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2025 College Football Thread: FSU loses to Stanford in battle of academic powers (17 Viewers)
- Thread starter Capella
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Desert_Power
Footballguy
People really seem to like James Franklin more than is reasonable.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
I’m not sure the notion of an elite coach will exist going forward because no one will be able to dominate enough to be considered elite.
The coaches that I think are at the top at the moment:
- Kirby Smart - I think he’s the best atm but he also has everything at his disposal to make it happen
- Lanning/Day - also have everything at their disposal but they win a ton
- Jeff Brohm
- Elko/Cignetti - two guys I know little about but seem to be doing really well
- Kiffin - I know a lot of people hate him but he’s a guy that can win
- Brent Key - slight homer pick but he’s been really good building the program and he coached under Saban which never hurts
Chadstroma
Footballguy
A list without Freeman is not a list.
Even though I am a ND Homer this a is pretty well universal view. What was one of the first names that came up for Penn St to go after to make a big splash? Not Kiffin... Freeman.
A couple of others but the Freeman one jumps out at me being an Irish fan.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Kemon Spell was in attendance, among other recruits, for the SC game. Several predictions have him going to ND now. Unsure if Spell is one of them but one insider says ND picked up two commitments after that visit.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
Yep - forgot him. I would add him as I like him and he seems to relate well to young kids
AAABatteries
Footballguy
And I’m sure I’m forgetting somebody else
DeBoer has done a solid job even if a little rough - following Saban was always going to be almost impossible
DeBoer has done a solid job even if a little rough - following Saban was always going to be almost impossible
WDIK2
Footballguy
So far we have Penn State, Florida, UCLA, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Stanford, and Virginia Tech as P4 schools looking for a coach. Did I miss any? Maybe adding FSU and I can't believe LSU is happy with Kelly right now.
The bigger football programs on that list are going to want a proven homerun-type coach. I don't think the supply meets the demand. Someone is going to have to take a flyer and probably overpay to poach a coach from another school. Is Urban a real candidate this time around? Do Gruden rumors finally come true?
Sounds like Wisconsin is going to stick with Fickell and I don't blame them. Tough year to be coach shopping.
The bigger football programs on that list are going to want a proven homerun-type coach. I don't think the supply meets the demand. Someone is going to have to take a flyer and probably overpay to poach a coach from another school. Is Urban a real candidate this time around? Do Gruden rumors finally come true?
Sounds like Wisconsin is going to stick with Fickell and I don't blame them. Tough year to be coach shopping.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Those are the current P4 openings.
Add Oregon St, UAB, Colorado St, Kent St, Middle Tenn and New Mexico St outside of them which I believe is the current total picture of Group of Five plus Pac-12.
culdeus
Footballguy
Those teams don't have a seat at the table for anyone but Franklin.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Was that replying to someone else?
culdeus
Footballguy
Just saying the extra teams here are going to not get some big name but maybe Franklin.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
Well ya.. a P4 job is certainly going to be a more desirable job than Group of 5 plus Pac12.
General Malaise
Footballguy
How would Mike McDaniel do as a college coach? He's got great energy, sharp as a tack but it's clear he is going to lose his job very soon. How would he do at Florida where he can get his guys? The GM for the Dolphins should never get another job in any capacity. He sank Mike McDaniels with a horrific roster.
nirad3
Footballguy
That's an interesting thought. I'm a big fan of McDaniel. I think you're spot on, he's been stuck with a pretty lousy roster. I think he might excel as an OC in college, not sure about as a HC. It's a different dynamic. Question is, would he want to take the big step down from pro HC to college OC (or even college HC)? I guess if the position paid well enough and came with enough prestige the guy might consider it, but I honestly have no real idea.
Moe.
Footballguy
I don’t know that you can take a chance on a guy who has never recruited before. McDaniel went to Yale and has no real experience with major CFB. Some guys are just pro guys and that’s the vibe I get from him.
