Jake Yono

JY Journalism

8/28/25 

My Reactions and Objections To The New 12-Team College Football Playoff

With the 2025 College Football season on the horizon, By now, the new 12-team FCS NCAA Football playoff format is fully underway. This expansion was implemented by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to give the nation’s best talent more flexibility and opportunity to compete for a national championship. While this change has been widely welcomed, it comes with its fair share of issues.

Compared to other levels of college football, Division I has been embarrassingly slow to adopt a playoff format that matches the scale of its competition. For instance, Division II features 28 teams in its playoff system, Division III has 40 teams, and the FCS playoff includes 20 teams. These systems allow programs to have multiple losses and still win a national title. I completely agree with the NCAA’s decision to expand the playoff, but I believe this should have been done as early as 1998 when the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) national championship game was introduced. If they were hesitant to implement a playoff back then, they still had the perfect opportunity in 2014 with the introduction of the four-team playoff system. Frankly, I do not understand what they were thinking. Reports suggest they wanted to preserve the importance of the regular season and conference champions while honoring the BCS system by keeping the format as close to a two-team championship as possible. Thankfully, this is all in the past now, as the playoff has expanded, and college football fans are thriving because of it. One of my main reactions to the new playoff format is how many more teams, including those outside the traditional Power 5 conferences, now have a legitimate shot at winning the national championship. Under the original four-team playoff system, only one mid-major school, Cincinnati, managed to qualify. While the Bearcats did not perform as well as they had hoped, their appearance marked a pivotal moment for the sport. Cincinnati’s success demonstrated that it was possible, though extremely difficult, for a mid-major program to make it to the College Football Playoff (CFP). They had to go undefeated and win their conference, leaving no room for error. This year, under the 12-team playoff format, two mid-major schools—SMU and Boise State—earned playoff spots. Boise State, led by star player Ashton Jeanty, illustrates how this expansion provides opportunities that were previously unattainable. Unlike in the past, these teams did not need perfect records; instead, they proved they belonged by winning their conference championships. The change makes the process much better because it gives deserving programs and athletes a chance to compete at the highest level. Looking back, one of the biggest mysteries of the four-team playoff era was UCF’s undefeated 2017 season, which included a Peach Bowl victory over Auburn. Imagine if that had been a playoff game—how far could they have gone? Unfortunately, we will never know, but the new system ensures that similar teams now have a chance to prove themselves on a national stage.

While I appreciate the NCAA’s willingness to include mid-major teams in the expanded playoff, I, along with many other fans, have concerns about how the seeding is currently structured. As it stands, the top four teams that receive first-round byes are the highest-ranked conference champions. While these teams deserve playoff berths, I believe the top four seeds and byes should go to the best four teams overall, regardless of whether they won their conference. For example, this year’s top-ranked conference champions earning byes were Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, and Arizona State. While Boise State and Arizona State are deserving playoff participants, they are not ready to be in these top spots. In my opinion, the top four seeds should have been as follows for the 2024 season:

1. Oregon – They were undefeated conference champions.

2. Notre Dame – Despite not being affiliated with a conference, they played consistently excellent football after their upset loss to Northern Illinois.

3. Georgia – They won the SEC, which is widely considered the toughest conference in college football.

4. Ohio State – Even though they lost to Michigan and did not play in their conference championship game, their dominant performances in their 10 victories, with an average margin of 30 points, prove they are among the nation’s best.

These teams represent the strongest programs in the country and deserve the byes that come with such recognition. Revising the seeding criteria would ensure that the best 12 teams qualify for the playoff and that the top four spots go to the most deserving programs, regardless of conference affiliations.

In conclusion, I am grateful to the NCAA for expanding the playoff system to provide more teams with the opportunity to compete, including mid-major programs like SMU and Boise State. However, this change should have been implemented back in 1998 when the BCS system began. Moving forward, the NCAA must revise the seeding structure to reflect the fact that not all conferences are created equal, especially in light of recent realignments.

Thank you for reading my thoughts and reactions to the new 12-team College Football Playoff format as 2025 gets underway.

Jake Yono

JY Journalism

4/18/25

My Thoughts On The Transfer Portal and NIL In College Sports

As College football and basketball are coming up, the trend of transfers has ramped up year by year at an increasing rate. It’s only going up (NCAA Transfer Portal Data) and Name Image and Likeness (NIL) rights granted in 2021 which are shaping the game like never before wit players and recruiters now factoring in how many money, and brand deals they can attain along with how good the program is and it’s tough to navigate in this day in age.  With a third of football and basketball players transferring at least once in their career for positive or negative reasons, on the other hand, and honestly, I have mixed feelings about it. In this article, I will be giving you guys my comprehensive viewpoint on it all from an executive perspective and an individual player's point of view.

