Latest / The Sean O'Connell Show / Brett Ciancia forecasts the 2026 Utah and Big 12 football season, Any concerns about Utes' new coaching staff (?) + more

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Brett Ciancia forecasts the 2026 Utah and Big 12 football season, Any concerns about Utes' new coaching staff (?) + more · The Sean O'Connell Show

• 0:04
  Speaker 1: You were listening to a Sean O'Connell show, your source
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  Speaker 1: for the best utes football coverage. Here's OC from the
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  Speaker 1: Murdoch Hyundai Studio of ESPN seven hundred at ninety two
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  Speaker 1: to one a half am.
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  Speaker 2: Uh no OC today. Ryle's in OC on fight duty.
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  Speaker 3: Now for the Eighties Escape Giveaway.
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  Speaker 2: We are forty eight days away from Utah opening its
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: season against the Idaho Vandals on September the third at
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: Rice Cycle Stadium. Since we are inside of fifty days,
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: my prep has begun for the season, and no prep
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: for my college football season would be complete without the
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: latest copy of the Pick six Previews downloaded mine yesterday,
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: printed it out, and I've been pouring over it since.
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: All sixty eight Power four teams, conference predictions, game Greater
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: Formula twelve, Team Playoff Era and more. The author and
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: producer of the Pick six Previews, friend of my old program,
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  Speaker 2: and friend of ESPN seven hundred kind of enough join
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: me today, Brett Ciancia.
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: Brett, how are you, hey, Bill?
• 1:35
  Speaker 4: Thanks for having me on. It's a really busy time
• 1:38
  Speaker 4: of the year, but the best time of the year
• 1:39
  Speaker 4: with the preview magazine published and now the hard copies
• 1:43
  Speaker 4: are coming off the printing press and we're shipping them
• 1:44
  Speaker 4: out across the country, so it cannot be more excited.
• 1:47
  Speaker 4: I think it was the most wide open coaching paris
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  Speaker 4: that we've ever seen, all the coaches moving around the country,
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  Speaker 4: and then you got two thousand players moving around with
• 1:55
  Speaker 4: a transfer portal. So this is your best way to
• 1:57
  Speaker 4: get caught off for the season. Pick six Previews.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, if you don't want to wait to have it
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: shipped to you, you can literally have it in the
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: next five minutes. If you go to Pick Sixpreviews dot
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: com order it. Then you could download it, print it, off.
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: Now you'll kill a few trees and probably have to
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: replace your color toner in your printer at home, but
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: you'll you can have it like right now, can't you.
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: Bread.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, we have the digital option right away for an
• 2:22
  Speaker 4: instant download. We have the hard copy, but if you
• 2:25
  Speaker 4: order the hard copy you also get to digital too,
• 2:27
  Speaker 4: so for those couple of days where it's being shipped
• 2:29
  Speaker 4: to you, you get access either way. So yeah, we've
• 2:32
  Speaker 4: got samples on there. Testimonials. You heard Bill's words, they're
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  Speaker 4: very gracious. I want to thank you, Bill, because you're
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  Speaker 4: one of the first ones to really pick up Pick
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  Speaker 4: six previews in the media circuit, probably about ten years
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  Speaker 4: ago by now, but here we are in twenty twenty
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  Speaker 4: six and it's really grown, and want to thank you. You
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  Speaker 4: one of the first ones to include me and have
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  Speaker 4: me on the show, and I'm just really excited with
• 2:51
  Speaker 4: how it's taken off.
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  Speaker 3: Well, great to have you back.
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  Speaker 2: I'm glad I'm filling in today so we could talk
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  Speaker 2: a little bit about this and we'll get to Utah
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  Speaker 2: in a minute and the Big twelve in a minute.
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: I don't know, Brett, if we have a definitive great
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  Speaker 2: team this year, it feels to me like nationally you
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  Speaker 2: could make a case for seven or eight teams, maybe
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  Speaker 2: a few more to play for a national championship this year.
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  Speaker 2: Is there a definitive one or two for you or
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  Speaker 2: is it pretty wide open?
