Jon Joseph

Bummer! UConn was this close.

Not a vintage year for the Big East. (I am hoping UConn takes down The Gators, sorry Gat, today.) The Saint John Johnies' bad shooting showed up yesterday. The leading scorer was held to nine points by the Razorbacks. Next up for 10 seed Arkansas is No. 3 seed Texas Tech. Come On Red Raiders! MASH THE MILDCATS!

The Bucks and the Hoosiers should have received an invite to The Dance. Thanks for the good wishes, but about the gridiron postseason ... 🦨

Thanks to 30, et al, for all of the tournament updates and comments. Thursday night, No. 5 Michigan plays the overall No. 1 seed Auburn in Atlanta. The Wolverines made a gutty comeback in a game where the refs allowed body checks and called ticky-tack fouls. Michigan fans will be well represented in the ATL. How do you like that No. 1 seed Houston? Your Sweet 16 reward is playing No. 4 Purdue on Thursday night in Indianapolis. 😁 It would be Sweet 🤑 if favorites No. 1 Michigan State vs. 10 New Mexico, and No. 4 Maryland Maryland vs. No. 12 Colorado State move on today, along with upset winners No. 6 Illinois vs. No. 3 Kentucky, and No. 5 OBD vs. the No. 4 Tucson Kitty-Cats. Ducks fans, show up and make some noise! MASH THE MILDCATS. There's no place like Newark in March! 🤪

I can't get Pacino vs. DeNiro out of my mind. 😁May the best Pisane win!

Winner, Winner! Friday women's NCAA Tournament winners, losers: 108 reasons to be happy WWW.YARDBARKER.COM Outside of a few games on the slate, everything pretty much went the way that it was expected to go.

Behind the 8-Ball, No Way! 8 out of 8 B1G teams advance to the 2nd round. 😍 The SEC has 8 teams advancing, 57% of the 14 SEC teams in the field. 😁 OBD gave Liberty tourney death in a game that was over when the last note of The National Anthem sounded in Seattle. 🍻 TURN WILDCATS INTO MILD CATS! Make AZ play like used kitty litter. 🤪

It's a B1G Deal. 100% (8-0) of the B1G advances to the 2nd Round. SEC - 57%, 8 of 14 advance.

Tough day for the Commodores. Men lose to the Gaels and the Women to OBD! 4-seed Maryland looked solid today. The Terps play 12-seed Colorado State tomorrow after the Rams upset 5-seed Clemson. B1G is 5-0 to date in the Men's tourney. OBD, Illinois, and Michigan State play tonight. Sparty has a 10 PM start in Cleveland. But it's all about the 'student-athlete,' right?

Gals hold on and defeat Vandy in OT! 🍻

"And don't be afraid to cheat in the process!" 😁

Someone in Bozeman, buy this guy a double cheeseburger, an order of fries, and a chocolate shake at least twice a day.

Shout Out, again, to my sterling editor. No opponent should be taken lightly but the 2025 schedule, on paper, sets up nicely for The Ducks to get organized before the Week 5 game at Penn State. Duck's B1G friend Smokey the Bear says 'Douse That Fire, Extinguish the Flames!'

Bleacher Report with a solid Day 1 recap. Looking B1G so far. Men's NCAA Tournament 2025: Thursday's First Round Winners and Losers BLEACHERREPORT.COM

The B12, anticipating having two teams guaranteed to be in the 2026-27 PO field, is considering a four-team 'Champ Week,' 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3, to determine its two PO representatives. The conference is also considering a return to Divisions. Big 12 considers going back to divisions: How would they be sorted? SATURDAYBLITZ.COM With the College Football Playoff set for a shakeup in 2026, the Big 12 is weighing its options for ensuring a strong position in the expanded format. As discu The B1G's decision to go to a flex-scheduled Champion Weekend instead of a conference champ game met with mixed results. Many OBDers were concerned about the negative effect this could have on the regular season; why should the No. 1 team in the standings have to play the No. 8 team? (This begs the question: Why should a 12-0/9-0 B1G football team have to play another game to be the champion if it is the only team to go 9-0 in the conference? Why was the Michigan State basketball team with a three game lead at the end of the regulat season required to win two postseason games to be crowned conference champ?) If the B1G is assured of Four PO spots in 2026-27 and thereafter, do any of my fellow and sister OBDers think that the B1G should return to Dvisions? WEST - Oregon, UCLA, USC, UW, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. Two out-of-conference games, eight Division games, and two cross-Division games. One trip to the Eastern time zone and one trip to the Pacific time zone for an East Division team. Yes, Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State would again be in the same Division. But Northwestern, Purdue, Maryland, and Rutgers would also be in the East Division. And at some point, USC should awaken and UW, along with Nebraska, will bounce back, right? Before last season, Wisconsin played in a bowl game for 20+ years. Iowa is never an easy out and Illinois looks to be ascending. I do not believe a West Division, formatted as above, would be a year-after-year patsy vs. the best team(s) from the East Division. The top 8 teams regardless of Division standing could play one another in Champ Week with the West Division teams first and second in the standings assured of competing for a spot in the PO. Of course, returning to Divisions could not happen without the approval of FOX and friends. (Does anyone else find it curious that after FOX poached SC to start the Pac-12's downfall, the two teams do not meet until 2026? And I doubt that Ohio State at SC game in 2026 will be The B1G Noon game kicking off at 9 AM.) In 2025, OBD travels to the Eastern Time Zone to play Penn State and Rutgers. A Division structure would mean only one Three-Time Zone trip a year, possibly two if the conference champ game remains in Indianapolis. [Another topic for another day - Rotate the Champ Game between Detroit, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Las Vegas?] Go Ducks! Put Out That Fire! Make Liberty Flame Out! Yesterday saw a B1G 4-0. 🤑😎

