Jon Joseph

For What Their Worth? CBS's Tom Fornelli's Week 1 Power Rankings. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-power-ratings-ohio-state-texas-lead-list-of-top-teams-heading-into-2025-season/ Only 5 out of the top 12 come from the SEC. 4 B1G teams in the top 10, No. 1 Ohio State, No. 5 Penn State, No. 8 OBD, and No. 10 Michigan. I do like a 12-team PO team worthy ranking.

It's Only Week One, but PO Seeds Could be Sown? FanSidedThe 12-team CFB Playoff just made Week 1 the most importa...The 12-team College Football Playoff format is finally giving us all the excitement we wanted. Not just from a seeding standpoint and the automatic bids, but fr

Right Back at You, Pawalll! Scarlet and GameWhy Arch Manning is going to get torn up by the Ohio Stat...The Ohio State football team is finally preparing for a game this week. Texas fans aren't prepared for what Ohio State's defense is going to do to Arch Manning.

Good news for Gabe on NFL Cut Day. No sticky Pickett wicket. 😁 https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/ducks/football/2025/08/26/dillon-gabriel-beneficiary-browns-trading-away-qb-kenny-pickett/85825383007/?utm_source=smg-duckswire-strada&utm_medium=

The 2025 preseason FPI should result in a name change to Eastern Shame Programming Network. There's bias and then there's this nonsense that has AP No. 4 Clemson ranked No. 16, the highest-ranked ACC team on the board, and behind USC and Michigan. The highest-ranked B12 team before Week 0 was No. 18 K State. FPI predicted the Wildcats would overcome a Cyclone in Dublin; didn't happen. SEC-SEC-SEC! 12 of the 16 SEC teams are in the FPI top 25. Thus, unless Arkansas, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Mississippi State are playing one another, every SEC game is a top 25 vs. top 25 matchup. Hide the Women and Children! If not for the requirement of the five highest-ranked conference champs being in the PO field, Nos. 1 Texas, 2 Georgia, 3 Alabama, all three with PO 1st rond byes, 8 Tennessee, 9 A&M, 10 Mississippi, 11 South Carolina, and 12 LSU would be in the 2025-26 PO field. First out would be No. 13 Florida. 🤪 Make no mistake, I am not blaming the messengers, Steven A. and NJ Duck, but this tripe should have been left in the cellar with the rest of the manure and mushrooms. Instead, it will be used all season long by ESPN to tout the "SEC, a veritable gauntlet like no other ever witnessed in the Known Universe." (At least before postseason, right? 😁) ESPN's Bill Connolly's SP+ is SEC centric, but does not come close to this 🤬. Beat the Bobcats!

Decades ago, the NCAA lost its first seminal lawsuit, and in the process, its monopoly over college football broadcasts. The race was on to sell team and conference broadcast rights to the highest corporate bidders. The root cause of these problems is not only on corporate giants battling one another, but the NCAA's lack of foresight, what's new, in deciding that in-person game attendance mattered more than making huge bank for its members, and broadcasting more than one, and on occasion two games every weekend. Imagine the money the NCAA could have brought in if it cogently and collectively marketed its members' college football inventory, including a postseason it should have taken control over, like it does its NCAA basketball inventory. There might have been no conference shuffling of the decks intended to bring in more media dollars. These occasional corporate struggles stink. However, take it from an old-timer, these dust-ups are preferable to having but one college and pro game to watch on a weekend. While I raise Cain, try to avoid the waving Cane.

Thank you, Charles, for another superb editing job. When researching this article, it occurred to me that Lincoln Riley may have been better off staying later with the Sooners and playing SEC competition, or perhaps the Trojans should play all of their games in Las Vegas? The bookend wins against LSU and Texas A&M in the LV Raiders Allegiant Stadium were both hard-fought games that went down to the wire. The type of game that SC consistently lost to B1G opponents, including losses to Minnesota, Maryland, and Washington teams playing without Blue Chip Rosters. In 2025, no team wants to flip the road record more than the Trojans—4 road losses with the one win coming in Pasadena against UCLA. OBD was the only Left Coast newbie in 2024 that found success two and three time zones away. SC should find road wins on the road at Purdue and Northwestern, but road games against Illinois and especially, OBD, will be difficult, as will a road game against No. 6 Notre Dame. There is a chance that No. 30 SC could travel to Eugene for the penultimate game of the regular season, and play No. 7 OBD with B1G things on the line in-conference, and Big things on the line playoff-wise. Then again, there is also a chance that Lincoln Riley could be Fighting On for his job? Football Saturday's in the air, Bag them Cats!

