GatOrlando

He built Clemson. There will be a statue for him one day, but his recruiting has fallen into the double digits and he refuses to use the portal. Dabo likes to speak about doing things the right way and building from within. But the game has changed. Nick Saban saw it. You can't win with just homegrown talent anymore. Kirby Smart and Ryan Day adapted. Dabo will have to or accept the fact Clemson won't win another title. He had a great five year run.

I wonder what kind of analyst he would be. Saban has actually surprised me with the fact he has a personality 😂. Seriously he is really good as long as Alabama isn't the subject.

Unfortunately I think Billy will make more mistakes than super mario-oh-oh. The defense is more than good enough, Billy actually has a coordinator on that side.

I don't find too many coaching scenarios worse than Florida these days. But Clemson is nearing it. After starting out the season in the top five, the Tigers have dropped to 1-2 with their win coming by way of a seventeen point comeback over Troy. Dabo walked into a press conference yesterday with a answer to a question that never came. A beat reporter asked him if there was any play call he regretted calling in the loss to Georgia Tech. Dabo took that question and went on a five minute diatribe about him having years ahead of him. He said " If Clemson wants to send me on my way I'll happily go coach and do my thing elsewhere." With this and Brian Kelly going off after a win, there seems to be signs of these guys cracking under the pressure of NIL, transfer portal, and social media pressure. It makes you respect the way a younger guy like Dan Lanning has handled his business. Could you imagine Joe Paterno in today's game?

I must've experienced my Mandela Effect moment. I would've testified to the fact that I saw a Penn State vs Iowa game in 2009 where Penn State was wearing their white unis during the Whiteout. But you are absolutely right.

I am split on how I feel about that SC/ND series ending. On one hand I'm sad to see traditional rivalries die. But on the other USC has a tough conference slate every year. Notre Dame can make their own schedule and still get their own reserved seat at the playoff table Florida is cancelling planned series vs ASU, NCSU, and Washington due to going to a 9 game conference slate next year. I'm disappointed because I live close to ASU and would've loved to see Florida come out here. I don't get many chances to see them live now that I'm 2,000 miles away and they don't leave SEC territory. But with nine SEC games along with FSU and Miami coming onto the schedule more, that's 11 P4 matchups. When the playoff inevitably expands I think we'll get a three loss or maybe even four loss SEC/B1G squad in. Personally I think three should be the maximum.

Is Notre Dame in if they win out? I don't see many quality wins on their schedule. Their best hope is Miami and Texas A&M to win out so they can say they only lost by four combined points to two top ten teams .

Florida actually out gained LSU by twenty yards. Neither team had over 350 yards. The difference was a pick six from Lagway and the four other interceptions that LSU didn't match. Vanderbilt actually looks pretty stout. They just don't get any attention because they're Vanderbilt. They held South Carolina to seven points. Sellers went out in the second of that game, but it was still impressive.

I don't know much about Stein, if he has connections to Florida recruiting it would help. I like the offense at Oregon, but you guys just about always have an explosive offense. From Chip Kelly to Mark Helfrich to Kenny Dillingham and now Will Stein. Whoever we get I hope they have input but hire an offensive coordinator. Billy Napier has tried to run the offense while being the head coach. You can tell too, there are misalignments every game. False starts and absolutely no schematic adjustments when the opposing defense jams up the middle and disguises any sort of zone coverage. Lagway has regressed dramatically. Napier didn't teach him how to do anything but make one read.

I'm sorry the Gators couldn't knock the Tigers out this week, but I think Oregon vs Penn State is number two vs number three. I don't care what the voters say. Oregon has looked much better thus far. LSU is living off the fumes of an over rated Clemson road win and for some reason a very pedestrian Florida win that Lagway and Billy gave to them. A pick six and a total of five interceptions.... Billy has turned the light of hope......never mind. Not the point of this thread. Blowout your opponent this week and that game in two weeks will be as big as your victory over Ohio State a year ago. It's going to be a great game and a great visual. My only question is if Oregon is going to go Darth Vader black to counter the Whiteout. I'm jealous but excited for any of you that are going to the game. Go Ducks!!

Oregon is a beautiful state. As a movie fan I would love to see a game with the Pacific in view or maybe somewhere close to where they filmed the Goonies.

