Latest / Say Who, Say Pod / Say Who, Say Pod, Ep. 157

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Say Who, Say Pod, Ep. 157 · Say Who, Say Pod

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_03: Pod.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_03: Pod.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome back to another episode of Say Who Say Pod.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_03: He's Danny O'Neill.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_03: I'm Christian Capel.
• 0:16
  This will be my last episode without a little bit higher
• 0:20
  quality webcam for those
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_03: watching on YouTube.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_03: I got it.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_03: You're going to go up.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, you've got it.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_03: I was excited for this to be the debut.
• 0:29
  And then I realized I needed a USB-A to USB-C adapter because I
• 0:34
  already have to use
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_03: one for my microphone and I only have one.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_03: So I went,
• 0:38
  I bought one of those hubs that just plugs into the USB-C on
• 0:42
  the MacBook and it's
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_03: got a bunch of different plugins.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, you live and you learn.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks to everybody listening anywhere.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks, especially to folks.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_03: Watching my grainy half of this video on YouTube.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_03: Is my camera better?
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you come through nice and clear.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_03: Now, we'll see.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe you'll look like the grainy one once I get going here in the 4K.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_03: But you've got a sports coat on again.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_03: I do.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_03: It's a different one.
• 1:08
  I think I've got another two weeks before I have to start
• 1:12
  doubling back on my sports coats.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_03: We should play a game.
• 1:18
  Can you name all 49 teams that received a vote in the AP Top 25
• 1:22
  folder went Washington?
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_03: No, no, no.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_03: No.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_03: Did Vandy?
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_03: That's a good question.
• 1:30
  I'm so prepared that I'm going to Google it right this second
• 1:32
  and look it up.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_03: No Vanderbilt.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_03: No Vanderbilt.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_03: Not even with the pisser coming back?
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_03: Not even with no.
• 1:40
  I was hoping that the answer would be yes so that you could
• 1:43
  play the drop.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_03: If they were ranked, then it wouldn't apply.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_03: If they were ranked,
• 1:49
  that guy would have to call in to Feinbaum and be a little bit
• 1:52
  nicer to Vanderbilt.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_01: Alabama don't lose to Vandy.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_01: We don't lose to Vandy.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_01: That is frigging pathetic, Coach DeBoer.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_03: I've been watching the Netflix – been watching.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_03: I've seen an episode of the Netflix Any Given Saturday show,
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_03: which is – there's a rash of these sort of inside the process.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if it still traces back to Hard Knocks, but –
• 2:21
  All the streaming platforms now have a variety of
• 2:25
  documentary-style shows,
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_03: and Netflix has one about the SEC.
• 2:30
  And Vandy features prominently and is in some ways the most
• 2:35
  interesting school
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_03: because they've got the most to gain,
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_03: right?
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_03: And they are clearly...
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_03: Diego Pavia is cursing.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_03: The coach is dropping F-bombs when he's talking about Tennessee.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_03: They are trying to brand themselves as the upstart,
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_03: the up-and-comer in that conference,
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_03: as it were.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_03: Renegade Vandy.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_03: Renegade rough around the edges Vandy.
• 2:59
  Which is really funny if you know anything about that school's
• 3:03
  history and how it
• 3:05
  is positioned vis-a-vis some of the other institutions in that
• 3:09
  conference.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_03: I will say,
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_03: do you remember the,
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if they're still doing it or not,
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_03: but like Fox News was doing a documentary about Alabama specifically.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, really?
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_03: Do you remember this?
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_03: No.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_03: This was like within the last year.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_03: They followed him around for like DeBoer's first season, I think.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_03: Like during camp and then during the season.
• 3:30
  And there was a free trial that I signed up for because I
• 3:33
  wanted to watch the first one.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_03: And I watched the first one.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_03: I was just like, yeah, I don't need to watch any more of this.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_03: Was it boring?
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, just boring.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_03: And I don't know.
• 3:42
  It seemed like they were going to focus more on like Jalen
• 3:46
  Milrow and Ryan Williams
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_03: going forward.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_03: Like they kind of identified them correctly as the stars.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_03: And so they were going to tell their story.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_03: I watched it because I wanted to see it.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_03: like how much DeBoer there was.
• 3:58
  And that was the documentary that yielded the clip of Caitlin
• 4:01
  DeBoer's wife saying
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_03: she was buying a different color tie at Nordstrom.
• 4:06
  And that was how the checkout guy like knew that they were
• 4:11
  leaving for Alabama or
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_03: something that people were like,
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_03: is that true?
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_03: We will get back to the votes.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_03: I will just make one observation.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_03: Among this rash of sports documentaries is one on,
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's on Amazon Prime about Tom Brady going to Birmingham.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_03: He owns, I think, 3% of a soccer club there.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_03: And he looks like a total douchebag in the whole thing.
• 4:40
  Whoever made the decision where they're like,
• 4:42
  we're going to have Tom Brady.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_03: I'm sure they looked at Ryan Reynolds and Wrexham and were like,
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_03: this is a great vehicle for Brady.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_03: And he comes off as the most... He comes off as...
• 4:54
  There's part of me that likes the fact that he is portraying
• 4:58
  himself as I'm here to
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_03: teach you how to win.
• 5:00
  And I'm really important because I do like the idea of sticking
• 5:05
  it to a bunch of
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_03: English soccer enthusiasts who do not want it.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_03: Americans like would resent that coming from an American.
• 5:11
  But there's another part where like,
• 5:12
  dude,
• 5:13
  this,
• 5:13
  this doesn't make anybody look good.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_03: Like you have no clue.
• 5:17
  what you're doing and you don't seem particularly interested in
• 5:20
  learning about the
• 5:20
  customs that whatever sort of ted lasso ryan reynolds vehicle
• 5:25
  you thought this was
• 5:26
  gonna be for you you people are gonna end up hating you where
• 5:30
  you own this team
• 5:31
  because of this so if you're doing the whole desert island
• 5:34
  exercise and you only
• 5:36
  get three documentaries to bring with you and one of them has
• 5:39
  to be tom brady or
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_03: aaron rogers which one are you picking
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_03: At this point, Rodgers, because I think Rodgers is more interesting.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_03: And I think Tom Brady...
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_03: I thought Tom Brady balanced fame about as well as any incredible,
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_03: successful athlete could through the first 10 years of his career.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, even the... He had the five layers of protection ad.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_03: I thought that was a great...
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_03: he's the only one wearing in a helmet, not wearing a helmet yet.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_03: He's not really the star of that ad.
• 6:16
  Like it was this great ability to sort of an inclusive leader
• 6:21
  and somewhere along the line.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm not sure where he completely lost the plot.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_03: And I think he, he believes his own mythology.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_03: And whereas Rogers is,
• 6:32
  Rogers resents the way he's characterized,
• 6:35
  but that actually is somewhat interesting.
• 6:38
  If you forced me to learn or read more about either of them,
• 6:42
  it's Rogers all day long.
• 6:44
  So how offended are you that your Washington Huskies are
• 6:49
  apparently not among the
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_03: top 49 teams in the country preseason per the AP poll?
• 6:54
  It would concern me more,
• 6:55
  or I would be more upset about it if it was the coach's poll.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_03: And...
• 7:00
  This is people used to give me a hard time about being a
• 7:03
  journalist who doesn't
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_03: like other journalists.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_03: And there's a kernel of truth in that.
