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From now on, except for a very few circumstances, our threads will be just one page. Advertising only appears on the first page and we want to make as much money as possible for the site. 

 

The bonus in doing this is that it will be easier for everyone to move around the thread.

 

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On 4/18/2024 at 2:40 PM, NJDuck said:

 

Way-too-early 12-team College Football Playoff projections

 

DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM

Who makes the first 12-team College Football Playoff? Here’s our early prediction.

 

Laughing Out Loud again over another far-out Zach Neel take.

 

4 SEC teams, 2 ACC, B1G, and B12, an independent and a G5 school that for the second year running does not play a Power opponent. The B1G will place 3 and possibly 4 teams in the playoff field. Based on the preseason rankings I don't see the B12 in particular with the SOS as a conference placing 2 teams in the field.

 

Georgia and Ole Miss play one another. I don't see Ole Miss with fewer than 3 losses, including a loss at LSU. Texas? I'm not certain why Texas is getting all of the preseason love. 3 WRs who will be drafted in the 1st 2 rounds and 2 excellent RBs are gone as well as the interior of the Texas D line. Ewers is back at QB but the close wins in the B12 in 2023 will be losses in the SEC in 2024. 

 

Bama will still have a deep blue Blue Chip Roster but Saint Nick is no longer driving the sleigh. Bama plays UGA which I think will be a loss even in Tuscaloosa. I think Mizzou is overrated but a home game against Mizzou will not be a lay-up. And road games vs. Tennessee, LSU, Oklahoma, and, don't laugh, Wisconsin will be challenging. Based on the 2024 SOS and notwithstanding a road game in Tuscaloosa, Mizzuo has a 10-2 schedule that could get it in the playoff.

 

I think that Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, and USC will finish 10-2 or better, and Michigan playing Texas, USC, and Oregon in Ann Arbor also has a shot at 10-2 as does Iowa. The Hawkeyes will lose the game in Columbus but draw UW in Iowa City, play at UCLA, and miss Oregon, USC, Michigan, and Penn State. Iowa is on the road for 5 conference games but has 7 home games in all. 

 

In fairness to Zach, his stab in the Playoff's dark is as good as anyone's, including mine.   

 

 

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WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM

Quarterbacks took center stage as USC's looked lackuster, while Arch Manning stole the show

 

Interesting that the last 2 spring games commented on, Notre Dame and Texas A+M open the 2024 season with the Domers visiting the Aggies. I think that with Jimbo out of the way A+M HC Mike Elko will do a far better job of having good players on a deep Blue Chip roster ready to play. Elko was the DC at A+M before taking the head coaching job at Duke.

 

Notre Dame is considered to be a serious playoff contender and with the schedule, Domers fans will be disappointed if a team without having to play a 13th champ game, and with Louisville and FSU visiting South Bend, does not make the 12-team field. The final game of the season for ND, on the road vs. USC, could be critical for both teams' chances of making the playoffs. 

Edited by Jon Joseph

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Too late to save the Pac-12 Network and possibly the Pac-12 but the Heisman Trust finally ignored the NCAA, did the right thing, and gave his Heisman Trophy back to Reggie.

 

WWW.ESPN.COM

The Heisman Trust is returning the Heisman Trophy to Reggie Bush and a replica to USC after the former running back had forfeited the award in 2010.

 

Edited by Jon Joseph

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On 4/24/2024 at 9:59 AM, NJDuck said:

 

College football rankings: Updated post-spring top 25 poll for 2024 season

Polarizing college football rankings coming out of spring practice..

 

247SPORTS.COM

Polarizing college football rankings coming out of spring practice...

 

Only 8 SEC teams in the top 15? The conference only plays 8 conference games but the top-ranked teams occasionally play one another.   I think Texas and Bama are overrated. With an easy OOC and conference schedule Mizzou will likely be in the playoff field.

 

Based on the schedule, Ohio State should get the nod over UGA. Penn State defeats W VA in Week 1 and it should finish no worse than 10-2. Michigan at No. 7 with Texas, Oregon, USC, and a game at UW on the schedule and with a total rebuild on O? Oregon has an unfavorable schedule that could hold the Ducks back. I think USC is underrated. The SC D in the spring looked more improved than the LSU D.

