(Image/Northwestern Now)

By: Lucas Kochevar

This conference is massive with a number of guys to point to that could be the next Indiana. The Hoosiers emerged from this very conference through a new regime and a culture that just punched opponents in the face. Who is that next team in line to make that leap? 

The options are slim. Purdue barely squeezed one win out of their schedule, but they’re still too far away from winning meaningful games. Maryland was horrific in conference play, but their quarterback position is still sketchy. Wisconsin and UCLA feel too easy as picks to turn it around. Now, the only team that’s left is Northwestern. 

The Wildcats haven’t been relevant in a couple years, but they squeezed out an eight win season with David Braun filling in on an interim basis. The eight win season landed him the full time gig for the Wildcats, but the regression monster came to roost and they fell back to a four win team in 2024. If they continue to fall in 2025, the Wildcats could look elsewhere. 

Honestly, I think Wake Forest’s chances are better than Northwestern’s to make the jump, but the reason I chose the Wildcats in the Big 10 leads back to the transfer they’ve landed. Starting at the head of the snake, Preston Stone is the incoming quarterback. Stone is most notable as the starting QB for SMU in 2023. Although he lost the starting job in 2024, he stayed with the program throughout the playoffs and moved on afterwards. He’s far from perfect, but having a grownup in the room could help stabilize an offense that’s struggled in previous years.

Another group that’s seen a big change on offense is the wide receiver room. The stats don’t jump off the screen for the group that’s in the building, but one of the guys that’s transferring in shows real promise. Griffin Wilde comes over to D-I ball from the South Dakota Jackrabbits. Wilde totaled 1,154 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2024. The 6’2 receiver could be one of those guys that just needed a bigger stage to get the notoriety he deserves.

On top of the skill guys, Northwestern is another one of those teams that overhauled their offensive lineman group. They brought in 3 grad transfers along the line with a new pair of guards and right tackle. They can’t rely solely on the passing game, they’ll need some big boy football with their experienced running back group that includes graduate student Cam Porter. 

The Wildcats defense maintains a lot of experience with guys in the line, but are hoping to see sophomores step up in the back end. An interesting transfer they’re bringing in is Yanni Karlaftis and if you’re curious, yes, his brother is George Karlaftis. He isn’t coming off the edge like his brother, but he should help in the middle as a leader for a group that needs it.
The schedule isn’t very nice to the Wildcats as they take on Oregon and travel to Penn State. They also take on Nico Iamaleva and UCLA, Bryce Underwood and Michigan and, lastly, Lincoln Riley and USC. It would take quite the turnaround for the Wildcats to make that Indiana jump, but if the offense makes strides and defense can bend, not break, this team could be the next surprise team to go from worst to first.

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(Image via Conor Dillon/UGAAA)

By: Lucas Kochevar

The Georgia Bulldogs gave college fans a taste of football on Saturday, along with a number of other teams that held their spring games. The Bulldogs ran out two different squads that featured the first string offense wearing red and the first string defense wearing black. The bigger showdown was Gunner Stockton’s team vs Ryan Puglishi’s team. 

It was hard to really get true takeaways from this game since I wasn’t in-person, didn’t hear the whole game on radio and it wasn’t televised. Head coach Kirby Smart made sure to keep the game off TV in case of any arm chair scouts from opposing teams. With all this being said, I gathered a few observations from social media and the radio call. 

The Bulldogs were slinging the rock. Between multiple quarterbacks, the Bulldogs threw the ball over 80 times. Gunner Stockton and Ryan Puglisi gave their receivers every chance to make plays with jump balls down field throughout the game. The tight ends were also used frequently and a guy that I like to make some noise this year would be Jaden Reddell. His athleticism and size will be hard to keep off the field, along with his running after the catch. 

The Bulldogs weapons were on display on the outside with Zachariah Branch and Dillon Bell making long catches, but another guy that stood out was Colbie Young. Young dealt with legal issues early last season and was out the rest of the year as the legal system dealt with his case. He’s back in the lineup now and made big plays all day. 

It’s always hard to evaluate a defense when they don’t really want to kill their teammates, but the word is Justin Williams and Chris Cole were playmakers throughout the day. The defensive line sounded like they performed better than people thought. I’m not sure if this is a positive for the defense or a concern for the QBs, but they batted balls down at the line of scrimmage all day long. 

It’s truly hard to gauge a team through a scrimmage, especially a team that’s seeing a lot of turnover from the previous year. I like what Georgia displayed on Saturday and they could be a more cohesive team than last year, but there’s still concern. My main concern is Mike Bobo in the same way that everyone is concerned. He’s going to have a new signal caller so we’ll see how he calls the game for him. Thank goodness this team opens up with Marshall and Austin Peay to really work out the kinks before SEC play.

