2024 College Football Thread: Ohio State advances to play unbeaten hypothetical SEC team (18 Viewers)

[Schmeabs]

Rumor is USC is offering early commit NIL bonuses. They had a great class early last year too and then list a ton of high star commits when they struggled on the field. I suspect that will happen again this year.

 

[bigbottom]

Rumor is USC is offering early commit NIL bonuses. They had a great class early last year too and then list a ton of high star commits when they struggled on the field. I suspect that will happen again this year.

Word is that the big time commits they lost last year were NIL losses when they were later outbid. USC seems to have gotten their NIL act together this year. Also, the big commits they lost last year were Georgia guys and other out of staters. This year the bulk of the class are home grown Cali kids. They have a better chance of keeping those I think. Finally, the biggest losses last year came in the summer I think, before the season even started.

You could very well be right. And I don’t expect them to hold on to all of these guys. But the situation this year is radically different than last year, both in quantity, quality and being California-centric. It’s pretty crazy actually.

By way of comparison, Oregon is a recruiting/NIL juggernaut and they just lost their big time O-Line commit to Washington of all places. And he was their only 2026 O-Line commit at this point. USC currently has 6. Now Oregon will be just fine of course, and I think they will land Cantwell who is the best O-Line prospect in the nation. But what is going on currently at USC is multiple standard deviations from normal.

Ultimately, though, if USC craps the bed this season again the 2026 class falls apart. You are 100% right there. They need nine wins at a minimum and they have big questions at QB.

 

[Schmeabs]

Rumor is USC is offering early commit NIL bonuses. They had a great class early last year too and then list a ton of high star commits when they struggled on the field. I suspect that will happen again this year.

Word is that the big time commits they lost last year were NIL losses when they were later outbid. USC seems to have gotten their NIL act together this year. Also, the big commits they lost last year were Georgia guys and other out of staters. This year the bulk of the class are home grown Cali kids. They have a better chance of keeping those I think. Finally, the biggest losses last year came in the summer I think, before the season even started.

You could very well be right. And I don’t expect them to hold on to all of these guys. But the situation this year is radically different than last year, both in quantity, quality and being California-centric. It’s pretty crazy actually.

By way of comparison, Oregon is a recruiting/NIL juggernaut and they just lost their big time O-Line commit to Washington of all places. And he was their only 2026 O-Line commit at this point. USC currently has 6. Now Oregon will be just fine of course, and I think they will land Cantwell who is the best O-Line prospect in the nation. But what is going on currently at USC is multiple standard deviations from normal.

Ultimately, though, if USC craps the bed this season again the 2026 class falls apart. You are 100% right there. They need nine wins at a minimum and they have big questions at QB.

Don't get me wrong what USC is doing this year is impressive. They also have a pretty easy schedule next year but I am not sold on Riley as a coach.

Oregon will be just fine in recruiting and usually waits until December to give its best NIL offers so some of these kids could easily flip back.

 

[bigbottom]

Rumor is USC is offering early commit NIL bonuses. They had a great class early last year too and then list a ton of high star commits when they struggled on the field. I suspect that will happen again this year.

Word is that the big time commits they lost last year were NIL losses when they were later outbid. USC seems to have gotten their NIL act together this year. Also, the big commits they lost last year were Georgia guys and other out of staters. This year the bulk of the class are home grown Cali kids. They have a better chance of keeping those I think. Finally, the biggest losses last year came in the summer I think, before the season even started.

You could very well be right. And I don’t expect them to hold on to all of these guys. But the situation this year is radically different than last year, both in quantity, quality and being California-centric. It’s pretty crazy actually.

By way of comparison, Oregon is a recruiting/NIL juggernaut and they just lost their big time O-Line commit to Washington of all places. And he was their only 2026 O-Line commit at this point. USC currently has 6. Now Oregon will be just fine of course, and I think they will land Cantwell who is the best O-Line prospect in the nation. But what is going on currently at USC is multiple standard deviations from normal.

Ultimately, though, if USC craps the bed this season again the 2026 class falls apart. You are 100% right there. They need nine wins at a minimum and they have big questions at QB.

