Transcript
Mike Bell: All right, welcome back to another episode of Blown Coverage. I'm with my co-host Caleb Schwerer. I am Mike Bell. And let's get right into these games. We've got some good ones this week.
Mike Bell: I know your team is once again on a national stage. But let's start out with where game day is going to be. It's game day rolling into the still city for the first time in 20 years.
Mike Bell: Notre Dame, ah number nine Notre Dame versus 22 Pittsburgh. twenty two pittsburgh The game's at 11 a.m. on ABC, and Notre Dame, as of now, is an 11.5-point favorite.
Mike Bell: Did you, by a chance, see the ah Pittsburgh's head coach's comments on this game?
Kaleb: I did not. What did he say?
Mike Bell: So he's basically he was asked, is this a must-win game? And he said no. And he said, you know, look, I'm okay with losing this game 110-10 because yeah we need to win the next two games, which are the ACC opponents, which is technically true.
Mike Bell: But I would just say the ACC right now is actually technically not guaranteed a playoff bid. I didn't know that, but they are not guaranteed a playoff bid. If Pittsburgh can win this game and then win out,
Mike Bell: then they've got a great shot. They would be in the playoffs. Whereas if they lose this game and then even if they went out, yeah, they could still win.
Mike Bell: They could still be in the ACC championship game and, you know, maybe they get in, maybe or they don't. But the point is it would be a really big resume builder to win this game. I think they're still going to be playing hard you know It's Notre Dame coming into town.
Mike Bell: You've got game day, but that is just something to consider.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: But for Notre Dame, on the other side, this is um a must-win game for them. They've got to win all these games, but it looked like maybe you had a thought on that. What were going to say?
Kaleb: Well, I mean, I just don't know if I like necessarily that coach's response, I guess, like heading into it just because it's like. Maybe. Yeah, is it like a conference game or anything? No, but it is still like a huge game. And like you said, game day hasn't been there forever.
Kaleb: It's a huge like pro-gan program game. So I don't know. it's ah I guess I would have to watch it to kind of see his body language and everything. But anyway, it how much like it would help him tremendously if he you know if they won that game against Notre Dame.
Mike Bell: Yeah.
Mike Bell: For sure. And my guess is they know that. And ah yeah, I didn't really I did listen to it. And I didn't really like the way it sounded. But it's whatever. It is still a big opportunity for Pitt. Most people haven't watched a full game of Pitt this year.
Mike Bell: And this will probably be the first and maybe only game that people watch of Pittsburgh and in totality. So that that's going to be exciting. I do appreciate that, you know, because I try to watch as many games as I can on every team. But let's face it, you just can't do it.
Kaleb: Mm-hmm.
Mike Bell: There's too many teams. But, you know i was thinking about this. My early 2026 Heisman favorite is probably CJ Carr.
Mike Bell: I just think the dude is so phenomenal. He's a freshman. He's got 19 touchdowns, four interceptions. He lights it up. And yeah, I don't know if you have any thoughts on that. If you have any, I mean, obviously 2026 is a year away. i don't know who else would be in that conversation right now, but he's probably my early favorite.
Kaleb: I think you probably definitely have to put him like in the conversation for sure. Oh man, that's such a.
Kaleb: yeah that's a good.
Mike Bell: Chrisley Sands going to be in there, ah the Ohio State quarterback.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Kaleb: yeah Oh yeah.
Mike Bell: Yeah.
Kaleb: Oh yeah. Yeah. yeah That's it. Honestly, he's having like a crazy year, like the 80.3 completion percentage. ah I really want to say like. That's like the most accurate any quarterback has been went through that many games.
Kaleb: But, I mean, I could be wrong, but and if I am wrong, he's not too far behind. I mean, 80% is like freaking and insane, to be honest.
Mike Bell: Yeah.
Kaleb: No matter like how far down, the like how many times or how often they throw like down the field or whatever, 80% is still really good, like extremely good.
Mike Bell: Notice.
Mike Bell: Look, I've said it. i and I still believe this. And if they went out, I think they'll get in the playoffs, but I still think they match up the best with Ohio state. I would really love to see that matchup. I promise you like of all the teams as an A&M fan that we could face,
Mike Bell: That's obviously not in the top four. Like, I would want to face Notre Dame the least. I think they're that good. So that's kind of what Pitt has to deal with. This is almost like the start of the playoffs for Pitt. So they have Notre Dame this week, and then they have at Georgia Tech next week, and then they host Miami.
Mike Bell: So it's kind of a big little stretch for them. They could easily go 0-3 in those games. Is 2-1 good enough?
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: you know and I guess it depends on who the 2-1 is against. But you know I was thinking about this game, and you know part of me wants this game to be competitive, but this almost feels a little bit like Ohio State versus Illinois from from a couple weeks ago, where it's like, yeah, Illinois pretty good, but Ohio State's a different beast.
Mike Bell: And I kind of feel like that here The thing that I would say is Pittsburgh has a very good, so far, a pretty good offense, and they're very good at passing the ball.
Mike Bell: And that has been kind of Notre Dame's weakness. Granted, they've kind of cleaned that up over the second half of the season. Like the first half is really where they struggled. The second half, they've been better.
Mike Bell: But can... pittsburgh exploit that. I guess we'll see. Another thing, Pittsburgh 129th in penalty yards. So kind of like that ah Ohio State versus Illinois game, like Illinois just killed themselves from the outset.
Mike Bell: But I would watch for a a shootout here. Also, i should say ah Pittsburgh is pretty good against the run. But my thing is are you really good against the run?
Mike Bell: Because you haven't really faced a team like numbers.
Kaleb: Yeah, two really good running backs, yeah.
Mike Bell: So it's fascinating. I can't wait to see it. Maybe it'll be competitive. Apparently, Pittsburgh's quarterback is really good. One of the under-talked-about guys in the nation this year.
Mike Bell: But I think its the Pittsburgh coach had it right. And this is a must-win game for Notre Dame. It's not for Pitt. And I think you're going to kind of see that.
Mike Bell: And I sense that Notre Dame may run away in this one. But those are kind of my thoughts. But I am excited to see like a game day atmosphere in a place that I've never seen it.
Mike Bell: So those are my thoughts on the game.
Kaleb: yeah yeah Yeah, pretty much same with that. And I think, like, honestly, they have a pretty hard schedule. Like, you know, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Miami. And Georgia Tech, ah you know, if they lose another game, are they going to get into the ACC championship still?
Kaleb: I'm not sure off the top of my head. Miami, they're pretty much in do or die mode the rest of the year. um So from my mind from a mentality standpoint, ah it's going to have a pretty hard journey to end of the year for sure.
Mike Bell: Yeah, agreed. agreed yeah They're not going to be favored in probably any of these games.
Kaleb: any Yeah. Any of those.
Mike Bell: yeah It's going to be interesting to see the way the ACC pans out. There's even a scenario people are talking about you know looking at the rankings. i don't know how this would work and I would not be in favor of this.
