It wasn't long ago that your average team considered it a successful year if they played a New Years bowl game. This meant you were a contender in your conference and each game you held your breath because the air was relatively rare. To go 10-2 was a stellar year and 11-1 or better was euphoric to say the least. This is not the case anymore. Now? Lose one game and your school asks for your head.

Lose two games and the media is writing stories about your HC's ability to retain his job. Lose 3 games in the same year? Buy out a $50 million contract. (4) but who's counting? Oregon State has a new coach mid-season, so does Oklahoma St., Penn St, Florida, Arkansas, UCLA, VA Tech, Colorado St, Alabama-Birmingham. Is Wisconsin next?

Some of those teams needed it. But, mid-season? ....maybe. In my opinion we are seeing an overall change in expectation due to NIL. Schools, and their donors, are now allowed to drop serious money into their programs. One must ask, "If I donate $50 grand then shouldn't I get some return on my investments?" If the program receives 'Investments' that are north of $20 million then what's your expectation?

Ohio St is rumored at $35 million. Texas Tech $28 million. A quick Google search revealed that 15-20 teams have 'Invested' in the neighborhood of $20 million and up. Why? Not to come in 2nd place. And yet 8 of them won't even make the playoffs. The reality is that over the last 25 years most of the teams that have won a NC are named LSU, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio St, and Clemson. We have some singles in there and of course they are mostly Blue Bloods. NIL has evened the field to be sure...Texas Tech anyone? Indiana is a darling of a story. Will they be a perennial power?

If the NIL comes then they will demand it. And don't think for a second that Oregon won't (has already) drift(ed) into this thinking. It wasn't long ago that we all knew Oregon was punching above their weight. It wasn't until the last 2 full years we started seeing the difference. The results of the Cool school with the cash to flash has this team vying for a National Championship last year as well as this year.

But, ask yourself, 'if Oregon was a 10-2 team 3 years in a row, how much howling would be going on? Would Lanning be on the Hot seat? This is the face of ALL college football now. 10-2 is not enough. It's playoffs, first, period. We all would rather have a playoff bid rather than a conference championship. Fair enough. But, would you fire your coach that got you there just last year because they had a poor showing this year. Possibly. Storied programs have little patience anymore. The investment is too great.

When asked about the James Franklin firing, Dan Lanning spoke of how every coach including he...."were just two weeks away" from job insecurity. He stated that it goes with the territory as HC, so they certainly know the stakes.

1 hour ago, 1Funduck said:

But, ask yourself, 'if Oregon was a 10-2 team 3 years in a row, how much howling would be going on? Would Lanning be on the Hot seat?

That was basically life under Cristobal. We were howling that we were bringing in great recruiting classes but always lost one or two games we had no place in losing.

When Cristobal announced he was leaving for Miami that was one of the strangest feelings we have ever had as a fanbase.

On the one hand we were losing someone who had gotten us close to the playoff, had won a Rose Bowl and two conference championships. Cristobal was and remains a good coach but he wasn't going to be the coach to bring the Ducks a national title. We'll continue to see how he does at Miami. He has this strange way of winning enough, and often winning some of the big games to keep people happy but he always finds a way to lose the games he's not supposed to.

Cristobal is kinda the opposite of James Franklin.

Franklin wins the games he supposed to (until the collapse that is) but fails to win the big ones. Cristobal will win many of the big games but lose some head scratches.

Of course the Fighting Ducks. However I think Bama is going to be in the mix too.

36 minutes ago, Duckhart said:

Of course the Fighting Ducks. However I think Bama is going to be in the mix too.

It make me nervous to think that the Ducks might have to face KD with AL's talent in the CFP. To lose to KD in the CFP would really hurt.

Fire the coach?

Some of it is circumstantial.

Getting 10 wins, but two losses were to teams in games where your program was favored. Or, where your team lost because it played with little inspiration rather than an ill-timed referee's call.

A losing streak to your rival. DeBoer would feel the heat with 3 straight losses to Auburn, regardless of W-L.

Controversy over players who transfer out rather than retained.

And, so on. I think the fan expectations are more circumstantial than just W-L.

Great post and ponder point.

The first Playoff Committee Poll will be released on November 4th.

Last night on ESPN's Playoff Committee Championship Poll preview program, the participants agreed that we can all blame Curt Cignetti, with a helping of Clark Lea on the side. This, and while there is still uncertainty and more change to come to CFB, after the House settlement, people are more assured of what the near-term structure will be.

It was one thing for Ole Miss to pay big bucks for a coach and assemble a quality roster out of the portal; the Rebels have won six SEC titles. It was understandable that Oregon, with Uncle Phil's money, would come 'this close' a couple of times. But Indiana back-to-back in the College Football Playoff, joined by a Vanderbilt team with zero SEC titles this season? As Nick Saban noted on GameDay last Saturday when he picked LSU to defeat the Dores, 'I can't wrap my mind around Vandy not being an easy out.'

With the money we're paying Coach X and the cash us boosters have thrown at Good Old State, and with Indiana and Vandy in the top 10, what is wrong with our program? The coach, and maybe the AD also. Clean House!

CFB also has a playoff where you can lose two games, including one as late as possible in the regular season, and win a championship. This raises expectations for programs that had no shot at a BCS or a 4-team title.

It's hard for everyone, even the so-called 'Experts', to 'make sense' of today's CFB. See Clemson, Penn State, and Texas. Indiana couldn't be good back-to-back because the schedule is more difficult, and after all, it's Indiana. Coaches used to have at least three recruiting cycles to get their kind of players on board. Today? No way.

'Buy me to the Moon and let my team play among the Stars. Let me know what life is like with a Natty and Cigars.' If you have BILLIONS of dollars, why not go back to school? Buy your school out of being a long-time joke? The only difference between Men and Boys? The price of their toys.

In addition to the money, you do have to make smart decisions. Especially in the midst of egregious expectations. Fire Dan Mullen and hire Billy Napier, a guy with no experience coaching at CFB's top level? Hmmm. Hire a 62-year-old with no experience coaching at football's upper level. $$$$$. If Indiana and Vandy can do it, why not us at Texas Tech?

Dan gets it. It's all about using the portal wisely to build a championship-quality roster year after year. Oregon has 14 new starters this season and one loss, to the No. 2 team in the nation in a winnable game.

The Champ game? How about Alabama vs. Ohio State? But Vandy vs. Indiana would be delicious.

Waste Wisconsin!

the most recent AP No. 1 at end of season:

2024:  Ohio St

2023:  Michigan

2022:  Georgia

2020:  Alabama

2019:  LSU

2018:  Clemson

2013:  Florida St

2010:  Auburn

2008:  Florida

2005:  Texas

2004:  USC

2001:  Miami

2000:  Oklahoma

1998:  Tennessee

1995:  Nebraska

1990:  Colorado

1988:  Notre Dame

1986:  Penn St

1984:  BYU

1976:  Pitt

For list below, the final AP poll was before bowl games;

1960:  Minnesota - then, lost the Rose Bowl, for example

1959:  Syracuse

1953:  Maryland

1952:  Michigan St

1945:  Army

1939:  Tex A&M

Ole Miss was a "power" in 1959 and 1960, and No. 1 in some non-AP rankings. For example, 1960 would have been No. 1 if ranking after bowl game.

Would Nebraska and Notre Dame fans have believed back then, they would enter No-Title Land? Texas? USC?

Oregon at No. 2 final AP poll:

2014

2012

2001

Oregon at No. 3

2024

2010