Jon Joseph

This ranking includes out-of-conference (OOC) games. Penn State has its starting QB and many other starters back, a joke of an OOC schedule, and one of the easiest in-conference schedules. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/big-ten-strength-of-schedule-rankings-2025-favorite-ohio-state-faces-tough-climb-purdue-cant-catch-a-break/ OBD loses at Penn State! I pity this fool 🤬 who does not know that the Power of the Forum Fanatics will Black-Out the White Out. 😎 https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/2025-big-ten-football-schedule-breakdown-predicting-the-first-loss-for-all-16-conference-teams/

ND, spot on. This could be called the Season of the Roster Turnover in an era where more players graduated from college last season than ever before—one benefit of the players being paid. In 2025, Georgia has a schedule that supports Sankey's argument that 8 is enough. Home against Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas. Road games at Tennessee, Auburn, and Georgia Tech, and the Cocktail Party versus what should be an improved Gators team. Mercy! Gunner Stockton, like Dante Moore, Julian Sayin, Bryce Underwood, Ty Simpson, Austin Simmons, and yes, even Archie, will be one of the new starters under the spotlight. No pressure, right? All the best to Kirby and the Dawgs in 2025.

Don't Hit the Road Jack! Illinois has the fewest B1G miles to travel in 2025. The Illini's 2025 season success will be decided early on. Week 2 at Duke, Week 4 at Indiana. Week 5 against USC. Win these games, and 11-1 is doable. Writing IlliniNew metric will have Illinois fresh for a run at the Coll...In a recent episode of The Big Ten Huddle, I released the 2025 Big Ten football travel rankings, which revealed a golden opportunity for the Illinois football p

It's so good to see Pawalll staying in his own lane (not Kiffin).😁 Did Linc steal his lunch money? https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/trojans/football/2025/07/27/paul-finebaum-rips-usc-football-lincoln-riley/85333794007/?utm_source=smg-trojanswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaig

According to Canzano, the B1G Media Days statements from the coaches and the ADs were all 'scripted.' Of course, this wasn't the case in the ACC, B12, and the SEC, where everyone supported a 5-11 format on their own volition, right? As to 8 versus 9 conference games, before the SEC get together, Brian Kelly spoke out in favor of nine games and a B1G/SEC football challenge. You did not hear this from Brian in Atlanta. The reporting on a new PO format, including Canzano's takes, has been big-time biased and not in favor of the B1G. Sankey and other SEC honks, complaining about not wanting the SEC to be limited to 4 PO spots, is horse hockey! Look at the top 16 in the committee's 2024 final and decisive poll, the SEC would have had 4 AQs and 2 at-large teams in a B1G-format 16-team PO field. The B12's Brett Yormark wants a 5-11 format if the ACC and the SEC play nine conference games. How often have you seen this reported? Petitti has said that the B1G will seriously consider the 5-11 format if everyone plays nine conference games and the committee process is changed to be far more objective. Tony Petitti will not be humiliated and hounded into changing the B1G's preferred PO format. Hats off to Tony! Terrific comments from Rob, who has been in the arena. Franklin was spot on, including calling out Notre Dame. Every PO contender should be in a conference, playing the same number of conference games, and either all contenders play a conference champ game if they so qualify, or no one plays a conference champ game. Coming into the semifinal game against Notre Dame, Penn State had played 15 games, 12 versus P4 opponents, 13 if PO contender Boise State counts as a quality opponent. Notre Dame had played 14 games, 10 against P4 opponents. Unlike Notre Dame, in 2024 Penn State could not schedule four G5 opponents. Having everyone play the same number of conference games is not radical; it's the norm.

Thanks for the post, Smitty. I read this and LOL'd. These rankings make as much sense as having Arch Manning, with wins over Mississippi State and two G5 teams, leading the Heisman Trophy pack. Julian Sayin 2nd? Why? Because he signed with Bama before transferring to Ohio State. Because he looked good, not great, in the spring game, while missing throws to outstanding WRs. The player with the most B1G success on the list is Luke Altmyer, a 5th-year senior who led the Illini to 10 wins in 2024-25, including a win against 'they should have made the PO!' South Carolina. Nico I-Man led Tennessee to the playoffs last season. Riola won 7 games, including a bowl win. Ditto the 'Greek Rifle' at Rutgers. Mendoza has a lot of experience, and pro scouts love his potential, but there's no way he should be ahead of Altmyer. Underwood is 17 years old and, like Sayin, he has yet to start a college game. Dante Moore has 4x the starting experience of these two. I grew up in Massachusetts, but in this case, I could have come from Missouri: Show Me!

