Jon Joseph

As wonderful as it was to see the Ducks ranked #3 last night, I was pumped up from the moment the '1st reveal' had UTAH at 24. Utah wins at Arizona and the Ducks win at home Saturday night and we have ourselves a top 25 matchup in SLC a week from Saturday! Utah at 24 is a much needed bump to Oregon's SOS. If any 3L team deserves to be ranked, it is Utah. All 3 of the Utes Ls came on the road. 2 of L's coming at 14. BYU and in double OT at 22. San Diego State. Give me a break! According to all of the 'experts' in the CFB world, especially the guys and gals working at ESecPN, Bama, Ohio State, Cincinnati and Oregon, all scrapped by last weekend. MALE BOVINE EXCREMENT! Bama and Cincy failed, badly, to cover at home. Ohio State failed, badly, to cover at 3L Nebraska. OREGON on the road vs a 4-4 opponent in a rivalry game played in terrible weather, covered! I know these interim rankings add money to the Disney/ESPN bank, but do these rankings give anyone comfort regarding the manner in which the PO CT arrives at its Final 4? This week we see Michigan at 6, Michigan State at 7. Both with identical records and with Michigan State holding the tiebreaker in the B1G E. Oregon defeated #4 Ohio State in Week 2 and the head to head win still resonates. Michigan State beat Michigan the week prior the 1st PO CT rankings release, but Michigan 'looks like the better team?' SMH. The CFB conference commissioners and the conference of Notre Dame will gather together once again on December 1, 2021, to discuss PO expansion. There is a great divide between those who favor a 12 team field, all but The Alliance and The Alliance's preference for an 8 team field. The 8 team field would include all P5 champs and a G5 representative, plus 2 at large (AL) teams. And the B1G and the Pac-12 want the Rose Bowl's traditional date and KO time maintained. Looking below at what the proposed 12 team field would be, one wonders why the B1G does not favor a 12 team proposed format? Is B1G commissioner Warren on the same page with the conference AD's? 12 Team Playoff - 1. GEORGIA - SEC vs 9. Notre Dame AL at 8.Oklahoma - B12 2. OREGON - Pac-12 vs. 10. Oklahoma State AL at 7. Michigan State AL 3. OHIO STATE - B1G vs. 11. TX A+M AL at 6. Michigan AL 4. CINCINNATI - AAC vs. 12. Wake Forest - ACC at 5. Alabama AL BIG - 2 1st round home games for MI and MI ST vs 'warm weather' opponents. Decent shot to have 3 B1G teams in the quarter finals? But this doesn't work for the B1G? 8 Team Playoff - 1. Georgia - SEC vs 8.Wake Forest - ACC 2. Alabama - AL vs 7. Oklahoma - B12 3. Oregon - Pac-12 vs 6. Michigan - AL 4. Ohio State - B1G vs. 5. Cincinnati - G5 BEAT WAZZU! Then on to SLC like a bunch of angry locusts!

Eye of the beholder? Tennessee fans still see the annual game vs Bama as a rivalry game. This year, TN did take Bama in Tuscaloosa into the 4th quarter. Great take and the stats buoy your argument. But I could have sworn I witnessed a lot of rivalry smack talk and angst on this board all of last week, up to, into and after the UW game?

Mike, in the 1st Q plus of the game at UW, the UW punter was all -world. Oregon could not get decent field position. The game changed when OR got better field position and the run game coming to life. BTW, it fries me when I hear all the talking heads talking about Bama, Ohio State, Cincy and Oregon 'scrapping by' last Saturday. BS! - Bama and Cincy failed to cover at home. OH ST failed to cover on the road vs a 3W team. Oregon on the road vs a .500 team and a bitter rival, playing in terrible weather conditions, COVERED!

The other very sweet thing for the Ducks last night, UTAH at 24! Utah will defeat AZ and Ducks defeat WSU that means a top 25 matchup in SLC!

AMEN. Divisions and the Cal scheduling deal both must go. 1 permanent opponent. Ducks of course, vs OR ST. Then a complete and open rota. I do hope that after losing divisions and going to 8 that the 9th week of the season will be Champions Week? 1 vs 2; 11 at 3, etc.

Did anyone expect Lewis to start this season, let alone this? Hats off to CL for obviously working hard in the off season to take back the starting job.

Great take. But this is what Brian Kelly was 'forced' to do this season. Kelly is normally a 1 QB guy. And the schedule for ND has turned out not to be that rigorous which allows for experimentation. Jack Coan coming over from Wisconsin came with the same game manager skills as did AB at Oregon. The ND O was bad before the new OL guys started to get it and the ND run game really picked up. If you haven't done so, make to South Bend for a game. Great place to watch CFB.

It could. I would usually say no change before 2023, if then. But with negotiation of a new media rights deal just around the corner, The Pac-12 powers-that-be may want to assure a 2022 champ game between the 2 best teams? Another unknown? When will The Alliance OOC games begin? The Alliance games make it imperative to go to 8 regularly scheduled games. With the Alliance game many teams will be playing 2 P5 teams OOC.

