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Week 9 College Football Preview: Playoff Stakes and Marquee Matchups
15 Plays8 months ago
Get ready for an action-packed Week 9 of college football, where playoff hopes hang in the balance across the nation! In the SEC, No. 8 Ole Miss battles No. 13 Oklahoma, a clash of Ole Miss’ high-octane offense against Oklahoma’s top-ranked defense . Can the Rebels bounce back from last week’s loss, or will the Sooners’ improving run game and suffocating defense keep them in control? Meanwhile, No. 15 Missouri faces No. 10 Vanderbilt in Nashville with College GameDay in town, as two 6-1 SEC surprises square off—Mizzou’s elite run defense meets Vandy’s steady offense in a pivotal playoff eliminator. At night, No. 3 Texas A&M, the SEC’s last undefeated team, takes on No. 20 LSU in a raucous Death Valley, where the Aggies’ offense faces a flawed but feisty LSU squad desperate for a win. Beyond the SEC, keep an eye on UCLA vs. No. 11 Indiana, where the Bruins’ improved offense could test the Hoosiers’ playoff push. No. 4 Alabama faces South Carolina in a potential trap game, while No. 12 BYU vs. Iowa State tests the Cougars’ magical run. No. 23 Illinois vs. Washington offers both teams a last chance to stay relevant in the crowded Big Ten race, and Texas vs. Mississippi State gives the Longhorns a chance to exploit a weak Bulldogs defense. With playoff implications and thrilling matchups nationwide, Week 9 is a must-watch!
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction and Week Nine Preview
00:00:00
Mike Bell
All right, welcome back to another episode of Loan Coverage. I'm Mike Bell with my co-host Caleb Schwerer. Week nine is ahead of us. And for the big games this week, it seems to be mostly about the SEC.
SEC Highlight: Missouri vs. Vanderbilt
00:00:16
Mike Bell
You know, across the... there's some There's a few big games in the Big Ten, but mostly this is the SEC this week, and you might start to see a little bit of separation and then also some chaos.
00:00:29
Mike Bell
And yeah, I say we just get right into it. Let's just start where game day is. It's where i always like to start. It's number 15, Missouri, against number 10, Vanderbilt.
00:00:42
Mike Bell
This game is at 2.30 on ESPN. Vanderbilt has opened as a two and a half point favorite, much like they did last week against LSU.
00:00:54
Mike Bell
What are your opening thoughts on this game specifically?
00:01:00
Kaleb
I think this could actually potentially be the best game of the day, just because I think both of these teams are pretty similar, just in the fact that they're Very heavy on the run game.
00:01:13
Kaleb
um They both have pretty good offenses and pretty good defenses, rankings-wise. In those ranks and rankings, you'd have to give a slight edge to Missouri.
00:01:26
Kaleb
But and it I guess you could say it's maybe arguable, but Vandy has had a slightly harder schedule. And I say i put want to put an emphasis on slightly.
00:01:36
Kaleb
Yeah. But I would like to say, like, I think a huge thing is from a mental aspect of this is you have to give props to Missouri for battling through their hard-fought game last week or couple days ago against Auburn, at Auburn, considering that was there they were coming off a, you know, a very emotional loss against Alabama, which was a hard-fought game too, and they had a chance to win in Missouri, or not Missouri, ah Auburn is like,
00:02:08
Kaleb
I know the record may not show it, but I really think that Auburn is it's not a gimme game by any means. okay And for them to come out and win, I think that kind of shows kind of how strong of a team they are.
00:02:21
Kaleb
And
00:02:25
Kaleb
yeah, I mean, mentally strong team is a dangerous team, in my opinion. Um, Missouri has a great run game. It ranks fourth in the nation in time of possession, which I think will be huge in this game just since both of them run the ball so heavily.
00:02:41
Kaleb
So I think the path of success for Missouri to upset Vanderbilt is sling into the run game. Don't force the quarterback to get into must throw situations. He is interception prone. He's had seven, uh, this season so far.
00:02:55
Kaleb
um For their defense, control Pavia, and you win. And that's not necessarily an easy thing to do. um With it being at Vandy, and with it being at Vandy, and regardless, last week we were kind of talking about just the mental aspect for Vandy. Like, I don't question if it'll show up or not.
00:03:18
Kaleb
um Like, I think Pavia is –
00:03:24
Kaleb
alpha dog amongst the rest of them. And he'll have the team like ready. Clark Lee is really good at that too. I think, um, I think it has the capabilities of being a very good game and ah, honestly, man, it's really a toss up to be honest with you.
00:03:43
Kaleb
Um, really and truly. And that's why I think it could be like the best game of the day because,
00:03:49
Kaleb
I like sitting here. I can't really decide who I would want to pick, to be honest with you. And it may come down to like right before the game starts, to be honest with you. But what are your thoughts on this game?
00:04:02
Mike Bell
Yeah, I think this is just a fun game because it's two of the league's like biggest surprises this year. And it's two teams that have been historically not very good, more so Vanderbilt than Missouri.
00:04:13
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:04:15
Mike Bell
But, i mean, even Missouri, especially since joining the SEC, and Missouri's been Yeah, well, they haven't.
00:04:19
Kaleb
It will be the first time both these teams have been top 15 playing. I forgot to mention that. It probably is.
00:04:26
Mike Bell
Oh, it's gotta to be because they haven't faced that many times. I wanna say they've only faced like a total in their history 15 times. was looking at that earlier. So,
00:04:33
Kaleb
Probably when Missouri first joined the SEC. Maybe a handful of times before that, but yeah.
00:04:37
Mike Bell
right, right.
00:04:38
Kaleb
Right.
00:04:38
Mike Bell
Well, they were both in the SEC East. So they they played while the divisions remained, but yeah, Vanderbilt wasn't very good.
00:04:45
Kaleb
Right.
00:04:47
Mike Bell
So there for sure wasn't like a top 15 clash. But yeah, you know i'm I'm excited for this one. i wonder if Missouri comes out with an attitude that they've been overlooked a little bit just because of how much attention Vanderbilt has got.
00:05:03
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:05:07
Kaleb
Especially with the win since LSU this past weekend.
00:05:10
Mike Bell
Yes, yes. So like, obviously, you know, yeah, Vanderbilt has deserved the recognition for hanging with Bama, being undefeated until that, and then coming off the bye and beating LSU. You get a lot of credit for that. But Missouri has got to be saying, well, hey, look, we don't have that signature win yet, but we only lost to Bama by three.
00:05:30
Mike Bell
You know, i mean, they were right in that game.
00:05:33
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:05:33
Mike Bell
And why did they lose that game? Well, one of the reasons they lost that game was probably Bo Probula. And i think ultimately i trust Pavia more because, i mean, Bo still makes a lot of just kind of bad decisions.
00:05:41
Kaleb
you know
00:05:51
Mike Bell
Like he had two interceptions last week. ah Just throwing the ball, he's not the best. Obviously, he's fun to watch because like Pavia, he's they're both dull threats.
00:06:03
Mike Bell
Now, here could be the difference also, though. It's weird to say, but the best defense Vanderbilt has faced this year might end up being Missouri. Now, LSU was supposed to have a good defense, but LSU is ah has struggled against ah the run and against the quarterback run specifically.
00:06:17
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:06:24
Mike Bell
Missouri, that's actually a strength of their team is to stop the run.
00:06:28
Kaleb
Mm-hmm.
