Tag: Brett McMurphy

You won’t believe where Brett McMurphy ranked Ohio State in his AP Top 25 ballot after Week 10

Are you sitting down? #GoBucks

One of the things we like to follow on this Ohio State homer site is where polls and analysts rank the Buckeyes after the latest results on the college football field each week.

We are obviously closely tied to the US LBM Coaches Poll with it being USA TODAY affiliated and all, but we also take a peek from time-to-time at the AP Top 25 poll, what Fox analyst Joel Klatt says, what Kirk Herbstreit thinks, and yes, even more when it makes sense.

Well, there’s one we couldn’t pass up this week and it’s from an old friend of Buckeye Nation. Brett McMurphy has some history with Ohio State fans (that we will not get into here), and it’s not a love affair, but one that many Buckeye fans cringe at.

However, he is an AP poll voter, and he just let everyone know how he voted in the poll after Week 10. You might be very, very surprised where he ranked OSU.

Are you sitting down? Good. If not, do so now.

McMurphy actually believes Ohio State is the … wait for it … No. 1 team in the country. What? Yes, that’s right. The guy that has thrown several haymakers to the OSU program over the years has the Buckeyes at No. 1 followed by Georgia, Florida State, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss and Penn State in his top 10.

You can get a complete look at his top 25 below thanks to the post he lobbed out there on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday.

Here’s a little Buckeye high-five to McMurphy for ranking the Wolverines at No. 4 as well. Maybe, just maybe, there’s hope for this world we live in when we see things like this, eh?

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

Michigan State football head coaching candidates as reported by Brett McMurphy of Action Network

According to Brett McMurphy, six names are being considered for the MSU head coaching job:

Michigan State football fired head coach Mel Tucker this week after an investigation into a sexual harassment complaint was made public through a report by USA TODAY. Now, the MSU fandom and media turn their attention to what’s next, and many, including us, have started to speculate on who might be the next head coach for the Spartans.

In a report that came out on Thursday, Brett McMurphy of the Action Network listed six names that his sources told him are candidates for the job.

While I think this list is going to be in flux and change over time, you can see his initial list below along with what makes them a candidate at this time:

Where Clemson ranks in Brett McMurphy’s preseason AP Top 25 ballot

Clemson ranks highly in Brett McMurphy’s preseason AP Top 25 ballot.

College football ranking season is upon us as experts release their preseason top 25 rankings and more. 

The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy was the latest to do so, sharing his Associated Press ballot submitted ahead of Monday’s poll reveal. One of the more respected analysts in college football, McMurphy had some interesting rankings on his ballot. 

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers ranked No.10 in his rankings, the second-highest ACC team. McMurphy is clearly buying into the hype surrounding Florida State, having the Seminoles all the way up as his No.3 team in the country.

Some other surprise rankings come from a No.11 ranked Texas Tech team and ACC opponent Louisville who McMurphy ranked No.16. It is always interesting seeing a preseason AP ballot whether we agree or not. 

Here is a look at McMurphy’s full rankings.

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College Football insider projects that the Tide miss out on the playoffs again in 2023

CFB insider predicts that Alabama will face off against Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl and miss out on the playoffs.

Alabama football had a relatively disappointing season in 2022 after dropping two games to SEC rivals LSU and Tennessee. For most schools, an 11-win season and a Sugar Bowl victory would be an incredible season, but that’s not the standard in Tuscaloosa.

While there are a lot of question marks looming over the Tide, such as the quarterback position and what the two new coordinators will look like, the doubt continues to grow. College Football insider for the Action Network, Brett McMurphy, projects that the Tide will miss out on the playoffs again in 2023 and face off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Cotton Bowl. Alabama last faced Cincinnati in the 2021 Cotton Bowl in a CFB semi-final matchup.

The 2023 season has a much more manageable schedule for the Tide than last season was as their most difficult games (LSU, Texas, Tennessee) will all be at home. The Tide will also clean things up this year after being one of the most undisciplined and penalized teams last year. I expect the Alabama defense to play at an elite level while also establishing a more prominent run game.

McMurphy predicts that the first semi-final game will be between Georgia and Washington in the Sugar Bowl and the other one will be Florida State vs. Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama Football as the 2023 offseason progresses.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Is there a Big Ten football scheduling shakeup on the way?

The Big Ten could be making a significant schedule change.

In what is likely to be welcome news for Big Ten programs like Rutgers football, the conference might well be ready to scrap the requirement that its member teams play a Power Five program annually.

According to the Action Network’s Greg McMurphy, the Big Ten might be set to waive the mandate that its member institutions play at least one Power 5 opponent each year.

In McMurphy’s reporting, he cites a source in saying that “The Big Ten is ‘strongly considering’ removing its requirement for league teams to play a Power 5 nonconference team, starting in 2024.”

Since Greg Schiano’s return to Rutgers football, the ACC has featured into the Power 5 scheduling for the program. All three opponents from the ACC have ties to Rutgers dating back to the Big East days.

In 2021, Rutgers beat Syracuse on the road in their second game of the season. Last year, they won at Boston College in their season opener.

This year, Rutgers hosts Virginia Tech in the third game of the season.

For a program like Ohio State, this certainly frees up the Buckeyes to have some flexibility during seasons when they play at Michigan to better pad their schedule.

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This news is fantastic for Big Ten programs, especially in the East Division. Given that the conference is one of the best in college football (and arguably might be the best), the requirement to schedule a Power Five opponent hurt a number of programs and their ability to gain bowl eligibility.

Given the juggernaut that the division is with two top-four programs last year and three teams in the top seven of the final AP Top 25 Poll, any type of relief is important for the second and third-tier schools in the division.

