Jon Joseph

Dabo predicts 16-0 for his Clemson Tigers in 2025. Not so fast! Clemson was ranked No. 16 in the final committee poll. Since 1984, no team ranked lower than 15th in the relevant last season polls, AP and UPI, the BCS, and now, PO Committee, has won a national championship. Dabo or LSU coach Brian Kelly, no opening game wins in his tenure at LSU, will have to eat Tiger after the opening game. Like Ohio State vs. Texas, Clemson is -2.5 to win in its version of Death Valley. FanSidedDabo Swinney is already writing checks Clemson won’t be a...Asking for the impossible is certainly one way to motivate your program.

What's Up OOC? https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/ducks/football/2025/08/06/oregon-ducks-future-non-conference-schedule-2025/85548593007/?utm_source=smg-duckswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SMGbaseline&utm_term=C

I hope you are right, DM. Whenever Mike Gundy has had a down season, and 2024 was an unexpected down season for a team many favored to win the B12 (with Gundy $1 million lighter in the wallet for the no conference wins flame out), OK State has bounced back. The Cowboys will have a roster superior to that of Montana State, Northwestern, and Beavis. 36 players transferred out of Stillwater, and 36 players transferred in. Both coordinators are new hires. OK St will be fired up to take down a highly ranked Big Ten team. However, most 'experts' predict the Cowboys to go under 5.5. How much of a difference will $1.5 million QB Malik Murphy, Texas, to Duke, to Beavis, and QB Preston Stone, SMU to Northwestern, make? Again, both rosters will be superior to FCS Montana State. Oregon did not gel out of the gate in 2024, and this team returns fewer starters. And it won't be easy to keep a White Out out of the minds of young players. Bob Them Cats!

Before FAU and Ole Miss, Lane's career was resuscitated by Saint Nick. Ditto, Locksley, Sark, and others. Saban won on the field and in helping coaches get back on their feet. After opening the wallet last season, Ole Miss boosters were let down by Lane not having the team ready to play every week. How do you lose to Kentucky at home and later destroy Georgia? How with a 1st round draft pick at QB do you flame out against a Florida team and miss the PO? Yes, QB DJ Lagway played QB for the Gators in the win against Ole Miss, but he threw for 180 yards, respectable but not noteworthy. Ole Miss QB Dart threw 3 picks, and a team that averaged 38.6 points scored 17. This went beyond choke and into gag me with a spoon (😁) territory. In addition to the Kentucky loss, Ole Miss pulled defeat from the jaws of victory against LSU. In this debut for the Florida job, Lane helped save Billy Napier's job. I think Lane is the kind of coach who will come close, but no cigar. I do believe Dan will stay in Eugene until his youngest child graduates from high school. I think one of the things that motivates Dan is bringing the first football national championship to Oregon. Thanks for the terrific comments.

I have a good friend, John Sande, who was the center on the Stanford team in 1970, the year Jim Plunkett won the Heisman and Stanford upset Ohio State in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1971. John was the Rose Bowl All-Decade center. He handled the 'behemoth' Ohio State nose tackle, All-American Jim Stillwagon, who had no QB pressures, no TFL, and one tackle total. John played center at 215 pounds. The behemoth Stillwagon weighed 240 pounds. Rules and regulations change, no doubt, but in my seven decades of following college football, the biggest change I have witnessed is in the size and athleticism of the athletes, especially at the QB position, where UW's Warren Moon helped prove what should have been obvious: people of all colors can play QB. Thanks again, David, and thanks to you and other Forum friends, for the terrific comments.

FootballScoop on Jim Knowles. Will DC Jim help Little Game Jim win the B1G ones? Fortunately for both Jims, Michigan is not PSU's 2025 schedule. FootballScoopIntriguing New Coordinators: History says Jim Knowles wil...As he begins what feels like the third or fourth "If not now, when?" season of his 12-year tenure at Penn State, we must first consider the consequences on what will happ

Overrated? No. 2 Ohio State made the Sports Illustrated list. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2025/08/04/college-football-preseason-coaches-poll-overrated/85441574007/

FANTASTIC! This should result in Oregon playing 7 and not 6 home games in 2027, a season when OBD will have one of, if not the most difficult schedule, not only in the B1G but in the nation. This move is well worth the $324K which will be more than made up by another home game. At Baylor, Michigan, Nebraska, UCLA, and UW, with a long trip to play at Maryland. Ohio State, Penn State, and Iowa at home. And in season three, Barry Odom will bring an improved Purdue to Eugene. And OBD could possibly be breaking in a new starter at QB. Greg Sankey, hush your mouth. This also does away with a scheduled 2028 trip to Logan, Utah. There is no way OBD should be playing on the road against any G5/6 program, even if it's a 5 for 1 exchange. 2027 opens with a visit from FCS E. Washington before traveling to Waco, Texas, to play the Baylor Bears. Week 3 in Autzen versus New Mexico, San Jose State, or Nevada would be just fine.

