Latest / The Lunch Rush with Trent Condon / Hawkeye talk with Tom Kakert, Bill Bender on College Football & Trent's Picks presented by Circa Sports

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Hawkeye talk with Tom Kakert, Bill Bender on College Football & Trent's Picks presented by Circa Sports · The Lunch Rush with Trent Condon

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Hour number two Miller and Condon welcome back Iowa sports
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radio network Trent Condon, Ken Miller, bill Bender bottom of
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the hour Sporting News college football trends, plays of the
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day circus sports momentarily Tom keikert hawkeyereport.com
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Let's just finish this up since we were talking lowest rated
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sports franchises in baseball would be.
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Ray's. Marlins.
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Marlins. In hockey, it's not The Jets.
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They're 31. The well, I would have said the
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Coyotes before. No, not in Utah.
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No, it is the Calgary Flames. No Columbus Blue Jackets.
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The lowest The lowest valued NFL team is Jacksonville Jaguars.
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That's what I thought too, but it's Cincinnati.
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Believe it or. Not yeah, yeah, I can see.
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That and NBA. Lowest NBA valued franchise is
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the New Orleans Pelicans. You're close.
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Memphis Grizzlies. All right, Tom Kakert
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hawkeyereport.com joins us. He had a basketball avail.
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He had a football avail, and we'll get to those.
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But I want to talk about the basketball coach's ability to
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hope. Ben McCullum My God, Tom, that
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was unbelievable watching this. I guess it just it just came out
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of nowhere, right? I mean, here's a 45 year old guy
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and he's a basketball coach. We knew him at Drake and
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obviously now he's got the job, his his dream job.
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But watching him on the floor with Cooper de Jean and then
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playing, you know, a pick up game per SE, this dude can flat
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out ball for a guy 45 years of age.
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I was impressed, Tom. I had, it stunned me, but I, I
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had talked to like, you know, I've been doing some podcasts
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with some of the assistants and they had told me that, yeah.
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And can still hoop. And I'm like, OK, OK, I get it.
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Yeah, You could say that, you know, because he's your boss.
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And then he goes out there and, you know, he poke a little poke
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away with the gene and, you know, trying to shake and bake
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him a little bit. He's got some handles.
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I mean, yeah, but we got to remember he's still in his mid
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40s. So I guess, you know, LeBron
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James is still hooping. So I can't.
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Why can't I? Can't Ben McCollum?
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I am still also in my mid 40s and I can tell you I cannot hoop
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like that anymore. That is for sure.
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You got 1/2 hour. Look at the team today practice.
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Saw one of your tweets mentioning the intensity that
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you saw there. I'm not sure how much practice
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time you got to see under frame Mccaffrey's regime, but tell us
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the differences, what you saw, and what popped out in your 1/2
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hour look here at the Hoop team. A lot of focus on defense.
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Wow, how about that? There is, this is the, the
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regime focuses on communication, talking a lot.
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And that's even, they're even talking about like in the weight
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room where it's, it's loud in the weight room where they're
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talking and communicating and, and encouraging each other all
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the time. And then you see that
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translating over onto the court. I mean, they're doing like an
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hour intense weight room work and the coaches are in there
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encouraging them every day. And that's before they go to the
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practice. So they are fitness and the
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communication and, you know, kind of developing a bond with
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each other that's it's really positive and it shows on the
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court. It's really interesting.
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Of the Drake newcomers, I'm not sure if you had an opportunity
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to see any of them in person last year.
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Just your thoughts on, you know what, like a Manowoo or a Banks
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Oregon? A Howard, obviously.
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Sturtz. Who am I missing?
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I'm sure there's a couple. See the rosters here.
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Yeah. Banks.
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Yeah. Just who caught your eye?
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Yeah, just catches your. I believe he's just always under
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control. It's like everything around him
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is moving and he's just he's going to be at his own pace.
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And you know it was interesting today by the way, housing hurt
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the transfer from K State. He's got a minor injury, nothing
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serious, but needs didn't practice today and he's a
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senior. Yeah.
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And then the big kid from Spain is already back in Spain, so
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he's doing U20 and he's doing national team stuff and he'll be
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back here in August. So he did get like he got like 2
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weeks before everybody else came here, came to Iowa City, and
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then he got two weeks with the team.
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So he did get some time with the team.
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But now he's over in Spain for the rest of the summer with
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doing national team stuff. So columns looked pretty good to
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me. The backup point guard.
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I'll tell you, Mccomb's son Peyton is not a bad player.
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He's a little smaller side, but but I I was impressed with him.
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The young kids say just got a good look to him.
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I don't know how much is going to help him, but I think he's
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he, you know, he's struggling shooting the ball a little bit
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today at times, but he's got some nice athleticism to him and
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some potential there, I think. So as it pertains to the roster
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set, still sniffing around, where would you kind of put the
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temperature here as we sit in the middle of June?
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You know, we really didn't hear anything about that today.
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So I would say it's, I think they're still open for business,
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but you know, it's getting late. It's you know, you can, you can
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bring somebody in, but the Pickens are slim and it's
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getting light. So I I'm not sure how much
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they're they're going to look around at at this point.