A belief I have about all sports in general is that when the formula is not clicking right away, there’s always room to innovate, and with prominent coaching experience, athletes can excel into dominant forces even if their underclassmen years don’t work out. This statement is only true in select programs with established resumes and consistent tenures to draw in players who will stay and develop. Some examples include Auburn In college basketball which are led by supurb coach Bruce Pearl who advanced them in the NCAA Tournament 5 times in the past 7 years, the same thing can be said with UConn who won 2 consecutive tournaments dating back to 2023 and with a strict brand of basketball under Dan Hurley, the team doesen’t always half to be at the top every year to be established a great example of this is the Kansas Jayhawks who under Bill Self’s leadership always seem to be in the tournament mix. On the football side, these brands are Ohio State (Which does it the best), Texas, and Michigan, which was an off year in Ann Arbor, but players can trust them to bring out the best in them and win if they're not at the bottom of the bench. The point I’m trying to get across is that only a few select schools can be like this, as we all know it’s very hard to maintain a prominent regime of consistency and alacrity in college sports. This leads to players becoming dissatisistfied and transferring even if they are one of the best on their team we have seen that if a better player does not like his current situation he will most likely move to a less prominent school and vice versa we are seeing this as those players will move up for the mentorship purposes and my thoughts are that I support it but would like more true commitments to schools as incoming freshman, a good example of this is Duke star Cooper Flagg committing and he will most likely remain at Duke until he leaves for the NBA, a not so good example of this is former Memphis basketball star P.J. Haggerty who started his career out at TCU where he knew he wouldn’t be a star right away and transferred after only playing 6 games his freshman year to Tulsa where he average 20+ a game and got to shine, after that season he moved to Memphis and put up similar numbers. I wonder if he would have stayed at TCU and developed what would have happened if he and many other players who do the same thing would of stayed. On the football side Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State is a player that stayed true to his commitment and will most likely stay in Columbus while A player like Ernest Hausmann who begun at Nebraska and didn’t reach his full potential, he then got the nod from Michigan to transfer and helped them win a national title in 2023, in 2024 he stepped up as one of the true linebackers on a team and got substantially better within the talented Michigan defence and I’m excited to see what he will do senior year solidifying my point that if he would of stayed at Nebraska in which he started in 7 games and had 54 total tackles, this situation is kind-of different but it did pay-off as this season he led Michigan in total tackles with 89. A couple of situations that did not work out are first on the basketball side is A.J.. Storr, who was averaging 16 points per game at Wisconsin, then overestimated himself by transferring to Kansas, and his minutes and scoring production went down. In conclusion, on the player's side, if the player wants more mentorship or a playing time change, I believe they must consult with the coach and discern all opportunities presented in front of them, and their careers will take a huge jump because of this.

From an executive standpoint, some coaches support the transfer portal while others refute it. Michigan State Basketball coach Tom Izzo stated that the portal will simply make his job tougher, and he still has a passion for coaching, but he will allow it while trying to limit it within his program. In this article, he spoke about Tre Holloman coming in and a couple of other players leaving (Spartans Wire). On the football side former Alabama coach Nick Saban stated that partially the reason he left was because expressed frustration with the direction of college football, particularly with the NIL rules and the transfer portal He was concerned that the sport was becoming more transactional and harder to build and sustain team culture which a certainly agree with as it does disrupt team culture with players constantly entering and leaving programs where he described that while it offers student-athletes greater flexibility, it also requires careful management to maintain program stability. He emphasized the importance of supporting student-athletes through these transitions to ensure their academic and athletic success. ​ Manuel has also highlighted the need for clear guidelines and support systems within the transfer process to help student-athletes make informed decisions. He believes that with proper oversight, the transfer portal can be a beneficial tool for both athletes and programs. This means he wants more regulation and supports the motives of players for trying to find the best fit. Overall, I agree with the University of Michigan's Athletic director.

It’s going to be vary interesting to see where this transfer portal and NIL stuff is going to go in the next few years as it certainly in not slowing down and it’s not just present in football and basketball in all sports this is inheriantely present and players are going to continue to find the best destinations while coaches and executives will try to maintain and build up championship rosters which will never change from the world of sports.

Jake Yono 

6/23/25 

JY Journalism

"We are the best university in the world"

If you have been live at Michigan Stadium aka the "Big House"  in Ann Arbor for a football game in the 3rd most enormous venue in the world, before kickoff you would have seen the banner being set up on the field and the band ready to play "The Victors" but before the Maize and Blue take the field a gong sounds and a special video comes on led by UofM class of 1955 graduate James Earl Jones referencing the University of Michigan and the prestigious football program with terms: Standing for midwestern values of hard work, determination, and an enthusiasm unknown to mankind, students, athletes, and professors achieving at the highest level and it states one fact that the Wolverines have won more games then any team in the country and stating the university as being "the best in the world'. Today I will be exploring this thought of a university I'm very passionate about and finding evidence to improve or disprove these statements from all parts of the university not just the football team, academics, or athletic department because the word University means so much more.

