2025-2026 College Football Thread

[sk33tr]

USA Today: Here's who would win a 64-team college football championship bracket (theoretical)

link to their twitter page

[fatediesel]

Todd McShay has released his first mock draft and he has Blake Bortles going #3 to the Raiders. Brent Sobleski of USA Today has Bortles going #4 to the Jaguars in his mock draft. It's going to be tough for UCF to keep Bortles with his stock as high as it will probably ever be. In the span of a month Bortles has gone from not being projected as a first round pick to a projected top 5 pick.

Both mock drafts project an early run on quarterbacks. McShay has Teddy Bridgewater at #1 to Houston, Bortles at #3, Johnny Maziel at #4 to the Jags, and Derek Carr at #6 to the Browns. Sobleski has Bridgewater at #1, Bortles at #4, Carr at #6, and UCLA's Brett Hundley at #8 to the Vikings. Neither have any QBs going in the first round after the early picks.

[walruswarrior]

Seriously the #4 pick . I can't believe he's projected ahead of Manziel.

[Spurrier Sucks]

[Moviefan1203]

Originally Posted by walruswarrior

Seriously the #4 pick . I can't believe he's projected ahead of Manziel.

Bortles has prototype NFL size and arm strength. Manziel does not.

[fatediesel]

Washington assistant coach Tosh Lupoi is alleged to have given impermissible benefits to a recruit:

Mike Davis, a throwing coach who helped Basham win a state shotput title, told The Times that Tosh Lupoi, Washington’s defensive line coach, gave him $3,000 to cover private tutoring for [Andrew] Basham through a test preparation company. Davis said he also received $1,500 from Lupoi to reimburse Basham’s father for online classes Andrew could use to raise his grade-point average.

This could affect both Washington and new USC coach Steve Sarkisian. New NCAA rules put more responsibility on coaches to monitor their assistants and the penalties could be more severe for Sark (a rather lengthy explanation so I'll put it in a spoiler tag):

[Show spoiler]

If the NCAA enforcement staff alleges that a head coach violated Bylaw 11.1.2.1 as a result of his/her involvement in a major/Level I or II violation(s), what could happen?

Pursuant to Bylaw 11.1.2.1, a head coach is presumed responsible for major/Level I and Level II violations (e.g., academic fraud, recruiting inducements) occurring within his or her program unless the coach can show that he or she promoted an atmosphere of compliance and monitored his or her staff. After August 1, 2013, if the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions finds that a head coach violated Bylaw 11.1.2.1, he or she may be suspended, pursuant to a show-cause order, for up to an entire season for Level I violations and up to half of a season for Level II violations. The length of the suspension will depend on the severity of the violation(s) committed by his or her staff and/or the coach himself/herself.

Those penalties come from the NCAA’s new penalty matrix and are based on the level of the violation as well the existence of any aggravating or mitigating factors. The maximums mentioned above are for those levels of violations with aggravating factors. Without aggravation, a head coach can be suspended between 30% and 50% of the season for a Level I violation and from no suspension to 30% of a season for a Level II violation. That suspension could be part of a show-cause order of 1-2 years for a standard Level II violation and 2-5 years for a standard Level I violation. Even if the violation is classified as a Level III, the head coach can face a suspension in football for this type of violation.

http://www.athleticscholarships.net/...-assistant.htm

[ApolloOne]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

This could affect both Washington and new USC coach Steve Sarkisian.

Did you hear that? That was the sound of a Pat Haden facepalm.

[The Lizard King]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

Washington assistant coach Tosh Lupoi is alleged to have given impermissible benefits to a recruit:



This could affect both Washington and new USC coach Steve Sarkisian. New NCAA rules put more responsibility on coaches to monitor their assistants and the penalties could be more severe for Sark (a rather lengthy explanation so I'll put it in a spoiler tag):

[Show spoiler]

If the NCAA enforcement staff alleges that a head coach violated Bylaw 11.1.2.1 as a result of his/her involvement in a major/Level I or II violation(s), what could happen?

Pursuant to Bylaw 11.1.2.1, a head coach is presumed responsible for major/Level I and Level II violations (e.g., academic fraud, recruiting inducements) occurring within his or her program unless the coach can show that he or she promoted an atmosphere of compliance and monitored his or her staff. After August 1, 2013, if the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions finds that a head coach violated Bylaw 11.1.2.1, he or she may be suspended, pursuant to a show-cause order, for up to an entire season for Level I violations and up to half of a season for Level II violations. The length of the suspension will depend on the severity of the violation(s) committed by his or her staff and/or the coach himself/herself.