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I'll tell you the, the big kid from Valley looks pretty good
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today too. He moves really well for his
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size and they're going to just improve his athleticism over
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over time and you know, I'm going to be really intrigued to
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see how they can develop him. But he's got a nice little
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touch, nice game and obviously impressive size.
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So it's hard for me because I, I know the family.
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I've known Trev since he was younger, so, and I've called I
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don't know how many of his games now certainly over the last
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three years of those state championship teams, but when you
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look at do you think he's at a spot he can give them a
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realistic 1012 minutes a game at the center position this year?
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I think, I think he's probably going to have to and I think
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they want him to, but you can tell how interested they are in
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him by the way they're coaching him and the encouragement that
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they give him after plays. And, and you could just tell
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that they are, they're trying to bring that kid along to, to be
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able to contribute this, this season.
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So I, I think he's going to be out there.
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Now how he plays is going to depend on, on everything.
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And, and we know that, you know, he's probably a guy that
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McCollum, I should say, is a guy that's probably only going to
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play 8 at the most. You know, he's just not a, he's
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not a big, let's go deep to the bench fellas and let's play 11,
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you know, if we can. But I, I think he's, I think
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Trev's certainly in that mix. Cooper Koch, Is he practicing
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yet? Yeah, yeah, he was out there.
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And how did he look? Yeah, he looks good.
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He's shooting. Feel it.
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Talked to him a little bit. He said he feels great, no
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problems, no issues with the lungs.
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So yeah, I thought he looked like he's really fitting.
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It was funny because, you know, I just joked with him like you
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have a second straight year, you've got a entirely new team
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to get to know. And that's pretty much true for
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him. And you know, even though he's
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the quote UN quote returning guy, it's everybody around him
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is new. So they've been bringing in some
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prospects for the class of 2026, local kids here from central
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Iowa also that have been involved.
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What can you tell us as it looks to the future roster?
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We'll see if another guy pops up for this year, but what has been
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the early returns for the classes of 26 and 27 with
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McCollum and company? Yeah, they just had Landon
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Davis, kid from Waukee Northwest and yesterday obviously Colin
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Rice, the other Waukee Northwest kid is, is the guy with the
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offer. Landon Davis hasn't gotten an
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offer yet. I talked to him last night after
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he had made it unofficial here with his folks and they're going
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to watch him this weekend down in Kansas City at an event and,
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and we'll see if if he gets an offer.
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But I, I think the reception's been pretty well so far, but
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it's, you know, it's going to be a process for, for them to get
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to know all these kids and recruit them.
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You know, some of these kids that they recruited Drake, I
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talked to, you know, like Ethan Brown that I talked to the other
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night from Rolla, MO and he was getting recruited by Matt Drake.
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Now it's a different thing and they want to see a few different
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things for him from him to be able to get an offer at Iowa.
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So that's not an automatic where where they're doing things that
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way. So it's I'm going to be
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interested to see what happens with Rice because he is, he's,
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he's really getting a lot of attention.
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Illinois is all over him right now.
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Trying to get him to visit, you know, visited Nebraska this
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week. Michigan State might offer him
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and try to get him to visit. So he's really blown up in the
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last last month or so. Tom football early in the week,
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I think it was what's today? So Wednesday, yesterday you had
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an opportunity. What did who did you speak to
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and what were a couple of your takeaways?
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Yeah, we're really not allowed to speak whole much a bunch
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about that because it's a sort of like an off the record visit
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with the Media Academy. So but it was it was
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interesting, it was fun. It was, you know, kind of, you
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know, just how Phil Parker operates on a day-to-day basis
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is interesting, how Tim Lester operates and runs the offense
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and how, how just beat that thing goes is really
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interesting. So I, I thought that was the,
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the, the big things, getting talked to the coordinators a
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little bit and getting asked questions with some of the
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assistants. I thought it was just, it was
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really informative and it's going to help all of us on the
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beat, hopefully do our jobs a little bit better this year.
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Had you had that, had that opportunity been presented to
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you guys in the past to do it that way, kind of an off the
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record day? Yeah, we've done it once in 20,
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19. I think we had done like a
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little media Academy. And, you know, talking to Pyla
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Barnes about some of the stuff that's going on in the world of
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recruiting is interesting too, you know, and just some of the
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it's going to be, you know, it's so funny that the NCAA in the
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Big 10 and everybody's like, yeah, we're all in this
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together. And everybody's going to sign in
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blood oath that we're not going to two.
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And there's the states are going to calm down with everything.
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And now I see today, Michigan's Island, all kinds of stuff.
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So it's like, it's like, yeah, it was this, this, this peace
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treaty was never going to happen.
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I don't think it was. It's just it's unrealistic.
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It seems like it. Tom, the top of the fold, news
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of the week, Cash Herrera decommitting from the Hawkeye
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program. Fill us in a little bit on the
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details. Know he was maybe starting to
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sniff around some bigger offers. Also maybe starting to come his
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way. And what's next to the QB spot
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for the Hawkeyes? Yeah, It, it just felt like for
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a while that this thing was going to head to a divorce
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because he seemed a little bit perturbed by Iowa looking around
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at the second quarterback and, and kind of populating that that
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quarterback room. And so I think he decided to
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start looking around. I, I won't be surprised if he
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ends up at Indiana at this point, depending on what happens
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with Indiana's quarterback situation, They've got a kid
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they're involved with who may end up at Ohio State.
