Jon Joseph

So many great comments, including the above comment. I don't disagree with the idea of eliminating post-season in-conference tournaments, but I believe a conference champ game in football, or a playoff play-in between team No. 3 vs. No. 6, and No. 4 vs. No. 5,, with a game played between the top two teams for playoff seeding only, is more logical today than when Bama defeated Florida in the first SEC champ game in 1992. Divisions in all of the Power 4 football conferences are gone. In the Power4, with close to half the conference teams not playing each other in a given season, the strength of schedule teams play within a conference will vary every season. Compare OBD's 2025 schedule with Wisconsin's. The Badgers have a much more difficult slate to play. It's the same for Florida compared to Missouri. Compare Stanford to Wake Forest, and CU to Houston. These are not "fair" SOS fights. This season, OBD plays two preseason ranked B1G opponents, Penn State and Indiana. Wisconsin plays five, OBD, Ohio State, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, plus a game at Alabama. If the Badgers go 7-2 in conference and OBD finishes 8-1, is Oregon ipso facto the better team? In 2027, OBD plays Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, and UW. Will a B1G team that plays two ranked teams in 2027 and finishes 8-1 be better than OBD at 7-2? With multi-millions in playoff dollars at stake, the B1G must send its best teams to the playoffs with the proper seeding. Again, in a play-in situation, the top two teams at the conclusion of the regular season are in the playoff field. Two of the teams that finished third through sixth are out unless otherwise within the top 16 ranked teams. With the House settlement on the horizon, Oklahoma has announced cuts to its athletic department. Many other schools are worse off financially than the Sooners, and there will be cuts across the board. I know Rob Mullens has said there will not be cuts to non-revenue sports, but I don't see how, with a cap on direct payment to athletes, this is possible. For non-revenue sports, play it like it lies. The schedule strength will not be equal, but networks are not paying, with the possible exception of women's basketball, for postseason non-revenue in conference tournaments. Broadcasters open their wallets for a championship football game and a men's basketball conference tournament. Money that cannot be refused without Ivy League-like reforms. It was annoying last season to listen to SEC folks and ESecPN honks talking about valuing wins more than counting losses. But the more I ponder the point, I find myself more in agreement. Many two-loss teams in college football are not as good as a number of three-loss teams. 1-loss Boise State was ranked No. 9 by the PO committee in 2024. The Broncos would have been underdogs in the majority of games played against No. 10 through No. 16 Clemson. Again, I more than understand the desire to let the regular season count in all sports, but conference schedules are not created equally.

Amen, but broadcast partners, including one that employs Klatt, will not pay the same broadcast dollars without a conference champ game or something that replaces the champ game.

As expected, Wesley's "commitment" was not watertight. https://athlonsports.com/college/oregon-ducks/nations-no-1-edge-decommits-oregon-after-viral-video-dan-lanning-richard-wesley

Will the folks living downstairs please Zip It! Amid heated College Football Playoff debate, SEC's Greg Sankey unloads on ACC, Big 12 WWW.USATODAY.COM As debate over expanded College Football Playoff heats up, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey fires back at ACC, Big 12 rivals:

This gentleman sees OBD with a chance to win it all. Anonymous Big Ten coach: Oregon Ducks 'in the mix' for 2026 national championship DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM An anonymous Big Ten football coach tabbed the Oregon Ducks as a threat to win the national championship in 2026.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey Speaks Out on PO Changes. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey unloads 3 College Football Playoff hot takes DAWNOFTHEDAWG.COM Changes are coming to the College Football Playoff. The contract for the 12-team playoff expires at the end of the 2025 season, so that means new changes could In a sport with so much difference in schedules, roster talent, coaching, etc., how do you determine the best teams? Especially when a committee hides its decision-making process. When it ranks a G5 team with a bogus strength of schedule above the B12 champion? If the CFB committee shared the metrics used to determine its PO rankings, fine. Instead, the process is opaque at best. Compare Florida's schedule to every B12 schedule. Is a 2-loss B12 team in 2025, better than a 3-loss Florida team?

