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Honey, a lot of teams are DOOMED: Week 4 Recap · Honey, It's Saturday

• Mitch: All right, everybody. Hope you guys are doing better than me. Welcome back to the Honey It Saturday podcast. I feel like this is becoming a trend. I'm Mitch Williams Sam Grant: Ha ha. Mitch: and I've got Sam Grant with me as well. he's currently going live from the area of Appalachian State. So that's pretty fun. but yeah, I mean, I you know what I think is going on, Sam? We we started Sam Grant: What what we got? Mitch: a college football podcast and our goal is to be as neutral and unbiased as possible. And I think someone out there is helping me. Because if I don't have much to root for in Aggi Land, then I guess I have no choice but to lock in on everything else. And that's just kind of how this season's going so far. Sam Grant: That's true. It's it's just either the success of the A and football team or success of the Honey and Saturday podcast. So I'm liking the way it's leaning selfishly, but I I want you to also be in a good mental state for the the spring and the winter as you just kinda prepare for another Aggie season. Not to say it's over. Still a lot of football left, but not much life in that in that team or that fan base right now. Mitch: I can vouch for the fan base piece of that. And I do hope that at some point in time there can be, you know, these two things can coexist. Success of the Honey It Saturday podcast as well as success of Aggie Football. That would be awesome. But I really feel like right now someone's trying to tell me something. Sam Grant: Yeah, it it certainly is looking like that. But, you know, again, the the those are two tough opponents that you've played against. There's some debate about who's the quarterback going forward. And obviously we can talk about this a little bit later as we get into that segment. But I know both both of us suffered some losses yesterday by by our our teams, so to speak, so we're both Mitch: Yeah. Sam Grant: going through it a little bit. Mitch: Yeah. Well, there were other football games that were played yesterday and some very good ones. So we're gonna be sure to to give our full breakdown. I do want to shout out my my company for hosting a work event last night at seven o'clock. at first I was a little bit weary because you know the Aggies had the prime time window against LSU, but by the time I left the work event, I didn't even really want to turn the game on. So shout out to my My office for setting that up, I really appreciate it. Sam Grant: Hey, that's just a blessing in disguise. You know what? I think that's they're again, that's just little signs that they're trying to protect you 'cause I think I don't know if you would have been able to make it through one half of that game. Mitch: Yeah, and actually they updated the Texas A and schedule. I don't know if you saw it, but next week is pumpkin patch, the week after is a fall wedding. I Sam Grant: huh. Mitch: think the next one we're going to the mall. So yeah, it's looking a lot different. Sam Grant: Wow. Yeah, I'm sure I'm sure that's not what you wanted to be saying here at week four. But I think I think we've all had our our fair share of kind of mistakes and just optimisms that we had, which I think ties pretty well into our next segment of Honey It's Time to Pay Up. Obviously this stems based off our previous episode of us starting a Honey It's in the Budget podcast. I'm sorry, Honey It's in the Budget scene. And that's centered around where our lock of the week from a point spread standpoint, who wins outright, whatever it may be. And there's a little friendly wager that's going on between Mitch and myself of whoever's bet does not I'm sorry, whoever's like lock of the week does not hit, somebody has to buy him a soda. So I again back to back weeks am having to provide Mitch with ult ultimately my favorite soda that he's about to crack open and show to the screen, a cheer wine. Mitch: That's right. Yeah. And and every week is a new opportunity to request a sponsorship. So shout out Cheerwine. Thank you so much for all that you do. You bring much joy to the world through your beverage production. and I am Certainly gonna enjoy this one. Thank you, Sam. yeah, I'm Sam Grant: I hope that helps. Mitch: I'm two for two on this. It does actually cheer one. Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: They don't call it cheer wine for no reason. So yeah, it it helps a little bit, but yeah, I I'm two for two on soda so far. We gotta we gotta figure that out. Sam Grant: You are. And I'm I'm still struggling with my pick. My pick was South Carolina to cover thirteen to half against Bama. And if you guys are following us on socials, we did another segment of just kind of what's our like lock of the week in a sense that's separate from this one. And I chose South Carolina to outweigh outright win in Tuscaloosa. And boy was I wrong. I mean I I wanted to trust Shane Beamer. I think he's a great coach. I think he's a great guy. There's just Part of me that always goes back to two years ago and just all the potential they have, but seeing Dylan Stewart last night throw punches, walk off and never look Beamer in the eye, just that team is just lost right now. I think Sellers has regressed as a quarterback and I think Alabama's a really good football team, but my my time is trying to provide hope to South Carolina fans and still wanting to encourage them is kind of slowly going out the window. I just I don't know if I can ever pick South Carolina anymore, just off based off the way they've performed these last two weeks for me. Mitch: Yeah, that was a tough one. And I mean, I can't blame you, for thinking that was gonna be a closer game or even that South Carolina was gonna be able to go to Tuscaloosa and win. Just based off the last couple of years, that game's been really close and interesting and you never know. You you would think with Lenora Sellers at quarterback anything's possible any given week, but they just seem to have a lot more issues than we could have foreseen. And so I don't envy Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: even as an Aggie fan, I don't envy being a South Carolina fan right now. I think there's a lot to process and Hopefully they are able to improve throughout the year, but it's not looking super, super hot over in Columbia. And from from my perspective, my luck of the week was Iowa to cover five and a half at Michigan, which ended up hitting. It would have hit regardless of that game winning touchdown there at the end, which was electric. Can't wait to go over that in a little bit more detail. but I will say my my hot honey, my hot take of the week we posted on our social media was Iowa to win by I think it was seven plus and they did not do that. But I will still take the cover, my my lock of the week hit, and we move on. I start one and no on that segment. Sam Grant: That's true. And we I got some feedback yesterday from a couple couple friends from college who were reaching out to me saying, Hey, make sure you guys are following the Honey It's Saturday podcast because they were right on Iowa, because we both picked Iowa to win this game. And it was your luck Mitch: Mm-hmm. That's right. Sam Grant: of the week. Mitch: We don't know nothing around here. Sam Grant: No. Except my wife knows more than I do apparently. Mitch: Double negatives. man. That's great. Well, we had some other exciting news this past week. We attended our first game in person as the Honey It Saturday show. And that Sam Grant: That's right. Mitch: game was over in Conway, South Carolina for Liberty versus Coastal. Liberty versus Coastal. Sam is a Liberty grad. He's got some buddies over there. Shout out to them for the support. And really, they're the only reason that we're able to make it out. This week. So thank you, Major. that was awesome. And the game itself ended up being pretty entertaining as well. What were your main takeaways? Sam Grant: Yeah, I think it was honestly it started out a little bit sloppy. I think just some missed opportunities from both teams. I think you just talk to coastal fans and you talk to Liberty fans. Like this was a big rivalry back in the day in the big South days. So, like we had a chance to meet one of the Coastal Carolina season ticket holders, went to school there and just he talks about his hate for Liberty and how he he was a Commanders fan and this is his like Dallas Cowboys. So I think it's cool just seeing the rivalry game at that level and I think Liberty's just continuing to prove week after week. had had a little bit of a rocky start at the beginning of the