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So it's just, it's all Domino's and, and everything.
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And I was just going to I, I think, you know, they're going
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to look at their options. Mason Atkins was a kid that they
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looked at who committed to Ball State.
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And maybe they get re involved with him or there's somebody
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else that emerges. I know this.
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I think they're hoping that they can get off the hamster wheel of
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having to go on the portal to find a starter every year.
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They just, I think they just want to get out of get out of
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that business. It's just it's not healthy for
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the entire room because then everybody else in the room gets
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pissed off. So it's like, you know, because
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we had to develop Hank Brown or, you know, Jimmy Sullivan or
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whoever it is. Final thing for me, Tom, and
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it's a big recruiting weekend, not what it once was, but this
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is the weekend bringing the guys that are committed and the guys
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that they hope. Who are some names that we
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should keep an eye on coming up this weekend that have not
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committed to the Hawkeyes that'll be visiting?
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Boy, the the big name, you know, CJ Hester is one of the guys
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they they want to get some defensive backs.
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So I think that's probably one of the top guys for me is that
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and get get a guy out of Florida.
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And also Jason Manson's son is going to be visiting Julian and
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he's probably the highest ranked kid in the class and he's a
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phenomenal athlete. I don't know if you guys got
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seen him. I would say W you try, you
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probably seen him and he's just he's a freak.
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I mean, he just did. He's a lot bigger than Dad.
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Yeah, he's bigger than Dad. He's just just covers a lot of
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ground. He could play offense, too, but
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play he'd be a frightening linebacker.
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And yeah, he's, you know, I think they're hoping to get him.
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I'm sure he will be paired up with somebody like Mason Woods
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for the weekend to suppose since they're really close and their
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teammates at Iowa City West. Tom Caker at hawkeyereport.com.
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Tom, thanks for being flexible this week.
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We will run you down that the next Friday on your normal day.
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Thank you. Appreciate it.
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Tom Caker. OK, yeah.
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Good to talk to you. Tom Caker at hawkeyereport.com.
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Just fresh out of the basketball media availability.
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You know, it's funny, Tom said that about the football because
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I knew on Wednesday it was happening, and I was wondering
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why he's going to be tweeting about this.
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Did it get cancelled? But I didn't.
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I guess I didn't realize, you know, just the parameters around
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it that love to have you in kind story how the sausage is made,
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but keep it amongst yourselves, which is kind of unfortunate for
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us. But I get why they're doing it
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because as Tom said, it gives, you know, the everyday beat
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reporters and a better idea how the inner workings, if you will.
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I understand it. Yeah, I do too.
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I do too, and I don't like it, but I don't dislike it.
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But I get why they're doing it and I think it's I think it's
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better I do. Because what we do is different
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than what those guys do, right? We're not face to face with
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those guys. We don't keep secrets.
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No, no. If we hear things, we'll say it.
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Right or wrong. Yes.
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And we'll also put that caveat in there.
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Yeah, it's rumblings. Yeah, there's, we don't break
15:29
news. That's not what our role is.
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But we talk about it. It's talk.
15:34
Yeah. Yeah.
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With Sports Radio Network. That would be a pretty cool
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exercise though, to, to, you know, spend time with both of
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them 'cause I, I look at we, we both all, how can you not
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believe Phil Parker, right? And I think Lester's been, you
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know, when, when, when you look back at all the offensive
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coordinators and the lineage. Did I get this one right?
15:57
It feels like it does, doesn't it?
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Yeah, it does feel like it. Better chance of being Iowa's
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next head coach. It's Lester.
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Levar Woods or Tim Lester. It's Tim Lester.
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I think so. Too.
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I really believe that. If this happens, if the offense
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is unleashed and we see a passing game.
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They finally have a quarterback. They do.
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It's been a while, yeah. I saw a list of 24/7 top, I
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think it was top 50 quarterbacks of the year.
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I think Rocco was #12 on the list of memories 12. 12/13 of
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everybody, yeah. And Mark gronowski #48 if he's
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#48 this year, it will be a disappointing year.
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I agree. I agree.
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And that has to do with where he came from.
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I have to believe yes. Right now, he won the Walter
16:44
Payton Ward, the Heisman Trophy, All leadership qualities, the
16:49
arm, being able to make the throw, physicality that goes
16:52
along with it. I think he's going to be good.
16:54
I'm buying, I'm buying that Mark Gronowski is going to be good.
16:59
Not Full disclosure, but Kate McNamara will be good too.
17:01
At least his first year quickly jumped off that bandwagon.
17:05
But Gronowski's got Tim Lester. Right.
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And a year develop, understand all those different things.
17:13
Kate McNamara, it was never about his physical qualities.
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What is that? He's competent.
17:17
That was a big step up from what they had before.
