Jon Joseph

Thank you, Darren. I'm cheering for the B1G and for B1G money. The B1G has not won it all since 2000. B12 commish Yormark already beats his breast enough; I don't want him to hurt himself. 😁 Michigan and Arizona have played the Tourney's best ball. Both teams swatted down worthy SEC opponents, Arizona over Arkansas, and Michigan's blowout of the Tennessee Vols. Purdue defeated Michigan to win the Big Ten tournament and had the halftime lead against Arizona before the Wildcats shut down the Boilermakers in the second half. Almost all of the 'experts' are calling for the winner of Saturday's nightcap to win it all. Michigan is a modest -1.5 favorite. But wait a minute! Hurley's UConn teams rarely lose tournament games. Illinois is the -2.5 favorite; however, on November 28th, UConn defeated Illinois 74-61 in a 'home game' played in Madison Square Garden, less than a three-hour drive from the UConn campus. The Illini's European players had yet to form a union (🙃) on defense, and frosh phenom Keaton Wagler was not yet starting at point guard. This team was excellent on offense the entire season, finishing No. 1 in KenPom's Adjusted Offense Efficiency. Overcoming numerous injuries, the Illinois defense improved over the season. In the Sweet 16 game in Houston, Illinois held a Houston team averaging 76.9 points a game to 55 points. In the Elite 8 game, Iowa shot 38% in the 2nd half. FWIW, Illinois is the tallest team in CBB, will have the size advantage over UConn, and the size to match up with Arizona or Michigan. Another advantage the Illini will have on Saturday, at least 50% of the crowd in Indianapolis on Saturday will be Michigan and Illinois fans. 60% plus of the crowd is likely to be Big Ten fans. I expect Michigan and all of the B1G fans in Lucas Oil Stadium in basketball-mad Indiana will be cheering loudly for Illinois. I don't think the Arizona fans will be all that invested in the winner of the first game. (Except for the family of 2025, Mr. Indiana Basketball Award winner, UConn hero Braylon Mullins, who played his high school basketball thirty minutes away from The Luke.) Also, no matter what B12 commissioner Brett Yormark has to say, the Big Ten was the deepest conference in college basketball in 2026. Both Illinois and Michigan played more difficult schedules than Arizona and UConn. One more thing that should favor Michigan, Arizona is a young team. Michigan has an impressive group of Seniors on the team. https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/michigan-basketball-seniors-x-factor-100906720.html This has been the Big Ten's tournament to date. I hope it lasts with an All B1G title game.

Thanks for the post. Fun stuff to read, but ... Three years is a snapshot. Best to make sure you don't make a B1G mistake and overreact to close-run things in football and basketball. The B1G beat goes on, and Dixie is dumped on. And I say, 'Not So Fast' in two respects. A year ago, the SEC owned March Madness. The B1G went 5-0 vs the SEC in this year's tourney, but except for the Michigan blowout of Tennessee, the games were close. Last season in football, the B1G won it all, but the SEC had five teams in the field, and Ole Miss was this close to playing for a title. And Bama was not the only football team destroyed by Indiana in the playoffs. 🤬 A terrific B1G run in football the last three seasons, no doubt. But this comes after a couple of decades of SEC dominance. Win with dignity, lose with grace. Let the other guy beat their 'It Just Means More' breasts. Success on the field, court, etc., speaks for itself without rubbing it in. Speak softly and carry a B1G stick. In the last year, LSU committed $252 million to athletics. Many SEC teams are all in on sports. Will the B1G win the CBB title this year? Will the B1G dominate the moneyball sports through the end of the decade? Maybe. Perhaps it's because I am a greybeard and have walked this mortal coil for a while that I believe three years of anything represents a trend, and not lasting dominance. But while it lasts, it's nice for OBD to be a part of the B1G fun.👍👌😍

