Jon Joseph

Late November in Michigan, what could go wrong? 🤪 Oregon Ducks On SIOregon Football Schedule Update Sets Up Potential Trap GameOn Friday, the Oregon Ducks Football program announced the date change of two games during their 2026 season, and the change might've set up a potential trap ga%

FWIW, my B1G Rip Van Winkle team in 2026 is a team that has long been in hibernation, but this Westwood Bruin has the schedule to awaken in 2025. No, I'm not calling a PO appearance for UCLA after bringing in a coach from James Madison; that would be the Hoosiers on steroids. But I think Bob Chesney with a QB, Nico Iamaleava, who took Tennessee to the 2024 PO, will make some B1G noise. Get by a challenging opener at Cal in Week 1, and UCLA has three games remaining against teams ranked in the preseason top 25: Oregon and Michigan on the road, and USC at home. G6 San Diego State and Nevada in LA are odds-on wins. UCLA plays four B1G teams that did not win 6 games in 2025: Purdue, Maryland, Wisconsin, and Michigan State, and plays 2025 bowl winners Minnesota and Illinois in LA. One of the best preseason bets on the board is UCLA over 5.5 wins. My betting buddies and I have a bet down on over 5.5. UCLA is at Oregon on 11/24, coming off a bye after a game at Maryland, with OBD coming off a bye after a game at USC. I see UCLA finishing no worse than 8-4, with a shot at 10-2 and a spot in the PO, like a 2024 Indiana team coached by another guy who moved up from JMU. Can a Bruin be a dark horse?

America's Team? What a dream. Oregon Ducks On SIOregon Ducks Could Be College Football’s Version Of Ameri...The Dallas Cowboys became “America’s Team” by thinking bigger than football. Bigger than Texas. Bigger than regional fandom. As the NFL expanded internationally

Thanks, Mike, for a terrific look at the top of the Big Ten in 2026. No, you are not too critical. Can Oregon win tough road games at USC, Illinois, and Ohio State? Can Oregon survive playing eight straight without a break? Can Oregon survive and thrive in a November that has OBD at Ohio State, home vs. Michigan, a Friday night game at Michigan State, and home vs. UW? As you ask above, is Hoover the guy to replace a Heisman Trophy-winning QB? Can Julian Sayin keep his pose when frustrated, as will likely be the case in Week 2 in Austin, Texas? Indiana and Miami provided the game plan; you punch Ohio State in the mouth. No one enjoyed the Buckeyes last two games more than RIP, Lou Holtz. After the top three, come Michigan, USC, Penn State, and UW with the best odds to win the title. USC, Penn State, UW, and Indiana do not play a P4 opponent out of conference, or an away game out of conference. None of their G6 opponents is as good as Boise State. With the game in Stillwater, OK., Oklahoma State, and behind new coach Eric Morris and QB Mestermaker, the Cowboys team will be much improved from the team Oregon destroyed in 2025. Contender Penn State misses both Oregon and Ohio State and plays SC at home. Road games at Michigan and UW present the biggest challenge to Matt Campbell. After the dysfunction in 2025, will Kyle Whittingham have Michigan back to playing championship football? Is QB Bryce Underwood the real deal, or just a large-bodied QB with limited throwing skills and a group of WRs not close in talent to Ohio State, OBD, Indiana, and USC? Like Ohio State, can USC, under Gary Patterson's coaching of the defense, be tough and gritty enough? SC will score points, but can it stop the better opponents from scoring more? According to UW coach Jedd Fisch, the Huskies now have players on both lines of scrimmage big and tough enough to compete in the B1G. If Hoover delivers at Indiana, none of the quarterbacks playing for the six contenders are a weak link. Heisman finalist Sayin returns for the Buckeyes, and OBD's Dante Moore is projected to be the first or second player drafted in 2027. The Big Ten is a tough conference, getting tougher. The only lay-up game on Oregon's schedule is the Week 3 game vs. Portland State on Friday night, 9/18, the week before playing SC in LA. A likely 4-0 USC plays a likely 4-0 UW at home on Saturday, 9/19. This gives OBD one more day to prepare for the trip to Trojan territory, which helps to balance out the disadvantage OBD faces in playing at Michigan State on a Friday night. FanDuel's 2026 win totals are 10.5 for Indiana and Oregon. 9.5 for Ohio State and Penn State. 8.5 for Michigan and USC. Has FanDuel made the right call? Will it be OBD vs Indiana in Indianapolis on December 5th for the B1G title? I repeat, you are not being too critical, Mike. As to the B1G team that wins it all? Sorry, but I'm ducking (😁🦆) this question until the end of Fall camp. Thanks again for the great post. As Charles and I have discussed, article-length posts will be welcome on the Forum. This post is a heck of a good start. 👍👌😍 Beat Boise!

