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Week 13 College Football Chaos & Clarity: Rivalry Week Eve Madness
14 Plays7 months ago
The penultimate weekend of the regular season delivered blowouts, shootouts, and just enough upsets to keep the CFP picture spicy. From Oregon stomping USC, Notre Dame dropping 70 on Syracuse, and Oklahoma’s defense suffocating Missouri, to SMU embarrassing Louisville and a 51-47 Big 12 track meet — we break down every ranked result, the playoff implications, and why your team should be panicked or pumped heading into rivalry week
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Transcript
Introduction and Week Recap
00:00:01
Mike Bell
All right, welcome back to another episode of Blown Coverage. I'm Mike Bell with my co-host Caleb Schwerer. We're done with another week of college football. We missed a preview episode, but at least if we're going to miss a preview episode, we missed you know what was kind of a...
Pre-game Analysis and Expectations
00:00:17
Mike Bell
There were less big games, but nevertheless, we do have a few to discuss.
00:00:22
Mike Bell
I don't know how you felt about this week, but this almost felt like instead of its own week, it was like the week before next week. like That's kind of how I thought about it. It's like the week before the big week.
00:00:36
Mike Bell
Not just because A&M-Texas, but just because a lot of big games are next week. And there's just there were less games this week. But i don't know how you felt. Obviously, you had Texas-Arkansas.
Texas vs. Arkansas: Performance and Challenges
00:00:48
Mike Bell
And i say maybe we just start there. What were your thoughts on the weekend in general? And then why don't you go ahead and tell me your thoughts on that game?
00:00:58
Kaleb
I mean, they were really, don't know, maybe you could say like three. so you had the USC-Oregon game, um you know, good matchup.
00:01:04
Mike Bell
Yeah.
00:01:08
Kaleb
um And then you had Oklahoma-Missouri, which was also a really good matchup. And then honestly, I didn't expect Tennessee to like do 31-0 against Florida, but...
00:01:21
Kaleb
Anyway, that was another good matchup. other than And then I guess you throw Texas-Arkansas in there. um So kind of a mix of rivalry games, I guess you could say. But as far as the Texas-Arkansas game goes, um you know, obviously Arch had a really good game. um he looked yeah I just feel bad because, you know, he was 18-30 yesterday. But really and truly, couple people dropped the ball. And some of it was like...
00:01:52
Kaleb
Kind of misplaced on Archer's part, but some of them were just kind of right there in the hands. I guess the concerning thing about the game was like we still weren't really able to run the ball effectively.
00:02:05
Kaleb
So that's a problem for sure. I figured we could at least have had more of a run game against Arkansas, but we didn't. I feel like our defense did a relatively good job against Arkansas just because they, you know, that's all they've done is score points and their offense is really good.
00:02:24
Kaleb
Their quarterback went out and actually their, uh, redshirt freshman quarterback, uh,
00:02:30
Kaleb
Came in and, you know, he did pretty well. and Most of the time that he was in there, or maybe 40% the time he was in there, you know, was against black backups and stuff like that. But still, that's, you know, hard hard to go into. So, anyway, overall, pretty good. Pretty good game. i was happy. I was excited about it. so um But, yeah, that were my that was my thoughts on the game, really. yeah Actually, I take that back. What really sucks is, you know,
00:03:00
Kaleb
Anthony Hills hurt. I expect he'll be back though for the A&M game. But Ty Anthony Smith, who is a younger linebacker, very good dumper, got a – um
00:03:14
Kaleb
my goodness, what's that called? ah Just left my head.
00:03:17
Mike Bell
Stinger?
00:03:18
Kaleb
Huh?
00:03:20
Mike Bell
Stinger?
00:03:21
Kaleb
No.
00:03:21
Mike Bell
oh Oh, are you talking about a targeting?
00:03:24
Kaleb
Yes. So he's going be out the first half against you guys, which I think can be a little problematic.
00:03:25
Mike Bell
Yeah.
00:03:29
Kaleb
So that, that aspect, or that sucks, to be honest. But anyway, hopefully Anthony Hill should be back so we can maybe get by. But anyway, other than that, that's pretty much all my thoughts on the game.
00:03:42
Mike Bell
Yeah. So, you know, it's funny.
Arkansas's Game Pattern and Vulnerabilities
00:03:45
Mike Bell
Every Arkansas in a game, every Arkansas game to me kind of looks the same. And that is that they're going to score. It just doesn't seem to matter the defense unless you're Notre Dame somehow.
00:03:55
Mike Bell
And they're going to make it close. But even when they make it close, when they actually have an opportunity to do something, that is when they're going to shut down and they're not going to score or they're just going to fumble the ball or something. And that was kind of the case with Arkansas. You know, it's 21-20.
00:04:10
Mike Bell
They have an opportunity to go ahead. And of course, that's the time they – They don't move the ball. Now, granted, Arkansas had a running back depth problem in this game. And both their running backs have been very good.
00:04:24
Mike Bell
And at one point, Washington went out of this game. He came back in.
00:04:27
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:04:28
Mike Bell
And, you know, that's a big deal. But it just doesn't matter. Like, they move the ball. That's just what they do. And then defensively, also doesn't matter. The other team, no matter the offense, is going to move the ball on them.
00:04:43
Mike Bell
And it's kind of what I expected. You know, yeah, I was surprised Texas didn't run the ball a little better, but I kind of think they just didn't have to. And, you know they could, they, there were just so many guys open down the field where Arch just had to throw it and hit an open guy. And he did.
00:05:00
Mike Bell
And it reminded me honestly of watching the A&M game versus Arkansas in a way in terms of the Texas offense, because I had questions about A&M's offense coming into the game, and then it just doesn't matter. Against Arkansas' defense, you're going to move the ball every single time.
