Latest / The Lunch Rush with Trent Condon / Vikings talk with Dane Mizutani, Bill Bender on College Football & Trent's Picks presented by Circa Sports
Transcript
- 0:06Our number 2 Miller and Condon, Iowa Sports Radio Network,
- 0:09welcome back. Glad you're with us.
- 0:11We take you until 2:00 off the bench.
- 0:13Sean Roberts, Lucas Strain from 2:00 until 5.
- 0:17Still to come this hour, Bill Bender covers college football
- 0:19for the Sporting News trends, plays of the day, circus sports
- 0:23sponsor, those Let's head north, twincities.com, Saint Paul
- 0:27Pioneer Press, Dane Mazatani, our guy on the Vikings.
- 0:30He joins us as we check in on training camp.
- 0:33Dane and Ken, thank you for finding time for us as always.
- 0:37I guess we got to get right to the quarterback position.
- 0:40I was going to save this one for Trent, so I will.
- 0:42I'm going to ask you about Max Brosmer, and I'll save the layup
- 0:46for Trent because I'm hearing a lot of good things and when.
- 0:50But Trent and I both, as you know, where we're located, Big
- 0:5212, Big 10, move the needle here.
- 0:54And we see a lot of the Gophers and etcetera.
- 0:57And Brosberg never struck either of us as a guy that's going to
- 0:59play ultimately in the NFL. Well, maybe, just maybe he may
- 1:04get his opportunity. Is there a chance he's JJ
- 1:07McCarthy's backup quarterback after camp?
- 1:13Yes and no Honestly, I think I would still be pretty surprised
- 1:17if you use QB two in a couple of weeks here, but I think what's
- 1:22absolutely worth talking about is that he's going to make the
- 1:2653. I would be pretty shocked at
- 1:28this point if he doesn't make the team just because of the
- 1:31training camp he's put together and the film he's gone in the
- 1:35preseason game. The kid is extremely smart and I
- 1:39know you guys you just said didn't really think maybe he
- 1:42he'd be a guy who's reaching the NFL level.
- 1:44I I feel the same way. I graduated from the University
- 1:47of Minnesota. I watched him a bunch of times
- 1:50last year with fan glasses and I, I, I thought I saw an NFL
- 1:54quarterback. But I think what you've learned
- 1:57about Max Brozmer is that his brain is just a little bit
- 2:01different. And I apologize.
- 2:03We are in like a air strip on the practice field, so you might
- 2:07hear planes in the background. But with Max Brozmer, he, he
- 2:11just thinks the game differently.
- 2:12He's able to intake a lot of information and apply it.
- 2:15And I think that's maybe the biggest thing to have it you're
- 2:19you're jockeying for position to be somebody's backup.
- 2:22Because the truth is in the NFL, to be a backup quarterback, you
- 2:26have to be able to intake knowledge without getting all
- 2:29the reps the starter is going to get all that.
- 2:30Well, Max Brosmer has proven capable of that so far.
- 2:34Now when he's gotten an opportunity, I think he's just
- 2:36gone out there and and done his thing during the game.
- 2:38So I think it'd be too risky to cut him.
- 2:41I could sitting here in two weeks wrong and then he could be
- 2:46put on waivers, pass through and be on the practice squad.
- 2:48But I I think he's been too good right now to to take that risk.
- 2:52Let's go to the layoff question though.
- 2:54Let's go to JJ McCarthy. Ken and I, Dane, we've told you
- 2:58this has been our back and forth argument going back to the
- 3:00spring of what McCarthy is going to be at times.
- 3:03It depends on what algorithm you're on.
- 3:05You can get a lot of really good stuff on JJ McCarthy.
- 3:07You're really bad depending on where you are on social media.
- 3:10Just give us an overview kind of where you are right now and what
- 3:12you've seen out of McCarthy when you kind of all encompass
- 3:15everything together. Yeah, I think it's been an up
- 3:19and down camp and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.
- 3:23I think that's expected out of a 22 year old kind of getting back
- 3:27on the field and oh, by the way, having to go up against the
- 3:30Bryan Flores defense for all of training camp.
- 3:32I think inherently that's going to create some really high
- 3:35moments and some really low moments.
- 3:37And I think we've seen kind of the full gambit from JJ McCarthy
- 3:42throughout training camp. But what I will say is you've
- 3:44seen consistent growth from him and you've seen a confidence in
- 3:48the command of the offense that I think is encouraging as you
- 3:51push forward here and to being prepped for Week 1 against the
- 3:55Chicago Bears. I point to last week's practice
- 3:58or going practices with the New England Patriots, probably his
- 4:01biggest growth moment. He talked about how he game
- 4:05planned for the practice, the practices in his head.
- 4:09He said he went back and he watched the Patriots pre season
- 4:11film. He watched some of old Mike
- 4:13Rabel film from when he was with the Tennessee Titans and he took
- 4:16that into day one of joint practices with him and he said
- 4:20it looked completely different when I was out on the field.
- 4:22Well, then they took what he put on film during day one of joint
- 4:26practices and JJ McCarthy and Kevin O'Connell kind of put
- 4:30together a game plan for day 2 of doing practices and it might
- 4:34have been his best performance of training.
- 4:36So I think what that tells me is 1 studious 2, he's able to kind
- 4:40of learn a game plan on the fly and make adjustments and then go
- 4:43out and perform on the field. I think all of that or that
- 4:47moment in time is more important than, you know, the interception
- 4:50that'll get clipped and and circulated on, on Twitter.