• 7:07
  But especially nowadays,
• 7:11
  I'm not sure how fired up I should be about a poll of media
• 7:15
  members.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm just I'm just I'm speaking honestly.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_03: And when,
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_03: you know,
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_03: one of my first questions was like,
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_03: who exactly is voting on this these days?
• 7:24
  Because there has been such a change in the media landscape
• 7:27
  that I think that's part of it.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_03: I would be more bothered if it was a coach's poll.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_03: And in the coach's poll.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_03: They effectively ranked 41st.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_03: They got 15 points.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_03: So however that sorted out,
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_03: I'm guessing that's a lot of like 22,
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_03: 23,
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_03: 24,
• 7:49
  25 rankings in the coaches poll,
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_03: which Jed Fish votes in.
• 7:50
  So you'll never see,
• 7:52
  in the coaches poll,
• 7:53
  you'll only see their final ballot of the year.
• 7:55
  I'd love to see Jed Fish's initial ballot,
• 7:57
  see if he had Washington on there.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_03: I hope he voted Washington one.
• 8:02
  He's not broken out a shirt like last year with the Where's
• 8:06
  Washington on it and
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_03: the top 25 and UW not appearing.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_03: Perhaps he's embracing the underdog role this year.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_03: But the coaches are not like the coaches were super high on him.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_03: 41st is still a ways down the list, but they did at least receive votes.
• 8:19
  I thought because of that,
• 8:21
  that's about where they'd end up in the AP poll.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_03: I'm a little surprised they didn't get a single vote.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_03: Like,
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_03: if you told me they're not going to be in the receiving votes category,
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_03: I wouldn't necessarily think that was crazy.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_03: If you told me 49 different teams were receiving votes,
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_03: then I'd have thought,
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_03: like,
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_03: I probably would have guessed.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_03: It'd be more likely than not that Washington would be one of them.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_03: It also makes total sense.
• 8:44
  I mean,
• 8:45
  this is a team that's being picked 10th,
• 8:48
  11th or so in preseason Big Ten polls.
• 8:52
  That 41st ranking in the coaches poll was behind nine other Big
• 8:56
  Ten teams.
• 8:57
  So the coaches poll basically thinks of Washington what all the
• 9:01
  preseason Big Ten polls think.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_03: They weren't good last year.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_03: They were not a good team last year,
• 9:08
  and last year is the biggest determining factor when it comes
• 9:12
  to putting together
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_03: preseason polls.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_03: I used to agree with Chris Peterson on this,
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_03: that they should just do away with formal preseason polls because they...
• 9:22
  too heavily influence the polls going forward once the season
• 9:27
  starts and not enough voters.
• 9:29
  And this is where I give a lot of credit to John Wilner of the
• 9:32
  San Jose Mercury News.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_03: He gets roasted for his polls.
• 9:36
  He gets roasted for his rankings because they quite often
• 9:40
  deviate quite a bit.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_03: from the norm.
• 9:43
  And the reason they deviate quite a bit from the norm is that
• 9:46
  he is more willing
• 9:47
  than probably any other voter to completely rearrange his top
• 9:52
  25 after a first week
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_03: of data,
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_03: right?
• 9:56
  Preseason is based on what a team did last year combined with
• 10:01
  how many players
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_03: they're bringing back from that team,
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_03: what they did in the transfer portal,
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_03: what their quarterback situation looks like,
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_03: what their schedule looks like,
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_03: returning starters,
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_03: all that.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_03: You need to be willing to throw that all out after one week of games.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_03: Like,
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_03: in theory,
• 10:20
  the team that has the most impressive win week one should be
• 10:25
  ranked number one
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_03: after the first week.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_03: But even then, well, what's impressive?
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_03: Well, the team that beat the highest ranked team in the preseason.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_03: OK,
• 10:35
  so now you're saying that this is an impressive win because
• 10:38
  they beat a team that
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_03: was ranked high based off no games.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_03: So the preseason polls still affecting that in a way.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_03: So, like, I get coaches who say, just get rid of this thing.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_03: I used to think that now I just think,
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_03: well,
• 10:51
  the selection committee is going to do what it does at the end
• 10:53
  of the year.
• 10:54
  There's,
• 10:55
  there's 12 teams that are going to be involved in this post
• 10:57
  season.
• 10:58
  You're not talking about bias contributing to how you pair it
• 11:02
  down to four anymore.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_03: And I think it's fun.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_03: Like polls are just fun.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_03: People like them.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_03: People like to argue about them.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_03: Um,
• 11:11
  been doing it forever you know there's all kinds of historical
• 11:14
  data around ap polls
• 11:15
  and i think it's interesting to track teams that most
• 11:18
  frequently appear in the
• 11:20
  preseason poll but don't finish the season ranked and vice
• 11:23
  versa and all those
• 11:23
  things so i'm not anti-poll i just i wish that more voters and
• 11:29
  coaches included
• 11:29
  when the coaches poll were willing to like drastically
• 11:33
  rearrange their polls as the
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_03: actual data comes in
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_03: And they're not.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_03: And the reason they're not is because of the same sort of...
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_03: I would call it a trait,
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_03: an enduring trait of college football of...
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_03: Certain teams start at a higher default than other certain teams.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_03: And that's just the way it always is.
• 11:54
  And I'm not sure how much is going to change that because
• 11:56
  you're absolutely right.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_03: It shouldn't.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_03: You should be willing to.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_03: Oh,
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_03: my gosh,
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_03: we need to totally reconfigure this based on what we've actually seen,
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_03: especially in an era with more transfers.
• 12:08
  There is less carryover now from one season to the next in
• 12:12
  college football than
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_03: there was 20 years ago.
• 12:13
  That should be an absolutely indisputable fact just because of
• 12:18
  the transfers and
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_03: because of the increased fluidity of rosters.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_03: Do the polls reflect that?
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_03: No, man.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_03: It's largely the same teams that are in the spot.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_03: There's no...
• 12:34
  just there you know it's part of the way the game is it's part
• 12:37
  of how we understand
• 12:38
  it i don't dislike polls i also think that polls are listicles
• 12:43
  man like and
• 12:45
  journalists generally tend to look at listicles of like it is
• 12:50
  something that is
• 12:52
  fairly quick that gets people talking rank the 10 most
• 12:56
  important plays in seahawks
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_03: history
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_03: that they're inevitably arbitrary.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_03: There's no way for them not to be arbitrary.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_03: They're not nearly as objective as it appears as they're presented.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_03: And people talk about them.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_03: That's exactly what a poll is.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_03: That is 100% what a poll is.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_03: So Washington last year,
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_03: and we know about how tough their schedule was,
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_03: what it looked like on the road.
• 13:26
  I believe the opponents they played away from Husky Stadium
• 13:28
  were 52 and 17 last year combined.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_03: Last season...
• 13:35
  They played one,
• 13:36
  two,
• 13:37
  three of the top nine teams in the preseason top 25 poll.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_03: And obviously Indiana was not one of those.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_03: Wound up being a top 10 type of team.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_03: So that was last year.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_03: That's the schedule we all say and all agree was very difficult.
• 13:56
  This year,
• 13:57
  they have four of the top 14 in the AP poll on their schedule.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_03: Number three, Ohio State.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_03: The defending national champion, by the way.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_03: Number seven, Oregon.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_03: One of two teams to defeat that national champion last year.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_03: Number 12, Illinois.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_03: And number 14, Michigan.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_03: The other team to defeat that national champion last year.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_03: So...