Mike Bell: But Miami is probably not going to make the ACC title game. But there's a chance they could get in and then the winner of the ACC does not get in.
Mike Bell: And
Kaleb: That'd be, yeah, what's the whole point of the championship then?
Mike Bell: Right, right. So I would rather just leave Miami out, but I i think the way that the rankings are right now, I mean, we'll see.
Kaleb: Hmm.
Mike Bell: Miami only has, I mean, they have Pittsburgh left, and that's kind of it, and they're going to be favorite. So we'll see. We'll see. It's going to be a fascinating conference to watch. There's going to plenty of playoff races to watch, but...
Mike Bell: Speaking of playoff races, let's move on to number 11, Oklahoma, versus number 4, Alabama. This is at 2.30 on ABC.
Mike Bell: So this is the game after. Alabama has opened as a 6.5 point favorite, and that line has been kind of coming down. i want to say this opened at 7. In fact, last I looked, maybe it was at 5.5. So it's coming towards the OU side.
Mike Bell: And I think people are starting to get a little bit more... trepidatious about this game just because of you know OU great defense we've seen Alabama now start to show maybe a little bit of a weakness on the offensive side of the ball must win game for OU so my question is for Alabama is their one-dimensional offense ever going to cost them and if it did it seems like it would be here now
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: they're not going to run like They haven't run the ball this season, but they're for sure not going to be able to do it this game. But OU also has a very good pass defense. So I would expect OU to keep this one close. And also Alabama can struggle against the run themselves on the defensive side of the ball.
Mike Bell: you kind of This kind of reminds me of the Vanderbilt game in a way. it's a little bit different. I think OU can probably run the quarterback maybe a little bit better. like They've got just ah a few better weapons in terms of like being able to be two-dimensional, I guess.
Mike Bell: But that's going to be a fascinating thing to watch. Also, can Matier throw the ball better? he has been getting better week to week in terms of throwing the ball, obviously coming off that injury.
Mike Bell: But to me, The matchup to watch most is i think OU's offense is just going to do what they're going to do. They'll put up a few points. they're not going to be completely shut down. To me, the matchup is the Alabama offense versus the Oklahoma defense.
Mike Bell: This is probably Alabama's biggest test of the year and and probably is going to be their last but big test like that unless they up facing like Ohio State at the end of the year in a championship game or something. But is Alabama...
Mike Bell: Are they going to struggle at all to move the ball? How are they going to do in crunch time versus an elite defense that needs to win? ah OU is a top 15 defense in contested catches.
Mike Bell: And i'm I'm curious to see, because they've got to be aware of it as well. They struggled last week against lsu Is that the start of something or do they fix that? So, you know, this this is going to be a very interesting game for me.
Mike Bell: i don't know how I feel about it. I could see like all scenarios happening. Like I could see OU just laying a dud and just not being ready to go to Alabama and win.
Mike Bell: But at the same time, i could see Alabama just not really having the ah offense to play with OU's defense. So it's going to be interesting. those are kind of my thoughts.
Mike Bell: What are your thoughts on the game?
Kaleb: I think the main thing is whose defense is going to hold up the best. And, you know, as far as the season goes, you can probably out of the two d defenses, trust OU's a little bit more. And i don't know if Alabama struggled. Like Alabama, like, yeah, they didn't look the best last weekend, but that's a huge emotional rivalry game.
Kaleb: How much of that played a part in that? I'm not sure, but I don't know. Um... I think if OU is able to establish somewhat a run game, honestly, I think they can really ah potentially upset Alabama.
Kaleb: You know, OU's in that same mentality as, you know, they can't unless necessarily lose another game if they want to have a chance in the playoff. um Alabama, I mean, I don't think that Alabama has that mindset that they can lose by any means, but i don't know, maybe who has more of an edge mentally, uh,
Kaleb: I think this game will kind of show that. I think OU's defense, pretty well-rounded. You know, yes, can they let some runs go from time to time, but that's just not Alabama's offense this year. They haven't necessarily been able to put a good – I mean, they've had like a couple games where they've had like an okay run game.
Kaleb: So I'm not necessarily too worried about that. The only thing I'd be worried about is Ty Simpson getting off to a pretty hot start. The wide receiver is kind of getting in groove um because then it could be a pretty long day for OU just because OU is kind of one of those offenses where they're really not built to come back from a large lead or anything.
Kaleb: So as long as it's kind of close, nitty-gritty, and I personally think it'll be kind of more of a nitty-gritty game than anything. I would kind of be shocked in the sense if anybody pulled away quickly.
Kaleb: Just because the nature of OU's offense, it's kind of sloppy. It's not necessarily the best looking at times. um And with Alabama being so one-dimensional throughout the year and OU's defense being pretty much pretty good just both passing and rushing, OU can just kind of hone in on the passing game and lock that down.
Kaleb: And OU's got a really good defense defensive line. So anyway, I think it'll be a very interesting game, and it's a good 2-30 game too. um
Kaleb: It'll be a great ah pregame for me personally. so
Mike Bell: Yeah, yeah. No, this is to be great. It's also, if OU wins this game, and you could say the same thing for the Texas game, which we'll get to, but it's really going to shake up what the committee is going to have to do.
Mike Bell: Like, you're just talking, like, potentially getting six SEC teams in the playoffs.
Kaleb: yeah
Mike Bell: Like, you know, because Alabama and Georgia, if they lose this week, either one, are not going to just drop out. They're going to drop, up and then going to out.
Kaleb: together
Mike Bell: And then they're probably going to win the rest of their games. So ah Oklahoma, that is. So, you know, it is going to be, it is going to be fascinating if OU can pull this one off, what's going to happen.
Mike Bell: Because again, we said this earlier, like, don't forget how high people were on OU prior to Mature getting hurt.
Kaleb: Yep.
Mike Bell: You're supposed to be getting better.
Kaleb: And I was one of those people too, to be honest with you. Actually, I think we both, yeah.
Mike Bell: Oh yeah. Same here. Same here.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: So let's stick with 230, and let's go to 21 Iowa.
Kaleb: Seth? Yeah.
Mike Bell: By the way, Iowa only dropped one spot after losing to Oregon, and which I agree with, by the way. ah
Kaleb: Yeah, for sure.
Mike Bell: i would I don't like to see them. I wouldn't like to see them be dropped in the rankings. Going against number 17, USC. USC is a 6.5-point favorite, and this game is on the Big Ten Network.
Mike Bell: So it's not on ABC, CBS, ESPN. It's on the Big Ten Network. So it's a little weird. They couldn't get it on national television, but whatever.
Mike Bell: ah You were telling me beforehand, I know you hate USC. I don't think you hate USC so much as much as you just don't like Lincoln Riley. And you like Iowa. What are your thoughts on this game?
Mike Bell: What are they going to going to be the keys for Iowa to pull the upset here?