- 4:53It's practice. Interceptions happen, by the
- 4:56way, for, believe it or not, Tom Brady through interceptions into
- 4:58practice too. So I think in the social media
- 5:01world, you'll see a long touchdown and say he's going to
- 5:05be the greatest quarterback of all time, and you'll see an
- 5:07interception and you'll say this guy's a boss.
- 5:10The truth is probably more in the middle ground of that.
- 5:14I think we'll see highs and lows from JJ McCarthy this season,
- 5:18but I think he's going to be the QB in Minnesota for a long time,
- 5:21so. I was surprised he didn't play
- 5:23in Week 2 again, the game against doing that.
- 5:25I know he practiced again, so maybe that was a part and parcel
- 5:28as to the reason why I played a couple of series, maybe only
- 5:30one, against Houston. What will the plan be against
- 5:33Tennessee? And why did O'Connell hold him
- 5:35out this past week against New England?
- 5:38Yeah, he he won't play against Tennessee.
- 5:41I don't think anyone will play against Tennessee aside from
- 5:44maybe the 50th through the 90th. Man on the roster just trying to
- 5:48compete for spots. Kevin O'Connell just doesn't
- 5:50care about the preseason. He really doesn't.
- 5:53I think he looks at it as an opportunity to evaluate the back
- 5:59end of the roster while also making sure you protect the
- 6:03front end of the roster. And so yes, he played a series
- 6:06or JJ McCarthy played a series in the week one of the preseason
- 6:09against the Houston Texans, but he played 12 plays and they got
- 6:14him out of there. I think This is why Kevin
- 6:16O'Connell is so into the idea of going practices, because you
- 6:20just have more of a controlled feel.
- 6:23It's not live bullets. It's not potentially getting a
- 6:27guy rolled up on on after the whistle.
- 6:30It's just more controllable variable.
- 6:33And that's why he likes going practices.
- 6:35I I don't think you'll see AJ McCarthy really at any point if
- 6:39he is who they think they could be, who they can see can be.
- 6:42I don't know if you'll see JJ McCarthy in the preseason ever
- 6:45again, because I just really doesn't take too much stock in
- 6:49in what happens on the field in those exhibition games.
- 6:53Another thing is, well, he doesn't want to get JJ McCarthy
- 6:57hurt, but he also doesn't want to get any of his starters on
- 6:59offense hurt. So if you played JJ McCarthy
- 7:02well, then you better play all the other starters to get a real
- 7:05evaluation of them. And he just doesn't want to do
- 7:08that. So it's just kind of by case, by
- 7:11case. I think some coaches still see
- 7:13value in the preseason. Kevin O'Connell does not.
- 7:17Let's go to wide receiver. As we know at the beginning of
- 7:19the year for three games, Jordan Addison will not be there.
- 7:22Jaylen Naylor, think we've seen enough out of him.
- 7:24He's fine. He's confident.
- 7:26What about some of the young guys?
- 7:27Ty Felton comes in after being drafted in the third round.
- 7:30Some of the other players that have come in, when you take a
- 7:32look after Addison, of course, JJ at the top of that list and
- 7:36then Naylor, who's kind of positioning themselves in maybe
- 7:38spots 4 through 6 at wide receiver.
- 7:42That's a good question. I wish I had a more definitive
- 7:45answer and I don't because that is so up in the air still.
- 7:49I think Ty Felton is going to make the team because he was a
- 7:51third round pick. But I Ty Felton contributing
- 7:54more on special teams than offense right away.
- 7:57I think he's a project on offense.
- 7:58I think he's got the top end speed that you want.
- 8:01He's got the ability to make people miss.
- 8:03But I think the route running, that's something that's going to
- 8:05come gradually over time. So you'll see Ty Pelton here and
- 8:08there on offense this year. I don't think he's going to come
- 8:11in here and and make an immediate impact.
- 8:14You have other guys like Lucky Jackson.
- 8:16He was the guy who's been around now for three or four years.
- 8:20He's probably positioned himself to make the team.
- 8:23But you don't have a guy that's really just separated.
- 8:27Adam Thielen is like the easy reference.
- 8:29You don't have an Adam Thielen who comes in here as a as a no
- 8:33name guy and forces the issue and forces way onto the team.
- 8:37It's been a lot of, well, Jordan Addison's having a really good
- 8:41training game, which is what you expect.
- 8:43It's been a lot of, well, Jayla Naylor looks the part of a wide
- 8:47receiver three, We haven't seen anyone really take the bull by
- 8:50the horns and run with it here. So it would not shock me if we
- 8:54saw them dip into free agency to add some depth at some point in
- 8:58that area. But I guess we'll see what
- 9:01happens on cut down day. Who's available, who's not.
- 9:04Yeah, there's there's really there's not a huge standout as
- 9:07far as depth of receiver goes. We're training champion.
- 9:11Any update on Christian Darris on the likelihood that he's
- 9:15ready to go? I'm operating under the
- 9:18assumption that he will be ready to go week 1.
- 9:21They've they've still been gradually bringing him along,
- 9:24but you've seen kind of more first team reps, more 11 on 11
- 9:30starters were starters, more of Christian Darasaw there
- 9:34anchoring the left side. They haven't come out and said,
- 9:37yeah, Christian Darasaw is going to play Week 1 because I don't
- 9:40think they want to put pressure on him like that.
- 9:42There's still two weeks to go. Let's see how this thing
- 9:45progresses and continues to progress.
- 9:47But I think everything I've seen and taken note of, I don't have
- 9:52a ton of worries about. Christian Darasaw.
- 9:54We talked to him last week. He said it feels good.
