Jon Joseph

Dante Moore is ranked No. 1 in CBS Sports' ranking of the 2026 Top 50 QBs. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-qb-power-rankings-dante-moore-oregon/ Someone at CBS Sports must have noticed that No. 2 Golden Archie Manning finished 38th in the 2025 QBR rankings. Auburn WR Cam Coleman transferred to UT and has been proclaimed as 2026's top transfer. In 12 games last season, Coleman had a drop rate of 6.7%. In 14 games last season and with more throws targeted in his direction, Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith finished with a drop rate of 1.8%. Other Big Ten QBs in the top 50 and when Oregon will play against them if their team is on the 2026 schedule. No. 5 Julian Sayin - Week 10 in Columbus The 2025 Heisman Award finalist who finished 2nd in 2025 QB Ratings is ranked behind Miami's Darien Mensah? Dante is No. 1, in part, because of his receiving corps. Ohio State doesn't have a good receiving corps? I'll give you Baby J and match him against Jeremiah. But unlike Sayin, Mensah will not play against six teams ranked in the preseason Top-25. --- No. 7 Jayden Maiava - Week 4 in LA. In front of 54,00 fans (🤪), Maiava got off to a good start against a bad opponent. --- No. 8 Josh Hoover - Indiana - Hoover enters 2026 with the most career passing yards in CFB. --- No. 17 Demond Williams - Washington - Week 13 - Autzen Stadium Why is a QB who put up over 3500 yards of offense in 2025 ranked this low? --- No. 24 Bryce Underwood - Michigan - Week 12 - Autzen Stadium One of 2026's BIG questions: Under the leadership of a functional, post-puberty coaching staff, including OC Jason Beck, how much will Bryce improve? Michigan has a tough schedule, but if the offense improves, eight home games give Michigan a chance to finish 10-2 and make the 2026 PO field. --- No. 25 Rocco Becht - Penn State Coming into 2026, Rocco's 26 career victories are the most in CFB. --- No. 26 Anthony Colandrea - Nebraska - Week 7 - Autzen Stadium Will the 2025 Mountain West Player of the Year have similar success in the Power 2? --- No. 27 Katin Houser - Illinois - Week 8 - Champaign-Urbana, Illinois In 2025, Houser led East Carolina to a 9-4 record with a bowl win over ACC Pitt. --- No. 31 Malik Washington - Maryland Considering the support, or lack thereof, that Washington received from his teammates in 2025, the true freshman and now sophomore had a very good season. --- No. 35 Nico Iamaleava - UCLA - Week 6 - Autzen Stadium In 2026, with a better surrounding cast from Bob Chesney on down, I think Nico will perform better than this ranking, and UCLA will finish 8-4 or 9-3. --- No. 36 Drake Lindsey - Minnesota Another B1G QB who is ranked too low. The deeper conference? Interesting test when Mississippi State visits in Week 2. --- No. 41 Colton Joseph - Wisconsin The Badgers open the season against No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 6-ranked QB CJ Carr. Joseph and Wisconsin will have a chance to prove themselves against the toughest Week 1 opponent a Big Ten team plays. --- Also on the schedule: No. 15 Drew Mestemaker - Oklahoma State - Week 2 - Stillwater, Oklahoma The waters will be anything but still in the Cowboys' home opener when Oregon comes to town. 2025's FBS leading passer Mestemaker is joined by 18 North Texas teammates who followed coach Eric Morris to OK State. --- And a HUH? for: No. 19 Keelon Russell - Alabama - Russell has never started a game for Alabama. No. 30 Lincoln Kienholz - Louisville - Like Russell, Ohio State transfer Kienholz has never started a game. No. 24 Louisville opens the season vs No. 9 Mississippi and No. 3-ranked QB Trinidad Chambliss this Sunday in Nashville, Tennessee. If anything, Trinidad, the best dual-threat QB in CFB, may be ranked too low. BEAT BOISE!