ESPN's B1G take on B1G newcomers reduced to a Nutshell by an old CFB nut. Illinois - QB Katin Houser - Transfer from E. Carolina - The Fighting Illini are hoping that Houser is not a QB Hoser. Indiana - QB Josh Hoover - Transfer from TCU - Will Josh vacuum up as many wins as Fernando? Iowa - WR Tony Diaz - Transfer from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley - If Tony can catch as many passes per game as there are letters in his former school, UOTRGV, he could be the Hawkeyes pass game whole enchilada. Maryland - CB Amari Jackson - Transfer from Boston College - Looks like Locks believes in BC. Michigan - Freshman RB Savion Hiter - Whit is hoping that Savion will be a savior for the Wolverines run game. Michigan State - RB Cam Edwards - Transfer from UConn - If you can't beat them in basketball ... Minnesota - Edge TJ Bush - Transfer from Cal - Can a Golden Bear morph into a Golden Gopher? Nebraska - QB Anthony Colander - Transfer from UNLV - With Dylan Ducking out, why not see if a guy from UNLV is aces on the Pass Line? Northwestern - QB Aiden Chiles - Transfer from Michigan State by way of Oregon State - Honey Chiles is hoping his OC will be a Chip off the Ohio State championship block and not the guy who rolled Craps in Las Vegas. Ohio State - DB Earl Little Junior - Transfer from FSU - He comes from Tallahassee; he's got a high flyin' chassis. OREGON - S Koi Perich - Who knew that a Gopher has to Duck? Penn State - QB Rocco Becht - Transfer from Iowa State - Rocco is one of 24 players from Iowa State that a Cyclone blew into State College, PA. Purdue - WR Bisi Owens - Transfer from Penn - Ross-Ade Stadium, like Wrigley Field, now has Ivy in the house. Rutgers - DE Malachi Davis - Transfer from Toledo - Holy Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger! The Scarlet Knights' D was Mashed last season. Bringing in Davis looks like Schiano gives a Swit. UCLA - Edge Sahir West - Transfer from James Madison - One of the many JMU players following Coach Chesney On His Way West. USC - WR Terrell Anderson - Transfer from NC State - Linc is hoping this guy turns into a Lemon. Washington - DT DeSean Watts - Transfer from Sacramento State - A Watts in Seattle and not South Central? Wisconsin - QB Colton Joseph - Transfer from Old Dominion - On occasion, a name speaks for itself. 😁 Notre Dame - Nothing to see here. Move right along. ESPN.comTop newcomers for Notre Dame and every Big Ten team, and...Which new faces in the league will make the biggest impact for each school?

Top B1G Newcomers - ESPN.comTop newcomers for Notre Dame and every Big Ten team, and...Which new faces in the league will make the biggest impact for each school?

You Can Bet Your Buckeyes on Ohio State Having a Historic Draft - YardbarkerOhio State positioned for NFL Draft feat not seen since 1967How many Ohio State Buckeyes will hear their name called during the 2026 NFL Draft (scheduled April 23-25 in Pittsburgh)? Better yet, how many will go in the top 10?

Love for the Diamond Ducks! YardbarkerOregon Ducks Baseball Rolling Through Competition at Hist...The Oregon Ducks baseball team is playing some of the best ball in the country, having won eight straight series to open up the 2026 season. That includes

Wolverines women's basketball: An endangered species in Texas. Texas also handed UCLA its one loss of the season. YardbarkerMadison Booker nets 19 as Texas pounds Michigan to return...Madison Booker scored 19 points, Rori Harmon had 13 assists and flirted with a triple-double, and top-seeded Texas crushed Michigan 77-41 in an NCAA West Regional final in Fort Worth, Texas, on Monday

More Fun with SP+ Numbers - Oregon's Week 10 opponent, Ohio State, is the 2026 SP+ No. 1-ranked team—also, the poster boys (see below) for the first SP+ release. In 2024, no ranking, including SP+, saw Indiana coming. Last season, Clemson and Penn State were in the SP+ preseason top 10. Unfortunately, the CFB Committee does not, at least publicly, use the CBB Committee's Quadrant System to assign win and loss values based on the opponent played and where the games were played. If CFB had a Quad system, I believe it is reasonable to suggest that a top-25 win at home and a top-30 win on the road would be Quad 1 wins. Top 50 at home and 55 on the road would be Quad 2 wins. With this hypothetical in mind, these are OBD's 2026 SP+ opponents' rankings. Boise State - 39 - Quad(Q) 2 At Oklahoma State - 38 - Q 2 Portland State - NR USC - 13 - Q1 UCLA - 46 - Q2 Nebraska - 37 - Q2 At Illinois - 33 - Q1 Northwestern - 49 - Q2 At Ohio State - 1 - Q1 with a Buckeyes bullet! Michigan 14 - Q1 At Michigan State - 67 UW - 21 - Q1 Using my hypothetical, half of OBD's games would be Q1 games. Five would be Quad 2 games. Portland State will be a walkover. November's weather for the November 11th game against Michigan State in East Lansing could be a game equalizer. USC's first 4 opponents in 2026: San Jose State 122, Fresno State 78, LA-LA 104, at Rutgers 62. No Quad 1 or Quad 2 games in the first third of the 2026 schedule. SC replaced Notre Dame in October with a Week 0 game vs. San Jose State. The Trojans, along with Indiana, Nebraska, Penn State, and Washington, play only nine P4 opponents this season. All 16 SEC teams play 10 P4 opponents this season. CBS Sports ranking of the Big Ten's six most difficult schedules: 1. Ohio State, 2. Northwestern, 3. Oregon, 4. Nebraska, 5. Indiana, 6. Michigan Let's Play (Spring) Ball! April 25, 2026. ESPN.com2026 college football SP+ rankings for all 138 FBS teamsThe first SP+ rankings, plus strength of schedule and résumé SP+, for the 2026 season.

