Wishful thinking isn't a plan, that's for sure. Davis brass need to be realistic, manage their internal emotions, and look at the dollars, cents and overall experience / well being of their student-athletes...and student body. Football at the FBS level requires way more than what we have now - accelerate the trajectory or just stop now. There has to be a massive push...and even then it's going to take a couple more years.

Is Matteo coming back for one more?

Having Fish and Gbatu back are huge --- they're due for massive seasons...not that they haven't been studs already.

Ags lost 4 games in 2025 --- 2 of those teams that beat them are in the FCS championship. This makes me feel better in a very marginal way, however, knowing how the whole playoff bracket stacked up, we'll never see a cleaner road to the final, just didn't put it together in the end...and you know what...with all the injuries that were sustained, we didn't deserve to be the team fighting for the Title - we couldn't stay healthy and all that matters.

Who do I want to see win it?
Montana State -- want the Big Sky to get one -- and with my niece being a Bobcat it'd be cool for her, even though she's way more into skiing that football.

Pinnick going to Colorado would be a disaster in my opinion...don't like the fit, but it's a visit, and it's polite to accept and hear the explanations as to why the program would be good for you...but then, if I'm reading this right, they pressure you to sign on the dotted line right after the visit? Sign or die? No.

You hear horror stories about coaches and recruiters pressuring young kids to sign for all kinds of reasons. I remember hearing that Texas threatened Eric Dickerson, saying that if he didn't sign with the Longhorns that he'd NEVER get a job within the state of Texas...and that they could totally freeze him out. It was all bs of course, and it pissed ED off something fierce, he swore against the UT program and was going to sign with A&M until the SMU Pony Excess showed up and bought him a solid gold Trans-Am and some other things.

Sorsby gets $5 Million... Texas Tech had to recruit and sign his volleyball player girlfriend first in order to get him...

Knowing other coaches is huge as well - networking in the off-season getting phone calls from so-and-so at Nebraska and saying, "I got this kid Eli Simonson, he's a solid tackle, but I can't get him on the field and he's buried at 3rd on the depth chart. He can play for you, I know he can."

3 year starter, 1st Team all Big Sky.

Absolutely UCLA.

The right kind of young men will be attracted to come to Davis for a couple of reasons:
1) The Degree
2) The Chance to Play Every Day

Honestly, I think we play at a pretty high level of football. We aren't playing in the Horseshoe or nothing, but a lot of NFL players are on these rosters that Davis plays every year, and that includes those FBS games that will become more prevalent as the upgrades and transition draw nearer.

Can hear parents and coaches alike preaching to these young men, "Look, part of growing up is living with the consequences of your own decisions. Now you make a decision, but you live and die with the outcome, that's life."

Reading that 1/3 of the players in FBS are in the Portal right now.

Well, beyond the obvious losses we'll face for being so successful...

What are some failing programs that will be shedding players? Guys that were marginal at the FBS level but would start at Davis?...and for that matter who are some top FCS guys that would like a Graduate Year in Davis playing for a legitimate Big Sky contender?

Never watch MACtion games either.

Man, if it's just a money vs. risk thing, I mean, you take the money and develop in another program I guess -- or you could start Year 2 at Davis, not get paid as much...but you get to play, guaranteed, all year -- and vie for a Natty....and still have two years in a Portal window opportunity.

Note also the horror stories - QB Sluka went from Albany to UNLV under a promise for said contract --- never got paid a dime, and had to opt out of playing further for UNLV until either the contract terms were paid off or some other program picked him up...

Looking at examples like Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss - went from a DII Power Ferris State to the SEC and is now in the Final Four.

Incarnate Word QB Cam Ward - went to Washington State for 2 years then made Miami a contender overnight, then was the #1 Overall Draft Pick.

Both of these guys spent multiple seasons at other programs before joining the 'Big Time'. So the examples are there, I just don't see a ton of success year 1 after leaving FCS or any lower level of competition.

Also, to some extent you can talk about QB Shadeur Sanders as well -- though I think SS could've landed at most D1 programs if he didn't follow his Dad to Jackson State...then eventually to Colorado.

California TV Markets (National Rankings):
#2 Los Angeles
#10 SF-OAK-SJ
#20 Sac-Stockton-Modesto
#28 San Diego

True as well - could be that Pinnick has been given verbal agreements to challenging for a starting QB role at various D1 schools not called Miami, Oregon, Ohio State or Alabama...and maybe his Agency told him to simply put his name out there and let teams watch his film and assess the talent vs. the money...given his reputation for being a great young man, the risk vs. reward is good for a big-time program to bring Pinnick in.

Even backup QBs in the P4 are earning around $450,000 / year in comp.
Staring P4 QBs are in the $1.5M to $3.5M range - that's a lot of money for a few years playing some college football games. That's life changing money if invested properly, so I get it.

College Football is turning into Moneyball?

Doesn't have to be that way - but the money is crazy out there...so I get the big temptation. Wish UC Davis had guys donating in the millions of dollars annually, but we aren't that program - we actually give a f*** about our players as human beings, not just commodities.