Latest / In The Pocket / Ep. 16: WMU-Toledo, glycidyl methacrylate, and oodles of injuries into Saturday

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Ep. 16: WMU-Toledo, glycidyl methacrylate, and oodles of injuries into Saturday · In The Pocket

• Andrew Graham: Hello and welcome to another episode of In the Pocket. I am Andrew Graham, one of your venerable co hosts for this podcast covering college football in the state of Michigan. I am joined with my other co it's it's not an other co host, it's just my co host, Connor. How you doing? Connor Earegood: Doing good. have sriracha on my breakfast right now, as I tweeted about yesterday. Life is good. Andrew Graham: Yeah, I wanna interrogate this very briefly before we start talking about football. Like how d like was this like literally your first time trying, Sriracha? Okay, Connor Earegood: No, no, no, no. Okay. Andrew Graham: okay, good. Connor Earegood: In in I I like I had had it before at restaurants and stuff, but when I was in college we got like the Costco like mixed pack of like super hot and green and like all that and Andrew Graham: Yeah, yeah. Connor Earegood: it was really good. So then I was at the grocery store and I saw the Hoi Fong bottle shout out and and I was like Andrew Graham: A green top. Gotta have a green top. Connor Earegood: I was like, you know, I usually do like, you know, cheap hot sauce for my eggs and I like, Let me do something fancy. Let's treat myself and it's been worth it every bit. I'm on my third bottle in about a month, so Andrew Graham: I'm just dying Connor Earegood: I put it on everything. Andrew Graham: at you I'm just dying at you calling Saracha fancy more than anything here. Connor Earegood: Well, I mean it kinda is. Like it's it's six dollar hot sauce. I'm used to doing Texas peep, dude. Like Yeah. Andrew Graham: On the rel fair. On the relative scale of hot sauces is expensive. On the scale of like things you're buying at the store is not. Connor Earegood: Fair, fair, fair. Andrew Graham: well have you ever this is w this is the final hot sauce digression. Have you ever tried like Great Lakes Sauce Company? They Connor Earegood: I haven't, no. Andrew Graham: have a lot of very good hot sauces, so shout out to them if you're not a Sriracha Ultra, which I also Connor Earegood: Check them out. Andrew Graham: am. but we have one other non like football game this weekend thing to briefly hit on. And but that is related to college football, is just Matt Drinkle cutting a diss track about college football playoff expansion on Tuesday morning, which was a very entertaining little thing to witness live myself. and I I'm sure most people listening to this are probably aware of what he said. But the long and short of it, and he used some pretty Not aggressive terminology, but very direct Connor Earegood: Choice language. Andrew Graham: a very direct terminology, I will say, would be the word, where you know, he's talking about how the sport is basically being prostituted for financial gain. And I I might actually quibble with some of the finer points of what he said about like the money, where it's I think it's more about protecting investment than creating more revenue, at least in the short term, as plenty others have observed. But I think just like directionally he was very correct about. This was a decision made by a bunch of people considering their own interests and not thinking about a whole enterprise or certain key stakeholders or X, Y, and Z things, which I think is like what was novel about it wasn't what Drinkle was necessarily saying. Like it was how he said it in part, and the fact that from what I can tell, he's the first sitting FBS head coach to Be so sort of stridently against this latest playoff expansion. Because some of the other ones have been like, meh, you know, but Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: he he was just basically like, this is a boondoggle being sold to us by the same people who sold us to BCS, who, you know, just clearly don't have the interest of the whole of the enterprise being whole and healthy going forward. Connor Earegood: Yeah, well I think it's important too that he's a group of six coach. Like I Andrew Graham: Yes. Connor Earegood: I feel like that's the group that needs to start flipping tables here. You're the you Andrew Graham: Little bit. Connor Earegood: know. Like that's that's that was a positive sign I think for the the you know, maybe the direction or or maybe at least the resistance to change in this sport. at least someone's trying to hit the brakes. I I appreciated a lot of his comments. I do think some of it is like alright, dude, like there's money involved. It is going to you know it's like it's like Andrew Graham: Absolutely, yeah. Connor Earegood: back at the barnyard Like it's a cow farm, there's gonna be you know what mean? Like there's gonna be cows, like there's gonna be issues when there's money involved. That is human Andrew Graham: They rub me cows. Exactly. a hundred percent. Connor Earegood: that's why they say don't mix friends and and money, you know, friends and business. Andrew Graham: Mm. Connor Earegood: Like that's just straight up like it is it is messy and muddy and you're always gonna run into that. but you know it it is like you look at the athletics poll on twenty four team expansion and like I I think it was Scott Andrew Graham: Yeah. Not popular. Connor Earegood: was it Stuart Mandel that pointed out he's like this was the one when it was four back It should it it it twelve is Andrew Graham: Yeah, it was popular when it was four and it's unpopular to move off twelve, which tells you something about where we were at. Connor Earegood: like twelve is too much, I think. Personally. I think it should be eight. Andrew Graham: I I think you can make a I think there's a case to be made that twelve was too many, but in a way that like was fine. 'Cause I think tw Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: what twelve balanced actually pretty well if you were gonna pr like make sure the G six got in. Like yeah, Notre Dame's gonna get their like handout because it's Notre Dame. Like I'm just that that is what it is. But twelve I think balanced pretty well of like we're gonna have in here credibly most years like the six to eight teams that we all think can actually win the national title. And give Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: some teams that probably deserve the chance to be playing for one. The chance to play for one, whether they're gonna win or not. Yeah. Like like like what Connor Earegood: Like like Western had a path. Western had a path this year. Like Andrew Graham: you can't tell me if you like I I have watched Boise State play Oregon, I watched them play Western Michigan. They're a very good team. You can't tell me that they're not if they go twelve and one with a conference title, that they don't deserve a chance to go beat I don't know, like Ole Miss or who I yeah, whoever it would be. Like I just think that's kind of the deal. Correct. And nine and three power conference teams that had every Connor Earegood: This is gonna be like nine and three teams. Like it Yeah. Andrew Graham: ability to not be in that position. And I think that like Drinkle didn't say that, but that's sort of like the implication of like just what are we doing here, for who? For why? Because it's not for his team. It's not for his league. It's Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: not for even like and like the Mac admittedly is kind of the bottom of the totem pole as these leagues go, but like this playoff expansion with like the token spot for the group of six and he also did kind of point out how ridiculous it is that like everyone else is in a conference and has to share revenue, but Notre Dame doesn't, but Notre Dame gets the same pa like it's it's not a s Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: equitable system in any shape or form. and we just I think part of it is we should just pr like Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: we don't have to go along with the charade that it is. Like it's gonna be what Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: it is and like the play like The playoff will be what the playoff is. There'll be Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: 24 teams, but I don't think we have to pretend it's like this truly equitable playoff, because what it's to me, like what the playoff in postseason is really about is that every team that's in FBS at the beginning of the year has a very realistic path to say if we win every game on our schedule, we will get a chance to play for a national title. A chance to play for one. Not that like you're gonna go to the national championship game, but if you are an FBS team. And you win every game on your schedule. What more could you ask a team to do to get a shot? And like this playoff does not correct. And Connor Earegood: Yeah. Miami Miami basketball last year. Andrew Graham: this playoff, in my opinion, is probably not gonna allow for that because if there's two like