2025-26 College Football Thread

[jterrell]

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.

It is wild but the 4 best defenses in college football may very well be tOSU, Texas Tech, Indiana, Miami.
All non SEC.

 

[atlantacowboy]

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.

To his credit, Kifin modernized Bama's offense and won 2 national titles, even though he left to coach FAU before the championship game his last year. He was only there for 3 years but he was probably Saban's best OC during his tenure at Bama.

How can you say Kiffin isn't s D1 program builder after what he has done at Ole Miss. He turned them into an SEC power and an NFL pipeline. That's never been done at Ole Miss which doesn't have the history or name cache of OU or USC.

 

[jterrell]

To his credit, Kifin modernized Bama's offense and won 2 national titles, even though he left to coach FAU before the championship game his last year. He was only there for 3 years but he was probably Saban's best OC during his tenure at Bama.

How can you say Kiffin isn't s D1 program builder after what he has done at Ole Miss. He turned them into an SEC power and an NFL pipeline. That's never been done at Ole Miss which doesn't have the history or name cache of OU or USC.

Accurate. But he hated working for Saban. And Saban wasn't a big fan of Kiffin either.

Ole Miss has been spending at the top of any school the last 10 years. That's how they got good.
Ole Miss was one of the biggest offenders of paying kids under the table right up until NIL went live.
They were reportedly the highest paid roster in 2023.
They are no longer at Ohio State or UT level but not that far below anyone else.

His highest finish thus far has been AP Post-season 9. And if he takes another job I don't see the bones of any elite program he has really left.
He's a great offensive mind and that leaves with him. He doesn't have elite talent on staff (to my eye).

He certainly has them positioned well this year if he can beat Miss St and Florida which are fairly easy SEC games but if he does make an SEC CG you'd pick whatever other team made it to win over them IMHO.

Ultimately, I just think he is being very overrated in the short term based on recent results. Just last year he was ranked 9th in late November and lost a game to Florida that ended any CFP dreams.
If that happens again, I think he'll be judged more honestly.

 

[gtb1943]

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.

USC has no excuse not to be a top level program
but lousy ADs and bad coaching hires have left it stagnant

 

[atlantacowboy]

Accurate. But he hated working for Saban. And Saban wasn't a big fan of Kiffin either.

Ole Miss has been spending at the top of any school the last 10 years. That's how they got good.
Ole Miss was one of the biggest offenders of paying kids under the table right up until NIL went live.
They were reportedly the highest paid roster in 2023.
They are no longer at Ohio State or UT level but not that far below anyone else.

His highest finish thus far has been AP Post-season 9. And if he takes another job I don't see the bones of any elite program he has really left.
He's a great offensive mind and that leaves with him. He doesn't have elite talent on staff (to my eye).

He certainly has them positioned well this year if he can beat Miss St and Florida which are fairly easy SEC games but if he does make an SEC CG you'd pick whatever other team made it to win over them IMHO.

Ultimately, I just think he is being very overrated in the short term based on recent results. Just last year he was ranked 9th in late November and lost a game to Florida that ended any CFP dreams.
If that happens again, I think he'll be judged more honestly.

Thats simply not true. Ole Miss isn't even in the top 10 in spending . They rank 18th in spending over the last 10 years. I don't know where you get your information about spending but schools do not release how much they have spent on their football rosters, but its kinda absurd to think little Ole Miss is anywhere close to Bama, A&M, Texas, Michigan , OSU, Oregon......ect. But even before the NIL money, Kiffin was landing top 10 recruiting classes not bc Ole Miss has the best athletic facilities or location. They come bc of him.

The fact is that Ole Miss "got good" when Kiffin arrived and his success has energized their fan base to donate to the athletic department. Kiffin is literally carving out the greatest era in their football history. I grew up in the mid-south, and this was not a program that ever went to New Years Day bowls or competed in SEC until he arrived. The fact he might be doing it with a staff you apparently consider a handicap makes it all the more more impressive.

I'm not arguing his level of success at Ole Miss would satisfy thirstier fan bases. I'm saying that what he has accomplished at a school like Ole Miss is dam impressive bc it's never been done. I'm sure they will go back to jousting Mississippi State for the bottom when he leaves.

