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James Franklin Fired, Is Texas Back? Indiana Smashes Oregon and USC is back in the spotlight.
16 Plays8 months ago
In this Week 7 college football recap, we dive into a chaotic slate of games packed with upsets and drama. Indiana stuns Oregon, ending their 18-game home win streak with a dominant second half. Alabama grinds out a tight 27-24 win over Missouri, led by Ty Simpson’s 200 yards and three touchdowns, while controlling time of possession. Ohio State capitalizes on Illinois’ three turnovers for a 34-16 victory, despite being outgained. USC flips the script, rushing for 224 yards to overpower Michigan’s vaunted defense. Georgia rallies past Auburn, but a controversial call and sluggish first half expose flaws. Florida State’s struggles continue, winless in the ACC for 385 days, raising questions about Mike Norvell’s job. Texas keeps the Golden Hat, dominating OU in the turnover battle. We also debate James Franklin’s future at Penn State after Northwestern’s late-game score and discuss the Heisman race between Simpson and Mendoza, plus which Big Ten team could snag that fourth playoff spot. Subscribe for more college football breakdowns!
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Transcript
Midseason College Football Excitement
00:00:01
Mike Bell
All right, welcome back to another episode of Balone Coverage. I'm Mike Bell with my co-host Caleb Schwerer. ah Caleb, we've got a lot of big games to get to ah some big storylines to delve into and i almost don't even know where to start.
00:00:19
Mike Bell
I think you agree with me. This seemed like the best college football weekend of the year so far. ah These games are carrying more and more weight to them. ah week by week now.
00:00:32
Mike Bell
And yeah, this was definitely my favorite week of the season so far. What say you?
00:00:38
Kaleb
would agree. i I think this is by far the best ah week of college football. and it's a bittersweet week, really, because this marks the week of – we're halfway through the season now.
00:00:50
Kaleb
And it just feels like it started yesterday, to be honest, which really sucks. But it was a great week. Look forward to next week. And this is when football really starts to matter here
James Franklin's Firing and Legacy Discussion
00:01:00
Kaleb
pretty soon. So overall exciting.
00:01:03
Mike Bell
Agreed. Agreed. um Yeah, we are halfway through the season and we're already starting to get into ah coaches getting fired. And I think that's probably the big storyline of the week and of the day right now.
00:01:19
Mike Bell
And that is James Franklin has been fired after ah starting the season three and three. a shocker last week when they lost a UCLA, but an even bigger shocker this week, losing to Northwestern.
00:01:34
Mike Bell
ah They decided the time was now. And it's shocking to see him ah be fired and at the same time not so shocking, I guess. A lot of people kind of thought, okay, you're kind of reaching that point.
00:01:47
Mike Bell
um He was there for 12 years. ah What are your thoughts on it?
00:01:55
Kaleb
I mean, i guess I would probably have the same stance on it as you for the most part. um I think to some degree it is shocking. And I think in our last episode, we were talking about how Penn State, yes, it's like a really good job. But at the same time, I think it's a little bit more difficult ah as far as a competition.
00:02:17
Kaleb
aspect. like Yes, he can get some pretty good recruits still, but I think like basically, especially now that Oregon and Penn State are in there, I mean,
00:02:30
Kaleb
not Penn State, I'm so sorry, USC and UCLA, yeah, sorry, those teams are in the Big Ten now.
00:02:33
Mike Bell
UCLA. Yeah.
00:02:36
Mike Bell
Washington.
00:02:37
Kaleb
I think... Yes, Washington too. um I think it's just go to make it harder for teams that aside from like maybe you could say Michigan or Ohio State, like the – the really big teams, I think it's going to make it a little bit harder for them to be able to attract attention because, I mean, honestly, like, would you rather go to Oregon or would you rather go to Penn State?
00:02:57
Kaleb
Probably what it will boil down to is what what's closer for you and your family. um But James Franklin, he did a great job as far as getting the – it was almost kind of like a rising Phoenix type of thing where he helped Penn state literally come out of the ashes.
00:03:14
Kaleb
I know Bill O'Brien kind of helped there for about two years ah before James Franklin took over and did you know a good job there. But James Franklin really excelled the program. It's just, and we talked about this like last week, it's just, you know, he's been there for 12 years and I would probably say,
00:03:32
Kaleb
I don't know off the top of my head, but I'd maybe say eight years of that. They're at least a 10 win team, but that's, that's it. They haven't necessarily taken the next step. So I can, honestly, I hate that for James Franklin, him to go out this way, just because I think he deserves better. I think he's a really good coach.
Booster Pressure and Coaching Changes Speculation
00:03:50
Kaleb
But I guess i I can see it from the boosters or whatever perspective, you know, of them firing him because it's like, man, you have all this talent and they probably were overhyped to some extent, but you're three and three now and you are preseason ranked number two, which I'm not saying, um you know, I'm not going to put too much stock in them being preseason number two because nobody knows.
00:04:13
Kaleb
But I don't know. It sucks, but, you know, Ben consistent above 10 games will get you there, but not much further, so I get it to an extent.
00:04:27
Mike Bell
Yeah, I agree. i think the time was now to do this. You had just said that you know he had had multiple 10-win seasons, and not to take away, because at the end of the day, he did have those seasons, but
00:04:32
Kaleb
Oh
00:04:42
Mike Bell
The Big Ten now wasn't what it was when he had those 10 win seasons.
00:04:45
Kaleb
yeah.
00:04:48
Mike Bell
And look, should you expect perfection out of coaches? No, like especially depending on the program. Like I think there is, especially now, going to be more and more variance in the win-loss column.
00:05:02
Mike Bell
ah The thing is with him is if you couldn't get it done this year, I mean, i don't know when you're going to get it done. You've kind of had opportunity after opportunity. This did seem to be their year.
00:05:14
Mike Bell
And he wasn't he still wasn't fired for losing to Oregon. That's not what got him fired. What got him fired is like, look, man, this is going off the rails.
00:05:22
Kaleb
the effort.
00:05:23
Mike Bell
Now you've lost to two very bad. and you know I mean, Northwestern has a winning record, but they shouldn't be on State's level.
00:05:29
Kaleb
for yeah yeah
00:05:32
Mike Bell
um I think it's possible to still think James Franklin is a top 15 coach in the nation and still agree with him being let go and just say, Hey man, this isn't the fit.
00:05:46
Mike Bell
ah This isn't going to work right now. And he does deserve a ton of credit because at the end of the day, ah his two jobs have been Vanderbilt where did a good job and Penn state where he did a good job.
00:05:54
Kaleb
I think he went nine and four when he was at Vanderbilt, if I'm not mistaken.
00:05:57
Mike Bell
If I'm,
00:06:01
Mike Bell
i believe so.
00:06:01
Kaleb
I could be wrong. But, I mean, it's that's ah that's a big deal for Vanderbilt, too, before NIL and everything.
00:06:03
Mike Bell
ah believe so. And that's,
00:06:09
Mike Bell
Right, right. So it's like one of those situations for him where if a big program needs a coach that has even better resources than Penn State, I wouldn't be afraid of James Franklin. I would say, okay, yeah, I think he could do a good job. but
00:06:22
Mike Bell
It just wasn't working at Penn State for whatever reason. I am curious to see what comes next for him and what comes next for Penn State. I don't know who they're going to hire.
00:06:22
Kaleb
Oh, yeah, for sure, yeah.
00:06:35
Mike Bell
who's going to be available because more jobs are going to open up it looks like florida may open up um they may not get a big name penn state but they just got to find like the right guy the right fit and just be prepared that it was a risk to do this because grass isn't greener on the other side you know necessarily right but still
00:06:57
Kaleb
Oftentimes, yeah. Especially like we both said, or like you said, i would probably probably agree with that. You know, the top 15 coach in the nation, it it's going to be hard to find another ah coach ah ahead of him that'd be willing to leave their school, which they probably already have built up to some extent.
00:07:16
Kaleb
Well, you know, that they're not comfortable, but, you know, they're getting their things done. Who's to say they would want to even leave? So it is a huge risk. Sometimes, yeah, go ahead.
00:07:25
Mike Bell
Here's the question. Well, here's here's the question for you. ah Let's say Sark leaves Texas for whatever reason. Would you be okay with James Franklin being the next head coach? How would you feel about that?
00:07:44
Kaleb
i think I think James Franklin would be a downgrade to what Sarka has shown me up to this point, because Sarka's, gosh, 2021. So he's been here...
00:07:56
Kaleb
guess this is maybe his this fifth season, excuse me. um And I know basically Sark has done more in less time than what James Franklin has done. Has Sark done this to a championship? No, but one year it was one like literally just one play away on the cusp of going to the championship, which more unlikely would have lost Michigan.
00:08:16
Kaleb
And then the second game at... what was it, was it 28 to 14 or something, Ohio State last year. But I think Ohio State was just destined last year.
00:08:27
Kaleb
So I would not be happy with that because I think a big thing was they're two different coaches. I think – well, and I think Sarkeesian is like a program coach as well. I think he's done a great job. You have to be when you're at Texas because you've got to manage the team, the boosters, everything.
00:08:45
Kaleb
Sark is like a very offensively minded and that's what James Franklin has lacked on his teams. He's had great defenses almost every single year and what limits them, either the quarterback play or wide receiver play, whatever the case may be.
00:08:58
Kaleb
It's on offense. So it would just be a different team direction.
00:09:04
Mike Bell
Yeah, I don't know.
00:09:04
Kaleb
What about you? Because they're comfortable them.
00:09:06
Mike Bell
i think i think i could i think I could debate you on that. um I don't know if
Texas and OU Performance Analyses
00:09:13
Mike Bell
Sark has done more with less. I would argue James Franklin has probably done more with less. You've got to think Texas has more resources.
00:09:19
Mike Bell
you know You just said...
00:09:20
Kaleb
not Less time.
00:09:21
Kaleb
Less time. i think james has less resources or yes James Franklin has less resources.
00:09:22
Mike Bell
yeah
00:09:27
Kaleb
I'm just saying as time frame goes. Has James Franklin been like one play away from a championship?
00:09:36
Mike Bell
I mean, wasn't he last year? Didn't they nearly ah win that game against, who was it against, in the playoffs? They were very close.
00:09:45
Kaleb
i know they the I know that they beat Boise State, and I forgot who they played after that. Let me actually look real quick.
00:09:54
Mike Bell
I guess while you're looking at that, my argument would be one of the biggest criticisms of Sark is that he hasn't won he struggles to win the big games.
00:10:04
Kaleb
Yeah. Yeah.
00:10:04
Mike Bell
So that's the same thing with James Franklin. like I think it is kind of comparable.
00:10:13
Mike Bell
and my And my point is, I'm not even saying that James Franklin is a better coach than Sark. I am just saying if Sark had to go for whatever reason and then you hire James Franklin, what would you think? Because to me, I think it's comparable. And being that it's comparable, I'm just making the point that James Franklin can get like a really good job and be expected to perform at a high level. Like I'd be curious to see what he could do with like major resources, you know?
00:10:40
Kaleb
Yeah. hey Would it be a huge dip between Sark and James Franklin for me? I don't think so. um i would just prefer Sark because I really respect what he's done for Texas.
00:10:51
Kaleb
Just fine.
00:10:53
Mike Bell
Well, very well. ah Enjoy it because he's only going to be there for like two more years. But let's move on to the into the games themselves.
00:11:02
Kaleb
Well, you want to?