in a year, say Fresno State and Toledo go undefeated, one of them just probably wouldn't get in. They would probably just keep one of them out. I'm very convinced of that. and I would I'd be happy to be proven wrong of that. But with like the tokenism of the one G6 spot, it's just not like Connor Earegood: Mm-hmm. Andrew Graham: it's clearly socialism for the power four and really the power two. in terms of like it's it's I almost describe it as like the 2014 playoff is an accounting trick to make a bunch of donors and coaches feel better about a forty five million dollar roster winning eight games. Like that's what it really is. Connor Earegood: one hundred percent. One hundred percent. This is how you keep this going. Yeah, because it gives you some payoff and then it gets the coaches who are fired because they don't make a playoff with all these teams. It gives them a little bit of runway. Andrew Graham: Which is then gonna turn into you're not winning playoff game, so we fire you. It's like you're the the shovel's not getting put down here. and it's just it's so short sighted, but that is basically what's happening here. but that's all Connor Earegood: Yeah. It's ridiculous. Andrew Graham: that's all for next year and we'll have the twelve team this year. And it's like the degree to which they just can't let things kinda cook for like a half decade or a decade and then make a decision like gather some data, ha have some have some some fuller ideas. Connor Earegood: Yeah. 'Cause the money's waived it's a Ponzi scheme. The money's waved in their face and they don't have it. Like Andrew Graham: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it feels like everything's a Ponzi scheme these days. You know what's not a Ponzi scheme though? Is the actual college football games, which we should probably talk about here. so we got five this week. We're not gonna talk about them in any particular order than like the ones I wrote them down, kind of by the or order of interest I think they might have. but it's the the actual slate is Westerns at Toledo at noon, hopefully not in a gas cloud of Chrysod Cry Chrysodil methacrylate or glycodyl methacrylate that's it I I've learned pre Connor Earegood: Yeah. Linebacker, Toledo, Ohio. Andrew Graham: yeah pre precursor no no that's definitely a Polynesian guy Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: but that's noon Michigan in Indiana in the big house also noon Central Michigan hosts Miami of Ohio at one PM and then MSU's at UCLA at three thirty Eastern's at Ohio at four so it's a pretty bedtime respecting slate across the state of Michigan this week. I guess we'll start with Eastern Michigan at Ohio because I think unfortunately for Eastern Michigan this one's not going to go very well. for two reasons. Eastern Michigan, extremely hurt. Ohio, 26-1 at home since the 2022 season began, and that includes wins over Iowa State and West Virginia. So I am just, Connor Earegood: Yeah. Tough place to play. Andrew Graham: yeah. No, I like I was digging into that last night, and I was genuinely like I knew they had like won a lot at home. I'd read some of the stats. I was just going through it, like seeing some of the Teams they had beaten. I was like, yeah, they did beat like I remember that Iowa State game of like Matt Campbell walking off the field looking like someone just stole his car. Like it's they've just had this ridiculous heater. and it's just a really hard place to play, which you'll take. I think for Eastern side it's the real thing they gotta watch is Noah Kim is now among the many, many injuries they have, and he played last week despite being questionable. And it sounds like he kind of has to if he goes through practice this week and they're kind of like, Yeah, you're good, he feels good, I'm guessing he'll play. And then if there's some issue that's cropping up or the injury's not, you know, getting better or they they you know, maybe you need to sit a week for the long run, like whatever it is, there's probably a decision that's gonna be made on that this week. Undisclosed injury, as is often the the nature with eastern Michigan. They are kind of old school on the lid on with that stuff. but that's just like the big concern among the countless, countless injuries they've had across the line in the secondary and the receivers and now the linebacker room and now Noah Kim and that's just like the fact that they're four and four with how many injuries they've had is already pretty impressive, but I'm not feeling Connor Earegood: Yeah. It's like a tight rope walk, like Andrew Graham: Yeah. No, I mean you you you're covering the same thing week to week with Michigan State of just Connor Earegood: yeah. Andrew Graham: like you don't like even if like even if every player who was like replacing someone was hurt was like at the same level, which let's be honest, they're not across the board. But even if you were replacing like for like talent, you're still getting hurt by the fact that there's no continuity. There's no like your linebackers have not played five games next to each other. They're playing for the f like like Connor Earegood: Yeah. They played twelve snaps next to each other. Like Andrew Graham: Right, a quarter, yeah. and and just that that reality will catch up to you eventually. and I think we're kind of seeing that for Eastern as we've seen for Michigan State, and that sucks. Like that really sucks. Connor Earegood: I mean it's it's like you hate you hate Andrew Graham: go ahead. Connor Earegood: to see injuries. You just hate to see injuries, especially Andrew Graham: Correct. Connor Earegood: like early in the season. This is the time you kind of expect them, so it's like this is where I feel like and and MSU side of things too, like this is where you see when you have to play dudes so early and they get road miles, like it just compounds throughout the season. Like yeah. Exactly. Yeah, they can do piecemeal like Andrew Graham: Yeah. Well and then a guy a guy who's a freshman and maybe not ready has to play and he gets hurt 'cause he's not like yeah, and it just like it c it can snowball. Connor Earegood: They can start, you know, play a couple of games and it's like, all right, there's something and like handle it and the body blows and then you know, I was talking to Joe Rossi about this yesterday, like they realized like, time to go eat food and lift weights off season. All off season. Yeah. Andrew Graham: I was just about to bring that up, yeah. Like Jeremiah Favorite covered a tight end and kinda getting weight roomed, like Connor Earegood: And it's like and it's like the you know, that's real. But like now imagine you know, they didn't want him to play seventy one reps, he was injured all last season. So now his first collegiate action or well second third collegiate action is playing a seventy-one snap game, tired out of his mind, and you know, evidently not big enough. And so yes, there's the the motivation to get better, but then it's like now he's got wear and tear and bumps and bruises and boo boos that you know, he wouldn't have had if if he was just playing in piecemeal. So that's the thing where if you have to start guys so early you know, if you're eastern Michigan you run into sort of that long term attrition and injuries just began injuries. Andrew Graham: Yeah. And if Noah Kim can't play it, it's not entirely clear whether Eastern would do Brogan McKee or Jay Stuckey. but it would be one of those two getting the start, and I would guess there's a decent possibility we might see both of them if one of them has to play for Eastern, just 'cause it's kinda co equals us back up and if one struggles, I guess it's a short leash. But that is that is sort of the picture for Eastern this week. It is It is bleak, but a bowl game is still in sight, and that is that would still be a good year for the Eagles. we'll pick that in a minute here. Central hosts Miami of Ohio, another quarterback injury of note here. Angel Flores is in concussion protocol for Central Michigan, which is not terribly surprising when you take like the textbookist targeting hit at the end of the Western game as Flores did and left the game. so it's it's I think that one's just a matter of like we'll know. when the injury report comes out on game day, and maybe like may if he's a game time decision, we'll know when they take the field. Like I think it's really that kinda like they will give it as late as they can go. Cause Matt Drinkle, when he wasn't ranting about the CFP, we talked about that and some other stuff, and he did explain that with the number of banked reps that Flores has, he he's in a position where he could not practice all week and they would feel fine about him starting on Saturday. Just because he knows what they're doing and knows the offense and can take the mental reps and know the game plan and like they would be comfortable with that if that were the deal. and if it's not, it'll be Jaden Glasser, which would be a very interesting little thing. I guess we'd probably see some Marcus Beaman do. but like just like really crappy little