Jon Joseph

FPI Underdogs in 2 games: at Utah and versus USC. The Ducks IMO win at least 1 of these games. TEXAS TECH (TT) - FPI gives the Ducks a 51% chance to win in Lubbock. In 2021, Michigan came from outside the Top 25 in the AP Poll (AP) to make the Final 4. In 2022, TCU did the same. Ironically, these 2 met in a Playoff semi-final with TCU coming out on top. (Jim Harbaugh, kick an opening drive FG!) Stewart Mandel TT, ranked 26 in the first AP, to be the leading dark horse (fits the color of the horse the Red Raider rides into the stadium) to come from out of the AP Top 25 and make the final Final 4. From Mandel's (paywall protected) 8/16 Mailbag.) Tyler Shough is back for his 4th season as a starting college QB. (1st season Tyler played at Oregon.) In Shough's final 2 games of 2022, he went 31 of 50 for 436 yards in TT's OT win over Oklahoma, then threw for 242 yards and ran for 111 in the bowl win over Ole Miss. Shough has often been hurt but TT is 8-0 in the 8 games, Tyler started and finished. TT returns its top 5 receivers. And a home run hitter in RB Tahj Brooks. 3 players on D made Bruce Feldman's Freaks List, safety Tyler Owens, DT Jaylon Hutchings, and edge rusher Myles Cole. B12 Honorable mention DT Tony Bradford is back. This will be a very tough game in a hot, hostile environment. I do expect TT to win its opener at Wyoming and TT will likely be in the AP Top 25 in Week 2. Friend Mike West, whose opinions I always respect, sees Puddles having few problems in Lubbock. I wish I was as sanguine about the Ducks chances as is Mike.

And come 2031 the accountants at Oregon and UW.

Par for the course for this guy who hired his former client Herm Edwards and for the guy he reports to, Michael Crow, president of The Larry Fan Club.

I love this kind of proactive marketing that I don't believe we've seen from the Athletic Department for some time.

Need a unanimous vote to change the current 2024 format. Does the Pac-4 still have a vote? In 2024, I see 5 and not 6 conference champ automatic qualifiers, 7 and not 6 at-large teams, and perhaps the top 4 ranked teams getting the 1st round bye as it should be IMO. If this doesn't happen in 2024/25 it will happen in 2026. 2026? The B1G and the SEC will define the playoff format and the distribution of the money. With a Power 2 do you need a playoff other than the top 4 B1G schools playing the top 4 SEC schools? Especially if Notre Dame and UNC are in the B1G and Clemson, FSU, Miami, and NC State are in the SEC. If need be in order to keep the pols off of the back, have a 12-team field and throw a spot to the B12 champ and the best G5 team.

'And George, have a really nice day.' Fox was involved no doubt but Fox and ESPN were both contractually committed to fund P5 team additions to the B12 at the full $31.7M a year share. Yormark jocked the fiddling while the Pac burns, Kliavkoff. How is it possible to massively screw up with the hire of Larry and then hire a guy with, like Larry, no college sports experience? If I were GK, when these bozos said, "George, get us $50M each," I'm headed back to the MGM. George did not have the gravitas to convince the members of 'The Elite Club' to expand into the Central time zone which likely would have saved the conference and to tell the Pac-12 presidents to get a grip when it came to the evaluation of media money.

I'm blessed. I did visit this man-cave; one of the all-time greats!

Below is, hopefully, a non-paywall article from ESPN looking at the opponents the Top 25 teams play in September. AP college football Poll reaction - What we'll learn about teams in September - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM What will the first month of the college football season teach us about each team in the preseason AP Top 25 poll?

