GatOrlando

One thing to watch out for is the B1G trying to expand into Texas, Florida , and Georgia. Oregon came and got five star Dallas Wilson out of the Sunshine State before the young man had a family event that brought him back home. But the SEC doesn't really want or need Florida State, however they may be forced to take them to keep the B1G out of the state. If Ohio State and Oregon can recruit our guys now, imagine when the B1G Network is regular viewing for one of the the largest universities in the state. As a Gator fan I really don't want FSU in the SEC, but it looks like the B1G wants to plant a flag in Texas and Florida by the year 2030. My best guess is TCU or Texas Tech, and FSU or Miami. I've told everyone that Oregon is a real threat. I've told them how the fans really care about their teams and they better not let them get a foothold in Florida. If FSU joins the B1G and Duck Nation ever comes in for the game, I think the rest of the South will finally believe me. The Duck brand is strong and growing. I see more Duck fans in Arizona than USC or UCLA combined. Most of the people I've met since moving to Arizona have come from California. Figure that one out.

In the Elite 8 we have every #1 seed still alive. We have three #2 seeds, and one #3 seed. The last time we had all #1 seeds make the Final Four was 2008. Kansas beat Memphis in that thrilling overtime game to win everything. Much has been made of the lack of surprises, much of that is because of the transfer portal. Walter Clayton has Steph Curry range, he wasn't a Gator recruit though. Golden sniped him two years ago. Kentucky rebuilt their entire starting five from the portal. Now you have a program like Drake losing their head coach for the second straight season as well. So if you can't keep your players, and you can't keep your coach. The whole advantage of having experience is negated. The Calipari days of 5 McDonalds freshman starting is dead. Now Kentucky will just let Drake or McNeese State be their farm teams.

Notre Dame is B1G in hockey. That's an interesting thing I found out.

Let them wade into those irrelevant waters. I think the passion, success, and money are reasons why Oregon will continue to recruit at an elite level.

When they hate you, it's a sign that deep down they respect you imo. I mean Oregon went undefeated but the fans only stormed the field once all year. Why? The opponent. Washington has a lot of wins as a program, but I don't see them as a storm the field opponent. The fact that Oregon is in their head with the 70 point game, or the Plum > Ionescu just shows you own a space in their head. I personally want to see fans engage in these emotional (not violent or hateful) actions against my team because it means they're good enough to take up that space. USC fans are just to blase to really care. They think their team should win, and outside of Notre Dame, Michigan or Ohio State, they really don't see anybody on their level. To them you have to have multiple championships and a 60 year plus run of being "elite". They'll keep up that arrogance no matter what. Oregon is a better program, and has been a top five program for two decades now. I think it's time to pay attention.

As a country in whole, we have some really scary things that have been mothballed up. More than a few Marines have jokingly said the "Chair Force" is the sleeping Lion of the military. We're already seeing the effects of drone technology. "Off we go go into the wild...." I won't finish the song. I had to "sing" the credo a couple times in front a crowd. I could've made a killing by selling them ear plugs before my performance.

USC fans don't have the passion to maintain anything beyond a synthetic flaming candle in my experience. There's a misconception in SEC land that there aren't any fans on the West coast that care as much about college football as they do in the South. I don't find that to be true with Oregon fans. USC "fans" have the Lakers, Dodgers, Rams, Kings and their social media acclaim status to spend their free time on. Miami "fans" are the same. Maybe it's because they are private schools. I just feel like Oregon fans would show up to watch the Ducks during a seven win season. USC fans would check out and go watch the Lakers or Kardashians.