Kaleb: Basically, I want to do what they did with ah Oregon last week. Just really lock down the USC wide receivers. Just try to make it as ugly game as possible.
Kaleb: um I think Iowa will actually have a better chance of having a better, more effective run game than they did last week. USC's run defense is not as good as Oregon's rush defense.
Kaleb: The thing with Iowa is, can they get a pass game going? You know, and the quarterback had a really good last drive, you know, to end the game, like from Iowa's perspective. then Dante Mortis went out and did magic. But can he do at least a couple more drives to give his defense a break and, you know, give his team a shot?
Kaleb: If they're able to do that, I think Iowa probably has a pretty good chance. of winning the game, you know, and USC's ah offense, you could argue is probably one of the best in the nation. Their defense is obviously spotty. You know, it's maybe one of the better defenses Lincoln Raleigh has had throughout his time there for sure.
Kaleb: But um yeah if Iowa can keep it like close, hey, that'll be and that'll be good for them too because I think that's really hard to do for USC and the Lincoln Raleigh offense, like low scoring game. That's pretty hard to – ah make happen, to be honest with you.
Kaleb: And yes, I know, because I had to deal with that crap for like, don't know, probably eight, or I don't know how long it was at OU, five years, six years, seven years, eight years, something like that. It was horrible.
Kaleb: So um anyway, but yes, I am after last week, and I've always kind of liked Iowa a little bit, but I plan on watching whatever Iowa game I can each and every week.
Kaleb: And
Kaleb: USC's third right now in the Big Ten. Iowa's back like around the sixth range. um
Kaleb: Kind of puts USC like out of the Big Ten championship conversation. So they're kind of they you know can't really afford to lose anymore. And I think it's gonna be a really hard game.
Kaleb: Now this is at USC, which I know last week, kind of like we were talking about, or Iowa kind of had like perfect storm, playing at home, nasty weather, rainy, kind of just the making of a defensive game, who's going basically you get the last ah possession, go down, make a field goal, whatever.
Kaleb: i don't know if that's going to happen here. So, I think Iowa may have a mountain to climb, but hey, Iowa's defense, their pass defense, run defense, all around really good, and they're going to have to be – this may have to be like their best outing of the year just because USC's offense is so prolific. So anyway, I think it will be interesting and an exciting game too.
Kaleb: What are your thoughts?
Mike Bell: Well, good news for Iowa, it's actually supposed to be raining in all places. In Southern California, it's supposed to be raining ah pretty far.
Kaleb: Oh, I see that now. Logo is very small.
Mike Bell: Yeah, so that could be in Iowa's favor.
Kaleb: Yeah, for sure.
Mike Bell: The thing I will say is Iowa hasn't played a road game since november i'm sorry it sipped October 11th, and that was at Wisconsin, which is Big Ten territory. This is a cross-country trip.
Mike Bell: They haven't had a long road trip all season. And that is significant. Road games are significant in college football, especially. So that is something to keep in mind.
Mike Bell: How does Iowa do on the road? Defense typically travels. And Iowa has an elite defense. My thing is USC has an elite offense.
Mike Bell: There's a game that just I can't forget about, and that is the last time I watched a full USC game is they barely beat Nebraska, and as far as I'm concerned, they should have lost to Nebraska.
Kaleb: Thank you.
Mike Bell: because The only reason that they didn't beat Nebraska is because Nebraska's quarterback went out, and USC's offense really did not perform well.
Mike Bell: Now, granted, that was on the road and they're known to have road struggles. This is going to be at home. And that's important. But look, this is an elite. I find it very hard to believe that USC is just going to put up a bunch of points here.
Kaleb: Yeah, right.
Mike Bell: I find that very hard to believe. They're probably going to have to play Iowa's game to an extent. Also, Iowa, they like to run the ball.
Kaleb: Oh,
Mike Bell: What has USC struggled with? Defending the run. So in a way, it's kind of a good matchup for Iowa. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if i was at Iowa was at home.
Kaleb: ah for sure.
Mike Bell: The thing is, their offense is so limited, it's hard to favor them. In games like this, if they were at home, like this would probably be a picker.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: Maybe Iowa's even favored. I'm very curious to see how Iowa responds after their loss last week.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: You know, I know how Penn State responded when they lost early in the season. They went on to lose like the next five after they lost Oregon. Iowa, it's a bit of a different situation. They're late in the year. They can still have a great year. They're probably not going to make the playoffs, but I imagine they still want to play hard.
Mike Bell: But is there any sort of like jet lag effect? Like, okay, we're coming off a big game. We were a couple plays away from winning it, and now we've got to go on the road to USC. So definitely curious from the Iowa angle, how do they respond
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: And look, if USC can pull this off, it would be a good win for them. And I would argue it's probably a good win for college football in the sense that that sets up USC Oregon next week. And that will be ah fun game to watch.
Mike Bell: You know, no one's really talking about USC for the playoffs. And I get it because they're, know, they got to face Oregon. But, you know, they're a couple wins away from being in that conversation.
Kaleb: yeah
Mike Bell: So,
Kaleb: Oh, for sure. And they could go in there and beat Oregon. That's definitely not one of the cards, I think.
Mike Bell: Yeah, it's not, it's not.
Kaleb: but Yeah, I think an interesting question is, whose defense do you trust more? UOCs or Oregons? You'd probably say Oregons, right? And honestly, all for all intents and purposes, last week when Iowa played them, they still had a pretty good run game because that's literally the only thing they could do.
Mike Bell: Yep.
Kaleb: And given the weather and everything, Iowa's offensive woes as far as throwing the ball, Oregon knew that, so they could really like hone in on that run game. And Iowa still, to an extent, was able to run a ball pretty effectively.
Kaleb: So that being considered... Can USC hold up against Iowa's offensive line running the ball as well as Oregon did? Probably not, to be honest.
Kaleb: um So I would kind of like to see like what Iowa's offense is able to do this game. you know But like you said, it is still hard to give them an edge over USC just because that offense.
Kaleb: I still think it'll be very interesting. If their defense holds up well and it's a three-point game, whatever, I think Iowa's got a good shot. But it's just hard to put the nail in the coffin for them just because of the throwing game, their passing game woes.
Mike Bell: Right, right. Yeah, it's going to be a fun one to watch, for sure.
Kaleb: I think so.
Mike Bell: I enjoy these kind Big Ten games late in the year, so it's fun to see.
Kaleb: Oh, yeah.
Mike Bell: I don't know why this is on the Big Ten network, but...
Kaleb: Missed it.
Kaleb: Yeah, that's the best part of the Big Ten is just those really defensive games, running running games. That's the best part of the Big Ten, in my opinion.
Mike Bell: For sure. Okay, let's move on to 630 now. This game is on ABC, and this is going to be number 10, Texas versus number five, Georgia.
Kaleb: Hmm.
Mike Bell: Big game, big game for both squads. Caleb, this is your team. I'm sure you have a lot of thoughts on it. You've had two weeks to think about it.