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I think Gronowski has a lot more to him.
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Yep. Fascinating.
17:24
We'll see where it goes. Just one more thing.
17:26
It should brought this up, maybe with Bill Seals around.
17:28
We were talking about Iowa State.
17:30
See Iowa State signed with What's the casino company?
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Elite. Yeah, and of course there's
17:35
there's Twitter out there where Bloom said he'd never you know,
17:38
they we will decide has made the decision.
17:40
We will not partner with the casino and this is a knock at
17:43
Brent Bloom. This is just I think I read
17:45
this. There's a new sheriff in town.
17:47
They're they're answering to the to Iowa State.
17:51
This is no longer this is out of we Will's hands, right Brent
17:54
Bloom, there's a, you know, somebody over the overseeing him
17:58
now when it comes to this and and the folks that Brent Bloom
18:04
will eventually, you know, work for decide.
18:07
No, we're going to take this money.
18:08
Yeah, and they should. As yes, I I don't understand,
18:13
they take money from alcohol companies, they take money all
18:17
kinds of different. Yeah, and it's been it's been
18:19
long enough where the where the whole hit the fan for the
18:22
gambling. Yeah, if this would have
18:23
happened a month after, right? I get why they made the decision
18:27
in 2023 when they did. I mean, that would have looked
18:30
awful. That would not have been a good
18:33
look. And but but now, I mean, maybe
18:37
it was maybe they did have an about face on this.
18:40
But I mean, somebody did and I think it probably came up from
18:43
above the we will folks. Anyways, I think it's the right
18:46
decision. Not knocking it all, not
18:47
knocking Bloom or the we will for their decision in the past.
18:51
It just seems like somebody else has pulled in strings.
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Bill Bender will join us next from THE Sporting News.
18:57
Bill Bender coming up next. Miller and Conn, OH Trent's
19:00
plays of the day are still to come as well.
19:01
It's the Iowa Sports Radio Network.
19:11
I'm Miller Condon coming up on 1:30 here on a Thursday.
19:17
We take you until 2 the drive coming up top of the hour.
19:19
Trent's plays of the day still to come as well.
19:21
Circus sports sponsor those. Bill Bender covers college
19:24
football and football and other sports at the sportingnews.com.
19:28
sportingnews.com. Bill, thanks for coming on Trent
19:31
and Ken, I guess where I want to start with you is I had an
19:34
opportunity Sporting News did to talk to Peyton Manning about his
19:38
his nephew Arch and what lies ahead for him at Texas.
19:42
I'm not sure that the that if the question was posed or not in
19:46
the back of the Manning family's mind.
19:49
Do they do they want the New Orleans Saints to suck this
19:51
year? For you can connect the dots,
19:54
right? Follow grandpa to the Saints and
19:56
play for New Orleans. I mean, that would would that be
19:59
a perfect scenario as far as his landing spot in the NFL?
20:02
Well, you know Peyton won't answer that one anyway.
20:05
Sure, but he wouldn't. But he, as he said a couple
20:08
times, he wasn't going to speak for Art, but he did mention that
20:12
having the same coordinator and having the same coach should
20:16
help Arch this year. And I didn't realize till I
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looked at back, you know, Peyton only had two coordinators with
20:21
the Colts in all those years in Indianapolis, you know, Tom
20:25
Moore and Clyde Christensen. And then he went to Denver and
20:28
ended up having three and four years.
20:30
So he knows he speaks from that experience.
20:34
But it was a good conversation. And we also talked about his
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show, The Mega Brands of Build America, that Peyton is an
20:40
executive producer. I didn't know that.
20:43
Yeah, and I and I'm a history church.
20:45
I like that show, yeah. So I'm a I'm a history channel
20:49
buff and I'd look for anything and everything on there.
20:52
So it was a fun conversation. And as you guys can imagine,
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Peyton, he just, I know he lives in a different tax bracket than
20:59
I do, but he is super relatable. He makes it easy.
21:02
Well guys that aren't relatable, Diego Pavia right in his mouth
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at Vanderbilt of all places. He realizes right, he is the
21:12
Purdue of the SEC. He gets that right.
21:14
I just, I, I get a kick out of it.
21:16
Then Bealema's shooting back about 9 league games.
21:19
It doesn't feel like we have anything settled in the SEC
21:22
versus Big 10. Their alliance is it crumbling
21:24
before our eyes? Well, I got a too bad I don't
21:28
have you on here in about 1/2 hour because we're publishing a
21:31
column that I wrote this morning about that.
21:33
The, that the SEC and the Big 10, they need to compromise.
21:37
They need to work together because the 16 team playoffs
21:40
would benefit both, you know, and I think the easy compromise.
21:43
If I was in that room, you know, people always ask me what would
21:46
you do if you were in that room? Here's what I would say.
21:48
I would tell the Big 10 you're not getting four teams
21:51
guaranteed. You know, you've never really
21:53
had yet. Now that you've expanded, I
21:56
understand the notion why you're going to get four teams most
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years anyway. And then the SECI would say
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you're going to play non conference games.
22:05
We're going to stop being we're going to stop playing Eastern
22:07
Illinois and Tennessee Tech and South Carolina State.