Below is what a 24-team PO field would have been in 2025. I don't see how the expanded field would ruin the regular season. I believe it would enhance the regular season as more teams battle for PO invites. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-playoff-expansion-24-team-bracket-2025-season/

So, after playing Ohio State in Columbus, followed by Michigan in Eugene, the Ducks return to the Eastern time zone and play Michigan State on a short week. WTFox! And, BTW, the game in East Lansing will be the Ducks' 7th in a row without a break, and on 11/20, playing on a Friday night, it's odds on that the temperature will be below freezing with an excellent chance of snow. No team in November of 2026 will play a more difficult schedule than Oregon. Brute, meet AL.

Thanks, Mike. As the draft showed, there is still a lot of talent in Dixie. But will the SEC dominate the draft once eligible players on NIL-influenced rosters enter the draft? In 2026, if all draft-eligible Oregon players entered the draft, that's six more draft picks for the B1G, at least. Other players, like the USC QB Maiava, would have come out if they were not receiving income from revenue sharing and NIL deals. It's a very small sample size, but what about coaching in today's Big Ten compared to the SEC? Total 2024-25 and 2025-26 PO records by conference: Big 12 0-2/ ACC 3-3 SEC - 5-8 with Kirby Smart 0-2 in the Sugar Bowl, A&M and Oklahoma 0-1 with home losses. Alabama 1-1, with a win at Oklahoma and the worst loss in the Tide's postseason history coming against Indiana in the Rose Bowl. Big Ten - 11-5 with Ryan Day 4-1 and a championship, Curt Cignetti 3-1 and a championship, James Franklin at Penn State 2-1, and Oregon's Dan Lanning 2-2, with the 2-losses coming against champion Ohio State and champion Indiana. Bowl game victories have also turned in the direction of the middle of the Big Ten. According to the SEC's screwed-over PO teams, South Carolina, Alabama, and Vanderbilt lost bowl games to B1G teams, and last season, Illinois defeated Tennessee in Nashville. The new coaches at Florida, Auburn, and Arkansas are from the G6. Kentucky and Mississippi's new head coaches have no regular-season head coaching experience. Lane Kiffin flipped to LSU. Michigan State's Pat Fitzgerald, Michigan's Kyle Whittingham, and Penn State's Matt Campbell have, respectively, the most wins at Northwestern, Utah, and Iowa State. In 16 seasons, UCLA's Bob Chesney went 132-52 (.717), took JMU to the playoffs, and to date, UCLA is ranked 4th in 2027 recruiting. I'd also add that Tony Petitti and his 24-team PO proposal are no longer being ridiculed. The ACC, B12, and Notre Dame want to go to 24 teams; the SEC is the only holdout. We made it to the airport, caught the last plane out, as we taxied down the runway, I could hear those Beavers shout ...🤬 😁😍🤣

Thank you, Charles, for the kind words and another terrific editing job. This week, Stewart Mandel of The Athletic was asked which five college games he is most looking forward to in 2026. Two grudge matches made the list: LSU at Ole Miss and Miami at Notre Dame. The other three games: Ohio State at Texas, Ohio State at Indiana, and Oregon at Ohio State. This sums up Ohio State's 2026 scheduling degree of difficulty in a nutshell. In response to Microburst's excellent comment, I don't see a 3-loss Ohio State team in the playoff field unless the 3rd loss comes in the conference champ game and the PO committee values the Ohio State brand as much as 9-3 SEC runner-up Alabama last season. Alabama joined Clemson as the two 3-loss teams invited to the PO, but 3-loss Clemson won the 2024 ACC champ game and automatically qualified. Even with close losses to a Texas team that wins the SEC, and to Indiana and Oregon teams that finish no worse than 11-1, and meet in the conference championship game, I don't see it. There are too many teams in 2026 with far less difficult schedules than Ohio State that will finish with two or fewer losses. This is the rub of college football scheduling, especially in today's mega-conferences. For example, last season, Wisconsin played the most difficult conference schedule. This season, the Badgers' B1G schedule is ranked the second easiest. As tough as OBD's 2026 schedule is, it's rated the 11th most difficult in the nation by CBS Sports. On paper, 2026 is a piece of cake compared to 2027. In the college football world, we have no clue how the PO committee values the strength of schedules. I hope it's an SEC team, perhaps 3-loss Bama redux, and not Ohio State that is ranked No. 11 by the PO committee on December 6th, and is knocked out by No. 12-ranked and thus eliminated by automatic-qualifier Notre Dame. The Domers would move up to the 11-seed with a G6 team seeded 12th. If it is an SEC team knocked out in the above scenario, I hope Paul Finebaum and Greg Sankey are near a hospital. 😁The good news in this situation is that college football would adopt a 24-team PO on December 7, 2026. Beat Boise!