I see Joe Brady’s name come up a bunch on various sites - he outright stated he doesn’t like to recruit so good luck with that.
I see Joe Brady’s name come up a bunch on various sites - he outright stated he doesn’t like to recruit so good luck with that.
The Longtime Lurker
Footballguy
I kind of like this idea
General Malaise
Footballguy
Stewart Mandel has written some very thought provoking pieces about the pay structure of college coaches and I doubt anything changes but McDaniel would do well to bet on himself. Sign a contract tied to bonuses and success rate. Forget the buyouts and guarantees, take a chance.
His agent would never allow it but the current structure for college coaches is untenable. It cannot continue if we are paying players. How many millions are out there to pay a guy to go away? James Franklin is just one example of a very expensive mistake. There are dozens of them now.
Change is needed. I'd love to see a guy like McDaniel bet on himself at a large college progrum.
General Malaise
Footballguy
That's a good point but, NIL/Portal etc it's a new paradigm in college. He may not have to recruit in the traditional sense because the landscape has changed.
I think he is a brilliant coach but he is burned out and broken. Be fun to see him elsewhere. But you're right; not every guy is cut out for college football.
Might be a good time to revisit this. I know Wisconsin is bad and he benefits from unreal weapons, but 36-42 for 393 yards and 4 TDs is elite regardless of situation. He leads college football in completion percentage and depending on what system you look at he is somewhere between 2 and 4 in passer rating and efficiency. He also leads the #1 team in the country. Not sure why he isn't getting talked about more as a Heisman favorite. If he was still playing for Bama with the same resume, ESPN would talk about no one else.
Just anecdotally watching him, he has better ball placement than Stroud. The thing that is really great to see is how each week he gets better a manipulating the pocket. He still misses an occasional read, but certainly less than you see from most RS freshmen. Still a long way to go, but if he continues to develop like he is I think he has the potential to go down as the best pure passer Ohio State has ever had.
Sparky Polastri
Footballguy
Not sure why you'd want to "revisit" comments that were specific to the moment months ago. The circumstances of it all didn't change at all. Probably wiser to make new arguments based on the new data.
To your new comments, IMO, the reason he's not being talked about for the Heisman are laid out very nicely in your post. The weapons are unreal. The competition has been "meh". He's asked to manage the games and the defense has been the best in the country.
WDIK2
Footballguy
That's interesting because I see Franklin's name mentioned for some of the Open P4 jobs. He would be an upgrade for many as long as he hasn't checked out.
culdeus
Footballguy
That's interesting because I see Franklin's name mentioned for some of the Open P4 jobs. He would be an upgrade for many as long as he hasn't checked out.
I mean Mack Brown had to really drop back once Texas grew tired of him and he won a title.
WDIK2
Footballguy
But still P5 after taking a few years off to be a TV analyst. He's 74 now so would have been ~67-68 when he went back to UNC. Franklin is 53. Just saying I think Franklin can get a P4 job right away if he wants it. Would be a major upgrade for UCLA, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Stanford, and Virginia Tech of the jobs open so far.That's interesting because I see Franklin's name mentioned for some of the Open P4 jobs. He would be an upgrade for many as long as he hasn't checked out.
I mean Mack Brown had to really drop back once Texas grew tired of him and he won a title.
ETA: Speaking of UNC. How long do they let that go on?
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Chadstroma
Footballguy
I think pre-portal/NIL football the college HC and NFL HC were much more different than they are now. I think he could do well as a HC in college. He will 100% get an offer to be an OC in the NFL. I have to think some college will make a run at him so his choices would be college HC or NFL OC. Heck, maybe even NFL HC. As pointed out, I think the GM killed him in Miami.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
I think that NIL goes a long way in recruiting now where that takes a big part of the curve ball from that out. Plus, the rise of the whole college GM role as well. If he went to a school with prestige and money to make runs it could limit the impact of his lack of experience in recruiting.