Under the ESPN broadcast agreement, the 2026-27 and subsequent College Football (CFB) Playoff (PO) formats must be decided upon by December of this year. The Power 2 has the voting power to ensure each conference will have four teams in the PO field every season. The CFB Cassandras are crying out that guaranteed PO spots will destroy the sanctity of the PO system. Ho meet Hum? Having four SEC teams in the field, along with more broadcast money, of course, is critical to the SEC's determining whether to add an extra conference regular-season SEC game. SEC Weighing Nine-Game League Schedule Amid College Football Playoff Tweaks WWW.SI.COM The format would include three annual opponents and a rotating group of six more teams with the possibility to reevaluate for competitive equity. 4-teams in the field will also be a determining factor for the B1G and the SEC to agree to an annual out-of-conference (OOC) football challenge like we see in college basketball. If agreed upon, broadcast revenue for these games between the B1G and the SEC is expected to bring in multi-millions of dollars in broadcast revenue; revenue that can be used to buy out existing scheduled OOC Games. I have no idea how challenge game opponents would be determined by the Power 2. However, using the SP+ post-spring rankings, the following are twelve games that would be played between Top-40 B1G and SEC teams in 2025. As the defending CFB champ, I have awarded SP+ No. 1 Ohio State a home game and alternated home sites thereafter. No. 2 Alabama at No. 1 Ohio State. No. 3 Penn State at No. 4 Georgia. No. 5 Texas at No. 7 OREGON No. 10 Michigan at No. 9 LSU No. 11 Ole Miss at No. 19 Illinois No. 13 Tennessee at No. 23 Indiana No. 28 Iowa at No. 14 Florida No. 15 Texas A&M at No. 30 USC No. 34 Nebraska at No. 16 Oklahoma No. 17 South Carolina at No. 37 Wisconsin No. 39 UW at No. 21 Missouri No. 25 Auburn at No. 40 Minnesota. One dozen Top-40 vs. Top-40 matchups. Bama at The Shoe, Nittany Lions 'Tween the Hedges, a Longhorns stampede in Eugene, a Wolverine in Death Valley, a classic series revived when Nebraska visits Norman, teams from Dixie playing Up North, and B1G teams playing Down South. Man, I'd love to have this inventory to sell. 🤑

Staples is a Gator. I see a Florida team with talent, but also with one of the two or three toughest schedules in the nation. The Gators play LSU, Miami, A&M, Kentucky, and Ole Miss on the road. Georgia in Atlanta. (The stadium in Jacksonville is being renovated; the 2026 Cocktail Party will be played in Tampa.) Florida plays Texas, Tennessee, and FSU in the Swamp. UF has gimme wins vs. LIU (Long Island U Sharks 🤪), USF, and Mississippi State. I hope Andy is correct, especially OBD hosting a home game, but with this schedule, I can find three losses for Florida. Will the Committee in 2025-26 find a 3-loss team that did not win its conference PO worthy?

Love the comment. But I doubt that a one-off game in Waco, Texas, will have any effect on OBD's recruiting in the Lone Star State. Rob Mullens should do what he can to drop the Baylor series and schedule a 7th home game in 2027, when Oregon will arguably play the most difficult schedule, based on opponents and travel, in its history.

The 2027 schedule is simply brutal. OBD has but six home games, and is on the road at Michigan, Nebraska, Maryland, UCLA, UW, and plays Baylor in Waco. Oh, and OBD plays Ohio State, Penn State, and Iowa in Autzen. The one 'let-up' B1G home game is vs. Purdue. Whether or not OBD plays Oregon State is, IMO, irrelevant. A win over a G6 team will not resonate, and a loss would be injurious. However, a buyout of the Baylor H+H series, replaced by a home game vs. a G6 team, would be a smart scheduling move. Oregon should never play fewer than seven home games in any season. Oregon will likely have the most difficult schedule in the B1G in 2027 and one of the most difficult in the nation. Rob Mullens has done many good things for OBD, especially on the financial front, but the 2027 schedule is Cent-Less.

The Upcoming SEC Meetings Will Have a Big Effect on the B1G. With college sports in limbo and key issues coming to a head, the spotlight is on the SEC: 'It's going to get heated' SPORTS.YAHOO.COM With potential CFP format changes, athlete revenue sharing and the impending House ruling all in flux, college sports is at a critical juncture. And the SEC is at the forefront of it all this week in Florida.

Saturday Down South Telling OBD it was Seeding Screwed Last Season is Like Telling Noah about the Flood. 😩 4 Playoff teams got a raw deal from not having straight seeding in 2024 - Saturday Down South WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM If we had been able to have straight seeding for the 2024 College Football Playoff, things could've gone much differently for 4 teams.

CBS with an in-depth look at the Power 2's 16-team PO proposal. Explaining Big Ten, SEC 16-team College Football Playoff proposal; how it would look - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM There is reportedly 'growing' support for the Big Ten and SEC's expanded playoff proposal, which could begin as early as 2026 I'm with Charles: "Why does the CFB PO need any byes?" Byes that will move the CFB PO further into NFL PO territory. As I recall, byes in 2024-25 for the top 2, OBD and UGA, did not help the Ducks and Dawgs PO cause.