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_03: You don't have Penn State like you did last season,
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_03: which is ranked number two in the AP Top 25,
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_03: its highest preseason ranking in a long time.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_03: You have four of the top 14 teams in the country,
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_03: preseason anyway,
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_03: on Washington's schedule,
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_03: and three of them come to Seattle.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_03: Now,
• 14:43
  maybe it's not viewed as daunting because one of them is
• 14:46
  Illinois and the helmet
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_03: doesn't get you,
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_03: you know?
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_03: but there's a lot of expectations around the Illini.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_03: They're very experienced.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_03: Like Illinois is an example of a team that I think has,
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_03: even though it sounds like kind of a hypocrite saying this,
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_03: even though I'm not like crazy high on Illinois,
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_03: I kind of think they're going to come down to earth a little bit.
• 15:09
  They returned 16 starters and their starting quarterback and
• 15:13
  they won 10 games last
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_03: year and they got a pretty easy schedule.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um,
• 15:17
  That's your non-classic,
• 15:19
  non-Blue Blood team that I think people have appropriately
• 15:23
  ranked.
• 15:24
  Whether they live up to be the number 12 team in the country or
• 15:26
  not,
• 15:26
  I got my questions.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_03: I would bet on no.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_03: But to the degree that you can earn a ranking in the preseason,
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_03: I think they've earned being number 12.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_03: It's not an easy schedule for Washington.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_03: No, it's absolutely not.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_03: It's also the Big Ten.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_03: That's what you're going to get.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_03: Three of those four games are at home.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_03: In that way,
• 15:53
  that increases the likelihood that they're going to be able to
• 15:56
  win one of those
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_03: games.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_03: How many of those games do they have to win to have a successful season?
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_03: Because I would argue they have to win one.
• 16:04
  They have to win one of those four games to have a season that
• 16:08
  you're going to be
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_03: able to say was a good season.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_03: And in that respect, I'm not sure how much...
• 16:17
  I don't know how much you can talk about difficult scheduling
• 16:20
  now because it's all
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_03: about the conference that you're in.
• 16:22
  And being in the Big Ten includes challenges,
• 16:25
  but it includes benefits too.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_03: You're going to be able to get into the playoff as a fourth.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_03: I mean,
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_03: it would be really hard for me to imagine five teams coming out of either
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_03: conference,
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_03: but a fourth place team's got a really good shot of being in the playoff.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_03: That's the benefit of being in the Big Ten.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_03: The cost of it is you're going to have a higher caliber of competition.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_03: So that question,
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_03: how many of those do they need to win,
• 16:51
  segues neatly into the fact that no other team that appears on
• 16:56
  Washington's
• 16:57
  schedule outside of the four who are ranked in the top 14
• 17:02
  received a single vote in
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_03: the AP poll.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_02: Ooh.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_03: So your other Big Ten teams are Indiana at 20.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_03: Mm-hmm.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_03: USC received votes.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_03: Looks like they're about 30th.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_03: Nebraska received votes.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_03: Iowa received five votes.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_03: And that's it.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_03: So as much as Washington might want to complain,
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_03: and maybe not Washington itself,
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_03: but certainly some number of fans,
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_03: about not getting a single vote,
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_03: kind of in the same boat as half the Big Ten.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_03: I'm looking at the poll now.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_03: Are we going to see that happen between the Big Ten and the SEC,
• 17:51
  where essentially a little less than half the conference is
• 17:55
  going to get ranked and
• 17:56
  the other half is going to be assumed to be bobbing upside down
• 18:00
  and not receiving
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_03: votes?
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_03: Is there a cutoff?
• 18:04
  We know that there's going to be a cutoff when it comes to
• 18:06
  playoff consideration.
• 18:08
  Is there going to be something similar that happens with regard
• 18:11
  to the voting where
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_03: the top five...
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_03: Well,
• 18:15
  maybe it is the top six or seven teams are going to get votes
• 18:18
  and then the bottom
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_03: six or seven,
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_03: as opposed to it being a muddled middle like where...
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_03: There's three teams that are at the top,
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_03: and then there's a group of nine teams,
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_03: none of whom are considered top 10 teams,
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_03: but a whole muddled middle.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_03: Are we going to see sort of an either-or dichotomy?
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_03: With the Big Ten, yes.
• 18:39
  It's not quite the case with the SEC because they have 10 teams
• 18:43
  ranked in the preseason top 25.
• 18:47
  Texas,
• 18:48
  Georgia,
• 18:50
  Alabama,
• 18:50
  LSU,
• 18:52
  South Carolina,
• 18:53
  Florida,
• 18:56
  Texas A&M,
• 18:58
  Ole Miss,
• 18:59
  Tennessee.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_03: And Oklahoma.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, yeah.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_03: I forget about Oklahoma because they're in the SEC.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_03: Some of those teams are not going to be there at the end of the year.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_03: Like some of those teams.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_03: They can't be, right?
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_03: And Missouri got 33 votes, too.
• 19:17
  so yeah so you got 11 you got 11 sec teams that are 11 of them
• 19:22
  ranked in 11 yeah 11
• 19:23
  of the top 32 can't throw a rock without hitting an sec team in
• 19:29
  these rankings and
• 19:30
  it's probably appropriate what does that mean it's appropriate
• 19:34
  i mean they're good
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_03: like look
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_03: The Big Ten should take this opportunity to crow, right?
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_03: They won the national championship last year.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_03: They won the national championship the year before.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_03: They're the biggest conference, goddammit.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_03: 18 teams.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_03: They went and destroyed the Pac-12.
• 19:57
  They adequately responded to the SEC's grab of Texas and
• 20:00
  Oklahoma,
• 20:01
  I guess.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_03: Honestly,
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_03: if we're being really honest,
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_03: getting Oregon into the league was the real win that way.
• 20:09
  If you want to talk about adding programs that bulk up the
• 20:14
  strength of schedule in
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_03: your league,
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_03: that ain't been USC,
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_03: UCLA,
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_03: and Washington yet.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_03: It's been Oregon, right?
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_03: Christian,
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_03: I am doing everything I can to sit here and just patiently,
• 20:24
  patiently acknowledge that there is an on-field justification
• 20:28
  for everything you're
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_03: saying,
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_03: but it's Oregon!
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_03: They think college football was invented in 1994.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_03: Sure, it's a great on-field product.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_03: The biggest addition was USC, and right behind it is Washington.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_03: Academically.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_03: Academically prowess.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_03: You're right.
• 20:49
  I did have my first sort of tinge of Big Ten pride,
• 20:54
  or where I got kind of annoyed at somebody.
• 20:57
  And you're not going to be all that shocked at who it is,
• 21:01
  but it was a question that was asked.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_03: This also might have been on a Netflix show.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not sure.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_03: But I saw it on Twitter,
• 21:08
  and a certain follically challenged commentator was asked for
• 21:12
  his prediction on who
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_03: will win the national championship.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: Who's going to win the national championship?
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_00: And is it going to be an SEC team?
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_02: It is.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_02: And by the way,
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_02: if it's not,
• 21:20
  I'm leaving the country because I am so sick and tired of being
• 21:24
  harassed by Big Ten
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_02: fans on our show.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_02: The Big Ten has literally done nothing.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_02: They won two national championships.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_02: Michigan won one two years ago.
