Most Intriguing Power 4 Teams, Coaches, Players and Games | Others Receiving Votes

All right.

Welcome to the show.

Others receiving votes, uh, Sports Illustrated SI.

com.

I'm Pat 40 joined by Brian Fisher and Kevin Sweeney.

And gentlemen, if you cock an ear to listen, you'll hear.

Nothing right now, which is really rare in the college football space.

But as of the moment, as of when we are taping this on July 1st at 10:30 Eastern.

There's not a lot happening finally.

Um, so it's nice to have this kind of peak midsummer lull, so to speak.

But also this is around the time 4th of July.

Happy birthday, United States of America, 250, wearing it.

Relatively well, um.

Uh, but it's great to, to, for me, when you get 4th of July , you start kind of getting that itch, and it starts to kick in like, OK, we're in the summer, summer's great, but I can see what's coming.

It's football, I can't wait.

It's excited, the preview magazines have started to hit.

I start wondering what the, uh, offensive line depth is looking like at Alabama, and away we go.

Uh, we will be getting to meet conference media days and all those things coming up.

But before we do that, we're gonna go through and do our own little conference, not really previews, but we're gonna talk about what really intrigues us in each of the Power Four conferences.

We went through each league and kind of did a deep dive on the state of the league a few weeks ago.

You can check that in our archive if you want.

Today, we're just gonna, we're gonna talk football, we're gonna talk this season, and we're gonna talk what Kinda we have our eyes on here as we start creeping towards the season.

We're gonna, again, do all power 4.

We're gonna start with the Big 10, guys, and I want you to give me your most intriguing team in the Big 10, and we got some other categories we'll go through.

Brian Fisher, who's intriguing you?

Well, it's definitely Maryland, right?

No, I'm just kidding.

Uh, you know, the, the funny thing too, I, I, I do, I do joke about the Big 10, but like, you know, it is an interesting league, you know, pretty much top to bottom.

Like you could actually make a case, I think, for pretty much every Big 10 team.

Like, I mean, UCLA is interesting with Bob Chesney taking over.

Like, you know, obviously Penn State, you know, one of, one of the teams that have been in, you know, central spotlight, uh, with, with the new coaching staff.

Nebraska is, is interesting, uh, but I, I think for this coming season, I'm, I'm gonna circle USC.

Um, yeah, I think that's kind of the, the linchpin of the league, if you will, and, and certainly gonna be one of those key teams in terms of can they get one of those extra playoff bids, uh, over the SEC.

I, I think USC is going to be that team that everybody's circled, and frankly, it's a pressure-packed year for Lincoln Riley.

I, I think that just kind of adds into the intrigue, uh, around the Trojans.

They've, they've got a Heisman Trophy quarterback, uh, you know, capable there, uh, and Jaden Mayama.

They, they've got, uh, Gary Patterson on, on, on the sidelines on defense, you know, like, I mean, it, it's just a lot of.

Storylines there , uh, you know, in Los Angeles, and, and I think it's, it's gonna make for an interesting season, plus, you know, we'll, we'll talk about the schedules later, but like they, they've got interesting games throughout.

They got to go to Penn State.

They got Oregon early in the year.

Like that, that's a big mile marker.

No Notre Dame, which I know we're all broken up about, but look, it, it, it does make for an interesting schedule even without the Irish on it.

And, uh, you know, I, I, I, I would definitely circle USC at this point, uh, just given all the storylines surrounding the Cardinal and Gold and what kind of figures to be a make or break season for Lincoln Riley there.

It's, it's funny, I, I wrote down UCLA, um, which I, I, it's, I think it's become like a running joke within the, the college football media establishment, like, oh yeah, we're talking UCLA again, but like, like, is there a place that's had a more drastic vibe shift, uh, and just like the energy around their football program than UCLA?

Like, I, I don't think so.

I don't think it's close, and I, I'm a huge believer in Bob Chesney.

Um, I'm probably a little biased.

My, my brother was a GA at Holy Cross at the time that Bob Chesney had that program rolling, and he kept coming to me and they're like, I'm telling you, man, this guy is next, like, this guy has a chance, and I was like, yeah, sure, man, like, maybe, maybe in a couple of years he'll be coaching Charlotte or something, it'll be very exciting.

And like, here we are, you know, he's in the playoffs, and I's UCLA of all places, right?

And so, I, I, I, I've, I've been tracking this thing for a while with, with, with Chesney, and I'm a huge believer, but look, like, the vibes are great until you lose to Purdue and Pasadena, right?

Like, that's, that, that, that.

That is the, the, the operative question, and because of the schedule, which is manageable, but also , like, there's no cookies early, right?

Like, Cal's not a cookie.

San Diego State's gonna be tough enough.

Purdue, I mean, obviously, that's as winnable game as you can find in the Big 10 , but it's still a Big 10 opponent, like.

I could look up and see them at 6 and 2, you know, heading into, into the November stretch where they have Illinois and Michigan and USC to close it, or, you know, I could see them at 2 and 6, and I, what, how this thing starts is , I think going to shape the entire tenure in a lot of respects, because If they build some momentum, if they build some buzz, like, we think it's loud now about how great UCLA could be, it's only gonna get more.

So I'm, I'm fascinated by that entire storyline and whether they can, they can capitalize on the offseason momentum when, when it comes down to , to brass tacks on Saturdays.

Yeah, I, I don't blame either of you for, uh, targeting the Los Angeles teams there, uh, just because.

There's a lot on the line and a lot of unfulfilled potential.

I mean, UCLA is one of the all-time capitals of unfulfilled potential in college football.

It, it is amazing.

It, it, it blows my mind.

Like, every time you're there and you're on campus, and you think of all the great players in Southern California, like, why aren't you, why, why aren't this, in this place loaded all the time?

But that's the way it's always been, and whether that's institutional apathy or whatever, USC does not have institutional apathy, has tremendous tradition.

Uh, has very good talent, and as a coach who hadn't delivered yet.

Uh, to Brian's point, there, there is pressure on Lincoln Riley, I think, here to, to step up and to Do what he got the massive contract to do and everybody has said, OK, now they've finally got the oars in the water going the right way, alignment, blah blah blah blah blah.

Norwegian rowing, right?

They're rowing like the Norwegians by the person yesterday, absolutely, yeah, how cool is that?

I, and, and, well, I, I don't want to sidetrack us on soccer, but, but it is fascinating.

And, and of, uh, being of Norwegian descent, uh.

Go, go them.

Um, anyway, uh, so I'm, I'm with you guys on that.

But come on now.

First of all, this is still a Midwestern league.

And who's the defending national champion that went 16-0 like a comet out of the sky?

It's Indiana.

It's still the most intriguing team to me.

Uh, I am fascinated by what they've done in 2 years.

I will remain fascinated going into year 3.

A lot of turnover.

I'm not sure how much that's gonna matter.

We'll find out, but Kurt Signetti has been a master his entire career of taking a new quarterback, and plugging him in, and having that quarterback have the best year of his life.

He's done it over and over and over and over again.

Uh, I think the additions at running back and wide receiver are gonna be very good.

Now, Nick Marsh, the, the great, very talented receiver from Michigan State, did arrive wearing gold cleats for spring practice, and as Signetti said, he got his ass ripped, uh, like he had probably never before.

And that's part of the, um, sabanization of the program, I think, of like, we do things one way here, and gold cleats are not that way.

So, how do the new guys, you're bringing guys now in who are like, I'm going to a national champion, I'm going to a powerhouse.

Do they still play like they are coming out of James Madison, and desperate to show people what they can do.

Schedule, uh, much more difficult than what Indiana has faced during the regular season, certainly in 2024, but also in 2025.

Uh, they've got Ohio State at home, that'll probably be the biggest home game Indiana's ever had.

Then they turn around immediately, they're at Michigan.

USC comes to town, they're at Washington, and that's been a really tough place to play, uh, in recent years.

So, I remain intrigued by the Hoosiers there.

Um, Anyway, uh, Brian, to your point, there's 18 teams in the league and you can come up with 18 storylines without trying too hard.