00:05:17
Mike Bell
But it could be good in the sense that it just gives your players some confidence. It's like, okay, you know we're hitting open guys, so I think that's good for Texas and obviously for Arch Manning and all that. But you know Arkansas, everyone says it, and they say it every week, but if they could just put together a defense, they could have been a scary team. But they're 2-9, and it just is what it is.
00:05:37
Mike Bell
so So, yeah, I did not realize that about the Texas linebacker situation, so that will be something to watch moving forward. But obviously a big game next week.
00:05:48
Mike Bell
So let's see i imagine you didn't get to watch a lot of the USC-Oregon
Missouri vs. Oklahoma: Defensive Highlights
00:05:53
Mike Bell
game. Am I right on that?
00:05:54
Kaleb
Yeah, pretty much. Yeah, no.
00:05:56
Mike Bell
Okay. What other game would you say you paid the most attention to?
00:06:04
Kaleb
ah Missouri, Oklahoma, you know, that game was a pretty good matchup, I think, you know. Two pretty good defenses. ah wouldn't necessarily say too much of a struggle.
00:06:21
Kaleb
Missouri's offense has been struggling kind of throughout the year just because of the quarterback situation, Papula going out, but he came back. This was his first game back in like several going against OU defense. So that was, you know, pretty hard for him to go back to.
00:06:34
Kaleb
um OU's defense is just really good. And just with each week progressing after the hand surgery, John Materius looks better and better. I'm trying to think. I think it was...
00:06:52
Kaleb
23 to – I forgot what the final score was, but – okay, yeah.
00:06:54
Mike Bell
17-6. um six
00:07:00
Kaleb
So it's kind of scary. Here's the deal, though. I still think Missouri has a really good run game considering that's pretty much all they've been able to do the whole year, and people know that. So it's like they can just stack the box against Missouri and not really have to dip in the pass too, too much.
00:07:18
Kaleb
And they're still able to have a pretty good run game. So I think that's pretty impressive, to be honest with you. But Oklahoma is just looking more and more like a really good playoff team, kind of like I thought they looked at the beginning of the year before the mature injury. So I thought it was pretty – that was a good win for Oklahoma for sure because I don't think Missouri is a soft team at all. Yeah.
00:07:43
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:07:45
Mike Bell
Yeah, i would say this game kind of went as expected. You two good defenses, and it was kind of strength on strength in a way.
00:07:48
Kaleb
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:07:52
Mike Bell
And I did think Missouri was going able to do a little bit more. Obviously, Bull for Bula coming back. And, you know, he he can do some things. He's better than their other quarterback for sure. Obviously, big step up.
00:08:05
Kaleb
yeah
00:08:05
Mike Bell
He just... And look, you can't fault him too much because he is going against OU defense, but he's kind of looked the same every game, and that is he'll make a few plays with his legs, but you really can't trust him to throw the ball.
00:08:18
Mike Bell
I just do have to say, and I said this after the A&M game as well against Missouri, I get that it's Missouri and they're having a good year for Missouri, but I actually question their coach.
00:08:30
Mike Bell
What's his name? Eli Drinkwitz. That's the Missouri guy, right?
00:08:32
Kaleb
Yes. Yes.
00:08:34
Mike Bell
Look, I get that is their strength to run the ball, but my God, like they got to do something different. Like they weren't going score that way versus OU.
00:08:40
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:08:43
Mike Bell
They needed to mix it up more and they just didn't.
00:08:45
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:08:47
Mike Bell
And yeah, I think Missouri is kind of a disappointment to be honest with you. OU, I agree with you. They're looking like at the team in the playoffs you don't want to face no matter who they're against. I'd like to see Notre Dame, Oklahoma. I think that'd be a great game, but they can, uh,
00:09:03
Mike Bell
they're they're just They're never going to be a dominant offense, but they may be able to do just enough, especially versus the right matchup. And their defense is going to keep them in every single game.
00:09:15
Mike Bell
you know
00:09:16
Kaleb
Oh, for sure.
00:09:17
Mike Bell
So they're a team to watch. It's pretty amazing. We've talked about it, what they've been able to do considering. i mean, they it looked like they were maybe facing a 7-5 season after that loss to you.
00:09:28
Kaleb
Yeah. However, I would like to say, like, they had the, I remember, like, that after the OU Texas game, you know, their remaining schedule looked like, holy crap, this is going to be gauntlet, and by all means, was it easy? No, but...
00:09:44
Kaleb
some of those teams have kind of like fizzled out and stuff like that.
00:09:48
Mike Bell
For sure.
00:09:48
Kaleb
So it definitely was, it wasn't hard of a schedule as it appeared to be, but you can't fault OU for that because that's just kind of how the cookie crumbled this year, but they they still look good.
00:10:00
Kaleb
And to your point, I think they can do just enough on offense, especially depending on who they play against their defense will keep them in every game. I think no matter who they play, to be honest with you, um,
00:10:14
Kaleb
I'm just curious about John Matier's durability during the playoff, because I feel like, you know, during the playoff, you have to run.
Tennessee's Win and Upcoming Matches
00:10:22
Kaleb
Like, I just feel like it's almost a necessity. You have to be able to do something in the run game and just somewhat be balanced. And the only way OU can do that is just running Matier.
00:10:31
Kaleb
And so that is, i think the big question is how ah how long long can Matier be durable in the playoffs?
00:10:41
Mike Bell
Agreed. And I agree on the schedule. Like there's no denying it because obviously Missouri having their troubles and then LSU is a team that barely beat Western Kentucky yesterday. So I get that. But hey, at the end of the day, they went to Alabama and won.
