Jon Joseph

1, GEORGIA - SEC vs - 9 OK ST - B12 at 8 NOTRE DAME - AL 2. ALABAMA - AL vs -- 10 WAKE FOREST - ACC- at 7 MICHIGAN ST - AL 3. OREGON - PAC-12 vs - 11 BAYLOR - AL at 6. MICHIGAN - AL 4, OHIO STATE - B1G vs 12 MISSISSIPPI - AL at 5 CINCINNATI - G5 All in favor, say AYE!

JS is the lowest paid coach in the Pac-12 and one of the lowest paid P5 coaches in the country. OR ST defeats ASU Saturday and his stock will continue to rise. OR ST cannot pay JS what UW let alone a B1G or SEC school will be willing to pay to get him to leave Corvallis.

Great post. Thank you. Here is ESPN's 2021 dream final 4: Bama; UGA (ranked 2nd after a close loss to Bama in the SEC champ game;) Ohio State (to bring in the viewers outside of the south:) Cincy for the little guy, feel good story. EVERY Cincy broadcast on ESPN is a documentary describing how the Bearcats, SOS 100 BTW, are being housed over.

Honestly? It's fun as a tease but before the final reveal in December it is but sound and fury signifying nothing.

The refs down on The Farm. Otherwise, with 1L courtesy of the zebras, what needs to be fixed? Of course it might be nice to have fewer guys and at least 1 coach, outside of the medical tent?

Last week Bama had a brutal inter-sectional battle vs 'natural' opponent New Mexico State. This Saturday, UGA plays Chaz South before finishing up with mighty Georgia Tech. And, not to be missed, A+M vs some kind of Inferior View? Let's play 9! Let's send the #3 team in the country on the road to play #24 instead of playing New Mexico State in Autzen. BRILLIANT!

"NO EASY DAY!" I think the Navy Seals motto aptly applies to Oregon fans under Mario's watch. Especially in 2021 when the quick strike deep ball arrow is not in Oregon's quiver. These Ducks are going to run the clock and grind it out on the ground. The D is going to play solid but not spectacular defense. THIS is a formula that keeps almost every opponent in the game into the 4th quarter. It's tough on us Fans but I think Mario actually enjoys THIS? THIS is Mario. IT is in the man's DNA. At The U, when it was The U, Mario played for two aggressive, innovative coaches in Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson. He has seen his coaching mentor, Nick Saban evolve with the game. Alabama now plays a lot of 'fast break' O and has sleeker, quicker guys on the D side of the ball. Mario will not do what Nick has done. And another difference between Saint Nick and Mario? Saban's teams show up game after game and rarely play down to the level of the opponent. With Mario? How the team will show up will not be determined prior to kick off. As a fan it is gut wrenching to live with this kind of ball. But the proof is in the pudding, at least the home pudding. Playing in Autzen, Mario has 1L on his resume. Along with a few boos. The Ducks will win in SLC, defeat Oregon State and win again over Utah in the Pac-12 champ game. Not one of these wins will be easy on the team or on the fans. But at the end of the day, the W is what matters. ESPN? The Pac-12 is ESPN's red-headed step child. The Conference of Champions exists for ESPN to provide late night entertainment for insomniacs and alcoholics bending the elbow in taverns that close late. Can GK fix this? Geography is working against the Pac-12. Perhaps all Pac-12 games should be played in the daylight and streamed all day long? Perhaps the Pac-12 should go all in with FOX and possibly CBS now that CBS has lost the SEC coverage to ESPN? One thing for certain. The Pac-12 either needs to shut down the financially insolvent network or find a media partner to operate the network with professional and not amateur hour, production values. There is no reason whatsoever for the Pac-12 Network to have its games kicking off well after dark. As to the refs? They will not improve. Crews in the NFL who make far more money than college refs screw up. It does baffle me as to why refs are immune from having their respective grades made public the week after the game? What does it take for a ref or a crew to be demoted or canned? Does anyone know? The refs at Stanford may well have cost the conference $6M? Keep on plodding away Puddles. Plod all the way to the Final 4. Thanks for the take DP.

Cohen should have been shown the door along with Lake.