Well, we may have to try a little bit for like Purdue and Maryland and Rutgers, but still, we could do it if we had to.

Uh, one quick question, Kevin, your, your brother was a GA.

What, what position did he play as a player?

He did not play.

He was a strength coach GA, so he, he, he, he, he spent his, he spent one, basically a semester at Holy Cross before getting a job with the Phillies.

And so now he is, he is working his way through the Philadelphia Phillies organization.

Uh, helping the next wave of, of Dominican players in, in, in single A baseball.

So all right, he has become their unofficial second translator, which is a real intriguing skill.

So, yeah, he's, he's loving it.

So, but yeah, he, he's, he's far removed from the Bob Chesney tree now , but has always raved about it and still watches every Saturday.

He's, he texted me during every Bob Chesney game about this guy.

He, he, he is an ardent believer, as, as tough as you'll find.

Yeah, your brother's job is more interesting than your job and all of our jobs.

Very good for him.

Uh, all right.

Most intriguing coach in the Big 10.

Uh, Kevin, you wanna go first on this?

I, I'm very intrigued by this year for Dan Lanning, because two new coordinators, uh, I, I think, especially based on how both have started, um, two guys that were very, very, very good at their jobs, um, and Tosh Lupoi and, um, obviously Will Stein, um, you know, he lost Dillingham after year one, but, you know, this is a massive kind of staff transition.

Uh, and the expectations aren't dropping at Oregon, right?

The, the expectation is to be a top 4 team.

The schedule is, uh, serious.

You have Ohio State, you have Michigan, um, you close with the Washington team that I think a lot of people think will be very good, you have USC early, um, you know, like this is not a cakewalk schedule to get through, and I'm fascinated, do they take a step back, like, and, and there will be a lot of eyes, I think, on where Dan Lanning can get this thing to this season, because, look like.

I'm not gonna say it, it hasn't stagnated, but like, oh great, we make the playoffs every year, and we don't really knock on the door of the championship yet.

Like it, it's time to do that, and you're doing that without two critical pieces of your infrastructure and your offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator.

Extremely intrigued to see how, how, how this season goes and how it shapes the, the narrative around Dan Lanning going forward .

Well, you know, it, there's definitely a lot of focus on, on him, uh, just given the resources invested there in the program and the fact that, let's face it, you know, their biggest benefactor, he's not getting any younger, and I think that definitely has added to the intrigue around, around Oregon and, and, and around Dan Lanigan.

You know, to his credit, you know, Dan has progressed, you know, year over year over year, uh, since he's been, and this, he's still a first-time head coach, right?

Uh, taking over a program like Oregon.

So I, I do give him a lot of credit.

In terms of the most intriguing to me though, it's just Kyle Whittingham at, at Michigan.

You know, I think that's, we, we've seen what he's done.

We got a two-decade glimpse at him as a head coach, and we kinda, when, whenever we're doing coach rankings or whatever, you know, we place him pretty highly in terms of what he did there in Salt Lake City.

What is he going to do with a blue blood?

You know, like, this is just an intriguing experiment, even beyond Kyle Whittingham.

How do you, if you drop a very successful head coach into a program like Michigan with a team that, let's face it, is, is pretty good, you know, like we, we, we look at their roster, that's a team that's maybe not capable of, of challenging the Big 10 for, for Big 10 title, but they could make a playoff run for sure.

Like, and then, uh, what is he going to do with that?

Dropped in, uh, You know, with all this departmental chaos going on, uh, around him in Ann Arbor, like, how, how is he gonna get through that?

And, um, you know, like I, I ran into Kyle, you know, uh, uh, a couple of months ago at Big 10 meetings, and he, he's still the same guy, right?

And so, like, how is that going to still translate when maybe you, you lose a game that that's unexpected?

How is he gonna get along with the the local media?

How is he just, how is everything going to happen, uh, there for the Wolverines?

With a new head coach, a new voice, uh, there in the program who, who's not a Michigan guy, you know, and didn't go through those trials and tribulations, um, you know, from the, the, uh, from the heights, uh, of winning the national title to these last couple of years, which has been, uh, certainly a bit of a roller coaster there.

So, I, I'm just intrigued everything going on there, uh, surrounding that program, and truthfully, I, I, I think it's gonna be an interesting thing for his legacy, you know, I, I think you, you look at what Michigan.

Uh, brings to the table, uh, you know, this, this is a place where you can win a national title, that there's, there's proof positive in, in recent memory and in high definition, uh, 4K right now at this point.

Um , so, it, it, it's a big thing for, for him because I think if he, he ends up failing in the This one, I, I think we're probably gonna look at his past tenure, uh, a little bit differently too.

They're, they're at Utah.

So, uh, a lot, a lot on the line, I think, for these next couple of years for, for Kyle, but especially this year, given the intrigue around his team currently and around the Big 10, uh, nationally, in general.

Yeah, it's fascinating, you know, this is a guy who was as revered as he could be at Utah, but then was kind of nudged out, and you thought it might be the end of his career, and all of a sudden he gets Michigan, uh, when that one comes open.

So, yeah, what an opportunity, and, and we do all believe he's a very good coach.

We'll see uh what happens there.

I believe the only coach in the Big 10 who is older than Kurt Signetti, he's 66, so.

Um, I, I am intrigued by Luke Fickle at Wisconsin, but I'm more, because I can't believe it may really actually just finally fail there.

I'm shocked it's gone this way, but it has.

But the guy I'm more intrigued by is Matt Campbell at Penn State.

Obviously, stepping into a Huge job after doing great, sometimes I think underrated work at Iowa State, but that, you know, the, the, the nature of those two jobs are so different.

So, how does he handle that move?

Brought a lot of cyclones with him, including Rocco Beck, the quarterback, uh, you know, can they quite replicate James Madison to Indiana?

Uh, you know, it's different, but, but are there some similar characteristics and traits there that, that may be able to be parlayed into You know, a really fast start in a good season, um, for Campbell, you know, I, I, I think he's such a, he, he has a lot of substance to him as a coach.

We'll see whether the, the, the kind of the spotlight, the magnitude of that job affects him at all, or if he's able to just kind of keep the, uh, the blinders on and going forward.

They don't play Ohio State, which is a good thing for Penn State because they never beat Ohio State.

So they, they don't have to bother with that.

Uh, the, the non-conference is super manageable, Marshall Temple, Buffalo, then you're open home, Wisconsin, you're at Northwestern.

Then you got USC and at Michigan back to back, and you also do have to go to Seattle, but boy, oh boy , that's a schedule that suggests, uh, successes there.

So we'll see what Campbell can do with that.

OK.

Most intriguing player in the Big 10, Brian.

I'm gonna go with Dante Moore at Oregon , you know, I, I think it's, it's interesting because, you know, like we're talking about earlier with, with Dan Lanning, like this has been a program of progression in terms of the college football playoff, and I think we all have that lasting image though of, of him struggling in that game in Indiana, uh, you know, he was probably going to be the number 2 pick, um, you know, if he had come out and gone to the NFL, uh.

Opted surprisingly to, to some to, to return to school and he just seems like a, you know, a, a different guy, you know, in terms of, here's, here's my developmental path, and here's what I'm gonna, I'm gonna kind of zig when everybody expects me to zag, you know, he went to UCLA, uh, out of, out of, uh, Detroit, uh, didn't, you know, didn't, didn't really find the success there at, uh, under Chip Kelly.

He ended up taking a year off, uh, to go go to Oregon.

Looked like it is gonna pay off.

He's gonna have a new coordinator, uh, there who's certainly familiar with, with him, uh, being his, his old quarterbacks coach, but, um, you know, new coordinator, slightly tweaked system, um, you know, a lot more skill position talent, I think that's gonna be around him.

Like, I mean, he, he had no wide receivers, no running backs there, uh, for, for part of that playoff run.

Um, you know, what, what are you gonna see out of him?

And I think he's going to be a big Uh, a big reason why if Oregon is going to ultimately reach their ceiling and reach their potential this year, um, it's all gonna come down to his shoulders, you know, and I, I don't think there's maybe been, uh, uh, enough excitement there in Eugene, uh, over a player and, you know, coming back, uh, probably since Marcus Mariota, um, you know, a decade ago.