Starting on the admissions side which is required at any university, a narrative going around is to be the best university you have to be the hardest to get into with noble statistics required, top-ranked programs all across the board, and too many of the same academic backgrounds in one place. This does not make a school the best University but some argue that, the point I'm trying to make here is difficulty on the admissions side is not everything. This rules out universities such as Stanford, MIT, Harvard, etc. because they are too rigorous and academic. This is where Michigan comes in, challenging to get into but possible with lower statistics doable with an acceptance rate averaging around all the schools being 20%, Michigan looks for course rigor, high GPAs, good Test scores if possible, and leaders in their extracurricular communities because they truly uphold and preach these standards (University of Michigan Presidents Office) this makes Michigan a place where you don't need perfect grades or scores but you must show enthusiasm when applying and this opens up a whole world of students that will be good enough to make it past the curriculum but the statistics aren't too low where students are coming in without the right academic state of mind giving it the perfect happy medium.

Next, arguably the most important part of academics is 280 undergrad programs diversified for everyone's interests, in my opinion, one of the only downgrades about this is that you can only apply to 1 of the 14 undergraduate schools for a first-year applicant and although transferring between schools is allowed it differs between institutions so one must be sure when applying they like are passionate about a certain field, Michigan wants the whole world presented on their campus with the 5th ranked diversification of curriculum and students from all 50 states and over 100 foreign countries but the executives don't want Michigan to be veered away from its hometown roots and network as approximately 52% of students come from Michigan and 48% elsewhere making it the perfect mix for blending of ideas which have a Michigan Identity to it. Compared to other schools that claim to be the best university in the world such as the University of Oxford and Cambridge with 75% represented of students from England and in America the top side gets worse with the University of Texas at 75% for kids in Texas only how ridiculous! On the other side, some schools have no sense of community at all which leads to an unknown identity such as the University of Chicago where only 15% of students are from Illinois, and the University of Notre Dame where 10% of students are from Indiana, these do make up the largest territorial populations for the schools but in these locations there must be more representation to the insitutions roots, my only exception is the east coast schools which are so condemned together in the area but otherwise universities need to have a vast majority (Above 25% at least) to preserve culture because when these universities opened most students lived in a safe traveling distance and Michigan does a perfect job of preserving this and bringing the diversity world into the university.  Mentioned earlier Michigan wants applicants to have some sort of a passion for a general area of study coming in, if not they offer a top 10 liberal arts program known as the School of Literature Science and the Arts (LSA) with over 100 degrees from all types of academic study compared to the other 13 schools which have only 10-15  specific degree options. One can apply for 5-year programs crossing over at certain schools making you not attached to a certain school and with tons of minors on campus helps out with this issue. Along with LSA, UofM Kinesiology, Business, Engineering, Education, and production and photography programs are all ranked in the top 10 according to Niche (the University of Michigan Rankings). After a Michigan education, Fortune 500 companies have hired Michigan students but also government agencies such as NASA, the CIA, and FBI, and an alumni network big enough to land an introductory job in any company or industry a graduate wants, U of M's academics are top notch as they are on the larger side but still have around 35,000 students enrolled but with a tight Niche within each school students can get the help they need and feel more at home.

Outside of academics, UofM has the most student organizations of any university with over 1600 ranging from stock competitions, frats/sororities of any study area, news networks, and simple clubs such as Muay Thai, and Spikeball. And since Michigan is in the top 10 of student diversity, almost all Religions, ethnicities, and races have set their mark on campus by having their group or club so everyone can fit in without it being too much of a huge school and not only controlled by the rest of the world or just people from Michigan as it literally has a 50/50 mix with having prestigious academics leaving room for imperfection on applications but the standards are still high which makes it still a serious academic institution and going back to athletics where this all started with 59 team national titles putting them in the top 10 nationwide and since 2020  they've won the most conference championships of current Big 10 school. Wrapping up I would like to note students, athletes, and professors achieving at the highest levels such as the 38th U.S. President Gerald R. Ford who's in the football hall of fame at the university,  Female Icon singer Madonna, Arthur Miller who wrote countless 20th-century classics, athletes such Tom Brady, Michael Phelps, and retired softball coach Carol Hutchins who reigns as the winningest coach in NCAA Division I history with 1,707 wins, a national championship (2005), and 22 Big Ten titles, and professors Carl Akerlof,  Jeff Degraff in the fields of science who made many discoveries is biology and chemistry, and current news reporter and economics professor Justin Wolfers who contributes to MSNBC News, all these professors have influenced the world with their media after Michigan on there subjects. The University of Michigan is the school to get a taste of 1817 Michigander culture at a somewhat bigger school with 14 schools inside which experience what the rest of the world has to offer with their subject matters and student groups and the curriculum is good and in my eyes, no one is going to put anything over academics when UofM selects a student, they want the student to change the world with their subject matter at the best University in the world. (Michigan Football Intro Video)

Jake Yono

JY Journalism

4/10/25

The Future Of Michigan Football

As an avid Michigan Wolverines fan, I always stay optimistic about my team, no matter the circumstances. After a national championship-winning 2023 campaign, fans anticipated a subpar performance in 2024. That expectation materialized with the departure of the team's leading passer, rusher, receiver, tackler, and defensive back to the NFL. Although the roster remained talented, it wasn’t comparable to the star-studded 2023 lineup. 

