Latest / The Mike Blitz Show / Dissecting the AP Top 25 Rankings for the Upcoming College Football Season

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Dissecting the AP Top 25 Rankings for the Upcoming College Football Season · The Mike Blitz Show

• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: Hollywood go a Hollywood go.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Mike Blitz.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Mike Wade, co-host stop push over there, Mike White.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome back, dude.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_03: How's it going, man?
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_03: Pretty good.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome back, everybody else.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_03: It's good to be back.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_03: It is almost college football season.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: It is almost college football season.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: We are on the doorstep.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: It's what today's we're recording this on August 14th, which means meaningful college football will happen in 12 days.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that's not the best college football, but it's gonna happen in 12 days.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_03: Um two weeks till week zero, three weeks until the rest of the world enjoys college football.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: That's true.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: That's true.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: The other the starts goes a little ugly, but uh whatever.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just so grateful.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: This is this is the time of week when I'm like so starved for football.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: Like I see like those like Under Armour High School games.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, yeah, Sonny, but I want to watch that.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: The FCS game that gets like the week zero, I'm I'm all in on.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I can just the Under Armour commercials where it's like eight-year-olds beating their chests.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_03: It's true.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: Give it all too, and you know, 12-year-olds are on TV playing baseball, so you know it's close.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: This is my sign every year.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: When those kids are going to Williamsport to play baseball, you know, football is right around the corner.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: So that is that is super great.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um we'll tend to bring that up every year, right?
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: It's kind of my thing.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_01: It's kind of my thing.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: I know it's weird, but it's just kind of my thing.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, before we get into all that, um, you have you having you having a drink tonight?
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: What you're drinking over there?
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: You drink anything interesting tonight?
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I've got a um devil's backbone.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_03: 16-point imperial IPA.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_03: Look at that can.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_03: Jeez, grab it.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_03: It's got like a Daft Punk uh deer on it, I guess.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: Is there is there some monster energy in that thing?
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: Look at that.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_01: That thing is intense.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it is intense.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_03: It's pretty good.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's it's a nice uh imperial.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: Nice, nice.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: I am uh I am currently enjoying America's number one beer, a modello.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: I should uh brought this from the beach.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: I was for the last uh week at the beach, so I'm still kind of on beach season.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um I was actually really jealous of your uh your your beach posts.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, we're having a really good time.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: My son caught his first fish, um, which was really cool.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: We did a little fishing, a little surf fishing, and I've been drinking modellos and Pacific Coast like all week.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm like still lingering, like holding on to my beach vacation.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: So nice cerveza, uh modelo special, good stuff, feeling the vibe, feeling good.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, before we get into um kind of the podcast, um, just a little personal updates.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, how's life been treating you the last eight months since we since we did this last year?
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_03: It's uh yeah, it's been a while.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_03: It's like, you know, we had a baby that wouldn't sleep, now we have a toddler that wouldn't sleep.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so we're getting through it, you know.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, two two toddlers.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it's really, really fun and it's really, really hard.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like it can be one thing one minute and the next completely different.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, we're we're rocking and rolling.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: It's good, it's good.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, obviously, most listeners know like our very last episode was like an hour or two before my son was born.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: Not an hour or two, like 12 hours before.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, but awesome.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_01: It was pretty good, pretty incredible timing.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um great way to sign off.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: We uh I now have an eight-month-old who is now teething, also not sleeping.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: So we are in the full sleep regression teething mode.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, uh, my kids are going both two, my two older kids are both going to elementary school.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: So they'll be getting on a school bus uh here in a week.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm really excited for that.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, because that means it's fall, that means it's football, it means my birthday and just means all the good things.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: So um Yeah, what are we doing for your birthday, Wade?
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: I, you know, hopefully drinking beer, watching football.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: Kind of the two things I only ever ever want to do.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, we're going to the Virginia Tech Purdue game, dumb.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I forgot.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, of course we've got.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: In addition to that, we are also going Mike, Mike uh White and myself and two of our proud Patreons, um, and one of the Patreon's beloved wife are gonna go to the Virginia Tech Purdue game, week two in Blacksburg.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: It'll be my first time at Lane Stadium.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: Have you been to Lane before for a game?
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I have, but it's been a really, really long time.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_03: And this will be the first time that Mike Blitz has blitzed a game in person.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_03: This is true.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: As a show.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: We have we have not workshopped all the way through, but maybe there might be some content coming off of that.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_01: Make sure you follow our socials that day.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we'll be sure to show you.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: I've never seen Antro Sandman.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: I'm excited for that.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's the orange out game.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: We'll talk way more about that.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, that's what we're doing for my birthday.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna go, we're gonna go see I thought that was a good song.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, good things.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna go see some live uh football here in the Commonwealth.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um uh go hookies.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: So that's that'll be exciting.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: I expect the hookies and Purdue to both be one and no at that point.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: So looking forward to that.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: Uh cool.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: So tonight's agenda is pretty brief.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna talk on a little bit of off-season news and then we're gonna get right into the AP Top 25, which dropped today.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: So today.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: Today.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_03: Uh breaking news podcast.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: A little bit of breaking news podcast, which after eight months, ISIS, this is the time for the breaking news podcast.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so we're gonna get into that and kind of share your thoughts, what we think with top 25, what we like just outside the top 25, and we'll kind of break it down in a little in kind of phases one through five.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: So you'll hear all about that.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: Before we do that, let's go ahead and uh get this out of the way.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: Let's talk about the news.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's fair to say the dominating headline this offseason has been realignment.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, those of you who are living under a rock, uh, maybe you don't know that there's the teams have a lot of teams have moved, and the Pac-12 is effectively dead.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: There are four teams left.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the rest have fled to the Big 12 and the Big Ten.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_01: And um, we are in the era of constant changing and moving.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: And while Glass Half Full Me likes to say, we're gonna have more meaningful football games.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: The glass half empty of me, and I think the more strong feeling is what are we losing with all these pot with all these uh all this stuff?