Kaleb: Yes.
Mike Bell: Texas coming off the buy Tell me what you think. Go ahead.
Kaleb: Well, it was awesome to have the Bi-Week this past weekend so my heart could have a rest. I would like to say that first and foremost. And it's going to probably be on a stringer this weekend.
Kaleb: So I'm not necessarily looking forward to that aspect of it. But okay. My main question is, can Sarkeesian beat Kirby Smart?
Kaleb: um And it's at Georgia. I think it's a big culture moment for Sark in Texas. um
Kaleb: I think, like, Georgia's offense has come on pretty well the last couple weeks. So is that a little concerning? Yes. And we have been allowing, like, people to pass the ball on us.
Kaleb: more and more kind of throughou throughout the year. And I don't necessarily like that. And Gunnar Stockton has thrown the ball pretty well was this last month and month or so.
Kaleb: And with him being able to do that, they've become a little bit more balanced on offense. I'm not necessarily concerned about Georgia's run game. I'm a little worried about that pass game and how that will affect the run game.
Kaleb: Okay. If our... I think the main person that we're going to have to watch is Zakarian Branch. If we're able to contain him somewhat, the only other person I really see as a threat is their tight end, Delp.
Kaleb: Okay, and we have a good ah did coverage linebackers. The weak spot is the corners. in my opinion, and I think that's just more youth than anything.
Kaleb: But anyway, that's going to be the matchup to watch. Now, as far as Texas goes, I think it is very beneficial for us to have had a week off to really prepare for this.
Kaleb: And in Arch coming arguably off his best game and our offense, and I think more importantly, our offensive line's best game. I think we've maybe, and now it's completely different monster, Vanderbilt's defensive line versus Georgia's defensive line. I know, but We'll at least have some momentum and just more practice with that same rotation.
Kaleb: I think will help us going into it. Can Texas's offensive line give Arch a chance to throw? If they can, I do like Texas's chance. But here's the deal.
Kaleb: we'll We'll probably know the outcome of this game, honestly, within the first quarter and a half or so. don't I think if Georgia gets up on us, I don't think it's just going to be one of those games where, like Mississippi State, we score like almost 40 points in a quarter and a half.
Kaleb: That's just not going happen, okay? And I don't care that Georgia's defense isn't necessarily the best as it has been. It's still a Kirby Smart defense, but one of the best coaching staffs in the nation, if not the best.
Kaleb: Culture's elite. so those are basically my questions can the offensive line for texas hold up against the georgia defensive line and honestly it's a toss-up if they come out play well hey i think it'll be actually a pretty good back and forth game to be honest with you um because archer shown when he's had time to throw he can make some really good throws and You know, Sark has kind of changed the offensive game plan where he's just getting the ball out of Arch's hands pretty quick.
Kaleb: You know, i mean, we've got but we've got playmakers at the wide receiver position. Maybe not as elite as we did last year, but we still got some really good ones like Ryan Wingo. C.J. Mosley is coming on pretty strong these last couple games. and ah DeAndre Moore, I think, is very underrated, to be honest with you.
Kaleb: He's very good. yeah. so Stark typically, when we go into these big games, he has us play well, I think. we don't We typically don't come out and lay eggs.
Kaleb: Knock on wood, right? But anyway, I think it's going to very interesting game, and I think this could be like a great... If Sarkeesian is able to go in there and be Kirby Smart at home, I think you've got to put it up there with the yeah Alabama win, like a couple years back at Ryan Diddy Stadium.
Kaleb: But what are your thoughts? And that's going to be a tall task, for sure. No doubt about it.
Mike Bell: It would probably go above that win. Like it it's hard to – the thing is there's probably like a little bit of maybe sentiment. don't if that's the word. Sentimental value because that was kind of like the first big win, right, for Sarkozy, like big win like that.
Mike Bell: But I feel like the spot here for Texas, given kind of what the season has been, what's on the line, i feel like it's bigger than
Kaleb: Well, maybe from that perspective, I get it. It's just like
Kaleb: it's like Nick Saban, though, you know what I mean? And it's like, I don't want to say we dethroned him or anything by any means.
Mike Bell: everything.
Kaleb: But it's almost like we didn't really have a shot going into that game. you know And nobody expected us to go in there win. But there is definitely sentiment to it as well, just because it's like,
Kaleb: Dude, I've had to deal with how you are like the two times or whatever the last 15 years A&M has. So you understand what I mean. and Alabama being number one. When 2022 or 2021, I guess, is when like Zach Calzada beat Alabama.
Mike Bell: Alabama? Yeah, that was 2021. That
Kaleb: and are twenty Okay, and then...
Kaleb: I want to say that there was a time between the Johnny Manziel win and that, that you you guys did. but But so anyway, you understand what that, how that feels though, especially against Nick Saban.
Mike Bell: but is true. That is true. Yeah, I mean, it feels good to be a Bama.
Kaleb: Like this it almost, and no matter how the team is, it almost feels like it's impossible to be nick a Nick Saban team, you know?
Mike Bell: Yeah.
Kaleb: So anyway.
Mike Bell: That's probably fair. That's probably fair. Well, you know, look, what you're saying about protecting Arch is true. And I know what you mean against a Georgia defense, Kirby Smart defense. I completely agree with that.
Mike Bell: The one thing I will say, though, is, you know, Georgia is 122nd in the league when it comes to sacking the quarterback.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: So I remember thinking against Mississippi State, like, okay, they should have pulled Arch up well because it was kind of a similar situation, and then they just didn't. And then he was all over Arch.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: And because this is a Georgia defense, like, I wouldn't just discount them getting to Arch. But I could absolutely see a scenario where Arch is protected for most of the game.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: It's just now can he make the throws? against the Kirby Smart scheme and all that. So there's that.
Kaleb: Yeah. Yeah.
Mike Bell: There's also, look, the last time you guys were coming off a bye and went on the road was against Florida, and that didn't work out so well. This is coming off a bye against Georgia now, night game at Georgia.
Mike Bell: We can beat them at Georgia except Alabama. So... That's kind of a big thing. Like, is Arch ready for that spot? He's had similar spots now to kind of prepare him.
Mike Bell: You know, he had at Ohio State, at Florida, and he's had kind of some comebacks now as far as Mississippi State, Kentucky.
Kaleb: yeah
Mike Bell: Mostly Mississippi State. Kentucky wasn't really him. but But, ah you know, it does seem like this is what I'm curious to see. is I keep hearing, and i've heard from you and from others, that Texas is kind of gaining momentum on the offensive side of the ball.
Mike Bell: I know what you mean by that. I've seen that, you know, the final quarter in Mississippi State, sure. And then against Vandy, they absolutely were very good. Can they do that over multiple weeks in a row? Because the way that I see it, I still see that that has only happened one game. And you did it against Vandy, and you did it at home, but you did it.