Those penalties come from the NCAA’s new penalty matrix and are based on the level of the violation as well the existence of any aggravating or mitigating factors. The maximums mentioned above are for those levels of violations with aggravating factors. Without aggravation, a head coach can be suspended between 30% and 50% of the season for a Level I violation and from no suspension to 30% of a season for a Level II violation. That suspension could be part of a show-cause order of 1-2 years for a standard Level II violation and 2-5 years for a standard Level I violation. Even if the violation is classified as a Level III, the head coach can face a suspension in football for this type of violation.

http://www.athleticscholarships.net/...-assistant.htm

Yeah, because this stuff happens to choirboys like Nick Saban, and he was penalized immediately by the NZAA...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...-loan/3686299/

Oh, wait...

TLK

[sycro]

Originally Posted by The Lizard King

Yeah, because this stuff happens to choirboys like Nick Saban, and he was penalized immediately by the NZAA...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...-loan/3686299/

Oh, wait...

TLK

Alabama took those actions, not the NCAA. The NCAA could still take action.

[The Lizard King]

Originally Posted by sycro

Alabama took those actions, not the NCAA. The NCAA could still take action.

But won't.

Since this whole thing happened in Seattle, the worst-case scenario in regards to USC is that Sarkisian is fired and Haden is forced to resign.

I could live with the worst-case scenario, BTW.

TLK

[The Lizard King]

Originally Posted by ApolloOne

Did you hear that? That was the sound of a Pat Haden facepalm.

Pat Haden needs to resign. Period.

TLK

[Moviefan1203]

Originally Posted by The Lizard King

Pat Haden needs to resign. Period.

TLK

Just curious, but why don't you like Haden? He seems to have great passion for USC sports.

[The Lizard King]

Originally Posted by Moviefan1203

Just curious, but why don't you like Haden? He seems to have great passion for USC sports.

Instead of threatening to take the NCAA to court, like Miami, tOSU, etc did, he elected to take the NCAA in the shorts.

The Miami, tOSU, Oregon, UNC, etc transgressions were FAR worse than anything USC did (or didn't do), and yet USC got hammered and the others got a mere wrist slap.

Haden is a eunuch. His "let's just move on" mantra rips open a gaping wound in me every time another school violates NCAA rules but gets off relatively lightly.

TLK

[Spurrier Sucks]

Originally Posted by The Lizard King

Instead of threatening to take the NCAA to court, like Miami, tOSU, etc did, he elected to take the NCAA in the shorts.

The Miami, tOSU, Oregon, UNC, etc transgressions were FAR worse than anything USC did (or didn't do), and yet USC got hammered and the others got a mere wrist slap.

Haden is a eunuch. His "let's just move on" mantra rips open a gaping wound in me every time another school violates NCAA rules but gets off relatively lightly.

TLK

What UNC is getting away with is just absurd. They should shut the NCAA down now for that alone. It's not just football but basketball too. GT list a conference championship for $300 but UNC has a guy reinstated for $2000 and only has to pay it back before the end of the season. Sounds fair, right?

[sycro]

Originally Posted by Spurrier Sucks

What UNC is getting away with is just absurd. They should shut the NCAA down now for that alone. It's not just football but basketball too. GT list a conference championship for $300 but UNC has a guy reinstated for $2000 and only has to pay it back before the end of the season. Sounds fair, right?

Clemson lost a conference championship game with no winner

[Spurrier Sucks]

Originally Posted by sycro

Clemson lost a conference championship game with no winner

Phantom holding call. Refs cheated, but so did GT.

[Moviefan1203]

Here is Pennsylvania there is a lot of speculation that James Franklin is going to be the next Penn State head coach. It's all but official that O'Brien is headed for an NFL head coaching gig.

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by Moviefan1203

Here is Pennsylvania there is a lot of speculation that James Franklin is going to be the next Penn State head coach. It's all but official that O'Brien is headed for an NFL head coaching gig.

There is an article by Emily Kaplan on themmqb.com about how it's no sure thing that O'Brien leaves. O'Brien's oldest son has a neurological disorder called Lissencephaly and cannot walk or talk. In State College they've found a school they like for their son and are familiar with the doctors treating him. O'Brien definitely could leave for the NFL, but if he gets an offer it's a sure thing that he will make sure the area has proper care for his son. That could make the Vikings a more attractive candidate as the Mayo Clinic is less than an hour and a half away from Minneapolis.

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/12/26/bill-o...enn-state-nfl/

[gvortex7]

NIU is so awesome that they should have gone to a BCS bowl. They were truly robbed this year.

[emac213]

Originally Posted by Moviefan1203

Here is Pennsylvania there is a lot of speculation that James Franklin is going to be the next Penn State head coach. It's all but official that O'Brien is headed for an NFL head coaching gig.

You think Penn State would go after Golden? He did say it was his dream job.