• 21:31
  They won one and a half national championships,
• 21:34
  I think,
• 21:35
  before that in 70 years.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_02: And they act like they invented football.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_02: Alabama has won about 15 national championships in my lifetime.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_02: Now,
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_02: I realize that's not a good comparison to a realistic lifespan,
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_02: but I believe Texas is going to win.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_02: I didn't mean to avoid your question.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_02: It's going to end all this,
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_02: and on January 20th,
• 21:56
  I'll be the happiest man in America because I won't have to
• 21:58
  listen to the big
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_02: tenors,
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: or as my callers call them,
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_02: the little tenors.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_01: That was a zinger poll!
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_03: That was a zinger poll!
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_03: Little tenors.
• 22:14
  It's the first time where I had a little bit of I'm annoyed at
• 22:17
  the SEC on behalf of the Big Ten.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 22:24
  Look,
• 22:24
  I think the SEC recruits from the most fertile recruiting
• 22:29
  territory.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_03: It helps that they cheat.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_03: Well...
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_03: What's cheating?
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_01: It helps.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_01: It helps that they cheat.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_03: What's cheating at this point?
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, Texas Tech's not in the SEC, right?
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_03: It helps that they don't give a rat's ass about academics.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_03: See,
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_03: those are the sort of things that those...
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_03: It's a very valid observation,
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_03: Christian,
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_03: that they do have the most fertile recruiting territories.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_03: And what does it bring out with me?
• 22:56
  Like some very deeply unflattering thoughts about their region
• 23:02
  of the country.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_03: That's what happens.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_03: I feel like you forced me to do that.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_03: No, I think it was right there.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_03: I think it was bubbling just beneath the surface at all times.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_03: The SEC is good.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_03: I don't mean to take up Lane Kiffin's cause or anything here,
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_03: but if you were to pull any college football coach,
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_03: would you rather play a Big Ten schedule or an SEC schedule?
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_03: Which do you think the majority are choosing?
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_03: The majority are choosing the Big Ten,
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_03: and that's largely because of the speed of the defenses in the SEC.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_03: That's my feeling.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_03: And things have somewhat leveled out.
• 23:38
  I do think that the overall quality of the conference,
• 23:42
  some of that can get...
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_03: Because I don't want to say the SEC is not good or that it's overrated.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_03: Because when you look at the number of NFL players that play there.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_03: But what I do think is that good football teams are good football teams.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_03: And that having quarterbacking still matters.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_03: That having... There are ways...
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_03: It's not like it's the SEC and everybody else.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's the part of it that I resent.
• 24:13
  I agree with what you said or what Lane Kiffin said,
• 24:16
  which would you rather play every week?
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_03: The SEC defenses, that is, it's a hard gauntlet to run through.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_03: They also,
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_03: and this has changed a little bit recently,
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_03: but they have typically not had as good of quarterbacks.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_03: And I think it can be boring ass NFL light football, which I don't like.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah,
• 24:34
  that's a hard argument to make to someone who just watched a
• 24:37
  season of Big Ten
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_03: football last year.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_03: And I think it was a nationwide thing last year, frankly.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_03: I would agree with you.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_03: But returning to your prompt of take those top four,
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_03: Ohio State,
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_03: Oregon,
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_03: Illinois,
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_03: and Michigan,
• 24:56
  and how many of those does Washington need to win to feel good
• 24:59
  about this season?
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_03: It'd be hard to say it's not two, right?
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_03: If they lose three of the four, can it be a good season?
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_03: You'd have to win all your other games.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_03: If those are your only three,
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_03: you beat,
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_03: let's see,
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_03: I think we all would agree Illinois is the most likely,
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_03: which means if they do only win one of these four,
• 25:22
  it probably won't be Illinois because that's kind of what
• 25:25
  everyone expects at this
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_03: point.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_03: This is a nine and three.
• 25:30
  Like there's no world where this team goes nine and three and
• 25:32
  you're feeling bad about it.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_03: So if you win all your other games,
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_03: if you don't slip up at Wisconsin,
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_03: if you don't slip up at Maryland,
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_03: take care of Rutgers at home on a Friday night.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_03: If you don't have a weird Rose Bowl game, which has been prone to happen.
• 25:50
  totally prone to happen if you go to Pullman and take care of
• 25:53
  business and snap
• 25:55
  this road losing streak that they're on on September 20th then
• 26:03
  you could live with
• 26:04
  losing at Michigan and at home to the defending national
• 26:08
  champion and at home to
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_03: Oregon but look
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_03: Now you're in a universe where you're going into Oregon 9-2.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_03: And then you're going to lose that game.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_03: We're saying these are their three losses.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_03: You're going into Oregon 9-2, meaning a win punches a ticket to the CFP.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_03: And 9-3 with the wins you have,
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_03: unless Illinois is awesome and you're the only team that beats them—
• 26:35
  Is 9-3 with their schedule and the wins breaking down that way
• 26:39
  enough to be an
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_03: at-large team in the CFP at 9-3 as the University of Washington?
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_03: Probably not.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_03: It's a good point.
• 26:49
  So you're talking about losing at home to Oregon to get bumped
• 26:53
  out of the playoff
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_03: at that point,
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_03: like that type of 9-3 season.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_03: That's going to stay.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_03: On August 13th in a vacuum sitting here, it's easy to say, God –
• 27:01
  what business does this program have turning up its nose at
• 27:04
  nine and three?
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_03: Are you kidding me?
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_03: Any way they get to nine and three is awesome,
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_03: but there would,
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_03: you know,
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_03: come November 29th or whatever it is,
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_03: if that's the case,
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_03: there's going to be some upset Husky fans.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_03: If,
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_03: if Washington wins nine games,
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_03: there's not going to be any scenario in which you,
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_03: as a Husky fan,
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_03: you feel anything other than the program is on the right track.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_03: regardless of how it happens,
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_03: you're going to look at it and you're going to say it's a sophomore,
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_03: a true sophomore quarterback who's coming back for another year.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_03: This is a significant growth from what was a year ago,
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_03: and you're in position to really,
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_03: in a third year of Jed Fish,
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_03: a second year as a starter with your quarterback.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_03: Next year, the expectation becomes you're going to make the playoff.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_03: That, I think, would elevate...
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_03: that would become sort of it to be a good season.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_03: You're going to need to be in the college football playoff,
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_03: which is,
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_03: which is I think fair and appropriate all those things.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_03: What is strange about it is the way that you get to those.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_03: It will feel very differently depending on how you get there.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_03: And that the idea that it being eight and three and beating Oregon is,
• 28:21
  would feel such so monumentally better than being nine and two
• 28:26
  and losing to Oregon
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_03: is a strange sort of scenario to lay out.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_03: But that, that is how the schedule would look.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_03: And I,
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_03: If I put down my rabid,
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_03: non-thinking,
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_03: irrational brain about Oregon and say,
• 28:46
  should the measurement of Washington's season be whether or not
• 28:52
  it beats Oregon in
• 28:53
  Jed Fish's second year with DeMond Williams' first full year as
• 28:57
  a starter,
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_03: that's too high a bar to set.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_03: But that is very much how the season might wind up feeling.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_03: And if they win two of those four games, I would be hard pressed.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_03: If they win two of those four games,
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_03: I would be hard pressed to say that the season was unsuccessful,
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_03: even if they don't end up getting into the playoffs.
• 29:16
  You win two of those four games,
• 29:18
  you beat two of those four teams within your conference.