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: And I I'm it's hard for me to form a real solid opinion, so I'm not gonna because there's still so much changing, but I don't think I like it.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: That's kind of where I've landed and I want it to stop.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think it's gonna uh yeah.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think that's kind of the general consensus um from especially even more so the casual fan versus like your hardcores is that like they don't like the change, you know.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_03: What makes college football so special is the tradition, and so you start picking apart some of that tradition and um you lose something.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_03: So, and we don't know what that is yet.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_03: We don't know what we're losing, and maybe um maybe we come away from this and everything is fine.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_03: I know once the ball kicks off and everything is played on the field again, you know, we're gonna forget about it for a little while.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_03: Yep.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um but we are gonna lose, we are losing something, that's for sure.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: The one thing I will say about it, the one thing I will say, and this has been my optimistic view, and I've held for I've had it for a long time, really ever since uh Missouri and Texas AM joined the uh SEC, which is like 2010.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: If someday they go east and they take UVA and UNC or something like that, we're gonna see our LSU Tigers and uh Tennessee volunteers in the state of Virginia, and that would be cool.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: I will say that.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: That is the only thing I like about realignment is the idea of someday seeing my LSU Tigers in the state of Commonwealth, either in Scott or Lane Stadium.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: I don't care.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: Either one would be really exciting.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: I'll be at that game, should that happen.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_03: From a personal standpoint, that's really nice.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_03: But you won't have Oregon State playing Oregon for the Pac-12, uh, in-state, you know, title, uh, conference title ever.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_03: You know, again with a title on the line, whatever, whatever.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's just um those types of things are lost.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: Totally.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: That's just my selfish view.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: So, anyway, we're gonna keep it moving that because honestly, we don't know anything, nobody knows anything.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: It's all stuff still so fluid.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_01: So let's go ahead and put that in the back burner uh until for the notice.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: Moving on, let's talk about the um AP college football rankings.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, these there's a little bit of weight to these because um AP rankings do influence the final polls, although we are ages away from that.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_01: You could argue, and people do argue every year, that you shouldn't have these polls because you could wait until weekends to know anything, but they're here now.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: So we're gonna talk about them now because we're so excited by college football.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: It's just really fun.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_03: So we're gonna go ahead and see great content to digest, and it gives us our first look into what people think about these teams.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, um, it all plays out on the field anyway.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_01: Anybody here who's feeling particularly gifted or completely gypped, it's it's really not gonna matter.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_01: You're gonna have at least 12 chances on the gridiron to take care of it, and you either will or you won't.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_01: And your numbers you're gonna go are gonna rise or fall based on that accordingly.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_03: So and absolutely until the uh playoff expands to 12, it still matters if you lose one or two games.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_03: True, absolutely.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: And when it goes to 12, this polls are really not gonna matter.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: Not they ever mattered before, but they're really not gonna matter when it goes to 12.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_03: So, anyway, yeah, we'll have three, maybe even four lost teams making it in.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's probably uh so what we're gonna do is we're gonna talk about these teams kind of one through five.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna do the six phases, we're gonna do it to five chunks of the of 25, then we're gonna talk about the just missed teams, maybe teams that jumped out to us that we liked, didn't like, maybe should have been the cut, uh, should have made the cut top 25, etc.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll go ahead and kick it off.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_01: Number one, we got Georgia, two Michigan, three Ohio State, four Alabama, five.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: My LSU fighting tigers.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you want to start?
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: What do you got?
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: Top top fives.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_03: I'll give you my kind of initial reaction.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, not a lot of surprises.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I think that Bama is getting a lot of credit this year, where maybe they shouldn't.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_03: And I say that because they're losing Jameer Gibbs, they're losing Bryce Young, they have new coordinators across the board.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_03: They have they're they're returning the probably the least amount of uh production in the SEC from a numbers standpoint, and they're still top five.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_03: I know Nick Saban is the GOAT, but um, that's a little strong, especially when Bryce Young literally put them on their back last year to pull out several games that they probably shouldn't have.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's just I mean, generally the thought too.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_01: I think the reality is I mean, the AP poll, they're trying to project wins, they just trust them, they just trust Saban because we've been here so long with Sabin before.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: He doesn't have anybody they can really rely on.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: Tommy Reese from Notre Dame Office Coordinator, I guess he's pretty good.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: Kevin Steele has been a the SEC defensive coordinator for the better part of 20 years.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: He was L's been around a long time.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: He was LSU's DC for a while.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: He's not a splash hire, he's nothing, he's nothing great there.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: Jalen Milrow and Ty Simpson were supposed to be the two guys battling for battling out for the quarterback spot.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_01: They don't really like either.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: They brought they brought in the uh transfer, uh Tyler Buckner from Notre Dame.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: Not a good sign uh when Alabama's in-house quarterback talent is not up to stuff.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: We saw what we saw, we all saw Jalen Milrow play last year and almost lose um that game.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: I so it there's a lot of question marks.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: I I couldn't agree with you more of those top five.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: If anyone's team is getting too much love, it's probably that, especially when you look at the other four who are all returning so much.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I totally agree with you about my Alabama.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: My tickets pretty much the same.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_01: I'll start with Georgia.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_01: They're the juggernaut, they're two-time defending champions, they've got five stars on five stars, on five stars.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: I've got no problem with them being number one.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_03: No, well, not at all, especially when you're it's they're the easy pick when you're projecting because they're back-to-back champs and their schedule is Charmansoft.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's unbelievable.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, who could be plucky, but it's facing their be terrible on defense.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: Their first game is Tennessee.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, Tennessee in week, what's that, week 10?
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: Week 10, is it 11 when they when they when they they faced that?
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_02: It's in like October, yeah.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: To be fair, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't say this.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: To be fair, they did have a home and home with Oklahoma.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_01: Oklahoma was the game that was supposed to be on their schedule this year.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: That game got canceled.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, they didn't have to, but they did when the SEC brought on Oklahoma and Texas.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: A couple other schools canceled home and homes with them as well.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I'm not blaming them, but they still have an unbelievably easy road along with Michigan as well at number two.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_01: I'm still blaming Georgia.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: I'm still blaming them.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: I think I think there's I think it's still kind of cruppy, but what are you gonna do?
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_03: Um Michigan played Georgia Tech at a conference, and it's not their fault Georgia Tech sucks every year.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_03: That's a a scheduled game they have to play pretty much every year.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_03: Georgia Tech just sucks.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_01: Hey man, don't sleep on Brent Key.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: He's coming back.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_01: I've I got I got I got faith in yellow jackets.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_01: That Hornets Nest is gonna be reborn.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Michigan, Ohio State, two and three.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: Sure, I don't care either one.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: There's only both stacked rosters, stylistically different.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, Michigan's gonna be one of the best running teams in the country.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and they're uh LeVar Edwards and uh Blake Corn, probably the best one-two running back tandem in the country.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you can I could you make a you could make a state, make a case for the Penn State duo, but I mean I would I'll give them the nod.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: I don't have any problem with two or three.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, they're both really, really good teams.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_01: Over-unders are both in the 10, 10 and a half range, they're both gonna be there at the end.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um so then that much to add to their either those questions.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_03: And that's again, you know, Michigan, they've got a schedule that doesn't challenge them until Penn State in week 10, I think.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_03: They have no, I mean, they play East Carolina, UNLV, Bowling Green, Ruckers, Nebraska.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_03: All these teams have over-unders at five, five and a half, five and a half, four and a half, three and a half, three and a half, five and a half, seven and a half, five and a half.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_03: They play, they play nobody.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: Not exactly, not exactly murderers row.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yo, I mean, I mean, the big I the only difference in the Big Ten this year is that I think the Big Ten is it's always been it's been top heavy for a while now.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: The West has just has not been the way it was supposed to be.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: The powers have been Michigan, Ohio State.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: I think Penn State has joined the fray.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_01: I think they have closed the gap tremendously, and we'll talk about them in the next five years.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_03: This is a huge year for them.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: Huge year for Penn State.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_03: It's kind of put up or shut up time.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I've got takes on them that we'll get to in a minute.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: But in general, two or three Michigan, Ohio State, that's great.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, number five, my LSU Fighting Tigers.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a little surprised by that.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: I'm well, I'm I'm I'm surprised, but if you look at the if you look around the SEC, just about nobody's bringing back as much as we are in terms of like you said earlier, returning production.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: We certainly have our question marks, our secondary needs needs to be rebuilt.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: Offensive line has gotten a lot better as it continues to grow.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_01: We've got nine running backs, which means we really have no running backs at the moment.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: We have so I mean we have we have some things we got we have to go to Tuscaloosa, but Jaden Daniels is the second best quarterback in the SEC right now.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_01: Will he will he be in December?