This article from Bama Hammer addresses the influence that Greg Sankey is likely to have on re-formatting the playoff structure if not before 2026 then by 2026. He also by reference to the B1G acknowledges that B1G commissioner, Tony Petitti, will have a major say on how the playoff will be formatted and how playoff money will be distributed. e.g., The Power 2 will not be anxious to share the money. Reformatting before 2026 would require a unanimous vote of conference commissioners and the Notre Dame AD. It is unclear if the Pac12 (4) will retain a vote. The article also discusses whether the Pac-4, in some iteration or another, will be considered to be a 'Power Conference.' I doubt that the Pac-4 will retain Power Conference status. Stanford will go independent in football and perhaps, join the West Coast Conference for all other sports before it 'lowers itself' to play in the Mountain West or alongside G5 schools cobbled onto the Pac-Whatever. And Stanford has the endowment to pull this off. Cal? Not so much. Stanford has the Notre Dame rivalry going for it. And my guess is that Oregon, UCLA, USC, and UW would all be willing to schedule Stanford OOC in football. I'd much prefer to see Oregon play Stanford OOC than to play Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Baylor. One thing for certain, the Playoff format come 2026 will look different than the format for 2024/25. Alabama Football: CFB’s biggest future battle will be led by Greg Sankey BAMAHAMMER.COM No future Alabama football game, not even a National Championship Game, will surpass the struggle college football will engage in the next year or so. What...

You just made the list buddy! 3 teams outside of the top initial Top 25 that the author believes will finish in the Top 25. Texas Tech is his #1 team to crash the party. And why not, with TT currently ranked 26? TT takes care of business in its opener in Laramie, and there is a good likelihood that the Red Raiders will be in the Top 25 when Puddles flies into Lubbock. College football rankings: 3 unranked teams in preseason AP Top 25 who can crash the party FANSIDED.COM The latest college football rankings shorted these teams in the initial AP Top 25 Poll big time. With the first AP Top 25 Poll released on Monday afternoon...

Fansided AP Poll winners and losers. This just in. SC ranked at 6 and Utah ranked at 14 does not matter. The 2 play one another at least once in 2023. And while the game is in LA, the Utes get the Trojans coming off a game in South Bend. Utah will be coming off a home game vs Cal. College football rankings 2023: Winners and losers from preseason AP Top 25 FANSIDED.COM Let's dissect the winners and losers from college football's first AP Top 25 Poll of the season. With the AP Top 25 Poll being released on Monday...

Ranked Teams, Beware! College football rankings 2023: 5 teams in Top 25 who will be the first to lose FANSIDED.COM The preseason college football rankings have been set with the AP Top 25 announced. Which ranked teams will be the first to lose this season? The AP Top 25...

This is the guy who was hired by ASU President 'I never met a Larry I didn't like,' Crow. Who in turn hired Herm Edwards, a guy who Anderson repped when he was an agent before taking the ASU AD job. He is and was as unqualified as Hermie. The NCAA hammer is about to come down on his and Crow's head. The NCAA walking away from a plea bargain with Jim Harbaugh for COVID recruiting violations is not a good sign for ASU. I feel sorry for Dilly for being caught up in this mess. But I feel relieved that Oregon will soon be escaping this kind of idiocy.

Evil Knievell did not make it over the Grand Canyon but Oregon did!

Alliance? How about this?

'Nothing is more dangerous than a legislative body in session."

Great thoughts. Yet, history tells us that there will be change by season's end but at least 3 tip 10 teams will be in the playoff. And last season 2L Bama should have been in instead of TCU. And this season's17 ranked TCU and no other B12 team ranked or not, will this season and in the future win a football title over an SEC/B1G team. Look at the AP Top 25. What teams outside of the B1G (18) and the SEC (16) would have a shot at a title in a 12-team playoff coming in 2024? 8. FSU perhaps but the Seminoles will end up in the SEC. 9. Clemson, of course. But this is another team headed for the SEC. And I think that 13. Notre Dame and 21. UNC will be B1G (20) teams. So, 14. Utah? Utah has dropped the last 2 Rose Bowl games to Ohio State and Penn State. Utah is not going to win a CFB Playoff. 16. K State? Res Ipsa Loquitur. 17. TCU - see above. (And while A+M could not keep Texas out of the SEC, A+M, Texas, and Oklahoma can definitely keep TCU out of the SEC.) Tulane? Are you CFB Champ insane? This is not CBB where you can assemble 10 or so guys with a star player or two in the mix and contend for championships. The only reason to let the 'little guy' into a 12-team playoff is to keep the lawyers off of the B1G boys' and SEC boys' backs. Come 2026, with the proper payout (off?) to conferences outside of the Power 2, there is no competitive reason not to have a P2 Playoff. How many 4* and 5* recruits and transfers will head for schools that are not in the Power 2? This is a rhetorical question.

