College Football Off Season 2026

[Sparty]

1 hour ago, Bash Riprock said:

 

You sure about that ND/U game?  I thought ND was playing Indy Manual that week.  I could be wrong.  

[Bash Riprock]

 

[Bash Riprock]

Wow!  
 

 

[Irishman]

3 hours ago, Bash Riprock said:

Wow!  
 

 

Have to remember No3 is a parody site. I bit initially too. 🙂 

[Bash Riprock]

1 hour ago, Irishman said:

Have to remember No3 is a parody site. I bit initially too. 🙂 

Good to know...that would put college football on its head if true

[23andCounting]

Regarding Alabama, there's a lot to unpack here. 

How do we know that Trent Richardson didn't really say that, but now those close to Alabama are trying to cover it up? Case in point: Remember when Steeler's Alejandro Villanueva stood alone for the National Anthem, then told media that it was "a misunderstanding, an accident."

At the end of the day, I think it's widely accepted that the SEC, including Alabama, were known to bend the rules a little bit to attract the top talent in the country. Yet Notre Dame has several wins disqualified for a few players cheating on an exam......self reported by the university. It's the just the double standard society we live in today unfortunately. 

Alabama attracting that top talent is the reason Nick Saban is widely considered the best coach of all time. I've been saying for years that he's a "Top 25 coach." Until we give every college and high school coach the same set of resources to work with, it's impossible to know who the best coach in the country is. 

All we can do is speculate on who the best college football coach is based on performance on the field. And that goes to Curt Cignetti. No coach has ever accomplished what that man has with a limited amount of resources. It's not even debatable. Now are there some lower level college coaches or even high school coaches who are as good as Cignetti? My guess is that there might be. We'll never know until one of those coaches get their opportunity to coach at a Power 4 school. But for now, it's Cignetti, not Saban. 

[Bash Riprock]

2 hours ago, 23andCounting said:

All we can do is speculate on who the best college football coach is based on performance on the field. And that goes to Curt Cignetti. No coach has ever accomplished what that man has with a limited amount of resources. It's not even debatable. Now are there some lower level college coaches or even high school coaches who are as good as Cignetti? My guess is that there might be. We'll never know until one of those coaches get their opportunity to coach at a Power 4 school. But for now, it's Cignetti, not Saban. 

Not sure who is the best....Cig sure had to pay his dues for a long time.  I know Saban thought Cig was out of his mind to leave his staff at Bama for a DII head coaching job at IUP.  The relationship between those 2 puzzles me.  Doesn't seem like a ton of love.  Saban openly said Cig talked too much last year when trying to build the culture and respect for IU.  This entire season, Saban time and time again picked against IU in the big games.  Doesn't seem to compliment Cig and the program much.  Given the years Cig toiled at IUP and IAA (Elon and JMU before taking JMU to FBS) doesn't seem like Saban was really helping him rise up the ladder.  Thankfully and selfishly, Cig caught his first break in a Power 4 conference on a bottom dweller and quickly flipped things around.  Just doesn't seem like a joyous friendship between former asst and head coach.  My guess is Cig loved laying it to Bama in the Rose Bowl.

[Coach Nowlin]

On 3/8/2026 at 4:35 PM, Irishman said:

Have to remember No3 is a parody site. I bit initially too. 🙂 

 

On 3/8/2026 at 6:29 PM, Bash Riprock said:

Good to know...that would put college football on its head if true

The community note hit hard 

[23andCounting]

3 hours ago, Bash Riprock said:

Not sure who is the best....Cig sure had to pay his dues for a long time.  I know Saban thought Cig was out of his mind to leave his staff at Bama for a DII head coaching job at IUP.  The relationship between those 2 puzzles me.  Doesn't seem like a ton of love.  Saban openly said Cig talked too much last year when trying to build the culture and respect for IU.  This entire season, Saban time and time again picked against IU in the big games.  Doesn't seem to compliment Cig and the program much.  Given the years Cig toiled at IUP and IAA (Elon and JMU before taking JMU to FBS) doesn't seem like Saban was really helping him rise up the ladder.  Thankfully and selfishly, Cig caught his first break in a Power 4 conference on a bottom dweller and quickly flipped things around.  Just doesn't seem like a joyous friendship between former asst and head coach.  My guess is Cig loved laying it to Bama in the Rose Bowl.

I'm sure Saban loves all the talk of "greatest coach of all time." Cignetti is getting in the way of that. Maybe it's premature, but there's no denying what transpired the last couple of seasons. Scary how good things could get when he gets better recruits. Although I'm a fan of Cig and enjoy watching the Hoosiers, it doesn't excite me much that Notre Dame might be taking a backseat to IU for the next decade. 

[Sparty]

Love what Cig is doing at IU, but he is not even in the same sentence as best coach of all time.  He’s won 1 natty.  How may has Saban won?

[Bash Riprock]

2 hours ago, Sparty said:

Love what Cig is doing at IU, but he is not even in the same sentence as best coach of all time.  He’s won 1 natty.  How may has Saban won?

Don’t disagree if you measure by championships only.

But would Saban win at all levels like Cig?  Would he have turned around IUP, Elon, and JMU?  Would he have immediately made JMU successful their first year in FBS?  Would Saban had won 11 games in his first year at IU and taken them to the CFP?  Would he have won the Big 10 title, Rose Bowl and Natty in his second year at IU?

