Jon Joseph

Mari-oh-oh, you are out of PO Mulligans, and with a game to play on 11/29 in Pittsburgh. 😁

In a Nut Shell - Forum Friends, What the Shell! Add Your Own Nuts! Yes, Justin! There is a Virginia. I know, Oliver, no Luck for Stanford means it's the Pitts. Mari-oh-oh, I told you to never leave Florida, and now you're out of PO mulligans. After a nice raise, Lash Ponied Up. I'm sorry, Mr. Beck, but the valet tells me your Lambo was intercepted and is MIA. Just Sayin - With TOSU's WRs, I could be a Heisman candidate! What's that barkeep, this is my last call! Were you not once PSU, not PU? Golden to almost tarnished Archie's. Don Diego, you're one enchilada short of making it to New York. INDY! I thought you hated snakes, not turtles. DABO! This won't DO! Greg, it's an ILL win(d) that is blowing you back to Jersey. No. Texas, thank you for making the Middies look rank and not ranked before playing the Domers. Rich Rod is leavin' Houston, Houston, Houston with a W. Notre Dame, Just B C(ause). UGA, this close to being UGA MUGA'D by a Gator. Every Day, Texas Tech is getting closer to a B12 champ game, close to a State Fair Roller Coaster. What the Heck, Ramblin' Wreck? The ACC is working its way to one PO bid. Hey Lincoln, were you not a QB guru back a few years or two?

It's a business. Like any other business decision, coaches stay or go depending on the offer. The more successful the program, the more and better offers. Example: The Nick Saban Coaching Rehabilitation and Recovery Facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. There are 68 P4 head coaching jobs. As many as 15 of these jobs could be open at season's end; jobs will be added to the carousel as candidates take the new jobs. And several G6 jobs, as is already the situation at Oregon State, will open. If you are a head coach currently making multi-millions in a perfectly aligned situation, President, AD, Boosters with NIL money backing you and the program, and without the bat spit political furor like we see in Baton Rouge, why move? With your name in play, your agent will see that your salary is raised with you, your family, and your assistant coaches and their families, not having to move. Lane Kiffin is still in the mix for the Florida and Penn State jobs, but why would he leave a sweet situation at Ole Miss for the insanity in Baton Rouge? At Florida and Penn State, how many seasons will he be given to win a national championship? The expectations at so many schools are through the roof. If Cignetti can do it at Indiana ... I do find it interesting that Matt Ruhle's two-year extension at Nebraska keeps him at the same base salary and is loaded with incentives that, if realized, could double his base salary. I believe we'll see more of the same, instead of the insane amount of guaranteed money with huge exit fee payments. Weeks 11 through 14 will have much to say in regards to how full Will's Stein could be. With all of the pink slips being handed out, OBD's budget for assistant coaches will be increased. Looking back, why fire Dan Mullen, Frank Solich, Bo Pelini, Jim Mora, Mike Leach, Glenn Mason, and David Cutcliffe? Without an expanded playoff, Ryan Day was at risk of being fired. 🤪 Here's to Wishing OBD a Good Bye!

B1G Bubble Teams to the Playoff. The Ducks Will be a B1G Target. Saturday TraditionBreaking down the Playoff paths for those Big Ten bubble...Breaking down the bevy of Big Ten bubble teams' paths to a possible College Football Playoff berth despite each having 2 losses.

A very B1G sweep for OBD's cross country teams. 😎 Cross country travel? No B1G deal for the Ducks. 😍❤️ University of Oregon AthleticsBig Ten Sweep in East Lansing - University of Oregon Athl...The Men and Women of Oregon are the 2025 Big Ten Cross Country champions.

Give Me Five Games to Watch During Nap Time. https://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/top_five_games_to_watch_during_oregon_ducks_bye_week/s1_16787_42989886?utm_source=mb&utm_medium=email&mb_edition=20251031&mb_loc=right_h

Hoist on his own petard! 🤪🤑🤬 The LSU AD, Scott Woodward, has been terminated. He's the same guy who hired Jimbo at A&M and believed a Boston Irish guy would be a fit in Red Stick. Holy Huey Long! Woodward was fired at the request of the Louisiana governor, Jeff Landry. Does any successful coach, other than Ed Orgeron, want to play politics in the Pelican state? 😁 This makes jobs in Seattle and Oxford, Mississippi, look just dreamy. 😇