Thank you, 30! How could I forget a wealthy, elderly gent who refuses to allow young waifs to be left out on the street? But to leave the poor urchin girl in rags in flu season? Shameful!

13 Points in the 1st half! Did no bed check lead to a lot of Mint Juleps being imbibed late into Wednesday night in Lexington, Kentucky? Did someone screw up the wake-up call; or, whatever these Tigers ate for breakfast, I don't want any of it! I believe the only squad left from Tobacco Road is Duke University. 😁

Louisville, playing in Lexington, KY, and after beefing about the No. 8 seed looked lost vs. Creighton. How bad was the ACC this season and how good is Duke?

A Mahki Hughes Break Out in 2025? I hope so. 😎 Breakout player for every top 25 college football team - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM A look at the players who can might make a critical difference for their teams in 2025.

OT - But in Other Basketball News. NBA champion Boston Celtics to be sold for a record $6.1 billion to group led by Bill Chisholm APNEWS.COM The Boston Celtics are being sold for what would be a record-setting initial valuation of $6.1 billion to a group led by Symphony Technology Group managing partner William Chisholm. $6.1 BILLION (!) for the The Olde Towne Team? How do you calculate a decent, if any, ROI from this? Chisholm and friends are blazing a new trail. 🤑 Hopefully, they'll give Jody Allen a call.

It took Day six seasons and three consecutive losses to Michigan plus an expansion of the PO field, which may have saved his job, for TOSU to win a title under Day. THIS, is the football gods at their fickle (not Luke) best. A loss to Wisconsin would have produced the same conference champ game of 1-loss OBD vs. 1-loss PSU. A champ game win, with Georgia with 2-losses and Clemson with 3-losses would have OBD as the same No. 1 PO seed. The fickle finger of fate was kind to the Buckeyes but not kind to the Ducks. In any rationale postseason format, Oregon would have played the winner of Boise State at Indiana in the Rose Bowl. Instead, a PO format designed for five Power 5 champs with four champs competing, handed OBD the smelly end of the stick. Very rarely is a No. 8 seed in a PO field going to capture a title. This is not a defense of the staff being unprepared to play a rematch against a revitalized team with the best roster in CFB in 2024-25, but a tip of the cap to Kismet, Destiny, Fate, what-have-you. Oh, and if Howard slides earlier, and Dan didn't conjure up a Houdini out of the rule book, we may have had a conference champ game rematch with Ohio State. "Bowls, Polls, and Tattered Souls." And PO Formats! 😧

Thank you, Mr. Smith. It's an intriguing idea but the NCAA is in the way. Ask the NCAA for permission and you may hear back by 2040. I'd be concerned about the contact and possible injuries in such a game. Would QBs be fair game? Would players from another team be more prone to blowing one another up? Would CU pay the cost of bringing its squad to Eugene or vice versa? CU has made good money off of its last two spring games in Boulder, would the Buffs want to give up the spring revenue? Syracuse volunteered to trip to Boulder for three days of practice and a game but it's all fun and games before the NCAA says 'OK.' This is more of Prime Time at his 'counter-culture' best.😁 What might make sense? Play your one and only FCS opponent in a regulation game to conclude spring practice and play 11 games beginning in Week 0. Lose the champ game in favor of a flex-scheduled 11th week game where at least the leader in the standings would play the 2nd place team, and play the PO title game or the semifinals on New Year's Day. But, with the portal in place and the need to integrate your recruits with players from the portal; well, I'm not sure I would have wanted to see OBD play Idaho in the 2024 spring game. 🤔 Go Ducks! Extinguish the Flames!

Mike, please keep on hacking! Kind of like my golf game, but your hacks score. 👌👍😍

Spring Question for Twelve PO Contenders Including OBD, TOSU, PSU + Illinois (!) Obstacles for 12 College Football Playoff contenders in 2025 - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM Some of the biggest brands in college football have major hurdles ahead of the 2025 season.

A B1G Spring Preview from Athlon. Big Ten Football Spring 2025 Preview: Storylines, Players, Position Battles to Watch https://athlonsports.com/college-football/big-ten-football-spring-2025-preview-storylines-players-position-battles-to-watch