Jon Joseph

Charles, I trust you can hear the AMEN! coming from this corner. Only one group of "experts" risk taking it in the shorts if wrong, the bookies. GO DUCKS, Hose The Hoosiers!

Hats off to the Gators and Gat! Hats off to my betting buddies who convinced our consortium to bet the under preseason win total for Clemson and Texas. Guys who played on a 4-loss team at Clemson last season were being lauded as preseason All-Americans. Texas lost many quality players from last year's team, the Archie adulation was hive mind hideous, and what has Sark won in his career? A B12 title with a superior roster in that conference. BTW, he defeated Mike Gundy in the B12 champ game to win the title. 😁 If you are hungry in Austin, Texas, do not look for Golden Arches. And frankly, Franklin overpaid for Jim Knowles, and is overpaid himself at PSU. One old Patriot, Mike Patricia, looks like the assistant coach hire of the year. Did anyone in Chapel Hill check Billy's record without Tommy? Saturday's Assistant Coach of the Week 6 Award goes to Jerry Neuheisel. If Nits fans are ticked off about Jerry's Dad not being objective on Saturday ... 🤬🤬🤬. It's OK, hockey season has started. 🤣🤣🤣 As is often the case, on a down CFB weekend, CFB came through. 😍😍😍 PS - In T-Town, Don Diego couldn't cash the checks he wrote with his mouth. Even with Johnny Football on the sideline. 🤑

Gee whiz, after a loss in a White Out? Give PSU a break! Right? Compared to: After a loss to the number 1 team in the nation and having to travel 3 time zones away to play an undefeated team, and being behind going into the 4th quarter, how about we get Husky with it and win! It's a 12-game regular season, and there are no excuses. You win or lose, period, end of sentence. I don't believe that James Franklin could carry Jedd Fisch's jock strap. Franklin has coached in a 3-team only competitive conference, taken advantage of recruiting happy hunting grounds, won enough games to stay employed for B1G bucks, and will never win the games that matter. There is no, nada, nudge, stugotz excuses for losing at UCLA. If I'm a PSU booster with B1G Bucks, I'm thinking about bringing in Pat Fitzgerald. Someone who will get right down to the real nitty-gritty. Someone who will coach up his players to punch the other guy in the mouth. PSU is a team that opened the wallet to keep NFL guys on campus and to bring in the missing pieces needed to win it all. Like Michigan in 2023 and Ohio State in 2024. But with an SSDD head coach.

Their GM quit. I think he's looking for a job at Linfield? How do you turn $300M into zip? Give it to Beavis and the clawless, clueless, Cougars. Best of luck, Wazzu at Ole Miss next Saturday.

Absolutely diminished. It's sad, but it's a game of comparative scores. There is zero excuse for a team with a Blue Chip Roster showing up in LA with no will to win the game.

Why not? What do we have other than trans properties? This was a bottom-feeder loss for PSU. An L that sullies last Saturday's win. Without a win in Columbus and a win against Indiana, We Are The Champs, Penn State will not qualify for the PO. PSU allowed the wrong QB to escape to Mizzou. PSU is trying to run an RPO O without a QB fit for an RPO. This, after paying mucho dinero to keep guys at Beaver Stadium, playing for a sure thing, an NFL first-round draft pick QB, and WRs who can actually catch a football. And I do think in the subjective world of CFB rankings, this does diminish last Saturday's win. I also believe UW's comeback against Maryland helps OBD's cause. It's unfortunately all about transitive properties and comparison scores. 136 teams in theory competing for a spot in a 12-team PO, the manner in which you win and lose matters. The win in a White Out? Was it that B1G of a deal? OBD, but for a couple of plays, was 'This Close' to a three-score win. From a mile away - Penn State fans will now whine about the strenuous travel post-White Out. This never would have happened but for the Newbie Westies!🤬 OT - My Vegas buddies, including Moi, called the under win total for Clemson and Texas. It's always good when you can line up after Week 6 to collect season-long future bets. 🤑 If you're looking for the Golden Arches in Austin, Texas, good luck, yuck, yuck 😁.