22:10
You're going to play 9 conference games.
22:11
Then you then nobody can argue that you have the best strength
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of schedule. No, I agree with you 100%.
22:17
And that meeting is ongoing, correct.
22:19
I think it's, I think it's taking place here either today
22:22
or tomorrow that they are going to get together.
22:25
So what's the likelihood that there will be compromise, Bill?
22:29
You know, it sounds like from what I'm reading and hearing,
22:31
you know, that this is going to drag on unfortunately.
22:34
And then we may end up with 12 teams, which I just don't think
22:37
it's a good idea. And that it's funny that I've
22:39
become this guy. Let's say let's go to 16 when
22:42
for years I was like, let's not expand at all.
22:45
I've always thought 8 was the best number anyway, but now I
22:49
just, if we're going to do 16, it makes sense to me.
22:53
And then another card I would play if I was the SEC in the Big
22:56
10. You work together, play play
22:58
these first two rounds on campus.
23:00
You know, I know that doesn't have anything to do with
23:04
everything, but I hope it's part of the next format because then
23:07
you get your games on the highest rated game in the first
23:11
round of the playoff was Tennessee and Ohio State.
23:13
And what is that? That's an SEC Big 10 game.
23:18
We need more non conference games, ones that matter and an
23:21
ability to find out what conference is good.
23:24
You know, I'd go back to two years ago when the SEC for the
23:26
first year was down and we saw that in the non conference
23:29
because for their standards they struggled and we knew, hey,
23:32
maybe the SEC is down without those non conference games.
23:35
We're not going to go it know that and it's just going to
23:37
become the vacuum that it is. Well, as we await for July 1st
23:42
and everything's going to change now everyone's just finding ways
23:45
to cheat, right? I heard another one the other
23:48
day about you just sign these guys and OK, you're not going to
23:52
do, you know, a meet and greet. What is this clearing house that
23:56
is going to look at these NIL deals?
23:58
Are they going to be checking to make sure that quarterback X
24:02
goes to 50 different autograph signings there?
24:05
Are they going to be checking on that or you just put in the
24:07
contract, the quarterback doesn't actually have to follow
24:10
through, they're just still going to get their money.
24:12
How deep is NIL go actually going to be able to go?
24:16
I don't know how you police all of it.
24:18
I don't. I don't know how you police the
24:20
phones, the transactions, you know, the under the table money.
24:24
That's always been a part of college football, whether we
24:26
want to admit it or not. You know, the NIL part, that
24:29
what you've mentioned is very interesting.
24:31
I think maybe I'm an old man here.
24:36
But the student athlete, when you sign that NIL bill and you
24:38
agree to go to those functions, you should go to them or you
24:42
shouldn't be paid. You know, like, I mean, yeah,
24:45
novel concept for life. And I get it that this is a way
24:48
of paying the student athlete for what they're doing.
24:51
But it's just another sign, Ken, that the financial system that
24:55
we're trying to pull off in college football going to work.
24:59
Nope. You know, in some ways.
25:00
And that's my feeling on it. Look what Michigan did today.
25:03
I mean, they're Michigan and Michigan State there.
25:05
They throwing up roadblocks right off the bat.
25:07
They're not going to be alone. I don't know if we're any
25:09
closer. I really don't.
25:10
Although all that time and all those those kids waiting for the
25:14
roster limits and I I'm just think we're back to square one.
25:18
Enjoyed your piece on the rivalries in college football.
25:22
Iowa, Iowa State did make your list.
25:24
That was the first one I scanned for Cyhawk, which means so much
25:27
to our state checks in at #22 on your list.
25:30
I want to Fast forward to number six because I'm I'm I'm
25:33
disappointed, but maybe not surprised disappointed the USC
25:37
and Notre Dame may not play each other anymore.
25:40
And that's at the US CS reluctance, I guess to continue
25:45
this rival going forward. Do you do you think that you
25:50
know that it's on borrowed time, Bill?
25:52
Possibly, and I think that would be a shame because it is a
25:56
perennial top 10 rivalry. But then when I made this list,
26:00
I've done this list a few times over the years, It's 40 News
26:03
Oklahoma. Oklahoma State's nowhere to be
26:04
found. That's ridiculous, isn't it?
26:07
You know, West Virginia, Pitt's not on there.
26:10
They don't play every year. Although when they do play, it's
26:13
awesome. Yeah, it's funny, the blowback I
26:17
thought I was going to get this morning was having Georgia,
26:20
Florida outside the top 10, which a couple things here.
26:24
Kirby's kind of a rivalry killer.
26:27
He's like taking the heat out of Florida, Auburn, GA Tech.
26:30
He's just beating these teams to death.
26:32
And then, you know, the other one would be that it was fun to
26:38
put together. But these really has impacted a
26:42
lot of the rivalries on that list and I think it will
26:44
continue to happen. I was just happy to see my
26:47
favorite rivalry game on there and that's Iowa, Minnesota 20.
26:50
Five baby. The best trophy in all of
26:53
sports? Floyd OK, OK, You got your
26:56
Stanley Cup. Nobody cares about that.