Our long winter of discontent is about to morph into glorious fall. We're only a few hours and two days away from the start of the B1G season. All times Pacific (You 🤬lucky Westies!) Rankings using the AP 2025 preseason poll. BTN = Big Ten Network. Thursday, August 28th - Ohio University at Rutgers - 3 PM BTN Buffalo Bulls at Minnesota - 5 PM FS1 Cincinnati vs. No. 34 Nebraska - Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City - 6 PM ESPN Miami, Ohio at Wisconsin - 6 PM BTN Not B1G but a big G5 game - No. 25 Boise State at South Florida - 2:30 PM ESPN Saturday, August 30th - Montana State Bobcats - FCS No. 2 at No. 7 OBD - 1 PM BTN 👍👌😍 The B1G Headliner and Coach Corso's Final Hat Dance: No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State - 9 AM Fox - Will 1st year Buckeyes starting quarterback, Julian Sayin, break this jinx? Newbie QBs opening against No. 1-ranked teams - 0-18.😒 Northwestern at Tulane - 9 AM ESPNU Ball State at Purdue - 9 AM BTN FAU at Maryland - 9 AM BTN Nevada at No. 2 Penn State - 12:30 CBS MO. State at USC - 4:30 PM - BTN New Mexico at No. 14 Michigan - 4:30 PM NBC Utah at UCLA - 8 PM Fox Other Not B1G but Big Games on Saturday - ABC 1:30 PM - No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson Sunday, August 31st - No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami - 4:30 PM ABC Blast the Bobcats! Go Ducks! Other Move the Needle Week 1 Matchups - Saturday BlitzThese 10 Week 1 College Football matchups aren't getting...While Week 0 is fun for College Football fans as the games get underway but, it doesn't truly feel like the actual start of the season for most fanbases. This W

Dillon is On Deck - Blow Your Horn + Shovel Sand(ers) on Mel Kiper - 😁 https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/ducks/football/2025/08/24/former-oregon-duck-dillon-gabriel-impresses-final-preseason-outing/85809299007/?utm_source=smg-duckswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=S

In the Weight Room, isn't the goal to try and Double Up?😁

Thanks, David, for another terrific article. It's great to have an article dealing with football and not the extracurricular stuff. Bigger, faster, stronger are the watchwords for OBD's DBs, who gave up many yards to Ohio State's terrific receiving corps in Autzen and were shredded by the same group in Pasadena in what looked like a group of amateurs against pros. It took one of Dan Lanning's mentors, Kirby Smart, six seasons to win a national championship, ending a 41-year drought with a most satisfying win against Saint Nick's Alabama. Georgia had a great deal of success before winning it all, but it took monster recruiting years to assemble the talent required to play Smart's hybrid defense. Like Kirby, it took Ryan Day six years to win it all at Ohio State. The Rose Bowl loss came against a better-prepared, super-motivated team with the deepest and most talented roster in college football. Yet, Texas found a way to shut down J. Smith and crew in the Cotton Bowl. With the right talent and coaching, even the best offenses can be held down. See, Eagles versus Chiefs in the Super Bowl. This is Dan's 4th season at the helm. The roster is inexperienced, but it is probably the deepest and most talented since Dan's arrival, and it does look like bigger, faster, and stronger guys will be manning the D-back spots. Dan is moving OBD toward the title, and I expect the Ducks will have another good chance of capturing a B1G title and will return to the PO. You have to make the PO field to win it all. Get there often enough, and the championship day (Day?) will arrive, and Dan and his D will look oh so Smart. Thanks again, David, and let's Bob some Cats!

QB, or not QB? Wake Up and give traveling man Robby Ashford a hand. And don't doubt Dante! On3Latest intel on top remaining college football quarterbac...Week 1 is now exactly a week away, and some college football programs have yet to name a starting quarterback. Here's the latest intel.

