Jon Joseph

Later negated by Reggie Bush taking 'extra benefits' that would be perfectly legal today.

The Pac-12 is fine with an 8 or 12 team playoff field; fine with the 12 team format proposed by Sankey, Bowlsby, the MW commish and the Notre Dame AD; the top 6 conference champions with the top 4 conference champs having a 1st round bye and 6 at large teams. Notre Dame, the G5, B12 and SEC are also fine with this format. The B1G wants all P5 champs to automatically qualify but is flexible. Why shouldn't it be? The B1G conference champ is not going to miss out on a 12 team playoff field. The ACC is insisting on an 8 team field with all P5 champs in the field. The other members of the playoff committee are becoming more and more frustrated with the ACC 'vetoing' playoff expansion. Why is the ACC being so stubborn? The ACC media rights deal does not expire until 2037. The only way the ACC can insist on ESPN revising the current agreement is if Notre Dame football becomes a full time ACC member. Currently, ND, except for hockey where it competes in the B1G, is a full time ACC member in all sports other than football. The ACC claiming it only wants an 8 team field because of academic reasons is a red herring. The ACC is pushing for 8 with 5 P5 champs in because if this was adopted, Notre Dame would most likely have to give up its independence in CFB in order to give it a consistent shot at being one of the 3 AL teams. The ACC is holding up expansion, the millions of additional dollars that would come with the expansion of the playoff field and a much better chance for the Pac-12 to get its champion in the playoff field. The 11 member playoff committee will meet again in the near future but B12 commish Bob Bowlsby, among others, does not believe the ACC will change course. Thanks partner?

Last season's 'COVID' champ Game. Lowest rated BCS champ game was Oklahoma vs USC.

1 Georgia +2 2 Bama -1 3 Michigan -1 4 Cincinnati - same 5 Baylor +2 6 Ohio State - same 7 OK ST +2 8 Notre Dame -3 9 Michigan State +1 10 Oklahoma +6 - Huh? Because of a win over a depleted, coach-less Ducks? 11 Ole Miss -1 12 Utah -1 13 Pitt -1 14 Clemson +5 - Huh? Because of a win over 7-5 Iowa State? 15, Wake Forest +2 - nice bowl win over 5 win Rutgers. 16 Louisiana - +7 - this is a team that lost to Texas and beat App St in its bowl game 17 Houston +3 - good but close win over a depleted Auburn 18 Kentucky +4 19 BYU -6 - BYU did lose to UAB but BYU's starting QB was out 20 NC ST -2 - drop 2 spots because UCLA COVID cancels? 21Arkansas - same 22 Oregon -8 - HARSH! 23 Iowa -8 - well deserved 24 Utah State - NR by the Committee 25 San Diego State - same Dropped out - Texas A(t)M No $ left for boosters to bribe AP voters? 5 SEC 4 B1G 4 ACC - conference went 2-4 in its bowl games 3 B12 2 IND 2 AAC 2 Pac-12 2 MW - no love for Fresno 1 SB

Alabama/UGA title game. 2nd least watched game in Playoff history. Along with Dart, SC's starting TE is in the portal.

Another terrific article Joshua, but why bother with the SEC and the G5? When OK and TX formally join the SEC, only 5 SEC member schools will be AAU member institutions. Why compete against a conference where athletics 'Just Mean More' than academics. A conference where A+M just paid $70M+ to sign the number 1 recruiting class. As I have suggested before, come 2026, the year after this so-called "playoff" ends, the ACC, B1G, Pac-12 and Notre Dame should conduct their own post-season Run For The Roses Tournament. The field in 2021 (no conference with more than 3 entrants) would have been as follows with 3 conference champs and 5 at large making up the field. 8 Wake Forest at 1 Michigan 5 Utah at 4 Michigan State Semifinal played in Indianapolis 7 Oregon at 2 Notre Dame 6 Pitt at 3 Ohio State Semifinal played in Las Vegas Championship Game in Rose Bowl on 1/1 - 5 PM kickoff. Kickoff the season in what is now referred to as 'week zero,' half teams bye week 6, the other half week 7. 2 OOC games with at least 1 vs a P5 opponent. 10 conference games. No divisions, no conference champ game, champ decided in the regular season using agreed upon tie-breakers as may be required. Notre Dame to play 11 P5 games out of 12. NIL agreements arranged to compensate players participating in The Run For The Roses. Loss of Income Insurance provided for all players. As much money without the SEC in the mix? No. But CBS, NBC, FOX, etc. would pay significant money for the postseason media rights. No ESPN? So what? 4 and 5 stars head for the SEC? Who cares. There will be parity among the participating conferences and Notre Dame. (The B12's participation would be decided upon by Alliance members.) Clemson, FSU leave for the SEC? Again, who cares? I see no circumstance under which Ohio State would leave the B1G. Conferences contracting to play one another in certain bowls have not be held to be and IMO would not be held to be in violation of antitrust laws. The Alliance would regulate CFB in conformance with state and federal law but free of the NCAA. I for one prefer this alternative over continuing to participate in the CFB arms race. The SEC has built the better CFB mousetrap. The smart mice should stop coming around.