• 29:21
  And I think even if you slip up once or twice in other games
• 29:24
  that you feel really
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_03: good about where things are headed.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah,
• 29:28
  I don't even think it's a question among Husky fans if you were
• 29:31
  to present like,
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_03: hey,
• 29:32
  you can either kick the Maryland game but beat Oregon or handle
• 29:37
  Maryland and then
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_03: lose to Oregon.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_03: I know what every Husky fan on the planet is picking in that scenario.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_03: That's the same record.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_03: It's not a question.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_03: I might, I might kick two games to beat Oregon.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_03: If we're being honest, I might kick two.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you might not be alone.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_03: That's very funny.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_03: Did you see this week's story about John Mateer?
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_03: I was just going to say,
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_03: what do you think John Mateer would set the over under among these,
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_03: these four games?
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_03: I gotta tell you, all of you people, set your Venmo to private.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, no kidding.
• 30:21
  Nuke your social media history,
• 30:23
  delete it all,
• 30:25
  and set your Venmo to private.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_03: People don't need to be knowing.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_03: It is very easy for them to see who you've been paying for what.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_03: If you leave a little funny note,
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_03: it might not be so funny if rival fans track it down,
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_03: which I would have to guess is how this came out.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_03: If people don't know, it's from 2022, so it's a few years ago.
• 30:46
  John Mateer made a couple of Venmo transactions,
• 30:49
  and then the memo says sports gambling.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_03: And nobody else knows anything more than that,
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_03: but obviously this has caused quite a bit of consternation.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_03: His best defense...
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_03: Is that young people put anything but the actual reason for the payment.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_03: In their Venmo transaction history.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_03: I did that.
• 31:12
  It was always some like reference to like drugs or burying a
• 31:15
  body or something like that.
• 31:18
  think if it were that extreme that's a lot easier to say like
• 31:21
  ah you know it's an
• 31:23
  inside joke right like that's that's not obviously it wasn't
• 31:27
  you know it wasn't
• 31:28
  paying my buddy like 16.33 for cocaine or whatever this was
• 31:32
  just we're screwing
• 31:33
  around but to very specifically say sports gambling parentheses
• 31:37
  usc versus ucla
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_03: like
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_03: That one might be a little tougher to cover up.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_03: The fact is,
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_03: though,
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_03: like,
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_03: even if there's an investigation,
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_03: it should be noted that John Mateer vehemently denied this,
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_03: right?
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_03: He posted a note on Twitter saying, I've never bet on games.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_03: This was an inside joke.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_03: I don't gamble.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_03: I take this seriously.
• 31:56
  even if there's an investigation as long as there's no they
• 31:59
  can't trace like a
• 32:00
  betting app to him yes i don't see how this will be actionable
• 32:05
  could always be the
• 32:06
  case that like he paid someone else to make this bet and that
• 32:10
  someone else for
• 32:11
  whatever reason like turns on him you know you never know i
• 32:14
  think it's more likely
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_03: this ends with john mature uh doing fan duel commercials
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_03: Do they have rules?
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_03: They must have rules that you can't endorse.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_03: Because I know you can't bet.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_03: It's very clear you can't bet on any NCAA games.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_03: But do they have rules about endorsements?
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_03: They do,
• 32:35
  although someone shared a photo of some sponsorship he did with
• 32:40
  like Northern Quest
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_03: Casino or something like that.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_03: You probably can't like actively promote sports betting.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_03: But if the casino has some use for your name,
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_03: image,
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_03: or likeness that's unrelated to that,
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_03: maybe it's fine.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_03: But...
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_03: I just, like, I gamed this out in the group chat, and it went over well.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm going to throw it out here on the podcast.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_03: Imagine,
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_03: like,
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_03: it's the first quarter of Oklahoma's season opener,
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_03: and I,
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_03: off the top of my head,
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_03: don't know who they play.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_03: I apologize.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_03: But, you know, John Mateer runs for a 36-yard touchdown.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_03: They kick the extra point.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_03: They're up 7-0.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_03: They cut to commercial.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_03: It's John Mateer.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_03: Says, hi, I'm John Mateer.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_03: I would never bet on sports.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_03: He looks at the camera and winks.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_03: But if I did, I'd use the fan.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_03: And he launches into his.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_03: That'd be hilarious.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_03: That'd be hilarious.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_03: It would be very, very funny.
• 33:40
  You're familiar with speculation about like,
• 33:42
  oh,
• 33:42
  he might lose his NIL deal over this.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_03: He might lose.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_03: No, I think he's gonna make more money.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_03: I think there's an opportunity for him to make more money here.
• 33:48
  And I don't know who his agent is,
• 33:49
  but I hope they're on the phone with a.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_03: a betting app pronto to to try to hook him up
• 33:57
  you're aware of the Porter family who I,
• 34:00
  do they have a Washington connection?
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, yeah, that actually did work for the school.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_03: So, and everybody, everybody knows the Porters.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_03: Michael Porter jr.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_03: Was on a podcast.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_03: I saw the clip this morning,
• 34:13
  so it must be relatively recently where I saw the clip was on
• 34:18
  club five 20,
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_03: which Jeff Teague hosts with two guys.
• 34:21
  And it's,
• 34:22
  it is the thing that will most consistently make me laugh when
• 34:25
  I'm alone by myself or
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_03: Listening to them react to things.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_03: Michael Porter is explaining how...
• 34:34
  And it's like this very heartfelt things he's struggled with
• 34:37
  over his life.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_03: And he talks about it being women and his relationships with women.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_03: And then he references his brother, like my brother's problem.
• 34:45
  My brother had a gambling problem and he never really had the
• 34:48
  same difficulties with women.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_03: And the guys on the show just start laughing.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_03: He's like, why are you, why are you saying this?
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like, my brother has issues with gambling and he can't get any girls.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_03: And he never really had issues with money talking about his brother.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_03: You're like, man, like you got to leave him out of this.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_03: He's already dealing with his own thing.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_03: Michael Porter's space in the NBA like cultural sphere is so funny to me.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_03: Because he's a good player.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_03: He's a really good player.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_03: Yet he's like most known for this just like wild podcast presence he has.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_03: He's simultaneously incredibly boring and uninteresting while also just
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_03: occasionally saying the most out of pocket stuff you could come up with.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_03: It is very clear in the,
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_03: as someone who still does like the NBA,
• 35:48
  it is very clear that he was tied directly into all of that
• 35:52
  dysfunction in Denver.
• 35:53
  What happened as they were ending and like,
• 35:57
  it's very,
• 35:58
  it's very clear dudes did not like him.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_03: Like there was, there was a high degree.
• 36:03
  We do not know all the dysfunction that was going on in Denver
• 36:05
  over the course of
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_03: last season,
• 36:07
  but he was,
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_03: he was integrally involved in it.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_03: And you're right.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_03: There are very few people who can score like he can score,
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_03: even in that league that is full of scorers,
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_03: and it's pretty wild.
• 36:20
  Is he the greatest player in Washington State high school
• 36:24
  basketball history?
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_03: He played one year, two years.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_03: One year.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_03: He's a lottery pick.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_03: I think he averaged like 30 a game.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_03: But then you would go, so they won the title.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_03: Because like Scott Pollard would be my natural rebuttal to that.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_03: But Kamiakin didn't end up winning the title.
• 36:55
  And Scott Pollard,
• 36:56
  while he had a really long NBA career,
• 36:59
  was never – Porter's a huge scorer.
• 37:05
  SPEAKER_03: My answer is no,
• 37:06
  because he's a Washington State high school basketball player
• 37:10
  with an asterisk.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_03: Because he's a mercenary.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_03: Jason Terry and Jamal Crawford are my answers for the two best.
• 37:18
  I think they're the two best players to come out of Washington
• 37:22
  high schools.