00:10:56
Mike Bell
You know, so that's that's big for them.
00:10:56
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:10:59
Mike Bell
but But yeah, so they're going to be an interesting team to watch.
00:10:59
Kaleb
Oh, for sure. Yeah. Yeah.
00:11:04
Mike Bell
And I'm excited to see what they do in the playoffs, assuming they don't just drop a random one next week to LSU, which you never know. You never know about.
00:11:12
Kaleb
Yeah. Last game, Pride thing or something.
00:11:16
Mike Bell
Right. So next game, this was obviously the game of the week, USC Oregon. i don't know how much of it you were able to watch. I watched the whole thing. And it was kind of a weird game in the in a sense because it felt like Oregon was just on a tier above USC, but at the same time, USC kind of found ways to just stay in the game enough.
00:11:43
Mike Bell
to not get blown out. But to me, I thought you saw a difference in tiers. Like I do think Oregon's just a bit better than USC at the moment. They were able to run the ball very well, which was expected. Oregon I'm talking about.
00:11:57
Mike Bell
And I tell you what, I mean, I thought he's been good all season, but after really watching him the last two weeks, Dante Moore, you know, he's eligible to be in the NFL draft this year.
00:12:07
Mike Bell
I hope he doesn't do that, but watch out for him.
00:12:10
Kaleb
I think that'd be very stupid of him.
00:12:12
Mike Bell
Yeah, watch out for him next year because he's been making some big-time throws.
00:12:15
Kaleb
Yeah. Yeah.
00:12:18
Mike Bell
And he's been very, very impressive to watch. Obviously, Maiava for USC was good. it felt like Oregon kind of kept USC in this game a little bit more than necessary because that there were some ill-timed kind of turnovers, just kind of bad plays. But yeah, USC...
00:12:37
Mike Bell
you know you You kind of say it with them every week and maybe for the past couple of years. They just have run defense issues. If they could clean that up, it would be a lot better.
00:12:48
Mike Bell
and i This is a team I would be concerned about next year, concerned in a good way for USC because they're goingnna have some returning players. They've got a great recruiting class coming in.
00:13:00
Mike Bell
But you know USC winning would have caused some chaos scenarios in the college football playoff And Oregon, this was kind of an elimination game. If they would have lost, I think there's a good chance they would have been left out of the playoff. But with a win, now they have to go to Washington. And that will be interesting. Not an easy game. But it looks
Oregon vs. USC: Competitive Edge
00:13:20
Mike Bell
like Oregon kind kind of, you know, bought themselves into the playoffs a bit. So fun game to watch.
00:13:27
Mike Bell
Oregon pulls it off. Do you have any closing thoughts on that game? Or do you want to move on?
00:13:33
Kaleb
Well, you know, i wasn't able to watch too much of it just because the Texas game was on during that time. you know my think My question is, how is Lincoln Raleigh not able to fix that defense, just especially with the NIL going on?
00:13:49
Kaleb
Like, USC's got pretty deep pockets. And, i mean, – I don't know. That's the thing that's obviously holding Lincoln Raleigh back, just going back to even Oklahoma is just the defense. I mean, if he could have just a serviceable defense, man, USC could be a dangerous team for sure. Yeah.
00:14:11
Kaleb
So I know they have like a, you know, good recruiting class coming into, I think it's honestly number one, i was wanting to verify that real quick before I said that but.
00:14:18
Mike Bell
I think so.
00:14:21
Kaleb
um Anyway, i And maybe they're kind of digging into those pockets a little deeper for them to be able to have the number one class but.
00:14:32
Kaleb
You got to stack that stuff up, man. And for whatever reason, Lincoln Raleigh hasn't done that. Their their offense is fantastic. Don't get me wrong. But um I don't know. I still think he's underachieved. And by the looks of it, you know, basically all USC could do yesterday was pass, you know, not run at all. And that Oregon was able to have a well-balanced offense, like you said, Dante Moore.
00:14:57
Kaleb
you know he looks good i think it'd be stupid of him to go into the draft just because this being his first year to actually start the whole year and well hold on i'll take that back did he play did he start at ucla can't remember if he did it huh yeah dante moore yeah yeah i don't know off the top of my head either this is the first time like i've i want to say this is his first year to start but i could be wrong Anyway, ah yeah, he needs to come back for sure, and then he probably would be a top draft pick for sure as long as he kept, you know, on the progression trail.
00:15:11
Mike Bell
I don't remember. i don't remember
00:15:32
Kaleb
Because just remember, Carson Beck, you know, everyone was really hot on him about a year or two ago, and then all of a sudden now he's – I wouldn't say he's like falling off the deep end, but um he is, you know, not as highly sought after as – what he was.
Florida's Coaching and Transfer Issues
00:15:51
Kaleb
So anyway, um the other big game or the not big, but I'd say the other interesting game like going into it before it happened was a Florida Tennessee game just because, you know, Tennessee seven and three ranked 20 Florida. What were they? They're now three and eight, I think, or something or Yeah, I think they're 3-8 now, if I'm not mistaken. Let me double-check myself. But anyway, for Tennessee to go into Gainesville, beat Florida 31-0 for the first time since 2003, which I thought was actually pretty surprising.
00:16:26
Kaleb
That was a good win for the program for sure. And I don't i don't know if you knew this, but, um oh gosh, Aguilar, the quarterback for Tennessee, 25 consecutive games he's had.
00:16:40
Kaleb
uh 200 passing yards which is pretty crazy to be honest um that's pretty that's pretty hard to do you know and obviously not all of this was at tennessee it was at his previous school but anyway um i don't know if you got to watch that game or not oh did i say 31 0 31 to 11 apologize most of the game that i was watching was florida was on he had uh zero points
00:17:09
Mike Bell
Yeah, so Florida, second half of the season here, is just fallen apart, which I think maybe to be expected a little bit because at some point, I mean, look, they fired their coach.