00:06:29
Mike Bell
So they're one of the best teams in the nation at stopping the run. So that's going to force, if they can do that in this game, that's going to force Pavia to throw the ball a little bit more. So that keeps this very interesting to me. i'm with you. i don't know which way to go. And, you know, I think of Vandy being a two and a half point favorite and knowing how Vegas works, they will put a line out there if they think the public's going to be, you know, really one-sided. And I could see the public really being like, oh, you know, Vandy's all the talk right now.
00:07:00
Mike Bell
So is Vanderbilt getting this artificial... um inflation in terms of their points. So I don't know. I think it is going to be a fun game.
00:07:13
Mike Bell
And yeah, yeah. I'm also excited to see game day here. i don't even know what that would look like.
00:07:19
Kaleb
Yeah, that is, yeah.
00:07:21
Mike Bell
I'm also just curious, you know, their fans, they were in it last week. It's a smaller stadium. just Just to see them come out, what what is that going to look like? So yeah, I'm just excited for the whole thing.
00:07:31
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:07:34
Kaleb
Yeah, I think it's probably to be the first time that game day has ever been to Vanderbilt before. ah And it's probably been quite some time since Missouri has like been a part of game day. and i mean, don't quote me on that, but just thinking, you know, maybe the last time even think really is – i can even think really is Either that, like, I forgot when it was Kansas was one and Missouri was two, like back in 2007 or 2008. want to say 2007 a little bit.
00:08:08
Kaleb
um
00:08:11
Kaleb
The last time that they had game day. So, um anyway, you're right. I'm very excited to see how it goes, just because you don't always see game day at, you know, those schools. So,
00:08:23
Mike Bell
Yeah, I guess last thing i want to say about the game is like if Missouri were to win this game, I think an obvious path for them would be to get out to a lead early, kind of like they did against Alabama.
00:08:35
Mike Bell
Missouri also can be a little bit of a sloppy team with penalties, things like that. but But if they are out to a ah a big lead, it's I could see Vanderbilt having a tough time playing from behind.
00:08:50
Mike Bell
They haven't really had to do that. when they have, I think they struggle. you know They struggle to force the ball downfield. That's not really their game. so just something to maybe think about. But let's move on here and let's go to, this game is gonna be 11 a.m.
Ole Miss vs. OU: Key Matchup Discussion
00:09:07
Mike Bell
on ABC, ah number eight Ole Miss versus number 13 OU. OU's opened as a four and a half point favorite. This is big, stakes are big for both teams, playoff implications, SEC implications, although maybe less so SEC, but still SEC implications.
00:09:25
Mike Bell
I'm curious to see how Ole Miss responds after their kind of gut punch of a loss last week being up like that on Georgia. Now you have to go on the road to o you OU feels like maybe they're still recovering a bit from the Texas loss.
00:09:40
Mike Bell
What are your thoughts on the game?
00:09:43
Kaleb
So really when I was kind of looking up stuff about this game, you it just it was very intriguing because at first glance, I was like, okay, I see why this is a big game from a ranking standpoint.
00:09:57
Kaleb
Initially, I was like, okay, Ole Miss, though, i trust them a lot more than OU. ah Then on second glance, I was like, Ole Miss could be in some trouble, though.
00:10:09
Kaleb
OU has... Arguably one of the best defenses in the nation, if not the best. Their offense is pretty suspect, okay? and So I'm not going to say OU is flawless by any means because they're not.
00:10:20
Kaleb
ah But I think if OU can do just enough on offense, be efficient, no turnovers, um They may have a chance. And keep in mind, this past weekend, Ole Miss is coming off an emotional loss against Georgia.
00:10:35
Kaleb
They played very well. They fought very hard. um But their defense made Georgia's look like Arkansas's at times. So anyway, it'll be interesting to see kind of how both teams show up and play against each other.
00:10:49
Kaleb
um One thing I would like to say is Ole Miss is 58th in the nation in red zone ah and red zone defense, allowing opponents to score on 81% of trips, while OU's red zone offense ranks first in the nation, scoring on 100% of their red zone opportunities, which is kind of crazy because I – before reading you know up on this, I wouldn't have guessed that by any means. so um They're playing at Oklahoma.
00:11:16
Kaleb
um Ole Miss may be in some trouble because Norman can get pretty loud, especially for big games like this. So,
00:11:26
Mike Bell
Yeah.
00:11:26
Kaleb
yeah. i
00:11:27
Mike Bell
Yeah. I feel like, I feel like o you has kind of, they're kind of in a position now where they're starting to get overlooked a little bit after that Texas.
00:11:28
Kaleb
What are your thoughts?
00:11:38
Kaleb
and They definitely are
00:11:40
Mike Bell
Because if you remember a couple of weeks ago, prior Matier getting hurt, everyone was kind of talking about OU.
00:11:43
Kaleb
are.
00:11:47
Mike Bell
They were in the top five.
00:11:48
Kaleb
Like a national, yeah.
00:11:50
Mike Bell
And, I mean, they were looking good. They beat Michigan, who, yeah, is not an elite team, but they're still back in the top 25.
00:11:57
Kaleb
Still very good.
00:11:57
Mike Bell
Yeah, still good, right?
00:11:58
Kaleb
Very good two-loss team.
00:12:00
Mike Bell
And then they were coming off that Auburn win. And, obviously, Auburn hasn't looked that good, but they got through it. And their loss was to Texas. And let's face it, it it was a rivalry game. But Mathier first game back.
00:12:15
Mike Bell
By the way, something we didn't mention is he didn't practice all week. Which that, so yeah, that's a big deal.
00:12:20
Kaleb
Yeah, that's true, which is huge. That is huge. And Texas' defense is one of the better ones in the country, too.
00:12:28
Mike Bell
Yes, yes.
00:12:29
Kaleb
You know, so it's not like – I mean, that's a pretty hard ask of your quarterback, so –
00:12:33
Mike Bell
Right, right. So I think a lot of people are just kind of forgetting about OU in kind of a weird way. But if they lose this game, they're really going to start to forget about them because of their schedule, it's the number one schedule left in the country in terms of the strength of schedule.
00:12:52
Mike Bell
So
00:12:52
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:12:53
Mike Bell
I think this is a classic strength on strength battle, the Ole Miss offense versus the OU defense.
00:12:59
Kaleb
ah Yeah.
00:13:00
Mike Bell
I am very excited to see that. Ole Miss feels like an offense that isn't going to be just stopped. And I want to say this about OU's defense.
00:13:12
Mike Bell
They're very good. They've only allowed 213 yards a game. That's extremely impressive. They're clearly legit. But here's the thing. They really haven't faced a good offense yet.
00:13:23
Mike Bell
Think about the offenses that they faced. Texas, Auburn, Michigan. You know, Michigan can run the ball, but especially you got to remember that was Underwood's like one of his first games.
00:13:35
Mike Bell
They're pretty one-dimensional. That was at OU.
00:13:37
Kaleb
Right. And for a very good defense, it's pretty easy. If you're very run heavy, it doesn't stop that. and yeah Anyway, yes.
00:13:46
Mike Bell
And that South Carolina last week, South Carolina has been having major issues. So could this OU offense now expose OU's defense in a way that they haven't been?
00:13:58
Mike Bell
And kind of like we were talking in the last game, how does OU do when they have to play catch up? I don't see OU as that type of team at all. Now, I don't think yeah yeah i don't think ole miss is going to score like they did last week.
00:14:07
Kaleb
Not if they let Ole Miss loose. Yeah.
00:14:16
Mike Bell
but I do think they're gonna put up some points here. Now on the other side, it's like Ole Miss doesn't have an elite defense, but here's here's the thing, OU, they don't run the ball.
