2025-26 College Football Thread

[Whyjerry]

They'll chase Joe Brady and Lane Kiffin because they want offense. I don't see them landing either guy.
But Riley is probably third on their board for that same reason. They saw the OU offenses under Riley and his recruiting at USC. Figure they can hand him an SEC DC and SEC defensive talent.
Riley swears he will never leave but all coaches seem to say that before they take the next job.

Kiffin is a great example of a guy that rebuilt his reputation. His Ole Miss tenure now proves he can coach. Both sides of the ball. Riley is a joke at this point. Totally overrated.

 

[reddyuta]

I think OSUs Defense is so far ahead of the rest of CFB that it will be a failure if they don't repeat- that got legit gamechangers on that D.

 

[VaqueroTD]

Aggies may make it happen this year. Rooting for them. Let's finally see a championship team in Kyle Field.

 

[DFWJC]

Kiffin is a great example of a guy that rebuilt his reputation. His Ole Miss tenure now proves he can coach. Both sides of the ball. Riley is a joke at this point. Totally overrated.

I agree on Kiffen.

However
Isn't Riley's team ranked #17 in the nation?
How is that a joke?

 

[gtb1943]

I agree on Kiffen.

However
Isn't Riley's team ranked #17 in the nation?
How is that a joke?

because they have the talent to do more and have not
would not call him a joke; but certainly not a top coach

 

[Whyjerry]

I agree on Kiffen.

However
Isn't Riley's team ranked #17 in the nation?
How is that a joke?

I agree on Kiffen.

However
Isn't Riley's team ranked #17 in the nation?
How is that a joke?

Man the Lincoln Riley fan boys kill me. Do you think USC hired this guy, paid him a ton of money, and made a video of him arriving via a private plane to save the Trojans only to see him go 8-5 and 7-6 with perennial top 20 recruiting classes? Ranked 17th? That is not what they hired him for. I suspect they now see they got a limited coach that is incapable of winning a title.

 

[DFWJC]

Man the Lincoln Riley fan boys kill me. Do you think USC hired this guy, paid him a ton of money, and made a video of him arriving via a private plane to save the Trojans only to see him go 8-5 and 7-6 with perennial top 20 recruiting classes? Ranked 17th? That is not what they hired him for. I suspect they now see they got a limited coach that is incapable of winning a title.

I'm not a Riley fanboy at all.
No need to call people names

Just stated one fact....that his team is ranked #17.
It's not like they are total trash

Did not say he was not overrated, but they aren't pure crap either.

 

[Whyjerry]

I'm not a Riley fanboy at all.
No need to call people names

Just stated one fact....that his team is ranked #17.
It's not like they are total trash

Did not say he was not overrated, but they aren't pure crap either.

You are a great poster. Can you tell I am anti-Riley?

 

[jterrell]

Kiffin is a great example of a guy that rebuilt his reputation. His Ole Miss tenure now proves he can coach. Both sides of the ball. Riley is a joke at this point. Totally overrated.

I mean Kiffin is pretty overrated too.
Ole Miss has given him unlimited resources for NIL and staff.
He's finished in the top 10 all of once in 5 years.
He's there now but has 1 win over a currently ranked team.

Riley is pretty questionable overall, but the point is LSU is a pretty bad job at the moment with a legal battle with the former coach over his pay out and the governor injecting himself into the coaching search.

 

[jterrell]

Man the Lincoln Riley fan boys kill me. Do you think USC hired this guy, paid him a ton of money, and made a video of him arriving via a private plane to save the Trojans only to see him go 8-5 and 7-6 with perennial top 20 recruiting classes? Ranked 17th? That is not what they hired him for. I suspect they now see they got a limited coach that is incapable of winning a title.

I'm not sure a single Riley fan boy actually exists.

He's an offense only Air Raid guy who hasn't matured with the modernization of the offense back to run balance so has no idea how to play complementary football..

But he was also smart to ditch OU going to the SEC with little to no cash on hand.
The hilarious part is he chose an equally bad spot with the travel games mostly being 2 time zones away.

I'd have little interest in hiring him but then again, I wouldn't want Kiffin or Venables either.

 

[jterrell]

Vandy is not a good football team. Diego Pavia is a really good player and that makes them a fun watch.
Vandy and Tennessee are both examples of clearly flawed SEC teams that people need to stop hyping IMO.
OT win this week against head coach less Auburn was very unimpressive for the defense.
Vandy has zero wins over teams that will be ranked this week.

SEC has pretty clear tiers:
Bama, TAMU --talented teams that have figured it out on offense and defense.
Georgia, Ole Miss --talented teams that have more variation in play game to game.
UT, OU --very talented rosters that are young and still figuring it out

Vandy, Tennessee, Missou in the murky middle. Missou was pretty good with the starting QB but is no longer. Vandy has had a pretty mid schedule and really wasn't close at all to Bama or UT.

OU has a really tough closing schedule, so I expect they fall out of CFP contention and SEC gets 5 teams in.
If a 6th goes it will likely be a very mediocre football team that will embarrass the SEC in the CFP.

FWIW, the opponent adjusted defensive EPA for Vanderbilt is equal to Oregon State
That is among the worst in college football.

People talk about the SEC being this super deep league but the reality in 2025 is a bit different. The bottom 5 teams are responsible for a total of 4 SEC wins.

