Jon Joseph

Thank you, H Duck. I too read the article on The Athletic. 87 new players on the OK State roster ties Prime Time at CU in 2023. This is a brand-new and far better team than the Mullet Mess that OBD blew out in Autzen last season. One item in the article I don't believe: the Tulsa World reports that North Texas QB transfer Drew Mestermaker signed a $7.5 million deal. $3.5M in 2026, and $4M in 2027. That's around what Darien Mensah is being paid by Mario and the Canes. In Week 1, OBD opens against the top-ranked G6 team. In Week 2, Oregon plays OK State in the Cowboys home opener with a 9 AM Pacific kickoff time. Why Mullens scheduled this series is beyond me. OBD could be playing at home vs. New Mexico State. At least Rob dumped the home-and-home series with Baylor. I won't ever bet against the Ducks, but Oregon -28.5 is a line begging to lay the points in favor of the Cowboys. Good call on The Athletic, but many of the best writers post the NY Times acquisition have migrated to On3, which also includes Rivals and Ken Massey Rankings sites. The first two weeks of the season will be tough games against motivated opponents.

An under-the-radar recruit who could contribute above his recruiting ranking - YardbarkerMost Underrated Player in Oregon Ducks’ Recruiting ClassSince Oregon coach Dan Lanning's arrival in December of 2021, the Ducks have worked tirelessly to bring the nation's best prospects to Eugene. Lanning has brought a top-10 recruiting class to Eugene i

The B1G better prepare for these Duck Diaper Dandies - Oregon Ducks On SIThe Oregon Ducks Freshman Who Could Change the OffenseBack in late June, the NCAA's Division I Cabinet voted to greenlight a five-year, age-based eligibility structure in an effort to combat the complications aroun

A 2026-27 Playoff Field prediction from USA Today has Oregon as the 4-seed with Ohio State, Indiana, and USC (?) also in the field. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sec/2026/07/07/cfp-predictions-odds-2026-season-college-football-notre-dame-usc/90779148007/?utm_source=usatoday-sports-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=usatba Oregon plays Ohio State and USC, with both games on the road. Ohio State plays Oregon in Columbus and is on the road at Indiana and SC. Indiana hosts Ohio State and USC. USC plays Oregon and Ohio State in LA and is on the road at Indiana. With the top teams meeting one another, and Michigan with the nation's No. 7-ranked strength of schedule, I'm not certain the B1G will have these four teams and Michigan finishing with two or fewer losses. Penn State misses Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon, plays USC at home, and is the Big Ten's PO wild card. In addition to SC, Penn State plays Wisconsin, Purdue, Minnesota, and Rutgers at home. PSU plays Northwestern and Maryland on the road, with its two toughest games on the road at Michigan and Washington. 3 donut holes OOC give Penn State an excellent chance to finish 10-2 or better in Matt Campbell's first season. But the schedule is weak, and 10-2 may not be good enough for a playoff invitation. Play Ball! Beat Boise!

A look at the 2026 Penn State (Iowa State East) Nittany Lions - One of the easiest schedules in the Big Ten will help new coach Matt Campbell's cause. With its 2026 schedule, PSU could go 10-2 and contend for the playoff like 10-2 Indiana did in Curt Cignetti's first season. https://athlonsports.com/college-football/penn-state-football-2026-nittany-lions-season-preview-prediction

A Wisconsin Badgers Football Preview - College Football Predicts a 7-5 season for Bucky - https://collegefootballnews.com/college-football/wisconsin-football-preview-2026

