offensive-coordinator-why-you-should-care-cfn-take-02-09-2024

UCLA football. Chip Kelly leaves UCLA a football 'toxic waste dump.' It's been a waste dump since 1998. https://athlonsports.com/college-football/chip-kelly-college-football-ucla-bruins-selfish-bill-plaschke-ohio-state

Good call on the (Las Vegas) A's Billy Beane who had to be pleased with being played by Brad Pitt in Moneyball.

Good for UGA. Not good for Stanford. https://athlonsports.com/college-football/georgia-lands-elite-pac-12-tight-end-transfer