No Offense, but here's hoping OBD's opponents have no offense. 😁 https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/ducks/football/2025/08/06/oregon-ducks-2025-opponent-offense-ranking/85518657007/?utm_source=smg-duckswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign

Thanks for the post. I disagree with the WSJ. Tom Allen, now at Clemson, and Manny Diaz, now at Duke, were both very good DCs at PSU. I think the retention of starters on the Edge Dennis-Sutton, DL Durant, LB DeLuca, CB Harris, S Wheatley, and rubber ball S King Mack, PSU to Bama and back, provides Knowles with the athletes to field another strong D in 2025. OC Andy Kotelnicki helped improve QB Drew Allar's play last season, notwithstanding a bad group of wide receivers. The three wideouts transferring to PSU, including Pena from Syracuse, give Andy and Drew more toys to play with, helped by the return of stud RBs Singleton and Allen and a very good TE replacing do-it-all Ty Warren. along with four starting OL players, should improve PSU's production on offense. Tosh likely stays up late trying to come up with a plan to hold down the two returning RBs who left skid marks on the backs of OBD players on D, with both going over 100 yards in the conference champ game. In the preseason, Knowles has acknowledged that this group of defenders does not need new schemes to be top drawer in 2025, and that the time is now for the D to again step up. However, PSU players, coaches, and fans are not prepared for Forum Fanatics being there to turn a White Out into a Black Out. 😎

You hosed my team and your poll is Bogus!🤬 On3Preseason Coaches Poll: USA Today names 5 biggest snubs i...On Tuesday, USA Today released the five biggest snubs from its preseason Coaches Poll Top 25 college football rankings.

Terrific article. Terrible Hire! Mullens was not looking like an AD guru with the promotion of a terrific OC but over-his-head HC in Mark Helfrich, and the hiring of a lower-level football coach with an overall losing record. Fortunately, an AD who is no longer with the Seminoles brought Willie back to the Sunshine State, where Willie flamed out before an unsuccessful return to the little leagues. I'm looking forward to your article on the next coach Mullens hired, another individual who danced around the truth and was in the process of destroying the Oregon brand before folks with far more money than sense stepped in and brought Mari-Oh-Oh home. A Heisman-winning record-setting QB and no playoff soup for MIA. Nice return on investment. Let's see if the 4 Million Dollar QB can do better. The new QB will be comforted by having a $2M O lineman who has yet to play a down of college football on the bench. 🤮 I love Jabba's comment regarding Willie's recruiting prowess. Willie didn't have all that much to live up to. Thanks again for the terrific read. The view through the windshield looks much better than the view from the rearview mirror.😎

Dennis Erickson played QB for Montana State and won three conference championships.

Since 1984 (!), no team ranked lower than 15th in the most important CFB final regular season ranking has won a title the following year. In its final 2024 poll, the PO committee ranked Clemson 16th. Dabo doesn't care. Rarely does this kind of hubris go unpunished. Dabo Swinney Predicts Clemson Wi...Dabo Swinney Predicts Clemson Will Have CFB's 1st 16-0 Te...Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney believes that his team will put together an undefeated season with an expanded College Football Playoff format. LSU didn't have enough incentive to win the opener? 😬 YIKES!

Let's Double Down! On the Canes and Mari-oh-oh going PO MIA yet again.😁 Saturday BlitzThese Coaches’ Poll rankings might be setting fans up for...The College Football season is nearly upon us as we're just weeks away from Kansas State and Iowa State kicking off the season in Dublin. As the season nears it "We're going to keep practicing Taking a Knee until we get it right! Right?"

