Jon Joseph

But if you're not going to take Larry to trial ...

Thanks for the post NJ. I have likely iterated and reiterated this fact too often but it is a fact that since the BCS x 2, so-called playoff inception, no school that played 9 conference games has won a playoff title. Ducks 1-1, UW 0-1, TCU 1-1, Michigan State 0-1, Michigan 0-2, Ohio State 3-4 with the champ win coming when Ohio State played 8 conference games (SIGH,) And our buddy Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma went 0-4. Notre Dame lost the ACC conference champ game to Clemson when it played as a full-time ACC member, keep the enabling coming ACC, and made the Final 4 but is 0-2 and plays 12, not 13 games, in a season. IMO, Notre Dame should be required to play 13 games with 10 at least versus P5 opponents but ND must have photos of the other 10 G5/P5 conference commissioners. As far back as Steve Spurrier, many have called out the Domers to no effect. Teams that played 8 regular season conference games. Alabama - 9-4 - 3 titles Clemson - 6-4 - 2 titles Georgia - 5-1 - 2 titles and Tua'd out of a 3rd LSU - 2-0 - 1 title. Cincinnati - 0-1. FSU - 0-1. (Nuck, nuck, nuck! But it was a game that could have gone either way, right Jameis?) Of course, 8 conference games do not mean you cannot schedule additional P5 opponents OOC. It also doesn't mean that SEC teams with stacked rosters that played 8 would not have won a title playing 9. 6 titles speak for the power of the SEC. But Oregon playing a 9th conference opponent is, no matter what SEC honks have to say, more difficult than playing New Mexico State in the penultimate week of the regular season. Yes, in 2023 Bama plays Texas and LSU plays FSU but only 2 SEC teams in 2023 play 10 games vs P5 teams. Way behind the other Power 4 conferences. In 2023 10 Pac-12 schools play at least 1 P5 opponent OOC and CU and Utah play 2 P5 teams OOC. UCLA and Oregon State play Zip.

I am a bit more high on the Buckeyes in 2023. tOSU gets Penn State in Columbus while Michigan trips to Happy Valley. Unlike the Wolverines, Ohio State does have an OOC opponent with a heartbeat, Notre Dame.

SC. The ESPN answer is Four! Back to School with this projection. Trojans are getting too much respect. Ducks at 11 are in the ESPN FPI mix. 2023 College Football Power Index - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM View the 2023 College Football power index on ESPN. The FPI is the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the...

Too bad, so sad. Alabama Football: Phil Steele disappoints Auburn and Tennessee fans BAMAHAMMER.COM In his 2023 preseason rankings, Phil Steele has Alabama Football ranked No. 4, behind Georgia, Clemson and Michigan, and one...

Great observation H and ND, IMO, should have been included. But ND already plays in CA every season and I doubt that the Domers want to take on both Troy and Puddles; especially, when considering Stanford (!) defeated ND in South Bend last season. But it would be a CFB fan viewer's must-watch game. And with the LA schools leaving eyeballs on OOC games could matter for at-large and seeding spots come the expanded playoff in 2024.

'Most conferences play 9 conference games?' 3 do and 2 do not and no team which played 9 conference games has won a playoff title. We now have the data to pretty convincingly state that this is not a coincidence. My, FWIW, thoughts on the potential match-ups. A general comment is that most out-of-conference dance cards are filled for the next 7 years to a decade. Alabama - The Tide coming west of SEC country for an OOC game happens about as often as Haley's Comet showing up. Miami - The Mario match-up will be of interest for a few more seasons but it is Clemson and FSU that move the ACC viewer needle. Michigan - Has a permanent scheduling opponent in UCLA and like Ohio State I expect Michigan does not want to book more West Coast travel. Penn State - A White Out with a return game would be great. Oklahoma - Would have been nice to play the Sooners sooner in 2022. Tennessee, Texas, A+M, Ole Miss - Maybe I'm a masochist but I'd love a home-and-home match-up with the Dawgs, and the same for Auburn which twice has escaped Puddles by the skin of its teeth. I don't know if I'll be around to see it but Michigan State and Ohio State are on future dance cards. And I'd like to see the addition of Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. Solid Central time zone B1G opponents. And the dust has to settle but home and home series with UCLA and USC would be intense match-ups. Meanwhile, defeat a solid Texas Tech squad in September. Oregon Football: 12 non-conference opponents we want the Ducks to play DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Oregon’s non-conference scheduling is respectable, with games against Ohio State, Auburn, and LSU on the record. Here’s who...

Phil is often wrong, UW was his 'Surprise Team' in 2022, a big mistake courtesy of noted scholar Jimmy Lake, but never in doubt. His college football preseason magazine is as good as it gets for detailed team-by-team coverage. No surprise to see 6 SEC teams, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, A+M, Tennessee, and Ole Miss in the top 25 and Kentucky at 35 in the top 40. It sure is nice to see 5 Pac-12 teams, USC, UW, OREGON, Utah, and Oregon State in the top 25 along with UCLA at 28. IMO, these teams are overrated. 2. Clemson, I think the Tigers win the ACC again but suffer at least 2 losses including at home versus Notre Dame and at least one of the games vs FSU, Miami, and NC State. 3. Michigan - I see a loss on the road at Penn State and Ohio State turning the tables back on the Wolverines. 8. FSU -This season's preseason media darling that I think will be punched in the mouth in the opener vs 9. LSU. 12. A+M. I've seen this movie before. 13. Wisconsin. I do believe Luke Fickell was an outstanding hire but I don't see this much improvement in year one. IMO, these teams are underrated. 15. OREGON - OK, so I'm a homer, so what? 5. Ohio State. I see a Final 4 berth for the Buckeyes. 9. LSU. I see the Tigers repeating as SEC W champs. 19. Tennessee. Other than for Georgia the SEC E is not all that and I see the Vols outscoring most of their opponents and going 10-2 or 9-3. 20. Oklahoma. With the Sooners roster talent in the B12, I see a bounce back in 2023. 29. K State. I think K State will be in the mix for back-to-back B12 titles. 39. Texas Tech. Joey McGuire has the Red Raiders on the rise and TT misses Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in 2023. Your thoughts? Phil Steele: College Football Preseason Top 40 WWW.ON3.COM .