Finebaum Gets Smart - Paul Finebaum assigns 'blame' for Big Ten dominating college football

Thanks, DF93. In 2026, OBD plays eight teams that finished with winning records in 2025. Notre Dame plays four, with one of the four a Navy team that is not competitive with the Irish. ND plays seven games at home, including the SMU and Miami games. Two neutral-site games in Green Bay and Foxborough, MA. ND plays at Purdue and UNC. Two punching bags. At BYU could be a test, but ND will have a superior roster advantage. With all due respect to friend Jabba, ND will be a double-digit favorite over Wisconsin, UNC, and SMU in South Bend, favored at BYU, the team ND is playing instead of USC, and a likely favorite over Miami. If ND were a Power 2 member, it would have a far more difficult schedule. OBD plays Michigan and UW at home, and Ohio State and USC on the road. The Domers play Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Purdue. Massey ranks ND's strength of schedule No. 67 out of 138 FBS teams. OBD's schedule is ranked No. 25 by Massey. I'd gladly swap the Domers 2026 schedule for Oregon's schedule, as well as Miami's 64th-ranked schedule. Perhaps Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan State, Rice, North Carolina, Stanford, BC, and UNC will turn around and finish in the top 25, or at least finish 6-6, but I doubt it. Thanks again for the comment.

Thanks, Jabba. If a Super Conference is created, and it will be created if the CFB PO doesn't expand to 24 teams, I see the Super Conference consisting of the 34 B1G and SEC teams, and perhaps six more teams, with Notre Dame being the No. 1 addition. I do not see college presidents tossing Northwestern or Mississippi State. I see no incentive for the Power 2 to add any program that is not immediately accretive and is not willing to commit to a floor amount being invested annually in football. Once the players are found to be employees and an agreement is reached with 'management,' we could see a 32-team NFL Lite, with the 32 college teams affiliated with an NFL team, the players members of the NFL Players Union, a high school draft, etc., with the teams only loosely affiliated with an institution of higher learning (and LSU). I hope we do not see a G8 and millions of CFB fans 'disenfranchised.'

Thank you, Charles, for another terrific editing job. The significant difference in the strength of schedules in CFB would not be as much of an issue if the NCAA ran the 'D1' football postseason and the football committee followed the CBB committee and disclosed the metrics it uses to name and seed the field. Instead, we have a Bowl Extravaganza masquerading as a PO managed by an entertainment company, understandably doing everything in its power to achieve the greatest return on investment. The bias in favor of ESPN's broadcast partner, the SEC, is obvious, and ESPN does not apologize for the bias. Exhibit A for this bias came after the opening 12-team PO game in 2024-25, when Indiana lost at Notre Dame. Kirk Herbstreit was quick to name Indiana, with its weak schedule, as unworthy of being in the field. The next night, in front of Herbie, Ohio State destroyed Tennessee. No comment on the Vols not being qualified for the playoffs. However, IMO, what we have today is a significant improvement from the BCS and the 4-team playoff. Beat Boise!

Stanford has an interesting early schedule in 2026. Week 0 - Home vs. Hawaii. Week 1 - Home for a Friday night game vs Miami. Stanford plays at Notre Dame later in the season. If a P4 game OOC is to be scheduled by OBD, I agree it should be ACC Stanford or Cal with travel to the Bay Area, not Stillwater and Waco. No P4 opponents in 2026: UW, USC, Nebraska, Indiana, and Penn State. Purdue plays Wake Forest and Notre Dame. (Thank you, Mr. AD. 🤬) Wisconsin and Michigan State also play Notre Dame.