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_03: Jaden Daniels.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: Will he be in December?
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: I I I probably not, maybe, but as of right now, I mean, who else is there?
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's it's Carson Beck maybe at Georgia, Devin O'Leary, um, Kentucky, Joe Milton Milton's got huge upside.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_01: KJ Jefferson's probably number one.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_01: He's probably the best quarterback, Arkansas.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: That right now, the SEC is just very down.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: I don't have any doubt in my mind that we will feel wildly different December.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: But as of now, Jaden Daniels is kind of looking around like who else has done what I've done so far.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_03: Well, it's it's not so much that it's down, it's that you look at the quarterbacks drafted last year.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_03: You had Hendon Hooker, Will Levis, um Anthony Richardson, uh Bryce Young, um, yeah, Anthony Richardson.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_03: You had like five SEC quarterbacks, you had like half the conference almost drafted to the NFL.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_03: So it's a lot of guys that are you know a little unproven, uh, looking to step up.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_03: I think Jaden Daniels has huge upside.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_03: He just needs to develop his game a little bit more.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_03: He leaned so much on the run last year and his athleticism, he just has to take that next step.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: True.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_01: And then that's that's been the talk all all season, Campus.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_01: Can he trust his office to put the ball to the field?
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: He was very he was very cautious.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_01: He took a lot of sacks, he didn't throw many picks, which is like two.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: If the stat line looks pretty good, if you watch the games, he held on to the ball a lot.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: He did not give it, he did not give LSU the athletes enough chance to move the ball.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: So if LSU's my point, I think what you and I are both trying to say is if we're if LSU's gonna justify number five, it's Jaden Daniels making that next step, is what's what's gotta be.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's what's gotta be.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I I just think if we're if I'm looking last thing we'll say about this group, because we've got to move on to the next, but if I'm looking at it objectively, I'm putting LSU probably in that next next level, that that you know, six to ten range.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I might put USC uh in front of them, um maybe Texas or Penn State.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but that's just my two cents.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'd probably if I if I was gonna move somebody, I'd probably be USC, but that's LSU is flirting with the four, five, six, seven range, pretty much anywhere you look.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_01: Anywhere those playing.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's a toss up.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I was keep it rolling.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: Number six, USC seven, Penn State, eight, Florida State, nine, Clemson, ten, UW.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, uh for me, it's I I just said it.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: I I kind of think USC has earned itself a higher spot.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_01: They've made marked improvements on defense, they've got some uh big time transfers coming in to help offense, and they have the number one pick, the consensus all-American, Caleb Williams, on that team.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: And assuming he's healthy and assuming he wants to play ball, like he's probably he's probably the guy to lead that team.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, he's the best quarterback in the country right now.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_03: He's the Heisman Trophy winner, he's he's the man.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so that yeah, that's no surprise.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_03: They should have a great season.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, they've got some tests, um, as usual, you know, that they they've got Utah, they've got Notre Dame, they've got Oregon, they've got that Washington game, which is gonna be a huge one.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_03: So they're sc this is where you look at that, you know, some of that top group, uh, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, uh, and you skip down to USC, and they've got a much tougher schedule uh than a than a couple of those teams.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_03: So that's gonna be a little bit they're gonna have to improve on defense if they're gonna get to that hype.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_01: The thing that stood up to me about this group, other than USC, the next four Penn State, Florida State, Clemson, Washington, all of these teams have incredibly high upside.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_01: I think they're all well placed.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think this is the best Penn State team that James Franklin's ever had.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I already I was giving Michigan's running backs a bunch of love, but Nick Singleton and K-Tron Allen, they might be the best two running backs in the country as well.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_01: They are outstanding.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_01: Drew Alar, the five-star, finally takes over.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: This is the best defense they've had.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Chop Robinson's awesome.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Caleb Kling, first round cornerback.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Abdul, the running uh linebacker.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: If there's whispers of him being a next Mike Micah Parsons, if it doesn't happen for him this year, if it if if James Franklin can't punch through that glass ceiling, and that glass ceiling, as we all know, is Michigan Ohio State.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: If he can't get done with this team, what I don't know, I don't know what they're doing in Happy Valley.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I I I you know it does feel that way, especially because the rest of the Big Ten is what feels like so down.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_03: It's such a drop-off that those, you know, those three games, not three, but those three teams playing each other are really going to dictate how that conference plays out.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um, the other thing that jumps out to me is Clemson um at nine, just because I don't know that they've got the wide receivers.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know who Cade Klubnick is.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I mean, he's a he was a widely touted recruit.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we haven't seen a lot of him after DJ Uyangalale left, who we'll talk about later.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_03: Um everybody thinks the world of him, but again, they've got new coordinators over there.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_03: Um I don't know what that team is, what their identity is now.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_03: And I don't know, they don't know, I don't know that they have the wide receiver depth to be the type of offense that they've been in the past.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_03: I think their defense will still be very salty, but I don't know with the ACC being where they are right now.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, that that Florida State Clemson game early in the season might kind of decide the ACC.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: It will, I would say that in normal years, but this is yeah, they're doing no division, so it's just one-two.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: It's all one division.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_01: They're gonna play that game.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: So they'll play again.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: They're gonna play twice.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_01: I think, and honestly, there's a big drop-off there as well.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_01: The the case for Clemson, um, obviously Kate Klemak is a big upside.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: They Garrett Riley, the the new OC they're brought they brought in, they really like him a lot.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_01: Will Shipley, outstanding running back, probably one of the better him or Trey Benson, probably two best backs uh the four state guy in the ACC.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: Their defense is gonna be salty.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: They have got are gonna have a very good defense again.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's kind of interesting.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: We were talking about if James Franklin doesn't punch through here, like when is he going to?
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_01: On the opposite side, Dabo Sweeney, who went on this run of like six straight playoffs or whatever it is, had this kind of layoff once he lost once he lost two his two generational superstars and Trevor Lawrence and Deshaun Watson.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like there's been a down, there's been a downside at Clemson, and now it's like Dabo, can you get us back?
