Jon Joseph

Please, keep bits of tid like the above coming!

Terrific take, Mike. Thank you. Not only Worker's Comp will be affected by athletes being determined to be 'employees,' but also FICA, FUTA, and State Retirement Funds, and will you be able to drop a player-employee from 1st to 2nd string without allowing him the benefit of an administrative hearing as has been negotiated between the workers union and the employer? IMO, it's inevitable that government action including that by the NLRB and State AGs, private litigation, and the liability that could attach to a university over such long-term injuries as CTE, will cause a split of at least big-time college football from their respective schools. All "indicia" of a football program will be assigned to a 3rd party, such as a private equity fund or the NFL, with the assignor indemnified and receiving an agreed-upon fixed payment. An arrangement with a private equity fund has already been looked into by FSU. Title 9? Tell the men's and women's swim teams that they are free to bargain for whatever deal the market will bear. Will this fly? The only 'remedy' that might work for a university employer will be to simply drop school-funded athletics. To my knowledge, no public school charter requires 'after school' sports. I can see the baby being tossed with the proverbial bath water. And a school like Alabama, for example, will have far fewer out-of-state full tuition dollar applicants. Lawyers private and representing and employed by the government are involved. what could possibly go wrong? Thanks again.

The NFL does not have an NIL salary cap. It does have a cap on what teams can spend overall on the players' salaries but no cap on what an individual can earn off of his NIL. I can see a salary cap coming when CFB morphs into NFL Lite as agreed to between the teams and the Players Union but no cap on NIL. Coaches' contracts have built-in liquidated damages, the cost of a buy-out. In the USA, contracts may provide for penalties and non-compete clauses but cannot be used to tie someone down to a job they do not want. In sports, players are locked into their team for a given time because, again, this is what the Union has collectively (the players being the collective) bargained for. That the NFL deal with the Union deal penalizes rookies and young players in favor of experienced players should come as no surprise. Your take is spot on. I read today, forwarded to me by friend, Notalot, that the AGs of Tennessee and Florida have filed anti-trust litigation against the NCAA. Tennessee because of the NCAA accusing the Vols of improper use of NIL and Florida to help FSU escape the ACC. This along with litigation percolating in state and federal courts will lead to a break of the 'biggest boys' in CFB and agreements with a players' union including restraints on free agency, a salary cap, and quite possibly a high school draft. All of this will drop CFB coaches' salaries closer to the realm of reason. The impetus for consolidation is not only coming from the outside. It's coming from within with FSU being the most dramatic example. FSU wants to be paid according to its market value, investment in football in particular, and on-field success and not share conference revenues equally with Wake Forest. In this regard, FSU is far from unique. It will be a new world for "college" football but whether 'brave' or not remains to be seen.

Here's a 2024 updated top 10 recruiting ranking before the 2nd signing day with average NIL payment included. At $82K per player, Oregon appears to be negotiating better than Texas at $225K a player and with better results. https://athlonsports.com/college-football/updated-college-football-recruiting-rankings-ahead-of-national-signing-day-on3-sports#gid=ci02d4bc46600025fb&pid=1-georgia

Jabbar Muhammad explains decision to transfer from Washington to Oregon SATURDAYOUTWEST.COM Jabbar Muhammad explains what led him to transfer from Washington to Oregon.

USC for 1 guy being paid by a 3rd party and with the HC absolved almost received the Death Penalty from the NCAA. Tennessee ran a widespread pay-for-play program with the HC the focal point of the scam and paid $8M to kind of 'Get Out of Jail' for 'free.' Ohio State went undefeated and missed a bowl game because players traded gear for tattoos. UNC ran a decades-long academic scam that benefited its athletes but got off the hook because 'regular students' were also cheating. It's nice to play your ball in Dixie. Tennessee under NCAA investigation related to potential NIL violations across multiple sports - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM The Volunteers wrapped up a separate major infractions case less than a year ago