QB, or not QB? CBS Sports has Dante ranked at the top of the 2026 CFB QBs. Someone at CBS Sports must have noticed that Golden Archie finished 38th in the 2025 QB Ratings. And perhaps someone at CBS Sports noticed that new UT WR All-Universe Cam Coleman had a 6.7% drop rate last season. Jeremiah Smith played two more games than Coleman, and with more throws coming his way, had a drop rate of 1.8% https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-qb-power-rankings-dante-moore-oregon/

If the B1G isn't already tough enough - You can have the best recruiting classes and the most draft picks, but without solid coaching, you will not ipso facto have the best teams. As to the SEC being deeper than the Big Ten, I'll match a down Auburn with a down Wisconsin. And Week 2 sees Oklahoma at Michigan, Ohio State at Texas, and Mississippi State at Minnesota. A small but interesting sample of what should be more games between the Power 2. Why not more? ESPN and its water bearer, Greg Sankey. [ Sorry, Badgers QB Colton Joseph, but Cortes didn't burn the boats; he scuttled the boats. I'm hoping Wisconsin doesn't s(t)ink this season. 😁] AP NewsMichigan coach Kyle Whittingham is a man of discipline, l...Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham will turn 67 in November while preparing to play rival Ohio State, but the 6-foot, 220-pound former linebacker looks fit enough to play some snaps for the Wolverines. AP NewsWisconsin reaches out to its past as it attempts to recap...Wisconsin reacted to back-to-back losing seasons by tackling the dual challenge of restocking its talent base through the portal while making sure those transfers understood what it takes to win.

Early on, Mahomes knew that Bo had 'IT.' AP NewsPower shift: Mahomes saw it early: The moment Bo Nix sign...The Denver Broncos ended the Kansas City Chiefs' nine-year reign atop the AFC West last season. Patrick Mahomes sensed the power shift even in mid-November 2024.