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_01: And this is kind of the year that I think to do that because one that defense is incredibly strong.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_01: Will Shipley's a great back.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_01: They there, I think the reason they are nine is I think the AP voters are saying we believe that Dabo can figure this thing out.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_01: The DJ thing didn't work.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, the coordinator, the they're off the coordinator is gone.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Dabo's the kind of guy who likes to he likes to hire his coordinators to let him run the team.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: So that's what they're gonna do.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_01: So I think I think they're just trusting Dabbo, which is why they're there.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll find out about Cade pretty quickly.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think I'm really excited to see how their their season plays out, and I'm excited to see how Washington's season plays out.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_03: I mean I love Washington.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: I am on the I'm on the UW train.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_01: Michael Penix is a stud.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_01: Roma Dunze is so funny.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: Their defense is gonna be good.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna be I'm gonna I'm you're gonna find out for listening to these podcasts with teams I'm excited about.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_01: UW is I'm super high on them this season.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_01: I I think they're a 10 for preseason top 10 team.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: I love love the Huskies.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_01: I think they're doing big things this year.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think so far.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you're looking at the top 10 where we would be splitting hairs to to make really any moves.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um a lot of really good teams here.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_03: Moving on to the next group, we have.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_03: Texas at 11, Tennessee at 12, Notre Dame, 13, Utah, 14, and Oregon at 15.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_03: What you got?
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: Texas is getting straight up disrespected, and frankly, they kind of deserve it.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_01: They are the best at every level in the Big 12.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: There is not a position group on any team in that conference that is better than Texas.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_01: Texas has no excuses anywhere.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_01: If they weren't, if here's my point.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: Here's my point about the thing about Texas.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_01: If you took Texas's uh name off their helmet and you took that talent and you put it on any of these other teams in the top 25, they'd be a top five team because they have Quinn Ewers is an excellent quarterback.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_01: Their defense has loaded with talent.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: Xavier Worthy is awesome.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, you you have a hard time replacing B.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_01: John Robinson.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_01: He's unreplaceable.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_01: I understand that.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_01: But there is nobody in that conference that is better than them at any position group.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, uh, so I think they're getting disrespected because, well, they do this to themselves.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_01: Every year we say this about them, and it's never been more true this year.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_01: And is this the year the narrative's gonna change, Mike?
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_01: Is Texas back?
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not joking when I say this.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_03: I think Texas is back.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_03: So do I.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_03: So do I.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, this is kind of the year.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, because all right, you think back, and everyone used to do the same thing to Clemson, and this is how college football works.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_03: It's rare that you just punch through the ceiling and you and you're dubbed back, you know, within a year or two.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_03: You have to have those ups and downs where you're like knocking on the door, knocking on the door, knocking on the door.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_03: And Dabble Sweeney had that famo famous Clemsoning, Clemsoning.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_03: What are you talking about, Clemsoning?
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_03: Quote, and that's the the kind of crap that everyone's been giving Texas the last few years, ourselves included.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_03: Yep.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_03: Um, because they have been underperforming.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_03: They they didn't I compare them to that situation with Clemson, although they've not nearly been as successful as that early Clemson run was with Deshaun Watson.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but they are back, they're super talented across the board, they've got such a deep wide receiver room.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_03: Quinn Ur is obviously they're beefier on on the offensive and defensive lines and studs at tight end.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, they're just gonna challenge teams in so many different ways.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_03: And I think their defense is gonna be much, much better.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_01: I think so too.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_01: And the thing that no one's talking about Texas, which they probably should, is the backup.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, Arch Manning's the high profile one.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_01: He's probably number three.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_01: Number two, Malik Murphy, their backup.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_01: That guy is a tank and a tough to bring down.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_01: I think there's a lot, I think the reason the people that the people might be selling Texas is because they because Quinn Ewers was very up and down.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_01: True freshman playing at Texas, like one of the most pressured positions, the most injuries, any battle through injuries.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_01: If he goes down, if he falters, this that's not the end for Texas.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, Malik Murphy is a player.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and Arch Manning, there's maybe you could say Arch Manning will be ready.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_01: He probably won't be, but their one-two punch at quarterback and eventually three punch, um, it's quite strong.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_01: So Texas is deep everywhere.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and this is this is Sarkeesian's shot to really, really, really make a name for himself.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so uh, but I think if it if it if it didn't their helmets didn't say Texas, they would be top five or top or top seven, but um, they're Texas, they keep they keep they keep shooting themselves the foot.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_01: So here they are.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_03: They're getting a little bit of the the lack of the benefit of the doubt that some of these other teams are getting, which is fine because the schedule will play out how the schedule will play, and they've got Bama.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_03: So that game will be monumental for both teams.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, let's move on.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: Uh 12 and 13, we got Tennessee and Notre Dame.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_01: I actually think these teams are kind of similar in a lot of ways.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_01: I think overall they're they're they're both uh top 15 in terms of roster talents, just overall on the on the on the too deep.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_01: I think the thing for both these stories, I think both of the main storylines, as it is for everybody, but more so than these two teams, is the quarterback.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_01: You know, for Tennessee, obviously, I know you're gonna talk about it all year, is what Josh Heipel can do with Joe Milton.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_01: And then for Marcus Freeman, it's what can Marcus Freeman do with Sam Hartman.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_01: My guy, Wake Forest, don't sleep on the Deks.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_01: Love him, love my Dima Deacons.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm I'm actually pretty bullish on Notre Dame just because I just I really think Sam Hartman's a gunslinger, exactly what that team needs.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_01: I think they've their ceiling and Tennessee's ceiling is super high.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I I love the Vols this year.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_03: Uh my expectations are super high.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I think they're probably right around where they should be.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_03: I think um it's a little absurd to have Clemson ahead of them when essentially these two teams, the same versions of these teams, just played one another because with all the opt-outs and NFL drafts and whatnot um in the orange bowl.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_03: But again, it's preseason, doesn't really matter a whole lot.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I so you know it's about right.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_03: The question mark is Joe Milton, is um was last year a product of talent or was it a product of system or a combination of both?
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_03: Is it repeatable the next year?
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um, because Josh Heyble made things happen so quickly.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it's it's hard to think there won't be a little bit of a drop-off when you have the number one offense in the country and you lose players like you know, Jalen Hyatt, Blitnikoff award winner, Cedric Tillman.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_03: Um so I think the the offense will probably drop up, drop off a little bit, but the defense um will also be quite a bit improved, I think.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_03: So there's a balance there that I think will be just fine.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I like Tennessee's secondary to be better, which I think was probably the Achilles heel of this team, obviously, until the poor choice awards, until uh obviously Hooker went down.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um if let's put just let's just play the game.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_01: What would make Tennessee a top five team preseason?
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_01: If Henon Hooker was back and healthy, is Tennessee a preseason top five team, you think?
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_01: What's sandbagging?
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_03: That's a good question.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_03: That's a really good question.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think so, just because of the same stuff we've been talking about when you look at the AP top 25.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think they've earned that um benefit of the doubt.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, even if Hooker was back, because I think that in a lot of ways, um the media is is hyping up Joe Milton to almost dangerous levels.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_03: Um I think he's gonna be really good.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_03: I think he is such a jaw-dropping prospect.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_03: Like when you look at a guy like Anthony Richardson, when when everyone's like, why was he drafted so high?
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_03: It's the measurables, it's the arm strength, it's the athleticism.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_03: Um and Joe Milton has all that stuff.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_03: He's just he's shown it in flashes on the field.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so can he be the guy all year long?
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_03: That's the question that everybody has.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_03: Um, if you follow Josh Hey Pel and what he's done with previous quarterbacks and previous offenses, um, I don't think there's a lot of concern that they can keep that train running.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_03: It's just to what level?