Jerry Neuheisel for the next UCLA coach? A somnubulant Bruins O woke up today. PSU lost twice. This is bad coaching squared. I'll wait on Charles, Mike West, or another more skilled Xs and Os guy, but running an RPO O with Allar at QB? The problem? Who can we hire who is better? Bama wins and shuts up Pavia. UGA owns Kentucky. Clemson brings more laughs to the Billy sans Tommy hire. Texas? Did no one notice the talent that left last season's Longhorns? Did no one notice the preseason AA players at Clemson lost 4 games last season? My LV boys and I win. We bet the preseason under for Texas and PSU. Indiana? Put out the Cig in Week 7, but are the Hoosiers still the underdogs at PSU? ND is fortunate Navy defeated AFA today, 34-31. ND is in the final 12, and something is wrong. PUT OUT THEM CIGS! https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/bowl-projections-sec-big-ten-own-college-football-playoff-field-with-alabama-oregon-ole-miss-among-risers/

Kirk, compared to other scores today, UW rebounded from a loss to No.1, overcame the travel and being behind, and won the ball game. Locksley is now 0-10 coming off a bye.

This does not help OBD's PO cause. Hats off to the Jerry (?) Neuheisels.!

Michigan fans are calling NCAA HQ to see if Sherrone Moore's suspension can be extended. 🙃

Clemson: Take no prisoners! Leave no crumbs! 35 - 3 at half-time over the GOAT (?) and UNC. Perhaps the UNC AD should have checked Billy's record without Tommy before handing him $10 million a year? Oh, plus a couple of more million for Billy's boys and bosom buddy GM Lombardi? But off the field, there's been no embarrassing behavior, right?🤪

First, make sure to read Darren Perkins' excellent and humorous Bye Week article. Three FBS teams have not trailed in a game to date. Miami, Maryland, and Texas Tech. All three teams have challenging games today: No. 3 Miami (- 4.5) at No. 18 FSU; No. 11 Texas Tech (-11.5) at 5-0 Houston; and No. 32 Maryland (+6.5) hosting UW. Maryland is often undefeated in September, then October happens. Mike Locksley is 0-9 coming off a bye week and playing a Big Ten opponent. Long trip East for UW after battling with Ohio State in Seattle last Saturday. Terps vs. the Huskies will likely be the closest Big Ten game of the week. Penn State at UCLA, Michigan State at Nebraska, and Illinois at Purdue should be wins for the visiting teams. Home teams should prevail in Wisconsin at Michigan, Minnesota at Ohio State, and the Louisiana-Monroe Wart Hogs (!) at Northwestern. The only Top 25 vs. Top 25 games today are No. 3 Miami at No. 18 FSU, and No. 16 Vanderbilt (+10.5) at No. 10 Alabama. ( Hmmmm. I recall one loss, FSU defeating one loss Bama, no?) The one Top 25 team in action last night, No. 23 BYU, defeated Rich Rod and West Virginia. A lesser slate of games than Week 5, but strange things happen in CFB when least expected. Enjoy and get ready to Lite Up Cig!

Sports Illustrated's balanced look at the issue of private capital. Arguments pro and con are well expressed. SIInside the Big Ten’s Private Capital Gamble: What It Mean...The conference is weighing a $2 billion deal that could reshape revenue, control and the future of college athletics.

Wouldn't It Be Nice - 😍 Why Oregon’s Dante Moore could be the next Marcus Mariota...Oregon QB Dante Moore shined in a double-OT win at Penn State. Could he follow Marcus Mariota’s path and become the Ducks’ next Heisman winner?

ESPN's Bill Connelly on CFB Week 6 - ESPN.comBama's shot at revenge, high stakes in the ACC and the 29...Can Vanderbilt do it again? Can Virginia sustain its success? And what's next in the Big 12?

Maybe it's a trap? 🤢 https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-playoff-race-2025-alabama-vs-vanderbilt-leads-week-6-slate-trap-games-await-ranked-teams/?ftag=SNL-04-10aaa0b&ET_CID=479713&ET_RID=52482716

Reining In NIL, Maybe? Schools can no longer guarantee 3rd party collective NIL deals. The NIL deal reviewer, NIL Go (Don't Go NIL?), was waiting on this ruling before reviewing a backlog of NIL deals. Reminder: NIL deals with public companies not found to be 'boosters' are all good. Saturday BlitzThe NCAA finally adopted changes to help police NIL dealsThe world of College Football continues to trend closer to the NFL and professional ranks than we've ever seen before as significant changes continue to impact

HUH? I guess Peewee and Tiny Tim, and Miss Vickie were not available? On3ESPN College GameDay announces guest picker for Vanderbil....

