Jon Joseph

Absolutely. Can only revoke for reasons of discipline and when a player enters the portal. Entering the portal does not mean ipso facto scholarship cancellation but cancellation is what happens to the majority of players who enter the portal and many do not get a new offer. I think there are lots of folks out there giving many the player bad advice.

It's about time the auction closed. USC did have a highly rated OL last season. 4 of the guys are back. I look for many the SC shoot out in 2022.

Where is LO? I'd like to try one but I have no Burger nearby that I can kill.

What can the Vikings offer that the Raiders didn't offer, other than not having to reside in Las Vegas? Vegas is fine if you have the $ to get out once in a while and unlike Minnesota, there is no state income tax. What more can he do at Michigan? He defeated an Ohio State that by its standards played bad D all season long. Michigan then romped in the B1G champ game. Then, he met playoff reality when Georgia slapped him in the face. That was a very, very good Michigan team. At Michigan he will never have the talent to compete against the SEC champion and the SEC runner-up.

Did you get the Boise State to SEC hire? I did not understand firing Malzahn and replacing him with Bryan Harsin, who may get 1 more season after this one? 2 places where you do not want to coach: Auburn and Texas.

I too was entertained by the one game in 2021 where the team played up to its potential. As a human, I wish Mario well. As a CFB coach making @$9M a year, the man's a 62-60 fraud. As noted above, I don't think it will be long before Canes fans want Manny back. Folks are going to drive 30 miles to watch 'prevent offense?' He'll do OK in a crummy conference like the ACC simply on talent alone. But a final 4 and a championship? LOL!

Great article. Totally agree with your thoughts. Not enough today to recruit, you have to re-recruit in the face of roster tampering and promises of NIL money. NIL was in theory, going to bring more parity to CFB. How many businesses would enter into deals with players in a small city like Tuscaloosa? Once the NIL deals were done in Tuscaloosa with the best Bama players, players could make better deals elsewhere. Hasn't happened. NIL, as you so noted David, is pay-for-play. Roster tampering is ubiquitous. Did the thought of transferring simply spring up in the mind of Dye; or, was he 'encouraged' to transfer, and not just by his prospective spouse. Oregon likely has the money and the booster(s) to compete 'like this.' Few programs in the Pac-12 have the ability to so compete for the services of a top drawer player from the portal; or, a top recruit out of high school. And this is not an 'ordinary' market. ROI is not what 'insane and inane boosters' are looking for. They are looking for wins. And many of these 'good folk' literally have money to burn. (I think you're way south on your estimate of what A+M boosters are paying for this crop of recruits.) I've been a zealous CFB fan for decades. I'm not naive enough to think that prior to NIL players were not being paid; being paid under the table. But the transfer portal and NIL have. seemingly overnight, stripped away any vestige of the fantasy that CFB is an amateur sport, played by student-athletes. This happens when you (NCAA) get your booty kicked 9-0 by the Supreme Court. Does Oregon want to 'compete' like 'this?' Do the Oregon fans want to compete like 'this?' I for one am getting turned off by 'this.' And I do not believe I am alone. CFB at the P5 level is a professional sport. End the hypocrisy. Let the programs that so desire to, become AAA teams for the NFL. Call the players what they are, 'employees' and allow them to form a union so that through collective bargaining this pay-for-play and free agency can be regulated. And Oregon, decide what and where you want to be? A member of an 'exclusive club' with a lot of tawdry members; or, playing where the program can get paid at the level of teams in the B1G and the SEC?

RAMS. 1st team in NFL history to play the conference champ game and the SB at home. Will Cincy's OL be able to hold up against that D?

Great take. As I have noted before we may need patience with Lanning and the new staff. I don't know of any new HC who has been handed a tougher opener, a tougher OOC schedule and also having to play 5 conference games on the road with an untested QB; thank you Mario.

An all-timer of a comeback. I reiterate, last weekend and this weekend was as good as the NFL can get. Mahomes disappeared in the 2nd half of this game like he did in the 2nd half of the first game vs Cincy. But for goodness sakes, kick the FG! BTW, how can the Bengals DC be so great in game planning vs KC in the 2nd half and clueless in the 1st half? Opening line, Rams -3.5.