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_03: Is it a top 15, nine, nine win level, or is this like a push for a national championship level?
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_03: That's kind of the difference, I think.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and you need the the defense to complement that to make that push.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_01: Sure, sure.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Tennessee's gonna have their chances.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, they're opening against Virginia.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_01: I hope they don't beat Virginia too bad in that first game in Nashville.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but obviously they still they still have Tennessee.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_01: Tennessee's one of the few teams country that has Alabama and Georgia.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, they're you know, Tennessee's gonna have all the chances they get they're going to Tuscles, but they get they're they're playing Georgia in Knoxville, correct?
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we've got we've got the the dogs at home.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_03: Um we've also got AM at home, which is a team that's Alabama and AM in the West.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_03: How about that?
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_03: Is surprisingly absent from this top 25 list, given the amount of talent they had.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_03: I know the year they had last year, but Vegas still gives them very strong odds to win the national championship.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_03: And they're a team who could very much shake up the entire season uh for college football, depending on what what shows up.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we'll we're gonna come back to them.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_01: I've got some AM thoughts as well.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, number 14, uh Utah.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I just think they're being, I think they're being or if anyone's being disrespected in this in that this chunk, it's them.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_01: Uh they finished the season uh back to back, pack 12 champs.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_01: Back to back, pack 12 camps.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: Cam rising's back again.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_01: You know that defense is getting salty.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_01: I know they lost Dalton Kincaid, they're all world tight end, but they're still super deep at that position.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_01: They still have the outstanding coach and and Cam rising.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_01: I think if anyone Utah doesn't have what Utah lacks and always lacks, is is the star power, the you know, the the recruiting rankings and the the four and five stars and the 24-7 love because Utah's just a tough place to recruit to, and they're they don't have the facilities and the pipeline, and Utah's just not as talent rich of a state, but they're a program that is notorious for doing more with less, including two back-to-back Pac-12 champions.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_01: If anyone we you know, you talked earlier about Tennessee, kind of not maybe they haven't earned it, and Alabama absolutely has earned it.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_01: Utah has earned it too, and I don't I don't feel like they're getting it.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_01: They still don't get it.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_01: They still don't get it.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe that's just a Pac-12 thing, maybe that's just East Coast bias situation.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_01: Go ahead.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_03: I would wager that if you asked any even hardcore fan who won the Pac-12 in the last two years, three years, who won the Pac 12 two out of the last three years, they would probably guess, and it would be USC, it would be Oregon.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think people would get that right.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_01: No, it's it it's it, there's there's there's an implicit bias against the West Coast teams, and that has been true for a long, long time.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_03: And they're just they don't have the name, they don't have the the they've they're always looked at as kind of an outsider.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's true.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, one thing that's good that's going for them is they're opening the season with uh Florida.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I think actually in at home at home, and I think they're going to beat the breaks off of them.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_01: If you remember last season's only eight, the spread is only eight.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_01: Last year they lost that game in Gainesville.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, they probably shouldn't have Utah.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_01: Wild one.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_01: Wild game.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Florida season kind of bottomed out, and Utah went on to win the Pac-12.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_01: Utah that was it was a weird week one game.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_01: I think Utah has circled that game.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_01: I love Utah to beat the breaks off of Florida.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think Graham Ertz is going to be any good, frankly.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think Utah, my point is my point, Utah is gonna very quickly this season, because I think after the if you look at week one schedule, after the LSU Florida State game, that's probably the second best game of the week, uh, week one.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_01: So I think it's gonna get a lot of attention, and I think Utah is gonna put on a show.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_01: So I wouldn't be surprised at all if they have a chance to close that gap real quick.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_03: Let's go ahead and make that a Mike Blitz special.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_03: I'm putting both of our stamps of approval on that one.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_03: Utah covers the eight-point spread.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_03: Go ahead and take it.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_01: Lock it in now.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_01: The line's only gonna get worse.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, get get get a good price on that one for sure.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_01: Utah covers.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, Oregon at 15.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_01: They're they're they're losing a lot, but they they got um Bonix.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_01: Bonics is still there.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, they got they've got a they got a big transfer from Jordan Birch, who we'll talk about later.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_01: Really like him on the defensive end.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, they're probably where they should be.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_01: I was obvious.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_01: They're gonna run a lot of um RPO stuff.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, they're gonna be good.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and they've got to they gotta win more to get higher than where they are.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_01: I think 15's about right for them.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, let's move right along.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_03: Let's try to pick a few out of these last 10 to uh to jump on to.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_03: We've got Kansas State at 16, TCO at 17, Oregon State at 18, Wisconsin 19, Oklahoma 20.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_03: What are you thinking on those?
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_01: So Wisconsin had a pretty bad year last year.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, they fired their, they fired Jim Leonard and they brought in uh Luke Fickle, maybe the best hire of the offseason in the whole country, frankly.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, love that.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, love they got they brought over Taylor Mordecai, uh the quarterback from SMU, and they are going to push into an air raid.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_01: What you need to know about Wisconsin this year is Wisconsin for the last 10-15 years has bread and butter has been this brutal ground and pound rushing attack with these offensive linemen that just churn out and get the next level.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_01: They play salty defense and they're gonna run the ball like heck.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_01: You're not gonna see that this year.
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_01: This is Wisconsin's first year air raid.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_01: So, my point, I love Luke Fickle, I love Tanner Mordecai.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I love Hulongo, the officer coordinator they have over there, but like top 20 went through a terrible season with all that new.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_01: That seems that's a lot it seems a little, it seems like a lot.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_01: I think I think it's gonna get there.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's gonna get there, especially since the Big Ten West is pretty terrible.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_01: This pretty not terrible, it's not good, but um, that feels like a lot to me.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I agree.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_03: I I think it's a big jump.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I don't think they'll get I don't think they'll warrant that high.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_03: I think they'll be strong.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so that one jumps out to me for sure.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_03: Oklahoma, I actually think is gonna be much better than um than that ranking.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_03: But the one I really like to talk about is Oregon State at 18.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_03: I actually really like the Beaves.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_03: They had a sneaky, sneaky good season last year.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_03: And DJ Uianglale, change of scenery, what's he gonna look like?
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_03: You know, sometimes you take these guys and they're such high-level recruits and high-level prospects, and you know, it takes kind of a better fit, you know, for whatever reason.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_03: And that's gonna be just one to watch because Oregon State was really good last year, and they lost a couple games by close margins.
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and uh they could meet that the especially the late game, Oregon State against Oregon before Oregon leaves the Pac-12.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Civil War.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_03: It's gonna be a lot of a lot of a lot of hatred in that one.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's true.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_01: I imagine Oregon State's feeling feeling a major chip on their shoulder this year, and that's certainly going to carry them, carry them into the season.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_01: What they have going for them is back is bringing back one of the best offensive lines in the country.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_01: I think all five starters returned.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_01: They were pretty solid unit this year, and DJ, uh DJU who cannot be worse than he was at Clemson.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_01: I think, like you said, given his size and just pure strength, and again, you were talking about Joe Milton as well.