SMU bought its way into the ACC by taking no revenue for, I believe, 5 seasons. Cal and Stanford joined the ACC at a deep revenue discount. None of the three would have been accepted without the revenue discount and the approval of broadcast partner ESPN. The money the Pac-2 could have paid the B12 wasn't the issue; it was ESPN and Fox having no interest in the schools. ESPN did not want the Pac-2 in the ACC. As noted above, the smart move was a reverse merger with the Mountain West, but the Pac-2 thought it could make more money with a new Pac-Whatever. New 2026 Pac member Fresno State was blown out by Kansas on Saturday. Stanford's loss to Hawaii was Hawaii's first win against a P4/5 team since 2019.

Yahoo has three B1G thoughts. https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/article/3-things-to-know-about-the-big-ten-can-a-team-from-this-conference-win-a-third-straight-national-title-130034452.html

TOSU's AD Bjork is being called out for being a recruiting Dork. 🤬 Scarlet and GameOhio State football team spins like a broken record, lose...The Ohio State football team continues to spin its wheels on the recruiting trail.

It keeps getting worse for the Cardinal. Last night's loss to Hawaii was Hawaii's first win over a P4/5 opponent since 2019. 😧 Beaver transfer QB Gulbranson threw a pick late in the game to set up critical points for Hawaii. Other than that, Andrew, how'd you enjoy the trip? 😁

Thanks, ND. The tables have turned, and it's great to see Bama, Texas, and Ole Miss having to visit Athens this season. Between UGA's road schedule and Oregon playing eight B1G opponents in a row without a break, the schedules seem easier, but aren't easy, especially for your Dawgs, than last season. The CBB Committee's Quad System gives a team the same credit for a road win against a Quad 2 opponent as it does for a Quad 1 home win. So, home versus road wins are factored in. But bye weeks are not, as a week or two off in season is unique to football. The CFB Committee uses SportsSource Analytics as its source for strength of schedule (SOS) and strength of record, supposedly at least. Boise State's SOS last season did not qualify for its No. 9 seed. At least I hope not, because if it did, send out an SOS on SportsSource. The CFB committee's use of any and every metric has been hidden from the public. Will this change in 2025? Before moving to nine conference games, unless he received 'inside information' from the CFB committee concerning possible programming changes to the metric and how the committee intends to use it, Greg Sankey accepted verbal assurances from the same group that arguably disadvantaged 3-loss SEC teams last season. No comprende. I did note Commissioner Sankey's admonition to the committee that the SEC will be watching to see how the committee ranks and seeds this season. The problem with this is that the broadcast agreement with ESPN requires that any change to the PO format has to be agreed to by December 1, 2025. The committee's final 2025 ranking and the consequent PO seeding happen on December 7, 2025. Of course, the December 1st date could be extended, but if the PO is to expand, ESPN has to have time to sell advertising for a new 2026 additional game format. There are undercurrents here, including the SEC understandably being paid more money by ESPN to play nine conference games, and quite possibly back-channel discussions with Tony Petitti? Sankey has noted that the 5-11 PO model is the SEC's preferred format, but nothing has been agreed to between the Power 2. Go Dawgs! I cannot believe Texas is getting all of the SEC champ love and not the Georgia team that gutted out a title last season, defeating Texas twice in the process, and I hope that the Dawgs will have receivers in 2025 who hopefully have 'good hands' and not hands of Teflon.

Charles. Oregon's 1st bye is Week 6, after the Penn State game and before Indiana travels to Autzen, with the second bye in Week 10, after playing Wisconsin at home and before traveling to Iowa in Week 11. Before traveling to Eugene, Indiana also has a bye in Week 6. Like OBD, Iowa has a bye in Week 10 before hosting OBD in Week 11. Penn State is off the week before the Week 5 White Out, but this could be to OBD's advantage as PSU plays three donut holes before the Oregon game. Oregon will be the first opponent with a roster equal to that of PSU. Wisconsin has a bye in Week 8 before playing the Ducks in Autzen on Week 9. Rutgers plays at UW in Week 7, with the game kicking off on Friday, October 10, 2025, at 11 PM Eastern, before hosting OBD in Week 8. So Rutgers will be traveling its longest distance of the season before playing OBD. USC plays Iowa in LA the week before playing in Autzen on Week 13. Week 13 sees UW at UCLA before hosting Oregon in Week 14. UW has a yo-yo of an East-West travel schedule: Week 5, Ohio State, Week 6 at Maryland, Week 7, Rutgers, Week 8, at Michigan, Week 9, Illinois, Week 10, at Wisconsin, Week 11, Purdue, Week 12, Bye. You're making me dizzy 🤪. 2025 is a season with five B1G road games, but the schedule this season is friendlier than the eight consecutive B1G games without a break in 2024. With this kind of travel, Rob Mullens must do his darndest to arrange seven home games every season. It would be better for Rob to schedule Home+Home series with Cal and Stanford instead of OK State and Baylor. First P4 upset of the season today with No. 17, three point favorite Kansas State, falling to No. 22 Iowa State, in Dublin. A week from today, hip-hip-hooray, let's herd some Bobcats!😊