Georgia Tech and Tennessee are two other regional teams that held their spring games. Tennessee was the big subject of talk on the day with Nico entering the transfer portal, but one of his potential replacements, George MacIntyre, threw a beautiful touchdown. ​

(Image/ © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

By: Lucas Kochevar

1. The Magic Continues

When I say magic, I mean devil magic. The way everything has fallen into place for this midwest market team is insane. It can only be described as magic. What are the odds that the winningest coach in franchise history would walk to them after being fired by the team they’re facing in the Super Bowl? What are the odds that a two-star recruit, who partied all the time, would turn into one of the best tight ends of all-time? What are the odds that a player on the trajectory for the best quarterback of all-time at age 29 would fall to them at the 10th pick? 

Andy Reid, Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes are the common denominators for this run and all three easily could’ve been in different places. What if Reid stays one more year in Philly? What if Reid never takes the flier on Travis after his brother went to bat for him? What if the Bills never traded that 10th pick that landed Mahomes?

There are so many scenarios and what-ifs involved with how this dynasty fell into place. It feels like something that can only happen when you make a deal with the devil. No matter what you call it, the Chiefs always win within the margins. Although I joke they play with magic, it truly is the sign of a team that’s been in big moments time after time. They’re always ready for those big moments because of the foundational guys I mentioned earlier. Reid and his staff have them prepared for almost anything and guys step up. Kelce always comes up with the big 3rd down catch. Lastly, Mahomes will scamper for the game-sealing first down. It’s truly maddening for someone playing against them. The devil magic continuing as the ball bounces their way would be a way KC can win this game
 
2. Saquon Barkley Loses his Legs

It’s hard to say whether the Eagles are geniuses or the Giants are complete buffoons. Why can’t it be both? He’s been unbelievable and he’s being paid well below what his value is to Philadelphia. He’s only been held under 100 yards four times this season. The Chiefs cannot let him get loose, especially on the first play of the game like he did in the NFC Championship. 

If Barkley is found by Eagles staffers with his legs broken and a Giants-themed pipe on the ground, I don’t think the Chiefs would cry for him. I’m not saying Giants fans would do that, but hypothetically, if Giants owner John Mara stayed in the same hotel as Barkley and the Eagles, I could see it. A late, sleepless night as the “most popular player” in franchise history is about to be the key to your rival winning the Super Bowl? It would drive me crazy as an owner. I can’t imagine the Giants will do the off-season Hard Knocks anytime soon again. 

3. Patrick Mahomes

Have you guys heard of this Mahomes guy? It could be a hot take, but I think he’s pretty good. I’d love to see Mahomes play with a team of 52 other players that are about to retire. A team that has Mahomes, Adrian Peterson, Julio Jones and more future hall of famers would be very funny to watch as he tries to win them a ring. It would be a great test to see how great this guy is. Seriously, as long as you have Mahomes, the window is open. Super Bowl windows are unbelievably hard to keep open, look at the Bengals. Mahomes is the exception and as long as KC has him, they can win the Super Bowl.

Image/Macomb Daily

By: Lucas Kochevar

The college monster was eating me alive, but like Adrian Peterson after his ACL injury, I rise from the ashes to give my MVP level thoughts on things happening around the league. When I started thinking this blog out, I wondered 'Where would I start with all the news thats happened?' and with a scowl on my face, looking at my Falcons gear, I figured I should start with my team. I touched on the issue with what the Falcons did on the latest episode of Koch's Corner but I should reiterate it here. The issue is the Falcons brass and how they handled the situation. Kirk Cousins made a smart move taking a four year deal that guarantees his money towards the end of his career. Michael Penix Jr. doesn't control where he's drafted and impressed the Falcons like any young quarterback should try to do in the draft process.

The Falcons top resources were essentially all spent on the quarterback position, which makes sense for a team that died last year because of the quarterback. Still, the issue comes with the idea that you're supposed to be in win now mode. The team made the win now move clearly by signing Cousins, but still opted for a long term idea in drafting Penix. It's conflicting ideologies from a front office that doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt. The Ravens drafted Lamar Jackson while having Joe Flacco. The Chiefs drafted Mahomes while having Alex Smith. The Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers while having Brett Favre. They even doubled down on this philosophy when drafting Jordan Love when they had Rodgers. I bring up all these examples since these are the situations people in media and the front office are comparing with the Falcons.

The difference in these moves versus what the Falcons did, those franchises are models of stability that have shown they can figure out how to win at the moment and plan for the future. The Ravens, Chiefs and Packers are all top five in games won since 2010 and the Falcons just aren't that franchise at this point in time. It scares me because the noise around the Falcons front office guys being anti-Belichick was for them to save their jobs, since the front office was likely going to be cleared out if the Hall of Fame coach was hired. Is drafting a quarterback just a strategy to keep their jobs for another five years at least? Or was it a legitimate thought to build the best possible team on the field? These are just a few questions that keep me up at night involving the Falcons. 