• 36:24
  SPEAKER_01: DJU also fits in that category in some respects.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_01: He's another guy with has is who's physically, physically really, really incredible talented.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_01: The question is, can he get the coaching to the and the support and the the things around him to make it work?
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I don't hate Oregon State at 18, um, but um I'm really, really interested.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna be watching them a lot a lot this year.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_01: I want to see what the new DJU 2.0 looks like this season.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I'm they're not used to having that caliber at quarterback.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, you know, you they're used to doing more with less, so to speak.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so yeah, I just I like them.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_03: I kind of like them this year.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_03: I'd like to see what what they're capable of.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_01: Another really interesting team here is uh TCU at 17.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's probably about right, but because they lost like everything, but they're bringing a ton of new transfers.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_01: A number of uh former LSU in Alabama, high four-star and five stars guys that are coming over.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, uh Chandler, Chandler Morris is new quarterback.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_01: I recognize they lost Max Duggan, Quentin Johnston.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think Sonny Dykes is getting a fair amount of about as much love as he should get, given how much he lost and how much he's bringing in.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_01: They're a team, another team with tremendous turnover at pretty much every level for them.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm interested to see if Sonny Dykes can pull rabbit out of the head again twice in uh in year two or year two of this iteration.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think that's that's uh the script for them.
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_03: They should feel disrespected uh at 17.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_01: So uh K-State Will Howard offensive line.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, you don't replacing Deuce Vaughn, but um they're gonna they're they're likely going to challenge again for um this they're the the defending Big 12 champions.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_01: I'm assuming Texas doesn't pull a Texas and they win the championship.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_01: If there's somebody else, if there's somebody else gonna win, I'd like I kind of like K-State to repeat.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um TCU in Oklahoma, um, Texas Tech, there's a lot of teams that could challenge, but I I right now I like K-State as my second best team in the Big 12.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_01: I wouldn't be surprised at all if they uh if they move up those ranks as well, given Will Howard as well as he's played, and given that offensive line, uh who would continue to be such a strong unit.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, let's go to anything else you want you want to say through 16 through 20.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_03: No, let's hit this grab bag of 20 through 25.
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_01: I don't even know what to say.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, North Carolina 21, Ole Miss 22, AM 23, Tulane 24, Iowa 25, Iowa.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my god.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'll I'll start with some quick things.
• 38:48
  SPEAKER_01: 21 is just Drake May.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_01: That team is not top 50 without him.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, so you're if you're watching UNC football this year, you're watching Drake May, who's probably the second best quarterback in the country.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_01: Anything and want to add to that?
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_03: No, I agree.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_03: I will say they're returning like their entire defense.
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_03: Not a good thing, but their defense hasn't been very good.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_03: So it's one of those things where returning production, very high.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, high-end talent and productivity.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_03: We'll see.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_03: Like, hopefully, they get coached up and and you see the improvements and you get some scheme tweaks and whatnot.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um, that's yeah, I mean, that's a good that's a team to watch.
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_03: They're capable.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's true.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_01: I'll tell you, I'll give you two fun names other than that I'm watching.
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_01: You may make me try you'd see that defensive coordinator, Gene Chiswick.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_01: He won the national championship at Auburn 13 series ago.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_01: Now he's coaching maybe the worst defensive defensive unit in the ACC, which is really not that great by the fall of grace.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_01: Name number two, Andre Green Jr.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_01: He's a wide receiver on the two-day.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_01: He's he went to St.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_01: Chris.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_01: I watched him play in high school.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_01: He is a stud.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I kind of I'm hoping that he gets he emerges in that UNC wide receiver for just because it'd be cool to see a local Richmond kid.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_01: So those are the kind of my two things I'm paying for to UNC.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Ole Miss is gonna be really good television.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_01: Uh uh Christian Junkitz is one of the best running backs in the country.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Jackson Dart or Spencer Sanders is probably gonna be Dart, I think.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um Land Kiffin might be the best play caller in the country, offensive play caller in the country.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_01: As much as we want to hate the guy, I think he's kind of earned that um level of respect at this point.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, they're gonna be fun to watch and horrific on defense.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they're another team, again, that can cause a lot of havoc in the top 25.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_03: They have a lot of talent, they've got some key pieces, they've got some good coaching.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know what their quarterback room looks like.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_03: You know, yeah, I think Jackson Dart might get the nod, but they've continued to pull in transfers and and recruit at the quarterback spot.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_03: So I don't know that they're super comfortable with with anybody.
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_03: Um so that'll be a fun one.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um, Iowa is a complete head scratcher.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_03: They were terrible last year, they were great on defense, terrible on offense.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_03: They bring in um highly touted quarterback transfer from Michigan.
• 41:08
  SPEAKER_03: Was it Cade McNamara?
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_03: McNamara button.
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, which is nice.
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_03: Uh that'll be a nice piece, but that doesn't vault you into the top 25.
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_03: No, I think they wanted to sprinkle in another Big Ten team.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, it's sure.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_01: I I understand.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, uh Spencer Petrice and Alex Badilla were horrific, were hard to watch quarterbacks.
• 41:27
  SPEAKER_01: So Cade McNamara, just about default of not being um one of those guys, is was is will help them.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_01: The problem is some of that's coaching.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, that that's the problem.
• 41:38
  SPEAKER_01: The problem is he's got one or both of the forens guys in his in his year teaching offense.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_01: Kirk Forens has earned himself as a solid football coach who can get eight, nine wins every year and can coach a mean defense.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_01: He's like Utah of the Midwest.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_01: What he the high levels of of defensive players and offensive linemen that Iowa's been able to put in the league consistently for a while now is impressive.
• 42:03
  SPEAKER_01: Deserves a lot of respect.
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_01: But man oh man, are this is that offense um bad?
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_01: I don't expect the that offense to be a whole lot better.
• 42:10
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so I'm I think 25 is I think Iowa should probably just not be in the top 25.
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but that defense is probably what's anchored them up uh so far.
• 42:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um number 24, shout out Tulane.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_01: Uh they they went to the Sugar Bowl and beat USC.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_01: They are the best group of five teams.
• 42:27
  SPEAKER_01: They've earned it.
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_01: They've earned it.
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_01: You they are the class of the G5 until someone tells me they're not.
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_01: And as of right now, uh ride with the green wave.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_01: So good for them.
• 42:36
  SPEAKER_01: I got nothing, I got nothing to respect for them.
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I actually think that's a out of this out of the this group, UNC, Ole Miss, AM, Tulane, and Iowa, Tulane is the one that makes the most sense.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um AM, what are they gonna do this year?
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_03: This is the this is the biggest question mark everyone has across maybe all of college football.
• 42:55
  SPEAKER_03: So they were so bad last year, they were doing the worst with the most amount of talent that they still have like top 15 odds to win a national championship coming off of maybe the their worst season in the last 20 years.
• 43:11
  SPEAKER_03: It's there, I mean, they're they're it's such a head scratcher.
• 43:15
  SPEAKER_01: So the thing it so the thing to watch for those of you listening, the thing to watch about AM is they've had these two, they've had they've strung together a couple monster recruiting classes, including one two years ago, which was the best recruiting class of all time.
• 43:27
  SPEAKER_01: It was right when NIL premiered.
