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Ranking Texas' Most Important Football Games of 2026 · The Craig Way Show

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  Speaker 1: On a Thursday afternoon in sports Radio in thirteen numbers, the ANYR,
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  Speaker 1: A little CCR here on the return cup.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, a little nod to your road trip tails and
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  Speaker 2: little nods, a little nod.
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  Speaker 3: So what's coming up around the bank.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, what's coming up next week? Will be in Tampa
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  Speaker 4: for the SEC Football Media Days. Will be there Wednesday
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  Speaker 4: and Thursday, including when Texas is there on Thursday. So
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  Speaker 4: we'll bring you programs from there, and we'll obviously have
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  Speaker 4: conversation long more players.
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  Speaker 5: I'll have my annual.
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  Speaker 4: Media Days conversation with head coach Steve Sarkisian. So we'll
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  Speaker 4: have those things coming to you next week. So getting
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  Speaker 4: into this football mindset, I talked about the you know,
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  Speaker 4: the mile markers, the mile posts that you see that
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  Speaker 4: know that let you know that football season is approaching.
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  Speaker 4: One of those, obviously, is the annual publication of the magazines,
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  Speaker 4: obviously Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine. It is out, It
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  Speaker 4: is on the newsstands. I did check it is also
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  Speaker 4: available at Barnes and Noble because I went there to
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  Speaker 4: get another publication the other day and.
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  Speaker 5: I saw it there.
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  Speaker 3: I got to get my hands on that.
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  Speaker 5: It's there and then Athlon.
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  Speaker 4: I picked this one up when I was on vacation
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  Speaker 4: because I couldn't get access to the other ones and
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  Speaker 4: I wanted some reading materials, some college football preview reading
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  Speaker 4: material in advance. When I was out there, you picked
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  Speaker 4: up Lindy's and I've gotten that one before. And then
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  Speaker 4: what a lot of folks do feel is the pre
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  Speaker 4: eminent preseason publication, Phil Steele's College Football Annually. Now, I
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  Speaker 4: will tell you this, the Phil Steel thing is, it's
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  Speaker 4: pretty heavy, and it's pretty chock full. It's the priciest one.
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  Speaker 4: It's twenty five bucks to get it. There's a lot
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  Speaker 4: of really good information. But I will tell you this also,
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  Speaker 4: Phil Steele's publication, just like Kathlon, just like Lynde's.
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  Speaker 5: Really and truly is.
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  Speaker 4: At a bit of a guesswork when it comes to
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  Speaker 4: certain things. For example, the most celebrated of those being
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  Speaker 4: Brendan Soresby and his status. And at the time that
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  Speaker 4: these publications went to print, Soorsby had not been ruled
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  Speaker 4: permanently ineligible and you know or it had not withdrawn
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  Speaker 4: his name and wasn't going to play for Texas Tech
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  Speaker 4: and then was ruled ineligible for the Supplemental Draft of
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  Speaker 4: the NFL. He is eligible for twenty twenty seven. So
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  Speaker 4: at the time that these publications went to the printer,
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  Speaker 4: they could only guess. Now, I will tell you this,
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  Speaker 4: it was going to be very difficult for my friend
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  Speaker 4: Greg Tepper, the editor in chief of Dave Campbell's Texas
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  Speaker 4: Football Magazine, and for them, especially with Texas Tech on
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  Speaker 4: the cover of it. Joey McGuire's on the cover. This
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  Speaker 4: is the first not for Tech to have its head
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  Speaker 4: coach on the cover. The first is having a prominent
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  Speaker 4: donor on the car, having Cody Campbell to the booster,
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  Speaker 4: having him on the cover, it's.
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  Speaker 2: Kind of framed like a well, that's Joey McGuire behind him, right,
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  Speaker 2: kind of framed like the like the Sith floor looking
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  Speaker 2: over them.
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  Speaker 5: Yeah, right, exactly.
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  Speaker 4: And and and I'll ask Chap when I see him
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  Speaker 4: down in Houston this weekend at coaching school.
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  Speaker 3: Maybe maybe those pictures should be reversed.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, who knows about tail wagging dog and things of
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  Speaker 4: that nature. I will ask him about that.
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  Speaker 5: Yeah.