Uh, so, I think it's gonna be, uh, he definitely tops my list in terms of the Big 10 players that, that's intriguing and, uh, I, I think it's gonna be fascinating to see what he.

What he's ultimately able to do in terms of performance-wise, but, uh, also in, in terms of leadership, um, you know, given there has been enough changes there in Eugene where you kind of say, everything has coalesced in terms of, uh, the, the roster and, and, and the setup there.

Can they ultimately get over that hump?

He, he's gonna be a big reason why.

Yeah, totally agree.

Um, the, the guy I came up with for this is, to me, the most talented quarterback in the Big 10 and Bryce Underwood, right?

And I, I'm just, I'm so fascinated by what year one in a new offense looks like for him, with Jason Beck, who I think has done a great job with quarterbacks, and a great job, particularly with, with guys that can move around a little bit, and he certainly can, um.

The training wheels were certainly on last year, like, that was very obvious whenever you watched Bryce Underwood, and I, I understand why that was the case with a true freshman, and I think, look, Bryce has to prove that the training wheels should come off, right?

There were enough nervy moments that I, I think, and you look back at like, the way that Michigan handled him as a true freshman, like, it made some sense that at times it felt like we were, we were, we were forcing him to drive 30 in a, in a, in a 60 zone, but, like, If Jason Beck can get Bryce Underwood and has gotten him to the point all summer and and spring, to where we can take off all the training wheels, take off all the restrictions and say, hey, just go play, man, like, the guy is unbelievably talented, and again, there's a guy that can lead you to a playoff, can lead you to multiple playoff wins, I think at his best, but.

What happens if he struggles early?

What happens when he hits some of these bumps, which I think are inevitable, like, how, how, how, how does that fit into the way they want to play?

I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm fascinated by that marriage and, and what it means for, for his future, because, again, I think Dante Moore could be the number one pick.

I, I think Bryce Underwood has clearly more physical talent than Dante Moore, and Dante Moore is unbelievably talented.

Yeah, both those guys, uh, I'm fascinated to watch as well.

The thing with Underwood, I, I, I think he's gonna be fine, but, but I, I almost wonder, uh, you know, you , you feel like the Dylan Rayola syndrome, maybe a little bit of, you come in as the most hyped guy in the country, you get thrown in right away, you kinda have some success, but then you kinda don't, and if it goes the other way, do you, does it really hurt your, your progress?

So.

Uh, I think they will handle him well in Michigan.

Um, I'm going non-quarterback, I'm going Jeremiah Smith, shocker there, I know.

Uh, best player in the country, uh, could be the number one NFL draft pick if somebody can think outside the quarterback box.

Uh.

Just a, a, a physical specimen, like you can't believe I was actually in Columbus uh last week, and he's, he's even bigger and more impressive looking than he was before.

Probably up to 225, now, 6'3, still can run, uh, phenomenally and has all the skills.

So, Last year there were, he wasn't that explosive, not that many huge plays.

So can they get him on the 30, 40, 50 yard plays a little more often?

Third offensive coordinator in 3 seasons for him.

What's the, uh, the adjustment like there?

Sounds like he loves Arthur Smith, and loves what they're doing up there, but everybody says that in the summer, we'll see what happens in the fall, so.

But I, I greatly enjoy watching JJ Smith play.

All right, most intriguing game in the Big 10.

Try to keep this one tight.

Uh, Kevin, go ahead.

I mean, Ohio State, Michigan.

I, I, I, I, I understand , OK, maybe there won't be as many playoff implications.

I don't care.

It's an awesome football game every year.

Can't wait to watch it.

Uh, I'm gonna go with Ohio State at Texas, you know, the, the, uh, the week 2 game, obviously a massive game.

We're gonna expect that to be a top 5 game, but I, I'm just intrigued because of the, the crossover and the implications that this game is going to have in, in terms of the playoff race.

You know, we just, we do not have many of those Big 10 SEC games and the fact that Ohio State plays a a lot of the The rest of the, you know, kind of Big 10 powers, if you will, Texas, they, they play Oklahoma, Ole Miss, you know, we're gonna have this, this is going to be a reference point game between those two conferences.

So I, I really do kind of circle that one on top of it being, you know, two of the biggest brands in college football.

I, I think there's, there's gonna be an actual implication for, for the season, uh, and what the committee is gonna view, uh, both conferences through, through this lens.

Sure was an implication last year.

Ohio State won the game, went to the playoffs.

Texas lost the game, did not go to the playoffs, so.

Uh, I'm gonna say Ohio State, yeah, Ohio State and Indiana, I mentioned it earlier.

I've been to a few Ohio State games at Indiana, where it's 40,000 Ohio State fans, and 20,000 Indiana fans who trickle out by halftime and never return.

So, uh, it's gonna be a much different look and a much different vibe this time around.

Uh, we'll see what happens on the field.

But they've split the last two, the two games in the Signetti era.

I think this one will be highly consequential as well.

All right, ACC fellas, uh, same template, most intriguing team.

Kevin, why don't you go first?

I, I went with the, the favorites in Miami.

Like, I, I, I think there, there's obviously clear momentum here.

We've talked about it in the past that, you know, I, I'm a huge believer in, in what this offense can be.

I think Mensa can be more dynamic than Carson Beck.

I think adding a, a, a bigger receiver in Barkate to go with Malachi Tony is awesome.

I think you look at the way their run game emerged, um, obviously some replacements on, on both lines that will be interesting to watch, but, um, You know, I look, I, I, I think last year's playoff run was so vindicating for Miami because it felt like they had spent the regular season somewhat on cruise control, and I'm curious with the even more heightened expectation, how do they respond to that?

Like, is this a Miami team that goes for the kill every night, or is this a Miami team that plays, plays with this food?

And if it plays with this food again, will they be in the same spot they were in last year sweating on Selection Sunday?

I wouldn't think so, just because the schedule is so manageable , but I mean, look, stranger things have happened, so they're they're the most intriguing to me.

It, it, it's interesting cause I, I, I do think it, uh, like kind of like the Big 10, you can make a case for, for a number of different candidates in this one, but I am strangely, I, I, I go to the default at this point, uh, in terms of the last couple of years, Clemson, you know, like, I mean, what is, what are we getting out of this program right now?

I mean, you saw the amount of success that they had or, or lack thereof with the number of draft picks that they had last year.

And now you're basically rebooting the entire program.

You don't have those veterans that you know, were, were talented that you can rely on.

Um, you know, this, this feels like Dabo 2.0 or, or even 3.0, uh, given the way he's kind of reinvented himself and new, new coordinators are, are involved at this point.

Um, you, you got just new faces, uh, throughout the, the actual roster itself, um, you know, and what, what is, what is going to become of Dabo cause I, I think he's definitely starting to feel the pressure there from Clemson fans that have certain expectations.

He's helped set, um, and, you know, he has not met them these last couple of years, you know, yes, they, they, they won the ACC two years ago and, and made the playoffs, but I, I don't think anybody viewed that as necessarily a super successful season, given the way that they were kind of, kind of run out of the building there in Austin, uh, by, by the, by the Longhorns.

So, uh, to, to me, it's, it's, it's, it's Clemson, especially with a new quarterback, you know, we, we don't really know who it's gonna be, but there's a number of options there.

Um, certainly some interesting reports out of camp in terms of who that might, uh, ultimately be in terms of the starter.

So, uh, you know, you can make the case for a lot of programs, but, uh, to me it's, it is Clemson because that is one of the teams that the ACC tries to count on in terms of their national reputation.

What is that gonna be this year?

I, I don't think really anybody has a good idea at this point, even, even Dabo.

I've reached the point where I've given up waiting for Clemson to get back to being Clemson, just as I've given up on Florida State, getting back to being Florida State, at least as long as Mike Norvell is there.

Uh, and that doesn't mean Clemson can't be good, but 11-1, 12-0, go win a national title, play for a national title.