First, thanks for the interesting topic. Fun to discuss. Texas plays UTEP in Austin and wins, instead of traveling to Columbus and losing the game. Texas finishes with two losses, on the road at Florida and on the road at Georgia. Texas has wins over Vanderbilt and PO teams Oklahoma and Texas A+M, and is in the PO and likely hosting a 1st round game. Texas used up its mulligan in a road game at Columbus and received not one dime more in media revenue than if it had played UTEP in a home game that would have sold out. I don't think smart scheduling is cowardly. Heroes often receive their medals posthumously. Yes, I want to play tough P4 competition, but in the playoffs and not in September. And I don't want to lose home game revenue playing a road game in Waco, Stillwater, Ames, or elsewhere. Oregon football has ascended to the point that home games vs. G6 opponents sell out. And if Oregon opened every season with a home game vs. Portland State, the game would sell out, and Portland State would receive a check it very much needs. I see no upside whatever in playing home and home series with Oklahoma State and Baylor. Win, well, you're supposed to win. Lose, and it's a black mark against your resume. I completely understand and respect your POV, but in today's world of CFB, and under the current media revenue model, first I look at the purse. I think Boise State, especially based on the historic record, is a most worthy OOC opponent. When the PO field expands to 24 teams and/or revenue is distributed in part based on the number of people watching your games, you'll see me in your corner, arguing for OOC home and home series with an SEC opponent or Notre Dame. Go to 24, and I believe an annual B1G vs. SEC football challenge will happen, and the Power 2 will be well compensated for playing the games. Thanks again.

None of the above. How about Portland State instead? A nine-game Big Ten season requires no resume-building. What's to be gained by defeating a B12 school? Everything to lose, nothing to gain.

Texas Tech is scheduled to visit Autzen in 2033. There is nothing to be gained by playing a P4 opponent OOC and losing a home game. A Big Ten resume is more than enough. What did Texas get out of playing at Ohio State last season? A seat on the PO bench. This season, if Ohio State loses in Austin in Week 2, there is no certainty that a 3-loss Buckeyes team will be in the PO field. In 2023, champion Michigan did not play a P4 team OOC. In 2024, champion Ohio State did not play a P4 team OOC. Last season, champion Indiana did not play a P4 team OOC. You want to play at least seven home games every season. Especially in the seasons where you play five Big Ten road games. Fortunately, the 2028 game scheduled to be played at Utah State was canceled, so there is an opening to play Portland State, plus already scheduled North Dakota State, and Baylor. IMO, OBD should not be tripping to OK State this season. Not with games at USC, Illinois, Ohio State, and Michigan State in November, and home games versus Nebraska, UCLA, Northwestern, Michigan, and UW. In 2027, with only six home games, why in Hades is Oregon traveling to Waco to play Baylor? In 2027, Oregon is on the road at Michigan, Nebraska, UCLA, and UW. Home versus Ohio State, Penn State, and Iowa. This is a resume that needs out-of-conference help? Until the PO expands to 24 teams, playing nine Big Ten games provides an adequate strength of schedule. Playing in a 12-team PO champ game means having to play 15 to 17 games. A breather OOC game, an extra week off playing Portland State, makes sense and brings in millions of dollars for businesses in Lane County. With a Big Ten schedule, there is no need to sharpen the iron OOC, and in an age of NIL, playing games in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Waco, Texas, will not help with recruiting.

With its schedule, a hurricane would have to blow away the Miami team for it to miss the playoffs. Notre Dame? Touchdown J would have to play D for the opposition. The Domers schedule is easier than Miami's. Miami plays at Notre Dame. The loser is odds on to go 11-1, the winner, 12-0. Even without Sorsby at QB, you can bet (😁) on Texas Tech finishing the regular season no worse than 11-1, winning the B12, with the likelihood of being 13-0 heading into the PO. UGA? I think Georgia captures the SEC title, again, but forget about Oregon's Rose Bowl beatdown, in the PO, Kirby Smart is 0-2 in the Sugar Bowl. If Oregon is the five seed, I see a rematch with Boise State. On his way back to the P4, I think Dan Mullen's UNLV team, not NDSU, wins the Mountain West. If not Boise, and with Tulane, North Texas, and USF with new coaches, how about AAC champ Navy? From the folks who have skin in the game, FanDuel odds to win the title in 2026-27 - FanDuel ResearchCollege Football: 2026 CFP National Championship Odds (20...Who are the favorites to win the 2026-27 CFP National Championship?