Mike Bell: Can you move the ball now for consecutive weeks against Georgia? That would be, i mean, that would be major if they were able to, even if they lost the game, if they could move the ball in a similar way, that would be big. But what could be a disaster for Texas?
Mike Bell: Because it's not a disaster to lose to Georgia. It's never a disaster to lose to Georgia. But it I think it kind of is if you start to see what it was the previous weeks against the early parts of Mississippi State, Kentucky, Florida, where they're just getting after Arch. Arch can't do anything. It's like, oh, crap. you know That was kind of a fluke.
Mike Bell: So that's kind of what I'm looking for in this game.
Kaleb: Yeah. Yeah.
Mike Bell: Is the Texas offense, is it something they're going to be able to repeat?
Kaleb: Yeah, and something that I kind of forgot to mention was, you know, Texas is going to have to have – we have to have a somewhat a serviceable run game, right? Because – and ah trust me, like, I hear you, like, about the Georgia pass rush, but – It's a Kirby smart defense, Kirby smart coach defense.
Kaleb: Huge game. He's going to have those guys ready to go to where it's almost kind of like the national championship, right? Like, this is a big game for both schools. And Georgia's pretty good against the rush, okay?
Kaleb: And so – That's kind of where I'm a little nervous. And the last couple – and I think you're – and I would agree with you for the most part. Like this past game that we played, Vandy, was arguably the only like really complete game our offense has played up to that point.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Kaleb: Regardless of that, though, I think each and every week, Arch has showed strides above like what he was able to do the previous week. okay um And i just hope that the offensive line can hold up against the pass rush because I think Kirby Smart will have those guys ready and be able to play their best game.
Kaleb: I just hope that we can have somewhat a good run game and just get the ball out of Arch's hands quick enough. maybe use the pass to set up the run. And I think I'll be the back, a back and forth game just because I've, you know, like I've said a couple times on the show, Gunnar Stockton came in last year in relief um for Carson Beck and the SEC championship ah last year. And he led them to a victory, which hard, but hard thing to do, you know? So I really do think a lot of Gunnar Stockton and their offense has been coming alive here recently. So I think it'll be a ah tough ask for our defense too.
Mike Bell: ah Agreed. Yeah, that's going to be a fun one to watch. Okay, I say we kind of open it up now and we just talk about whatever other games we want to discuss right away. The first one I see, and I don't know how good of a game it'll be, but i'm just it's just the first one I've kind of seen here, and that is South Florida versus Navy.
Mike Bell: They continue to kind of sort out who that group of five teams is going to be. South Florida needs to win out. might be between them and Memphis and maybe even JMU, James Madison.
Mike Bell: so Navy, just by the way, it shows that Navy was kind of fraudulent. like USF is on the road, and they're a 9.5-point favorite over Navy.
Mike Bell: So... Just kind of goes to show you that, you know, one, us USF is pretty good, but two, Navy is kind of fraudulent. But um let's see, what what else?
Kaleb: ideas. Mm-hmm.
Mike Bell: Oh, just quickly, Virginia against Duke. Duke five and four yet still in this thing for the ACC, 4-1 in the ACC. Duke is favorite in this game against Virginia by 4.5.
Mike Bell: So we could be in for more chaos. I'll be probably excited to watch that one. What's the coach's name? Manny Diaz?
Kaleb: yeah many ideas
Mike Bell: I do wonder if he's, if these losses are affecting his desirability. I don't know because Duke's a tough place to win at, but.
Kaleb: it It is. Yeah. And Mike Elko, I mean, this is his second year with you guys. So 2023, I think it was with Raleigh Leonard, you know, that was pretty crazy before he, Raleigh Leonard, transferred to North or ah Notre Dame, excuse me.
Mike Bell: Yeah, yeah.
Mike Bell: Wake Forest.
Kaleb: ah Duke is an extremely hard place to play. And I was about to say, you know, honestly, I didn't notice this, but maybe their quarterback is, you know, a little underappreciated, almost 3000 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, four interceptions.
Kaleb: That's really good. And want to say, did Virginia play last week? Again, I forgot off the top of my head.
Mike Bell: wake forest
Kaleb: Yeah. coming Yeah. Coming off the loss against Wake Forest. How would they come back and respond?
Mike Bell: Yeah, that's a good point because, well, they still have everything to fight for. I was going to say, like, maybe that kind of ruins their season, but they still just have one loss.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: But none of these ACC teams want to really separate.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: I just feel like if one team could, it would be Georgia Tech. So that'll be your watch.
Kaleb: Right.
Mike Bell: Maybe Pittsburgh, too.
Kaleb: and Right. And same in really the same concept as far as like bouncing back for Duke as well, because they're coming off a three-point loss against UConn. um So anyway. Yeah.
Mike Bell: Yeah. So, you know, looking through the schedule, I'm curious to see what games maybe if there's anything you'd want to talk about. But, you know, actually, other than kind of the big games, there's there's not a ton of like, yeah, there's not a lot to talk about.
Kaleb: Yeah, know. It's pretty top-heavy.
Mike Bell: The only other one that I would maybe mention as I'm going through here is the. Where was it? I just had it.
Mike Bell: TCU, BYU, I just had this sense that BYU is going to drop a game.
Kaleb: Oh, yeah.
Kaleb: What is it?
Mike Bell: just have a sense about it. And BYU favored by four and a half, coming off a loss, you know, i don't know, TCU is one of those teams, like they're not great, but they could score on you. They could put up some points.
Mike Bell: And i don't know. I look for this. I think it it might be nice if a team could just knock off BYU so we don't have to worry about them anymore, you know? And then they're not going to be in the championship game because it's just going to be a weird situation with Utah being as highly ranked as they are and then BYU being ranked.
Mike Bell: Like, I don't know. i There's a weird scenario where the Big 12 could get like three teams in if it doesn't sort itself out.
Kaleb: and what you Which would be completely disastrous.
Mike Bell: Yeah, it really would be. Here's a question for you. I think maybe you asked me this. i don't No, I don't think you did, actually. This is unrelated to this game, but should two-loss Vanderbilt team that wins out make it into the playoffs?
Kaleb: I feel like we had a discussion pretty similar to this.
Mike Bell: We may have. We may have.
Kaleb: ah
Mike Bell: And it's tough to say, right?
Kaleb: Well,
Mike Bell: You've got to see what everyone else, like you've got compare the teams.
Kaleb: Yeah, right.
Mike Bell: But let's say to Miami. Let's say the choice is between Miami that wins out but doesn't make their conference championship game or Vanderbilt who wins out and obviously is not in the conference champion.
Mike Bell: Like if it's between those two, what do you think?
Kaleb: So Vandy plays Kentucky and then ah at Tennessee.
Mike Bell: Tennessee. Tennessee.
Kaleb: Okay, let me go a look and see who Miami plays.
Mike Bell: Miami beat Notre Dame first game of the season. They've got at Pitt to end the year.
