Jon Joseph

Thanks, Mike, good take, as always. When it comes to the Big Ten and the SEC on the football field, I've been consistent in warning against recency bias. The SEC still leads in recruiting and draft choices. And the SEC at the top is not shy about spending NIL money in sports across the board. Nevertheless, since the 2023 playoff to date, the Big Ten is 11-4 against the SEC in playoff games. This does not include UW's win over Texas in 2023 before the four Pac-12 schools joined the Big Ten. In the 2025-26 postseason, the ACC went 9-5, the B12 4-4, the Big Ten 11-5, and the SEC 4-10. Greg Sankey is not wrong in noting that the SEC has lost many close playoff games. But as you noted, Mike, in today's world of CFB, Bama, LSU, and Georgia's second and third team players are not starting for every program in the middle of the Big Ten. SEC teams 'screwed out of the PO in 2024 and 2025,' according to Greg Sankey, Alabama and South Carolina in 2024, Vanderbilt and Texas in 2025, went 1-3 against B1G opponents in the postseason, with Texas defeating a dysfunctional Michigan team. Last season, 3-loss Illinois defeated Tennessee in Nashville, and 8-4 Iowa defeated 10-2 Vanderbilt, and Heisman runner-up Diego Pavia. There are many quality football teams in the SEC, no doubt, but not every SEC team plays a brutal gauntlet. Like the ACC, B12, and the Big Ten, in 2025, six SEC teams failed to win more than five games. I think Brad Crawford, in predicting the SEC to go 15-1 OOC against P4 opponents, is looking back to a yesterday that no longer exists. And perhaps, the SEC does go 3-0 vs. the Big Ten in the 2026 preseason, but unlike back in the day, it won't be a shock to the CFB system if Ohio State, Michigan, and Minnesota go 3-0. Always good to 'hear from you,' my friend.

BTW, Brad has the SEC going 15-1 out of conference vs. P4 opponents, including a 3-0 B1G sweep of Ohio State at Texas, Oklahoma at Michigan, and Mississippi State at Minnesota. Arkansas suffers the only SEC OOC loss when it plays Utah in Salt Lake City. FYI - I know you'll be shocked to learn that Brad played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks. No wonder Brad's a bird in the SEC's hands.

I'd like to apologize on behalf of CBS Sports, Brad Edwards. 10-2 for LSU is a reasonable prediction, but I don't believe even Lane Kiffin can both win and lose the game at Tennessee, at least not in this version of the Multiverse. Brad intended, I'm sure, to show LSU losing at Texas. Brad notes that 10-2 should likely earn LSU a PO 6 to 8 seed, and then predicts 10-2 LSU as the 🤪9th seed. Also, Brad, will you stop with the SEC is a gauntlet like no other BS, please. With eight conference games in 2025, the SEC, like the ACC, B12, and the B1G, had six teams that finished with fewer than six wins. The SEC, with nine conference games in 2026, will have fewer teams with fewer than six wins? Hmmmm. Brad, your Mother Ship is no longer the SEC's broadcast partner. Have a really nice day. 😁

The Power 2 are at odds on several College Football (CFB) issues, the biggest disagreement centering on expanding the CFB field. The SEC wants a 16-team field, the B1G (and the ACC, B12, and Notre Dame) want a 24-team field. But when it comes to the bottom line, the ability to manage their business as they so desire, the Power 2 want nothing to do with the "Save College Sports By Reining in the Big Ten and the SEC Bill" that is now on the floor of the Senate for revision as may be negotiated, before an up or down vote. Tony Petitti and the Big Ten, and Greg Sankey and the SEC, are the two CFB conferences that oppose the Bill; the other ten conferences, and Notre Dame, support the Bill, and why not? Notre Dame would have the deciding vote on whether the Power 2 would have to collectively negotiate media agreements with the rest of CFB. (This makes cents, right? 🤬) On the football field, the diamond, the basketball court, the track and field, and wherever games are played, the Power 2 are the North versus South in a not-so Civil War; no quarter asked and none given. ESPN's Bill Connelly recently released his 2026 preseason SP+ rankings for the SEC - https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/49143990/2026-sec-college-football-preview-predictions-top-transfers-more Here are a few of the highlights (lowlights if you are a Big Ten fan). 11 SEC teams are in the SP+ Top 25: 4. Georgia, 6. Texas, 9. Texas A&M, 10. LSU, 11. Alabama, 12. Oklahoma, 15. Ole Miss, 16. Tennessee, 19. Missouri, 20. Florida, and 25. South Carolina. Except when Auburn, ranked No. 26, 31. Vanderbilt, 46. Arkansas, 52. Mississippi State and No. 54 Kentucky play one another; every SEC game in 2026 will feature at least one SP+ preseason Top 25 team. With these rankings, it comes as no surprise that all 16 SEC teams have a Top 25 nationwide strength-of-schedule (SOS) ranking, from No. 1 Texas to No. 25 Georgia. No. 1 Texas is joined in the SOS Top 10 by No. 2 Arkansas, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 7 Ole Miss, No. 8 Kentucky, No. 9 Mississippi State, and No. 10 Florida. In 2025, the CFB Playoff Committee valued SEC wins and losses so highly that 3-loss Alabama made the playoff field, which looked good when The Tide rolled over 2-loss Oklahoma in Norman. Then, Bama suffered a historic loss to Indiana in the Rose Bowl. (OBD fans felt the pain when matching up with Indiana in a not-so-peachy Peach Bowl.) Were Alabama and Oklahoma two of CFB's top twelve teams in 2025? SP+ predicts No. 4 Georgia to match up with No. 6 Texas in the SEC 2026 conference champ game. I agree when it comes to the Dawgs, not so much Texas, which, like last season, has a nice sum of parts, but what will the whole look like? And will Archie be golden? Of course, there is no need to wait for the season to see how things down in Dixie will play out. CBS Sports Brad Edwards has the entire season figured out (🤪). https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/sec-predictions-2026-game-picks-win-loss-record/ According to Brad, the SEC will send four teams to the 2026-27 CFB Playoff - No. 2, 12-1 Texas, No. 5, 11-2 Georgia, No. 9, 10-2 LSU, and No. 11, 9-3, 6-3 in the SEC, Ole Miss. Ole Miss plays Louisville, Charlotte, and Wofford (Woof!), out-of-conference. The Rebels better hope that Louisville matches up with Miami in the ACC conference champ game with a playoff spot on the line. Louisville plays at Notre Dame in the regular season but does not play Miami. Ole Miss coach Pete Golding is 2-0 vs. Kirby Smart and will be looking for the hat trick when Georgia comes for a visit on November 7th. Will home wins over LSU and Georgia be enough to negate three in-conference losses, with at least one of the losses coming in an SEC game where the Rebels are the favorite? I don't see it, especially if 3-loss Ole Miss is being compared to a 2-loss Big Ten team. To further whet the appetite for the coming season, Georgia at Ole Miss on 11/7 is only one of CFB's impactful games on a packed CFB Saturday. November 7th, 2026, features Oregon at Ohio State, of course, almost certainly with a Noon Eastern kick off on Fox, Miami at Notre Dame at 7:30 Eastern on NBC, BYU at Utah, Penn State at Washington, Alabama at LSU, Oklahoma at Florida, and Texas at Missouri. Whew! When it comes to Congress, here's to the Power 2! Otherwise, Let's Get It On!

Rankings for all new coaches - TPR = Transfer Portal Ranking https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/grading-college-football-rosters-year-1-coaches-pete-golding-ole-miss/ Big Ten Coaches - A- Penn State - TPR No. 4 - Matt Campbell - Most wins in Iowa State football history A- Michigan - TPR No. 24 - Kyle Whittington - Most wins in Utah football history - At Oregon 11/14/26 B+ UCLA - TPR 25 - Bob Chesney - Took G6 James Madison U to 2025 CFB playoff - At Oregon 10/10/26 C- Michigan State - TPR 55 - Pat Fitzgerald - Most wins in Northwestern football history - Vs. Oregon Friday, 11/20/26 On the Ducks' 2026 schedule - B+ Oklahoma State - TPR 15 - Eric Morris - Bringing with him from North Texas the American Conference's No. 1 QB and FBS leading passer, Drew Mastermaker, American Conference leading rusher, Caleb Hawkins, 1434 rushing yards and 25 TDs, and American Conference leading WR, Wyatt Young, 1264 receiving yards and 10 TDs. Vs. Oregon 9/12/26 Others of Interest - B Cal - TPR 14 - Tosh Lupoi B Kentucky - TPR 10 - Will Stein Both coaches did an admirable job of retaining the best players from Cal and Kentucky. BEAT BOISE STATE - 9/5/2026 - Noon Pacific on CBS

CFB's Best Defenders in preseason 2026 - A'Mauri Washington, Brian Finney, Matayo Uiagalelei, and Koi Perich made the list. (But where are Teiutum Tuioti, Bear Alexander, and other Quackers?) https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/49139963/ranking-college-football-best-defensive-players-2026

Pony to sire, Traveler: Dad, when I grow up, I want to be a Duck. 🦆😁 https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/trojans/football/2026/06/25/usc-football-match-success-oregon-this-season/90671920007/?utm_source=smg-trojanswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=S This is an O(h) O(h) season for Linc and Traveler. Both Oregon and Ohio State visit LA in 2026. Two huge prove-it games for Riley and his new DC, Gary Patterson. Oh, and Linc is 3-6 in Big Ten road games.

5 to play 5 impact on Oregon football - https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/ducks/football/2026/06/24/oregon-football-eligibility-rule-player-impact/90671503007/?utm_source=smg-duckswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SMGbas

Preeminent poster NJ Duck, posted the below CBS Sports article under the news articles only, B1G Predictions, Etc. topic. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-dynasty-dominate-decade/ Thank you, friend NJ. I am posting the article to allow for comments. How about the Big Ten making up half of the six teams capable of competing for championships now and in the future: Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon. If this article had been written as the 2023 season approached, the six teams would likely have included Ohio State and five SEC programs, not just the two on this list, Georgia and Texas. If Indiana had been on the 2023 list, everyone who had anything to do with the article would have been lining up for unemployment benefits the day after publication. Indiana is the perfect example of what's wrong with the list; it is too exclusionary. Excluding Big Ten programs Michigan, Penn State, and USC is short-sighted. Find the right coach supported by a knowledgeable staff and funded by deep-pocket alumni, and any program can be in championship contention, including these three programs and others. It was but a few seasons back that Washington played Michigan for a championship, and Wisconsin was one of the Big Ten's most consistent programs. In making this list, I would have included Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, LSU, Tennessee, and Texas A&M from the SEC, and would probably be remiss in not including Auburn. At the moment, Texas Tech is a college sports pariah, but it has the resources to move into the championship echelon. And with the way he has evolved as a coach and with the resources at hand, I'd add Mario Cristobal's Miami program to the list, especially when considering Notre Dame is one of the six-pack of teams. However, I recognize the article asked journalists who cover college football for CBS Sports to come up with one program only. And I'm delighted to see OBD on the list. If anything in today's largely unregulated world of college sports, there are likely other Indiana programs out there, waiting for a Cig and alums not shy about lighting up wads of cash. By the way, the Michigan basketball coach took a Michigan team that finished in last place in the conference two seasons ago to an NCAA championship this season. Then, because of the college athletics chaos, Dusty May left to coach the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA. Without enforceable college sports regulation, how long will Ryan Day, Kirby Smart, Marcus Freeman, Steve Sarkisian, Dan Lanning, and Curt Cignetti be on a college football sideline? Thanks again, NJ.

Logical, makes sense, but will it hold up against a legion of lawyers? On3NCAA passes new scholarship rules, adopts age-based eligi...The NCAA has voted unanimously to adopt a "five-in-five," age-based eligibility model, one that will go into effect immediately.

In addition to nine conference games, ACC, B12, and SEC schools are required to play a Power 4 (P4) opponent out-of-conference (OOC). The Big Ten does not mandate an OOC game against a P4 opponent. 2023 champion Michigan, 2024 champion Ohio State, and 2025 champion Indiana did not play a P4 opponent OOC in the year they won their title. With a college football (CFB) playoff committee focusing on the number of games a team lost and not the quality of the opponents, playing G6 or FCS teams OOC makes sense, at least until the playoff expands to a 24-team field. (Does anyone outside of the B1G listen to Tony Petitti. At the conclusion of recent meetings where the G6 and P4 commissioners, and the Notre Dame athletic director, met to discuss expanding the playoff field, playoff mouthpiece Rich Clark noted the structural difficulties involved with expanding to 24. Rich, this is the reason Tony Petitti's 24-team playoff proposal includes two seasons with a 16-team field before moving to 24. 🤬) I want the playoff to go to 24 teams with B1G teams playing 10 P4 opponents OOC as soon as possible. Many SEC coaches and ADs are not happy with the SEC going to nine conference games and playing a P4 opponent OOC, noting they approved going to nine conference games while expecting the playoff to expand to 16 teams. What a pity. 😁 In 2026, five Big Ten teams do not play a P4 opponent OOC: Indiana, Nebraska, Penn State, USC, and Washington. For purposes of this post, I am using The Sporting News (TSN) Post-Spring Top 25 rankings. College football rankings post-spring Top 25 for 2026: In...Indiana and Ohio State are still on top, but we've had some movement since our Way-Too-Early Top 25 in January. The number of ranked opponents a team will play in 2026 depends, of course, on the referenced preseason rankings. I am using TSN's Bill Bender's rankings because they are not as SEC-centric as many preseason polls, including Bill Connelly's SP+, which has 11 SEC teams in the top 25. Connelly acknowledges that his rankings will vary significantly as the season progresses. The TSN ranking is what Bill Bender's TSN believes the final playoff committee rankings will be on December 6, 2026. In its top 25, TSN ranks nine B1G teams, seven SEC teams, four ACC and B12 teams, and Notre Dame. Using TSN's SEC preseason strength-of-schedule rankings, from most difficult to easiest, below are the number of ranked teams, including OOC where applicable, that an SEC team will play in 2026. 1. Missouri - Five ranked - at Kansas 2. Oklahoma - Five ranked - at 14. Michigan 3. Arkansas - Five ranked - at 16. Utah 4. Florida - Four ranked - vs. FSU 5. Ole Miss - Five ranked - vs. 18. Louisville in Nashville, Tennessee 6. Mississippi State - Five ranked - at Minnesota 7. Texas - Five ranked - vs. No 2 Ohio State 8. Auburn - Four ranked - vs. Baylor 9. Texas A+M - Four ranked - vs. ASU 10. South Carolina - Four ranked - at Clemson 11. Kentucky - Five ranked - vs. 18. Louisville 12. LSU - Four ranked - vs. Clemson 13. Tennessee - Four ranked - at Georgia Tech 14. Georgia - Three ranked - at Georgia Tech 15. Vanderbilt - Three ranked - vs. NC State 16. Alabama - Three ranked - vs. Florida State Big Ten - Top 25 opponents - Teams with no P4 opponent OOC: Indiana - Four ranked; Nebraska - Five ranked; USC - Five ranked; Washington - Five ranked; Penn State - Three ranked Teams with a P4 opponent OOC - Seven ranked - Ohio State at No. 4, Texas Six ranked - Michigan vs. No. 9 Oklahoma, Northwestern vs. CU, Purdue versus Wake Forest, and No. 5 Notre Dame Five ranked - Maryland vs. 25 Virginia Tech, Michigan State at No. 5 Notre Dame, Minnesota vs. Mississippi State, Oregon at Oklahoma State Four ranked - Iowa vs. Iowa State, Rutgers at Boston College, Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Notre Dame in Green Bay, Wisconsin Three ranked - Illinois vs. Duke ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ Note, only Ohio State is scheduled to play seven preseason-ranked opponents. Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, and Purdue play six ranked opponents. Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas play five preseason-ranked teams, the most for SEC teams. Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Penn State, and Vanderbilt play only three preseason-ranked opponents. Using the 2026 TSN rankings, the 16-team SEC plays 68 preseason-ranked teams. The Big Ten plays 69 preseason-ranked teams. A tenth game vs. a P4 opponent does not ipso facto make a team's schedule more difficult. With the SEC moving to nine conference games, I was surprised to see that Alabama, Georgia, and Vanderbilt play but three preseason-ranked teams. Using TSN rankings, SEC teams will play more ranked opponents than Big Ten teams, but not by much.