Don't get me wrong what USC is doing this year is impressive. They also have a pretty easy schedule next year but I am not sold on Riley as a coach.

Oregon will be just fine in recruiting and usually waits until December to give its best NIL offers so some of these kids could easily flip back.

I’m not sold on Riley either. Game management is sub-par and his play calling is often too pass-focused.

 

[bigbottom]

Wow. When 2026 Oregon QB commit Jonas Williams decommitted and flipped to USC, it was considered no big deal as Oregon was the favorite to land Jared Curtis, the #1 QB in the 2026 class and they presumably were okay letting Williams go for that reason. Curtis had let everyone know a while back that he would announce his decision today and he did just that minutes ago - he is going to Georgia.

This is just a day after Kayden Dixon-Wyatt one of the top 2026 WR recruits announced his commitment to Ohio State over Oregon, which was considered the favorite to land him.

With Oregon missing on two of three of its biggest targets (#1 O-Line recruit Cantwell is still favored to go to Oregon but won’t be announcing for a bit), and losing two of their biggest commits to rivals (Tom Tom Topui to USC and Kodi Greene to Washington), is it time to start worrying in Eugene? Sure it’s still very early with tons of time left, and Oregon will surely end up with a good class when all is said and done, but they are losing key recruits who had already committed to Oregon, and now losing top recruiting battles where they were once considered the favorites. It’s not like they aren’t trying.

 

[Desert_Power]

Wow. When 2026 Oregon QB commit Jonas Williams decommitted and flipped to USC, it was considered no big deal as Oregon was the favorite to land Jared Curtis, the #1 QB in the 2026 class and they presumably were okay letting Williams go for that reason. Curtis had let everyone know a while back that he would announce his decision today and he did just that minutes ago - he is going to Georgia.

This is just a day after Kayden Dixon-Wyatt one of the top 2026 WR recruits announced his commitment to Ohio State over Oregon, which was considered the favorite to land him.

With Oregon missing on two of three of its biggest targets (#1 O-Line recruit Cantwell is still favored to go to Oregon but won’t be announcing for a bit), and losing two of their biggest commits to rivals (Tom Tom Topui to USC and Kodi Greene to Washington), is it time to start worrying in Eugene? Sure it’s still very early with tons of time left, and Oregon will surely end up with a good class when all is said and done, but they are losing key recruits who had already committed to Oregon, and now losing top recruiting battles where they were once considered the favorites. It’s not like they aren’t trying.

This isn’t a shot at you, but this entire thing is incredibly dumb.

 

[kupcho1]

Can we get back to the Michigan cheating scandal please?

 

[Instinctive]

Wow. When 2026 Oregon QB commit Jonas Williams decommitted and flipped to USC, it was considered no big deal as Oregon was the favorite to land Jared Curtis, the #1 QB in the 2026 class and they presumably were okay letting Williams go for that reason. Curtis had let everyone know a while back that he would announce his decision today and he did just that minutes ago - he is going to Georgia.

This is just a day after Kayden Dixon-Wyatt one of the top 2026 WR recruits announced his commitment to Ohio State over Oregon, which was considered the favorite to land him.

With Oregon missing on two of three of its biggest targets (#1 O-Line recruit Cantwell is still favored to go to Oregon but won’t be announcing for a bit), and losing two of their biggest commits to rivals (Tom Tom Topui to USC and Kodi Greene to Washington), is it time to start worrying in Eugene? Sure it’s still very early with tons of time left, and Oregon will surely end up with a good class when all is said and done, but they are losing key recruits who had already committed to Oregon, and now losing top recruiting battles where they were once considered the favorites. It’s not like they aren’t trying.

This isn’t a shot at you, but this entire thing is incredibly dumb.

Can we just cut through the crap? Here's the tl;dr version:

Some guys got offered more money to play elsewhere, so they did.

 

[bigbottom]

Wow. When 2026 Oregon QB commit Jonas Williams decommitted and flipped to USC, it was considered no big deal as Oregon was the favorite to land Jared Curtis, the #1 QB in the 2026 class and they presumably were okay letting Williams go for that reason. Curtis had let everyone know a while back that he would announce his decision today and he did just that minutes ago - he is going to Georgia.