DJackson10
Footballguy
And for good reason. Napier isn’t a bad guy or person but his ego to not hire an OC cost him. They need to back up 3 armored trucks for Lane Kiffin now
DJackson10
Footballguy
If you aren’t listening to Todd McShays show he has some big time sources with the PSU program it seems. He’s trying hard not to say stuff but there’s a lot more then he leads on that makes it seem Franklin is a real big time POS. He even went in and said today “for the love of god please Florida do not hire Franklin. That’s be failure beyond epic proportions. Todd said when he visited PSU Franklins first year he saw concerning red flags back then too.
Todd also insinuated that he knew a hell of a lot more Franklin then he was letting on. Mention Eli Drinkwitz of Mizzou in the Franklin/UF thing and made some comments that might be a bad hire and there’s stuff going on there. Todd is usually good keeping things close and always says it’s not his place to be a Scheftar, Thamel etc and doesn’t want to be. But he does try to give the people some semblance of what he thinks. You could tell he’s holding back on very juicy info on Franklin.
On his podcast today Gainesville Sun and sports writer who covers Florida Pat Dooley talked about their next hire and does not want Franklin. He basically said Franklin he believes covered up a lot of stuff while at Vandy insinuating the sexual assault case involving his players where he intimidated the victim wasn’t the only thing going on.
Compare the two coaches recently fired in Napier and Franklin and Franklin handled it so poorly I don’t know how anyone could sit here today and say “yeah we want that guy leading our program or want him in our building.” Meanwhile Napier didn’t throw players under the bus, took accountability, praised the players and coaches etc. he handled it with dignity. He was told Saturday after the game he was done and went to the press conference knowing he was gone. He showed class and dignity in it. Napier might not get a sexy power 5 job but McShay even said it wouldn’t hurt to see him coaching some lower tier program especially on the 2nd level a Nova etc type as long as he gets himself an OC he can do great things for a program
DJackson10
Footballguy
FSU said they’d asses after the year. Sounds like they got one more year
timschochet
Footballguy
I don’t want any big names. I don’t want some head coach from the NFL that just got the axe.
I want a young offensive coordinator or defensive coordinator. Like, for instance, Jerry Neuheisel. Or somebody like him. I don’t care if nobody has heard of him. I want someone with new ideas and energy.
I want a young offensive coordinator or defensive coordinator. Like, for instance, Jerry Neuheisel. Or somebody like him. I don’t care if nobody has heard of him. I want someone with new ideas and energy.
SpurrierisisGod
Footballguy
I'm just not a Franklin fan. Can't really explain why. He just seems "off" to me.
Im afraid UF is going to think its has to be "splashy" or bring excitement. It does in a sense but not at the expense of image. I do appreciate that the off field antics under Napier seemed to be minimal. He was just in over his head I think and thought he could fix it. Apparently he couldn't. I dont hate the guy but UF fans all saw 2 years ago that he just didnt hit "it" for a upper tier program (or what used to be).
Honestly, we arent happy here in town with the situation at South Alabama. I could see Naper doing well here if our administration he is never proactive, actually decides to be proactive.
As for UF, I dont think it has to be splashy. But I do believe it needs to be somewhat outside the box.
kupcho1
Footballguy
Sparky Polastri
Footballguy
Well, that's no fun. Full disclosure, I have absolutely no idea who is in the Heisman convo. It's probably the least interesting topic in college football for me and I don't really understand the obsession.
General Malaise
Footballguy
I just Googled to see what the odds are currently and got met by this:
Miami's Carson Beck was the Heisman favorite at +360 heading into Week 8. But after throwing four interceptions and no touchdowns in the Hurricanes' 24-21 loss to Louisville, he plummeted to +6000.
Yowsers.