- 9:57He said he can trust it again. He said it was good to be back
- 10:01in the trenches and kind of get that feel of what it's like.
- 10:04So there's still two weeks to go.
- 10:05He's got to check a few more boxes.
- 10:06But I think he's going to be on the field week one against the
- 10:10Bears. We've seen the job that Brian
- 10:13Flores has done these last two years defensively with making
- 10:17chicken salad out of chicken crap.
- 10:18I mean, he really did. You look at what he did
- 10:20initially and just the development that they seemingly
- 10:23make every single year. Now, it feels like they got even
- 10:25more dudes in there. What's the highest upside you
- 10:28can see out of this Vikings defense?
- 10:30I mean, is it realistic that we're talking about this defense
- 10:33being one of the best 3-4 defenses in all the league this
- 10:36year? Yeah, I think that's totally
- 10:39within their capability. I think it really hinges on
- 10:44health. They they've they've invested a
- 10:46lot into guys that were injured, Jonathan Allen injured last
- 10:51year, Davon Hargrave injured last year.
- 10:54If they can stay helped Andrew Van Ginkel, injured in the past,
- 10:57had a great season last year, but has not practiced it for for
- 11:00a few weeks now. So if everyone is healthy, I
- 11:03think they're as talented top to bottom as there might be across
- 11:08the league. As far as the defense goes, I
- 11:10think if you look at the defense that they had last year and they
- 11:14were top 10, most metrics you look at and they had a weakness
- 11:20in the interior of the defensive line.
- 11:23And what did they do this offseason?
- 11:24They went up and they upgraded the interior, the defensive
- 11:27line. So I think you take a defense
- 11:30that was good, not great last year and you add two players
- 11:33that if they can stay healthy and Jonathan Allen and Jayvon
- 11:36Hargrave can make your defense a great to maybe elite defense.
- 11:40I think that's totally within their capability.
- 11:43I also look at what they've done to the offense at times this
- 11:46stamp and when it's been starters, we're starters pretty
- 11:49definitively. The defense is always living in
- 11:52the backfield. Jonathan Grenard, Andrew Van
- 11:54Gingkel, Dallas Turner, Dave Murphy's another guy off the
- 11:57edge that that that's popped. They have just a ton of weapons
- 12:00that they can throw at you. If there was a question mark,
- 12:03I'd say it's probably on the back end who is going to step up
- 12:06at cornerback. But you've seen good things out
- 12:09of Isaiah Rogers, seeing good things out of Jeff Okuda.
- 12:11So that has kind of quelled my nerves there a little bit too.
- 12:15So I, I think overall the talent is just pretty much off the
- 12:19charts for this, this group. And if they can stay healthy,
- 12:23continue to reiterate that they will be one of the best defenses
- 12:26in the league. Danemazatanitwincities.com,
- 12:29Saint Paul Pioneer Press I know twin Trent to want to get to his
- 12:32twins and the follow from last week's announcement.
- 12:35But my last thing for you, Dane, is there a presumed starter,
- 12:38presumptive starter on this team that is in a real fight for his
- 12:43starting role that maybe we didn't see coming once we got to
- 12:46it happened late July. Not really.
- 12:50I think a lot of the guys that you wanted to see step up have
- 12:55stepped up. What I will say is I do think,
- 12:58and then this is no disrespect and no knock on how Aaron Jones
- 13:02has performed in training camp. I thought he looked good.
- 13:04I think he looks fresh. I think he looks ready to go.
- 13:07But I wouldn't discount the role that Jordan Mason will have in
- 13:10this offense. So I think when you saw the
- 13:13Vikings prayed for Jordan Mason back in the spring, it looks
- 13:17like maybe a backup who could spot Aaron Jones here and there.
- 13:22I don't know if it'll be a 5050 split in the backfield, but I I
- 13:25think Jordan Mason has a real, real role in this offense.
- 13:28So I know fantasy football drafts are are rolling right
- 13:31now. Jordan Mason, I like him as a
- 13:33sleeper because I think he's going to get the goal line work.
- 13:36I think he's going to get a lot of just the regular work too.
- 13:39They want to take the load off Aaron Jones a little bit after a
- 13:42career high in touches. So Aaron Jones has not lost his
- 13:46job as RB-1, but I think Jordan Mason has kind of forced the
- 13:49issue and and made himself a part of that conversation.
- 13:52Take us north of the border. Six days ago when the social
- 13:56media post heard around the upper Midwest was heard the pole
- 13:59ads. We're not going anywhere, we're
- 14:01not selling and deal with it and stick it in your eye.
- 14:04Twins fans didn't go over very well in this chair.
- 14:07I'm going to guess the rhetoric was probably even more intense
- 14:10up there north. Yeah, everyone's very angry.
- 14:14I think whatever word you angry maybe, but like also just even
- 14:18worse. I think you're you're kind of
- 14:21leaning towards that apathetic at this point, which is the
- 14:24worst thing you can be or as a team in a market.
- 14:28Anger means people care. At least I think you're starting
- 14:31to lose that care. Even I think people have become
- 14:33apathetic to the twins. I think it was fun for first
- 14:38twin fans to, you know, not fun to watch them sell the entire
- 14:41team. But after they did, you saw
- 14:43young guys stepping up, making a name for themselves, strapping
- 14:47their way to win. And then just to have even that
- 14:50little inkling of of happiness and and promise, then
- 14:55immediately kind of let out of the sails by by the news of Paul
- 14:58Escoop and the team. I I, I think there is just been
- 15:02a growing apathy here for the twins.