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  Speaker 4: Well, I've got a clear national champion pick this year
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  Speaker 4: and I'm going with Oregon. And actually in last year's
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  Speaker 4: copy the twenty twenty five preview, I wrote in there
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  Speaker 4: that I thought that Oregon would be my twenty twenty
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  Speaker 4: sixth national champion. So from twelve months ago I called
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  Speaker 4: my shot and here I'm sticking with it now here
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  Speaker 4: that we're in twenty twenty six. They blew me away
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  Speaker 4: last year as a young, too deep a young roster,
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  Speaker 4: they played really well. He made it all the way
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  Speaker 4: to what the semifinals, smoked Texas Tech, and I was impressed.
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  Speaker 4: And they had Dante Moore return. He was projected to
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  Speaker 4: be a first round quarterback. He's back. Just the five
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  Speaker 4: stars that they've accumulated at Oregon really stands out. So
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  Speaker 4: they're my nation champion pick. I think that'll make it
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  Speaker 4: four straight years of a Big Ten team, four different
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  Speaker 4: Big Ten teams to win the national title. And from
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  Speaker 4: there you have a couple more serious champion contenders with me.
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  Speaker 4: I've got Ohio State, Miami what they showed last year
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  Speaker 4: on their run, and an upgraded quarterback with Darien Mensa,
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  Speaker 4: and then Notre Dame. I mean, if you're one of
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  Speaker 4: those that you love returning starters, this is your team
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  Speaker 4: this year because they've got like nineteen starters back. The
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  Speaker 4: only ones missing are the running backs, and they've done
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  Speaker 4: a really nice job with recruiting. So I see really
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  Speaker 4: a clear top four for me, and ironically not a
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  Speaker 4: single at DC team in that pack. But outside of
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  Speaker 4: that top four, you open it up and I've got
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  Speaker 4: eight of the next twelve contenders are SEC, so a
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  Speaker 4: lot of playoff contenders, maybe not so many national title
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  Speaker 4: contenders from the Southeastern Conference.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think I like Notre Dame.
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  Speaker 2: Running backs are easier to replace in some other places.
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  Speaker 2: And I was a big twelve med Days and I
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: had my friend JB Long and my goalie Junior on
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: my podcast down there. And Golick is not a raw
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  Speaker 2: raw wave the pom Poms always for Notre Dame. As
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  Speaker 2: much as some people think he's really in on this team,
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  Speaker 2: he loves their trenches. Car at quarterback, skill, position, secondary,
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  Speaker 2: the whole thing. So I think nationally right now, if
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  Speaker 2: I'm picking a national champion today, I might lean toward
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  Speaker 2: Notre Dame.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, I see nothing wrong with that. And you know,
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  Speaker 4: like I said, if you like returning starters, this is
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  Speaker 4: your pick. But also if you like recruiting, I mean
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  Speaker 4: they're a top five on average recruiter now under Marcus Freeman.
• 5:36
  Speaker 4: If you like NFL draft picks, I also include in
• 5:39
  Speaker 4: the magazine every team's mock NFL selections and Notre Dame
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  Speaker 4: number one in the country in twenty twenty seven mock
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  Speaker 4: NFL draft picks. I know we're early on that, but
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  Speaker 4: still a good indicator of the pro talent they've got
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  Speaker 4: in there. If you like returning quarterback, they got that. CJ.
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  Speaker 4: Carr was top five in QB rating last year. So really,
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  Speaker 4: no matter what category that you like as a predict
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  Speaker 4: or as a fan, they've got it all covered. Even schedule,
• 6:03
  Speaker 4: and you look at the schedules really favorable. Only three
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  Speaker 4: top twenty five opponents. You got Miami SMU and a
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  Speaker 4: road trip to Provo for BYU. Otherwise it's the four
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  Speaker 4: worst ACC teams and the two worst Big Ten teams,
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  Speaker 4: So they're really a drawn a nice schedule. They even
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  Speaker 4: get a mulligan now that we're in that twelve team playoffs,
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  Speaker 4: so they're a surefire pick for the playoff and they're
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  Speaker 4: going to be motivated to make a nice run after
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  Speaker 4: last year what happened.