Jon, you do a better job than most of the guys we see on television every week. I keep hearing about this being the year Penn State gets it done because of the parallels to the last two National Champions. I have an issue with that though. Michigan broke their losing streak to Ohio State and had three consecutive B1G titles and two undefeated seasons before winning the whole thing in 2023. Ohio State under Ryan Day has never won less than 11 games (except 2020). They had an undefeated 2019 and 2020 season to go along with two straight B1G titles. They made one National Championship game appearance and lost two nail biters to Clemson and Georgia before winning it all in 2024. What has Penn State done in the last four years to make you believe they are at that level? Have they beaten Michigan or Ohio State? Nope. Have they beaten anybody that is really on their level as far as talent and brand prestige? They won two playoff games against two G5 rosters(SMU was first year ACC in a really weak ACC). Yeah they made the B1G title game, but they never led. I never thought they were going to win that game. Oregon was up two scores just about the entire way. So other than experience, and the fact Harbaugh and Day won their first titles after years of knocking on the door, and people want to put Franklin at that level because.... I don't see it. I think James Franklin is a good coach. I think Drew Allar has all the tools to be a NFL QB. I really like their running back room with two thousand yard rushers. The defense is there minus Abdul Carter. Look at the coaching staff after nabbing Jim Knowles. But I don't trust them in big moments because outside of 2017, they haven't won anything or beaten anybody they shouldn't have. I hope they do get it done because they have great fans. If anybody takes Charles up on traveling to that game up in Happy Valley, you're in for a treat. Great environment. I just don't buy the comparison yet.

We should direct our like or dislike towards the name on the front, not the back. Hopefully the injury doesn't affect her future long term.

Jon, I thought we were good!! Just kidding. I gotta tell you UCONN didn't worry me. I was more concerned with Saint Johns, but they're gone now. UCONN may not be as good as their back to back championship teams, but they put Florida on the ropes. I'm hoping that's the scare game instead of the guys thinking they only were pushed because they didn't show up. I trust in Golden to keep them on their toes. Much respect to Hurley and that program. That's the third or fourth head coach that's won a championship at UCONN since the year 2000.

I actually think this is a great thing CFB could do. Colorado has discussed doing it with multiple schools. Would it be a scrimmage like the NFL does, or would it be like a pre season game? I can't imagine coaches wanting full contact in a meaningless game. We could see if any walk-ons have the goods. Maybe earn themselves a scholarship.

I gotta tell you that is one Unicorn I wouldn't want to see coming down the field with me as the only obstacle to score. I played high school ball as a DB but since we were in Florida I knew I had no hope in guarding some of the guys I saw on film. Unfortunately we didn't have anybody better which is why I learned to have a five second memory. It didn't help me with any of my relationships though. Women always remember the first time they did anything with anybody.

His physical skills and size are identical to a certain WR that gave the Ducks nightmares in Pasadena. I can't imagine having a guy like that being able to hit the hole as hard as Blount, but he might just be a unicorn.

He's already 6’3 and 220 pounds. This guy could be a nightmare matchup on the outside.

Seems like the Ducks keep rolling. "According to On3, the four-star prospect will kick off his visits with Texas A&M. After a visit to College Station, Johnson-Cook will pay some time to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Johnson-Cook also plans to visit the Georgia Bulldogs, but has not solidified a date. The Bulldogs are the first SEC team to offer the high school junior. As for the Ducks, Johnson-Cook has also not decided a time, but he plans for Oregon to be the fourth team on his spring tour. Though originally recruited by now-Ohio State running backs coach Carlos Locklyn, who left the Ducks for the Buckeyes, Johnson-Cook received an offer on behalf of assistant head coach and running backs' coach Ra'Shaad Samples last September." 5-Star Texas Recruit Schedules Visits To Oregon Ducks, Ohio State, Georgia Bulldogs WWW.SI.COM The spring season not only brings high hopes for the upcoming football season, but also a number of recruiting visits...

That same year Billy Donovan left to be the coach of the Orlando Magic before deciding to reverse course. I think it was also the year Bobby Petrino to quit mid season, leaving the Atlanta Falcons to coach Arkansas. That same year Lane Kiffin was fired by Oakland, and went on to coach Tennessee for one year before leaving in the middle of the night to go to USC. 2007 was an odd year in general. The undefeated Patriots losing on the most improbable pass. Stanford winning as a 42 point underdog. West Virginia choking in their final game vs Pitt. USF getting to number two in the polls before losing it the next week.The smartphone was unveiled. Don't even get me started on the GEICO Cavemen getting their own show.