I think he's ticked off that his alma mammy Mizzou continues post-Pinkel, to get its butt kicked in the SEC. In both CFB and CBB. The money spends but Mizzou is now a football afterthought.

The B1G is so wonderful that without poaching the LA schools the B1G's new media deal would be $45 to $40M for Rutgers and Ohio State. Ooops! This may well be repetitive on my part but compared to the SEC the B1G deal is not that big of a deal.

Please, banish Dennis Dodd al the way to Siberia without an overcoat.

Can't win 'em all. It is amazing to see so many top recruits nationwide having Oregon in contention for a 'commitment.' As Hayward so correctly points out if you have a whole lot of skin in the game you will at least on occasion come up short. Miss Mario? How about "NO!"

The last time SC played Iowa in a bowl game, SC was smash mouthed and its starting QB left the game early on with an injury. Iowa ran roughshod over the Trojans. In 2024, SC opens vs LSU in Las Vegas. Trips to the Eastern time zone to play Penn State, Maryland, and Purdue and to Chicago to play Northwestern. Trips across town to play UCLA. SC plays Notre Dame, Illinois, IOWA, Michigan, and Wisconsin in LA. And Caleb Williams will be playing in the NFL. GULP!

Records for well-known coaches versus top 25 competition. Riley is looking good here coming in 4th nationally against the big boys even with going 0-4 in the playoff. Didn't hurt to play all of those over-ranked dysfunctional Longhorn teams. Oregon has the honor of defeating the #1 ranked coach, Ohio State's Ryan Day. Interesting that Kirby 'Get' Smart beats out Saint Nick. College football rankings: Best, worst Power Five coaches against top-25 teams 247SPORTS.COM Some coaches are worth their weight in gold.

Dante Moore gets a lot of love from the folks at DW. Will he even get the starting nod in Westwood? Bo Nix beats out the returning Heisman Trophy winner? Gotta love this as a Ducks fan but I think in the vast majority of rankings you would see Bo behind Williams and probably behind Penix. Has the conference ever had a deeper group of QBs? Pac-12 quarterback talent may be at an all-time high in 2023 DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM The Pac-12 QB class is as deep as it’s ever been. Which school should feel the best based on what their passer has done over...

Fox like the folks at the Heisman Trust, has kicked Reggie to the curb. Reggie did not get the money he was looking for. He'll be replaced by Heisman winner Mark Ingram. In my opinion, the Heisman should have gone to the Bama OL. What kind of Q factor does Ingram bring with him? But as we are constantly witnessing, these days media companies are not tossing money around.

Sparty fans may want to ask: Tuck comin' but is his paycheck comin'?

Never a Dawg Day Afternoon. Seems like everyone on the UGA roster is well coached up.

The college football arms race continues. More fodder for CFB players to be found to be employees. If you build it they will come but they will no longer accept a free education in return.

Money is not evil. The love of money is evil. The love of money has turned a regional sport played in the sunshine 10 times on Saturday afternoons, with a select few going to post-season games, into the behemoth we see today. When coaches are making $9M plus per annum to coach the game of football no wonder players want more than Taj Mahal-like facilities, they understandably want a bigger piece of the pie. All of this cash will inevitably lead to NFL Lite with few schools wanting to be employers of athletes, a players union, salary caps for a team but no restriction on NIL, bargained restrictions on transfers, players being drafted out of high school, and all games being broadcast via pay-for-view. One wonders if the game at the highest level will be played by student-athletes or just athletes. Will Florida put a team on the field or Florida, owned and operated by Gatorade with the players being employees of Gatorade, on the field? Thanks for this post, Charles. Even if the news is disturbing, don't shoot the messenger. While decidedly different today from not so long ago, CFB is still a great sport but money is causing its destruction as an amateur sport. BTW, how would you like to be a pro golfer today who stayed 'loyal' when fellow pros who scored $100M + to abandon the PGA are now again your competitors? The PGA asked for help from Congress and heard crickets. It will not be any different with the NCAA seeking Congressional help. Money matters everywhere and it certainly matters to politicians seeking election or reelection.

No school including Alabammy can get them all. But stay in the running late for 4* and 5* guys and you will get your share. To me, it's kind of amazing how so many quality recruits have Oregon on their shortlist.

Probably not based on age and recruiting prowess but I would insist that Riley leave the Grinch who stole defense behind.

This IMO is over the top but the author is not alone in questioning the long-term viability of College GameDay. He also points out how Reece Davis has been too critical of the Pac-12 and not other CFB conferences. FYI, Reece is an Alabama graduate. https://athlonsports.com/college-football/future-of-espns-college-gameday-feared-to-be-in-jeopardy

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/jonathan-smith-q-a-how-oregon-state-looks-to-build-off-best-season-in-over-a-decade

Do you agree that the Civil War game will be the most important and impactful game the Ducks will play in 2023? Lots of games to consider with Oregon playing USC, UW, Utah, and the Beavers, all in contention for a 2023 Pac-12 title. And trips to the desert have not been kind to Puddles. The last trip to Arizona took Oregon out of the running for a Final 4 berth. Pac-12 Football: Identifying every team’s most important game in 2023 DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM The most important game to win may not always be the biggest. We identify each Pac-12 team’s must-win game in 2023.