I mean, the, the diminishing returns have been there for quite some time.

So I'm, I'm, I am.

Not buying, you know, I mean, I'm, I'm not saying you're buying, Brian, but, but, but what I'm saying is I just, I, I, I, I don't even have that much uh expectation for them, and same with Florida State.

I do have some intrigue with Virginia Tech.

James Franklin there, I think, arguably the best offseason hire anybody made.

Now, Franklin has to deliver, but I think he can deliver, certainly on getting a team.

To the top echelon of the league, he did that at Penn State in a harder league.

Virginia Tech sits in good recruiting territory.

They care about football there.

I think they have rebooted in terms of realizing we got to spend money.

You know, I think they, they compelled the administration and the boosters and everybody else to say, we, you know, we, we've got to change the way we're doing things.

And Lord knows, James Franklin will let everybody know if he feels like he's behind in any category.

One of the great uh complainers of our time.

But he's also, I think he's a good coach.

I think he's galvanizing.

I think he's a really good recruiter.

And so, I think, I, I wanna see if that, this first look at Virginia Tech, I think they've got a chance to put a markedly improved team that can compete uh at the highest end of the, of the ACC on the field right away.

Uh, how about coach?

And I, I, I know that I might have stolen somebody's coach, uh, there for intrigue, but, uh, Brian Fisher, who are you going with?

Yeah, that was , I mean, I, I was definitely gonna say James Franklin, right, right at Virginia Tech, and, and for all the reasons you, you, you just listened.

I, I will give, I, I guess a follow-up if, if you will, or, or a secondary choice, and that's, that's, that's Bill, you know, uh, Bill Belichick in UNC.

Like what, what is the follow-up gonna be this year after just falling flat on his face, um, you know, a season ago in terms of that debut and Uh, I know you were there at the, at the opener, like, I mean, that was one of the most anticipated openers I, I, I, I can remember in college football, and, uh, you know, just the, the way that, there was improvement late in the year.

I, I, I will give, you know, uh, Bill and, uh, everybody there on, on, on the staff credit, like there was some improvement, um, later in the season, but it just was not a talented roster, and I don't think they've done just a massive amount in terms of upgrading a lot of the.

So, so what are we gonna see this year, uh, out of the Tar Heels?

I think that, that does, it is intriguing, and especially given that, let's face it, in terms of the release clause, if you will, uh, or the escape hatch that UNC could go through, especially with the new administration there and a new AD in charge, is this, is this gonna be a two-year experiment and, and, and we're done.

Like, I think that's, that's gonna hang over, uh, Chapel Bill there, uh, for, for the rest of the year.

Yeah, uh, to me, the, the two most interesting coaches are the two guys probably under the most pressure, and that is Bill Belichick and Mike Norvell.

And I think when you look at both of their schedules, Like early in the year, it could get dicey in a hurry, right?

And so, you know, with Carolina, all right, you open in Dublin against TCU, you're probably an underdog in that game.

We've seen what happened to teams that lose in Dublin.

Uh , it is, the, the, the track record is not pretty for the rest of the season.

Um, all right, we come home, we play an FCS game, great, but then they have Clemson at Clemson, Notre Dame at home, they'll be big dogs.

At Purdue, they're probably a dog, or not Purdue, excuse me, Pittsburgh.

Um, and.

And then at Duke.

All right, like, that's a heck of a start for, for , for Bill Belichick.

And then on the Florida State front, all right, we got a, a gimme week one against New Mexico State, but after that, all right, SMU in a night game at home, it's winnable, but it's not easy at Alabama.

All right, FCS game, Virginia coming off an ACC championship game appearance at Louisville, at Miami, Clemson, like, the, the September and October for the coaches most under pressure in this conference are.

fierce.

And I'm fascinated to see, number one, can either of them pull a rabbit out of their hat and, you know, pull an upset or two and kind of change the vibe around their tenure, or are, are we talking about these potentially being the, the first jobs open?

I think particularly in the Florida State case, it would not be a shock if that's a, if that's a mid-season deal, if it gets, if it gets really toxic.

It already feels pretty toxic, but, uh, we'll see if, if, if Ashton Daniels can save the day.

Uh, I, I, I, I, I have those, all, all those guys on my list too that you mentioned, but I'm gonna, I'm gonna go 2 for 1 and say the, the new guys in the Bay Area, Tosh Lapoy at Cal and Tavita Pritchard at Stanford.

I don't know how good they can be.

I think, I give Cal a chance.

I think I give Cal a chance.

Uh, they retain their quarterback, uh, Gron Kaway Sagauateelle, who's really talented.

And I think they've got a, uh, yeah, did I pronounce it right?

I don't really know.

I hope so.

You were close enough, I think.

Thank you.

You didn't butcher it.

Thank you.

We'll just say JKS from now on.

Yeah, right, exactly.

He will forever be JKS, um, but, you know, I, I think they've got a chance, big, big opener at home against UCLA.

Old rivalry that got torched with the death of the Pac-12.

You win that, you get that uh Big 10.

Uh, skin on the wall, that, that takes you a long way, I think you're at, you're at Syracuse, you're home against Wagner, you're home against Clemson.

Uh, they've got a chance.

I, I, I'm intrigued there.

I'm also, I'm just intrigued to see, I thought Frank Reich did a decent job with a scarily untalented Stanford team.

But now they've got a little more stability and at least the direction they wanna go.

Uh, we'll see if they can get up off the mat there.

So, those are my, my coaches, the, the Bay Area, uh, player, most intriguing player, Brian.

Well, JK is, is certainly up there.

Uh, you know, talk about, uh, coming on to the, to the scene strong as a, as, as a true freshman, um, uh, but, but I, I think I, it, it's Darren Mensa there in Miami, um, you know, given the, the intrigue in terms of winning a, a, a league title there at Duke, the, the, everything going on surrounding his transfer to Miami and Uh, you know, the threats of lawsuits and, and all the talk of the settlements and going back and forth.

And look, I mean, this is a, this is a program that was the national runner-up.

So, like you're, you're, you're taking over, uh, you know, a, a pretty good, uh, pretty good program, and is he going to be a guy that also gets talked about, you know, in terms of this quarterback class, uh, and going to the NFL, like, you know, you, you hear the, the Arch Manning's of the world and, and everybody else involved.

And, uh, maybe one of the best quarterback crops in, in, in, in really modern history.

Can he be one of those guys that also comes, comes to play, uh, and gets his name in the mix because he he's got the tools, you know, we, we've seen that, uh, you know, certainly in flashes, um, there with the Blue Devils and, and earlier at Tulane.

He's got some great weapons, whether it's Malachi Toi, um, you know, like, I mean, you got, uh, loaded backfield.

Yes, you're, you're replacing.

Some of the offensive line, but like, he, you know, he, he's got the weapons there in Coral Gables.

So, to me, you know, if Miami can truly get back to being another college football playoff contender and get back to making another run, maybe even make, get back to actually winning the ACC for the first time in ages, um, you know, I, I think that it, it's gonna kind of come down onto his shoulders and him making the plays, uh, that Mario Cristobal needs, uh, down there in, uh, South Florida.

Yeah, I, I, I wrote down Alberto Mendoza, um, you know, for a few reasons.

Number one, like, I think a lot of people will make it about the pressure of being a Mendoza.

I think it's the pressure of following Haynes King.

Like that guy won them some game, pulled some rabbits out of hats, uh, put his shoulder down and ran through people when they needed him to, and, you know, really led a revival for this Georgia Tech program.

And You know, I think it's, you know, obviously, you know, they wanted to keep uh Philo, that didn't happen.

Instead, they, they have to pivot quick, they pivot to um Little Mendoza, and I'm, again, the, the numbers were incredible when, when, when he played.

Now, he was playing against twos, um, they were not the most competitive environments, but, like, he has the tools to be a really good quarterback and be a really good quarterback in the system, and I think they have a lot of pieces in place around him to be really, be really good offensively, right?

Whether it's the running game.

Um, with, with, with everyone that they have built in that backfield, um, the receivers are a bit of a question mark, but, like, I really like the look of this offense.