Have you seen Stewart Mandel at work? Of all of the 'experts' over the years Stewart has often been the most in error with his preseason rankings. 1. UGA - Roster-wise? Yes. But the 6th most difficult schedule in the SEC with games at Bama, Ole Miss, and TX and OOC games vs Clemson and an improved Georgia Tech. 2. Ohio State. This appears to be the consensus but is Howard a step up at QB from McCord? 2 terrific RBs but someone has to block for these guys. The center from Bama is the guy who kept rolling ground balls in the Rose Bowl. But the OPPS - Ohio State Playoff Protection Schedule does help the cause as does playing 3 lightweights OOC, Harbaugh heading to the NFL, and Michigan playing in Columbus. Based on the schedule, I think there is a good case for tOSU to be No. 1. 3. Texas - 14th easiest schedule in the SEC. No Bama, no Ole Miss, no Mizzou, UGA in Autzen, Ewers vs an RS frosh at QB in the RR Rivalry game. The trip to Ann Arbor was made easier by Michigan's wholesale losses on O and Harbaugh leaving town. 8 conference games means 3 OOC cupcakes. I think a very good argument can be made for Texas to be ranked above Georgia. I do not think the UGA roster will be all that much better than the TX roster. 4. Oregon - This is fine. The Ducks would either get the first-round bye if they came in ahead of OH ST or host the G5 team in a 1st round game in Autzen. But was OH St's portal picking better than OR's? At the most critical position, QB, the Ducks scored the better player. 5. Ole Miss - SEC SOS = 13. No Bama. No TX. UGA and OK trip to Oxford. A 4-0 OOC slate. No. 1 ranked in portal pickings. with an experienced QB back. The toughest away game is at LSU, a team Ole Miss defeated in a shootout in 2023 with the Heisman winner playing QB for Ole Miss. The schedules favor both TX and Ole Miss over UGA in 2024. 6. Michigan? Texas, USC, Oregon, and UW and tOSU away. Ranking Michigan in 2024 is a shot in the dark. 7. Notre Dame - The schedule lightens up but Marcus Freeman? 8. Bama - 4th hardest SEC SOS but all the tougher games, save OK, are at home. Saban is gone but one heck of a roster is left and a very good QB returns. 9. OK St/ 10. Utah? 2 B12 teams in the top 10? Huh? Utah trips to OK St. and will Rising stay healthy? The team I believe will win the B12, K St, is not in Stewart's top 25. And 11. Louisville over Clemson and FSU? Louis trips to Clemson and Notre Dame. Louisville does not beat Kentucky. Unlike last season when Louis had 8 home games in 2024, Louis has 6. Always fun to look at these forecasts but Stewart's reasoning behind these picks especially when looking at the schedules, is not all that logical.

Great take and thoughts. A team will have to be deep, lucky, and good to go all the way. With additional PO games, I believe we will see fewer opt-outs. At least I hope so. It will be important to rotate as many players as possible during the season but this strategy will have to be judged against doing all that is possible to be a top 8 seed with either a 1st Round Bye (a true 'BYE' as you will move ahead in a tournament without playing an opponent; not an Idle or Off Week) or a 1st Round home game. This is NFL Lite, no doubt. I expect the PO will be more NFL-like in 2026 with a 16-team field, no 1st round byes, injury insurance provided by the PO puhbahs, and players sharing in the PO revenues. I also think we will see all teams playing on what is now 'Week 0', one idle week, half the teams on week 6 and the other half on week 7 of the regular season, and the champ game built into the final regular season games with other conference opponents matching up according to where they stand after the season's regular penultimate weekend. I also believe we will see uniformity in the number of conference games played by each conference. One thing I am very interested to see in 2024/25 is how moving deeper into the NFL playoffs and playing the semifinals and final on weeknights will affect viewership. Ditto, playing a quarter-final game on New Year's Eve. Great comment, thank you. When CFB went from 2 to 4, you knew it was a matter of when and not if for further PO expansion.

Zack Neal of Ducks Wire take on starting DBs in 2024. CB Jabbar Muhammad and Kam Alexander - UW and UTSA Nickle - Brandon Johson - Duke S - Tyreem Johnson and Kobe Savage - Ole Miss 2022 and Kansas State. So, yes, I believe DL has used the portal to beef up the DBs. Now, how about 1 more big body on the DL? Spring ball, 3 OOC opponents, and a Off Week before playing the first B1G game at UCLA should help the starters mold into a cohesive unit.

Greg McElroy believes Ohio State is a lock to make the College Football Playoff in 2024 SATURDAYTRADITION.COM Greg McElroy is going all in on the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2024. Edge JT to date is coming back to tOSU. Another guy from the state of Washington who did not go to UW.

Sherrone Moore might be the guy, but Michigan is taking a huge risk with the hire SATURDAYTRADITION.COM Sherrone Moore is ready for a head coaching job and earned the title at Michigan, but that doesn't change the risks associated with the decision. The S+C coach who was making $1M a year at Michigan is also following JH to LA.

But how bad can it be for Deion and fils when his sons can afford to buy him a home in uber-expensive Boulder?

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/paul-finebaum-analyzes-sec-teams-that-are-under-most-pressure-in-2024

Duckley, great take. But after the 2nd portal go-round the Composite Roster Rankings and Ratings will have Ohio State ahead of Oregon in roster strength and perhaps, as high as 2nd behind Georgia. Ohio State and Oregon are the 2 B1G schools making national noise in portal picking.