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  Speaker 2: We'll talk about easy schedules in the Big twelve in
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: just a minute. So at what point in time do
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: we say Lincoln Riley can't coach big games, big teams.
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  Speaker 2: I feel like every year he gets the benefit of
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  Speaker 2: the doubt and every year he comes up short. He
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  Speaker 2: did it in the Pac twelve, He's done it recently.
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  Speaker 2: I think you've got him at what eleven, ten, eleven,
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  Speaker 2: somewhere in that range. Tell me why you look like
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  Speaker 2: why this is going to be the year where Lincoln
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  Speaker 2: Riley actually does something at USC.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, well, I'm glad you brought up those old Pack
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  Speaker 4: twelve days because that's really where I found a liking
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  Speaker 4: to Utah's program, because the whole national media was picking
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  Speaker 4: USC in that Pack twelve division every year I was
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  Speaker 4: going Utah, and the youths proved me right several years
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  Speaker 4: in a row. And so that's just a little background
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  Speaker 4: on pick six previews. That was great times, but now
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  Speaker 4: I think it's a little bit different here with USC.
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  Speaker 4: I do have them in my playoff bracket. I think
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  Speaker 4: that's a somewhat of a surprising pick if you look
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  Speaker 4: across the landscape. But I've got them in the playoffs
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  Speaker 4: because they we know we have the Lincoln Riley offense.
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  Speaker 4: They bring back Jade and my Ava, a lot of
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  Speaker 4: great running backs and receivers, big O line, four starters back.
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  Speaker 4: But really the difference to me is the defense. I
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  Speaker 4: think has finally been upgraded, specifically the defensive line, because
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  Speaker 4: they just signed a number one high school recruiting class
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  Speaker 4: in the country. Signed a couple five stars last cycle,
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  Speaker 4: two all in that defensive line. So it is star power.
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  Speaker 4: It's experienced transfer starters coming in on the D line,
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  Speaker 4: and then a guy Gary Patterson. Remember this, mister TCU
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  Speaker 4: himself is now taking over the USC defense, and he
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  Speaker 4: even said in his press conference he's never seen a
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  Speaker 4: defense this talented or this this big and size wise.
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  Speaker 4: So I like us see the complete package this year
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  Speaker 4: to be the fourth Big ten.
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  Speaker 2: Selection, Well I'm gonna take just because I've seen this before.
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  Speaker 2: Oh we're loaded with transfers. This, I know Maav is
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  Speaker 2: a good quarterback. I just he's gonna have to show
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  Speaker 2: me he can do it. To me, what he did
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  Speaker 2: at Oklahoma was all on the coattails of what Bob
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  Speaker 2: Stoops did. They were always loaded offensively, struggled defensively. It's
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  Speaker 2: been the same thing at USC. Maybe this is the year,
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: I guess. I guess I've just got to see it.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, I understand that, and in a similar sense, I'm
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  Speaker 4: kind of waits to see it to believe it. For Texas,
• 8:36
  Speaker 4: this is another team that's getting a lot of preseason steam.
• 8:39
  Speaker 4: I've seen them as high as number one overall again,
• 8:42
  Speaker 4: and you know everyone's got him as a lot for
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  Speaker 4: the playoff. I do have them in my bracket, but
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  Speaker 4: I've got them down at seventh and I don't have
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  Speaker 4: them playing for the SEC title. So I guess, relatively
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  Speaker 4: to my peers that that's kind of selling Texas. I
• 8:54
  Speaker 4: need to see it from them because every year we
• 8:56
  Speaker 4: hear about top transfers. Arch Manning hype every season, and
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  Speaker 4: I will give him credit. He did improve his play
• 9:03
  Speaker 4: down the stretch. First four games were pretty brutal for him,
• 9:06
  Speaker 4: but over the back half of the season. He impressed
• 9:09
  Speaker 4: and improved, but still a team like Texas, I want
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  Speaker 4: to see it before I sign up for a national
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  Speaker 4: title pick. I'm down there. I like the more guaranteed
• 9:18
  Speaker 4: picks of Georgia with that defense. Oklahoma also with their defense.