I know it's a new look offense without Buster Faulkner, um, but I'm, I'm, I'm excited to see how that marriage goes and if it can keep Georgia Tech kind of in the periphery of the playoff conversation as they've been the last couple of years.

Yeah, that's an interesting one to me because, uh, you know, I think a lot of people would have, would have loved the, you know, the, the happy, uh, simple succession of Alberto following his brother, uh, and, you know, Indiana, I think, clearly wanted to look elsewhere, and that kind of forced him to, to look elsewhere, but it, this could be a great landing spot.

I, I do think Georgia Tech has found a good way under Brent Key of using its quarterbacks, particularly Haynes King.

Uh, I could mention Lincoln Kienholz here, who's going from Ohio State back up to Louisville starter.

But the guy that intrigues me maybe even a little bit more than that is Kevin Jennings, the quarterback at SMU who is the proverbial little girl with the curl.

When he is good, he is very good, and when he is bad, he is horrid.

And sometimes you just don't know what you're gonna get, sometimes it's within the same game.

But he will turn the ball over, he will make incredibly rash plays, and then he will make awesome, brilliant plays, uh, with, with, uh, great panache and do things you, that kind of drop your jaw.

So, it can be a little more consistent?

Can he even it out?

And if so, I think SMU again, will be an ACC title contender and possibly a playoff team.

All right, game, most intriguing game in the league.

Um, who needs to go first here, Kevin.

Uh, I mean, Miami, Notre Dame, it almost has to be like all the stakes, all the, you know, backdrop of, of last season and, you know, years before.

I mean, it's, it's gonna be an awesome game again.

Does it impact who makes the playoffs?

Maybe not, but look, in a twelve-team world, you know, you're, you're only one bad loss away from that game all of a sudden having like immense importance to get into the thing.

And if nothing else, it will have immense importance in in seeding and um it could decide who's the number one team in college football is this year, so super excited about it.

I, I, I would second that for sure.

Uh, maybe, maybe a, a close runner-up, at SMU at Notre Dame late in the season, uh, there in December.

So like that's another one.

Can the ACC get multiple teams into the playoffs?

I, I think that's gonna be one of those games you're gonna circle, especially given the, the schedule that the Mustangs have.

You, you kind of look at it, maybe that, maybe that's a top 5, top 10 matchup, um, you know, especially if Kevin Jennings, to, to, uh, Pat's credit, um, like I, I sat down with him a couple of weeks ago, um, you know, he says.

He's healthy, you know, for the first time in a long time, you know, he, he was dealing with a lot of issues with his ankle, um, like I, I think, you know, he's, he's primed for a big season, you know, they're talking about him being a Heisman Trophy contender, uh, there in Dallas.

So, I, I think that game, uh, prime time likely, uh, you know, certainly, uh, with, with a lot of focus there, uh, on, on national television, on NBC, at Notre Dame, like that, that's gonna be a big game, I think for SMU and, and for the ACC in general.

Yup, uh, I agree with both of you guys on, on those games.

I'm gonna, I, I could throw out TCU UNC, but we kind of touched on that, the game in Dublin, which last year was an extreme bellwether event for what UNC was not going to be.

But I'm gonna say Louisville versus Mississippi in Nashville.

Season opening weekend, Labor Day weekend, I think it's Sunday game.

Jeff Brown pulls some stuff off.

He has done that routinely throughout his career, and this is an opportunity to pull off a big one, if you could take down a playoff team from the SEC right away with a Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback in Trinidad Chambliss.

Maybe they can't do it.

They played Ole Miss in a season opener a few years ago and got smoked.

Uh, but this game, I think with, with Bram in, in that role, uh, I say watch out, at least.

That's gonna be intriguing.

All right, Big 12, guys, uh, most intriguing team, Brian Fisher.

Uh, you know, I mean, at, at this point, you know, you almost want to go to Texas Tech, uh, given all that we have talked about the Red Raiders through what, months now at this point, uh, with given the Soresby situation and everything going on, and, uh, you know, it's gonna be interesting to see what, um, what Joey McGuire has to say next week, uh, there at the Big 12 Media Days.

Uh, but I, I almost want to go with Utah at this point, uh, you know, just the, the change there.

I mean, two decades of Kyle Whittingham, how is this?

Program is going to be different under Morgan Scally.

Um, obviously, Devin Dampier is back, so you have your quarterback that you can kind of build around, but new coordinators there, uh, just a really a sense of kind of, kind of a fresh feeling, uh, there around the youths in, in that program.

So I'm gonna be just curious, is there anything new?

Is it, is it, are they gonna do anything different?

And, you know, frankly, you go back to a lot of, you know, years under Kyle, they started off slow.

Um, this is gonna, that's gonna be one thing.

I'm gonna keep an eye on uh with Utah going in this year, are, are some of these changes, could, could, could they end up getting off to a better start, um, especially given the intrigue over their schedule.

They're gonna play obviously BYU in the Holy War, other big-time matchups.

This is one of those teams that I think you have the talent, uh, to, to make it to the Big 12 title game.

Can, can they kind of get over that hump in this first year of a new new regime, even though, uh, it's still a lot of the same faces they're around Salt Lake.

I, I, I hate to go back to the new coach with great vibes, well, but the, uh, Oklahoma State, Eric Morris, Drew Mestemaker combination just fascinates me on a number of levels, I think.

Their offense will clearly be very good.

He's an incredible talent.

Um, they import a lot of that offense.

It's not just mess tomaker, it's Caleb Hawkins, the running back, Wyatt Young, the receiver, um, and then they went out in the portal and did some stuff as well that I think will, will help.

Um, I, I think their, their defense at North Texas was probably underrated .

Um, last year, in terms of like, that had been a train wreck for a couple of years, and he got them to competence, and all of a sudden now you're competent with a with a great offense, and, and you're flying around and and winning games at a very high level.

And then the other thing is like, look, Oklahoma State.

Um, was behind the eight ball financially, I think across the board a little bit in, in the NIL era, basketball, football.

Um, it feels like this year they've kind of figured it out, and they've spent some, some real money here.

And again, I, I think there's a path with the way that their schedule sets up and with the quarterback to, to make some real noise.

And so, um, I, I, I also just, like, I, I, I love watching games in Stillwater, like, I think it's like one of those, like, you know, the fans are right on top of you, it's a unique setup and vibe, and I think if they can get it rolling a little bit and change the energy around that place, it'll be a very tough place to play in late October and into November.

Yeah, it's kind of fun when Oklahoma State is good, you know, I, they, they bring a little sass to the mix, and it, it'll be different without the, the mullet there, but, but I welcome the change and see what, uh, what they put on the table.

I'm gonna go ahead with Texas Tech.

Brian kind of, kind of took Texas Tech and then kind of took Utah.

I'm taking Texas Tech, just the, the, the offseason drama there after dominating the league.

If they can get good quarterback play, they're still the best team in the league.

So that's gonna be a big question mark.

But, but the, the defensive talent is deep there.

And uh I, I think they're gonna come into this with, with some attitude, cause that seems to be how tech does everything.

And we'll see how that's received, cause the rest of the league really doesn't like him at this point.

So, I think just the vibe around their league games is gonna be uh heightened, I guess you would say.

We'll see if anybody's good enough to beat them.

All right, most intriguing coach, Kevin.

Um, I think Morgan Scally to me is, is probably the most interesting, just given the way that everything went down at Utah, and, and then obviously added on to the fact that, you know, Kyle Whittingham is coaching elsewhere.

I think the general thesis would be, if you have a coach as good as Kyle Whittingham, you let him coach as long as you'd like, but they have clearly for a long time felt very strongly that Morgan Scally was a guy with, with a serious future, and Again, especially now that Texas Tech is, um, at least weakened a bit, there's real opportunity, as, as, as Brian alluded to, to be a, uh, to compete for this conference championship, to potentially be a playoff team.

And so there's, this is, this is not like a, a slow up uptake with him.

They have to win fast.

Um, this is a job where you're set up to win, I think, in a lot of respects.