turn of events for a central Michigan team that really is trying to not lose three in a row in October here. Connor Earegood: And plays the other Miami. They're the they're the the measuring stick here. Andrew Graham: Yeah, that's I was they've done apparently they've done this before. I was asking their S I D Greg Hotchkiss about it and he was it it's happened once before there they they traveled to play Miami, Florida for a bye game and also got. Connor Earegood: F first time was accidental, you scheduled who No. Andrew Graham: Yeah, but Connor Earegood: But it is like I I feel like when you have a Q B competition, not controversy, but competition in August, I feel like it s equips you to handle a QB. Having some some some blows to your point on the mental reps and and knowing the offense, but if your glass are like through pick the last game, I'm pretty sure. Did I have that right? Late? Andrew Graham: yes, although it was the it was like on the Hail Mary attempts with time expiring. So like it an interception in stat only. Connor Earegood: so yeah, either either way though. In stat only, but also like it wasn't the result you wanted. You've been kinda the backup and and maybe haven't had all the looks you want, like Go seize the opportunity. Like this if you're that guy Andrew Graham: Absolutely. Connor Earegood: and and you're this this huge giant of a man and really athletic and can play quarterback and and all the things that you know you want to see, it you know, th this is for his development plan and and future as as a QB in the program or wherever he ends up going or however it shakes. you know, this is this is kind of an inflection point it feels like of hey your team needs you, hey, it's your ball. Go do something, go show you've got it. Andrew Graham: Yeah, and I think also look thinking about like if Glasser plays and starts, 'cause to your point about like the competition, they've also been all three quarter like Beaman, Flores, and Glasser have all played for Central Michigan, like entering this year. They'd all either played last year or the year before to some capacity. and so like that's a pretty nice place to start with your backup quarterbacks where they're just like, We've put them in games before and know we can trust them to like operate. I think the the thing with Glasser is it's kind of one of those classic, like it looks very different in practice versus like when it goes live in a game. and if he can get the practice form of himself to show up in the games where it's he's very much not doing the slow is fast, smooth is fast kind of thing in a game, it feels like he gets a little sped up and kind of, you know, like is throwing before his feet are ready or that kind of thing. and so he'll dirt some throws, he'll miss some throws he can otherwise hit and like the decision making is probably not as percentage wise as correct as Angel Flores, which is kind of Flores's superpower. so it will be an interesting test of like can you sort of quiet that mental, you know, waves crashing on the shore when you're in the pocket into more of waves lapping on the beach and play with a little more internal calm, I think is really the like if if Glasser can seize on that if he has to play, you're probably in a pretty good spot if you're central Michigan because Miami, Ohio is down to their third quarterback, I believe, at this point. so very much an opportunity to even without your starting quarterback win a game that you really, really need to win to just, you know, not have the vibes be in a dark place. More or less just Connor Earegood: Us spe speaking speaking of dark vibes, MSU at UCLA, three thirty Eastern on Saturday. Who's healthy? Andrew Graham: Grim transition. Connor Earegood: Who's healthy? Because injury report yesterday Alessio Milovoyovic Andrew Graham: Not not Nico, not Alessio, not Cam Fancher. Connor Earegood: and Jazzian Patterson, your Q B one and R B one right now, listed questionable. And maybe that's gamesmanship, because like Joe Rossi and F Pat Fitzgerald have both said, they don't take that as a gospel in any injury report. Andrew Graham: No right. Connor Earegood: And I think you'd be remiss to think that they wouldn't for a top ten road matchup that you really need to snap a five game skid. Andrew Graham: Well like in Indiana Indiana having no players on their injury report this week versus Michigan. Like I saw Josh Hoover hurt his arm. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Well and so that's the interesting thing is like if he can't play, because Fanchers already ruled out Cade Kaufman, a true freshman, will be the starting quarterback. He's played eleven Andrew Graham: Yeah, yeah. Connor Earegood: snaps, he took a sack and scrambled twice, has not attempted a throw, the rest of were handoffs. Like it's it's interesting. I i it's it's interesting. Like yes, he's a good athlete, but he's been on the clipboard the whole season and like this is not Again, talk about injury, like this is not how he should be coming out. But Michigan State is is on a five game skid and maybe you do hand the ball off and see. especially if there's an injury. But Alessio talked after the game, he looked fine. So I don't know if this was practice injury or if you know what update there would be. Woke up Sunday sore as shit. Like I no Andrew Graham: woke up on Sunday and something was wrong or yeah. Yeah. Connor Earegood: clue. But I I will say, like, it it's it's interesting to me that you know, it it it it I get being sort of reserved about injury updates and things like that, but I do think, you know, when you're just gonna be in a report anyway, I would have loved to have heard like Hey, you know, this is our plan because of this crazy thing. Like when Edwards Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: went down for the season and then they talked about the plan, like I'd love to hear the plan and that's what makes me think, like, you know, maybe there is a bit of gamesmanship, but I don't know that for certain. But that's just me griping as a beat writer who was kinda blindsided Andrew Graham: yeah. Connor Earegood: by that 'cause I hadn't heard anything about it. So but Yeah. Andrew Graham: Well, and I I don't I don't I almost wonder because I see it with some other coaches, like I like Lincoln Riley does like a either Wednesday or Thursday little like zoom availability. And not the Hey Pat, come sit down and get grilled on the injury report. It's not exactly like Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: the easiest sell, but I do wonder if there's some value to that going forward of trying to make coaches available twice during a week for the per like, 'cause it kinda does like as much as they want to be coy about injury stuff, and especially if it's like our quarterback's questionable, we think he's gonna play, we wanna maybe throw like make some smoke. But for certain things, if like if you know like last week, you know Murofsky's out, being able to like say why and explain it probably benefits you and him. or Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: or if a guy's questionable but it's maybe trending towards not and you know that and you're not like, you know, it's like your number two safety and it's not like, okay, like they're not gonna like game plan crazy because of this. Like I'm it's just curious that give and take of like I they wanna be coy about it for obvious reasons, but it also does benefit them in certain occasions to like be a little more transparent about like, No, this guy couldn't play. Like if we're like sorry, he couldn't, like Connor Earegood: Yeah. Well think about think about Alessio, for example, too, that I mean, this is a guy who's kinda had some struggles and missed some throws and y he didn't throw pick in two games but and multiple touchdowns, but Well Andrew Graham: Yeah. Yeah, if we find out he's playing with like a strained hip flexor or something, it's like it makes a lot more sense like Connor Earegood: Th well that that part, but also like look at the the reaction to me or Steven Brooks or anyone who tweeted out the availability report last night. The amount of people who are like, Good, Andrew Graham: yeah. Connor Earegood: good riddance, and it's like, Jesus guys, he had no line for the first four games, five games. Like, he is not the problem. It is receivers with Andrew Graham: Correct. He's not the problem. I promise he's not the biggest issue here. Connor Earegood: separation. It like he's not, you know, a five star. He can't do it all by himself. But he's fine. Andrew Graham: No, he's not ma he's not like solving the problems by his own talent, but yeah. Connor Earegood: And and like Kaufman, I promise, like Fitz had a great quote about he had a great quote about how like Andrew Graham: It would be worse. Connor Earegood: it you know, it it he's a Wares fan. He understands that the backup's always the best player on the team. Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: And it's like I you know, there's always that thought and like when Fancher had his little gadget spark there was a question of like, ooh, could they do this and run a fancy offense and then it's like no like Milovoyvik is the long term starter for this team. They invested pretty early. Like, will they bring in guys who are younger who are gonna try to push him out? Absolutely. Is Kaufman one of them? Absolutely. Could he lose his, you know, eventually? Absolutely. But not right now and not where the state of the program is at. Not a chance. Andrew Graham: No no yeah. Connor Earegood: So it's it's interesting. He did have a sick Dr. Pepper ad that's up at the the Okamis Meyer. So shout out. Andrew Graham: Well I I think too, like it's very easy to just like as a fan entirely decide whether Alessio Milovoyovic is like a good quarterback or should play based on what he's doing on the field. Because that's all you get. But like every account from like Pat Fitzgerald from like December onward and like Alessio has really sort of done his work to be like a leader on the team despite, you know, he's still relatively young. And like that he's t yeah. Connor Earegood: He was when he was still a red shirt freshman, he was at Breslin Center hitting the phones during games sitting next to Pat like an assistant GM. Like, I promise Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: you this kid's gonna be here a while. Andrew Graham: Right. And like and that that level of his credibility, Alessio's that is, internally, like how you are viewed by your coaches and teammates in the building, especially as a quarterback, matters a lot to your ability to get on the field. If you are someone that everyone trusts, it is a lot easier to put you in the position where you're getting the pill every play and have to be trusted to do smart things with it. I I just that's like some pet little pet rant of mine, but like w we we severely underrate the things we don't see impacting who gets on the field. Like, there's Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: a so much that goes into it that has nothing to do with athletic performance and ability. And sometimes Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: it can be stupid. Like sometimes a guy's just too good and you have to play him, even if everyone thinks he's an asshole. But that's not the case here, I promise. It's very much not the case here. I've Alessio Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: seems to be very well respected and liked by his teammates and like I I think the other more important thing here is he's easily the quarterback who gives MSU the best chance to win. Like that's what matters. Connor Earegood: yeah, absolutely. I mean he's like all the sa the twelve sacks he took in his first two games, like Coffin's gonna have to learn that too. Like you know, anybody. I I'll say too, Andrew Graham: Correct correct correct. Connor Earegood: like the rest of the injuries, like the defense is still banged up, but maybe you get back a couple of linebackers. corners looked okay, safeties are still healthy, interior line is healthy, which you're gonna need against arguably the best run game in the country. Like per per per you know, sack adjusted. it's it's gonna be interesting, I think. And and this could be tighter than fourteen and a half, which is a crazy line. But like, especially when there's a backup quarterback in the mix for UCLA who kinda throws me ball subs. Just saying, like the the film is not great. I know people are like, whoa, he won a game against, you know Andrew Graham: No, it's they're in UCLA, he's throwing California burritos. Connor Earegood: Yeah, that's true, that's true. Pizza Kitchen. just frizz me in it. but Andrew Graham: Ha ha ha. Connor Earegood: but I it's it's Michigan State, like, yes, theoretically has a chance in this if their defense can ball out, but like we've said that for five straight of like, well, if this goes and this goes They've had chances. Yeah. Andrew Graham: Well they've given them some chances and they just haven't gotten it across the line. It's really yeah. Connor Earegood: They it's like it is sort of the like game of inches thing that Fitzgerald talked about that he was right about to mention. they don't have those answers. And so I like betting on them to to win at the Rose Bowl when they're gonna be a little starstruck against a top ten team that is like lot further along than them in a first year, it's gonna be interesting to see. Andrew Graham: Well it's kind of Bob Chesney's basically like his His like sort of like X factor is kind of the same as Fitz's as it turns out, where it's like he's just an excellent like leader. He's gotten a lot of buy in. And I don't think like if you look at Michigan State, like the fact that this team is playing hard and giving itself chances to win when they're hurt and Connor Earegood: yeah. Andrew Graham: have no chance to achieve anything meaningful by this point, is like a testament to like the good job that is being done and like motivation and coaching and discipline and you know, like Connor Earegood: yeah. Andrew Graham: so you know, UCLA has that. But Bob Chesney brought a James Madison, like half a team that went to the playoff last year, plugged it in with a quarterback Connor Earegood: Okay. Andrew Graham: who's pretty good, but now hurt and Nico and like supercharged it at UCLA, whereas Pat could not do that at Michigan State for a number of reasons. There's no roster to portal for him, correct. Connor Earegood: Yeah, he didn't have he was gone for three years, like Yeah. Andrew Graham: so it's just a very different sort of sort of bucket. But Joe Rossi, I feel like we need there needs to be some sort of like national award for like coaches who manage. To not have the bottom fall out when the bottom should fall out. Connor Earegood: Yeah. I mean I a hundred percent. We okay, this is the problem with coaching awards and this is a Graham Couch take, shout out to L SJ. But like there's a dude in D two who is a better coach than some of the FBS guys now because Andrew Graham: Easily. Connor Earegood: he has to deal with d just more BS and figures out a way to win. Like Andrew Graham: Correct. A hundred percent. Connor Earegood: and it's it's it's you know, and and you look at hoops too, like there's assistants who are better than the head coach and are just, you know, haven't gotten it yet. Like it's it's coaching awards to me should be merit of like what you did, not record and t Too often it is record and like assistant coaches of the year, like what is it, Broil's Broil's award. Andrew Graham: Broyles is the assistant coach of the year. Connor Earegood: It often like I feel like goes to a assistant of just Andrew Graham: should should be renamed after Phil Parker, but Connor Earegood: Yeah, well it just it seems to go that would actually be a fantastic one. Holy you should pitch that. But like it doesn't go to a guy like Phil Parker half the time. It goes to you know, the assistant coach for Ohio State that churns every three years that you're or or Bama, you know, a Saban assistant where it's like, are they really the secret sauce or do they just have a great coach that's making them look really smart? Andrew Graham: I I believe Josh Gaddis won a Broyles Awards, to your point. So Connor Earegood: Yeah, and then yeah, and then Michigan backed up the Brinks truck for him to be a mid co coordinator, but inst yeah. Andrew Graham: I Mike Loxley was right about the fact that Mike Loxley had more to do with Alabama's offense being good and a fitting fitting name to drop today. Connor Earegood: Yeah. RIP goat. Andrew Graham: Just I I texted Bods at Western. I If you ever call the cops on me it has to be for something funnier than just standing on the sidewalk. Connor Earegood: my god, that was Charmin. That was Charmin. We should have led with that man. my god. Andrew Graham: my god. I well I I kinda w like it's not really our thing, but like yeah, if if anyone didn't see Mike Loxley got fired at Maryland and then some student reporters were out on on the public sidewalk outside of the football like team building or whatever, hoping to get some like get some player reaction to the news because that's like a very reasonable thing of like, hey, players on the roster, your coach who you wanted to play for not is not here. What do you make of that? And you know. You can think whatever you do, but like they're allowed to try. And Maryland Athletics called the like Maryland campus police on them. And it was fun Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: d the if you watch the clips, the cop is kind of being like the classic cop where he's like, Look, I don't I don't really care. Like I I just got called Connor Earegood: Yeah. Well 'cause and it's like a as as someone whose mom is a cop, like, that is the reaction to stupid calls. Is like the I don't wanna be here either, like Andrew Graham: Yes. 'Cause you have to answer the call for service. You can't just like, No, we don't care as the police, like I that would be a problem if they could just say we're not answering. so he has to go, but yeah. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Yeah. And it's like Yeah, Lotsley had to go, but like you cannot call cops on your own students. And it's just like again you look at the Kevin Willard stuff and basketball and A D leaving, like, Maryland is a shit show. Andrew Graham: Yeah, no. Connor Earegood: Like it could be worse. Like MSU fans who are like, This sucks and it's n you know, never been this bad like you could be Maryland. You could be Rutgers. You could be Rutgers and have no pulse and still stick to Shiano because of of Jersey loyalty. Or or whatever he did. Whatever bodies he knows is buried in in sanitation. Like Andrew Graham: I think it's just more that the the the other coaching options are those bodies in the landfill at Ruckers. Like that's Connor Earegood: that too. But again, and it's like it's intri it's gonna be interesting to see where Maryland goes. I I won't digress too far, but like anytime you make a coaching change you better have a plan and people who dog Michigan State for you know immediately hiring fits, it's like he was one of the top guys on the market of experience and they needed that and they needed patience and he you know was willing to take a bit of a lower cut because of previous endeavors. So Andrew Graham: You can think the Fitzgerald hire was not smart and not gonna work out while also acknowledging like it's a very there's a lot of defensible reasons behind it for Michigan State. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: Like I think like that I was like I don't know this is gonna like work in the long run, but I see the vision. Like I get why they're going for this. Yeah, like it's Connor Earegood: Yeah, the vision is the way to order. Andrew Graham: pretty obvious what the the sell and the goal was. but yeah, they just gotta just Connor Earegood: Yeah. Where's Yeah. Andrew Graham: g just gotta like win a game or two here and feel good about things. Connor Earegood: Win anything. Andrew Graham: Yeah. Probably not this weekend though. It's looking like Connor Earegood: Probably not. Andrew Graham: Washington, Michigan, or Rutgers, just as we all predicted before the season would be MSU's chance to to win a conference game. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: speaking of Michigan, they hosted Deanna, the reigning national champions, who are probably not gonna win another one here. the obvious thing and I'm kinda curious your reaction to this, Cotter, of Well, we're gonna keep it quiet on who's the quarterback this week. And then like Connor Earegood: my god. I mean that just like Andrew Graham: Tuesday night it's like the newsbreakers are like, Tommy Garr is gonna start. It's like, Yeah, of course he is. Connor Earegood: Yeah, it's pretty obvious. Like I you know A, you don't hand that ball off in that game when it's still a winnable game, if it's not gonna be a long term thing. And also, Andrew Graham: Unless you're prepared to yeah. Yes. Connor Earegood: like, I don't know, he he he's gonna struggle. Like he is a true freshman starter. Ask ask Underwood what that's like. Like, it's not going to be You know, JJ McCarthy's first career start when he just darted up Hawaii. 'Cause A it's a better team, but it's not gonna be Andrew Graham: yeah. Connor Earegood: that like this kid's ridden the pine for so long and now all of a sudden look how good he is. It's not gonna be that. But Andrew Graham: No. Yeah. No, this guy was playing in the in the SEC, that being the conference around the Washana County area, not the Southeastern Conference last year. Connor Earegood: Yeah, and like the in interesting thing too is like Indiana, like Hoover has I saw this yesterday. I didn't realize how good of a season he's having. Eighteen touchdowns to zero picks. Zero has not turned the ball. Like Andrew Graham: Mm-hmm. Yeah. S Sonny Dykes is shaking his fist right now. Connor Earegood: He had twenty four the past two seasons. Like I how do you f you know, whatever Signetti effect of fixing a guy or or just having, you know, better players around him, but you got some some interesting stuff. Nick Marsh returns. he he had a t twenty yard touchdown at Michigan Stadium two years ago. I'm sure he wants to to do well in this one. Michigan, you know, the run game looked okay against Penn State, but Penn State's also a you know, a big twelve it's like it's Andrew Graham: Dog water. Connor Earegood: like two big twelve teams in a trench coat. that's trying to buy alcohol at like sixteen. Like it's it's not ready. Andrew Graham: Kinda. They ba he's he's reinvented Frank Beamer's Virginia Tech from first principles on accident. It's like, Yeah, you're Connor Earegood: Yeah, great example. Andrew Graham: solid, but this isn't really remarkable. Connor Earegood: Yeah, it's not anything where you're like, but I th the point I'll make with this game is like The only thing that I could see this getting out of hand is like if the defense is able to bow up and get some stops and maybe make it not to say they get a pick on Hoover or something, but just, you know, if if they Andrew Graham: Yeah, yeah. Connor Earegood: get the third down stops, if they keep you know, to field goals, things like that, keep it manageable, like you don't wanna put a ton of pressure on on a freshman's Andrew Graham: Return a punt, yeah, like. Connor Earegood: shoulders and that's gonna be the key here is how he equits himself and you know, i i your quarterback is the most important position. It's also a little overrated, but like h he is sort of the the spearhead of your game management and your ability to respond to how the game is going for you. And y that's a lot of pressure to put on a freshman. So i that's that's sort of the thing I'm kind of the only thing I'm watching in this one is just how's this kid work and and go. I mean this is a Andrew Graham: Yeah. Connor Earegood: game you probably didn't expect to win if you're Michigan, so it's gonna be an interesting test. Andrew Graham: Well, it kind of becomes this interesting like multi variable calculus problem where you're trying to g you're trying to independently sort of separate, okay, how much is Tommy Carr better or worse than Bryce Underwood? Because he's gonna be worse in some ways and he'll probably be better in some ways. How much is what Tommy Carr is doing effectively because the offense is running right? Like, does he just look good because Michigan's more confidently executing what they're trying to do? 'Cause that'll make you look good even if you're worse as a player who's operating it. And then how much is it like one l like the circular part of that where he makes the offense run better, which helps him look better and so it all feels better? 'Cause like and this was an interesting thing I noted like I'll note of two weeks ago before the Western game when we were like doing media with Matt Drinkle, it's a pretty casual setup. We're like in their players' lounge, just chatting, like talking, getting our like, you know. It's Central Michigan, it's not a massive press corps there for some presser. And so we'd like wrapped up and we're just, you know, shooting the shit about college football. And we like got talking a little bit about Michigan and like that whole situation and you know, the you know when you're paying your players, who can you bench, and da da da da da. And Drinkle just made a point, he's like, Do people really think Jason Beck doesn't know what he's doing? Like like Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: do we really think he's just incompetent at offensive football? 'cause he's not. Like, I I think He was appearing to be a little headstrong and stubborn about, you know, what they were trying to do when Underwood was in there. But I think if you get a quarterback in there who runs Beck's offense the way he wants it run, I would bet it looks pretty decent. then and to me it just becomes what this game comes down to is and this is where I worry about Tommy Carr, is Indiana's defensive front is still farsity. Like that is still a like playoff caliber, like can take Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: anyone's offense to hell sort of group. and I just wonder about that for Michigan, like, can the run game be a solve for that? Like can you basically like run around them, pass them, through them, so you're not Connor Earegood: You need too. Andrew Graham: 'cause you're not getting 'cause like if you have to let Tommy Carr drop back and like sort it out against that defensive front, it's gonna be a long ass day. Like a long ass day and you can't do that. because I think your defense will give you a chance I think you have like enough talent to hang with Indiana. Like, does the offensive operation just kind of settle into efficient enough and like get ya twenty points so you have a shot? Is and like I don't I genuinely don't know. I'm very curious to see. I will be there. I'm excited to watch. I didn't know this would be Tommy Carr's first start when I laid out my schedule for the season. I was like, Well, the Indiana game should be an interesting test for Whittingham's Michigan and the Nick Marsh of it all. And it