ESPN - 1 Bama, 3 UGA, 7 Utah, 12 Oregon, 18 BYU, 22 USC WAG-ON folks!

The sins of the fathers ... Yes, I thought Dexter and Harrison would leave town and carry on elsewhere. Seemed pretty lame for Harrison to shoot Dexter after Dexter had outed himself. I don't see Harrison anywhere near a strong enough actor for a show to be based on Harrison's future exploits?

Good thoughts. But I also see UGA fired out in front of a sell out home crowd and the UGA anxious to take a bite of the former DC. I would feel much better about this game if Oregon played Portland State in week zero prior to this game. Trying out a new system on O and D with all new coaches at the defending champ in the opener; that's a mighty big ask.

THIS should be apparent to everyone who follows CFB. CFB today is basically unregulated. And Don James left at least a decade too soon.

BYU comes in 26; first team to not make the cut. This is obviously a very early release. Caleb Williams was in LA this weekend. What if Dart signs with BYU, the1st school to make a portal offer to him. Williams signs at SC and how many good OK players follow him and how many good portal players head to USC?

1. Alabama 2.Ohio State 3. Georgia 4. UTAH ! 5. Notre Dame 6. A(T)M 7. Michigan 8. Clemson 9. NC ST 10. Michigan State 11. Pitt 12. Baylor 13. Tennessee 14. OK ST 15. Wake Forest 16. OREGON ! 17. Arkansas 18. Minnesota 19. Wisconsin 20. Cincinnati 21. Kentucky 22. Houston 23. Iowa 24. Kansas State 25. Oklahoma 2 Pac-12 and 4 could have been Pac-12. Lots of love for the Utes.

tOSU's D by tOSU standards was not good all season long. including in the Rose Bowl. Why Ryan Day paid big money to poach the OK ST DC.

How about urging the UGA players to portal into Eugene? Nice opening game for Coach Lanning. 'At' These Guys! Why? For a check. Play 1 off games versus no team. Especially, do not play 1 off games vs SEC teams in SEC territory. I'll be very surprised if Oregon isn't blown out in Lanning's opener? I see a Chipper at Boise situation. If Utah takes an L at Florida on the same day, give the Pac-12 a 2022 national good-bye kiss. The size of the OL and DL players in the SEC champ game and last night's game, made apparent how small Pac-12 OL and DL guys are. Made apparent why the SEC is the top Dawg. Made apparent, IMO, that the playoff needs to go away after 2025. This was even more apparent when Georgia absolutely destroyed a good Michigan football team and Bama smothered an undefeated Cincy team. Pac-12 teams cannot beat BYU or MW teams. Why play 'these guys?' You are asking college players to play semi-pros. Look at recruiting #s. It isn't going to change. What really tees me off is how well teams the Pac-12 could have added from the B12 did in the post season compared to the sorry Pac-12.

It means in 2022 that the Ducks play 'at' No. 1 and No. 19. out-of-conference. One of if not the hardest OOC schedules in the country. Then the Ducks play 9 conference games including 5 conference road games. Not that it means much but why is Cincy ranked over Baylor. Why is Notre Dame that went 0-2 vs the top 25 at No. 8? I have no idea why Iowa is ranked. Mountain West and Pac-12 have the same number of teams ranked. I think this is a disservice to the MW. No. 25 SDS defeated No. 12 Utah. No. 24 UT ST destroyed OR ST in its bowl game and also won at WA ST. Teams the Pac-12 could have poached finished ranked at Nos. 5, 7 and 19. And K ST defeated LSU in its bowl and TX Tech destroyed MS ST in its bowl. Houston defeated Auburn. Baylor defeated Ole Miss. OK ST defeated Notre Dame. I don't see the Pac-12 anywhere near the 'quality' of 'THIS.' The Pac-12 'exclusive club' went 0-5 in its bowl games and it is likely fortunate that the NC ST/ UCLA game was called off. 2 Pac-12 teams ranked at No. 12 and No. 22 is further embarrassment for a conference that decided to stay 'as-is'. In a down year, 4 ACC teams finished in the top 25.

This was a very young Bama team. Without Metchie and then Williams going down early, Bama did not have the fire power to challenge the UGA D backs, I expect Bama to win the west again next season. Smart won last night but he also lost badly to Saban in the SEC champ game. Hats off to UGA but I think Bama will be right back in the mix next season. The Heisman winner returns and LB Alexander is back. A+M plays at Bama.

1 1st round WR Metchie did not play for Bama in the game. 1st road WR Williamson went down early on. The younger Bama wideouts could not replace these guys. At least 1 TD was dropped by a Bama receiver.