- 15:05I don't think people are going to spend the money that they
- 15:08want they were previously going to spend.
- 15:11I don't think people are going to care as much as they did
- 15:13certainly three years ago, but maybe even as much as two weeks
- 15:17ago. I think they've lost the fan
- 15:19base and I think they're going to continue to lose it until
- 15:22they stop, yeah. He's brutal.
- 15:24Dane, I know you're busy. Thanks for finding time for us.
- 15:26Appreciate it, as always, We'll talk to you in the weeks ahead.
- 15:29Dane Mazatanti, thank you. Anytime, guys.
- 15:32Thank you, buddy. Dane Mazatanti, St.
- 15:33Paul Pioneer Press as we check in on the Vikings, with a little
- 15:37twin anecdote at the end. It's such a beautiful ballpark.
- 15:39It is field, yeah. I'm not going.
- 15:43You wouldn't go? No.
- 15:45Here's 2 tickets. Nope.
- 15:46Right behind the dugout. Nope.
- 15:51Yeah. You just wonder, right, what
- 15:52it's going to take? Is it behind the dugout?
- 15:54Done. Well, now you're thinking, OK,
- 15:56it's a pretty good season. There's no way they're going to
- 16:00sell. No, nothing changes this winter.
- 16:03No, somebody doesn't come in riding to the rescue.
- 16:05No, because they've had those opportunities or reading the
- 16:08reports. It's just not enough.
- 16:09No, they dug themselves a $450 million hole.
- 16:13Yeah, the debt, yeah. Even there were was a ownership
- 16:16group including one of the two minority stake owners that
- 16:19bought in that was interested in buying it at outright 5 billion
- 16:24and they said no. Because they had to put the 4:50
- 16:26on top of that. You know, Nick Nelson, who
- 16:29joined us last week, we were trying to come up with a face.
- 16:31And I don't know how we missed this, but you know, it's a local
- 16:35face that could be take a lot of arrows, but it would you
- 16:40wouldn't get as many arrows shot at him because they love Joe
- 16:42Mauer, right? He's he's 1 of theirs.
- 16:45Yes, Saint Paul kid, that makes sense.
- 16:48Would he do it? I don't think so.
- 16:49It's not his personality. Yeah, I don't think he would
- 16:52like that. He didn't enjoy the spotlight
- 16:54and he certainly, I don't think would enjoy something like that.
- 16:56He's just off with his girls doing the thing and good for
- 16:59him, living the quiet life on the.
- 17:01Hall of Famer. Yeah, I can't see that.
- 17:04Justin Bourneau. He's yeah, just.
- 17:06Yeah. I don't think he's very good on
- 17:09on the TV. Booth, he's not always Speaking
- 17:11of that. Yeah.
- 17:12Did you see awful announcing came out with their list?
- 17:15No. The TV rankings are out for MLB
- 17:19for 2025, yes. Really, you know what it and I,
- 17:24I hate to do it because he's so beloved in this building.
- 17:29Alex Cones become Baghdad Bob. That's his job when he's not
- 17:37doing a game, and I'm glad when he's not.
- 17:39Everything is fine. Everything's good.
- 17:42The 2009 Red Sox, like they have something to do with the 2025
- 17:48Cubs. No, they don't.
- 17:49Everything's not fine. Fine.
- 17:54He's backed that Bob and it drives me crazy.
- 17:56It's. Going to be OK.
- 17:57And in no world, in no world is he better than Bug Shambi.
- 18:02No way. No, no how.
- 18:05Not better than Boog and the Cult.
- 18:07The cult that follows this Alec Cohen guy.
- 18:10Here's let me take you back into Sunday.
- 18:12You know what Boog had the audacity to say during the game?
- 18:16He's rooting for the Brewers to beat Cincinnati.
- 18:19Why wouldn't you? You're not catching the Brewers.
- 18:23On your heels are the Cincinnati Reds and the cult attacked Boog
- 18:29like I've never seen before. They didn't use their own, their
- 18:33mind, their brain to realize, well, why would he have said
- 18:36that? Oh, that makes sense.
- 18:37Because there's a team chasing you, right?
- 18:40For a playoff bit, that's a real possibility.
- 18:42We have to get rid of Boog Shambi.
- 18:44He's not one of us. He's as good a broadcaster as
- 18:47there is in the game. And you hated him initially.
- 18:50No, I didn't. He did.
- 18:53I could fight the tapes. I just like the guy that who?
- 18:57What's the guy that does the White Sox now?
- 18:59I like that JD and whoever the White Sox guy was or is now or
- 19:04was the radio guy. Guy went to radio, but he's
- 19:08become Baghdad Bob. Look at his Twitter account.
- 19:11It's all good. That's all he does.
- 19:13Len Casper. Len Casper.
- 19:15Yeah, he's good. Casper was good.
- 19:17Boo's better. Take your time out.
- 19:19Bill Bender. Am I right?
- 19:21Yes, I I don't understand how it's even a conversation.
- 19:24Not, but it is. I was in on boog right away.
- 19:27I'm a big boog shambi. He's terrific.
- 19:30He's really, really good. But the fact that he came out
- 19:33and says he's root for the Brewers, not like he's got a
- 19:35freaking Pennant and he's waving in his hand.
- 19:37He wants to see the Brewers win because the the vision is gone.
- 19:42That's gone. It's not gonna be.
- 19:43It's over. The best news yesterday was the
- 19:45rain out. Absolutely was.
- 19:46They got killed in game one. Kate Horton got hurt.
- 19:49That wasn't good. That was not a good part of it.
- 19:51And they did the right thing by pulling them out.