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  Speaker 4: That's why I have playing for the SEC title game.
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: Brett Ciancia Pick six previews with us here on the
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: Sean O'Connell show. Bill Riley filling in today. All right,
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: let's dive into the Big Twelve. You taught made a
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: coaching change in Morgan Scalley after years of being a
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: player and a coach at a high level here and
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: has been coaching waiting takes over. You had them third
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: in your preseason Big Twelve, which and I think twenty
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: first or twenty second overall in your preseason overall.
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: Give me your big picture view.
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: What you like and what's your question right now about Utah?
• 9:52
  Speaker 4: Well, the big big picture is the end of the
• 9:54
  Speaker 4: winningham era and congrats the coach with it was an
• 9:57
  Speaker 4: incredible tenure. I mean although almost twenty years were it's
• 10:00
  Speaker 4: a football up there. Brought them from the Mountain West
• 10:02
  Speaker 4: up to the Pac twelve. It's so hard to transition
• 10:05
  Speaker 4: up like that, and he did it, went back to
• 10:07
  Speaker 4: back pack twelve titles and again got I'm rolling here
• 10:10
  Speaker 4: in the big twelve. So great tenure there. And when
• 10:13
  Speaker 4: I cover, I cover sixty eight teams here, and when
• 10:15
  Speaker 4: I see coaching changes, a lot of times, it's like
• 10:18
  Speaker 4: night and day. It's like a completely different program on
• 10:20
  Speaker 4: the other side of a higher But here Utah. I
• 10:23
  Speaker 4: put this in the preview. I said, simply, Utah is
• 10:26
  Speaker 4: still Utah. I mean, you have Morgan Scalley from within.
• 10:28
  Speaker 4: It's the same culture, the same nasty, tough defense. I
• 10:32
  Speaker 4: love their defense. I call them pick six U with
• 10:35
  Speaker 4: that big streak of interception touchdowns. But I think you're
• 10:38
  Speaker 4: still getting your normal Utah look, and it's a stout defense.
• 10:42
  Speaker 4: I know the offensive line will reload despite sending two
• 10:45
  Speaker 4: guys to the first round. It's just one of those
• 10:48
  Speaker 4: one of those things. Every year you just know that
• 10:49
  Speaker 4: Utah is going to be tough in the trenches. So
• 10:51
  Speaker 4: I think that all continues here. And then specifically for
• 10:55
  Speaker 4: twenty twenty six, I love the quarterback running back duo.
• 10:58
  Speaker 4: Devin Dan Pierre came. He stepped up from the Mountain
• 11:01
  Speaker 4: West and remained just as elusive as he was there,
• 11:04
  Speaker 4: just so hard to lay a finger on this guy.
• 11:07
  Speaker 4: Pass rush can't get to him. Great scrambler can score
• 11:10
  Speaker 4: really from any point of the field. He can run
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  Speaker 4: it way. Shaun Parker I think will go for one thousand.
• 11:15
  Speaker 4: He was close last year. I know it was one
• 11:17
  Speaker 4: of his goals last year. He got real close. And
• 11:19
  Speaker 4: then even Bert Ficklin, I know, talking backup quarterback, but
• 11:23
  Speaker 4: he is incredible as an athlete too, and I think
• 11:24
  Speaker 4: they're going to get him some packages and they don't
• 11:27
  Speaker 4: mind sharing their quarterback. So all that to say, I
• 11:31
  Speaker 4: want to throw in Also, the receiver room impress me.
• 11:33
  Speaker 4: I think that's an upgrade this year, and I think
• 11:35
  Speaker 4: you'll see some more vertical shots. So all that to say,
• 11:38
  Speaker 4: I know it's a coaching transition. I know you lose
• 11:40
  Speaker 4: what all nine linemen O line D line combined, but
• 11:44
  Speaker 4: still Utah's track record keeps them within the top twenty
• 11:46
  Speaker 4: five and really head to head against BYU away from
• 11:50
  Speaker 4: a Big twelve title appearance.
