ESPN way to early top 25

#26
#26
19th is probably gonna be about where we end up at the end of the day.

We have far more questions marks going into 25 than we did in the recently concluded season.

Florida and Oklahoma are going to be much improved next season as well.

We're looking down the barrel of a 9-3 or 8-4:type season the way things are looking right now.
 
#27
#27
bpalmer28 said:
Being ranked behind Alabama and Florida is just a slap in the face to everything this staff and team has accomplished. ESPN is a joke. Stop linking their poop.
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It is difficult to win SEC games on the road and we play both on the road. While I believe we will have a better team than both of them, Florida is always tough in Gainesville. should be a really good game.
 
#28
#28
bpalmer28 said:
Our only big loss is Pearce Jr. Upgrading OL. Returning QB and most talented WRs. Secondary is loaded. McCoy will be fine by the time the season starts. Replacing Sampson with an RB with more YPC and fewer fumbles. Offense is going to be explosive again. I don't see us losing a game.
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I am a bit Skeptical of your claims. Could you please explain? Upgrading O line? Returning most talented WRs? Secondary loaded? (same secondary that played OSU?) You may be right and would love to be educated on how this is the case. Thanks
 
#30
#30
volbound1700 said:
www.espn.com

2025 Way-Too-Early Top 25: Where do Ohio State and Notre Dame rank?

The season has just ended, but that won't stop Mark Schlabach from ranking the 25 best teams for next season.
www.espn.com www.espn.com


They put Tennessee at 19. That is too low IMO. I think Tennessee should be in 11-15 range. LSU in top 10 makes 0 sense. People keep hyping LSU and they keep under performing.

South Carolina also seems over ranked.
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I think #19 is about right. I think Ala and Fla are 2 for sure losses based off the fact we have won in Tuscaloosa or the Swamp in forever. I'll add GA as the 3rd loss based off our inability to beat Kirby Smart.So, that's 3 losses, plus CJH tends to drop one he shouldn't. If our offense doesn't improve, I can seef4 losses..Hope I'm wrong
 
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#33
#33
The SEC is so offensively stagnant right now that I don’t think we have any really great teams. It would not shock me to see UGA lose three or four games next year. They have no identity on offense. LSU thankfully has Brian Kelly or they could actually be scary. Who knows what Alabama is and the same goes for most of the rest of our league. I think we are pretty clear about who we are, I just think we have too many flaws to be a top five team. 19th is a bit low. I’d have us closer to a 13-15 range. 3 losses seems probable.
 
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#34
#34
89 VOLS grad said:
Need to up the NIL money to about 25 million or more a year just for football!
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Unfortunately NIL for us is just a bandaid used to fill in gaps from the scholarship reductions which means we will likely have to overpay to get portal guys. That money used to get a higher number of quality recruits and retaining the ones that pan out is really what we need. We have had to use it to buy time. Long-term, I think the best teams will use the portal as an upgrade tool and not a necessity.

The sad part is that no SEC team outside Arkansas or the two Texas teams has a chance at all if the NIL does not get a cap. The amount of money that some of the teams in the BIG can spend is staggering and we aren’t in the same planet. When you have two donors worth a combined 300 billion dollars like Michigan is close to, a 100 million NIL is still barely noticeable especially as a tax write off. Penn State, Oregon, OSU all have cash to burn
 
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#35
#35
loosecannon said:
Unfortunately NIL for us is just a bandaid used to fill in gaps from the scholarship reductions which means we will likely have to overpay to get portal guys. That money used to get a higher number of quality recruits and retaining the ones that pan out is really what we need. We have had to use it to buy time. Long-term, I think the best teams will use the portal as an upgrade tool and not a necessity.

The sad part is that no SEC team outside Arkansas or the two Texas teams has a chance at all if the NIL does not get a cap. The amount of money that some of the teams in the BIG can spend is staggering and we aren’t in the same planet. When you have two donors worth a combined 300 billion dollars like Michigan is close to, a 100 million NIL is still barely noticeable especially as a tax write off. Penn State, Oregon, OSU all have cash to burn
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You are probably right. But, Oregon supposedly didn't spend half as much as OSU. What did PSU and UM spend?
 
#36
#36
loosecannon said:
Unfortunately NIL for us is just a bandaid used to fill in gaps from the scholarship reductions which means we will likely have to overpay to get portal guys. That money used to get a higher number of quality recruits and retaining the ones that pan out is really what we need. We have had to use it to buy time. Long-term, I think the best teams will use the portal as an upgrade tool and not a necessity.

The sad part is that no SEC team outside Arkansas or the two Texas teams has a chance at all if the NIL does not get a cap. The amount of money that some of the teams in the BIG can spend is staggering and we aren’t in the same planet. When you have two donors worth a combined 300 billion dollars like Michigan is close to, a 100 million NIL is still barely noticeable especially as a tax write off. Penn State, Oregon, OSU all have cash to burn
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According to the below article, the SEC has 9 of the top 15 in giving to athletics. I know this is from 2023. But, it should be pretty accurate as of now assuming it was accurate then. TN wasn't far behind OSU and ahead of Michigan.

