Championship week is upon us, Early Signing Period is underway and Heisman voters have their ballots.

Welcome back to Y-Option, where we bring you college football content through the lens of the West Coast! Today, Jim Thornby and I break down the state of the most recent College Football Playoff rankings and how the dominos could impact the West Coast in college football.

Fresh off my trip to Eugene, I also share insights from sitting down with Oregon’s Dan Lanning and Dillon Gabriel as we take a deep dive into the Big Ten title game with our guest Rhett Lewis, with thanks to our founding partner 76.

Speaking of Rhett, his podcast BLeav in Big Ten is a go-to source for all things B1G and we did a little home and home podcast this week, with our conversation appearing on both shows. Rhett reflected on the improbable run that his Indiana Hoosiers have been on and what to expect from Penn State against the Ducks.

Finally, I shared my 10-point scale on how I vote for the Heisman.

For the 870 voters, maybe this will help you out as you decide who should hoist that trophy next week. I’d love to learn how you vote as well, as I think the responsibility of our vote deserves thoughtfulness vs. regionality bias.

A reminder that the definition of the Heisman is awarded to the “Outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.”

With that, here is my 10-point voting scale:

* Competitive dominance

* Power 4 filter

* Would I pay money to see player prepare, practice, perform?

* Can they process?

* Their It Factor: making your presence felt and elevating the performance of those around you - this comes from conversations with their coaches/teammates

* Injury factor: when were they and how many injuries around them/their team on the field

* Did you win your conference?

* Analytics

* Integrity off the field: classroom/community

* Performance on ‘Big Stages’ - a real time grade (1-5) and a film study post-game

As always, thanks for the support. Jim and I are off to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Champ Game and much more. Be sure to tune into Big Ten Network for our coverage and Y-Option on social for behind the scenes content.

Much love,

Yogi

This episode was executive produced by Jim Thornby and edited by Victor Ren

This podcast is a Best Coast Media production

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