 

[jterrell]

USC has no excuse not to be a top level program
but lousy ADs and bad coaching hires have left it stagnant

Before the Big 10 move I'd have agreed with you.
With the travel they face now it is an uphill battle and bad circumstances.
You build the USC team to play fast in sunny California not slogfests outdoors in 15-degree weather 2 or 3 time zones away.

They've played 4 road games in the central time zone already this year.
Compare that to Ole Miss that has played 3 road games all year period and those are all drivable.

USC will almost certainly end the Notre Dame series because they just can't stomach any more games in the upper mid-west.

 

[gtb1943]

Before the Big 10 move I'd have agreed with you.
With the travel they face now it is an uphill battle and bad circumstances.
You build the USC team to play fast in sunny California not slogfests outdoors in 15-degree weather 2 or 3 time zones away.

They've played 4 road games in the central time zone already this year.
Compare that to Ole Miss that has played 3 road games all year period and those are all drivable.

USC will almost certainly end the Notre Dame series because they just can't stomach any more games in the upper mid-west.

They are going to keep getting those slogfests as part of the Big Ten so that excuse is a joke

All you are giving is excuses
a good program can win anywhere any time

 

[jterrell]

Thats simply not true. Ole Miss isn't even in the top 10 in spending . They rank 18th in spending over the last 10 years. I don't know where you get your information about spending but schools do not release how much they have spent on their football rosters, but its kinda absurd to think little Ole Miss is anywhere close to Bama, A&M, Texas, Michigan , OSU, Oregon......ect. But even before the NIL money, Kiffin was landing top 10 recruiting classes not bc Ole Miss has the best athletic facilities or location. They come bc of him.

The fact is that Ole Miss "got good" when Kiffin arrived and his success has energized their fan base to donate to the athletic department. Kiffin is literally carving out the greatest era in their football history. I grew up in the mid-south, and this was not a program that ever went to New Years Day bowls or competed in SEC until he arrived. The fact he might be doing it with a staff you apparently consider a handicap makes it all the more more impressive.

I'm not arguing his level of success at Ole Miss would satisfy thirstier fan bases. I'm saying that what he has accomplished at a school like Ole Miss is dam impressive bc it's never been done. I'm sure they will go back to jousting Mississippi State for the bottom when he leaves.

No. 6
Ole Miss is currently ranked No. 6 among the top NIL collectives in college sports, according to On3's College Sports Business Reporter Pete Nakos. The Grove Collective, which represents Ole Miss, has emerged as a significant player in the NIL landscape, contributing to the team's success and competitive positioning in college football.

In 2022 Ole Miss had the top transfer portal class by a WIDE margin.
https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/team-rankings/football/2022/

2023: they fell to 4th but still the top SEC transfer portal class.
https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/team-rankings/football/2023/

2024: again 4th overall the tp SEC team in the transfer portal rankings.
https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/team-rankings/football/2024/

2025: They finished 3rd behind Texas Tech and for the first time an SEC school, :LSU.
https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/team-rankings/football/2025/

 

[atlantacowboy]

No. 6
Ole Miss is currently ranked No. 6 among the top NIL collectives in college sports, according to On3's College Sports Business Reporter Pete Nakos. The Grove Collective, which represents Ole Miss, has emerged as a significant player in the NIL landscape, contributing to the team's success and competitive positioning in college football.

In 2022 Ole Miss had the top transfer portal class by a WIDE margin.
https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/team-rankings/football/2022/

2023: they fell to 4th but still the top SEC transfer portal class.
https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/team-rankings/football/2023/

2024: again 4th overall the tp SEC team in the transfer portal rankings.
https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/team-rankings/football/2024/

2025: They finished 3rd behind Texas Tech and for the first time an SEC school, :LSU.
https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/team-rankings/football/2025/

Well, 24/7 sports doesn't have them in the top 25. https://247sports.com/longformartic...es-nations-top-25-spenders-241949240/#2564343


The recruiting quality has been since he arrived. NIL didn't change that part of the equation.