00:11:06
Mike Bell
ah Stacked weekend. ahead. ah go ahead
00:11:10
Kaleb
um Penn State actually ah almost – so ah the Notre Dame-Penn State game last year, it was twenty seven twenty four I believe. So they actually took Notre Dame basically to the end.
00:11:23
Kaleb
So, okay, fine. Stark and – that might have been their closest.
00:11:25
Mike Bell
they they they've been close. They've been close. But regardless...
00:11:30
Kaleb
ah If I'm not mistaken, that beat might have been the closest. Yeah.
00:11:34
Mike Bell
Yeah. but No, for sure it was the closest, for sure. It just felt like, last point on this, it just felt like the program was exhausted. Like, they're like, okay, you know what? We've squeezed this sponge as much as we can.
00:11:46
Kaleb
wow
00:11:47
Mike Bell
And, like, it's just, we're done.
00:11:47
Kaleb
well Yeah, well, I mean, you know, and I can't blame them on that. I mean, you know, one of my criticisms is whenever a huge university in Penn State, I would consider a huge university. Whenever these guys hire a coach, they don't give them enough time.
00:12:03
Kaleb
Like, for instance, I don't want to go like into this too, too in depth.
00:12:04
Mike Bell
Yes.
00:12:07
Kaleb
But the situation with Bill Belichick at North Carolina, there's already like rumors that him getting fired like right now, think is a little preposterous. I think, you know, and I saw an article saying how parents think that the culture there is toxic.
00:12:19
Kaleb
And I would say, okay, if it's truly toxic and it's like not necessarily a good environment for the players and stuff like that, okay, fine. Maybe you can have an argument to fire a coach. Okay. I won't necessarily say like, you know, yeah or, uh,
00:12:32
Kaleb
ah challenge them on that. But as long as that stuff's fine and just have a realistic expectation and be patient and allow the coaches to kind of do their thing and get stuff incorporated because it takes time.
00:12:46
Kaleb
ah You know, some Texas was the same way for a couple, ah you know, for ah hot minute actually before we got Sark, you know, it just felt like coaches that we had only had one to two years and boom, onto the next, you know, kind of unfair, really, really.
00:12:59
Mike Bell
Yeah. No, I agree. I think coaches have got to be given more time. Letting them go in their first year, you just can't do it. They actually, in the NFL, i don't know if you saw, but they just got, they fired Brian Callahan, I think is is his name.
00:13:12
Mike Bell
The Tennessee Titans.
00:13:13
Kaleb
Oh, yeah.
00:13:13
Mike Bell
Yeah.
00:13:15
Kaleb
Yes, for the Titans, yes.
00:13:16
Mike Bell
yeah Yeah.
00:13:17
Mike Bell
It's just like, yeah, the Titans looked horrible. Don't get me wrong, but it's just like, I don't know.
00:13:17
Kaleb
Rookie quarterback?
00:13:22
Kaleb
Who do they have to? That's the thing. Like, you know, I know they have ah Cam Ward. And Cam Ward,
00:13:32
Kaleb
maybe Justin Simmons, I think that's the defensive tackle or something they have. That's all I can think of off the top of my head from the team. So it's not like, what do you expect?
00:13:37
Mike Bell
Yeah.
00:13:38
Kaleb
What do you expect a coach to do when he has no players, really?
00:13:41
Mike Bell
Right, right. No, agreed. um Okay, let's get into these games because we have a lot to talk
Indiana's Historic Win and Future Prospects
00:13:47
Mike Bell
about.
00:13:47
Mike Bell
This was a stacked slate, especially the 230 games.
00:13:47
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:13:49
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:13:51
Mike Bell
I'm actually curious to know from you because I know you were watching the Texas OU game, how much of these you were able to really watch um because it wasn't just that there was another game on.
00:13:56
Kaleb
yeah
00:14:04
Mike Bell
It's that you know I have my setup where I have the main screen and then four side screens, but even that I could have... put more games in ah How were were you able to catch up on these games or what was your viewing experience like?
00:14:04
Kaleb
yeah
00:14:19
Kaleb
Well, I mean, we were talking about about the games a little bit ah during the OU game. So that and then also towards the end, whenever Texas had kind of sealed the game, I kind of started looking at the Indiana and Oregon game on my phone and started kind of watching that. Other than that, I mean – I think most people say, like, if your team's playing in a huge rivalry like that, especially was – I know the score was like 23-6, but I was like, OU's going to pull this out somehow.
00:14:55
Kaleb
You know, I was not turning that off the off the TV, and I have to – there's something about having it just like just that game. I don't know right now. Now, if it's if the Texas isn't on, then, yes, I can deal with the four people or four games.
00:15:03
Mike Bell
Right.
00:15:08
Kaleb
But –
00:15:08
Mike Bell
Right.
00:15:09
Kaleb
um
00:15:09
Mike Bell
Yeah.
00:15:11
Kaleb
Anyway, I know it was it was rather problem problematic, actually. and Like, it should be a crime to have that many good games on at the same time, honestly. Honestly,
00:15:21
Mike Bell
Yeah. Well, it it was very exciting.
00:15:23
Kaleb
I think. Mm-hmm. i think
00:15:27
Mike Bell
Yeah, yeah. Well, it was a great weekend. i think the first game we should get into first is Indiana-Oregon. That's where game day was.
00:15:38
Mike Bell
And ah Indiana, now sitting six and o walking into Oregon, who hadn't lost in 18 straight games, I didn't think Indiana just survived.
00:15:50
Mike Bell
I thought they dominated really the entire game, even whenever the score appeared to be close.
00:15:52
Kaleb
Oh, yeah.
00:15:56
Mike Bell
And look, not domination in the same way that Indiana dominated Illinois, obviously, but This wasn't like a fluky win situation where there was some like some weird turnovers or something like that.
00:16:11
Mike Bell
It just felt like from start to finish, Indiana won in all three phases of the game. They were better in all three phases, and that was so impressive to see versus an Oregon team that I still think is a great team.
00:16:27
Kaleb
Oh, yeah.
00:16:27
Mike Bell
um This is Indiana's first win over a top five team since beating Purdue in 1967. So you got to be excited if you're an Indiana fan.
00:16:41
Mike Bell
ah Yeah. What what were your thoughts on this game?
00:16:44
Kaleb
I also think it's the first time being ranked top three ever in program history, if I'm not mistaken. I could be wrong on that. um I thought it was a great game too. um You know, just kind of looking at the highlights and stuff afterwards, of course, because like I said just a second ago, I was focused on the OU Texas game.
00:17:03
Kaleb
And I think I should have some slack on that with it being one of the best games of the ah the year. typical are One of the best rivalries. But, you know, man, i we're both pretty high on Oregon, and I still am, you know.
00:17:19
Kaleb
It's just, man, it is interesting what Kurt Signetti is doing at Indiana. Because out of the two, would you think has the more NIL opportunities and who do you think has the better athletes probably?
00:17:32
Kaleb
yeah you know Nine out of 10 people i probably say at Oregon, which like you said,
00:17:34
Mike Bell
you
00:17:37
Kaleb
Indiana, which defense do you think would have performed better? Probably Oregon because that's what Dan Lanning has his hat. and like That's what he pins his hat on all the time it is the defense or whatever.
00:17:50
Kaleb
Well, Indiana's defense had two interceptions and six sacks on Dante Moore. yeah So he wasn't having all the time. They were pretty physical. um And last episode, we were talking about the connection between Mendoza and Surratt, and that showed up.
00:18:08
Kaleb
I mean, you know, he had eight receptions, 121 yards, one touchdown. And Mendoza, yes, he did have one interception. But,
00:18:20
Kaleb
I mean, i don't know. I don't want to say, like, it's a freebie, but Oregon's defense is really good, too. So, it's like, you know, one touchdown, one interception, it kind of offsets. I don't want to necessarily, like, give him slack on that.
00:18:32
Kaleb
But man, it's I don't know. It's just interesting to see. Like, I'm really curious how far Indiana can go. And because up to this point, man, it's like some teams have shown up really great one week and sometimes they don't the next week. And I'm not necessarily saying that's what I expect from Indiana.
00:18:51
Kaleb
Because like you said, they just came out straight out of the gate and dominated Illinois, um which I know we'll talk about the Ohio State-Illinois game at some point. But I don't think Illinois is a bad team either.
00:19:02
Kaleb
um I think it's pretty impressive. you know i really do. I'm excited to see kind of where the Big Ten goes by the time for the conference championship.
00:19:16
Mike Bell
That's going to be interesting because, you know, ah right now it seems like Ohio State's firing on on all cylinders. They're kind of a tough team to beat, but you could have said the same thing about Oregon. Everyone was kind of riding in Oregon for the Big Ten title game, and that would be an interesting game. But I got to tell you, Indiana versus Ohio State.
00:19:34
Mike Bell
I mean, Indiana, look, I think you put them right up there with the Ohio States, Miamis, and and well, now Indianas because they're a top three team in the country and they're legit.
00:19:46
Mike Bell
I mean, they i don't know how they put it all together, ah but what...
00:19:50
Kaleb
Honestly, man, just looking at their schedule right now, I mean, as long as they don't have any hiccups, man, they're probably going to be undefeated. i think the at Penn State game can be a track game.
00:20:00
Kaleb
But potentially, you know, Drew Aller being out, I don't even know who Penn State's backup quarterback is.
00:20:01
Mike Bell
For sure.
00:20:07
Mike Bell
Yeah.
00:20:10
Kaleb
But, I mean, it's interesting. But, you know, Indiana could be undefeated by the end of the year because they do not play Ohio State in their schedule.
00:20:18
Mike Bell
Right, right. Yeah, so it's going to interesting team to watch. I'm curious to see what Oregon does from here. I mean, they look both these teams are elite. You expect them to win out, but you never know what's going to happen.
00:20:29
Mike Bell
Look, Mendoza, right now, he's in my top two for Heisman. ah He's just been so good. He did make a critical mistake there kind of towards the end of the game, that pick six that he threw, which is really the only major mistake by Indiana all game.
00:20:44
Mike Bell
And when I was watching it, I was like, you know, that really sucks because Indiana has been really dominating here. And then now you've just let Oregon back in the game. And what did Indiana proceed to do? Just score 10 points and not allow the Oregon offense to score again after that. The Ducks had averaged 40 plus points coming in, just 20 on Saturday.
00:21:07
Mike Bell
And again, seven of those were off the pick six. Oregon's defense, I mean, still very legit, but...
00:21:12
Kaleb
Yeah. yeah
00:21:15
Mike Bell
But also, quick note, you know you you mentioned it. They had six sacks, Indiana did, and Oregon had only allowed one all season before that.
00:21:27
Mike Bell
So both sides of the ball, Indiana is just super impressive. And I'm excited to watch them going forward. They're obviously going to get national attention and rightfully so. i'm I can't wait for their next big game.
00:21:42
Mike Bell
And I'm very curious to see what they can do in a playoff run. So, yeah, it's been great to watch.
00:21:46
Kaleb
ah
00:21:49
Kaleb
Yeah, I would agree with that. um
00:21:55
Kaleb
I think it's pretty impressive, too, that their defense was able to do that against a again ah really good offense. I mean, they've got some really good pieces on the offense. And for Indiana to have done that, man, if they show if they show up like that like every game, which this point we don't really have a reason to expect them expect them not to –
00:22:17
Kaleb
In all fairness, I mean, every college team kind of has like an off week for – or not an off week, but it's just kind of like that down week, I guess could say, for whatever reason. It's kind of weird. Kind of like briefly mentioning this Ole Miss, ah Washington State this weekend, ah which thankfully – not thankfully, but Ole Miss was able to pull it out. But I don't really think much of it just because most teams kind of just have an off week like that randomly for whatever reason. Yeah.