season with a loss to James Madison and a nail biter against Gardner Webb but Gardner Webb almost beat Marshall yesterday. So maybe there's a little bit more to that Gardner Webb team than we were expecting. But overall it was a great environment. Great to see some old friends on that staff and that team. just glad they're continuing to take it week by week and continue to look better. So I'm I'm I'm excited Mitch: Yeah. Sam Grant: for this team in the future. Mitch: Yeah, I had not tuned in to a lot of Liberty football up to this point. I've been kind of following the box scores, but not much else. And I I would say there's a lot to like if you're a Liberty fan. I think they didn't play a perfect game by any means and they were still able to walk out of Conway with a pretty comfortable lead there in the end, pulled away in the second half. first half definitely was sloppy. I would say for both teams, the whole game was a little bit sloppy. Coastals wide receivers were struggling up and down the field. I mean, Sam Grant: Lot of drops. Mitch: it was just butterfingers all over the place and there were some bad decisions as well mixed in. But yeah, overall I thought Liberty was able to control the line of scrimmage very well. And that was a huge piece of why they were able to walk out thirty four seventeen. So congrats to the Flames and hopefully they're able to compete in the the conference USA the way they want to. Sam Grant: Yeah, for sure. And just if there's anybody watching out here that wants to take care of the honey of Saturday guys and bring us out to a a college football game this fall, we are open to it. was a great experience for us on a Thursday night just to get down there and on ESPN as well, a couple different live camera shots that were sent our way of some touchdowns and Mitch and I both cheering. So there's a little bit of bias involved, but just kinda wanna put put down those allegations that we're all for good football and making sure making sure this college football world continues to grow in the right direction. And also shout out Coastal Carolina for the free concessions. I'd never seen that at Mitch: That was Sam Grant: any any college football atmosphere or stadium and I dunno I don't know how they make money, but that was a nice little perk that we were able to receive on Thursday night. Mitch: Yeah, that was incredible. I I love the concept and the idea. And you know, the one the one negative thing that I will say, if I'm allowed to, about Coastal Carolina and that experience was that their fans did not stick around. And that game was close. I Sam Grant: No, not at all. Mitch: mean, I think Coastal had the lead at halftime even. I mean, that game was very close. And it was about halfway through the first quarter. Sam and I look up and half the student section's already gone. So that was very interesting. but other than that, it was it was an awesome experience. I do think that has something to do with the free concessions. I think they're trying to get people to stick around, but it was great for Sam Grant: Didn't work. Mitch: us. It did not work. Sam Grant: worked out well. so yeah, glad we got to attend that game and a a game that I'm glad I did not attend is the Tennessee Texas Mitch: Mm-hmm. Sam Grant: game. Texas ended up winning that game twenty to seventeen with some just crazy late game kind of magic and stuff that happened, but Texas was still able to pull it out. So Mitch, kinda what were your thoughts on the Tennessee Texas game and kind of outlook for these teams as the years as the season goes on? Mitch: Yeah, excuse me. I was I was trying to see if I could get the ESPN clip of Honey It's Saturday up here so we could have our moment of fame and something something was going wrong. So we'll we'll hit you guys with that later. If you follow us on the socials, you've already seen it. But as far as Tennessee, Texas goes, a lot of anticipation, a lot of build up. College game day in town. The president was in town. If Texas is the number one team in the country, then Tennessee should feel very good. I'll lead with that because they did compete. They were physical on both sides of the football. could not establish the run, but really neither team could establish the run at all today. It was pretty much dominated by the fronts of both sides, like the defensive line for for Texas. Clip I mean, Colin Simmons himself had like six sacks in that game, which is ridiculous, just utterly ridiculous. And then Tennessee as a team had double digit sacks as well. So I mean, or I I think that's correct. They had they were in the backfield, it seemed like pretty consistently. And I don't know. It just wasn't pretty as far as football goes. I think if you're a Texas fan, you feel the same way. I don't think Arch played a clean game at all. I think the offense you would love to see more with the weapons that they have. I know Cam Coleman was sidelined for a chunk of that game. But yeah, at the end of the day, Texas was able to go into Neeland, which is an incredibly tough place to play and get a win. So I don't think you can fault them for that. there's no reason to to take a step back as far as their ranking and how we feel about them as of now. I think there's a lot of room for improvement. And then from the Tennessee side, you played a a very good defense. You've got a true freshman quarterback. He took some serious shots in that game, took a beating. He saw a lot of things he'd never seen before. And You what you hope is he takes that, he learns, he grows, and as the season goes on, he gets better and better. the offensive line, they got a lot of work to do. I mean, it was like watching Swiss cheese. It was not pretty. but again, Texas is ex extremely talented, and at the end of the day, you cut it close at the end, get that onside kick, and it very well could have gone to overtime. So having talked about how ugly it was. I I think you gotta walk away with at least some positive thoughts. What about you? Sam Grant: Yeah, I think I think that's kind of where I'm sitting at right now is just a couple of different factors that are kinda going into my breakdown here. Just Tennessee's two and nine in their last games against AP top twenty five teams. So just my mindset for me of just kind of getting out of they've got to get out of this funk. I feel like Josh Hyper in his tenure at Tennessee, he's either had a really excellent offense and a really patchy, rough defense, or he's either had a really great defense and a really rough offense. And he's just never been able to kind of mesh those two together. To no fault of his, he's had a whole issue with some quarterback issues with Nico transferring and kind of the the effect that that's had. 'Cause I right now Nico should be our quarterback. I'm glad he's not there, but just just from that perspective of kind of their their game plan and their future of how they how they envision this Tennessee program being. Tennessee's defense I think was lights out. I think I mean Colin Tones had five sacks. There's a defensive lineman for Tennessee Tyree Weathersby. He had four sacks alone. Mitch: Mm-hmm. Sam Grant: Which is crazy. And if if if Simmons wasn't Simmons didn't have five, everybody would be talking about that. Both defenses I think looked really good. They really forced both these quarterbacks to look very uncomfortable in the pocket. I think there was a mix of both both these things from both quarterbacks of defensive line was getting pressure and forcing them to take some sacks, but also I think a lot of these quarterbacks or both these quarterbacks didn't necessarily get rid of the football in a timely matter of when they should have. I mean, there's a couple of different plays where you watch back on film of wide receivers streaking open and quarterbacks just kind of not seeing both both kind of just taking a taking a sack. So there's a little bit of that. but it's just a very interesting Texas team and a as a Tennessee guy, it's kinda hard to think about this game as like Texas is the number one team in the country, but they look not like the number one team in the country. But it was the same thing against Ohio State. And Ohio State looks really good and has looked really good throughout this entire season. So for me it's hard to not think about that win for Texas as they continue to go through this season. So Right now I feel like these are two really good teams that are gonna win a lot of games in a very ugly manner. And I just I don't I don't think Texas is where they're at offensively, is where they should be. but they're finding a way to win tough games and that's really all that matters. Mitch: Yeah, it's an interesting thought. just one final thing I saw today. I mean, Sartre gets a lot of ridiculous questions in press conferences, so it's hard to fault him here, but he got a question after the game about the physicality of Texas. I guess someone didn't think they were physical enough, which I think is kind of ridiculous if you watch the game. I mean both teams were Sam Grant: yeah. Mitch: incredibly physical throughout. And his response was the thing that caught my eye. He said, Didn't they have like eight guys get carted off? Which I just I understand defending your team, but I don't think that's the go to response when someone's asking about physicality. I don't think you should be judging it based off injuries. So that's kinda that was a little bit ridiculous. But again, he was probably frustrated because I I agree that's a silly question. Sam Grant: Yeah. And I think he was just ready to get out of there. I mean they the onside kick, everything that went down there, probably a lot of stress there at the end for him. He was ready just to get on that plane and regroup and get into this week five of college football. So don't blame him. Mitch: Fully agreed. Fully agreed. yeah, I think I think we've done a pretty good job breaking that down. It'll be really interesting to see where both teams go from here. I would say they both, Sam Grant: Agree. Mitch: while they both have a lot of potential and they fight each other very tough, they also both look vulnerable. So that'll be interesting. Oklahoma Sam Grant: Very much so Mitch: and Georgia. Let's just take a couple seconds here. We have our weekly moment of silence. This is out of respect for All you Oklahoma fans out in Norman and around the world, so we're just gonna take a second. All right, appreciate that. Thanks for joining us. I know John Mateer appreciates it. You know what? Here's the deal. Georgia is a very good football team. They really are. And at the end of the day, they still haven't been tested that much this year. But from what I've seen, they play clean football. They look really good defensively. Gunner seems to have a control of that offense. He's not going to do anything that blows your mind, but he's a good football player. And I also don't think he's going to do anything to lose a game. At least based off what I've seen. So I think if you're a Georgia fan, you feel really good. The schedule looks I mean it's tough as the SEC, but it looks favorable as far as that goes. So you feel great. This was supposed to be one of your tougher games of the year, and Oklahoma just has not panned out. And and on that, if you're on the Oklahoma side, if you're Brent Venables right now, I mean, what are you thinking? Sam, what are you thinking right now if you're Brent Venables inside his mind? Sam Grant: I think in your head you're thinking, how did I make this offensive coordinator higher? I think he's probably trying to look back and just see like, were there any signs from his time at Washington State? Same same thing with John Mateer. I had we had a buddy at the Oklahoma George game yesterday, Ethan, and he texted me and he's like, I don't think I've ever seen a defense look so good but somehow allow forty one points. And I think that's just I mean, this Oklahoma defense is the real deal. I know th I know the score may not look like it, but those guys have some really top talent, first round projected guys that are gonna be studs in the league. Mitch: And some of those points some of those points too were not scored by Georgia's offense. Some of those were defensive. Sam Grant: Yeah, absolutely. So I think you just you always know Brent Mendels is gonna have an excellent defense. But I think you're just looking at it as like, what change do I need to make to get some kind of offensive production? They made the playoff last year but struggled offensively. Everybody's talking about Matir's thumb. He's healthy this year, but he has just not looked good. That offense just looks like they are in like spring practice right now and like not not anywhere near where they need to be. So I just I Mitch: Yeah. Sam Grant: think they're just at a loss right now on the offensive side of the football. Mitch: I mean, I think the problem you're you're right, the coordinator has I mean, that that has not worked out clearly, but you you have to be critical of John Matir at this point. I mean, you have to. Sam Grant: yeah. Mitch: We we can't be overly critical of anyone, but he's just a part of the the group of quarterbacks right now, I would say, that have a lot of talent that have shown flashes of greatness throughout their career and just have regressed. And it's almost like it's a mental thing. I mean, he's straight up dropping the football. All over the field. There were multiple times. There's the one obvious backwards pass everyone talks about that's of course gonna become a meme. But it wasn't just that. I mean, he had multiple plays on the sideline where he was just loose with the ball. he was not on target all day. It was just ugly. It was it was almost sad to watch as a neutral fan. Almost sad to watch. And when I say he's a part of that group, I mean we'll get to the AM game later. I think Marcel Reed's in that category. I think you could throw a couple other guys in that category as well. But it's just it's very interesting. Because we've all seen John Matir play well. You talk about his time at Washington State. Was there something that Venables and that staff didn't see in the recruitment process? it's hard to fault him. I think everyone thought it was a great get at that time. I mean, he was a good player, he's a strong player, and before his injury last year, he looked like a great player as well. So who knows what it is, but it's it's very frustrating as a neutral. And I imagine I I can imagine how frustrating it is as an Oklahoma fan. Actually, I can, as an Aggie. But yeah, it's just that's tough. It's it's not looking great for them. Their defense is probably gonna keep in some games this year. But that schedule is brutal. So I I don't see it much I don't see yeah. Sam Grant: It it is. And they're two and they're they're two and two at this point. I mean, they have a lot of football left, but still not a lot of hope right now. Mitch: I don't see much light at the end of the tunnel there. But I will tell you who I do see a lot of light for. The future is looking very bright down in Gainesville. I mean, Sam Grant: yeah. Mitch: this was a game that we all looked at the spread when it opened, and Florida was favored at home against Old Mrs. Already got two top-tier wins this year, and we all kind of looked at it and thought, really? Really? But Vegas always knows, man. They've always they've Sam Grant: Somehow. Mitch: always. They've always got some sort of intel. I don't know what's going on, but they hey, they look very sharp. What were your thoughts? Sam Grant: Yeah, this Florida team looks really scary. I just I think for me I'm most surprised by just their offensive production so early. I mean, these guys are clicking on all sellers. Jaden Ball, I mean, just the running back that he is, I mean I don't think people talk about it enough. The ability for John Summerall to keep him at Florida was huge. Aaron Philo coming in, their receiving core, their offensive line, I mean they they flat out embarrassed a peak golden defense for Ole Miss, which was not on my bingo card at all. I Ole Miss has looked a little shaky on defense this year and they've had their moments, but I I I definitely didn't expect it to be what was fifty two to twenty eight. I mean, I think Mitch: Mm-hmm. Sam Grant: ol Ole Miss on offense looked a little bit out of sorts at times, but they st I still like they still played played a pretty good pretty good brand of football on offense and defensively they just couldn't keep up. Mitch: Yeah, that was so we were we and he's capable of winning in any and every situation, so I never feel good picking against him. But I just I had watched Ole Miss's defense throughout the first few weeks and they they are vulnerable. They are vulnerable. So you know Florida putting up fifty two, maybe I didn't expect fifty-two, but it doesn't shock me. It doesn't shock me, especially based off of what I've seen out of Florida's offense. I mean, they are physical. They run the football incredibly well. They're strong up front. Ball is ridiculous and he's got guys behind him that are very talented as well. So it's not like when he's not on the field you can take a breath on the defensive side. Can't do that. I think Philo is doing what he needs to do. I don't I don't think he's blowing anybody away. but it it's just they're a good football team. It really comes down to that. And I like John Summerl. I loved the hire. I didn't expect it to click this fast. I'm very surprised. Sam Grant: Not at all. I thought he was gonna be a year two, year three kind of guy. But I think that also just shows like the talent that Billy Napier had in Gainesville. 