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As McMurphy notes, there is still a lot to be worked out:

“Even though the Big Ten is expected to remove its Power 5 nonconference opponent requirement starting in 2024, each Big Ten school already has scheduled a Power 5 nonconference opponent in at least three of the four seasons between 2024-27.

“What’s unknown is whether or not those Big Ten schools will keep those future Power 5 nonconference opponents or adjust their future schedules by playing fewer Power 5 teams out of conference.”

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Report: Texas and Oklahoma may depart to the SEC ahead of the 2024 season

Texas and Oklahoma’s move to the SEC may happen earlier than expected. 

Texas and Oklahoma’s move to the SEC may happen earlier than expected.

Brett McMurphy of The Action Network reports the Longhorns and Sooners are “gaining momentum” towards joining its new league ahead of the 2024 season. A whole year prior to the initially expected timeframe.

Texas and Oklahoma’s departure from the Big 12 to the SEC back in July of 2021 sparked a wave of conference realignment across the nation.

The Big 12 Conference went out and acquired BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF, leading to a new television deal for the league.

The Big Ten made a splash out west by landing the Pac-12’s most prominent brands in USC and UCLA.

A 2024 move would put the SEC on the same timeline as the Big Ten for expansion. This happens to be the same year the College Football Playoff moves to the 12-team format.

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Ducks land inside preseason top 10 for national CFB analyst

The Oregon Ducks are largely ranked as a top-25 team ahead of the 2022 season, but one analyst has them ranked inside the top-10.

Depending on where you look, the Oregon Ducks are being ranked a number of places within preseason top 25s ahead of the 2022 college football season. Some outlets have them as high as No. 12 in the nation; others peg them a bit lower, closer to the 20s.

Despite returning the majority of the starting offensive line and bolstering a defense that could be in the discussion for the very best in the nation, the Ducks have numerous unknowns going into the season. The ceiling is high, but the floor is understandably low.

Head coach Dan Lanning is entering his first year at the position, not just with the Ducks, but in his career. Will he rise to the occasion immediately? Oregon fans certainly hope so.

One college football analyst certainly appears to think that it will happen as well. Action Network’s Brett McMurphy recently released his AP Top 25 ballot, and he had the Ducks sitting inside the top 10. Here were his final rankings:

This AP Top 25 poll voter doesn’t have Clemson in his top 10

Clemson is ranked No. 4 in the preseason Coaches Poll that was released earlier this week, but this voter for the preseason AP Top 25 poll – which will come out next week – doesn’t have the Tigers in his top 10. Brett McMurphy of Action Network …

Clemson is ranked No. 4 in the preseason Coaches Poll that was released earlier this week, but this voter for the preseason AP Top 25 poll — which will come out next week — doesn’t have the Tigers in his top 10.

Brett McMurphy of Action Network posted his AP Top 25 preseason ballot on Twitter and has Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Miami, Texas A&M, Utah, Michigan, Oregon, NC State and Baylor comprising his top 10, in that order.

Clemson is No. 11 in McMurphy’s preseason ballot, per an article from Action Network. 

The preseason AP Top 25 poll will be released at noon Eastern on Monday, Aug. 15.

Clemson, which recorded its 11th consecutive double-digit win season with a 10-3 finish in 2021, was picked as the ACC preseason favorite in a poll of 164 ACC media members in late July. The Tigers were also tabbed likely Atlantic Division winners.

Clemson opens the 2022 season against Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Monday, Sept. 5 (8 p.m., ESPN).

Come out to support Clemson softball at Dear Old Clemson’s second event which is set for August 27 at the Madren Conference Center.  Clemson returns one of the top teams in the nation and adds some new talent to the mix.   If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events or purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.

Brett McMurphy’s preseason college football rankings

Brett McMurphy revealed his ballot for the preseason AP Top-25

College football insider Brett McMurphy of the Action Network recently released his ballot for the preseason AP Top-25.

Alongside the USA TODAY AFCA Coaches Poll, the AP Poll, which is set to be released on August 15, will act as the primary rankings until the College Football Playoff Selection Committee releases theirs on Tuesday, November 1.

We’ll share with you McMurphy’s top-ten rankings, which may surprise some readers once you scroll past No. 3. A few notable members outside of the top-ten include Clemson (No. 11), Arkansas (No. 14), Notre Dame (No. 18), and Tennessee (No. 22).

McMurphy’s top-ten:

Where Notre Dame heads in beyond-too-early bowl projection for 2022

All things considered would this be a successful season?

What do Notre Dame fans see as acceptable for Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish in the first year under a first-time head coach?  Couple the coaching change with several staff changes and a schedule that has match-ups at Ohio State, North Carolina, and USC as well as a neutral site game against BYU and a home tilt against Clemson and you’re looking at what could be amongst the toughest schedules in the country for 2022.

Would Notre Dame fans be OK considering the circumstances then if the Irish were to miss out not just on the College Football Playoff but on the New Year’s Six (NY6) as a whole?

Longtime college football reporter Brett McMurphy has his first set of projections out already and calls for the Irish to in fact miss out on the NY6 entirely and sends them to a bowl game they’ve never played in against a team they’ve never faced.

Bowl projection:  Outback Bowl, January 2, 2023
Bowl opponent:  Kentucky
Projected line:  Notre Dame -1

New head coach and a tough schedule are certainly both undeniable but when you’re as close to being seen as a truly elite program like Notre Dame currently is, missing out on the NY6 entirely feels like a miss.

Even with a murderers row of a schedule.

Related:

Predicting Notre Dame’s game-by-game results in 2022

The 45 FBS teams Notre Dame has never played

Reaction to Notre Dame hiring Al Golden as defensive coordinator