Jon Joseph

Thank you, DM. I look to you, Charles, Mike West, and others on the Forum for advice on Xs and Os. However, it's easy to see that OBD's D has yet to realize Aristotle's famous observation, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts ..." Is this scheme or simply not being ready to show up? In the first quarter of the 2023 Pac-12 champ game versus UW, the O came out flat as the proverbial pancake. The D spent the entire first quarter on the field and was spent by the fourth quarter when UW came back for the win. In the Big Ten champ game, Penn State's 37 points were not that far off its season average of 33.1 points. Roster-wise, PSU's roster was not inferior to OBD's roster. OBD showed up ready to play from the start. You are not (except in the 2025 Rose Bowl 😧) going to routinely dominate teams with like-type rosters. The Rose Bowl? When one team comes out as flat as OBD and the other team as fired up as TOSU, does the scheme matter all that much? Without Evan Stewart, Caleb Downs moved up and played a 'Rover Position." The O couldn't stay on the field and the D couldn't get off the field. Still, Gabe threw for 299 yards. Georgia? Did you watch the game vs. Ole Miss when the Georgia O was schooled? This was Kirby's D being played by Kirby's recruits. The UGA O was impotent in Oxford, the D couldn't get off of the field and Georgia was overwhelmed by the same team that lost to Kentucky, LSU, and Florida. Texas. The Ohio State D got after Quinn Ewers. IMO, Ewers played the gutty game of his life to keep Texas in the game. Unlike the Rose Bowl, in the Cotton Bowl, the Ohio State offense kept shooting itself in the foot. Against Notre Dame, the Ohio State D gave up plays to athletes no better than OBD's athletes allowing the Domers to stay in the game. The letdowns in 'Do They Really Matter Games' are frustrating but do not trouble me; not when a team will have to play 16 or 17 games to win a title. OBD was never in danger of losing to Purdue. The effort on D at Wisconsin was excellent. And the game in Madison was OBD's 8th in a row without a siesta. Stuff happens. Portal picking will persist in Eugene. Ohio State's D had home-grown talent across the board, but would TOSU have won the title without Alabama transfer Caleb Downs? (And on the O-side without Will Howard, Quinshon Judkins, and Seth McLaughlin?) Will the big-game preparation and in-game coaching improve? I don't believe the scheme is the root of the problem. The Ohio State D improved significantly when Jim Knowles arrived with the skill to implement a winning scheme and implement it. In today's CFB world, Dan Lanning has to be a CEO. Are the right assistants on board? Is a dink and dunk O the way OBD should play on O? Is the scheme on D too difficult to comprehend? And one question you asked David that I'm waiting to see answered hopefully in the positive, are the 4* and 5* recruits ready to make an impact? Where are the 'if you're good enough you're old enough' recruits? The Ohio State roster did not improve by leaps and bounds from October 12th to the Rose Bowl. However, TOSU's game preparation improved. OBD's? Sorry for the too-long comment but if NIL and unfettered free agency are bringing parity to CFB, OBD was the only FBS team with one loss last season, then losses will happen. See: The NFL. Thanks again for the terrific take.

BUMMER! Michigan Misses Illinois in 2025. Bret Bielema’s comments about Jim Harbaugh and Michigan are absurd WWW.MAIZENBREW.COM Illinois head coach Bret Bielema attempted to troll Jim Harbaugh and Michigan on social media, saying Harbaugh ran to the NFL. @WoodsFootball breaks down why Bielema’s comments are...

Saturday Tradition Takes a Look at B1G QB Rooms. Evaluating Big Ten QB rooms entering 2025 SATURDAYTRADITION.COM The Big Ten quarterback landscape will be an interesting storyline to monitor as we gear up for the 2025 season. Someone please tell the author that OREGON is a member of the Big Ten. 😧

With the talent at the Senior Bowl, why wasn't OBD's O more potent? https://athlonsports.com/college/oregon-ducks/ducks-make-star-turn-at-the-senior-bowl-why-wasnt-the-oregon-offense-more-potent

WOW! OBD's recruiting class is All-Blue Chip! Ranking the schools with the most 5-star signees in final 247Sports class of 2025 recruiting rankings - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM Who has the most incoming starpower in their 2025 recruiting class?