'Cause he kept a lot of those guys and just I don't know what it was about Napier that just couldn't get the job done, but Summerell is definitely benefiting from their their previous staff's recruiting and I mean some of these guys are ballers and it's it's it's really fun seeing this Florida team play as well as they are right now. 'Cause right now, I Mitch: Yeah. Sam Grant: mean la last two weeks I They look pretty dang unstoppable. Mitch: They look pretty good. They look pretty good. Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: So I, yeah, I look, here's the deal. Florida is a a blue blood. They're a huge college football brand and they've been down for a while. I'm not a Florida fan, but those are the type of schools that need to be relevant. And I I'm I'm happy. I'm happy that they're they're looking the way they are right now. I think it's good for college football as a whole. Sam Grant: Yeah. And you and Ole Miss too, I mean, they lost, but still a lot of football left. They've gotta get Mitch: Still a great team. Sam Grant: gotta get some things figured out on defense. But I mean, I'm we s we had this conversation last week of who are your top three SC teams and one of 'em's now three and one and maybe Florida hops into this spot. But I think two Mitch: Yep. Sam Grant: two very impressive teams that have a long way to go this season, but a lot of excitement's gonna be around speci specifically Florida the rest of the year, so Mitch: Yep. I think I had Florida at my three when we did that. And they're probably bumping up to I I don't know. I might hold him at three actually, based off what Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: I've seen. But that's that's awesome. Good for them and Ole Miss. Yeah, they still got everything to play for, still have the best player in the country. So no reason to hang your head, just bounce back. Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: this game had a little bit of a redemption story involved just for the morals of college football as a whole. This next one is Michigan. Iowa. Iowa was in the big house. They were down by five at the end of the game. Last play. Hank Brown drops back, drops a perfect ball on the sideline in the end zone. Touchdown, feed inbounds after review. And guess what? The clock stayed at zero. A second was not added to the clock. And Michigan takes their first loss of the season. What were your thoughts on this game? Sam Grant: Yeah. Honestly it was a really sloppy game. I think both defenses played lights out. ultimately at the end of the day. I I just I'm not I don't think this Michigan team's a good football team. We've kinda had this conversation about some of these quarterbacks. Bryce Underwood's in that category. I mean, his just inability to be able to throw the football right now at this stage in his career, even with this staff, like for a lot of these schools just probably the thought of a quarterback change and I think they're probably close to one there, especially with a lot of these teams that have such great defenses. They just have to be able to produce something on offense. but how gutsy was it for Iowa to drive down eighty yards or whatever it was on the last drive of the game and score with zero seconds left on the clock and win that game. Now you've got college game day coming to town. I mean, that was gutsy. That was a just great play call, a great throw by Hank Brown. And I got that song stuck in my head of walking yield trap, take over yield trap. Mitch: Ha ha ha. Sam Grant: That's that's what I would that's what Iowa did and they kinda let them let the Big Ten know they're here to stay. So I'm excited to see where how Mitch: I'll tell you what. Sam Grant: Iowa plays this week, but they look pretty good. Mitch: Yeah, I'll tell you what, you're right Gutsy because it's not like they were moving the ball up and down the field throughout that game. So they get the ball in their Sam Grant: No Mitch: own territory, and you're not really I mean, there's an ounce of you that's thinking maybe this could happen, but you're not really expecting anything much. So that was that was very impressive. Hank Brown's looked pretty good in that Iowa system. And that Ohio State game next week's gonna draw game day. You're right. That's gonna be a big one. We'll see if they can make a little bit of a statement and keep that one closer, maybe even come out with it. We'll see. Sam Grant: Agree. So this kind of segues into a team that probably should have been undefeated going into this week, but got one second added and that would be Boise State in western Michigan. Boise State ended up winning thirty two to seven. I don't know if you had a chance to watch this game or see some of the highlights, but what were your kind of takeaways and just little bit of breakdown on this one? Mitch: Yeah, I think Madsen threw for three touchdowns. Their running back, his numbers looked really solid too. I mean, Boise's just a really good football team. We keep saying it every week. And Western Michigan's Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: a good team too. Their defense in particular has been really stout. It didn't matter this week. I think Boise's just gonna continue to improve. I think you're already seeing it. And Western Michigan's still a good team. But that's just that's a tough one. That that's a little bit of a buzzsaw that they ran into this week. so yeah, they took their first loss of the season, but I think you keep your head up and and keep moving. Sam Grant: Yeah, for sure. And I think looking back to what we said last week, Western Michigan's gonna have a defense that's gonna keep them in games, but offensively they're just not. They don't have the guys like that. And they they were the the matchup they had against Michigan week one was a really good matchup for them. Two struggling offenses and two really good defenses, but with a as well put together team as Boise State is, they kinda met their match here. So I think Western Michigan Mitch: Yeah. Sam Grant: still has l a lot of room to grow here in the Mac and potentially compete for a championship again like they always do, but I think Boise's kinda still solidifying themselves as one of these top G six teams that's gonna contend for that last playoff spot. Mitch: Agreed. Agreed. Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached the moment where I have to discuss in detail, although I've already mentioned and shared my feelings and full emotions with you guys at the beginning of this podcast. Texas AM went into Baton Rouge this weekend and wish they hadn't. AM six, LSU thirty-five, Kiffin versus Elko, Kiffin with a pretty emphatic emphatic win and AM's just got a lot of questions, man. It's they got a lot to figure out. Everyone's gonna talk about Marcel Reed. We've already discussed it a little bit. He does. He looks really bad. He looks messed up in the head a little bit. He's missing the easy throws. He's running around in the pocket like a chicken with his head cut off. Like didn't look good from an offensive perspective, from a quarterback perspective, really from a team perspective. And The secondary on defense was supposed to be a strength going into the year, and they just keep looking like burnt toast week after week. So I don't know. The outlook for AM the rest of the season is not great. Now on the LSU side, this is what you want to see. If you're an LSU fan, this is what you wanted to see this week. You had a tough one at Ole Miss, a lot of emotions, big game, two very talented teams, played well, didn't come out with a win. You needed it this week. You really needed it. to keep everything alive, to keep the momentum going. And it was pretty emphatic. So I think that's that's great for LSU for the rest of the season. They're still playing for everything. Levitt looked a little better. I don't know if part of that is AM secondary just looking lost, but he did look a little bit better and you hope they they continue to improve if you're an LSU fan. Sam Grant: Yeah. I I would be a little bit concerned with LSU right now. Obviously they looked pretty pretty dominant against A and Marcel Reed, like you said, is just missing a lot of throws, really could never get the run game established. They just look all out of sorts. And I I I can't figure out what it