- 19:53But those two kids that got a little was OK.
- 19:55I shouldn't say that little was OK.
- 19:57The other guy, boy, he was brutal.
- 19:59Anyways, we'll take your time out.
- 20:00Have they started today? They have bought the.
- 20:02First pitch. Yeah, we're right.
- 20:03Yeah, it's. Top of the first, Yeah, top of
- 20:05the first. All right, we'll keep an eye on
- 20:07that. But we will come back.
- 20:08And we will be joined by Bill Bender on college football,
- 20:11Miller and Condon Iowa Sports Radio Network.
- 20:23I'm Mallory Condon, welcome back. 1:30 on a Tuesday, top of
- 20:26the hour off the bench, Lucas Strain, Sean Roberts, 2 until 5,
- 20:33trends, plays of the day, Circus sports sponsor, those those
- 20:35still to come in about 1520 minutes or thereabouts right
- 20:38now, Bill Bender, where he covers college football for the
- 20:42Sporting News, sportingnews.com, and he is with us.
- 20:45Plenty of good content from Bill again this week as we lead up to
- 20:48week #0 And Bill, you've actually got predictions.
- 20:53Happy days are here again as you're breaking down games and
- 20:56picking them against the spread. Your job gets more.
- 20:59Is it get more fun for you, Bill?
- 21:00It certainly does for Trent. And I don't want to put words in
- 21:03Trent's mouth, but I think he feels the same way.
- 21:05Let's bring in your step as we get to football too.
- 21:10Oh yeah. Well, I'll say this that Week 0
- 21:12picks against the spread, I've been talking about it all week.
- 21:14The first game, I think I put more pressure on myself to get
- 21:18that pick right than any other pick of the season.
- 21:21And you know, like last year, for example, I picked Florida
- 21:25State to win. I think most of us did.
- 21:27And you know, obviously Georgia Tech won that game.
- 21:31I think this one's almost impossible.
- 21:33Yeah, I picked Kansas State. I get that.
- 21:34But I do think it's A1 score game and and turnovers will
- 21:38dictate who wins, obviously. Who adjusts to being in Dublin,
- 21:43Ireland first? Yeah, it's going to be an
- 21:47incredible game, the kick off for the Big 12 and an
- 21:50opportunity for the Big 12 to really have that spotlight in
- 21:53this new era of college football.
- 21:55And the importance, and I mentioned this to a Big 12 fan
- 21:58earlier today, the importance if you go another year with only
- 22:02one team getting into the playoff, the narrative that is
- 22:04going to continue to build, well, that's just a one bid
- 22:07league. I mean, we hear that so much
- 22:09when it pertains to the NCAA basketball tournament.
- 22:11But if you get 2-3 four years into it and you're only getting
- 22:14one team, not knowing what the future looks like in the
- 22:16playoff, that's not good for your conference.
- 22:19I think it's important for this not just to be a nice game and a
- 22:21competitive one, but to kind of sell the Big 12 in a way.
- 22:24Is that a fairway to look at it, Bill?
- 22:27Yeah, I, I and you know, I, I'm going to choose carefully how I
- 22:31say this, but the one bid league thing, you start to become the
- 22:36what the basketball version is with the NBC and the OBC where
- 22:39we're kind of like, we love the ball.
- 22:41We do, but that's a fun league to watch.
- 22:43But remember the controversy when Indiana State didn't get in
- 22:47a couple years ago? I don't want that to be the Big
- 22:5012. I want.
- 22:51I think they're not getting rewarded for having parody and
- 22:55having four quarter games. And Trent, I would anticipate
- 22:58we'd get a four quarter game here.
- 23:00But do we have the national championship type program?
- 23:05Brett talked about that at Big Quote media Day.
- 23:07Do you have a couple programs that separate themselves, Kansas
- 23:10State and Iowa State? Certainly the potential for them
- 23:13to do that this year is there. And you hit the nail on the head
- 23:16and I've been we see it the same way, Bill, when it comes to this
- 23:19game, because I too am picking K State.
- 23:22I just can't get past the fact that Jaden Higgins and Jalen
- 23:25Dole, I think there were two schools that that had a pair of
- 23:291000 yard receivers, Ohio State and Iowa State, and they're both
- 23:32on the Houston Texans now in Townsend and Seoul.
- 23:35Might be really good players, but I can't see them coming, at
- 23:39least at this point, anywhere close to the shadow that Higgins
- 23:42and Knoll have left behind. Well, and they had a good
- 23:45running game with Hanson and Thelma last year, right?
- 23:48They got it going. Those guys averaged like 5 yards
- 23:51of carry in that game. And then on the other side, it's
- 23:54Dylan Edwards turn for K State. And we know Avery Johnson can
- 23:58make plays with his legs. I think Avery Johnson is one of
- 24:00the most interesting players in college football because
- 24:04sometimes I watch him sit down, be like, man, this guy is, is it
- 24:08tanning? Great mixed plays and then other
- 24:10games you can see that inconsistency pop up a little
- 24:13bit. So he's as fun as anybody to
- 24:16watch the last Iowa State's won, three of the last four, three of
- 24:20the last four one score games. I'm just excited to turn the TV
- 24:23on and have it on there. Ding Ding.
- 24:25Ding right there with you. We get Fresno, Kansas a little
- 24:27bit later on. Going to be a great day of
- 24:29football to open things up with Week Zero.
- 24:32So the latest article I saw you penned over at the Sporting News
- 24:35was ranking the top transfer quarter 2025.
- 24:38And as I clicked on it, I was get ready.