 

[Whyjerry]

I mean Kiffin is pretty overrated too.
Ole Miss has given him unlimited resources for NIL and staff.
He's finished in the top 10 all of once in 5 years.
He's there now but has 1 win over a currently ranked team.

Riley is pretty questionable overall, but the point is LSU is a pretty bad job at the moment with a legal battle with the former coach over his pay out and the governor injecting himself into the coaching search.

Kiffin was damaged goods after USC. He went back to work at Alabama. Learned a thing or 2 there. Went low with FA but did a great job there. Got him the Ole Miss job which is not a top SEC job but he has done well there. Well enough that he has some demand now. Riley needs to stop failing up.

 

[VaqueroTD]

I mean Kiffin is pretty overrated too.
Ole Miss has given him unlimited resources for NIL and staff.
He's finished in the top 10 all of once in 5 years.
He's there now but has 1 win over a currently ranked team.

Riley is pretty questionable overall, but the point is LSU is a pretty bad job at the moment with a legal battle with the former coach over his pay out and the governor injecting himself into the coaching search.

That's SEC football for you. Nothing but football matters in those states. Even the Governor wants a say on the new Coach.

 

[jterrell]

Kiffin was damaged goods after USC. He went back to work at Alabama. Learned a thing or 2 there. Went low with FA but did a great job there. Got him the Ole Miss job which is not a top SEC job but he has done well there. Well enough that he has some demand now. Riley needs to stop failing up.

Kiffin is a legacy kid that failed up plenty.
He has a .685 Win%. He's finished top 10 in final polls twice in 14 years.

Riley has a .772 Win% and finished top 10 5 straight years with the Sooners.

Kiffin won 65% of his games at USC, Riley is at 67%.

They are not really much different at all other than Kiffin has a much better situation. Kiffin has only played 3 road games this season.

 

[Whyjerry]

Kiffin is a legacy kid that failed up plenty.
He has a .685 Win%. He's finished top 10 in final polls twice in 14 years.

Riley has a .772 Win% and finished top 10 5 straight years with the Sooners.

Kiffin won 65% of his games at USC, Riley is at 67%.

They are not really much different at all other than Kiffin has a much better situation. Kiffin has only played 3 road games this season.

Did Kiffin not go back to OC at Alabama and then a successful stint at a small school before getting his next shot? Riley underachieved at Oklahoma. Now he is underachieving at USC. So now he just gets another premium job at LSU?

 

[atlantacowboy]

Kiffin is a great example of a guy that rebuilt his reputation. His Ole Miss tenure now proves he can coach. Both sides of the ball. Riley is a joke at this point. Totally overrated.

His football acumen was never in question. But it takes more than offensive genius to be a head coach at a major football program. He learned what he needed to learn under Saban and hasn't looked back. Ole Miss is a unique place that is suited to him. He can stay there and be there Bear Bryant. Or, he can take on a challenge like LSU or Bama where he will have to meet a high standard and constant expectations of a national title. But, I think he learned his "grass isn't greener" lesson at USC.

 

[jterrell]

Did Kiffin not go back to OC at Alabama and then a successful stint at a small school before getting his next shot? Riley underachieved at Oklahoma. Now he is underachieving at USC. So now he just gets another premium job at LSU?

sort of.
Being OC at Bama with the best offensive talent in college football while living off your buy out wasn't exactly a demotion.
His G5 job was but came with living on a beach in Miami, and he did win 11 games twice but in the middle season he won 5.

Lincoln Riley has had 2 head jobs.
1 at Oklahoma where he was routinely a top 10 team and then at USC where he has been underachieving to be sure in a place no one has been able to win since Pete Carroll.
So, he hasn't (yet) failed up at all.

To me these guys are pretty similar talents.
They could be a mid-level or better NFL OC.
But I'm not sure either guy is a true program builder or top 10 D1 Coach in this era of football.

I'd agree with you that perception for Kiffin is much better, but I think that's largely fool's gold.
Ole Miss has a ton of talent and has won a fair amount of SEC games, but any SEC opposing fan would tell you can in fact out coach that Ole Miss staff.

 

[DFWJC]

There's a chance, the Big12 gets a top 4 team and first round bye if TT keeps rolling.

The teams ahead of them have a few chances to stumble, or they outright play each other.

 

[jterrell]

His football acumen was never in question. But it takes more than offensive genius to be a head coach at a major football program. He learned what he needed to learn under Saban and hasn't looked back. Ole Miss is a unique place that is suited to him. He can stay there and be there Bear Bryant. Or, he can take on a challenge like LSU or Bama where he will have to meet a high standard and constant expectations of a national title. But, I think he learned his "grass isn't greener" lesson at USC.

He is 6 national titles behind Bear Bryant.
And about 1 loss to Florida or Miss St away from a hot seat at Ole Miss.

Is a guy who lived in Malibu and South Beach really that great a fit in Mississippi?

 

[jterrell]

There's a chance, the Big12 gets a top 4 team and first round bye if TT keeps rolling.

The teams ahead of them have a few chances to stumble, or they outright play each other.

Sweet spot for Tech is actually 5 or 6.

5 is a G5 home game in Lubbock.
Then with a win you play the 4 seed in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl.

Byes are largely overrated. CFP wins matter so much just getting one would be huge.

6 seed would mean an ACC team in Lubbock. then a match up with the 3 seed. Not awful at all.

4 is probably next best scenario. Lose home game but. get 5-12 winner in Dallas.

---------------
Tech fans would love to get UT, TAMU or Notre Dame to roll into Lubbock!!!