• 37:23
  Brandon Roy has he probably had the highest ceiling and he
• 37:29
  played at the highest
• 37:30
  level in the NBA out of out of guys that I would consider to be
• 37:33
  Washington State
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_03: products.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_03: But he didn't have the career that Terry or or Jamal had.
• 37:39
  There are compelling arguments to be made for both Jamal and
• 37:43
  Jason Terry.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_03: I end up going with Jamal,
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_03: but I'm a little biased there because I know Jamal,
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_03: and I think what he does with the basketball is incredible.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if Michael Porter Jr.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_03: is a better NBA player than Jamal Crawford yet, though.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_03: So I would say he's not.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_03: Even if I take off the asterisk,
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_03: we're just looking at what he did in Washington State high school,
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_03: like that senior season,
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_03: and then what he did in the pros.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_03: No, he's not better than Jamal.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_03: Fair enough.
• 38:14
  On the Mateer thing,
• 38:17
  if it was indeed a Texas fan who unearthed this Venmo history.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, for sure.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_03: It's absolutely.
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_03: As soon as I saw it, there's just no doubt.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_03: Further evidence that it just means more.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_03: You know what?
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_03: There is something to be said for that.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_03: Those people use FOIA requests to get at each other.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_03: Like,
• 38:36
  those people have used tools of investigative journalism to
• 38:40
  take down Houston Nutt,
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_03: to take down...
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_03: Like,
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_03: all of those different things that have come from...
• 38:46
  There is a wild history of scandal that is tied into fans just
• 38:51
  hating on somebody
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_03: else.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_03: And I...
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_03: I know they're newcomers.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_03: They're not SEC veterans.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_03: But something like this,
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_03: and again,
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_03: assuming it was a Texas fan,
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_03: which if it was,
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_03: it would be the most college football thing ever.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_03: It's just further proof that they belong in the SEC, this rivalry.
• 39:15
  SPEAKER_03: So I would just throw out to Washington fans, where were you?
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_03: Where were you?
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_03: How important is your in-state rivalry?
• 39:29
  And you could say,
• 39:30
  oh,
• 39:30
  well,
• 39:30
  Oregon's the bigger rival and they're in the same league now.
• 39:33
  Mateer wasn't even a starter until Washington and Wazoo were,
• 39:36
  you know,
• 39:37
  the rivalry had...
• 39:38
  kind of had some punch taken out of it because of the,
• 39:40
  the realignment stuff.
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_03: So it's 2022, you know, man, Christian, this is, that is snitching.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_03: Like we need to be very clear.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_03: That is a, that is a loathsome activity.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_03: That is hall monitor activity.
• 39:56
  crap yeah of course but we shouldn't be doing that no no no no
• 40:02
  there's no exemption
• 40:03
  you don't get you're not allowed to do it because it's college
• 40:06
  football that
• 40:07
  reflects poorly on the character of the sec that reflects
• 40:11
  poorly in no way does
• 40:13
  ratting actually make you can make fun of them all you want and
• 40:17
  you should make fun
• 40:18
  of them all you want cannot rat to the authorities like you
• 40:22
  just you just can't not
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_03: even in college football
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_03: That's a, see, that's a respectable take.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_03: I just, I know the spirit of college football.
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_03: I know the spirit of rivalries in the SEC.
• 40:34
  And I think it would be in keeping with that to scroll through
• 40:37
  your biggest rivals,
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_03: million dollar,
• 40:40
  multimillion dollar starting quarterbacks Venmo history to see
• 40:43
  if you can find
• 40:43
  SPEAKER_03: anything that might implicate him in a sports gambling scandal.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_03: If Washington fans start doing that, I'm going to go at Washington fans.
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_03: That is scumbag behavior.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_03: It absolutely should not be.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_03: It's loser behavior.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_03: I'm just not surprised by it.
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not either, but there's, it's not funny.
• 41:05
  It's not.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_03: I don't want anyone to come away from like, see what I did?
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_03: Cause I'm like,
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_03: no,
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_03: that is,
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_03: that is not,
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_03: that is,
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_03: that is,
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_03: it strikes me as in line with what is,
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_03: what is weakening America.
• 41:17
  It's right up there with when the pack 10 pack 12 would have 10
• 41:21
  people on the first
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_03: team,
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_03: all league basketball teams.
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_03: Like that's the sort of stuff that makes us lesser as people.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_03: That was a great comparison.
• 41:29
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 41:33
  It makes me think less of the person who scrolled through John
• 41:37
  Mateer's Venmo
• 41:38
  SPEAKER_03: history than it does of John Mateer.
• 41:40
  I've got Wazoo friends who are submitting videos of passes that
• 41:44
  John Mateer threw
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_03: in their loss to Wyoming last year.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_03: Wondering.
• 41:49
  SPEAKER_03: Just wondering.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_03: Well, was he...
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_03: Was there maybe?
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, man.
• 41:57
  SPEAKER_03: That's not an accusation.
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_03: I think the young man is probably clean.
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_03: I want to watch him play.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_03: I hope he is not filled by this.
• 42:04
  And I hope that week one we're seeing him in a fan duel spot
• 42:08
  after he scores a
• 42:09
  SPEAKER_03: touchdown for the Oklahoma Sooners.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_03: The entire...
• 42:15
  sort of there's a temptation when these things come up to say
• 42:18
  like this is this is
• 42:19
  part of the problem with with the legalization of sports
• 42:23
  gambling and it's it's
• 42:25
  really it's really not sports and gambling have existed side by
• 42:29
  side and in fact at
• 42:31
  points been incredibly intertwined and say in the worst case
• 42:36
  scenario that this
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_03: venmo description is exactly what it said
• 42:41
  the idea that him betting on a game that he wasn't playing in
• 42:44
  at a at a point
• 42:46
  before he was even a factor it doesn't it's all of it is silly
• 42:52
  i understand why the
• 42:53
  ncaa has to be protective and players need to know they can't
• 42:57
  bet on it like that's
• 42:59
  it should be a rule that is enforced but as with everything it
• 43:04
  gets carried to the
• 43:05
  SPEAKER_03: point of absurdity
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_03: where you go to, ah, this isn't a big deal.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_03: I hope everybody just moves on from it because it's not a big deal.
• 43:15
  SPEAKER_03: You know who would never bet on college football?
• 43:20
  SPEAKER_03: Do we know this for sure?
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_03: Ian constantly accuses us of taking liberties.
• 43:24
  I think last week it was that we slandered him by implying that
• 43:29
  he had answered his
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_03: question,
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_03: but he was refusing to admit it.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_03: And he pointed out that the question was,
• 43:34
  SPEAKER_03: what are you looking forward to outside of Washington in the Big Ten?
• 43:38
  And we then said things we're looking forward to involving
• 43:41
  Washington in the Big
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_03: Ten,
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_03: which may or may not be true.
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_03: I didn't care enough to go back and listen to
• 43:46
  Perhaps we should make no sports gambling illusions for fear of
• 43:49
  another angry text from Ian.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_03: True.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_03: Shame on us.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_03: Shame on us.
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_03: I promise to...
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_03: For those just listening on audio,
• 43:58
  SPEAKER_03: you might want to start watching on YouTube because I'm going to drop.
• 44:01
  SPEAKER_03: Ian did us a favor and hit us with the horizontal video this time.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, he came in through with the horizontal.
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_03: That man is learning.
• 44:09
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm going to throw the old horizingus into the video timeline,
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_03: and you guys can lay eyes on IP for the first time.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_02: Good morning, guys.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_02: Christian, welcome back.