00:22:46
Kaleb
Yeah, it'll be interesting.
00:22:48
Mike Bell
Yeah. Last point, just on Oregon, we've seen some teams not respond well after a loss.
Oregon's Path to Recovery
00:22:55
Mike Bell
And I guess I'm mostly referring to Penn state. Penn state was a little bit of a different situation, but this week Oregon goes to Rutgers and Rutgers has played pretty well, actually this season.
00:22:59
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:23:06
Mike Bell
So you, Yeah, well, they nearly beat Nebraska.
00:23:06
Kaleb
There was one of those sneaky teams, too, in the Big Ten.
00:23:09
Kaleb
With the record, Oracle, yeah.
00:23:12
Mike Bell
They nearly beat Nebraska last week. And not that Nebraska is a powerhouse, but they're a good team. And they're going to be at home, Rutgers are. And Oregon could just be thinking, like, coming off a big game, those emotional roller coasters, you know, if Rutgers comes out swinging, I mean, watch out for Oregon to be on upset alert. I'm not saying it's going to happen.
00:23:34
Mike Bell
I don't think it will. I think Oregon has a good enough coaching staff and team that expects to win. But I'm just saying watch out for that game.
00:23:43
Kaleb
yeah Yeah, you know for sure. and really their next three games, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Iowa, really all of those apply. I would probably say Iowa out of yeah look Out of those three, the most, just because Iowa, yes, I know, they punt and play defense. But for whatever reason, man, it's like every other year, Iowa just upsets like a top-tier team that surprises people.
00:24:07
Kaleb
However, it probably shouldn't. So I think what it'll boil down to is, okay, has it been like 700 or 820 days since we last upset somebody? And if it's right around that ballpark for them, it'll happen.
00:24:19
Kaleb
But, yeah, ah it'll be interesting. I think the Big Ten will be a – you know, I think it's – I'd have to sit here and think about it a little bit longer, but there it's either one a or 1B as far as the best conference.
00:24:32
Kaleb
So, anyway, it'll be you'll be interesting.
00:24:33
Mike Bell
Agreed.
00:24:35
Kaleb
I think the other big – I think the – I think the next big game that we could talk about would probably – just no bias, but just –
00:24:48
Kaleb
I'll just say it. Texas OU. Let's get into it. What were your thoughts on it?
00:24:54
Mike Bell
ah Well, I was actually hoping you would open with OU Texas because I'm sure you have a lot to say about the Texas side.
00:24:58
Kaleb
Okay.
00:25:00
Mike Bell
But since you've put me on the spot, going to You know, it was a good game. ah i mean, it depends on what you mean by good game. It wasn't necessarily the most pleasing game to watch because you have two offenses that were struggling.
00:25:18
Mike Bell
um I know you're going to cover a lot of the Texas angle, so I want to maybe cover a little bit more of the OU angle. And i just think for o u ah we talked about in the last episode how this was kind of a must-win game for them.
00:25:28
Kaleb
Yes.
00:25:34
Mike Bell
And I think it was. I think OU could be done. I think they're looking down the barrel of like an eight and four season, maybe best, because they've got five top 15 matchups remaining.
00:25:48
Kaleb
one
00:25:48
Mike Bell
It's the nation's toughest schedule remaining. ah Mateer, look, just getting back from surgery, i get it. Did that factor in? Sure. But what else did we talk about before ah this game is the turnover battle.
00:26:04
Mike Bell
And that is what made the difference is the three turnovers by And particularly, i thought the one that changed the game, because OU was kind of moving the ball well in the first half. Like they were moving the ball decent. They weren't able to finish, but they were moving the ball.
00:26:21
Mike Bell
And at the end of the half, that interception by Matier, yeah, that changed everything because, yeah, it just, it was,
00:26:24
Kaleb
Oh, yeah, in the end zone. Yeah. So really, honestly, because they were like maybe 15 yards out of field goal range. And in those types of games, like ah I forgot who it was, maybe Joel Klatt or joel ah Josh Pate, three points is like seven points in those games. And truly, in that game, it really was. And you can maybe even argue eight points or something. i don't know.
00:26:49
Kaleb
But three points is a lot. Go ahead.
00:26:52
Mike Bell
Yeah, well, so Sark called it, you know, a momentum-changing play, and and it was ah because, you know, second half, you know, Texas kind of found their rhythm, and again, OU turned the ball over.
00:27:04
Mike Bell
OU on defense actually played decent in terms of, like, getting after Arch, but but then, the again, the Texas offense started to find just enough of a rhythm, and those turnovers are eventually just going to get to you.
00:27:19
Mike Bell
Yeah.
00:27:19
Kaleb
Especially in one of those games where it's just no matter the players, the stars, what ah just a lot of emotions, turnovers are huge part.
00:27:30
Mike Bell
Yeah, and the second half yardage for Texas was very good. It really was a tell-off two halves.
00:27:36
Kaleb
Oh, for sure.
00:27:36
Mike Bell
So, you know, big picture, this puts Texas back in the playoff conversation. ah Two losses, can you get in with three? I think eventually there will be a three-loss team.
00:27:47
Mike Bell
um But i didn't I did notice Texas, they're starting to find a little bit of a rhythm. I'm not here to say that Texas is, they're just fully back and they're this elite team.
00:27:59
Mike Bell
No, because I watched the game and I saw that offensively they're still struggling, but they're making progress defensively, returning to form a little bit.
00:28:06
Kaleb
yeah
00:28:09
Mike Bell
But OU, kind of think they're done unless they just go on some magical run. Their ah offense, just like Texas, has issues. Everyone's been talking about Mateer, Heisman candidate.
00:28:21
Mike Bell
He's been good. um But overall, that ah offense has not been elite by any stretch of the imagination. And who knows when Mateer is going to be 100% healthy. So, ah yeah, I thought this was big.
00:28:34
Mike Bell
And... Yeah, I'm very curious to see what these team two teams do moving forward. But that's really all the thoughts I have on the game.
00:28:45
Kaleb
So, you know, my question was, and I, you know, talked about that with my dad for a little bit, just kind of towards the end of the game.
00:28:56
Kaleb
What are your thoughts Brent Venables allowing John Monteer to play that game? 17 days post-op and he's got three rods in his throwing thumb. Just what are your thoughts on that? I guess just like, would you have done that or would you have sat him or, and I know it's a little bit easier to kind of say this like answer now that we know the result, but just what are your thoughts before I kind of go into that a little bit more?
00:29:22
Mike Bell
If he was cleared to play, obviously he was cleared to play, but if the doctor said, look, he's fine.
00:29:26
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:29:31
Mike Bell
then I don't have a problem with it because i don't think that other guy was going to give you a chance to win. um i don't even know his name, but yeah, but versus Kent State, he actually wasn't that good.
00:29:38
Kaleb
Yeah, Hawkins. Yeah.
00:29:43
Mike Bell
He was i didn't look comfortable throwing the ball. I know that's not his game. And again, I've said i said all week, this was a must-win game for OU.
00:29:54
Mike Bell
They needed to win this game. So I don't have a problem with it.
00:29:54
Kaleb
Mm-hmm.
00:30:04
Kaleb
I'm not going to sit there like, you know, I think, excuse me, I give her defense the credit for the victory. I'm not going to sit here and call Mateer just like, oh, okay, he sucks so bad because of his hand. I'm not going to sit here and say that.
00:30:22
Kaleb
But –
00:30:25
Kaleb
We both know how that schedule is going to go, and I and i agree with you. I think it was a must win this game for Oklahoma just because of their upcoming schedule is just so brutal.
00:30:37
Kaleb
I almost thought, like, okay,
00:30:42
Kaleb
would it almost benefit OU for them to sit mature this game and to allow him to rest a little bit and then come back? Now, some people are saying that, you know, combination of the surgery and then him being out, I think he's been out for three weeks, two to three weeks, which is a big thing.
00:30:53
Mike Bell
Thank
00:31:00
Kaleb
You got you know, that's a hard game to go back into. Plus, keep in mind, it's his first Red River game too, which it is just another kind of atmosphere. It's just a different atmosphere.
00:31:10
Kaleb
It's hard for any player regardless what year you are. Yeah.
00:31:17
Kaleb
That's an aspect of it. I don't know. like Would I have wanted my quarterback to maybe heal up a little bit better? i don't know.
00:31:27
Kaleb
i don't know. Because... Yeah, I don't know. I think it's a question. I think it's a good question. And I think ultimately, obviously, he was cleared to play.
00:31:40
Kaleb
Otherwise, Brent Venables wouldn't allowed him to play. And Hawkins, yes, if they played Hawkins, it would have been a definite like, okay, you know we're going to win this, no problem, or whatever kind of thing. um But at least your quarterback would have maybe gotten a little bit more rested and need to double check and see OU plays this upcoming week. But – and
00:31:59
Mike Bell
At South Carolina.
00:32:01
Kaleb
Yeah, which that can be a little tricky game too, for sure. so um But, okay, overall, i agree with your points on the Texas ah aspect of it.
00:32:12
Kaleb
So I think this game, number one, was huge for the rivalry, right? You know, you want to have the bragging rights. um Number two, I think mentally this was a huge victory for us because really and truly we had a gun punch last week and we're up against a wall and we came out and –
00:32:31
Kaleb
Like you said, we found some rhythm. Our defense is back in shape. And on offense, I'm not going to sit here and say, oh, crap, man, we're back. We're back, man. We're not. But we've made really good progress against arguably the best defense in the country.
00:32:47
Kaleb
Some people have a two. Some people have a one. And we ran the ball on them, which is not easy to do at all. And so I was very impressed by that because for the last several weeks,
00:33:03
Kaleb
And regarding to the the Florida game, too, you know, people have been criticizing the offensive line, and rightfully so. You know, we only have one true, like, uh...
00:33:15
Kaleb
can't think of word one true starter that has been seasoned okay all the rest of them fairly young okay and that's fine you know they're they're pretty good they're just young it's a hard defense to go up against so i was very impressed by that we were just able to out physical them like our offensive line and plus i think our running back gets a lot of kudos weisner he would get hit just bounce off and he honestly he's like a very small guy i don't know how much of the game you were able to watch weisner has always impressed me um I'm sure you remember him from the A&M game last year a little bit.
00:33:47
Kaleb
ah know you watched that one. but
00:33:51
Kaleb
He's just a kind of a slender belt running back, but he is just – I don't know how to describe it. He just gets off the tackles. He's a thumper. he's But, man, you could tell by the end of the game he was he was he's getting pretty sore because he people are having to pick him up and whatnot.
00:34:05
Kaleb
um I thought Arch had a great game. So 21 to 26, 169. one sixty nine I know that you know there's much to be desired there as far as the passing yards go, but he made it happen when
Alabama's Playoff Strategy
00:34:16
Kaleb
it counted.
00:34:16
Kaleb
One touchdown, zero interceptions. did just enough to keep the ball going. um And that's, frankly, as long as we have a good running game, that's all we need him to do, just not pass not turn over the ball, keep it rolling.