I think Ohio State and Michigan have the two largest living alumni base in the country. I see people representing those schools nationwide and even overseas. Alabama has a large rabid fan base, but they aren't as big outside of their region. That is true for most of the SEC. You are absolutely right that Notre Dame is different. They have a mystique due to the fact they were the first program to have weekly national television exposure. There are cultural reasons for their popularity as well, I get all that. But to me one of the reasons they are that unicorn is because they've never been in a group. They are really one of a kind in that regard. Notre Dame isn't known as a school in Indiana, they are Notre Dame. Texas, Ohio State and Michigan are huge, but they represent a region and a state. BYU is the closest to Notre Dame, but they didn't have the benefit of NBC. The B1G without Ohio State and Michigan wouldn't be the same. When you think of the B1G you think of those two first. But Ohio State became wha they are because of the B1G. The Rose Bowl, the games with Michigan to determine who got the right to go to the Rose Bowl. It's symbiotic. Ohio State and the B1G are on another level than FSU and the ACC. They shouldn't sink to the level FSU did, it's bush league imo.

I think they looked at what Notre Dame got as an Independent. I would say go Independent if that's the case, but that would set off a chain of consequences. Why doesn't the B1G and SEC just make Notre Dame join a league? College football would survive without Notre Dame being in the playoff. You can't have a playoff without multiple big brands though. I want four power leagues, we already have super leagues if you look at the size of these conferences. You've got it good in the B1G Ohio State. Don't be a malcontent like Texas and ruin it for everybody. You need a Purdue, Northwestern, Rutgers,UCLA, or Maryland to pad your statistics.

Thanks Jon. Sometimes there's a blessing hidden in the dark and that blessing just may turn out to be the fact that Billy just isn't a P4 coach. I don't get why guys think they can be offensive coordinators and head coaches in the SEC or B1G. Steve Sarkasian is doing the same thing but he is a much better coordinator than Napier ever could dream of. The guy has turned DJ Lagway into Graham Mertz 2.0 in one off-season. My only hope is we don't hire Lane Kiffin. We need a guy with discipline that won't live in the transfer portal. Maybe we saw our head coach on the opposite sideline this past Saturday.

After seeing what Tulane did to Northwestern I'd bet whatever the over is in this game. Will it be over in the first or second quarter is my only question.

Fair enough sir. Very good points. The way Oregon held down that 2010 Auburn offense speaks to your point. I stand by my week in and week out wear and tear opinion though. Oregon and Utah both have an old school physicality to them. USC, Washington, and UCLA have had to make some adjustments. Lincoln Riley in particular went to USC thinking he was escaping the SEC gauntlet , only to find he was going to the B1G.

Oregon is fifth in blue chip ratio at 78%. Michigan is currently the record holder for the lowest blue chip ratio to win a title at 54%. More importantly I think Oregon is tougher after spending a year in the B1G. Some may scoff at that, but there is a gap between the big two and the other two or formerly three. Even high performing members of the PAC like Washington and USC struggled with the week in and week out physicality. Oregon won the darn thing, but you could see the defense starting to wilt at the end vs Penn State and Ohio State at the lines. I think moving to the B1G is going to be the thing that finally gets Oregon over the hump. You can't simulate weekly physical football. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/blue-chip-ratio-2025-these-18-college-football-teams-can-actually-win-the-national-championship/

I'm not into abstract art. I see a mess of colors and no discernable outlines and I just see a mess. Alabama got pushed around and humiliated by a two win team that had to integrate 20 new starters. I don't care if they scored a hundred vs ULM, IBM, or IBS. They looked DOA on both sides in a game they had all off-season to prepare for. Texas lost to a team and didn't look all that impressive in comparison to the team that beat them the prior week. SECPN is a joke. Their polls are a joke, and their analysts are a joke. The only problem is the joke isn't funny. I'm embarrassed as a fan of an SEC program, but as a college football fan that used to love watching ESPN I'm even more disappointed that the largest network is so bias. They don't have the same credibility or viewing enjoyment. I miss Stuart Scott, Rich Risen, Dan Patrick and all those old Sportscenters that gave me the memorable highlights with that music and funny lines.