Notable returnees included second running back Donovan Edwards, Kalel Mullings, who stepped up this season, and Colston Loveland, a Mackey Award finalist for the nation’s best tight end. On the defensive side, key players like Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant held the line in the trenches, while linebacker Ernest Hausmann and edge rusher Josiah Stewart provided consistency and leadership. The secondary also boasted talents such as Will Johnson and Rod Moore, though both were sidelined with early-season injuries, limiting their impact. Despite these setbacks, Michigan managed to deliver some memorable moments during the 2024 season, including an inspiring win against rival Ohio State. This victory gave fans hope for the program’s future, even as the team fell short of broader expectations. However, the season was not without disappointments. Michigan suffered three questionable losses to Indiana, Washington, and Illinois—games they likely could have won with better game-planning and in-game adjustments. These defeats highlighted areas where the Wolverines must improve, particularly in maintaining focus against teams they are expected to beat. Yet even with these struggles, it was evident that Michigan was not operating at the same level as the nation’s elite programs in 2024. Other teams, with deeper rosters and more polished schemes, were a step ahead. Looking forward to 2025, Michigan fans have plenty of reasons for optimism. The foundation for success begins with recruiting. Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 player in the country, flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan, drawn by the hometown environment and the program’s storied history. Underwood is widely regarded as a generational talent at quarterback, with the potential to transform the Wolverines’ offense. His commitment sent shockwaves through the recruiting world and signaled that Michigan remains a top destination for elite talent. Underwood is not the only blue-chip recruit heading to Ann Arbor. The Wolverines have also secured commitments from Andrew Babalola, the No. 8 offensive tackle in the country; safety Kainoa Watson; wide receiver Andrew Marsh; and defensive standouts Shamari Ealrs, Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, Nathaniel Marshall, Jordan Young, and Jayden Sanders. All of these players are ranked in ESPN’s Top 300 high school prospects, making Michigan’s incoming class one of the strongest in the nation. Additionally, the Wolverines landed wide receivers Jacob Washington and Elijah Dotson. Dotson, a teammate of Underwood, flipped his commitment from Pittsburgh just days before signing day, further strengthening Michigan’s haul.

Recruiting alone doesn’t tell the whole story, as the transfer portal continues to play a significant role in shaping college football rosters. Introduced in 2018, the portal has revolutionized the way players move between programs, offering new opportunities for those seeking a better fit. Michigan has benefited from this system, adding several key players for 2025. Among them is Fresno State quarterback Mikey Keene, who will compete with Underwood for the starting job. Other notable transfers include Georgia linebacker Troy Bowles, Alabama defensive tackle Damon Payne, Cal Poly offensive tackle Brady Norton, Indiana receiver Donaven McCulley, and the Metcalf brothers, defensive backs from Arkansas. These additions bring a wealth of experience and talent to a team looking to bounce back. Of course, the transfer portal also takes away. Michigan has seen players like center Raheem Morris, tackle Tristan Rounds and Andrew Genaty, quarterback Alex Orji, and receiver Tyler Morris leave the program. While their departures are disappointing, they reflect the competitive nature of roster management in modern college football. With crowded position rooms and a steady influx of new talent, players often seek opportunities elsewhere to fulfill their potential.

Michigan fans should remain optimistic about the 2025 season. The Wolverines have not only bolstered their roster but also made key coaching changes to address areas of concern. Offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell has departed, making way for Chip Lindsey, formerly of North Carolina. Lindsey led the Tar Heels to the No. 7 offense in the country in 2024, and his innovative approach should reinvigorate Michigan’s attack. Meanwhile, head coach Sherrone Moore continues to establish a strong culture of accountability and resilience, while defensive coordinator Don Martindale aims to build on a solid foundation. Despite losing several starters to the NFL, Michigan’s defense ranked No. 11 among Power 4 programs in 2024, a testament to its depth and adaptability. Between high-profile recruits like Bryce Underwood, impactful transfers, and experienced coaching hires, Michigan is well-positioned for a resurgence in 2025. I predict a 10-2 regular season, a potential appearance in the Big Ten Championship game, and perhaps a berth in the expanded College Football Playoff. While challenges remain, the Wolverines have the tools, talent, and leadership to reestablish themselves as one of the nation’s premier programs.

Thank you.

College Football Is Better Then The NFL And It's Not Even Close 

Jake Yono

10/15/24 

JY Journalism

After years of watching football, both at the pro and college levels, I’ve come to a solid conclusion: college football is way better than the NFL—and it’s not even close. There’s something special about it, from the tailgating, crazy stat lines, and unique pregame shows, to the fight songs and custom environments that come alive as the game unfolds. College football has this energy that the NFL can’t replicate. And even though the NFL might be “professional,” in my opinion,the game itself is the only thing professional about it. That’s what I want to dive into here.

