Official 2025 College Football Thread

[JonInMiddleGA]

South Carolina fires offensive coordinator Mike Shula - On3

Only SEC team averaging <300 ypg and <20 ppg

He's bad, although that's probably one of the 2-3 weakest rosters in the SEC so I'm not sure how much more was there to be wrung out either.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sources: Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze after 2-plus seasons - ESPN

[Atocep]

Arkansas
Oklahoma State
Oregon State
Penn State
Stanford
Virginia Tech
UCLA
Florida
Auburn

2 Big 10 and 3 SEC openings already. Some of these schools will 100% be downgrading because there aren't that many good coaching options out there.

Wisconsin still almost certain to open. Maryland has to consider a move. I'm assuming Kentucky opens up. Gonna be a crazy coaching cycle.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Arkansas
Oklahoma State
Oregon State
Penn State
Stanford
Virginia Tech
UCLA
Florida
Auburn

2 Big 10 and 3 SEC openings already. Some of these schools will 100% be downgrading because there aren't that many good coaching options out there.

Wisconsin still almost certain to open. Maryland has to consider a move. I'm assuming Kentucky opens up. Gonna be a crazy coaching cycle.

I'd struggle to imagine things being much worse for UF or Auburn.

Oh, add South Carolina to the list of increasingly likely openings too, probably not that much different than the odds for UK opening up IMO. If they won out Beamer might save himself but that's a big ask with A&M next on the schedule.

THAT situation is one I could see getting even worse with a change.

[miami_fan]

I'm going the other way.

Sam Pitman
Mike Gundy
Trent Bray
James Franklin
Troy Taylor
Brent Pry
DeShaun Foster
Billy Napier
Hugh Freeze

I am fairly confident that someone will hire James Franklin though I think he might take the year off. I'm not so sure about any of the guys on this list will get another shot.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

I'm going the other way.

Sam Pitman
Mike Gundy
Trent Bray
James Franklin
Troy Taylor
Brent Pry
DeShaun Foster
Billy Napier
Hugh Freeze

I am fairly confident that someone will hire James Franklin though I think he might take the year off. I'm not so sure about any of the guys on this list will get another shot.

Eh, if we're not talking about immediately as a requirement then Pry ends up with another shot somewhere after rehabbing as a coordinator somewhere. Napier is still young enough to get rehabbed back into a Group of Whatever HC job somewhere probably, same thing with Trent Bray.

Several of the others are probably too old to get through the sequence again, and/or be willing to.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

I'm going the other way.

Sam Pitman
Mike Gundy
Trent Bray
James Franklin
Troy Taylor
Brent Pry
DeShaun Foster
Billy Napier
Hugh Freeze

I am fairly confident that someone will hire James Franklin though I think he might take the year off. I'm not so sure about any of the guys on this list will get another shot.

Virginia Tech thinks they're getting Franklin.

[cuervo72]

I know it would never happen, but if Franklin does wind up at VT I’d love for him to bring in former VT WR Cornelius White on staff. Corny was our HS QB the year after James graduated. Was a skinny scrambling type, though with a good arm. At some point though he looks to have taken up weightlifting and got absolutely JACKED. If he couldn’t do something with WR, figure he’d make a decent strength coach.

[sovereignstar v2]

I read that Nebraska has lost 29 straight against Top 25 teams

[Atocep]

Rich Rod managed to do what Neal Brown failed to do in 6 years and that's beat a ranked team on the road. It's been a rough year, and that was expected with 80 new players, but the past 2 weeks have looked much better and Scotty Fox looks like he might legitimately be the QB of the future.

[SirFozzie]

This seems like something that needs to be stopped, since CFB teams have so many players on their rosters, players can have duplicate numbers which is ok, as long as two players with the same number aren't on the same play.. They changed their 3rd string QB's jersey number before this week to the same number as the punter, and snuck them out in the punter's place for a fake punt to throw a TD. seems really game-y.


https://www.espn.com/college-footbal...ern-trick-play

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

This seems like something that needs to be stopped, since CFB teams have so many players on their rosters, players can have duplicate numbers which is ok, as long as two players with the same number aren't on the same play.. They changed their 3rd string QB's jersey number before this week to the same number as the punter, and snuck them out in the punter's place for a fake punt to throw a TD. seems really game-y.