WOW! Thank you, Mike. Even I, with limited Xs and Os knowledge, 'got' this. Wisconsin has not quit on its coach, and the weatherman was kind to a Badgers team with a solid run defense. As is often the case with suspect teams in mega-conferences, Wisconsin, especially, and Rutgers and Purdue were handed tough schedules. And Wisconsin played a road game at Bama and Purdue at Notre Dame. When the 'down teams' have difficult 9-game conference schedules, it exacerbates the weakness of the conference, especially in the final season of an ACC and SEC 8-game confrence schedule. Great comment Spartan, but seven B1G teams are ranked in the Massey Poll's top 25: Ohio State, Indiana, OBD, Michigan, Iowa, UW, and USC, plus No. 29 Illinois and No. 31 Nebraska. I believe the B1G is the 2nd strongest conference in CFB, and that the gap between the Big Ten and the SEC is not what ESPN would have you believe. For example, I don't think Texas' 38-point comeback against Mississippi State last Saturday means both teams are terrific. A Kentucky team that Texas also defeated in OT is not a good team. And Arkansas, Auburn, and South Carolina are not all that. OBD fails to cover against Wisconsin in a monsoon and is, of course, overrated. Ole Miss defeats Wazzu by three points in Oxford, crickets. UVA is No. 15 with OT wins over an FSU team that is 0-4 in ACC play, and a UNC team that has not won a football game. The Cavaliers defeated Wazzu at home by two points. Conference wins in the B1G just mean less. Conference losses just mean more. Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean that ESPN isn't following me!😁 The Establishment is going to push back against the over-the-top love for the B1G because of back to back titles. And I get this. But I also believe that B1G is experiencing pushback as the result of the Tony Petitti's AQ Playoff format. The B1G adulation disappeared when Tony's plan was revealed. And disappeared further when Greg Sankey stabbed Tony in his PO back. A pathetic Penn State does not help the B1G Cause. Cincinnati's loss to Nebraska seems to matter little. Iowa's 3-point walk-off field goal loss at Iowa State matters, as does Iowa's 5-point loss to the team ranked second in the Coaches' and AP Polls. UW lost to the No. 1 team at home and to a ranked Michigan team in the Big House. The Athletic's Stewart Mandel says this means UW's schedule is 'tainted.' The Clemson meltdown does not appear to have hurt the nation's perception of Georgia Tech, Miami, UVA, and Louisville. Mike, I apologize for drifting away from your most excellent post, and Spartan, especially based on the human polls before the committee's first ranking release Tuesday night, your take is certainly not wrong. I believe, like last season, the B1G will show up in the postseason and we'll see more of a 3-loss Illinois defeating 3-loss South Carolina, a five-loss Michigan without a passing attack and half of the starting defense sitting out defeating a 3-loss Bama, and a marginal USC team defeating A&M. I also note that Iowa lost by 3 points to a favored Missouri team and TOSU defeated two highly ranked SEC opponents. Thanks again, Mike, for a super informative post.

Thank you, Doctor. But then why expose the QB to sacks in a downpour instead of running the ball? Why hang the O-line out to dry? 😁 Will was not prepared in the 1st quarter against DeBoer in the conference champ game vs. UW. Great job coming back to take a lead that, unfortunately, the defense could not protect. The offense rolled from the start against inferior OOC opponents, but against B1G opponents, with, unlike Rutgers, a semblance of a defense? What do I know? Not much. But I see no reason why Will should be near the front of the line for new head coach jobs. His game planning against 'real' P4 opponents has been lacking. As has been his in-game ability to switch gears as the game so demands. However, 7-1 is 7-1. But three of the next four games, with two on the road, should be against teams ranked by the PO committee Tuesday night. The only team with a winning record OBD has defeated to date is 5-3 Northwestern. Win the Bye! Put The Hurt on the Hawkeyes!

Grandpa, thanks for the post. If it all comes together, the Ducks can finish 11-1. It hasn't been easy to get 14 new starters to bring 'IT' to the field with the same attitude and cohesiveness every week. The defense's pick-six gave OBD a shot to win the Indiana game, but the defense was unable to prevent Mendoza from driving the Hoosiers 75 yards and a TD for the winning points. The defense also folded in the 4th quarter at Penn State. They are subs, but the subs on defense were duds in the 4th quarter of the Northwestern game. If the PO committee truly starts from scratch, which I doubt, three of the final four regular-season games should be against teams, Iowa, SC, and UW, all in the top 25 on Tuesday night. OBD needs this because heading into the bye, the best win on paper is against 5-3 Northwestern. OBD's QB is untested, especially compared to Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel. However, QBs with the same or less experience and lesser supporting casts are lighting it up across the country. I am not an Xs and Os guy, and more than welcome being corrected if I am off base, but last season's starters at tackle on offense are both in the NFL. 6th round draft choice Cornelius Ajani with the Cowboys, and Josh Conerly starting for the Commanders. Their replacements have not played at the same level, and the play-calling does not seem conducive to helping them out. D-tackles Caldwell and Harmon are also in the NFL, and both are contributing to their team's effort. Has not having these two guys on the field led to the disappearance of Maytayo U and Tuioti? Still, it's a one-loss team with a good chance of going 4-0 and being a high seed in the PO field, but three of the opponents today are playing better than many thought they might before the start of the season. (I'm not surprised that USC and UW are competitive, with only two losses, and both could be ranked when they play Oregon. I wasn't as certain about a two-loss Iowa team that has two 'good' losses.) Compared to the other Power-2 conference, and according to the Coaches and AP Polls, wins in the B1G just mean less, and the losses just mean more. Will the PO committee follow suit? Thanks again for the positive post. Win the Bye! Kick Iowa in Kinnick!