- 24:40All right, let's see. I got a little ammunition to
- 24:42fire a Bill here because he's not going to have Mark Gordowski
- 24:45higher enough. And then I see him at #4 on your
- 24:47list. I'm like, I think maybe Bill had
- 24:49him a little bit too high. So take us in to Mark Gordowski
- 24:53and why you had him 4th on this list of these transfer
- 24:56quarterbacks and pretty high hopes there for the Hawkeye QB.
- 24:59Well, I mean, winner, right? He played a lot of football.
- 25:03I I'm partial to those, those two programs, South Dakota
- 25:06State, North Dakota State, when you have somebody come through
- 25:09there, they play a little bit, but a lot of football theme
- 25:12eclipse. It's hard to take too much from
- 25:14a couple, you know, practice film things, But you know, I
- 25:18think he can ignite that passing attack a little bit and the
- 25:22three guys I have ahead of them I think are pretty safe.
- 25:24And then after that, every guy from granout and beyond, there's
- 25:27questions, you know, you could put Devin Dampier higher again
- 25:31play, you know, some of those guys.
- 25:33It is how they handle the the jump from the Group of 5 to the
- 25:38Power Four or the FDS. You know who Gronowski kind of a
- 25:43loose comparison. I thought Max Brosnan played
- 25:46very well at Minnesota a couple of years ago, and if he's that
- 25:49for Iowa, you'd be in business. Yeah, Max Brosnar is going to
- 25:53win a spot on that Vikings roster as as well not that that
- 25:56here and there for this year, but still to your point, pretty
- 25:59pretty nice player I want to go back to down fear for just a
- 26:02second Bill. He's the reason I'm picking Utah
- 26:04to win the Big 12 in a in a complete toss up league make a
- 26:08case for six maybe 7 teams they've got quarterback played
- 26:12this year. Winningham hasn't forgotten to
- 26:13coach right. I think last year was the blip
- 26:15on the radar that anomaly if you will.
- 26:18I, I, I like Utah to win it, the Big 12.
- 26:21And I like it because because Devin Dampier, he's that good.
- 26:26Yeah, I think so. I think, you know, the rushing
- 26:29has my attention and I put that in the article.
- 26:32You know, you look quarterbacks that have won the Heisman over
- 26:35the years, 1000 yard rushers like Cam Newton, Keller, Murray,
- 26:39Jayden Daniels, Lamar. Obviously Lamar had a huge year.
- 26:44And Devin, if he does that at Utah and puts those kind of
- 26:48numbers up, they were a massive quarterback last year.
- 26:50I think that was the biggest reason they went five and seven
- 26:53and Kyle's a solid coach. They got a new off, brought the
- 26:56offensive coordinator with them too from New Mexico.
- 26:59So I do think Devin Dambir could have a huge year.
- 27:02Speaking of huge years #1 on your list, Carson Beck.
- 27:05And he's going to have an opportunity to open some eyes
- 27:07week one against Notre Dame. Becca just it didn't click last
- 27:11year for them. Even you look at him
- 27:13statistically, he didn't have the receivers that he had
- 27:15before. I mean, you lose what they lost
- 27:17in both tight and a wide receiver.
- 27:18That's going to happen at Georgia.
- 27:20Carson Beck, he's a different kind of guy, Lamborghini, as
- 27:24opposed to the pickup truck that Gutter Stock is driving around
- 27:26in Georgia and maybe Miami's the right fit for you.
- 27:29What are your expectation level for Carson Beck and can he be
- 27:32the guy to finally deliver Miami into an ACC Championship game?
- 27:37Yeah, I think so. I, I think, you know, they're
- 27:39coming off a 10/1 season. 1 of the things that stuck out at ACC
- 27:43Kickoff that Crystal kept saying about Carson Beck is that he he
- 27:47matches what they want to do right.
- 27:50And I'm not saying this this way.
- 27:51Cam Ward may have not matched, but it was his playmaking skills
- 27:55that were amazing. You know, and I don't know if
- 27:58Beck has that, but I think he has the big game experience. 24
- 28:02three is the starter. Turned it over a little bit last
- 28:05year, but I think he fits. And now with the news that CJ
- 28:10Carr is starting for Notre Dame, I mean, that's Sunday nighter.
- 28:13I'm starting to. I keep going back and forth
- 28:16like, yeah, I want to see Ohio State, Texas, and yeah, I want
- 28:19to see LSU, Clemson, but I'm sure to think Miami, Notre Dame
- 28:24was. If I said that will probably be
- 28:26the closest game of the three, would you guys be shocked?
- 28:30No, I wouldn't. I mean TI mean there's so many
- 28:33TC North Carolina's in a stand alone spot as well.
- 28:37Bill, I want to go to your article that you wrote.
- 28:40I think it came out last week. He ranked teams one through 136.
- 28:43I I got to be incredibly difficult, right, But maybe it
- 28:48was 136 as easy as you've ever had.
- 28:50I mean, I can't find a team, A-Team that has less, less
- 28:55people that had that, that fewer people, I guess way to put it,
- 28:59that give Kent State a chance to win a game.
- 29:01I mean, this is going to this is historically bad.
- 29:04How bad is Kent State Bill? I got to be careful how loud I
- 29:07am my wifes right downstairs. She went to Kent State, so.
- 29:11You know we. I always, we always go back and
- 29:14forth a little bit when they play with my Bobcats.
- 29:16But no, you know, they, they, they've got a ways to go.
- 29:22Parts of that to do are the top 25 because I've got it done.