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: I think, yeah, we were talking about this earlier.
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: Yeah, they do lose quite a bit there, but they
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: had so much depth in the program. They've got guys
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: who they have played defensive line, they've always rolled guys through,
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: so there, and then a lot of the offensive linemen
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: that have returned played for the program, they just weren't
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: starters for the program. So that's certainly an area to
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: figure out. The good news for them is, you know,
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: the non conference schedule is all at home and it's
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: pretty friendly to Utah, so they'll have a little bit
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: of time.
• 12:20
  Speaker 4: To jell absolutely, and like I said, it's one of
• 12:24
  Speaker 4: those programs and position groups that you just don't doubt.
• 12:26
  Speaker 4: I mean, this happens almost every year where we say, oh,
• 12:29
  Speaker 4: Utah lost X amount of linemen, they seem to reload
• 12:32
  Speaker 4: it perfectly every time, and I'll trust them there. Schedule wise,
• 12:36
  Speaker 4: you couldn't ask for a better front half of the
• 12:38
  Speaker 4: schedule to get this team up to speed, this transitional line,
• 12:41
  Speaker 4: O line, D line, and an offensive coordinator because yeah, Idaho,
• 12:45
  Speaker 4: Utah State from the nine a Q level, and then
• 12:48
  Speaker 4: Arkansas they're going through a coaching change themselves. I've got
• 12:50
  Speaker 4: them picked dead last in the SEC, and that's in
• 12:54
  Speaker 4: Salt Lake City. So I like that three and oh
• 12:56
  Speaker 4: start and then you draw my bottom three from the
• 12:58
  Speaker 4: Big twelve. The whole conference I've got it with Iowa
• 13:01
  Speaker 4: State dead last, Colorado fifteenth, Kansas fourteenth. That's your first
• 13:05
  Speaker 4: three league games. So I see a six and zero starting,
• 13:08
  Speaker 4: no matter how you slice it. And then Houston comes
• 13:11
  Speaker 4: to town in a pretty big matchup, and and I'm
• 13:13
  Speaker 4: you know, you can see there on the cover of
• 13:15
  Speaker 4: my magazine. I'm selling Houston. I don't really understand all
• 13:17
  Speaker 4: the Houston buzz this year. It was a nice nine
• 13:20
  Speaker 4: win team last year, six and one and one score games.
• 13:23
  Speaker 4: That tends the flip year to year that you know,
• 13:25
  Speaker 4: that doesn't really prove dominance to me. So I'm going
• 13:29
  Speaker 4: to take Utah on that one. We're talking seven and
• 13:31
  Speaker 4: zero and getting ahead of myself, but I'm looking here
• 13:33
  Speaker 4: at Cincinnati, another team I've got at the bottom of
• 13:35
  Speaker 4: the conference, so I don't want to jump too far ahead,
• 13:38
  Speaker 4: but I see a clear path to eight to oh
• 13:41
  Speaker 4: when you saw it brings BYU to town.
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: I said this earlier and I'll say it again. I've
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: said in some other places. I really, you know, we
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: circle that game with BYU every year. It's at Rice
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: Cycles this year. But I really believe that there's a
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: case that could be made that you know, the winner
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: of that game probably sees Tech in Dallas.
• 13:59
  Speaker 4: Yeah, absolutely, I think that's definitely the case. I've got it.
• 14:01
  Speaker 4: Texas Tech is my clear champion pick right now, and
• 14:05
  Speaker 4: then BYU two just because of all the roster retention.
• 14:08
  Speaker 4: You know, other teams like Tech, they were great in
• 14:10
  Speaker 4: the portal again BYU, they were more about keeping their
• 14:13
  Speaker 4: starters in house. They put a lot of their funds
• 14:15
  Speaker 4: towards roster retention. They had twelve returning starters that could
• 14:19
  Speaker 4: have gone pro or could have gone elsewhere. All twelve
• 14:22
  Speaker 4: returned to BYU. You just don't see that in this
• 14:24
  Speaker 4: modern era. You see starters moving around all the time.
• 14:27
  Speaker 4: So roster retention and so their key stars are back.