This, from the 'Loyal Opposition.' Report: Michigan fires back at NCAA in 137-page response to Notice of Allegations WWW.MAIZENBREW.COM The University of Michigan appears ready to fight back against the NCAA, as detailed in its 137-page response, according to Yahoo Sports. Here is the latest chapter in the Connor Stalions saga: Are the Wolverine attorneys being paid by the pound? 🤑

Excellent post and I agree but the $$$ is at an unprecedented level. And UCLA is a B1G Partner and not an Associate like OBD.😧 You take the money you're going to have to pay the price. But if Cronin is just 'getting this,' where has he been?

He dropped out of the Senior Bowl but if he's healthy, I think Jordan Burch could put on a show. *** The East-West Shrine Game is on the NFL Network tomorrow. Many mock drafts I have seen have Jeanty going to Denver and Michigan TE Loveland going to the Chargers. Loveland was the 2024 Michigan passing attack. Incredible that Michigan defeated an almost all-hands-on-deck Bama team with five first or second-round draft picks sitting out. Must have been the scouting, right? 😁

Can the NCAA vacate wins it had nothing to do with except for determining player eligibility? The College Football Playoff Committee puts on the FBS Playoff, not the NCAA. The coaches and players may have gained an advantage from the scouting but does this lead to vacated wins? The NCAA fined Tennessee $8M for its pay-for-play chicanery before NIL. Is a fine the most likely remedy here? I'm in the Prime Time camp here. As Deion said: 'I can get all of the knowledge I need from looking at film.' At the time the charge of scouting came down I was surprised to see that in-person scouting in DFB is prohibited. Then again, I'm a Patriots fan.😁 Congrats on the GREAT PO run. 4 top 10 teams, only one game at home. WOW!

"Poetic Justice?" The team with the platinum roster found the perfect season to screw up; the season when the PO expanded to reap more gold for CFB. Ohio State winning it all is the antithesis of Poetic Justice: 'The fact of experiencing a fitting or deserved retribution for one's actions.' But what do you want from a guy who played QB at Bama? 🤓

Why wait? Good question. Before 2026-27 any change to the PO format requires a unanimous vote of G5, P4 conferences, and Notre Dame. The format favors lower-ranked conference champions having a bye and teams like Ohio State and Notre Dame being seeded below their in-season performance. In 2026-27, the G5/6 will not have a veto, and the Power 2 will be large and in charge.

I'll be shocked if there is a change in format before 2026-27.

Come On Man! And, DUH. 🧑‍🎓

CBS Sports - Six Coaches Ready to Win Their 1st Natty. Who will be next coach to win first national title? Steve Sarkisian, James Franklin among names at forefront - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM Ohio State's Ryan Day just won his first ring, so who will be the next coach to break through?

TE Mark Bowman out of Mater Dei Reclassifies from 2027 to 2026. Oregon Ducks Recruiting: 4-Star Tight End Mark Bowman Reclassifies WWW.YARDBARKER.COM The Oregon Ducks have had no issue at all recruiting the tight end position in recent cycles, and the Ducks have been pushing for one of the top tight ends in the class of 2027, Mark Bowman.

Tune In, Turn On, QUACK! OBD is Must Watch TV! Oregon Ducks Among Most Watched Teams in 2024, TV Ratings Trail Ohio State Buckeyes WWW.YARDBARKER.COM The Oregon Ducks were among the most watched teams during the college football season. Oregon played in three of the 20-most watched college football games in the 2024 season per Football...