00:17:14
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:17:19
Mike Bell
They've lost hope.
00:17:19
Kaleb
yeah
00:17:20
Mike Bell
What they have to play for? it really isn't the same Florida as first half Florida. Not that first half Florida was great. They obviously had their issues. But I did expect them to play a little bit better just being that, hey, we've beaten Tennessee here every time since 2003. They have pride to play for And admittedly, I only got to see the first half of this game before I turned it off. But Tennessee, I mean, that's all I needed to see. They scored all their 31 points. It was thirty one nothing at the half.
00:17:49
Mike Bell
And, i mean, Tennessee was just dominating. And it was good to see because, one it sets up a big matchup next week, Tennessee versus Vandy. And that's going to be a ranked matchup rivalry game.
00:17:59
Kaleb
Yep.
00:18:02
Mike Bell
And there's some playoff implications for Vanderbilt. I don't know if they're going to get in, but nevertheless, it'll be talked about. They're going to talk about it if they win. So it sets up a big game. I'm curious to see how both teams do against each other.
00:18:17
Mike Bell
and Yeah, so credit to Tennessee going into that road environment at night. That is a tough place to play and taking care of business. They're playing very well right now. So I am excited for that matchup that we're going to see at the end of the season.
00:18:33
Mike Bell
So that's kind of my thoughts on the game. I would say, do you have anything else on that?
00:18:39
Kaleb
No, no. I mean, I think it's gonna be interesting for Florida next year, though, but just because they do have some key players. I'm curious to see who is going to transfer out.
00:18:49
Mike Bell
Yeah, that is
00:18:49
Kaleb
I'm curious to see if DJ Lagoe will stay there. I think that is a big question.
00:18:54
Mike Bell
yeah that is good
00:18:54
Kaleb
um You know, I'm curious how Florida is going to go about that, right? Because I think if DJ Lagoe were to leave, that'd just be like a huge momentum killer because at least like right now heading into the next year, DJ Lagway, third year quarterback.
00:19:12
Kaleb
And obviously I know he hasn't necessarily looked the best. He's got, they have some pieces. They're young. Just, I don't know. I think it, I think it's just going back to a coaching thing at this point because with as much talent as they have,
00:19:29
Kaleb
I mean, the only logical thing for me to think about is just, okay, this is just coaching. Like, maybe they're just not like – it's a systemic thing, I think. um So – but they get they have some really good freshman players. Like, their running back ball, very good. That guy's going to be a stud in a couple years. And then they have some really good wide receivers, okay?
00:19:53
Kaleb
Defense, I'm not really too sure off the top of my head as far as those players go. But, you know – I remember they had gotten some pretty good defensive players in the last couple recruiting classes. So whoever lands that job, i think as long as they retain some of the key players that they have on offense, they won't necessarily be a push around, maybe around a 500, which that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing per se. I know that would suck for the Florida fans, but hey, you're three and eight this year.
00:20:25
Kaleb
It seemed like – I don't know. You just let go of a 500 coach. Interestingly enough, they showed on that game last night, the last five Florida coaches. I think since 2000 and whatever year it was, Florida's had eight coaches or something like that, which is the most in FBS, which I was like, holy crap, that's actually insane. I didn't even realize that. But pretty much every coach, aside from Dan Mullen, was 500.
00:20:50
Kaleb
Like, I think Will Muschamp was like 28, 21, 28 wins, losses. Everybody else was like right around the 500 record. You know, and I was thinking about that. Like, you know, Dan Mullen, it's not like you didn't necessarily question like,
00:21:08
Kaleb
I don't know. yeah i think that was an example of maybe a program getting rid of a coach too too quickly because now you see where the program's at now. like would you like I'm pretty sure if they could retract what they did and just let ah Dan Mullen continue on for a couple more years, they definitely would have. And it would be interesting to see like where Dan Mullen would have had Florida. I'm not going to say that they would have won a championship, but it wouldn't necessarily be in the dumpster probably like it is now.
00:21:37
Mike Bell
Right, and I think that's one reason they're so desperate to get a guy like Lane Kiffin, which that is certainly an interesting storyline to talk about. we don't have to talk about it now.
00:21:45
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:21:46
Mike Bell
I feel like that could be too big of a tangent, but look, they're looking for the guy. i would also say for Florida, you can't discount, especially the last two years, and this is why i feel bad for Napier, that schedule has been brutal, and
00:21:58
Kaleb
Yeah, has. It has, for sure.
00:21:59
Mike Bell
When you start off so bad, it's hard to play at the same level.
00:22:03
Kaleb
Get the momentum. Mm-hmm.
00:22:05
Mike Bell
you know Whenever you have those early losses, I'll i'll never forget A&M. I've said so many times, we've had some great teams that did happen to go 8-4, but there was something about you know we would get to like the 6-0 point every year, and then that seventh game each year was Alabama during the middle of the Alabama dynasty.
00:22:23
Mike Bell
and Something about that just seemed to kill A&M's momentum. And there is just something about facing those losses early on that does something to your psyche. So I think for Florida, they've had that issue.
00:22:33
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:22:35
Mike Bell
So it is I think college football is better with a good Florida. So I do hope they figure that out.
00:22:44
Kaleb
For sure. Um,
00:22:50
Kaleb
Something else we could briefly speak on to an extent would maybe be James Franklin getting hired at Virginia Tech.
Coaching Decisions and Speculations
00:22:56
Mike Bell
Oh, yeah.
