Kevin C

T or F - Arch will exceed 40 total TDs (passing and rushing)

Disagree with several points in response but agree with you on #7 after thinking about it more. A&M at home is an incredible home game most years. So glad it’s back. For this upcoming year, Ohio State has potential to be our best home game.

Fully agree. Makes no sense why ND is getting special treatment. What leverage do they have? Bad enough ND has cancelled USC series and set up their schedule to be one of the easiest in the country. Their schedule next year virtually guarantees playoff seeding.

No, the rules are not the same this next year. New rules go into effect that guarantee each P4 conference champion gets into playoff AND Notre Dame is guaranteed a spot if ranked in top 12. If those rules were in effect this past season, Duke and Notre Dame would have e gotten into the playoffs. Miami would have been left out.

It goes beyond G6 and Notre Dame special treatment with AQ. Let’s use 2025 final rankings as the example for how it will work differently in 2026 with the new AQ rules. Top 5 conference champs would get in plus ND if ranked in Top 12. P4 Conference Champs were: Indiana (1), Georgia (3), Texas Tech (4), Duke (UR) plus Tulane (20) as the highest G6 conference champion. Notre Dame was ranked #11 last December so they’d get AQ as well. Who would have gotten left out? #10 Miami would have gotten left out of playoffs in 2026 in place of the three AQ teams all ranked below them. The same Miami that made it to the national championship. In the new Big 10 proposal, none of that BS can happen. It’s straight Top 23 plus top G6 (last year that would be #20 Tulane so all Top 24 are in. Much cleaner. Also I like this model it because if you lost a couple games early in season but have rebounded to play great in November, if ranked #17-24, you’ll have to win 2 big underdog games on the road to make it to the quarter finals. That’s proving it on the field. Similar to NFl playoffs

Many things I like about this model: 1) Further supports playing a big time non-conference game early and allowing teams to gel in Sept/Oct. This helps further emphasize the value of gaining experience against tough opponents and 3 losses in now way eliminates a team from contention. 2) Conf championship games have become a joke. Recognize conference champion based on regular season results. No reason to play that extra game when many other teams in playoffs do not play in conf championship. 3) Top 8 teams get a bye. Top 16 teams all get to host a home playoff game. This is a win all the way around for campus games and for Top 8 teams out of regular season. A true reward for regular season results. 4) Makes the regular season even more exciting for broader base of teams who have a real shot to prove it on the field. Every game is interesting for different reasons. 5) Financially makes sense with 12 additional games and 10 of those can be bid to competing networks (or streaming partners). 6) Eliminates special treatment for ND and diminishes impact of including non Power 4 champion. 7) Full month of December would become a better bigger version of "March Madness". This would be the best home game of the season for 16 teams in December. 2nd weekend of the month is first round. 3rd weekend of the month is second round . All 16 teams know by early December where they are playing and can plan for attendance way in advance. 8. I hate the different proposals for 16 teams with subset of teams playing first round, wacky number of byes for different teams, AQs to teams who aren't even a top 20 team potentially and too complex of a playoff format. Love this model for its symmetry, equal treatment to all teams with clear benefit to top 8 teams with bye and home field. Everyone fighting to make Top 8. Hook em!!

I also like Stephen A Smith's rant about Notre Dame getting special treatment next year in current agreement. What if Texas were ranked #11 but got knocked out of playoffs by #12 Notre Dame due to their AQ status? Current model has many issues to be remedied, including the fact that the conference championships put those teams at big disadvantage of playing extra game (especially the losers) going into the playoffs then the fact that the top seeded teams do not currently get opportunity to host a playoff game at their home campuses is crazy.