Kaleb: What's their other game, though? Or is that their only
Mike Bell: They face North Carolina State this week, at Virginia Tech the next week, and then at Pitt to end the year.
Mike Bell: They're 2-2 over the last two games. ah Lost at SMU. Lost hosting Louisville. Beat the 18th ranked Florida State at the time, but yeah, that means nothing to me anymore.
Kaleb: on it
Mike Bell: Thank you.
Kaleb: Yeah, honestly, i would have to go Vanderbilt just because, like, number one, just the storyline that they've had, like, all year, you know, just kind of some hype and whatnot. But I think they've been the more consistent team ah over Miami. Because, listen, Miami started out the year like, dude, holy crap, man, they're really good this year, and they have definitely fizzled out. Now the question is, what kind of Miami team are we going to see? Because, remember, I think it was last week, i and I forget who they played,
Kaleb: Going into halftime, that game was pretty close and they were playing to nobody.
Mike Bell: Yep, Syracuse. yeah accus
Kaleb: do it Yeah, exactly. And listen, I mean,
Kaleb: yeah ah should that game have been that close that long? Probably not from Miami's standpoint. So I think it'd be better for Vandy to get in. Just from the sole fact that they've been more consistent.
Kaleb: Miami's had maybe higher highs, but also I think lower lows, whereas Vandy... probably upper to middle, you know, peaks and valleys aren't as big.
Mike Bell: Yeah, it's a tough choice because just remember how we talked about Miami.
Kaleb: It is.
Mike Bell: Now we know more now, obviously, but remember we were, there were conversations about Miami being like, maybe they should be the number one team in the country. Like they were playing so good.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: And then they just, I don't know, like they had those, I still think maybe it had something to do with those weird bye weeks that they had. I'm dead serious. You know, they didn't play for, they played one game.
Kaleb: That is very odd. i don't know if I've ever seen that happen. I mean, it probably has, but two bi-weeks in a row that's very strange.
Mike Bell: Yeah, right, right.
Kaleb: vi
Mike Bell: So it is very strange.
Kaleb: Very strange.
Mike Bell: so But then you just have to look how the team finishes. My only thing with Vandy is like, well, do they have – because at the end of the day, Miami does have the win versus Notre Dame.
Mike Bell: They have the win versus USF. And you do have to honor the fact that Florida was fighting for it all. I don't know what you think about the Florida win, whatever. And then this is assuming they beat Pittsburgh at the end of the year.
Mike Bell: Vandy, who is their best win right now?
Mike Bell: They're going to have Tennessee at the end of the year, so they'll beating at Tennessee. So that you know that's one.
Kaleb: I would probably say
Kaleb: Missouri, for what you will, LSU. And I know the Auburn game's unranked that they played last week, but I still think that is a pretty good win.
Kaleb: Because
Mike Bell: Yeah.
Kaleb: Their defense, what what's funny is throughout this year, their defense has been fantastic, but you know last game, their defense let the probably the most points be scored on them this year, and their offense came alive.
Kaleb: So kind of a weird game for Auburn, but I think... Vanity has like three quality wins. Now Miami, yes, they do have the win over Notre Dame. That is probably a better win than the Missouri, LSU, and the Auburn games for sure.
Kaleb: So I do think that Miami has one better win.
Kaleb: I just don't know if Miami played the same schedule as Vanity. What would the record be right now? You know what I mean? It's my thing.
Mike Bell: That's true. That's true. And then also, while Miami may have the better win, they also have worse losses.
Kaleb: yeah Yeah, that's true.
Mike Bell: You know, relevant.
Kaleb: Because Vandy's lost to two top 10 teams.
Mike Bell: they
Kaleb: you know
Mike Bell: Right. At Alabama, at Texas. So, and then if they were to beat Tennessee, I imagine Tennessee would still be a three loss team at that point.
Kaleb: yeah
Mike Bell: And then to go to Tennessee, that's impressive. So I'm kind of with you.
Kaleb: Rivalry game, yeah.
Mike Bell: Yeah, I'm kind of with you. it just depends. And I'm sure there will be other scenarios that will play out some tough calls.
Kaleb: Listen, and that kind of sucks just because, you know, i don't really know what to,
Kaleb: I don't really know like what to pin it on, to be honest, as far as Miami's problem goes. They can go out compete with anybody.
Mike Bell: Carson Beck.
Kaleb: Do what?
Mike Bell: Carson Beck.
Kaleb: Yeah. Well, he's one of them for sure. i think there's something a little bit more to it though than that, but, um,
Mike Bell: Yeah.
Kaleb: Man, they could come out and beat anybody, though. That's the thing. like Who's more talented? Who could go and beat Ohio State or Indiana more likely between those two?
Kaleb: Miami, for sure. But it's just like, what Miami are you going to get? The elite Miami or like the playing down to their competition Miami? And that's the thing. In the playoffs,
Kaleb: You don't want to have an up-and-down team like that, per se. You would just want to have kind of a steady steady hand, you know, so to speak, I guess. I don't know. I could be wrong on that, but I personally would much rather have, like, know what to expect, I guess.
Kaleb: don't know. It could be kind of interesting, too, because Miami could go on, a like, a crazy run, potentially, and talk about a Cinderella story kind of thing.
Mike Bell: Yeah, yeah. Yep.
Kaleb: That's actually a good question too. You know, if Miami got in at that 12th spot and because if they did, I mean, if and they fired on all cylinders like they were at beginning of the year, could they go to the national championship? that There's potential.
Kaleb: It's how do they show up? I guess.
Mike Bell: yep Alright, is there anything else you want to talk about? Anything else on the schedule? Any quibbles you have with A&M being number three and not number two?
Mike Bell: any Anything you want to discuss?
Kaleb: You know, I'd almost say like like, in all fairness, let me pull up Indiana's schedule real quick. Oh, hold on one second. just had, literally had an easy exit.
Mike Bell: well while While you're doing that, because if we're going to actually go down this road, I would just say i would just say first of all, so A&M, a lot of A&M fans are like up in arms about this.
Kaleb: Yeah,
Mike Bell: I do not care. like The difference between three and two, like whatever, and be careful what you ask for because the way they're burn like the the number two team actually could have a a harder road than the number three team.
Kaleb: yeah well, that's true. That's true.
Mike Bell: So that's just something to keep in mind. But also, i just don't care. I think Indiana, it's fine. I will say A&M has the number one strength of record in the entire country.
Mike Bell: And Lane Kiffin made a great point this week. He's like, you know, if you're going to schedule tough opponents like A&M scheduled Notre Dame, and you're not going to move them up when they beat good opponents, then what's the point of scheduling those opponents?
Mike Bell: Because look at Ohio State. I'm not saying Ohio State shouldn't be number one. They should be. But their schedule, just compared to A&M or a lot of other teams, is just so easy. So why wouldn't A&M or A&M team
Kaleb: Yeah, and that is kind of surprising too.