This is just a day after Kayden Dixon-Wyatt one of the top 2026 WR recruits announced his commitment to Ohio State over Oregon, which was considered the favorite to land him.

With Oregon missing on two of three of its biggest targets (#1 O-Line recruit Cantwell is still favored to go to Oregon but won’t be announcing for a bit), and losing two of their biggest commits to rivals (Tom Tom Topui to USC and Kodi Greene to Washington), is it time to start worrying in Eugene? Sure it’s still very early with tons of time left, and Oregon will surely end up with a good class when all is said and done, but they are losing key recruits who had already committed to Oregon, and now losing top recruiting battles where they were once considered the favorites. It’s not like they aren’t trying.

This isn’t a shot at you, but this entire thing is incredibly dumb.

What entire thing? Recruiting battles? Jared Curtis’ commitment is big news for those who follow college recruiting. This kid is a pretty huge deal (as was Julian Lewis who USC lost last year to Colorado). Even bigger is Cantwell who should be committing next week to Oregon (at a reported 2mm NIL deal). Barring injury, that kid is as about as much a sure thing as it gets.

 

[bigbottom]

Wow. When 2026 Oregon QB commit Jonas Williams decommitted and flipped to USC, it was considered no big deal as Oregon was the favorite to land Jared Curtis, the #1 QB in the 2026 class and they presumably were okay letting Williams go for that reason. Curtis had let everyone know a while back that he would announce his decision today and he did just that minutes ago - he is going to Georgia.

This is just a day after Kayden Dixon-Wyatt one of the top 2026 WR recruits announced his commitment to Ohio State over Oregon, which was considered the favorite to land him.

With Oregon missing on two of three of its biggest targets (#1 O-Line recruit Cantwell is still favored to go to Oregon but won’t be announcing for a bit), and losing two of their biggest commits to rivals (Tom Tom Topui to USC and Kodi Greene to Washington), is it time to start worrying in Eugene? Sure it’s still very early with tons of time left, and Oregon will surely end up with a good class when all is said and done, but they are losing key recruits who had already committed to Oregon, and now losing top recruiting battles where they were once considered the favorites. It’s not like they aren’t trying.

This isn’t a shot at you, but this entire thing is incredibly dumb.

Can we just cut through the crap? Here's the tl;dr version:

Some guys got offered more money to play elsewhere, so they did.

You think Georgia ponied up more money than Oregon? It’s possible but reports were that Oregon was all in on this guy as they are for Cantwell.

 

[bigbottom]

And if it’s dumb to talk about college football recruiting in the college football thread during the off season when there are no games, I’m happy to let the thread go dormant. Not sure why people seem annoyed that the topic is even being discussed.

 

[Instinctive]

Wow. When 2026 Oregon QB commit Jonas Williams decommitted and flipped to USC, it was considered no big deal as Oregon was the favorite to land Jared Curtis, the #1 QB in the 2026 class and they presumably were okay letting Williams go for that reason. Curtis had let everyone know a while back that he would announce his decision today and he did just that minutes ago - he is going to Georgia.

This is just a day after Kayden Dixon-Wyatt one of the top 2026 WR recruits announced his commitment to Ohio State over Oregon, which was considered the favorite to land him.

With Oregon missing on two of three of its biggest targets (#1 O-Line recruit Cantwell is still favored to go to Oregon but won’t be announcing for a bit), and losing two of their biggest commits to rivals (Tom Tom Topui to USC and Kodi Greene to Washington), is it time to start worrying in Eugene? Sure it’s still very early with tons of time left, and Oregon will surely end up with a good class when all is said and done, but they are losing key recruits who had already committed to Oregon, and now losing top recruiting battles where they were once considered the favorites. It’s not like they aren’t trying.

This isn’t a shot at you, but this entire thing is incredibly dumb.

Can we just cut through the crap? Here's the tl;dr version:

Some guys got offered more money to play elsewhere, so they did.