00:34:29
Kaleb
um and Our defense, like he like you mentioned, you know we had three interceptions. John Mature couldn't have a like a clean pocket very long. I did not realize how one-dimensional Oklahoma really is.
00:34:43
Kaleb
They had not been able to run the ball really all that much, and they had – Think about this. you know We talked about this last week or whatever. Marcel Reed, Mike Elko not wanting to run him just because of his thin frame and him not wanting him to get hurt. right Well, OU is having to run Matier 17 days post-surgery just to have some sort of run game, um which you you know that's pretty crazy.
00:35:04
Mike Bell
Mm-hmm.
00:35:06
Kaleb
Now, I think the Texas defense is you know pretty good and great against the run and all that, but they've kind of had this issue the whole year. so Anyway, I thought it was a great win for s Sark and the program.
00:35:21
Kaleb
I'm not going to sit here and say, oh, yeah, we're back or whatever. you know But, hey, if we keep playing like this consistently the rest of the year, well, there's good chance we can be in the SEC championship.
00:35:33
Kaleb
um We'll see, though. I'm not gonna sit here and say it'll be easy. It'll be hard. But we have a chance when season's not over yet.
00:35:43
Mike Bell
Agreed. Agreed. Okay. Uh, let's move on to the Alabama, Missouri game. This was, uh, one of the funner games to watch ah was very intriguing all week.
00:35:53
Kaleb
Oh, yeah. we
00:35:57
Mike Bell
Um, So yeah, it was one of the funner games to watch. Kellen DeBoer, now 12-2 in black hoodies. ah So he's going to have to keep wearing those.
00:36:09
Mike Bell
um Being that Florida State lost this week, this was even more of kind of a must-win game for Alabama.
00:36:16
Kaleb
ah
00:36:17
Mike Bell
I think they're kind of exiting must-win territory because I think you can get away with a couple more losses now. because well Well, I should say like one more loss now before you're back in must-win territory.
00:36:30
Mike Bell
But with their schedule, you've got to win all these ah that you can.
00:36:33
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:36:34
Mike Bell
um Credit to Missouri. Missouri made Alabama earn every single inch. um And honestly, if Missouri had a better quarterback, they might have won this game.
00:36:47
Mike Bell
Not that he was just horrible or that he's a horrible quarterback, but he made a lot of mistakes. And quite frankly, Missouri as a team made too many mistakes if you're going to win a game like this. Some stupid penalties really all throughout, but especially in the first quarter when you had some momentum.
00:37:08
Mike Bell
and they just kind of fumbled the bag there. um Alabama, look, they faced three top 20 teams in three weeks, and now they're going to face Tennessee next week.
00:37:22
Mike Bell
And I know they've got LSU ah coming up after that. So credit to Alabama for doing what they've done. It really makes the Florida State at loss just so confusing.
00:37:34
Mike Bell
But to me, that shows that as the season goes on, look, all wins and losses should count, but you got to add just a little bit more weight to the ones in the middle and the end of the season because there's just something about the first couple weeks that...
00:37:35
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:37:51
Kaleb
Yeah, almost rude.
00:37:51
Mike Bell
They don't define who you are.
00:37:52
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:37:54
Mike Bell
They got to count to some extent. Don't get me wrong.
00:37:56
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:37:57
Mike Bell
um But you know we were talking about Mendoza in the last game. Simpson, between Simpson and Mendoza, they're my Heisman favorites right now. ah Three touchdowns for Simpson.
00:38:08
Mike Bell
Heat threw a dagger there on fourth down. Gutsy call there in the fourth quarter. ah When they were potentially, I don't remember if they were in field goal range, I think they were kind of on the edge of it, and they decided to go for it.
00:38:21
Mike Bell
He throws a dagger of a pass to Daniel Hill late in the game. He has just looked so good. And then to me, one of the storylines, they did this last week to Vanderbilt.
00:38:33
Mike Bell
is dominating time of possession. They dominated 38 minutes to 21 minutes. So that's kind of a new style, I guess, for Alabama.
00:38:44
Mike Bell
And it's been interesting to watch. It was interesting kind of at the end, their style of play, because I felt like they were kind of keeping Missouri in it. But it didn't matter just because they kept the ball so much that Missouri was kind of forced to be perfect.
00:38:59
Mike Bell
ah Give credit to Missouri. Their pass rush, very good. I was wondering how that was going to be against their first, I shouldn't say first, but a really quality team like Alabama.
00:39:11
Mike Bell
Their pass rush is legit. um To me, if I'm Missouri, I'm sick because you still had a chance to win it there at the end.
00:39:19
Kaleb
Yep.
00:39:20
Mike Bell
Bad interception, stupid penalties. ah ah feel bad for them, but give a lot of credit to, i think, both teams, honestly, to do what they did.
00:39:31
Mike Bell
um ah You know, Missouri, to me, i question like, okay, is this going to be one of those things where we find out Missouri is still Missouri and they're just going to get blown out in this game? But no, it wasn't like that.
00:39:43
Mike Bell
ah They performed very well. I'm curious to see what they do the rest of the season.
00:39:49
Kaleb
yeah
00:39:49
Mike Bell
They've got kind of an interesting schedule.
00:39:51
Kaleb
Yeah, their next three games are very interesting.
00:39:52
Mike Bell
Mm-hmm.
00:39:53
Kaleb
aburn At Auburn at 645 next week. Then they play at Vanderbilt. And then versus A&M at home.
00:40:02
Mike Bell
yeah
00:40:03
Kaleb
But, I mean, that's a really tough three-game schedule right there. So by the end of that stretch, man, we'll kind of have them figured out for sure.
00:40:11
Mike Bell
Agreed, agreed. ah Just a quick talking point. um That fake punt that they had in the fourth quarter... How do they not have a better replay angle of that play?
00:40:26
Mike Bell
Because I think if they had a better replay angle, there was probably a case that he got the first down. And that could have changed, by the way, the entire game. ah Because they were going to have more time if they would have... ah And in Alabama wouldn't have got such good fill position if they would have got the first down there.
00:40:46
Mike Bell
But they didn't have the angle. I don't understand how for a big game like that, or really any game... You don't have a camera that's right on the first down line. I don't get that. And that really changed the game.
00:40:59
Mike Bell
I don't know how close it was because I didn't have the angle. But it looked like he could have got it. um So anyway, this was a ah great game to watch.
00:41:10
Mike Bell
Alabama keeps on rolling. you know Tennessee next week. Like i said, they can kind of afford to drop one at some point. Not that they should, but it's a tough schedule for them.
00:41:21
Kaleb
Yeah. Especially with our schedule, depending on who it is.
00:41:25
Mike Bell
Right, right. So anyway, yeah, I thought this was you know great game to watch, and I'm curious to see what both teams do moving forward. So what do you got in this game?
00:41:36
Kaleb
Yeah, I mean, I won't add too much to it. You know, i think Alabama is just really good. And I guess you could say maybe returning to form. Maybe kind of the – so Nick Saban's tenure at Alabama is almost kind of like a tell of two teams. Really good defense both.
00:41:57
Kaleb
But he was like really run heavy and very time of possession focused and just turnovers. to death kind of thing and balancing the pass and they're not relying on it. And then, you know, he started shifting over like Tua, Jalen Hurts, all that kind of stuff kind of started.
00:42:17
Kaleb
And then Bryce Young with the pass happy aspect of the offense. I think Caelan DeBoer is kind of like messing those two together and like, yes, if they need to, they can go pass it. But also they're trying to get back to the run.
00:42:29
Kaleb
And like you said, Alabama controlled the game. um Miller has had two great weeks. um I want to say somewhere that I read or that. Oh, OK.
00:42:39
Kaleb
Excuse me. Wrong team. but up But to this point, missouri Missouri's defense has been pretty good. They really have.
00:42:46
Mike Bell
Yeah.
00:42:48
Kaleb
And like you said, that pastor pass rush was pretty good as well. And I would still like to give credit to Missouri. The run game, it was ranked number one going into this game. They still had 163 yards. Three people had over 50 rushing yards, and our quarterback was one of them.
00:43:03
Kaleb
And I know his play kind of left a little bit more to be desired. And he had those two picks, which, you know, in these kinds of games, turnovers are huge. I still you know think about last year. Missouri was arguably one of the biggest letdown teams in all the SEC last year. They came in with a lot of expectations, and they just pretty much did not live up to any of them.
00:43:23
Kaleb
And you know they had a burden go to second round or whatever. But anyway, they had some pro talent on the team too. But with their coach, Drinkowitz or whatever his name is, I can never pronounce that.
00:43:37
Kaleb
Missouri is one of those jobs, very I would even maybe argue a little bit of a lesser job than Arkansas typically.
00:43:47
Kaleb
To compete on that kind of level consistently, he's done that now three to four years. I think that he's done a pretty good job there, I would say.
00:43:57
Mike Bell
Agreed. um Okay, let's go ahead and move on to the other game that was at noon, and that is Ohio State versus Illinois.
Ohio State's Strengths and Concerns
00:44:06
Mike Bell
So um just want to say real quick, ah you had mentioned that you think Illinois is a good team earlier. I think we were talking about Indiana.
00:44:14
Mike Bell
I agree, and this loss ah bumped them out of the top 25. i don't necessarily agree with that, um but they're going to still have opportunities to get back in that.
00:44:24
Kaleb
ah
00:44:25
Mike Bell
I mean, they're like the number 26 team.
00:44:25
Kaleb
They're five and two. They're two losses to one and three.
00:44:29
Mike Bell
Yeah, yeah, I think that's unfair ah to them.
00:44:32
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:44:33
Mike Bell
But thirty four sixteen final score. It looked like another day at the office for Ohio State. I thought this game was a masterclass of how elite teams capitalize on mistakes and how good to not-so-great squads shoot themselves in the foot.
00:44:51
Mike Bell
And that was kind of the case here. I mean, if you're Illinois, you kind of had to play like a perfect game.
00:44:57
Mike Bell
And you you didn't do that. You had three turnovers. You gave Ohio State short field after short field. And, you you know, the offense actually wasn't that bad. I'm not saying that they were great, but they moved the ball decently. They actually outgained Ohio State, which is a little bit deceptive because, again, Ohio State had the short fields.
00:44:57
Kaleb
You did.
00:45:20
Mike Bell
16 points, the most points Ohio State has allowed. um You know, Ohio State, it's hard to tell, like, if that offense is who they are or if they're just kind of on cruise control because they're just better than everybody. i don't know.
00:45:40
Kaleb
yeah oh sure
00:45:40
Mike Bell
It looks like they don't have it completely figured out. I don't think it's a problem. But I just wonder, like... you know Their defense has kind of helped their ah offense a lot to this point, like giving them short fields and eventually like the other team's defense being on the field for so long.
00:45:53
Kaleb
so for sure
00:46:00
Mike Bell
you know They get tired. So I would be curious to see when when and if Ohio State faces like a really good offense ah this year, what that looks like. Because I would like to see Ohio State play from behind.
00:46:16
Mike Bell
Look, they can probably do it because they've got the talent and their quarterback is only going to get better. I mean, he is a freshman after all, first year. um But if I had to nitpick Ohio State, it's that their offense doesn't look elite.
00:46:33
Mike Bell
But they haven't had to be. They've got the players.
00:46:35
Kaleb
Yeah. Yeah.
00:46:35
Mike Bell
I mean, we know about their receivers. So, um To me, this is just this reminded me actually a little bit of when when I was thinking about pregame. And this maybe isn't even the best example. This is giving Spring Hill too much credit. But I was like, this is kind of Gilmer against Spring Hill here.