Darren, in response to Question 5, the NCAA website says 'NO' to the SEC having Four Teams in the 2025-26 field. 'YES' to the B1G having Four in again, with Illinois taking Indiana's spot. No. 7 OBD would have a 1st round home game hosting No. 10 LSU. What a Hoot! Would Tigers fans try to take over Autzen? 5-seed Notre Dame would rematch with and host Navy in a 1st round game and then play B12 champion ASU. Under this format, the 5-seed would again be cherry. I'm not sure how the author has Penn State losing one conference game, to OBD, and Ohio State winning the conference. This means that PSU would defeat TOSU in Columbus. It also means, I think, that PSU and TOSU would finish 8-1 and OBD 7-2 with Ohio State winning the rematch with PSU in the conference champ game. Way-too-early College Football Playoff bracket predictions for the 2025-26 season WWW.NCAA.COM Let's dive into way-too-early College Football Playoff bracket predictions for the 2025 season.

Ducks Wire, regarding Kobe: Wait A Minute! Best of luck to Kobe. Oregon Ducks hint at major player returns in offseason hype video DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM In an offseason hype video, the Oregon Ducks alluded to some potential major returns of Noah Whittington, Kobe Savage, and Gary Bryant Jr.

Ceiling - 12-0/ Floor - I'm drafting friend 30 Duck - 10-2, and also for answers to the other questions answered by 30 and not answered by Moi. OBD's 2025 schedule is favorable, manageable, whatever 🙃. In today's mega-conferences, the difficulty of in-conference schedules matter more than ever. Dominant Team - In 2024, in the regular season, going 13-0 with wins over PO Boise State, Ohio State, and Penn State, Oregon was arguably the 'dominant' team. After going 4-0 in the PO with wins over Tennessee, OBD (sigh), Texas, and Notre Dame, Ohio State was the 'dominant' team. It's not how you start ... With no restriction on transfers and NIL, the Tom Osbourne at Nebraska, Bobby Bowden at FSU, John McKay at SC, Bear Bryant, and Saint Nick at Bama days, are likely over. The SEC will 'rebound' in 2026 with a change in format assuring that 4 SEC (and 4 B1G teams) are in a 14 to 16-team field. The CFB PO Committee will again be opaque in its deliberations which will bring on the 4-4-2-2-1+1 model or a 16-team field. There will be 1st round blowouts; Herbie and other ESPN talking heads (who never watch the NFL playoffs?) will whine. With the season ending on January 25, 2026, the champ game will again fall well short of the 34M viewers OBD vs Ohio State drew 😍 in the inaugural 4-team PO champ game. In 2025, the venues flip but the SEC in-conference schedules are the same as 2024 😜, giving the top teams the chance to beat one another up and opening the door for two teams from the ACC or B12 and again but three from the SEC, and/or the B1G. With Oklahoma's schedule, the Sooners will likely be looking for a new HC, and Texas, with a repeat of its powder puff schedule, win or lose in the opener in Columbus, will return to the SEC champ game and the PO. GUT Feeling. I won't do it but I'll be tempted to root for the Other Guy if OBD returns to Indy. I'll definitely have more Pepto Bismal and IPAs on hand for the OBD's first PO game.😍 Thanks Darren for ten ponder-producing questions and thanks 30 for the helping hand.

Open: KC -1.5.

I do not disagree. Philly does have the better D. But at every level of football I start by asking which team has the better QB? So ...

Knowles D cupboard at Penn State is far from bare. Like Michigan in 2023 and Ohio State in 2024, talented draft-eligible Juniors are returning to Happy Valley. P$U is opening the wallet. Penn State poaching Jim Knowles sends clear message: James Franklin, Nittany Lions ready to take next step - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM Knowles helped guide Ohio State to a national title, now he'll try to do the same for Penn State I did not know Knowles played football and coached at Cornell. An Ivy leaguer like Elko at A+M.

YAHOO likes the hire. 'We could really get Jim?': Jim Knowles, Anthony Poindexter and Penn State's sizzling start to the offseason SPORTS.YAHOO.COM In perhaps the biggest offseason move so far, Penn State hired away Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to make him the highest-paid coordinator in college football history.

You Don't Show when you're🤓 not invited. Why Jim Knowles Missed Ohio State's National Title Celebration - Athlon Sports

Moore and then some. https://athlonsports.com/college/oregon-ducks/oregon-football-position-previews-ducks-set-up-progression-at-quarterback-a-rare-thing