Charles, one more futuristic take prompted by your great B1G post. The Power 2 Playoff - B1G Bracket - 8. A+M at 1. Michigan 5. Tennesse at 4. Penn State 7. Ole Miss at 2. Ohio State 6. Oklahoma at 3. USC SEC Bracket 8. Iowa at 1. Georgia 5. Washington at 4. Texas 7. Wisconsin at 2. Alabama 6. OREGON at 3. LSU Missing? Previous playoff teams Clemson and Notre Dame. But I expect that Notre Dame with end up in the B1G (20), along with North Carolina. Clemson and FSU will end up in the SEC (20.) With these 4 in the B1G/SEC fold, what team is missing that has a real shot at a Playoff title?

Thank you, PA for the post. And thank you, Auburn graduate, Barrett Salle for echoing a few of my amateur Over and Underrated thoughts. I have no idea why Puddles is flying so far under the national radar. But I share Charles's thoughts on liking flying under the radar before soaring upward. It's not how you start, it's how you finish. I totally concur with Barrett's thoughts on LSU. Yes, Bama lost 2 games on the last play of the game last season but without Bryce Young, now playing for the Panthers, Bama could have lost 6 games in 2022. Daniels IMO is the best SEC QB headed into the season and I expect LSU will take down overrated FSU and its overrated QB, in the opening game.

Great take. Except on October 28 and a possible Champ Game meeting, best of luck to the Utes in 2023. Beat SC and UW! I find it far more difficult to believe that FSU (this season's 2022 A+M) is ranked ahead of Clemson. I think FSU drops the opener vs LSU, suffers a loss at Clemson in Week 4, and is out of the Final 4 at the end of Week 4.

Opening against Florida and then playing at Baylor is gutsy. But playoff smart? Except for October 28th and perhaps, the champ game in Las Vegas, best to the Utes in 2023. I find it more difficult to believe that FSU is in the top 10 and ranked ahead of Clemson. I think FSU drops the opener against LSU and then takes the loss at Clemson in Week 4. If I am right, FSU is out of the Final 4 at the close of Week 4. In a 'down year,' Clemson still won the ACC title. It will be interesting to see if Lincoln Riley's little brother can goose the offense to the levels prior to the arrival of DJU.

Why in the name of Clarence Darrow has the Pac-12 not cross-claimed against Larry Scott in the wrongful termination suit filed by the 2 Pac-12 Network executives who were terminated for covering up the Comcast fiasco? The two plaintiffs claim they informed Scott of the accounting error, cost is expected to be $50M+ for the conference, $4M plus for each member school. Scott will obviously be deposed by the plaintiff's counsel. Scott knows this and the conference has to cross-claim before Scott settles with 2 fired executives. The conference D+O insurance will not cover Scott if his malfeasance is proven. This is another case of the 'leaders (?)' of the Pac-12 costing every member school by their failure to act. Great take Jordan but Scott had bosses who allowed his spendthrift spending and then hired Scott Redux, GK, a guy with zero college sports experience. If a public company, the university presidents are the folks who would and should be sued by the shareholders. EVERY major business decision these folks made by commission and omission went in the opposite direction of the decisions that should have been made. It would have been a business miracle if the conference had survived. Very sad but you reap what you sow and what you do not sow. I'm mad as hell but I'll just have to bend over and take it.

Saturday Down South Weighs In on the AP Poll. Love the Utes. 5 takeaways from the preseason AP Poll WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM There were some interesting developments in the first real poll of 2023.

