Jon Joseph

Week 10 provided some terrific CFB games. We are now in the 2023 season-closing stretch. 1. Can it Get Any Weirder? The name of the University of Michigan President - SANTA ONO - this is not a joke. Will B1G Commissioner Tony Petitti be visiting Ann Arbor with a sack of coal? If there is any penalty coming from Petitti I expect it will be a suspension of Jim Harbaugh. He's used to this. 2. The OREGON D - Cal, 3 of 14 on 3rd down attempts. 3.8 yards per rush. 1 sack but many impactful QB hurries. Bo - 6 TDS, 2 rushing, 386 throwing in the slop with 1 interception that was the fault of his baby brother, who had a great game - 180 receiving yards. But was anyone watching? 10:30 Eastern kickoff for the SC game. Why couldn't the clock fall back next week? 3. Was that the Ghost of Jimmy Brown in LA? UW RB Dillion Johnson. 256 yards, 4 TDs. 199 yards BEFORE CONTACT! ESPN+ David Hale - "We'd say it (199 yds. before contact) would be hard to do against 11 traffic cones, but that comparison would be giving the USC D too much credit." Alex Grinch must have some very damaging photos. Nevertheless, Caleb Williams comes to Eugene with a 'why not go for it' attitude.' 4. Cowboy Roy Rogers 'Happy Trails to You' echoed throughout T. Boone Pickens Stadium as The Cowboys ended Oklahoma's playoff hopes by winning what was perhaps the last Bedlam game. B12 refs hold no grudges, right? Ironic that the interference penalty that should have been called involved a player named Stoops. Kansas State - Kick the Field Goal! Nice for Puddles that the Sooners are now playoff later but the daily double would have been nicer. 5. After suffering the second defeat at the hands of the (sorry Puddles) Beaver State, an angry Utah took it out on ASU. I think it will be a fistfight in Seattle on Saturday. 6. Didn't the folks at A+M watch the Ducks destroy Jimbo, Jameis, and FSU in the Rose Bowl? After the loss at Ole Miss, A+M is now 0-9 in its last 9 road games against P5 competition. The $76M buyout may be starting to look cheap. (And Mari(o) lost at NC State - 6-20.) 7. The CFB Stretch Run for the Playoff contenders. SEC - Georgia - Ole Miss, at Tennesse, at Georgia Tech (Tech is 5-4 after yesterday's 45-17 blowout of UVA.) Far from a walk in the park for the back-to-back champ. Alabama - At Kentucky, Chattanooga (!), At Auburn - Has the tiebreaker over 1-loss Ole Miss. Cupcake? How about a stale bagel? Bama defeats UGA in the SEC champ game. Are 2 12-1 SEC teams in? B1G - Michigan - At Penn State (Noon kickoff so no White Out Full Monty,) At Maryland, Ohio State. Week 11 and Michigan finally plays a ranked opponent. Ohio State - Michigan State, Minnesota, At Michigan. 1 out of 3 ain't bad. Penn State - Michigan, Rutgers, At Michigan State. PSU played its best game of the season on Saturday vs. Maryland B12 - Texas - At TCU, At Iowa State, Texas Tech. Texas needs its starting pitcher back on the mound but none of these teams are ranked or will be ranked when they play Texas. ACC - FSU - Miami, North Alabama (!), At Florida. UF is likely to finish outside of the bowl money. As David Marsh pointed out a few days back, this could well be FSU 2014 redux. Pac-12 - Washington - Utah, At Oregon State, Washington State. No Easy Day. But WSU, 7-10 vs. Stanford, really? OREGON - USC, At ASU, Oregon State. USC may not be ranked come Tuesday, NR in the Week 11 AP Poll, and deservedly so. But any team with SC's O has a punchers chance in every game. Even if Oregon State loses to UW I think the Beavers will be a Top 25 team when OSU comes to Eugene. Bama and FSU are the beneficiaries of an 8 game conference schedule. This chicanery needs to end. 8. Playffs? Playoffs! Here's a troubling Playoff hypothetical. Bama and UGA finish 12-1 with a competitive SEC champ game. Texas finishes 12-1 with a win at SEC Champ Bama. One of Michigan/Ohio State finishes 13-0. FSU finishes 13-0. OREGON finishes 12-1. Which team loses the Playoff Musical Chairs Game? GO DUCKS! Beat SC!