00:46:51
Mike Bell
you know like There's only so much much Illinois can do. on So you know I think this game went exactly as I thought. If anything, I thought Illinois played it a little bit better than I thought If they don't turn the ball over, then maybe this game goes a little bit different, but you can't shoot yourself in the foot.
00:47:07
Kaleb
didn make
00:47:10
Mike Bell
You can't beat yourself versus this kind of team. So that's really all I have to say. Another day at the office for Ohio State. What did you see in this game?
00:47:21
Kaleb
Yeah, I'll piggyback on what you said basically. And like you said, the three turnovers, ah just the mistakes that Illinois gave basically to Ohio State.
00:47:36
Kaleb
days only All that happened, right? And yet they only lost to the number one team in the nation by 18 points. Which, yes, yes, I know, 18 points.
00:47:49
Kaleb
<unk>t I don't know how to say it. It's like, my expectation was for...
00:47:57
Kaleb
Like, if you looked at this game a couple years ago, you would have thought Ohio State would beaten them like 70 to 10 or something like that. You know, for I think Illinois, despite all their mistakes that they made, it's at least, I wouldn't say competitive, but
00:48:03
Mike Bell
Right.
00:48:12
Kaleb
It could have been if they didn't make all the mistakes. But anyway, five into Illinois team. I still think they're a good team. We'll see how they go moving forward. And to answer your or to kind of go on to what you were saying about Ohio State and their upcoming schedule, and I do think I would agree with you, it would be a very interesting game if they had to play Oregon in the regular season or you know somebody that really had a good offense.
00:48:35
Kaleb
Because up to this point, yeah you know not to critique Ohio State necessarily and say that they don't deserve to be number one, but They haven't necessarily had an offene like an opponent with an offense that was like truly elite. you know really i think a great test would either be Indiana or Oregon.
00:48:53
Kaleb
Just looking at their schedule, their upcoming schedule, man, do I think they – no, I'm not even going to say that. So they have Penn State in a couple weeks and then Michigan.
00:49:03
Kaleb
okay They have UCLA, which I don't know, maybe that new tight end coach will happen.
00:49:07
Mike Bell
Funny enough, that may be their test. you And I'm dead serious. UCLA, if they're still rolling, that might be ah legit offense.
00:49:11
Kaleb
Yeah. Who knows if they keep playing like the way they're... Yeah. you know Isn't that kind of funny too? Yeah. um Anyway.
00:49:22
Kaleb
um And I thought Luke Allmar, you know, he played... he had an interception, but, you know, he still had some pretty good numbers. Illinois now is 12th in the conference, 2-2.
00:49:33
Kaleb
um And arguably the best conference. So probably out of the Big Ten picture.
00:49:43
Kaleb
Never say never, but we'll see. um Really got to give those guys some kudos, though, I think. Because they are, I think Brett Belimo's got that program, like, turning around, and we can kind of see that and be interested to see where he has them in, like, two to three years.
00:50:01
Mike Bell
ah Agreed. And they're going to have an opportunity to run the table.
00:50:03
Kaleb
<unk>
00:50:04
Mike Bell
They've got some interesting games in the sense that, you know, at Washington versus Rutgers and even Maryland, those are teams that can compete with you. Here's the deal. Those are winnable games.
00:50:16
Mike Bell
If they run the table, they're 10 and two. Like they could still get in the playoffs. We don't know what kind of chaos is going to be before us.
00:50:23
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:50:25
Mike Bell
So.
00:50:26
Kaleb
Yeah. yeah
00:50:28
Mike Bell
Yeah.
00:50:29
Kaleb
Especially, yeah, in the Big Ten, 10-2, that's a really good record.
00:50:29
Mike Bell
Um,
00:50:35
Mike Bell
Right. No, agree. Well, speaking of the Big Ten, one of the big matchups in the Big Ten was Michigan and USC.
USC's Playoff Ambitions
00:50:46
Mike Bell
um So we were talking about in the 230 window, how you were kind of focused on the OU Texas game and ah you know could only focus on so many games at a time.
00:50:55
Mike Bell
For me, the late window was kind of That was the case for me, being that I was watching the A&M game. I was able to watch this game. And as I just kept looking over, I was just like, man, like USC is just handling these guys. So must win game for USC.
00:51:12
Mike Bell
They pull it off and they do it in dominating fashion. ah What are your thoughts on this game?
00:51:19
Kaleb
Yeah, on my notes, I have USC outfiscal Michigan, which Michigan was a seventh-ranked rush defense. And USC's running back has 158 rushing yards, one touchdown. And USC's quarterback, who's been playing great all year, honestly, and he's kind of under the radard radar, I think, for the Heisman talk, maybe.
00:51:37
Kaleb
um He has 1,852 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, two interceptions. So in and previous episodes, we've talked about USC, Lincoln Riley, never having an issue on offense as far as his tenure goes at USC.
00:51:51
Kaleb
The defense is what kind of is the Achilles tendon, so to speak. And I want to sit here and say, man, you know, kudos to USC for keeping Michigan to 13 points.
00:52:02
Kaleb
But because number one, yeah.
00:52:05
Mike Bell
They haven't done that yet against anybody else. Yeah.
00:52:09
Kaleb
That's true. don't know. Maybe they're turning the tide. But Michigan, what are they about right now?
00:52:15
Mike Bell
Could be.
00:52:20
Kaleb
Just hard nose, run game, use Underwood as needed, not put him in a situation where it's completely on his back yet. it is He's very talented. i think he's going to be a top-tier quarterback in a year or two, whatever however long it takes him. He's going to be a great quarterback.
00:52:36
Kaleb
Right now, though, um He was put in a situation that's not good. Just all of it on his back. and Anyway, i would say kudos to Lincoln Riley. a Very good win.
00:52:49
Kaleb
Top 15 win. Need to see who USC is playing against next.
00:52:55
Mike Bell
Notre Dame, it's going be a great game. Yep.
00:52:58
Kaleb
That will be a great game. Oh, my goodness. At Notre Dame, 6.30 six thirty p m Man, that will be...
00:53:05
Mike Bell
Yep.
00:53:07
Kaleb
you know And that will be able to tell us a lot about USC. okay And who knows? Maybe... Not saying like, oh, if USC loses to Notre Dame, like, okay, Lincoln Raleigh sucks, but is there some chatter about what USC should do with Lincoln Raleigh?
00:53:27
Kaleb
He's not been there as long as James Franklin has by any means, but don't know. It almost seems like there's... I think Lincoln Riley has had more success at Oklahoma than he's had at USC, which is kind of odd. I mean, they're both blue bloods, arguably, but you would have thought that USC would have been a little bit easier for him just because the talent right there around him versus Oklahoma.
00:53:54
Kaleb
Anyway, it was interesting.
00:53:54
Mike Bell
Yeah.
00:53:55
Kaleb
I thought it was a good game, though.
00:53:57
Mike Bell
Yeah. Well, I thought USC just straight up stole Michigan's playbook. I mean, they were ground and pound, you know, where are down in the trenches, make you by the fourth quarter, um just ran the ball super effectively, 224 yards.
00:54:03
Kaleb
Yeah. Yeah.
00:54:13
Mike Bell
And they had some long runs ah You know runs of 49 47 and 29 yards just gashed as you said the number seven ranked defense in that area um Made it look easy. They had 7.2 yards per play ah Michigan has not allowed that many yards per play since their loss to Georgia in 2021 in the playoffs and Yeah, I mean Michigan if they're down multiple scores, they can't really play that game.
00:54:45
Mike Bell
They can't really play that game right now.
00:54:45
Kaleb
Yeah, right.
00:54:47
Mike Bell
Um,
00:54:47
Kaleb
Their last level is not there yet.
00:54:49
Mike Bell
Yeah, it should be noted that Michigan's running back got hurt in the first half, and he's been really, really good for them all season. But that's not like the reason they lost this game, because they were really getting beat the same way in the first half.
00:55:06
Mike Bell
um USC is an interesting position, because the Big Ten... could get a fourth team in the playoff. It would make sense for them to do so.
00:55:17
Mike Bell
Is USC, are USC, are they going to be that fourth team? um Because here's the note. No matter what happens against Notre Dame, they can kind of afford to lose that because Notre Dame, remember, they're in a must-win spot.
00:55:24
Kaleb
Mm-hmm.
00:55:32
Mike Bell
Notre Dame is. They can't lose another game. It's at Notre Dame. USC still faces Oregon after this. If they want to get in, they got to win one of those two games, I would think.
00:55:44
Mike Bell
um So, yeah, it's very interesting. USC needed a win like this.
00:55:51
Mike Bell
They got it.
00:55:51
Kaleb
Oh, for sure.
00:55:52
Kaleb
Especially after the emotion loss they had last week against Illinois.
00:55:52
Mike Bell
Now, keep in mind...
00:55:56
Mike Bell
Right, right. And keep in mind, this was a tough spot for Michigan. I will say these Big Ten teams have been complaining about the travel of going from you know Michigan to California.
00:56:08
Mike Bell
um And USC was off a bye week. That really does help them. But still, they got it done. They haven't been able to get it done to this point. I'm excited for USC to potentially be good because it's good for college football.
00:56:23
Kaleb
Oh, yeah.
00:56:23
Mike Bell
And if they pull out a win this weekend, they're going to start really being talked about again, you know, like on a national stage, like top 10 level.
00:56:30
Kaleb
Oh, for sure.
00:56:34
Mike Bell
Do I think they're ready for that? I don't, but we'll see. um So, yeah.
00:56:40
Kaleb
The Notre Dame game will be a great test.
00:56:40
Mike Bell
Yeah.
00:56:43
Mike Bell
Yeah.
00:56:44
Kaleb
Like we said, not to not too concerned about how their offense will do. I think they'll you know i think their team is largely Carried by their offense. um How will their defense do against like a, honestly, CJ Carr's doing really good. Jeremiah Love, we all know what he can do.
00:57:03
Kaleb
Really, Notre Dame is like a really good balanced offense. So it'll be interesting.
00:57:07
Mike Bell
No one has stopped their offense. So it's going to be very, very interesting.
00:57:09
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:57:12
Kaleb
Yes.
00:57:12
Mike Bell
um
00:57:13
Kaleb
it
00:57:13
Mike Bell
Could be a shootout type game. Yeah.
00:57:15
Kaleb
Yeah, it very well could be. You'll see their next couple games, like you said, at Notre Dame, very interesting. and Then at Nebraska, that could be very interesting too. If they win both of those games, man, I think for sure, hey i mean, you got to put them in the top 10, I would think.
00:57:25
Mike Bell
yeah
00:57:33
Kaleb
um Man, and just – they got that Oregon game, okay, in the Iowa game, it could be sneaky, but –
00:57:43
Mike Bell
Yeah, yeah. yeah
00:57:43
Kaleb
These next two weeks will be very telling for USC, in my opinion.
00:57:48
Mike Bell
Agreed.
00:57:49
Mike Bell
ah one more one more point on this game and on Michigan in general. I'm seeing some comments from the fan base, and look their fan base knows Michigan more than I do, but some comments about wanting to get rid of their head coach and how you know they haven't looked great the past couple years, and it kind of goes back to what we've been saying ah you know about you know James Franklin or just coaches in general getting rid of them too quickly.
00:57:49
Kaleb
As for most teams.