is. And again, it just goes back to that conversation of these quarterbacks that are really impressive when they start their careers and just regress every single year. And Elko's come out and publicly defended Reed, but I mean there i there's just some things and throws that he's missing that are just inexcusable. Mitch: Well, you watch Sam Grant: so Mitch: you watch the game the last couple weeks and it's just hard to imagine that same guy putting up three sixty against Notre Dame in South Bend. It's Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: hard to imagine that same guy leading a thirty to three comeback against South Carolina. It's it's just cause you know he's done it. You know he's got it in him, but it just he looks lost. Sam Grant: He does. But from the LSU perspective, kinda what I was saying worried about. Witweeks walked off that field in crutches with a boot on his leg or with on his foot. So I don't know what the the extent of that is. You still don't I s I I don't think Trey has green played last night. So you're without Mitch: No, he did not. Sam Grant: you're without two of your number sevens, which is a huge deal for LSU. Levitt still just does not look healthy. I mean, he's kinda hobbling all over the field. Luckily they were at a point last night where they could put in Clark the back up and kinda let him just run around and He honestly looked pretty good. I don't know how how well his ability is to throw the football, but I think LSU's obviously coming off last week's game for them was a good rebound spot, but just their health of that football team and some of their key players, I just I I don't know what that's gonna look like as the weeks goes on. But right now, if you if you can keep your guys healthy, I think they'll still consistently win some football games. But they've lost some pretty key key guys and Sam Levin, I feel like every week just continues to hobble and look worse as he's on the field just from a health standpoint. Mitch: Yeah, he did look a little bit banged up. I guess I was more referencing he looked a little bit improved. I mean, seventeen of twenty three, three twelve and two touchdowns is no slouch. And even with a little bit of an injury going on, I think you gotta be happy with that performance if you're an L S U fan, but definitely need him to be healthy. Definitely need him to Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: be healthy. Sam Grant: Yeah, for sure. They were they were in a good spot to be able to and that's because I think second half is when it kinda he maybe tweaked it or whatever it was, to where from there from then on out it was very much him hobbling around and then I think Kifflin just got to the point where he's like, All right, I feel comfortable with where we're at in this game. Let's let's get him rested and see what we can do to kinda limit his snaps here. So I know that Mitch: Yeah. Sam Grant: stinks for me to be able to say that since they were against your Aggies, but kind of just the truth of the matter. Mitch: Yeah, I mean it's true. I got I got nothing more to say on it. I'd like to move on to the next one. So I think I'm going to. We got a huge Sam Grant: Ha ha ha. Mitch: matchup, Oregon and USC. Oregon went down to LA. We knew this was going to be big. They obviously stumbled early on against Oklahoma State, who by the way is turning out to be a pretty good football team. We'll talk about that again later. But they needed this one really bad in desperation mode. USC was four and coming into it, but they had some question marks on the defensive side. So I'll let you share your comments first. Sam Grant: Yeah. I mean I think for me just just starting out, I feel like just our thoughts and prayers are with Dante Moore right now. I know he's still in LA, LA hospital and just just a just a dirty hit. I mean, there's no other way around that you look at the US C players celebrating and I don't know, for me that kind of says a lot about the culture at US C and maybe that's an outstander and I and Lincoln Riley I think means well, but that that that image is just kinda hard to get out of my head. But I think Oregon Honestly that was the turning point for them in that game. A as as sad as that kinda is to say, like Ryola came in and balled out. I think they used that motivation of Dante Moore and kind of how how that all kind of unfolded and used that as their advantage to be able to walk into Southern Cal and just kind of I feel like the whole second half they just pretty much dominated. The the scoreboard Mitch: Yeah. Sam Grant: may look a little bit different, but they it just seemed like they were in complete control and it was it was up to them whether they wanted to win or lose that football game and They ended up winning by two touchdowns. Mitch: Yeah, there's no excuse for that type of behavior. The hit itself is questionable, but I you know, you can maybe understand full game speed, it's hard when there's a little bit of a late slide. So but I thought it was a questionable hit in the first place. And then to be running up and down laughing and smiling and celebrating while Dante Moore was down on the field clearly in a pretty severe injury situation. That's just bad sportsmanship. It's just un it's really uncalled for. So I did see that he ended up getting suspended for a game by USC Sam Grant: Okay, Mitch: today. He did. He's suspended for next game. And yeah, there's there's gotta be a lesson learned there. I know there's a lot of energy and passion throughout a football game and you want that to be an element, but there's no excuse for that behavior. So I'm also glad it looks like Dante Moore he has a pretty severe concussion, but according to the news that came out today, he'll be back at some point this year. I'm assuming he'll miss a couple games and they'll they'll give him all the time he needs, I'm sure, because It's nice to have a luxury like Dylan Royola as a backup quarterback. I mean, that guy would be starting for a lot of programs throughout the country. And he he played very well in that role. The response from that offense was really, really fun to see. I thought Maiava was he was all right. I th his completion pr I mean, he threw the ball a lot. He threw the ball over forty times. I think he completed 26 passes, a couple touchdowns. I mean The game was pretty back and forth. USC was behind consistently, but it was pretty back and forth really until that fourth quarter in Oregon put their foot down. So I don't know. I mean, that's just the response you want to see out of Oregon. Early in the year, how are you going to respond to that loss at Oklahoma State? And this was this was a big one. Everyone knew it was going to be big before the season. And they they handled business. I think that's five straight against Southern Cal that Oregon's got. Sam Grant: Yeah, it is. So they they've kind of dominated that series and I think just gives a lot of hope for Wortman for the rest the year. I think they control the line of scrimmage. I I just think they look like a w much better put together football team on Saturday. So Mitch: Agreed. And I really needed that for my pick seven. So I can't wait to talk about that on Thursday. Or on Wednesday. Yeah. Sam Grant: You did. Yeah, I'm excited. I'm ex I'm excited to see the updated scoreboard with that, just to see kinda where we're both at. But a team I'm wishing I Mitch: Agreed. Sam Grant: had in my pick seven right now is the Mississippi State Bulldogs. they ended up beating Missouri thirty one twenty four in Starkville last night. I don't know, what are what are your thoughts on that game? I I I got a couple of takeaways but wanna let you kinda lead off here. Mitch: I've been and I've talked about it on the podcast. I've been a little bit cautious about Missouri thus far. And while I I want to talk about Mississippi State, 'cause it's another huge win for them. I mean, what a start to their season. I will say Missouri looked like a pretty good football team. I think Austin Simmons played pretty well. on the road, that's not an easy environment. I think Drinkowitz had him prepared. I I would not be super discouraged if I was a Mizzou fan. Obviously, you want that one really bad, but I think we're all finding out Mississippi State's a great team. Kamario Taylor, I mean, the raw talent on display every single week. It's almost it's mind blowing. I Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: mean, he makes some throws that not many people can make. The ball just launches out of his hand. And I I they better they better be glad they've got him and they better capitalize on the opportunity for as long as he's in