I've posted my support for this 24-team playoff model over the past year (8 home playoff games in round 1 hosted by seeds 9-16 followed by 8 playoff games hosted by first round byes, seeded 1-8) with the remainder of the playoff schedule resembling current format. Conference championship games (which have become a complete joke) go away and no team would have a crazy 3-4 week bye period in December. The Top 16 teams all host 1 playoff game at home. Love it. As usual, I expect to get blasted by others with the rationale that this expanded format somehow diminishes the regular season (suggesting, I guess, that the regular season is somehow an equitable barometer between teams like Texas who play OSU and 4 other Top 10 teams versus other teams that qualified and didn't play a single Top 10 team all season). This latest proposal seems like a big move in a constructive direction as Big 10 has moved off of their previous mandate for an obscene number of automatic qualifiers for Big 10 and SEC. It's simply the Top 23 teams seeded. Last season, the SEC would have had the most teams qualify with 7 SEC teams and 6 Big 10 followed by 5 Big 12 Teams and only 3 ACC plus ND and a G5. Put another way, each team's performance on the field sets the seeding but allows inequity in schedules to be settled through the expanded playoffs. Curious what others think. Seems destined to either move to 16 or 24, but the Big 10 now offering a way to remedy the financial loss of conference championship games (proposing 10 new playoff games get packaged and put into media bidding war) and no AQs would seem to make the 24 team model much more appealing, especially the idea that the Top 16 teams all get to host 1 home playoff game. I love that aspect to this model plus many other elements. Hook em!! https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/47917988/big-ten-eyes-24-team-cfp-no-league-championship-games

Love it! Excited for Texas baseball this spring and look forward to #BasesLoaded. Gonna be a big season. Hook em!! 🤘🏼🧡🐂

Good grief, give em the extra 1/8in and 1/2in for 6ft, lol. Excited to see what both will do in NFL, especially Taaffe after getting zero respect coming out of high school as walk-on. Grit and determination. Hook em!! 🧡🐂🤘🏼

IMG_6193.mov Fun sledding in front yard!! Dogs are loving it. 🐶🧡 🥶❄️⛄️

Damn good natty. Give both teams credit for bringing it.

https://apple.news/AvYGPO2MHQkC_ntckEnU6rg Yesterday was a great day for the Horns. Not so much for the Buckeyes. Looking forward to next Sept. Hook em!! 🧡🐂🤘🏼

Love it!!

Agree on both points. CJ… ‘Come on Man!!!’ Can’t ever make that mistake (twice in one season) again!!

Great post. Went through some health issues earlier this year (gittin’ old sux, 🤪) and had to be off work several months. OTF crew was my MVP. Appreciate all you guys for your authentic passion, talking Horns, keeping it real, having a fun time doing it. Hook em!! 🧡🤘🏼🐂

Makes sense. On Muschamp….Still can’t believe this happened….Very fired up about the upgrade going into 2026. Outstanding defensive mind and the fire we need to set tone for killer defense.

🧡🤘🏼🐂🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🧡🤘🏼🐂🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 praying Baugh and his parents / agent are putting national championship potential,RB fit, recent NFL Draft track record and coaching staff all towards top of priority list. If so, we’re in good shape. Jaden Baugh plus Texas makes waaayyy too much sense for lots of reasons!! Hook em!! 🙏🏼🧡🐂🤘🏼