Here's the rest of the article:
2025 Heisman Trophy odds
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana: +280
What to know: The Hoosiers are 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten, thanks to Mendoza. He first skyrocketed up the Heisman oddsboard after dropping a whopping 63 points on the Illini in Indiana's fourth game of the season with a five-touchdown performance. In Week 7, his 215 yards and one touchdown helped topple No. 3 Oregon, and his Heisman odds surged to +600 from +1400. Then in Week 8, he threw for 332 yards and four TDs in Indiana's 38-13 win over Michigan State, and he surged to +280.
Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama: +300
What to know: Simpson has helped lead the Tide to wins over teams ranked 16th or better in four consecutive weeks. He recorded three total TDs in a massive victory against Georgia, followed it up with a whopping 340 passing yards and two passing TDs in a win over a formidable Vanderbilt squad and then in Week 7, he helped lead the Tide to a 27-24 win over Missouri with 200 yards. In Week 8, his 253 yards and two TDs helped guide the Tide to a 37-20 win over Tennessee.
Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State: +400
What to know: Sayin's odds are surging in this spot, rising to +400 from +1400 over the last week. In the Buckeyes' Week 8 34-0 shutout over Wisconsin, the QB threw for 393 yards and four touchdowns, helping his team improve to 7-0.
Marcel Reed, QB, Texas A&M: +1000:
What to know: Reed has 1,770 yards through the air and 15 TDs on the season. He had a strong Week 8 performance, passing for 280 yards, three TDs and one rushing TD in the Aggies' 45-42 win over Arkansas.
Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt: +1200
What to know: The Commodores improved to 6-1 after defeating No. 10 LSU in Week 8, and Pavia is leading the charge. He's got 1,569 yards and 15 TDs this year, including 160 yards, one passing touchdown and two rushing TDs in the win over the Tigers.
Gunner Stockton, QB, Georgia: +1300
What to know: The Bulldogs are 6-1 and Gunner Stockton is making plays with his arms and legs. He's got seven rushing TDs and 10 passing, with 279 yards on the ground and 1,553 through the air on the season. In the Dawgs' big win over No. 5 Ole Miss, Stockton put up 289 yards passing with four TDs and another touchdown on the ground.
General Malaise
Footballguy
I'll be honest, I didn't watch more than a minute of college football this weekend as I was on a little vacation to the Dallas area with my 21 year old son. I did get to watch Southlake Carrol HS football on Friday night and boy, if you've never been to a high school stadium in Texas or if you're like me and you haven't been to one in decades, things are very very different down there. Holy moly was that stadium nice. Huge too, for HS. Also went to a Cowboys' game, speaking of massive marvels of architecture. I don't think I saw the field once, but we were in the stadium with 100,000 other fans. Quite the experience. It was like one big party.
So, with that in mind, the Top 20 is going to be largely copy/paste and guess work but we'll do it regardless.....
So, with that in mind, the Top 20 is going to be largely copy/paste and guess work but we'll do it regardless.....
General Malaise
Footballguy
GM's Top 20 - Oct. 21, 2025 - Flying Blind
1. Ohio State - Another weekend, another easy victory. Will anybody test this team before the playoffs? Remember when people wanted Ryan Day fired? Fever dream stuff.
2. Indiana - Back to back road victories and nothing but road apples left on their schedule.
3. Texas A&M - I wrote last week "Don't overlook Petrino's Razorbacks" and they almost did. Can't be messing around like this.
4. Alabama - Sure would like to re-read some of the HOT TAKES folks had about DeBoer after week 1. Seems like forever ago. Doesn't seem like Tennessee put up much of a fight.
5. Georgia - Ended Ole Miss' stretch of victories. Boy, the playoffs are going to be juicy this year.
6. Georgia Tech - Still undefeated after taking down a very game Duke team. How much are tickets going for in the Georgia game? Guessing a bunch.
7. Oregon - Yes, it was Rutgers, but the Ducks bounced back after a humbling loss and were almost perfect on offense playing 3 times zones over. Noah Wittington is a stud.