• 44:23
  SPEAKER_03: I've never actually been to Alaska.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_03: It's one of, I think, like four states I haven't been to.
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_03: And now the listeners can die with that vital information.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_03: I hope you stuck to halibut,
• 44:38
  which is just fine and didn't go trolling down the Copper River
• 44:44
  for the worst food
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_03: in the world.
• 44:52
  My question this week relates to the remaining questions with
• 44:58
  this team and with this roster.
• 45:00
  SPEAKER_03: We know there are gaps.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_03: We know the middle of the defense is going to be a question mark.
• 45:08
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if it's necessarily a weak point, but a question mark.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_03: And particularly with Hatchett's injury,
• 45:15
  SPEAKER_03: there may still be some questions on the offensive line.
• 45:19
  SPEAKER_03: But what's the big question that hasn't been answered?
• 45:24
  And can it be answered before the season or is it going to have
• 45:28
  to wait until
• 45:30
  SPEAKER_03: August 31st when these things count for real?
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_03: And maybe that game is on the 30th.
• 45:36
  I just saw the clock and I think I better vamp to get this
• 45:39
  thing over a minute and
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_03: a half because I wouldn't want to go saving you or the listeners time.
• 45:47
  SPEAKER_03: All right, we're clear.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yep, that's all I got.
• 45:52
  SPEAKER_03: You guys have a good week.
• 45:54
  SPEAKER_03: Go Ducks.
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_03: I was thinking that was still too short by Ian's standards.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_03: I love the meandering questions.
• 46:03
  I love that I occasionally get angry texts from people who
• 46:06
  listen complaining about
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_03: it,
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_03: which makes me joyful.
• 46:09
  SPEAKER_03: I know.
• 46:09
  SPEAKER_03: It's fuel to our fire.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_03: That's right.
• 46:15
  I don't think there's anything that can be answered about this
• 46:18
  team until real
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_03: games start,
• 46:19
  SPEAKER_03: but that will not stop us from talking about it.
• 46:23
  So can we mention the offensive and defensive lines since Ian
• 46:26
  mentioned them?
• 46:28
  SPEAKER_03: Sure.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_03: Is there anything you can learn about them in the next two weeks?
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_03: I know.
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_03: Other than like,
• 46:37
  SPEAKER_03: Is everybody going to be healthy?
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_03: Darren Hatchet had the scare.
• 46:40
  SPEAKER_03: I wasn't there,
• 46:41
  SPEAKER_03: but it sounded like,
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_03: I mean,
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_03: it really did not look good when he went down at Saturday's scrimmage,
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_03: but was back fully suited up,
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_03: fully participating at Tuesday's practice.
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_03: So that they seem to have avoided anything major there.
• 46:56
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, we already know they're going to be better on the O-line.
• 47:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yep.
• 47:02
  There's a big gap between just better than last year and better
• 47:07
  enough to compete
• 47:08
  SPEAKER_03: with Ohio State,
• 47:09
  SPEAKER_03: which we can't know until they take the field with Ohio State.
• 47:14
  SPEAKER_03: I think we know they're bigger on the defensive front.
• 47:17
  SPEAKER_03: I think we know that they're maybe a little bit more capable...
• 47:21
  on the interior it's interesting to watch sebastian valdez kill
• 47:24
  it with the san
• 47:25
  francisco 49ers and think yeah brother this was one of their
• 47:29
  dudes last year on a
• 47:30
  d-line that everyone said was lacking you know so like did they
• 47:37
  have a single
• 47:37
  SPEAKER_03: interior d lineman better than sebastian valdez on this team i don't know
• 47:42
  That has actually made me think of something,
• 47:44
  though,
• 47:45
  that there are position groups.
• 47:47
  There's been a lot of study in the NFL among position groups
• 47:50
  where what they call
• 47:52
  SPEAKER_03: weak link groups in the secondary,
• 47:54
  especially that you want to avoid having one guy that is a
• 47:59
  liability and you're
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_03: better off playing a player at a position that he's less good at than
• 48:06
  to avoid having a weak link so say you have uh somebody who's a
• 48:09
  great free safety
• 48:11
  and a really good nickel but your next nickel is a bad nickel
• 48:15
  you're better off
• 48:16
  moving that free safety to nickel and bringing another good
• 48:19
  free safety and even if
• 48:21
  SPEAKER_03: that's not his best spot to avoid a weak link
• 48:24
  And watching how people have reacted to Valdez playing in San
• 48:29
  Francisco has
• 48:30
  actually made me think of it can be really hard to identify a
• 48:33
  good defensive
• 48:34
  lineman if he's head and shoulders better than everyone else on
• 48:39
  his defensive
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_03: lineup.
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_03: or there are other weak links because opponents can neutralize him.
• 48:45
  SPEAKER_03: And I don't know.
• 48:46
  It was a thought that occurred to me that there are times we
• 48:50
  may not understand how
• 48:51
  good a player is because he's in a position group or at a spot
• 48:56
  where opponents can
• 48:58
  neutralize him because the team doesn't have the depth or the
• 49:01
  breadth of talent.
• 49:04
  SPEAKER_03: I'll take it a little more like glass half full and say...
• 49:09
  I don't think people quite have an appreciation for just how
• 49:14
  good their corners
• 49:15
  SPEAKER_03: could be this year.
• 49:17
  I don't think we'll know until they go up against a really
• 49:20
  strong passing attack,
• 49:22
  SPEAKER_03: which when that will be,
• 49:24
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know.
• 49:25
  I mean,
• 49:25
  Colorado State brings back its starting quarterback,
• 49:27
  Braden Fowler-Nicolosi.
• 49:30
  SPEAKER_03: Ohio State's got a five-star kid who hasn't really played.
• 49:35
  SPEAKER_03: Like, Takario Davis is having an amazing camp.
• 49:38
  SPEAKER_03: And he was there in the spring.
• 49:39
  SPEAKER_03: It's not like this is our first look at him.
• 49:41
  SPEAKER_03: But he's made some plays where it's like, yeah, that's what 6'4 gets you.
• 49:48
  That's what a senior who is that long and that athletic can do
• 49:53
  for you at that position.
• 49:54
  He had an interception on Tuesday of a deep ball that DeMond
• 49:57
  Williams threw toward
• 49:58
  SPEAKER_03: Desmond Roebuck.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_03: And it wasn't the greatest throw.
• 50:02
  SPEAKER_03: If he'd had it further out in front of him,
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if he completes it,
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_03: but it wouldn't have been picked off.
• 50:08
  And it just showed like the ground that someone with those
• 50:11
  measurables can make up.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_03: And he's running with him.
• 50:15
  The ball's a little bit under thrown and he just undercut it,
• 50:19
  stuck his hands up,
• 50:20
  pick.
• 50:21
  SPEAKER_03: So I think Ephesians price sock looks better.
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you're not seeing him like get beat a whole lot.
• 50:28
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we'll see once the game starts.
• 50:29
  I think that's one thing where it's like,
• 50:31
  yeah,
• 50:31
  we know they've kind of,
• 50:32
  okay,
• 50:32
  right.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_03: They've got the two seniors, two Arizona guys, two six, four guys.
• 50:35
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's been a storyline.
• 50:37
  SPEAKER_03: It's been a thing.
• 50:39
  I think there's some potential for those guys to be,
• 50:41
  like,
• 50:42
  really good this year.
• 50:44
  SPEAKER_03: And maybe we don't quite know until we see that.