is kind of interesting to me. I'll I'll Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: I'll get deep in my Andrew like having weird references to recent happenings in Michigan and high school sports. But Underwood and Marsh have played against each other outside of so last year, of course, they played against each other. and they had played each other once at least once before in High school and I covered this game. It was the the zenith prep kickoff classic in 2023 at Wayne State. Belleville versus River Rouge. And so Belleville's number one team in the state. They'd won back-to-back state titles. Under was a junior, number one, like you know, they're the shit. River Rouge comes in, they got Marsh, he's four four-star elite receiver, committed to Michigan State. Big deal. And dog, this game was crazy. Like Belleville went up. River Rouge like really couldn't get the offense going, so they put Marsh at Wildcat QB and he scored three touchdowns that way. He had like a hundred and twenty Connor Earegood: Tracks. Andrew Graham: yards, like seventy rushing. He like ran a fake punt for like I think like a long gain, if not a touchdown. And then it was gonna go to OT, 'cause River Rouge tied it in the final minute. And then Underwood just uncorks this I mean, forty yard, fifty yard rainbow down the right sideline with seven seconds left for basically a walk-off touchdown. And so it's to me, it's just very fascinating how like four years later, you know, one of those guys is more or less a distressed asset at Michigan and the other one it just did not work out at Michigan State in a distinct positive way. And like it's just it's it's interesting to me how those careers have wound to the point where they're both still facing each other at Michigan Stadium in some capacity. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: this Saturday. Like it's just I guess just sort of some string theory horses whatever you I don't even know what you want. Charlie Pepe Sylvia over here at the cork board of I already we've Connor Earegood: Yeah. I got boxes full of Pepe. Andrew Graham: w we got fired last week. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: but that that just that that stood out to me of like I've seen these guys play before and like it's kind of interesting how their careers have wound and swirled and taken these turns to this point. And who know Connor Earegood: It's college football. Yeah. Andrew Graham: I mean Indiana quarterback Bryce Underwood next year's gonna be crazy, so Actually wa actually wait, that's quite kinda quietly. That's Connor Earegood: Wildcat offense. They they run Andrew Graham: Yeah, I don't know. Like I I well, my Connor Earegood: a service academy offense with better athletes. Andrew Graham: Well the did you see TJ Lang's tweet on Sunday? Connor Earegood: No. Andrew Graham: He just goes, Hey, Bryce Underwood, me and Max Crosby will get you taken care of. You won't even have to move and he was talking about him transferring to Eastern Connor Earegood: I mean that that level could theoretically he's gonna go to some big twelve school that backs up a Brink's truck if he leaves, but or if Andrew Graham: he should I Connor Earegood: he stays, he could be, you know, a dude that you see develop, but I Andrew Graham: Well, I give him I I he would s he would benefit very much from kinda trying to take the Dylan Reole attack like city year, I think. Like not that he's incapable of playing right away again, but like you'd probably just benefit from like being detached from like the outcomes on the field for a year. Like, I don't know. That Connor Earegood: Yeah, I mean it's a as a Yeah, Andrew Graham: Dude's dude's been in a pressure cooker for a while. Connor Earegood: and it's like it's when it's evident that you're not ready, like coaches have to be there to p pull ya. And like you know Andrew Graham: Yeah. Yeah. Like g help you help you by sorta sequestering you from that that feedback loop. Yeah. Connor Earegood: Yeah. And it's but then when you have donor money involved they wanna see their guy and it's like you almost have to like this I talked to Tom Mizzle about this basketball. Like sometimes you have to pay a kid to make the right decision. You just do because everyone's gonna tell them the wrong thing and you just have to be able to say, Nope, you're gonna do this 'cause this is better for you And like it sucks, but it's like it's almost like parenting. Like, you know, your kid can't just go to tattoo trade school like you have to get them to college. No offense to the tattoo artists, the backbone Andrew Graham: The Connor Earegood: of the community, but point being like you know, sometimes you gotta have the c you gotta pay for the college fund. Like and and for Andrew Graham: yeah. Connor Earegood: Bryce whatever his next season is, like that would be a better plan for him to take a year but and to get the Andrew Graham: Absolutely. Connor Earegood: media hype off of Andrew Graham: I was gonna say just to like go be out of the way for a year might be a nice thing for him personally Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: too. Like I don't know. I'm I can't speak for him directly, but yeah, like just just a lot tied up in that and I like I still think Michigan's gonna lose, but I think it'll be like the twenty twenty four game at Indiana where it was like everyone thought Michigan was gonna be dead. And then they lost 20 to 15. It was like they have they have like the dudes in the right spots to make this a game still. So I'm not I'm not like they're gonna get rolled. Western Michigan at Toledo. again, as we talked about earlier, there was like some notable industrial incidents just on the sort of northwest ish edges of Toledo. Connor Earegood: Glycidil methacrylate. Andrew Graham: if I have the the geography correct. It's some it's some plant north Connor Earegood: Yeah. North Toledo. Andrew Graham: yeah, some plant sort of on the north side of the Maumee River. It's Connor Earegood: It's Andrew Graham: by the it's by the Chrysler plant, like basically off seventy five in that that vicinity. Connor Earegood: Yeah, i it's it's a it's a chemical used for adhesives in paints that spill. Andrew Graham: Yeah. It's a big precursor to yeah, like plastic and hydrocarbon products. And you really Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: don't want to be breathing it or getting it in your eyes, and now there's a massive cloud of it over Toledo, Ohio. But Western Michigan and Toledo are by all accounts still planning to play Saturday. again, I'm I'm guessing mostly due to the fact that the hope would be something that happened Tuesday night could be gotten under control by then. I believe it will be safe to play football there by Saturday. And but just Just you never can predict the thing you're gonna have to keep tabs on, like with the you know, weather is this guy gonna play or is there a toxic cloud of in petrochemical fumes over the city you're intending to play a football game in, as it turns out, are the the factors at play. so we we will keep tabs on that and I was texting Western's S ID out of Bodnar and he was talking about how his his live tweeting might be typo full typo filled if he has to do it from a hazmat suit, which I was particular Connor Earegood: Just squeaking the entire time. Andrew Graham: particularly amused by. I was just thinking back to reading the hot zone in middle school. but I the as to the actual game here, this is a pretty big like and I would have to look at other Mac scheduling, but this has got to be one of the three or four biggest regular season games in the Mac this year. It's getting the national T V billing at noon, CBS Sports Network in Toledo. Kinda it's probably a MAC title elimination game for Toledo if they lose, because they'd have two conference losses and it's looking like Western and Ohio are not each gonna have more than one themselves. So if you're Toledo, you probably have to win this game to be a Mac contender. Connor Earegood: yeah. Andrew Graham: Like, no I don't think two like two losses could get you to Ford Field. I would not want to be trying to map that out before October is over. Connor Earegood: It w you would be at the whims of the tiebreakers and the weird math logic. Andrew Graham: Yeah, like you would need Western to at least like if you're gonna be two losses if you're Toledo right now, you would then need one of Western or Ohio to lose twice and a tiebreaker to work in your favor, and I just don't think that's gonna happen, more or less, is what it comes down to. and if you're Western, I'm not gonna s like not well, you can lose this game and be okay. Like that's not really it. You don't want to play those games. But just because you are undefeated in the Mac, you have that wiggle room. But Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: the flip side, and this is what I think where Western's kinda gonna come at this from. You win this game if you're Western, you probably shouldn't be losing again until you get to Ford Field. Cause you don't have anyone difficult on your schedule. Like Eastern at Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: home could be tricky. You have to host Miami a week later. They're always decent, but they're again, they're down their quarterbacks. You kick the crap out of them in the Mac title game last year, like Win this one? Connor Earegood: There's a bad. Andrew Graham: You should basically be like cruising your way to Ford Field if you're Western. Like not to not to not to put too much on the, you know, well if you win this game, your goals will be completed. But like that's kinda this is kind of the gateway for them. And I think the big thing for them is this like they've had two other games where they've gotten up or had to get up and played well in one, got rocked in the other against Boise State, and like Can you just finally get up for a big game, go on the road to Toledo and win and have that good feeling and go, Hey, we're not just beating up bad teams or beating the good teams we play to because that's just like that's the one thing Western hasn't managed to do this year, in part because of one second being added back on the clock at Michigan Stadium in September. Connor Earegood: Yeah, one second away. 