Someone in Berkeley needs to fix the Bear trap. UW prevailed in a basketball game. Hopefully, SC will be in the top 25 on Tuesday night. Stumbling, bumbling, turned into a humbling loss for Coach Wilcox. (Hope the young man was not seriously long-term injured.) No let up. As Charles notes above, this team under this coach does not play down to the level of the opposition. Think Utah was ticked off today about last week? Utes didn't dally in beating down Dilly. Go Ducks, Beat SC!

One of the beauties of the 2024 season is The Big 10 Network. BTN is closing in on 70M subscribers. A viable entity, unlike Larry's functionally insolvent network. BTN has provided more extensive coverage of the 'Pac-4' B1G teams than the Pac-12 network has provided in over a decade. And this includes coverage of nonrevenue sports. It's like watching color TV after years of watching black + white TV. CBS, Fox. and NBC will all be sharing in the B1G game inventory. It's a New B1Gger and brighter day.

You go you hairy Dawgs! I think a ranked Mizzou coming to Athens like a ranked Kentucky is going to find it tough going 'Tween the Hedges. I want FSU in a Rose Bowl playoff redux and a champ game vs. the Dawgs in Houston. Quack and Woof!

Mic, 1986, the Sox came back from 0-3 vs. the Yankees. But lost to the Mets. Another blankity - blank team from New York. Bill Buckner. SIGH. In 1984 after 86 years was the redemption tour for the Olde Towne Team. How could anyone cheer on George Steinbrenner? That's like rooting for Jeff Bezos to make more money. Kidding! Probably the greatest rivalry in MLB. I am blessed to have seen The Mick, Roger Maris, and Teddy Ball Game play in Fenway Park. In the B1G, I think Ducks baseball will thrive. BTW - You cannot get a decent bowl of clam chowdah in NYC.

LSU at Bama is a must-watch PO game for Ducks fans. LSU wins and Bama and LSU both have the 4-team PO kiss of death 2 losses. And FSU gets a big SOS boost. FSU in a conference with only 2 ranked teams is going to ACC-way its win into the final 4. This 8 conference game stuff has to end. The committee best pays attention to the conference games SOS in 2024. Will it do so?

One last B1G scheduling barf from Moi. The Tony Soprano Schedule You Can't Refuse. The State University of New Jersey, Rutgers, plays 5 conference home games in 2024 and misses Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State. After all, Coach Schiano is a Pisano. Arrivederci and Cin Cin!

Great comment, Annie. Follow the Money?

Thanks, Charles for hosting this fun competition. OREGON Score - 45 - 24 Cal TOs - 3 Sacks by Ducks - 3 Passing yards - 250 And USC defeats UW to set up a huge game in Autzen next weekend. The UW OL is hurting, the D was lost in space in Palo Alto, and Penix hasn't looked the same since being mugged by the Ducks D. And I think that UCLA goes down in Tucson and Oregon State escapes Boulder with a close win. BTW, Texas Tech defeated TCU in Lubbock last night, 35 - 28, to go 4-5 on the season. But bowl eligibility with games at Kansas, UCF, and at Texas will not be easy for the Red Raiders to achieve. TCU is also 4-5 and could miss a bowl game after playing for the Natty in 2022. Beat Cal!