Starkful. which I hope is a a long career. I hope he stays there and ends up building with that program. But yeah, I think Levy Levy and the boys, another statement win, a ranked win. They've already got a win at Minnesota, they've got a win at South Carolina, now they've got a ranked win against Missouri. Hope they can keep it rolling. That's huge. Sam Grant: Yeah, big time win for them, especially with you got Alabama coming into town this week. So I know I know Mitch: Mm-hmm. Sam Grant: Stark Starkville's gonna be rocking today and all all throughout this week leading up to that game, but kinda to reiterate what you said. Missouri Missouri is pretty solid. Austin Simmons is a very good quarterback. I think this was an excellent quarterback matchup. Missouri's defense I think kinda put some stops on Mississippi State that we not necessarily have seen so far throughout this year and just forced forced Camario Taylor to become a little bit more uncomfortable than he has been. But for me it's just the resiliency from this Mississippi State team. I mean, they were down sixty no against South Carolina and for a team that's hasn't been super successful in the last couple of years, hasn't been a winning football program, they're they're handling to themselves really well in these games. It's just really impressive impressive for me and Arnett and Jeff Levy have these boys coached up and ready to go and was a big time rank statement win for them. And I think they're gonna keep pushing forward. So I'm excited to see what they look like this week against Alabama. Mitch: I agree with you. And for Missouri, I mean, like I said, I don't think there's any reason for you to be super discouraged. but you do have Florida coming to town next week. So if you're gonna if you're gonna make a statement and keep that ball rolling, you better go home and figure some things out really quick, because that's that's gonna be a tough offense to stop. Sam Grant: Yeah. Absolutely. So two b two big match ups for those teams next week, so it'll be good good tell point of where these guys are at and these specif specifically Missouri. I mean, if they can kinda prove maybe, hey, this loss against Mississippi State's gonna be a pretty good loss and they can kinda compete with Florida, that's gonna say a lot. So Mitch: Agreed. Sam Grant: one game that was kinda surprising for me on a competitive standpoint was Indiana versus Northwestern. Indiana ended up winning this game twenty nine to twenty three. Aiden Childs from Northwestern I think looked really good at quarterback. I Indi Indiana's just ability to run the football was very impressive. Josh Hoover's a little concerning to me. Mitch: He is a little bit concerning. And I mean, I've got Indiana in my pick seven, so this is one that I paid pretty close attention to. Indiana's run game looks amazing. I mean, BB went off for over two hundred yards. He didn't even start the game. He's also not their starting running back. Their starter went down early in the game and he stepped in and he was dominant on the ground. So that was pretty fun to watch. But yeah, Hoover Hoover did not look sharp. Made some pretty poor throws. I think you would like to see more out of him if you're an Indiana fan. I mean, the other thing I'll say here is Northwestern and Aiden Chiles, they look to be a pretty feisty team. I think Chiles played really well in that second half. I mean first half Northwestern had 50 something total yards. Next thing you know, you look up halfway through the third quarter, and that's starting to rocket. So I I think Northwestern is an improved football team. I think they might give a lot of people more trouble than they were expecting this year because Chiles He's a threat through the air and on the ground. And he's a very Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: talented guy. So it's it's not easy to defend them when they get going. but yeah, Indiana you're happy you got the win, but I don't think it's what you wanted to see. the other thing I'll say is there's another controversial Big Ten review moment in this game. Did you were you able to see that? Sam Grant: Mm. What was it? Mitch: On Indiana's go-ahead touchdown, there at the end of the game, there's a pretty clear replay angle of white cleat out of bounds on the sideline. And they did review the play and they showed the freeze frame and everything. And you know the Big Ten's got the new replay transparency rules, so you're looking at what they're looking at, you're listening to their conversation, and they were not able to find conclusive evidence. If you haven't already, you should look up. the freeze frame because it looks pretty conclusive to me. As an Indiana pick seven owner, I'm happy they didn't overturn it. But it it was a very questionable decision. Sam Grant: Interesting. Yeah, I'll have to go take a look at that. Mitch: Yeah. Yeah. Big Ten continues Sam Grant: But good, good. Mitch: to entertain. Sam Grant: Yeah, absolutely. So it's it's good the Big Ten's finally starting to play some good football. So Mitch: Uh-huh. Sam Grant: it's been a it's been a week week couple three weeks or four weeks for them. I'm just scheduling why. So it's kinda getting into the thick of things now coming up this week specifically. So excited for the Big Ten just kind of be a little bit more on the the light of the college football world right now. Mitch: Yep, and we've talked about a couple quarterbacks who are incredibly talented and have shown some regression and some fan bases that are not feeling great right now. We've got another one to discuss. South Carolina went to Tuscaloosa this weekend. Sam picked them. We've already been over that for his lock of the week to cover the spread. Didn't happen. Long story short, did not happen. Bama wins this game forty nine eighteen. Wasn't competitive at all. Lenoris looked out of sorts. What are your thoughts? Sam Grant: South Carolina was competitive in this first half. They had some turnovers, they had some missed field goals. Like they have the talent to compete. I think that's why it just drives me so crazy that they're not competitive and why I think I have trust in Beamer. But I mean, this team just they just look all out of swords. And I think it's hard because offensively it looks like they're struggling a little bit, especially up front and quarterback play. And it's hard to kind of put that on Kendall Riles as he's only four games in and It takes time for a new offensive coordinator and a new quarterback coach to come in and kind of redevelop that offense. So wanna give him a little bit of grace there, but there just there needs to be a level of just competitiveness and just I I just I think everybody's just kinda tired of Beamer. And I think that comes from the players too, specifically Dylan Stewart. Seeing the way he Mitch: I was about to say Sam Grant: seeing the way he acted last night, he he shouldn't be on that team. I mean, that was just flat out embarrassing and There were a couple of different things that he could have done that probably should have got him kicked out of that football game. But outside of the South Carolina talk, just because that was my lock my lock of the week, Alabama looks like a really good team. Keelan Russell, I think, had his best game that he's had all year. just his ability to run and throw just kinda always keeps the defense on their toes. I think Alabama ran the football a little bit better last night than they have all season. Defensively, this goes back to that first half, just a lot of those stops that Kane Womack and that that defensive side of the ball was able to make in crucial moments. They get better on a weekly basis. besides last week. Last week was kinda rough for them. But I I think this Alabama team is just really heading in the right direction and has the team to be able to continue to make some of these big time games kind of get out of hand like this. So I think this will be a their first true test coming up this week in Starkville. So I'll be excited to see kinda how they match up against this team. But Alabama is continues to be playing pr really impressive for me. Mitch: Yeah, I think Alabama's a great team. And they just keep looking like they get better every week. So I think DeVore's doing a pretty good job with that roster so far. Very excited for the Mississippi State game. speaking of state schools, there's a specific one in Oklahoma that has already redeemed themselves this year after a tough week one that is looking very sneaky in that Big Twelve conversation that we need to discuss. Oklahoma State Goes to Morgantown, which is a very tough place to play. And they they