Jon Joseph

Thanks, Smitty. It's fun to ponder. If the threshold is winning the Heisman, then I say, 'Yes.' Travis Hunter having his # retired at CU? Fine. Shedeur and not Kordell Stewart? In Shedeur's case, I have to ask the nepotism question.

The LA Times Is Happy to Have Nico Back Home, Right? Plaschke: With Nico Iamaleava joining UCLA, everybody loses SPORTS.YAHOO.COM UCLA's decision to recruit embattled Tennessee transfer Nico Iamaleava could very well turn into a match made in college football hell for many reasons. A match made in Hell? 🤬

Has College Football Morphed Into The National Enquirer? https://athlonsports.com/college-football/hanna-cavinder-breaks-silence-on-reason-she-dumped-carson-beck I wonder if Canes fans will be joining Hanna after the Notre Dame opener?

The Rumored 'QB Trade' Happened. https://athlonsports.com/college/tennessee-volunteers/tennessee-lands-top-transfer-qb-after-nico-iamaleava-departure-report Nico from Tennessee to UCLA. Joey Aguilar from UCLA to Tennessee. Which QB is being paid the most money? 🤑

The CFB Executive Committee, 10 Conference Commissioners, and ESPN Representatives gather in Las Colinas, Texas, (probably not in a Motel 6 😁) this week to discuss possible changes to the 2025 PO format and further discuss the 2026 PO format. The 2026 PO format will likely be the format until ESPN's exclusive PO broadcast agreement expires after the 2031-32 season. A change to PO teams being seeded as ranked is not likely to happen before 2026. With Boise's 1st round bye in 2024-25, the Mountain West picked up an extra $4 million. The B1G and the SEC do not have the votes to make this logical change in 2025-26. The format for 2026-27 and thereafter has to be decided by December 1, 2025. The CFP Executive Committee has set an unofficial date of new format approval at its mid-June meetings in Asheville, NC. The B1G and the SEC are expected to inform the attendees that they will push for the 4-4-2-2-1-1 Format in 2026 through 2032. A 14-team field, 4 representatives each appointed by the B1G and the SEC, 2 spots reserved for the ACC and B12, and 1 for the highest-ranked G6 program. The other '1' is Notre Dame's if the Irish finish ranked in the Top 14, an at-large spot if the Irish finish lower than 14. Not happening. The B1G and the SEC have the voting power to make the 4-4-2-2-1-1 format happen. The Power 2 have been accused of greed, but by any and every metric, the format is justified, including the number of viewers tuning in to watch the games. The format is also buttressed by 2025 preseason strength of schedule (SOS) rankings. ESPN's SP+ 2025 Top 40 SOS rankings: SEC - 16 of 16 teams in the top 40, 100%. B1G - 17 of 18 teams in the top 40, 94%. ACC - 7 of 17 teams, 41%. B12 - Zero Teams. Nothing from Nothing Leaves Nothing. 🧑‍🎓 But JJ, it's ESecPN and the SP+ favors the SEC! Fair enough. Let's look at the College Football News 2025 Top 40 SOS rankings. SEC - 12 of 16, 75%. B1G - 13 of 18, 72%. ACC - 8 of 17, 47%. B12 - 5 of 16, 31%. If the ACC wants a 3rd guaranteed spot, stop enabling Notre Dame's independence and force the Irish to join the ACC and play a conference champ game if positioned to do so, or Notre Dame can find 12 teams (it should be 13 teams) to play on its own. This is BIG Business. The B1G and SEC dominate the business. Both will, of course, be accused of greed, but the numbers speak for themselves. Every preseason Top 40 2025 SOS ranking has the SEC and the B1G playing more difficult schedules. Every 10-2 record is not the same. Hold your noses! One more season of at least two lower-ranked teams being seeded in the top. 🦨

On the Ice Hockey Front, a Lady Badger and a Michigan State Skater won Ice Hockey's Heisman Awards. Breaking down the seasons of the Hobey Baker and Patty Kazmaier award winners WWW.NCAA.COM Each year, the top players in NCAA men's and women's college hockey are recognized with the two most prestigious awards in college hockey, the Hobey Baker Memorial Award and the Patty...

Let's Hear It For Our B1G Wolverine and Bruins Gym Rats! Michigan wins 2025 NCAA men's gymnastics national championships WWW.NCAA.COM Michigan won the 2025 men's gymnastics national championships, taking home its seventh national title and first since 2014 after scoring 332.224 points. The 2nd place UCLA Women's Gym Team bearly lost to Oklahoma by .004 points. It's Great to be B1G!

Rece Davis's take on how badly Nico's advisors handled this whole mess. UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava shunned by ESPN's Rece Davis in one-word blurb after Tennessee football exit WWW.SPORTINGNEWS.COM Nico Iamaleava's transfer portal process took aback ESPN college football host Rece Davis. I understand the - 'He's a 20-year-old kid' argument. However, his advisors, even though their behavior may seem teenage-like, are not teenagers. IMO, a 20-year-old who has played big-time college football and was making millions of dollars to do so, should not be hiding behind his advisors. 18-year-olds making less than stellar incomes are on the line to defend the USA and us. If your teammates mean nothing to you, I know I wouldn't want to suit up with you. It's not like Nico was in the G5 and looking for a payday. He was playing in the top football conference in America and was coached up by a QB guru who took Nico and his team to the playoffs. More on this merry-go-round. Joey Aguilar, who transferred to UCLA from App State and was the presumptive starter at QB for the Bruins, has entered the portal and is talking with Tennessee.