And so, uh, just fascinated how quickly he can get on the sticks as the head man and Uh, you know, get it rolling, because I don't think there will be a ton of patience if it's, if the, if the start is bumpy.

I, I, I'm intrigued by, by Dion.

Like, I mean, what, what, what, what are getting on a prime, you know, I mean, uh, you know, everybody remembers him, and certainly bursting onto the scene, but like 3 and 9 last year, um, the, the health issues that he's been dealing with, you know, you certainly hope that, uh, he, he is OK in that regard, but, um, you know, what are we actually going to get out of Dion, the coach this year?

Like I, I, I, I.

I, I have no idea.

And, uh, you know, you, you certainly see, uh, you know, some of the talents they brought in, uh, like I think his his offensive coordinator hire Brandon Marion is, is gonna be a big value add there in, uh, in, in Boulder, but like, what are we actually going to get out of, out of the Buffaloes this year and, and what, what is this Dion experiment like going to be moving forward?

Is this going to be something he's gonna recommit to, uh, this year, or is he gonna say, you know, between maybe having another bad year, between, you know, having a new AD now, uh, having new presidential leadership there in Colorado.

Uh, plus the health issues, like, is this, is this kind of it for, for Dion?

Is this gonna be his, his swan song?

So I, I, I'm very intrigued over what's, what's gonna happen with him and, um, you know, really the Colorado program in general, uh, moving forward.

Yeah, Prime was gonna be who I was gonna talk about there cause I think this season is kind of the defining one about what this program is or will be or has been under him.

First year, took their lumps, 2nd year, really good.

Third year , they've, they've lost the Heisman Trophy winner and a, a stellar quarterback and, and didn't put it back together very well at all.

Now, what have you done?

Now, you, you know, you've, you've recognized probably your program weaknesses, how do you fix them?

And is, is, is Colorado really going to be significantly better with Deion Sanders, or is it gonna look like it did for much of the last quarter century?

Uh, but I'm gonna, I wanna throw in a quick word on, uh, Colin Klein at Kansas State.

Uh, a hero in the program, very promising, excuse me, assistant coach coming up.

They brought him in from Texas A&M.

A lot of people wanted him, they called him home.

He, uh, steps into a program with a, with an experienced quarterback who is kind of underachieved a little bit, I think, in Avery Johnson.

So, can he apply some of His, uh, expertise there and get Kansas State back in the title mix where they have been somewhat consistently.

So, that one intrigues me.

Uh, player, um, uh, Brian.

Uh, I'm gonna go with Will Hammond at Texas Tech, you know, the quarterback.

I mean, I, I think there's just, uh, given the focus on that position really all summer at this point, um, you know, like there's gonna be such a huge spotlight on, on the kid.

And look, we, you know, we, we have seen him, so we, we do have a sample size of, of him actually operating, uh, with the Red Raiders and, and, and, you know, playing in this offense.

And, uh, you know, I mean, he, he was phenomenal, you know, in, in that win against Utah, looked certainly much more pedestrian.

And and lost to Arizona State, you know, which, which quarterback are we gonna get number one?

How's his ACL, uh, gonna be?

Like, it doesn't seem like he's, he's, uh, as much as they say he's kind of tracking, uh, well for the early part of the season.

It doesn't seem like he's gonna be there for the opener, if not the first two games.

Like, there's, there's just gonna be a lot of pressure, especially with a pretty big conference game, uh, there with, with Texas Tech and Houston in terms of opening up, uh, league play.

So, I, I think there's just gonna be a ton of pressure on him, a ton of focus.

On him, just given everything and frankly, you know, like he, he's gonna have to perform.

This is a roster that is the best in the in the league, uh, you know, it's gonna be up to Will Hammond to kind of say, not only can we, can we win the league if if we're Texas Tech, but we can also get back to being a playoff team and maybe even win a game and show some pulse there on offense.

I think it's, it's all gonna come down to, to his shoulders and, and we're gonna see what he has to do, uh, on the field.

I, I, I just, I remain fascinated how he handles it all.

Yeah, there's a number of quarterbacks you could pick for this, um, you know, you mentioned Pat Avery Johnson, um, just a maddening player to watch at times, and, you know, fascinated, like, can Colin Klein help him put it all together because the accuracy very up and down, um, etc.

etc.

To me , the quarterback I'm maybe most fascinated by is DJ Lagway, right?

Like, in, in, in, in a lot of ways like.

The market kind of told DJ Lagway what they think of DJ Lagway in the portal, right?

Like, it strikes me that with the limited number of experienced quarterbacks , the limited number of high, high pedigree quarterbacks like Lagway, that the market would have been stronger than Baylor to get him, if the market believed in DJ Lagway, and I still kind of believe in DJ Lagway, like I, I may go to the grave with this one, but, like, I think that the arm talent is very real.

I think this system, uh, they, they were very good offensively last year.

Sawyer Robertson was a lot of fun to watch, um, I, I, I think, I think there's a path here to DJ DJ Lagway really resurrecting his career at Baylor, and The pressure is obviously on.

Dave Aranda needs a good year, uh, this program needs a good year.

I think they have, you know, the pieces around him in the system for him to be successful, and, and so now it, it, it truly is like, all right, are, are you what you say you are?

Are you say what are you what everyone thought you could be, or are you a guy who will make a ton of mistakes and turn the football over and put us in bad positions?

Like that, that, that to me is, is, is the question with him, and it's always been the question with him.

But the talent's real, and so I'm not, I'm not quite selling all the stock yet in spite of the fact that it still feels a little bit, a bit odd that he's, he's the quarterback at Baylor with all the, uh, with all the hype that surrounded him at one point.

Yeah, DJ Lagway, 5-star guy at Baylor, Julian Lewis, Juju Lewis at Colorado, intriguing, but I, I like the quarterback situation at Houston intrigues me.

Connor Wegman had a good year last year, and I expect him to be the guy.

This year and Houston had a good season.

Willie Frittz, again, great coach, we keep seeing it.

But I also know they got a 5-star guy to stay home, Keyshawn Henderson, uh, you know, top 2 or 3 quarterback in the country.

And when Houston can get a guy like that to stay home, there's gonna be a little bit of, uh, itchiness probably to play him.

I, the smart thing is to not let Connor Wegman do his thing, but I'm kind of intrigued whether he gets on the field and what he looks like when he does.

All right, game of the year, uh, most intriguing game, Big 12, quickly if possible, Brian.

Well, you, you gotta know Notre Dame at, uh, BYU in terms of the playoff implications, but I, I, I will give a second actual conference-only matchup because I, I do think it's, uh, you know, intriguing enough to bring up, uh, October 24th, Texas Tech at Cincinnati, the Brendan you took stands, Brendan Sosby, so I'm, I'm gonna throw that one out there.

Love it, love it.

I, I had, um, that, that Houston, Texas Tech game , right?

First real test for Texas Tech, potentially first game for Will Hammond, um, Houston, a team that has some intrigue around it, like, does Texas Tech just dispatch them, and it's like, all right, status quo, they're the best team in the league, or do they at least show some cracks that can be exploited later in conference play?

Yeah, Texas Tech, Cincinnati is the Soarsby Bowl with no Soresby.

But, uh, the, the, the, the, the level of crossfire between those fan bases over, oh, Cincinnati knew and they played him, and why isn't Cincinnati getting any criticism?

We are, that sort of thing.

Well, that, that'll, that'll be a nice little side angle for that.

Even though again, uh, Brendan Soresby's not playing.

All right, we'll wrap with the SEC.

We've got another story at the end.

So, we're gonna run a little bit long today, but it's, it's July 4th, and you're, you know, you're driving to somewhere, you're sitting at a cookout, you're on the beach.

Take your time and listen to us.

Um, SEC, last but certainly not least, uh, most intriguing team, uh, Kevin.

I, I think it's Ole Miss, uh, obviously an incredible quarterback in Chambliss, but even, even Pete Golding said it himself last year, like, I was just inheriting the machine.

I had to keep the wheels on.

I wasn't ripping up the playbook, I wasn't ripping up how we do things.

Now, now it's gonna look different.