USC QB, in punter's number, fools Northwestern with trick play - ESPN

I just saw a video of the same thing done in a lower division team this week. So I know where they got the idea.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

This seems like something that needs to be stopped, since CFB teams have so many players on their rosters, players can have duplicate numbers which is ok, as long as two players with the same number aren't on the same play.. They changed their 3rd string QB's jersey number before this week to the same number as the punter, and snuck them out in the punter's place for a fake punt to throw a TD. seems really game-y.


USC QB, in punter's number, fools Northwestern with trick play - ESPN

It is game-y, and you're right -- the rule is ineffective. A limit of 100 players dressed for the game seems fine to me. I know some teams have big rosters, but I don't see a reason that you can't limit to 100 in one game.

[bhlloy]

Was done in a bowl game last year as well, although they changed it to one digit off the punters number.

For what it’s worth Northwestern coach didn’t have a problem with it and acknowledged it’s something they should have caught and been aware of. As large as college football squads are they also have large numbers of coaches and support staff who are supposed to pay attention to things like this.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Was done in a bowl game last year as well, although they changed it to one digit off the punters number.

For what it’s worth Northwestern coach didn’t have a problem with it and acknowledged it’s something they should have caught and been aware of. As large as college football squads are they also have large numbers of coaches and support staff who are supposed to pay attention to things like this.

And it either had to be noted on the official game day roster OR if changed after that, player has to report the change to the official (like a tackle-eligible player has to report)

[bhlloy]

Yeah, it was the former. He was listed as #80 officially on the last 3 game rosters.

Whether he was deliberately listed as the wrong number on the media guide or it was just an oversight, not 100% sure. But there’s no question it was legal and communicated to Northwestern in the appropriate manner. You’ll see teams really start looking at it now clearly.

[Ghost Econ]

I'm not particularly impressed by Texas Tech or BYU.

[JPhillips]

I expect Indiana is going to win now. That's just too much time for them.

[GrantDawg]

Those where some crazy, gutsy catches.

[JPhillips]

Ohio State has 8 different players with rushing attempts today.

[GrantDawg]

See, if Penn State had a real coach like Kirby Smart, he would have claimed he was just clapping right there.

[sovereignstar v2]

Lol

[GrantDawg]

How in the heck did he catch that? Both feet in as well. That would be a catch in the NFL, Just craziness.

[JPhillips]

Don't leave the #2 team 2 minutes to score.

[bronconick]

Gus Johnson just hit puberty

[GrantDawg]

That drive is going to be one of those drives that are talked about for decades. There is going to be some name given to it, like the "Hoosier Madness" or something. Circus catch after circus catch. Insane.

[GrantDawg]

He was wide open on the sidelines. He missed that throw.

[JPhillips]

Those two drives are a good illustration of the differences between Indiana and Penn State this year.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

It is game-y, and you're right -- the rule is ineffective. A limit of 100 players dressed for the game seems fine to me. I know some teams have big rosters, but I don't see a reason that you can't limit to 100 in one game.

I've never understood why you have to suit that many players up. Even in the NFL preseason you don't need that many. Set it to 80, no duplicate numbers.

[Kodos]

That game was stressful. Go Hoosiers!

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Kodos

That game was stressful. Go Hoosiers!

It really is starting to look like a magical season for you guys.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

I've never understood why you have to suit that many players up. Even in the NFL preseason you don't need that many. Set it to 80, no duplicate numbers.

Why deny kids a chance to at least say they dressed out (a lot of the deep spares are scout team guys)?

They've already largely destroyed walk-ons opportunities with the horseshit roster reduction to 105 so that all these "amateurs" have to be covered on the payroll.

[cuervo72]

Oh right — and the sons of local bigwigs and donors and the like. Forgot they need their participation trophies.