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  Speaker 4: I think this was the plan all along, was to
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  Speaker 4: have these guys on the cover. I do not think
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  Speaker 4: that Brendan Sorosby was ever in the picture for being
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  Speaker 4: on the cover, so I don't they didn't have to
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  Speaker 4: change the cover on that, and in fact, they probably
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  Speaker 4: because I think they went to print later than the
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  Speaker 4: other two have the closest approximation to how it's supposed
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  Speaker 4: to go. With Texas Tech at its quarterback spot. They
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  Speaker 4: were not counting on Soresby in this and they list
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  Speaker 4: Will Hammon, the former Hutto Hippo, as the start of the.
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  Speaker 5: Other two didn't quite go.
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  Speaker 4: The way of listing Will Hammond because they were still
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  Speaker 4: waiting to see about Hammond coming off the ACL surgery.
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  Speaker 5: But Joey McGuire has said.
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  Speaker 4: From the moment, at the very least he would be
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  Speaker 4: available by the third game, and he said, I think
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  Speaker 4: at a recent interview that he thought he might be
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  Speaker 4: available even for their season opener, that there was a
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  Speaker 4: chance he might be available for their season opener. So
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  Speaker 4: and again I think that's why Tepper and company listed
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  Speaker 4: Hammond as the starting quarterback, because they were going to
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  Speaker 4: press later and they would have a chance to get
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  Speaker 4: to that and be able to project that because it
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  Speaker 4: was a little bit closer to the start of the
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  Speaker 4: season as opposed to what Aflon's and Lindy's were calling
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  Speaker 4: for the number one quarterback spot for the Red Raiders.
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  Speaker 4: They had a different transfer right Texas Tech at quarterback.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, they've got they've got Will Hammond and Kirk France.
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  Speaker 3: Kirk France transferred in.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, and Aflon's had Kirk France is listed as well
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  Speaker 4: as as being the one. Anyway that was That's another
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  Speaker 4: one of those signposts that you're getting closer to the
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  Speaker 4: start of the football season when you see these preseason
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  Speaker 4: publications come out and and and looking at the Longhorns.
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  Speaker 3: Uh.
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  Speaker 5: And we'll, you know, in the.
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  Speaker 4: Coming days and weeks, we'll get into specific positional breakdowns.
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  Speaker 4: One position that we really won't be breaking down that
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  Speaker 4: much will be quarterback because it's arch panning. But but
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  Speaker 4: there will be a lot of conversation about who the
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  Speaker 4: backup cutter.
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  Speaker 3: Say, you know, there'll be questions about the backup quarter Oh.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, oh yeah, so it would be you know, whether
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  Speaker 4: it's Dia Bell or kJ Lacey, you know that that
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  Speaker 4: sort of thing.
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  Speaker 5: You know, we'll see.
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  Speaker 4: But what what is another feature of what Phil Steel does.
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  Speaker 4: He lists like there's seasonal results for the last five years,
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  Speaker 4: which I think is in this case apropos because those
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  Speaker 4: are the five years of Steve Sarkisian as head coach.
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  Speaker 4: This will be sarks sixth season as head coach, where
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  Speaker 4: that's tongue twister, sarks sixth season, and then also lists
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  Speaker 4: like their last five bowl games as well, but that includes,
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  Speaker 4: you know, the college football playoff games that they had
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  Speaker 4: three of them in twenty twenty four, Clemson in Arizona State,
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  Speaker 4: Clemson and home Arizona State, and the Peach Bowl, and
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  Speaker 4: then Ohio State and the Cotton Bowl, and it goes
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  Speaker 4: back as far as.
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  Speaker 5: The Sugar Bowl.
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  Speaker 4: When your last five bowl games only date back three years,
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  Speaker 4: you know the program is in a good place for that,
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  Speaker 4: which brings us to the schedule this year. So I
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  Speaker 4: would I would ask you because you said what you did,
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  Speaker 4: you did a little bit of a similar type of thing,
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  Speaker 4: a little exercise similar to what we're about to do,
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  Speaker 4: which you did while I was out on vacation.
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  Speaker 2: Evan VIIIth and I went through the schedule all twelve
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  Speaker 2: games and sort of tiered them in terms of our anticipation,
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  Speaker 2: our excitement level for them.
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  Speaker 5: Okay, all right, all right, So that's like anticipation excitement.
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  Speaker 5: I'm going to ask.
