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College Football Bowls and Playoffs

Mendoza essentially played an NFL game vs Miami. Under constant pressure, took a beating, had to make loads of tight window throws to guys who were not really open (because refs allowed Miami to hold them all game). He had numerous high pressure moments and was never even close to rattled.
 
Lots of teams are throwing around NIL money. Indiana showed the blueprint and also that the star ranking system for prospects is a sham, or at least very misleading. It's like drafting based off the combine rather than film.

Indiana showed that the important thing is having a system on offense and defense and bringing in players with the traits to fit it, not necessarily the best athletes. Obviously, you want guys with both, but if you have to choose, you choose the less talented scheme fit guy over the fast guy you have to teach for 3 plus years.

This is why Iowa is always competitive despite having recruiting classes around 50 most years. They recruit traits on OL and DL then coach them up. A guy like Yayah Black is a perfect example.

The new model in the portal is production over upside.

I've also noticed that the portal is now becoming a new form of getting rid of dead weight. Record numbers of guys entered the portal and many of them asked their old team if they can go back and were told No.

I'm seeing some Penn State guys in the portal who were big time recruits and they're landing in the MAC. People wrote Penn State off with so many guys in the portal but it's clear that the new staff wanted a bunch of them to leave because they aren't scheme fits.
 
IU's JMU pipeline is drying up, even Cignetti knows he needs to lean on recruiting more. They're not looking for guys who want $$$, they're looking for guys that want a familiar coach. it's a short term strategy exploiting a massive loophole in the new college football world, and they hit a home run.

In five years, they'll be irrelevant again.
 
tapeANaspirin2it said:
Mendoza essentially played an NFL game vs Miami. Under constant pressure, took a beating, had to make loads of tight window throws to guys who were not really open (because refs allowed Miami to hold them all game). He had numerous high pressure moments and was never even close to rattled.
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He was rattled alright. Vegas would be a disaster for him, wondering what Tom Brady came away from that game thinking.
 
WindyCitySteel said:
IU's JMU pipeline is drying up, even Cignetti knows he needs to lean on recruiting more. They're not looking for guys who want $$$, they're looking for guys that want a familiar coach. it's a short term strategy exploiting a massive loophole in the new college football world, and they hit a home run.

In five years, they'll be irrelevant again.
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no offense to JMU, but I don't believe JMU level players going to Indiana is why Cignetti went 16-0 and won a national title. Of the thirteen transfers, only six started on offense and defense. He pulled in Mendosa and his brother, made a Cal QB a Heisman trophy winner and he'll probably do the same for his brother. Cignetti's formula isn't to recruit heavily, it's to use the portal to bring in the right types of players, and that pipeline is endless. If anything, Cignetti is going to force the NCAA to develop strict guidelines on transfers because big named programs are already beginning to cry foul on how Cignetti is poaching their players.
 
Badcat said:
no offense to JMU, but I don't believe JMU level players going to Indiana is why Cignetti went 16-0 and won a national title. Of the thirteen transfers, only six started on offense and defense. He pulled in Mendosa and his brother, made a Cal QB a Heisman trophy winner and he'll probably do the same for his brother. Cignetti's formula isn't to recruit heavily, it's to use the portal to bring in the right types of players, and that pipeline is endless. If anything, Cignetti is going to force the NCAA to develop strict guidelines on transfers because big named programs are already beginning to cry foul on how Cignetti is poaching their players.
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His brother is now with Georgia Tech
 
Badcat said:
no offense to JMU, but I don't believe JMU level players going to Indiana is why Cignetti went 16-0 and won a national title. Of the thirteen transfers, only six started on offense and defense. He pulled in Mendosa and his brother, made a Cal QB a Heisman trophy winner and he'll probably do the same for his brother. Cignetti's formula isn't to recruit heavily, it's to use the portal to bring in the right types of players, and that pipeline is endless. If anything, Cignetti is going to force the NCAA to develop strict guidelines on transfers because big named programs are already beginning to cry foul on how Cignetti is poaching their players.
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Having 47 players aged 22-25 is how they won. Kids used to go pro at 20, 21 years old. Can't build a dream team of guys that old every year.
 
Badcat said:
The kid should have stayed put, he isn't winning jack **** at GT. But, money.
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The weight of the world was going to be on that kid at IU. Can you imagine if they lost the first game next season. Best thing he could do was to transfer elsewhere and try to make his own legacy there. In addition, with Cignetti bringing in Hoover from TCU, Mendoza knew he was not going to get a look at starting QB at IU next year.
 
Lunar said:
Mel Kiper likes Mendoza as the #1 over all pick. The kid is doomed! :LOL:
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I dont think anything short of serious injury, or massive scandal are keeping him from walking to the stage first. Not even the dipshit Kiper's prognostication is stopping that now.
 