• 50:46
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I would kind of bullish on the whole secondary.
• 50:49
  SPEAKER_03: Like, Nichols a little bit maybe undecided.
• 50:54
  SPEAKER_03: Leroy Bryant's making a move there,
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_03: but they've got three safeties,
• 50:58
  SPEAKER_03: three veteran safeties who are going to be involved,
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_03: plus a true freshman,
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_03: Ryland Dillard Allen,
• 51:06
  SPEAKER_03: plus...
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_03: Vince Holmes.
• 51:08
  SPEAKER_03: So,
• 51:08
  SPEAKER_03: I mean,
• 51:08
  you got like five guys at safety that they trust enough to play
• 51:13
  and two corners
• 51:15
  SPEAKER_03: that,
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_03: you know,
• 51:18
  SPEAKER_03: if this were the Pac-12,
• 51:20
  certainly you'd be saying they'd be a contender for top corner
• 51:22
  group in the,
• 51:23
  SPEAKER_03: in the league.
• 51:24
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if it's true about the big 10 and they got to go prove it,
• 51:26
  SPEAKER_03: but I think Washington secondary is maybe a little bit of a,
• 51:31
  SPEAKER_03: we won't know quite how good they can be until the game start,
• 51:34
  SPEAKER_03: but it's my suspicion that they're going to be pretty good.
• 51:38
  SPEAKER_03: I'm going to go on the other side of the ball,
• 51:41
  and this is going to be a question mark about what we believe
• 51:45
  will be a strength.
• 51:47
  SPEAKER_03: I love and I'm excited about Demond Williams.
• 51:51
  A lingering question I have that we're not going to know until
• 51:54
  the games start is
• 51:55
  SPEAKER_03: if his tendency to hold...
• 51:58
  SPEAKER_03: Is he going to take too many sacks?
• 51:59
  SPEAKER_03: And...
• 52:01
  SPEAKER_03: Last year,
• 52:02
  SPEAKER_03: and I think this is the right observation,
• 52:04
  it is impossible to sort of evaluate quarterback play in large
• 52:10
  part because of how
• 52:11
  SPEAKER_03: quick the pass rush could get home,
• 52:13
  SPEAKER_03: the lack of protection.
• 52:16
  Additionally,
• 52:16
  with DeMond Williams,
• 52:17
  scrambling is going to be part of his game.
• 52:21
  The sacks he took,
• 52:22
  I tend to chalk up to he's a true freshman playing behind a
• 52:26
  spotty line.
• 52:29
  SPEAKER_03: He's going to take some sacks in that situation.
• 52:33
  SPEAKER_03: He's got to be able to not take as many sacks.
• 52:38
  That needs to come down because presumably the protection is
• 52:41
  going to be better.
• 52:42
  SPEAKER_03: I believe the protection will be better.
• 52:45
  SPEAKER_03: The sacks, those are drive killers.
• 52:48
  SPEAKER_03: They need to come down.
• 52:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yep, I think that's a good one.
• 52:52
  SPEAKER_03: And really just DeMond Williams' whole game, right?
• 52:54
  SPEAKER_03: Like,
• 52:54
  SPEAKER_03: the offseason goes on long enough,
• 52:56
  SPEAKER_03: and a certain segment of the fan base,
• 52:59
  SPEAKER_03: I think,
• 52:59
  SPEAKER_03: at a certain point,
• 53:01
  SPEAKER_03: some months ago,
• 53:03
  SPEAKER_03: some last season even maybe,
• 53:05
  SPEAKER_03: just accept that,
• 53:06
  SPEAKER_03: like,
• 53:07
  SPEAKER_03: oh,
• 53:07
  SPEAKER_03: this guy's a superstar.
• 53:08
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, you've got your superstar quarterback, and away you go.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_03: He's going to be awesome.
• 53:11
  SPEAKER_03: Nobody knows it yet, but, like, he's just slept on.
• 53:14
  SPEAKER_03: The world we'll see soon enough.
• 53:15
  SPEAKER_03: And...
• 53:17
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's a fair viewpoint to have.
• 53:20
  SPEAKER_03: Clearly, Jed Fish believes it.
• 53:21
  SPEAKER_03: Clearly, Washington's coaching staff believes it.
• 53:23
  SPEAKER_03: But until he's that guy, he's not that guy.
• 53:29
  If there's something that could prevent that from happening,
• 53:31
  that is the most likely flaw.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm not saying he has it or it will, but that potential bugaboo.
• 53:39
  SPEAKER_03: You could go glass half full on that, too, and say...
• 53:43
  Even the people who think he's going to be good don't know yet
• 53:47
  exactly what this guy is.
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 53:50
  SPEAKER_03: That after six games, you might be going, oh, wow, he's a star.
• 53:55
  SPEAKER_03: He's unlike any player I've seen put on the Washington uniform with –
• 53:59
  SPEAKER_03: how elite he is throwing the ball and how fast he is, right?
• 54:02
  SPEAKER_03: There's never been a player like this before.
• 54:04
  SPEAKER_03: And I do think there's a combination of traits there that,
• 54:07
  SPEAKER_03: I've written this,
• 54:08
  SPEAKER_03: could be truly unique in Washington history among quarterbacks.
• 54:13
  SPEAKER_03: So that potential exists too.
• 54:15
  SPEAKER_03: So maybe that's the answer, right?
• 54:17
  SPEAKER_03: Like the fact that we can talk about how
• 54:20
  SPEAKER_03: It's possible we're underrating Daman Williams,
• 54:22
  SPEAKER_03: while it's also possible he could come up,
• 54:25
  SPEAKER_03: like a lot of sophomore quarterbacks do,
• 54:27
  well short of the very highest expectations for him from the
• 54:30
  very most optimistic
• 54:31
  SPEAKER_03: fans.
• 54:33
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe that means he's the answer, right?
• 54:36
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 54:37
  SPEAKER_03: When do you think we'll find out?
• 54:39
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, when the games start.
• 54:40
  SPEAKER_02: When the games start.
• 54:42
  SPEAKER_03: It is indeed August 30th, Ian.
• 54:45
  SPEAKER_03: 17 days from when we're recording this.
• 54:47
  SPEAKER_03: God, I got so much to do in the next 17 days.
• 54:50
  SPEAKER_03: Holy cow.
• 54:52
  SPEAKER_03: Well, should we let you get to it?
• 54:54
  SPEAKER_03: Probably.
• 54:54
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks to everybody listening everywhere.
• 54:57
  SPEAKER_03: Special thanks to those watching on YouTube.
• 54:59
  SPEAKER_03: If you haven't subscribed to the channel yet, please do so.
• 55:02
  SPEAKER_03: I'll link it on the show page.
• 55:04
  SPEAKER_03: Leave us a review.
• 55:05
  SPEAKER_03: Rate the podcast while you're at it.
• 55:07
  SPEAKER_03: Everything you do helps people find the show.
• 55:10
  SPEAKER_03: More people are listening than ever.
• 55:12
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's true.
• 55:14
  SPEAKER_03: By us launching on YouTube.
• 55:16
  SPEAKER_03: Love the numbers from the first couple episodes.
• 55:19
  SPEAKER_03: Hope you'll watch this one.
• 55:20
  SPEAKER_03: Hope you'll keep listening.
• 55:21
  SPEAKER_03: Hope you'll keep reading on Montlake.com and the dang apostrophe.
• 55:26
  SPEAKER_03: I think we'll talk to you next week.
• 55:28
  SPEAKER_03: Peace!