Merry Christmas OTF Family! When I’m not crazy swamped with work or family priorities, I love taking in some Coffee & Football with Bobby, Gerry, Blake and others. Always enjoy the perspectives and passion, even when I don’t agree. That said…..Of all the topics @Gerry Hamiltoncould have written on Christmas Day, this one is a real head scratcher. Why give any attention to the classless gutless organization called Notre Dame? When schools like Texas lean into playing the best (in conference and out of conference) risking losses will keep us out of the CFP, Notre Dame is cancelling longtime series against USC and continuing as an independent so they have 100% control over who they play each season, they are doing everything possible to maximize the facade of their bull$41+ 10-2 record this season and going even further in seasons to come. Everyone on ESPN, Saban included. keeps coming to their defense this December saying ND got screwed that they deserve to be in the playoffs? Why? Notre Dame lost their only two games against teams currently ranked in the Top 15 (Miami and A&M) and they have a whopping 1 win against a Top 25 team (USC) whom they’ve cancelled going forward to further water down their schedule. Be comparison, Texas beat 3 Top-15 teams (OU, A&M and Vandy), two losses to 2 of the clear top-3 programs in the country plus the bad loss to Florida. Even as bad as Texas was at times this season, we’d likely be 12-0 or 11-1 (at worst) against ND schedule for 2025. It’s a cupcake. Texas was a rollercoaster team that was maddening to watch at times but they got better on offense through the season, showed grit, made no excuses and will be 100% improved next season with stronger OL and QB play. I love what Sark is building and believe 2026 is going to be Texas’ year to win it all (not Notre Dame), due to our choice to play the best, grow from it, build on the lessons from 2025, stronger top to bottom coaching staff with key upgrades in coaching on both sides of the ball, best QB in the country, explosive offense, dominating defense with the best edge in the country (setting new Texas record for sacks) and a fight in next years team that no one can match. i believe Texas will be the team to beat next season (not cowardly ND) and it’s the road they’ve taken on the way to 2026 that’s prepared them for one of the toughest schedules any team will play. Character, grit, explosiveness, QB leadership, WR length, athleticism on both sides, depth of talent, coaching, play calling…..all of this and more are reasons why the Longhorns are the team to beat. Time for @Gerry Hamilton to rethink his Christmas morning mindset. In the immortal words of Chris Carter on Monday Night Countdown in the day…”Come On Man!!!” Hook em!! 🧡🐂🤘🏼

Agree. People need to stop the insane argument that the expansion ‘devalues regular season’ because the regular season schedules are so inequitable, it’s ridiculous. Texas would be favored to win against 8 of the 12 teams who made the playoffs. They aren’t picking the best teams in current model, they are picking the best records (plus the bs G5 entry to avoid lawsuits). Expand to 24, play two rounds to get down to Top 8 on New Years.

Love this. Would make for incredible story (and a lot of pissed off GMs who passed on Quinn for 7 rounds) if he shows well down stretch and proves to earn starting job longterm. Go get em Quinn!! I’m looking forward to watching the Dolphins v Bengals. I’ve never said those words before, lol. Still hard to believe 11 other QBs drafted ahead of Quinn last spring. Several GMs looking a bit foolish now. https://www.dazn.com/en-US/news/american-football/nfl-rookie-draft-quarterback-starting-in-2025-ward-dart-shough-gabriel-sanders/ci7je2t1b1qb1xyz5gszk9hbt Hook em!! 🧡🤘🏼

We have a current system that enabled James Madison and Tulane to make the playoffs but excluded ND and Texas (3 top 15 wins and top SOS among top 15 teams by far). In a new world where Top 24 get in, this year that’s one total team with 8-4 record (Iowa). They likely lose in the road and the play it on the field works as designed. I’m fully on board with 24 team playoff so play on field determines final outcome.

Top 24 Teams and stop the G5 guarantee. If they aren’t one of top 24, don’t deserve. 1-8 get first round bye. 9-16 host 17-24 during week of Dec 10. Winners play at 1-8 campus sites for round 2 the week of Dec 20. Final 8 play 4 quarterfinals over NewYears, same as this year. Very grateful for NewYears finally being the best day of the year (again) for College Football. Not complicated. Texas gonna make sure there’s never a year in future where they are left out. Makes too much sense. $$$$ rule.

Agree.

Definitely not following the logic and linkage between being a season ticket holder and 24 teams. Two rounds of playoffs at home campus locations (17-24 all play at 9-16 in week 1 then winners play at home fields of 1-8 in week 2). You'd rather only have one round of games at college campuses? Not me. I'd prefer first two rounds on campus, setting the stage for quarter finales in major bowls. JMHO.