• 43:29
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of folks, a lot of folks believe, but rightfully so.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_01: It was heavily subsidized.
• 43:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, they are very, very talented.
• 43:35
  SPEAKER_01: Jimbo Fisher is still their head coach, still in that massive contract.
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_01: He Jimbo Fisher is an offensive guy, he considered himself a quarterback guru.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_01: Jameis Winston, 2013, Heisman Trophy, LSU officer quarter, 2007.
• 43:47
  SPEAKER_01: He's has some he has some skins in the wall, but he has had a hard time adjusting.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_01: The big storyline this year, after going five and seven uh in college stations by all that talent, is they hired another offensive quarterback, whispering guru alpha and Bobby Petrino to run their offensive quarter.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_01: There he is.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_01: Bobby Petrino, the guy who has has no business ever being near a motorcycle ever again.
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I obviously.
• 44:12
  SPEAKER_01: So for me, for the question is what everybody wants to know is what's gonna happen between these two, these two guys.
• 44:19
  SPEAKER_01: Bobby Petrino did has done a lot with offenses, Jimbo Fisher.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, has really let the offense regress.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think they're I think it's gonna be terrible.
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_01: I think that I think we're I think we're gonna hear about them fighting.
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_01: I think they're gonna be, I think they're gonna clash like crazy.
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's two guys who don't want to be told what to do.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_01: I think most people are expecting this thing to go sideways pretty early.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_03: See, I don't I don't know.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know what to expect at all because Bobby Petrino really needs this like second lifeline.
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_03: If he does well here, if he does well in one year, I mean he might coast another year there if if things go well, and and but he'll set himself up for another big time P5 job or P2 or whatever we are at that point.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_03: Um but they need him.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_03: I mean it I think this is a put your egos aside, like we we are it's do or die time.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_03: It's certainly that way for Jimbo Fisher, and the talent is there across the board.
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I just don't know.
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_03: I think Petrino will feel that way.
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if Fisher can fully turn the keys over to the offense.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 45:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um that's but that's yeah, and that's I think that's what I think people are people are going to be fighting, trying to figure that out is what level of control they're gonna be able to do.
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, obviously, they lost uh uh A chain, who's one of the best running backs they've had.
• 45:39
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Wagman is back, and he's he was he took his lumps last year, but you saw him progress later in the season, put on a heck of a show against my LC Titans, unfortunately.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_01: Evan Stewart and Mohammed are still there in the wideout, so they have guys, they have weapons everywhere, they've got guys everywhere.
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_01: Reuben Owens, the true freshman, I think is the highest rated, I think he was the number one recruiting running back recruit in the country, is in that crowded backfield, and they don't even think he's gonna get carries.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_01: They've got a lot of talent.
• 46:03
  SPEAKER_01: Petrino has cards.
• 46:04
  SPEAKER_01: This is a huge chance for him.
• 46:06
  SPEAKER_01: I think you're right.
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like, let's say there is a world, there is a world, I can't believe I'm saying this.
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_01: There is a world where Texas ADM goes like 10 and 2 and wins the West or something like that.
• 46:15
  SPEAKER_01: And Bobby Petrino is getting calls for the Penn State job because James Franklin bottomed out and they went seven and five and they watched, you know, like it could happen.
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I think you're very much, I think nobody wants this to work more than Bobby Petrino and uh Jimbo Fisher because Jimbo Fisher's kind of the hot seat in his own right.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_01: He needs this too.
• 46:34
  SPEAKER_01: He's the richest ever.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and honestly, at this point, like I think I saw two dates.
• 46:41
  SPEAKER_01: He's worse than Kevin Sumlin, like five years in in terms of win-loss.
• 46:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we talked about that last year.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_01: Let's keep talking about it because it's so important.
• 46:47
  SPEAKER_01: And so nobody wants this to work more than them to, but can it?
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_01: I just, you know, oil and water, we'll see.
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_03: It's gonna be a good time.
• 46:55
  SPEAKER_03: And the thing is, the thing, the thing is, when you you have such a talented group of recruits, and they know they look, they're looking around, then they're like, We are a good group of football players.
• 47:09
  SPEAKER_03: Why are we not winning?
• 47:11
  SPEAKER_03: And they blame the coaches, they don't trust the coaching staff, and therefore, and they stop putting forth the effort.
• 47:17
  SPEAKER_03: These are 18, 19, 20-year-old kids, they're not going to work for them if things start falling apart, because that's what happened last year.
• 47:27
  SPEAKER_03: Guys started quitting and and Petrino is certainly not gonna be that the like glue locker room presence.
• 47:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so if things start going bad early, there'll they'll be bad.
• 47:43
  SPEAKER_03: If they win some games early and they get the positive momentum, they could be a real force to deal with.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_03: So they'll be really, really interesting to watch.
• 47:53
  SPEAKER_01: It's funny about Texas AM because they have because of who their coaching is and because of what we saw happen.
• 47:58
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, we saw them go five and seven, so you can't say it can't happen again because definitely could.
• 48:02
  SPEAKER_01: They are probably one of the few teams that have an incredibly low ceiling relative to their talent and incredibly high ceiling.
• 48:10
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, low floor, high ceiling.
• 48:12
  SPEAKER_01: They have both.
• 48:13
  SPEAKER_01: Most teams have like a three or four game band wins losses.
• 48:17
  SPEAKER_01: Texas AM and is like eight, nine games.
• 48:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like there's there's there's a four, there's a version of this team that's four and eight.
• 48:24
  SPEAKER_01: There's a version of the team that's 11 and 1.
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I wouldn't really be that surprised by either.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_03: As much as crazy as that's a that is a completely valid statement.
• 48:33
  SPEAKER_03: Most of these teams, you know, you look at your your top-tier teams, the the the margin is it like one game, two games.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_03: Sure.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_03: You know, and yeah, AM is like five games.
• 48:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, five games.
• 48:47
  SPEAKER_01: It might be a buy-low spot.
• 48:49
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, so that's so that is the top 25 in a nutshell.
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, just outside Texas Tech, South Carolina, UCLK, Arkansas, Boys.
• 48:57
  SPEAKER_01: We can kind of keep going, going and going.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_01: There's a whole bunch of teams.
• 48:59
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, any any outside that you thought should be in or see or see you see finishing um extremely high.
• 49:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, I don't there's nothing that really jumps out at me so much.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, Texas Tech's getting a lot of love.
• 49:11
  SPEAKER_01: Joe McGuire's doing a really good job there.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm interested to see what Chip Kelly looks like.
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_01: Spencer Rattler obviously poured it on last year.
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_01: He lost.
• 49:20
  SPEAKER_01: He has no offensive line this year and no defensive line this year.
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm a little, I'm yeah, I'm a little worried that he's gonna be like the matchup to beat Tennessee the way they beat Tennessee and then to beat Clemson, which was huge for Shane Beamer.
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I don't know that they can do it again.
• 49:34
  SPEAKER_01: So I kind of think they're appropriately uh outside this, I mean, in this 26 to 40 range, I mean, I like Duke a little bit, I like Miami a little bit.
• 49:45
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I think Kentucky with Devin O'Leary for good very much.