As you can tell, I have many thoughts on it, but I'll save those until the season when we see how the dynamic plays out. Moving on to more relevant and recent news, the Lions signed Jared Goff to an extension, which is very cool. Goff has quickly become a fan favorite in Detroit since he exemplifies that Detroit tough attitude after he was seemingly thrown away by the Rams. Looking back on that trade, it's easy to say that looks like a win-win trade. The Rams won a Super Bowl and the Lions are in the contender realm of teams. It's rare to have two teams that can sit back and feel good about a deal of this magnitude. The Lions are sitting pretty now but the pressure is on to compete for Super Bowls. They've drafted amazing, they've started to pay those guys and paying Goff seems like the cherry on top for their Super Bowl aspiration sundae.

It'll be intriguing to see how the Lions keep competing in the NFC and their division. Their division should be very interesting. I touched on the Lions recent success, but the Packers could quickly come back to dominate the division with Jordan Love.  The Bears and Vikings have rookie quarterbacks and who knows how that could go. The NFC North will be super intriguing to watch this year and I'll talk about how it stacks up with the other divisions around the league in the coming weeks. 

By Lucas Kochevar

In a draft class as loaded as this one, the wide receiver market has been brutal. Out of 72 active free agents, only 28 guys have signed and four of those contracts have been multi-year deals over $10 million. Similar to the slow moving baseball free agency, these wide receivers will likely have to wait until after the draft. My quick scouting thoughts on this year's wide receiver class: They’re good. 

Marvin Harrison Jr. has been a generational prospect for years and he’s starting to get that prospect fatigue that Caleb Williams is suffering from. Rome Odunze is a star in my eyes that can do it all. Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. can become a similar NFL duo to Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. Plus there’s many other guys that can slip into that first round like AD Mitchell, Ladd McConkey and Keon Coleman. 

All these names could be key members of winning teams in the future, but what about the present? The four guys that I mentioned earlier with contracts above $10 million include Calvin Ridley, Gabe Davis, Darnell Mooney and Curtis Samuel. I like all of these players, but I’m not a fan of their contracts. I don’t say this as a slight to the players at all. Good for them and good for their agents, but the contracts seem a little rich for my blood, especially when you consider the circumstances around them. This is easy to say in the moment as sticker price will always scare fans at first glance. There's a chance these deals look like steals in three years.

First, the Titans and Ridley. Tennessee wanted to give Will Levis as many weapons as they could as Ridley is a productive receiver. In his first season since his gambling suspension, Ridley put up over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns. His contract hits for four years and $92 million. It’s a lot of money for a 29-year old receiver but it’s also a lot when you consider they had a similar offer on the table for a younger receiver named A.J. Brown, who is thriving with the Eagles. Once again, Ridley is good and productive, but getting close to his thirties and spending that much money on him scares me to high heavens. 

The next guy on the list is Gabe Davis, who left Buffalo for Jacksonville. Davis is the quintessential home run or strikeout receiver. He’s either going for 150 yards and two touchdowns or he’s getting two catches for 12 yards. Davis is coming off his two best years as a pro, but he still hasn’t eclipsed 900 yards. His contract isn’t a crazy overpay or anything, but with the Jaguars already paying Christian Kirk and Evan Engram, it seems a little much. Darnell Mooney received the same contract from the Falcons and it seems crazy that Mooney got this amount, but when you look at his production it’s not that different from Davis. Davis clears Mooney in touchdowns, but when you remember that Davis had Josh Allen and Mooney was on the Bears, it makes sense. Once again, they’re not bad, but the sticker price looks worse than what it actually is. 

The last guy to receive a nice contract is Curtis Samuel with Buffalo. I like Samuel and it’s the reason why he tricks me in fantasy football every year. He dealt with injuries throughout his time in Washington, but he’s a shifty playmaker that might become the dynamic weapon we remember in Buffalo. Hollywood Brown in Kansas City is terrifying. He’s another home run hitter, but that’s all Kansas City needs him for. The Chiefs replacing Kadarius Toney for Hollywood seems like the scariest possible outcome for the league. The three-peat might be on the way for KC. Now it’s time for my new favorite thing to write, the one sentence summary of guys left in free agency. Fun fact, I wrote this earlier before Williams signed with the Jets, so I had to edit the first sentence. 

Mike Williams is a stud receiver and can catch contested balls with the best of them, but his ACL injury lands him a one-year prove it deal in New York. Hunter Renfrow has a big outlier season under his belt, but that seems more like a testament to how dysfunctional the Raiders offense was with Josh McDaniels. Odell Beckham Jr. continues his tour around the NFL as he’ll be on his fourth team in three seasons. Tyler Boyd and Josh Reynolds will be steals for whatever team decides to sign them because they do the little things better than most of the guys left in free agency. I was right about that fraud Michael Thomas as he sits in free agency with little interest.