And As we mentioned earlier in the show, they have a real test, week 1 against Louisville, um, that is a monster game.

Week 3 against LSU monster game in Gainesville, in Nashville against Vandy, 22 tricky ones, like, the, the, the standard is very high, especially with Chambliss back, a potential Heisman guy, like.

How good and how fast, how good, how fast will Ole Miss be, uh, especially after taking on sort of a, a villain persona in the offseason with, with all the tampering accusations and Golden kind of saying like, all right, come get me, man.

Like, I, I, I've got the receipts on everybody else too.

So, uh, just, just fascinated by what this year looks like for Ole Miss and what this start looks like, because Again, you could be looking up on October 15th, and they could be the most disappointing team in college football, just the way that the schedule sets up, or they could be flying high , like there there, there's a path to either, and, you know, how, how it diverges from there will be, will be interesting to me.

Well, to the SEC, every team is, is intriguing.

It just means more, right, in, in the league.

So, uh, you, you could pretty much go with, with anybody, especially given some of the, the new coaches, and, uh, that, that to me is the one that kind of pops into my mind.

It's Florida, you know, I think what, what John Summerall inherited there in terms of the actual roster, uh, we, we know he's a terrific coach.

I mean, he's a guy that just gets teams to conference championship games, uh, like, like it's nobody's business.

That, that's been his, his history.

He improves them, uh, you know, from, from the year before, and, you know, there's interesting.

Um, you know, a quarterback battle.

There's an actual legitimate quarterback battle, um, you know, that, that is going on there in Gainesville.

Um, you give, given some of the crossover games, like this is one of those teams that I think is, is going to be, especially in a nine-game schedule, like how good Florida is, is, is gonna play a huge role in terms of, all right, that's how we're gonna measure where, where Georgia is, you know, relative to everybody else.

Like they, they, you know, they, they do play a lot of those other teams that, uh, you know, Kevin just mentioned.

So, like, to me, that's kind of one of those, the linchpins of the league is how good is Florida gonna be.

with a new coaching staff, uh, given all the dysfunction last year, you kind of got to wipe that slate clean.

They're, they're gonna should be very good on defense, gonna have a great running back.

We'll see what they get out of the quarterback position.

Um, they, they got some great, uh, wide receivers there.

Like, I, I think it is a very interesting Florida team, and, uh, one of those teams that you, you can kind of circle on the calendar in, in the SEC this year is being, all right, if they're good , and, and then they're certainly above average, um, you know, that, that could, uh, end up, uh , changing a lot of fortunes, uh, for some of those other middle tier teams in the rest of the league.

Yeah, the, the, the Florida as a kind of a SEC bellwether is real.

Last year, when they got beaten by South Florida and crushed by Miami, all of a sudden, they're beating Texas hurt Texas.

And, you know, cause they, they didn't prove anything in the non-conference, and, and so they dragged down Texas, uh, kind of uh in It is a downstream effect from that.

So, uh, they, they tend to be one of those programs, like if Florida's good, the SEC is much better.

So, uh, I am going to say, I, I'm gonna ignore the obvious in Baton Rouge, cause I think we're gonna talk about things related to Baton Rouge plenty here in a minute.

I'm gonna say Georgia, because they have been the boss of the SEC.

Largely for the last 5 years.

They've won 2 national titles, but are they still that Georgia?

Are they the Georgia juggernaut, or are they just the best team in a slightly disappointing SEC?

Cause the last 2 playoffs, they haven't delivered.

Lost to Notre Dame, lost to Mississippi.

Still a ton of good players, but do they have the absolute dominators they've had?

Uh, when they were winning championships.

That's what I wanna see.

Do they, they were young last year.

Does the experience help them ?

Do they get back to being not just the best team in the SEC but possibly the best team in the country?

That's my question there.

All right, most intriguing coach, have at it, Brian.

It's, it's, it's lame.

I mean, we could do an hour on this at this point.

And so I, I will let you guys, you know, run because I, I do think there's a secondary intriguing, uh, coach there, in the league in terms of Steve Sarkisian in Texas.

You know, I think there's, he was brought in for a season like this.

They have gone all in.

It is Arch Manning.

He's, he's an established starter at this point.

Point.

They've gone out into the portal, they've gotten running backs, they've gotten wide receivers.

They've got, um, you know, they, they think they've solved their, their offensive line issues and, and, and they're, they're, they're better upfront, um, from where they were a year ago.

So, like, this is kind of the year.

I, I don't wanna say it's make or break there for Sark, uh, down in Austin, but like it feels like there is a lot of pressure to actually, you know, Get this over the line, uh, there, there with the Longhorns.

So, I, I think it's, it's, you add in the pressure, you add in the 9th conference game, you add in that opener, or not the opener, but, uh, you know, that big-time non-conference matchup against Ohio State as well.

Like there is a lot, uh, riding on, uh, as much as we want to say there's a focus on Lane, uh, this year, I think there's a lot, uh, on, on Sark as well.

Yeah, 100%, and I actually, I had written down , if someone does the lane thing, go with Sark was, was, was, was was basically in my notes.

So, yeah, I think you're, you're right, those are the two fascinating names on the lane front.

I, I think, look, a lot will be made about the, the comments and the persona and the, you know, the expectation and the money they've spent and, and all that, like, to me, the, the thing I would say that maybe isn't discussed quite as much as like, They've had their stumbles at Ole Miss early in the season.

It's taken them some time, right?

You think about the Kentucky game that was so costly a few years back, but even last year when they were very good, like, played with their food seriously against Washington State, played a one-score game with an Arkansas team that wasn't very good, played a one-score game with the Kentucky team that wasn't very good, right?

Like, they, they, they, they took their time getting to where they, they wound up being by the end of the season.

Um, which was obviously an elite football team, and, like, there will not be any patience for that at LSU, right?

I mean, look, Brian, Brian Kelly's early season losses were a massive bugaboo, and those were two monster programs, monster brands, like, uh, again, it's it'll be one thing if, if he loses the Ole Miss game, that, that is a fascinating conversation of its own, and, and what that would mean, you know, not, not just narratively, but for their season, like.

I, I, I, I, I think Lane needs to be on his most focused behavior to make sure that they avoid a, an ugly one, because, again, he's the most, he's he's the most popular man in town before he loses a football game.

What happens then, I, I'm curious to see how he handles it at a place like LSU versus a place like Ole Miss.

No fan base will wheel on you like LSU's, none, like you, they love you when you win and they hate you when you lose, and it becomes like.

DEFCON 5 quickly there, uh, if they lose.

And, and you're right , I mean, September, woo, Clemson, which, again, I'm not a believer in Clemson, but still, you gotta show up ready.

Louisiana Tech, fine, but then at Ole Miss, and then you gotta come off that Ole Miss game with everything that's gonna be surrounding that and play Texas A&M who's gonna be really good.

So, Lane Kiffin on his best, most focused behavior.

What does that even look like?

I don't know, but he's gonna need it.

We'll see if he can, we'll see if he can summon it.

Uh, most intriguing player, Kevin.

I wrote down Keelan Russell and or whoever wins the Alabama quarterback job, right?

I mean, look, we, we spent a lot of time, and this is, this is true of, uh, throughout the college football ecosystem, like, who are the transfers, who are the big new faces, like Alabama punted the quarterback position in the portal.

They, they, they, they stuck with the guys in-house.

Killing Russell, obviously incredibly talented.

Um, but there isn't, I mean, look, it's, it's not a, it's not a hot take to say that the quarterback at Alabama is, is the most intriguing man in the SEC, but like, in a lot of ways, like, like this is going to dictate their season, and this Alabama roster is a good roster, but it is not an overwhelming roster where the quarterback just has to kind of, you know, push the right buttons and everything will be fine.

Like, they, they're gonna need Keen Russell to make some, make some serious plays, and You know, I, I think Deboer and, and Ryan Grubb are a great offensive, uh, coaching staff.

Um, I, I'm very intrigued by what they can do with the guy with his talent, but the, the pressure is on him in a major way, assuming he wins the job, and if he doesn't, then obviously, it's, it's Mac and the conversation with him.