The Athletic (paywall) - 10 Thoughts on the 2024 B1G Schedule - (I apologize for the length but I cannot link this take which includes thoughts from the B1G schedulers.) 1. USC at Michigan - "... the most anticipated game on the 2024 slate." Really? The LA juice is flowing. The week before this game, Michigan plays Texas in Ann Arbor and SC plays LSU in Las Vegas. 2. Travel - No back-to-back road games for 'Pac-4' teams that cross multiple time zones. 14 teams that trip West, 8 have byes the following week and 6 have home games. 3. Rivalry Games - All rivalry games will be played on the final weekend of the season except for USC/UCLA which will be played on the penultimate weekend every other year. In 2024, SC finishes with Notre Dame in LA and UCLA plays Fresno State. 4. Bye before the OREGON/UW game for both teams - This comes at the request of the two teams in the possibility the Civil War and Apple Cup are renewed. 5. The Galloping Ghost Game - On 10/18/1924, Illinois on the Saturday of the dedication of Illinois' Memorial Stadium, defeated defending national champion Michigan, 39-14. Red Grange took the opening back 95 yards for a TD and in the game's first 12 minutes, Grange also scored on runs of 67, 56, and 14 yards. He later added a 5th TD on the ground and threw a TD pass for the 6th TD accounted for by The Galloping Ghost in this game. Love the tradition in the B1G. And how the conference respects the traditions. 10/19/2024 - Michigan plays at Illinois. 6. Friday Night, Labor Day Weekend, and Black Friday - When Fox came up with the (discounted) money for OREGON and UW, the B1G in turn agreed to at least 9 Friday night games every season beginning in 2024. It has yet to be determined which games will be moved from Saturday to Friday night. Labor Day Weekend - In addition to the Saturday slate on Labor Day weekend, a game will be played on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Also with the teams TBD. The Sunday night game will be broadcast on NBC in prime time. In addition to the Iowa vs. Nebraska game on Black Friday, played on this date for the last 11 seasons, another game TBD will be played on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Thus, the final 2024 opponents are determined but the dates of the games are fluid. 7. Week Zero - One conference game will be moved to Week Zero. In 2024, it will not be an Oregon game, the Ducks play at Hawaii in Week Zero. 8. Penn State Gets A Home Opener Plus 1 - Penn State has opened the B1G conference schedule on the road in 13 of the last 14 seasons. In 2024, PSU opens at home versus Illinois followed by a home game vs. UCLA. PSU fans, how's this for 5 games in a row from 10-5 through 11/9? UCLA, at USC, 2nd 2024 Bye, at Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Washington. WOW! 9. Bye, Bama - And a Bye Before Puddles Comes to Town - Wisconsin plays Alabama at home on 9/14. The Badgers then have a bye before tripping to USC on 9/28. In 2024, Wisconsin has Alabama, USC, Penn State, and Oregon on the schedule. Wisconsin's 2nd bye week comes before its home game vs. the Ducks. 10. Flex Protect - Iowa has 3 permanent opponents, and Penn State has none. All other B1G teams have 1 or 2 permanent opponents. Lots of football left in the Pac-12's ultimate season to be savored and sweated out. But it is fun to look ahead to life in the B1G conference. Beat Cal!

A bit of a deeper dive into Oregon's 2024 schedule. What teams do B1G opponents play before playing the Ducks? Illinois - Michigan Maryland - At Minnesota Michigan - Michigan State Michigan State - At Ohio State Ohio State - Iowa Purdue - At Illinois UCLA - At LSU - Oregon has its 1st bye the week UCLA plays in Baton Rogue Washington - UCLA - Like Oregon, UW has a bye on 11/23, the Saturday before the Cascade Clash on 11/30. Oregon will trip to Wisconsin the week before the 2nd bye. Wisconsin - At Iowa 2024 B1G Champ Game - No Divisions in 2024 and going forward. The top 2 teams in overall conference standings play in Indianapolis on December 7, 2024. Scheduling will matter. I have no idea what tiebreakers if necessary, will be used to determine the top 2 if there are ties in the final standings.

Yes. No divisions. The top 2 teams play in the 2024 B1G champ game. December 7, 2024, in Indianapolis.

JJ here. I can neither confirm nor deny that was a spy. Is there $ in it?

Like David, thank goodness I don't teach math. The 1st bye comes after 4, not 5, conference games. No bailout coming from friend Darren Perkins as there will be no 5th OOC game. This is not the ACC or the SEC, it's the B1G.

Bit early on the Matt Ruhle call. Next season Matt will not have the luxury of playing a B1G W schedule. Next year Nebraska plays UCLA and also at Ohio State and USC. Chip. Has Chip done any more than Jim Mora was doing? And More recruited far better to UCLA than Chip is recruiting. Chip got the gift of not playing OREGON and UW this season. Lost on the road to the 2 ranked teams that UCLA has played. And playing in Tucson on Saturday will not be easy. In 2024 in addition to going on the road to play Nebraska, UCLA plays at LSU, Penn State, and UW and also plays SC and OREGON.

He missed last week and Cal LB Jackson Sirmon is out for the season with a torn labrum. 2 teams back-to-back missing its best LB.

Good thought but I like a bye after 5 OOC games and before the 1st conference game and I love the 2nd bye before the concluding regular season game against UW.