00:14:29
Mike Bell
And that was, that's Ole Miss' weakness is against the run.
00:14:29
Kaleb
you know Yeah. I think that's going to be the key. Yeah. Yeah.
00:14:33
Mike Bell
Now last week, OU started to run the ball a little bit better against South Carolina. Could that be a sign that they're trying to maybe balance out the attack a little more? They ran for 171 yards last week.
00:14:45
Mike Bell
It just doesn't feel like what they do, but I think if they want to be like a great team, they're going to have to figure that out, especially against Ole Miss, like because that is their weakness, is ah is Ole Miss' rush defense. so So, yeah, I'm very fascinated by this game. It wouldn't have surprised me if this line closes closer to a pick'em by game time, because I don't really think of OU as a big favorite in this game. Not that four and a half points is a lot,
00:15:15
Mike Bell
But I do want to say this also. If Ole Miss does get up and it's a close game in the fourth quarter, actually whether they're up or not, I want to see how Ole Miss can close out against a good opponent. Because remember last week they were up.
00:15:25
Kaleb
Yeah, last week, that's exactly what happened. Their last two drives, Georgia. yeah
00:15:30
Mike Bell
Right, right. So how can Ole Miss do in the fourth quarter? So that's a big thing I'm watching.
00:15:34
Kaleb
Let's just say, you know, that's and's a hard task. Like, you know, that's...
00:15:42
Kaleb
That doesn't go lightly, I guess. I don't know how how to say that exactly. But Kirby Smart, his defense, you know, making adjustments, we like when it matters, like that's just what he does.
00:15:53
Kaleb
You know, so like no slide against Ole Miss' his offense by any means. I think the key thing is going to be OU's run offense against Ole Miss' run defense.
00:16:05
Kaleb
um just to give some pressure off of or get some pressure off of Mature of having to like basically have the whole offense on his back. And he's been a little interception prone too this year. i want to say the last time I looked at his touchdown-to-interception ratio, honestly, it was pretty bad.
00:16:22
Kaleb
like it was like one touchdown-to-interception.
00:16:23
Mike Bell
Seven touchdowns, 16 receptions.
00:16:26
Kaleb
That's what I was thinking. I was like one to one, if I'm not mistaken, but which is not good. But the whole offense is driven off of him, which if the defense knows that you can't run the ball, it's just going to kind of make that more likely to happen. So I still think John Matier is a good quarterback. And i so frankly, I still think, oh, you could potentially be.
00:16:50
Kaleb
I think they could be like a pretty decent playoff team if they're able to somehow develop a good run game. If they can do that by the end of the season, which there is still some time left, but they have the hardest schedule, like you said. So, i mean, going to be extremely hard for them to do that.
00:17:06
Kaleb
But if they can, I mean, OU is very dangerous. so
00:17:11
Mike Bell
Well, if they win this game, people are going to be talking about them again in that kind of way. Just, you know, looking at that schedule, I mean, next week at Tennessee, then at Alabama, host Missouri, then host LSU to end the year.
00:17:24
Mike Bell
That's tough, you know, and you already have that one loss, like we were saying. So can you afford to drop one more short, but just one more, you know, and you got to do well against the others. So it starts with Ole Miss, your favorite, your at home,
00:17:38
Mike Bell
So, yeah, this is going to be fun for me because i really want to see how these two teams, their strengths interact with each other.
00:17:47
Kaleb
Oh, for sure.
00:17:47
Mike Bell
The offense, defense.
00:17:49
Kaleb
Yeah, exactly. i know that – so I know there's not like huge matchups per se ah this weekend like compared to the last two, but it's like the big games that we do have, I mean –
00:18:02
Kaleb
Now that they're more interesting than the ones that have happened in the past week, but they're still very interesting just because, like you said, like the two games that we've talked about so far, Missouri, Vandy, almost the same exact team going
Coaching Speculations and Career Moves
00:18:12
Kaleb
at it.
00:18:12
Kaleb
And then, like you said, um strength on strength going at each other. Ole Miss offense against that OU defense, you know, who will win that game will determine like which one's for real or not, you know, Ole Miss's offense or OU's d defense.
00:18:27
Kaleb
So, I mean, a very interesting storylines.
00:18:27
Mike Bell
it's
00:18:30
Mike Bell
It's teams in similar tiers that are looking to break to the tier above. you know
00:18:35
Kaleb
Yeah,
00:18:36
Mike Bell
That's what they had the opportunity to do and teams that are desperate to not you know drop a tier. So while we have the, while we're talking about the Ole Miss game, I wonder if Ole Miss is gonna at all be distracted because Lane giffen Kiffin now is in the conversations for the Florida job.
00:18:55
Mike Bell
And by the way, game that we're about to cover, if something happens with Brian Kelly,
00:19:01
Kaleb
yeah right.
00:19:02
Mike Bell
He's going to be in the conversation for that job too. He's considered a very hard coach to get, but it is, yes, yes, but
00:19:09
Kaleb
incafinence yeah I think his daughter goes to Ole Miss, if I'm not mistaken.
00:19:14
Mike Bell
I think that's true. But if there are two jobs that he would consider based off what I've been reading and hearing, it is Florida and it is LSU. And Florida is open.
00:19:26
Mike Bell
So that's going to be interesting to see how he handles that, especially if they keep winning games. Like, he's, you know, people are gonna keep talking about him. So that's gonna be encouraged.
00:19:34
Kaleb
it's... It's crazy because I saw the same thing you did, but Ole Miss, every year like in when it comes to recruiting classes, Ole Miss is like never really at the top. Now, I don't know what number they're at. I just know they're not necessarily in the top five, but yet every year Lane Kiffin is like keeping them very competitive. Now, I know the last couple of years it's been like – Eight and four ah a four is what they were last year.
00:20:05
Kaleb
i mean, at least half the season, they're like a top 10 team. After that, they fizzle out. and Okay. ah
00:20:14
Kaleb
I think Lane Kiffin is a really good coach. ah Would I be happy if my team got him? I mean – I'd probably be fine with it, actually. I mean, i love Steve Sarkeesian, but let's say if just something drastically happened with him, I'd be okay with Lane Kiffin going in there.
00:20:30
Kaleb
ah That is so... I don't know. I think he's pretty tied down to Ole Miss. I'd be surprised if he left, to be honest with you, just because like the question I have is, is Florida really that much better of a job than Ole Miss?
00:20:45
Kaleb
I really don't know, to be honest with you. now
00:20:47
Mike Bell
I think yes, I think by a lot.
00:20:52
Mike Bell
I think recruiting is easier. i was watching the facilities.
00:20:54
Kaleb
Well, that's true. Okay. Okay, fine. Yeah.
00:20:57
Mike Bell
They just upgraded the facilities there. ah From my understanding, i guess there's a connection between Lane Giffen and Steve Spurrier. So he would be kind of looked at as a successor there for Florida.
00:21:10
Mike Bell
And that would maybe be a big deal to him. And it's still, it's a decently big sized program. Like it's not like a Alabama, but it's better than Ole Miss. Ole Miss is kind of like middling to low end SEC. Florida is, I think, a bigger beast.
00:21:30
Mike Bell
So yeah, I think it would be ah an upgrade. So yeah.
00:21:40
Kaleb
I guess the only thing I would say to that is I just feel like Lane Kiffin, it's pretty much like whatever he wants, he gets at Ole Miss.