• 14:31
  Speaker 4: So I have the number two right now and Utah three.
• 14:34
  Speaker 4: And you know this also, people were all talking about
• 14:37
  Speaker 4: a twenty four team playoff and expanding it. Here's your
• 14:40
  Speaker 4: playoff right here. It's called November, right and Utah versus BYU.
• 14:44
  Speaker 4: That's kind of a play into the playing game. I
• 14:46
  Speaker 4: mean it's that's that's your twenty four teamer right there.
• 14:49
  Speaker 4: So that has playoff state right there, November seventh in
• 14:52
  Speaker 4: Salt Lake.
• 14:52
  Speaker 3: City, Texas Tech.
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: They don't have to play Utah, they don't have to
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: play BYU and then all their tough games are at home.
• 14:59
  Speaker 2: I think they've got at Houston at home. They might
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: have Arizona at home, so the schedule sets up well
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: for them.
• 15:06
  Speaker 3: Is there a hole in this Tech team?
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: Obviously the quarterback position with Hammond not quite sure where
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: he is. I mean, they say he's going to play,
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: but at what level does he play?
• 15:15
  Speaker 3: And when is he back to being himself?
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: But outside of the quarterback, do you see any holes
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: with Texas Tech?
• 15:21
  Speaker 4: Yeah? I feel okay at quarterback with Will Hammon, it's
• 15:25
  Speaker 4: really I guess injury based. I can't forecast an injury,
• 15:28
  Speaker 4: but I liked what I saw from him in game
• 15:30
  Speaker 4: action last year. In fact, it was the Utah game
• 15:32
  Speaker 4: where Baron Morton got knocked out. It was a close game,
• 15:35
  Speaker 4: it might have been tied there in the fourth quarter,
• 15:38
  Speaker 4: and Hammond leads four straight scoring drives against a tough
• 15:40
  Speaker 4: Utah defense. So he impressed me in a small sample size.
• 15:44
  Speaker 4: So I like quarterback for them. My question would be
• 15:46
  Speaker 4: defensive line, and this last year I think was arguably
• 15:50
  Speaker 4: the best defensive line in the country. Multiple All Americans,
• 15:53
  Speaker 4: multiple draft picks. I think the holes starting four were
• 15:57
  Speaker 4: all Big Twelve for sure, and they're all gone. And
• 16:00
  Speaker 4: I know they backloaded pretty well from the Portal on paper,
• 16:03
  Speaker 4: but there is always a worry with transfers like that,
• 16:06
  Speaker 4: do they all click? Are they really as good as advertised?
• 16:09
  Speaker 4: And the way that Joey McGuire quoted it, he said, yeah,
• 16:12
  Speaker 4: we lost four draft picks, but we signed four future
• 16:14
  Speaker 4: draft picks from the portal, And you know, I like that,
• 16:17
  Speaker 4: you know, I think they grade out pretty well, But
• 16:19
  Speaker 4: until I see it together, that's a kind of a
• 16:22
  Speaker 4: question mark for me because that was the strength of
• 16:24
  Speaker 4: the team last year and that's gone.
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Trick Right and eg Raboga are coming in from
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: Miami of Ohio, San Diego State, and Wake Forest respectively.
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: The one guy I do really like that I think
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: won't have a problems Austin Romand coming in from k State.
• 16:42
  Speaker 4: Oh yeah, you're talking a two time All Big Twelve guy.
