genevalonghorn

The sad part is that there will still be all this discussion of teams on the "bubble" that were left out. I realize that UT benefitted from it this year, but what does the "First Team Out" look like when you move to 76?

I don't understand why the Big 10 or SEC would push for 24 right now. It helps the ACC and Big 12 more, by giving them a second, third, and, maybe, fourth team in the Playoff. That will keep the Clemsons, FSUs, etc. happy enough to stay put, when the SEC (or Big 10) would be more than happy to pick off some of them when the opportunity next presents itself.

It was a down year for college football.

If you want to play three rivalry games, play Michigan three times.

It is not "help" when you have the league schedule we do, which consists of three rivalry games every year on top of the mix of the SEC. What is "help" is having the luxury of playing an Iowa, a Northwestern, a Purdue, etc. on a regular basis.

Wanting to maximize an opportunity to play for a national championship is not an "excuse." The notion is that you schedule a softer OOC slate so you can schedule an Ohio State or whoever in the playoff.

This is an important point, but there's a hidden point too. The second and third teams etc. making the playoffs from the P2 conferences tend to have an easier league schedule as well. Consider Slurp last year, which did not play anyone until us, which was after Thanksgiving. Ole Miss played an overrated OU (win) and Georgia (loss). Alabama played UGA twice and lost, lost to OU. Its best win was Tennessee. (And don't forget the loss to FSU.) If you look at the relevant Big 10 schedules, they are similarly room service oriented. Indiana played two teams - Oregon and tOSU, the latter in the league championship. tOSU played two teams - us and Indiana in the league championship. You can make an argument about Michigan, and I get it. But we beat them handily with mostly our backups, and they had limited opt outs. Oregon played one team - Indiana - in the regular season. Now, pick up our schedule from last year or this one and tell me that it is easier than any of these schedules, even if you take the tOSU game out. It isn't, so why are we making it harder on ourselves?

Was there enough simulated punt coverage to tell who the gunner is? Seems like Bishop would be a fit. Nobody has done it like Josh Thompson in the past few seasons.

I’d bet one is the California JUCO kid.

At least since Mack has been affiliated with the program, it has been better off with him than without him. Check out the Strong and Herman years for confirmation of that. I'm glad Sark has found a way to have him around the program in some capacity.

Fortunately.

If it was an NIL play, you would go to a school known for ponying up early money - be it Oregon, Slurp, or Tortilla. My $.02.

Boom was spotted in a YPTWTG t-shirt this morning apparently.

Columbus, TX

Apologies if I am misreading, but does this list include the '26 late riser who we are expecting in as well? Any late interest there from other schools? It seems like with a kid like that, who makes sense to park on the roster for a few years to see if it all comes together, you are competing against a potential late NIL offer from a mid-major or institution with similar academics, whether it be a UTSA, a Rice, etc.

This is a good problem to have. We are how many years away from a place where a coach's main expectation for the players was to have light yellow pee? The only guarantee when a coach has low expectations is that the team will meet them.

Apart from Duke/UNC, are there any competitive, must-see rivalries any more? (And even the air has come out of Duke/UNC in my opinion.)

Great thread. In my mind, it is hard to argue with the 1980's/1990's, not only in terms of quality, but theatre. The John Thompsons, Jerry Tarkanians, Rollie Massiminos, Lou Carneseccas, and so on, down the line. As a young kid, one of my first competitive games was March 1990, Syracuse-Georgetown in the Dome, wall to wall coverage in the local and national press leading up to it. Alonzo/Dikembe on one side, and Stevie Thompson/Billy Owens/Derrick Coleman/Mike Hopkins on the other. Big John draws three techs in the first half and waives the towel etc. on the way out and up the tunnel. Gosh, and as I look at the box score, Jim Burr officiated. Hard to argue with it, and I've rushed the court before against JJ Reddick's Duke.

This is why we're playing a Left Tackle and a Left-Most Tackle in 2026.

So smart! They poached Livingstone!

As I watch the Iggles, it is worth asking whether a Moro Ojomo or Alfred Collins happens in this new portal era.

This cannot be said enough. A LG with playoff experience.

There was talk of him ending up at Tortilla because his GF recently enrolled there, if I recall.

Good analysis. I think the issue some of us are having is that the "extra cash" turns into dead money relatively quickly. But, that is the feeling until we actually land a skill player to get excited about.

How was he from the right hash?