Jon Joseph

Hats off to Dilly! ASU, behind its backup QB, wins at Iowa State.

Forum friends. I have watched CFB from stem to stern today. The only team I have seen that I believe might be a step above is the Ohio State, with a Boa Constrictor defense, playing alongside an NFL TE, 3 certain NFL WRs, a super accurate QB, and with an attitude. OK, perhaps ditto Indiana? I have seen nothing today that convinces me the SEC has nine teams worthy of being in the top 25. Then, again, with the proliferation of CFB parity, why rank 25 teams? Instead, how about projecting a 12-team PO field and four P4 and 2 G6 teams on the cusp. I hope everyone in Iowa City is suffering from insomnia, not able to nap during the bye week.

Watch out for Pitt! Bye next week and then the chance to make PO noise - home vs. Notre Dame, at Georgia Tech that lost to NC State today, and Miami on November 29th in Three Rivers Stadium. 👍👌😁 One loss in the ACC and undefeated since a true Frosh QB took over, Pitt is right there for a spot in the ACC champ game and a Tuesday night ranking.

Doctor, I love the diagnosis, but why not smash mouth your way into the Red Zone and then, stop running the ball. BRILLIANT!

This is Mari-oh-oh's 6th loss to a double-digit dog.🤣

Your O-line is dinged, but you've run the ball into the red zone and decide to abandon the run. Why? This Nebraska team was stomped on by the Gophers run game. No comprende. Good luck to all recruits. Bring your skill set with because you are not going to be coached up!

I'm reaching for the Pepto Bis as I type, but OBD needs an SC win. 🤬Sorry 😧.

I'm Shocked! Or, should I say, Clocked!

TRAGIC! The valet says he can't find Carson's intercepted Lambo! 😁

And perhaps, taking the Domers with him? Hats off to NO. Texas for assuring ND will not have a top 25 game vs Navy next Saturday. After a nice pay raise, Coach Lashlee Ponies Up!

Mari-oh-oh, you are out of PO Mulligans, and with a game to play on 11/29 in Pittsburgh. 😁

In a Nut Shell - Forum Friends, What the Shell! Add Your Own Nuts! Yes, Justin! There is a Virginia. I know, Oliver, no Luck for Stanford means it's the Pitts. Mari-oh-oh, I told you to never leave Florida, and now you're out of PO mulligans. After a nice raise, Lash Ponied Up. I'm sorry, Mr. Beck, but the valet tells me your Lambo was intercepted and is MIA. Just Sayin - With TOSU's WRs, I could be a Heisman candidate! What's that barkeep, this is my last call! Were you not once PSU, not PU? Golden to almost tarnished Archie's. Don Diego, you're one enchilada short of making it to New York. INDY! I thought you hated snakes, not turtles. DABO! This won't DO! Greg, it's an ILL win(d) that is blowing you back to Jersey. No. Texas, thank you for making the Middies look rank and not ranked before playing the Domers. Rich Rod is leavin' Houston, Houston, Houston with a W. Notre Dame, Just B C(ause). UGA, this close to being UGA MUGA'D by a Gator. Every Day, Texas Tech is getting closer to a B12 champ game, close to a State Fair Roller Coaster. What the Heck, Ramblin' Wreck? The ACC is working its way to one PO bid. Hey Lincoln, were you not a QB guru back a few years or two?

It's a business. Like any other business decision, coaches stay or go depending on the offer. The more successful the program, the more and better offers. Example: The Nick Saban Coaching Rehabilitation and Recovery Facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. There are 68 P4 head coaching jobs. As many as 15 of these jobs could be open at season's end; jobs will be added to the carousel as candidates take the new jobs. And several G6 jobs, as is already the situation at Oregon State, will open. If you are a head coach currently making multi-millions in a perfectly aligned situation, President, AD, Boosters with NIL money backing you and the program, and without the bat spit political furor like we see in Baton Rouge, why move? With your name in play, your agent will see that your salary is raised with you, your family, and your assistant coaches and their families, not having to move. Lane Kiffin is still in the mix for the Florida and Penn State jobs, but why would he leave a sweet situation at Ole Miss for the insanity in Baton Rouge? At Florida and Penn State, how many seasons will he be given to win a national championship? The expectations at so many schools are through the roof. If Cignetti can do it at Indiana ... I do find it interesting that Matt Ruhle's two-year extension at Nebraska keeps him at the same base salary and is loaded with incentives that, if realized, could double his base salary. I believe we'll see more of the same, instead of the insane amount of guaranteed money with huge exit fee payments. Weeks 11 through 14 will have much to say in regards to how full Will's Stein could be. With all of the pink slips being handed out, OBD's budget for assistant coaches will be increased. Looking back, why fire Dan Mullen, Frank Solich, Bo Pelini, Jim Mora, Mike Leach, Glenn Mason, and David Cutcliffe? Without an expanded playoff, Ryan Day was at risk of being fired. 🤪 Here's to Wishing OBD a Good Bye!