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/colorado-buffaloes-flip-arizona-state-edge-bj-green-from-washington It just keeps getting worse on Montlake.

SEC continues to dominate recruiting. 13 of 16 SEC teams ranked in the 2024 Recruiting 2025. A 10-year media deal with ESPN ends in 2034. The B1G's new media deal will be renegotiated in 2030. Has the SEC made an ACC-like media mistake? Come the next B1G media deal, Puddles will be shown The Money!

Some love for Oregon. Not so much for SC, UCLA, and UW. All-in love for tOSU but will Howard from K St make that B1G of a difference? He is most certainly not the return of JT Stroud or Franklin. Big Ten tiers in 2024: How teams rank as Jim Harbaugh exits Michigan, Ohio State reloads, Pac-12 schools join - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM Breaking down the landscape of the conference in 2024 as the three-time reigning champs welcome a new coach

Some thoughts on the 'New SEC.' Eight key topics for beginning of SEC's new era THEATHLETIC.COM What's new and next for SEC football in 2024? Let's take a look at eight of the biggest storylines. Sec in the 10-Year BCS x 2 - Most Appearances - 10/ Bama 7; Most Wins - 14/ 9 by Bama/ Most Titles - 6/ 3 Bama and 2 UGA. Do you think that DeBoer has some big shoes to fill?

Ohio State hit it big in the portal, but what about the rest of the Big Ten? THEATHLETIC.COM Ranking the Big Ten teams from 1-18 based on each team’s portal performance, with additions and departures figured in.

And had it returned for a Kick-6? Kidding, I'm with Charles, you, and others, take the damn points!

Please forward the details of The White Out Experience when possible. Sounds great!

Thank you, Don. A great and fun take. I have been blessed to watch Michigan take on Notre Dame in the B1G House and was there with my daughter Hillary, a Junior at Colorado at the time for the Kordell Stewart Hail-Mary pass to Michael Westbrook. I was also there to watch Neon Deion play Elvis when FSU visited Michigan with Deion Sanders at CB going against Michigan QB Elvis Grbac. Bobby Bowden's FSU team prevailed. I have attended a Colorado at Nebraska game. The fans were gracious and the in-stadium experience was fun but do not go out of your way to visit Lincoln. The Cornhuskers won the game. I have attended for some reason a Michigan State game when Sparty played Purdue. Probably something about a girl? I was in The Shoe when it was still a horseshoe and had not been enclosed to watch Oregon play the Buckeyes in 1987. The attendance that day, 9/19/87, was 89.882 and not the 100K+ we see today with the enclosed stadium. The Ducks, led by HC Rich Brooks, OC, and future UCLA coach, Bob Toledo, with Bill Musgrave playing QB gave the Buckeyes a battle before, losing 14 to 24. I have not been to a game in Madison or Minneapolis but have visited both campuses. In the summer, Madison, with the campus sitting on Lake Mendota. is beyond beautiful. Much of the movie 'Back to School' was filmed on the Wisconsin campus including the scenes by the lake. But in November? The Minnesota campus is adjacent to the Mississippi River but you cannot see the river for the trees. The Wisconsin campus has it all over the Gopher campus in terms of beauty and architecture. But Minneapolis is worth the trip. I have also been to Evansville and Northwestern for a basketball and not a football game. Another beautiful campus, the most "Ivy League" of the B1G campuses. The NW campus is situated on the Lake Michigan shoreline. 97-year-old Ryan Stadium is being modernized and reduced in seating capacity by 12,000 seats to a total of 35,000. The majority of the money for the rehab is being paid for by descendants of the original Ryan-Stadium family. NW, now the only private school in the current B1G will be joined by USC. NW, as Don noted, was more physical than a physical Utah team in its bowl win in Las Vegas. I think the NW's 2024 B1G opener at UW (Washington not Wisconsin) on 9/21/24 could be very interesting. Thanks for the 'Breaking Away' reference. A great sports movie that is far too obscure. My closest claim to football fame? I was born in Toledo. Ohio in the same hospital as Jim Harbaugh and Urban Meyer. So, I have that going for me; which is nice. Thanks again, Don.

Shady? The non-disclosure of the details of NIL deals makes the deals seem shady to some. However, the payments are being made by 3rd parties and not the employer. If (once?) schools start paying players directly, public universities will have to disclose the deals and I expect we will also be tuned into the bidding wars for a player's services. Not any different than NFL free agency where a free agent, more correctly his agent, shops the player's services. What is 'shady' today is roster tampering which everyone who isn't naive knows is going on.

The 49ers with a pretty smart back field. RB from Stanford. FB from Harvard.

How about both starting RBs coming out of Rutgers?