• 16:46
  Speaker 4: I think he made my All American. So you know,
• 16:48
  Speaker 4: it's funny nowadays twenty twenty six, I have an All
• 16:50
  Speaker 4: American and All Big Twelve, and then I have an
• 16:52
  Speaker 4: All Transfer team just because there's so much movement, and
• 16:56
  Speaker 4: I think I had Romain on my all transfer team,
• 16:58
  Speaker 4: along with Yu's linebacker Cade you lave coming up from Cal. So, yeah,
• 17:03
  Speaker 4: they signed arguably the top linebacker in the portal. That
• 17:06
  Speaker 4: position's fine. They've got Ben Roberts back, who was Jacob
• 17:09
  Speaker 4: Rodriguez's you know, co star at the linebackers. So I
• 17:13
  Speaker 4: like the rest of this Tech roster. And I'll put
• 17:15
  Speaker 4: it in perspective this way, and you look at transfer portal,
• 17:18
  Speaker 4: Texas Tech signed twenty four star transfers the last two
• 17:21
  Speaker 4: cycles combined, twenty of them. The average Big twelve teams
• 17:24
  Speaker 4: signed two, so you've got twenty to two. There's you know,
• 17:27
  Speaker 4: the recruiting rankings all that's more right than wrong. So
• 17:30
  Speaker 4: I know they have pro talent there and I think
• 17:32
  Speaker 4: they'll be back in Dallas for the Big twelve title game.
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: Who's a sleeper team for you? In the Big Twelve.
• 17:38
  Speaker 4: Sleeper team for me, I think would be TCU. Now,
• 17:41
  Speaker 4: after the Tech BYU Utah tier, you got like a
• 17:45
  Speaker 4: six way logjam of teams that you could argue for fourth,
• 17:48
  Speaker 4: and I emerged with TCU. And it might not be
• 17:51
  Speaker 4: the sexiest pick because you don't see them really in
• 17:53
  Speaker 4: the transfer portal bringing in known players. But I look
• 17:56
  Speaker 4: at the high school recruiting trail for TCU and their
• 17:59
  Speaker 4: number one along with Texas Tech over the last four
• 18:02
  Speaker 4: year average in high school recruiting a lot of four stars,
• 18:05
  Speaker 4: more than you find at most Big twelve spots. And
• 18:08
  Speaker 4: you know, talking to Sunny Dikes, his main thing was
• 18:10
  Speaker 4: roster retention. He wanted to keep those guys in house
• 18:13
  Speaker 4: because he likes what he's got it. I think they
• 18:15
  Speaker 4: only signed eight transfers. Question for them. As a quarterback,
• 18:18
  Speaker 4: they brought in a Harvard quarterback, Jayden Craig. He grated out, well,
• 18:23
  Speaker 4: but you just never know with fcs to the Big
• 18:25
  Speaker 4: twelve transition. But I like TCU just on sheer recruiting,
• 18:28
  Speaker 4: firepower and their retention. Of course, you have other candidates.
• 18:33
  Speaker 4: You've got the Arizona teams, Kansas State coaching transition with
• 18:36
  Speaker 4: Colin Klein, and then the real wildcards Oklahoma State bringing
• 18:41
  Speaker 4: up that whole North Texas offense Eric Morris. So that's
• 18:45
  Speaker 4: the kind of your wildcard. But yeah, I'll go TCU
• 18:47
  Speaker 4: as the dark horse sleeper to make it to Dallas.
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: Tell them where to get the magazine or the book. Brett,
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: thanks so much.
• 18:54
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it's only available on Pick six Previews dot com.
• 18:57
  Speaker 4: That's all spelled out Pick six Previews. You had the
• 18:59
  Speaker 4: digital option, the hard copy which comes with the digital,
• 19:02
  Speaker 4: and then the end season product too. If you like
• 19:04
  Speaker 4: this stuff, you want to get my picks every week,
• 19:06
  Speaker 4: my projections against the Spread stuff that's every Tuesday. It's
• 19:09
  Speaker 4: called Pick six Plus and you'll find that on the
• 19:11
  Speaker 4: website as well.
• 19:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and by the way, if you go with that
• 19:13
  Speaker 2: digital copy like I did, you'll have it immediately. If
• 19:16
  Speaker 2: you want to get the hard copy too, you get
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: the digital copy with it.
• 19:18
  Speaker 3: It's a great deal.
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: And as always he's done his homework and it's great
• 19:23
  Speaker 2: information and great prep for the season, which we're forty
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: eight days away from.
• 19:28
  Speaker 3: Great catching up with you.
• 19:29
  Speaker 4: Thanks, Bill, appreciate it.
• 19:30
  Speaker 3: Anytime Red Santy with us here. I'm the Sean O'Connell Show.