My BAD on not noting All Pro Justin Herbert. Now, they need to get the right guys surrounding him and a coach who is better than Mario with his time out calls.

Thanks 30 for another great post. I think GK has many the good idea but 3 that can be easily implemented: Get the conference games down to eight with 1 permanent opponent; get rid of divisions; make the 12th game Championship Weekend. 1 vs 2 in Vegas and 12 at 3, 11 at 4, etc. Is Arizona at Oregon State in a 9th game that big a draw on TV. Especially if it is on the Pac-12 Network. Oregon at Utah in the 4th crossover game in 2021 and Utah at Oregon in the 4th crossover game this season is senseless. Going to 8 games means an extra home game for Pac-12 teams and perhaps, depending on scheduling, 6 fewer Ls for the conference. SEE: the ACC and the SEC.

Conference O player of the year in 2020. I think MI ST makes sense because he was at CU when Mel Tucker was there. He is more 'well known' going to Sparty than was the RB from Wake who Tucker turned into the Doak Walker Trophy award winner.

Including the best coaches.

As I mentioned previously I'm ticked off that I am out of eligibility! However, they might keep me around to rake traps but I sure as heck would not be making the cut. Looks very cool but 'this' is another reason CFB and CBB players are asking to be paid.

I think 'this issue' kind of speaks to the whole of society today? But that's an old timer's POV.

Neither did Jen Cohen at UW.

Here is 1 man's take on what a Super League could look like? A number of these teams have not played that well as of late but are for brand name and/or market size. East - Clemson, Florida, FSU, Georgia, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pitt South - Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee Central - Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Wisconsin West - ASU, Colorado, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, OREGON, Texas, Texas A+M, USC, Utah, Washington 40 schools which may not be selective enough? Media rights bid collectively. Also could establish its own pay-for-view network. Revenue split by on field success, number of eyeballs that watch a given team, attendance, etc. There would be minimum required to be spent on football but no cap. An NFL style playoff. One commissioner (Nick Saban to start?) Remain in your conference for other sports except possibly CBB and split a reasonable percentage of the proceeds with other other conference members. At least a 12 team playoff with as suggested by Bob Bowlsby and others, eliminating the clock stopping on 1st down and taking other steps to limit the number of the plays in a game. Query: Would this group approve direct pay-for-play and a high school draft? Something would need to be done to allow for better parity. Alternatively, the B1G and the SEC could just add teams to get to 20 or so, each. Both have the means to do so. Plenty of AAU member schools in the Pac-12 and the ACC for the B1G, if this mattered and plenty of schools in the ACC and the B12 that could be picked off by the SEC.

Spot on. In CFB it is every man (conference) for himself. If the Pac-12 dropped to G5 or equivalent status would the SEC give a fig? No.

One big advantage the pro coaches have is when you do get a franchise QB, like Brady, Bradshaw, Allen, Mahomes, Burrow, you can build around him without worrying about losing the guy in 2 to 3 years. Hayward makes this point above in regards to Brady.

Congrats. Great picks. KC and Mahomes went in the tank after the STUPID move not to kick the FG at the end of the 1st half. And talk about great halftime adjustments on D. Happy to see Cincy back in the SB for the first time since I believe, 1988?

Charles, ESPN reports today that there are 3,000 players in the portal. Far more than scholarships available. Thanks for the terrific article.