8. Vanderbilt - This isn't schtick; I legit think Vandy is a top 10 college progrum.
9. Ole Miss - Final score seemed respectable. OU up next. This is a huge game for both teams.
10. Miami - Well, they can't blame Mario for this one. He wasn't the one giving the ball to the other team. Louisville has snuck up on some folks this year, but this is a bad loss.
11. Notre Dame - Whacked the Trojans.
12. BYU - Is this three wins in a row for BYU in the Holy War? How did this rivalry escape mention in here? It's a good one and BYU seems to own it right now.
13. Oklahoma - Nice bounce back win. #1 defense in the country allowing 213 YPG and a very stingy 5 TDs (Ohio State is right there too).
14. Texas Tech - Let it slip away but they do get BYU at home. That's a big one.
15. Missouri - Maybe it's regional or maybe I'm just far away, but I almost never hear anybody talking about Missouri. Quietest 6-1 team out there? Vandy on tap. Make some noise.
16. Tennessee - Two losses against blue bloods with three really hard ones left. So you want to play in the SEC?
17. Virginia - Tony Elliott for coach of the year? Remarkable turn-around, coach. Take a bow.
18. South Florida - Speaking of coaches, where does this guy end up after the season? Dude's about to get PAID.
19. Louisville - To continue the theme, Jeff Brohm has to be in the running for Penn State. He's won everywhere he's coached.
20. Cincinnati - They get the nod over LSU this week. @shuke - hey.
Dropping Out:
Texas - Ew. 16-13 against Kentucky, huh? Arch McSucks.
USC - I'm still nervous about the game in Autzen next month. USC has ruined Oregon seasons before. It will be cold, though.
LSU - Probably not fair to take them out of the top 20 but I don't like Brian Kelley. I find him boorish.
Just Missed:
Arizona State - Y'all, I think this Kenny Dillingham guy can coach.
Illinois - A win over Washington and they'll jump back into the top 20.
1. Ohio State - Another weekend, another easy victory. Will anybody test this team before the playoffs? Remember when people wanted Ryan Day fired? Fever dream stuff.
2. Indiana - Back to back road victories and nothing but road apples left on their schedule.
3. Texas A&M - I wrote last week "Don't overlook Petrino's Razorbacks" and they almost did. Can't be messing around like this.
4. Alabama - Sure would like to re-read some of the HOT TAKES folks had about DeBoer after week 1. Seems like forever ago. Doesn't seem like Tennessee put up much of a fight.
5. Georgia - Ended Ole Miss' stretch of victories. Boy, the playoffs are going to be juicy this year.
6. Georgia Tech - Still undefeated after taking down a very game Duke team. How much are tickets going for in the Georgia game? Guessing a bunch.
7. Oregon - Yes, it was Rutgers, but the Ducks bounced back after a humbling loss and were almost perfect on offense playing 3 times zones over. Noah Wittington is a stud.
8. Vanderbilt - This isn't schtick; I legit think Vandy is a top 10 college progrum.
9. Ole Miss - Final score seemed respectable. OU up next. This is a huge game for both teams.
10. Miami - Well, they can't blame Mario for this one. He wasn't the one giving the ball to the other team. Louisville has snuck up on some folks this year, but this is a bad loss.
11. Notre Dame - Whacked the Trojans.
12. BYU - Is this three wins in a row for BYU in the Holy War? How did this rivalry escape mention in here? It's a good one and BYU seems to own it right now.
13. Oklahoma - Nice bounce back win. #1 defense in the country allowing 213 YPG and a very stingy 5 TDs (Ohio State is right there too).
14. Texas Tech - Let it slip away but they do get BYU at home. That's a big one.
15. Missouri - Maybe it's regional or maybe I'm just far away, but I almost never hear anybody talking about Missouri. Quietest 6-1 team out there? Vandy on tap. Make some noise.