00:22:56
Kaleb
I think that was very interesting. ah I'm honestly surprised he took the job. um you know I don't know what ultimately made him decide to do that, but just because our previous conversations, I think that...
00:23:10
Kaleb
he could have gone to a better school for sure. But I am interested in Virginia Tech and how they do now. And Brent Pryde, the coach they just fired, was his defensive coordinator for a little bit. So I'm curious if he would even – if he would rehire him as a defensive coordinator just out of curiosity or, you know, anyway, but I'll be watching Virginia Tech. I remember like when we were probably in junior high, like the 2008 to 2014 or 13 year period, Virginia Tech was old. And I know in the 2000s, they were like a every year they would win 10 games or something like that. But I remember going for Virginia Tech around that time period. They had like
00:23:49
Kaleb
want to say like Tyra Taylor was there and they always had like a really good running back that I really enjoyed watching. So I don't know. Maybe it's kind of like an underdog in the ACC thing that I was going for or which made me root for them.
00:24:03
Kaleb
But um anyway, I thought it was interesting. so Oh, yeah.
00:24:09
Mike Bell
It was interesting. Obviously, if you're Virginia Tech, you're very excited because that's as good as you're ever going to do in terms of a coach. It will be interesting to see if he can kind of bring back that program.
00:24:20
Mike Bell
Reasons why he may have done it, because you're right, he probably could have got a technically better job. like I still think Auburn would fit him, but I was thinking...
00:24:29
Kaleb
Oh, yeah.
00:24:30
Mike Bell
maybe I think maybe you brought this up last time. It has something to do with recruiting. He has better recruiting resources up there.
00:24:35
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:24:37
Mike Bell
He knows more people kind of in that area. Another thing could be, let's face it, the ACC has been bad. So he's got less competition.
00:24:46
Kaleb
Yeah. Easier path to success, maybe.
00:24:48
Mike Bell
Yeah, easier path to success.
00:24:49
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:24:51
Mike Bell
And I imagine he could do that there. Just make Virginia Tech competitive. That's all they want. If they go eight and four every year, you know,
00:24:56
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:24:59
Mike Bell
All he has to do is kind of get there. And then if he wants another big job after that, you know, I imagine something will line up for him. But yeah, I i think that had something to do with it.
00:25:07
Kaleb
yeah
00:25:09
Mike Bell
It's just the path of least resistance because that's the thing with jobs like Auburn. You know, Auburn, especially with the schedules now, their two rivals they have to face every year are Alabama and Georgia.
00:25:21
Mike Bell
And that's just two of them in the SEC.
00:25:21
Kaleb
yeah
00:25:22
Mike Bell
So that's tough. That's tough. It doesn't matter how good of a coach you are. That is going to be a very tough path every year. So in that sense, it makes sense. And, you know, another talking point that you're seeing, and I wonder if this is going to minimize coach firings at all, but.
00:25:39
Mike Bell
you're seeing a lot of head coaches stay with their teams this year and not leaving. And we're yet to see what Lane Kiffin does. I saw it today, I think he probably is leaving, but he could be doing like a massive troll job and just is going to stay with Ole Miss and is just delaying the LSU and Florida coaching search.
00:25:48
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:25:59
Mike Bell
And that could be all he's doing. I kind of think he's going to l LSU, but that is something to think about, I guess.
00:26:06
Kaleb
You know, they made this interesting talking point on game day and I was like, wow, you know, that's actually very interesting.
00:26:06
Mike Bell
Maybe. Lane Kiffin.
00:26:12
Kaleb
Um, Chris Fowler, or not Chris Fowler. There was another guy. i always forget the guy's name on game day, but it's not.
00:26:23
Kaleb
It's the older, huh?
00:26:24
Mike Bell
Reese Davis?
00:26:26
Mike Bell
Reese Davis?
00:26:27
Kaleb
Yes, Reece Davis. He made the comment of like, you know, if Lane Kiffin were to stay at Ole Miss and, you know, just continue what he's doing there, like what he has been, there's potential that they may be they may put a statue of him up there just because of what he's done for the program.
00:26:44
Kaleb
If he goes to LSU or Florida, they probably wouldn't do that. you know and i mean Because if you think about it with LSU, Nick Saban, does he have anything there? No.
00:26:54
Kaleb
Does Orgeron have anything there? No. Who's the other guy? Les Miles, I know he...
00:27:03
Kaleb
No, Les Miles doesn't have anything there either, if I'm not mistaken.
00:27:04
Mike Bell
Thank
00:27:07
Kaleb
So more than likely, no matter what Lane Kiffin did, even going to win a national championship, probably wouldn't get anything. There's just something about him and Ole Miss. Like, there's just like, I don't want to say father of Ole Miss by any means, but for the first time in Like they said, decades. I mean, I know Hugh Freeze kind of had his couple of years where Ole Miss was like really good and everything like that. But I think because the recruiting, tampering, or whatever happened, I kind of forget. But they took all those wins away or something. I don't know.
00:27:39
Kaleb
they They view Lane Kiffin as like a – not a godsend, but you know something to that effect just because of what he's done for the program. Ole Miss is – you could almost put them on par, I think, with Auburn. Are they the like an elite SEC school? No, but with the right coach, they could be very good, which is exactly what Lane Kiffin has turned Ole Miss into. Yeah.
00:28:00
Mike Bell
Agreed. The thing is for Lane Kiffin, what if that's his dream job as LSU or Florida? So it it probably is tougher to recruit.
00:28:05
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:28:07
Mike Bell
I don't know how much tougher it is with the... Okay, so this is just coming off from Josh Pate on ah on X. He says, I know where Lane will be in 2026.