26:58
What about, so did I get that right over not putting Iowa,
27:02
Nebraska on there or some of those other Big 10 web rivalries
27:05
that that very Iowa, Minnesota, you know, Iowa's won that a lot.
27:09
Yes, Iowas won Iowa, Nebraska a lot too.
27:12
Yeah, but I think it's the pig that puts over the top.
27:14
Yeah, I really do. I agree.
27:16
And I think we slipped that one on there.
27:18
We got Wisconsin, Minnesota on there, you know, and one of the
27:22
things that we did measure and one of the most interesting
27:25
things about that entire list was, you know, Ohio State,
27:27
Michigan, you're never going to, you guys have talked to me long
27:30
enough. You're never going to hear me
27:31
say it's not #1 no, it absolutely is.
27:33
But LSU, Alabama, pretty good in the last 10 years, has more
27:37
ranked matchup. Yeah, first Saturday, November
27:40
2nd, Saturday, 1st Saturday, November, right?
27:44
Always early in November. It's always a huge game.
27:47
I wonder if it will continue now that Nick Saban's not a part of
27:50
it. But man, that's been the best
27:52
game this this century. 1000 Alabama has been the best game
27:58
on the calendar. Yeah, hard, hard to hard to
28:01
ignore. All right, when it comes to the
28:04
your rankings, pre season top 25 rankings, what team did you get
28:08
the most pushback that you got this wrong?
28:11
Well, not wrong, but I've talked about Illinois a lot this week,
28:14
you know, and you mentioned Brett firing.
28:16
Off. They're going to be good.
28:21
They've got the quarterback back, Luke Altar, They've got a
28:23
lot on offensive, defensive line.
28:24
They're going to be tough and the schedule set up that they
28:28
could make that run and feeling it.
28:31
And when Brett's talkative and there's another guy, no filter
28:34
and he's not afraid what he says.
28:36
And we we've known that over the years of Big 10, he spices it up
28:39
a little bit, but when he's got a good team, he's even better.
28:43
Yeah, they saying him and Altmire did the 7th inning
28:46
stretch Tuesday night solidly, Yeah.
28:48
That was good. And Bielem is looking skinny.
28:51
I think he is, yeah. Right, he's awesome.
28:53
Some L BS. Needed it working hard or does
28:57
he got the Ozempic? Is that what's happening over
28:59
there? Is that going to be a question
29:00
we're going to Did you get from him in Vegas?
29:03
I'm not. You ask him, Trent, I'll put.
29:04
I'll do. It.
29:06
I'm not asking Brett Bielmo about Ozempic, guys.
29:09
I just can't do that. Probably not if you had to take
29:12
a Big 10 dark horse right now, further down than even in
29:15
Illinois and not to win the conference.
29:17
But if you're looking for that back door playoff team, that
29:20
team that sneaks together the right nine and three or even A10
29:23
and two, that is out of nowhere. Is there a team or two in the
29:26
Big 10 that you have on your list?
29:29
I saw Bud Elliot the other day I saw this on X and he said
29:32
Washington. So I'm going to just play direct
29:34
him because that's I'll give him the credit for it.
29:37
But that is an interesting pick if you were going to go that
29:40
way, because I do have to Monde Williams.
29:42
They they have been tough at home.
29:45
Jed Fish has done a nice job. I would personally, you know,
29:47
play to the crowd here and say who we think he's going to be.
29:52
I wish he'd be pretty good, you know.
29:54
And their schedules set up nicely too.
29:56
So they do have a couple tough ones, obviously, but I believe I
30:00
was one that are they one that doesn't have Ohio State and
30:05
Michigan. I always look at the teams with
30:06
Duke, those teams, but they do have Penn State and Oregon.
30:10
Nebraska has Michigan and Penn State.
30:12
I think they're going to. I'm not saying they're going to
30:15
be a playoff team. I think they're going to better
30:16
their record from last year and that was a bowl team finally
30:19
last year. Could this team win 8 or 9
30:21
games? Huskers.
30:25
That Michigan game would be huge.
30:26
How Michigan has not changed the subject, but it could depends
30:30
how Michigan comes into that game.
30:32
If if Michigan beats Oklahoma, I mean, Michigan's playing at
30:35
Oklahoma and Nebraska in September.
30:37
So we're going to find out what we find out about the greens
30:41
early. So, so for Nebraska, if you
30:43
trust the mat rule track record, they they could be that team.
30:47
Same concern with Ryola that I have to have with Bryce
30:50
Underwood. I'm just not worried about the
30:51
quarterback. I'm worried about who they're
30:53
throwing to. You know, Fairpoint Bill Banner
30:55
from the Sporting News. Great content this week, Bill,
30:57
as always. Talk to you down the road
30:58
brother. Appreciate it.
31:00
Hey, anytime, Thanks for working with me this weekend, I'll talk
31:02
to you. Later.
31:03
Yeah, I did. I'll take care.
31:04
Good to talk to you, Bill Banner from The Sporting News.
31:05
We check in on college football. I've got a team for you.
31:09
In the Big 10. In the Big 10.