You think Georgia ponied up more money than Oregon? It’s possible but reports were that Oregon was all in on this guy as they are for Cantwell.

Yes. Until further notice, I think anyone going anywhere is for money unless there's an obvious and public reason otherwise. Let's not be naive.

 

[Instinctive]

And if it’s dumb to talk about college football recruiting in the college football thread during the off season when there are no games, I’m happy to let the thread go dormant. Not sure why people seem annoyed that the topic is even being discussed.

i think, if I had to guess, and without putting words in DP's mouth, the clear "look at us" vibe of the posts doesn't come off so much as discussion but as bragging.

 

[bigbottom]

And if it’s dumb to talk about college football recruiting in the college football thread during the off season when there are no games, I’m happy to let the thread go dormant. Not sure why people seem annoyed that the topic is even being discussed.

i think, if I had to guess, and without putting words in DP's mouth, the clear "look at us" vibe of the posts doesn't come off so much as discussion but as bragging.

Of course it’s bragging! This is a thread for college football fans, no? USC takes as much crap as any team there is in college football circles (well maybe Colorado has the crown now). It’s all in good fun. I expect and welcome all the Riley bashing (agree with a fair amount) and the University of Spoiled Children digs (somewhat true) and the swipes on cheating accusations (on that one I will always believe they got a raw deal). Oregon has had their way with USC from a recruiting standpoint for the better part of 5 years. USC sucked *** last season losing close game after close game. They got thumped by the B1G. So is it really surprising that an obnoxious Trojan fan will want to crow about something positive for once?

I would have never guessed that smack talking about sports would be offputting in a football forum!

 

[CletiusMaximus]

And if it’s dumb to talk about college football recruiting in the college football thread during the off season when there are no games, I’m happy to let the thread go dormant. Not sure why people seem annoyed that the topic is even being discussed.

I read @Desert_Power comment as referring to the new reality of NCAA player movement being "dumb" not that talking about it is dumb.

Nico Iamleava's brother Madden has committed to UCLA, then de-committed and committed to Arkansas, the de-committed and gone back to UCLA, and he's still in high school.

 

[bigbottom]

And if it’s dumb to talk about college football recruiting in the college football thread during the off season when there are no games, I’m happy to let the thread go dormant. Not sure why people seem annoyed that the topic is even being discussed.

I read @Desert_Power comment as referring to the new reality of NCAA player movement being "dumb" not that talking about it is dumb.

Nico Iamleava's brother Madden has committed to UCLA, then de-committed and committed to Arkansas, the de-committed and gone back to UCLA, and he's still in high school.

Yeah, that is crazy. Aren’t they both getting sued? And Nico reportedly ended up getting half of what he was set to earn at Tennessee. Oops. Also, as ridiculous as the landscape is these days, and it’s definitely ridiculous, I think it’s all set to change again when revenue sharing comes in. Who knows what that will end up looking like.

 

[bigbottom]

Wow. When 2026 Oregon QB commit Jonas Williams decommitted and flipped to USC, it was considered no big deal as Oregon was the favorite to land Jared Curtis, the #1 QB in the 2026 class and they presumably were okay letting Williams go for that reason. Curtis had let everyone know a while back that he would announce his decision today and he did just that minutes ago - he is going to Georgia.

This is just a day after Kayden Dixon-Wyatt one of the top 2026 WR recruits announced his commitment to Ohio State over Oregon, which was considered the favorite to land him.

With Oregon missing on two of three of its biggest targets (#1 O-Line recruit Cantwell is still favored to go to Oregon but won’t be announcing for a bit), and losing two of their biggest commits to rivals (Tom Tom Topui to USC and Kodi Greene to Washington), is it time to start worrying in Eugene? Sure it’s still very early with tons of time left, and Oregon will surely end up with a good class when all is said and done, but they are losing key recruits who had already committed to Oregon, and now losing top recruiting battles where they were once considered the favorites. It’s not like they aren’t trying.

This isn’t a shot at you, but this entire thing is incredibly dumb.