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  Speaker 4: You your opinion for the import of each of these games,
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  Speaker 4: starting with we'll just say we'll do this. Which of
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  Speaker 4: these twelve games would you say is the twelfth most
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  Speaker 4: important game? They're all important some of that, but if
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  Speaker 4: you had to rank them in terms of importance, which
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  Speaker 4: of these twelve games will be the twelfth most important?
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  Speaker 3: UTSA Week three?
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  Speaker 4: I'm in agreement with you because two games will be
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  Speaker 4: under belt by then, and it's UTSA. Not that UTSA
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  Speaker 4: is a scarp thing, but you always have to be
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  Speaker 4: ready for the start of season.
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  Speaker 5: All right, how about your eleventh most.
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  Speaker 2: Evan and I differed here. I have Texas State. Evan
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  Speaker 2: had Arkansas.
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  Speaker 5: Okay, I'm in agreement with you. I think Texas State.
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  Speaker 4: Now it is a season opener and you have to
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  Speaker 4: be ready and all that sort of thing. And this
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  Speaker 4: will be the first time these two programs played with
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  Speaker 4: Texas State. Being Texas State, this game has been on
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  Speaker 4: the schedule for several years, and there's a great deal
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  Speaker 4: of anticipation with the Bobcats that's coming up thirty miles
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  Speaker 4: up the road. They've played in all other sports, you know, baseball,
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  Speaker 4: they play home and home annually. Men's basketball and women's
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  Speaker 4: basketball softball, they've all played Texas State, but this will
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  Speaker 4: be the first time long worn football team has played
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  Speaker 4: the Texas State Bobcats on that, and I'm going.
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  Speaker 5: To agree with you. I think it's the eleventh most, right,
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  Speaker 5: tenth most.
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  Speaker 2: Now, it's tough to put Arkansas at number ten because
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  Speaker 2: this is a traditional rival, but on paper it looks
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  Speaker 2: to be the most lopsided in terms of the talent
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  Speaker 2: on the rosters preseason. Of the remaining games, I'll throw
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  Speaker 2: it at number ten.
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  Speaker 4: I agree with you it put it this way, it's
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  Speaker 4: the most secure of the conference games, a home game
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  Speaker 4: against a team that's picked by many to finish in
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  Speaker 4: the last place in the league.
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  Speaker 2: Ninth most at see, now you're getting into a tier
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  Speaker 2: where a lot of them are pretty similar. I'll go
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  Speaker 2: with miss as it be stayed on Halloween.
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  Speaker 5: Okay, I'd agree with you on that, all right, Number eight?
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  Speaker 3: Who I mean? Now, now, they're all important.
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  Speaker 2: They're the ones we've got left to talk about because
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  Speaker 2: they're all going to be instrumental in terms of Texas
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  Speaker 2: reaching its goal of making the college football Playoff, and
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  Speaker 2: with this schedule being so difficult. You can't lose, you know, right,
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  Speaker 2: you can't have that many margins for air.
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  Speaker 4: I'll go with at Missouri Yep. Same here, on the
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  Speaker 4: same boat with you there, all right, Seventh.
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  Speaker 2: Most now it's yeah, it's it's tough, no matter what. Now,
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  Speaker 2: I'll go with Florida. I hate putting Florida there because
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  Speaker 2: they lost to him last.
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  Speaker 4: Year, right, but it was in Gainesville, and you know
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  Speaker 4: that that sort of thing. No, I'm so far. I'm
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  Speaker 4: in lockstep with you, all right, sixth most important.
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  Speaker 3: In the same tier as Florida, Ole miss.
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  Speaker 5: Yep, all right, uh, fifth most important game.
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  Speaker 2: And this is crazy that it's only fifth in the
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  Speaker 2: top five at LSU and them fourteenth.
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  Speaker 4: For me, yeah, I'm gonna say that, if only because
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  Speaker 4: the next one I think that we're gonna pick it's
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  Speaker 4: a more difficult challenge than this game will be, even
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  Speaker 4: though going to Death Valley at night is.
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  Speaker 5: Not going to be easy. I'm with you on that,
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  Speaker 5: all right. So LSU number.
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  Speaker 2: Five, number four, So does that make your next one
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  Speaker 2: at Tennessee?
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  Speaker 5: It does.