31:11
Is it from a former PAC 12 team? It is.
31:15
What do you think of USC? You know, there's been so much
31:17
talk of UCLA because of Nico going over there.
31:20
What about USC? Here's their schedule.
31:23
OK. Missouri State.
31:24
All right. Georgia Southern, OK, they go to
31:27
Purdue, then they get and they get Michigan State at home.
31:32
So they should be off to is that is that four they should be. 4
31:35
know when they go to Illinois. There's no reason they can't
31:38
beat Illinois. But I think Illinois is better.
31:40
But let's let's give him a loss or you want to give them a win?
31:44
Just for argument's. Sake, they win, OK?
31:46
So they're five and O with a bye week before Michigan comes to
31:49
town. Michigan historically has had
31:52
the same problem Iowa does going to the West Coast.
31:54
Terrible regular season, postseason.
31:56
Normally not a great place for Michigan.
31:58
So you think that they pick off Michigan?
32:00
With the bye week. OK.
32:01
Yeah, OK, fine. Go to Notre Dame.
32:04
Tough. By week before they go to
32:06
Nebraska, I think that's going to be another.
32:08
Week before that. But the schedule sets up in a
32:11
way by week before Michigan, by week before the road trip to
32:15
Nebraska. And then this is how they wrap
32:16
up. OK, home for Northwestern, home
32:19
for Iowa, that's. That's a win.
32:21
We know that at Oregon and then UCLA at home.
32:25
The Oregon game is obviously, you know, that prop that that's
32:29
tough. Clearly, but with that schedule.
32:32
9:00 and 3:10 and 2:00. Nine and three with the right
32:35
win in there, a road win at a Oregon, a road win at a Notre
32:38
Dame and at 9:00 and 3:00, they could be that team we're talking
32:42
about for that 12 spot. You're doing your homework here
32:45
at TCI. Think you're.
32:46
You you saw the odds I put in our TV script.
32:49
What were they to make the college football?
32:51
Player Well, now I got to bring that back up.
32:52
So USC just to make the College Football Playoff.
32:56
USC where were they? They were a little bit further
33:00
down than I anticipated. They are in line 2.
33:02
Plus 250. USCI can't find them.
33:08
What I got to dig a little bit deeper here because the list
33:10
that I had came from another spot.
33:13
Southern Cal has a schedule. Do you believe in Lincoln Riley?
33:19
The defense improved eventually. Last look at Lincoln Riley his
33:22
He's on hot seat. Yes, I'll get those odds when we
33:26
come back. All right, Miller and Condon,
33:28
his plays of the day are still to come as well.
33:30
USC might be among them. You know what?
33:32
That's not crazy when you lay it out.
33:34
I the the bye weeks are perfect. They are.
33:37
At Purdue, that's a win. At Illinois, is it OK?
33:42
Tricky. Tricky, but not impossible.
33:44
The buy I guess you can. Found it.
33:47
Plus 5:50 to make the. Way higher than I would have
33:50
thought It's. Like the 20th team listed?
33:55
9 gets you in. With that schedule, I think at
33:58
9:00 and 3:00 they have to have a huge win in there though.
34:01
So if you make this bet, will you pay attention Tuesdays in
34:06
November of? Course not, the TV show is
34:09
stupid. Miller and Condon, Iowa Sports
34:11
Radio Network Hi Miller and Condon, welcome back.
34:20
Top of the hour, the drive. Heather and Lucas take you until
34:24
5:00. The overtime, Iowa at that time,
34:26
boy balls are flying out at Wrigley.
34:28
One if the wind's blowing out. Pete Crowe had one.
34:31
He did his 20th and there's been two more 22 run bombs.
34:36
Hoskins got one. Don't know who has the other one
34:38
from Milwaukee, but they're up for two as we go to the bottom
34:40
of the second. I don't know what the total was
34:43
in that game, but I'm guessing he's about to fly over that.
34:46
It was 8 1/2 was. It hope you got the over for
34:49
those of you bet on this game, because it doesn't sound like
34:51
you got much of A prayer. All your twins are up.
34:54
They are. Trying to end the six game
34:55
losing streak. 9-4 lead as they go to the bottom of the seventh
34:58
in the Cincinnati. The Yankees are winning a game.
35:02
How about that? Losers of six straight, They're
35:05
actually on top of the Angels. Angels are better.
35:08
They're better than. Well, they went out and got
35:10
Kikuchi. That's going to make anybody
35:11
better. There you go.
35:12
I've not been betting out Kikuchi.
35:13
Very much no. And you did a lot of that last
35:15
couple years. What are you betting on today?
35:18
Are you going to bet? Let's do the basketball first.
35:20
Yeah, I know that. I know where you're going
35:21
because I feel like, OK, C is going to win.
35:24
You're said you're on the other side, so you're taking the point
35:26
where you take a dabble on the money.
35:28
Line No, I don't think so. Not enough there.
35:31
I'm going to grab the. I got it yesterday at 6 1/2 so I
35:34
locked that one in. Yes.
35:35
Where? Where are we now?
35:37
5 1/2 in most of the market, a few sixes that are out there.