win 41-24, pull away in the second half, dominate the fourth quarter. This was a great one. I mean, MestiMaker, their total offense in that game, they had over 600 yards of total offense. Mesti Maker threw for about 380. I mean, if they get going, that's going to be scary. I don't think there are many defenses in the Big 12 who want to Oklahoma State come. Sam Grant: No. Definitely not. I mean, Mestamaker, he again, I I always struggle with how they played against week one against Tulsa, but they have done a complete one eighty and just look like a completely different football team. I mean, West Virginia came in this game hot after beating Virginia pretty handily, and I think you have we all thought it was I think this probably was like one and a half. So we kind of all expected it to be a pretty competitive game for both these two Big Twelve teams that are looking to compete for a championship. But Oklahoma Mitch: Mm-hmm. Sam Grant: State man offensively they are just clicking on all cylinders and I was honestly impressed by the defense. I think they did a good job of being able to contain Michael Hawkins and did did enough to be able to allow their offense just to continue to step away or kind of pull the lead away a little bit more than I thought they would. So really impressive win for the Cowboys. Mitch: Yeah, I don't think Oklahoma State's defense is a great defense, but they stepped up in critical moments. They had three opportunities to get fourth down stops in that game, and they got all three. So if you're a West Virginia fan, that's pretty frustrating. Because you did put up about 480 total yards. So it's not like you weren't moving the ball up and down the field, but those critical moments, Oklahoma State was able to get sturdy and get the job done. So huge win for them. Hopefully they can continue some momentum. And West Virginia, look. You had a great win against Virginia last Sam Grant: Mm. Mitch: week. That's a disappointing one at home. I know you wanted it. It's a good football team. You lost to. It's a pick twelve. It's wide open. Next play, just move on to next week and and anything could happen. Sam Grant: Agree. Mitch: All right, this was a pretty major upset. However, on this podcast, if you listen, you know Wake Forest is a sneaky team. They competed very well against Miami, went a little bit under the radar. And they went to Louisville and took it to him this week. They won thirty to twenty seven. Were you surprised, Sam? Sam Grant: No. Wake Wake's been my sneaky team of the year. There's a reason I picked them for my pick seven. There's a reason last week why I kinda had my my my flag up basically saying there's a chance they can beat Miami and they Miami's a better team, but they look really competitive. So coming into this week, I knew the opportunity was there for Wake to be able to go and take it if they wanted to. And they did. Gio Lopez, that offense. I mean, I think I think Wa Wake Forest is head football coach. He's He's gonna be a hot name to watch in his coaching carousel this upcoming year just 'cause I think he has these guys ready to play. And they I mean, they took it to Jeff Brahm, honestly. I mean that I think that game was very surprising for most people. I think Louisville's still pretty good offensively, but it again it it's for Jeff Brahm it always comes down to the defense that he can be able to put on the football field. and right now, Wake Forest is just really locked in. So I I'm gonna be excited to see how they play out the rest of this ACC season. But if you're not on the bandwagon now, I'd hop on. Mitch: Yeah. It's a very big win for you in the pick seven and a huge win for the Wake Sam Grant: Huge. Mitch: Forest program. Louisville, I I didn't think Keenholes played bad at all. I still thought he played pretty well from the offensive side, like you said. There's still a lot to love. But yeah, the defense did not step up this week. And they've got some things to to work on. But it's frustrating if you're a Louisville fan 'cause you feel like you're a very talented team and you've played well this year, but you've got two really close losses, one of which to Ole Miss, which You lost the best player in the country. And then this one at home to Wake, which you don't want, but I do think Wake's a pretty good team. So it's tough for them to look up and see a two and two record when they look at at their squad. Cause I don't think you feel like you're two and two if you're a Louisville fan right now, but that's where you're at. So a lot of talent, but you really need to start start getting it done soon, or else that could go south. Sam Grant: Yeah. Yeah, it's it's hard to believe Louisville's two and two right now at this point. There's been a lot of talk and hype about them and obviously that old miss loss and now you got you drop one to wake. That the not not much wiggle room there for them to be able to compete for the A C C. They got they gotta pretty much go undefeated from here on out, I feel like. Mitch: Not at all, which isn't impossible, but it's going to be a tall task. we had Sam Grant: It is. Mitch: another one, another one that was a pretty interesting matchup going into the weekend. I think it it was an interesting game. Utah, Iowa State, Utah 3117. They just continue to look like a really good football team. This was one you felt like could be sneaky, could kind of creep up on them, and Iowa State's got talent on the roster. But Utah, I mean, they just jumped out to a really hot start and they were able to to maintain that throughout the game. Thirty one seventeen, I think, is a really great win for them. Sam Grant: Yeah, that's a that's a good spot for Iowa to or for Utah to be in right now. I think Iowa State kind of proved they could compete against Iowa last week, and obviously that's a rivalry game, but you look at how Iowa and Ann Arbor and won that game too. for Iowa State in year one and just kind of this new culture after day after Campbell's been gone. I think it's it shows a lot of promise for that program as they continue to go throughout the season. but Utah itself, I mean, I think Dampier, I think those guys just they They have so much of a culture there that's been established by Whittingham, but the staff there has been a lot of late staff from Dillingham's time or not Dillingham, Whittingham's time. So I I think I think they're continuing to kind of sneakily continue to win these football games in the Big Twelve and kind of prove a point that maybe they can be somebody that competes for a playoff spot. And I know a lot of people in the media have been able to pick them. but I think this is just another great step for them in that right direction as they as they look forward to that playoff spot hopefully that they want. Mitch: I agree with you. The Big Twelve is just going to be so interesting. I that's probably my favorite conference race to watch this year. but yeah, they they look like a very good football team. Another Big Twelve game, Baylor, Colorado. Juju Lewis was a major storyline in this game, got benched, did not look good at all. So we'll talk about that a little bit. But I did want to shout out Gavin Freeman. Who's a wide out for Baylor, who is an absolute freak. He made some crazy plays this week. There's one, if you haven't seen it, go look it up. All you have to do is search his name. He hurdles a guy, somehow stays on his feet, fights for more yards. Very impressive. He had a couple plays like that this week. I think Baylor, you you've got a lot of reason to be optimistic. It's another team that anything can really happen, and they needed a season like this. So hopefully they're able to carry this forward. There's going to be some tough games on the on the schedule the rest of the year, but it's a good win to get. And Colorado is not in a great place. They're not in a great place. Now, going back a little bit to the Indiana game, we talked about Northwestern. This is part of why I say I think Northwestern is a pretty good football team. I mean, they handled Colorado just last week. It was like 41 to 7. It was not close. so I think Northwestern is a very talented team that Indiana struggled with this week. But Baylor I think they played pretty well. Twenty three thirteen is closer than it felt like watching this game. I will say. but yeah, what what were your thoughts on this one if you if you've got any? Sam Grant: Yeah, I think it's just good for DJ Lagway to continue to get get reps in and just kinda continue to work towards him being healthy. Gavin Freeman I think is just continuing to be somebody that sticks out as with the receiver position. Part of it kinda hurts me 'cause