PERFECT SCHEDULE - 13 games with a game at the 1 G5 team worth traveling to. 8 home games; very SEC-like. 2 Byes - 1 before the start of conference play with the 2nd late in the season before the concluding regular season game vs. UW. It makes sense for UW to be Oregon's ultimate regular season game and a bye before this game will give beat-up players time to heal. After 8 straight conference games without an LA-Monroe in sight, the 2nd bye will be much needed. A game in LA is nice for recruiting. It will be chilly in Ann Arbor on 11/2 but the snow game could be at Wisconsin on 11/16. Trap Game - Michigan State - between the conference opener at UCLA and Ohio State. The FCS opponent, Idaho, is 6-2 and in 2nd place in the Big Sky Conference. Boise. Will be nice to finally get a W vs. the Broncos. Texas Tech. I do not like playing B12 teams but it is a game vs. a team from Texas. Games vs. current committee ranked 1. Ohio State 3. Michigan. 5. UW and 19. UCLA, especially games vs the 2 B1G heavyweights, gives this schedule SOS heft. Beat Cal! BTW: The B1G Network has a special show on today reviewing all of the 2024 B1G schedules.

Having witnessed the burnout rate in the SEC while coaching at Bama and UGA, would DL want to be in the SEC pressure cooker? DL is a Midwest guy. Perhaps Ohio State or Michigan would be enticing, but other than these 2 and maybe Notre Dame, I don't see him leaving for another college gig. The Michigan job could open up but I think that Day is in for a very long stay in Columbus as is Freeman in South Bend.

Good article up on The Mercury News (subscription required) today. Mendoza made note of the fact that growing up in Miami he is used to throwing the ball in the rain. He is not likely to be affected by the rain as was Jared Goff who had a horrible game in the slop (it never rains, right) in Autzen. And Ott is a very good RB who could do some damage on the ground. -24 is a stretch IMO. I think Stein in light of the weather will go heavy with the run game to shorten the game. If the OL plays as well as it has all season, Cal could have very few possessions in this game. If I was going to bet this game I'd bet Under 57.5. But because this wager would want me to cheer for Oregon holding the score down. I am not wagering. FWIW - Oregon is 6-1-1 ATS this season. The late WSU score blew the cover at home. Do not get trapped looking ahead to a visit from Caleb.

Spot on. That was a 'poisoned pill offer' to get Joey and friends off of Rob's back. Rob has been AD Mr. Lucky-Lucky-Lucky. The Houdini of ADs? He hired a guy with a losing record in the G5 who put 3 kids in the hospital. He hired a guy with a losing record in the G5 (but the players wanted him!) who was a recruiting champ, a coaching chump and was in the process of ruining the Ducks brand. He had a line out to a very good man who Darren correctly notes (no surprise coming from Darren's keyboard) would have placed the Ducks in the CFB purgatory of mediocrity. Found what appears to be a head coach with a great future but a coach who had no head coaching experience before the Oregon hire. Rob is right there with the railroad guru, Henry Flagler, in benefiting from money flowing from The Sunshine State. But so long as you end up right, even for the wrong reason, it's all good.

After 5 years as a junior partner, Oregon will be raking in B1G money. And come 2026, with the playoff broadcast rights out for bid (and I think a 16-team field) even more money will be headed in Puddles direction. Oregon is a member of the Power 2, So, why move? The only way Bama is coming after DL is if Oregon is extremely successful on the football field. I think DL accomplishes great things in Eugene. The days when Bama had more money than any other program and was willing to spend it because it Just Means More, are over. Oregon will have the financial resources to match any offer made to DL. The days of Bama and other SEC teams, Ohio State, and Clemson dominating in playoff participation are over. Because of the obvious, playoff expansion, NIL, and the transfer portal. Division Street is as well organized and as well funded as any is any NIL facilitator. I don't see a better college landing spot. If he doesn't get the Super Bowl itch, I think DL stays in Eugene with 1 caveat. It's time for Oregon to expand the football stadium. Having the 2nd smallest stadium, ahead of only Northwestern, in an 18-team conference is not a good look. If we are correct in regards to DL's future success and as a member of the Power 2 B1G, the demand for tickets will be there. Thanks, Darren and all of the other writers. Thanks, Natalie and all of the other editors.

OK, Mr. Perkins, that will be $50M please for your name in lights for the next 5 seasons. Good funds are expected within 24 hours. Thank you, and have a really nice day.

Right, Mario?

California vs. Oregon Prediction, Odds, Trends for College Football Week 10 FANSIDED.COM The California Golden Bears will take the trip to Autzen Stadium in Eugene, OR, on Saturday to play the No. 6-ranked Oregon Ducks. The Golden Bears almost took