The annual oxymoronic is upon us. With apologies to Week 0, Labor Day weekend is when we celebrate the true start of the college football (CFB) season by not laboring on the Labor Day holiday and instead bingeing on college football from Thursday 9/3 through Monday 9/7.😍 Reactions to Week 1 games will undoubtedly follow suit with the overreaction to Week 0 games. I don't believe the UNC offense that put up 13 points against TCU under genius OC Bobby Petrino is ready to rampage through the ACC, that Billy Bob's job is safe, or that Jordon Hudson will use her fifth season of eligibility to captain the Tar Heels cheerleaders. I don't believe TCU will finish the season defeated, or that UVA's beatdown of NC State means that the Cavaliers are a playoff lock. I don't believe the Coliseum will be empty when Oregon, Washington, and Ohio State visit LA. I do believe that former FCS power and now a Mountain West Conference member, North Dakota State that destroyed CUSA Conference member Jacksonville State 33- 7 in Week 0, will contend for the conference title and the G6 spot in the 2025 CFB playoffs. All times are Pacific. Odds from Polymarket Traders. AP Poll rankings, including Others Receiving Votes, are used for team rankings. 28 BOISE STATE at OREGON -24.5 - AP No. 28 Boise State at 2nd-ranked Oregon this Saturday is the closest the Big Ten comes in Week 1 to a top-25 vs. top-25 matchup. Polymarket Traders give Oregon a 95% chance to win and a 52% chance to cover. OBD is the highest-ranked team that Boise State has ever played. This is the B1G's biggest game in Week 1, and Boise State's chance to show off on national TV. Saturday, September 5, 2026, 12:30 PM. The Oregon season that begins with a natiowide broadcast on CBS hopefully ends on January 25, 2027, with a National Championship in Las Vegas. Week 1 football begins with B1G games on Thursday, September 3rd. UMASS at RUTGERS -29.5 - 3 PM Big Ten Network (BTN) - Rutgers has two All-B1G players on offense. Nevertheless, weddings should be attended, and picnics need not be interrupted. EASTERN ILLINOIS at MINNESOTA -43.5 - 5 PM - Peacock - Some B1G team had to get the bird, right? Much B1Gger game next week when SEC Mississippi State visits Minneapolis. UAB at No. 33 ILLINOIS -27.5 - 6 PM BTN - Oregon plays at Illinois in Week 8, with the Illini coming off a Week 7 bye. Underrated Illinois finished with nine wins in 2025 and 10 wins in 2024, with season-ending bowl victories over South Carolina and Tennessee. --- FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4th INDIANA STATE at PURDUE -36.5 - 4 PM BTN Yes, Virginia, Purdue will win a game this season. Holy Larry Bird! Larry's Sycamores are 5 TD+ underdogs to a team that has not won a Big Ten game in the last two seasons. Mercy! TOLEDO at MICHIGAN STATE -10.5 - 5 PM FS1 Hopefully Fitz's Spartans will handle MAC title contender Toledo in his opener in East Lansing. This should be a competitive game. FRESNO STATE at 14 USC -21.5 - 6 PM Fox At least 54,000 fans will be in attendance, right? SC is favored to go 2-0 with wins over Mountain West San Jose State and Pac-12 Fresno State. This season, Fresno State plays Boise State in Fresno and has a legitimate chance to win the (gulp) Pac-12 title. This is a much better team than the San Jose State team SC defeated in Week 0. This game could be close well into the second half. No. 7 MIAMI -24.5 at STANFORD - 6 PM ESPN Stanford is 1-0 after a close Week 0 win over Hawaii at Stanford Stadium. The ACC starts conference play earlier than the other Power 4 conferences. Last week, UVA sent ACC dark horse contender NC State to the glue factory. In 2025, Miami played ten games, including the title game against Indiana, in Florida. The farthest Miami traveled was a trip to Dallas to play SMU and a postseason trip to Dallas to play Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. This one trip to play Stanford on Friday night is close to the mileage Miami traveled in the 2025 season. Two years ago, when Miami traveled to Berkeley to play Cal and its QB Fernando Mendoza, the Canes were fortunate after knocking Mendoza out of the game to score 21 4th quarter points and escape with a 39 to 38 victory. However, in 2026, Stanford is not as good as Cal was in 2024, and Fernando's in Vegas. I think Miami will cover the -24.5 point spread. (But last week I thought TCU would defeat UNC, and that North Carolina State would cover the 5.5 spread in favor of UVA. 🤬) --- Saturday, 9/5: Games in addition to BOISE STATE at OREGON. OHIO at NEBRASKA -24.5 - 9 AM FS1 Will UNLV transfer and 2025 Mountain West Player of the Year, QB Anthony Colandrea, be able to fill Dylan Raiola's cleats? Will Coach Ruhle defeat a ranked team for the first time in his fourth season at Nebraska? The first opportunity should come on October 10th, when Indiana visits Lincoln. No. 6 INDIANA -40.5 vs NORTH TEXAS - 9 AM Fox This game being the Fox Nooner speaks to the paucity of B1G quality opponents in Week 1. The guts of this No. Texas team can be found in Stillwater, Oklahoma. If Cig releases the Hoosiers and wants to give new QB Josh Hoover as many reps as possible, this game could get as ugly as the kid whose mom puts meat around his neck so the dog will play with him. 🤪 18 PENN STATE -24.5 vs MARSHALL - 12:30 PM FS1 Marshall is ranked 88th in the CBS preseason poll; accordingly, the Thundering Herd represent Penn State's toughest out-of-conference opponent. Week 2 opponent Temple is ranked 104th, and Week 3 opponent Buffalo is ranked 114th. I'm fairly certain Matt Campbell will begin his tenure at Penn State 3-0. 22 IOWA -31.5 vs. NORTHERN ILLINOIS - 1:15 PM BTN No matter the starter at QB, the Hawkeyes cruise. 16 MICHIGAN -28.5 vs. WESTERN MICHIGAN - 4:30 PM NBC Welcome, Coach Whit, to the Big Ten. This is the first of Michigan's eight home games. In-state opponent Western Michigan is the defending MAC champion and one of the favorites to win the MAC in 2026. Notwithstanding Western's Big Mac bona fides, the competition ratchets up a bit in Week 2 when No. 10 Oklahoma visits the Big House. MARYLAND -45.5 vs a Hamper, er, HAMPTON - 5 PM BTN If you are not the Bald Man on Campus and you are watching this game, please dial 1-800-GET-LIFE. NORTHWESTERN -13.5 vs SOUTH DAKOTA STATE - 5 PM BTN FCS Power SDS is not a cupcake. Will Chip and Jerry Neuheisel improve QB Aiden Chiles' play and improve the NW O? UCLA -0.5 at CAL - 7:30 PM ESPN An old Pac-12 at Nite matchup presents an early test for new coaches, Bob Chesney and Tosh Lupoi. Will the UCLA Bruins get some payback for the $10 million-a-year Palamony Payment to the Golden Bears? (If the fight songs sound the same, it doesn't mean you've had too much to drink. 🤪) A sellout is expected, and the majority of fans will not be disguised as empty seats. --- SUNDAY 9/6 - 17 WASHINGTON -27.5 vs WASHINGTON STATE - 1 PM NBC The point spread indicates a rotten Apple Cup for the Pac-12 Cougars. WISCONSIN +20.5 vs No. 4 NOTRE DAME - Green Bay, Wisconsin - 4:30 PM NBC Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman played for Luke Fickell the one season Fickell was the interim coach at Ohio State and coached for Luke at Cincinnati. Can Badgers QB Colton Joseph (😁) stay healthy and keep the game from turning into a blowout? Last season, Joseph's first play from scrimmage was a 76-yard TD run against Indiana in Bloomington, one of the few times in 2025 the Hoosiers trailed in a game. No. 9 OLE MISS -6.5 vs 24 LOUISVILLE in Nashville, TN. - 4:30 PM NBC 91 games will be played in Week 1. This is the one game that matches up Top 25 teams. 😧 --- MONDAY, 9/7 19 SMU -2.5 at FSU - 4:30 PM ESPN After struggling for a win against New Mexico State in Week 0, the 1-0 Seminoles take on SMU, one of the favorites to win the ACC in 2026. The SMU schedule is ranked 54th by SP+. SMU misses Miami and Clemson and hosts UVA. If the Ponies can defeat FSU and win at Louisville in Week 3, SMU will have a good chance of playing for the ACC title and a decent shot at a playoff spot no matter the outcome of the game later in the season at Notre Dame. Get Your Popcorn + IPAs Ready & Let's Watch OBD BEAT BOISE!