00:21:47
Kaleb
And maybe the only part to that that may not be true is like maybe as much of a recruiting budget. I don't know. i mean, he portals very well. um Which, I mean, you're right. And that is a pretty big focus as far as Florida, like what makes them a very intriguing team to go coach. I mean, you're right. They're one of the best states for – athletes so from that standpoint if len kiffin did leave and he goes there that's the first thing i would kind of want to take a look at is just to see kind of how quickly can he turn that program around to get like a really good uh recruiting class also
00:21:47
Mike Bell
Yeah.
00:22:27
Kaleb
I think every name that we've talked about thus far, like James Franklin, um wonder if flo i mean I think Lane Kiffin would be the number one choice for Florida by you know no stretch. But if he says no, which I think that's a possible answer as well, who would Florida go after?
00:22:43
Kaleb
i think it could turn into a potential bidding war. Florida and Arkansas for James Franklin.
00:22:52
Mike Bell
Yeah. Yeah, well, and it also just depends on what LSU does. If they retain Brian Kelly.
00:22:58
Kaleb
Oh yeah, that's okay. Yes. I forgot about that aspect too. Yes.
00:23:01
Mike Bell
Yeah, and then Florida State, I think I just saw that they plan to keep Mike Norvell for at least another the year.
00:23:06
Kaleb
but Yeah, that's right.
00:23:07
Mike Bell
That's an interesting situation.
00:23:07
Kaleb
They were talking about that. Yeah.
00:23:10
Mike Bell
You know, he's been there for six years. He had two good seasons, but then the other four are like just downright disasters. Like they're not even – keep in mind, this is in the ACC. Yeah.
00:23:19
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:23:20
Mike Bell
It has not been a great conference. I don't know. i don't know what to say about that. I mean, they've been really – they still haven't won an ACC game now in over a year.
00:23:30
Kaleb
Well, we forgot to talk about this in our ah reaction show couple days ago. I want to say that they lost this past weekend. I forgot who they lost.
00:23:38
Mike Bell
They did. Stand for it. That's
00:23:42
Kaleb
stan Yes, Stanford. I mean, well how does that happen?
00:23:47
Mike Bell
the problem. I don't know.
00:23:48
Kaleb
yeah It's a problem. Yeah, it's it's definitely a problem.
00:23:54
Mike Bell
The thing is, I think his buyout is like $100 million.
00:23:57
Kaleb
Oh, yeah.
00:23:58
Mike Bell
At some point, that buyout matters, you know? So I think well, look, I mean, I think if I'm Florida State, I'd rather have a Jimbo at this point.
00:24:01
Kaleb
Well, you might be rooting for that, so Jimbo won't be talked about any longer when it comes to that, huh?
00:24:12
Mike Bell
I'd take Jimbo back. Seriously?
00:24:13
Kaleb
right
00:24:14
Mike Bell
<unk> It's hard to win in the SEC. He just couldn't do it in the SEC. I bet he can do a better job than Mike Norvell. Just my opinion.
00:24:20
Kaleb
Maybe. um But in all seriousness, though, I think if Florida were even able to get James Franklin, if Lane Kiffin turned down the job, I'd be very interested to see what James Franklin were able to do there. Just because between the two, between Penn State and Florida, I'd probably say Florida, ah like I would give the edge to Florida ah for sure.
00:24:45
Kaleb
Like what are your thoughts on that, I guess?
00:24:48
Mike Bell
Yeah, I mean, I would give the edge to Florida. It it just comes with, I mean, Penn State has high expectations, but, I mean, Florida has high expectations, maybe more so.
00:24:55
Kaleb
Florida does Yeah, Florida. Yeah.
00:24:58
Mike Bell
And it's the SEC.
00:25:00
Kaleb
Mm-hmm.
00:25:00
Mike Bell
And people are going to be questioning, like, well, hey, you couldn't win the big game there. Why you be here? Well, i would argue, well, look, you may get better talent acquisition there. Another name, though, and um you know I've mentioned it, I think, every week, and he brought up coaching in the SEC, and that is John Gruden.
00:25:18
Mike Bell
I'm telling you, like i would watch out for that Nick. John Gruden. I think that would be so much fun. and it It kind of makes sense, honestly, at Florida to see him coach there. I could totally see
00:25:29
Kaleb
the I think, actually, I don't know where he lives, but I mean, it would make sense for him to live.
00:25:38
Kaleb
That meme that they just talk about like Florida people or whatever, you know, like that they just do the craziest things. And if he does, if John Gruden lives in Florida, like it would just make complete sense, you know, um I'd be interested to see how he adapts to college.
00:25:55
Kaleb
And the recruiting aspect of it, you know, because he didn't really have to deal with that in the NFL at all. So the last time he coached was like, what, three, four years ago at the Raiders.
00:26:07
Kaleb
So I'm not saying he would be a bad hire because I think overall, honestly, like if he could just like get through the adaptation part the first season, I think he'd be a great coach.
00:26:08
Mike Bell
Yeah. I mean, yeah.
00:26:17
Kaleb
I think he'd be – Now, the players might have a different story. They might be a little scared, which I definitely would be. But, um yeah, I think, like, if i were a recruit, would definitely have to put Florida in the mix just because of John Gruden.
00:26:34
Kaleb
You know what i mean?
00:26:35
Mike Bell
yeah I mean, I'm you know just going through Google here, and he's one of the top names, and he's saying like he's getting prepared to coach again, and it's going to be in college if he coaches. So, yeah, that's I think it'll either be there or Arkansas. I don't see him going to Penn State. I think it's going to be there Arkansas.
00:26:56
Mike Bell
So that'll be fun, I guess, to see.
00:26:58
Kaleb
mate ah Like you said, maybe even LSU.
00:27:01
Mike Bell
were Arkansas, I would love have John Gruden.
00:27:04
Kaleb
Do what now?
00:27:04
Mike Bell
I don't know if LSU would do that. i feel like LSU would want a more proven guy in college.
00:27:12
Mike Bell
I don't know.
00:27:14
Kaleb
ah guess I guess it would just depend on like what names are out there about the end of the year. You know?
00:27:22
Mike Bell
Well, look, let's go ahead and let's move on to our next
LSU vs. Texas A&M: Tactical Breakdown
00:27:25
Mike Bell
game. Speaking of LSU, it's the game I'm obviously going to have the most attention on, 630 ABC.
00:27:27
Kaleb
Yeah. Yeah.
00:27:33
Mike Bell
It's number three Texas A&M versus number 20 LSU. A&M is open as a two and a half point favorite. I'll start off with my thoughts since it's my team.
00:27:44
Mike Bell
Look, A&M, this is their best start since 1994, Ironically, the last time they won in Baton Rouge, 1994.
00:27:56
Mike Bell
This game, several years, the winner of this game has been the home team.
00:27:56
Kaleb
Mm-hmm.
00:28:01
Mike Bell
LSU, you've heard me mention it before. It is, in my opinion, the toughest place to play on the road, especially at night.
00:28:10
Kaleb
yeah
00:28:10
Mike Bell
And that is where this will be. LSU has their backs against the wall here coming off the loss to Vandy. They've already got two losses. Now Brian Kelly, people are calling for his head. And the LSU fans do not like that guy. like They want him gone last week.
00:28:29
Mike Bell
And lsu is kind of in position where if they drop this game, they've got Alabama next. They still have OU on the schedule. They may have someone else. I think that's it in terms of like the big teams.
00:28:43
Mike Bell
But they're looking at like a potential another eight and four season or worse. So would LSU tolerate one more season like that?
00:28:55
Mike Bell
I don't know. I feel like it's still too early to call for Brian Kelly's job. The thing is, they are their fans are just different.