Under the articles-only college football rankings topic, NJ Duck and others have done a great job of posting articles from many sources predicting the top teams in the 2026 season. Because a team's strength of schedule (SOS) varies so widely, here's a look at how College Football News (CFN) ranks CFB's most difficult schedules. Also shown is a ranked team's most difficult out-of-conference (OOC) game, followed by a team's 2026 preseason SP+ ranking. You'll note that many lower SP+ preseason-ranked teams are playing the most difficult schedules. For instance, SP+ No. 56 Purdue, in addition to a difficult Big Ten schedule, hosts both SP+ No. 3 Notre Dame and P4 No. 56 Wake Forest. That's 11 P4 games for Purdue, a team that would benefit from playing no P4 opponent OOC, like in-state neighbor Indiana. SOS Ranking/ Toughest OOC Game/SP+ Ranking - 1 Arkansas - at No. 24 Utah - SP+ 47 2 Oklahoma - at No. 14 Michigan - SP+ 13 3 Texas - vs. No. 1 Ohio State - SP+ No. 6 4 Purdue - vs. No. 3 Notre Dame - SP+ 82 5 Florida - at 35 Florida State - SP+ 19 6 OREGON - at 38 Oklahoma State and vs. 39 Boise State - OBD is ranked 2nd by SP+ 7 Michigan - vs. No. 12 Oklahoma - SP+ 16 8 Alabama - vs. No. 35 Florida State - SP+ 11 9 Mississippi State - at 45 Minnesota - SP+ 52 10 Kentucky - vs. 27 Louisville - SP+ 53 11 Missouri - at 55 Kansas - SP+ 20 12 Tennessee - at 43 Georgia Tech - SP+ 15 13 Colorado - at 43 Georgia Tech and at 49 Northwestern - SP+ 65 - 11 Prime Time games for the Buffaloes - Brutal 14 Georgia - vs. 43 Georgia Tech - SP+ No. 4 15 USC - vs. 78 Fresno State - SP+ 13 - How's this for a scheduling trade: No. 3 Notre Dame for 78 Fresno 16 Michigan State at No. 3 Notre Dame - SP+ 67 17 Ohio State at No. 6 Texas - SP+ No. 1 18 LSU vs. No. 22 Clemson - SP+ 10 19 Stanford - at No. 3 Notre Dame - SP+ 77 20 UNC - vs. No. 3 Notre Dame - SP+ 58 21 UCLA - at No. 57 Cal - SP+ 46 22 Ole Miss - 27 Louisville in Nashville - SP+ 16 23 Maryland - vs. 40 Virginia Tech - SP+ 55 24 Syracuse - vs. No. 3 Notre Dame - SP+ 69 25 Boston College - at No. 3 Notre Dame - SP+ 74 Twelve SEC teams, eight Big Ten teams, four ACC teams, and one B12 team. Notice that Notre Dame shows up six times as a team's most difficult OOC opponent. The Domers' SOS is ranked 42nd for a reason. SOS rankings for playoff-contending teams support a 24-team playoff field; it is not a regular season scheduling fair fight. Check out the SOS for teams OBD is competing against for a playoff invitation, with the understanding that to date, the CFB PO Committee focuses on wins and losses (unless you're Bama) and not on the difficulty of a team's schedule. Big Ten - Indiana 50, Penn State 51, Iowa 55 ACC - Clemson 31, Louisville 35, Miami 59, SMU 66, UVA 68 B12 - BYU 33, Utah 54, Houston 64, Texas Tech 65 Pac 8 & Gonzo - Washington State 69, Oregon State 71 One game at a time: BEAT BOISE!

Thanks, David, for another terrific article. Forget the Mamas and Papas; if it's a Monday with Marsh on the Forum, I can trust that day. 😁 Oh, the irony. In the Orange Bowl, Oregon was roughed up by a terrific and nasty Red Raiders D. After the first series, where Mendoza was sacked twice, Indiana blew out a 'soft' Alabama team. A Tide team that finished the season in the same fashion it opened the season with a no-show against FSU. And a 12-2 BYU team had to watch a post-Rose Bowl loss 11-4 Bama team go down not with a bang, but a whimper. (Peach Bowl? Sorry, I have no recollection). You covered the pluses and minuses of RB by Committee from top to bottom. In today's world of pay-for-play and every player, whether realistic or not, certain of making an NFL roster, I wonder if there is any dialogue regarding save your legs for the NFL and make more CFB bank with fewer carries? To win a title today means playing 16 or 17 games in the season. This in an NIL era where it is close to impossible to stack a roster. It would be so nice to be in Las Vegas on 1/25/27 with all Ducks on deck. Thanks again.