B1G Bubble Teams to the Playoff. The Ducks Will be a B1G Target. Saturday TraditionBreaking down the Playoff paths for those Big Ten bubble...Breaking down the bevy of Big Ten bubble teams' paths to a possible College Football Playoff berth despite each having 2 losses.

A very B1G sweep for OBD's cross country teams. 😎 Cross country travel? No B1G deal for the Ducks. 😍❤️ University of Oregon AthleticsBig Ten Sweep in East Lansing - University of Oregon Athl...The Men and Women of Oregon are the 2025 Big Ten Cross Country champions.

Give Me Five Games to Watch During Nap Time. https://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/top_five_games_to_watch_during_oregon_ducks_bye_week/s1_16787_42989886?utm_source=mb&utm_medium=email&mb_edition=20251031&mb_loc=right_h

Hoist on his own petard! 🤪🤑🤬 The LSU AD, Scott Woodward, has been terminated. He's the same guy who hired Jimbo at A&M and believed a Boston Irish guy would be a fit in Red Stick. Holy Huey Long! Woodward was fired at the request of the Louisiana governor, Jeff Landry. Does any successful coach, other than Ed Orgeron, want to play politics in the Pelican state? 😁 This makes jobs in Seattle and Oxford, Mississippi, look just dreamy. 😇

WOW! Thank you, Mike. Even I, with limited Xs and Os knowledge, 'got' this. Wisconsin has not quit on its coach, and the weatherman was kind to a Badgers team with a solid run defense. As is often the case with suspect teams in mega-conferences, Wisconsin, especially, and Rutgers and Purdue were handed tough schedules. And Wisconsin played a road game at Bama and Purdue at Notre Dame. When the 'down teams' have difficult 9-game conference schedules, it exacerbates the weakness of the conference, especially in the final season of an ACC and SEC 8-game confrence schedule. Great comment Spartan, but seven B1G teams are ranked in the Massey Poll's top 25: Ohio State, Indiana, OBD, Michigan, Iowa, UW, and USC, plus No. 29 Illinois and No. 31 Nebraska. I believe the B1G is the 2nd strongest conference in CFB, and that the gap between the Big Ten and the SEC is not what ESPN would have you believe. For example, I don't think Texas' 38-point comeback against Mississippi State last Saturday means both teams are terrific. A Kentucky team that Texas also defeated in OT is not a good team. And Arkansas, Auburn, and South Carolina are not all that. OBD fails to cover against Wisconsin in a monsoon and is, of course, overrated. Ole Miss defeats Wazzu by three points in Oxford, crickets. UVA is No. 15 with OT wins over an FSU team that is 0-4 in ACC play, and a UNC team that has not won a football game. The Cavaliers defeated Wazzu at home by two points. Conference wins in the B1G just mean less. Conference losses just mean more. Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean that ESPN isn't following me!😁 The Establishment is going to push back against the over-the-top love for the B1G because of back to back titles. And I get this. But I also believe that B1G is experiencing pushback as the result of the Tony Petitti's AQ Playoff format. The B1G adulation disappeared when Tony's plan was revealed. And disappeared further when Greg Sankey stabbed Tony in his PO back. A pathetic Penn State does not help the B1G Cause. Cincinnati's loss to Nebraska seems to matter little. Iowa's 3-point walk-off field goal loss at Iowa State matters, as does Iowa's 5-point loss to the team ranked second in the Coaches' and AP Polls. UW lost to the No. 1 team at home and to a ranked Michigan team in the Big House. The Athletic's Stewart Mandel says this means UW's schedule is 'tainted.' The Clemson meltdown does not appear to have hurt the nation's perception of Georgia Tech, Miami, UVA, and Louisville. Mike, I apologize for drifting away from your most excellent post, and Spartan, especially based on the human polls before the committee's first ranking release Tuesday night, your take is certainly not wrong. I believe, like last season, the B1G will show up in the postseason and we'll see more of a 3-loss Illinois defeating 3-loss South Carolina, a five-loss Michigan without a passing attack and half of the starting defense sitting out defeating a 3-loss Bama, and a marginal USC team defeating A&M. I also note that Iowa lost by 3 points to a favored Missouri team and TOSU defeated two highly ranked SEC opponents. Thanks again, Mike, for a super informative post.

Thank you, Doctor. But then why expose the QB to sacks in a downpour instead of running the ball? Why hang the O-line out to dry? 😁 Will was not prepared in the 1st quarter against DeBoer in the conference champ game vs. UW. Great job coming back to take a lead that, unfortunately, the defense could not protect. The offense rolled from the start against inferior OOC opponents, but against B1G opponents, with, unlike Rutgers, a semblance of a defense? What do I know? Not much. But I see no reason why Will should be near the front of the line for new head coach jobs. His game planning against 'real' P4 opponents has been lacking. As has been his in-game ability to switch gears as the game so demands. However, 7-1 is 7-1. But three of the next four games, with two on the road, should be against teams ranked by the PO committee Tuesday night. The only team with a winning record OBD has defeated to date is 5-3 Northwestern. Win the Bye! Put The Hurt on the Hawkeyes!