And we won't back down! https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/49796730/tennessee-chancellor-says-sec-not-budge-nfl-rule I imagine the SEC will get an objective ruling from a state court judge in Baton Rouge, right? Chaos follows Kiffin.

ESPN's Heather Dinich lists Boise State at Oregon as this season's 2nd most impactful OOC game behind Ohio State at Texas. https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/49735073/college-football-playoff-watch-september

Ducks on NFL 2026 rosters - The NFL Flock continues to grow - https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/all_oregon_ducks_who_made_nfl_rosters_after_cuts/s1_16787_44243139?utm_source=mb&utm_medium=email&mb_edition=20260901&mb_loc=right_h

SI's Pat Forde ranks CFB's 10 conferences by football success. Yes, the B1G is No. 1. SIForde-Yard Dash: No Doubt Who Tops College Football’s Ear...The Big Ten is No. 1 until proven otherwise, while Week Zero offered clues as to where the rest of the sport stacks up.

They're a LSUer? The Portal King banished to the B12? 😁 https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/breaking-news/article/sec-school-leaders-exploring-extreme-steps-over-lsus-plan-to-sign-former-pro-athletes-including-potential-expulsion-competition-boycott-and-federal-lawsuit-17481393

This ranking of the 5 best Oregon QBs goes way back to Norm Van Brocklin - Marcus Mariota is the well-deserved No. 1 - https://athlonsports.com/college-football/greatest-oregon-ducks-quarterbacks-ranked

Hayes comes out with guns blazing, pointed at Riley and Troy. 🤬 If Linc goes missing after this season, fine. But this after one game? https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2026/08/31/usc-football-attendance-coliseum-lincoln-riley-hot-seat-12-million/91542840007/?utm_source=usat-path-to-playoff-nletter76&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sports

There wasn't much competition, and not many fans watched in person, but it was a good outing for SC QB Maiava. AP NewsAP Player of the Week: USC's Jayden Maiava passed for 286...Southern California quarterback Jayden Maiava is The Assocated Press national college football player of the week.

Week 1 will probably be Boise's only chance to show off on national TV in the regular season. Boise State Broncos On SIWhat No. 2 Oregon means for Boise State’s CFP hopes in 2026Will this finally be the year Oregon breaks through and captures the program’s first championship? Rated the best college football program without a national t

A response (excuse) from the Sons of South Central. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2026/08/30/usc-empty-crowd-turnout-week-0-opener-college-football/91538861007/

Thank you, David, for another terrific and timely article. It's great that Charles has posted a season prediction contest. I'm waiting to put my two cents in (probably worth less) until the starting roster for the Boise game is revealed, with an eye on the O-line. A true first-year player or two starting on the O-line? If you're good enough, you're old enough, but the play of the O-line is a ballet that requires cohesion more than any other position group. I hope the starting O-line hasn't been set because of rigorous, close competition rather than a lack of talent. I certainly trust the coaching staff, but I expected more than one O-line player to be picked up from the portal. QBs, edge rushers, and O-line players command premium portal payments. OBD is set at two of these three positions, and I understand dropping out of the bidding for an OT like Seaton, who is making big bank in Baton Rouge. (LSU, between coaching firings, hirings, and 40 new players from the portal, is now a program beating the bushes for private equity. May Kiffin be hoist on his own petard. 💩) A new college football paradigm has been created by NIL, unregulated free agency, judges who function with injunctions, and battling billionaires. You have to be wise about where the money is spent. Texas Tech had a great D last season. The Oregon D turned the Red Raiders' O into an Orange Bowl zero. Dan and his support staff have done a terrific job on both the recruiting and portal fronts. But I sure wish that Portland State was visiting in Week 1 and not the top-ranked G6 program, with a rare opportunity to show its playoff bona fides on national television. I hope the O-line will be prepared to pave the way for a beatdown of Boise. Thanks again for starting the week with an insightful article.