Yeah, the NFL is the highest-grossing professional sports league by far, and sure, it had 93 of the top 100 most-watched TV programs in 2023. But college football is just better—and here’s why. For one, it’s more unpredictable. A team can blow up from nowhere with a breakout star and completely change the playoff picture. Or a new coach can flip the script on an entire program. In the NFL, it’s a different story. Star quarterbacks stay with top teams for years, and they build dynasties that are almost guaranteed to make it to the conference championships. It’s the same teams and same players, year after year, which makes it way less exciting to watch. But in college football, new stories and upsets are alwayspopping up.

Take the last 10 Super Bowls, for example. Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes has been a part of 8 of them. That’s insane! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to take anything away from the NFL or the talent on display, but it gets a little boringcompared to college football. In college, there are dynasties too, sure, but it’s so much more unpredictable and exciting.Usually, a Power 5 team wins the national championship, but it’s always switching up. Since 2000, 10 teams outside the SEC have won the national championship. Yes, the SEC is still dominant, producing over half the champions during that time, but it’s not a given who’s going to win. That uncertainty is what makes it so fun. In the NFL, you pretty much know who the contenders are going to be every year, which just doesn’t have the same thrill.

Another reason college football blows the NFL out of the water is the overall experience—for the players, coaches, and especially the fans. A Saturday in college football is just a whole different vibe. It’s an entire day of excitement compared to the NFL’s more “business-like” atmosphere. College football games are played on Saturdays, in the middle of the weekend. Fans can enjoy the games without worrying about work the next day. Plus, you’ve got "Pac-12 After Dark" games, where you can watch top teams like Oregon, Boise State, and Colorado under the lights. It’s a full day of football. If you’re a fan going to a game or watching at home, it all kicks off with College GameDay at 9:00 a.m. on ESPN. Fans are camping out, tailgating, and having an amazing time. Meanwhile, in the NFL, pregame shows are filmed in a studio, with none of that same energy or fan involvement. And since most games are on Sunday, people have to worry about waking up early for work on Monday.

And let’s be real: the passion for college football is unmatched. Both from a football and a non-football standpoint, there’smore to it. The NFL season is 17 games long, which usually sorts out who’s contending and rebuilding pretty early. There aren’t many surprises. In college football, though, the regular season is only 12 games, and teams fight for a shot at the College Football Playoff until the conference championships. This season especially, with the playoff expanding to 12 teams, it’s going to be wild. It keeps you guessing all the way through. By the end of the NFL season, there are only a handful of teams fighting for playoff spots, and usually, their odds of making a deep run are slim. But in college, every game matters, and it leads to way more excitement.

From a non-football perspective, the emotional connection fans have with college teams is on a whole other level. NCAA fans feel a lifelong bond with their school’s team, whether because their parents rooted for them or because they went to the school themselves. You learn to be a fan while you’re in school, cheering from the student section, and that bond stays with you for life as an alum. With the NFL, it’s not the same. Sure, fans grow up rooting for a team, but what has that NFL franchise done for them? Maybe they’ve brought joy through winning seasons, but the emotional tie doesn’t run as deep as it does with a college team that’s been a part of your life and identity.

To wrap things up, I’m not saying the NFL is terrible, and I’m not saying college football is perfect. But I will say this: the atmosphere around college football is miles better than the NFL. It’s raw, unpredictable, and filled with passion—everything you want from a sport. College football just means more, and to me, that’s what makes it the better game.

They Have Done It 

Jake Yono

2/8/24

JY Journalsim

The Michigan Wolverines are national champions after battling against literally everybody. They climbed up this massive peak and beat everybody on the off the field and they can truly say they are the best in the nation.

Leading up to 2021 Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines could not defeat a top 10 program. Every game I remember watching and they just display that same old statistic, but this all changed in 2021. Going into the year with Cade McNamara at QB our expectations were good but not as high as the Wolverines achieved. We lost to Kenneth Walker and Michigan State but later in the year Michigan finally defeated Ohio State after 8 dreadful years. After this, we went on to play Kurt Ferentz and his Iowa Hawkeyes. The Wolverines blew them out and this cemented them as the 3 seed and advanced the team into the college football playoff field where they would face the Dawgs of Georgia. I attended this game at the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens. In this game, the Bulldogs defeated Michigan with a score of 34-11 with pure dominance. One bright side from this contest was freshman quarterback J.J McCarthy making an appearance late in the game and threw for a passing TD. As Georgia would defeat Alabama in the title game while the Wolverines were getting ready for the 2022 season where Cade McNamara would transfer to Iowa while J.J McCarthy would develop into Michigan's starting Quarterback. 