'Cause that would bring a ton of wiggle room. CFP debate again, drinkle, you know. Like Western had a path this year. Like twelve works. Andrew Graham: Absolutely. Connor Earegood: and and I do think, you know I don't think Western's a team that's gonna be taking an easy week just because there's a path in the future. Like that's I think Lance Taylor would would be in the hospital if that happened. Like that's Andrew Graham: Lance Lance would fight me for suggesting that. Not actually, but like like he would not Connor Earegood: Yeah. Well, you can push back. Andrew Graham: he would not he would not be a I I I would not come to a press conference and suggest that unless the look I would Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: get. but yeah, like they're just not a team that's gonna like take their foot off the gas in any way. Like Toledo could beat them, but I'm pretty confident they're aware of the stakes here in the statement that could be made and like just go go take care of business. I think what is interesting to me in this game is like it like some real like legit good on good matchups where like even some like these guys might be like Sunday players too. when I look at Adam Zok is just killing it for Toledo on the offensive line, it has been observed to me that he kind of looks like Nadame Tucker if Nadame Tucker was white, which is hilarious. Connor Earegood: He waited. He Andrew Graham: It's just like the it's like the funniest thing. Connor Earegood: kinda does. That's Andrew Graham: which it's ki it's it is true. If you go look up Adam Zok Z O C K for Toledo and then go look up the Dave Tucker, it's like you see a little resemblance to him. but that Toledo defensive front has been excellent, excellent, excellent this year. They took Eastern out of the game last week and Western has a really good offensive line and run game. Real good on good matchup there. And then Toledo's receivers and obviously quarterback. We talked about this last week a little bit, John Allen Richter and the receivers like Mac offensive player of the year type stuff happening with that group. But Western's also got I would I without double checking, probably the best corner tandem in the league with Josh Franklin and Javerius Sims and can like Who wins in those specific matchups will go a very long way of deciding this game because if Western can get Toledo's def defensive line off their back offensively and just, you know, come up with an interception, stick stick stick something in the spokes Toledo's offense. I don't know, like Broncos should be able to get out of there, but Toledo's good at those things too, so like I I like that's a very, very good on good look for these things. Connor Earegood: Which you want to play in October, in my Andrew Graham: Absolutely. Connor Earegood: mind, more than November. Andrew Graham: Absolutely. And yeah, Western's like they're their their run block like against Central, I think they had like eighty yards before contact per Lance Taylor, which is absurd Connor Earegood: Disgusting. Andrew Graham: absurd. Like really crazy. So really good stuff from Western of late and really curious to see if they could take that on the road to Toledo. Shall we pick Connor Earegood: I'd pick Andrew Graham: Alright, we'll start right there, Western and Toledo. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: I'll kick us off here. I will take Western Michigan. I just think they have really found their sort of stride of late in their recipe and roles, tasks, who's good at what, what we can attack, and then the ability to do different things with the game plan offensively has really sort of shown up. So give me Western Michigan probably by a score. Field goal to a touchdown, something like that. Connor Earegood: I'm gonna take Toledo. Just just to fade because that got me a point off BYU last week. But no, I I I do think Toledo, like I like Richter and I think that defense has a lot of pieces that I like. even if they're not as touted, and I think if you're Toledo and you're getting off the mat of you know, having your back against the wall, you know, it's kinda like a I'm not gonna say they're kinda like a wild animal, but Yeah, it's it's yeah. I don't I'm gonna take Toledo. I just got feeling. Andrew Graham: Well, that's not and they they might have made the best they might Connor Earegood: Wild animal gut feeling. Andrew Graham: have made one of the quietly like great coaching hires this past cycle with Mike Jacobs when you were losing. Well in yeah. Yeah. Yeah. When like Yeah, Connor Earegood: Yeah. Who came in with a lot. Like that's the thing that stands out. Like he came out with a team. Even if it was Mercer. Andrew Graham: and he's he's from like Maumee, Ohio, so he's from like right in the Toledo area. Connor Earegood: Create all the coaches. Andrew Graham: Hell yeah. Michigan versus Indiana, I will let you go first on this one. Connor Earegood: Give me Indiana. I Indiana covers I think too. Like it's a true freshman starter, even if it's at home, there's just a lot that Michigan has to overcome. Andrew Graham: Yeah, I'm I'm gonna take Indiana especially two because yes, they lost last week, but they were Josh Hoover leaving the throw a little more inside and Nick Marsh knowing where his feet are away from still being undefeated and having beaten Ohio State. So give me Indiana against a true freshman quarterback, although I think like not gonna feel I don't think it's gonna feel like a disastrous loss for Michigan. I don't think they'll get blown out. Central Michigan versus Miami, Ohio, I will start us here. I'm gonna take Central Michigan. I don't feel like dandy about that pick, but I think their last two losses, they went they got game scripted badly. One was on the road against Ohio, where everyone loses. The other one was against their rival who's been the class of the Mac. And that's not excuse making, but it's like they it was uphill the last two weeks. It was gonna be uphill this week, but now you don't have to face Miami with their starting quarterback. Kinda have to win this game just in terms of like your bowl path. Otherwise, you're you're in a spot where you can't you can beat Eastern Buffalo and Ball State amongst your final games, but I would not want to be in the position where I have to beat all three of them to make a bowl game. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: so I think if I'm central, look, it's kind of that. And for as reasonably frustrated as people are with the offense, they are a handful of converted fourth downs away and some slightly better execution in some situational spots from having really felt like they played a lot better in a lot of these spots. They just have to not be scoreless for first halves. Like they gotta score sooner and earlier and give themselves a chance. But the down-to-down I promise is not as bad as people wanna believe it is. Connor Earegood: Yeah. I I'm gonna I'm gonna go with with Miami. I they've been surging lately. Like they lost to B G, which is like kind of inexcusable. But, you know, you rattle off a couple of wins. Yeah. Andrew Graham: fully I I will say I will go further it was fully inexcusable. Connor Earegood: And then you rattle off a couple of wins against UMass and Akron, who were solid. I mean Akron the record isn't there, like that is a team that year to year is okay. They also beat UConn, Jason Candle, the week before BG, so guy they know pretty well. But I I don't know. I i it it's interesting 'cause like Central this feels like a bit of an inflection point on their season. Like if you are going to do it, if you're gonna be you know, this is the game you kinda have to take the step. so it's it's you know, we'll we'll see how they go, but I I'm I'm gonna take Miami in this one. The other Miami. Andrew Graham: Yeah. Could be could be backup quarterback on backup quarterback action, which