Pitt is on a roll, winning four games in a row behind QB Heintschel for a 6-2 record, 4-1 in the ACC. And Coach Narduzzi's defense is once again salty, 27th in total defense. Like the offense, the defense is much improved over the last four outings. The schedule sets up perfectly for a Panthers PO push: Saturday at Stanford Then, after a buy on November 8th, Pitt has a chance to shake up the CFB playoff. November 15th vs. No. 12 Notre Dame - this looks to be the toughest remaining game on Notre Dame's schedule. November 22nd, at No. 8 Georgia Tech - Ready for a slobber knocker? November 29th vs. No. 10 Miami - The Canes were ahead of Syracuse last year before blowing a 21-point lead, dropping the final regular-season game to the Orange, and missing the PO. And the Syracuse game was played indoors. 😁 Thanksgiving weekend, you can count on Three Rivers Stadium being windy and cold. TCB vs. Stanford, which is decent at home, and win the final three games against top 25 opponents, and Pitt is PO-bound with the possibility of hosting a 1st round game. The ACC title and a 1st round bye could also be in play. True frosh Mason and true frosh BYU QB Bear Bachmeier are balling out this season. Pitt Panthers #H2PHeintschel, Johnson Earn ACC Football Player of the Week...Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel and wide receiver Kenny Johnson have been honored by the ACC this week for their performances in the Panthers' 53-34 win ov...

I apologize for jumping the Week 10 games gun. I can't help but wonder if the Miami coaches and players will need a 'How to Fasten the Seatbelt' tutorial before leaving the State of Florida for the first time this season? Go Mustangs! 9 AM - ESPN - No. 10 Miami -12.5 Canes WarningFull matchup history between Miami and SMUMiami and SMU have met only once on the football field. On Sept. 18, 1965, the Mustangs opened their season by grinding out a 7-3 win over the Hurricanes at the

Is the Apocalypse near? A Trojan Wire writer acknowledging that OBD is one of the B1G 3? 😇 And Indiana will win it all! Whoa Traveler! But wait a minute! Oregon will not make the PO? Thanks, now I won't have to move into the bunker. 😁 https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/2025/10/29/winners-losers-week-9-big-ten-football/86953071007/?utm_source=smg-trojanswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SMGbaseline&

Michigan visits Autzen next season. 😎 Which is nice.

FWIW - The most recent odds from Bet MGM to win the 2025-26 championship. Ohio State +250 Indiana +700 Alabama +800 OBD, Georgia Notre Dame +1000 Miami +1500 Ole Miss, Texas Tech +2000 Vanderbilt +2500 Texas +4000 - Bet MGM has Texas -2.5 at home vs. Vanderbilt on Saturday. NOTE - Ohio State is odds-on to win it all by a large margin. Have we returned to: Defense Wins Championships? Ohio State's D under Matt Patricia (not Jim Knowles 😁) is posting historic numbers on defense with four games left to play - Penn State, at Purdue, UCLA, and at Michigan 🙃. Indiana's remaining B1G opponents, at Maryland, at Penn State, Wisconsin, and at Purdue, are 1-17 in conference play. There will have to be one or two major upsets for the Buckeyes and the Hoosiers not to meet in Indianapolis on December 6th, with the after-market ticket prices through the enclosed stadium roof. 🤑🤑🤑

I get your POV, but please get back to me after the Big Ten Championship game. I have not seen a dominant, sure thing CFB title winner this season. I have watched Indiana show up and win every game, including road games at a should-be-ranked Iowa and No. 6 OBD, with the opponents playing good defense and without its offense firing on all cylinders. Ohio State is the other most consistent team I have watched. The Texas A&M defense was rolled over in South Bend and by Arkansas.