Mike Bell: Right, right. So it's like it feels like you should be kind of rewarded. A&M, three straight road wins. They were ranked at the time. LSU and Missouri, not Arkansas, obviously. I get those teams have kind of fallen off. I completely get that.
Mike Bell: But look when they played them. Look what what was on the line. To me, the resume is better for A&M. Do I care? No. like I think it's very close. I think Indiana has an argument too, and I don't really care that much. But that's all I have to say about it.
Kaleb: Yeah, I think the only thing, like, if I were in your spot is SEC title.
Mike Bell: What about it?
Kaleb: I mean, that's just mainly the – that's what I would focus on.
Mike Bell: Oh, that's what you'd worry about? yeah Yeah, I agree. Like, I wouldn't worry about the difference between the number two or number three ranking. Like, it just doesn't matter.
Kaleb: Yeah. Yeah.
Kaleb: I mean – Indiana's played Oregon. are enough What was Oregon at the time? like I think Oregon was like top five or something like that at the point.
Mike Bell: yes Yeah. Yeah. I think there were three, actually.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Kaleb: They played Illinois. Beat the crap out of them. I don't know. i think it's like I think overall, like I think probably like had a
Kaleb: more consistent like hard schedule okay and there there are some questions about that schedule okay but indian indiana's schedule it's like yeah they have a you know pretty some top heavy opponents and then some of like man okay these aren't really like this should be a problem you know kind of opponent so anyway um and what was the other thing i forgot what you said uh
Mike Bell: Right.
Mike Bell: i mean, that was it. Nothing, nothing really. i was just looking at the rankings and the playoff committee. There's nothing I really have a quibble with. I think it all seems fine. I, I liked that they kept Iowa in there and
Kaleb: Yeah, I too.
Mike Bell: yeah But other than that, you know, for me, i think that's kind of it for this week. In terms of what I have to discuss. But, yeah.
Kaleb: Yeah, I don't really have any issues with really the, which really, i guess for all intents and purposes, we have just got to just shift our focus from the AP poll to the playoff rankings.
Mike Bell: The rankings, right, right. The playoff rankings.
Kaleb: Up to this point, I really don't have any issues with it. um
Kaleb: I don't have any issues with it, but like let's ask this question just for craps and giggles, I guess. Ole Miss, Texas Tech. What do you think about that one?
Mike Bell: So I don't have it pulled up right this second. where So Texas Tech is six.
Kaleb: Texas Tech is six and Ole Miss is seven.
Mike Bell: mr
Mike Bell: Yeah, that is an interesting one. I'm
Kaleb: in.
Kaleb: Go ahead.
Mike Bell: i'm i'm okay with it. Again, like it's hard to say.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: i think Ole Miss is probably a little better, but Texas Tech, at the end of the day, they're one well, here's the thing.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: I'm going to talk myself out of it because the Big 12,
Kaleb: Yeah. very much yeah
Mike Bell: the Big 12 just doesn't have good teams in there, you know? So whereas Ole Miss, ah they haven't had the hardest schedule. And look, when they placed the big teams like Georgia, they, well, look, that's their only loss, but they did beat OU, NOU.
Kaleb: yeah
Mike Bell: And who else did they beat? They beat another ranked opponent. God, who was it?
Kaleb: I want to say Tennessee, but I don't know if that's correct.
Mike Bell: Well, they had another big game. I know that they won, that they
Kaleb: Well, it was LSU.
Mike Bell: LSU. LSU is the one I was thinking of, yeah. Which, look, I know what LSU is now, but at the end of the day, they...
Kaleb: Yeah. Yeah. At the time, though, they were four. Okay.
Mike Bell: Right. Right. So, i would actually probably go Ole Miss.
Kaleb: And did Texas Tech go and beat Oklahoma? I don't really know about it. And honestly, Ole Miss was very competitive with Georgia, too.
Mike Bell: Right.
Kaleb: Okay.
Mike Bell: They should won the game is what I'm concerned.
Kaleb: All right.
Kaleb: So, and can Texas Tech do those or do those games? Probably not, to be honest with you. i mean, maybe the OU game, maybe they they would have a shot at that. I just don't know if they could compete with Georgia, but...
Mike Bell: Yeah.
Kaleb: um ah Kind of funny there, but yeah. um I was thinking like off the top, just the top of my head, first thought was, okay, better defense, maybe get the edge Texas Tech, but o Miss' is offense is just so prolific. And it's not like Ole Miss has the crappiest defense.
Kaleb: It's definitely not good, but it's not the crappiest, like, That'd be my only concern with Ole Miss, like going to the playoffs. I think the playoffs, you've got to have an lock you know a really good defense to kind of get you through because sometimes it's going to pretty sloppy football.
Kaleb: And if you don't have a good defense you can rely on, i mean, it's going to be a little problematic for you, to be honest.
Mike Bell: Yeah. Yeah. it Just quickly, like i just do have to say how I feel like there's got to be something. So, you know, the SEC is going to nine games, ah nine SEC games.
Mike Bell: I feel like the Big Ten's got to start doing the same because when you do look at Indiana's and Ohio State's schedule, like you just – and by the way, this was the chaos problem with the ACC until they all just took each other out and no one's good.
Kaleb: Oh, well, for sure.
Mike Bell: But the problem is so many of these teams don't face each other and you end up with just situations where like Ohio State did –
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: face Texas the first game of the year. But then after that, like, you host Minnesota, you you know, at Illinois, which I'll give them credit for that. You know, I think Illinois is actually a decent team.
Mike Bell: But then at Wisconsin, Purdue, Rutgers, there's just so many teams.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Kaleb: Yeah, but they have a crappy schedule, man.
Mike Bell: Yeah, yeah, like UCLA, which isn't,
Kaleb: Like, maybe like, okay, Washington, Illinois. I hate to say like, like give Penn State a maybe.
Kaleb: I'll go ahead and just do that. Michigan as well.
Kaleb: At the very end. But I mean, it's not like.
Mike Bell: It's not the have nine games.
Kaleb: Yeah, I mean, it's definitely not for sure. And to your point, they're both like Big Ten and SEC, both super conferences, right? Those two conferences should somewhat be almost mirroring each other as far as scheduling goes.
Kaleb: Like, not necessarily like, they basically just need to
Kaleb: Yeah, actually, i would just stop it there. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Just so it's not like as problematic and there's more consistent football. Because to be honest with you, there's a huge thing right now, like and that kind of like we talked about a little bit like last week, you know like Texas, we scheduled Ohio State at least.
Kaleb: And we should somewhat still get some credit for doing that. And Ohio State, yes, they did schedule us. But...
Kaleb: I don't know. Other than that, gosh, they, like their non-conference games were like crap. And honestly, though, it almost kind of makes you think like, and there's always that debate every single year, like non-conference games, like should you do the cream puffs or the big schools? And every year there's always somebody on the fringe of getting out, you know, getting in, getting out that maybe didn't have enough conference, like good conference games and they're non-conference. They schedule somebody good or vice versa.