Coming into the 2022 year Michigan fans had high hopes for their team. But the AP Poll didn’t agree as they had the Wolverines ranked around 7 to 8. They thought J.J. McCarthy was still developing but he wasn’t. The first 6 contests for the Wolverines were blowouts until they got to the #10 Penn State Nittany Lions at home. Michigan won this game 41-17. After this, they played the Spartans of Michigan State, the Knights of Rutgers, and the Cornhuskers of Nebraska resulting in all easy wins. The week before Ohio State the Wolverines had a tough game with Illinois, a low-scoring game resulting in a game-winning kick from the kid from Northville High School Jake Moody. Next week Michigan had to face Ohio State which would be their toughest game by far, going into the game the Buckeyes were favored by a touchdown in Columbus. Michigan walked into Columbus and took care of business heavily by defeating the Buckeyes 45-23. This is when everyone around this historic program said we have a team. Michigan has defeated Ohio State for the 2nd consecutive year and by fashionable margins. Next for Michigan was the Big 10 championship against the Boilermakers of Purdue and they had a big win by 3 touchdowns. At this point Michigan is undefeated going into the college football playoff for a second consecutive season the business is looking good. They earned the 2 seed and half to face the Horned Frogs of TCU in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. This game was a disaster for the Wolverines as they let up multiple defensive touchdowns. Michigan couldn’t play from behind and let up one of the more bitter defeats Michigan fans will ever see as the score resulted in 51-45 favoring the Horned Frogs. After this TCU got their crops rocked by the Dawgs from Athens Georgia making it their 2nd straight national title. There was indeed hope for Michigan leading up to the 2023 seasons as nearly all of their 22 offensive and defensive players were coming back for a positive 2023.

Going into 2023 this was going to be Michigan's best chance to win the national title. Their first 9 games leading up to Penn State were a pushover as their average margin of victory was 34 points. Then came their first real test, Big Noon Saturday at Beaver Stadium. This was one of those classic grind-it-out college football games with mostly running the ball in the 2nd half. Michigan had a stronger rushing attack as they won 24-15 and gained confidence going into the final 2 games of the season Maryland and Ohio State at home. Michigan was in control the whole game as they won 31-24 on the road against the Terps leading up to OSU at home. The closing spread was Michigan -3 at Home. The game was tied the whole way until Michigan took the lead in the fourth quarter and Rod Moore got the closing interception to seal the win for the third straight year for the Wolverines. At this point and after a 26-0 dismantling of the Hawkeyes for their 3rd consecutive Big 10 title. Things were looking good for Michigan as they earned the 1 seed and were 13-0 going into the college football playoff. In which they would play 4 seed Alabama at the Rose Bowl. Michigan and the Crimson Tide were evenly matched going into the game until in overtime Michigan marched down and scored and Alabama turned the ball over which ended the game l sent Nick Saben and Bama home and Michigan into the national championship game against the Washington huskies. Going into this game it was now or never for the Wolverines as most of their players were leaving after this season it was now or never for Michigan. The spread was -5 for Michigan with the only threat being Michael Penix and the offense but that didn’t matter as Michigan won 32-13 to secure their first national title since 1997 and to make all Michigan fans rejoice. 

I still think the playoff would have been changed with Georgia in it but Michigan built up a dynasty these last 3 years and hopefully, they can hold this standard for years to come, GO BLUE!!!

Jake Yono

JY Journalism

12/15/23 2023 College Football Playoff Preview

On Sunday, December 4th the 2023 college football playoff field was revealed the rankings were Michigan at 1, Washington at 2, Texas at 3, and Alabama at 4. This means that first in the Rose Bowl #4 Alabama takes on the #1 Michigan Wolverines, then in the Sugar Bowl #2 Washington takes on #3 Texas. In this article, I will be giving my insights and predictions for this year's college football playoff and the final version of the 4-team CFP standard.

Alabama is no pushover for the Michigan Wolverines and they should not take them lightly as they are coached by none other than Nick Saben. Right now the current line is set at -1 for Michigan and the over-under is 45.5, so it's going to be a slightly low-scoring very tight game. Like most college football games, I believe this contest will be won at the line of scrimmage for both teams, if Michigan can run against the Alabama D-Line they should be able to control the game and win. On the other side of the ball, if Alabama can throw the ball against the Michigan D-Line pressure they will have a good outing and win. Also, they have to win on their side in Nick Saben and Michigan could get outcoached by his staff's playcalling. Michigan's passing game has been a little inconsistent this year but if they use their weapons correctly they should get past the Crimson Tide. With all this, my score prediction is Michigan 28 Alabama 24 in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena California

Texas is a great team but the Washington Huskies are just better. Michael Penix Jr. is a freak of nature and he got robbed of the Heisman trophy. Texas though has Quinn Euers, Jonothan Brooks, and Xavier Worthy on the outside. It will be a high-scoring game as the over-under is currently set at 63.5. A lot of people are not realizing how good this Huskey team is as currently the line is set at -4 for the Longhorns. I disagree with this line as I think the score will be 35-28 Washtonion, Michael Penix, and Dillan Johnson both are going to have really good games in a Washington Huskey win in New Orleans for the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

This leads us up to the national title game. In this game, I believe Michigan is a stronger team than Washington but if Penix can pass the ball through the Michigan secondary they can make it close in the end, Michigan has a stronger team due to their offensive and defensive lines, their running tandem of Croum and Edwards, and the ultimate game manager of J.J McCarthy. With this, I believe the game will end with a national championship being brought home to Ann Arbor for the first time since 1997 and this will all be taking place at NRG Stadium in Houston Texas.