Wow, the NFL just delivered 6 one score football playoff games. 5 not decided before the final play of the game and the Rams/49ers game could well have been a 'last play' finish. Of course every NFL playoff season does not conclude like this, but it has the potential to do so. Why? 1. Only 32 teams play NFL football. 2. The NFL, unlike college football (CFB) has far more than 3% of its teams competing for a playoff spot. Far more than 3% of the competitors make the playoff field. 3. There are no games against 'FCS schools.' Strength of schedule is far more equal in the NFL than it is in CFB, where playoff contenders do not even play the same number of conference games. 4. The NFL realizes it is a business. Media revenue is equally shared between the big and smaller media market teams. Bowl games are not an issue. Games are played on the home field of the higher seeded teams. The weather conditions for these games are what they are. 5. The NFL has restrictions on free agency, restrictions against roster tampering and a salary cap; a cap that is allowed because the players have a union that negotiates with management. 6. While the 32 NFL team owners have power, this power for the most part is delegated to a single commissioner. 7. The NFL conducts a player draft that prevents a handful of teams from assembling the best talent. Roster equality equals better games during the regular season and in the post season. The draft and roster equality allow a team like the Bengals, that won 2 games in 2019, to be playing in the Super Bowl in 2021. 8. The playoff is objectively determined by results on the field and not subjectively by a playoff committee that 'negotiates in the dark.' 9. NFL players are in the league to play football and not to 'play school.' 10. The NFL plays far more games than CFB, but the timing rules in the NFL mean far fewer plays are run than are run in the average CFB game. Thus, while the contact in the NFL is more violent it is less frequent per game than in CFB. So CFB, what do you want to be in this day and age of CFB's regulator, the NCAA, handing over football 'management' to the conferences that do not participate in the CFB playoffs conducted by the NCAA. In this day and age of 'NIL pay-for-play' and 'transfer portal free agency.' (ESPN reports that there are over 3,000 football players in the transfer portal.) The 5 P5 commissioners, 5 G5 commissioners and the Notre Dame athletic director are not close to reaching agreement on CFB Playoff expansion. This inability to reach a decision on playoff expansion is costing every P5 school $20-30M+ a season at a time when the money (post-COVID 2020) is most needed. The ACC wants a 'holistic' review of a sport that is no longer holistic; a sport that is not after school recreation but a huge and growing business. A sport that is 'half-pregnant' between finding a way to please its member institutions playoff-wise, while at the same time attempting to please the bowl games. A sport where revenue differences are rapidly separating two P5 conferences, the B1G and the SEC, from their 'peers.' Is today's CFB 'game' worth the candle for the Pac-12? Worth the candle for some but not all Pac-12 schools? Worth the candle for a conference with a functionally insolvent network? Worth the candle when many the game is played in front of half filled, or less, stadiums? Worth the candle for a conference that that has been a CFB playoff 'rumor,' deciding not to expand 'at this time?' For the Ducks, IMO, it is time to go big (and joining the B1G would be awesome) or go home. 'Home' being a regional Pac-12 conference member, no playoff affiliation with perhaps the money to convince the Rose Bowl to stick with it and not the playoff. CFB is a 'mess.' The Pac-12 is a CFB 'mess.' What in your opinion should the Ducks and the conference do before the new media rights deal comes up for bid in two years? My thinking, that others have on this board have suggested, is a merger between the Pac-12 and the B12? Failing that, some manner in which the Ducks can find a home where Oregon will not be left in the financial dust by the B1G and the SEC.

Good comment on a terrific take by Charles. Georgia recruits and signs plenty of kids who grew up in tough neighborhoods and under difficult financial circumstances. So does the Marine Corps. Appears that both at UGA and in the Corps you shape up or ship out. I do note that it is easier to discipline 4 and 5* recruits when you have a roster full of these guys. Under Mario, Oregon's roster was 'Blue Chip' in name only. One reason for this is that Mario kept much of the Blue Chip talent on the bench. In Lanning, Oregon is getting a 'grandson' off of the Saban coaching tree. This brings hope and enthusiasm. De-recruiting, I get it. But a closer to home example I also get; Whittingham coaching guys up in Salt Lake City. Playing as a team and playing with 'controlled ferocity.' Lanning is going to have to do both at Oregon. I hope and think Lanning will bring in ballers. However, playing in the Pac-12 I doubt that he will ever be able to duplicate the talent level on the 2021 Georgia roster. Michigan in 2021 was a very good football team. Georgia smothered Michigan. What I most want to see in 2022. The players fired up to play and ready to play against every level of opponent. THIS you can do no matter the number of 'studs' on a given roster.

He could have a bigger impact in the Pac-12 than in the B1G?