00:29:07
Mike Bell
like They want success now, and to them, success is not nine and ten win seasons. It is when it being in contention to win it all every year.
00:29:18
Mike Bell
Like Alabama.
00:29:18
Kaleb
However unrealistic that may be, yes.
00:29:21
Mike Bell
Right, right. Now, I could totally see Brian Kelly just kind of not being... It's been kind of weird since the moment he got there with like the weird promo stuff, the accents he was doing.
00:29:32
Kaleb
Yeah. Yes, ah was going to bring that up.
00:29:33
Mike Bell
It does seem like...
00:29:35
Kaleb
It was so weird, too, because within two weeks, he went back to his regular exit, you know?
00:29:35
Mike Bell
Yeah, it is not...
00:29:42
Kaleb
Very strange, man. Yeah.
00:29:44
Mike Bell
Yeah, so it's one of those things he's like, it's maybe doomed to fail. um As far as this week... yeah LSU, ah one thing i think that was unfair to them, and I don't really understand why this happened, after they lost to Vandy, they were the number 10 team in the country.
00:30:00
Mike Bell
They lose what was a pretty close game throughout, and then they drop 10 spots all the way to 20. I feel like that's kind of a big drop. And then now if they lose this week, they think it probably still remains.
00:30:12
Kaleb
Considering that they put Vandy at 10. Yeah.
00:30:14
Mike Bell
Yeah, yeah, it kind of doesn't make a lot of sense to me. But honestly, there's going to be even more motivation for LSU. And I will tell you, as an A&M fan, like that has me worried.
00:30:22
Kaleb
yeah
00:30:26
Mike Bell
ah Now, what's interesting is LSU was in a similar spot last year. Their back was against the wall. They had two losses, and they had a night game against Alabama.
00:30:37
Mike Bell
And they got beat against Alabama. And that was last year's Alabama team. Other than that, though, they've been very good at night under Brian Kelly. I want to say that's the only game they've lost at night.
00:30:49
Mike Bell
at home, obviously. So what can I say? The biggest edge for LSU in this game is the spot. Because if you're just comparing the teams based off what you've seen, you probably would have to say, yeah, it seems like this is a good matchup for A&M.
00:31:08
Mike Bell
And I would agree. But going back to the beginning of the season for A&M, there were three games that was kind of circled. There were circled. At Notre Dame, at LSU, at Texas. and LSU, if you would have asked, was probably the one that everyone said, you can probably pencil this one in as a loss. Like it's probably the toughest game.
00:31:33
Mike Bell
Because Notre Dame, people didn't really know what they were going to be Texas is just a rival. Things happen. But LSU, especially this year, they had high expectations. Kind of penciled in as a loss. And obviously we're here now and it's not penciled in as a loss because A&M is the favorite, right?
00:31:51
Mike Bell
I would just still say A&M, even though they're undefeated, it is not by any means a perfect team and LSU still has a lot of talent.
00:32:02
Mike Bell
The one thing is lsu has yet to be able to defend a mobile quarterback. And that is what A&M has. Granted, he is more of a passer than, say, Pavia type, but he will run the ball if he needs to.
00:32:20
Mike Bell
That's going to be interesting because LSU is not the type of team offensively now to just light it up. They're not going to put up 40 on A&M. So this is really about their defense. How much can they contain A&M's offense, which isn't the best in the country. It's probably like overall it just an above average offense.
00:32:40
Mike Bell
So I think that's what it's gonna come down to. lsu they're 117th in rushing yards. They're not gonna run the ball that effectively. Can Nussmeyer pass the ball? The thing is about A&M's defense is they're pretty good when they face teams with obvious flaws, with teams that are like one dimensional. And that's kind of what LSU is.
00:33:03
Mike Bell
So again, like if I'm just comparing the teams, I get why a lot of people would choose A&M. but I have to respect like the spot, and that is it's a night game and LSU.
00:33:15
Mike Bell
Their backs are like majorly against the wall. If they lose this game, they're out of everything. you know like They're not going to be in the playoff.
00:33:21
Kaleb
Mm-hmm.
00:33:23
Mike Bell
They're not going to be in any SEC thing. so So for that reason, i I mean, look, the line's close. It wouldn't surprise me if this closed pick-em, kind of like previous games we've talked about.
00:33:36
Mike Bell
i wil so If A&M wins this game, I mean, it's hard to imagine them not not running the table. They have at Missouri, which is tough, and then at Texas, which could be tough.
00:33:48
Mike Bell
But this is the toughest of those three. And i for now, will tell you I'm kind of expecting LSU to win this game. But it's going to be really fun to watch.
00:34:03
Mike Bell
And, yeah, that's I guess that's really everything I have to say about the game.
00:34:07
Kaleb
Yeah, literally, I really think you were just reading from my notes, to be honest, because pretty much what you said, it's exactly ah what I had down.
00:34:18
Kaleb
i would say, just to add to it, I would say like ah at this point in the season, he has shown more consistency him. okay ah The only reason why I would give LSU a shot is just like you said exactly. The combination of...
00:34:34
Kaleb
playing at LSU, but also being in a must must-win situation, not only for the team, but also for Brian Kelly, which can make the team a little bit more motivated, too. um Honestly, LSU's offense has been pretty subpar. Their defense has played well.
00:34:50
Kaleb
um And y'all's offense, I mean, you're not necessarily wrong. They're top 40 in all major categories, and their defense is just slightly behind that. um
00:35:02
Kaleb
So... Y'all just have been more consistent than LSU has thus far. It's like every other week, like what are you going to get from Nussmeier or just the entire LSU defense?
00:35:16
Kaleb
So I think, honestly, the path for victory here for you guys is just have a good run game. You're 15th in the nation in time of possession.
00:35:29
Kaleb
don't ah Don't force Marcel Reid to get into past situations. As long as you guys don't do that, i think you have pretty good six you know I think you'll have a pretty good shot at winning this game.
00:35:40
Kaleb
But not to say that that will be easy, just because I think it's going to be a very emotional game, number one, because it's a you know potential for them to knock off a top-five team at home in this must-win situation for Brian Kelly. Because if he loses – I mean, you're right.
00:35:55
Kaleb
what What's the percentage that he's gone within a couple weeks maybe even? I don't know. um I think it'll be a good game though, honestly, because this is – I feel like for the majority of the time, it's been an interesting game to watch every year.
00:36:13
Kaleb
So um
00:36:17
Kaleb
I don't know. But I would like to say this. You'll have to give A&M credit. if they go into LSU, why are you smirking?
00:36:27
Mike Bell
i just loved I just love to hear that. Keep going and complimenting A&M. love it.
00:36:34
Kaleb
So guys, if we did this podcast last year, Michael would have to do the same thing here if he were being unbiased, okay? Especially November. um That's all I was going to say.
00:36:46
Kaleb
You have to give A&M credit if they go in there and pull it off. Because like you said, LSU is... Probably the hardest. I mean, really, like you ah who would you say maybe would even make it a competition of who had the hardest stadium to go play in at night or whatever?
00:37:02
Mike Bell
I would say at Penn State during a wide out.
00:37:04
Kaleb
Yeah, okay.
00:37:06
Mike Bell
I would say Auburn. That is a tough place.
00:37:10
Kaleb
Ohio State, maybe.
00:37:13
Mike Bell
Yeah, Ohio State's a weird one because like, yes, but is that more so just because their team is elite or is it because the environment's elite? It's probably a great environment too, but the level that the environment raises LSU is different from the environment raising Ohio State.