I wanted to go with either of the Red River quarterbacks in in this one, and, uh, both, both the guys certainly, uh, in terms of the pressure, uh, the potential for, for either John Bat or, or Arch, uh, you know, is off the charts, but I'm circling Sam Levitt because, uh, you know, for, for all the talk this, this year about Lane and, uh, you know, him taking over at LSU.

If the Tigers are actually going to be what their roster spend, uh, is gonna say they are, if it's gonna be what, uh, everybody there in Baton Rouge thinks they are, it's, it's gonna be off of Sam Levitt being a good quarterback again.

And, uh, you know, certainly the injuries, uh, during his, his last season there at Arizona State, um, you know, kind of took that away from him a little bit, but like, uh, you know, I, I find him fascinating because he's gonna Determine the ceiling and the floor of maybe the most intriguing team in the SEC.

So, I, I, I circle him as, as my, uh, my player, but, uh, I think there's, there's no, no wrong options, uh, here in the, in the league, and, and that's not even getting to, uh, Trinidad Chambliss, who might be the face of college football this year, but, uh, I just think, um, you know, actually in the SEC, uh, you know, Sam Levitt and his play is gonna go a long way for, for the Tigers.

Uh, yeah, I, I definitely had Levitt on my list as well, but thank you for giving me Archibald Manning.

I'll take it.

John Matt is interesting.

Have you seen the, like the videos of him?

He's ripped.

He put on a lot of weight in the offseason.

He looks like a, a different guy, but Arch Manning, come on.

That, that to me is where the intrigue has been for over a year now.

Last year, he, he did get better as the season went along .

He's still, I like, I, I, it's, it's almost like people wiped clean the struggles of last year and just said, he's still the number one NFL quarterback prospects.

Like, I, I gotta see more.

I have got to see more.

Yeah, he was great against San Jose State.

He was great against Sam Houston.

He was great against an Arkansas team that had one of the worst defenses in SEC history.

He was great against the Michigan team in a bowl game that had most of its defensive players not playing.

I want to see him play really well against very good defenses.

I think he can.

I, you know, I like everything about him in terms of intangibles and intelligence and all that stuff, but I got to see more accuracy, and I've got to see him lead a team to lead an offense to do great things in big games, and That's, that's why I, I guess you, if you wanna call me, I'm not an Arch Manning hater.

I'm an Arch Manning doubter until he proves me wrong, which he may well do very quickly this season.

All right, most intriguing game.

Should I just say it this way?

Look, other than Ole Miss, LSU, the most intriguing game, because that's clearly the most intriguing game without any competition.

Um, Brian.

Well, you know, it's, it's not the most intriguing, but I think we should all have to give her like how many arrests are gonna be made and we can make the predictions, uh, how many state troopers are gonna be involved in this.

Will they call, call in the National Guard for that game?

Uh, uh, other than that game, yes, uh, certainly, Georgia at Alabama on October 10th, um, like that has been the kind of the game, um, you know, in terms of the, the focus and the intrigue, uh, throughout the SEC.

For, for years now.

And, and I think given the pressure on Kaylin Deboer there in, in, in Tuscaloosa, given the, the, I, I would say Kirby Smart's kind of gotten over the, the block there against Alabama, uh, you know, in terms of beating them in the SEC championship game, but like, you know, still in the regular season, you know, like there's, there's been some struggles there against his, uh, the team he used to be the defensive coordinator for.

So, I will circle Georgia at Alabama on October 10th.

It's Always, always a great one.

I'll stick on October 10th with, with Red River.

You mentioned that the two quarterbacks there with , with Mattier and Arch.

Um, again, this Texas schedule is a, is a beast, um, with Ohio State in week two and uh at Tennessee week 4, then you get a bye and you go play your biggest rival.

And how, how do you respond to that game, I think will be, will be fascinating and, and obviously, You know, for Oklahoma, it's, it's a huge opportunity to, to , to build their resume and try to get back to the for a, for a second straight year.

So, always always a fun one, but excited for that one.

Yeah, the, the Trinidad Chambliss quote on the September 19th LSU Ole Miss game.

I heard they might have to bring in the SWAT.

Um, and yes, I think the SWAT and every other element of law enforcement will perhaps be on call for that one.

I, like, I'm actually kind of scared of what that atmosphere might be like.

I, I hope it, it stays mildly within reason, as much as the SEC can be within reason in a game of this extreme bitterness.

Uh, but I gotta give a shout out to another Ole Miss game.

November 7th, Georgia at Mississippi.

They played two ding dong games last year.

Brian, I think you were at the one between the hedges, right?

And that was a wild shootout, and then Mississippi shocks Georgia in the playoffs.

And that feels like one of those games.

Georgia on the road in Oxford, like, are you gonna beat Georgia or not?

Let's see.

Let's see what you got there.

Uh, let's see, uh, if, if, Pete Golding can, can have maybe the best team in the league.

So, I, I am intrigued by that one.

OK, that wraps up the Power Four conferences.

A lot for everybody to listen to there.

But we gotta get one more thing here, uh, before we go.

Uh, some pre-pod discussion of this.

Brian brought this story up, and Kevin is getting married.

And this is, this has affected his potential, uh, wedding reception menu.

Milwaukee, Dateline.

A fight over a plate of meatballs ended with 2 people shot at a Milwaukee wedding reception, and a 41-year-old man now faces felony charges.

Thomas Redderick Williams is charged with two counts of first-degree reckless injury with use of a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon, and felony bail jumping.

Decided to go to the wedding while jumping bail.

Uh, According to court documents, the shooting stemmed from an argument over a groomsman eating meatballs with his hands.

So my question for you all, put on your judge's robes again.

How big an offense is it to eat meatballs with your hands at a wedding reception?

And Kevin, what does, what, how did this affect your, your, your, uh, your menu?

Yeah, it's, it's, it's been brought up.

Um, I, I think first I, I, I thought at first it was really gonna impact the menu, but Now the more I've thought about it, it really impacts the, the list of groomsmen because I gotta make, I gotta weed out any potential character that would consider eating a meatball with their bare, especially like a saucy one, right?

Like I, I mean, I have to assume this is, this is a real mess, uh.

And so for that, for that reason, I, I, I've done some, some real, real digging on my people, making sure I've got my house in order because the last thing you want is, is a, is a, is a gunfire by meatball incident.

Um, so yeah, very much intrigued by this.

Yeah, we need, we need good handhelds.

Give me a, give me a toothpick at least.

I mean, like how big are the meatballs?

Is this like a big meatball or is this a little meatball?

There's a, there's some, some unknown facts here that could influence the decision.

Yeah, those little like Swedish meatballs where you could use, you know, toothpick and you're just going in with your, your full hand like that.

I, I can understand, you know, understand that, you know, there, there, there might be some, some, some words exchanged on that one.

Like, to me, the, the thing she's like.

She told him to use a plate.

He punched her.

Like that was, that's, that's a quick, you know, from, from going to use a plate and then boom, she get sauce on herself.

That's the real question.

So like, uh, you know, yeah, I, I think that there's still some, some mysteries, uh, involved in the story, but, um, you know, let's, let's, uh, let's definitely leave that off the menu, Kev.

Yeah, like I, I, but here are we.

Are we blaming, who are we blaming here?

Are we blaming the, the people that put the meatballs on the menu?

Are we blaming the guy that ate with his hands, or are we blaming the guy that decided to shoot the gun?

Uh, a lot of, a lot of, uh, elements here.

I'm gonna say A, also, Kevin, yeah, free advice on your guest list.

Don't invite any felons who might be packing.

Um, and then B, yeah, be careful with the meatballs.

But, Here's, I guess my advice, if I'm, if I'm the justice here, I'm gonna tell Kevin Sweeney and everyone else planning a wedding, have some emergency toothpicks around on hand so that you can, you know, give them out if you're seeing, if you're seeing the finger food going the wrong way.

Be ready to intercede.

Uh, and with that, I'm gonna intercede and end this podcast.

Thank you for listening.

Have a great extended weekend, and we will be back.