- 29:27And then like the bottom 10 or so if you order around I-26
- 29:32through like, no, not even 26 to 50.
- 29:34I would say like 50 through 75 is probably the heart because
- 29:38then you start to drop schools and you're like, like I got a
- 29:40text last week, 10 it said like, man, you have Kentucky 62,
- 29:44what's wrong with you? And I'm like, you know, that's
- 29:47the hard part is like Kentucky versus, you know, Rutgers versus
- 29:51Vanderbilt and how to stack those teams up that were outside
- 29:55receiving votes in the top 25. Wow.
- 29:59Figuring out how they are and placing them in there and what
- 30:02is the difference between a four and eight SCC team and an 8 and
- 30:054 mat team and how do you rate those two and and put them in
- 30:08there? A very difficult exercise.
- 30:10Well, there was an exercise done by the NCAA.
- 30:13It was just finding Michigan a bunch of money.
- 30:16As an Ohio guy, I anticipated what you were going to say about
- 30:19this Woodville. A lot of head scratching out
- 30:22there. No post season ban.
- 30:24Well, are you going to ban the people that had nothing to do
- 30:27with it? It's the kind of same things
- 30:28that we've learned the last 20 of years.
- 30:30How surprised were you, though, by the ruling and the sign
- 30:32stealing scandal from Michigan and the way this all played out?
- 30:36Not at all surprised. I mean, it's the NCA, so you
- 30:40learn not to be. I didn't think I thought they
- 30:43should get a one year postseason ban, but I knew they weren't
- 30:46going to, you know what I mean? Like I thought the fine that
- 30:50could hurt them more than people think, you know, with recruits.
- 30:54But then again, you get the news that they get the number one
- 30:56recruit at running back in the country today.
- 30:58So I don't know how much that's going to hurt.
- 31:00But you know, and the thing I wonder, Trent, in 10 years are
- 31:06we lied when we think of championship team, are we still
- 31:09talking about Connor Stallion? I don't think we talk about the
- 31:12USC sanctions as much with Reggie Bush.
- 31:15I know we don't talk about the scandals around Tim Newton, who
- 31:18just got his number retired. I know we don't talk around
- 31:21those. So I'm wondering if I don't
- 31:23think Connor Stallions will fade as much but he will fade some.
- 31:28What would the punishment have been 10 years ago, Bill?
- 31:32I think they would have vacated when and I think they probably
- 31:35would have maybe got a similar punishment that Ohio State got
- 31:39with the tattoo gate. That's kind of the conversation
- 31:42piece around here is like why did Ohio State?
- 31:45And my answer to that is that wasn't in the playoff era, that
- 31:50wasn't in the billion dollar program NIL era.
- 31:52And I think that with TV networks, I think that's factor.
- 31:56You're the best, Bill. Thanks for joining us.
- 31:58Appreciate it. As always, talk to you in the
- 31:59weeks ahead. Thank you, Bill Bender.
- 32:01OK, Anytime. Thanks guys.
- 32:02Have a good one you. You're the same Bill banner
- 32:04sportingnews.com as we talk a little college football with
- 32:07Bill. Did you watch the Connor
- 32:09Stallions piece at all? No.
- 32:11On. Was it Netflix to put it out?
- 32:12Yes, must have been. I watched it on a plane, a
- 32:14couple of them. Didn't do it for me it.
- 32:16Didn't do it for me, but you know what I came across A pretty
- 32:19smart dude. Oh yeah.
- 32:20Brilliant. I mean, he's brilliant dude,
- 32:22yes. Anyways, trance picks.
- 32:25Needed a cheat to beat Iowa. Needed a cheat to beat Iowa.
- 32:29Got the game ball in Kiddix Stadium but.
- 32:31Not didn't do anything. Now, Jim Harbaugh didn't know
- 32:33who he was. Sure.
- 32:35Yeah. You normally give out game balls
- 32:36to people you don't know. Absolutely that are in your
- 32:38locker. Room, right, Right.
- 32:40Did anybody go in after all, you know?
- 32:42Who's that guy? Let's give him the game ball.
- 32:44Miller and Condon trends plays of the day.
- 32:47Circa Sports sponsor those. It's the Iowa Sports Radio
- 32:49Network. I'm Millory Condon, welcome
- 32:56back. Final segment here on a Tuesday.
- 32:59The ESPN crew has been announced for the Farmageddon game.
- 33:06Dave Pash, Dusty Dvorchek and Taylor McGregor, the Cubs
- 33:12sideline gal on her way over there.
- 33:14I'd like to buy stock in her career.
- 33:16I think you can't do that. No, I know you can't.
- 33:18Yeah, if you could. If you could.
- 33:20Yeah, yes, I, I think I would buy stock in her career.
- 33:24I think she's on a fast track. But that's the that's the ESPN
- 33:29broadcast through live from Dublin on Saturday.
- 33:35When we going into Kansas and then Kansas, Fresno State is
- 33:38next. I believe so and.
- 33:40Then Hawaii Stanford brings the curtain down, but it's not like
- 33:43a middle of the night. Game it's not good. 630 perfect.
- 33:46So we got 11:00 Iowa State, K State.
- 33:49There's a three o'clock game UNLV hosting Idaho State.
- 33:53Is that on TV? The Mountain West network.
- 33:56Never heard of it. Might be online only.
- 33:59Fresno, Kansas. That's on Fox.
- 34:01Yeah, good, good. Look at Kansas.
- 34:03That's good. 530 kickoff for that one.
- 34:05How about a little Western Kentucky?
- 34:07Sam Houston State get you going? Nope. 6:00 kickoff and then 6:30
- 34:12for Stanford out at the Rainbow Warriors.