00:37:32
Mike Bell
So like, it's just,
00:37:34
Kaleb
you remember what they said on game day when they, first of all, yeah, but that interview they did with Lane Kiffin on game day was pretty funny. But, ah you know, they were asking, how are you going to do your last second adjustments ah to Chambliss when he was out there, like in this environment, being the loudest environment he's going to play in, being at Athens, Georgia.
00:37:53
Kaleb
He was like, well, I'll tell you this. forgot what quarterback it was, but when he was playing, or when he was ah offensive coordinator at Alabama, I forgot what quarterback was for, but he whistled at him at LSU at night and he heard him.
00:38:06
Kaleb
So he's like, I'm not really worried. You know, he referenced LSU in specific for a reason, right?
00:38:11
Mike Bell
yeah
00:38:12
Kaleb
So,
00:38:15
Kaleb
yeah, I mean, maybe Alabama's state, maybe Alabama too. Yeah.
00:38:22
Mike Bell
Yeah, I don't know. i would probably put Tennessee up there at Tennessee.
00:38:26
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:38:28
Mike Bell
I mean, it's biased.
00:38:29
Kaleb
and I mean, A&M 2. So, like, i think A&M 2.
00:38:34
Mike Bell
Yep.
00:38:35
Kaleb
Okay. um I would say this. I think Texas is a little underrated. The only thing I would say about that is just... Like, when we have huge games there, like, Texas gets pretty rocking.
00:38:48
Kaleb
But, like, if we don't have a huge game, it's, like, not that same level. So that's the only reason why I would knock Texas. But if we're playing, like, a huge matchup, like... believe that when you guys come to Austin, I mean, it is going to be insanely crazy.
00:39:05
Mike Bell
Yeah, but that's a different that's a different level, though. I i mean, you're talking – look, every stadium can get crazy, but you're talking about – you're asking comparisons to LSU, and Texas just isn't on that level.
00:39:19
Kaleb
Well, okay.
00:39:19
Mike Bell
It never has
00:39:20
Kaleb
I would agree to that because they're always, it's, they have consistency and also,
00:39:26
Mike Bell
I'm not talking about consistency. I'm talking about just in the big games. Like LSU is a different level. I think A&M is a different level. Tennessee is known for that. Texas really – it's just – look up the rankings. Texas will never be in like the top, like 15 to 20.
00:39:41
Kaleb
Never say never.
00:39:41
Mike Bell
eight it's just not It's just not what they do. But anyway, um I'm excited for the game.
Texas's Upcoming Challenges and Opportunities
00:39:49
Mike Bell
But since you want to talk a little bit about Texas, let's go ahead and talk about Texas.
00:39:53
Mike Bell
they They face Mississippi State this week. And how are you feeling about that game being what you watched last week?
00:40:04
Kaleb
um
00:40:07
Kaleb
Yeah, I'm definitely nervous. ah Just because Mississippi State is better than Kentucky. and They have the 98th... Hold on one second.
00:40:21
Kaleb
So the run defense is pretty bad. Ray can get 98th in the country, um just under 200 yards per game. And that's exactly what Texas needs, honestly, because we need a run game to help support Arch.
00:40:34
Kaleb
And... and Basically, just our defense needs to show up, as they've done, and just play slightly better in the past game. Because last week, there were they there were a little leaky at some points in the game. And that quarterback is not as good as Chapin is for Mississippi State. so um Interesting. Another little trivia thing is their top wide receiver, Brennan Thompson, is actually a Texas transfer.
00:41:03
Kaleb
so Anyway, little ah little nugget of information for you for the day, free. But yeah, I think especially playing at Mississippi State, yeah, I mean, i'm not I'm not excited about this. Just because, not to think that or say that Mississippi State is going to have a huge like home advantage or anything on us.
00:41:26
Kaleb
But, and it honestly pissed me off a little bit because everybody was like coming at Arch again for the way he played against Kentucky. But what do you expect?
00:41:35
Mike Bell
The O-line.
00:41:36
Kaleb
Do what?
00:41:36
Mike Bell
Yeah. The O-line.
00:41:39
Kaleb
Yeah, like what do you expect a quarterback, regardless who it is, to do? Like if he as soon as he hikes, he's already about to get tackled. Like you can't expect much.
00:41:49
Kaleb
If anything, you have to almost give him ah some sort of applause for how much he's accomplished. um this year because and actually let me go look at this real quick if you want to say something you can because every time i look at it that his numbers surprise me because it's like holy crap our offense really has not played that well at all and he's you know got this many touchdowns and the majority of them have come come against the uh cupcakes on our schedule uh for sure but still they count right
00:42:21
Mike Bell
They count. And I guess just while you're looking that up, I would say, you know, you said that Mississippi State is better than Kentucky. I agree. The thing is, it may be a better matchup for you, although for the reasons of Mississippi State does not defend against the run very well.
00:42:38
Mike Bell
And that's an opportunity for you guys and for Arch because I know he likes to run the ball. And they also don't get after the passer very well. Now, again, good for Arch, but here's the deal.
00:42:50
Mike Bell
If Mississippi State is still getting after the passer, being that that's not what they do, then then good luck because this is a Mississippi State ah offense that can move the ball better than Kentucky, as you were saying.
00:43:03
Mike Bell
So that's all I have to say about it. But but yeah but yeah, you can go ahead if you found whatever stat.
00:43:10
Kaleb
Yeah, I just briefly, and I don't like think this is like, I think it's pretty good given the arsenal that we have to work with, ah meaning the offensive line, okay?
00:43:24
Kaleb
Arch has 12 touchdowns, five interceptions, okay? Is that spectacular? No, not necessarily, but that's better than a lot of other teams' quarterbacks that you'd probably put ahead of Texas at this point in the season.
00:43:35
Kaleb
So anyway, that's just what I wanted to say about that. um Like you said, yes. I mean, if Mississippi State's defense is able to go out there like and kill Arch, um and our defense isn't able to contain the pass as well as it previously has, yeah, we could be in some trouble for sure.
00:43:55
Kaleb
um i would still probably have to give the slight edge to Texas, but there's definitely a chance for a Mississippi State to show up and win this game.
00:44:08
Mike Bell
Yeah, I think this is a good kind of get-right spot for Texas in the sense that this is kind of their last opportunity for a get-right spot against a suspect defense. If there's something they want to work on on ah offense, get some confidence, this is the week.
00:44:23
Mike Bell
Because all of a sudden, y'all's schedule's starting to look a little bit interesting. You host, develop, and text-by-step.
00:44:29
Kaleb
Yeah, I know. Beginning the year, guys, this guy was saying, man, that schedule. and
00:44:34
Mike Bell
And you still it it still is very favorable.
00:44:36
Kaleb
I don't know about that. sure.
00:44:37
Mike Bell
But you host Vanderbilt, and that's not going to be an interesting game no matter what happens this week.
00:44:43
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:44:43
Mike Bell
Next game at Georgia, pencil that in as a loss.
00:44:43
Kaleb
Well,
00:44:47
Mike Bell
The next game, and this is this is, I think, a very fascinating game, is hosting Arkansas.
00:44:53
Kaleb
yeah
00:44:55
Mike Bell
Because Arkansas is not going to be stopped. They are going to score. Now, their defense can't stop anybody either.
00:45:03
Mike Bell
they can score, and I think they're going to score against Texas because they score against everybody. Now, I'm sure ah Texas will also be able to score on that defense, but How are they at that point in the season?
00:45:16
Mike Bell
You know, because is Art still having issues? So that may look like the easiest game. It may not be the easiest game. And then obviously at the end of the year, they host A&M.