DJ, Nick Saban's and Gary Pinckel's, mentor. Today, Billy Joe Hobert could have received the $50K over the table. No NCAA trouble for James and he likely would have coached for another decade?

I want to wait to place my bets until this evening's rankings. But I certainly have my eye on Purdue +20. In its last 27 red zone trips the OH ST O has managed 3 TDs. OH ST has blown out the junk teams but has struggled against every good team it has played.

A conference football committee is looking at all aspects of football this season. PO-wise playing more than 8 regularly scheduled games a season is a no go. The 9th game should be played Championship weekend. No team that played 9 regularly scheduled conference games has won the Playoff. Also and it is being discussed, the smart PO move even prior to expansion would be to get rid of divisions. The two best teams regardless of division need to play in the conference champ game. GK simply has to score a better media deal where the games are not late night filler for ESPN. The #3 team in the country, which is where Oregon will be ranked after tonight, should not be kicking off at 10:30 on the Right Coast. THIS hurts recruiting. You can bet other conferences make a point of the lousy Pac-12 Network and the lousy KO times. But GK is certainly not helped by the conference at large, being so bad OOC. Thus, 2 MW teams ranked and 1 Pac-12 team.

I 'get' the line. WE know WSU is a tough opponent. But nationally? This is a 'balance the book' line that I expect will come down before Saturday?

And Utah for the 4th crossover game instead of playing NM State at home? SEE: Alabama.

Jimmy Lake is suspect as a HC, but not as a DC. Play a 3-1-7 D, Jimmy's D vs WSU, against the Cougars with the 1, Noah Sewell, spying the RB. As Charles noted in a call today, the WSU O is predicated in part, on the QB quickly releasing the ball. So, 'pressuring' by clogging the field with DBs seems to work better vs WSU than going all out to rush the passer.

The Stanford duo that loves dissing the Ducks. I made through a 7:30 KO at UW because of a falling back clock change. But 10:30 KO vs WSU? I'll be tuning in on Sunday and fast forwarding during any broadcaster inane comments. Way to go Pac-12! Make sure to hide that light under a bushel.

However, it would be interesting to see if Lee Corso: 'I'm never picking against Oregon again,' did put the Puddles head gear on?

Scott Frost will be back at Nebraska. He is taking a $1M cut in salary and 4 assistant coaches have been canned,

Maybe UGA. But Bama? I think this Bama team especially if the starting center does not get healthy will be pushed by Arkansas, at Auburn and if it wins the SEC W, I do not see Bama beating UGA in the SEC champ game. Bama rushed for 6 yards against LSU Saturday. Against an LSU D that due to injury is nowhere as talented as the group UCLA ran roughshod over. My guess? 1. UGA 2 Ohio State 3 Oregon 4 Cincinnati? If I am correct which is very doubtful, that would mean a rematch vs OH ST in the Cotton Bowl

I'd rather have the FOX crew.

I think he's good for at least 1 more season? Tough guy for a number of reasons to fire after 1 year.

And Bryant had no cap on his roster size. Bryant did do 1 thing Saban never will do, he won an SEC title at Kentucky.

I would have gone with a kidney punch, followed by a knee drop and a kick to the back of your head. But I'm a Super Greybeard, we have to fight dirty! So happy you lived to right this fine take. Lake has entered: Save Your HC Butt Phase 1. Along with Dan Mullen at Florida, he is jettisoning assistants. "See. I am willing to make moves for The Team. Wait until next year after I bring in all-CFB assistant coaches. You will not hear this: "It's not my fault! It's the fault of the guys who I hired; guys who report to me. So get off my back! Or, hand me my multi-million dollar exit fee and I'm gone."

Absolutely, without doubt. the worst thing about football is the injuries. latracey's take is spot on. However, it is rare to lose your OC to emergency surgery. At least Puddles is still standing. On its undefeated run under Joe Burrow, when Coach O was worshipped in Baton Rogue, in 12 of 15 games that season the Tigers played its original starting lineup. In the other 3 games it was only 1 starter down. When it comes to injuries luck matters. This was extraordinary good luck for that LSU team. No team is immune. Bama lost its starting center early in the game vs LSU last Saturday and the Bama OL was mauled by the LSU D, a D with many guys out due to injury. Bama had a net 6 yards rushing against a team that UCLA ran roughshod over. As Steven A notes, Next Man Up. Remember the team won in Columbus without Mr. T and Flowe. And Always Say Dye is handling the extra reps and playing the best ball of his career. And also credit J M's excellent play calling and the outstanding play of a banged up OL. Oregon owned both LOS in Seattle. "We few, we very few. We band of brothers." The heavily outnumbered Brits won at Agincourt. Ducks will do the same. On to the Cotton/Orange Bowl!

If you do not think Saban is the GOAT you best not be looking at the stats? With a young and beat up OL, 6 yards rushing vs LSU, and a 1st year starter at QB this season, this is one of his best coaching efforts. Nick does not just win on signing days, he coaches the 4 and 5* guys up.

And as a result, no harm to ESPN?