Jon Joseph

Sending out an SOS. USC's SOS is 10th in the conference. Oregon's SOS is 4th in the conference. Yet, USC has the 39th-ranked overall toughest schedule in 2023, 20 spots ahead of the Ducks. No comprendo. SC has two lay-ups OOC. SC plays Utah and UW at home. I guess playing Notre Dame in South Bend is a super-human task. Oregon has 5 games versus preseason-ranked teams (Texas Tech is preseason ranked in many of the mock rankings that are out there) with 3 of these games on the road. 59? I was happy to see UCLA on the bottom rung for both OOC games and conference games. I won't bother to ask why the Pac-12 schedulers (Merton Hanks) gave this bon voyage gift to the Bruins. This simply fits into the conference's decade-plus dysfunction.

There is nothing wrong with NIL as intended. There is something wrong with using NIL to recruit players out of high school and from the portal. The NCAA is a neutered tiger and is not going to after programs that misuse NIL. Not going after schools that poach players. The NFL collectively bargains with its union but does nothing to rein in its players making all they can from NIL. I do not think the ACC will stay as currently structured for more than 5 years if that. A football and basketball challenge with the ACC would be fun but the distance is too great to merge with one or more ACC teams. And the ACC media deal stinks. Terrific take on the future of CFB. I agree with you in part but the $70M or so each B1G and SEC team will receive in media revenue year after year will have an impact. Especially when it comes to taking successful coaches away from the ACC, B12, and Pac-10. We have a Power 2 now and I expect and I agree that both the B1G and the SEC will add teams to form a combined super league. Oregon is fortunate to have Division Street. A professionally run and managed entity.

Great take but the top 6 B1G teams? As I noted earlier the B1G W champ Purdue was humiliated by LSU. Wisconsin was not bowl eligible in 2022. I think the top 3 can compete against anyone but after that? I see the Pac-12 in 2023 being far deeper than the B1G. Top 4? What team is your 4th? USC? Never made the playoff. Was last seen getting embarrassed by Utah and losing to a G5 team. Better than the top 4 in the SEC? I wholly disagree and the record speaks for itself. Top 5 hands down? Georgia, Alabama, LSU (far from a paper tiger; a team that won the playoff a few years back) Tennessee (defeated Clemson handily in its bowl game,) and Auburn, a team Oregon has yet to defeat. Alabama, Georgia, and LSU have all won playoff titles. Ohio State won the inaugural playoff title and that's it for the B1G. The SEC has far, far more BCS trophies than the B1G. The SEC constantly out-recruits the B1G and sends far more players on to the NFL. Kentucky, South Carolina, A+M, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State are better programs than the middle tier of the B1G. And in the last couple of years Vany defeats Northwestern had they played. Illinois had a senior-laden team last season that gave Michigan a heck of a game but did not win the B1G West. Come 2024 if the 16 B1G teams played a challenge against the 16 SEC teams I think the SEC would dominate. And I think the odds makers would back me up. Fun to ponder. But the SEC and not the B1G, has the trophies to support the bragging.

Good take but the B1G in football is a distant second to the SEC and SEC teams are for the most part ramping up their OOC schedules including Bama, UGA, Florida, LSU, and Auburn. For the majority of the B1g not playing a P5 opponent OOC could be a big ding to the SOS. Playing Northwestern, Nebraska, Indiana, Purdue, Rutgers, and Maryland does not move the SOS needle. Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State, and then there is a B1G drop-off to the next tier. B1G, unlike the SEC, is making B1G bucks because of location and huge numbers of alumni./alumnae.

Good call but the NW schools going to the B1G will not top to bottom see an improvement in LOS play. Oregon has a better group of OL guys than most of the teams in the B1G. Recall that at the close of 2022, the Pac-12 had 6 teams ranked and the B1G had 3 ranked. Penn State did decisively beat the Utes in the Rose Bowl, tOSU played a great game against Georgia but Michigan was upset by a big underdog and subsequently blown out by UGA. LSU put up 60+ points on B1G West champ Purdue. Wazzu won in Madison. I think the B1G is as overrated in football as it is in basketball. A way top-heavy conference.

Sure hope you are right. Charles makes great points in regard to the 2010, 2012, and 2014 teams. The proof, as always, will be in the pudding. To equate to the teams Charles noted the team will have to make the final Final 4 and make the title game like MM's team did his senior season or at least score a convincing win in an NY6 bowl and finish in the AP ranked final poll top 3 or 4.

Run Forrest, RUN!

Another terrific pick-up by DL and friends. Thanks for the post and Go Ducks!

A payday near double? Therein lies the rub. If the B1G comes with an offer for the NW schools it will be a significantly less amount than Rutgers, Maryland, Northwestern, SC and UCLA will be bringing in. What is the number that would convince the NW schools to be junior members in The B1G? I think $50M would be a no-brainer but I can't say the same for $40M or so. And I do not think any offer will be made before Fox, which is driving the B1G expansion bus, and the NW schools, know the details of the new Pac-10 media deal. It may be a necessary move but propping up SC and UCLA would stink.