 

October 12, 2024, will not just be B1G, it will be HUGE!

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Jabbar Muhammad out to prove he's one of the country's best during one season at Oregon

Oregon landed Jabbar Muhammad, a Washington transfer, from the portal in January. Now with the Ducks, the senior outlined what he hopes to achieve this year

 

247SPORTS.COM

Oregon landed Jabbar Muhammad, a Washington transfer, from the portal in January. Now with the Ducks, the senior outlined...

 

Wow,

 

I look forward to digesting these "scrimmages" when I have the time.

 

My quick thoughts are as follows:

 

Michigan is underrated (sorry Jon- I think that defense is better than advertised, and HC Moore is another very good coach following Jim Harbaugh - as in David Shaw good).

 

Ohio State has the best defense in the country.  Same issue on offense till further notice: OL and QB question marks (not sure they're elite enough at those positions). 

 

I also believe Bama beats UGA (sorry Duck-Dawg fans, but Bama is still more talented overall, and DeBoer didn't show how lethal that offense is going to be - my opinion of course). 

 

Haven't seen Texas, but "my sources" tell me they will be more formidable on defense than people think.  

 

Haven't seen Nebraska, but same thing ("my sources") , except the offense is going to win them plenty of "toss up" games.  

 

I'll check both out this summer and give my update. 

 

Haven't seen Mizzou yet.  I'm intrigued though.  Not sure they have enough depth and talent In the Box. They sure have very good talent at the skill positions though.  

 

I believe Tennessee is one very good QB from surprising people this year.  Time will tell. 

 

Ole Miss is trying to hide their talent.  I'll have to wait till fall to assess them.  On paper, they are very dangerous.  But paper is mighty thin isn't it?

 

LSU still needs a defense , but they are going to spoil some teams this year.  

 

Georgia? Same as it ever was.  But that loss to Bama tells me good coaching, and mistake free football is all you need to hang with them, and maybe steal a W. 

 

Auburn is also going to spoil somebody's season, including maybe Bama.  

 

Penn State losing last year's main WR target is a major blow to their title hopes (bad career move for him though- he would have gotten better looks with that new former Buckeye WR joining the mix).  

 

Utah...If they can step up their usually decent Defense, they are playoff bound.  They don't have enough talent to challenge the Blue Bloods though.  

 

USC?  I don't think they have enough talent on defense.  Nice QB, but he'll have to win games for them.  Not sure he's that talented. Not sure they're mentally tough enough either.

 

Clemson has a good enough defense to stall the Blue Bloods, but that offense can't score enough.  Think Georgia before Kirby Smart. 

 

FSU comes back to the regular pack, despite a damn good HC. 

 

No, Miami isn't joining the club. 

 

Need to see A&M.  I really like HC Elko.  He may be playing possum right now.  He's said it's taking him longer than expected to get the chaos in order.  Possible smoke screen to also hide his talent?  

 

The SEC is still too deep for the BiG, but Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin are only a good enough QB away from adding major depth to the conference. 

 

OBD...

 

Man.  I suspected HC Lanning knew his DL was stacked.  Now we know.  This team is in play for a deep playoff run.  Now, it's up to learning how to make teams beat them by playing mistake free ball.

 

If DC Lupoi and OC Stein "up" their game and adjust on each drive of each game, oooh- they could really step into a title game and make some noise. Big "if" at this point.  

 

I see a lot of Bama versus Michigan type games this year.  It truly is going to be one of the best regular seasons in the history of College Football.  And I'm.not blowing smoke here.  

 

Every elite team, has an Achilles Heel.  Some teams on the bubble have enough talent to hit that bullseye and walk away with an upset.  Coaching has never been more important. 

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On 4/28/2024 at 2:51 PM, Mike West said:

Wow,

 

I look forward to digesting these "scrimmages" when I have the time.

 

My quick thoughts are as follows:

 

 

Mike, always great to get your thoughts.