Marsh. this is mellow. But the Beavs will defeat ASU in Corvallis. ASU had to rally to win in Seattle against a back up coach. The Beavs is tough at home. All OR ST Ls have come on the road this season. 1 away win, vs USC. The Beavs came back against Utah at home running the ball. The Ducks win in SLC Saturday running the ball. If UCLA does not win at SC Saturday Kelly could be gone?

Outscoring the other team barely worked for OH ST against Tulsa, Nebraska and Minnesota. I'd love a rematch vs OH ST in the Cotton Bowl; instead, of UGA in the Orange Bowl, all (Ryan) day long. The Ducks will win in SLC, beat OR ST and Utah again. That means #3 and probably, Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl? Although I am not giving OH ST the automatic win in Ann Arbor. This is not one of the great OH ST teams. This week vs MI ST will not be a lay up for the Bucks. Go 3-0 and the Ducks is in. Keep running the ball as has OR and any team can be beat. Keep KT and Sewell healthy and any team can be beat. The D is playing up to championship level. Frustrating break downs? Yes. But when it counts? Sans refs at Stanford the Ducks D holds up. Bama will not beat UGA. This Bama team has no run game and Bama will not beat UGA if it cannot run the ball. Grab your socks and hold onto your jocks. This is not the high-flying Ducks of old but the grind it out winning Ducks. Yes, the Ducks lost on The Farm but Oregon lost to the refs and not to the Cardinal. It has been ugly this season. But Oregon has the chance to be, like its QB, ugly-pretty? This is a deep and good Ducks roster. And having a re-born FG kicker will help the cause down the road. Oregon has lost this key penultimate conference game before. Not this Saturday. Bank it. I am. I'm down with Oregon +3.

But would this hire move any recruits meter? I just don't see Del Rio coming in and goosing SC recruiting? What do today's recruits know about Del Rio? I think Deion Sanders would be more impactful than Jack? But I think the next hire at SC will be PSU's Franklin. Has the personality for SC and would not have to deal with OH St, MI and MI St plus tough B1G W cross over opponents.

UW needs a new AD. Good coaches follow.

A 12-1 UO with a win at OH ST and a far better SOS will not be passed over by 13-0 Cincy. But watch to see if SMU and Houston are ranked on Tuesday? Bama will NOT beat UGA. Bama has no run game whatsoever and a group of very good but not All World WRs like the last 2 seasons. The TN O is as good as the Bama O and the Vols did put up 17 vs UGA at home last Saturday, but no more. Final 4 if Oregon keeps playing guts ball D and running the ball? 1Uga 2 Ohio State 3 Oregon 4 Cincy or OK ST And I'm not sure OH ST can run MI ST, at MI and vs Wisconsin? Bama? Arkansas, at Auburn and UGA in ATL. Cincy? Vs SMU and vs Houston in the AAC champ game. Cincy beat a bad Indiana team and caught ND perfectly in the midst of a QB shuffle. OK? Vs Iowa State at OK ST and a champ game.

The Flaky Prediction Index is suspect.

Thank you. On this board I am far down the list as an analyst. Love the analytical takes from you Charles, Coach Boles, Mike West and many others. A fantastic forum.

Sir Notalot, great to see you posting and coming with this great post. The O the last 2 weeks is the O JM ran with McSorley at Penn State. But this Ducks D is more solid than the PSU D that was lit up by SC in the Rose Bowl. I look for Mr.T to make life miserable for Utah QB Rising. The Utah OTs are good, not great. The Duck D is playing every bit as well as the BYU and San Diego State Ds that held down the Utah O. Anxious? That comes with being in the PO hunt in November. Every 1L team and undefeated Cincinnati is feeling the pressure. I like Oregon's late run, at Utah, OR ST vs Utah in the champ game compared to Bama vs Arkansas, at Auburn and vs Georgia. And Ohio State? Versus MI ST, at MI and likely vs Wisconsin that is on a 6 game winning streak. A 1L team that dodged a bullet Saturday with UVA's starting QB out and with only Georgia Tech and at Stanford left is the PO dark horse Notre Dame team. The ACC is out of it. With the win at Ohio State, Oregon holds the trump card vs any 1L team that wins the B12 title. If Ohio State keeps winning there is no way a 13-0 Cincy jumps a 12-1 Oregon. Although it will be interesting to see if the CT ranks SMU and/or Houston tomorrow night.