00:45:23
Kaleb
right
00:45:24
Mike Bell
So point being, Texas now is in a position where it's like they shouldn't feel comfortable about any of these games going forward. So it's going to be an interesting team to watch.
00:45:41
Kaleb
yeah i mean i i completely agree with you i still am just chuckling a little bit just he's saying that our schedule but I mean, we, so yes, we play at Mississippi state. Then after the next four games, man, it's three top 10 teams at this point in the season.
00:45:56
Kaleb
um And I honestly, Arkansas is just very dangerous. I think they're very capable of upsetting anybody that they play. um
00:46:09
Kaleb
And they very well could upset Texas for sure. And it may not even be an upset by the time we play I don't know. We'll have to see, I guess, but yeah,
00:46:20
Kaleb
Their ah offense is very dangerous. ah Texas is in a spot, man, where it's like you know the fans just need to chill out on Arch and just kind of realize that we might need to start looking at next year and really judge to see how Sarkeesian does in this portal, not to say that he's going to the hot seat next year by any means, or he should not be, ah will say.
00:46:44
Kaleb
um But, yeah, it maybe we overlooked, like, getting some offensive linemen, whatever. But upcoming schedule schedule for Texas, it's going to be a little scary because, man, if we lose Mississippi State,
00:47:01
Kaleb
I think, honestly, our defense matches up pretty well with Vandy's offense just because –
00:47:06
Mike Bell
Yeah.
00:47:09
Kaleb
Very run heavy, and that's the that's the strength of our defense, which which is pretty good all around, but especially good against the run. But anyway, i don't we don't have to go on a tangent with Texas. But anyway, um is this game dangerous that we play this Saturday?
00:47:24
Kaleb
Yes, it is. and If we're able to go in there and win, i think that – it'd be a pretty good win, you know, and Jeff Levy, you know, honestly, couple of weeks ago, people were like, dang, he's actually doing something down there, you know, cause he barely lost against Tennessee.
00:47:40
Kaleb
There was another pretty good team to that. He, it was a very competitive game. I forgot who it was, but, uh, right off the top of my head, but this is what his second year.
00:47:50
Kaleb
Yeah. Second or yeah, I'm pretty so certain, right. Second year. Um, this would be a great win for him. Now, hope it doesn't happen. um But it's kind of like do or die moment for the season, per se. Not necessarily Jeff Levy's job, but if they lose this game, they're four and four.
00:48:07
Kaleb
So, they can still make a bowl, for sure.
00:48:08
Mike Bell
Yeah.
00:48:11
Kaleb
But
00:48:14
Kaleb
as far as like, yeah, right.
00:48:14
Mike Bell
Yeah, it's a tough that schedule.
Big Ten and Other Key Matchups
00:48:19
Mike Bell
Okay, well, let's briefly maybe dive into just what other games may be going on. i don't know which ones maybe catch your eye. There's one at 11 that maybe people will be overlooking, and that is UCLA versus Indiana.
00:48:36
Mike Bell
And I'm just saying, UCLA has been playing a lot better. Like, I actually wanted to take care of business, don't get me wrong, but the spread on the game was 24 and a half.
00:48:40
Kaleb
Whatever it is, yeah.
00:48:47
Mike Bell
I actually think it could be closer than that. UCLA kind of had a little bit of a a step back last week because they barely beat Maryland 20 to 17, but you know what, they still...
00:48:55
Kaleb
Maryland's not a good bad team, though, by any means.
00:48:57
Mike Bell
Yeah, yeah, so... I'm just saying be prepared for that game and to be a little closer. Anything on that game and then any other game you want to talk about?
00:49:07
Kaleb
I don't necessarily have anything on the usc UCLA and the Indiana game. um i think I think the Illinois-Washington game can pretty be pretty good just because really i think both of those teams are kind of in the same spot in the Big Ten, meaning you know you have your first tier of the Big Ten teams.
00:49:31
Kaleb
You got Oregon, Ohio State,
00:49:34
Kaleb
ohio state Dang, who was the other team?
00:49:37
Mike Bell
And then
00:49:37
Kaleb
Oh, Indiana. um And then who else behind there, right? And I think Illinois, Washington are kind of right there in the mix. So Washington's got both a pretty good offense and defense.
00:49:49
Kaleb
um I think Altmaier, I think he covers some boo-boos for Illinois just as the team. ah with them playing at Washington, which that is a pretty, like in big games or big situations, which I think this is just because the way that Washington lost last week to Michigan, I think their crowd shows up and propels Washington to win.
00:50:12
Kaleb
Because Washington's had, you know, both these teams are five and two and you can probably argue and say maybe Illinois has had slightly better or harder schedule to play against versus Washington. But,
00:50:26
Kaleb
Anyway, i think their overall Washington on both sides of the ball is just slightly better than Illinois. However, Illinois, their quarterback, Altmeier, is very good.
00:50:38
Mike Bell
Yeah, I don't know what I think about that because, look, Illinois has two losses, and it's to the number one and number two team in the country, you know?
00:50:46
Kaleb
Yeah, right.
00:50:47
Mike Bell
And they beat USC, whereas Washington, yeah, they've looked good, but then there are two chances against ah good teams. Ohio State, okay, they lost. And then Michigan, they lost.
00:50:59
Mike Bell
So this is kind of ah a chance for both teams to, like you were saying, have a chance to be that fourth team in the Big Ten. It's kind of a little crowded right now. Kind of the last chance for both these teams to be relevant. You lose this one, you're kind of you kind of fade away into the you know middle of the Big Ten.
00:51:19
Mike Bell
So, yeah, I still don't know what I think about Illinois. i think they're good. I think it's a tough spot for them, though. After Washington lost, it's at Washington. cross-country trip, basically.
00:51:31
Mike Bell
think this is the first time Illinois is going to ever play at Washington. So, yeah, it is going to be a fun game to watch for sure. It's fun to watch the Big Ten as well, just trying to decide who that fourth team will be. There's still a lot of teams like in contention for that.
00:51:47
Mike Bell
So, yes, I agree. That's going to be a fun game. One more game for me is BYU against Iowa State. Can BYU keep their voodoo magic alive?
00:52:01
Mike Bell
And also, Iowa State is off a bye here. Iowa State should be the better team, but, you know, I've said that against BYU now for, like, three straight weeks. The thing is, BYU, they're coming off something like
00:52:13
Kaleb
You'll be right.
00:52:15
Mike Bell
well yeah, they're coming off some like pretty battle-tested wins. And i think it helps Iowa State. They're getting healthier. They've had some injuries coming off the bye. I could just see that that kind of being BYU's last stand.
00:52:31
Mike Bell
So I'm excited to see that one. Big 12 implications, obviously.
00:52:35
Kaleb
Oh, yeah, for sure. You know, I think you have to give BYU some props for being able to win against Utah. um Utah's always just one of those teams that they're just very sound in what they do.
00:52:50
Kaleb
um So huge props to them for that. Like you said, Iowa State's coming off a bye week with the two previous games being losses to Colorado and Cincinnati, okay?
00:53:02
Kaleb
And their coach, by the way, matt Campbell, he's definitely one under the radar for one of these bigger jobs.
00:53:07
Mike Bell
Thank you.
00:53:08
Kaleb
Now, I don't know if he had actually leave Iowa state to go to these places, but that guy is what he has been able to do with Iowa state. I mean, it's honestly pretty crazy. I don't know how many years he's been there. He's probably been there for,
00:53:24
Kaleb
he's probably almost been there for about 10 years, 10 to 15 years by this point, you know, and before, before him,
00:53:31
Kaleb
Iowa State was pretty much irrelevant every year, you know, and he has brought them like crazy amount of results, honestly, in my opinion, given the program.