• 49:48
  SPEAKER_03: I would quite say, I as much as I hate saying it, Kentucky um for an SEC schedule always has kind of the easier road.
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and yeah, you plug in Devin O'Leary, I think they they could be dangerous.
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I kind of do like Kentucky Auburn, dude.
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_03: Hugh Freeze has brought in so much transfer talent.
• 50:10
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah and things are kind of starting to build for him, and we know he can coach.
• 50:15
  SPEAKER_03: They'll be an interesting one to watch on paper.
• 50:18
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe not that dangerous, but it's one of those, you know, you get the formula right early and things kind of click, and all of a sudden, you know, watch out.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_01: I like Auburn in a buy-low spot.
• 50:29
  SPEAKER_01: I really do.
• 50:29
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, Peyton Thorne is only but so much.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_01: I but and then and they still have some holes, they're also recruiting like gangbusters.
• 50:36
  SPEAKER_01: I know that none of those guys, uh not the transfers, but none of those high school guys are gonna come into the next year.
• 50:41
  SPEAKER_01: But Auburn is coming, Auburn is trending up rapidly.
• 50:45
  SPEAKER_01: Brian Harson left them in total disarray.
• 50:48
  SPEAKER_01: And could it credit for Hugh Freeze to at least for now in the offseason before they've had one meaningful snap of football, seems like he's doing all the right things.
• 50:57
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm I'm kind of with you there.
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, really important thing that we have to note two Virginia schools received a vote in this poll.
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_01: Neither of them are UVA or Virginia Tech.
• 51:11
  SPEAKER_01: Liberty with one vote and James Madison with one vote.
• 51:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, obviously Mike and I are we're gonna be pulling for UVA and tech and talking about them all year.
• 51:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but it's just it's funny when we started when we started this last year, I didn't realize we were talking about the third and fourth best teams in Virginia.
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_03: If that, if that I will it's it's funny to point out, but I will note the AP voters, not the sharpest group.
• 51:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um uh uh I just think back to a couple weeks ago during SEC media days when the SEC media gave uh Vanderbilt like 10 votes to win the SEC.
• 51:50
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know what some of these called these people I think it's some of these guys are doing it like half drunk from the hotel bar, like like on their phones.
• 51:58
  SPEAKER_01: They're like, Yeah, sure, whatever.
• 51:59
  SPEAKER_01: That sounds good.
• 52:00
  SPEAKER_01: I honestly um I think some of them don't know how to fill out their ballots.
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_01: I think I really do.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_01: I think that might be true as well.
• 52:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um uh, but uh yeah, other other things I like Duke a lot.
• 52:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think Mike Elko is is fast tracking himself to a very good payday.
• 52:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think he's I think he's gonna get hired, but but really good.
• 52:18
  SPEAKER_01: They're they're getting, I don't know what's what's that, 10 votes.
• 52:21
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Kansas is bringing back J Lon Daniels again.
• 52:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think their offense is gonna be awesome.
• 52:27
  SPEAKER_01: I think they're I think they're excited.
• 52:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um Pittsburgh Kansas takes a big step back this year.
• 52:32
  SPEAKER_01: Big step from what they were six, they finished.
• 52:34
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, they started six and oh, but they start they were six and six.
• 52:36
  SPEAKER_01: You think they're gonna go four and eight or three and nine this year?
• 52:39
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, okay.
• 52:39
  SPEAKER_03: Let me back up from that.
• 52:40
  SPEAKER_03: They yeah, they you you're right, they ended up six and six, but they went on a hot streak.
• 52:44
  SPEAKER_03: They were really ex they were playing really exciting football last year.
• 52:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 52:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um, yes.
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_03: I'm surprised they even mentioned Baylor because Baylor could be pretty plucky this year.
• 52:54
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, Richard Reese is probably the best, probably the is probably might be the best running back in the Big 12.
• 52:58
  SPEAKER_01: I really like, and obviously, I'm anybody who knows me knows.
• 53:01
  SPEAKER_03: And the Big 12 is wide open again.
• 53:02
  SPEAKER_01: Big but Big 12 is up wide open again, is especially if we're especially as Mike and Iran can in our mind, or we're kind of in the back of our mind.
• 53:09
  SPEAKER_01: We're saying Texas is back, but they might not be back.
• 53:11
  SPEAKER_01: We don't really know.
• 53:11
  SPEAKER_01: Ah, Texas is back.
• 53:13
  SPEAKER_01: I think you're right, but they might not be.
• 53:14
  SPEAKER_01: We'll see.
• 53:14
  SPEAKER_03: I'll go on the record saying Texas is back until they until they get to the SEC.
• 53:19
  SPEAKER_01: I love Dave Aranda.
• 53:20
  SPEAKER_01: I'm bullish on Dave Aranda, and I will be till the day I die.
• 53:22
  SPEAKER_01: Just I think I just think he's a really good coach.
• 53:23
  SPEAKER_01: Blake Shapen is back again.
• 53:25
  SPEAKER_01: So this is their third year.
• 53:26
  SPEAKER_01: That's good for them, even though he had a pretty up and down season last year.
• 53:30
  SPEAKER_01: And again, they're gonna be handing the ball off to Reese a ton, and he's outstanding back.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think Baylor at what's that?
• 53:36
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, run the ball.
• 53:37
  SPEAKER_01: You play foot, you play defense about 37, 38.
• 53:40
  SPEAKER_01: If Aranda can rebuild a defense to play at a decent level, and he probably can.
• 53:44
  SPEAKER_01: He's done it, he's done it just he's done it everywhere he's been his whole career, then yeah, Baylor could absolutely be a force in the Big 12.
• 53:51
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's all I got.
• 53:52
  SPEAKER_01: Any more, any more um takes on on the AP?
• 53:57
  SPEAKER_03: No, I think that was a uh a good rundown.
• 54:00
  SPEAKER_03: I think we went longer than we meant to.
• 54:01
  SPEAKER_03: We're gonna try to just try to be a little tighter this year.
• 54:04
  SPEAKER_03: I think we are still with us.
• 54:06
  SPEAKER_01: We are.
• 54:06
  SPEAKER_01: We're we're gonna do we're gonna do the shorter shows.
• 54:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh awesome.
• 54:08
  SPEAKER_01: Well, folks, thanks for coming.
• 54:09
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for listening.
• 54:10
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for coming back.
• 54:11
  SPEAKER_01: Uh later this week, early next week, we're gonna put on some more shows.
• 54:14
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna talk about transfers, coaches, uh, bold predictions.
• 54:18
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna do our season long predictions for the divisions, the playoffs, all that stuff.
• 54:22
  SPEAKER_01: So, more good content.
• 54:23
  SPEAKER_01: And we're gonna have games.
• 54:24
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna have games, and we're gonna have actual games to talk about, of course.
• 54:27
  SPEAKER_01: Summer is over, summer is over, summer camps are in action, so we are good to go.
• 54:32
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, this is Mike Blitz.
• 54:33
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I'll see you guys later until next time.
• 54:36
  SPEAKER_01: See ya.
• 55:02
  SPEAKER_00: Go.