The Oregon O on Saturday looked more like JM at Penn State with McSorley at QB than at any other time this season. At 230 lbs. Brown is a load to bring down. Especially the way in which the TEs are helping out in the run game. I just hope, with his injury history, that Brown can continue to carry the load? I look for a run oriented drain the clock O in Salt Lake City. Control the ball and keep the Utah O off the field.

Great post Mike. The Saturday Down South boys have been saying for some time that UGA will have to play Danielson to beat Bama. I don't see it. Bama simply cannot run the ball and the Tide will not be able to run against the UGA D. The 17 points that TN scored on Saturday is the most the UGA D has surrendered this season. I think Bama is over ranked at 2? It has been a fascinating season. More reliance on solid D than in recent years. On Saturday the Baylor D shut down the OK O. OK ST is winning with D and not with Gundy's usual O. Ole Miss did a great job holding down the A+M O on Saturday. The Pirate is still throwing it around. Heck of a comeback at Auburn. And MS ST is also playing good D. This Saturday if Oregon runs the ball like it did at UW and vs WAZZU it will win in SLC. It was on the road for the Utes but OR ST stayed with the run game and defeated Utah in Corvallis. Both Baylor and San Diego State bottled up the Utah O.

So many jobs open including some biggies. Will Sark last more than a year at Texas? Dan Mullen at Florida is on mighty thin ice. Will USC be able to attract a big name guy?

It's been 6 years for AB, the long ball is not all of a sudden going to show up. The guy has been a very good game manager this season. He has scored a lot of important TDs running the ball. Interesting that #1 UGA has a similar game manager QB in Stetson Bennett. Do not stretch AB's ability. Calling for a long ball throw late in the game at UCLA was a big mistake.

Mike, I'll believe OH ST is all that after the MI ST game Saturday and the game at MI? Purdue is an up and down team. OH ST has blown out the lesser opponents this season and played close games vs the tougher opponents. Especially, on the road. Did you watch the OH ST at Nebraska game? OH ST at Minnesota? IMO, the MI win Saturday at a desperate Penn ST was every bit as solid as OH ST's home win vs Penn State. MI for some reason alternated QBs in the 4th Q in E Lansing. The true frosh QB turned the ball over on back to back possessions in the 4th Q. And Michigan had a TD overturned that the B1G acknowledged should not have been overturned. IMO, this is a very good front-running Ohio State team but it is not a cream of the crop OH ST team.

EXACTLY. If Riley didn't like the FG attempt he and AD Castilogne could have worked to change the rules in the off season. Recall that OK said, " you aren't good enough for us B12." Do you think anyone in the conference gives a whip about what OK and UT think? If you think the scene in Waco was wild, just wait for the Bedlam Game when OK trips to OK ST. OK and UT stabbed Bob Bowlsby and the B12 in the back. Why? So they could make more $. I don't blame these 2, but if they didn't think there would be blow back they are not up to Jimmy Lakes' 'academically prowess' standards.

Great point. But 4 means vs UGA in the Orange Bowl. 3 means playing a team not as good as UGA in the Cotton Bowl. I do not see Bama defeating UGA? Finish 3 and it is possibly a rematch against OH ST?

I think you are probably right? Personally, I hate this whole 'body of work' BS. MI should not be ranked above MI ST. Projecting that Oregon would not win the games OH ST wins in the B1G is simply conjecture. If OH ST and OR finish 12-1, OR should be ranked above OH ST. If this isn't the case why bother to play a team the quality of OH ST OOC? Play TX Tech, Fresno and Portland St OOC and go 8-1 in the conference, 9-1 with a champ game win and you are in. "Body of work," SOR, strength of game control, etc., just proves up what we know: This is not a Playoff it is an Invitational. It is not an NCAA event, it is a Disney/ESPN event. Go to 12, 5 P5 champs in, top G5 team in and 6 AL and you have something resembling a PO. This is the Pac-12 compromise position which is likely to be adopted on or about 12/1/21.

Fickell already passed on the MI ST job. Fickell will be coaching in the B12. If the PO field, as expected, expands to 12 teams per the Pac-12 format, Cincy will be in a very good position to win the B12 and advance or to advance as an AL team. Basically, he's already a P5 coach with a solid roster and foundation at Cincy. He has 6 kids and both him and his spouse are Midwest folks.