Spot on, SR. In today's world of CFB, you can take nothing for granted. The only game in 2026 that's a certain layup is Week 3 vs. Portland State. Dan was on the sidelines in 2024 watching OBD escape with a 37-34 win against Boise. I don't think the coaching staff will overlook Boise, and there are experienced players on the roster who played in the 2024 game. The early odds have Oregon as a -24.5 favorite. Without an All-American RB on the Boise roster, Oregon could cover this number, but it will take turnover help from Boise. Week 2: Will players take an OK State team OBD defeated 69 to 3 in 2025 seriously? The Week 2 game is OK State's home opener; OK State opens at Tulsa and will be 1-0. The always-rowdy Cowboys fans will be fired up, and it's a 9 AM body clock kickoff for Oregon. AI Overview - "T. Boone Pickens Stadium is incredibly loud, with noise levels peaking at 119 decibels, equivalent to a jumbo jet at takeoff. The stands are built right on top of the sidelines, with Cowboys fans known as the Paddle People, beating large customized wooden panels against the walls." The guts of the OK State offense is made up of North Texas players; in 2025, North Texas led the nation in Total Offense. In the early odds for this game, Oregon is -28.5, and the Over/Under is 53.5. I never, ever bet against Oregon, and I'm not going near OBD as a more-than-four TD favorite playing the first road game of the season in a rough road environment. Two tough OOC games before what should be a breeze (I hope) vs. Portland State.

A preview of OBD's Week 1 opponent, Boise State. Boise is 3-1 all-time vs. Oregon and is as tough as a G6 opponent can get. https://collegefootballnews.com/college-football/boise-state-football-preview-2026 SP+ ranks Boise No. 39 and Week 2 opponent Oklahoma State 38. Oklahoma State's 38th ranking would be the 10th best in the Big Ten. Boise's 39th ranking would be the 11th best in the Big Ten. Both out-of-conference (OOC) opponents are just behind No. 37 Nebraska and ranked ahead of 45 Minnesota, 46 UCLA, 49 Northwestern, 55 Maryland, 61 Wisconsin, 62 Rutgers, 67 Michigan State, and 82 Purdue. Oregon is not playing No. 6 Texas in Austin like No. 1 Ohio State or No. 12 Oklahoma in Ann Arbor like No. 14 Michigan, but Boise in Week 1 and at Oklahoma State are not layups, especially when compared with the most difficult OOC game for No. 5 Indiana vs. CUSA Western Kentucky, No. 13 USC vs. P12 Fresno State, No. 17 Penn State at American Conference Temple, No. 21 Washington vs. P12 Washington State, and No. 37 Nebraska vs. the MAC's Ohio University. BEAT BOISE! September 5, 2026, Autzen Stadium, 12:30 Pacific

QB, or not QB? Klatt ranks Dante No. 1 in the B1G - https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/trojans/football/2026/07/05/dante-moore-seen-best-motivate-jayden-maiava/90729002007/?utm_source=smg-trojanswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=

Oregon's 5 Best All-Time Athletes per Sports Illustrated. Do you agree that these five are the five best athletes born in the State of Oregon? 1. Don Schollander - Swimming - 7 Olympic Gold Medals 2. Ryan Crouser - Shot Put - 3-time winner of an Olympic Gold Medal. 3. Bob Lilly - 11-time NFL Pro Bowl. 4. Danny Ainge - Great player at BYU and in the NBA. 5. Steve Prefontaine - Legendary distance runner. A Glaring Omission: How about Ashton Eaton? Back-to-back decathlon Gold Medal winner - 2022 London Olympic Games and 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Born in Portland, raised in Bend, Oregon. Terry Baker, Marcus Mariota, and Dan Fouts were all born in another state; however, in-state birth is not a requirement. SIRanking America’s Best Athletes from All 50 StatesWhich state has produced the greatest athletes of all time? In honor of America's 250th anniversary, we ranked the five best from each of the 50 states.

Reading the above well-researched and well-written article proves once again: There is nothing new under the Sun.