 

Michigan - I think the D especially the DL, will be terrific. But the offense? I expect Moore to continue with the approach of playing great D and running the ball. The OL is a complete rebuild. Orji and Warren both looked OK at QB but I do not believe either guy can win games throwing the ball. And compared to 2023, the schedule OCC and in-conference ramps up in 2024. I think 9-3 is this season's high-water mark for the Wolverines.

 

Ohio State - Agree with you, the Buckeyes D will be awesome. Only 4 Ohio State guys were picked in the draft. Why? Because Harrison was the only highly touted draft-eligible player to say goodbye to Columbus. 9 players return for a Buckeyes D that was terrific last season and with the addition of Caleb Downs from Bama, will be better this season; especially, with the easiest schedule among B1G title contenders. Ohio State is a lock to be undefeated when the team visits Autzen on 10/12.

 

MIZZOU - The 16th out of 16 teams easiest schedule in the SEC. Will Mizzou go 10-2 and make the Playoff or 9-3 and be on the cusp? QB and one of the best WR's back but the D was hit hard by the draft and the DC leaving for LSU.

 

Auburn - With Michigan State transfer Thorne the presumed starter at QB I do not see a lot of room for improvement. Surprising that Freeze has not been able to upgrade the position. 

 

Texas - I need to see it before I believe the Longhorns lofty preseason ranking. Texas lost a lot of studs to the NFL. Will 2023's close wins in the B12 be wins in the SEC? I think Georgia will defeat Texas in Austin and also defeat Alabama without Saint Nick whom Kirby defeated once in 5 tries, on the sideline.

 

Let's Get It On!

 

 

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On 4/28/2024 at 11:51 AM, Mike West said:

It truly is going to be one of the best regular seasons in the history of College Football. 

Completely agree.  Between NIL keeping good players around, and the portal allowing the rich to get richer....we will have epic football games to watch nearly every Saturday this fall.

Mr. FishDuck

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Wow Jon, thanks for posting that.  Those issues, in particular, rematches, pretty much assure that the field has to grow to 16.

 

Do you favor more in the playoff?  I do, to 16...

 

No rematches; I've seen enough

of Beavis...

giphy.gif

 

 

Mr. FishDuck

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🏈 🔵 My Favorite Big Ten Transfer Portal Classes

 

Five of 247Sports' top-25 transfer portal hauls come from Big Ten squads. Which one has the highest ceiling for instant production?

 

BRENEMAN.SUBSTACK.COM

Five of 247Sports' top-25 transfer portal hauls come from Big Ten squads. Which one has the highest ceiling for instant production?

 

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Ohio State according to someone named Jesse Simonton of On3 Sports, has ranked Ohio State with the best RB room and excluded Alabama from his top 10. 

 

This resulted in the following reasonable response by the Bama Hammer site: Bama fans are livid, On3 failed miserably, Fans are right to call foul, ranking is not backed by solid facts, Bama fans in agreement with this nonsense ranking - Zero!

 

I post this first to give the Buckeyes the proper respect and to point out that college football down south is not an enjoyable pastime, it is a religion. Fans and journalists who question any aspect of the religion do not have differing opinions, they are heretics.

 

It will be very interesting to watch our OBD beefed up as of yesterday, defense go against the Buckeyes. I'll be watching the game with rapt and anxious attention and hoping, of course, that the Ducks win. Oregon as of today is -1.5 which means that Autzen is not getting the full 3-point home field bump.  Ohio State, with the 57th most difficult schedule in the country, is the favorite to win the B1G title at -165. Oregon with the 11th most difficult schedule, is 2nd at -210. 

 

But win or lose, I will not be heading to Disney World, buying drinks for the house, asking my son to rename my recent grandchild 'Baby Duck,' sacrificing any fauna to coach Dan, rendering my garments, tearing my hair out, wearing sackcloth, or poisoning any nearby flora. 

 

SEC fans, not you Vandy fans, it's a Game, OK?

 

BAMAHAMMER.COM

An adage states opinions are so plentiful, they are worth a dime a dozen. That everyone is entitled to have one makes them no more valuable. I am a fan of the

 

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I don't see how Ohio State will hold onto all the young 5* QBs on the roster.

 

WWW.YARDBARKER.COM

The Elite 11 is the premier showcase for young quarterback recruits, and, more often than not, quarterbacks who have impressed the Elite 11 scouts have gone on to have successful...

 

 

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College football bowl game schedule likely eyeing expansion as revenue-sharing model would curb opt-out trend

Expansion is the hot trend in all corners of college athletics, and the NCAA transformation committee has made it clear more postseason opportunities are desired in all sports

 

WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM

Expansion is the hot trend in all corners of college athletics, and the NCAA transformation committee has made it clear more postseason opportunities are desired in all sports

 

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Who can pass Kirby Smart? Ryan Day, Kalen DeBoer among contenders to supplant college football's coaching king

With Nick Saban's retirement, Smart takes his rightful place at No. 1, but who can challenge him?

 

Dan Lanning is included on the Immediate Contenders list.

 

WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM

With Nick Saban's retirement, Smart takes his rightful place at No. 1, but who can challenge him?

 

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Breaking Down WHY Oregon Ducks Offense Will ROLL With Dillon Gabriel and Will Stein l in 2024

 

 

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Ranking Big Ten Conference's Best Running Backs: Ohio State Buckeyes or Oregon Ducks?

Which Big Ten Conference team has the best backfield entering the 2024 college football season? Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State are loaded with talented running backs.

 

WWW.SI.COM

Which Big Ten Conference team has the best backfield entering the 2024 college football season? Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State are loaded with talented running backs.

 

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Oregon has the 2nd best odds of winning the title in the Ducks first season in the B1G.

 

July 25, 2024 - 3rd day of B1G football media days is when Dan Lanning has the stage. Not half a day's coverage like we saw in the Pac-12 but 3 days of coverage on BTN (Big Ten Network.) 

 

This B1G coverage. Coverage that now rivals the media days coverage of the SEC on the SEC Network.

 

It's nice to be a member of the Power 2.

 

WWW.SI.COM

The Oregon Ducks football team has one of the best odds to win the Big Ten Championship, with the expansion to 18 teams for the 2024 college football season.

 

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THEATHLETIC.COM

Everyone agrees that if FSU and/or Clemson are successful in court in nullifying a grant of rights, the results could be paradigm-shifting.

 

Under a different set of facts, Maryland sued the ACC when it joined the B1G to reduce the amount of the exit fee and 'won' the settlement of the case by lowering the exit fee from $52M to $31.3M. Maryland had to pay hefty legal fees but not close to what it 'saved' by litigating.

 

As the author of this article at least implies, what happens if Clemson and FSU escape and UNC, Miami, UVA, and others follow suit but the B1G and the SEC decide not to expand? 

 

The Nielson rankings for the average viewership of college football during the regular season (Oregon finished 7th with 4.43M viewers) have FSU at No. 9, 4.16M, Notre Dame 10th, 4.15M, Clemson 19th, 2.90M, Miami 22nd, 2.65M, and Duke 23rd at 2.64M. UNC is not in the top 32 ranked teams. Neither is UVA. The other ACC team in the top 32 is Louisville, 29th ranked.

 

FSU is close to gaining AAU membership but is not an AAU member. Clemson and Louisville are not an AAU member school. Miami, Duke, and UNC are AAU members. AAU membership will likely continue to matter for the B1G school presidents. The expansion no-brainer for the B1G is Notre Dame. Notre Dame is committed through 2036 if it joins a conference to join the ACC. But will this be enforceable if the ACC falls apart? 

 

The SEC has member institutions in Florida and South Carolina but not in North Carolina. Would it be immediately accretive for the SEC to add UNC, Clemson, Miami, or FSU? If not, what discount would ACC teams accept to join the SEC? 

 

Although the ACC's deal with ESPN runs through 2036, in 2025 ESPN has the option to continue the ACC deal, or not. Behind the scenes, ESPN and Fox will likely influence expansion decisions as was the case with Oklahoma and Texas and the Pac-4 to the B1G.

 

 

 

 

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Josh Pate On Oregon Winning A National Title

 

College Football's 2024 season is approaching and that means bold predictions are back. On Late Kick Live Josh Pate responded to a viewer prediction about Oregon and Dan Lanning winning a national title this season. Do the Ducks have what it takes?

 

 

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