Jon Joseph

Today, do you have to be on-site to attend class? This travel is sustainable compared to the revenue Beavis, Wazzu, Cal, Stanford, and the four teams that migrated to the B12 are bringing in. In the P4 and G6, there are at least three tiers of teams and BiG and SEC teams sit alone in the top tier with the financial ability to consistently compete for championships. I used to travel frequently and I was able to get a whole lot of work done on an airplane. Do you think this travel is tough? Check out the train trips teams used to take and the time required to get 'there and back.' And in the days of train travel, no one was being paid over the table. A lot more eyeballs are on the athletes in the B1G than in the Pac-12 days which means better marketing opportunities for the athletes. To everything, there is a Yin and a Yang.

Dabo is bringing in three transfers in 2025 to a team with many returning starters.

CBS Sports review of transfer portal heavy teams and the difficulty these teams have winning a championship. Kudos to Dan for developing a roster that can win it all. Ceiling for portal-heavy teams in expanded CFP era: Why traditional roster building is necessary to win title - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM How far can a portal-heavy roster go in the expanded playoff era?

Here's an interesting take on how far in the playoffs a portal-heavy team can go. Ceiling for portal-heavy teams in expanded CFP era: Why traditional roster building is necessary to win title - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM How far can a portal-heavy roster go in the expanded playoff era?

Great points. Conference champ games are factored into media contracts. Flex scheduled to have one play two in the last game of the regular season IMO makes sense. All of these other machinations? Play nine conference games and the log jam at the No.4 spot in the SEC last season could still happen but with fewer logs. LOL at the ACC Commish managing a 17-team conference that plays eight conference games and wants to jury rig the champ game so the top team does not have to chance losing to a lesser team. In 2025 we are likely to see the same screwed-up seeding system that had No.1 Oregon playing No. 6 Ohio State in the 1st round. This will disappear in 2026. Automatic bids will not mean that the B1G and SEC teams with the bids will be seeded higher than ACC, B12, G5, and higher-ranked Notre Dame teams. Come the new media deals beginning in 2030 and with the House settlement on the horizon who knows what college football will look like just a few years down the road?

Five Thoughts on the Hockey Played to Date. Five takeaways from conclusion of 4 Nations Face-Off round robin WWW.YARDBARKER.COM Team Sweden (1-0-2-0, 5 points) defeated Team USA (2-0-0-1, 6 points) 2-1 in the final game of the NHL's inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off round robin. Note that 5 million viewers is a large number for ice hockey. The NFL and CFB are far more popular. It will be a great atmosphere in Boston on Thursday night. Holy Molson's! Good luck scoring a ticket you hosers, eh? Ticket prices are out of control for Canada-USA 4 Nations championship game | Sports DAILYHIVE.COM Hype is out of control for Thursday night's 4 Nations championship game between Canada and the United States. USA! USA! USA!

Great post, Thank You! Some good home games in 2025, no doubt. How about 2027 when Autzen will host Iowa, Ohio State, and Penn State?

Won't B12 fans be more interested in watching post-season ball with two teams and not one in the field? I respect your POV, of course, but I could not disagree more. All the worries about NIL, the open transfer portal, and money flowing to the Power 2 killing CFB have been unfounded. Viewership was up again in 2024. That the champ game did not draw better is a format problem that can be corrected IF the two most successful conferences lead the way in making the corrections. Positive change is coming, IMO, with tomorrow's second meeting of the B1G and SEC commissioners and athletic directors. The B1G and the SEC dwarf every other conference in viewership. Going back to the 1998 advent of the BCS and projecting a 14 to 16-team field based on final rankings through 2024-25, four B1G and four SEC teams would be the norm. Why leave this up to chance with a Committee that refuses to disclose its selection methodology? A Committee that in 2024-25 seeded a G5 team ahead of the B12 champ without the support of Boise having the superior strength of schedule or any other justification. As I have noted before, Alabama at Penn State would have drawn far more eyeballs than SMU at Penn State last season and every season. Assuring the ACC and B12 of two PO participants and the G5 of one PO participant based on postseason history and viewership numbers is generous. Arena League and Canadian League teams do not participate in the NFL playoffs. Sankey and Petitti allowing a conference with no Blue Chip Rosters teams, the B12, and the ACC with two such teams, Clemson and Miami, two playoff spots, and the millions of dollars this will earn for the two conferences is, IMO, far from greedy. Again. I respect your comment. I think a Super League is coming, NFL-Lite, and I do not think this will kill college football. I believe it will be a recognition of the new college football paradigm and Oregon presented by NIKE will still draw millions of viewers.

Hats Off to Ross! The New DB Boss! Oregon Ducks fill a crucial coaching vacancy with a bright young mind capable of guiding a key position group to new heights WWW.YARDBARKER.COM The Oregon Ducks have done a great job to hold onto assistant coaches this offseason, but one, wide receivers coach Junior Adams, did depart the program to take the same position in the...