This article focuses on the good Washington, who, history tells us, never owned a husky or a malamute and was a Virginia Cavaliers fan. 😁 SIHe Had A Big Butt, No Lie: George Washington’s Athleticis...Pitching the bar. Nine-pin bowling. Sports in 1776 were an odd collection of endeavors, but their influence can be found in what we play today.

Should the Big Ten and the SEC break away today, asks USA Today? https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2026/07/01/big-ten-sec-expansion-congress-protect-college-sports/90762917007/

Dan and Coach Ross are reeling in the WRs - On3Dan Lanning lands No. 5 receiver Xavier Sabb, pushes Oreg...Five-star WR Xavier Sabb announced his commitment to Oregon and Dan Lanning, adding to Ducks Top Five class.

Xavier is a Duck 🦆 https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/49261647/five-star-wide-receiver-xavier-sabb-commits-oregon-ducks-football The Scoop on Xavier On3ScoopDuck Eval: 5-Star WR Xavier SabbEvaluating what Oregon Football is getting in their newest commitment: Glassboro (NJ) wide receiver Xavier Sabb.

An in-depth review of Kyle Whittingham's coaching career - Maize n BrewMichigan Football Coaching Spotlight: Kyle WhittinghamAfter 32 season at Utah, 21 as HC, Kyle Whittingham is set for Year 1 with Michigan. Here’s his coaching spotlight:

Seems like everything in South Central is just Ducky 😁 https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/trojans/football/2026/07/03/oregon-kendre-harrison-expected-challenge-usc-defense/90779149007/?utm_source=smg-trojanswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_cam https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/trojans/football/2026/07/03/usc-elijah-paige-tested-oregon-teitum-tuioti/90766541007/?utm_source=smg-trojanswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SMG Is there anything better than Troy Quacking Up? 🤪

A Rivals take on Boise State - On3'It's the wiring': How Boise State finds success in recru...Boise State general manager Brandon Jones and his team do a thorough job in recruiting top prospects and one thing is a deal-breaker.

The Oregon game gives OK State one of the more difficult B12 schedules. On3Ranking the Big 12's five toughest schedules for the 2026...A look at the Big 12 teams facing the toughest schedules for the 2026 college football season.

A Nebraska Cornhuskers Preview - 10/17/26 vs OBD in Autzen Stadium - https://collegefootballnews.com/college-football/nebraska-football-preview-2026

If the conference expands, Cal is doing all it can to prove it is Big Ten-worthy. Cal significantly increased its NIL budget, and football GM Ron Rivera, without diminishing the overall sterling academic rating, convinced the administration to be more flexible on the transfer front than Stanford. In 2030, the ACC exit fee drops to a reasonable amount. Cal has appeal on the B1G academic side of the equation, and San Francisco-Oakland is the 9th largest media market in the USA. With the hire of Tosh and improved recruiting, season ticket sales for football increased from $8.4 million to $11.2 million. The Cal student body is more invested in the football program than Stanford students. Cal alums Rivera and Tosh are a very good team. With J-K Sagapolutele at QB, I like Cal to go over 6.5. Cal misses ACC contenders Miami and Louisville, but does play at contender SMU. Contenders Clemson and VA Tech are home games. One of the top Week 1 out-of-conference games sees UCLA +1.5, O/U 53.5 playing Cal in Berkeley after dark, 10:30/7:30 kickoff on ESPN. The game is expected to sell out. Which new coaching staff and which of two highly rated QBs will come out on top? Four games every season in the Pacific Time Zone would be great for OBD and OBD fans.

Michigan Blog Maize and Brew (😁) Ranks Brandon Finney as the No. 1 CB in the Big Ten - Maize n BrewRanking the Top 5 Big Ten cornerbacks for 2026 football s...Today, we continue our ranking of the best players in the Big Ten at each position ahead of the 2026 college football season. Here are our Top 5 cornerbacks:

Coming to Eugene Citay on 11/14/26 - Maize n Brew5 Michigan Football players who will live up to the hype...Michigan Football enters 2026 with plenty of offseason hype to go around. Here are 5 Wolverines who look primed to deliver on their hype this year: