On 1/29/2022 at 9:54 AM, Columbo said:

Brian Kelly's tenure at LSU looks like it will be very entertaining for non-LSU fans.  First that ridiculous fake southern accent at his basketball game speech, now this cringey tiktok video.  One of the comments was "from national champions in 2019 to a national laughing stock in 2022"(!)

National Signing Day for the 2022 recruiting class was yesterday.  Here were some high(low)lights:

 

-- That Brian Kelly cringey tiktok video wasn't made with an existing LSU player, it was made with a 2022 recruit visiting LSU.  So where did that player sign yesterday?  ALABAMA(!!!)  A school whose head coach doesn't embarrass himself on tiktok, but instead just wins championships!

 

-- While every other head coach was holding press conferences to talk about their new recruits, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh flew up to Minnesota and interviewed for the Vikings job.  Then the Vikings offered it to someone else(!)  Because, you know, "Michigan is back".

 

-- The #1 ranked recruiting class for 2022 was Texas A&M.  This was the first time since 2010 that either Alabama or Georgia didn't have the top-ranked class.  There have been whispers that Texas A&M developed a $30 million NIL slush fund to get that #1 class.  Until Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin mentioned it in his press conference - because Kiffin always says the quiet part out loud(!)

Texas A&M slush fund? Like the Eric Dickerson Pontiac Trans A&M?

This was NOT on my 2022 Bingo Card

 

USC, UCLA looking to leave Pac-12 for Big Ten in 2024, though deal not yet finalized

 

Pac-12 powerhouses USC and UCLA are involved in discussions to leave the conference for the Big Ten as early as the 2024 athletic season, sources tell CBS Sports' Matt Norlander. Though the move is not yet final and still in the discussion stages, it appears as if the Big Ten is aiming to make a significant acquisition that will change the college sports landscape.

 

"Everything is on the table," a Pac-12 source tells Norlander.

 

The transition of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten would be similar to the one that rocked college sports last summer when Texas and Oklahoma opted to leave the Big 12 for the SEC, a move set to transpire ahead of the 2025 season.

 

That kicked off a realignment bonanza in which the Big 12, American and other conferences saw teams move in and out of their membership. A similar situation will likely occur here if USC and UCLA formalize and announce their intentions to depart the Pac-12.

 

More below:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/usc-ucla-looking-to-leave-pac-12-for-big-ten-in-2024-though-deal-not-yet-finalized/

 

holy mackeral -- that is the weirdest sports news ever.

between that and player nil rules it's like up is down in the ncaa these days. 😂

1 hour ago, ColDayMan said:

This was NOT on my 2022 Bingo Card

 

USC, UCLA looking to leave Pac-12 for Big Ten in 2024, though deal not yet finalized

 

Pac-12 powerhouses USC and UCLA are involved in discussions to leave the conference for the Big Ten as early as the 2024 athletic season, sources tell CBS Sports' Matt Norlander. Though the move is not yet final and still in the discussion stages, it appears as if the Big Ten is aiming to make a significant acquisition that will change the college sports landscape.

 

"Everything is on the table," a Pac-12 source tells Norlander.

 

The transition of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten would be similar to the one that rocked college sports last summer when Texas and Oklahoma opted to leave the Big 12 for the SEC, a move set to transpire ahead of the 2025 season.

 

That kicked off a realignment bonanza in which the Big 12, American and other conferences saw teams move in and out of their membership. A similar situation will likely occur here if USC and UCLA formalize and announce their intentions to depart the Pac-12.

 

More below:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/usc-ucla-looking-to-leave-pac-12-for-big-ten-in-2024-though-deal-not-yet-finalized/

 

Been reading rumors about this for months now. After USC and UCLA leave, the question is if Oregon and Washington jump too in order to have the Big go to 18. 

 

That could have very good ramifications for the BIG 12 as you figure schools like Colorado, Az State, Stanford, etc would look to landing spots in the BIG 12 or ACC. Does that then destabilize the ACC and cause ND/Clem and other schools to look for new pastures?

The impending demise of the historic conferences is one of THE biggest things I hate about sports, and I hate a lot things about sports. 

Edited June 30, 20222 yr by surfohio

Please OSU-USC every year. Fire up the hate train!

10 hours ago, GCrites80s said:

Please OSU-USC every year. Fire up the hate train!

all the dominos have not fallen yet. There could be some other additions coming soon.

6 More Schools Mentioned As Targets For The Big Ten

 

The Big Ten may not be done. 

 

This Thursday, bombshell news surfaced saying USC and UCLA are reportedly leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. The rest of the Pac-12 is reportedly blindsided by the move. 

 

Will USC's and UCLA's decision spark a ripple effect inside the Pac-12?

 

According to trusted Pacific Northwest sports insider John Canzano, the Big Ten is reportedly eying six more Pac-12 schools: Oregon, Washington, Cal, Stanford and potentially Utah and Colorado. 

 

More below:

https://thespun.com/college-football/6-more-schools-mentioned-as-targets-for-the-big-ten

As a die hard Notre Dame fan, they're increasingly in more and more of a pickle. As CFB heads towards 2 super conferences, there will likely be a greater necessity for them to join the Big10 or SEC in order to make a playoff

3 minutes ago, YABO713 said:

As a die hard Notre Dame fan, they're increasingly in more and more of a pickle. As CFB heads towards 2 super conferences, there will likely be a greater necessity for them to join the Big10 or SEC in order to make a playoff

 

Haven't they been trending towards the ACC? Might want to rethink that now CFB is almost turning into an AFC and NFC w/those two conferences...

7 minutes ago, GISguy said:

 

Haven't they been trending towards the ACC? Might want to rethink that now CFB is almost turning into an AFC and NFC w/those two conferences...

 

They're ACC in every other sport. The issue is, ND generates ungodly money through its TV contract with NBC. To put it in perspective, the SEC's agreement with CBS is only 15% more expensive than Notre Dame's, and that gets them the entire conference. It would be a really difficult decision for ND to split that with other schools - playoffs be damned. 

At this rate, the ACC won't be a viable option for ND because the ACC could get squeezed out or downgraded

 

CFB really needs promotion and relegation but that would never happen

28 minutes ago, Dev said:

At this rate, the ACC won't be a viable option for ND because the ACC could get squeezed out or downgraded

 

CFB really needs promotion and relegation but that would never happen

 

With two super conferences, I think we'll see the MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt, American etc. will either join FCS or start their whole, new division. 

^ kinda hoping they all get together and start a whole superdivsion of their own.

 

of course that leaves us with three biggies, which might be a problem.

9 hours ago, YABO713 said:

 

With two super conferences, I think we'll see the MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt, American etc. will either join FCS or start their whole, new division. 

 

I'm not really sure how this whole realignment helps college football. What is the end game here? 

 

 

10 hours ago, Dev said:

CFB really needs promotion and relegation but that would never happen

 

College football needed a bit more of an expanded playoff. Instead we are going to get more  dysfunction, I'd be willing to bet on it. 

On 7/1/2022 at 8:12 PM, surfohio said:

 

College football needed a bit more of an expanded playoff. Instead we are going to get more  dysfunction, I'd be willing to bet on it. 

 

An expanded playoff will still happen, it just might be delayed even further due to this realignment

In the quest to ruin college football, some food for thought. If the BIG16 and SEC become as one expert just predicted, "the AFC and NFC of college football," here are some of the schools that look to be screwed by being relegated to an underclass. 

 

Here's last years top 25:

 

25. San Diego State Aztecs 12-2 (NR)  MOUNTAIN WEST

24. Utah State Aggies 11-3 163 (NR)  MOUNTAIN WEST 

23. Iowa Hawkeyes 10-4 171 (17) BIG 16 

22. Oregon Ducks 10-4 364 (15) PAC10 

21. Arkansas Razorbacks 9-4 371 (22) SEC

20. NC State Wolfpack 9-3 382 (18) ACC

19. BYU Cougars 10-3 435 (14) INDEPENDENT 

18. Kentucky Wildcats 10-3 446 (25)  SEC

17. Houston Cougars 12-2 513 (21) AMERICAN 

16. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns 13-1 517 (16) SUN BELT

15. Wake Forest Demon Deacons 11-3 533 (20) ACC 

14. Clemson Tigers 10-3 538 (19) ACC 

13. Pitt Panthers 11-3 741 (13) ACC

12. Utah Utes 10-4 851 (10) PAC10 

11. Ole Miss Rebels 10-3 926 (8) SEC

10. Oklahoma Sooners 11-2 966 (14) SEC 

9. Michigan State Spartans 11-2 1026 (11) BIG 16

8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 11-2 1039 (5)  INDEPENDENT 

7. Oklahoma State Cowboys 12-2 1177 (9) BIG 12

6. Ohio State Buckeyes 11-2 1247 (7) BIG 16 

5. Baylor Bears 12-2 1259 (7) BIG 12 

4. Cincinnati Bearcats 13-1 1349 (4) AMERICAN

3. Michigan Wolverines 12-2 1361 (2) BIG 16 

2. Alabama Crimson Tide 13-2 1464 (1)  SEC

1. Georgia Bulldogs 14-1 1525 (3)  SEC 

 

found this interesting in conference realignment discussions. The Big 10 is what I pretty much expected it to be but what really stood out was Cincinnati in the Big 12

while im waiting on my staten island ferry — heres an espn factoid i always sorta wondered about:

 

there are 135 college football teams —

with 85-105 players per team -

 

so that’s 11,475 to 14,175

ncaa football players per year*

 

*of course they dont all play.
 

wat the heckkerz? bgsu is opening their football season playing ucla in the rose bowl on saturday.

3 hours ago, mrnyc said:

wat the heckkerz? bgsu is opening their football season playing ucla in the rose bowl on saturday.

 

Huh, these teams have never faced one another. One neat stat: each team has 17 conference championships. 

 

http://www.winsipedia.com/ucla/vs/bowling-green

On 8/30/2022 at 11:33 AM, surfohio said:

 

Huh, these teams have never faced one another. One neat stat: each team has 17 conference championships. 

 

http://www.winsipedia.com/ucla/vs/bowling-green

 

 

well that one went about as expected:

 

 

Thompson-Robinson leads UCLA to 45-17 win over Bowling Green

 

https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/401403971

geez not too many beegee fans out there in la la land. the game at the rose bowl set a ucla attendance low 🤭

 

 

https://telugusamachar.in/web-stories/ucla-sets-embarrassing-attendance-record-in-home-opener/

 

 

 

Edited September 6, 20222 yr by mrnyc

21 hours ago, mrnyc said:

geez not too many beegee fans out there in la la land. the game at the rose bowl set a ucla attendance low 🤭

 

 

https://telugusamachar.in/web-stories/ucla-sets-embarrassing-attendance-record-in-home-opener/

 

 

 

I have seen others frame it as a boycott in protest of the team moving to the Big 10 but who's to say. I thought UCLA doesn't have nearly that big of a following compared to USC.

39 minutes ago, Dev said:

I have seen others frame it as a boycott in protest of the team moving to the Big 10 but who's to say. I thought UCLA doesn't have nearly that big of a following compared to USC.

UCLA has not been drawing well for years. Most of it has been due to the poor product on the field, but they have never had the same passionate fans as USC. USC is the team in SoCal. UCLA has always been little brother in that regard. USC is the big get for the Big 10. UCLA was the afterthought to claim the entire LA market for college football. UCLA would not be going to the BIG without USC but USC would have gone to the BIG without UCLA. 

Curious where the environmental groups are in response to these mega conferences. With UCLA and USC in the Big10 they will be traversing the country for not only football games, but every other sport like volleyball, baseball, lacrosse, etc. And not just at tournament time, we're talking regular season matches. Rutgers, basically in New York City and the two already mentioned in Los Angeles, seems like a lot of unnecessary CO2 emissions and travel costs to play a game. That's not even  considering the toll on the athletes traveling across three time zones. All of this in the name of what?

1 hour ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

UCLA has not been drawing well for years. Most of it has been due to the poor product on the field, but they have never had the same passionate fans as USC. USC is the team in SoCal. UCLA has always been little brother in that regard. USC is the big get for the Big 10. UCLA was the afterthought to claim the entire LA market for college football. UCLA would not be going to the BIG without USC but USC would have gone to the BIG without UCLA. 

Oh, I thought USC pulled in UCLA to keep the total size of the conference at an even number

8 minutes ago, Dev said:

Oh, I thought USC pulled in UCLA to keep the total size of the conference at an even number

The BIG was talking with USC in April. There was always talk about bringing on 4 PAC teams with USC being the primary driver of the bus (plus its biggest brand). Oregon and Washington and USC were the 3 most profitable brands with UCLA a close 4th because of the LA market. All 4 were the preferred candidates. USC obviously liked UCLA because of the traditional rivalry but there was always the fear that UCLA would have trouble leaving without CAL. Stanford is the preferred school in the bay area (although I have heard CAL is an option, just not as high as the others). UCLA reached out to the BIG separately from USC. Oregon and Washington did not reach out back in the Spring. This is the main reason why UCLA joined with USC instead of Oregon and Washington. Ultimately, it comes down to the sheer fact that UCLA (and USC) asked whereas the other schools did not.

39 minutes ago, STRIVE2THRIVE said:

Curious where the environmental groups are in response to these mega conferences. With UCLA and USC in the Big10 they will be traversing the country for not only football games, but every other sport like volleyball, baseball, lacrosse, etc. And not just at tournament time, we're talking regular season matches. Rutgers, basically in New York City and the two already mentioned in Los Angeles, seems like a lot of unnecessary CO2 emissions and travel costs to play a game. That's not even  considering the toll on the athletes traveling across three time zones. All of this in the name of what?

c'mon, people do not care about the environment when there is hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. That is someone else's problem. 

well it doesnt spell good things to have ucla join if it isnt drawing fans. i dk where the logic in that is, aside from keeping an even number of teams.

 

or maybe these conference changes arent quite all played out as yet?

 

regardless, the point is this game seemed to be a lowpoint for ucla fandom. 

2 hours ago, mrnyc said:

well it doesnt spell good things to have ucla join if it isnt drawing fans. i dk where the logic in that is, aside from keeping an even number of teams.

 

or maybe these conference changes arent quite all played out as yet?

 

regardless, the point is this game seemed to be a lowpoint for ucla fandom. 

Remember the BIG had 11 teams for 20 years before it added Nebraska. 

The new world of College football is markets and brands. USC has a brand, UCLA has a market. Bringing all the cable/streaming subscribers in the LA market into play is a huge thing.

 

Also, it is important to recognize, that outside of Chicago, New York, and DC, LA is the next largest city for BIG alumni in the country. if you think about it, there are a ton of Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State, and even Penn State alums in LA who may be working in some capacity in the entertainment business. Capturing this market share in LA (not just USC and UCLA fans) is a huge untapped potential for the BIG. 

On 9/6/2022 at 3:32 PM, Brutus_buckeye said:

Remember the BIG had 11 teams for 20 years before it added Nebraska. 

The new world of College football is markets and brands. USC has a brand, UCLA has a market. Bringing all the cable/streaming subscribers in the LA market into play is a huge thing.

 

Also, it is important to recognize, that outside of Chicago, New York, and DC, LA is the next largest city for BIG alumni in the country. if you think about it, there are a ton of Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State, and even Penn State alums in LA who may be working in some capacity in the entertainment business. Capturing this market share in LA (not just USC and UCLA fans) is a huge untapped potential for the BIG. 

Why have 8 games in LA per year, when you could have 15?

7 minutes ago, Dev said:

Why have 8 games in LA per year, when you could have 15?

I'm not that into college sports.   I'm sure the big football programs all charter.   But the lesser sports like volleyball, lacrosse etc must fly commercial, no?  

6 minutes ago, Cleburger said:

I'm not that into college sports.   I'm sure the big football programs all charter.   But the lesser sports like volleyball, lacrosse etc must fly commercial, no?  

I'm not sure. The TV deal for football alone will certainly make up for any extra transportation costs.

It's not just about markets to open up.  It's about markets and turf to protect.

 

I'm old-school in the sense of preferring college and amateur sports leagues to be geographically-based, not just for transportation eco-friendliness but for transportation convenience for students and fans.

 

But, for example, there was never a snowball's chance that Ohio State would allow any serious discussion of letting Cincinnati into the Big Ten nor Penn State any of allowing Pitt in.  Elite schools do recruit nationally, but geography matters.

1 hour ago, Cleburger said:

I'm not that into college sports.   I'm sure the big football programs all charter.   But the lesser sports like volleyball, lacrosse etc must fly commercial, no?  

It certainly depends. For example, if Ohio state goes to Michigan State for a football or basketball game, they fly charter. If the soccer team or field hockey team goes, they ride charter. 

 

I think in some cases, it will be a mix. Some of the non-revenue sports like swimming, golf, gymnastics, etc. may fly a combo of charter/commercial when they have an alumni plane to hop on. The big difference is that when the USC football team goes to Ohio State, they will fly home the next day. When the golf team or swimming team play at Ohio State, they then drive to IU and then Purdue and then Northwestern (for example) and then fly home after a long weekend on the road. If I would be a betting person, they would likely schedule these trips to fly into Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago or DC and then travel around the regional pod and then fly back out of a hub airport in the region. 

when the announcers lose it — you gotta love it!

 

app state over troy via the ‘ol hail mary:

 

 

https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/34612345

whoa — former jets coach fired at asu:

 

 

Former Jets head coach fired again

 

Updated: Sep. 18, 2022

 

 

After Arizona State’s 30-21 loss to Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Sun Devils head coach Herm Edwards was asked how ASU would rebound from a 1-2 start:

 

“We’ve got to fix it,” Edwards said after the game. “We’ve got to fix it with the players we have. That’s how we’ve got to fix it. There isn’t anyone else coming in the building. We’ve got to find a way to fix it. That’s what I told the team. Going forward, you’ve got to figure out who you are now, what you’re going to become.”

 

Well, somebody else had thoughts on how to fix the problem: Edwards — head coach of the Jets from 2001 to 2005 — has been fired.

 

 

more:

https://www.silive.com/jets/2022/09/former-jets-head-coach-fired-again.html

a listicle of the worst stadiums in college football ranked that i got sucked into — interesting, although i would ignore the rankings completely and just think of it as a list of stadiums that need work.

 

kent, akron, ud and miami make the list, with the latter ranked ignonomously the highest … and spoiler below:

 

https://moneywise.com/a/ch-c/worst-stadiums-in-college-football_FumFieldsSept12-LGSB-MIOS?t=Fumbled Fields%3A The Worst Stadiums in College Football&utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=Smartphone&utm_campaign=20836484&utm_term=espnappsnetwork-espnios&utm_content=3562679743&s_trn_d=dxXAq92z1IZqZnFiGVYbYwS_-4Hv9yOwIiYS2ii_SQ8=&taboola_click_id=GiBAOmGpRPb8DSW6osipg1k-IIHE5uGw4sAsC6cXvN7TnSD11VQo5cnl_qOD2Oz5AQ&hero=2022091213200404001537443601&tblci=GiBAOmGpRPb8DSW6osipg1k-IIHE5uGw4sAsC6cXvN7TnSD11VQo5cnl_qOD2Oz5AQ

 

 

 

number one worst is vanderbilt.

umm, ok. 

18 minutes ago, mrnyc said:

a listicle of the worst stadiums in college football ranked that i got sucked into — interesting, although i would ignore the rankings completely and just think of it as a list of stadiums that need work.

 

kent, akron, ud and miami make the list, with the latter ranked ignonomously the highest … and spoiler below:

 

https://moneywise.com/a/ch-c/worst-stadiums-in-college-football_FumFieldsSept12-LGSB-MIOS?t=Fumbled Fields%3A The Worst Stadiums in College Football&utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=Smartphone&utm_campaign=20836484&utm_term=espnappsnetwork-espnios&utm_content=3562679743&s_trn_d=dxXAq92z1IZqZnFiGVYbYwS_-4Hv9yOwIiYS2ii_SQ8=&taboola_click_id=GiBAOmGpRPb8DSW6osipg1k-IIHE5uGw4sAsC6cXvN7TnSD11VQo5cnl_qOD2Oz5AQ&hero=2022091213200404001537443601&tblci=GiBAOmGpRPb8DSW6osipg1k-IIHE5uGw4sAsC6cXvN7TnSD11VQo5cnl_qOD2Oz5AQ

 

 

 

number one worst is vanderbilt.

umm, ok. 

I did not read the article but how did akron make the list?  It is practically new.

23 minutes ago, Htsguy said:

I did not read the article but how did akron make the list?  It is practically new.

 

looks like that one was more about the experience than the stadium itself:

 

 

Akron, Ohio

The Akron Zips have been trying to rebuild their attendance numbers that sank following some terrible seasons, including three straight — from 2010 through 2012 — that each ended with only one win and 11 losses.

In 2018, Akron had just a 4-and-8 record. So, fans and team spirit can still be lacking at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field which was built brand-new in 2009.

Many Google reviewers write about how the lack of fan support can completely ruin the experience.

"I would honestly love going there if they actually had a fan base," says one. "Almost every time I went there it was me and the marching band being the only people in the stands."

^ The utter destruction of Akron's once-promising football program is just another on the big list of reasons for me to hate sports. 

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-playoff-expansion-how-a-12-team-bracket-would-have-looked-for-2022-postseason/

 

College football is apparently going to a 12-team playoff starting in 2024.

 

 

I am definitely in favor of expanding the playoff field, if only because conferences aren't created equal, let alone divisions (to the extent those will exist in the future).

 

This year, for example, the top four seeds would have been 1) Georgia, 2), Michigan, 3) Clemson, and 4) Utah.

 

That would set up first-round matchups of TCU (5) vs. Tulane (12), Ohio State (6) vs. Penn State (11), Alabama (7) vs USC (10), and Tennessee (8) vs. Kansas State (9).  They might have re-seeded Penn State to avoid a conference matchup repeat.

 

Then, you just follow seeding - Georgia gets the winner of 8/9, Michigan gets the winner of 7/10, and so on.

 

I get wanting to preserve the importance of winning your conference, and thus giving those top 4 teams a bye.  Unclear where that leaves Notre Dame, though.

 

I'd be more in favor of a three-round playoff consisting of the top 8 teams - the five Power 5 conference champs and three at-large bids.  Play the quarter-finals as home games a couple weeks after the conference championships.

 

The talk of the last decade+ around expansion was player safety - they didn't want the athletes playing an NFL-like schedule of 15-17 games, interfering with finals, etc.  Imagine this...the final week of the regular season, you often have top 25 heavyweight matchups - Ohio State/Michigan, Alabama/Auburn, USC/UCLA, etc.  The winner typically then goes on to the conference championship, usually a top 15 matchup.  Now in the world of a 12-team playoff, let's say Georgia would have lost to LSU this year.  Guess what, you could be a top 4 team, but because you lost that conference championship, you now have to go play *FOUR* more top 10 games to win it all.  I haven't heard a peep about player safety, working the kids too much, etc.

About 7-8 years after the 12 team playoff system goes into effect, I would like to see a study done comparing the 5 year graduation rate of college football players at the top schools  pre and post expansion.  Some actually do go to college to earn degrees.

lol

 

^ East Orange huh....you don't mess with folks for East Orange haha. 

TCU beats Michigan. 

 

Michigan beats Ohio State.

 

Ohio State blows a big lead against Georgia and ends up losing by 1 on a missed last-second FG. 

 

National championship game: Georgia 65, TCU 7. 😤😮😵😵‍💫

 

What might have been.