Great post. But I am among many who believe that Miami was a great team and a step above all CFB teams that season. However, I am also among those who know the computers screwed over OBD, and Oregon, based upon humans watching the games played, should have been in that Rose Bowl. So it goes. The BCS system that screwed Oregon over was changed the next season. The PO format that screwed Oregon over last season was changed by a unanimous vote. And an Ohio State team OBD defeated in the regular season finishes in fourth place in the Big Ten and wins it all. 🤬 MERCY!

Thanks, Darren. If OBD doesn't win it all, I definitely want another Big Ten team to win it all. The B1G has won the last two national championships and is disrespected in the final AP Poll before the 1st PO committee poll. Iowa and UW at 6-2 should both be ranked. Nebraska at 6-2, with a win over No. 17 Cincinnati, has a case for being ranked. Michigan is No. 20, and an SC team that defeated Michigan at No. 23. Why in Hades did Michigan play a game at Oklahoma and USC a game at Notre Dame? Where would a 6-1 USC with a home game victory against Washington State, and a 7-1 Michigan with a home game victory over Miami of Ohio, be ranked? Don't laugh. Miami of Ohio is 5-3, 4-0 in the MAC. No. 7 Ole Miss defeated Wazzu in Oxford by three points. No. 15 UVA defeated Washington State at home by two points. Indiana is ranked 2nd and played the Universities of Thin Air out of conference. Thus, the voters must believe that Indiana's wins in the Big Ten are impressive, right? Wait a minute! Where is the same appreciation for wins by two-loss SC, Iowa, UW, and Nebraska? All of the 'Experts' believe the B12 will only advance its champion to the playoffs. And five B12 teams are ranked? What message are the voters in the AP Poll and Coaches Poll sending? How about: "Tony Petitti's Automatic Qualifier Playoff proposal is the only format that makes sense for the Big Ten conference." Please pay attention to where Vanderbilt and Texas are ranked after their game this Saturday. Ditto for Oklahoma at Tennessee. Where are 3-loss Texas and Oklahoma ranked? Where is a Tennessee team with two losses at home ranked? How about a 2-loss Vandy? How much of a bump do the Dores get from beating a team that had to go to OT to defeat Kentucky and Mississippi State? Tony Petitti's format makes B1G sense. The B1G winning, I don't know, five or six championships in a row will advance the B1G above the SEC? Don't count on it. Don't underestimate the influence of ESPN. On Tuesday night, if the PO Committee follows the AP voting pattern, DUCK!

Dillon Gabriel - 63 college starts. Bo Nix - 61 college starts. Dante Moore - 13 college starts. Fernando Mendoza - 27 college starts. This equals two regular seasons plus three more games than Dante has started. At the QB position, you never know. Experienced can't miss CFB QBs in 2025, Clemson's Cade Klubnik, Penn State's Drew Allar, and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier, as well as Heisman favorite Arch Manning, have, for the most part, not shown up. On the other hand, a completely under-the-radar transfer from D II Ferris State has shown up for Ole Miss, and his head coach is in a position to make $12 million plus per annum and buy any condo he so desires in Trinidad. 😁 In the NFL, how about cast-off QB Daniel Jones balling out in Indianapolis? No one can coach 'Experience.' Oregon's stats on offense and defense this season are, to date, excellent. It's a luxury to be able to witch about style points. I think Dante has the competitive moxie. After the defense surrendered a lead at Penn State, Dante did not fold up. I also liked that Dante returned from the locker room last Saturday after being knocked in the nose, and the love he showed Brock Thomas at the end of the Wisconsin game. I don't think there is another Power 2 team that is 7-1 with 18 new starters. OBD and Dante are a work in progress that will hopefully make the PO with a home game and advance to the semis at least. IMO, the play calls against Indiana and Wisconsin did not emphasize the run game enough and exposed Dante to Moore pressures and sacks than he should have faced. Perhaps a bit more smash mouth and less finesse? I think Will Stein is game planning like he still has the most experienced QBs in CFB behind center. No matter how much offense has evolved, you still have to kick tush and win the LOS to win football games. Regardless, the future's so bright ... 😎

I love the scenario. But if this were to happen, I'm not sure an 11-1 Ducks would be the 5th or 6th PO seed. We'll see what the PO committee's 'enhanced metrics' come up with on November 4th. SC, Iowa, and UW should be ranked, and 5-2 Nebraska has a win over No. 17 Cincinnati, a loss to No. 21 Michigan, and a bad loss at Wisconsin. No. 25 Memphis has a better resume than Iowa and UW? Even Nebraska? UVA with a season-long tightrope act is No. 15? Interestingly, UVA's loss to NC State was not a conference game, right? 🤪Heck of a 1 point OT win against the Bogus Belichick's. And how about that 2 OT win over FSU, a team that is 0-4 in the ACC. 5 B12 teams ranked? Why? Whether intentional or subliminal, I think Tony Petitti's AQ PO format has led to dumping on the B1G and giving even more love to the SEC, a conference going to nine games next season. Win the Bye!

