Jon Joseph

Monday Night Gators vs. Cougars? And Other Men's Final 4 Takes. Five bold men's Final Four predictions: Who's in national title game Monday night? WWW.YARDBARKER.COM The 2025 men's NCAA Tournament Final Four is Saturday in San Antonio. Before Auburn-Florida (6:09 ET) and Duke-Houston tip off (8:49 ET, CBS), here are five predictions for this year's national...

Do I Love LA? How About, No! But I Get Why Riley in LA is Asked About the House Settlement. He has no idea of the effect the settlement will have on CFB and other college sports. Neither does his AD and the President of USC. Like typical CFB lemmings, they are allowing the NCAA to settle a matter that settles NOTHING! Stupid Is as the NCAA Does. The 'brilliant' folks in charge of our nation's largest universities haven't figured this out? Lincoln Riley previews House v. NCAA settlement, reveals how enforcement model could work - On3 WWW.ON3.COM Lincoln Riley previewed the upcoming House v. NCAA settlement approval hearing and shared how an enforcement model would work.

Sigh. It's Difficult to See a Bright Future Behind You, Isn't It? Here's Hoping That Ify is the Real Deal. Danno's Stars Need to Start Shining. Co-DC Chris Hampton sees bright future at Oregon for CB Ify Obidegwu DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Oregon Ducks redshirt freshman CB Ify Obidegwu is drawing some high praise early on in spring football.

Thank you, Charles and DanL. No two schools deserve to be hoisted on their smelly petards than the Left Behind Pac-2. 'You Ducks destroyed a conference!" OSU and WSU didn't do this to the MW? 'You Ducks are not honorable.' Did Oregon sign a deal for game inventory it is trying to weasel out of less than a year after signing? 'Travel will have you begging to return in a couple of years.' But it's perfectly okay to invite a school from Memphis, New Orleans, and wherever Texas State resides in Texas to the party, right? Washington State football. Since playing well in 2024, the Head Coach, O Coordinator, and star QB have Couged It out of town. Oregon State football. Paying $1.5 M to a QB, Malik Murphy, who was going to lose his starting spot at Duke to a transfer from Tulane. Murphy has now taken his act from the SEC, Texas, to the ACC, Duke, to the Pac-Whatever, plus Gonzo. 🤪 Regarding the new media deal, it's a good thing the Pac-Whatever hired, 'Trust Me, It's All Good' George Kliavkoff as a consultant. Thanks for creating the 6th member of the G6 and have a really nice day. 🤓

Thanks, Alex. I loved the video you included. Going to a solid Eagles team would be great.

Bye, Bye, to Eight Games without a Break. Byes in Week Six and Week 10 are close to perfect.

It's Always Sunny in South Central, Right? 😁 USC Trojans abruptly lose potential star to the Transfer Portal SATURDAYBLITZ.COM Just when it seemed like USC was building up some solid depth at running back, the Trojans got hit with a bit of a curveball. A’Marion Peterson, a promising yo

Not Good News for J. Smith and his Spartans. Tuck Problems Still Comin' Report: Michigan State under investigation for alleged recruiting violations under Mel Tucker - On3 WWW.ON3.COM Michigan State is under investigation for alleged recruiting violations that occurred under Mel Tucker, The Detroit News reported.

Thank you, Mr. Editor, for turning my scribbling rags into a prom-worthy gown. 😎 Compare OBD's 2025 schedule with Wisconsin's, and it's easy to see that the Battle for the B1G in 2025 is a far more challenging task for the Badgers. The opener vs. Miami (OH) is not a MAC walkover. And to the difficulty of the conference schedule, why not add on a trip to Tuscaloosa to play the Tide? One day, if a game against the SEC is on the schedule of every B1G team, playing an SEC team out of conference makes sense. But this will not happen unless the SEC and the B1G are both guaranteed four teams in the playoff field. In the meantime, I'm fine with OBD playing an SEC opponent in the postseason and not before. Brace yourselves for 2027. The Ducks have but six home games, play Baylor in Waco, are on the road vs. Michigan, Nebraska, and UWho, and play Ohio State and Penn State in Eugene. WOW! There are serendipitous moments when writing these articles, none more sublime than learning that mob boss, Tony Soprano, went to school in Jersey. 🤩 CAGE THE BOBCATS!