Clemson and UNC fans can relate to the flip side: I Wonder if I Care as Much. 🙃

Darren, thanks again for the terrific article. BTW, Miami and Mari-oh-oh are 0-4 in the last four road games vs. ranked opponents. This week, Miami has to travel farther than 30 miles from campus. Week 5 served up CFB caviar, filet mignon, and Dom Perignon. This week looks like a cold burger, soggy fries, and a flat Coke from the McDonalds Drive-Thru. 😁But these are the kind of weeks when strange CFB stuff happens.🤬 In addition to your rundown of this week's games, here are a few more from On3's Josh Pate. I liked your take on the Dabo Donut Holes vs. the 33rd NFL team. UNC's play is the only thing making the Cleveland Brownies look good. Nevertheless, Gabe, Blow Your Horn! On3Upset Alert: Which college football teams could be in dan....

Thanks, Darren, for another most enjoyable read. It isn't easy putting together a schedule for 18 teams that cover four time zones. Seeming inequities in scheduling will happen. But compared to playing eight B1G teams in a row without an idle week, this year's schedule is a piece of cake. Every team and its fans have scheduling beefs. Ohio State and its fans feel dumped on having to kick off so often at noon. IMO, both teams being idle the week before playing one another is not hurting one team or the other. The only egregious game on the schedule is having to play Minnesota on a Friday night after playing at Iowa. However, this gives OBD one more day to prepare for USC. The B1G did not schedule OBD's game against Beavis in Week 4. Oregon, like Penn State, could have avoided playing a game in Week 4. Maybe this is a reason why OBD's D ran out of gas in the 4th quarter, but a win cures all concerns. One of the very few times I have been disappointed in Dan Lanning is his joining the LA crowd, beefing about rather than embracing the challenge of the schedule. Four of 18 teams are located in the Pacific time zone. Scheduling stuff is going to happen. Don't Let Mendoza Cross the Line! Put Out That Cig!

Friend Solar, there is risk, of course. However, with a 95% equity stake in Big Ten Enterprises, I believe Tony Petitti and his advisers have mitigated the risk. How is a 5% stake holder going to call the shots? I also note that Microsoft, Google, and Apple start ups were all funded with private equity. The financial world opined that Microsoft and its idea of personal computers would never work. Microsoft came close to taking down IBM. If this deal happens as was the case with the Big Ten Network, others will follow suit.

Gat, I'm not saying anyone's concerns about a new enterprise aren't warranted. But how does a 5% equity holder tell the other 95% what they have to do? The format of the newly formed Big Ten Enterprises will own 95% of the equity. In 2007, B1G commissioner Jim Delaney had an idea. The conference would start its own network dedicated solely to the broadcast and coverage of a single conference's athletics. He convinced Fox to provide 61% of the new venture's start-up capital. Delaney, the Big Ten, and Fox were laughed at and skewered coast to coast over an insane idea that would be a disaster for the conference and Fox. I'm pretty sure Jim, the B1G, and Fox got the last laugh.

A $40 billion valuation. $2 billion for 5% which reverts to the conference in 2047. The conference retains management of its own affairs. How does a 5% owner of a to-be-formed Big Ten Enterprises have the power to run and ruin the conference now or in the future? It doesn't. The goal is to keep the conference together and not have to look at partnerships with teams from other conferences to raise the operating cash to compete for championships. To have the money on hand to avoid draconian cuts to athletic departments and non-revenue sports. I, too, have worked with private equity businesses. I'm certain Tony Petitti has worked with private equity. They have their valuation experts, and so does the Big Ten. This has been a protracted negotiation. Petitti and his advisers did not fall off the last pumpkin wagon coming through town. They are not going to give control and the future of the conference away. How else do the critics of the proposed transaction plan on raising additional operating funds? The choice is the same choice every business enterprise in growth mode faces: incur debt or sell a slice of equity. The sports inventory has already been leveraged, and the Big Ten has secured the best return of all the competing conferences. The predicate, as Mike West noted above, that many people refuse to recognize: college athletics is big business. The B1G is the biggest in the industry. IMO, selling a small slice of equity for a fixed time is much more favorable than incurring long-term debt, and the goal of holding the conference together is worthwhile. A goal a conference commissioner should see as Job One.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! We're No. 1! Ranking the 10 Biggest College Football Winners of September