11-1, perhaps. But playing 8 straight games against Big Ten opposition and a double west to east yo-yo in November gives me pause. On November 7th in Columbus, I expect a 9 AM body clock time kick off. And Ohio State has many talented players on the O-side of the ball back. The weather in East Lansing, Michigan, on November 21st could be a great equalizer. OBD returns from Michigan State to play a UW team coming off a game in Seattle vs. Indiana. UW could be coming to Autzen with a victory over Cig and the Hoosiers and a chance for a spot in the playoff field. Indiana will not be an easy out, but the game is being played in the Pacific time zone, not the Eastern time zone. A plus for UW. Will the SC D step up under Gary Patterson? The offense will score points behind the now-experienced QB Maiava. I think the Week 4 game at SC is a defining moment for SC football under Lincoln Riley, and the Trojans and their fans will be geeked for this game. If you asked Trojan fans if they'd rather beat Oregon in Week 4 or Ohio State in Week 9, I think the majority would take a win over the Ducks, not the Bucks. SC has the easier early schedule. Three G6 opponents at home without one of the G6 teams being as dangerous as Boise State. SC does have to travel to Rutgers the week before the Oregon game, but I'll take that game over having to play at Oklahoma State in Week 2 with the Cowboys bringing a new HC, a QB, Drew Mestemaker, who led the nation in passing last season, and an improved roster including the Mestermaker's top receivers and running backs, and three players who started in front of Mestemaker on the North Texas O-line. After last season's pounding, OK State fans will be out to pluck Duck feathers, in a stadium that is loud with the crowd right on top of the visiting team's bench. Oregon also gets another short end of the scheduling stick, having to play Nebraska in Eugene before traveling to play Illinois in Week 9, with the Illini off the week before Oregon's visit. The Oregon O-line had lapses last season, but it was a Joe Moore Award finalist. Will three new starters on the O-line come through? Will the new OC and DC pan out? Will Dante be better prepared to play under physical and mental pressure? In this NIL era, the roster depth, even on Blue Chip Roster teams like OBD, will be tested by the worst part of the game, injuries. Of course, I hope you are correct in your 11-1 or better call, but there are too many questions IMO to bet the Over 10.5. Many of the 2026-27 playoff contenders have easier schedules than Oregon, and the schedule is harder next season. Gulp. Thanks for the article, and Go Ducks!

He looks good, but I wish Kenyon would hit the weight room more often. He has to have at least half of one percent body fat, no? 🤪

Final 4 Broadcast Information - https://sports.yahoo.com/mens-college-basketball/article/march-madness-final-four-schedule-how-to-watch-keep-up-with-uconn-illinois-michigan-arizona-in-indianapolis-002940311.html

I'm hoping the predicted OBD vs Boise score happens. Hats off to CBS Sports for dissing Notre Dame's 2026 weak schedule. I hope Dabo crushes Kiffin and L$U. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-predictions-early-picks-week-1-2026-schedule-lsu-clemson-notre-dame-wisconsin/

Hail to the Victors? https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/24481271/final-four-teams-ranking-march-mandess-mens-national-championship?ueid=66c3ca35924fb3254520a3f8fe2aa9ce&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SB%20Nation%20Daily

AP - Four Storylines for the Final 4 - AP NewsMarch Madness: Here's a storyline to watch about each of...Arizona, Michigan, UConn and Illinois have reached the Final Four. The Wildcats and Wolverines got there as No. 1 seeds. The Huskies are a No. 2 seed.

I'm hoping this is a foreshadowing of more B1G/SEC challenges in Football, and Men's and Women's basketball. Ernie Banks, "Let's play two!", at Wrigley Field, comes true. The Ducks will play Mizzou in CoMo, a/k/a Columbia, Missouri. https://goducks.com/news/2026/3/30/womens-volleyball-big-ten-sec-challenge-match-at-mizzou Ohio StateBig Ten and SEC Announce 2026 Volleyball Challenge | Ohio...The Big Ten Conference and Southeastern Conference announced the 2026 Big Ten / SEC Volleyball Challenge on Monday. All 18 Big Ten teams and 16 SEC teams wil...