he committed Tennessee originally before he flipped a Baylor. so just in my head would be curious to see what he looked like at Tennessee with kinda his production that he's had. I mean, his game against Auburn was insane. so I think Baylor is just slowly kind of rebounding after that original Auburn loss and just kinda taking it week by week and continuing to build. Colorado, like you said, Juju Lewis has been benched. Quor new quarterback comes in defensively, just they honestly don't look terrible on defense. They're pretty physical up front. But you you just look at that week one game against Georgia Tech and you think so you're so confident going in of like, Okay, this Colorado t Colorado team looks much improved and they just these last couple of weeks have been very disappointing. So A lot of a lot of a lot of turnover I think for Colorado. I know Sanders kicked off a bunch of guys off the team last week for laughing in the locker room after losing the Northwestern the way that they did. So we'll be interested to see kind of how that season evolves for the Buffs down there in Boulder. Mitch: It will be. It will be. And there's one more segment that we want to go through today. Just briefly touch on the AP poll that came out earlier today and just get some initial thoughts. So I'm gonna go through Sam Grant: Here, b b before we get into that, can I can I touch base on one more game that I think we have to mention? Mitch: go for it. Sam Grant: Yeah, so I think for me, this next game is Wisconsin going into Happy Valley and beating Penn State. This was a huge win for Luke Fickle and the boys down there in Madison. They had a busted coverage there at the end of the game that allowed their tight end to go sixty or seventy yards to the house. shows a lot about that Wisconsin program and just kind of the adversity they've been through the last couple of years, 'cause I think everybody can admit that Luke Fickle's a really good football coach. It's kinda just been given a rough deck of cards and some potential just rough hires that he's made. So really happy for him to be able to go in there and get that win. And for Penn State, I think Wisconsin's a good team, but they they should have won that football game. So I think it's a I think it's a step for Penn State to kind of reassess themselves as the year goes on because they don't have a really hard Big Ten schedule. But if they don't come prepared every single week, it's gonna be it's gonna be rough for them. Mitch: Yeah, I if you're Penn State, you've got a two possession lead with four minutes left in that game. And you're at home and you don't walk out with a win. That's that's pretty gutting feeling. I mean, they scored twice in the last four minutes Wisconsin did to take that one, which is pretty it was a pretty wild finish. If you haven't got to watch it, you should go back and just see how that went down. But if you're a Penn State fan too, Rocco Becht, he did not look good yesterday. Below fifty Sam Grant: Mm. Mitch: percent completions. It just didn't look pretty, but maybe Wisconsin Misc Wisconsin was just showing him some things that he was very uncomfortable with. And like you said, their schedule's not super feisty. So they've got a lot of room to take this, learn and and grow forward. But yeah, that's one you definitely want if you're a Penn State fan and if you're Matt Campbell. Sam Grant: Agreed. Agreed. Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off with the AP top twenty five, but I feel like we ended it. Ta had Mitch: No, you're good. Let's just Sam Grant: had a talk about that one. Mitch: we definitely have to mention that. And let's just read out. We're gonna go through the top ten, Sam, and I'm gonna get your initial reactions real quick. So we've got Texas at one, Georgia, two, Notre Dame, Miami, Ohio State's at five, Indiana, six, they drop one, Alabama's up to seven, Florida with a huge jump to eight, and then Ole Miss and BYU round out the top ten. What are your thoughts? Sam Grant: Hmm. I'm a little bit surprised by the Alabama jump. Honestly. I think Alabama's looked like a good football team, but they played South Carolina. Like I think most people can watch that game and just kinda see how South Carolina's out of whack. So I'm surprised by the jump that they made. I can't remember what they were at last week. I wanna say like twelve or thirteen maybe. Mitch: They were at eight last week, so they jumped one spot. Sam Grant: They were eight last week? Mitch: Uh-huh. Sam Grant: I didn't remember them being that high. everything else I feel like sounds right to me. Texas and Georgia both continuing to look like the the forces in the SEC. I'll be curious to see if Texas continues to play this way throughout the season. If even if they keep winning they drop just because of how they look. but nothing really there that stood out to me a t a ton. I mean, Florida going in beating Old Miss the way they did, I think they deserve to be in the top ten. Kind of you have Mitch: Yep. Sam Grant: you have any thoughts on that? Mitch: I fully agree with you. I think eight is a great spot for Florida. I wouldn't have even been upset if they were a little higher than eight. I think they've looked really good. So I'm glad they've they've jumped in. I think BYU at 10 is interesting. I'm not saying they aren't the 10th best team in the country. I'm just not sure how proven they are at this point. I I do want to address a couple things at the bottom of the AP poll, some some new members of the top twenty five this week. Kentucky jumped in. They're ranked Sam Grant: Hmm. Mitch: at twenty four, which I I have a couple thoughts on. And then UCLA with a big jump as well. They are now ranked twenty three. Sam Grant: Whoa, I wouldn't have expected UCLA to come in there. Mitch: Yep. So they're both in. on the Kentucky side of things, I'm I'm not upset with it at all. But as far as resumes go, their their big win is against Texas AM, which I know at the time was a top ten win, but I think we all know AM's not a top ten quality football team at this point. So it's interesting to me that they they jumped. They struggled a lot in the first half this week, too, with their, you know, G six non conference matchup. But I mean, UCLA and Nico, they've been playing some pretty good football. I I'm curious Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: to hear your thoughts on that. Sam Grant: They have been. they've had the ability to run the football really well. I'm I'm trying to pull up a stat line 'cause I remember watching a little bit of this yesterday and honestly, Nico did not look all that great. So his stat line from the other day, he was fifteen for twenty four for two nine for one touchdown. They put up fifty four points against Maryland. And that and the last touchdown that he threw was late at the end of the game. was like a deflection that a receiver caught and took to the house for like eighty yards. So I think UCLA looks really good offensively and has improved a lot and they're running the football really well. But I think if they get to a point where they have to be forced to throw the football, I think it could be really interesting to see how UCLA responds. and that's that that's a beaten Mitch: I yeah, I agree with you. Sam Grant: down Maryland team. Mike Sloxley's got to be fired here, I would imagine, pretty shortly. Never want that for anybody, but I think his time's run out. Mitch: 54 to 3 is pretty eye-opening if you're a Maryland Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: fan. yeah, no, I agree with you. I think I think that's great. I I love that Florida's made the jump and we'll see if they can continue to keep it up. So this wraps up our recap of week four. We're really looking forward to our Wednesday show this week. Another jam-packed schedule of week five college football to discuss. We'll have our picks. We'll go through our pick seven. We'll do our locks of the week. I'm one and no, so you may want to pay attention to my lock. and then we'll we'll keep moving from here. So we really appreciate you guys. Thank you for watching. Hit us up, follow us, subscribe on YouTube. We've got all the social media platforms. You guys engagement means everything to us, so we appreciate it. Sam, final thoughts? Sam Grant: No, just just thank you guys for continuing to support us. This has been a lot of fun for Mitch and I and just definitely want this this to continue to grow into into what it's becoming. So just be able to give us a follow, like and subscribe and just just allow us to continue to be able to do this. It's it's been it's been a blast. Mitch: Absolutely. God bless you guys.