00:53:42
Kaleb
um Can Iowa State control their run game and force some turnovers? BYU doesn't turn the ball over. They rank 14th in the nation with a six-plus margin.
00:53:54
Kaleb
So if Iowa State wants to have a – ah decent shot at winning this game, run the ball, make BYU turn the ball over, win the turnover battle for the day.
00:54:04
Kaleb
ah i think that will be the key there.
00:54:09
Mike Bell
Agreed. Okay. Two more games. I don't have a lot to say about them, but just quickly Alabama at South Carolina and then ah USF at Memphis.
Potential Upsets and Rivalries
00:54:19
Mike Bell
Those are just two games. I'll kind of be keeping an eye on big for, uh,
00:54:24
Mike Bell
for the For USF, if they can win this game, they're virtually a lot to be that power group of whatever it's called, four, power five team that gets in. Because Memphis, this would have been a great game if Memphis could have just won last week.
00:54:39
Kaleb
Yeah, right.
00:54:40
Mike Bell
But now it's like, but if Memphis now wins this game, I don't know who that team's going to be of the group of five. this Navy is a candidate, but...
00:54:53
Mike Bell
I don't know why they have it where one of those teams has to get in. Like, if they're having a really good year, fine. But what if they all lose two games? You know, know.
00:55:00
Kaleb
yeah right
00:55:02
Mike Bell
But then ah I wanted to bring up Alabama, South Carolina quickly because ah South Carolina is really bad. Alabama is really good. But kind of a classic letdown game.
00:55:13
Kaleb
Mm-hmm.
00:55:14
Mike Bell
Letdown spot.
00:55:14
Kaleb
Trap game for Alabama, for sure.
00:55:16
Mike Bell
Yeah, yeah, just because i want to say that their next game is LSU. That or they have a bye week next week. I don't remember. I think next game is LSU. and And it's just like, okay, they're coming off this slate of tough games, and now it's just South Carolina, but it's on the road.
00:55:34
Mike Bell
And you know South Carolina is going to give them their best shot, so just something to keep an eye on there. But, yeah, don't know you have any thoughts on those games.
00:55:43
Kaleb
You know, briefly, i don't really have anything to say necessarily, but the Kansas State-Kansas game, you know, that's going to be – that's always kind of an interesting game just because interstate – in-state rivals.
00:55:49
Mike Bell
Mm-hmm.
00:55:55
Kaleb
ah My uncle lives like 20 minutes away from Lawrence, so that's always kind of an interesting game to watch for me personally. um I think maybe an underrated game is going to be the Auburn-Arkansas game just because – Like earlier we were talking about with – oh, goodness.
00:56:19
Kaleb
What were those teams? I forgot. Strength on strength, basically. Oh, Ole Miss and OU. So what's the strength of Auburn?
00:56:25
Mike Bell
Yep.
00:56:26
Kaleb
Their defense. What's the strength of Arkansas? Their offense. So if you put if you slap numbers next to their are names, this would be like a top-tier matchup.
00:56:31
Mike Bell
yeah
00:56:35
Kaleb
But because they're both unranked, it's kind of getting overlooked in my opinion. I think it has to make it to be a pretty good game. And honestly, I think whoever wins this game, it's a pretty good win. um I know Arkansas is – hold on one second. Arkansas is Auburn is 3-4. Okay.
00:56:53
Kaleb
But
00:56:57
Kaleb
I think they're both good teams. Like I i know it sounds crazy.
00:57:00
Mike Bell
i know it's
00:57:02
Kaleb
Huh?
00:57:02
Mike Bell
yeah I know what you mean.
00:57:04
Kaleb
Because I know it's crazy to say that about Arkansas being two and five, but, man, they I'm telling you, man, just –
00:57:11
Mike Bell
The best two and five team you'll ever see.
00:57:14
Kaleb
But yeah, exactly. Exactly. Anyway, just briefly looking at games, that's definitely one that will be interesting. at plays It starts at 11.45 on SEC Network.
00:57:26
Kaleb
So I'd have to go back and you know kind of just look and see what other games come on at the 11 o'clock slot to see what games would be in competition with watching it.
00:57:36
Mike Bell
Mm-hmm.
00:57:36
Kaleb
ah Oh, Ole Miss and Oklahoma. ah Okay. I mean... I can have that on two vision. But anyway, i think that's another good one.
00:57:47
Kaleb
Did you see any other ones that you saw that were might be interesting, regardless of rank or whoever?
00:57:53
Mike Bell
I guess briefly, I'll just mention Minnesota versus Iowa, both five and two, both three and one in the Big Ten.
00:57:59
Kaleb
have them too. Mm-hmm.
00:58:02
Mike Bell
I still don't think either one of those teams are going to be the fourth team in the Big Ten, but they're both kind of surprisingly three and one in Iowa. has been all a sudden looking good after they like looked really bad the first like games of the season.
00:58:15
Kaleb
They're weird singing for sure.
00:58:18
Mike Bell
And then they just blew out Wisconsin. Their quarterback looked bad. didn't think they'd be able to put up that many points. They had like – I think it was 37 to nothing. And then last week they had a ah good win versus Penn State, which is still, I think they get credit for that because, you know, Penn State is very talented. So they won. And then now Minnesota coming off that big win against Nebraska.
00:58:38
Mike Bell
Whoever wins this will be four and one in the Big Ten and probably gets ranked. And just one to maybe keep an eye on But other than that, that's about all I got.
00:58:52
Kaleb
Yeah, so how Iowa was able to score as many points as they did is they had the punter out there punting the ball to the wide receiver on the offensive drives. That's kind of how they do things over there.
00:59:03
Kaleb
And it worked out pretty well for them that game. And that being said, you know, i was thinking about this this week, though. Luke Fickle, the coach for Wisconsin, remember him being like a hot name maybe like three to four years ago before he took the Wisconsin job when he made Cincinnati pretty relevant again.
00:59:17
Kaleb
Because up to that point, the last time Cincinnati was relevant was when Brian Kelly was there. And then Luke Thickel went there and kind of turned them into something. And then went to Wisconsin. And it just hasn't worked out for whatever the reason may be.
00:59:18
Mike Bell
Mm-hmm.
00:59:30
Kaleb
So I was kind of thinking about that. Like, does Wisconsin move on from him? And I think Wisconsin's a very hard, ah very hard, especially now with so many great elite teams being in the Big Ten. Because before Luke Thickel was there,
00:59:45
Kaleb
luke fickle was there I don't know if it was, I don't know if somebody was between him and Brett Belima, the Illinois coach or not, but you know, the only time Wisconsin might've had a couple of spotty years or whatever before this. I mean, who knows?
00:59:59
Kaleb
I'm not the Wisconsin historian, but, um, I remember like when we were middle school and stuff, Wisconsin being very good, very good for maybe about five years, as long as they have Brett Belima there.
01:00:07
Mike Bell
Yeah.
01:00:12
Kaleb
Um,
01:00:14
Kaleb
And even if they don't necessarily have the best record, I don't want to ever like necessarily say it's like an easy win per se. You know, I think it's, there's still, ah may not be the best win, but it'll be a quality win, I guess you say.
01:00:23
Mike Bell
yeah
01:00:32
Mike Bell
good Okay, well, I think that about does it. I'm looking forward to this week. Go Aggies. And I will see you next time.
01:00:42
Kaleb
All right, see you.