Jake Yono

JY Journalism 

12/3/23 2023 College Football Playoff Predictions

Hey everyone, conference championship weekend just ended In college football and there is a lot to cover. Coming into the day the rankings were as follows. Georgia at 1, Michigan at 2, Washington at 3, Florida State at 4, Oregon at 5, Ohio State at 6. Texas at 7 and Alabama at 8. 7 of these teams played in their respective conference championship games on Saturday. In this article, I will be recapping these games and giving who I think the committee will pick and who I think should be in the last edition of the 4 team college football playoff.

Starting on Friday night In the last PAC-12 championship game ever Washington played against Oregon in Allegiant Stadium in Vegas. Washington started hot with a 17-point lead at one point, then Oregon came back and took the lead but the Washington Huskies hung on to win with a final score of 31-34. This eliminates Oregon from CFP contention and guarantees the 13-0 Huskies a spot in the CFP. Going into Saturday, Texas faced Oklahoma State in the BIG 12 championship at AT&T Stadium in Dallas Texas where they dominated and finished with a 21-49 win and an 11-1 record on the year with their only loss to Oklahoma. Next in the SEC championship, Georgia faced Alabama at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Alabama had control the whole game and won 27-24. Now this is what makes the playoff selection tricky because this was Georgia's first loss of the year and Alabama's only loss was to Texas who had won earlier in the day. I think any 3 of these teams can make it and go far in the CFP. Then in the last window Michigan blew out Iowa 26-0 and secured their spot in the playoff and Florida State beat Louisville 16-6 with a lot of backup players in.

Now let’s get into the prediction part of this article where I predict what the committee will do and what I think the picture should look like. For the 1 and 2 seed I believe the committee will honor Washington’s strength of schedule and put them at 1. This will then lock the Wolverines at the 2 spot. The 3 and 4 spots are up for grabs between the 4 teams Florida State, Texas, Alabama, and Georgia who lost in their conference championship. With Florida State, their star QB Jordan Travis and their backup are questionable but they still won a close game against the Louisville Cardinals. I believe the committee will honor this because FSU is undefeated and a Power 5 conference champion and they will be at #4. I think since Alabama beat the #1 team the committee will honor this and allow them to be in the college football playoff. My predictions for the committee are Washington 1, Michigan 2, Texas 3, and Alabama 4

This is just what I think the committee will do, let’s get into what I think will happen. Washington and Michigan will be 1 and 2. Michigan will drop because of its strength of schedule. Then since Florida State is very shorthanded right now I think they will not do anything in the playoff so they should be out in my opinion. Texas only loss was to Oklahoma in the regular season but they are still conference champions. I think they are great and should be in the CFP. Now let’s get to the SEC championship where one of the 2 teams should get the final spot in my opinion. Alabama's case it that they won the SEC championship but they lost to Texas which is questionable. Georgia’s case is that they have been #1 all season but they lost a tight game to Alabama in the SEC championship. I think the committee will put Alabama in but I think Georgia deserves the spot because a team that maintains the 1 seed all year should be in even if they have one loss. So my final predictions are Washington 1, Michigan 2, Texas 3, and Georgia 4. 

At noon we will find out what the committee thinks as this will be the last year of the current format next year in college football there will be conference realignment and the playoff will expand to 12 teams to give more programs a shot. This is the last year of the 4-team CFP era and we should enjoy it.

Jake Yono Michigan Football 2023 Predictions

JY Journalism

9/1/23

I just released my  article on the Detroit Lions season predictions. The other football team I follow is the Michigan Wolverines, coming off back-to-back BIG 10 championships and 2 wins over Ohio State and a #2 preseason ranking Michigan Football is in great shape. In this article, I will be predicting and analyzing Michigan’s schedule. In a fast-paced article, I will tell you how far I think they will go and how many wins they will get so let’s get into their schedule.