00:58:06
Kaleb
ah
00:58:16
Mike Bell
I, it's, look, I get it because I'm the same way with A&M. When A&M is performing bad, I'm like, well, maybe the coaches, and they need a change, you know and that's how we all are. But you can't do that with Michigan. You got to look at their situation and just say, like, look, they've got a young quarterback, got a lot of potential. The last thing you want to do is mess up his development.
00:58:38
Mike Bell
um Give them, give them more time, in my opinion. ah
00:58:44
Kaleb
This is his second year.
00:58:44
Mike Bell
so Right.
00:58:47
Kaleb
They have been super spoiled with Jim Harbaugh.
00:58:51
Mike Bell
right
00:58:52
Kaleb
Arguably, i mean, when he was still at Michigan, Nick Saban. I mean, you could probably put him top three, top four coach in all college football. And, he you know, man, I disrespect him a lot, number one, just because of the principles that he has.
00:59:10
Kaleb
and interesting little side effect he but he like gave out cards to some announcers or whatever that he has for the program and They're awesome, but great person. Everywhere he's been, no matter what, NFL, NCAA, he improves them drastically. And I remember you know when we were very young when he was at Stanford, I remember watching Stanford every weekend because I just loved Andrew Luck, Toby Gerhardt, all them guys.
00:59:37
Kaleb
Frankly, it's almost kind of like, it reminds me a little bit just talking about it. um Like when Mack Brown for Texas kind of started to suck after all those years of him like being very good and dominant in the sport, we just wanted to cut him off within within a couple years, you know.
00:59:54
Kaleb
and and know it's a little different, but Sharon Moore, I mean, you know, Jim Harbaugh leaves. He takes over the year after they win the championship. And that year that Jim Harbaugh won the championship with Michigan,
01:00:09
Kaleb
They had a lot of great guys that were not top talents out of high school, but they were very mature team. lot of them graduated. So what did that make Sean Moore do? And basically, he inherited like a less battle-tested team, which, yes, they started out slow, but then they came on pretty late. and I think they went 8-5. I think they – was last year or the year they beat Alabama in the bowl game?
01:00:34
Kaleb
I think it was. And I'm not going to see him say, man, that's like – top five win in program history, but that was really good for them considering the difference between the two as far as talent and life cycle maybe of the teams. And this year, i mean, what, they're five and two, you know, lost to Oklahoma, which I still think is a very quality good quality opponent.
01:00:55
Kaleb
And then USC, I mean, like I said, USC we'll see in a couple weeks, but I'm sure more, very good. Yeah.
01:01:06
Kaleb
Don't forget how Michigan was to prior to Jim Harbaugh getting there. It was almost like ah coach carousel too.
01:01:14
Mike Bell
Yeah, no, I agree. agree on that. um and Now, I will say those voices are only going to get louder if Michigan doesn't handle their business this year and because they face Washington this week.
01:01:27
Mike Bell
um That's not an easy game.
01:01:27
Kaleb
They could be state team too. Yeah, they are very competitive with Ohio State until about the third quarter.
01:01:36
Mike Bell
Right, right. So interesting to see what Michigan and USC do from here on out.
Auburn's Home Field Challenges
01:01:41
Mike Bell
ah One more game that I think we want to cover a little bit more in depth before we just kind of sprinkle some thoughts on the other games.
01:01:48
Mike Bell
And to be honest, I don't even have that much to say about this game, although it was interesting. um Georgia-Auburn. Here's the thing, and you're going to get this more, ah you're going to understand this more as a Texas fan. I know you understand it.
01:02:04
Mike Bell
You think you understand it now. But going into these SEC environments on the road at night is a different animal.
01:02:15
Mike Bell
And it's too bad Auburn doesn't have and hasn't had better teams because that environment at night is a top three spot in the SEC. um top five spot in the entire country.
01:02:27
Kaleb
Maybe even a country. Yeah.
01:02:28
Mike Bell
Yeah, yeah. yeah They, it it really is too bad. And, you know, their defense is legit. Again, coming off a bye, tough spot for for a Georgia to just go in there and roll.
01:02:44
Mike Bell
ah The main thing people have kind of kind of been talking about is the officiating in this game. And rightfully so. Like, a lot of it was bad. And it is too bad because Auburn was dominating Georgia the entire first half.
01:03:00
Mike Bell
And then you had that fumble right there at the goal line. Here's what I would say. Just hold on to the freaking ball.
01:03:08
Kaleb
so
01:03:09
Mike Bell
You hold on to the ball and you probably win that game and you're up 17-0. Instead, you know, after that, the game completely changed. I mean, it was 235 total yards for Auburn to 20 in the first half.
01:03:23
Mike Bell
um up until Georgia getting the ball, I think, after that fumble. And the game just changed. A credit to Georgia for, like, never panicking, always being in the game if they're behind. They did the same thing a couple weeks ago against Tennessee.
01:03:37
Mike Bell
um For Auburn, I don't know where they go as a program from here. Look, they have a tough schedule this year, but, you know, Jackson Arnold is good at what he does, but he's not a guy that's going to propel you and do anything special because he just can't pass the ball that well.
01:03:51
Kaleb
Thank you.
01:03:56
Mike Bell
um I give credit to Georgia for winning in that environment. Not easy. There's a reason that spread was so low. We were questioning, like, why is it three and a half? Well, because it's a tough place to play, and it is a rivalry game.
01:04:10
Mike Bell
So I give credit to to Georgia for pulling it out. But I will say they are kind of being exposed as a somewhat ver vulnerable team.
01:04:21
Mike Bell
They're not, you know, the elite Georgia they have been. So, look, with that coaching staff, they could always figure it out. Like, it would it shock me if they make a deep playoff run? Of course not.
01:04:33
Mike Bell
um But they're not perfect. They're not perfect at all. Like, would it shock me if they missed the playoffs this year? It actually would not. Like, I could see them losing a couple more games.
01:04:46
Mike Bell
Like, I could see it.
01:04:46
Kaleb
Talking about the next couple games but for USC, Georgia plays Ole Miss next.
01:04:51
Mike Bell
That's right. That's right.
01:04:53
Mike Bell
So...
01:04:53
Kaleb
and At least it's home, but man, that'll be a tough test because,
01:05:00
Kaleb
man, ah you know Georgia, good defense, yeah not in question about that necessarily, but can their offense really compete with a high-powered offense from another team? We're going get that test this weekend. okay and Like I said, Ole Miss kind of had an off week.
01:05:16
Kaleb
For whatever reason, I think majority of college football teams will have that. And I think that's just what Ole Miss had. um I don't think any less of them for that. You know, they were able to, regardless of coming out slow, they were still able to pull off the win.
01:05:34
Kaleb
um basically Auburn-Georgia game I think it was i think it was funny and it's kind of hilarious honestly Nick Saban calling Auburn's field haunted so funny really and truly but the more you think about it it's like dang yeah exactly it's like
01:05:48
Mike Bell
Yeah, I mean, it's a crazy place to play.
01:05:54
Kaleb
Dude, I can't remember. Was it last year or the year before that the grave digger play happened or whatever where Jalen Melrose chucked it up.
01:06:05
Kaleb
They caught it in the corner on the very last play. it was like fourth and 30. Can't remember if that was last year the year before.
01:06:09
Mike Bell
Yeah, yeah.
01:06:10
Kaleb
But there is.
01:06:10
Mike Bell
I don't remember either. I think it was two years ago.
01:06:13
Kaleb
Yeah. Anyway, like some of the best plays of college football in recent history have happened there.
01:06:19
Mike Bell
Yeah.
01:06:20
Kaleb
And, you know, I think.
01:06:25
Kaleb
I think Auburn is an interesting team. Like, listen, I don't think it – I think it's a good job. i think it's a little interesting.
01:06:34
Kaleb
I would have figured by now Hugh Freeze, if anything, we would have had a great offense and, ah you know, maybe a troublesome defense. You know, that part be the thing that's holding back.
01:06:46
Kaleb
But it's kind of the opposite, kind of odd. Yeah. I think Jackson Arnold, and it's so weird. I think he was like the second or third best quarterback in the nation when he came out of high school in, forgot, was it 2023 maybe?
01:07:01
Kaleb
He couldn't really do anything at OU. Now he's basically coming here doing the same thing running. okay I think Auburn is just so one-dimensional. And honestly, it really sucks because Cam Coleman out there, man, he is I think he's going to be a round one draft pick whenever his time comes.
01:07:16
Kaleb
He is fantastic. He's great.
01:07:17
Mike Bell
Yep. yep
01:07:18
Kaleb
It just sucks that he doesn't have a quarterback that can really throw it to him because if he did, I think Auburn could really be making a play for like – Maybe above like middle tier team, and which is still very good, by the way, in the SEC.
01:07:34
Kaleb
I think, you know, I'll touch on what you said about the coaching for Georgia. You know, elite coaching can get you a lot of places. And you're right. Georgia's vulnerable. Their elite coaching, though, is what's keeping them in. Be sure to see how Georgia does against Ole Miss.
01:07:54
Kaleb
And this was a game dangerous game, I think, too, for Auburn. Yes, they were coming off a bye week, but how easy would it be for them to look past this game and look at that Ole Miss game? Ole Miss has – I mean, excuse me, Auburn has enough firepower to get past you on any given Saturday.
01:08:04
Mike Bell
Yes.
01:08:10
Mike Bell
Are you talking about, you mean Georgia has enough firepower?
01:08:15
Mike Bell
You said Auburn. ah but I think I know what you meant. I think you meant Georgia could have looked past Auburn because of Ole Miss.
01:08:20
Kaleb
Yes, and Georgia that has enough – yes, and Auburn has enough firepower.
01:08:21
Mike Bell
Yes.
01:08:24
Kaleb
If they were clicking on a all three cylinders and Georgia overlooked them, then yes, Auburn Auburn – yeah, Auburn could have, you know, handled that to them.
01:08:26
Mike Bell
Okay, yeah. Yeah. Okay, yeah. 100%. ah hundred
01:08:34
Kaleb
So I think this
Arkansas and Florida State Struggles
01:08:35
Kaleb
was a difficult game for Georgia, c so kudos to them for not looking past this and winning.
01:08:41
Mike Bell
Yep. Okay. All right. Well, listen, so those were like kind of the main games, but there's still like a lot of other games to talk about. ah General thoughts, where where do you want to go? What game do you want to talk about?
01:08:54
Kaleb
I thought it was interesting that the Arkansas-Tennessee game turned it out the way it did. That's another great rivalry game. um You know, Bobby Petrino's first game as the interim head coach. I forgot what i don't know what show ah what's the name of the show is.
01:09:09
Kaleb
But it was like, if you what do you think Bobby Petrino's response would be if you asked him if he was coach or interim coach? It's like he would say, I'm coach. Anyway, I don't know why. It was hilarious.
01:09:22
Kaleb
um No, but, you know, past couple of weeks we've been talking about Arkansas having a really great – or a pretty good offense. Their defense is what it holds them back. And, you know, i think he could almost say the same thing in regards to Tennessee – Their defense is just slightly better than Arkansas's.
01:09:42
Kaleb
um And their offense is still really good, as it pretty much has been the entire time Josh Heigl has been there. But i thought it was a good showing for Arkansas, just because how easy would it have been for them to just lay an egg this game? Tennessee's a really good opponent.
01:10:02
Kaleb
Arkansas, not to necessarily say they had like top-tier expectations by any means, but how easy would it be for them to just crumble? Their coach got fired, which I'm sure a lot of them playing love Sam Pittman.