OBDers, Need a Good Laugh? Nico Makes the Bruins 2025 PO Contenders, Right? 🤮 Nico iamaleava makes UCLA football CFP contenders GOJOEBRUIN.COM Nico Iamaleava made it official with his transfer to UCLA, and he may be what UCLA needs to make the leap to the College Football Playoffs for the 2025 season. Come On, Man! 🤪

The Players Expected to Make the O Go - Predicting Oregon football offensive depth chart for final week of spring football DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Projecting what the offensive depth chart looks like for the Oregon Ducks football going into the final week of the spring season.

Prospective Starters on D - Predicting Oregon football defensive depth chart for final week of spring football DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Projecting what the defensive depth chart looks like for the Oregon Ducks football going into the final week of the spring season.

Baseball Top 25 - OBD On Top of the B1G - College Baseball Rankings: D1Baseball releases updated Top 25 with top five shakeup - On3 WWW.ON3.COM This week was full of upsets and ranked matchups across college baseball, leading to big changes in D1Baseball's top 25.

I hope the headgear reflects where Lee and the crew will be in Week 1. A return to Columbus, Ohio, where Lee first put on the headgear, featuring the Buckeyes' Brutus, would be fitting. (The above is not a photo from the 1st Brutus pick; Chris Fowler was the ringleader back in the day.) Bring it with Brutus, or Hook 'Em with the Horns? A serendipitous Week 1 matchup for Lee's final pick.

Once again, thanks to my editor who makes my stuff view-worthy, and for the kind comments. Scheduling matters so much in today's mega-conferences. With the SEC simply changing game locations and not opponents in 2025, will the It Just Means More Conference send four or more member teams to the 2025-26 playoff? Georgia's road schedule in 2024, as Kirby Smart reminded commissioner Gene Sankey on the podium after the Dawgs second victory of the season over Texas, was simply brutal. Lots of roster turnover for UGA, but playing Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas at home has to be a relief, and also has to be one of 2025's best home schedules. OBD, according to Athlon Sports, has the 5th-easiest schedule in the B1G. No Ohio State and no Michigan. Only two games versus preseason top 25 ranked teams, on the road at Penn State and versus Indiana. Perfect, on paper at least, for a season with significant turnover for the Ducks on both sides of the ball. OBD has a Dawgs-like gauntlet coming up in 2027 with a game at Michigan and visits from Ohio State and Penn State, and a tough road game in Waco, Texas, versus Baylor. 🤔 Get your popcorn ready for August 30th. Blast the Bobcats!

Bruins, I predict a trip South on a plane and in the polls. Scores • D1Baseball D1BASEBALL.COM Want the very latest scores in college baseball? Be sure to head on over to D1Baseball.com. We've got scores, box scores and much more.

The View From Up Here is SO NICE! 😍 Big Ten | Softball | 2025 Standings BIGTEN.ORG Big Ten Conference 2025 Standings for Softball. Also news, schedule, stats and more

Jane, you made the list! 😎 The 15 best places to watch college softball, according to the fans WWW.NCAA.COM While we wait for spring and the next college softball season to begin, we decided to ask the experts — the fans — which places are the best to watch college softball.

Who asked these people over? Don't they know they're only half-welcome? 🍻 Double Diamonds in Eugene today!

HUZZAH!

Smitty, Thanks, you know. I mean, there were a few breakdowns in your posting, you know, but I loved the effort, you know, your posting is really starting to gel, really coming together. I mean, there's always room for growth, but from where you started, I've seen, you know, real improvement. 😁😁❤️ What a blessing to have Captain Lanning at the helm!

A Shout Out for Dan Fouts! https://collegefootballnews.com/nfl-draft/best-nfl-draft-pick-ever-from-every-big-ten-school Where's Haloti Ngata?

Not a B1G Topic Per Se: I Wonder if Joey H. Still Wants J. Wilcox as the Ducks HC? The unraveling of Cal: Star exodus, a donor ultimatum and a football program running out of runway - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM The Golden Bears won't have a fully weaponized NIL purse until power shifts from coach Justin Wilcox to new GM Ron Rivera Last one out the door in Berkeley, please shut off the lights. 🧑‍🎓

Well-deserved kudos for Lee. A Well-deserved Dump on McAfee and the State of the Game. Lee Corso to leave ESPN's 'College GameDay.' He'll take soul of college football with him WWW.USATODAY.COM Lee Corso will retire from ESPN's "College GameDay" after the first week of the 2025 season. Vapid and Vacous, how fitting.

Deion's ideas for college football, salary cap, compensation for G5, FCS, D2, and D3 schools when a player portals into a bigger program, and playing by NFL rules make sense when CFB forms a Super Conference. As reported today by Jon Wilner, 10,000-plus football players from FBS, FCS, D2, and D3 entered the portal in December and so far this Spring. Deion's critique of the House Settlement is spot on. $2.8 Billion to settle nothing outside of a limited group of House plaintiffs. Deion continues to justify his newly increased salary. Today's CU Spring Game is being broadcast on ESPN2. Today's Michigan Spring Game is not being broadcast on FS1 or as part of the Big Ten Network's regularly scheduled programs. Deion Sanders has plenty of ideas to contend with wild college sports landscape WWW.USATODAY.COM A salary cap for NIL? Compensation for HBCUs? Coach Prime has always been an out-of-the-box thinker, dating back to his "Neon Deion" days. The man is controversial, but he attracts viewers to the college game.

Wilner Hotline ($ wall) reports that over 10,000 football players from FBS, FCS, D2, and D3 entered the portal in December and to date, in the Spring. Under the House settlement, FBS schools have to cut football rosters to 105 players. The roster cut to 105 happening immediately and not over a few years is one of the issues that concerned Judge Wilkins; however, the NCAA has not offered an amendment to the settlement to deal with this issue. A lot of young men are going to be left without a new place to play, and the loss of scholarships.