 

[jterrell]

They are going to keep getting those slogfests as part of the Big Ten so that excuse is a joke

All you are giving is excuses
a good program can win anywhere any time

There's literally no need to have hot-takes that bad. That's just brain dead.

Travel and style of play matters to every team in the country.
The NFL has a long record of teams performing very poorly when traveling cross country.
NCAA teams are hardly immune to it.
Especially doing it 4-5 times in a single season.

Notre Dame certainly felt that when they travelled to play in Miami.

 

[jterrell]

Well, 24/7 sports doesn't have them in the top 25. https://247sports.com/longformartic...es-nations-top-25-spenders-241949240/#2564343


The recruiting quality has been since he arrived. NIL didn't change that part of the equation.

That 247 list is absolutely nothing. That is probably raw recruiting budget which was a metric back before NIL.
It has no connection to reality much less roster spend. It doesn't even have Texas Tech on it.

And I already told you they started paying players when Kiffin arrived. That's not in doubt to anyone my man, except perhaps you.
I don't need projections to tell me the actual team that has a top 5 portal class every season is spending A LOT of money.

2020-2021 they were playing every 4-star kid they could get under the table. It was quite open. But they weren't any good yet. They won 5 games in 2020.
In 2021 Kiffin coached his tail off and they won 10 games. He immediately got support from boosters.
In 2022 they created the Grove Collective and made it all legal with NIL and spent the most money year 1.
They've stayed top 10.

Again, this is not in doubt at all. Kiffin has made statements publicly about falling behind UT and TAMU in spending.

ON3 is based in Nashville and Atlanta.
They are staffed by SEC folks that used to work directly for those teams.
They know who is spending what inside the SEC.

 

[gtb1943]

There's literally no need to have hot-takes that bad. That's just brain dead.

Travel and style of play matters to every team in the country.
The NFL has a long record of teams performing very poorly when traveling cross country.
NCAA teams are hardly immune to it.
Especially doing it 4-5 times in a single season.

Notre Dame certainly felt that when they travelled to play in Miami.

there is literally no need to make things up
what happened to ND at Miami was that ND did not play well and Miami did
They had plenty of time to acclimate.

IF your claim is so valid, why is OSU #1? Columbus Ohio is no paradise.

Travel costs ARE INFINITESIMAL when looking at how much money is in college football now.

as regards home vs away record, tell me what has changed in the last 100 years? Oh yeah plane travel, etc.
It is easier now then ever before to play on the road

they know how to do this as regards physical challenges

The reason for the difference in home and away is what it has always been: instead of your fans and being close to home and all that, you are in a hostile environment. JUST LIKE IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN.
You act like this is something new

 

[atlantacowboy]

That 247 list is absolutely nothing. That is probably raw recruiting budget which was a metric back before NIL.
It has no connection to reality much less roster spend. It doesn't even have Texas Tech on it.

And I already told you they started paying players when Kiffin arrived. That's not in doubt to anyone my man, except perhaps you.
I don't need projections to tell me the actual team that has a top 5 portal class every season is spending A LOT of money.

2020-2021 they were playing every 4-star kid they could get under the table. It was quite open. But they weren't any good yet. They won 5 games in 2020.
In 2021 Kiffin coached his tail off and they won 10 games. He immediately got support from boosters.
In 2022 they created the Grove Collective and made it all legal with NIL and spent the most money year 1.
They've stayed top 10.

Again, this is not in doubt at all. Kiffin has made statements publicly about falling behind UT and TAMU in spending.

ON3 is based in Nashville and Atlanta.
They are staffed by SEC folks that used to work directly for those teams.
They know who is spending what inside the SEC.

Ok. Let's say 24/7 is just not credible. Let's use your ON3. For 2025, They list #1 Texas as spending an average of 177K per player and Ole Miss is at 71k. They rank Ole Miss 19th. Texas Tech is 46th at 26k per player. You want the whole list?

"Not in doubt" is not a great rhetorical answer if you can't back it up. I just don't know where you are pulling all this information. Ole mIss was never in the ballpark of texas or a&m in terms of NIL money.