Terrific topic to ponder. I'll Duck out and go with what Dan Lanning would likely say: One game at a time, and they are all tough games.

Indiana is a home game coming off a bye after playing at Penn State. Were you thinking of the away game at Iowa? It's easy to confuse teams in a conference with 4 Ms, 3 Is, 2 Ns, Os, Ps. Us, Ws, and an R.😁

Lincoln, you're No. 1 on the list, buddy. IMO, Michigan, with its schedule in 2025, should not be on this list. Saturday BlitzThese 3 Big Ten teams will be the biggest disappointments...During the Summer months, hope springs for College Football programs as almost every fan base can talk themselves into the chance that they can go on a run for

SHOUT! Saturday BlitzThese are the most electric crowd hype songs in college f...Few things in sports match the energy of a packed college football stadium when the right song hits. While fight songs are the most traditional, some of the in-

The Schedule's So Bright I Just Gotta Wear 😍 Saturday BlitzOregon’s path to the College Football Playoff looks wide...Moving to a new Conference with tougher opponents, which requires you to play half of the season in a different time zone and climate, is a massive hurdle to ov

Four B1G Quotes of Note. Saturday BlitzBreaking down the 4 Quotes Everyone’s Talking About from...The Big Ten just had its media days in sunny Las Vegas. It was a spirited showing from Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti and Big Ten Coaches. Most of the media

Thanks for the post, DM. There is nothing like getting whipped by a homeboy reporter. 😁 Ole Miss and SC canceled a H+H series scheduled to be the Trojans' opening game of the 2025 season in LA. Why Troy canceled out on a team from a conference that Riley can occasionally defeat was surprising. USC will likely be 4-0, MO. State, Georgia State (the return of Feet of Clay), at Purdue, and Michigan State, headed into Week 5. In a CFB-loaded Week 5 that sees Forum Fanatics in Beaver (!) Stadium, SC trips to Illinois, that, if it wins on the road against Duke and Indiana, will also be 4-0. (It likely won't happen, but a loss to the Georgia State Fighting Heltons🙃 could see a firing not at the airport but in the Coli parking lot.) Weeks 6 through 10 are a bit more problematic for Riley and Company - Bye, Michigan, at Notre Dame (for the last time?), Bye, at Nebraska before a Week 11 visit from Northwestern, which could see many fans in the Coli disguised as empty seats. Weeks 12 through 14 see Troy closing in the Pacific time zone, with Iowa, at Oregon, and UCLA. The O/U for SC in 2025 is 7.5 wins. Will SC go 4-4 in its last 8 games and cover? I think it will be a struggle. I'd bet the Under if I had to; however, and despite the LA Times take, SC does have a Blue Chip Roster and will have a 'roster advantage' against every opponent but Michigan, Notre Dame, and OBD. I'm looking at 11/22/25 being a rowdy and fun night in Autzen Stadium. 😀

I wonder how 'nice' those guys were after the 4th loss in a row to That School Up North? 😁 A 12-team PO fulfilled Fontella Bass's plea on behalf of Ryan Day: "Rescue Me!" 🥶

Jonas Williams, long-time QB commit to OBD, woke up one morning and had an epiphany: I need to play ball at USC.🤔 No one affiliated with the folks in South Central contacted Jonas, right? 🤬 This is simply more proof that SC is No. 1 in something; No. 1 out of 17 teams PO'd that a Duck is nesting in B1G territory. 😎

Heard today on B1G Media day 2 interview with Commissioner Petitti. There were 11 Playoff games contested in 2024-25. B1G teams participated in 9 of the 11 games. SEC teams participated in 4 of the games. Pawalll, how do you like them apples? 💩

Mack Brown believes MIA may have to pay twice for handing $2M a year to OT Cantwell. This Can't (end) Well, can it? 😁 EssentiallySportsJackson Cantwell’s $2M Miami Luxury Triggers Mack Brown’s...Former UNC head coach Mack Brown warns tough times for GMs and coaches as critical decision lay in store amid new changes in CFB