IMO, 'shock jock' athlete announcers' and their enablers deserve to be punished, There is a difference between Freedom of Speech and Slander. Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett intends to take legal action against Pat McAfee, ESPN for spreading viral rumor - On3 WWW.ON3.COM Ole Miss freshman Mary Kate Cornett plans to take legal action against ESPN and host Pat McAfee for helping spread a viral rumor in late February.

The House Settlement will be approved, or not, next week. Of course, the decision could also be delayed by Judge Claudia Wilken. Posted below is Kirby Smart's take on the Settlement and the state of the game. He very much doubts that the proposed up to $20.5 Million in direct payments to 'student-athletes' will act as a ceiling. His concern is warranted. The salary cap in the NFL does not restrict players from marketing their NIL. Any such restriction would be a Restraint On Trade. The law will not be determined differently for college athletes. The Settlement establishes an NIL Clearing House comprised of seven Deloitte accountants who will determine whether NIL deals reflect the market. Good luck trying to stop a NIL deal because it exceeds 'market value.' Such a decision is DOA in any and every court in the land. Georgia will spend the $20.5M thusly, 75% on Football, 15% on Men's Basketball, 5% on Women's Basketball, and 5% on All Other Sports. This will be the breakdown or close thereto, for every Power 4 school. (Big East and other schools without an FBS football program will allocate more money to basketball.) Title IX challenges will be filed but are not likely to be sustained under the current administration. States with their own Title IX-like legislation could be a different story. 'Poaching' backed up with NIL money will continue. P4 Football rosters capped at 105 players means more marginal players will enter the portal. However, players in every sport whose school is in a conference with 'protected scholarships,' including the B1G, will continue to receive the same financial support if a player is 'cut' and does not transfer. As I have noted before on The Forum, the Settlement settles nothing in the short and the long run. The Settlement does not stay existing antitrust litigation, or prevent future litigation. Nothing will be settled in the long term unless and until 'management' can negotiate with a players' union. Objections to the Settlement have been filed and a decision may be deferred or the Settlement rejected by Federal Judge Wilken. Kirby Smart issues strong warning about House settlement, calls out tampering problems WWW.ON3.COM . I for one, hope the Settlement is rejected.

The Terps Get Their New Head Turtle. Success Wherever He's Coached. Maryland hires Buzz Williams: Terps poach Texas A&M coach to replace Kevin Willard after controversial exit - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM Willard left for the vacant job at Villanova after the Terps' Sweet 16 exit from the NCAA Tournament

Don't Miss These B1G Games. https://athlonsports.com/college-football/big-ten-football-predicting-best-must-see-game-every-week-in-2025-season

BB should at least be in the best LB discussion. Oregon Ducks' Bryce Boettcher College Football's Best Returning Linebacker? WWW.YARDBARKER.COM Oregon Ducks linebacker Bryce Boettcher began his college football career as a walk-on in and is now one of the key pieces to the Ducks defense. Boettcher

OK, April Fool's! 😁 But the take on McAfee and the Ole Miss coed situation is legit. Pat is being called out by many of his ESPN brother and sister broadcasters. Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett slams Pat McAfee, Barstool after... NYPOST.COM Ole Miss student Mary Kate Cornett alleged she is "the victim of a deliberate and coordinated cyber attack spreading categorically false and defamatory information," which includes false rumors...

As I 'cut' this article for posting on the Forum I couldn't help but think about all of the cable cord-cutting going on. A new broadcast paradigm is coming. I think college football will be marketed directly to the public via in-house streaming of game inventory; directly to the market and not using a 3rd party media middleman to resell the inventory to advertisers. Google B1G commissioner Tony Petitti. He is as media savvy as any person in the business of college athletics. He doesn't need help dealing with the media. ESPN suffered another blow this week when Pat McAfee repeated unfounded rumors about an Ole Miss coed when he was supposed to be discussing Rebels QB Jaxson Dart's draft status. Pitchforks are being raised in McAfee's direction by influential sports journalists and others. The World-Wide-Leaders world is shrinking. ESPN announces major change to College GameDay for 2025 season SATURDAYBLITZ.COM After announcing that all SportsCenter Los Angeles employees would be moving back to the company's Bristol, Connecticut headquarters, ESPN has lifted the curtai I imagine the folks at FOX are not sending condolences the way of Bristol, CT.