Thanks for another terrific post. The Seminoles struggled yesterday at home vs New Mexico State. Next up for FSU: No. 19 SMU, followed by a road game at No. 13 Alabama. Norvell's team better make a big jump from Week 1 to Week 2. Belichick won yesterday, moving Norvell up to first on the list to be fired in 2026.

Three Bold Boise State Predictions. Oregon Ducks On SIThree Bold Predictions Before Oregon Ducks vs. Boise Stat...The Oregon Ducks are inching closer to their first contest of the college football season, as they will begin their 2026 outing when they take on the Boise Stat

No Easy Day. The Cowboys fans will be fired up for the home opener post-Mullet. Oregon Ducks On SIOregon vs. Oklahoma State Stakes Rise For This One ReasonWhile the No. 2 Oregon Ducks prepare for their season opener on Sept. 5 against the Boise State Broncos at Autzen Stadium, many fans are also looking forward to

SC's backups? Meh. But the starting players are a different story. AP NewsJayden Maiava, new playmakers lead No. 14 USC to 42-26 wi...Jayden Maiava passed for 286 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score, and No. 14 Southern California opened a season of high expectations with a 42-26 victory over San Jose State.

Spot On! However, SC being thin in quality backups is the norm in today's college football world with NIL and unregulated free agency. Saint Nick, for one, knew the time was right to jump ship.

Boise State 3 - Oregon 1. Right? Just Win, Baby! Old Huey Bris scares the whey out of me. With a new O-line, I have my doubts OBD will cover the -24.5. With a 16-game or 17-game season needed to win it all, player health has to be the guiding principle. On December 6, 2026, the number of points scored against a G6 team in Week 1 is not going to factor into Oregon's ranking or PO seeding. On the other hand, for its PO hopes, Boise coach Spencer Danielson knows that his team needs to keep the score close, and that Boise State will not play another game this season against the 2nd-ranked team in the nation on national television. Last season, No. 1 seed Indiana did not play a P4 opponent OOC and was fortunate to win on the road against 4-loss Iowa and 6-loss Penn State. No penalty for two close wins against teams not in contention for the PO. The folks on the PO Committee are influenced by wins and losses. Last season, if Texas had defeated 4-8 Florida by a single point, the Longhorns would have been in the PO field. Win the darn game and get ready for a road game against another fired-up, rebuilt opponent in front of a rabid crowd.

I. Further consolidation of teams financially able to compete into an NFL-Lite structure, including a draft, a salary cap, restrictions on free agency, enforced poaching penalties, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement with football players recognized as employees. (We could also see NBA-Lite for Men's basketball.) To avoid Title IX issues, the Moneyball sports take no money from schools and operate as partnerships outside a school's athletic department. Private equity, including investments by boosters, is the source of capital needed to cover startup operations free of public university money. With NFL-Lite, there is a return to regional competition for the other sports. II. Legislative help in response to judges not allowing the NCAA and now the Power 4 conferences to regulate college athletics, including determining eligibility. AP NewsCollege sports kicks off its season under the long shadow...Threats and lawsuits have rocked college sports for weeks. The NCAA's new five-year eligibility rule has led to lawsuits, with all major conferences barring players from returning after turning pro. III. Atlas shrugs? Without protection from litigation, the Power 4 announce that they will stop awarding athletic scholarships and directly paying athletes. If the arena disappears, there goes NIL. These are my WAGs. The final format will follow the money.

In a low-scoring game, this insipid call stopped a TCU drive. CFB-HQ On SIUNC-TCU May Have Already Given College Football Its Worst...A new taunting rule was supposed to give college football officials clearer guidelines heading into the 2026 season. Instead, it produced one of the most argued

Come on, Man! You can't see 40,000 cardinal colored tee shirts blending in with the robust cardinal-colored seats. What, are you blind? 🤪 According to Delta Force, camouflage helps you Fake On!🥸