Tarmac, calling Kiffin, come in, Kiffin, and then, go away. FSU wins the award for the biggest face plant in 2024, but Ole Miss challenged Chief Osceola. Saturday BlitzThe most disappointing College Football Team from each se...The high honors in the offseason can often lead to brutal disappointment when the program underperforms expectations. Whether it's due to injuries, coaching woe

Two top gunslingers will meet at High Noon in Columbus. Hook'em HeadlinesPreseason coaches poll just made Texas vs. Ohio State mor...Alright, who's ready for some pigskin? Later this month, Texas football will head to Columbus to take on Ohio State and this matchup is going to have everyone t

If the Tide Rolls to a 9-3 record in 2025, a tsunami will be headed toward Kalen DeBoer. Bama HammerIf Josh Pate's model is accurate, Kalen DeBoer's Alabama...It's not playoff or bust for Kalen DeBoer in year two at Alabama in the sense that his job is on the line. Barring an absolute catastrophe, DeBoer will be the h

Some much-deserved love for Haloti Ngata. https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/ducks/football/2025/08/05/oregon-ducks-haloti-ngata-greatest-5-star-prospects/85511788007/?utm_source=smg-duckswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_ca

It didn't take long for Over and Under Rated comments to po(o)p up. Has this guy looked at Michigan's schedule? It's a pathway to 9-3 and possibly 10-2 and a spot in the PO. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/coaches-poll-top-25-reactions-michigan-overrated-clemson-underrated-in-preseason-college-football-rankings/

Only 9 SEC teams ranked in the Top 25? Better call Pawalll! Including Others Receiving Votes (ORV), No. 50 Vandy makes it 14 SEC teams receiving votes. With 8 conference games left overs Arkansas and Mississippi State will probably go bowling. B1G comes in at 6 Top 25 and 11, including OTR. 5 B12 teams ranked again prove that with a 12-team PO, only 12 teams plus a P4 conference champ and the top G5 contender if not in the top 12, are all that need to be ranked. One thing I would like to see😍 is No. 7 Oregon hosting No. 10 MIA and Mari-oh-oh in a 1st round game.

Teams looking to Break On Through to the Other Side. Mari-oh-oh leads the list. 😁 ESPN.comCollege football's Impatience Index: Why the clock is tic...CFP aspirations. Major investments. Too many losses. Fans are never patient, but these teams' might have a right.

Thanks, Jordan, for the terrific article. When discussing future PO formats, Dan also noted that one off-week a season is enough, and that the PO champ game should not be played in the middle of the NFL playoffs. As has been suggested by many CFB 'experts', all teams should start the season in Week Zero; half are idle a week halfway through the season, with the other half idle the following week. The B1G 4-4-2-2-1-3 PO format is approved, so the champ game and two PO play-in games can be played in the last week of the regular season. Do the above, and Dan's goal of playing the championship game on New Year's Day, or at least the semifinals played on NYD, could be realized. Played amid the NFL playoffs, last season's champ game between brand names Ohio State and Notre Dame did not draw close to the anticipated number of eyeballs. When it's CFB against the NFL, the NFL wins. IMO, sad but true. The impasse between the B1G and the SEC on the new PO format could lead to several positive results, including a change in the CFB regular season scheduling and when the PO begins and ends. I think the media would be delighted to pay more for big-time PO games, not going up against NFL PO games. Thanks again, Jordan, and thank goodness we are closing in on the start of the season.

The bar on NIL deals lasted about one week before the plaintiff attorneys reminded the NCAA that this was not the House settlement agreement. Thank goodness the NCAA paid attention and dropped the ban in favor of what was agreed upon, namely, NIL deal reviews, rather than blowing millions of dollars more on futile litigation. Since being chastised by the folks they just paid half a billion dollars to, I have not heard of an NIL deal of note being rejected by the review committee. Meanwhile, Tennessee passed a law making NIL regulation unenforceable in the Volunteer State. (Huge sigh of relief heard coming from Vandy HQ. 😁) Other schools, like Alabama for one, are not revealing the terms of NIL deals as to do so could violate federal law regarding student-athlete privacy. Right? The SEC was one of the defendant's that agreed to the settlement that Greg Sankey touted. Where was this concern over student rights when the settlement was being negotiated? The review of every NIL deal over $600 is a recipe for more litigation. Without help from Congress, state legislatures and plaintiff lawyers (paying $500M plus to the House lawyers put blood in the water) will neuter the settlement. No estmated valuation will come close to what SC is paying for a TE straight out of high school, who is being paid more than some TEs in the NFL. This is an egregious but not an isolated transaction. Ask the folks in Coral Gables.

Let me put my 2 cents in. When I played D3 ball, my coach will tell you that 2 cents was twice my NIL worth. Among others, Johnny 'Football' Manziel can't stop his 'why was I born too early' whining. 😁