NCAA College Football Rankings: AP Top 25 Football Poll APNEWS.COM The official page for the AP Top 25 college football poll, a tradition since 1936. Keep up to date and view the latest ranking updates each week. The only poll that matters is the Playoff Committee's final poll. But of all the preseason polls, the AP Poll has the most clout before the first Playoff Committee ranking on 10/31/23 HAPPY HALLOWEEN! The AP rankings will be used prior to 10/31 to rank the teams playing and whether or not the ranking is justified in the long run. 5 Pac-12 teams are ranked in the Top 25 with UCLA ranked 28. The Pac-12 in 2023 is ironically, as deep from top to bottom as it has ever been. Oregon plays 4 ranked teams. 2 on the road at 10. UW and 14 Utah and 2 at home versus 6 USC and 18 Oregon State. And also plays at #26 Texas Tech which should be in the Top 25 when Oregon trips to Lubbock in week 2. Weeks 0 and 1 feature 5 Power 5 vs Power 5 games: 3. Ohio State at Indiana; 5. LSU vs. 8. FSU in Orlando, FL; 7. Penn State vs W VA; 12. Tennessee vs UVA, and 14. Utah vs. Florida. If the ranking plays out in 2023 (bank on this not happening) the 2023 Playoff field: Sugar Bowl - 1. Georgia vs 4. Alabama Rose Bowl - 2. Michigan vs 3. Ohio State Power 5 Conference Champ Games - ACC - Clemson vs FSU - these 2 meet in week 4, FSU at Clemson. FSU has lost the last 7 games at Clemson. B1G - Michigan vs Wisconsin - Most likely the last season of B1G Divisions. B12 - Texas vs K St - then, Texas and Oklahoma will be off to the SEC rodeo. Pac-12 - USC vs UW - Puddles may have a lot to say about this. SEC - Georgia vs LSU - In the last season of SEC Divisions I think that LSU will win the West. 2024 Playoff - What would the field look like with 5 automatic conference qualifiers (what Greg Sankey wants I believe he will get and the B1G will support, going from 5 to 6 automatic conference champ qualifiers) and 7 at-large (AL) teams? And with Oklahoma and Texas moving to the SEC and OREGON, UCLA, USC, and UW moving to the B1G? 1. Georgia - SEC - Bye 2. Michigan - B1G - Bye 3. FSU - ACC - Bye 4. Kansas State - B12 - Bye [The above illustrates why I also believe in the likelihood of the top 4 ranked teams receiving the 1st round byes and not the top 4 ranked conference champions.] 12. Tulane (AAC) at 5. Ohio State 11. Washington at 6. Alabama 10. Clemson at 7. LSU 9. Penn State at 8. USC Overrated and underrated IMO (FWIW) opinion. Overrated - 2. Michigan/4. Alabama/ 6. USC/ 8. FSU/ 10. Washington/ 11. Texas/ 25. Iowa Underrated - 3. Ohio State/ 5. LSU/ 9. Clemson/ 14. Utah/ 15. Oregon/ 18. Oregon State Let The Games Begin!

Terrific take. I think we are more likely to see a Power 2 with 20 teams each. Perhaps, with the pods shown below for football and men's and women's basketball, and with 10 team geographically aligned divisions for all other sports. B1G - West - OREGON, UCLA, USC, UW Mid-West - Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin Central - Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern Mid-East - Indiana, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Purdue [Michigan vs Ohio State would be a protected game.] East - Maryland, North Carolina, Penn State, Rutgers SEC - West - Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A+M Mid-West - LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi St., Missouri Southeast - Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Vanderbilt South - Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, NC State East - Clemson, FSU, Kentucky, South Carolina I share your opinion that all of 'this' does stink but follow the money as college football teams have now done since the NCAA's scheduling monopoly was overturned in 1984, and Oregon made the only reasonable business decision to join the B1G as a junior member and become a full-time member in 2031. The article below is from a guy I wrongly in many respects have dissed on, and the facts discussed in the article are the reasons I see a Power 2 with not fewer than 20 teams each, coming sooner rather than later. Especially, with Playoff broadcast rights expected to go to $2B+ in 2026. IMO, Puddles is extremely fortunate to have caught the last plane out. Playoff composition, revenue sharing, NCAA influence up for grabs as college football's power structure shifts - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM The demise of the Pac-12 could have major ramifications for the College Football Playoff and influence at collegiate sports' top level