Give Me 5! With 5 On the Side! Oregon Ducks pulled off an offseason feat that no other school in college football was able to do this year WWW.YARDBARKER.COM We know that Dan Lanning has been doing some serious work on the recruiting trail for the Oregon Ducks. The 2025 recruiting class was a strong one, and Oregon currently has the top-ranked...

Amidst Accusations of GREED, here's a take from CBS Sports that I agree with wholeheartedly. A Big Ten/SEC College Football Playoff takeover is inevitable, but what if it's actually the best solution? - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM Multiple automatic bids would take a lot of the guesswork out of determining the 14- or 16-team field There is no business in the world where the lead companies do not control the industry. College Football is a Big (B1G + SEC) business. It should come as no surprise that the two most profitable enterprises have the most influence. Indeed, in 2024, Notre Dame, the ACC, the B12, and the G5/6 conferences acknowledged that the Power 2 would design the playoff format in 2026 and thereafter. A 4-4-2-2-1-1 format guarantees two teams in the field for the ACC and the B12. As the B12 can attest there is no assurance of the conference getting two teams in the field without a guarantee. In 2026, we will see a 14 or 16-team playoff field with I believe, four teams from the B1G and the SEC assured spots in the field. OK with me. The two conferences have earned this.

Seven Teams Spiraling Out Of Control? OK, Hyperbolic. However, OBD's Week 2 Opponent, OK State, is 2nd on the List. 7 college football programs that are spiraling out of control SATURDAYBLITZ.COM These college football programs have some questions to answer as we look towards the long 2025 offseason. These programs are at a crossroads, facing internal an

Let's Get Back, Get Together, and Do It Again, Eh? Sweden tops U.S. 2-1 in 4 Nations round robin. The Americans had already clinched a spot in final APNEWS.COM Sweden rallied after falling behind just 35 seconds into the game and beat the United States 2-1 in the 4 Nations Face-Off round-robin finale.

Rin Tin Tin. WOOF!

SKOL! The aquavit is flowing in Stockholm. Thursday Night - It matters.

Canada holds on to defeat Finland and will play the USA in the championship game on Thursday night, live from The Olde Towne, Bean Town! Finland was down 4-0 and replaced its goalie who was suffering from Red Light Goal Sunburn on the back of his neck.😁 Final, Canada with a late open net goal, 5 and Soumi 3. USA! USA! USA!

Support for OBD's Hire of Ross. Oregon makes major move as Dan Lanning eyes national championship SATURDAYBLITZ.COM After leading Oregon to a historic 12-0 regular season and a Big Ten title, Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning has his sights set on one thing: a national cham

NJ, You Are the Man! Zach Neel's QB rankings once again expose his ability to consistently err and get his facts wrong. (I know I am breaking protocol with this comment but Neel's constant muffs tick me off.) Let's start by correctly identifying the projected starters for three teams that Neel whiffed on. Purdue - Malachi Singleton is expected to start. Malachi transferred in from Arkansas where he put up 385 passing yards and rushed for 72 yards in the Hogs upset of Tennessee. Sorry, Zach, Hudson Card is out of eligibility and has left the building. Northwestern - NW brought in Preston Stone from SMU for a reason. The reason, QB Jack Lausch was terrible in 2024 and in 2023, Stone led SMU to the AAC title. Minnesota - Drake Lindsey and not Zach Pyron is expected to start for the Gophers. The above information is readily available on something called The World Wide Web. Other than that? Ranking Underwood No. 8 when Mikey Keene, who transferred in from Fresno State, is expected to start for Michigan. Hmmm. Ranking Ohio State's Julian Sayin ahead of guys with starting experience including UW's Williams, Illinois' Luke Altmyer, Wisconsin's Billy Edwards, Maiva who took Penn State to OT and with a win over Texas A+M, Iowa's Gronowski who won titles at South Dakota, Mendoza, a player Cal hated to lose, UCLA's Aguilar who balled out at APP State, and even Kaliakmanis at Rutgers, is idle speculation. I have no beef with Allar at No.1 but if Dylan Riola turns out to be the 2nd best QB in the conference; well, I will humbly apologize. This is a criticism of the author, Mr. Neel, and not OBD's top messenger, Mister NJ Duck.