It's not as perfect a championship indicator as having a BCR Roster in college football but for the most part, men's basketball teams in the top 20 efficiency rankings in scoring and defense have won the title. All four of the Final 4 teams fit this bill. Efficiency metrics touted Duke, Houston, Florida and Auburn all year. Now they're in the Final Four APNEWS.COM Duke, Houston, Florida and Auburn have posted elite efficiency numbers in making it a rare Final Four featuring only 1-seeds.

SI Sees 11-1 for OBD in 2025 with the loss at Penn State. This would equate to a return to the PO and possibly missing the B1G Champ Game in favor of TOSU vs. PSU. Oregon Ducks 2025 Football Schedule: Predicting Every Game WWW.SI.COM How many games will the Oregon Ducks win in 2025? The Ducks have an early test on the road against the Penn State Nittany Lions, while home games against Indian

Penn State defeated UConn 3-2 in OT to advance to its first Frozen 4 Final 4. Quite the accomplishment considering PSU went 0-8 in the first eight games of the B1G 2024-25 season. Penn State plays Boston University in a Frozen Four semifinal game. The hockey Final 4 games will be played in St. Louis. Men's Hockey Downs UConn In OT Thriller, Advances to First-Ever Frozen Four - Penn State - Official Athletics Website GOPSUSPORTS.COM

B1G Top 25 Team Rankings in the B1G and the Nation. Iowa - 6/20/ Illinois 5/11/ Penn State 4/9/ Ohio State 3/7 OBD - 2/6 USC - 1/1 Notably absent from the Top 25 are Michigan, Indiana, Nebraska, and UWho.

Yahoo ranks B1G recruiting at the end of March. Big Ten football 2026 team recruiting rankings for end of March SPORTS.YAHOO.COM We take a look at where each Big Ten football program is in the 247Sports Team Composite rankings at the end of March for the 2026 cycle.

Saturday Down South Weighs in on the First Final 4 Matchup of SEC Teams. 5 early thoughts on Auburn-Florida, AKA the most important SEC basketball game ever - Saturday Down South WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM Auburn and Florida are playing in a historic Final Four showing for the SEC, so what's worth watching for in San Antonio?

CBS Grades the Elite 8. March Madness grades: Duke earns 'A-' before Final Four, Tennessee salvages a 'D' in Elite Eight report card - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM The Blue Devils and Auburn aced the report card for the eight teams who played in regional finals

Hey, Poncho! Iapani Laloulu 'finding his voice' in leadership role with new-look Oregon Ducks O-line DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Oregon Ducks center Iapani Laloulu is stepping into a new leadership role on the new-look offensive line in spring football.

Thanks to 30 Duck for carrying the NCAA Tournament load. He has provided great insight and coverage and I hope he will continue to do so. The following information is from The Wilner Hotline ($ Wall.) The SEC secured 35 Units from this season's NCAA CBB Tournament, eclipsing the ACC record of 25 Units in 2016. Each Unit is worth $2M paid over six years. Units are awarded through the Elite 8, no extra Units are earned by teams making the Final 4 and the Champ Game. The total payout, $70M, means $4.4M for each of the SEC's 16 member institutions. This provides more money for NIL and positive recruiting material; especially when recruiting the Portal. Every SEC Tournament team had at least two starters from the Portal. Both Final Four Florida and Auburn start four transfers. More than 1,000 players have entered the portal since it opened on March 24, 2025. (In the middle of the Tournament which did not please Michigan State's Tom Izzo among other coaches.) Recruiting players from high school has taken a back seat to the recruiting of proven athletes whose NIL value is more easily determined. Portal recruiting and NIL seem to have spread the talent in college football but not in basketball. Five of the Elite 8 teams came from Dixie, as do all four of the Final 4. The B1G finished second with 21 Units earned. $42M, $2.33M for each conference member. But the B1G without a championship carries on from when Michigan State won it all in 2000. Four Number 1 seeds are in the Final 4 for the first time since 2018. Duke is a 4.5 favorite over Houston and Florida is a 2.5 favorite over Auburn. Who Knew? Duke's Cooper Flagg is not a transfer but a true frosh, who has a chance to be the Tournament's MVP. Cooper is from Newport, ... MAINE?😁