Not so fast, JJ - 2nd-seeded Michigan plays the 1st-seeded Texas women's team today in Fort Worth, Texas, for the last spot in the Women's Final 4. 7 PM/ 4 PM - ESPN

FYI - from a Jon Wilner Hotline ($ Wall) article. Before yesterday's loss by Duke, No. 1 seeds in the Tournament were 134-0 when leading by 15 points or more at the half. Duke's loss to UConn joins last season's late meltdown versus Houston, and the Blue Devils' fans would like to see Coach K retire from retirement and back on the Duke bench. UConn coach Dan Hurley is 10-0 Against the Spread in Sweet 16, Elite 8, and Final 4 games. Again, I caution against recency bias; the SEC dominated last season's tournament. But in this season's tournament, the Big Ten went 5-0 against the SEC. "It Just Means More B1G Wins?" 😁😁😁😁😁

Thank you, Vince Scul, er, Charles, for the great B1G baseball coverage of OBD and other Big Ten and Pacific time zone programs. The notes on Oregon's pitching prowess brought me back to Vin Scully's call of Don Larsen's perfect game in 1956 - "Got him! The greatest game ever pitched ... A no-hitter, a perfect game, in the World Series." 1956 was the last time the Brooklyn Dodgers played in a World Series. In 1958, the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to LA, and the New York Giants moved to San Francisco. St. Louis was no longer Major League Baseball's western-most team. The iconic Scully called the Dodgers games for 67 years, 1950 - 2016. He was also at the mike for Hank Aaron's 715th home run in 1974, and a lame in both legs, Kirk Gibson's pinch-hit, walk-off home run against Oakland A's closer Dennis Eckersley to win a 1988 World Series game in extra innings. In 1956, I listened to Scully calling Larsen's perfect game on my transistor radio. I was fortunate enough to watch Hank Aaron's record-breaking home run and Michigan State man Gibson's game-deciding home run. Charles, you have decades left to cover your beloved Ducks!

CBS Sports has the Nebraska Spring Game Covered. Nebraska visits Autzen on 10/17, the Saturday after OBD hosts UCLA. The only time in 2026 that Oregon will play back-to-back home games. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/anthony-colandreas-nebraska-spring-game-dylan-raiola/

Two B1G teams in the Men's Final 4, Illinois and Michigan, and 2 B1G teams, Wisconsin and Michigan, in the Frozen 4. Michigan, with a 4-3 win over Minnesota-Duluth, joins Wisconsin as one of the last four teams skating. Wisconsin vs. North Dakota and Michigan vs Denver in the semifinals. And do not forget the women. Michigan's women's basketball team also advances to the Final 4, joining UCLA. The 3rd NCAA postseason tourney with two Big Ten schools in the finals. Many a grape is being squeezed tonight in Ann Arbor.🤪 With both basketball teams in the Final 4 and the ice hockey team in the Frozen 4, it's hard to believe that Wolverines are an endangered species. Go Blue. Go Bruins. And let the champagne flow in Champaign.

Life is only a movie, right? Braylon Mullins, the UConn freshman who hit the winning basket against Duke, played at Greenfield-Central High School in Greenfield, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis. Mullins, the 2025 Indiana Mr. High School Basketball Player of the Year, heads home to compete against Illinois in the Final 4. 🤔 Hmmmm.

UCLA's Women's Team, behind the play of All Big Ten Player of the Year Lauren Betts, dunks Duke, 70-58. UCLA moves on to the women's Final 4. The Bruins 35th win of the season sets the Big Record for Women's Basketball. I don't know about kings, but No Dukes are left in the 2026 basketball tourney play, which IMO is A-OK. 😍

Holy Hurley! Duke pulls defeat from the jaws of victory. Duke simply had to hold the ball to run out the clock, but a Duke player passed the ball, the pass was blocked and turned over, and with two seconds left, UConn freshman Braylon Mullins hits a desperation 3 from well beyond the 3-point line - UConn 73 - Duke 72 - and Mullins will never have to pick up a check in the Nutmeg State. Illinois will play UConn in a Final 4 semifinal game in Indianapolis. A Final 4 with two Big Ten teams, a Big 12 team, and a Big East team. Madness indeed. 🤪 ESPN.comUConn rallies, stuns Duke on last-second 3 to reach Final...UConn eliminated No. 1 overall seed Duke from the men's NCAA tournament on Braylon Mullins' 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left. 36 years later, UConn pays back Duke and Christian Laettner. 😍

The Final Four will be played in Indianapolis. The 1 seed Michigan matches up against 1 seed Arizona on Saturday, April 4, 2026, in a contest featuring KenPom's top two teams. The 3-seed Illinois will play the winner of the 1-seed Duke vs. the 2-seed UConn. With eight minutes remaining, Duke is ahead by 11 points. (Update to follow at the end of the game.) The Big Ten comes in with half of the Final 4, but the semifinal games will be as tough as they can get. Arizona Desert SwarmFinal Four: Arizona men’s basketball to face Michigan in...Your best source for quality Arizona Wildcats news, rumors, analysis, stats and scores from the fan perspective.

The Empire Does Not Strike Back, it Strikes Out of the Tourney - Michigan 95 - Tennessee 62 Half of the Final 4 is B1G! 👌👍😍