I posted this under 2026 B1G Info and predictions, but I believe this article deserves to be posted as a separate topic. USA Today's Blake Toppmeyer excoriates SEC folk for blaming the Big Ten's recent success in football on the bottom of the SEC being so difficult compared to the B1G cellar dwellers. Greg Sankey recently blamed the B1G's success on the ball not bouncing the SEC's way. Like the ball, the calls, and the PO Committee haven't gone the SEC's way? How about Bama in the PO instead of undefeated, 13-0 FSU? How about Alabama being the only 3-loss team with a loss in the conference champ game to make the 2025-26 field, instead of a BYU team that suffered its second loss in its conference champ game? Bama lost both games to Big Ten opponents. How about Herbie calling out Indiana, which lost on the road to Notre Dame, not being deserving of a spot in the 2024-25 PO field, a day before Ohio State pantsed Tennessee. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2026/05/06/big-ten-rules-college-football-sec-big-excuse-kirby-smart/89928788007/?utm_source=usatoday-sports-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=usatbasel Again, I warn B1G fans against recency bias, and against the breast-beating It Just Means More hubris. What goes around, comes around. Should Oregon win the 2026-27 title on January 25th in Las Vegas, I doubt that you will hear the audience shouting out - Big Ten, Big Ten, Big Ten! In 2025, Missouri did not defeat a team that finished better than 6-6. Texas A&M won seven SEC games in a row, playing teams that did not finish better than 6-6, before losing its last two games, versus Texas on the road and a home loss to Miami. Bama lost to a terrible FSU team. Etc. In 2025, six Big Ten teams won five or fewer games. The same number as the ACC, the B12, and the SEC. Greg Sankey et al, Come On Men! BTW, Paul Finebaum agrees with Blake's take. 😁

B1G fun to read, but watch out for Recency Bias. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2026/05/06/big-ten-rules-college-football-sec-big-excuse-kirby-smart/89928788007/?utm_source=usatoday-sports-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=usatbasel

After 9 draft picks and 7 wins, Clemson has something to prove in 2026. However, the reason for this post is Dabo taking a well-aimed shot at the Golden Domers. PS - Notre Dame's schedule in 2026 is a farce. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/nil-clemson-dabo-swinney-tigers-recruiting/?ftag=SNL-04-10aaa0b&ET_CID=548411&ET_RID=52482716

Come on, Diamond Ducks, stop the streak. Hand UCLA its first, second, and third losses in Big Ten play. 🦆🦆🦆😍

It's behind an On3 paywall, but Andy Staples reports that the true Portal King is Dan Lanning. And the NFL draft proves it. Oregon - Transfers drafted 2023-2026 17/ Non-transfers drafted 14 Miami and Ole Miss tied 2nd at 12 transfers and 11 non-transfers drafted. Long Live King Danno!

On3's report with a better graphic. On3AFCA Board votes in favor of 24-team CFP, elimination of....

Sankey is now the lone holdout on going to a 24-team playoff field. He is carrying the water for his buddies at ESPN, who do not want the playoff broadcast to end and do not want their bowl game inventory diminished. Tony Petitti and the Big Ten have dropped the idea of automatic qualifiers and offered to go to a 16-team field for two years before the playoff expands to 24 teams. Tony and the B1G will go no further to appease Sankey. Especially now that the ACC, B12, and Notre Dame are on board with 24. Will Sankey's reluctance to go to 24 make it past the SEC spring meetings? The SEC ADs and coaches are not uniformly behind Sankey's refusal to expand. Businessman Petitti played the long game, and it will pay off, just like B1G commissioner Jim Delaney's insane idea to start a network covering only one conference's athletic programs has paid off in a B1G way. https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/breaking-news/article/sources-college-football-coaches-throwing-support-behind-24-team-cfp-format-210748377.html

UCLA joins USC in an LA recruiting awakening. B1G football is getting deeper and more difficult. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/usc-ucla-recruiting-classes-2027-big-ten/