I think it was clear that Oregon was thinking the rematch would be similar to the original. Unfortunately like most sequels it just really never lived up to that. Ohio State came into that game angry. They felt like October was a huge miss on their part. Add to that the fact they had to hear how horrible they were after losing to Michigan and having to see Oregon win the B1G in their first year. I think they felt like the only way to get their reputation back was by beating the heck out of the new kids.

I hope you're right!! There's been a common theme in three of the losses this year and really the one blowout to Tennessee, but Florida was never in that game. Kentucky, Missouri and Georgia all blitzed out to twenty points leads in the first fifteen minutes. Florida crawled back but ran out of steam. Golden likes to implement a fast pace the first ten minutes of each half and then slow it down to rely on and defense and rebounding. But if the guys aren't making quick and crisp passes and missing on the outside it leaves them open to the other team to push the ball with a man advantage because the forwards are usually in position for rebounds. The problem with missed threes is the ball bounces out further than the forwards are positioned. Florida is built on structure on defense. The wings are long and can switch onto multiple guys. They are sound on positioning for offensive rebounds down low, but the quick pace throws that out of whack with missed jumpers from beyond the arc. Saint Johns worries me because Pitino is the master of the game plan that Golden uses. They have the perfect quick strike runners and are very disciplined on assignments. Florida can't afford two pass possessions against a team like that.

I still can't believe the SEC got 14 teams in. Oklahoma and Texas really got the benefit of the doubt. I guess Finebaum can crow about the SEC bring the best basketball league unless they flame out. Personally I think Duke is the best team right now, but Flagg needs to play for them to win it all. That guy is amazing. As far as the Gators. We have a 7 foot 9 freshman that doesn't need a ladder to cut the nets. Who's the tallest Duck player ever?

One reason I think the B1G will go for FSU is due to the academic coalition that generates a much larger revenue stream than any sporting grouping ever could. Florida State is a huge land grant University that will be AAU in the next year or so. The academic grant money that the B1G generates is why no contraction will take place. It's also why the B1G is the most powerful conference on all sides. The amount of big donors and alumni is far larger than just about every SEC member. Really the only SEC schools that could be invited to the B1G are Texas, Texas A&M, Missouri, Georgia, Florida and Vanderbilt. I try and tell people that Purdue, Northwestern, Minnesota and Indiana are far too valuable to ever allow their football programs be the thing that gets them kicked out. Once you join the league, you become part of something far larger and more important than sports. As far as Clemson and FSU, I can't see Clemson qualifying for B1G membership. But they will add value to the SEC. Florida State has turned down the SEC several times during the Bowden era. The only way I can see the SEC taking them in , is if the SEC doesn't want the B1G to get a footprint in Florida. But eventually the B1G will get North Carolina, Georgia Tech and either FSU or Miami. As a Florida fan I don't want FSU to get an SEC invite and neither does the University. But like Texas A&M and USC, they will be forced to accept it. No one program is bigger than the SEC or B1G.

People ask why there are two conferences that are miles ahead of everybody else and it's stuff like this. The Big 12 catered to and eventually was betrayed by Texas and their Longhorn Network. The PAC 12 was run by two guys who thought having lavish offices and a Network that nobody could actually watch but cost millions to set up and run was the way to go. Still USC and Oregon gave them chance after chance to secure a deal, any deal. But the leadership kept pushing it down the road until the dead end came up and the Road Runner was done playing games. The ACC gave Notre Dame a lifeline in 2020 and got used without any assurances. They even let them play in their conference title game. The league also has some shady rules that are hidden in the back offices in Charlotte and there is a claim that Jim Phillips shipped a television deal to a network run by a son in law or some other family member. Florida State and Clemson claim the league extended the deal with ESPN without telling them and then the lawsuits began. Now FSU and Clemson are being rewarded for suing the league. A league they will likely bolt from in 2030 when the next B1G television deal comes up. North Carolina is the lynchpin of the league and now they are speaking out due to this recent ACC appeasement to the two cry babies. You wouldn't see this in the B1G or SEC. Just go back to when it was announced Texas and Oklahoma were joining. Every school approved it despite reports of Texas A&M being opposed for obvious reasons. The Aggies were told to fall in line because Texas added value and they did just that. There were rumors that USC didn't want the B1G to add Oregon, but it didn't matter. Oregon added value and USC was forced to accept that. Their only comfort was the fact Oregon wasn't getting full shares for the first few years, but you can bet that deep down they were still miffed. Too bad. That's what leadership is.

I've come to the conclusion that the B1G has a much better system of scheduling year to year than the SEC. Sankey could learn a lesson or two.

Back in the day I bet NFL owners or fans never thought the AFL would ever rival them, but they did and eventually they merged to give us a better league. Same thing with the NBA and ABA. How many people thought the BCS was going to destroy college football? Many more thought a four team playoff was the absolute end and it was in a way to the meaning of games like the Rose Bowl or Orange Bowl. But what's hurt college football more than having real games determine matters in late January is the loss of playing for ones team. The transfer portal, coach sniping and now revenue distribution is making us pay attention to the economics of what was once something designed to give us a distraction from the real world. We don't want to hear about spread sheets or taxes. We don't want to hear about grown men lying to young men involving NIL deals or two guys in their 60's having soap opera drama during the season. I learned more about Jim Knowles personal life involving his girlfriend wanting him to go to Oklahoma because she lives there and then about his Pennsylvania roots and always wanting to coach or play there....blah blah blah. It's a 60 year old man that wanted a pay raise, plain and simple. But that's what the media gives us. We can't have spring games anymore because coaches are afraid of having to put their talent on display so another team doesn't tamper and steal them away. It's not the playoffs or "super leagues" that are the threat. We already have super leagues. The SEC and B1G have so many members that they can't even allow all of them to compete in their basketball tournaments. The ACC has two programs that play in California. What's hurting the sport is the fake enforcement committee that has lined their pockets for years off the lies of amateur sports. Now that cat is out of the bag and there are no rules. There's no way to get what's lost back. The only thing to do is adjust and put real guidelines in place. If some sort of power vacuum is filled with an SEC and B1G autonomy than so be it. The ACC and Big 12 don't have the power to say no. But they can negotiate for their inclusion and keep seats at the table. Who knows, maybe all four conferences can maintain some sort of permanent separation that allows a true Cinderella like an ASU to make a real run. They should also realize as a whole how great it was to have people tuning into the Boise vs Wyoming game in November because of the playoff indications . Keep a seat or two open for that to happen again.

That was the year they lost to Pittsburgh by multiple scores before they took off. I think the reasoning was Ohio State ended their season by beating top five Michigan and they only had that one road loss on a blocked kick six at Penn State while Penn State had lost by multiple scores to Pittsburgh and Michigan. Clemson rocked Ohio State and Penn State lost a thriller to USC in the Rose Bowl. I remember people saying USC was back with Sam Darnold and Clay Helton leading the charge.

They've had talent for years. Maybe not Oregon or Ohio State talent, but equivocal to Michigan . They likely have two of the best coordinators in the game today with the addition of Knowles. But they have a coach and a QB who just crumble in big moments. I see all the tools in place to build the house, it's just the contractor and lead foreman I don't trust. But people evolve and Jim Harbaugh had a stigma around him as did Ryan Day before they broke through. They just so happened to have won conference titles and big bowl games at least before their crowning moment. Franklin has won one conference title ten years ago. Since then he hasn't beaten Ohio State once. Imagine Oregon not beating USC or Washington in ten years.