(Scout guys I can see as a reward because they do put hard work in, but you don’t need all of them all of the time. Rotate some in each game. Let the others on the sidelines in their varsity jackets until it’s their turn.)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Oh right — and the sons of local bigwigs and donors and the like. Forgot they need their participation trophies.

(Scout guys I can see as a reward because they do put hard work in, but you don’t need all of them all of the time. Rotate some in each game. Let the others on the sidelines in their varsity jackets until it’s their turn.)

I just don't see what its hurting. Given the utterly abysmal state of college athletics these days, this just seems like a really tiny gnat to be straining at.

Whatev.

[cuervo72]

I’ll admit that I’m curmudgeonly about uniform numbers. There should be one of each (unique like any good ID) and that’s it. I’m also still a little rankled that college silliness made its way into the NFL. DL and RB wearing single digits*, kickers wearing numbers in the 40s, cats and dogs living together…



* Yeah yeah Paul Hornung, I know…

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

It really is starting to look like a magical season for you guys.

The last two seasons have been amazing.

[SirFozzie]

Turns out the USC play is already illegal:

Big Ten says USC should've been penalized for fake punt ploy - ESPN

[Kodos]

With Saturday’s win for Indiana and a loss by Northwestern, IU is no longer the all-time leader in college football losses. Northwestern has 716 losses, while Indiana only has 715. We did it!

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Turns out the USC play is already illegal:

Big Ten says USC should've been penalized for fake punt ploy - ESPN

Yes, although it wouldn’t have resulted in a penalty being called on the fake punt. The penalty would have been applied when the punter came on the field later in the game at the punter position. I suspect USC would have taken that trade off and they will look in the offseason at tightening the rule up.

[RainMaker]

What Cignetti is doing at Indiana is remarkable and should be an even bigger story. Growing up in Big 10 country, I don't think people realize what a shitshow Indiana football was for as long as I've been alive. They had a brief run of not being terrible in the late 80's but that was it.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Oh right — and the sons of local bigwigs and donors and the like. Forgot they need their participation trophies.

(Scout guys I can see as a reward because they do put hard work in, but you don’t need all of them all of the time. Rotate some in each game. Let the others on the sidelines in their varsity jackets until it’s their turn.)

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I just don't see what its hurting. Given the utterly abysmal state of college athletics these days, this just seems like a really tiny gnat to be straining at.

Whatev.

Why not just use three digits then?

[Ghost Econ]

A&M doesn't deserve to be ranked, even if they come back to win this game.

[cuervo72]

I was wondering if they had money against themselves.

[dubb93]

Cignetti on the way the first half went for Indiana, “I can’t control the weather.” It’s very very windy but Indiana needs to block better. He owned up to that too but I had to laugh at the first part.

[Ghost Econ]

WTAF is A&M doing?
INT return to the 6, then miss a FG. sC goes 3 and out and A&M gets a great return. Then throws a pick in the end zone under no pressure. Then gives up an 80 yard pass play.

This may be the worst top 5 best down in history

NVM, let's throw in another A&M INT

[GrantDawg]

Receiver for South Carolina scores an 80 yeard touchdown and runs to the tunnel in celebration. Coming back out of the tunnel he bumps into a state trooper who then seems to yell at him for bumping into him.

[HerRealName]

The trooper threw an elbow into one player while walking through. Texas' "best" showing their asses like usual.

https://x.com/NickBromberg/status/1989765397143589012

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by HerRealName

The trooper threw an elbow into one player while walking through. Texas' "best" showing their asses like usual.

https://x.com/NickBromberg/status/1989765397143589012

That shit is so engrained in police forces that they just do it live during a football on national tv for no reason at all. The cop had no reason to be there. He wasn’t there 5 seconds earlier when the player went that way then all of a sudden he inserts himself.

[Ghost Econ]

That game really changed from "worst half of the season" to "remember you're playing South Carolina" in a 20 minute halftime.

[dubb93]

Is South Carolina the worst coached team in the country? Why is there a perfectly timed blitz against them almost every play?