Note - Due to AP voters failing to rank two-loss B1G teams in its last somewhat meaningful poll of the season, this post uses the Massey Computer Ratings. One third of B1G teams are napping in Week 10: No. 18 Iowa, No. 45 Northwestern, No. 6 Oregon, No. 62 UCLA, No. 61 Wisconsin, and No. 19 Washington. One of the preseason's most anticipated B1G games has not come to fruition. No. 1 Ohio State -20.5 vs. No. 33 Penn State - 9 AM Fox Make no mis-state, Franklin's flameout has burned the entire conference. This would have been a football game with over 4 million views. Now? Penn State did show up and compete at Iowa last Saturday. Will it do the same in Columbus? Another B1G question: Will Jim Knowles show up in a Halloween costume? Week 10 features one Big Ten playoff elimination game. The BCS (Battered Coaches Syndrome) Game. No. 31 6-2 Nebraska +6.5 vs. No. 20 5-2 USC - 4:30 NBC What if I were to tell you that Penn State was paying James Franklin 500,000 Franklins to get lost, because in twelve seasons at Penn State, Jimmy was 15-8 vs. Top 25 teams and 4-20 vs. Top 10 teams. And that Nebraska coach, Matt Ruhle, 2-23 against ranked opponents, is one of the leading candidates to replace Franklin. And that this isn't a movie. 😁 Losing to ranked opponents is the Ruhle for this once proud program. The last time the Cornhuskers shucked a ranked opponent happened in 2016, when No. 2 Alabama defeated No. 1 Clemson 🙃to win Saint Nick another Natty. What if I were to tell you that a coach being paid more than $10 million a year by USC is 4-11 against ranked opponents in his time at Troy, and is 1-6 East of the Rockies? There are no longer tie games in college football; one team has to win and remain playoff eligible. For OBD's SOS sake, let's hope it's SC (Gulp). Other, perhaps in name only, B1G games. No. 51 Maryland +21.5 vs. No. 2 Indiana - 12:30 CBS No. 21 Michigan -20.5 vs. No. 84 Purdue - 4 PM BTN Poor-Due keeps inventing ways to lose close games. Your QB catches his own batted pass, fumbles, and Rutgers kicks the winning FG with two seconds left? 🤪 No. 29 Illinois -12.5 vs. 64 Rutgers - 9 AM NBC No. 44 Minnesota +/- Who cares? vs. No. 71 Michigan State 12:30 BTN Top 25 vs. Top 25 - No. 17 (!!!) Vanderbilt at No. 10 (!!!) Texas - 9 AM ABC No. 14 Oklahoma at No. 11 Tennessee - 4:30 PM ABC No. 24 Cincinnati at No. 21 Utah - 7 PM ESPN HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Turn the clocks back and enjoy a few more IPAs and an hour-longer nap. 😴

Saturday Tradition - 10 B1G things to watch heading into the stretch. Saturday Tradition10 things to watch in the Big Ten as the stretch run nearsThere are a lot of things to keep an eye on as the Big Ten season nears the home stretch, but here are the 10 biggest things to watch.

CBS's Tom Fornelli's weekly B1G take has questions for OBD. But 'facade' is a bit harsh, no? Penn State's meltdown is hurting the entire conference and OBD in particular. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/b1g-time-cracks-starting-to-show-in-oregons-facade-marylands-youth-movement-might-save-mike-locksley/

QUACK x Five! Don't Forget OBD's QBs - Oregon Ducks On SIOregon Quarterbacks In NFL Reach Wild MilestoneThe NFL kicked off week 8 of the regular season and with it, Oregon Ducks fans were able to see multiple former Ducks quarterbacks on display. In a wild statis

QUACK! Sunday was a good day for the NFL Ducks. I know, Justin played on Thursday night and Gonzo helped to silence Gabriel's Horn, but Oregon Ducks On SIFormer Oregon Ducks Just Had One of Their Best NFL Weeks YetThe 2025 NFL season has provided Oregon fans plenty to cheer for – especially when it comes to Ducks who played in the Dan Lanning coaching era. Five different