Bo is lovin' CO. Broncos' Bo Nix is living his best Colorado life this offseason WWW.YARDBARKER.COM In a little over 24 hours over Memorial Day weekend, the 25-year-old Nix was very visible around Denver, even without his Broncos jersey on.

QUACK! History Being Made (We Hope!) Oregon Ducks To Host Eugene Regional In NCAA Tournament, Make History WWW.YARDBARKER.COM The Oregon Ducks baseball team found out on Sunday night their destination for the upcoming 2025 NCAA Baseball Tournament. The NCAA announced that Oregon will be hosting a regional at...

Hats Off to Marcus! The Athletic names Oregon quarterback a Top 25 player in last quarter century DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM He may be the best Oregon quarterback in the history of the program as The Athletic has Marcus Mariota a Top 25 player in the last quarter century.

Here's the Full Monty - NCAA Baseball Tournament: Official bracket, Field of 64 released - On3 WWW.ON3.COM Selection Monday has officially arrived, and the official NCAA Baseball Tournament bracket and Field of 64 has been released.

In my far-from-humble opinion: THIS SUCKS! Softball World Series: Five SEC teams, one B12 team, and two B1G teams, and the two B1Gs meet in opener?

And now, Paul Harvey has the rest of the story - Oregon demolishes Liberty to reach first WCWS since 2018 SATURDAYTRADITION.COM Oregon has filled a slot in the Women's College World Series, completing a clean sweep of Liberty in 2 games at the Super Regionals.

So, it's Ducks vs. UCLA Bruins, right? 🧐

I deplore DeBoer. What is he good for? The man couldn't take down Michigan? And being neutered in Norman is no fine. Your Navy Middies beat Oklahoma! Man oh manning, Sark is getting WAY too much ❤️❤️❤️. The most Smart Kirby will again Dawg the rest of the SEC, see? Si?

$20.5 million is the direct payment cap in year one of the House settlement. Yes, same for the Ducks as for the Beavers. However, the Ducks have greater resources, including being a member of the B1G and not the Pac-7 plus Gonzo. There is no cap on NIL deals that are truly NIL deals. All NIL deals $600 and over have to be reported and will be reviewed to determine if the deals are 'outside market value' and being used as a recruiting tool. The Tennessee legislature has passed a law that neuters the enforcement of the House settlement terms in Tennessee. As Rob Mullens noted in his recent interview, 34 to 35 states have varying NIL legislation on the books. Without federal intervention, chaos will continue in college sports.

SP+ Top 40. 13 SEC teams. 12 B1G teams. 62.5% of the top 40. 50 most viewed CFB games in 2024-25. 49 involved one or more SEC or B1G teams. The only game that had no Power 2 teams playing was the Army-Navy game. Since the inception of 'One True Champion,' SEC commissioner Roy Kramer's idea for the BCS, when has a 'little guy' ever won a title? NEVER. Every CFB champion, from the BCS's inception to date, has had a Blue Chip Roster. The idea that automatic qualifiers will destroy the integrity of the CFB PO is a canard. Why should or would the conferences with the more difficult in-conference schedules rely on a committee that ranked Boise State the ninth-best team in the nation last season? A G5 team No. 9, on a whim? If the CFB committee used publicly disclosed metrics like the CBB committee, all involved would have more trust in the CFB committee. In 2024, we saw the SSDD. No 3-loss team, other than ACC champion Clemson, a team defeated by Georgia and 3-loss South Carolina, made the PO. Many 3-loss teams played far harder schedules than several 2-loss PO teams. In light of the pending House settlement, Oklahoma has announced cuts in its athletic department. Oklahoma may be the first, but it will not be the last program to do so. CFB is big business, and like every big business, the marketplace separates winners and losers. The winners cannot afford to prop up the 'losers.' No UFL team is invited to the NFL playoffs. Folks longing for 'the good old days' of college football are wishing for something that never existed. (OK, perhaps Jim Thorpe's Carlisle teams?)

I believe this article from USA Today deserves a post of its own. Author Matt Hayes tells it like it is. Our Beloved Ducks are nesting in a perfect place. College Football Playoff embracing seeding change show SEC, Big Ten are running show WWW.USATODAY.COM Big Ten and SEC are telling us what they're going to do with the College Football Playoff in move to straight seeding. It's time we start listening.

This USA Today Take on Straight PO Seeding Speaks for Itself. College Football Playoff embracing seeding change show SEC, Big Ten are running show WWW.USATODAY.COM Big Ten and SEC are telling us what they're going to do with the College Football Playoff in move to straight seeding. It's time we start listening. It's a Power 2 World and OBD is Living In It! 😍