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  Speaker 4: It's a conference opener. It is a conference opener, and
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  Speaker 4: and you know it is a road game and Tennessee
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  Speaker 4: is a better football team than LSU, at least right
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  Speaker 4: now anyway, So I don't think so you don't.
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  Speaker 2: I think LSU's got a you have a better season
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  Speaker 2: than Tennessee. Tennessee has more coming back from last year's roster.
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  Speaker 2: I suppose they lost a lot, though Tennessee lost a
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  Speaker 2: lot on defense.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm I'm inclined to think that Tennessee.
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  Speaker 5: In fact, Phil Steel has Tennis ahead of LSU as well.
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  Speaker 2: LSU, you're gonna find anywhere one through eight in your
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  Speaker 2: SEC projections.
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  Speaker 5: I feel Here's here's one thing that Phil Steele says.
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  Speaker 4: If they take care of business at home versus Texas
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  Speaker 4: and Alabama, they will put themselves in the thick of
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  Speaker 4: the SEC title race and perhaps a trip back to
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  Speaker 4: the playoffs.
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  Speaker 2: It scares me to put this at number four because
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  Speaker 2: this is probably Tennessee's number one.
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  Speaker 4: Well, if they're both road games and you think LSU's better,
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  Speaker 4: why would you rank LSU below the road game in Tennessee.
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  Speaker 3: Because of the spot on the schedule.
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  Speaker 2: I think Tennessee is more important because it's the SEC
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  Speaker 2: opener and because you might go into that game with
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  Speaker 2: the loss.
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  Speaker 4: Okay, all right, number three. I've got the red River game,
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  Speaker 4: all right, give me three two one. You got Oklahoma
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  Speaker 4: number three.
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  Speaker 3: At Texas A and M.
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  Speaker 2: Two. I think the Ohio State game on September twelve
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  Speaker 2: is the most important game of the season.
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  Speaker 4: Okay, I'm not going to agree with you on that
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  Speaker 4: because it's a non common Prince game and we've seen
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  Speaker 4: that they if they don't lose to Florida, if other
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  Speaker 4: things that I am, but they're going to be in
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  Speaker 4: the playoff anyway, despite the loss in Columbus a year ago.
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  Speaker 4: Now this game is at home and it is important.
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  Speaker 5: I would I'm going to put the the.
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  Speaker 4: Oklahoma and Texas A and M games as one in
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  Speaker 4: one A either way you want to put them, yeah,
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  Speaker 4: and I would put Ohio State number three.
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  Speaker 3: They're all one A, one B and one C for me.
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  Speaker 2: I just think about the Ohio State game through this
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  Speaker 2: lens Steve Sarkisian trying to break through and get this
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  Speaker 2: Texas team past the College Football Playoff semi final into
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  Speaker 2: that national championship.
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  Speaker 4: Which you can do even if you lose to Ohio State.
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  Speaker 4: But you might not have the chance to do that
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  Speaker 4: if you lose to Oklahoma and or Texas A and M.
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  Speaker 2: But who are the teams that have stood in their
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  Speaker 2: way consistently? Ohio State and Georgia. You don't play Georgia this.
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  Speaker 4: Year, right, But again I maintain you can get into
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  Speaker 4: the playoffs with the loss to Ohio State. You might
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  Speaker 4: not be able to get there if you lose to
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  Speaker 4: Oklahoma tie breakers.
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  Speaker 5: Same thing with Texas A and M.
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  Speaker 2: But if Ohio State is who we think they are, yeah,
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  Speaker 2: and you beat them, yeah, you got a real chance
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  Speaker 2: of making it in with three losses.
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  Speaker 5: Yeah, it's true.
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  Speaker 2: It's true last year if you if you flip the
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  Speaker 2: Ohio State loss with Florida, yeah, or say flip the
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  Speaker 2: Ohio State loss, you know, you beat them, but you
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  Speaker 2: lose to somebody else like a Texas A and M.
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  Speaker 3: Right, maybe there's a better argument to put them in.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, it's it'd be interesting to see.
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  Speaker 5: All right.
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  Speaker 4: So that's that's how close it is. But we're pretty
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  Speaker 4: close on a lot of these. All right, we'll be
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  Speaker 4: back to wrap up power number two. I'm thirteen under
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  Speaker 4: the zone