Can we just cut through the crap? Here's the tl;dr version:

Some guys got offered more money to play elsewhere, so they did.

You think Georgia ponied up more money than Oregon? It’s possible but reports were that Oregon was all in on this guy as they are for Cantwell.

Yes. Until further notice, I think anyone going anywhere is for money unless there's an obvious and public reason otherwise. Let's not be naive.

No doubt that the money is a threshold issue. But once the market sets the price and two or more teams meet that price, there are absolutely other considerations. For example, if USC delivers another 7-6 season, everyone rightfully expects the 2026 class to crumble. If it was only about money, that wouldn’t happen.

 

[AAABatteries]

And if it’s dumb to talk about college football recruiting in the college football thread during the off season when there are no games, I’m happy to let the thread go dormant. Not sure why people seem annoyed that the topic is even being discussed.

I read @Desert_Power comment as referring to the new reality of NCAA player movement being "dumb" not that talking about it is dumb.

Nico Iamleava's brother Madden has committed to UCLA, then de-committed and committed to Arkansas, the de-committed and gone back to UCLA, and he's still in high school.

Yep - that’s how I took it too. And assuming DP was talking about that I totally agree- I’ve lost most of my interest.

 

[bigbottom]

And if it’s dumb to talk about college football recruiting in the college football thread during the off season when there are no games, I’m happy to let the thread go dormant. Not sure why people seem annoyed that the topic is even being discussed.

I read @Desert_Power comment as referring to the new reality of NCAA player movement being "dumb" not that talking about it is dumb.

Nico Iamleava's brother Madden has committed to UCLA, then de-committed and committed to Arkansas, the de-committed and gone back to UCLA, and he's still in high school.

Yep - that’s how I took it too. And assuming DP was talking about that I totally agree- I’ve lost most of my interest.

I thought that universities and coaches raking in millions of dollars off the backs of the kids sacrificing their bodies to deliver the product was an injustice. But no doubt the pendulum has swung way way too far the other way. Giving millions to teenagers and setting up a system where they can refuse to play or just bolt to another school on a whim and keep the money is wrongheaded and unsustainable. Let’s set aside football for a sec. USC has exactly one basketball player returning next season and he was injured for much of this past year. So the team is basically doing a redraft of its entire team each year. That is not going to build long term fan support.

Maybe I’m naive, but I think the pendulum will start swinging back the other way and with new limitations on the transfer portal and the new rev share model I’m hopeful there can be iterative improvements toward a more just and sustainable system in college sports.

 

[Schmeabs]

Wow. When 2026 Oregon QB commit Jonas Williams decommitted and flipped to USC, it was considered no big deal as Oregon was the favorite to land Jared Curtis, the #1 QB in the 2026 class and they presumably were okay letting Williams go for that reason. Curtis had let everyone know a while back that he would announce his decision today and he did just that minutes ago - he is going to Georgia.

This is just a day after Kayden Dixon-Wyatt one of the top 2026 WR recruits announced his commitment to Ohio State over Oregon, which was considered the favorite to land him.

With Oregon missing on two of three of its biggest targets (#1 O-Line recruit Cantwell is still favored to go to Oregon but won’t be announcing for a bit), and losing two of their biggest commits to rivals (Tom Tom Topui to USC and Kodi Greene to Washington), is it time to start worrying in Eugene? Sure it’s still very early with tons of time left, and Oregon will surely end up with a good class when all is said and done, but they are losing key recruits who had already committed to Oregon, and now losing top recruiting battles where they were once considered the favorites. It’s not like they aren’t trying.

This isn’t a shot at you, but this entire thing is incredibly dumb.

What entire thing? Recruiting battles? Jared Curtis’ commitment is big news for those who follow college recruiting. This kid is a pretty huge deal (as was Julian Lewis who USC lost last year to Colorado). Even bigger is Cantwell who should be committing next week to Oregon (at a reported 2mm NIL deal). Barring injury, that kid is as about as much a sure thing as it gets.

Most Oregon fans that I know think Cantwell is going to commit to Georgia. I think Iheanacho is more likely. I also think Oregon gets 5 star Ryder Lyons instead of Curtis.