Charles, I, of course, respect your opinion, I'm LOL at the good doctor and not you, but especially if the B1G and SEC agree to games between the two conferences as a matter of course, and the SEC moves to nine conference games, I believe auto bids for the Power 2 are warranted. I also think the 14-team NFL playoff structure will work better than a 16-team field and not exclude any team with a real shot at the title. Preference for B1G and SEC teams is warranted based on the history of the BCS and the 4-team playoff. Warranted by the number of people who turn in to watch the SEC and B1G play football. Warranted by roster strength; there is not a B12 team with a Blue Chip Roster, and only Clemson and Miami in the ACC are Blue Chip, although FSU is close. Nine conference games in the B12 and eight conference games in the ACC will not equate to nine in the SEC and in most cases, nine in the B1G. G5 schedules are not close in strength of schedule. And from what we saw from the Committee in the first 12-team PO, for example seeding G5 Boise ahead of B12 champ ASU, does not IMO warrant trust in a Committee that does its business in the dark. Did an SMU team that played a soft schedule and lost to BYU at home deserve to be in over three-loss SEC teams and three-loss Illinois? Illinois had one bad loss, at home vs Minnesota. Its other losses were on the road at Penn State and OBD. For that matter, should SMU have been in over a two-loss BYU team? Sixteen teams, no byes has a definite appeal. But unless the calendar is addressed and fixed by starting the season on week zero and flex scheduling in conference champ games, the season is too long. Of course, if these changes are not made with 12 teams the season is too long. 34M people watched OBD play TOSU in the first 4-team playoff title. That far, far fewer people watched two iconic programs play for the first 12-team championship should be clear as a bell. The NFL is more popular than CFB. Going head-to-head against the NFL in the postseason is not savvy. The B1G and the SEC have the power to find a solution once and if they insist on holding a playoff. A playoff like every other division in college football and the NFL that does not worry about using bowls as playoff game sites. This of course will depend on the upper echelon of CFB and not media companies, managing the postseason. With disparate strength of schedule in college football, more wins do not ipso facto mean a team is superior to a team with an extra loss or two. I think 14 teams with a 4-4-2-2-1-1 format makes sense and makes more sense if Notre Dame has to play in a conference. Four B1G and Four SEC teams in the field do not mean the eight teams are the top eight seeds. It does not mean that the eight would be rewarded with a playoff home game(s.) ESPN's Bill Connolly ($ wall) went back to the beginning of the BCS era, 1998, and ran the above format for every season. Based on the final pre-BCS and pre-playoff rankings, four B1G and four SEC teams in a 14-team field were what would have happened in almost every season. Like it or not, this year and every year more people will tune in to watch Alabama at Penn State than SMU at Penn State. And more than ever, the money matters. Fun to ponder. Not easy to get 'right?'

Thoughts on OBD at Penn State Game. Oregon Ducks Schedule Preview: 'Marquee' Big Ten Showdown vs. Penn State Looms WWW.SI.COM The Oregon Ducks will travel to Beaver Stadium to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday, Sept. 27. The kickoff time is to be determined. It will be r

Hats Off to Team USA and the NHL. Last night was far from a typical All-Star game. Five takeaways from USA-Canada at 4 Nations Face-Off WWW.YARDBARKER.COM A raucous, bombastic atmosphere highlighted a 3-1 win for Team USA over Team Canada in Saturday night's heavyweight showdown in Montreal.

I disagree with this Fansided author who criticizes SC for wanting to cancel the Notre Dame rivalry without all of the facts. Fact - USC plays nine conference games, a potential conference champ game, and a potential 17 games if it makes the PO champ game. Fact - USC is competing with ACC and SEC teams that play 8 conference games and not all but many ACC and SEC teams play four lightweights out of conference. Fact - Whether or not SC wanted to bail out of the Pac-12 for the B1G does not alter the fact that SC football has farther to travel every year than before and does not need another trip to the Eastern time zone every other season. Fact - There is no reason for SC to help out with Notre Dame's recruiting in California by playing a game in SoCal every other season. Fact - USC dropped long-standing rivalries with Cal and Stanford that could be renewed if the ND game was canceled and a game vs Cal/Stanford would be a far easier trip than going to South Bend. Fact - The last two PO champions played three G5 teams OOC and suffered not for doing so. Fact - A+M moved to the SEC and dumped Texas. Nebraska moved to the B1G and the annual game vs. Oklahoma was canceled. When the Big East conference broke up the Backyard Brawl game between Pitt and West Virginia ended. The loss of rivalry games is part and parcel of conference realignment. This should include ending the Civil War. Having defended USC I am now off to take a scalding hot shower. 😉 USC's excuses for threatening future of Notre Dame rivalry just don't add up FANSIDED.COM The Trojans are noncommittal about a future for their classic rivalry with Notre Dame, and there's not a great reason for that.

McCord at Syracuse did not have the quality of WR he had at Ohio State but he threw for more yards at Cuse than he did in Columbus. Ross had something to do with this and in Danno I trust. Question on the 5 Things to Know article from Ducks Wire, is a move from RB coach to WR coach an upgrade or a lateral move? Fran Brown who had never been an HC did a great job, as noted, at Syracuse in 2024. Ross was a big part. Thank you Syracuse for erasing a 21-point deficit and coming back to defeat Mari-Oh-Ho-Ho's Canes team and sending the Canes to play for The Mayo and not the PO Gold.

Draymond's a guy who should have played hockey. 😁 Back in the day, I watched UNLV routinely put up 90 and often 100 points with no 3-point line. The line did in part what it was intended to do, unclog the lane. But at what cost? The NBA games look like a game of H-O-R-S-E. Players can hit 3s but not mid-range jump shots?

No way. See: 30 Duck's photo post above. And do watch the movie Slapshot. Paul Newman said he had more fun making Slapshot than any other flick. The Hanson's could not carry a tune but they could definitely carry brass knuckles onto the ice. 😜