OBD plays the last three games of this season in the Pacific time zone. Home against Minnesota and USC with the last regular season game at UW. SC plays its last four games in the West; UW the last three, and UCLA two of the last three. Week 13 sees the Bruins in Columbus against Ohio State. In the NFL in 2025, the LA Chargers, 37,186 miles, the LA Rams, 34.832, and the Seattle Seahawks, 31,302, are the top three travelers. Lengthy travel comes with being located out West. OBD's two trips to the Central time zone and two to the Eastern time zone are spread out, so there is no back-to-back travel. All schedules, including football, are under B1G review. I thought the 'Pac-12 teams' would be permanent opponents. Two Pacific time zone trips every season would eliminate a trip East. I'll take the money and the B1G prestige over travel to Tucson, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Pullman.

Thank you, Steven. Why play the season when USA Today already knows the record for 136 teams? I'm so happy we have college football to watch in about 15 minutes. I Need My Fix! 🤪 https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2025/08/21/college-football-season-record-projections-2025/85755096007/

Sigh. How about Tony P was playing chess when Greg S was playing checkers? Is it a B1G win for the SEC to go to nine conference games? The B1G has lost leverage? Have any CFB scribes out there advanced beyond Finance 101? https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/winners-losers-as-sec-adopts-9-game-schedule-fans-should-rejoice-big-ten-loses-leverage-amid-cfp-talks/

But there could be a stud Cisco transferring in from the portal? 😁

Light Up a Cig? After his dissing on the SEC schedules and the SEC going to 9 + a P4, Cig should shut up? From a B1Gger viewpoint, Cig helped smoke the It Just Means More gang into going to 9 conference games. Let's Spin again, and again, and again. Hoosier State of MindSocial Media Reacts to Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti b...Starting in 2026, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) will expand its football league schedule to nine regular-season conference games, ending years of speculatio

Why? What's wrong with Dan's 'Double Down' for 2025? After all, in 2024-25, OBD Won the Day 13 out of 14 times. And at the first opportunity to go NFL, Chip did not wait for even a day and was on another Day's sideline on 1/1/25.

Friend Jabba, I have to demur. The B1G has agreed to nothing regarding playoff expansion in 2026 and thereafter. Notwithstanding all of the populist slings and arrows fired at Tony P, the B1G stayed strong with the AQ format proposal and even leaked a larger PO field proposal, at least in part intended to have the SEC play 9 conference games. 'The SEC wins' is, IMO, more knee-jerk reaction from those who do not understand big-time business strategy. If the new metric is not SEC-centric, FPI-driven, as the other Power 2 member, the B1G should benefit from the strength of its schedules. 13 B1G teams play 10 P4 opponents in 2025, compared to 3 SEC teams. Yes, the SEC if the 9-game schedule and 1 P4 OOC opponent is adopted in 2026, will have all 16 teams playing 10 P4 games. However, like the B1G, not all OOC games will be against the CBB equivalent of Quad 1 or Quad 2 opponents. The key is the neutrality of the metrics the CFB committee intends to use, but I believe Tony P will seek assurances in this regard. And come 2032, if your prediction is correct, the B1G, if there is not a Super Conference with a playoff of its own, can crater a potentially agreed-upon 5-11 model. Who knows? With the enhanced metrics, it's possible that 9-3 Illinois, with a win over then-ranked No. 16 Kansas, could have been in the 2024-25 playoff field. To date, with your possibly spot-on caveat in mind, I see the SEC going to nine conference games being no worse than a push for the B1G. The biggest loser is likely the B12, with many OOC games versus the SEC likely to be bought out, especially by the SEC schools with traditional in-state ACC opponents. The B12 possibly becoming more irrelevant was one of Jon Wilner's takes on the SEC going to nine. Especially, if the money-making B1G/SEC OOC Challenge comes to fruition. Let's Play Ball!