Kaleb: Okay. And so, uh,
Kaleb: I don't know. And maybe that's a good question too. Like is Ohio State truly, i think, listen, I think they're probably worthy of being number one, but would maybe that shine diminish a little bit if they played a couple of harder schools more consistently?
Kaleb: Probably.
Mike Bell: Right. Right. That's the thing. Like you really don't get to know until like the playoffs. I mean, they have at Michigan. So yes, maybe that is one. It just feels like that's kind of a good matchup for Ohio State, but you never know because that's a rivalry game.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: You said that last year. Right. But like, yeah, it does make you wonder like, so there is separation now with Ohio State and like the rest of the league in terms of the way they're favored. But is that just because they haven't faced anybody like you're saying? So I don't know. I guess we'll see. And maybe that hurts them, by the way.
Mike Bell: Maybe in playoff time, like they're not as ready...
Kaleb: Well, think so, because I think that, I think that like, uh, I think for instance, like, uh, not necessarily SEC versus Big Ten by any means, but just say any team that's had a more harder, consistent schedule, they're going to be more battle-tested and kind of know what to do in certain situations, which I'm telling you, like I was saying a few minutes ago, wanting a good defense in the playoff just because it's going to get nitty-gritty and ugly, and you know you need to count on your defense to go but you know hold hold down the line, whatever the case may be.
Kaleb: And luckless let's face it, up to this point, Ohio State hasn't necessarily – Yes, I mean, aside from their first game against us, unless there they haven't necessarily played a team that could potentially beat them, like realistically.
Mike Bell: No, and they haven't.
Kaleb: You know, and that isn't that's not a good thing for the team either because that's going to make them more pro.
Mike Bell: like
Mike Bell: Right. The only game they have on the schedule, it it was the first game against Texas and then the last game against Michigan.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: Every other one, like they weren't going to Illinois and losing, you know? Like the one that comes closest to me is maybe at Washington. Just because Washington didn't really define themselves yet.
Kaleb: Yeah, I know. Yeah.
Mike Bell: Tough place to play. i get it.
Kaleb: In the halftime, that was ah that was a pretty close game too, to be honest with you. Like, I want to say maybe it was six to three or something.
Mike Bell: Yeah.
Kaleb: Like, it was like very low scoring and stuff. And then Ohio State pulled away. But look at the – at the the day, though, look at those teams. yeah I mean, you could have had Helen Keller throwing the football back there for Ohio State, and they could have scored some points still. I mean, they've got talent all over the place, you know.
Kaleb: Washington's good. I think their coach is good. But I don't know. ah
Mike Bell: Yeah.
Mike Bell: I'm with you.
Kaleb: I'm trying to think like, do you know off the top of your head if Indiana plays Ohio State?
Mike Bell: They don't. No, they they're only going play.
Kaleb: Probably until the Big Ten Championship if they both went on or whatever, but which I think that would be very, very interesting game.
Mike Bell: That'll be interesting to see. I mean, talk about a litmus test, you know, for both teams, really.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Kaleb: Oh, yeah, for sure. yeah But up to this point, I'd probably argue and say Indiana has maybe had some harder tests, per se, but not too far ahead because at least Illinois – or excuse me.
Kaleb: Well, both teams have played Illinois. indian Indiana played Oregon.
Mike Bell: it at Iowa.
Kaleb: Yeah, at Iowa. Yes.
Mike Bell: That's a tough one.
Kaleb: Yes.
Mike Bell: And then at Penn State, I will still say as tough. You know, it's not the.
Kaleb: Yeah, did Ohio State play at Penn State?
Mike Bell: but
Kaleb: or I think that was at Penn State, if I'm not mistaken.
Mike Bell: Indiana, yeah, Penn State Ohio State hosted Penn State.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Kaleb: Yeah.
Mike Bell: But like, yeah, it's tougher schedule, more respectable for Indiana, but still like not the best.
Kaleb: anyway
Kaleb: Yeah, for sure.
Mike Bell: but
Kaleb: and You know, that's crazy, too, just because there's really good teams the Big Ten, right?
Mike Bell: Right. is what I was going to say.
Kaleb: I mean, it's like, don't get me wrong, there's still –
Mike Bell: ah one of A lot of it is just like the Big Ten teams need to get themselves together. Like USC needs to be better, even though they've been better this year. You've got to think Michigan is going to get better. Nebraska needs to make a comeback.
Mike Bell: UCLA, although UCLA seems like a long way away. Washington, right? And then obviously Penn State. So it's just a lot of like these teams just aren't performing right now.
Kaleb: Yeah, that, I mean, it's not to say that like the SEC, there's teams that definitely have easier SEC schedules, but I feel like there's more.
Mike Bell: Well, yeah, you would.
Kaleb: Oh, really, pal?
Kaleb: I'd say last year, maybe there's an argument for that.
Mike Bell: Last year, absolutely,
Kaleb: i don't know about this. Not this year, though. right
Mike Bell: yes. It's better this year, I'll say.
Kaleb: So in other words, yeah yes, good schedule. Gosh,
Mike Bell: Okay. Okay.
Kaleb: what was going to say? I just feel like there's more of a, gosh, I was trying to think of a D word. ah There's a huge difference between like the SEC, we are like, gosh, what am I trying to say here?
Mike Bell: The middling teams in the SEC, maybe you're about the depth of the SEC?
Kaleb: Yeah, I mean, there's definitely an argument for that. But what I was trying to say was it seems like at least there's more SEC teams that have, like, a more consistent, harder schedule than the other Big Ten teams do.
Mike Bell: Yes.
Kaleb: ah Disparity, maybe, I guess is the word I was trying to think of. But um I think that's the case. Because, like you said, Ohio State, like, look at their schedule versus, like, some of the other SEC teams, like – um Like pretty much any other SEC team, you could say, oh, okay, they, you know, three, four teams.
Kaleb: And needless to say, we still have three to four games, which arguably are some of the bigger games of the season, you know, especially the very last one just because it's rivalry week, you know. And for the most part, the majority of the SEC team's rivalry week, it's going like a double-ranked matchup.
Kaleb: So, for the most part, you know. Yeah.
Kaleb: Couple teams will be like that for the Big Ten, but ah anyway. i it's It's sad that we're coming down to the ah
Kaleb: nitty-gritty of the season, I guess. you know it It really is. It feels just like it started yesterday.
Mike Bell: It is, but we at the same time have some very exciting games to still get to.
Kaleb: Yeah, we do.
Mike Bell: ah playoffs, conference championships, and rivalry week. So I'm looking forward to it. But with that said, I do have to go now.
Kaleb: I know.
Mike Bell: So I said we wrap this up. And yeah, it's been another episode. And I guess I'll talk to you next time.
Kaleb: All right.
Mike Bell: right.