 

[bigbottom]

Wow. When 2026 Oregon QB commit Jonas Williams decommitted and flipped to USC, it was considered no big deal as Oregon was the favorite to land Jared Curtis, the #1 QB in the 2026 class and they presumably were okay letting Williams go for that reason. Curtis had let everyone know a while back that he would announce his decision today and he did just that minutes ago - he is going to Georgia.

This is just a day after Kayden Dixon-Wyatt one of the top 2026 WR recruits announced his commitment to Ohio State over Oregon, which was considered the favorite to land him.

With Oregon missing on two of three of its biggest targets (#1 O-Line recruit Cantwell is still favored to go to Oregon but won’t be announcing for a bit), and losing two of their biggest commits to rivals (Tom Tom Topui to USC and Kodi Greene to Washington), is it time to start worrying in Eugene? Sure it’s still very early with tons of time left, and Oregon will surely end up with a good class when all is said and done, but they are losing key recruits who had already committed to Oregon, and now losing top recruiting battles where they were once considered the favorites. It’s not like they aren’t trying.

This isn’t a shot at you, but this entire thing is incredibly dumb.

What entire thing? Recruiting battles? Jared Curtis’ commitment is big news for those who follow college recruiting. This kid is a pretty huge deal (as was Julian Lewis who USC lost last year to Colorado). Even bigger is Cantwell who should be committing next week to Oregon (at a reported 2mm NIL deal). Barring injury, that kid is as about as much a sure thing as it gets.

Most Oregon fans that I know think Cantwell is going to commit to Georgia. I think Iheanacho is more likely. I also think Oregon gets 5 star Ryder Lyons instead of Curtis.

Yesterday, I would have bet the farm that Cantwell was committing to Oregon. But after Curtis committing to Georgia today, there are rumors they are in touch with one another and are talking about playing together. As for Lyons, current predictions are that he goes to USC where his brother is (he’ll effectively be in the 2027 class after doing his mission year). But with Longstreet and Jonas Williams in the fold, I could definitely see him going somewhere else where he has a chance to start sooner. Oregon and BYU seem like natural choices.

Edit: After posting, just saw the new prediction of Lyons to Oregon. Makes sense. And Fongbombs are generally good. That mission will delay him a year though.

 

[turnjose7]

Wow. When 2026 Oregon QB commit Jonas Williams decommitted and flipped to USC, it was considered no big deal as Oregon was the favorite to land Jared Curtis, the #1 QB in the 2026 class and they presumably were okay letting Williams go for that reason. Curtis had let everyone know a while back that he would announce his decision today and he did just that minutes ago - he is going to Georgia.

This is just a day after Kayden Dixon-Wyatt one of the top 2026 WR recruits announced his commitment to Ohio State over Oregon, which was considered the favorite to land him.

With Oregon missing on two of three of its biggest targets (#1 O-Line recruit Cantwell is still favored to go to Oregon but won’t be announcing for a bit), and losing two of their biggest commits to rivals (Tom Tom Topui to USC and Kodi Greene to Washington), is it time to start worrying in Eugene? Sure it’s still very early with tons of time left, and Oregon will surely end up with a good class when all is said and done, but they are losing key recruits who had already committed to Oregon, and now losing top recruiting battles where they were once considered the favorites. It’s not like they aren’t trying.

This isn’t a shot at you, but this entire thing is incredibly dumb.

Can we just cut through the crap? Here's the tl;dr version:

Some guys got offered more money to play elsewhere, so they did.

You think Georgia ponied up more money than Oregon? It’s possible but reports were that Oregon was all in on this guy as they are for Cantwell.

Yes. Until further notice, I think anyone going anywhere is for money unless there's an obvious and public reason otherwise. Let's not be naive.

This is a bad take. There is zero chance that Kayden Dixon-Wyatt is getting more NIL at Ohio State than he would at Oregon. None. NIL matters, but there are other things that matter to.

 

[The Longtime Lurker]

Here's a fun stat speaking of oSU. lt's been 1984 days since they last beat Michigan. Go Blue!!