The Ducks open 'at' #1 Georgia without a game to help break in a new QB and a new O and a new D. BYU finished 19 in the final AP. (Oregon 22.) BYU was without its starting QB in its bowl game. The Ducks play 5 conference road games. Since CU and Utah joined the conference no school has gone undefeated in conference play. Utah brings back much of the team that twice embarrassed the Ducks and signed a LB out of the portal who was Florida's leading tackler in 2021. The Utes best RB who could have gone pro is back. Starting QB Rising is back. DTR Is returning for another season at UCLA. Love the optimism but I'm looking at 9-3 or 8/4 in 2022.

HATS OFF TO UGA! Big break with the top 2 Bama WRs out but the Dawgs took advantage Next up for Oregon, an opening game versus the defending NC in Atlanta,. GULP! Lanning mixed up the D big time from the SEC champ game. Shut down Bama's run game and had Young uncomfortable in the pocket the entire game. Mixed up his DL formations and disguised many blitzes. Huge win for the Dawgs and the first UGA Natty since 1981. Watched the game at my club amidst myriad Dawgs fans. My ears are still barking. Great way to send coach Lanning west to Oregon. Compared the the Pac-12, there was a whole punch of big bodies on the field of play. Hopefully Lanning can bring some of these big boys into the fold? And as to Bo Nix, in the Pac-12 he is not going to see the Ds he played against in the SEC.

The beginning of the end happened with the BCS and the B1G and the Pac 10 throwing the Rose Bowl into the BCS mix for crickets. Larry, after seeing, if he paid attention, Oregon being screwed by the BCS in 2001 and SC screwed numerous times by the BCS, again tossed the Rose Bowl back into this BCS x 2 for nothing and with no guaranty of Pac-12 playoff participation. The SEC has benefitted and the Pac-12 has been left behind. A number of us predicted this outcome back at the inception of the BCS. Today we have open free agency and pay for play and few Pac-12 teams are in a position to compete in semi-pro college football. We have had no-brainer leadership and the B1G and the SEC have both had excellent leadership. Jim Delaney convincing FOX to own 51% of and of the B1G Network and to cover 100% of the network operating costs. The SEC entered into a 'partnership' with media cartel ESPN. I frankly am surprised that it took so many folks this long tp see 'this' coming. The destruction of the Pac-12 was aided and abetted by USC being hosed over by the NCAA; by a 'kangaroo court' led by Miami AD Paul Dee who's own house at Miami was burning down. You reap what you don't sow. Pac-12 'leadership' is an oxymoron.

The Playoff Committee today again rejected expansion.

Before the current Playoff agreement ends in 2025, not much can be done. Beginning in 2026, The Alliance, ACC, B1G, Pac-12 and Notre Dame, can hold their own post-season tournament. 8 teams. 3 conference champs. 5 AL, including Notre Dame with 1st round games played on campus of 4 highest ranked teams. No conference can have have more than 3 participants in the playoff. Start the season in 'week zero'. Legit NIL agreements will be arranged to compensate the players appearing in the playoff. Loss of Income insurance will also be provided for these players. Agree on NIL being implemented as attended and not be used to buy recruits or players from the transfer portal. Limit the time players can enter the transfer portal. Assist the players by having an approved list of agents. Agree on minimum entrance requirements and APR requirements. Give players in every sport 5 seasons to play 4. Restrict and penalize roster tampering. Other than for salaries, cap the amount a school can spend on CFB and CBB. Will 4 and 5 star recruits be 'lost' to the SEC, yes, But academics will be as important as will athletic accomplishments. Academics will 'just mean more.' in the Alliance conferences and Notre Dame where they already mean more. When OK and TX officially join the SEC only 5 of 16 schools will be AAU members. When BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF join the B 12, only 2 schools will be AAU members. Agree on a 12 game schedule with one OOC opponent having to be a P5 opponent. Agree that all conferences will play 10 conference games and Notre Dame will play 11 games vs P5 opponents. Eliminate divisions. Agree that the regular season decides the champion with agreed upon tie-breakers. No conference champ game. As noted above the season starts in week zero. Half the teams bye in week 5. Half the teams bye in week 6.This would allow quarter final and semifinal games to be played in December and conclude on 1/1. Agree to uniformly negotiate postseason media rights. Will this bring in as much $ as a playoff including the SEC? No. But it will still result in material dollars.

The challenger? The Hunt For Red October with Sean Connery and the Big Baldwin?

So far, 9-4 UGA. 0-7 in its last 7 games vs Bama. Last UGA Natty - 1981. Remember a a guy named Hershel Walker?

DING DING Drake and 1Ducker1. Denzell was definitely a featured actor as was Hackman. 'Tony' Soprano' was also in the movie along with Giggo Mortenson. Best sub movie ever?