00:28:20
Mike Bell
All I can say is wow. So that's that's interesting. But I was just going to say... You know, it just depends on what Lane Kiffin's personal ambition is. He might just think he's kind of maxed out Ole Miss.
00:28:34
Mike Bell
The thing that sucks for him is he's kind of led Ole Miss to a a great spot this year, and he's probably going to have to leave Ole Miss a if he does accept another job.
00:28:34
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:28:47
Mike Bell
You know, he can't cut
00:28:47
Kaleb
Yeah, well, exactly. And that's what they also talked about that there too, because that leaves them in a tough situation like, What about the players? theyre I mean, we talked about this last week too.
00:28:59
Kaleb
I mean, they're gonna they're in the playoff, man. I mean, they're in the playoff ah probably.
00:29:04
Mike Bell
You know, that's interesting.
00:29:05
Kaleb
Wow,
00:29:05
Mike Bell
so You know, got to interrupt you there. Are there? What if they lose to Mississippi State?
00:29:11
Kaleb
I was about to do this.
00:29:11
Mike Bell
They're number six right now. There's going to be a log jam of two lost teams and they're going to have to choose.
00:29:16
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:29:17
Mike Bell
I think they're probably in, but that's something to think about.
00:29:20
Kaleb
Yeah. I think so. And they were having this debate on college game day. If he were to take a job right now, should Ole Miss allow him to keep coaching? And in my opinion, I think yes.
00:29:31
Kaleb
If Lane Kiffin wanted to. um Just because, like
00:29:39
Kaleb
I don't know, man. I don't think you're there without him for sure. you know And so like don't mess up the groove that you're in. it just kind of puts this the situation for the players kind of sucks just having to deal with this. you know so
00:29:52
Mike Bell
Agreed. Okay, so now we have kind of gotten a tangent on on coaching jobs. And, you know i mean, fair enough. But we do have a couple of games to talk about here as far as last week.
Impact on ACC Playoffs
00:30:02
Mike Bell
Big one.
00:30:03
Mike Bell
I watched, again, just the first half. The late games, I kind of just turned it off at me admittedly. But Pitt beating Georgia Tech.
00:30:13
Kaleb
Yes.
00:30:13
Mike Bell
Blew them out.
00:30:13
Kaleb
that state Yes.
00:30:15
Mike Bell
Big for the ACC. Big for...
00:30:17
Kaleb
Good for Texas, but yes.
00:30:20
Mike Bell
Well, maybe, maybe. I don't know. I don't know if it is actually, because the problem is that creates more of a log jam for two lost teams.
00:30:23
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:30:29
Mike Bell
And that's that's the thing.
00:30:29
Kaleb
Yeah, that's true.
00:30:31
Mike Bell
so So in Georgia Tech, next week does face Georgia. That will be a fun game. But as far as the ACC goes, we're approaching more and more an ACC doomsday scenario where we may not see an ACC team in the playoff.
00:30:46
Mike Bell
It might happen, but I don't know who the winner of that conference is going to be, but you're facing a weird case where Miami may be the highest ranked team in the ACC, yet they will not be in the ACC title game.
00:30:59
Kaleb
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
00:31:00
Mike Bell
It's looking more and more like it will be. ah So Pitt faces Miami next week, and that's going to be a really interesting thing. I don't think Miami can get in unless a lot of other teams lose. I'm talking about the ACC title race, but I don't know what's going to happen there in the ACC.
00:31:21
Mike Bell
But it was the best case for the ACC was Georgia Tech winning out. And now they have not. And they're looking very much like they're going to be a team.
00:31:30
Kaleb
And I hate that too. I hate that too.
00:31:33
Mike Bell
I hate it as well, because Georgia Tech was kind of a team I believed in, and it was going to be good for probably the ACC if they were were to win out. But not happening. And Pitt, by the way, looked really good. I think, by the way, this game shows you – Maybe how bad the ACC is because this bear kind of handled Georgia Tech and last week they got handled by Notre Dame.
00:31:50
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:31:54
Kaleb
thank you Exactly.
00:31:56
Mike Bell
Yeah, so...
00:31:57
Kaleb
and I know, yeah My question is, like, how good of a team is Pittsburgh? You know, i i don't know. Because, i like you said, one week they get rammed, the other week they ram.
00:32:12
Kaleb
You know, and so does that diminish the Notre Dame game against them? I don't know really know. But, anyway.
00:32:18
Mike Bell
Yeah, I do have to bring up Notre Dame briefly. i don't know if you were keeping track of this, but they won 7-7.
00:32:22
Kaleb
Oh, yeah.
00:32:23
Mike Bell
and
00:32:23
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:32:24
Mike Bell
And I did see like with three minutes into the game, Notre Dame was like up 21-0. They only had the ball, I think, five, like for, they had like five offensive plays the entire first quarter, yet they were up 21-0.
00:32:39
Kaleb
Yeah,
00:32:39
Mike Bell
And a lot of it was just, there was an interception, a quick fumble, and then think a special teams thing. But I just got to say, I would probably say Mendoza is my favorite for Heisman, but I think Jeremiah Love should be number two. I just think the dude is so good. Eight carries, Caleb.
00:32:56
Mike Bell
Eight carries, that was hit.
00:32:56
Kaleb
I see that there.
00:32:59
Mike Bell
171 yards, three touchdowns. I think he's incredible. I think he's just absolutely incredible. And I'm worried for Notre Dame because if Miami wins out, the committee going to have a tough time with that head for them.
00:33:12
Kaleb
Oh, yeah, because Miami's got the edge over them, yeah.
00:33:15
Mike Bell
Yeah, but boy, Notre Dame should be in the playoff. I mean, they're just so, so freaking good. And that's going to be interesting. We'll see what happens. And, yeah, that's kind of all I have to say about that.