16. Tennessee - Two losses against blue bloods with three really hard ones left. So you want to play in the SEC?
17. Virginia - Tony Elliott for coach of the year? Remarkable turn-around, coach. Take a bow.
18. South Florida - Speaking of coaches, where does this guy end up after the season? Dude's about to get PAID.
19. Louisville - To continue the theme, Jeff Brohm has to be in the running for Penn State. He's won everywhere he's coached.
20. Cincinnati - They get the nod over LSU this week. @shuke - hey.
Dropping Out:
Texas - Ew. 16-13 against Kentucky, huh? Arch McSucks.
USC - I'm still nervous about the game in Autzen next month. USC has ruined Oregon seasons before. It will be cold, though.
LSU - Probably not fair to take them out of the top 20 but I don't like Brian Kelley. I find him boorish.
Just Missed:
Arizona State - Y'all, I think this Kenny Dillingham guy can coach.
Illinois - A win over Washington and they'll jump back into the top 20.
massraider
Footballguy
That list tells me there is no favorite at the moment.
Sparky Polastri
Footballguy
This is why I pay very little attention to this award anymore. To me, its this Mendoza kid then everyone else and its not really close. He's done the most with the least against a pretty decent set of teams. Sans Pavia, I don't think any of those listed could be plopped into the lineup at Indiana and have the same success as Mendoza. Obviously we will never know that for sure, so I try to stay away from going down that path.
General Malaise
Footballguy
Right, it seems like it could be any of these guys are perhaps somebody that's not on this list like Dante Moore. Pavia leading Vanderbilt to a good bowl game or even a playoff spot (I know, remote but maybe?) would be a herculean task.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
It's fair to take LSU out of the top 20 though I have just tremendous gratitude to that program for taking Kelly off our hands.
massraider
Footballguy
I'd rather take a few longshot wagers on a non-QB, hoping the QB voters cannot agree.
If Jeremiah Smith or J. Love go bonkers rest of year, they could run away with it.
General Malaise
Footballguy
But then why didn't or couldn't Mendoza find more success at Cal? Indiana brought in a lot of talent, including Mendoza and he's having a great year, but it didn't always look good at Cal for him.
That said, I remember watching him throw when he was a freshman and was dazzled by his arm. Guy can sling it. He sure had no problems making key throws against Oregon this season.
You're probably right and I also think he has made himself a bunch of NFL money this season too.
General Malaise
Footballguy
I certainly wouldn't want to play LSU and am glad Oregon won't but they lost twice and yeah, I don't like Kelly either. I'm dropping him out of 20 out of spite.
massraider
Footballguy
Twitter tells me Florida is pursuing Lane Kiffin
General Malaise
Footballguy
On the Heisman discussion, Haynes King absolutely needs to be in the running. What he is doing to elevate Georgia Tech is sensational. I think guys like King and Pavia should be getting far more attention than guys that get the keys to Ohio State or Alabama's offense. Yes, they still have to drive the Ferrari but come on.....Georgia Tech hasn't been 7-0 since 1966 and Vandy hasn't been 6-1 since 1950. These are remarkable achievements. If they don't factor into Heisman voting, what are we even doing?
General Malaise
Footballguy
He should just stay at Ole Miss but he won't.
Instinctive
Footballguy
I mean if OU somehow won out against the insane remaining schedule it probably means Mateer went superhuman on the SEC.
Chadstroma
Footballguy
He would step on his Mom's face to get a nudge better spot. Which has more NIL money for football... Florida or Penn St. He will bolt to whoever has more and then try to bring his Ole Miss roster with him.
General Malaise
Footballguy
Maybe. Guess I'm not understanding the financial differences between Ole Miss and Florida today in light of the fact that Florida has been paying for bad coaching hires since Urban left. Like.....how much money do they have left? Or better asked, how much more can they ask their fan base to shell out?
Ole Miss has money too and they aren't paying off atrocious coaching hires. They've also been a better progrum than Florida since Lane got there. Why leave when the grass is nice and green in Oxford?
Lastly, Lane has never won anything important. Ever. At any level. Period.