- 34:16But that's not all. Oh, there's wait, there's more.
- 34:19Wait, there's more in the FCS ranks?
- 34:23And we have other games, including Incarnate Word against
- 34:26Nichols State on the deuce at noon.
- 34:28Really. On ESPN, too.
- 34:31Can I interest you in a little UC Davis Mercer on ESP?
- 34:35NI think I'll probably go back to baseball after I was think K
- 34:38State and want to watch Kansas since they're on the clone
- 34:40schedule but they're late in the year.
- 34:41They are. Is that senior day maybe?
- 34:44For you're going to watch Game 128.
- 34:48A baseball? Well, it depends.
- 34:50Over even Stanford, no. I'm going to watch Stanford a
- 34:54while for sure. For sure.
- 34:56Fresno, Kansas Can Hawaii win that game?
- 34:58Yes, they're favored out. It it's.
- 35:00Flipped. It's flipped up to 2 1/2, yeah.
- 35:04And ABC. Big ABC has North Carolina
- 35:09central and Southern. That is, I believe, one of the
- 35:11celebration games with the historically makes sense Black
- 35:14colleges. That makes sense as we had the
- 35:16celebration bowl at the end of the season.
- 35:18This is the one at the beginning of the year that they've done
- 35:20what quite of quite often here recently in Week 0.
- 35:24And then next Thursday at 4:30, we get Boise State, South
- 35:28Florida, right? Rutgers plays, get a good look
- 35:32at them at 5:00 against Ohio, just because they're September
- 35:36against the Hawks, September, right?
- 35:37Yes. And then it gets tricky because
- 35:41Wisconsin and Minnesota are both within an hour of each other,
- 35:43and so is Nebraska and Cincy. And obviously that game means
- 35:48both schools. You got to get a peek of that
- 35:50one somehow. Gophers favor by 16 1/2.
- 35:53Badgers 17 1/2. Nebraska. 6 1/2.
- 35:58Very tricky. What is it about Cincy that they
- 36:01like? Well, they got.
- 36:02Stores be back. They got a quarterback back.
- 36:05It's year three from that rule. The building is going to be
- 36:10802070. 3095. 555 Husker fans. It's an Arrowhead, and it's not
- 36:19very far between. Those cities, right?
- 36:21Hop, skip and a jump, right? They shared an NBA team.
- 36:25They did. He did back in the day.
- 36:26The kings, Yeah. Kings, yeah.
- 36:28The Kansas City slash Omaha Kings.
- 36:33That doesn't seem like enough points.
- 36:35Oh. Husker Kenny coming out of his.
- 36:37Back, baby, He's back. There he is.
- 36:40Football season is here. Ken's talking himself into the
- 36:44Huskers. They may not lose a game Trent
- 36:46until. Yes, we've been there before,
- 36:49right? Keep digging.
- 36:50Keep digging. Let's let's get into your place
- 36:52today, Cubby, you started the week 1 and two one in the
- 36:55football. You blew both baseball, by the
- 36:57way. Speaking of baseball, Cubs have
- 36:59jumped up to to A2 zipped lead Owen Casey with A2 run single to
- 37:06put the Cubbies on the board. Dare to dream If they do win the
- 37:10remaining four games, it's back to five.
- 37:13It's over. It's back to five.
- 37:16Them talk to me when they win the remaining four games.
- 37:19How about we get a win first before we start talking about
- 37:21that? Yeah, let's start with some wins
- 37:23in baseball because that has not been the case this week.
- 37:25We're going to go to the old tried and true you're.
- 37:28Betting against the Twins? Not doing that as they're
- 37:31playing the A's. I'm betting I'm Max Scherzer to
- 37:34get it done. Lay the -145 with the Blue Jays.
- 37:37You know what? Scherzer's been really good his
- 37:39last couple of starts. Speaking of really good, Hunter
- 37:42Green was outstanding in his first start, so we're going to
- 37:45feed him and start #2 give me the Angels and old Kyle
- 37:48Hendricks chocking it up there. 72 miles an hour.
- 37:50We'll take the Angels plus 122 in LA tonight.
- 37:54And what in the WNBAA? Good one.
- 37:57Possibly a championship matchup. Give me the links and the points
- 38:01tonight against the Liberty. Get in the 3 1/2.
- 38:04I will take Minnesota in the WNBA.
- 38:07Is Collier back? The she was listed, I believe,
- 38:12as doubtful for this evening at the last check that I have.
- 38:17You know what she must be on because Minnesota opened up as a
- 38:19favorite and it's flipped significantly, as you said.
- 38:22What 3 now? They are Owen 3 when she's not
- 38:24out there. I'm hoping for a tight game down
- 38:27the stretch and that Natasha Cloud has a boxer performance.
- 38:31That's what we're looking for tonight from the link.
- 38:32All right, David Kaplan will join us tomorrow.
- 38:35We look forward to that each and every week.
- 38:37But obviously, the fate of the Cubs will go go a long way into
- 38:41tomorrow's segment with the cap man.
- 38:43He'll join us. Latest on Caleb Williams.
- 38:45I got to figure that he's feeling pretty good about those
- 38:48Chicago Bears after what we saw with our own two eyes on Sunday
- 38:52night. That's going to do it for us.
- 38:54Lucas Strange, Sean Roberts, come off the bench 2 to 5.
- 38:57Trenton. I'm Miller and Condon with you
- 38:58every Monday through Friday, noon to two, to talk sports with
- 39:01you on the Iowa Sports Radio Network.