Jim Harbaugh is out for the first 3 games against East Carolina, UNLV, and Bowling Green. These are practice and cupcake games for the Big Blue; they should plow over these schools with no problem. Going into BIG 10 play I believe Rutgers, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Indiana and if Michigan State doesn’t come out gunning Michigan should be able to score them by 10-14 points. After State, it’s another easy home game vs. Purdue. Then we go to Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley to face #7 preseason ranking Penn State. If Penn State is good enough to beat Ohio State then they are good enough to beat Michigan. Right now ESPN predictions have it 50.3% in favor of Michigan. Since this game is away I believe Penn State can pull off a grind-it-one-possession win at home to upset the Michigan Wolverines. After it’s another road game against Maryland, this should be easy for Michigan. Then it’s “the game” at home against Ohio State, this could be another 1 vs. 2 matchups depending on Georgia, right now ESPN has Ohio State as a 72.5% chance to win and Michigan at 27.5%. These numbers are subject to change and betting odds have not come out yet. If Ohio State can shut down Michigan's offense they can win.

At the end of the end of the regular season, I think Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State will each lose one game and it will be a very competitive fight for the BIG 10 East division the champion of the BIG 10 will come out of the East and will go to the college football playoffs and Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines will go 11-1 in the regular season.

Jake Yono

JY Journalism

3/27/23

The Greatest 2 Weeks of the Sports Year

A spinoff of Jim Nantz’s article in Golf Digest

         Hello, my people, Today I’m going to be analyzing and breaking down Jim Nantz announcer for CBS who calls the NCAA Tournament (March Madness) and the Masters the week after the Final Four of the men’s basketball tournament.

         This year the final four and the national championship are on the weekend of April 1st. Then the masters are starting April 6th and going through Sunday, April 9th. I personally believe that CBS has got itself the greatest 2 sporting events of the entire calendar year. There really is no other period in the year where it is just constant exciting sporting events back-to-back. My other very underdog contender is during October when the MLB World Series is on, the NFL is in full traction, the NBA is on, and College Football and NCAAB are starting up.  Even with these having a thrilling end to the March Madness championship than a historic weekend at Augusta National Golf Club I think all of this beats out the MLB World Series and all of the other pro leagues that I mentioned in their regular seasons all at the same time in the spooky month of October. 

The network CBS has got themselves the greatest period of time in the American sports year. In 2010 CBS and the NCAA reached an agreement that was signed and it ends in 2032. And for the Master's Golf Tournament started coverage for CBS in 1956. CBS will always be covering the Masters. 

Now let's get into my predictions on the Masters and the final four. I am writing this on Monday, March 27th so on Saturday and Sunday was the elite 8. In the Elite 8 FAU upset Kansas State, Uconn pulled away in the second half to blow out Gonzaga, Miami beat Texas by 7, and late last night the San Diego State Aztecs beat the Crighton Bluejays to move on to the Final Four. This all means that in the Final Four on April first the early game is between Florida Atlantic (9) and San Diego State (5) and the late game compresses Miami (5) and UCONN (4). For the Aztecs and the Owls, I believe that this game will be fairly close until with about 8 minutes to go I think San Diego State will pull away and get to the title game. I think that FAU will collapse because in their matchup with Kansas State for about the first half of the second half Kansas State had a lead ranging from 5-7 points until FAU made a 3 with 9 minutes to go in the game. I thought that KSU should have come out on top and if they did I would have had them to win the championship. (Shoutout to Marquis Nowell by the way)

For our other matchup, Miami and UCONN are 2 extremely talented programs by winning all of their previous games in a dominant fashion. I think that MIAMI played a tougher schedule leading up to this but I still think  UCONN is more of a talented team than the hurricanes and that they will come out on top over the Huskies of UCONN.

Now it is time to talk about and predict the greatest golf tournament on planet earth, also being broadcasted by CBS The Masters. Like it has and ever will be the 2023 Masters Tournament will be held at Agusta National Golf Club in Agusta Georgia. Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Rory McIlroy have all held the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking this year and are the top three names in the 2023 Masters odds at Caesars Sportsbook. (CBS Sports). With this from CBS sports I think all 3 of these tour players have a significant chance at winning the tournament but I think Scottie Scheffler the defending champion has the greatest chance to earn the Green Jacket. Coming off wins at the Players Championship and the Waste Management Open, he has a lot of momentum going into the masters. Rahm and Mcilroy should also be at the top of the leaderboard in the tournament also. Also, any of these guys have a legitimate shot at taking the Green Jacket home. Cameron Smith 12-1

Jordan Spieth 15-1

Justin Thomas 16-1

Xander Schauffele 18-1

Tony Finau 20-1

Will Zalatoris 20-1

Collin Morikawa 22-1

Max Homa 22-1

Patrick Cantlay 22-1

Dustin Johnson 25-1 (CBS Sports/Ceasers Sportsbook Odds starting at 4th). Out of all these outstanding PGA Tour Players, I think Finau and Justin Thomas could take the win the weekend of April 6th.

To close out this article about the greatest 2 weeks in the sports calendar year I just wanna say thank you to Jim Nantz and Golf Digest for pubnlishing this amazing article in the Magazine. This years Masters and the Final 4 shouldent be a disappointment as we are in for a thrilling best 2 weeks of the sports year on CBS.