Wisconsin's Resilience and Future Prospects
00:33:28
Mike Bell
Quickly, Wisconsin, I don't know how they're doing it, but they have been awful. And then they beat Washington, and then now they beat Illinois, and they rushed the field.
00:33:36
Kaleb
They've had a brutal brutal schedule as well. Like, they've – that's a – I don't know what the record is right now, but I do know that, like, people often debated this year if Wisconsin or Florida had, like, the toughest schedule in college football.
00:33:43
Mike Bell
sorry.
00:33:53
Kaleb
Not to say, like – Price- all i'm saying is just give us constant little grace, despite the record they're probably a better team than what that shows just because of who they played, let me pull them up real quick just discover that continue with what you're saying.
00:34:02
Mike Bell
Well, I
00:34:08
Mike Bell
was just going say it's too bad for Illinois because they have been a pretty good team this year, but winning at Wisconsin is one you need to win. I understand Wisconsin's had a tough schedule, and hey, at the end of the day, they pulled off some good wins, but I remember in the middle there, like they were just very, very bad, but maybe they figured something out here in the second half, and that could be good for them next year to get something at them.
00:34:31
Kaleb
Let me read you this schedule. Probably off the top of my head, the only Big Ten school that's had this part of a schedule. or like I don't even know if anybody compares to it.
00:34:42
Kaleb
alabama At Alabama week three, at Michigan week five, at Iowa the next week, the next week versus Ohio State, next week at Oregon, next week at Washington, next week at – or excuse me – at Oregon versus Washington, at Indiana versus Illinois.
00:35:00
Kaleb
So like all the top teams in the Big Ten.
00:35:01
Mike Bell
That's tough.
00:35:02
Kaleb
That is insane.
00:35:05
Mike Bell
It is. Yeah. So credit to them for even still fighting at the end of the season, unlike Florida.
00:35:06
Kaleb
Yes.
00:35:10
Kaleb
yes Yeah. Well, they, and despite how they have started, you know, and I do give Wisconsin props for giving Luke fickle, like, you know, they're committed to the next year.
00:35:21
Kaleb
i mean, that's a hard schedule, man. And compared to all those other teams, do you think Wisconsin is going to get a big portion of the big recruits in the big 10? Probably not. So it's like, you kind of have to have realistic expectations.
00:35:33
Kaleb
Also another quick thing. Today, they i saw an update a little bit ago that Florida State is not going to fire Mike Norvell. I don't know how I really feel about that, to be honest with you, just because it's like basically really crappy year, really great year, really crappy year, really great year. you know and It really shouldn't be like that. It's like, how has there not been a little bit more stability? or you know like I get like you're not going to be able to compete for a championship maybe every year anymore.
00:36:00
Mike Bell
Thank you.
00:36:05
Kaleb
But why is there such a huge disparity between your successful years and your – because it's either really good or really bad with him. And so, ah honestly, I
Florida State's Coaching Dilemma
00:36:14
Kaleb
kind of am surprised because I think Florida State – like, just think about this. If Florida State had moved on from him, I think James Franklin may be off the table.
00:36:23
Kaleb
But with some of the coaches that are available, I do think Florida State is a premium job. I think I would maybe even take that – I don't know. Would you take the Florida State job or the Florida job?
00:36:35
Mike Bell
Florida.
00:36:39
Kaleb
um Do you think twice about it, though, just because SEC versus ACC, the path of least resistance to go win a championship?
00:36:47
Mike Bell
That would be the only reason I would consider Florida State. But ultimately, I think, and this is what a lot of people have talked about, Billy Napier left the Florida job in a better place in terms of resources and all that.
00:36:50
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:36:59
Mike Bell
I think it's better prestige.
00:36:59
Kaleb
They probably did.
00:37:01
Mike Bell
And yeah, i would I would still take the Florida job.
00:37:07
Mike Bell
but I understand that it's debatable.
00:37:08
Kaleb
I just think Florida State could even match what they could do as far as resources or maybe even more. I don't know. um
00:37:19
Kaleb
If I'm not mistaken, I think Florida State actually has more national championships than Florida does. And, like, I think Florida State is, like –
00:37:29
Kaleb
I forgot when they were reinstated in NCAA, but I think Florida's been around substantially longer. But anyway, I think that would be an interesting debate. But um I guess, needless to say, I think they could have done – I think they could have hired a better coach this offseason if they were to just get rid of not Mike Norvell. What's the expectations for them next year with him?
00:37:51
Kaleb
You know.
00:37:53
Mike Bell
I get it. The only thing I'll say is, oh could they do better whenever we're seeing a lot of coaches not leave their jobs?
00:38:01
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:38:01
Mike Bell
Granted, you don't you get a huge name. You just need that next hot name. So maybe like a that two lanes head coach, somebody that the next big coach.
00:38:08
Kaleb
That's true.
00:38:10
Mike Bell
So I don't know. i actually don't mind it. But I get it. Norvell has had time, and his time has not been great other than what year it I think everyone knows, though, at least, like next year will be his last chance.
00:38:19
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:38:26
Mike Bell
He's got to do something.
00:38:26
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:38:28
Mike Bell
So, a you know, whatever is what it is.
00:38:28
Kaleb
Mm hmm.
00:38:32
Mike Bell
And yeah, I guess that's all I had to say about Florida State, but The last thing I'll say about last week in the schedule, I guess we need to maybe finish up with the Big 12.
00:38:38
Kaleb
Yeah, that's lot.
00:38:43
Mike Bell
BYU handling business against Cincinnati. Didn't watch any of the game, but I know that some people were predicting Cincinnati to upset them, and everyone's kind of been predicting that against BYU. BYU continues to take care of business on the road, and then at the same time, I'll bring up, and this was a game I watched in full, Kansas State versus Utah.