ND, I'm certain you know that UGA had a game scheduled versus Oklahoma in Norman this season that the conference called off. This helps account for a weak UGA OOC schedule in 2023. UGA does have better P5 OOC opponents scheduled down the road. Future UGA OOC opponents include Clemson, UCLA, FSU, Louisville, NC State, and Ohio State. All in addition to Georgia Tech.

Et tu Ducks Wire (USA Today)? This projection relies heavily on the 'journalism of Dennis Dodd' so take it with a big dose of hangover medicine. If the Pac-10 can hold on, which I believe will happen, it won't be in the B1G and it won't be three yards and a cloud of dust but Oregon's Dan Lanning and UW's DeBoer could be headed for a Woody Hayes/Bo Schembechler decade long fist fight. Pac-12 Football: Where each team could land if the conference breaks up DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM The Pac-12 may sign a new media rights deal and start to thrive. If not, though, these teams could be on the move. As DucksWire notes, it's all about the Benjies. Sad but spot on.

Perfection is unattainable no matter the methods used. These are human beings that we are talking about. I'd rather go back to the days of 'the rub of the green." Some bad calls would fall in your favor and vice versa.

Spot On! IMO CFB should adopt the NFL replay rules. Have to challenge before the last two minutes of each half and if you are wrong you lose a time out. And if the CFB rules remain in place limit the review to 2 or 3 minutes from start to finish. No decision within this time frame means that the play stands.

Logical. The D3 should not control the G5/P5. CBS says this will delay the rule for all teams. We'll see.

Terrific take. I agree that the B1G will add Left Coast teams when the next media deal comes around. I just hope that it will be Oregon and UW and not CAL and Stanford which I think the two LA teams would prefer. Add all 4 and you have 20 teams. Add two more from the Pac-12, (CU, Utah - AAU member schools?), or 2 from B12 (KS and IA St are AAU members) and/or 4 from the ACC (Georgia Tech, UNC, Duke, and UVA are AAU members.) If the ACC folds I think Notre Dame will have to go to a conference and it will fold if the B1G takes 4 ACC teams and the SEC adds Clemson, FSU, Miami, and NC State.) I think 24 teams with 6 four-team pods would make sense for both the B1G and the SEC. This could happen earlier in 2026 if the B1G and the SEC want to put a lock on the playoff. The game of musical conference chairs is far from over.

My running skills these days are not pleasant.

It will be very interesting to see the B1G inventory that NBC will broadcast. I believe NBC is hoping for a Notre Dame broadcast followed by a Left Coast broadcast of UCLA or USC. These would be a great lead-in and follow-up game for NBC, But will Fox allow this kind of inventory for NBC? I can see a situation where the west coast games could be broadcast on linear TV by Fox and also streamed on Peacock. And where will CBS fit in the B1G broadcast mix? Losing the SEC to ESPN means lots of CFB broadcast openings for CBS. I wonder how many Fox Big Noon games (9 AM body clock start for the LA reams) will feature UCLA and USC?

What happened to the committee SEC commissioner Greg Sankey co-chaired that was supposed to separate G5 and P5 regulation from the NCAA? D3 concerns will hold up the no-clock stoppage for 1st downs for at least the 2023 season. Oregon's opponent Texas Tech ran the most plays from the line of scrimmage in 2022 and has to be loving this. Amherst, Bowdoin, and Williams, among 432 D3 football schools should not be involved with G5 and P5 rule-making. Cats (and birds) should not play with big dog tails.

Know thy enemy. Sun Tzu One thing for certain, Utah is not going chicken spit OOC in 2023, Florida in SLC, and a trip to Waco. Whew! Only 4 Pac-12 road games? But three are at Oregon State, USC, and UW. https://collegefootballnews.com/schedules/utah-football-schedule-2023-analysis-breakdown-3-things-to-know

A B1G writer is concerned about the B1G dropping a P5 OOC opponent. He's not happy about this. aturdaytradition.com/big-ten-football/hickey-backing-out-of-power-5-scheduling-requirement-would-be-a-b1g-mistake/

Man, this is a young flock of baby Ducks! Oregon Football: Updated scholarship count after latest transfers DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM A look at Oregon’s updated scholarship count after adding WR Gary Bryant Jr. and TE Kaden Ludwick on Saturday.

I've been to College Station, Texas. Very good decision young man.

A Twiggy blast from the past, I love it! This is a gal who had to run around in the shower to get wet.

Huzzah! With the addition of Bryant, Oregon still has 2 or 3, depending on whether to TE from CU and from Clackamas, is a walk-on or on scholarship, scholarships available. I'd like to see Dan use these on an LB or 2 out of the portal but are there LBs in the portal who will be more than tackling dummies? I don't know but I am certain Dan and friends know.