Texas number two and Alabama number four? Is this Finebaum again? Notre Dame lost to Miami and they are nine spots higher. Texas is ahead of the team that beat them last week and Alabama got blown out vs a team not even in the top twenty yet they are fourth. Auburn and Missouri are ahead of Utah and LSU. Florida doesn't deserve to be in the top 25 after that crap show Saturday. I can't take this nonsense seriously. It's ESPN SEC propaganda, I'm only shocked that they actually have a non SEC team number one.

Academics is also what nixed the Oklahoma entry in 2012 to the PAC as well. Imagine a world where Texas and Oklahoma join the league. My only question is if Texas would try their power move with that terrible Longhorn network on the Pacific Coast with the likes of USC. We know that nobody in the Big 12 was going to stand up to them, not even Oklahoma. Which to me makes Oklahoma look weak. Imagine Michigan or Ohio State letting the other have their own network and forcing it on the entire B1G.

It's like a very poor Elvis or Michael Jackson impersonater. Just let the PAC name go off into the sunset. It's just dragging the once "Conference of champions" through the mud. It's like they think keeping the name will elevate programs, but it's the programs that elevate the conference. It would be like if the ACC loses Clemson, North Carolina, FSU, Virginia and Miami and replace them with Memphis, Coastal Carolina, USF, Tulane and UCONN but keeps the name ACC. Even that would be better because they would at least keep some recognizable names like Duke, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech, Louisville, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Boston College. Who thought of Washington State and Oregon State when you spoke of the PAC Twelve? Who thinks anybody in that new iteration of the PAC outside of Boise State would be coveted by the P4?

Holy Smokes Batman!!! Gundy hasn't looked that bad since he decided to sport a mullet in the 2010's. That's a P4 program and you made them look like they were on restriction. I know LSU has a better win right now with a road win over Clemson, but I'd seriously consider moving Oregon ahead of them. At the very least I'd move them ahead of Penn State. Congrats on the win. Unfortunately not every ranked team could take care of business this week. Oregon is crushing a P4 team while Florida can't even beat a G5 school.

Belotti kind of took Oregon from the quirky program with the bright unis to a program that could threaten programs like Michigan or USC. My first memory of Oregon was Akili Smith showing out in that bowl game in El Paso. After that I remember the Joey Harrington Heisman run and ad in Times Square. You guys got robbed in that 2001-02 season. You should've been playing Miami, you only lost one very close game and you destroyed Colorado in your bowl. Imagine if Iowa ever found an offense.

Illinois is now up 31-19. Penn State is up 27-0 SMU is up 38-24 over Baylor Ohio State is about to kickoff vs Grambling. Michigan is four hours away from kicking off in Norman. Iowa and Iowa State are deep into the fourth tied at 13.

I guess the question is what do you expect from yourself and is that enough? Iowa fans are loyal to the program, they pack that stadium every year. Occasionally they'll rise up and beat Michigan, Ohio State, or Penn State. They consider Wisconsin and Minnesota to be their biggest rivals. They have a P4 in State little brother that suctions off some the support they get in a low population State. I have been told that a great way to measure yourself is by the quality of who you think of as your contemporaries. Iowa and Nebraska are forced into an end of season rivalry that the B1G has tried to push upon both fanbases, neither really but into it. But it's getting more heated, and Iowa has kind of dominated the last ten years. Bo Pelini even famously got fired for saying something like Nebraska would never judge itself off the result of the Iowa game. More or less saying Nebraska celebrates wins over Michigan or Ohio State. My point is Nebraska fans have continuously said Oklahoma is their true rival. Iowa fans claim Wisconsin and Minnesota. To me that kind of says where each program sees itself. Oklahoma is/was a playoff or bust program. Minnesota and Wisconsin are happy to compete for conference titles, they celebrate conference title relevancy. Iowa fans think Kirk Ferentz is a Hall of Fame despite the fact he has never won a solo conference title and has one NY6 bowl win in 26 years. Would anybody here consider Dan Lanning a Hall of Famer with that resume? Who do you view as the programs you want to be considered a rival to? I know you guys don't like Washington and USC. But in your new conference who is that third team? In the SEC we have a list of 3. For Florida it's Georgia, Tennessee and LSU. In the 90's Tennessee was number one, but that order can fluctuate.