Woof. speaking Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: of backup quarterback on backup quarterback action potentialities, Michigan State at UCLA, I believe it is your turn to go first, Connor. Connor Earegood: I'll go UCLA. I Michigan State's just so injured and if they have to start Kaufman again to similar to Tommy Carr, like true freshman, that that doesn't do it for me. Andrew Graham: Yeah, give me give me a UCLA. Like UCLA is also better built to solve their problems without a quarterback than a lot of teams ever would be. Like Connor Earegood: The run game. Like Yeah. Andrew Graham: they're just like, our quarterbacks are like, well, we'll still run the offense because our offense is built on running and we don't like well, whatever, who cares who's handing it off? Like it works. Eastern Michigan at Ohio, I will start here. I'm just gonna take Ohio because Ohio is looking like they might be playing at Ford Field against Western Michigan. in early December and Eastern Michigan is hurt beyond belief and that's all I need to know. Connor Earegood: Yeah, the same thing. Give me Ohio. And they're just Andrew Graham: Just it's it it Connor Earegood: they're just a dog program. Like they're they're a c they're Andrew Graham: They're very reliably good. Connor Earegood: a class, like Andrew Graham: Well, and it it just sucks that Eastern Michigan's like fighting this injury attrition, but like you're gonna go lose to Ohio when you're fighting injury attrition like that. Have to play him on the road. Okay. Now we get us get ourselves outside of the mitten. I g I I picked us a trio of just fantastic games. first up is North Dakota State at New Mexico. This probably could have been game day if North Dakota State did not biff it against UNLV. Connor, who you got? Lobos or Bison. Connor Earegood: well the Lobos are so I'm building a a C F B twenty seven team. It's White Sands missile base and we have a rivalry with New Mexico. That low key I've been chopping up. but I will take Jason Ack every day of the week. Like I don't know. NDSU's had a great start, but I I just I believe. Future battery. Andrew Graham: I'm I'm enjoying the White Sands missile base as like a modern equivalent of all those like throwback call it like when it was the like Miami played the Pensacola Naval Air Station in football or whatever. Like Connor Earegood: Yeah, no, I mean it is that. It is that. And it's like I the lore I've dropped is like I can only recruit like the regional area. Like it was pretty bleak. Like in New Mexico State we went like twenty three in or lost like one in twenty three in the in the series. Yeah. Well, off season project, I'll walk you through it. It'll be like Shane Gillis with the phone. Like Andrew Graham: This is this is terrifying. Connor Connor's Connor Earegood: Off the rails. Who do you got? Andrew Graham: relationship with high school coaches in the Las Cruces area and his digital world. I will take yeah. Connor Earegood: And I Walter White. Andrew Graham: Someone cooked here. I will take New Mexico as well. I just they're the home team and I and it's not that like New Mexico or New North Dakota State rather is like I think they're like fraudulent or something, but it's kind of a bill is coming due, you are undefeated, it would have been cool if you were, but okay, maybe your your reality is you're gonna be more ten and two, nine and three, which for a first year in FPS is still remarkably good. So not like to to try and poop poo poo them or anything going on with their season, but just give me New Mexico. Houston at Utah kinda have no idea where I wanna go with this one, so I'm just gonna Connor Earegood: I don't either. Andrew Graham: I'm just gonna pick Utah 'cause they're the home team. Connor Earegood: I'll go for Paw Wah, Houston. Andrew Graham: I just love how that's your your your single call out any time Houston comes up on the podcast. Connor Earegood: Shout out Jeff Kohler who when I I tweeted something about it and just li immediately liked my Paul Wall tweet. Andrew Graham: Ha ha Connor Earegood: What a dude. Andrew Graham: That is so rare, yeah. We can get Paul Wall out to a BYU basketball game to watch Jackson this fall. or winter rather. But yeah, no. Yeah. Connor Earegood: Yeah. I mean they'll play in the Big Twelve. Andrew Graham: Yeah, they will. That's a good point. They'll probably lose because Houston's really really damn good. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: and then the last one, because I couldn't resist the joke, is the as what is being referred Connor Earegood: and we had to. Andrew Graham: for what is being referred to as the ball sack game because Ball State is hosting Sacramento State in what is yes, a Mac game. and also I should add like purely off the top of my head, this has gotta be the worst FBS on FBS game this week. I don't like I Well correct, I was gonna say I Connor Earegood: Which could make it a great game. Andrew Graham: don't say that as like all the ball like like it will be bad ball in the relative sense, but when you have two teams that aren't good playing each other, sometimes amazing things happen. I'm just gonna take ball state. 'Cause I will take the FBS team that's been FBS over the one that is new to FBS and kinda getting exposed. Connor Earegood: I I'm gonna I'm gonna go ball. I'm gonna go ball. That's it's I'm gonna go Andrew Graham: Ball s ball is life. Connor Earegood: ball. Yeah, not not sack ball. I I just compared to where Sack was earlier this season, I think ball's you know, in in better position. I was trying to think up to pun, but you know, some euphemisms, but I'm not that quick on my feet this morning. But Yeah, shrinkage, shrinkage. It's cold out now. Andrew Graham: Sack sack is tightened up, but Ball is about to shaft him. This is we we yeah, we could we could take this any number of just really inappropriate places if we let ourselves. but yeah, no la I on a slightly real note about Sacramento State, like they are just like I I do think they might be about to go O for FPS, especially if they don't win this one. Like this is probably one of their last few winnable games. so tough, tough season. Hope you make it worth it economically Sacramento State in the long run, but I'm not exactly banking on it. anything else or you just gonna go be eating Sriracha before your flight to Pasid Pasadena? Connor Earegood: flight tomorrow at at eight forty. I'm checked in. Also gotta figure out h how to sign some paperwork. I'm Globetrot, not a D T W. So I get Andrew Graham: Where you f where are you flying? Or w I meant two, where's the what's your your destin okay. 'Cause there's there's so many options. Connor Earegood: L A X. So it's it's I I looked I was gonna go to like one of the regionals and it was just like it'd be a weird connector and it just Andrew Graham: cost like three hundred dollars more and yeah. Yeah. Connor Earegood: Yes, that was it wasn't like it's better to just do the Uber or like mass transit. So last time so last the US C game last year, I stayed in the Golden West Manor Inn, which looked pretty on the pictures, and I pull up and it's like so the Uber driver the next morning, a little Mexican kid in a civic goes, How do you like the ghetto? And he like it was so bad and I was like I was like, no. Like it it was fine at night when I pulled up and then I looked around in the daylight and I was like, but it was a good hotel. There was an eagle painted on the ceiling. I'm staying in a much nicer hotel, Le Meridian in Pasadena, so Andrew Graham: You you were you were in a you were you were like a side character in a Cormac McCarthy novel last year from the sound of it. Like Connor Earegood: Y a little bit, dude. It kinda felt like it. And then I left in like the dead of night because of the flight situation and then I learned that LAX er doesn't open security till four AM. It's not twenty four hour. Which like, huh? Since when? Andrew Graham: What? Connor Earegood: Yes, it was I so I had to sit there for two hours just like walking around. It was brutal. It was genuinely brutal. Andrew Graham: LAX is a cursed place. That might be the worst part of it that I've ever heard. Connor Earegood: It is. Like the Denver airport has all the the the jokes about it being like, you know, like Satanists and like conspiracy theorists. I think LAX Andrew Graham: Yeah, it's where d it's where to where to where Dick Chane it's where Dick Cheney lives. Connor Earegood: Yeah, I think I think L L A X is where Dick Cheney like is eternally resting. Like, that is hell. Andrew Graham: it's all Carol Ryder's fault anyways. That's that's y anyone over the age of like forty has gotta be impressed that someone my age knows who Carol Ryder is. Connor Earegood: Hehehe Andrew Graham: on that note, I think we will get out of here and not talk about astrologists in Hollywood in the the twentieth century. thank you all for listen Connor Earegood: Yeah. Manson family helter skeleton. Andrew Graham: thank you all for listening to another episode of In the Pocket on behalf of Conrad Irgood, I am Andrew Graham, and thank you for listening.