UCLA Preview - https://collegefootballnews.com/college-football/ucla-football-preview-2026

Michigan State Preview - https://collegefootballnews.com/college-football/michigan-state-football-preview-2026

Five by Five makes sense, but will it survive the lawyers? https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/ncaa-five-year-eligibility-rule-college-football-basketball/

Credit where due. Oklahoma destroyed UNC 13-2 in the deciding championship game to win the SEC's 7th NCAA Baseball Championship in a row. (Darn, I was rooting for the UGA Dawgs 😧) Oklahoma's bitter rival, Texas, won the Softball World Series. It Just Means More in Dixie, and there is more NIL $$$ to be had down south. Ask Waz. 🤬 A much better showing by the SEC with five teams in the Baseball final 8 than with five teams in last season's CFB Playoffs.

Some Trojan Love for the B1G Nacho (Immanuel Iheanacho) Playing on the same line as Poncho - Where's Cisco? - Just Kidding 😁 https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/trojans/football/2026/06/23/oregon-football-lineman-immanuel-iheanacho-usc-attention/90517751007/?utm_source=smg-trojanswire-strada&utm_medium=email&utm

A list of OBD Golfers who won tour events. Oregon Ducks On SIEvery Former Oregon Ducks Golfer to Win a PGA Tour EventOregon Ducks' Wyndham Clark became the 126th U.S. Open champion at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Tuckahoe, New York, the second major championship of his il

Doesn't Get Any Better than Earning The Golden Bear Seal of Approval EssentiallySports'Truly Touched My Heart': Jack Nicklaus Opens Up on Wyndh...Jack Nicklaus doesn't hand out praise like this often. But the freshly minted US Open champ Wyndham Clark earned every word of it.

The NFL acting selfishly? Shocking! FYI - Bill supporter Cody Campbell is a flaming hypocrite. If Texas Tech had a hope of being invited to a Super League, abandon all hope. Ted Cruz - No athletic scholarships, Princeton undergrad. Maria Cantwell, MAC conference, Miami of Ohio undergrad. Cruz and Cantwell are surprised that the B1G and the SEC don't want their particular business interests restricted by Congress. Cantwell believes that Ohio State and Washington should be happy over being forced to negotiate media deals with the ACC, B12, and the G6? https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2026/06/17/nfl-support-college-football-reform-protect-college-sports/90586494007/

HUSH! 😁😎😍 SIWyndham Clark Found the Perfect Way to Shut Everyone Up a...Clark battled through the elements and jeering crowds to win his second U.S. Open.

New York fans come through again with their boorish behavior. At least no buses in the Shinnecock parking lot were burned to the ground. SIWinners and Losers From the U.S. Open: Wyndham Clark Surv...Clark held on down the stretch and won the U.S. Open for a second time in his career, much to the dismay of some fans at Shinnecock.

No way is the 'Protect College Sports by Destroying the B1G and the SEC Bill' Cruz to Passage. BTW, I don't believe Congress regulates On3's or The Athletic's ability to sell more subscriptions than Sports Illustrated or cap On3's growth beyond acquiring Rivals and Ken Massey's Rating Services. CFB is a big business. Control free agency? Yes! Ding the B1G and the SEC in the process, Heck No! SIPat Forde: Congress Is Coming for the SEC and Big Ten’s C...The Protect College Sports Act reflects mounting frustration with the Power 2’s dominance and could force them to consider drastic next steps.

On3's Chris Low looks at the SEC's 2026-27 Playoff Hopes - On3SEC College Football Playoff picture for 2026: Best bets,...Texas and Georgia lead the SEC's best bets for the 2026 College Football Playoff, with five other teams in realistic contention.

MAY DAY in Ann Arbor. More evidence that college sports roster management is crazy-making. On3Report: Dallas Mavericks hire Dusty May as new head coach.

Please keep the articles coming. Thanks for this article and all the other terrific articles you have contributed.