01:10:16
Kaleb
He just seemed like he'd be a great coach for the locker room. and I don't know. I have to give them kudos for showing up and being very competitive all until the end.
01:10:28
Mike Bell
I agree. Arkansas is going to have a big upset this year. They're going to. I don't know who it's going to be against, but their offense can score on anybody. The big problem, obviously, is their defense. I was looking at their stats.
01:10:41
Mike Bell
Literally every stat you look at defensively, it's like 115th in the nation. They're just horrible. Their ah offense is a top 25 offense, top 15 offense in just about every category.
01:10:53
Mike Bell
Look, they face A&M this week, and trust me, I'm afraid, because...
01:10:58
Mike Bell
Look, it's its it's a legitimate team.
01:10:58
Kaleb
Well, it's – yeah, it's ah bit's a rivalry game.
01:11:02
Mike Bell
It's a rivalry, but it's a team that, again, they can outscore. they They're going to be in just about every game they play because they can score. um
01:11:02
Kaleb
Yeah.
01:11:11
Kaleb
If they're effective against your guys' defense, it can be a little dangerous for putting it onto Marcel Reed's shoulders.
01:11:11
Mike Bell
They just make so many mistakes.
01:11:19
Kaleb
And –
01:11:21
Kaleb
You guys – I mean, hey, i mean, who wouldn't because you have those two bell cows on your backfield. But, man, it'll be interesting to see, like, how your defense does against them. And y'all's defense is really good too.
01:11:32
Kaleb
But it'll be interesting to see, like, if they put it all on Marcel Reed, how he'll respond.
01:11:38
Mike Bell
Well, look, I don't want to talk about the A&M angle just yet because we have obviously the preview show. We can talk about it, but just quickly, A&M lost their running back, and that really affected their season last season.
01:11:45
Kaleb
Yeah.
01:11:52
Mike Bell
ah They didn't lose him for the year, but he's done for a significant amount of time, and that does affect things. But um I don't want to get off topic here, you know, talk about A&M, but ah yeah, I agree. Arkansas, like they covered this. I thought that spread was too big. 12 and a half it was at one point.
01:12:08
Mike Bell
And, you know, they made it a three point game. So, yeah, um Tennessee's a weird team.
01:12:15
Mike Bell
um they're kind of similar to Arkansas in the sense that they score a lot and they allow a lot of points.
01:12:15
Kaleb
Yeah.
01:12:21
Kaleb
Mm-hmm. Exactly.
01:12:22
Mike Bell
um Look, they've got Alabama this week. That'll be very fascinating. um And Tennessee could have overlooked Arkansas as well. A lot of teams were in spots where they could have overlooked their opponent.
01:12:35
Mike Bell
um So credit to Tennessee. um I do want to move on to the team that I think is the luckiest. Their head coach is the luckiest coach in the nation right now.
01:12:49
Mike Bell
Because there's been so many big games happening the past couple weeks that no one's talking about this guy. And that is Mike Norvell in Florida State.
01:13:02
Mike Bell
not a lot of people talking about this game. Florida state lost again. So they had kind of an outlier win against Alabama.
01:13:09
Mike Bell
They won. They sucked last year and they're three and three this year. I happened to watch the whole game and it was actually a good game to watch.
01:13:09
Kaleb
3431, if I'm not mistaken, right?
01:13:21
Mike Bell
And they lost to Pitt. Pitt just went down the field on them, scored on them like every time. um,
01:13:29
Mike Bell
Yes, it was thirty four thirty one and
01:13:32
Kaleb
Pitt is always one of those teams, too. um no Not like I'm defending Florida State, but they're always one of those teams, too, regardless of their schedule. They always take, um I think, a pretty good team toe-to-toe at least once during the year.
01:13:46
Mike Bell
Agreed, agreed. But again, yeah, it's not just that they lost Pitt. It's that they've now lost three in a row.
01:13:49
Kaleb
Well, exactly. first Yeah, 3-3, right?
01:13:51
Mike Bell
And by the way, they were at home.
01:13:52
Kaleb
Yeah, think they're 3-3. Yeah. right yeah think there's some answer
01:13:54
Mike Bell
Right. Ten point favorites.
01:13:56
Mike Bell
Ten point favorites. So now, at this point, we're talking about another guy getting fired, but look, ah he had a... It was so crazy. is he Three years ago, he was so good.
01:13:57
Kaleb
yeah
01:14:08
Kaleb
Hmm.
01:14:10
Mike Bell
um And then last year...
01:14:12
Kaleb
Especially at a place like Florida State, too.
01:14:15
Mike Bell
Yeah, yeah. So it's like, it is a weird situation because I do hate to get rid of guys too early, but my God, like, they just...
01:14:23
Kaleb
Well, and since Jimbo left, where has Florida State really been, honestly? You know, they've been a coaching carousel, too, until Mike Norvell showed up. And it's at least given them a little bit of stability.
01:14:33
Mike Bell
Yep. Yeah.
01:14:34
Kaleb
Yeah.
01:14:36
Mike Bell
yeah
01:14:38
Kaleb
I hate that for him. it's just very odd. You know, and honestly,
01:14:46
Kaleb
last five years, Florida State, Florida. um you have to say Florida state has had more success, but yet Florida is probably out-recruited them. You could say in Miami, I mean, Miami's out-recruited both of them probably the last five years, but you know, there's a huge difference between Florida state's recruiting classes and Florida's and Miami's and, you know, Mike Norvell, he had a great year 13.
01:15:10
Kaleb
Well, third, well, hold on. 13 and one, i guess is what that season was when he got really, when they, you know, not saying they got blown out by Georgia, but,
01:15:16
Mike Bell
Yep.
01:15:21
Kaleb
Not saying that like in a a lot of players left, whatever, and declared for the draft and whatnot. So I'm not saying that in a bad way. But
01:15:32
Kaleb
I don't know. It's just he's had success. He's just not getting the recruits there that he needs. It's an odd situation.
01:15:40
Mike Bell
I guess, but
Potential Coaching Changes and Speculations
01:15:41
Mike Bell
you just said they've had more success than Florida, and that's true, but Florida's in a tougher conference. you know Florida State has been in one of the softer conferences
01:15:47
Kaleb
Well, that's – okay. Yes. Yes. Very true. In the last two years, Florida has probably top five, probably a little bit higher, but top five hard hardest schedule in the college football.
01:16:02
Mike Bell
Right, right. 385 days as of Saturday since Florida State had won an ACC game. So that's a problem.
01:16:13
Mike Bell
That's a problem.
01:16:14
Mike Bell
Curious to see what happens there.
01:16:14
Kaleb
All things considered, there's arguably like what, maybe two to three teams in the ACC that is –
01:16:22
Kaleb
They would say, okay, I could, you know, that's a good team or whatever.
01:16:26
Mike Bell
Right, right. ah This coaching carousel this year is going to be crazy because who knows?
01:16:33
Kaleb
i think so.
01:16:33
Mike Bell
I mean, I don't know what Florida's going to do. i don't know what Florida State's going to do, but some of these jobs are going to be open.
01:16:38
Kaleb
I forgot to mention this when we were talking about the James Franklin fiasco.
01:16:38
Mike Bell
So.
01:16:42
Kaleb
So interesting, Matt Rule, and I didn't even realize this till today. I didn't know this. Penn State alumni.
01:16:50
Mike Bell
Yes, he has already been asked about it. And look, coaches are going to say what they're going to say.
01:16:54
Kaleb
Oh, yeah, and I saw his response.
01:16:56
Mike Bell
Yeah.
01:16:57
Kaleb
But I find it hard to think, okay? You have a sentimental spot for where you went to school at.
01:17:03
Mike Bell
Sure, yeah.
01:17:03
Kaleb
And don't get me wrong. I don't think that it's like fake of him to potentially – like let's say theoretically he leaves to go to Penn State, okay? I think he's bought in to Nebraska.
01:17:14
Kaleb
I think Penn State is probably the only school that could get him away from Nebraska because really and truly Nebraska is also, I think, a sleeping giant. Before our time, Nebraska was a big dog in college football, honestly. And they just kind of, maybe since 2010, 12, 13, whatever, they've just really sucked and probably had the worst period in their and their history. but
01:17:40
Kaleb
yeah I don't know. It'll be interesting to see who gets that Penn State job. Also, I think the Arkansas can be an interesting job to see who gets that too because I think it's kind of a maybe a redemption spot or a prove-it spot. kind of and Well, I know that redemption, prove-it kind of mean the same thing.
01:17:56
Kaleb
Maybe somebody that is like a coordinator gets that head coaching job, say, hey, go prove-it guy, or a redemption, hey, man, you underperformed at your last spot, come redeem yourself here kind of thing.
01:18:08
Mike Bell
If you were Penn State, would you want Matt Rule?
01:18:14
Mike Bell
I wouldn't.
01:18:14
Kaleb
I think so. I've taken.
01:18:16
Mike Bell
I disagree. I don't think he's that impressive.
01:18:19
Kaleb
Really?
01:18:20
Mike Bell
I don't think he's that impressive at all. i think he's I'm not saying that he sucks, but like if I'm Penn State... I want like a top guy. like I don't know how many top guys are going to be available, but to me, Matt Rule is just like an okay coach. like I don't know. i don't I just don't see it.
01:18:38
Kaleb
So what was he at? He was at Temple.
01:18:41
Mike Bell
What has he done at Nebraska? He's having a pretty good year this year.
01:18:44
Mike Bell
You know, and credit to him, is.
01:18:44
Kaleb
Yeah, I know.
01:18:46
Kaleb
What is his third year?
01:18:49
Mike Bell
Yes, see in 2023 is when he was hired, so this is his third year.
01:18:53
Mike Bell
ah he's building He's building. He is building the team.
01:18:53
Kaleb
So Temple, he is.
01:18:57
Kaleb
Keep in mind too, like i there's an argument, okay, is this the easiest time to build or the hardest time to build a team right now because of NIL? Let's just say 50-50, whatever. Yeah.
01:19:11
Kaleb
For a long time, Nebraska, like 10, 15 years, they have just been kind of a joke. Regardless of the coach, probably going to be a two- to three-year journey for them to be a serious contender. I'm not going to sit here and say Nebraska as a serious contender by any means, but they are so much better than they were three years ago before Matt Rule got there.
01:19:32
Kaleb
um Previously, I know Matt Rule got fired from Carolina in the middle of the season in NFL. But before that, he did really well at Baylor, led them to 11-win year, okay? The first time that that had happened since Art Briles, okay?
01:19:47
Kaleb
And then before that, he was at Temple and led them, I think, maybe to one or two 10-win seasons, which, you know, that's pretty good too. So Matt Rule, up to this point, pretty much everywhere he's been other than NFL, um he's turned the program around. He just hasn't stayed there long enough to sustain it per se,
01:20:08
Kaleb
And maybe that's the question, like, okay, where can he get us to? where Or how long can he keep us here? Maybe that's the question. But I think he's a good coach.
01:20:19
Kaleb
And i don't know i don't know if Matt Rowe played football at Penn State or you know, what his deal is there. But don't know. It's a unique spot. Good talent.
01:20:30
Kaleb
It's just kind of an – yeah, I don't know.
01:20:30
Mike Bell
Yeah, he was a linebacker there from 94 to 97.
01:20:32
Kaleb
Yeah.