Grandpa, thanks for the post. If it all comes together, the Ducks can finish 11-1. It hasn't been easy to get 14 new starters to bring 'IT' to the field with the same attitude and cohesiveness every week. The defense's pick-six gave OBD a shot to win the Indiana game, but the defense was unable to prevent Mendoza from driving the Hoosiers 75 yards and a TD for the winning points. The defense also folded in the 4th quarter at Penn State. They are subs, but the subs on defense were duds in the 4th quarter of the Northwestern game. If the PO committee truly starts from scratch, which I doubt, three of the final four regular-season games should be against teams, Iowa, SC, and UW, all in the top 25 on Tuesday night. OBD needs this because heading into the bye, the best win on paper is against 5-3 Northwestern. OBD's QB is untested, especially compared to Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel. However, QBs with the same or less experience and lesser supporting casts are lighting it up across the country. I am not an Xs and Os guy, and more than welcome being corrected if I am off base, but last season's starters at tackle on offense are both in the NFL. 6th round draft choice Cornelius Ajani with the Cowboys, and Josh Conerly starting for the Commanders. Their replacements have not played at the same level, and the play-calling does not seem conducive to helping them out. D-tackles Caldwell and Harmon are also in the NFL, and both are contributing to their team's effort. Has not having these two guys on the field led to the disappearance of Maytayo U and Tuioti? Still, it's a one-loss team with a good chance of going 4-0 and being a high seed in the PO field, but three of the opponents today are playing better than many thought they might before the start of the season. (I'm not surprised that USC and UW are competitive, with only two losses, and both could be ranked when they play Oregon. I wasn't as certain about a two-loss Iowa team that has two 'good' losses.) Compared to the other Power-2 conference, and according to the Coaches and AP Polls, wins in the B1G just mean less, and the losses just mean more. Will the PO committee follow suit? Thanks again for the positive post. Win the Bye! Kick Iowa in Kinnick!

Pitt is on a roll, winning four games in a row behind QB Heintschel for a 6-2 record, 4-1 in the ACC. And Coach Narduzzi's defense is once again salty, 27th in total defense. Like the offense, the defense is much improved over the last four outings. The schedule sets up perfectly for a Panthers PO push: Saturday at Stanford Then, after a buy on November 8th, Pitt has a chance to shake up the CFB playoff. November 15th vs. No. 12 Notre Dame - this looks to be the toughest remaining game on Notre Dame's schedule. November 22nd, at No. 8 Georgia Tech - Ready for a slobber knocker? November 29th vs. No. 10 Miami - The Canes were ahead of Syracuse last year before blowing a 21-point lead, dropping the final regular-season game to the Orange, and missing the PO. And the Syracuse game was played indoors. 😁 Thanksgiving weekend, you can count on Three Rivers Stadium being windy and cold. TCB vs. Stanford, which is decent at home, and win the final three games against top 25 opponents, and Pitt is PO-bound with the possibility of hosting a 1st round game. The ACC title and a 1st round bye could also be in play. True frosh Mason and true frosh BYU QB Bear Bachmeier are balling out this season. Pitt Panthers #H2PHeintschel, Johnson Earn ACC Football Player of the Week...Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel and wide receiver Kenny Johnson have been honored by the ACC this week for their performances in the Panthers' 53-34 win ov...

I apologize for jumping the Week 10 games gun. I can't help but wonder if the Miami coaches and players will need a 'How to Fasten the Seatbelt' tutorial before leaving the State of Florida for the first time this season? Go Mustangs! 9 AM - ESPN - No. 10 Miami -12.5 Canes WarningFull matchup history between Miami and SMUMiami and SMU have met only once on the football field. On Sept. 18, 1965, the Mustangs opened their season by grinding out a 7-3 win over the Hurricanes at the

Is the Apocalypse near? A Trojan Wire writer acknowledging that OBD is one of the B1G 3? 😇 And Indiana will win it all! Whoa Traveler! But wait a minute! Oregon will not make the PO? Thanks, now I won't have to move into the bunker. 😁 https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/2025/10/29/winners-losers-week-9-big-ten-football/86953071007/?utm_source=smg-trojanswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SMGbaseline&

Michigan visits Autzen next season. 😎 Which is nice.

FWIW - The most recent odds from Bet MGM to win the 2025-26 championship. Ohio State +250 Indiana +700 Alabama +800 OBD, Georgia Notre Dame +1000 Miami +1500 Ole Miss, Texas Tech +2000 Vanderbilt +2500 Texas +4000 - Bet MGM has Texas -2.5 at home vs. Vanderbilt on Saturday. NOTE - Ohio State is odds-on to win it all by a large margin. Have we returned to: Defense Wins Championships? Ohio State's D under Matt Patricia (not Jim Knowles 😁) is posting historic numbers on defense with four games left to play - Penn State, at Purdue, UCLA, and at Michigan 🙃. Indiana's remaining B1G opponents, at Maryland, at Penn State, Wisconsin, and at Purdue, are 1-17 in conference play. There will have to be one or two major upsets for the Buckeyes and the Hoosiers not to meet in Indianapolis on December 6th, with the after-market ticket prices through the enclosed stadium roof. 🤑🤑🤑