Half of the questions are B1G questions. However, No. 1 is asking whether Arch Manning will justify Arch Madness and lead Texas to a title. I wish OBD and the B1G would get the same attention from their broadcast partners; something akin to ESPN pouring sugar on the SEC. Compared to the SEC, Fox hides its CFB coverage under a bushel. This is also the case when trumpeting upcoming broadcasts and broadcasting many B1G games at High Noon and not Prime Time. The Big Ten Network did an excellent job of covering B1G Media Days, but ESPN has many more subscribers who watched SEC Media Days. https://www.foxsports.com/stories/college-football/what-10-biggest-on-field-questions-2025-college-football-season

Saturday Tradition takes a B1G Look at Penn State, including a more nuanced take on Franklin's abysmal record against highly ranked teams. The author likes PSU to make but not win the PO, and to split the OBD and Ohio State games. Saturday TraditionPredicting Penn State: Can James Franklin, Drew Allar bre...Hopes couldn't be higher for Penn State entering 2025, but are the Nittany Lions equipped to handle the weight of those expectations?

I think that Bill Connelly's 'If List' for 14 PO contenders is an excellent take. ESPN.com14 teams and loads of questions they must answer to win t...The fewer things that must go right, the better a team's chances. Here's what has to fall each contender's way.

Upon further review, here's the summary of this piece ... Bill Connolly: "Yes, I work for ESPN, but I only have 12 SEC teams ranked in the top 25, so unlike the FPI, which has 13 teams in the top 25, my projections are not biased. The SEC going 1-5 against the B1G in the postseason simply shows the Superior Everywhere Conference could not get fired up for games against lesser competition." 😜 With all due respect, Bill, superior roster rankings do not ipso facto equate to wins. ASU gets a well-deserved targeting call against Texas, and it's ASU versus Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. It's nice that Sankey, after his use of the FPI poll to justify playing 8 conference games, can fall back on Billy's SP+. 😴 However, an SEC team winning it all in 2025-26 will, for me at least, be no surprise. It's fun to jest with our Advisory Committee buddies, but the SEC should never be overlooked. Like the B1G champ this season in the Rose Bowl, the SEC champ will have an easier opening game in the Sugar Bowl and hopefully, have a healthy 1st string QB playing ball.

Know Thy Enemy - Sun Tzu The guy in the Bama cap is (De)Bo(e)ring. 😁Another 4-loss season could see Kalen boring his way back to South Dakota. Bill Connelly's SP+ rankings closed with a whimper after last season's bowl games. Bama, after a loss to 5-loss Michigan, was ranked 4th. Ole Miss, with a first-round draft choice at QB, defeated a Duke team without its starting QB. This lifted Ole Miss to a 10-3 record and SP+ 2nd place. Texas, which I thought lost to Ohio State last season, finished No. 1 in the ESP+N rankings. So, take the below with more than a single grain of salt. 😜 ESPN.comSEC preview: Alabama, Georgia, Texas, LSU ... this confer...The SEC never lacks for talent or storylines -- and there's no reason to think 2025 will be any different.

Thanks for the post, Charles. It's simple: the ACC and the SEC play nine conference games, and the football committee is structured like the basketball committee, using publicly disclosed metrics and adhering to the metrics for selection and seeding, and the B1G will back a 5-11 format. An inconvenient fact for the folks backing the populist 5-11 format and calling the B1G greedy for backing a format with automatic qualifiers is that B12 commissioner, Brett Yormark, has also conditioned the B12's approval of the 5-11 format on all Power 4 conferences playing nine conference games. As noted by Charles, like every other conference commissioner Tony Petitti is looking out first and foremost for his conference. Greg Sankey is not backing the 5-11 format for the good of the game. Wanting to have the same folks competing for the same prize playing the same number of conference games is far from 'radical.' This is the norm across every sport with postseason competition for championships. Having a conference schedule that gives half of the conference teams one fewer loss is not equitable, especially in a sport that subjectively decides the teams that will compete in the postseason. Meanwhile, Petitti holds the financial high ground, and Sankey and others' breast-beating will not change the B1G's bottom-line lead.

The Yahoo Sports site's take on the Executive Order is very much the same as David Marsh's succinct, spot-on post. The Order is a good attempt at trying to fix what ails college sports, but will it have any real effect? The SCORE Act has made it out of committee. If passed, which is doubtful, it would have the full force of law behind it. https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/breaking-news/article/president-trumps-executive-order-on-college-sports-heres-what-it-actually-means-001007183.html

The Executive Order has been issued. To what effect remains to be seen. On3President Donald Trump signs executive order relating to...President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday related to NIL and college sports, the White House announced.%