01:20:34
Mike Bell
You know, I'm looking through his resume right now.
01:20:36
Kaleb
ah
01:20:39
Mike Bell
I agree with you that he's turned programs around, and it does seem like that is what he's doing at Nebraska. I would just say, not that it takes credit away, but he had one good year at Baylor.
01:20:51
Kaleb
Yeah.
01:20:51
Mike Bell
Okay, he had one good year. Now, he did it.
01:20:53
Kaleb
And after that, he left for Carolina, if I'm not mistaken.
01:20:55
Mike Bell
Right, and he sucked in the NFL. Whatever. Fine. um Nebraska, he was okay. It looks like they're having a good year this year. His overall record, and again, this is kind of out of context, but in college, it's 64-57. Not impressive, but if you look at the teams he's done it with, and again, the that trajectory of the programs went up when he was there.
01:21:16
Mike Bell
I get it. um i don't know. I wouldn't be that excited about it. Just my own opinion.
01:21:23
Kaleb
Well,
LSU's Season Struggles and AP Poll Reflections
01:21:24
Kaleb
I think the biggest thing is who can Penn State go and grab this year?
01:21:29
Mike Bell
Yeah, I don't know.
01:21:30
Kaleb
Yeah.
01:21:31
Mike Bell
Gruden wants to get back into coaching, and I'm not joking.
01:21:32
Kaleb
ah
01:21:33
Mike Bell
i think like I'm not joking.
01:21:34
Kaleb
Now that would be – trying to think.
01:21:34
Mike Bell
I think they could get
01:21:38
Kaleb
Did he say he would want to coach there at some point recently? i saw – maybe it was Georgia actually that he said that about. okay i mean I think it was Georgia. But, dude, wouldn't that be insane if Gruden got into Penn State, dude?
01:21:49
Mike Bell
That would be. That'd be really cool.
01:21:51
Kaleb
That would be insane.
01:21:54
Mike Bell
Yeah.
01:21:55
Mike Bell
Urban Meyer?
01:21:55
Kaleb
ah
01:21:56
Kaleb
Just imagine him being on college game day, just getting interviewed, man.
01:21:56
Mike Bell
you that's not...
01:22:01
Mike Bell
I know. I know. That would be awesome if it happened. but
01:22:05
Mike Bell
um
01:22:05
Kaleb
Imagine that sideline, that sideline, Cam.
01:22:07
Kaleb
You just need a camera just sitting on him the entire game.
01:22:10
Mike Bell
Yeah, for sure. Okay, other games. um Let's see. I thought there was a game. Oh, yeah, just quickly. So this game was like a lot like the Georgia-Auburn game. But South Carolina-LSU had the same score, 20-10.
01:22:25
Mike Bell
twenty ten um To me, this was about LSU just not being able to fire on at all cylinders. They have a Nuss problem. He's just not the guy. I've seen enough. I've seen enough. I get that he might be injured, but these expectations of him being like a top five quarterback in the league, he's not.
01:22:47
Mike Bell
And they've got issues. They've got issues offensively. They kind of remind me of when A&M is struggling. They, I don't know how they're going to finish.
01:22:59
Mike Bell
They've got A&M on their schedule. They've got Alabama on their schedule. They've got OU on their schedule. That's tough. And they just look incomplete to me. And that South Carolina team, I'm sorry, is not very good.
01:23:11
Mike Bell
Like, that's a bad team this year, South Carolina. um So I think LSU has some serious issues. They pulled away in this game like in the fourth quarter, but i mean they they tried to lose it all throughout, and South Carolina just couldn't do it. And in LSU's defense is legit. They have a good defense.
01:23:29
Mike Bell
um I don't think there's anything LSU can really do different is the thing ah offensively. There's nothing they can change unless they made like a quarterback change and they're not going to do that.
01:23:41
Mike Bell
I'm not saying they should. um So yeah, LSU, they're number 11 right now. I could see this team being unranked at the end of the year. We'll see.
01:23:52
Kaleb
Yeah, I mean, I don't really have much else to say to that, but who would have thought that, you know, LSU's defense would be the kind of the one to kind of keep them in the game versus their offense, you know, because last year was all about their offense.
01:24:03
Kaleb
um And man, out coming into the year, I was very high on Nussmeier, you know, and now it's kind of like, oh you know, like, but I want somebody else in there. Yeah, very strange, you know, ah
01:24:13
Mike Bell
Yeah.
01:24:18
Kaleb
not to the same level, but it's just almost like, it's almost kind of like the expectation versus the reality of the, of Clemson and LSU. Like, it's just like, I was very high on LSU and Clemson.
01:24:30
Kaleb
I know LSU is not like, by any means, like loss, like Clemson has, which now Clemson is three and three and what LSU is five and one or whatever. But, um,
01:24:45
Kaleb
don't know man there's just something about lsu they're not complete uh the year the defense finally sure's up it's the freaking offense now that's the problem and you know there was some speculation you know they not to keep bringing this up ryan kelly was a name that they put into the hat for the penn state uh coaching job as well but i was thinking about that lsu that's like arguably a top three job in the nation
01:24:55
Mike Bell
yeah
01:25:11
Mike Bell
No shot. Yeah, no shot. He's leaving.
01:25:14
Kaleb
I mean, you'd be crazy. i mean, and honestly, I'm very shocked because very much like Matt Ruhle, even more so, Every place Brian Kelly has been at, he's had major success.
01:25:27
Kaleb
Cincinnati. Has Cincinnati ever been top three before? Well, guess what? They were when he was there. Notre Dame, yes, very historical place by any means, but he brought them back to a national championship. However, they did lose pretty badly, but he kept them in the game.
01:25:44
Kaleb
and Okay? Oh, well he kept them relevant. Okay? Okay? Consistently, and ah honestly, this is probably the easiest job as far as recruiting power goes.
01:25:58
Kaleb
Probably the easiest gig for him. um I find it surprising that he just hasn't built a more complete team. you know i Anyway, not much else to say. And, you know, South Carolina, very interesting too.
01:26:15
Kaleb
Their team with a lot of expectations, haven't really put it all together, injuries, yada, yada, yada, the list goes on. Their team, I think if they all showed up and started firing on all cylinders, they can beat anybody. They have good talent, but will they? That's the question.
01:26:33
Kaleb
Um, LSU, like you said, 11, but I could easily see them going unranked, especially with their upcoming schedule. They got Vanderbilt next week, which that could be a sneaky game, actually.
01:26:46
Kaleb
Oh, dude, their the next three games are pretty rough.
01:26:47
Mike Bell
Yeah.
01:26:50
Mike Bell
Yeah, no, it is.
01:26:51
Kaleb
Vanderbilt.
01:26:52
Mike Bell
It is.
01:26:54
Kaleb
That might even rival Oklahoma, bro. Vanderbilt.
01:26:57
Mike Bell
I think Vanderbilt's favored, by the way.
01:26:57
Kaleb
Let me click.
01:27:04
Mike Bell
could be wrong on that.
01:27:05
Kaleb
see
01:27:07
Kaleb
well as far
01:27:11
Kaleb
uh no think you're actually right i think uh vanderbilt's two and a half point favorite 60.8 percent people uh vote for them listen i mean man it i think so too i wonder what kind of conversations brian kelly would be having if he were to lose all three of those do i think that will happen
01:27:16
Mike Bell
Yep. Yep.
01:27:25
Mike Bell
That's going be a great game.
01:27:33
Kaleb
I don't know. i think i think he could very easily, man.
01:27:40
Kaleb
i think he could be one and two in those three games. okay His best shot in those three games is Vanderbilt. I hate to say it. you know i like Vanderbilt, but...
01:27:51
Kaleb
LSU, A&M, I think that could be a good game. i think I think that has the making for like a very ugly defensive game and maybe a field goal kind of like the Texas OU game. A field goal is really seven points in the game.
01:28:04
Kaleb
Alabama, I think they're just going roll them. I mean, that's a rivalry game, of course, so I won't necessarily – we'll talk about that preview week or whatever. But anyway, we'll see how Brian Kelly does. It'll be interesting.
01:28:15
Kaleb
Did you have any other games you wanted to talk about or –
01:28:19
Mike Bell
Not really. I'm fine to do a quick look at the AP poll if you are.
01:28:23
Kaleb
Yeah.
01:28:24
Mike Bell
um Okay.
01:28:25
Mike Bell
I know we're getting close to your bedtime here. um
01:28:26
Kaleb
Yep.
01:28:29
Kaleb
Yes. The lights will cut off soon.
01:28:33
Mike Bell
So AP poll, honestly, again, I'm good with it. we We have six new people. I'm sorry, five new people, five new teams in the AP poll. Again, i don't know if i would have dropped Illinois out. ah credit Credit to BYU.
01:28:43
Kaleb
Yeah.
01:28:46
Mike Bell
I actually i fell asleep at the very end. They pulled out a victory against Arizona when they were down. I still think they're the most overrated team in the nation. um They face Utah this week.
01:28:58
Mike Bell
That'll be a fun one. The Holy War.
01:29:00
Kaleb
yeah
01:29:01
Mike Bell
um But other than BYU being number 15, I'm cool with all these rankings. um LSU, I think it's fine.
01:29:12
Kaleb
i think we were saying I think we were saying LSU was 11, but they're 10. so
01:29:17
Mike Bell
They're 10, yeah. Yeah.
01:29:18
Mike Bell
um
01:29:19
Kaleb
I saw somebody say LSU was the worst the worst team in the top 10.
01:29:25
Kaleb
I think I would have to agree with that. Which, I mean, no crap.
01:29:27
Mike Bell
Yeah, I mean.
01:29:28
Kaleb
I'm either ranked number 10, but, I mean, aside the point, because sometimes some 10th ranked teams are pretty good and whatever. and and Anyway, mean yeah, I would agree with you, honestly.
01:29:37
Mike Bell
Yeah.
01:29:38
Kaleb
Yeah. By the way, I would briefly like to say that Nebraska had a pretty good win against ah Maryland, which I now think Maryland's, what, 4-2 or something like that.
01:29:46
Mike Bell
Mm-hmm.
01:29:48
Kaleb
So Nebraska's putting together like a good season. We talked about Matt Rule a little bit. But, yeah, ah you know and honestly, Georgia Tech at 12, Notre Dame at 13, very interesting. Oklahoma's at 14.
01:30:01
Kaleb
Yeah, I like it. um Yeah, I know.
01:30:04
Mike Bell
I'd be ready for OU to tumble. I think they may lose this week against South Carolina. ah South Carolina has been desperate for a win.
01:30:11
Kaleb
They could if they're not careful. They're not. Yeah, they could. I mean, it's because think about it because that something i mean at this point now, Shane Beamer, this is.
01:30:16
Mike Bell
Yeah.
01:30:22
Kaleb
He's got a he's clawing and fighting to at least have something to say, hey, I'm you know, I've proved it to you that i deserve to be here still.
01:30:31
Mike Bell
Yeah.
01:30:32
Mike Bell
For sure.
01:30:32
Kaleb
So anyway, but yeah, a very interesting week of football.
01:30:37
Kaleb
Can't wait to do a preview and kind of talk about the upcoming games. You know, it would be very hard to top this past weekend, though. We were really blessed with that for sure.
01:30:47
Mike Bell
Agreed. All right, let's wrap it up. This has been another episode of blown coverage. Thank you for listening and I'll see you next time.
01:30:56
Kaleb
All right. See you later.