I know Michigan has Larry Ellison, 200 billion dollar net worth donor. Who is the other worth 100 billion? Even without the other, that is a dude that could literally put all the premier players with Michigan. Unless, the NIL is capped.

I seriously think the NIL should be capped at 250K a year per player. No player needs to make more money a year than a coach, period! Also, that would allow most or all of the top 50 programs to compete for the same players with approximately a 10 million NIL for each football team. I believe only about half of the roster is making the NIL deals worth really talking about.

 
#37
#37
89 VOLS grad said:
You are probably right. But, Oregon supposedly didn't spend half as much as OSU. What did PSU and UM spend?
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UM just bought a qb that was committed to LSU for 12 million. Portnoy from Barstool is pledging 1-3 million a season and another donor worth 250 billion just opened up the checkbook. PSU has a different model where the collectives do a lot but have donors who regularly donate large sums. We are pretty similar in that we are both in that second to third tier of donors. Oregon, OSU, Michigan, Texas, and A&M just have so many more alumni or alumni with huge contributions like Phil Knight.
 
#38
#38
89 VOLS grad said:
According to the below article, the SEC has 9 of the top 15 in giving to athletics. I know this is from 2023. But, it should be pretty accurate as of now assuming it was accurate then. TN wasn't far behind OSU and ahead of Michigan.

I know Michigan has Larry Ellison, 200 billion dollar net worth donor. Who is the other worth 100 billion? Even without the other, that is a dude that could literally put all the premier players with Michigan. Unless, the NIL is capped.

I seriously think the NIL should be capped at 250K a year per player. No player needs to make more money a year than a coach, period! Also, that would allow most or all of the top 50 programs to compete for the same players with approximately a 10 million NIL for each football team. I believe only about half of the roster is making the NIL deals worth really talking about.

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Owner of the Dolphins, Stephen Ross has donated over 300million to athletics. He is worth about $20 billion. Ellison is up to $240B so I rounded up.

The issue I think is with the playoff and things NIL has exploded. Nico’s $8M over 4 seemed wild but that is not even the going rate for a P4 NIL transfer at this point. The Duke QB got 4M a season. Then there is Beck and others. Nico is the 7th highest NIL in the SEC now. Times are changing quickly.
 
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#39
#39
loosecannon said:
UM just bought a qb that was committed to LSU for 12 million. Portnoy from Barstool is pledging 1-3 million a season and another donor worth 250 billion just opened up the checkbook. PSU has a different model where the collectives do a lot but have donors who regularly donate large sums. We are pretty similar in that we are both in that second to third tier of donors. Oregon, OSU, Michigan, Texas, and A&M just have so many more alumni or alumni with huge contributions like Phil Knight.
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According to the article below, your not correct on the amount teams are spending. I am not saying you aren't right on the donor capability to give. But, the below shows 9 of the 15 top NIL collective money in the SEC!

If UT spent only 11 million, they need to figure out a way to double that in a hurry! Hell, the revenue from 2 home game sell outs could take care of a 20 million dollar NIL budget for football only! It's time UT quit trying to bargain basement and pony up the money. It will pay for itself with a several SEC Championships and a NC or two in the next 10 years!

 
#40
#40
loosecannon said:
Owner of the Dolphins, Stephen Ross has donated over 300million to athletics. He is worth about $20 billion. Ellison is up to $240B so I rounded up.

The issue I think is with the playoff and things NIL has exploded. Nico’s $8M over 4 seemed wild but that is not even the going rate for a P4 NIL transfer at this point. The Duke QB got 4M a season. Then there is Beck and others. Nico is the 7th highest NIL in the SEC now. Times are changing quickly.
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Nico is getting paid way too much already! He hasn't shown he is worth 7th highest. I hope he shows he is worth it and more next year. I have my doubts based on his performance this year. I know he needed a lot more help from the OL. But, I think there were a lot more open receivers deeper in the secondary over the course of the year. How many deep balls did he complete?
 
#41
#41
89 VOLS grad said:
According to the article below, your not correct on the amount teams are spending. I am not saying you aren't right on the donor capability to give. But, the below shows 9 of the 15 top NIL collective money in the SEC!

If UT spent only 11 million, they need to figure out a way to double that in a hurry! Hell, the revenue from 2 home game sell outs could take care of a 20 million dollar NIL budget for football only! It's time UT quit trying to bargain basement and pony up the money. It will pay for itself with a several SEC Championships and a NC or two in the next 10 years!

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I think there is a lot of misinformation both purposefully and accidentally, but most figures published, that report for example, are estimates of booster and collectives; there is no private reporting. Since they are some of these are private, they are not fully available information. Miami just spent 10m on Beck but isn’t on the list; actually no private schools are. I think that list might be a crapshoot or at least a lot of conjecture.

The ability is more so the issue. Now that the OSU number was floated out there, 20m is the new minimum standard for places that want to be at the top. SMU isn’t listed in here but they have really spent as much or more than anybody-just not on NIL-yet. They are privately funding an ACC program because they don’t get a full revenue share. The boosters are footing a 25M bill just to play. When they get the full share, that NIL fund is going to be nuts.
 
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