35:40
Circa has a six South. .6 I'm looking at it now.
35:44
So you can minus one O 5, by the way, +6 at circa.
35:48
So you get a little bonus juice there with the minus one O 5 if
35:52
you go that route. But yeah, I am just a believer
35:55
that guys are going to step up back against the wall in
35:58
Indiana, that they're going to get a Mathurin that has a big
36:01
game. Siakam does his thing,
36:04
Halliburt, everybody picks up their teammate and we get a game
36:07
seven. Maybe wishful thinking?
36:08
Did you notice happen to notice if any of the sports book
36:13
operators put out Halliburton point props?
36:16
I hadn't looked, no. I would anticipate they will
36:18
though, right? I mean, he says he's playing,
36:21
but boy, I would. Now that's a bet I wouldn't make
36:23
for sure. One way or the other.
36:26
Well, either way, yeah. I mean, because you just don't
36:29
know. 14 is the number for Halliburton.
36:32
And where's that at? DraftKings.
36:34
No, I'd stay away from that. I wouldn't touch that.
36:38
I don't do that stuff anyway. Isn't that futures?
36:40
But I just that seems like when I would shy away from if I was
36:43
in your shoes. But it's not just the Pacers
36:46
night when your seat beaking of hoops.
36:48
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. The liberty in the early game,
36:51
right? That's on Amazon.
36:53
Steph White, by the way, is going to miss another game.
36:55
She's not coaching tonight. Please 11 1/2 against Phoenix in
36:59
the nightcap. I'm on the Valkyries.
37:01
How many did you get? 11 1/2 too many Kate Martin goes
37:05
off. You think she does?
37:06
No. What kind of year is she having?
37:09
I saw she had a really good game the other day.
37:11
Yeah. Better career that I ever would
37:13
have, in fact. She's got a career.
37:15
Yes, I thought the highlight was gonna be draft night when she
37:17
was actually drafted, that was gonna be it.
37:20
Yeah. What a story.
37:21
Go start your coaching career. After two weeks in camp and
37:23
getting cut. She is deep into year #2 right?
37:27
And still being a player, right? It's a difficult league when you
37:31
only got, what, 12 teams? Who's got the TV of that one
37:34
tonight? Is there TV?
37:35
That will because that's. Got to be a late start.
37:37
Amazon prime not a clock tip off.
37:39
So clock tip off have to flip over top over gross.
37:43
Well by the but the Pacers will still be the the NBA will still
37:46
be on at that time. Do they tip at 7 or 7?
37:49
3730. OK, All right.
37:51
Good stuff. Baseball.
37:53
Oh, you got some good baseball. Good.
37:54
Where are we? Going I'm going right back to
37:56
the Tigers game two against your boy Paul Skeens plus 1/22 you
37:59
know they. Haven't started in Detroit yet.
38:01
They are under another rain delay delay.
38:04
That might be a no bet by the time we get to it.
38:06
Grab the Mets against Spencer Strider.
38:09
Atlanta's playing better. The Mets are not.
38:11
Mets are on a bad losing. That they are.
38:13
We're going to bet against that streak.
38:14
Grab the Mets plus 120. So 5 bets overall. 2 baseball, 2
38:17
WNBA and one possibly for the final time in the NBA.
38:23
Yeah, I see. I think it is.
38:24
Yeah, I hope. I just hope you're wrong.
38:26
Yeah, I'd love to watch a game on Sunday night.
38:28
We shall see if that. Happens in.
38:29
Galena. Well, actually staying in
38:32
Dubuque. I found out yesterday.
38:33
I thought we were staying in Galena.
38:35
We're spending our time in Galena, but we're staying in
38:38
Dubuque. Now Dubuque, help Ken out the
38:41
places that Ken needs to go in Dubuque because I've been there
38:44
a few times. Nothing but great things.
38:45
I love Dubuque, great Rivertown, old rustic kind of bars.
38:51
My palm, absolutely. There you go.
38:54
Yes. Well, I know one place I'm going
38:56
over in Galena. I I was told that I have to go
38:58
to Vinny Vanucci's Italian. Vinny Vanucci.
39:01
And that sounds as Italian as you come, right?
39:03
So that's where we're grabbing dinner one night.
39:05
Vinny Vanucci. 'S that's excellent.
39:07
What kind of bantiques are you looking?
39:08
For I'm not looking for any trends.
39:10
No, no, I'm the wheel man and you know the ball cards.
39:14
No, I'm not into that. No.
39:15
I'll just. Looking at the new Ray Ordonez.
39:20
Please, no more I I'm the wheel man.
39:22
And let her do what she wants. It's her weekend.
39:25
There you go. And I don't have hockey to try
39:27
and beg my way out of. Tomorrow night I'll be at Vinnie
39:30
Venucci's. It's a good place.
39:31
Sounds like it. Hope it lives up to it.
39:33
That's going to do it for us. You enjoy tomorrow.
39:35
I'll see you Tuesday. Trent's back tomorrow as we are.
39:38
Well, our show is every Monday through Friday from noon until
39:41
2. The drive is next on the Iowa
39:44
Sports Radio Network.