 

[triplets_93]

 

[jterrell]

Really good article on Lane Kiffin.
https://sports.yahoo.com/college-fo...-oxford-enough-for-lane-kiffin-141013306.html

 

[jterrell]

Ok. Let's say 24/7 is just not credible. Let's use your ON3. For 2025, They list #1 Texas as spending an average of 177K per player and Ole Miss is at 71k. They rank Ole Miss 19th. Texas Tech is 46th at 26k per player. You want the whole list?

"Not in doubt" is not a great rhetorical answer if you can't back it up. I just don't know where you are pulling all this information. Ole mIss was never in the ballpark of texas or a&m in terms of NIL money.

Kiffin himself has referenced the NIL and how it is the biggest factor in the job.

The value of your collective is in how much money they raise for NIL. That's it.
Other numbers are about school's roster costs or facilities or basic recruiting budget.

He even says himself the top teams can no longer hoard talent because of NIL.

Again, in his own words he says he has succeeded because of NIL and how aggressively he attacked the portal.. And if he leaves it will only be to a place with bigger NIL.

He has absolutely built Ole Miss up. But he has also had elite resources.

And there is little doubt to me that Kiffin is a bit overhyped from ESPN's non-stop SEC PR arm. He has yet to win truly meaningful games.

 

[DFWJC]

Not that anyone here may care but here are some games I have an interest in this week, for rankings or just personal reasons

Texas at Georgia
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
USF at Navy
Oklahoma at Alabama
Iowa at USC
TCU at BYU
Memphis at ECU
UNC at Wake Forest
Boise St at San Diego St
Virginia at Duke
Clemson at Louisville

 

[jterrell]

there is literally no need to make things up
what happened to ND at Miami was that ND did not play well and Miami did
They had plenty of time to acclimate.

IF your claim is so valid, why is OSU #1? Columbus Ohio is no paradise.

Travel costs ARE INFINITESIMAL when looking at how much money is in college football now.

as regards home vs away record, tell me what has changed in the last 100 years? Oh yeah plane travel, etc.
It is easier now then ever before to play on the road

they know how to do this as regards physical challenges

The reason for the difference in home and away is what it has always been: instead of your fans and being close to home and all that, you are in a hostile environment. JUST LIKE IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN.
You act like this is something new

Dude, I get that football opinions are tribal but what you are arguing is not that.
You are arguing with reality and logic.

USC playing 4 road games already this season 2 time zones away is a major factor in their record.
Travel there and back takes a physical and mental toll.
But Ohio State??
What?!?!?

Ohio State has played 4 road games... 3 in the Midwest: Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois.
The 1 road game on the coast at Washington they won 24-6. But they had a bye week the week prior.
And still if that game was in Columbus, they likely win it by 30.

Someone's home field not being a tropical paradise has NOTHING to do with travel concerns.
It's actually the opposite. High altitude Wyoming is a masterful home field advantage,
And not surprisingly, Wyoming has pulled off upsets regularly in those home games versus P4 schools.

Last year Notre Dame made the CFP Final! They did that with 3 road games all regular season, and the one bad loss came after returning from Texas.
2023 ND went 9-3. Played a road heavy schedule with far too much travel. Lost to both Clemson and Louisville on the road.

Travel schedule matters.

 

[jterrell]

Not that anyone here may care but here are some games I have an interest in this week, for rankings or just personal reasons

Texas at Georgia
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
USF at Navy
Oklahoma at Alabama
Iowa at USC
TCU at BYU
Memphis at ECU
UNC at Wake Forest
Boise St at San Diego St
Virginia at Duke
Clemson at Louisville

This is a good slate!
In addition to Texas Tech, I'll watch:

Texas at Georgia --I suspect Georgia wins here. I like their offense the best of any group on either team, but UT's OL is playing better finally.
Oklahoma at Alabama --OU has a really good defense so seeing them face Bama snd Simpson will be interesting.
Iowa at USC --Offense versus Defense.
TCU at BYU --Can BYU bounce back in a big way?

 

[DFWJC]

I see a side argument going here and I’ll just point out a long-standing fact.

West Coast teams playing in Eastern (and sometimes even Central) time zones suffer badly in both the NFL and NCAA—especially if its an early game.

Vegas even factors this