00:39:05
Mike Bell
This game was absolutely insane. Utah was down.
00:39:08
Kaleb
Oh yeah. no Yeah.
00:39:09
Mike Bell
Then at one point, just endless scoring. Utah keeping their playoff hopes and dreams alive. Going to be a very interesting conference. There is definitely a case to be made. They get three teams in. I don't know how they'd really do that, but Utah keeps winning.
00:39:26
Mike Bell
BYU keeps winning. I think BYU is probably going to get in, even with that loss to Tech. at the end I'm assuming they lose to Tech at the end of the year, and then Utah will be one of those first teams out.
00:39:39
Mike Bell
But Utah's good. yeah Watch out for them. Watch out for them.
00:39:42
Kaleb
Yeah, utah yo Utah is good, man. Very surprised that they were even in that situation yesterday.
00:39:52
Mike Bell
Right. No, agreed. In Kansas State, I'll give them credit. They've kind of figured it out. They're five and five they had like I remember watching them early in the season. They were just very bad. So they found ways to be more competitive. So good for them.
00:40:04
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:40:05
Mike Bell
But I am curious. you know This last week is going to be exciting because there is a lot of very interesting scenarios that could play out in terms of just crazy upsets that could happen. And then you have tiebreakers the committee has got to consider.
00:40:22
Mike Bell
And I just have to say, i i think maybe I get they're trying to be inclusive, but I don't see the need to have that group of five team in there every year.
00:40:37
Kaleb
Yeah, know.
00:40:37
Mike Bell
You know, right.
00:40:38
Kaleb
Unless it makes sense, you know? Yeah. Like, it yeah. This year, it's like everybody's got two losses or something like that. And, however, would it be very interesting for them to be there? and maybe But what's the realistic expectation? Maybe, depending on who they match up with that first game, maybe they have a shot.
00:40:55
Kaleb
Other than that, I think it's a waste of a a space for another team that deservedly maybe, you know,
00:41:05
Kaleb
I'm not just saying this for the Texas thing, but if there's like a three loss team or another second loss team that depending on the schedule or whatever, it just didn't go their way as much as it could have.
00:41:17
Kaleb
I don't know. I would much rather have that than a group of five school like you're saying.
00:41:21
Mike Bell
And don't forget, they're going be in that 12th spot every year. So that means they have to go to whoever number five is on the road for their first game.
00:41:28
Kaleb
Yeah. Yeah.
00:41:28
Mike Bell
You know, so that's the, if you want to do something, I don't know what this would be, but if you want to do something for that group of five team where they get like, you know, they're guaranteed like the best bowl that is not the playoffs or maybe like next year, they are guaranteed to start somewhere a little higher in the rankings to help them in their chance.
00:41:41
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:41:47
Mike Bell
I
Playoff Structure Debate
00:41:48
Mike Bell
don't know. i don't know what it would be, but at the end of the day,
00:41:50
Kaleb
Well, the last time that I can even think of like, I think at the time UCF was a group of five school, if I'm not mistaken. But when they beat LSU with Scott Frost, you know, that was the last time off the top of my head I can think of like a group of five school actually like
00:41:58
Mike Bell
Never.
00:42:08
Kaleb
Holy crap. Wow. And at that, at that time, I think it was just a bowl game, you know, but that, that is a very, very good point. Like, you know, should they just have arguably the chance to go to the best bowl outside of the playoff?
00:42:22
Kaleb
I think that would be better. Uh, just because maybe once every 10 years, a team from the group of five might be able to beat the playoff team, like, el like a group of, uh,
00:42:35
Kaleb
Power 4 school. They may be able to do that, but I don't know.
00:42:42
Mike Bell
Yeah, well, I continue to say, like and I think they are going make some changes to the playoffs. I think you've maybe already seen, they're talking about a 2014 playoff, which I know sounds absurd. I thought it was really absurd when I first heard it. I will say, after looking at the way it would work, I kind of get it but i don't know if i want to discuss it right now.
00:43:02
Mike Bell
But here's the deal. They do have to figure something out because what is going what would stop an SEC team or a Big Ten team from saying, you know what, it's too hard to make the playoffs in this conference.
00:43:15
Mike Bell
Let's go to the ACC or or some other conference where it's easier to win. like What's the point of being in the SEC when it's harder?
00:43:23
Kaleb
Yeah.
00:43:24
Mike Bell
and We have more losses than maybe an ACC team that's going to get into United States.
00:43:27
Kaleb
Exactly. Well, that's kind of what's happening now and even next year. Oh,
00:43:31
Mike Bell
Right. So that is something to think about and consider. But a lot of that is going to be discussed over the next couple weeks. And it is going to be, I'm really looking forward to this week.
00:43:43
Mike Bell
And obviously we have the conference championships and the playoffs start. It feels like football is about to get very, very exciting.
00:43:50
Kaleb
ah for sure.
00:43:51
Mike Bell
And, and yeah, that's kind of all I have on this week. I'm looking forward to our preview next week. We're going a lot to talk about. Is there anything else you want to say in terms of this past week or anything else you'd want to discuss?
00:44:05
Kaleb
No, I don't think so. But like you said, it's going to be a huge, huge week, man. Huge week. It's ah very exciting. It's always my favorite week of the year, to be honest. So I'm um'm very excited for it. Stay tuned for the preview show.
00:44:21
Mike Bell
For sure. Okay. All right. Well, I will talk to you in a few days then.
00:44:25
Kaleb
Yes.
00:44:26
Mike Bell
All right. See you.
00:44:27
Kaleb
Let's see you.