Saban was solid at Michigan State, but nothing like what Cig did at IU. Saban won with incredibly talented rosters with traditional power house teams at LSU and Bama. 
 

Their journeys have been very different. 

[Sparty]

59 minutes ago, Bash Riprock said:

Don’t disagree if you measure by championships only.

But would Saban win at all levels like Cig?  Would he have turned around IUP, Elon, and JMU?  Would he have immediately made JMU successful their first year in FBS?  Would Saban had won 11 games in his first year at IU and taken them to the CFP?  Would he have won the Big 10 title, Rose Bowl and Natty in his second year at IU?

Saban was solid at Michigan State, but nothing like what Cig did at IU. Saban won with incredibly talented rosters with traditional power house teams at LSU and Bama. 
 

Their journeys have been very different. 

Don’t know on the hypotheticals. But agree on some. 

[Bash Riprock]

15 hours ago, Sparty said:

Don’t know on the hypotheticals. But agree on some. 

No one will ever argue that legacy is defined on championships.  So vote goes with Saban.

I am just saying based on his sample at Michigan State, Saban does not perform to Cignetti's level following a very different path.  Cignetti definitely paid a higher price to get to the promised land, and got there by turning a historical cellar dweller around.  Something Saban never had to do during his tenure.  

Saban was 34-24-1 at Michigan State.  His final year there, he did have a 10-2 record finishing in the top 10.  He was 23-16-1 in Big 10 play, going 0-3 in bowls.  Respectable for sure...but nothing like Cignetti.

[23andCounting]

On 3/11/2026 at 1:00 PM, Bash Riprock said:

I am just saying based on his sample at Michigan State

Saban was 34-24-1 at Michigan State.  His final year there, he did have a 10-2 record finishing in the top 10.  He was 23-16-1 in Big 10 play, going 0-3 in bowls.  Respectable for sure...but nothing like Cignetti.

Bingo. Really all that needs to be said. Saban won his championships with resources that other good coaches weren't privy to. Great coach for sure. You still need to be able to manage good talent..............I mean, look at Ohio State. Day is certainly no Saban. But I can't imagine anyone going into battle with one coach and taking Saban over Cignetti. 

I get the whole "pump the breaks argument," but what Cig has done is pretty special, prompting speculation that his story will one day become a movie. 

[Irishman]

One of those players who will likely be in the portal every year. 

 

 

[Irishman]

Changes made to discipline from targeting:
Only thing I would have liked to see is consideration for hits that are more serious in nature, or maybe even more intentional?  I know it's hard really make that call, but some targeting hits really did deserve a disqualification. 

Another issue is the inconsistency in it being called and the reviews. 

 

 

[Irishman]

The coaches have spoken. Not a fan of 24 teams though. 

 

 

[Coach Nowlin]

Continues to be part of the acceptance to Bulldog program it seems

 

 

 

[PDB26]

28 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

Continues to be part of the acceptance to Bulldog program it seems

 

 

 

I know this isn't what they mean by "lack of institutional control," but, damn.

[23andCounting]

46 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

Continues to be part of the acceptance to Bulldog program it seems

 

 

 

In the meantime, Notre Dame players continue to pick the Irish for the academics and continue to impressively articulate themselves in post game interviews. And still the most hated football team in the country even though college football is suppose to represent education. Posts like the one above just make my bond with Notre Dame even stronger. I will say this about the people of Georgia though.............some of the nicest people I've ever come across. Same with Florida. Midwest hospitality is pretty good overall, but the south takes the cake. 

[Bobref]

On 3/10/2026 at 3:25 PM, 23andCounting said:

Although I'm a fan of Cig and enjoy watching the Hoosiers, it doesn't excite me much that Notre Dame might be taking a backseat to IU for the next decade. 

Get serious.

[23andCounting]

16 hours ago, Bobref said:

Get serious.

I'm off the wall for thinking that? Explain. 

[Bobref]

34 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

I'm off the wall for thinking that? Explain. 

I’ll let the on field results do my talking for me. Won’t take long.

[23andCounting]

4 minutes ago, Bobref said:

I’ll let the on field results do my talking for me. Won’t take long.

Notre Dame is on solid ground. I think last year against IU would have been 50/50. If Cignetti gets his hands on some 4 & 5 star recruits, I'm not sure how Indiana isn't the team of the next decade. We don't even know if Marcus Freeman will be around in 5 years. Cignetti is going nowhere. 

That being said, I think both Notre Dame and IU are Top 5 teams this year, with a slight edge to the Irish. 

[Bobref]

12 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

Notre Dame is on solid ground. I think last year against IU would have been 50/50. If Cignetti gets his hands on some 4 & 5 star recruits, I'm not sure how Indiana isn't the team of the next decade. We don't even know if Marcus Freeman will be around in 5 years. Cignetti is going nowhere. 

That being said, I think both Notre Dame and IU are Top 5 teams this year, with a slight edge to the Irish. 

I have nothing against Cignetti or IU. I’m going strictly on probabilities. How many teams have had 2-3 great years … and gone on to be dominant for a decade? You can count them on one hand and have a finger or two left over. The odds are that IU will regress toward the mean. But it will be very interesting to see just how the portal/NIL may affect that historical record.