Steeler Pride said:
The weight of the world was going to be on that kid at IU. Can you imagine if they lost the first game next season. Best thing he could do was to transfer elsewhere and try to make his own legacy there. In addition, with Cignetti bringing in Hoover from TCU, Mendoza knew he was not going to get a look at starting QB at IU next year.
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True, I can't argue that. My mind is still old school and getting used to the transfer portal process and the propensity of "I must play now" versus waiting your turn in a system whilst learning the game and position.
 
Badcat said:
True, I can't argue that. My mind is still old school and getting used to the transfer portal process and the propensity of "I must play now" versus waiting your turn in a system whilst learning the game and position.
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The portal and NIL is destroying college and amateur athletics. High School, College, and Professional coaches have said for quite a while that entitlement is the biggest issue facing athletics in this generation. Well congratulations to the NCAA for single handedly promoting entitlement. They should just call NCAA Div. 1 football what it really is now...minor league football for the NFL. Make kids sign contracts with the NIL money. If they transfer before the contract is up, pay back the NIL money.
 
Steeler Pride said:
The portal and NIL is destroying college and amateur athletics. High School, College, and Professional coaches have said for quite a while that entitlement is the biggest issue facing athletics in this generation. Well congratulations to the NCAA for single handedly promoting entitlement. They should just call NCAA Div. 1 football what it really is now...minor league football for the NFL. Make kids sign contracts with the NIL money. If they transfer before the contract is up, pay back the NIL money.
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First, there should only be ONE portal in the spring, not two, with the first being in the middle of the CFP. Totally agree on contracts, too, but I'd make it harsher -- if you want to transfer while under contract, you sit out a year or the remainder of the term. Finally, need a cap or this could turn into MLB.
 
WindyCitySteel said:
First, there should only be ONE portal in the spring, not two, with the first being in the middle of the CFP. Totally agree on contracts, too, but I'd make it harsher -- if you want to transfer while under contract, you sit out a year or the remainder of the term. Finally, need a cap or this could turn into MLB.
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How much will donors continue to give college transfers money without any ROI? Top QBs are already getting $5 million and it's a one-year commitment--not even including a potential bowl game. That number is going to go up. Are rich donors going to continue to just hand out millions of dollars and not get a piece of the pie?
 
tapeANaspirin2it said:
I'm seeing some Penn State guys in the portal who were big time recruits and they're landing in the MAC. People wrote Penn State off with so many guys in the portal but it's clear that the new staff wanted a bunch of them to leave because they aren't scheme fits.
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Some, but not all. There are going to be some guys who are just roster-fillers in the Big Ten who have much better opportunities to play in lesser conferences. Obviously a ton of good/decent players followed Franklin to Virginia Tech in the ACC, but I was surprised to find that only about a quarter of outgoing PSU transfers have gone to either another Big Ten school or the SEC:

AJ Harris -- Indiana
J. Wallace-Coleman -- South Carolina
A. Olesh -- Oregon
D. Lane -- Tennessee
C. Coleman -- Tennessee
X. Gilliam -- Tennessee
A. Speca -- Purdue
Z. Fisher -- USC
E. Boyer -- Florida
TJ Shanahan -- Florida
 
WindyCitySteel said:
First, there should only be ONE portal in the spring, not two, with the first being in the middle of the CFP. Totally agree on contracts, too, but I'd make it harsher -- if you want to transfer while under contract, you sit out a year or the remainder of the term. Finally, need a cap or this could turn into MLB.
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There is only one portal now. The one that just closed on January 16th. Of course, they've been changing rules and regulations like the wind, so that may change again next year.
 
topseed said:
Some, but not all. There are going to be some guys who are just roster-fillers in the Big Ten who have much better opportunities to play in lesser conferences. Obviously a ton of good/decent players followed Franklin to Virginia Tech in the ACC, but I was surprised to find that only about a quarter of outgoing PSU transfers have gone to either another Big Ten school or the SEC:

AJ Harris -- Indiana
J. Wallace-Coleman -- South Carolina
A. Olesh -- Oregon
D. Lane -- Tennessee
C. Coleman -- Tennessee
X. Gilliam -- Tennessee
A. Speca -- Purdue
Z. Fisher -- USC
E. Boyer -- Florida
TJ Shanahan -- Florida
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I read that 12 roster players followed Franklin to VT. I think he cleaned out their 2026 recruiting class though.
 
topseed said:
There is only one portal now. The one that just closed on January 16th. Of course, they've been changing rules and regulations like the wind, so that may change again next year.
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Got it, wonder why they kept the one during the CFP instead of the spring portal. Seems like when any sports executives have a decision to make, it's always the wrong one.
 
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